Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The Golden Core Contest”

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan attends an auction, where a powerful Blackweight Ruler Talisman Treasure sells for 912 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones—far beyond his means. He reflects on building a future arsenal of Talisman Treasures once he has a steady income from selling Foundation Establishment Pills.
• His Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill sells for 900 Spirit Stones. After the auction house’s five-percent commission, Ji Yuan receives 855.
• The final lots draw wealthy Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. A Third-Order Demon Beast cub, a Winged Sky-Soaring Tiger, sells for 9,000 Spirit Stones after several Golden Core bidders compete.
• Ji Yuan uses part of his proceeds to buy two stalks of Millennium Green Hui Grass, Crimson Marrow Thunder Jade, and a Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch, leaving him 261 Spirit Stones. He confirms the pouch can hold Big Clam, his Late Second-Tier Demon Beast.
• Worried that someone may target him for the proceeds of his pill, Ji Yuan takes a circuitous route home. He finds no one following him and returns safely to Du Wanyi’s residence.
• When Du Wanyi returns late that night, she is alarmed to find Ji Yuan waiting. He tricks her into revealing her distress and learns that Yang Yunxiang has been harassing her after she refused to give up a stalk of Millennium Green Hui Grass.
• Yang Yunxiang’s father, Yang Shunan, is an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; his second uncle, Yang Taian, is a prominent late-stage Foundation Establishment island lord. Ji Yuan recognizes the family as the Yang household of Azure Ocean Manor.
• Ji Yuan advises Du Wanyi to return to the Water Dragon Sect, where she may be safer from the Yang family’s interference. She plans to do so during her five-day break.

Character developments

• Ji Yuan remains cautious and calculating, carefully weighing the value of his possessions and taking precautions after receiving a large sum. His confidence also grows: once he learns the Yang family’s strength, he privately believes Big Clam may be able to fight them.
• Du Wanyi is shown to be frightened and burdened, but not willing to abandon her position or let Ji Yuan become involved. Her protective instincts toward him echo their shared history.
• Big Clam remains one of Ji Yuan’s most important hidden assets. The new Spirit Beast Pouch gives Ji Yuan a practical way to carry it.

Significant themes

• Wealth and power: The auction reveals the enormous gulf between ordinary cultivators and powerful elders, while Ji Yuan’s sale marks a meaningful financial gain.
• Caution and preparation: Ji Yuan protects his identity, plans future purchases, and assesses danger before acting.
• Loyalty and family: Despite their difficult past and limited surviving bonds, Ji Yuan and Du Wanyi continue to look out for one another.
• Ambition: Ji Yuan imagines expanding his power through pills, treasures, and demon beasts, though his plans remain constrained by cultivation requirements and resources.

Character interactions

• Ji Yuan watches Golden Core cultivators compete and exchanges no words with them, but their bids expose the scale of their wealth and influence.
• The auction-house representative treats Ji Yuan courteously, partly because Ji Yuan has hinted at influential connections.
• Ji Yuan uses a false alarm to make Du Wanyi reveal what is troubling her, then listens and offers practical advice.
• Du Wanyi initially tries to keep Ji Yuan out of danger, while Ji Yuan insists on understanding the threat and quietly evaluates whether he can confront it.

Chapter Summary

• Ji Yuan decides to act against the Yang Household. After returning safely to Dragon Island with Du Wanyi, he considers killing Yang Shunan. It would help Du Wanyi escape the danger posed by Yang Yunxiang and satisfy the requirement to upgrade Ji Yuan’s Meditation Room. Learning that the Yang brothers built their power through violence and later used their Water Dragon Sect connections to seize businesses, Ji Yuan feels no remorse about targeting them.
• He recruits Big Clam for the attack. Ji Yuan feeds Big Clam three spirit pigs, then tricks the intelligent but uncontracted beast into entering his new Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch. He claims that a powerful man beat him and stole the pigs, provoking Big Clam into an angry promise of revenge. Ji Yuan then takes Big Clam to Redleaf City.
• Ji Yuan infiltrates Azure Ocean Manor. Disguised as the rogue cultivator “Qiu Qianhai,” he poses as someone seeking to join the Yang Household. Yang Dianfeng, eager to gain credit for bringing in a peak qi-refining cultivator, escorts him into the manor. Ji Yuan finds its interior security surprisingly lax and is brought to meet the household head, Yang Shunan, and Yang Shunan’s son, Yang Yunxiang.
• The meeting turns into an ambush. Once Yang Shunan sends the maidservants away, Ji Yuan reveals his true purpose: to kill him. He releases Big Clam, whose enormous body wrecks the hall and swallows both Yang Shunan and Yang Yunxiang. Big Clam spits out their Storage Bags when Ji Yuan asks, but Yang Yunxiang is already dead and Yang Shunan is badly injured. Ji Yuan finishes Yang Shunan with a Thousand Swords Talisman, burns both bodies, retrieves Big Clam, and escapes on the Thunder Falcon Boat before the manor’s defensive formation is activated.

Character Development and Interactions

• Ji Yuan acts decisively but avoids unnecessary risk: he brings Big Clam rather than testing himself alone against a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He uses deception, disguise, and speed, then remains calm after the killing.
• Big Clam shows growing intelligence and emotional attachment to Ji Yuan. Believing its food was stolen and Ji Yuan harmed, it becomes fiercely protective and willingly enters the spirit beast pouch.
• Yang Dianfeng is boastful and opportunistic, treating Ji Yuan’s arrival as a chance to earn favor from the household.
• Yang Shunan welcomes Ji Yuan as a potentially valuable recruit, misreading his respectful manner as genuine loyalty. Yang Yunxiang likewise treats him as a prospective ally before being caught off guard.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and manipulation: Ji Yuan exploits Big Clam’s concern for him, while the Yang Household’s own influence rests on coercion and self-interest.
• Power and complacency: The Yangs’ confidence in their status and location leaves their manor unprepared for an attack.
• Moral justification and retribution: Ji Yuan’s decision is driven by both his personal aims and the Yang Household’s history of exploitation.
• Practicality over bravado: Ji Yuan succeeds through preparation, deception, and a swift strike rather than a fair duel.

