Recaps

Hu Meier offered Hu Donghan a Soul Ring and pills to help his cultivation, but he refused her gifts and insisted on relying on himself. After seeing that he had contracted a Mortal Ghost, she worried over his choice and warned that she would force him to cultivate if he made no progress.

• Hu Donghan recalled how Hu Meier's childhood punishments had left him determined to surpass her and take revenge.
• Hu Meier offered Hu Donghan a Mid-Grade Ghost Fiend and cultivation pills, explaining that she had wanted to give him a High-Grade Ghost Fiend.
• Hu Donghan refused her gifts and revealed that he had contracted a Mortal Ghost he believed was uniquely suited to him.
• Hu Meier angrily challenged Hu Donghan's decision, then agreed to wait and see whether his cultivation improved.
• Hu Donghan refused the pills as well, and Hu Meier warned that she would tie him up and force him to cultivate if he failed to progress.

Hu Meier recounted her rapid progress under Soul-Devouring Ancestor and reunited with Hu Donghan, who then tortured Mu Zhengfeng for answers. Mu Zhengfeng revealed that a senior disciple from Jade Finger Peak had paid him to kill Hu Donghan, leaving Hu Donghan with a new lead.

• Hu Meier told Hu Donghan that Soul-Devouring Ancestor had made her his first disciple, given her ghost fiends, and planned to train her as the next Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall.
• Hu Donghan told Hu Meier he had reached only the Qi Refining First Layer, and she worried about his poor talent.
• After nightfall, Hu Donghan and Hu Meier turned their attention to Mu Zhengfeng, who had been pretending to remain unconscious.
• Hu Donghan and Hu Meier tortured Mu Zhengfeng until he confessed that Senior Brother Wu from Jade Finger Peak had paid him ten thousand Spirit Stones to kill Hu Donghan.

Hu Donghan learned that Lin Pushong might be behind the attempt on his life and let Hu Meier investigate the Jade Finger Peak connection. Hu Meier gave him Enforcement Hall attire and took Mu Zhengfeng away for further punishment.

• Mu Zhengfeng said a man called Senior Brother Wu had promised him ten thousand Spirit Stones and an introduction to Lin Pushong if he killed Hu Donghan.
• Hu Meier recognized Lin Pushong as a Jade Finger Peak relative who had visited her, and promised to find the man surnamed Wu and bring back his head.
• Hu Meier gave Hu Donghan Enforcement Hall robes, a whip, and an iron plaque, and he accepted them.
• Hu Meier dragged Mu Zhengfeng away despite his protests that Hu Donghan had promised him a quick death.

Hu Donghan wore the Enforcement Hall robes Hu Meier had left him and summoned a menial to clean the blood and severed limbs in his room. After rewarding the menial with Spirit Stones, he killed him and blamed him for stealing them, leaving the other menials stunned.

• Hu Donghan changed into the Enforcement Hall disciple robes and headed to the menial disciples' courtyard for help cleaning his room.
• Hu Donghan refused the steward's gift and chose the menial who had previously informed Mu Zhengfeng of his whereabouts.
• The menial cleaned Hu Donghan's room, and Hu Donghan gave him ten Spirit Stones as a reward.
• As the menial collected the Spirit Stones, Hu Donghan killed him with a Spirit Bolt Technique.
• Hu Donghan took the dead man's storage pouch and Soul Ring, then threw out the corpse and accused him of stealing.
• The other menials stared at one another in disbelief as Hu Donghan returned to his room.

Hu Donghan went to the Overlapping Peaks Disciple Market to buy a Ghost Spirit Herb for his Medicine Spirit Ghost cultivation. He recognized the stall owner as Lang Tianya, a fellow disciple from his courtyard.

• Hu Donghan decided to cultivate diligently and planned to buy a spiritual herb at the market.
• The next morning, two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators questioned Hu Donghan about killing a menial, recorded his explanation, and left.
• Hu Donghan went to the Disciple Market, where the stallholders grew nervous when they saw his law enforcement uniform.
• Hu Donghan asked a stall owner about the price of a Ghost Spirit Herb, then questioned him for recognizing his name.
• The stall owner introduced himself as Lang Tianya, and Hu Donghan recalled that they lived in the same courtyard.

