Chapter Summaries

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.