Chapter Summaries

Yue Shuo received a letter saying his sister-in-law had begun cultivating immortality, along with a spatial artifact, an Azure Spirit Bird, and supplies from his elder brother. He named the bird Azure Feather, learned it could sense a thin barrier around the Spirit Field, and began inspecting the gifts.

• Yue Shuo read his elder brother's letter, which said his sister-in-law had found an immortal opportunity and that the brothers would meet again at the end of the year.
• Yue Shuo discovered the gray letter tube contained a spatial artifact and found a Beast-Taming Token that let him command the Azure Spirit Bird.
• Yue Shuo named the bird Azure Feather, fed it a Grain-Repelling Pill and Gathering Spirit Grass, and learned the Spirit Field barrier was thin.
• Yue Shuo sent Azure Feather to keep watch, then opened the supplied boxes and found Spirit-Drawing Incense in the first one.
• Yue Shuo opened the remaining two boxes.

Yue Shuo refined the Tier-One Spirit Pearl and found that it improved his cultivation speed, while he also realized his cultivation had been draining the Spirit Field Formation. After deciding to seek protective techniques through the External Affairs Pavilion, he received supplies and a possible commission from Shopkeeper Tao through Gu Jiu.

• Yue Shuo refined the Spirit Pearl, cultivated with it, and found that his cultivation session took a third less time and his cultivation efficiency rose from 2.4 to 3 per session.
• Yue Shuo considered asking his big brother and sister-in-law for escape and defensive techniques, but chose to wait for the External Affairs Pavilion to avoid drawing attention to them.
• Yue Shuo sensed that his cultivation had slowed the Spirit Field Formation and decided to stop cultivating in the Spirit Field so it could last longer.
• Gu Jiu returned with a bottle of Grain-Repelling Pills, a thousand sheets of Yellow Talisman Paper, and Talisman Ink materials from selling Yue Shuo's Foundational Talisman set.
• Gu Jiu explained that Shopkeeper Tao had given Yue Shuo a Spirit Stone as a gift of respect and might want to place an order with him.

Yue Shuo arranged to sell Foundational Talismans through Gu Jiu and considered revealing his planting and talisman-making talent to attract a mentor within the Qin Clan. He then resumed cultivation and decided to build his talisman-crafting proficiency before attempting more First-Order Talismans.

• Yue Shuo planned to deliver one hundred Foundational Talismans in five days for Gu Jiu to exchange for Spirit Stones.
• Gu Jiu told Yue Shuo that Zou Chongying might be taken as a disciple by a steward and Tian Wan might become an alchemy apprentice, while neither had been affected by the recent punishments.
• Gu Jiu suggested Yue Shuo reveal some of his planting and talisman-crafting talent so spirit plant masters or talisman masters might take him as a disciple.
• Yue Shuo asked Gu Jiu to watch for someone at the External Affairs Pavilion, then cultivated until his Thousand Waves Formula proficiency reached 30/100.
• Yue Shuo decided to use Foundational Talisman Paper to improve his talisman-crafting proficiency before trying to make more First-Order Talismans.

Yue Shuo focused on raising his Talisman Crafting skill, balancing the cost of crafting with his cultivation and talisman supplies. After reaching High-Grade First-Tier and unlocking three new First-Tier talismans, he rested before using his new information entry to improve his mastery of First-Grade Runes.

• Yue Shuo crafted Foundational Talismans and realized they now granted less Talisman Crafting proficiency than before.
• Yue Shuo prioritized Talisman Crafting while continuing to cultivate, and his skills and cultivation progressed steadily from the 24th through the 28th.
• Yue Shuo maxed out Talisman Crafting on the 29th, reaching High-Grade First-Tier and advancing his three perfected Foundational Talismans into First-Tier versions.
• Yue Shuo considered whether his Tai Chi Fist could advance to the Second-Tier, then recovered his Divine Sense and laid out his remaining First-Tier Blank Talisman Paper.
• Yue Shuo used his new information entry and gained improved mastery of First-Grade Runes.