Hu Donghan bought a Ghost Spirit Herb and Wandering Souls from Lang Tianya, then arranged for regular deliveries. Back in his room, he released his Mortal Ghost and began exposing it to the herb’s fragrance to transform it into a Medicine Spirit Ghost.

• Hu Donghan paid Lang Tianya twenty Spirit Stones for the Ghost Spirit Herb rather than accepting it as a gift.
• Lang Tianya sold Hu Donghan two Soul Rings filled with Wandering Souls and explained how he gathered and traded them.
• Hu Donghan asked Lang Tianya to deliver enough Wandering Souls to fill two Soul Rings every three days, and Lang Tianya agreed.
• Hu Donghan returned to his room, released the Mortal Ghost, and brought out the Ghost Spirit Herb.
• The Mortal Ghost recoiled from the herb, but Hu Donghan intended to use its medicinal fragrance to transform it into a Medicine Spirit Ghost.

Hu Donghan transformed a Ghost Spirit Herb and a Mortal Ghost into a Medicine Spirit Ghost using the Soul List. After the body was recast, he successfully obtained the new ghost, though he still needed to find a place where it could be useful.

• Hu Donghan decided to create a Medicine Spirit Ghost before worrying about how to put it to use.
• Hu Donghan used the Miscellaneous Seizure Formula to draw ghost qi and yin qi from the Mortal Ghost and transform the Ghost Spirit Herb into medicinal fragrance.
• Hu Donghan scattered the Mortal Ghost's Soul Body while preserving its soul spirit on the Soul List, and its remains fused with the medicinal fragrance.
• Hu Donghan used the Soul List to guide and condense the fused qi into a small, thin ghost with the Ghost Spirit Herb growing from its head.
• Hu Donghan recognized the completed Medicine Spirit Ghost and celebrated obtaining it.

Hu Donghan suppressed the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s attempt to escape by erasing its intelligence, then created a Soul-Forming Ground to stabilize it. He left the ghost absorbing yin energy and ghost energy while he meditated to recover his spiritual power.

• Hu Donghan used the Soul List to suppress the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s soul after it tried to escape and begged to be released.
• Hu Donghan erased the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s intelligence and confirmed that it obeyed his commands.
• Hu Donghan discovered that the Medicine Spirit Ghost had become a Low-Grade Ghost Demon and realized its unstable Soul Body needed to be solidified.
• Hu Donghan formed a Soul-Forming Ground and broke down ninety Wandering Souls into yin energy and ghost energy.
• Hu Donghan commanded the Medicine Spirit Ghost to enter the Soul-Forming Ground, where it began absorbing energy, then meditated to restore his spiritual power.

Hu Donghan spent a month cultivating in seclusion while nurturing the Medicine Spirit Ghost, and its Soul Body finally stabilized and grew stronger. With the ghost complete, he decided to leave seclusion and visit the Outer Affairs Hall for his monthly stipend, while avoiding the stipend Hu Meier had arranged for him.

• Hu Donghan examined his improved cultivation and received Senior Brother Wu’s head and a letter detailing Hu Meier’s investigation and how she had arranged his death.
• Hu Donghan calculated that the Soul-Forming Ground needed about one hundred and eighty Wandering Souls every three days and chose to remain in his room for a month to protect the Medicine Spirit Ghost as it formed.
• For the next month, Hu Donghan regularly replenished the Soul-Forming Ground and cultivated while Lang Tianya delivered Wandering Souls.
• After a month, Hu Donghan found the Medicine Spirit Ghost nearly his height, solid, and able to absorb ghost qi and yin qi on its own, then drew it into his Soul List.
• Hu Donghan decided to visit the Outer Affairs Hall for his monthly stipend but avoided collecting his Bloodbone Peak law enforcement stipend because Hu Meier might provide him with excessive cultivation resources.

