Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing traced the Spirit Realm Network’s signal to the tower at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and spent seven days learning to imitate its fluctuations. He infiltrated the network while Fang Yuhe was using it and began examining how its rune-based system carried information.

• Zhou Qing told Wei Kuang that the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s obstructive staff would not admit wrongdoing without evidence, then traced the network’s spiritual fluctuations to a tower behind the hall.
• Zhou Qing asked Wei Kuang to gather the names of junior disciples who wanted assignments and decided they would draw lots to distribute them fairly.
• Zhou Qing spent seven days analyzing and simulating the tower’s signal, while his magnetic-field oscillations began producing small electrical effects around him.
• Zhou Qing hid near Fang Yuhe’s courtyard and used his simulated signal to enter the Spirit Realm Network while Fang Yuhe was online.
• Zhou Qing saw that formations and runes composed the network, followed Fang Yuhe to the bulletin board, and stripped the information from one rune-based message packet.

Zhou Qing manipulated the Spirit Realm Network’s task notices to stop Fang Yuhe from assigning the Spirit Garden task to Lin Hongyu, then reassigned the tasks to disciples of his choice. Inspired by the network’s formations, he set out to ask Chen Qingxuan about remotely controlling iron pellets through formations.

• Zhou Qing examined the task notices’ hidden information packets and removed the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall head He Huifeng’s signature.
• Fang Yuhe assigned Lin Hongyu the popular Scarlet Heart Fruit tending task, using her cultivation breakthrough as justification.
• Zhou Qing restored the signature and erased Fang Yuhe’s aura, then assigned the tasks to eleven selected disciples and gave Wang Xiaohu the job of notifying them.
• Zhou Qing considered using formations to control iron pellets over long distances, overcoming the limited range of ordinary object control.
• After cultivating and sleeping briefly, Zhou Qing went to the Hall of Skill Transmission to seek Chen Qingxuan’s advice about formations.

Zhou Qing asked Chen Qingxuan to teach him formations, but Chen Qingxuan explained why the sect delayed disciples’ study of offensive arts. He warned Zhou Qing that seeking power could turn cultivators into Demonic Cultivators, and left him with the need to distinguish his own motives for cultivation.

• Zhou Qing visited Chen Qingxuan, saw Mu Zhuosha’s portrait, and asked whether she had recovered from demonic corruption.
• Zhou Qing asked to study formations, but Chen Qingxuan said sect rules required disciples to reach higher cultivation thresholds before studying arcane arts.
• Chen Qingxuan asked Zhou Qing why he cultivated immortality, and Zhou Qing answered that he sought longevity.
• Chen Qingxuan explained that seeking power could make spiritual qi aggressive and drive cultivators toward the Demonic Path.
• Chen Qingxuan said the sect delayed offensive arts and kept Outer Disciples on the mountain so they could cultivate steadily and temper their hearts.

Zhou Qing learned the basics of array cultivation from Chen Qingxuan and received a book to study. On his way down the mountain, he intervened when Fang Yuhe refused to accept that Yuan Hongying had been assigned a Spirit Garden task.

• Chen Qingxuan explained the dangers of advancing in cultivation and how Azure Cloud Sect cultivators sought time to refine their minds.
• Chen Qingxuan gave Zhou Qing Array Symbol Basics and explained that array symbols were commands to spiritual energy, though many of their meanings remained uncertain.
• Zhou Qing encountered Yuan Hongying arguing with Fang Yuhe and his companions over a Spirit Garden assignment also given to Lin Hongyu.
• Zhou Qing pointed out that the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had verified the assignment belonged to Yuan Hongying and warned Fang Yuhe they could take the dispute to the Discipline Hall.

Zhou Qing stood his ground against Fang Yuhe over a Spirit Garden assignment, while Yuan Hongying defused the dispute by yielding the task to Lin Hongyu. As Zhou Qing and Yuan Hongying left Azure Cloud Mountain, he explained why he had felt safe confronting Fang Yuhe, and she reassured him about his slower cultivation.

• Fang Yuhe demanded that Zhou Qing give Lin Hongyu the assignment, but Zhou Qing refused and recalled Fang Yuhe’s earlier mistreatment of him.
• Yuan Hongying offered the task to Lin Hongyu, who accepted after learning it would help with her cultivation; Fang Yuhe promised Yuan Hongying a future assignment, but she said Zhou Qing would handle her affairs.
• Zhou Qing and Yuan Hongying left for Violet Cloud Mountain, and Zhou Qing promised to prioritize her for another opportunity.
• Yuan Hongying worried that Fang Yuhe’s fourth-level Qi Refinement and fire spells could have made a fight dangerous, so Zhou Qing explained that the sect elders prevented disciples from fighting.
• Zhou Qing compared his two inches of Spirit Pressure with Yuan Hongying’s six, and Yuan Hongying reassured him that he would always be her Senior Apprentice.

