Chapter Summaries

Yue Shuo studied Talisman Dao under Qi Xin, whose kindness and gifts led Yue Shuo to eagerly call him Master. Qi Xin accepted his bow as a teacher but stopped short of making him a Personal Disciple, leaving their formal relationship unresolved.

• Yue Shuo confirmed his cultivation remained hidden and continued memorizing Talisman Dao knowledge while analyzing his improved memory.
• Qi Xin returned and urged Yue Shuo to eat; Yue Shuo consumed Spirit Rice and spirit vegetables that added 3.2 Cultivation Value.
• Qi Xin answered Yue Shuo's questions, recognized his extraordinary Talisman Dao talent, and gave him a silk pouch containing items and a Talisman Crafting Insights Jade Slip.
• Qi Xin revealed that the Treasure Pavilion on Little Hemmu Island belonged to him and explained he had sought Yue Shuo because of the consistent quality of his Foundational Talismans.
• Yue Shuo eagerly bowed and called Qi Xin Master, but Qi Xin accepted only the bow as a teacher and did not make him a Personal Disciple.

Qi Xin decided not to make Yue Shuo his personal disciple, fearing it would limit the talented boy’s future, and instead gave him a Talisman Crafting inheritance and promised to recommend another master. He explained the distant realms of cultivation and asked Yue Shuo whether he would pursue the vast immortal path.

• Qi Xin considered Yue Shuo’s prospects and resolved to win him over with kindness rather than take him as a personal disciple.
• Qi Xin gave Yue Shuo a Green-Silk Jade-Pattern Bag containing his Talisman Crafting inheritance and other useful items.
• Qi Xin told Yue Shuo he would recommend another enlightened master, leaving Yue Shuo puzzled about why he would not teach him himself.
• Qi Xin explained that Foundation Establishment extended one’s lifespan, described realms above it, and admitted he hoped Yue Shuo could reach farther than he could.
• Qi Xin asked Yue Shuo whether he would pursue the immortal path, stirring Yue Shuo’s fervor.

Yue Shuo discussed the nature of Spiritual Roots with Qi Xin, prompting Qi Xin to realize how to overcome his cultivation bottleneck. Qi Xin promised to seek a Five-Element cultivation technique and investigate Yue Shuo’s parents as he prepared to leave the island.

• Yue Shuo described Spiritual Roots as bridges and suggested that their size and arrangement could affect cultivation.
• Qi Xin applied Yue Shuo’s ideas to his Three-Element Spirit Roots and found that his long-standing bottleneck had nearly vanished.
• Qi Xin told Yue Shuo that Five-Element cultivation techniques existed and promised to search for one at the market town.
• Qi Xin said he would investigate Yue Shuo’s parents, and Yue Shuo reacted with visible anxiety.
• Yue Shuo vowed to repay Qi Xin’s kindness, and Qi Xin resolved to find people, cultivation techniques, and a powerful faction to target.

Yue Shuo returned to Creek Valley, refined the storage bag from Qi Xin, and used its contents to restore the Spirit Field formation. He ended the chapter by beginning to practice Tai Chi Fist there while planning to focus on cultivation.

• Yue Shuo sent Gu Jiu to build a wooden cabin at the entrance to Creek Valley so he could practice Tai Chi Fist in private.
• Yue Shuo refined Qi Xin’s First-Grade Mid-Rank Storage Bag after spending five thousand points of Spell Power restoring his reserves.
• Yue Shuo found a talisman brush, Talisman Ink, a jade slip of Talisman Crafting inheritance, seeds, books, pills, a hundred Spirit Stones, and other supplies inside the bag.
• Yue Shuo placed ten Spirit Stones at five points in the Spirit Field to replenish its formation and restore its spiritual energy.
• Yue Shuo began cultivating in the Spirit Field by practicing Tai Chi Fist.

Yue Shuo discovered that practicing Tai Chi Fist drew spiritual energy into his body and tempered it, raising his proficiency. After dinner, he ordered Gu Jiu to prepare more Spirit Rice porridge and went back to recover his Divine Sense.

• Yue Shuo practiced Tai Chi Fist six times and felt spiritual energy tempering his body.
• Yue Shuo checked his panel and saw his Tai Chi Fist proficiency rise from 524 to 533, concluding that gains below one point could still be recorded.
• Yue Shuo called Gu Jiu and returned to the courtyard to put away his talisman-making tools.
• Gu Jiu served Yue Shuo Spirit Rice porridge and explained that Qi Xin had given him sixty pounds of rice, with instructions to cook about a pound each day.
• Yue Shuo ordered Gu Jiu to make up the shortfall in his meal, then returned to the spirit land to recover his Divine Sense.