Hu Donghan accepted a task to tend the Little Green Terrace medicinal field, confident that the Medicine Spirit Ghost could make it easy to complete. The task required approval from the peak’s Ancestor, and a deacon explained that the rule had been introduced after disciples from rival peaks sabotaged medicinal fields.

• Hu Donghan collected his monthly stipend and found a medicinal-field task requiring two hundred herbs to be submitted each month.
• Hu Donghan accepted the task, relying on the Medicine Spirit Ghost to tend the herbs and considering the Medicine Fragrance Ghost as a cover for their accelerated growth.
• A deacon told Hu Donghan that all medicinal-field tasks had to be reported to the Peak Master and offered to accompany him.
• The deacon led Hu Donghan through a valley and cave to a gloomy mass graveyard, explaining that only disciples of the same peak could tend its fields.
• The deacon recounted how disciples once wrecked rival peaks’ medicinal fields, causing a sect-wide shortage of herbs and pill materials.

Hu Donghan and an Outer Affairs Hall steward visited Mad Demon Ancestor to report Hu’s request to oversee the medicinal fields at Little Jade Flat. Mad Demon Ancestor recognized Hu and remarked that Hu’s elder sister had killed one-tenth of Overlapping Peaks’ Qi Refining disciples.

• The steward explained how an old medicinal-field scandal led the Yin Soul Sect to tighten its rules, and Hu Donghan listened as they crossed the Mass Grave Mound.
• Ancestor Bing, Mad Demon Ancestor’s War Ghost, met them and led them through a formation to Mad Demon Cave.
• Hu Donghan and the steward entered Mad Demon Ancestor’s stone chamber, where Hu greeted the ancestor without kneeling.
• Mad Demon Ancestor recognized Hu Donghan as the younger brother of Soul-Devouring Ancestor’s personal disciple and said she had killed one-tenth of Overlapping Peaks’ outer disciples.

Hu Donghan learned that Mad Demon Ancestor had once summoned another Medicinal-Scent Ghost owner, who was killed after joining the disturbance at the Outer Affairs Hall. He received authority over Little Jade Flat’s medicinal field and prepared to move there, wondering why Mad Demon Ancestor had called him “little brother-in-law.”

• Hu Donghan concealed Hu Meier’s reason for ordering the slaughter, and Mad Demon Ancestor warned him that mistakes at Little Jade Flat could bring serious consequences.
• Hu Donghan revealed his Medicinal-Scent Ghost, and Mad Demon Ancestor said another cultivator with one had been killed by law-enforcement disciples a month earlier.
• Mad Demon Ancestor ordered Hu Donghan to go to Little Jade Flat, then privately judged him promising but poorly talented.
• Hu Donghan questioned the steward about being called “little brother-in-law,” but the steward denied knowing the reason.
• The steward gave Hu Donghan the medicinal-field access token and explained that he could manage the servants as long as he delivered one hundred spirit herbs each month.
• Hu Donghan packed his belongings, left a letter for Hu Meier, and considered bringing the servant who had guarded his door to Little Jade Flat.

Hu Donghan brought Niu Ergen to Little Jade Flat to help him oversee the herb fields. He dismissed the two servant leaders and left the remaining servants under his control, preparing to keep the area private for his future use of the Medicine Spirit Ghost.

• Hu Donghan asked Niu Ergen to accompany him to the Little Jade Flat herb fields, and Niu Ergen eagerly agreed.
• Hu Donghan and Niu Ergen traveled to Little Jade Flat, where Hu Donghan presented his token and summoned the twelve servants.
• Hu Donghan identified two servants as leaders and ordered them to leave Little Jade Flat.
• Hu Donghan kept the other servants, deciding he needed obedient workers and could not allow anyone to interfere with his plans for the herb fields.

Hu Donghan took charge of Little Jade Flat and arranged to test the Medicine Spirit Ghost in the isolated Small Medicine Field. The chapter ended as he released the ghost and ordered it to cultivate herbs over the greatest range it could manage.

