Chapter Summaries

After the Dao Academy examinations, Chu Bai shared a meal with Gu Qinghe, who accepted that he might not pass and planned to support his family as a Rogue Cultivator. Chu Bai reported his results to Daoist Zhang, then chose to return home to reassure his parents, leaving the Zhang Residence beneath the moon.

• Gu Qinghe told Chu Bai he feared his weak examination results and Bone Age would keep him out of the Dao Academy, but he had made peace with becoming a Rogue Cultivator and supporting his mother.
• Chu Bai praised Gu Qinghe's resilience, and the two drank together before parting outside the restaurant.
• Chu Bai collected leftover food for his family and told Daoist Zhang about his examination performance; Daoist Zhang said he was almost certain to pass and offered to teach him while they waited for the results.
• Chu Bai asked to visit his worried parents before returning for Daoist Zhang's guidance, and Daoist Zhang agreed.
• Chu Bai walked home beneath the moon at an unhurried pace.

Chu Bai returned home after the Dao Academy examinations and shared a late-night meal with his proud family. He reviewed his new Qi Refining abilities and cultivated until dawn, when he prepared to see the examination results posted.

• Chu Bai came home at night, and Chu Xianglin and Li Qing welcomed him with relief.
• Chu Bai shared roast chicken and beef with his family and told them about the examinations, leaving out the hardships.
• Chu Bai examined his cultivation panel and assessed his Qi Refining progress, techniques, skills, and Fate Destiny.
• Chu Bai decided to seek new Spell Arts and spirit food while establishing himself at the Qi Refining stage.
• Chu Bai cultivated through the night and woke at dawn, anticipating the posted results.

Chu Bai topped Anping County’s Dao Academy Selection as a Three-Grade Champion, while Li Han placed second and Wang Teng was eliminated. County Commandant Zhang Cheng congratulated Chu Bai and revealed that the Provincial Government’s Dao Academy had personally ruled on his Heart Inquiry score.

• After three days of waiting, candidates and townspeople gathered at the Examination Hall to see the posted results.
• Li Han placed second, while Wang Teng’s third-place result failed to qualify him for admission.
• Chu Bai took first place with A grades in all three trials and was admitted to Azure Cloud Academy as a Three-Grade Champion.
• Gu Qinghe celebrated Chu Bai’s victory, and Chu Bai felt pride at his unexpected results.
• County Commandant Zhang Cheng congratulated Chu Bai and learned that Daoist Zhang was already his master.
• Zhang Cheng explained that the Provincial Government’s Dao Academy had personally ruled on Chu Bai’s Lower A Heart Inquiry result.

After taking first place, Chu Bai received congratulations and connections from Anping County’s influential residents while his master, Daoist Zhang, arranged a banquet to help establish his standing. The chapter ended with Chu Bai preparing to enter the Dao Academy the next morning and receive his ordination register.

• Chu Xianghai and Liu Shi watched Chu Bai’s victory from the edge of the crowd, regretted their earlier treatment of him, and left without approaching him.
• Chu Bai politely declined the townspeople’s invitations so he could report his results to his master and parents, while Gu Qinghe told him he had been offered a teaching assistant position at the academy.
• Daoist Zhang arrived, and Chu Bai formally thanked his master for his guidance and announced that he had taken first place.
• Daoist Zhang invited Anping County’s influential residents to a banquet, where he introduced Chu Bai to people who could help him after he entered the Dao Academy.
• After the banquet, Daoist Zhang told Chu Bai to rest and report to the Dao Academy early the next morning to receive his ordination register.

After placing first in the county examination, Chu Bai prepared to leave for Great Wall Prefecture and accepted Li Han’s offer to travel together. He returned home to a village celebration, settled his affairs, and set out to begin a new journey the next morning.

• Chu Bai met Li Han at the restaurant, agreed they would look out for each other at the Prefectural Dao Academy, and arranged to travel together early the next morning.
• Chu Bai returned to his village and found the clan head, village chief, and villagers celebrating his examination success with his family.
• Chu Bai accepted the elders’ silver and explained that the celebration feast should wait because he had to leave for the Prefectural City the next day.
• Chu Bai searched the Three-Bath River for the spirit flow that had helped him cultivate, but found it had drifted away.
• Chu Bai returned his rented boat to the old fisherman, insisted on paying the remaining rent, and walked home after settling his ties to the village.

Chu Bai left home for the Prefectural Dao Academy after refusing merchants’ offers and leaving money for his parents. As he and Li Han traveled toward Great Plains Prefecture, they learned that most of the academy’s new disciple places went to locals, putting the county recruits at a disadvantage.