Yue Shuo tested how different ways of eating Spirit Rice affected his cultivation and found that eating it raw gave him the best refinement. He continued cultivating through the night, then instructed Gu Jiu to prepare rice for him and gave him the remaining rice as a reward.

• Yue Shuo replenished the Spirit Field’s formation with Spirit Stones and fed Azure Feather two taels of Spirit Rice.
• Yue Shuo practiced Tai Chi Fist, cleansed himself with a Purity Talisman, and compared the cultivation gains from Spirit Rice porridge and raw rice.
• Yue Shuo refined one jin of raw Spirit Rice into four Cultivation Value points and planned to test the effect of eating Spirit Carp.
• Yue Shuo completed three more rounds of Tai Chi Fist and cast the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique to tend the Gathering Spirit Grass.
• Yue Shuo told Gu Jiu to steam one jin of Spirit Rice three times a day and gave him the rice left over from his supply.
• Gu Jiu thanked Yue Shuo by kowtowing three times before going to prepare the rice.

Yue Shuo experimented with spirit carp to restore his Divine Sense and boost his Cultivation Value, then planned a strict routine to master Tai Chi Fist. He began a period of seclusion and ordered Gu Jiu to gather supplies and guard Creek Valley while it was sealed off.

• Yue Shuo ate the raw spirit carp, gaining a substantial increase in Cultivation Value and restoring much of his Divine Sense, while Azure Feather ate the scraps.
• Yue Shuo practiced Tai Chi Fist until its proficiency reached 600, then slept while Azure Feather kept watch.
• Yue Shuo ate raw spirit rice, decided to have Gu Jiu prepare more cooked rice, and taught Azure Feather to wake him at midnight.
• Yue Shuo wrote a schedule that would let him gain sixty Tai Chi Fist proficiency points each day and estimated he could master the technique within twenty-four days.
• Yue Shuo told Gu Jiu to stockpile supplies and guard outside Creek Valley, then sealed off the valley so he could enter seclusion and digest the spirit carp.

Yue Shuo sealed Little Brook Valley so he could cultivate without interruption, then spent twenty-three days training and feeding Azure Feather Spirit Rice. After reaching five hundred cultivation points, he triggered a spirit energy vortex and awoke to an unexplained change in his body, eager to inspect his panel.

• Yue Shuo calculated that his visible resources could plausibly raise his cultivation to Qi Refining Level One within a few months, helping him avoid drawing suspicion by concealing his aura.
• Yue Shuo used his authority to seal Little Brook Valley for a month, leaving Gu Jiu inside and asking him to report news from outside.
• Gu Jiu told Yue Shuo that Tian Wan had become He Alchemist's formal apprentice and that Huang Da had sought a meeting; Yue Shuo focused instead on increasing the Spirit Rice prepared for his meals and Azure Feather.
• Yue Shuo cultivated in seclusion for twenty-three days until his panel showed 500 cultivation points and Tai Chi Fist proficiency at 1990/2000.
• After seven rounds of Tai Chi Fist, Yue Shuo triggered a spirit energy vortex, endured its painful influx, and refined the energy in meditation.
• Yue Shuo awoke feeling heavy but clear-minded, then looked at his character panel and nearly jumped up at what it showed.

After advancing Taiji, Yue Shuo discovered that his Spiritual Roots, Blood Vitality, lifespan, and bloodline had improved, and that he had gained a permanent talent. He learned that Yin-Yang Taiji could enhance one of two opposing concepts by 50%, but he hesitated over which concepts to choose.

• Yue Shuo examined his Character Panel and found his Spiritual Roots had improved, his lifespan had increased by fifty years, and he was 200 cultivation points from advancing.
• Yue Shuo learned that advancing Taiji had granted him one random permanent Taiji-type physique talent and increased his unknown bloodline concentration.
• Yue Shuo cleaned the hardened grime from his body after realizing he had received a Heaven-and-Earth Marrow Cleansing.
• Yue Shuo discovered his new green talent, Yin-Yang Taiji, could permanently pair opposing concepts and grant one side a 50% enhancement.
• Yue Shuo ruled out spells and cultivation techniques, then weighed enhancing his Spiritual Roots against pairing Divine Sense with Pill Poison.

Yue Shuo enhanced his Wood and Water Spiritual Roots and found that his cultivation had become dramatically more efficient. After one day of cultivating in the creek, he reached the peak of Qi Refining Level One and neared a breakthrough to Level Two.

• Yue Shuo chose Wood and Water as the opposing concepts for his talent enhancement, raising his Wood Spirit Root to six and his Water Spirit Root to seven.
• Yue Shuo wondered whether advancing Taiji could improve the enhancement further, but the proficiency requirements discouraged him from pursuing it for now.
• Yue Shuo sensed spiritual energy in the Creek Valley and found a spot in the creek where water spiritual energy was denser.
• Yue Shuo cultivated the Thousand Waves Formula, drew in spiritual energy with greater ease, and made instinctive refinements to the method.
• Yue Shuo stopped after one day and found his cultivation at 900/1000, with a 90% breakthrough chance and only 15/75 Divine Sense remaining.
• Yue Shuo asked Azure Feather how long he had cultivated and learned that only one day had passed.