• Hu Donghan made Niu Ergen the menial disciples’ leader and warned them to obey him and protect the medicine fields.
• Hu Donghan surveyed Little Jade Flat and considered testing the Medicine Spirit Ghost and finding more Wandering Souls to supply yin energy.
• Hu Donghan told Niu Ergen to keep everyone away from the Small Medicine Field that night, promising him extra pay if he succeeded.
• Niu Ergen sent the menial disciples to patrol the two Large Medicine Fields, leaving Hu Donghan free to enter the Small Medicine Field alone.
• Hu Donghan released the Medicine Spirit Ghost through the Soul List and ordered it to cultivate herbs across the widest range possible.

Hu Donghan tested Medicine Spirit Ghost’s ability to nurture spirit herbs and learned how long it could work before its yin aura ran low. After recalling the exhausted spirit, he planned to isolate the Small Medicine Field and build facilities to support its growth and cultivation.

• Medicine Spirit Ghost spread medicinal-scented yin aura across about one mu of the field, making the spirit herbs more vigorous, but warned Hu Donghan that expanding its reach could damage its Soul Body.
• After about four shichen, Medicine Spirit Ghost nearly exhausted its yin aura, so Hu Donghan ordered it to stop nurturing the herbs.
• Medicine Spirit Ghost devoured all of Hu Donghan’s Wandering Souls, recovering only half its yin aura, then told Hu Donghan it needed at least half a shichen to convert what it had absorbed.
• Hu Donghan calculated the spirit’s feeding needs and planned to isolate the Small Medicine Field, move his residence there, and build a dining hall for Medicine Spirit Ghost.
• Hu Donghan recalled the resting Medicine Spirit Ghost into the Soul List and left the Small Medicine Field.

Hu Donghan prepared a secluded base at the Small Medicine Field for the Medicine Spirit Ghost and arranged a steady supply of Wandering Souls. After moving into his new residence, he created a Soul-Forming Ground in its basement and added some of the ghost’s soul power.

• Niu Ergen kept watch over the servants overnight, and Hu Donghan praised him upon returning from the Small Medicine Field.
• Hu Donghan ordered the servants to fence in the Small Medicine Field and build a house beside it, while Niu Ergen kept his suspicions about the Medicinal-Scent Ghost to himself.
• Hu Donghan visited Lang Tianya at the Disciple Market and arranged for three Soul Rings filled with Wandering Souls to be delivered daily, leaving a spiritual herb as a deposit.
• After three days, Hu Donghan moved into the completed residence, dismissed the servants, and told them not to disturb the Small Medicine Field unless necessary.
• Hu Donghan brought the Medicine Spirit Ghost into the basement, made a Soul-Forming Ground with power from the Soul List, and mixed in part of the ghost’s unstable soul power.

Hu Donghan used the Medicine Spirit Ghost to purify ghost energy and yin energy, then arranged for it to cultivate and nourish the Small Medicine Field. After a day of smooth progress, he found that a spirit herb had matured earlier than expected and began investigating the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s effect on the plants.

• Hu Donghan released a Wandering Soul into the Soul-Forming Ground and confirmed that the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s soul force purified yin energy and ghost energy.
• Hu Donghan fed nearly two hundred Wandering Souls from four Soul Rings into the Soul-Forming Ground and estimated that he needed to replenish its supply daily.
• Hu Donghan ordered the Medicine Spirit Ghost to follow a daily schedule of placing a Ghost Spirit Herb in the Small Medicine Field and cultivating the Profound Yin Heart Method in the basement.
• Hu Donghan avoided drawing attention to the Small Medicine Field and spent the day cultivating, while the Medicine Spirit Ghost carried out its schedule.
• Hu Donghan discovered that one spirit herb in the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s cultivation range had matured ahead of schedule and that the surrounding herbs had grown unusually well.
• Hu Donghan examined the Six-Section Grass to determine how to measure the Medicine Spirit Ghost’s effect on its growth.

Hu Donghan discovered that the Medicine Spirit Ghost accelerated Six-Section Grass growth and then reaped a record harvest of 188 spiritual herbs over the month. As a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator arrived to collect the sect’s share, Hu Donghan had the Medicine Spirit Ghost withdraw its fragrance and yin energy.