Yue Shuo advanced his First-Tier talisman-crafting mastery and considered how to earn Spirit Stones, but discovered his brush was inadequate for reliable spirit talismans. When Gu Jiu returned late with supplies, he explained that the sea vessel had encountered trouble like the incident involving Azure Feather, leaving Yue Shuo alarmed.

• Yue Shuo used a brief Enlightenment Radiance to craft five First-Tier Spirit Talismans, then failed to complete another and concluded his talisman brush was flawed.
• Yue Shuo decided to avoid the end-of-month market and calculated the costs and success rates he would need to profit from talisman crafting.
• Yue Shuo watered his Gathering Spirit Grass and waited for Gu Jiu, worrying that his martial servant might have run into trouble while buying supplies.
• Gu Jiu returned with the requested goods and explained that the sea vessel had encountered trouble like Azure Feather had.
• Yue Shuo paused and stared at Gu Jiu, wondering whether a First-Class Martial Artist could react faster than he could cast a spell.

Yue Shuo avoided letting Gu Jiu try to catch the Azure Spirit Bird and examined the goods Gu Jiu had traded for his talismans. Finding two new Foundational Talismans that suited his needs, he decided to keep crafting until he could raise them to First-Tier.

• Yue Shuo told Gu Jiu he would keep feeding the Azure Spirit Bird rather than cage it, and stopped Gu Jiu from trying to catch it.
• Gu Jiu became pale and unsteady after Yue Shuo mentioned feeding the bird a Grain-Repelling Pill, so Yue Shuo sent him back to rest.
• Yue Shuo counted nineteen Spirit Stones, five Grain-Repelling Pills, and five unfamiliar Foundational Talismans among the items Gu Jiu had brought back.
• Yue Shuo planned to limit future talisman sales, conceal his cultivation, and focus on cultivation and spells while saving for a First-Tier Talisman Brush.
• Yue Shuo read the note describing the five new talismans and decided to raise the Swift-Step Talisman and Hard-Armor Talisman to First-Tier.

Yue Shuo broke down an unfamiliar rune and successfully crafted a Foundational Swift-Step Talisman, then made eight in ten attempts. He noticed that crafting them had not raised his Talisman Crafting proficiency and wondered whether Foundational Talismans gave no experience.

• Yue Shuo abandoned grinding spells and began testing how to craft the Swift-Step Talisman by breaking down its rune.
• Yue Shuo repeatedly failed as he tested different strokes, then realized his final attempt had failed because the closing stroke did not connect to the first.
• Yue Shuo calmed himself and successfully completed a Swift-Step Talisman.
• Yue Shuo crafted ten Swift-Step Talismans, succeeding eight times and raising the talisman's proficiency to 8/10.
• Yue Shuo saw that his Talisman Crafting proficiency remained at 5/1000 and suspected that crafting Foundational Talismans did not grant experience.

Yue Shuo tested his Swift-Step Talismans, discovered that the Fine version was dangerously fast, and planned to give Gu Jiu an ordinary one for emergencies. The next day, Gu Jiu returned excitedly, calling it a great opportunity and asking whether Yue Shuo had known about the auspicious day.

• Yue Shuo confirmed that Foundational talisman practice no longer increased his First-Tier High-Grade Talisman Crafting proficiency and raised his Foundational Swift-Step Talisman mastery.
• Yue Shuo tested an Ordinary Swift-Step Talisman in Creek Valley, then tried a Fine one and ended up in the creek before Gu Jiu heard him.
• Yue Shuo brushed off Gu Jiu's concern, cleaned himself with talismans, and concluded that the Fine Swift-Step Talisman was too fast for cramped places.
• On January 30th, Yue Shuo cultivated and checked his Spirit Field while Gu Jiu went out to learn about nearby daily affairs.
• Yue Shuo considered giving Gu Jiu an Ordinary Swift-Step Talisman for emergencies, but Gu Jiu returned unharmed and announced that a great opportunity awaited.