Plot points and events

• Ji Yuan confirms that killing Yang Shunan fulfilled the [Meditation Room]’s upgrade requirement. He delays upgrading until he returns to Mist Island, confident that the murder will be blamed on the alias Qiu Qianhai rather than his real identity.
• Back on Mist Island, Ji Yuan upgrades the Meditation Room to level two. The upgrade strengthens his divine soul and grants him divine sense, which he can extend through roughly thirty feet of stone before pain forces him to stop. Outdoors, it reaches a radius of half a li; he expects it to grow substantially when he advances to Foundation Establishment.
• The Meditation Room gradually strengthens his divine sense, though Ji Yuan discovers that effective meditation requires proper methods rather than simply imagining people or objects.
• He inventories the Yang household’s loot: 213 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, two Spirit Artifacts, several Peak-Grade Magical Artifacts, talismans, and other goods—but no Foundation Establishment Pill. He keeps the Sky-Piercer Flying Boat and Mountain-Breaker Great Halberd for emergencies, since using them could expose his connection to Yang Shunan’s death.
• Ji Yuan returns to the Water Dragon Sect to check for rumors, buy supplementary herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills, replace his robe, and sell less conspicuous loot. On the Island of All Things, he runs into Xu Fugui and claims he had been in seclusion breaking through to Peak Qi Refining.
• Ji Yuan accompanies Xu Fugui to visit Iron Hammer Island Lord, bringing demon-beast meat and spirit wine. Iron Hammer immediately challenges him to a body-cultivation spar. Ji Yuan hesitates, now worried that his Foundation Establishment-level body might seriously injure the older man.
• In Iron Hammer’s courtyard, Ji Yuan spots a Second-Order alchemy cauldron and learns it is a mid-stage Second-Order Crimson Blood Three-Legged Cauldron, suitable for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. He eagerly asks its price, hoping to buy it.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan grows more confident after gaining divine sense, while remaining cautious about concealing his identity and stolen Spirit Artifacts. His practical focus shifts toward preparing to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Xu Fugui warmly welcomes Ji Yuan and accepts his explanation for his absence. His easygoing teasing with Ji Yuan continues, and he playfully challenges Iron Hammer’s exaggerated claim about how long the cauldron took to forge.
• Iron Hammer Island Lord is pleased to see Ji Yuan and eagerly seeks another spar. He reveals his valuable alchemy cauldron, while his rough, affectionate banter with Xu Fugui shows their close master-disciple relationship.
• Tu Yue remains emotionless and dutifully gathers pig feed; Ji Yuan briefly teases her before sending her back to work.

Significant themes

• Power gained through cultivation: The upgraded Meditation Room gives Ji Yuan a new ability and a clearer sense of his future potential.
• Caution and concealment: He carefully separates his real identity from the alias tied to Yang Shunan’s death and avoids using recognizable loot.
• Practical preparation: Ji Yuan converts spoils into resources, equipment, and plans for advancing his cultivation.
• Affectionate, informal bonds: The teasing among Ji Yuan, Xu Fugui, and Iron Hammer balances the chapter’s cultivation and murder-related concerns with warmth and humor.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan negotiates with the Iron Hammer Island Lord for a custom Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact cauldron. Though the Lord names a price of 300 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, Ji Yuan offers 200 upfront and agrees to pay the balance later—an amount that shocks the Lord and Xu Fugui, whose own savings are far smaller.
• In return for the cauldron, Ji Yuan spars with the Lord. They fight evenly for half an hour before Ji Yuan deliberately—or at least conveniently—loses to a trick, leaving the Lord delighted with the contest.
• Ji Yuan cooks a feast and serves ordinary Scarlet Dawn Brew, but his cooking and wine seem exceptionally delicious. The two older men praise him and urge him to open a restaurant or accompany Xu Fugui to visit his master.
• On the return trip, Ji Yuan reflects on the Iron Hammer Island Lord’s progress toward Physique Foundation Establishment and considers helping him, while deciding not to reveal his extraordinary Aperture-Tempering Pearl. He also concludes that Xu Fugui is too old to establish Foundation, even with assistance.
• The Green Grain Island Lord, under pressure to provide wine to Golden Core cultivator Hua Yaoyue, is relieved when Ji Yuan arrives to deliver more. He privately messages Hua Yaoyue that the brewer is there and keeps Ji Yuan in the rear hall.
• Ji Yuan grows suspicious of the Island Lord’s unusual hospitality and tries to leave by claiming his powerful acquaintance Li Changhe needs him. Hua Yaoyue appears behind him, sees through his attempted excuse, and makes clear that neither Li Changhe nor his father could protect him from her.
• Realizing he is trapped before a powerful Golden Core elder, Ji Yuan bows and offers her more than a dozen jars of wine, volunteering to brew for her.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan shows growing wealth and confidence, though he remains cautious about attracting attention. He is generous toward people who treat him well, but carefully guards his most valuable secrets. His quick thinking shifts from escape to appeasing Hua Yaoyue with wine.
• The Iron Hammer Island Lord (Liu Tiezhu) treats Ji Yuan warmly, sells him the cauldron at a friendly price, enjoys their spar, and is captivated by Ji Yuan’s cooking. His progress in body cultivation may offer Ji Yuan a chance to repay his kindness.
• Xu Fugui is impressed by Ji Yuan’s resources and skill, praises his food, and invites him on a future visit—an invitation Ji Yuan privately hopes to avoid.
• The Green Grain Island Lord is anxious to satisfy Hua Yaoyue and eagerly arranges Ji Yuan’s meeting with her, while concealing his true purpose behind tea and a price negotiation.
• Hua Yaoyue enters with overwhelming authority and bluntly dismantles Ji Yuan’s attempted appeal to Li Changhe. Their first encounter establishes the danger—and potential importance—of Ji Yuan’s wine-brewing talent.

Significant themes

• Wealth and status: Ji Yuan’s seemingly casual payment reveals how exceptional his resources are among ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.
• Kindness and reciprocity: Ji Yuan considers helping the Iron Hammer Island Lord because the older man has treated him well.
• Secrecy and self-preservation: Ji Yuan protects his rare cultivation treasure and stays wary of powerful figures who might exploit him.
• Skill creating unexpected value: Ji Yuan’s cooking and wine transform ordinary ingredients into extraordinary pleasures, attracting attention beyond his cultivation rank.
• Power imbalance and comic tension: Ji Yuan’s plans and excuses collapse when faced with Hua Yaoyue’s status, ending the chapter with his improvised offer to serve her.

Plot points and events

• Ji Yuan offers to improve Hua Yaoyue’s wine, hoping to win her favor. Impressed by his skill and appearance, she gives him three rare wines to refine and promises to take him as her disciple if he reaches Foundation Establishment and satisfies her. She leaves him a restricted Communication Talisman for that future contact.
• Green Grain Island Lord—now Ji Yuan’s senior brother, Qinghe—encourages him to pursue Foundation Establishment and keep the opportunity secret. Ji Yuan also asks about Merit Points for the wine he handed over, but Qinghe teases him for trying to claim them from his prospective master.
• Ji Yuan meets Du Wanyi, who suspects he arranged the deaths of Yang Shunan and his son. He neither confesses nor denies it; they settle on the public explanation that a Spirit-Controlling Sect cultivator used a Demon Beast. With the Yang Household’s threat gone, Du Wanyi’s problems in the Water Dragon Sect ease.
• Du Wanyi plans to enter the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven to seek greater strength. Ji Yuan accepts her decision but declines to go himself, despite needing rare spirit grass to advance his false spiritual root.
• Testing his divine sense at home, Ji Yuan discovers a newly dug tunnel from neighbor Pi Fangzhi’s courtyard, breached through his protective restrictions. Suspecting foul intent, he decides not to confront Pi Fangzhi rashly and considers seeking Li Changhe’s help.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan shows his usual caution and pragmatism: he turns himself in to Hua Yaoyue rather than risk her anger, seizes the chance to become her disciple, and keeps his involvement in the Yang deaths concealed. He also remains wary of the dangerous grotto-heaven and thinks strategically about Pi Fangzhi.
• Hua Yaoyue reveals an interest in Ji Yuan’s wine-making and offers him a rare path into her discipleship, though she remains informal and dismissive of ceremony.
• Qinghe shifts from Ji Yuan’s martial uncle to senior brother after Hua Yaoyue’s intervention. He is pleased by Ji Yuan’s new prospects but still jokes with him.
• Du Wanyi is grateful to Ji Yuan and recognizes that he may have helped her, while maintaining their mutual pretense of ignorance. Her recent danger has convinced her that personal strength matters more than sect affiliation.
• Ji Yuan and Du Wanyi speak frankly about the costs and risks of cultivation, but he supports her choice to seek strength without joining her.