After Yue Shuo’s Spiritual Root improved, his cultivation and Thousand Waves Formula proficiency rose faster, and he began practicing Second-Tier Taiji. His first session strengthened his body, leaving him wondering whether the technique had tempered his physique.

• Yue Shuo tested repeated cultivation sessions and found that each gave him five cultivation points and four Thousand Waves Formula proficiency points.
• Yue Shuo calmed his thoughts, fed Azure Feather, and went to sleep after nearly a day of cultivation and Taiji advancement.
• After waking with his Divine Sense restored, Yue Shuo examined the Second-Tier Taiji method and considered whether his own comprehension could raise proficiency.
• Yue Shuo completed a session of Second-Tier Taiji and felt warmth nourish his body as his physique and strength improved.

Yue Shuo set aside training Second-Tier Taiji and prepared to raise his cultivation while guarding Azure Feather through its advancement. As Azure Feather’s spiritual cocoon faded, Yue Shuo overheard Gu Jiu outside Creek Valley speaking with someone and mentioning him.

• Yue Shuo decided that grinding Second-Tier Taiji cost too much Divine Sense and planned to focus on advancing his cultivation instead.
• Yue Shuo considered leaving the Qin Clan’s island and speculated about Teacher Qi’s promised talisman mentor.
• Azure Feather began advancing, so Yue Shuo gathered Spirit Stones and adjusted the Spirit Field formation to keep the process secure.
• Yue Shuo crafted four First-Tier Qi-Concealing Talismans and studied a jade slip while keeping watch over Azure Feather.
• As Azure Feather’s advancement neared completion, Yue Shuo heard Gu Jiu outside Creek Valley speaking with someone and mentioning him.

Yue Shuo emerged from seclusion to find martial guards seeking him over an urgent matter involving his family, then prepared to leave Creek Valley with Azure Feather concealed. He headed to meet Steward Qin at the External Affairs Pavilion, uncertain what awaited him but ready to adapt.

• Yue Shuo left the Spirit Field after hearing Gu Jiu arguing with two martial guards and learned that Steward Qin had summoned him about his family.
• Yue Shuo hurried back to find Azure Feather awake and eating more than a dozen mature Gathering Spirit Grass plants.
• Yue Shuo discovered Azure Feather could play dead and shrink, then concealed it with a Qi-Concealing Talisman and harvested some of the remaining grass.
• Yue Shuo packed a bundle, decided to give up the courtyard and Spirit Field, and handed the bundle to Gu Jiu.
• Yue Shuo urged the martial guards to hurry as he prepared to go with them to the External Affairs Pavilion.

Yue Shuo went to the External Affairs Pavilion to request permission to return home after reaching Qi Refining Level One, where he encountered Qin Feng’s hostility. Qin Fang approved his new status as a Formal Guest Disciple and allowed him to leave, while Yue Shuo pressed for information about his missing family and the Fire Gourd Island pirates.

• Yue Shuo asked Qin Fang to let him return home and proved he had reached Qi Refining Level One.
• Qin Feng entered with malice toward Yue Shuo, but Qin Fang warned him not to let personal grievances cloud his judgment.
• Qin Fang arranged for Yue Shuo to become a Formal Guest Disciple and exchange his identity token.
• Qin Fang told Yue Shuo that he could leave the island to visit his family, while Qin Feng considered the news.
• Yue Shuo asked whether his elder brother’s disappearance was connected to the Fire Gourd Island pirates.

Yue Shuo received ten days of leave but suspected the Qin Clan might use his family visit to frame or harm him, so he sought safety in Qi Xin’s residence and focused on strengthening himself with talismans. Qi Xin arrived, subdued Gu Jiu temporarily, and asked Yue Shuo what he planned to do next.

• Steward Qin granted Yue Shuo ten days of leave to handle his family matters and sent him away from the External Affairs Pavilion.
• Yue Shuo brought Gu Jiu to Qi Xin’s courtyard, believing Qi Xin was the only person in the Qin Clan he could safely rely on.
• Yue Shuo activated Qi Xin’s formation and sent him a voice transmission recounting what had happened.
• Yue Shuo prepared to study talisman crafting and practice spirit talismans to improve his ability to protect himself.
• Qi Xin arrived, explained that he had made Gu Jiu lose consciousness temporarily, and asked Yue Shuo what he planned to do.