Yue Shuo went to the External Affairs Pavilion after learning that spirit-plant cultivators and talisman crafters were selecting disciples, though he worried that taking a master might cost him his Spirit Field post. There, he recognized a resentful youth from an earlier encounter as Cheng Fan, who was called inside before him.

• Gu Jiu told Yue Shuo to prepare for a visit from spirit-plant cultivators and talisman crafters, and Yue Shuo wondered whether taking a master would require him to leave Little Brook Valley.
• Yue Shuo decided to attend and arrived at the External Affairs Pavilion with Gu Jiu, where he found fifteen youths gathered.
• Yue Shuo noticed a coarse-clothed youth who seemed to resent him and recalled seeing him chased by a group on the road to Tian Wan and Chong Ying.
• Gu Jiu stepped in front of Yue Shuo when the youth stared at him, and Yue Shuo realized the youth had apparently taken offense because Yue Shuo had ignored him during the earlier chase.
• A martial guard began calling names, and Cheng Fan was called inside before Yue Shuo.

Yue Shuo joined Talisman Master Qi’s disciple selection and passed the talisman-drawing test while concealing his ability to make an exquisite talisman. Talisman Master Qi praised his work, and Yue Shuo sat back down as Cheng Fan also completed a successful talisman.

• Yue Shuo chose to try for Talisman Master Qi’s discipleship rather than seek a spirit planter as his master.
• Yue Shuo memorized the Evil-Repelling Talisman diagram, then chose to draw a Water Condensation Talisman for the test.
• Cheng Fan sat opposite Yue Shuo and watched him with contempt as they began drawing.
• Yue Shuo deliberately failed twice before successfully drawing an ordinary Water Condensation Talisman.
• Talisman Master Qi examined Yue Shuo’s talisman, praised him, and told him to sit.
• Cheng Fan finished his own drawing and also succeeded.

Talisman Master Qi accepted Qin Bo and Yue Shuo as apprentices after their talisman test, then changed his decision and took Cheng Fan as a third apprentice. Yue Shuo accepted the apprenticeship and received a meeting gift, while the three unsuccessful candidates were dismissed with gifts and an invitation to seek guidance.

• Talisman Master Qi praised the candidates and named Qin Bo and Yue Shuo as his apprentices.
• Yue Shuo agreed to become Talisman Master Qi’s apprentice, while Cheng Fan interrupted to protest that the selection was unfair.
• Talisman Master Qi asked Cheng Fan to explain, and Cheng Fan criticized Qin Bo’s talent and status.
• After receiving a voice transmission from a maid, Talisman Master Qi announced he would take three apprentices.
• Talisman Master Qi gave all six candidates meeting gifts, then had a maid escort the three unsuccessful candidates out.

Yue Shuo became Talisman Master Qi’s apprentice, while Cheng Fan criticized him for avoiding conflict and alluded to a martial servant’s death. Yue Shuo then learned that Steward Fang had supposedly recommended him to the Mu Spirit Planter, who was still waiting for him at the External Affairs Pavilion.

• Yue Shuo declined to compete for Talisman Master Qi’s attention, and Cheng Fan won the apprenticeship choice over Qin Bo.
• Talisman Master Qi instructed Yue Shuo and the others, gave them talisman materials, and invited them to return for guidance.
• Outside the External Affairs Pavilion, Cheng Fan mocked Yue Shuo as a coward and said he relied on others to avenge a martial servant’s death.
• Yue Shuo visited Tian Wan and revealed that Talisman Master Qi had accepted him as an apprentice; Tian Wan said Chong Ying had told him Steward Fang recommended Yue Shuo to the Mu Spirit Planter.
• The Mu Spirit Planter waited through assessments for Yue Shuo, and Fang Tong arrived expecting to find him there.