• Chu Bai left a letter and twenty taels of silver for his parents, then departed Anping County before dawn.
• Chu Bai recalled refusing the bookstore owner’s hundred-tael offer but accepting silver from local elders to build goodwill and protect his parents.
• Qian Shen and Anping County’s officials and academies saw Chu Bai and Li Han off, and Daoist Zhang urged Chu Bai to begin his journey steadily.
• Li Wenyuan told Chu Bai and Li Han that the Prefectural Dao Academy would ordain three hundred new disciples, while the seventy-two counties received only two places each.
• Li Wenyuan explained that the remaining places went to Prefectural City locals, and Chu Bai and Li Han faced the prospect of competing against recruits with greater resources and experience.

Chu Bai and Li Han arrived at the Prefectural Dao Academy, where Chu Bai’s exceptional examination results earned Instructor Sun’s respect. During the Ordination ceremony, Chu Bai received the Great Zhou Dao Registry’s Gray Ordination, and a familiar tremor hinted that his panel was about to change.

• Li Wenyuan handed Chu Bai and Li Han over to Instructor Sun, who changed his attitude after learning Chu Bai had earned Grade A in all three subjects.
• Chu Bai and Li Han entered the Fortune-Bearing Hall and waited among students from Prefectural City and the counties.
• Deputy Head Lu He explained the Law Net, the Dao Academy, and the purpose of Ordination before beginning the ceremony.
• The Law Net bestowed Gray Ordination on Chu Bai, making the surrounding spiritual energy clearer and more accessible to him.
• Chu Bai felt a familiar tremor in his sea of consciousness and suspected his Fate Destiny panel was about to change.

After receiving Ordination, Chu Bai gained a new Fate Pattern tied to merit, wrongdoing, and Fortune, then settled into life at the Dao Academy. He met his three roommates and learned that classes and strict assessments would begin the next morning, leaving him eager to earn Dao Merit and explore the scripture repository.

• Chu Bai examined his new Fate Pattern, which enhanced his other active Fate Destinies when he gained Fortune and tempered his Dao Heart through adversity caused by wrongdoing.
• Vice Dean Lu He assigned the newly ordained disciples to classes, and Chu Bai learned he was in Class Three while Li Han was in Class Two.
• Chu Bai found his room in the Dao Academy's residential quarters and met his roommates Jiang Kuo, Zhou Tong, and Chen Shi.
• Jiang Kuo explained that the first three months involved general studies and strict assessments that could cost students Dao Merit, which could be traded for resources.
• Chu Bai and his roommates discussed the scripture repository and cultivation techniques before settling in for the night.

Chu Bai attended his first Class Three lecture at the Dao Academy, where Zhou Changkong taught the students about Qi Refining and introduced them to talismans. Chu Bai successfully activated a Clean-Clothes Talisman and looked forward to the upcoming Spell Arts class.

• Chu Bai and his roommates went to Class Three's lecture hall for their first lesson.
• Zhou Changkong introduced himself as their teacher and explained how Qi Refining distinguished cultivators from mortals.
• Zhou Changkong gave every student a Clean-Clothes Talisman and taught them to activate it with spiritual energy.
• Chu Bai activated his talisman, which cleansed his body and clothes, while many other students succeeded as well.
• Zhou Changkong discussed spiritual qi, cultivation paths, and Dao Academy rules, then announced that Spell Arts class would begin in fifteen minutes.

During spell arts class, Ji Yu assessed Chu Bai’s spiritual energy and cultivation foundation, then offered him a choice between a specialized water method and the versatile Origin Return Formula. Chu Bai chose the Origin Return Formula, believing his talents suited its potential for growth.

• Ji Yu began assessing students and recommended cultivation methods suited to their spiritual energy and existing techniques.
• Jiang Kuo demonstrated his earth-attribute energy and Rock Spire Method, and Ji Yu advised him to obtain the Thick Earth Formula.
• Chu Bai demonstrated his pure-origin spiritual qi blended with water-attribute energy and controlled three water needles.
• Ji Yu discovered that Chu Bai had cultivated the Minor Qi Gathering Technique to proficiency and explained that he could choose the Clearstream Qi-Nourishing Scripture or the Origin Return Formula.
• Chu Bai decided that the Origin Return Formula best suited his talents and firmly chose it.

Ji Yu learned that Chu Bai had earned an Upper A rating in Spirit Absorption and discussed his talent with Zhou Changkong. At the Scripture Repository, Chu Bai chose and copied the Origin Return Formula, preparing to switch techniques.

