Chapter Summaries

Ji Yuan built and upgraded the Formation Room, Kitchen, and Wine Cellar on Mist Island, then bought and mastered formations to conceal the island and fight enemies. After spending over half a year cultivating and improving his skills, he prepared to return to the Water Dragon Sect for materials to upgrade the Dao Comprehension Chamber and Pigsty.

• Ji Yuan had Tu Yue build a Kitchen and carved out Formation and Artifact Refining Rooms, then upgraded the Kitchen and enjoyed its improved food and daily Spirit Rice.
• Big Clam recovered from his injuries, and Ji Yuan decided he could send him to hunt Early Second-Tier Demon Beasts for their Demon Cores.
• Ji Yuan sold a Demon Beast carcass, bought a Spirit-Gathering Formation, Mist Formation, and Rain-Killing Formation, and accepted a repeatable task to submit wine for Merit Points.
• Ji Yuan comprehended the Spirit-Gathering Formation, upgraded the Formation Room, concealed Mist Island with the Mist Formation, and learned the Rain-Killing Formation.
• Ji Yuan filled a Wine Cellar with diluted wine, upgraded it, and later returned to Blackwater Ward for wine and other supplies.
• After more than half a year of cultivation, Ji Yuan checked the upgrade requirements for the Dao Comprehension Chamber and Pigsty and decided to return to the Water Dragon Sect for materials and news from the front.

Ji Yuan returned to Young Dragon Island and learned that Yao Jingfeng had kept Luo Tian’s Spirit Stones after the battle in Cloud-Rain Marsh. Du Wanyi told him the Water Dragon Sect had allied with Joy Palace against Medicine King Valley, and she revealed that Liu Cangke had died on Liancheng Mountain.

• Ji Yuan returned to Young Dragon Island, where Tang Ran and Pi Fangzhi welcomed him and Pi Fangzhi told him Du Wanyi had been looking for him.
• Du Wanyi told Ji Yuan that Yao Jingfeng had claimed to deliver Luo Tian’s Spirit Stones, though he had not done so when she checked.
• Ji Yuan and Du Wanyi visited Yao Jingfeng, who warned them about Han Feiyu’s killing and asked Ji Yuan to survive long enough to see what lay beyond Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Formation.
• Du Wanyi told Ji Yuan that the Water Dragon Sect had joined forces with Joy Palace to fight Medicine King Valley over the Spirit Vein.
• Du Wanyi reported that Feng Yichen had exchanged his military merit for one Foundation Establishment pill, the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven seemed close to opening, and Liu Cangke had died on Liancheng Mountain.

Ji Yuan learned that Liu Cangke had been killed by Jian Zong of Medicine King Valley and gathered supplies to upgrade his [Pigsty]. After upgrading it to Level Three on Mist Island, he gained access to aperture-tempering pearls from Spirit Pigs and prepared to raise enough pigs to strengthen his body.

• Du Wanyi told Ji Yuan that Jian Zong had killed Liu Cangke and explained that Medicine King Valley might be targeting Water Dragon Sect cultivators ahead of the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven.
• Ji Yuan advised Du Wanyi about joining a sect hall, then decided to travel to Fangwu Island and check his mission rewards on the way.
• At Thousand Mechanisms Island, Ji Yuan received merit points for spirit liquor and bought two jin of earthcore molten rock; at Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he bought three more jin and learned that Medicine King Valley was buying Illusion-Heart Flowers in bulk.
• Ji Yuan posted a task offering 600 Merit Points for three Illusion-Heart Flowers, paying the shortfall with Spirit Stones after realizing he had spent most of his points.
• Ji Yuan returned to Mist Island and upgraded the [Pigsty] to Level Three, which guaranteed an Aperture-Tempering Pearl from every Spirit Pig he slaughtered.

Ji Yuan used the Level Four Pigsty’s Jade-Grease to repair his shield, then gathered hundreds of Spirit Pigs to obtain enough Aperture-Tempering Pearls. After tempering all 361 of his acupoints, he achieved Physique Foundation Establishment and prepared to investigate whether Big Clam could break through too.