After Yue Shuo failed to appear for Old Mu’s apprentice registration, Fang Tong promised to find the Spirit Planter another candidate, while Old Mu assigned the waiting disciples to a spirit field. Yue Shuo learned more about Cheng Fan’s tangled origins and the danger surrounding him just as Cheng Fan arrived to visit.

• Old Mu realized Yue Shuo had not come, and Fang Tong promised to look for another apprentice for him.
• Old Mu sent the newly admitted disciples to Spirit Field Geng, Area C, then Fang Tong and Talisman Master Qi took him to the residences behind the External Affairs Pavilion.
• Yue Shuo and Tian Wan discussed Steward Fang and the incident involving Cheng Fan and Chong Ying.
• Tian Wan warned Yue Shuo that someone in the Qin Clan was targeting Cheng Fan and told him to watch out for Senior Brother Cao.
• Tian Wan shared rumors about Cheng Fan’s Qin Clan mother and his father’s powerful background, then Huang Da announced that Young Master Cheng had come to see Yue Shuo.

Yue Shuo grew suspicious when Chen Senior Brother urgently summoned Tian Wan to cover a shift at an alchemist’s quarters, and he warned Huang Da to tell Tian Wan to stay alert. After returning to Little Brook Valley, Yue Shuo examined Talisman Master Qi’s gift, cultivated, and considered how to obtain Spirit Stones for his field formation before seeking talisman guidance.

• Chen Senior Brother arrived and hurried Tian Wan away to cover for him at He Alchemist’s place, warning that a problem with the furnace fire would make them all responsible.
• Yue Shuo told Huang Da to warn Tian Wan to stay alert, then realized the sudden request might have been meant to keep Tian Wan away from the gathering for new disciples.
• A group of new disciples invited Yue Shuo to their noon gathering, but he declined and continued toward Little Brook Valley with Gu Jiu.
• Yue Shuo opened Talisman Master Qi’s gift and found ten sheets of First-Tier Blank Talisman Paper, First-Tier Talisman Ink, and a booklet showing two Foundational Talismans.
• Yue Shuo completed five rounds of cultivation in two and a half hours and resolved to find Spirit Stones for the Spirit Field formation within the next couple of days.

Yue Shuo went to the External Affairs Pavilion to ask Talisman Master Qi about talisman crafting, but learned that his master was hosting guests at the Qi Residence. There, Fang Tong praised Yue Shuo’s planting talent to the Mu Spirit Planter, who hurried to meet the prospective apprentice.

• Yue Shuo left Gu Jiu waiting outside the External Affairs Pavilion and went in to seek Talisman Master Qi’s advice about crafting talismans.
• A maid told Yue Shuo that Talisman Master Qi had guests and led him through the inner courtyards to the Qi Residence.
• Talisman Master Qi told Fang Tong and the Mu Spirit Planter that Yue Shuo had exceptional talent in talisman crafting.
• Fang Tong claimed that the young planter he had found could grow Gathering Spirit Grass with the potency of three to five years after tending it for less than two months.
• The Mu Spirit Planter eagerly set out to meet Fang Tong’s recommended apprentice before anyone else could recruit him.

Yue Shuo’s arrival revealed that Talisman Master Qi had taken him as a Talisman Crafting prodigy, despite Fang Tong having discovered his exceptional planting talent. As Old Mu and Fang Tong struggled with the unexpected overlap, Yue Shuo tried to smooth things over by asking Master Qi for help with a Water Condensation Talisman.

• Talisman Master Qi hurried out with Old Mu and met Yue Shuo, whom he introduced as his Talisman Crafting prodigy.
• Old Mu and Fang Tong realized that Yue Shuo was the planting prodigy Fang Tong had hoped to introduce to Old Mu.
• The group returned to the hall, where Old Mu, Fang Tong, and Talisman Master Qi sat in awkward silence.
• Worried that both Fang Tong and Master Qi might take offense, Yue Shuo offered to show Master Qi how he kept making mistakes while drawing Water Condensation Talismans.