Significant themes

• Strength and security: Du Wanyi concludes that only personal power can truly protect her; Ji Yuan agrees, while noting that cultivation offers no easy endpoint.
• Caution, secrecy, and strategy: Ji Yuan avoids open admissions and impulsive violence, preferring to control what others can infer and to enlist help when needed.
• Opportunity and obligation: Hua Yaoyue’s offer is a major advancement for Ji Yuan, but it comes with the task of refining valuable wines and the need to reach Foundation Establishment.
• Family loyalty and trust: Du Wanyi’s faith in Ji Yuan’s willingness to help deepens their bond, even as they carefully avoid stating what he may have done.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan suspects his neighbor, Pi Fangzhi, of being a Demonic Dao spy after discovering that Pi has been secretly tunneling beneath his Cave Abode. Rather than confront him or involve the Discipline Hall, Ji Yuan contacts Li Changhe from the guarded Young Dragon Hall.
• Li arrives in an extravagant Flying Boat, accompanied by a winged tiger cub—a future Third-Order Demon Beast—and treats Ji Yuan like a close younger brother. The guards are surprised by their familiarity.
• After hearing Ji Yuan’s account, Li agrees that Pi is probably a spy and moves to capture him. A black figure escapes Pi’s house and is caught in Li’s lightning net, but Li realizes the situation is more complicated and rushes into Ji Yuan’s courtyard.
• Li fights and subdues Pi there, reducing Ji Yuan’s home to rubble. Ji Yuan learns that Pi is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, which explains how he evaded suspicion and reinforces how dangerous it would have been to confront him alone.
• Pi dies immediately after being captured, apparently bound by an oath that prevents him from revealing information. Li takes the body and evidence to report to the elders. He promises to try to keep Ji Yuan’s involvement quiet and directs him to wait at the Clearwater Tea House.
• At the lavish, free tea house, Ji Yuan passes the time eating spiritual fruit—after first making sure he will not be charged. The next day Li returns, pleased that the capture earned him a major commendation.
• Li notices Ji Yuan is close to Foundation Establishment and offers him both a Foundation Establishment Pill and a cultivation technique that reaches the Nascent Soul realm.

Character developments

• Ji Yuan acts cautiously and strategically, choosing a secure place to seek help rather than risking a direct confrontation. He recognizes his own vulnerability compared with a Foundation Establishment enemy and is relieved that involving Li prevented disaster.
• Li Changhe shows that his affection for Ji Yuan is genuine, while his wealth and status are evident in his Flying Boat, demon-beast companion, and access to elite facilities. His handling of Pi also demonstrates his strength and experience. The capture brings him a significant reward.
• Pi Fangzhi is revealed as a powerful Demonic Dao infiltrator. Despite being caught, he remains resigned and dies rather than provide information, suggesting the spy operation relies on strict oaths or other safeguards.
• The Young Dragon Hall guards shift instantly from hostility to deference when they recognize Li, then silently wonder who Ji Yuan must be to receive such treatment.

Significant themes

• Caution and survival: Ji Yuan’s choice to seek help instead of acting alone saves him from a dangerous opponent.
• Hidden threats and deception: Pi’s secret tunnel and concealed cultivation show that appearances can hide serious danger.
• Power, wealth, and status: Li’s extravagant possessions and the opulent tea house contrast with Ji Yuan’s modest means and debts.
• Loyalty and patronage: Li treats Ji Yuan as a younger brother and uses his influence to protect and assist him.
• The limits of victory: Capturing Pi earns Li recognition, but Pi’s death prevents the sect from extracting useful intelligence.

Character interactions

• Ji Yuan and Li share an easy, brotherly rapport: Ji trusts Li with his suspicion, while Li reassures and protects him.
• Li’s casual handling of the tiger cub—including tossing it to Ji—emphasizes both their familiarity and Li’s confidence in Ji.
• Li’s deferential treatment of Ji surprises the Young Dragon Hall guards, who assume Ji must have a powerful background.
• Ji politely asks Li to keep him out of the investigation; Li agrees to try but warns that the elders may still look into the case.
• When Li returns, he teases Ji about nearing Foundation Establishment, then offers practical support that could shape Ji’s next stage of cultivation.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Li Changhe offers Ji Yuan the Li Family’s Nascent Soul-level cultivation technique, the Azure Billows Nine Tribulations Sword Canon. He explains that the Li Family descends from one of the Water Dragon Sect’s three founders, giving it both exceptional standing and the right to share its family technique.
• Ji Yuan swears a Great Dao Oath not to reveal the technique. He learns that it develops water-based sword arts, culminating in nine bonded swords, an eighty-one-blade sword domain, and a Nascent Soul fused with the array.
• Li Changhe also gives Ji Yuan three two-pattern Foundation Establishment Pills. He warns him not to enter the dangerous Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, where cultivators face hostile rivals, Demon Beasts, and perilous searches for the rare spirit grass needed for Foundation Establishment. Ji Yuan agrees, though he had not planned to go.
• Li Changhe leaves to accompany his father to the Sword Ruins for discussions about opening the grotto-heaven, leaving his third uncle available to help Ji Yuan if needed.
• Ji Yuan returns to Young Dragon Island and finds his destroyed home fully rebuilt. He restores the inscriptions left by earlier residents, stores Hua Yaoyue’s spirit wine in his Wine Cellar, and confirms that a hidden passage has been sealed.
• Seeking advice about sect politics, Ji Yuan visits the Iron Hammer Island Lord. After helping him forge metal and learning to use a hammer with rhythm rather than brute force, Ji Yuan explains how his ties to Li Changhe have drawn him near the First Elder’s faction.
• The island lord confirms that the First and Third Elders—both Golden Core Late Stage—lead the fiercest rivalry, while the weaker sect leader remains neutral. Ji Yuan’s association with Li Changhe may mark him as aligned with the First Elder, but at Qi Refining he is not important enough to attract much danger. The Li Family would also likely protect him.
• Ji Yuan ends by asking whether True Person Wangyou, known for her love of fine wine, supports the First Elder or the Third Elder.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan shows gratitude and caution: he recognizes the significance of receiving a family technique, honors its secrecy, and takes Li Changhe’s warning seriously. He is also pragmatic about accepting the political consequences of the gift.
• Li Changhe demonstrates deep trust and generosity toward Ji Yuan, sharing a powerful family inheritance and scarce pills. His warning about the grotto-heaven reveals genuine concern for Ji Yuan’s safety.
• The Iron Hammer Island Lord shifts from playful teasing to serious counsel, explaining the sect’s factional balance and reassuring Ji Yuan that his current status makes him a minor target.
• Ji Yuan’s exchanges with both men reinforce his growing network of protectors and allies, while his final question suggests he is still carefully mapping the sect’s political loyalties.