• Ji Yuan examined the Level Four Pigsty’s effects, repaired his Hundred-Fish Shield with Jade-Grease, and learned it could produce Profound Yang Blood Amber and Scarlet Yang Bone.
• Ji Yuan tested an Aperture-Tempering Pearl, then traveled to several cities and secretly gathered more than 380 Spirit Pigs to obtain hundreds of pearls.
• Ji Yuan fed the pig carcasses to Big Clam, then swallowed Aperture-Tempering Pearls while practicing the Iron Hammer Island Lord’s fist technique to manage the surging qi and blood.
• Ji Yuan tempered his final acupoint and achieved Physique Foundation Establishment, displaying newfound strength and speed as Big Clam sensed his breakthrough.
• Ji Yuan sparred with Big Clam to master his stronger body, decided to keep his breakthrough secret, and planned to try learning the Shadow-Following Technique before helping Big Clam break through.

Ji Yuan oversaw the Big Clam’s breakthrough, tested his strength against a Second-Order Demon Beast, and returned to Young Dragon Island, where the Discipline Hall arrested his neighbor Tang Ran. He then delivered spirit wine to the Green Grain Island Lord and asked whether anyone had completed his task.

• Ji Yuan fed the Big Clam Spirit Pigs while he cultivated, and after half a month the Big Clam broke through to the Late Second Tier.
• Ji Yuan sent the Big Clam hunting in Cloud-Rain Marsh, where it returned with a saber-snake loach; Ji Yuan extracted its Demon Core and gained a second core for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Ji Yuan hunted an Early Second Tier Demon Beast underwater with the Big Clam and realized he could defend himself but could not defeat it alone.
• Ji Yuan returned to Young Dragon Island and saw the Discipline Hall seize Tang Ran from House Ding-Nineteen; Fang Jie warned Ji Yuan and Pi Fangzhi to remain in the sect and await questioning.
• Ji Yuan visited the Green Grain Island Lord on Thousand Mechanisms Island, delivered three jars of spirit wine, and asked whether anyone had completed his task.

Qinghe delivered Ji Yuan’s Moon-Yellow Wine to Hua Yaoyue, who planned to meet the brewer and considered taking him as her disciple. Ji Yuan followed a lead on Illusion-Heart Flowers to Dong Qian’s home, then received an urgent summons from the Discipline Hall and set out with Pi Fangzhi.

• Qinghe brought Hua Yaoyue the wine jars Ji Yuan had given him, and Hua Yaoyue recognized the cheap Moon-Yellow Wine and decided to meet its brewer next time.
• Ji Yuan learned that a sect disciple had a lead on Illusion-Heart Flowers, accepted the contact, and paid the deduction for the address.
• Ji Yuan went to the address in disguise, discovered Dong Qian was behind the lead, and returned home to approach her again the next morning.
• Ji Yuan received an urgent message from the Discipline Hall, and Pi Fangzhi joined him as they traveled there together.

Ji Yuan was questioned by the Discipline Hall about Tang Ran and was cleared, then learned that Tang Ran had been a Demonic Dao spy. After leaving, he considered the threat of spies and returned to Dong Qian’s door, where he acted surprised to find her.

• Ji Yuan and Pi Fangzhi were brought to the Discipline Hall and questioned separately about Tang Ran.
• The Discipline Hall cleared Ji Yuan, and Fang Jie escorted him out and told him Tang Ran had been a Demonic Dao spy.
• Fang Jie’s captain explained that the suggestion to report clues was meant to test whether Ji Yuan knew anything suspicious.
• Ji Yuan dismissed the idea of investigating the Demonic Dao but wondered where its forces were based.
• Ji Yuan returned to Young Dragon Island at dawn and visited Dong Qian, pretending to be surprised when she opened the door.

Ji Yuan accompanied Dong Qian to Old Pagoda-Tree Valley to obtain Illusion-Heart Flowers, traveling under disguises and waiting in a nearby market town while trade was suspended. Dong Qian then secretly warned him that she had seen Feng Yichen there.

• Ji Yuan asked Dong Qian about Illusion-Heart Flowers, and she offered to take him to a safer source in Medicine King Valley's Old Pagoda-Tree Valley.
• Dong Qian and Ji Yuan traveled west together, discussed the Three Demon Sects and their pasts, and reached a mountain market town near the valley.
• Dong Qian introduced Ji Yuan, disguised as Qiu Qianhai, to her friend Zhu Yue, who explained that trading had stopped while a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was away.
• Ji Yuan stayed at Zhu Yue's home while Dong Qian and Zhu Yue visited the market streets the next day.
• Dong Qian passed Ji Yuan a note warning him that she had seen Feng Yichen.

Ji Yuan and Dong Qian learned that Feng Yichen had come to Old Pagoda-Tree Valley on a mission to kill Medicine King Valley disciple Zhang Zehuai. They agreed to divert enemy disciples in exchange for Illusion-Heart Flowers, and Feng Yichen left to begin his attack.