• Hu Donghan tracked eight stalks of Six-Section Grass and found they grew two and a half times faster than normal over two days.
• Hu Donghan’s fields yielded 188 spiritual herbs in a month, leaving him 88 after he handed over the required 100.
• The Medicine Spirit Ghost reached the Qi Refining First Layer Peak, became proficient with Hu Donghan’s two spells, and expanded its controlled area by two fen.
• Niu Ergen notified Hu Donghan that the monthly collector had arrived, and Hu Donghan ordered the Medicine Spirit Ghost to withdraw its medicinal fragrance and yin energy.
• A menial disciple brought the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator to Hu Donghan’s residence, while Niu Ergen left after leading him there.

Hu Donghan showed an Earthfire Hall disciple the unusually large harvest and thriving spirit herbs at Little Jade Flat. The cultivator was astonished, and Hu Donghan saw a chance to secure the resources the Medicine Spirit Ghost needed for alchemy.

• An Earthfire Hall cultivator dismissed Hu Donghan’s claim that Little Jade Flat had produced 188 mature spirit herbs and prepared to leave after collecting the first pouch.
• Hu Donghan stopped the cultivator, introduced himself, and showed him a second pouch of herbs that had matured that month.
• The cultivator examined the herbs and agreed to inspect Hu Donghan’s medicine field.
• Hu Donghan led the cultivator through the field, where the cultivator was stunned by the herbs’ growth and the exceptional Six-Section Grass.
• Hu Donghan realized his plan was likely to succeed, since the Medicine Spirit Ghost needed pill formulas, a pill furnace, and spirit fire to refine pills.

Hu Donghan discovered that Wang Ruolong desperately wanted the unusual Six-Section Grass growing in his medicinal field, which Wang Ruolong said could help him refine a Sixth-Turn Golden Pill. Hu Donghan questioned whether Wang Ruolong’s offer of ten thousand Spirit Stones per stalk was too low, leaving Wang Ruolong stunned.

• Wang Ruolong abruptly apologized to Hu Donghan and begged him to save a stalk of Six-Section Grass for him.
• Hu Donghan revealed that he had more than one stalk, and Wang Ruolong eagerly found another and asked to buy both.
• Wang Ruolong offered ten thousand Spirit Stones per stalk and shoved two High-grade Spirit Stones into Hu Donghan’s hand.
• Wang Ruolong explained that the unusually well-grown Six-Section Grass could aid in refining a Sixth-Turn Golden Pill, which could help Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators break through to the Golden Core Realm.
• Hu Donghan pointed out that ten thousand Spirit Stones per stalk seemed too cheap, and Wang Ruolong stood dumbfounded.

Hu Donghan asked Wang Ruolong to teach him alchemy and help him obtain a pill furnace and Subfire, prompting Wang Ruolong to recruit him into Earthfire Hall. Hu Donghan decided joining could offer resources and a useful cover, and Wang Ruolong agreed to provide what he needed if he cultivated spirit herbs for the hall.

• Wang Ruolong argued that Hu Donghan's Six-Section Grass was worth about a hundred thousand Spirit Stones per plant and offered to pay the remainder once the herbs met the standard.
• Wang Ruolong recognized Hu Donghan as Hu Meier's younger brother and explained that people called him “little brother-in-law” because they hoped to pursue his sister.
• Hu Donghan asked Wang Ruolong to teach him alchemy, provide a pill furnace, and obtain a Subfire from Earthfire Hall.
• Wang Ruolong urged Hu Donghan to join Earthfire Hall, hoping to recruit someone with a special talent for cultivating spirit herbs.
• Hu Donghan weighed the advantages of joining Earthfire Hall and asked what conditions he would need to meet.
• Wang Ruolong said Earthfire Hall could provide what Hu Donghan requested if he cultivated spirit herbs for the hall, and Hu Donghan prepared to answer his question about his methods.