Zhou Qing examined the thoughts within his Dao heart, strengthened his resolve to seek longevity, and found that his clearer mind improved his qi cultivation. With his urgency settled, he began studying the basics of arrays.

• Zhou Qing reassured Yuan Hongying that he did not resent anyone for cultivating more slowly, and they parted when they reached Violet Cloud Mountain.
• Zhou Qing set aside "Array Symbol Basics" and meditated, using his Magnetic Field Superpower to observe the thoughts forming within his heart.
• Zhou Qing joined the defense of his resolve to seek longevity, then awoke with a clearer and steadier Dao heart.
• Zhou Qing cultivated qi and discovered that his improved state of mind let him refine spiritual qi in two cycles instead of three.
• Zhou Qing read "Array Symbol Basics" and learned about the branches of Array Symbol Studies, Array Structure Studies, and Array Material Studies.

Zhou Qing designed a strict cultivation schedule and developed his first array to locate a person by their aura. After seven days of experimenting with runes, he completed the simple array and prepared to test it.

• Zhou Qing planned a daily routine for magnetic-field training, meditation, qi refinement, and array study.
• He took several Spirit Realm Network missions and spent the morning notifying the selected people in person.
• Zhou Qing considered using an array to locate specific people and studied how runes affected spiritual qi.
• After three days of study, Zhou Qing designed an array combining runes that detected a person's aura and gathered fire-attributed spiritual qi.
• Zhou Qing used magnetic-field perception to test how rune frequencies interacted, then spent seven days refining his design and inscribed his first array.
• Zhou Qing eagerly prepared to test the array.

Zhou Qing tested his new formation by using Yuan Hongying’s hair to make a paper crane that tracked her location. After the crane reached her, Yuan Hongying went to visit him, while Nie Yunxi learned that he was studying formations and left without meeting him.

• Zhou Qing met Yuan Hongying on the mountain path and asked her for several strands of hair to test his formation.
• Zhou Qing attached Yuan Hongying’s hair to a paper crane, activated the formation, and sent the crane flying to find her.
• Yuan Hongying discovered the crane at her home, recognized her hair inside it, and headed to Zhou Qing’s house.
• Yuan Hongying met Nie Yunxi on the way and told her about Zhou Qing’s paper crane and his formation studies.
• Nie Yunxi left without visiting Zhou Qing, and Yuan Hongying arrived at his open door as he greeted her.

Zhou Qing explained how he had independently created the Flying Crane Message Array and discussed the formal training needed to become an array master. After Yuan Hongying left with the crane, he considered adapting its spiritual-energy wave rune into a detection method to improve his chances of survival.

• Yuan Hongying was astonished that Zhou Qing had devised the Flying Crane Message Array after only ten days of studying arrays.
• Zhou Qing explained that his simple array did not replace the need for systematic training to create more complex arrays.
• Yuan Hongying explained that the Azure Cloud Sect prioritized cultivation and would not readily transfer advancing disciples to the Esoteric Division.
• Zhou Qing asked Yuan Hongying to notify the other disciples and gather their hair so he could make more message cranes, and she kept the first crane as a memento.
• After Yuan Hongying left, Zhou Qing considered using the crane's spiritual-energy wave rune to develop a method for detecting his surroundings.

Zhou Qing studied arrays and kept himself from letting his research distract him from cultivation, then learned that the Esoteric Division already used Paper Crane Messaging. He collected disciples’ hair to make communication tokens and asked Nie Yunxi for hers, but she had come to have her task-drawing token removed.

• Zhou Qing realized his array research had consumed his afternoon, used Silent Sitting, Clear Mind to settle his thoughts, and later memorized and reviewed a hundred runes.
• After dawn, Wei Kuang, Wei Xu, Wang Xiaohu, and Feng Yuan visited to see Zhou Qing make Paper Crane Messaging, and Wei Kuang explained that the Esoteric Division already supplied paper cranes that followed recorded routes.
• Zhou Qing continued practicing magnetic-field oscillations while waiting for other disciples to bring him strands of hair for communication.
• Nie Yunxi asked Zhou Qing to remove her token from the task lottery, and he agreed before asking her to leave him two strands of hair for future communication.

Zhou Qing realized Fang Yuhe was still monopolizing missions and devised a way to modify his jade token so a simulated version of his mental activity could remain connected to the Spirit Realm Network. He began testing the idea by carefully drawing new runes on the token, leaving its effects yet to be seen.