• Dong Qian told Ji Yuan that Feng Yichen possessed Divine Sense despite still being in the Qi Refining Stage, and they agreed to leave Old Pagoda-Tree Valley once they had information about the Illusion-Heart Flower.
• Feng Yichen entered their room carrying the unconscious Zhu Yue and explained that he had rescued her after Medicine King Valley disciples noticed her investigating the flower.
• Feng Yichen revealed that the Water Dragon Sect had sent him to kill Zhang Zehuai, Medicine King Valley’s second-strongest disciple, and asked Ji Yuan and Dong Qian to draw away some guards.
• Feng Yichen offered them eight Illusion-Heart Flowers and three Divine-Speed Talismans in exchange for setting fire to a Medicine King Valley warehouse, and Dong Qian accepted.
• When Dong Qian asked why Old Pagoda-Tree Valley had become dangerous, Feng Yichen said his arrival alone had made it a land of trouble and strife.

Ji Yuan and Dong Qian burned a Medicine King Valley warehouse, but Jian Zong intercepted them and forced Ji Yuan to stay behind while Dong Qian escaped. Ji Yuan fought Jian Zong with talismans and a Formation, wounding him, but Jian Zong prepared a Talisman Treasure to attack him.

• Ji Yuan and Senior Sister Dong divided the Illusion-Heart Flowers and set the Medicine King Valley warehouse ablaze with two High-Grade Fire-Sea Talismans.
• Jian Zong intercepted their escape and recognized Senior Sister Dong's Trace-Vanishing Boat, so Ji Yuan fled with her aboard the Thunder Falcon Boat.
• When Jian Zong continued pursuing them, Ji Yuan sent Dong Qian toward the Water Dragon Sect and stopped to fight him under the name Qiu Qianhai.
• Ji Yuan used talismans, magical artifacts, and a Rain-Killing Formation to injure Jian Zong and evade his attacks.
• Jian Zong took out a golden Talisman Treasure and warned Ji Yuan that he was about to be hit by it.

Ji Yuan survived Jian Zong’s assault, killed him with his body-cultivation strength, and returned to Mist Island to recover. Feng Yichen investigated Jian Zong’s death without identifying Ji Yuan, who sensed he was close to reaching peak Qi Refining.

• Jian Zong trapped Ji Yuan with the Thousandfold Chains and attacked him with talismans, spells, Water Thunder Pellets, and a Second-Rank Talisman, but Ji Yuan endured the assault with his foundation establishment physique.
• Ji Yuan leaped at Jian Zong, smashed his Flying Boat into the ground, and killed him with a punch.
• Feng Yichen found traces of a Water Dragon Sect disciple at the battlefield, realized Jian Zong was dead, and covered the evidence before returning to the sect.
• Dong Qian waited anxiously for Ji Yuan, then listened as he told her to say he had escaped Jian Zong through a secret art and gone into seclusion to heal.
• Feng Yichen questioned Dong Qian about Jian Zong’s death, but her reaction convinced him Ji Yuan probably had not killed him.
• Ji Yuan returned to Mist Island and sensed an opportunity to break through to peak Qi Refining.

Ji Yuan broke through to Peak Qi Refining, upgraded the Dao Comprehension Chamber, and discovered that Jian Zong's Storage Bag held a fortune in Spirit Stones, powerful talismans, and two stalks of millennium green hui grass. Meanwhile, Medicine King Valley planned to send a Foundation Establishment Cultivator back to Qi Refining for Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, while Profound Water True Person suspected Ji Yuan had killed Jian Zong.

• Ji Yuan used Middle-Grade Spirit Stones to reach Peak Qi Refining after a month of cultivation.
• Dan Yangzi ordered Dongqing to find a willing Foundation Establishment Cultivator to take a Realm-Reduction Pill and enter Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven.
• Feng Yichen told Profound Water True Person about Jian Zong's death, and Profound Water True Person suspected Ji Yuan had killed him.
• Ji Yuan upgraded the Dao Comprehension Chamber to Level Two and saw that Level Three could produce a Clear-Mind Fruit each year.
• Tu Yue inventoried Jian Zong's Storage Bag, and Ji Yuan found 453 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 89 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, the Thousandfold Chains, second-tier talismans, and two stalks of millennium green hui grass.
• Ji Yuan searched Jian Zong's Cultivation Pills and spotted a distinctive jade bottle that might contain Foundation Establishment Pills.