Significant themes

• Trust and obligation: Powerful gifts come with responsibilities, especially Ji Yuan’s oath to keep the Li technique secret.
• Risk versus patience: Li Changhe urges Ji Yuan to delay Foundation Establishment rather than gamble his life in the grotto-heaven.
• Factional politics and protection: Personal relationships can draw cultivators into political camps, but status and powerful allies affect how much danger they face.
• Legacy and continuity: Ji Yuan restores the old inscriptions in his rebuilt home, preserving the words of those who lived there before him.

Key plot points

• Ji Yuan asks the Iron Hammer Island Lord about Yao Yue’s faction. He learns that she is independent and powerful enough to command respect from both the First and Third Elders. He also discovers that sect masters are often the weakest Golden Core cultivators because the position carries heavy responsibilities but little real authority.
• Ji Yuan returns to Mist Island, where he plans to wait safely for the Millennial Illusion Spirit Grass and his chance to reach Foundation Establishment. He spends his time making pills and developing his talisman skills.
• After six months, Ji Yuan meets Han Feiyu, Du Wanyi, and Dong Qian to discuss the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. Han Feiyu and Du Wanyi intend to enter; Ji Yuan firmly refuses, while Dong Qian remains undecided. Ji Yuan shares warnings he learned from Li Changhe, and the group discusses the sect’s detailed guide for registered entrants.
• Dong Qian later decides not to enter either, despite the risk that avoiding the grotto-heaven will make Foundation Establishment much harder for her.
• At the registration spectacle, Ji Yuan watches from a distance but does not sign up. Yao Yue and her disciple Feng Zhitáo secretly observe him from above. They discuss the possibility that he will enter; Yao Yue says she will not interfere, even if he dies. When they notice he has left without registering, they return home.
• Back on Mist Island, Ji Yuan experiments with Second-Rank talismans. After considerable effort, he completes the Five-Element Protective Talisman and successfully awakens two of three sets. The finished formation can defend against attacks from a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator when used by someone at the early stage.
• Having met the final requirement, Ji Yuan upgrades his Talisman Chamber, and a new method enters his mind.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan remains cautious and pragmatic: he avoids the dangerous grotto-heaven, prioritizes his own survival and advancement, and continues cultivating income through pills and talismans. He is also calculating about Yao Yue’s favor, sending her wine regularly while claiming his motives are purely respectful. He has not yet realized that she is watching him or that she may consider taking him as a disciple.
• Yao Yue appears detached and hard to move, but her visit suggests some curiosity about Ji Yuan. She resists Feng Zhitáo’s teasing and refuses to warn or protect him, treating his choices as his own.
• Feng Zhitáo is eager for Ji Yuan to become her junior brother and jokes about having someone to boss around. She also offers a serious assessment of his likely desire to enter the grotto-heaven.
• Han Feiyu tries to persuade Ji Yuan to join the expedition, stressing the rarity of the opportunity and the group’s ability to face a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Du Wanyi accepts Ji Yuan’s refusal without protest. Dong Qian, cautious by nature, eventually chooses safety over the grotto-heaven’s promise of a path to Foundation Establishment.
• The Iron Hammer Island Lord acts as Ji Yuan’s source of sect gossip and practical guidance; Ji Yuan pays his debt and shares another meal with him and Old Master Xu.

Significant themes

• Risk versus ambition: The grotto-heaven may offer a route to Foundation Establishment, but Ji Yuan and Dong Qian decide its dangers outweigh the opportunity.
• Preparation and self-reliance: Ji Yuan builds security through careful planning, crafting, and staying on Mist Island rather than depending on luck or a dangerous expedition.
• Factional power and institutional politics: Sect authority does not necessarily match formal titles; strength and influence matter more than the sect master’s office.
• Quiet bonds and comic self-interest: Ji Yuan’s wine gifts may look like devotion, but they also serve his hopes of becoming Yao Yue’s disciple; meanwhile, Yao Yue’s interest is understated, and Feng Zhitáo eagerly anticipates a new junior brother.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan obtains the Form-Changing Talisman from the Talisman Chamber. Unlike ordinary versions, it genuinely changes his facial features and masks his aura so effectively that even peak Foundation Establishment cultivators should be unable to see through it.
• He checks the Level Three Talisman Chamber: it improves talisman-making success rates and can nurture a Talisman Treasure once every three years. Further upgrades require rare materials and crafting a Talisman Treasure.
• Ji Yuan struggles for several days to learn the Form-Changing Talisman, then discovers that its many runes together form a human figure. After mastering it, he tests it, adopting a grotesque face and sinister aura. He imagines using the disguise to make killing easier, but Big Clam mistakes him for an intruder and attacks. Ji Yuan escapes the attack by removing the talisman and punishes Big Clam by withholding spirit pigs for half a month.
• Ji Yuan finds that the Black Coffin is emitting enormous amounts of yin energy. Its two Yin Ghosts have grown substantially and reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining by feeding on it. He also lets Tu Yue, his corpse puppet, spend time near the cave, where she appears to benefit from the energy.
• Over the following month, Ji Yuan studies the Li Family’s Azure Billows Nine Tribulations Sword Canon. He learns its basics, though mastering its later stages will be difficult.
• With two months left before the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven opens, Ji Yuan returns to the Water Dragon Sect to trade and resupply. At his residence on Young Dragon Island, he finds a letter from his fourth brother asking him to visit.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan continues to develop his talisman skills and prepares for safer, more flexible travel through disguise. He also shows practical concern for his supernatural companions, allowing the Yin Ghosts and Tu Yue to benefit from the Black Coffin’s energy.
• The Yin Ghosts have grown stronger and more substantial, while Tu Yue appears to respond positively to the cave’s yin energy.
• Big Clam demonstrates a protective instinct by attacking the disguised Ji Yuan, though its forceful intervention leaves him covered in drool. Ji Yuan recognizes its good intentions despite his irritation.
• Ji Yuan’s relationship with his fourth brother is left open-ended: the letter signals an upcoming request or meeting.