• Nie Yunxi declined to leave her aura with Zhou Qing, hinted at inner turmoil, then left the courtyard after he offered to help.
• Zhou Qing made paper cranes bearing the disciples’ names and stored them in a pouch after meditating and circulating qi.
• Zhou Qing concluded Fang Yuhe had resumed monopolizing missions and considered ways to compete without submitting to him.
• Zhou Qing planned to use a formation that recorded electromagnetic signals to keep a shadow of himself connected to the Spirit Realm Network.
• Zhou Qing examined his jade token and carefully began adding runes with a vermilion brush while monitoring its functions.

Zhou Qing completed a jade token that could detect new tasks on the Spirit Realm Network, then considered how formations might improve his Iron Pellet Technique. As new tasks were released, Liu Bingxuan sought a Pill Hall assignment from Fang Yuhe, who warned him to consider others when distributing opportunities.

• Zhou Qing layered runes onto the jade token until it preserved his full aura and created a virtual image of him in the Spirit Realm Network.
• Zhou Qing tested his Iron Pellet Technique, found that air friction limited iron pellets to about twenty times the speed of sound in practice, and considered using formations to overcome the limitation.
• At noon, the jade token heated up, and Zhou Qing saw a new task appear on the Spirit Realm Network bulletin board.
• Liu Bingxuan asked Fang Yuhe for a task going to the Pill Hall, and Fang Yuhe agreed to look for one when the tasks were released.
• Fang Yuhe warned Liu Bingxuan against keeping every good opportunity for himself, then received word that the tasks were available and went to review them.

Fang Yuhe tried to explain Zhou Qing’s repeated acceptance of tasks as desperation, but discovered Zhou Qing was taking tasks without neglecting his work at the Weaponry Hall. Humiliated, Fang Yuhe headed to the Weaponry Hall, with Liu Bingxuan following.

• Liu Bingxuan waited with Fang Yuhe for new tasks, but Zhou Qing had already taken the previous day’s tasks.
• Fang Yuhe and Liu Bingxuan waited for Zhou Qing to give in, but he continued accepting every new task for a month.
• Fang Yuhe sent Liu Bingxuan to investigate and learned that Zhou Qing mainly accepted tasks from the Weaponry Hall and worked there diligently.
• Fang Yuhe asked Elder Chengguang to post the day’s tasks early, then confirmed Zhou Qing had already taken them while still working at the Weaponry Hall.
• Fang Yuhe left for the Weaponry Hall in anger, and Liu Bingxuan hurried after him.

After four months at Azure Cloud Sect, Zhou Qing improved his cultivation, magnetic-field ability, and Iron Pellet Technique while monopolizing the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s tasks. Fang Yuhe and Liu Bingxuan confronted him over his success, but Zhou Qing stood his ground and walked away.

• Zhou Qing reached eight cun of Spirit Pressure, surpassed two thousand jin of strength, and expanded his magnetic field’s range and lifting power.
• Zhou Qing used Mystic Vein Iron to advance his Iron Pellet Technique, developing a shot comparable in power to an Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator’s Fire Dragon’s Roam.
• Zhou Qing took Mystic Vein Iron from the Weaponry Hall and left with enough material for ten iron pellets.
• Fang Yuhe accused Zhou Qing of using shady methods to monopolize the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s tasks, and Zhou Qing reminded him of his own earlier interference.
• Liu Bingxuan threatened to kill Zhou Qing, but Fang Yuhe warned that the Discipline Hall would punish him and told him not to treat a minor grievance as a reason for murder.

Fang Yuhe guessed that Zhou Qing had used formations to monopolize the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s tasks and reported him to the Discipline Hall. Zhou Qing erased the marks on his jade token, but Discipline Hall officers arrived and took him to Azure Cloud Mountain for questioning.

• Fang Yuhe learned from Lin Hongyu that Zhou Qing had devised a Paper Crane Communication Formation in seven days and concluded that he had tampered with the Spirit Realm Network.
• Fang Yuhe went to the Discipline Hall to accuse Zhou Qing of privately disrupting the network.
• Zhou Qing anticipated that his task monopoly would end and wiped the inked formation from his jade token to remove evidence.
• Two Discipline Hall officers arrived at Zhou Qing’s residence and ordered him to accompany them.
• The officers carried Zhou Qing to Azure Cloud Mountain on a flying cloud, which he studied with interest as they traveled.

Zhou Qing was summoned to the Discipline Hall after Fang Yuhe accused him of using an array to manipulate mission releases. Zhou Qing counteraccused Fang Yuhe, and both entered the Truth-Seeking Array, whose influence made Zhou Qing feel compelled to answer honestly.

• Jiang Renqing questioned Zhou Qing about Fang Yuhe’s accusation that he had manipulated the Spirit Realm Network to monopolize missions, and Zhou Qing denied it.
• When Jiang Renqing required Zhou Qing to undergo the Truth-Seeking Array, Zhou Qing accused Fang Yuhe of learning mission releases in advance and demanded that Fang take the test too.
• Fang Yuhe refused to withdraw his complaint, believing Zhou Qing would be punished, and agreed to enter the array with him.
• Jiang Renqing took both disciples to the Truth-Seeking Hall and activated the array with a spirit stone.
• Zhou Qing stepped into the array and felt its influence lower his guard and compel him to answer questions truthfully.