Ji Yuan sorted through Jian Zong’s spoils, gained a Foundation Establishment Pill and several powerful artifacts, and harvested another stalk of millennial illusion spirit grass before entering seclusion to improve his alchemy or talisman skills. Meanwhile, Dongqing investigated Jian Zong’s death, killed the Spirit-Communing High Person after he gave a false lead, and an ancient figure sensed that another avatar had died.

• Ji Yuan identified a Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill among Jian Zong’s spoils and decided to keep it until he could learn its recipe and make more.
• Ji Yuan examined Jian Zong’s artifacts, kept Scarlet Lightning, the Azure Serpent Vinewood Shield, Remnant Blood, and the Ink Flooddragon Star-Pointing Brush, and planned to sell the Flying Snow.
• Ji Yuan harvested a second stalk of millennial illusion spirit grass, calculated that his ingredients could yield nine pills, and resolved to wait until he had more before attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Ji Yuan celebrated on Mist Island and entered seclusion to raise either his alchemy or talisman-drawing skill to the second tier.
• Dongqing brought the Spirit-Communing High Person to Jian Zong’s death site, where the old man heard the names Jian Zong, Water Dragon Sect, and Qiu Qianhai but falsely reported that the killer was a rogue cultivator.
• Dongqing killed the Spirit-Communing High Person, took his Storage Bag, and erased the evidence, while a distant ancient figure sensed that another avatar had died.

Ji Yuan strengthened his cultivation skills and equipment while gathering supplies on the Island of All Things, then returned to Young Dragon Island and met Feng Zhitáo, a former resident and upper second-tier alchemist. Feng Zhitáo agreed to guide him in alchemy, leaving him with help toward refining Second-Tier pills.

• Ji Yuan became a Second-Tier talisman master, learned the third level of the Surging Waves Sword Art, and continued trying to advance his Pill Way.
• Ji Yuan sold Big Clam's remaining haul, learned that Danyang soil was ash from refining Second-Tier pills or higher, and arranged to trade Bai Piao a lower second-tier demon core for a yin-rich Black Coffin.
• Ji Yuan sold his accumulated goods and spent Spirit Stones on a Peak-Grade Magical Artifact flying sword, a Low-Grade Spirit Artifact needle, and a set of Five-Element Protective Talisman Arts.
• Ji Yuan returned to Young Dragon Island and met Feng Zhitáo, the former resident who had planted the courtyard's peach trees.
• Ji Yuan asked Feng Zhitáo for guidance in refining Second-Tier Cultivation Pills, and she was surprised to learn he practiced alchemy too.

Ji Yuan advanced to a second tier alchemist with Feng Zhitáo’s guidance, while Feng Zhitáo made a breakthrough and gave him her Communication Talisman. After Du Wanyi visited and shared news from Greenleaf City, the Water Dragon Sect announced that the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven would soon open.

• Feng Zhitáo reminisced about Ji Yuan’s house, then watched him fail to refine Water Spirit Pills and explained how to handle the herbs’ medicinal properties.
• Feng Zhitáo entered sudden enlightenment and made a breakthrough; Ji Yuan used her advice to successfully refine Water Spirit Pills and advance to a second tier alchemist.
• Feng Zhitáo gave Ji Yuan her Communication Talisman and left, while Ji Yuan found he lacked the Spirit Stones and ingredients needed to upgrade his Alchemy Room.
• Du Wanyi visited Ji Yuan, told him about her work in Greenleaf City and the division of the Liancheng Mountain Spirit Stone vein, and invited him to join Water One Hall; Ji Yuan declined.
• The Golden Bell rang three times, and a voice announced that the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven would soon open; Du Wanyi asked Ji Yuan to go learn the details with her.

Ji Yuan prepared for the dangerous opening of the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven while hunting Demon Beasts to raise funds for his Alchemy Room. After upgrading it, he learned how to refine Foundation Establishment Pills and discovered that the Meditation Room could now be unlocked.

• Ji Yuan met Dong Qian, Du Wanyi, and Han Feiyu at Young Dragon Hall, where they learned the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven would open in a year and discussed its high death rate and their chances of entering.
• Han Feiyu invited the others to share information, and the four agreed to research the grotto-heaven and meet again in three months; Ji Yuan later learned Han Feiyu had become president of the Mutual Aid Society.
• Ji Yuan spotted Pi Fangzhi returning to his neighboring courtyard, while Pi Fangzhi privately lamented that his body was failing and that he had acted too soon.
• Ji Yuan and Big Clam hunted Demon Beasts in Cloud-Rain Marsh for a month, earning enough from their spoils to buy the materials needed to upgrade the Alchemy Room.
• Ji Yuan upgraded the Alchemy Room and gained the method for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, after which his Panel revealed that he could unlock the Meditation Room.