• Ji Yu praised Chu Bai's Spell Arts and spiritual-energy control, and Zhou Changkong revealed that Chu Bai had earned an Upper A rating in Spirit Absorption.
• Ji Yu and Zhou Changkong agreed that Chu Bai showed promise, while Ji Yu noted that it was too early to settle on his main cultivation path.
• In the queue for the Scripture Repository, Jiang Kuo warned Chu Bai that the Origin Return Formula could slow his progress, but Chu Bai said its ability to accommodate different energies suited him.
• Chu Bai saw Li Han among several wealthy clan youths; Li Han flinched, looked away, and moved behind them.
• Chu Bai entered the Scripture Repository, found the Jade Slip for the Origin Return Formula, and copied the technique.

Chu Bai faced Dong Feng’s challenge at the Prefectural Dao Academy, then ignored the rivalry to cultivate with the Origin Return Formula. After completing his first Greater Celestial Circuit, he transformed his Spell Power and began working toward greater mastery of the method.

• Dong Feng confronted Chu Bai outside the Scripture Repository, challenged his reputation, and learned Chu Bai was willing to compete in future assessments.
• Jiang Kuo intervened and led Chu Bai away, then explained that Dong Feng resented losing to him after receiving Grade B in Heart Inquiry.
• Jiang Kuo and Zhou Tong warned Chu Bai that Dong Feng might try to hinder him during academy assessments, but Chu Bai chose to focus on cultivation.
• Chu Bai studied the Origin Return Formula and guided his Spell Power through its meridian route, drawing on his experience with the Minor Qi Gathering Technique.
• Chu Bai completed his first Greater Celestial Circuit, transforming his Spell Power and advancing the Origin Return Formula to Skilled.

Chu Bai spent more than a month studying cultivation, practicing spell arts, and improving his cultivation at the Prefectural Dao Academy. As he and his roommates prepared for their first practical combat class, he recognized that future progress would also require money and resources.

• Chu Bai attended general studies classes and learned about cultivation paths, spirit herbs, and talisman-making.
• Ji Yu guided Chu Bai in refining his Spirit Water Needle, and he gradually learned to make it more nimble.
• Chu Bai cultivated with the Origin Return Formula, raising his realm progress to 16 and restoring the formula to the proficient level.
• At lunch, Chen Shi, Jiang Kuo, and Zhou Tong discussed their upcoming practical combat class and teased Chu Bai about his progress.
• Chu Bai considered how his changing spiritual qi might let him balance other attributes, then noted the importance of money for spirit cuisine and access to the Scripture Repository's higher floors.

Class Three began practical combat training under Lei Lie, and Chu Bai defeated his roommate Zhou Tong with precise spell control and combat instincts. Lei Lie praised Chu Bai and called the students who had performed well to stay for another round.

• Lei Lie introduced Zhang Shan as his assistant and ordered the students to fight without holding back.
• Jiang Kuo defeated Wang Meng by absorbing his fireballs with the Thick Earth Formula and knocking him out of the ring.
• Chen Shi won his match by enduring his opponent's attacks and counterattacking after wearing down their spiritual energy.
• Chu Bai dodged Zhou Tong's Wind Blade Spell, forced him to evade three Spirit Water Needles, and won when Zhou Tong conceded.
• Lei Lie praised Chu Bai's combat instincts and ordered the students who had performed well to remain for another round.

Zhang Shan overwhelmed the new students in a combat lesson until Chu Bai pushed him into using a dangerous killing move. Lei Lie stopped the attack, and the battle ended with Chu Bai’s performance earning close attention.

• Lei Lie sent Zhang Shan to demonstrate combat, and Zhang Shan defeated Jiang Kuo with wood spells before swiftly defeating Chen Shi and the other standout newcomers.
• Chu Bai faced Zhang Shan and evaded his thorn vines with precise footwork, then deflected wooden thorns using Spirit Water Needles.
• Chu Bai interrupted Zhang Shan’s spells and held out in a prolonged exchange, impressing Lei Lie and the watching students.
• Zhang Shan unleashed the powerful Greenwood Bone-Piercing Nail, but Lei Lie knocked it down before it could strike Chu Bai, deciding the outcome.

During a practical combat class, Chu Bai survived Zhang Shan’s uncontrolled killing move and activated his Seven Killings in the Fate Palace destiny. After the lesson ended, Zhang Shan apologized and gave Chu Bai pills, while Chu Bai resolved to learn more spell arts.