Significant themes

• Power gained through cultivation and tools: Ji Yuan’s talisman chamber, Dao Comprehension Chamber, and mysterious Black Coffin steadily expand his abilities and resources.
• Risk and utility: The Form-Changing Talisman offers valuable concealment, but Ji Yuan’s first test shows that disguises can also provoke danger.
• Care and control: Ji Yuan manages his companions as both assets and dependents, balancing their growth with discipline and practical support.
• Long-term ambition: His study of a powerful sword canon and preparations for the coming grotto-heaven suggest that his immediate work is part of a larger push toward advancement.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan visits Du Wanyi, who is preparing for the dangerous Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven expedition. She explains its layout, the risks of Hidden Dragon Abyss and Ghost Flood Dragon Lake, and the long journey: roughly a year and three months in total.
• Du Wanyi needs twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones for protective gear and antidotes. Ji Yuan gives her thirty, then promises additional protection. He later brings her three sets of Five-Element Protective Talismans.
• Ji Yuan returns to Mist Island, where he harvests a new stalk of millennial illusion spirit grass. His cultivation panel triggers a double harvest, giving him two stalks. With his stored ingredients, he believes he can make enough Foundation Establishment Pills for his breakthrough.
• After spending thirty-four days drawing talismans, Ji Yuan sells nine sets at the Island of All Things and keeps three for Du Wanyi. He returns to the sect intending to refine pills and establish his foundation.
• Sect Master Profound Water True Person notices Ji Yuan’s absence from the expedition roster. Feng Yichen suspects Ji Yuan killed Jian Zong and reports that he is unusually difficult to investigate. The sect master orders Feng to persuade Ji Yuan to join the expedition.
• Profound Water’s true motive is revealed: he has repeatedly entered the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven seeking a treasure in Ghost Flood Dragon Lake that he believes could let him reach Nascent Soul.
• Feng finds Ji Yuan and conveys the sect master’s command. Ji Yuan refuses at first, intent on breaking through instead, but asks for two days to consider. After Feng leaves, Ji Yuan contacts Li Changhe for help arranging an anonymous alchemy room.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan shows loyalty and generosity toward Du Wanyi, while prioritizing his own breakthrough and avoiding the expedition. He prepares for contingencies, including the possibility of leaving the sect if necessary.
• Du Wanyi accepts Ji Yuan’s support despite her initial reluctance. She plans to seek extra spirit grass for his breakthrough in return.
• Feng Yichen tries to recruit Ji Yuan under the sect master’s orders. He has earned a promise that Profound Water will take him as a disciple, but assumes Ji Yuan will ultimately obey the command.
• Profound Water True Person reveals ambition beneath his public authority: he has pursued the Ghost Flood Dragon Lake treasure for years to advance beyond Golden Core.
• Ji Yuan’s bond with Big Clam is also evident when he leaves the creature to guard Mist Island and gives it careful instructions.

Significant themes

• Personal ambition versus institutional duty: Ji Yuan’s plans for Foundation Establishment clash with the sect’s demand that he join the expedition.
• Risk, preparation, and survival: The characters weigh the expedition’s dangers against its rare chance to advance their cultivation.
• Mutual aid and loyalty: Ji Yuan supports Du Wanyi materially and practically, while she intends to repay him through the resources she finds.
• Hidden motives and uncertainty: The sect master’s interest in Ji Yuan and the true value of Ghost Flood Dragon Lake remain partly concealed.
• Resourcefulness and independence: Ji Yuan relies on cultivation tools, talisman-making, allies, and backup plans rather than simply accepting the path set out for him.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan rents a discreet, earth-vein Alchemy Room on Four Directions Island through the Li Family, using Li Changhe’s favor. He prepares to refine Foundation Establishment Pills and establish his foundation without the sect master knowing.
• After learning Ji Yuan has vanished from home, Feng Yichen reports him to Profound Water True Person. The sect master confirms Ji Yuan is still inside the sect and lets him be, though he orders the formation guards to alert him if Ji Yuan leaves.
• Ji Yuan practices with the earth-vein fire, then spends two and a half months refining five batches of Foundation Establishment Pills. He accumulates twenty pills in total, including three from Li Changhe.
• Meanwhile, the Water Dragon Sect expedition enters the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. Du Wanyi remembers Ji Yuan’s survival advice, stays cautious, studies the dangerous disciples from rival sects, and expects to travel with Han Feiyu. Han later separates from her but secretly warns her to avoid Ghost Flood Dragon Lake.
• Han Feiyu and Feng Yichen become stranded at Ghost Flood Dragon Lake. Seeking something to show for their expedition, they target Huang Tian of the Spirit-Controlling Sect. Their fight draws a Second-Order Demon Beast, which kills Huang Tian and badly injures Feng Yichen.
• Han saves Feng Yichen but takes his Storage Bag. He then reveals that Feng shares his Four-Spirit Root and begins extracting Feng’s Spiritual Root, keeping him alive with a pill.
• After months of painful attempts, Ji Yuan finally compresses his spiritual energy into liquid and achieves Foundation Establishment at age twenty-three.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan proves patient and resourceful: he uses the Li Family’s support, carefully learns to handle earth-vein fire, and persists through repeated Foundation Establishment failures. His achievement confirms his determination despite the disadvantage of a Four-Spirit Root.
• Du Wanyi acts on Ji Yuan’s practical warnings rather than relying on others. She keeps her distance from powerful cultivators and accepts Han’s separation without resentment.
• Hua Yaoyue and Feng Zhitáo discuss Ji Yuan’s possible future as Hua’s disciple. Feng wants him as a junior brother because they are acquainted, he might support her against her senior brothers, and she finds him handsome. Hua leaves the matter to fate.
• Profound Water True Person responds to Ji Yuan’s refusal with mild amusement rather than anger, though he remains curious about Ji Yuan’s motives.
• Han Feiyu and Feng Yichen shift from allies to a deeply unequal partnership. Han’s apparent rescue conceals his plan to exploit Feng’s Spiritual Root, while Feng recognizes too late that his own ruthless past may have come back to haunt him.
• Han and Du Wanyi part on civil terms, but his private warning shows some concern for her safety.

Significant themes

• Persistence and self-reliance: Ji Yuan succeeds through preparation, patience, and repeated effort rather than relying on easy advantages.
• Caution and survival: Du Wanyi’s choices reflect Ji Yuan’s advice that survival matters more than honor or ambition in a deadly secret realm.
• Trust, betrayal, and consequences: Han’s treachery toward Feng echoes Feng’s own past ruthlessness, suggesting that betrayal eventually carries a cost.
• Ambition’s danger: The disciples’ pursuit of treasures and achievements draws them into lethal confrontations, while Ji Yuan’s slower, private path ultimately brings him the breakthrough he seeks.

Plot and key events

• Ji Yuan successfully breaks through to Foundation Establishment, discovering sharper senses and stronger Divine Sense. His new cultivation technique, the Azure Billows Nine Tribulations Sword Canon, imbues his spiritual energy with Sword Qi and requires him to gather Water Fortune and form Sword Embryos.
• He reviews his remaining Foundation Establishment Pills and the buildings he can now upgrade. The Fish Pond and Cave Abode are immediately eligible, the Wine Cellar may be, and he can work toward upgrading the Formation Room.
• The Water Dragon Sect’s sect master, Profound Water True Person, learns of Ji Yuan’s breakthrough and goes to meet him. He recalls that Ji Yuan previously declined an invitation to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven and questions why.
• Ji Yuan leaves the Alchemy Room and is congratulated by the attendants, whom he rewards with First Tier Spirit-Gathering Pills.
• Nervous that the sect master intends to punish him for refusing the earlier invitation, Ji Yuan secretly contacts Hua Yaoyue for help.
• Li Changhe arrives to congratulate Ji Yuan, bringing Sword Canon insights and a Talisman Treasure. His friendly presence eases the tension. Ji Yuan explains that he had meant to go to the grotto-heaven but entered seclusion after sensing a breakthrough opportunity; Profound Water True Person accepts the explanation.
• Just as the conversation turns to how Ji Yuan and Li Changhe became friends, Hua Yaoyue’s voice interrupts, asking whether Profound Water True Person wants her disciple sent to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan is proud of his breakthrough but remains practical and cautious: he guards his resources, plans upgrades, and worries about the consequences of having defied the sect master. He is polite and strategically offers a face-saving explanation.
• Profound Water True Person presents himself as a genial, supportive elder, but his questions make Ji Yuan wary. He acknowledges the past disagreement openly and gives Ji Yuan room to explain.
• Li Changhe treats Ji Yuan as a peer and close friend, offering congratulations, cultivation advice, and a suitable treasure. He also recognizes the tension and helps smooth the encounter.
• Hua Yaoyue is absent until the cliffhanger, but Ji Yuan relies on her as a potential protector and appeals to her through their shared connection.