Ji Yuan unlocked the Meditation Room, considered how to meet its dangerous upgrade requirement, and searched for a better cultivation technique before trading for the Black Coffin. He left for Mist Island with the Yin Ghosts reacting strangely to the coffin, then learned that a major auction would soon be held in Greenleaf City.

• Ji Yuan spent all his Spirit Stones and Spirit Fragments to unlock the Meditation Room, whose first upgrade required him to kill a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator while at peak Qi Refining.
• Ji Yuan examined the level-three Alchemy Room’s effects, considered an A-rank sect mission with the same kill requirement, and decided to seek a stronger cultivation technique than the Creation Profound Water Art.
• Ji Yuan visited Bai Piao and traded an early second-tier demon core for the Black Coffin, learning that Bai Piao had dug it up at Ghost-Seeking Escape near Great Love City.
• Ji Yuan brought the Black Coffin to Mist Island, where the Yin Ghosts bowed to it and cautiously began consuming its yin energy.
• Ji Yuan decided to sell his Foundation Establishment Pill and buy alchemy ingredients, then learned that a major auction would soon take place in Greenleaf City.

Ji Yuan arrived in Greenleaf City, consigned a Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill, and reunited with Du Wanyi, who concealed a source of worry. At the auction, he bought the items he wanted and waited to see what the headline lots would bring.

• Ji Yuan consigned his Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill at the Greenleaf Auction House and received a token for a third-floor room.
• Ji Yuan sold Jian Zong's Flying Boat, then visited Du Wanyi and stayed with her while she handled her busy auction work.
• Du Wanyi gave Ji Yuan the auction list, and he decided to bid on Millennium Green Hui Grass, Crimson Marrow Thunder Jade, and a Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch for Big Clam.
• Ji Yuan won two Green Orchid Grass plants and the Crimson Marrow Thunder Jade, then bought the Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch for 385 mid-grade Spirit Stones.
• The auction reached its headline lots, and Ji Yuan was surprised when the first one proved to be a talisman.

Ji Yuan sold his Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill at the auction, bought several valuable items, and returned safely to Du Wanyi’s home. There, he learned that Yang Yunxiang and his powerful relatives were targeting Du Wanyi, and he began considering how to deal with them.

• Ji Yuan watched a Blackweight Ruler sell for 912 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, then his Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill sold for 900, leaving him 855 after the auction fee.
• Golden Core True Persons bid fiercely for a Winged Sky-Soaring Tiger cub, which Old Miser Li won for 9,000 Spirit Stones.
• Ji Yuan collected two stalks of Millennium Green Hui Grass, Crimson Marrow Thunder Jade, a Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch, and his remaining 261 Spirit Stones, then returned safely to Du Wanyi’s home.
• Du Wanyi returned late and alarmed, and Ji Yuan coaxed her into explaining that Yang Yunxiang had been making trouble for her.
• Du Wanyi told Ji Yuan that Yang Yunxiang’s father, Yang Shunan, was an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator and his second uncle, Yang Taian, was a prominent late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
• Ji Yuan identified the Yang Household’s connection to Azure Ocean Manor and advised Du Wanyi to return to the sect during her five days off.

Ji Yuan infiltrated Azure Ocean Manor with Big Clam and killed Yang Shunan and Yang Yunxiang, resolving Du Wanyi’s immediate predicament and satisfying the Meditation Room upgrade requirement. He fled before the Yang Household could respond, leaving the Meditation Room ready to upgrade.

• Ji Yuan learned that the Yang Household had a violent history and decided to kill Yang Shunan to help Du Wanyi and unlock the Meditation Room.
• Ji Yuan fed Big Clam three spirit pigs, convinced him that a powerful person had stolen his food, and coaxed him into the Second-Order Spirit Beast Pouch.
• Ji Yuan used the alias Qiu Qianhai to get Yang Dianfeng to escort him into Azure Ocean Manor and arrange a meeting with Yang Shunan.
• Ji Yuan revealed his intent to kill Yang Shunan, and Big Clam swallowed Yang Shunan and Yang Yunxiang before spitting them back out.
• Ji Yuan killed the still-living Yang Shunan with a Thousand Swords Talisman, burned both bodies, collected their Storage Bags, and escaped on the Thunder Falcon Boat.
• Ji Yuan checked the Panel and saw that the Meditation Room was upgradeable.