• Zhang Shan’s final Greenwood Bone-Piercing Nail nearly killed Chu Bai, but Lei Lie stopped the fight and checked that Chu Bai was unharmed.
• Chu Bai’s Seven Killings in the Fate Palace destiny activated after the life-threatening battle, granting him heightened combat intuition and explosive power.
• Lei Lie criticized Zhang Shan for losing control and told Chu Bai to strengthen his fundamentals and learn more techniques.
• After class, Zhang Shan apologized to Chu Bai and offered him Greenwood Life-Nourishing Pills, which Chu Bai accepted without holding a grudge.
• Chu Bai decided to focus on learning additional spell arts as he continued cultivating toward the Qi Refining Second Layer.

After learning how students earned Dao Merit through instructor assignments and academy bounties, Chu Bai heard Zhang Shan explain how cultivation gaps shaped access to resources. Zhang Shan offered to recommend him for a potentially well-paying job with Supervisor Chen, leaving Chu Bai eager to learn more.

• After class, Zhang Shan apologized to Chu Bai for the danger during their battle and mentioned earning Dao Merit as a teaching assistant.
• Chu Bai asked Zhang Shan about other ways to earn Dao Merit, and Zhang Shan explained that instructors and academy officials offered better-paying assignments than general odd jobs.
• Zhang Shan said he had earned twenty points of Dao Merit for assisting Instructor Lei Lie and explained how cultivation differences affected students' access to good assignments and resources.
• Zhang Shan offered to recommend Chu Bai for work with Supervisor Chen, who would not hire students who had reached the Qi Refining Second Layer.

Chu Bai accepted a monitoring task from Supervisor Chen, who assessed his spiritual qi and said he could form the Dao Foundation [Misty Dew]. After learning that the task paid two Dao Merit points each day for recording spiritual qi fluctuations while cultivating, Chu Bai realized it suited him perfectly.

• Zhang Shan brought Chu Bai to Supervisor Chen’s secluded office and warned him to speak only when asked.
• Supervisor Chen examined Chu Bai’s cultivation and spiritual qi, identified the possible Dao Foundation [Misty Dew], and gave him the task’s Jade Slip.
• Chu Bai left the office and considered how spiritual qi composition determined the type and grade of a Dao Foundation.
• Zhang Shan explained that Supervisor Chen had cultivated the metal-aspected Unorthodox Dao Foundation [Spirit-Slaying Thread].
• Chu Bai read the task requirements and learned he could earn two Dao Merit points daily by cultivating at three locations and recording spiritual qi fluctuations.

After months of cultivation and patrol work, Chu Bai demonstrated how much his Spell Arts had improved at the Dao Academy’s practice ground. Instructor Ji Yu confirmed that his Spirit Water Needle had reached mastery, leaving Tao Mingzhi stunned by how far Chu Bai had surpassed him.

• Chu Bai’s patrol assignment earned him more than 150 Dao Merit points and taught him about spiritual energy across the Dao Academy.
• Chu Bai recalled losing cultivation and Spell Arts assessments to Lin Xuewei and Tao Mingzhi, then defeating Tao Mingzhi in actual combat with a precise Spirit Water Needle.
• Tao Mingzhi split an Ironwood puppet with his Blazing Sun Saber during practice.
• Chu Bai pierced a puppet’s Spiritual Power Core with a spiraling Spirit Water Needle and demonstrated an invisible hand that lifted and crushed a stone weight.
• Instructor Ji Yu announced that Chu Bai’s Spirit Water Needle had reached mastery, and Tao Mingzhi was stunned.

After months of practice, Chu Bai advanced his Spirit Water Needle to Proficient and developed the Formless Cloud Hand to cover his close-range weaknesses. While monitoring an abandoned library at night, he detected unusually thin spiritual qi and a faint tremor in the Academy Monitor Jade Slip, suggesting a possible Law Net irregularity.

• Chu Bai celebrated reaching Proficient mastery of the Spirit Water Needle, which gained greater power, control, and the ability to coordinate six needles.
• Chu Bai reflected on choosing the Formless Cloud Hand to control nearby enemies and complement his ranged attack.
• Chu Bai reviewed his progress panel, noting his Qi Refining First Layer cultivation had reached 41/100 and the Formless Cloud Hand had reached Practiced.
• Chu Bai began a nighttime monitoring assignment at an abandoned library and noticed its spiritual qi was thinner than usual.
• Chu Bai saw the Academy Monitor Jade Slip tremble out of rhythm, stopped cultivating, and suspected a possible Law Net irregularity.