Yue Shuo revealed his extraordinary talent by repeatedly drawing Flawless Foundational Talismans, convincing Talisman Master Qi to accept him as an apprentice. After leaving Yue Shuo to rest with Mind-Concentrating Wood, Qi went with Fang Tong and Old Mu to the study and bowed deeply to them.

• Talisman Master Qi noticed that Yue Shuo had presented him with a Flawless Foundational Talisman and agreed to let him demonstrate his skill.
• Yue Shuo drew several more Flawless Water Condensation Talismans in rapid succession, failing only on his sixth attempt.
• Talisman Master Qi had Yue Shuo rest and gave him Mind-Concentrating Wood, promising to explain the talisman path after he awoke.
• Talisman Master Qi left a maid to guard the resting Yue Shuo, then went with Fang Tong and Old Mu to the study.
• Talisman Master Qi bowed deeply to Fang Tong and Old Mu, startling them.

Talisman Master Qi tried to secure Yue Shuo as his apprentice after recognizing his extraordinary talent, while Old Mu accepted that Yue Shuo had no affinity with him. Fang Tong confronted Qi Xin about the flawless talismans, and Yue Shuo wondered how the Mind-Concentrating Wood would help him recover Divine Sense.

• Talisman Master Qi offered to teach Yue Shuo alongside Old Mu, but kept his suspicion about Yue Shuo’s Innate Talisman Heart to himself.
• Old Mu gave up on Yue Shuo, accepted Qi Xin’s gift of talismans, and left seeds and planting insights for the Yue Family child.
• Fang Tong cast a Mist Concealment Technique and challenged Qi Xin about Yue Shuo crafting flawless Foundational Talismans after only two months.
• Qi Xin braced himself for Fang Tong to recommend Yue Shuo to another teacher and prepared to defend his claim on the apprentice.
• Yue Shuo inspected his character panel and realized the Mind-Concentrating Wood could speed Divine Sense recovery, which limited his proficiency training.

Yue Shuo weighed whether to focus on improving his Tai Chi Fist or advance his cultivation, then decided to pursue a concealed two-month period to grind proficiency while relying on his new support from Talisman Master Qi. After testing the Mind-Concentrating Wood Bead and receiving books and food, he replaced his Qi-Concealing Talisman, which could conceal his Qi Refining Level One cultivation.

• Yue Shuo considered using his increased Divine Sense recovery to focus on Tai Chi Fist, but planned to keep the effort concealed by growing most of his Gathering Spirit Grass to maturity over two months.
• Yue Shuo tested the Mind-Concentrating Wood Bead and found that his Divine Sense recovered at least as quickly as it did in the Spirit Field.
• A maid brought Yue Shuo books about talismans and spirit food on Talisman Master Qi's orders, and Yue Shuo read about the First-Tier Lower-Rank Qi-Concealing Talisman.
• After the maid left, Yue Shuo replaced his old Qi-Concealing Talisman with a new one, which was sufficient to hide his Qi Refining Level One cultivation.

Yue Shuo studied cultivation manuals and learned how Qi-Concealing Talismans worked, while Qi Xin and Fang Tong watched him and considered making him part of their plans. Their alliance grew more serious as they weighed their prospects against the Qin Clan’s internal conflicts.

• Yue Shuo learned that Qi-Concealing Talismans could mask cultivation and spell fluctuations, though the manuals did not explain how to draw talismans above First-Tier Lower-Rank.
• Yue Shuo sensed Qi Xin’s Water-Mirror Detection Talisman watching him and looked around in confusion.
• Qi Xin and Fang Tong discussed Yue Shuo’s exceptional Spiritual Awareness and agreed to observe his character before involving him further.
• Fang Tong reflected on the Qin Clan’s worsening treatment of guest disciples and the uncertainty of his own promised marriage and resources.
• Qi Xin and Fang Tong reconsidered their alliance as a chance to secure advancement resources, and Qi Xin said they would need to find a Golden Core power to support them.