Qi Xin explained that Yue Shuo’s family had been moved to Fire Gourd Island, where his third younger brother had become the island master’s disciple, and revealed his plan to use Yue Shuo’s talisman-crafting talent to approach a Golden Core power. Yue Shuo recognized Qi Xin’s careful preparations and agreed to follow his arrangements.

• Qi Xin told Yue Shuo that he had arranged for his eldest brother to join their parents and third younger brother on Fire Gourd Island, and that the family was safe there.
• Qi Xin gave Yue Shuo a brief letter from his eldest brother and explained that the Qin Clan might discover the family’s location by investigating Fire Gourd Island.
• Yue Shuo questioned whether Qi Xin’s senior master was outside the Qin Clan and whether Qi Xin had arranged for the two cultivators who summoned him.
• Qi Xin admitted that he hoped to use Yue Shuo’s talent in Talisman Crafting to gain an opportunity with a major Golden Core power and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Yue Shuo realized Qi Xin had anticipated his reactions through careful planning, then bowed and agreed to follow his teacher’s arrangements.

Yue Shuo traveled toward home while preparing to fake his death and evade Qin Feng, with Teacher Qi secretly supporting his plan. Near Lesser Desolate Island, the ship exploded, leaving Yue Shuo's fate uncertain.

• Yue Shuo boarded a ship with Gu Jiu and prepared for the possibility of Qin Feng attacking him at sea.
• Yue Shuo gave Gu Jiu a shopping list and arranged for him to remain behind, then traveled from Little Hemmu Island toward Lesser Desolate Island on a rented Half-Artifact ship.
• Yue Shuo stayed alert throughout the voyage, considering how Qin Feng might learn of his return and attack.
• As the ship neared Lesser Desolate Island, people repeatedly fell into the water, and Yue Shuo covered himself with spirit talismans.
• The Half-Artifact ship exploded violently.

After Qin Feng destroyed the Half-Artifact ship, Yue Shuo escaped with spirit talismans and struggled to navigate the sea while sensing the aftermath. Qi Xin found him and brought him to a hidden reef-island refuge, where he told Yue Shuo that he had misunderstood Qin Feng’s motives.

• Yue Shuo escaped the ship’s explosion with several spirit talismans and suspected Qin Feng had killed the captain and boatmen as well.
• Yue Shuo sent Qi Xin a voice transmission, activated a Positioning Talisman, and tried to travel underwater without knowing whether he was heading toward Lesser Desolate Island.
• Yue Shuo sensed someone nearby and recognized Qi Xin, who revealed himself and gave Yue Shuo more spirit talismans before they left together.
• Qi Xin led Yue Shuo through a concealed underwater passage to an array-protected cavern on a small reef island.
• Qi Xin apologized for miscalculating and frightening Yue Shuo, then said Yue Shuo was mistaken about Qin Feng being driven by a small grudge.

After the Half-Artifact ship exploded, Yue Shuo learned from Qi Xin that Qin Feng might be framed amid the Qin Clan’s internal conflicts, and he reflected on the dangers of appearing weak. Qi Xin left Yue Shuo in a stone cave for a few days, where Yue Shuo investigated the surroundings and considered what skills and talismans he needed to survive.

• Qi Xin warned Yue Shuo that Qin Feng might die and that someone could be exploiting the incident to intensify conflict between Lineage disciples and guest disciples.
• Yue Shuo decided he wanted to understand the situation but was too weak to investigate, and he resolved that he could not afford to seem harmless forever.
• Yue Shuo asked Qi Xin about the cultivator who had helped Yellow Town during the beast tide ten years earlier and learned that the Three-Element Spirit Root genius had died on a mission.
• Qi Xin left resources with Yue Shuo and departed, agreeing to return in three days at the earliest or within a month at the latest.
• Yue Shuo sensed the stone cave for concentrated spiritual energy and possible array nodes, then reviewed the spirit talismans he lacked for safer travel.
• Yue Shuo took Azure Feather out of the Water-Shield Talisman space and woke it.

After Azure Feather awakened, Yue Shuo sent it to find his family and report that he was safe, while considering whether Teacher Qi had arranged his departure from the Qin Clan for his benefit. He cultivated and studied talisman crafting as he waited, then met Azure Feather again and asked about his family.

• Azure Feather woke, and Yue Shuo discovered it could understand his instructions and find his elder brother without a written note.
• Yue Shuo sent Azure Feather with a series of orders, then reflected that Teacher Qi might have engineered his departure from the Qin Clan to make him a public victim and secure him a better master.
• Yue Shuo checked the cave’s formation and cultivated, gaining cultivation and Thousand Waves Formula proficiency before studying his talisman tools while Azure Feather was away.
• Yue Shuo retrieved Azure Feather from a concealed spot above the sea and returned to the cave with it.
• Yue Shuo asked Azure Feather whether his elder brother, sister-in-law, parents, and Third Brother were all right, and Azure Feather chirped in response.