Significant themes

• Advancement and its costs: Foundation Establishment brings new power and possibilities, but also demanding cultivation requirements and expensive plans.
• Caution and self-preservation: Ji Yuan prioritizes his own cultivation and avoids risks, especially when others’ agendas may endanger him.
• Social status and reciprocity: His new rank changes how others treat him, while gifts and congratulations reinforce sect customs and relationships.
• Power, authority, and face-saving: Ji Yuan’s earlier refusal creates friction, but tactful explanations allow both him and the sect master to preserve dignity.
• Friendship and protection: Li Changhe’s support—and Ji Yuan’s appeal to Hua Yaoyue—shows how relationships can offer security within sect politics.

Plot points and events

• Ji Yuan’s foundation establishment is interrupted when Hua Yaoyue arrives and reveals she has just taken him as her disciple. The sect master, Profound Water True Person, backs down, and Ji Yuan formally bows to his new master.
• Ji Yuan and Li Changhe exchange teasing voice messages. Their friendship is genuine: Changhe is pleased for Ji Yuan and invites him to visit the Li family.
• Hua Yaoyue takes Ji Yuan to her flower-covered island, where he discovers that Feng Zhitáo—whom he previously knew from Young Dragon Island—is also her disciple and his third senior sister. Feng is the Fire Phoenix Island Master and owns the Suspended Demon Shop, where Ji Yuan has sold creatures caught by Big Toad.
• Hua Yaoyue jokes that Ji Yuan and Feng should become Dao companions, embarrassing Feng. Their second senior brother, Yun Qianzai, soon arrives and offers to teach Ji Yuan formations. Feng points out that she taught Ji Yuan alchemy, prompting friendly rivalry between the siblings.
• Hua Yaoyue tells Ji Yuan to continue practicing the Li Family Sword Canon and teaches him a powerful Breath-Concealing Formula. It can hide a cultivator’s stage even from someone in the Golden Core realm. Ji Yuan realizes the lineage—and especially his new master—may be far stronger than they appear.
• In a separate scene, Qiu Qianhai, guided by his sinister master, devastates Heavenly Ruin Island and claims the raid under Ji Yuan’s name. He believes this will let his absent friend’s name reach the wider world. The survivors recognize the attacker as “Old Devil Ji,” not Ji Yuan.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan is delighted to become Hua Yaoyue’s disciple and quickly settles into the role, while remaining polite and eager to learn. He is impressed by his new siblings’ skills and sees potential value in Yun Qianzai’s knowledge of formations.
• Hua Yaoyue shows quiet approval and a hint of affection toward Ji Yuan, but remains relaxed and impatient with Yun Qianzai’s boasting.
• Feng Zhitáo shifts from Ji Yuan’s former acquaintance to his senior sister. She is proud of her alchemy and status, and reacts with embarrassment to Hua Yaoyue’s matchmaking joke.
• Yun Qianzai is theatrical and proud of his formation expertise, yet immediately obeys Hua Yaoyue when she cuts him off.
• Li Changhe and Ji Yuan share easy, teasing camaraderie, strengthened by Ji Yuan’s new standing.
• Qiu Qianhai expresses loyalty to Ji Yuan in an eccentric, troubling way: he appropriates Ji Yuan’s name while committing violence, convinced he is honoring his friend.

Significant themes

• Belonging and mentorship: Ji Yuan gains a master, a place in a new lineage, and a group of senior disciples.
• Hidden strength and appearances: The Breath-Concealing Formula introduces a lineage built around concealing power, while Qiu Qianhai’s “Ji Yuan” identity creates another deceptive public image.
• Friendship and loyalty: Li Changhe’s affection and Qiu Qianhai’s distorted tribute both show how others value Ji Yuan.
• Humor and hierarchy: Teasing among disciples, Hua Yaoyue’s matchmaking joke, and Yun Qianzai’s instant deference balance the chapter’s martial-world power dynamics.

Key plot points

• Ji Yuan memorizes Hua Yaoyue’s Breath-Concealing Formula. It lets him disguise himself as a Peak Qi Refining cultivator, though he must limit his strength while concealed; his Form-Changing Talisman provides a further layer of anonymity.
• Hua Yaoyue reveals that Ji Yuan learned the Li Family’s Nine Tribulations Sword Canon by saving Li Changhe. Yun Qianzai envies the opportunity, having long thought the canon superior to his own cultivation technique.
• Ji Yuan presents Hua Yaoyue with three improved Spirit Wines. Pleased with them—and impressed that he resisted drinking wines dangerous to a Qi Refining cultivator—she gives him a Communication Talisman and a powerful, single-use defensive treasure.
• His senior siblings offer welcome gifts: Yun Qianzai promises to build Second-Tier formations for Ji Yuan’s future island, while Feng Zhitáo gives him ten Mid-Grade Second-Tier Demon Cores for alchemy. Feng later warns that Yun mainly wants an audience for showing off his formations.
• Ji Yuan returns to Young Dragon Island to pack, relinquish his residence, and prepare to establish his own island. Before leaving, he hides a Foundation Establishment Pill recipe in the courtyard for its next resident.
• The next day, Ji Yuan receives a summons for a formal audience with sect master Profound Water True Person.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan’s new Foundation Establishment status brings greater responsibilities and plans: he intends to practice his new techniques, improve his buildings, and obtain a stronger escape vessel. He remains cautious, but also shows generosity and gratitude toward his master and seniors.
• Hua Yaoyue’s trust in Ji Yuan deepens. Her gifts and offer to intervene if the sect master refuses his island request show her influence and support.
• Yun Qianzai is revealed as capable and generous, but also vain and eager to show off. Feng Zhitáo teases him, gives Ji Yuan practical help, and discreetly warns him about his motives.
• Ji Yuan briefly considers Du Wanyi’s absence after her expedition to Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. He accepts that he did what he could and continues on, though her fate remains uncertain.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Ji Yuan honors Hua Yaoyue’s trust with the wine, and thinks about repaying his seniors’ generosity.
• Legacy and kindness: Having benefited from a predecessor’s hidden opportunity, Ji Yuan leaves a useful recipe for whoever inherits his home.
• Caution and survival: Concealment techniques, defensive treasures, and plans for a better vessel reflect the dangers of cultivation.
• The uncertain cultivation path: Ji Yuan’s reflections on earlier hardships and the courtyard’s former residents emphasize that advancement is difficult, and success is far from guaranteed.