Hu Donghan revealed that the Medicine Spirit Ghost helped his spirit herbs grow and agreed to join Earthfire Hall. Wang Ruolong brought him to the hall, where explosions erupted as they announced Hu Donghan’s arrival, and they hurried deeper to meet the Heaven-Seizing Ancestor.

• Hu Donghan explained to Wang Ruolong that the Medicinal-Scent Ghost cultivated his spirit herbs and caused the unusual growth of the Six-Section Grass.
• Hu Donghan agreed to join Earthfire Hall, and Wang Ruolong told him that he would need to pay his respects to the Heaven-Seizing Ancestor.
• Wang Ruolong flew Hu Donghan to the Yin Soul Sect’s main peak and led him through the mostly empty Earthfire Hall toward its Earthfire Grotto.
• Wang Ruolong announced the newcomer to the alchemists, explosions rang out around them, and they hurried toward the second level as people shouted curses after Wang Ruolong.

Wang Ruolong brought Hu Donghan to Earthfire Hall, where Heaven-Seizing Ancestor learned that Hu could cultivate exceptionally fine spirit herbs and possessed a Medicinal-Scent Ghost. After examining the ghost, Heaven-Seizing Ancestor discovered that it boosted spirit herb growth far more than ancient records claimed.

• Wang Ruolong led Hu Donghan through the Earthfire Grotto, shouting on each level and disrupting several alchemists' pill refining.
• Heaven-Seizing Ancestor confronted Wang Ruolong, then learned he had brought Hu Donghan to join Earthfire Hall.
• Heaven-Seizing Ancestor initially dismissed Hu because of his Enforcement Hall robes, but changed his mind when Wang Ruolong described Hu's high-quality Six-Section Grass and Medicinal-Scent Ghost.
• Heaven-Seizing Ancestor asked Hu Donghan to release the Medicine Spirit Ghost, and the alchemists crowded around to inspect it.
• Heaven-Seizing Ancestor examined the ghost and concluded that it increased spirit herb growth by about onefold, far more than ancient texts stated.

Heaven-Seizing Ancestor recognized Hu Donghan’s ability to cultivate Six-Section Grass and brought him into Earthfire Hall’s Alchemy Division as an alchemy disciple. Hu Donghan left the alchemists fighting over him and learned that brawls were common in the hall.

• Heaven-Seizing Ancestor praised Hu Donghan’s Medicinal-Scent Ghost and proposed making him an Earthfire Hall steward, but Bu Yun warned that Hall Master Dugu might object.
• The alchemists supported Hu Donghan’s promotion because they wanted access to his Six-Section Grass, but Heaven-Seizing Ancestor settled for making him an alchemy disciple.
• Bu Yun explained that Hu Donghan could skip the attendant stage because of his contribution and began to outline his duties.
• The alchemists crowded around Hu Donghan to request Six-Section Grass, then attacked Bu Yun when he called for unified distribution.
• Wang Ruolong led Hu Donghan away and told him that fistfights without spiritual power were common in Earthfire Hall.

Hu Donghan learned about Earthfire Hall’s chaotic brawls and was assigned to cultivate Six-Section Grass on Spirit Medicine Mountain. He accepted the assignment and prepared to confirm his identity as an Earthfire Hall disciple, while Wang Ruolong asked him to save a share of the grass.

• Wang Ruolong explained that Earthfire Hall disciples regularly fought over pill-refining techniques and scarce spirit herbs, and even Heaven-Seizing Ancestor had been beaten in a past brawl.
• Hu Donghan weighed the benefits and risks of joining Earthfire Hall, then put aside his worries about Heaven-Seizing Ancestor investigating him.
• Bu Yun appeared bruised and gave Hu Donghan a storage ring containing standard pill-refining equipment and an Earthfire Subflame.
• Bu Yun assigned Hu Donghan to cultivate Six-Section Grass on Spirit Medicine Mountain ahead of the Yin Soul Sect’s grand competition, offering double contributions and additional credit for his work.
• Hu Donghan agreed to the assignment, and Wang Ruolong offered to help confirm his identity while asking for a share of his future Six-Section Grass.