Zhou Qing resisted the Truth-Seeking Array’s influence and was cleared of Fang Yuhe’s accusation, though Jiang Renqing privately warned him that he suspected Zhou had used an unorthodox method. Outside the Discipline Hall, Zhou Qing found a crowd of fellow disciples who had gathered to plead for him.

• Zhou Qing used his magnetic field to reactivate his mind and denied interfering with the Spirit Realm Network while standing in the Truth-Seeking Array.
• Jiang Renqing ruled that Zhou Qing had passed the test, then questioned Fang Yuhe, who admitted asking Elder Chengguang to alert him before mission releases.
• Jiang Renqing fined Fang Yuhe two months of spirit stones for his improper conduct, and Fang Yuhe left in embarrassment.
• Jiang Renqing privately told Zhou Qing he believed Zhou had found a way to resist the array and warned him against relying on unorthodox methods.
• Yuan Hongying gathered Zhou Qing’s fellow disciples to plead for him, and a large crowd assembled outside the Discipline Hall.

After Zhou Qing emerged unharmed from the Discipline Hall, his fellow disciples gathered around him and asked what had happened. Chen Qingxuan arrived with Array Institute elder Xuan Zhe, whose presence revealed that Zhou Qing’s trouble was connected to the Spirit Realm Network and appeared to have been resolved.

• Wei Xu urged the disciples to wait for Chen Qingxuan instead of barging into the Discipline Hall, while Wei Kuang reassured Yuan Hongying that Zhou Qing was unlikely to face severe punishment.
• Fang Yuhe left the Discipline Hall with his followers, and Liu Bingxuan revealed that Fang Yuhe had been punished before Zhou Qing emerged.
• Yuan Hongying and Lin Hongyu questioned Zhou Qing, who called the incident a misunderstanding and prepared to lead his junior brothers and sisters back.
• Zhou Qing noticed an unusual change in Nie Yunxi’s aura and asked whether she had been well; she said she had.
• Wang Xiaohu arrived with Chen Qingxuan and Xuan Zhe, and Chen Qingxuan introduced Xuan Zhe as an Array Institute elder responsible for maintaining the Spirit Realm Network.

Xuan Zhe recognized Zhou Qing’s talent for formations and invited him to study at the Array Institute, but Chen Qingxuan persuaded him to prioritize cultivation. As they left, Zhou Qing learned Chen Qingxuan was a candidate for a Hall of Skill Transmission Elder position and promised to help strengthen his standing.

• Xuan Zhe told Chen Qingxuan how he had traced Zhou Qing’s empty shell in the Spirit Realm Network and learned about Zhou Qing’s formation talent from Yuan Hongying’s demonstration at the Array Institute.
• Zhou Qing explained how observations of water ripples had inspired his Message-Passing Flying Crane and described how he constructed his Spirit Realm Network shadow.
• Xuan Zhe offered to transfer Zhou Qing to the Array Institute, but Chen Qingxuan argued that Zhou Qing should improve his cultivation first; Xuan Zhe agreed to let him study formations in his spare time.
• Chen Qingxuan offered to speak with Fang Yuhe after Zhou Qing recounted their quarrel, but Zhou Qing said he could handle the conflict himself.
• Zhou Qing asked about Chen Qingxuan’s chances of becoming a Hall of Skill Transmission Elder and said his own progress could help Chen Qingxuan’s standing; Chen Qingxuan warned him not to provoke enemies.

Zhou Qing asked Wei Kuang how he could help Chen Qingxuan become an Elder and learned that Chen’s lingering grief over Mu Zhuosha and his rival Lu Qingzhu weakened his chances. Wei Kuang argued that Zhou’s achievements as Chen’s disciple had already strengthened Chen’s standing, leaving Zhou to consider how to keep supporting him.

• Zhou Qing sought out Wei Kuang to learn whether he could help Chen Qingxuan’s bid to become an Elder.
• Wei Kuang explained that Chen’s grief over Mu Zhuosha, the Azure Cloud Sect prodigy confined at Living Dead Cliff, had dulled his ambition for fifteen years.
• Wei Kuang identified Lu Qingzhu as Chen’s chief rival and explained that Lu’s deep sect connections and strict teaching gave him support despite his weaker cultivation.
• Zhou Qing concluded that the disciples could help Chen by withstanding pressure from Lu’s disciple Fang Yuhe, whom Zhou had repeatedly beaten.
• Wei Kuang praised Zhou’s teaching, formation work, and successes against Fang Yuhe, saying Zhou’s presence had already improved Chen’s chances.