Plot points and events

• Ji Yuan meets with Sect Master Profound Water True Person, who formally welcomes him as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, assigns him future sect duties, and gives him a congratulatory package of spirit stones, equipment, pills, talismans, and the sect’s core Water Dragon Technique.
• Ji Yuan is invited to choose a site for his own island. Avoiding the dangerous north, the crowded east, and the distant west, he selects a spiritually rich location in the south.
• He plants the sect’s flag, and its Fourth-Tier formation raises land from the lakebed to create the island. Three nearby island masters introduce themselves: Cloud-Sun, Cold River, and Orchid.
• Cold River and Cloud-Sun suspect Ji Yuan has powerful backing because the Sect Master granted him a location Cold River had previously been denied. They plan to cultivate his favor, but Ji Yuan’s island is soon hidden by an Illusion Formation, and he gives no sign of holding the customary public opening ceremony.
• Ji Yuan deliberately avoids the ceremony and the attention it would bring from powerful figures and rival groups. Instead, he celebrates privately with Feng Zhitáo and Yun Qianzai, cooking them a meal.
• The next day, Ji Yuan returns to his longtime home, Mist Island. He finds it engulfed in black fog and ghostly energy, and fears it has been attacked while he was in seclusion.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan remains cautious and private. He accepts the sect’s support but chooses an isolated island site, conceals it with a formation, and rejects public recognition to protect his freedom and secrets.
• Profound Water True Person treats Ji Yuan warmly, but his motives are pragmatic: he hopes to gain Hua Yaoyue’s support by building goodwill with her disciple. He privately doubts Ji Yuan’s prospects because of his False Spiritual Root.
• Feng Zhitáo and Yun Qianzai help Ji Yuan establish the island. Yun urges him to hold a grand ceremony; Ji Yuan’s imagined consequences convince him not to. Both enjoy his cooking and enthusiastically propose making it a regular occasion.
• The neighboring island masters greet Ji Yuan cordially. Cold River and Cloud-Sun interpret his favorable land grant as evidence of influential connections and consider using gifts to approach him.

Significant themes

• Power and political maneuvering: The sect’s gifts and island grants carry political meaning, and others judge Ji Yuan by the influence they believe stands behind him.
• Privacy versus recognition: Ji Yuan repeatedly avoids ceremonies and attention, prioritizing quiet cultivation over prestige and connections.
• Home and security: The new island gives Ji Yuan another base, but his return to Mist Island reveals how vulnerable his old home may be.
• Appearance versus motive: Profound Water’s gracious behavior masks strategic self-interest, while the neighbors’ friendly interest is partly driven by speculation about Ji Yuan’s backing.

Summary

• Ji Yuan returns to Mist Island and finds it engulfed in black mist. Suspecting a powerful intruder, he initially considers fleeing for help, but hears Big Clam’s familiar croak and goes to investigate.
• Big Clam has survived but spent the past year driven from the island by two relentless attackers. Its reunion with Ji Yuan is emotional; the neglected creature is overjoyed to see him—and perhaps to hope for food.
• Big Clam’s account leads Ji Yuan to realize the attackers may be his two Yin Ghosts, left behind when he departed. He cautiously follows Big Clam back to the island, using it as a scout.
• Ji Yuan confirms the black mist comes from his former Yin Ghost Formation, now beyond his control. The Yin Ghosts have advanced to Foundation Establishment, and the formation has become second-tier. He enters the mist, retrieves and refines the abandoned Yin Ghost Banner, and regains control of both the formation and its ghosts.
• The Yin Ghosts can regenerate as long as the banner survives, making them formidable allies. The Black Coffin that once held yin energy is now inert but remains unusually hard and mysterious; Ji Yuan stores it separately from the banner.
• With his home reclaimed, Ji Yuan inspects the island. The Yin Ghosts have devastated the fish pond, while his old cabin has rotted. He jokingly anticipates asking Tu Yue to help with repairs, and directs Big Clam to clean itself in the lake.
• Seeing that the second-tier formation fulfills the [Formation Room] upgrade requirement, Ji Yuan spends his prepared materials to raise it to Level Two. This gives him the Stardust Illusion-Killing Formation, whose lethal stardust can cover and conceal the entire island. He tests it by destroying a boulder, then stops before damaging the island further.
• When he activates the new formation, Big Clam returns from washing and finds the island inaccessible again, ending the chapter on a comic note.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan shifts from alarm and thoughts of escape to cautious investigation, then confidence as he reclaims his home and gains a powerful formation and two upgraded servants. His practical, risk-conscious nature is evident in using Big Clam to scout and separating the mysterious coffin from the Yin Ghost Banner.
• Big Clam is revealed to have endured a miserable year away from its comfortable life with Ji Yuan. Its reunion with Ji Yuan highlights their bond, while its loyalty and eagerness to return home contrast with its poor luck around Ji Yuan’s newly activated defenses.
• The Yin Ghosts have grown from Qi Refining entities into Foundation Establishment beings capable of repeatedly reforming. Though they troubled Big Clam and took over the island, they remain bound to the Yin Ghost Banner and ultimately fall back under Ji Yuan’s control.
• Tu Yue is mentioned but does not appear; Ji Yuan expects to rely on them to help restore the damaged cabin.

Significant themes

• Home and belonging: Ji Yuan’s determination to reclaim Mist Island, and Big Clam’s longing to return, make the island more than a possession—it is their shared home.
• Growth and changing power: The Yin Ghosts and Yin Ghost Formation have advanced beyond Ji Yuan’s expectations, while he too gains new capabilities through cultivation and the panel.
• Loyalty and companionship: Big Clam waits for Ji Yuan and remains devoted despite hardship; Ji Yuan, in turn, welcomes it back and attends to its comfort.
• Humor amid danger: Ji Yuan’s caution, Big Clam’s exaggerated reunion, and the unfortunate timing of the new formation balance the chapter’s supernatural threats with comedy.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan lets the Giant Toad into Mist Island, but decides not to test the newly installed Stardust Illusion-Killing Formation on him, unwilling to harm an old companion after their year apart.
• The Formation Room’s new effect grants the Inverted Big Dipper Formation. Its unusual status and demanding future upgrade requirements suggest it is a special formation.
• Having reached Foundation Establishment, Ji Yuan upgrades his Cave Abode to Level Three. It gains the Star-Spiral Cloud Barrier Formation, which can bewilder intruders and works alongside the Stardust Illusion-Killing Formation.
• Ji Yuan realizes portable buildings could let him deploy formations in combat. The Cave Abode’s Level Four effect confirms a future solution: with an as-yet-locked “Heavenly Grotto” building, he can store buildings inside the Cave Abode and refine them into a life-bound treasure once he reaches Golden Core.
• He upgrades the Wine Cellar as well. It produces Wishful Wine, which intensifies the drinker’s current mood, and Peerless Wine, which temporarily boosts spell power by 20%. He saves the Wishful Wine as a gift for his master, Hua Yaoyue.
• Ji Yuan decides the Fish Pond must wait until he can obtain more spirit stones and materials. He spends five days on Mist Island, mastering the Breath-Concealing Formula and practicing the Water Dragon Technique, then leaves for the Water Dragon Sect. Before he reaches his island, a message arrives.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan becomes more confident in his new Foundation Establishment strength, while remaining cautious about attracting attention or wasting resources. He rejects the idea of hosting a gift-giving banquet and plans instead to earn money through cultivation and sales.
• His ambition grows: he imagines expanding his building-based abilities with portable formations and other offensive structures, though he recognizes these plans will take time.
• Ji Yuan shows consideration toward the Giant Toad by sparing him a potentially dangerous test. He also thinks carefully about giving Hua Yaoyue an elegant, generous gift.
• He makes practical plans to ask the Iron Hammer Island Lord to craft portable containers for his buildings.

Significant themes

• Steady cultivation and preparation: Ji Yuan prioritizes training, resource management, and long-term planning over quick gains.
• Ingenuity and adaptation: He looks for ways to turn defensive buildings and formations into portable combat tools.
• Power balanced by restraint: Though newly powerful, he avoids unnecessary risk and does not test his formation on a friend.
• The Panel’s growing potential: Each upgrade expands Ji Yuan’s options, hinting that his building-based abilities may eventually transform his approach to travel and combat.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Yuan receives a message from Li Changhe about his “island-opening celebration.” He postpones answering directly, hoping the subject will fade while the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven expedition is away.
• On Fangwu Island, Ji Yuan sells five Demon Cores, buys rare ice-beast blood essence and Profound Ice Crystals for upgrading his [Fish Pond], and purchases Communication Talismans. He also buys supplies for drawing Second Tier Offensive Talismans, planning a retreat when he returns home.
• Ji Yuan visits Xu Fugui to share his Foundation Establishment success. Xu is delighted but privately saddened that his own long-standing hope of advancing beyond Peak Qi Refining seems out of reach. He is about to leave for a six-month sect assignment in North Mountain City, so Ji Yuan gives him a gold Communication Talisman.
• Ji Yuan then visits the Iron Hammer Island Lord, who is recovering from an accident during artifact refining. After sparring, Ji Yuan proposes making a shrinking, expandable iron-box Dharma Tool to use as a portable [Cave Abode].
• The Iron Hammer Island Lord teaches Ji Yuan artifact refining. Ji Yuan spends ten days learning and produces an awkward Low-Grade Magical Artifact, while the master crafts two much better, High-Grade Magical Artifact “houses” for him.
• Away from the sect, Ji Yuan tests the artifacts on a deserted island. Naming one “Ji Estate” activates the [Cave Abode] function; carving formation patterns into the other activates its formation function. He releases both, and their formations spread across the island.

Character developments

• Ji Yuan is newly confident in his Foundation Establishment status, though he recognizes that admiration and status still affect him. He remains practical and resourceful, planning purchases carefully and expanding his skills.
• Xu Fugui’s happiness for Ji Yuan is mixed with quiet regret about his own stalled cultivation. His departure underscores how differently their paths are progressing.
• The Iron Hammer Island Lord remains proud, blunt, and dismissive of his injury, but his willingness to teach Ji Yuan reveals affection and respect. He also recognizes Ji Yuan’s talent: Ji Yuan makes his first Magical Artifact far faster than the master did.

Significant themes

• Advancement and its costs: Ji Yuan’s success brings new status but also renewed expenses and obligations; Xu Fugui’s stagnation highlights how rare Foundation Establishment is.
• Practical ingenuity and self-reliance: Ji Yuan turns cultivation resources into useful tools, learns artifact refining, and finds a way to combine Cave Abodes with formations.
• Mentorship and reciprocity: Ji Yuan seeks to repay the Iron Hammer Island Lord’s kindness, while the older cultivator passes on his craft through teasing, demanding instruction.
• Age, ambition, and resilience: The Iron Hammer Island Lord’s injuries and advancing age contrast with his refusal to give up on strength and cultivation.

Character interactions

• Ji Yuan and Li Changhe exchange friendly messages, with Ji Yuan tactfully avoiding a commitment to a celebration.
• Ji Yuan and Xu Fugui share news warmly; Ji Yuan’s gift of a Communication Talisman maintains their connection as Xu leaves on assignment.
• Ji Yuan and the Iron Hammer Island Lord spar, eat and drink together, then work side by side at the forge. Their teasing masks mutual affection, respect, and Ji Yuan’s concern for the older man’s health.

Key events

• Ji Yuan confirms that his two portable iron houses can instantly deploy a Second Tier defensive formation and a Second Tier killing formation. He sees them as a valuable combat trump card and plans to commission spares.
• He returns to Carefree Island to visit Hua Yaoyue and offers her Wishful Wine, which he brewed during his seclusion.
• The wine appears to affect Hua Yaoyue’s emotions and, she later reveals privately, benefits her cultivation. Rather than accept her offer of monthly payment, Ji Yuan promises to provide her two jin each month.
• In return, Hua Yaoyue makes Ji Yuan her final disciple and promises to help him if he encounters trouble. She asks him to keep the wine’s cultivation benefit secret.
• Feng Zhitáo arrives, is surprised by Ji Yuan’s new status, and joins them for a meal. The conversation reveals that she is a princess of the West Phoenix Kingdom and that second senior brother Yun Qianzai comes from a prominent Foundation Establishment family.
• After leaving, Ji Yuan heads straight for Mist Island, eager to upgrade his Fish Pond and pursue its chance of producing a Third-Order Demon Beast hatchling.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Yuan proves cautious and resourceful, evaluating both the combat value of his formations and the long-term value of preserving goodwill with his powerful master. He chooses a personal favor over payment, strengthening their bond.
• Hua Yaoyue remains reserved but shows a rare need and vulnerability through her response to the wine. Her promise of support and decision to take Ji Yuan as her final disciple mark a significant deepening of their relationship.
• Feng Zhitáo is cheerful and openly fond of good food. She welcomes Ji Yuan’s company, though she suspects he and Hua Yaoyue are keeping something from her.
• Ji Yuan and Feng Zhitáo share a relaxed conversation over his cooking, while Hua Yaoyue quietly joins them and praises the meal.

Significant themes

• Reciprocity and trust: Ji Yuan values a lasting bond with Hua Yaoyue more than immediate payment.
• Secrecy and discretion: Hua Yaoyue entrusts Ji Yuan with a private benefit of the wine, and he keeps it from Feng Zhitáo.
• Practical ambition: Ji Yuan balances cultivation and relationships with plans for defensive tools, island improvements, and the Fish Pond’s potential.

Summary

• Key events: The author reports on May’s writing progress and announces plans for June. May consisted of 31 consecutive days with at least 10,000 words posted daily, totaling nearly 330,000 words. The author intends to continue this pace in June.
• Character developments: No fictional characters or narrative developments are presented. “Old Dream” appears as the author’s project or title rather than a developed character.
• Themes: The report emphasizes consistency, productivity, endurance, and continued creative momentum. It also includes a direct appeal for reader support.
• Character interactions: None are depicted. The closing message asks readers to vote monthly in support of Old Dream.