Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing learned why Grandmaster Qingmu wanted him to care for Qingyuan and agreed to take her with him without marrying her. He then proposed a way to resolve the Azure Cloud Sect and Longevity Sect's shop dispute, leaving Grandmaster Qingmu curious about his plan.

• After Qingyuan left, Grandmaster Qingmu revealed that her soul was incomplete because her mother's Illusory Love Sect cultivation art had affected her from birth.
• Grandmaster Qingmu explained that Qingyuan was unusually affected by others' emotions and that he sought a husband with an unwavering Dao heart to protect her.
• Zhou Qing realized Grandmaster Qingmu wanted to sever his attachment to Qingyuan so he could focus on his duties as Longevity Sect Leader.
• Grandmaster Qingmu offered to settle the shop dispute and give Zhou Qing the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art if he agreed to care for Qingyuan.
• Zhou Qing agreed to take Qingyuan with him and promised to ensure her safety, but said marriage was unnecessary.
• Zhou Qing proposed that the two sects avoid competing over identical products by returning to their former arrangement with their positions reversed.

Zhou Qing proposed dividing the Talisman market between the Azure Cloud Sect and the Longevity Sect, persuading Grandmaster Qingmu that cooperation was better than driving out a rival. He returned to the guest quarters and told Wang Xuanji and Chen Qingxuan that the crisis was resolved, leaving them to negotiate the market details the next day.

• Zhou Qing suggested that the Longevity Sect lower the price of Green Vine Bind while the Azure Cloud Sect priced Thorn Bind higher, preserving distinct market tiers.
• Grandmaster Qingmu praised Zhou Qing's willingness to share profits and discussed his interpretation of balancing kindness with firmness.
• Zhou Qing left the mountain and returned to find Wang Xuanji and Chen Qingxuan anxiously considering whether to stop selling his new Talismans.
• Zhou Qing told Wang Xuanji and Chen Qingxuan that he had reached an agreement with Grandmaster Qingmu to divide the market and that the Longevity Sect would send a negotiator the next day.
• Wang Xuanji and Chen Qingxuan praised Zhou Qing's solution, and the three laughed together.

Zhou Qing concealed Grandmaster Qingmu’s decision to sever ties with Qingyuan, telling her she would return to the Azure Cloud Sect with him. After the Longevity Sect and Azure Cloud Sect finalized a trade agreement, Zhou Qing departed with Qingyuan, leaving her father behind.

• Zhou Qing stayed behind while Chen Qingxuan and Wang Xuanji went to negotiate with the Longevity Sect, and he told Qingyuan she would accompany him back to the Azure Cloud Sect.
• Qingyuan happily agreed to leave with Zhou Qing, while he clarified that he would look after her but would not marry her or have children with her.
• Lu Yuyi and Chen Qingxuan completed the sects’ negotiations, including Zhou Qing’s proposal for dedicated counters in each sect’s shops.
• Chen Qingxuan, Wang Xuanji, and Zhou Qing prepared to leave the Longevity Sect, and Zhou Qing invited Qingyuan onto Chen Qingxuan’s flying boat.
• Qingyuan asked Grandmaster Qingmu to visit her if he missed her, and Zhou Qing promised to care for her before the boat carried them westward.

Chen Qingxuan and Zhou Qing returned to the Azure Cloud Sect, where Zhou Qing refused to share his new Talismans with the Affiliated Families. After the elders conspired to copy his formations, Zhou Qing arranged a separate courtyard for Qingyuan beside his own.

• Chen Qingxuan brought Zhou Qing and Qingyuan back to the Azure Cloud Sect, where the Sect Leader and elders welcomed them and praised the agreement with the Longevity Sect.
• The elders asked Zhou Qing to expand production of his new Talismans, but he refused to involve the Array Institute and said he would work with only a few shops for now.
• After Chen Qingxuan left, Mao Liang proposed having Wei Kuang secretly copy Zhou Qing's formations, and Xu Jingfeng approved the plan as serving the sect.
• Jin Mang reluctantly agreed to approach Wei Kuang, despite objecting that stealing formations was taboo and unbecoming of the sect.
• Zhou Qing offered to have a separate courtyard built for Qingyuan beside his own and refused her request for a gate connecting their courtyards.

Zhou Qing recounted his travels to the junior disciples, while Wei Kuang reunited with his aunt and learned that Elder Jin Mang wanted him to copy Zhou Qing’s Talismans from memory. The chapter ended with Wei Kuang stunned by Jin Mang’s request, which he saw as a betrayal of his trust in Zhou Qing.

• Zhou Qing told the junior disciples how he had dealt with Wu Jinwei, earning their admiration.
• Wei Kuang’s aunt visited him, gave him new clothes, and asked whether he had chosen a fairy maiden.
• Wei Kuang said he would avoid romantic entanglements, citing Zhou Qing’s view of them as dangerous.
• An attendant summoned Wei Kuang and his aunt to meet Jin Mang, where Wei Xing told Wei Kuang that the Elder had something for him to do.
• Jin Mang asked Wei Kuang to write Zhou Qing’s Talismans from memory, leaving Wei Kuang shocked.

Jin Mang and Wei Xing pressured Wei Kuang into copying Zhou Qing’s formation, leaving Wei Kuang distressed by the betrayal of his Senior Apprentice. The next day, Zhou Qing oversaw the construction of Qingyuan’s courtyard while studying the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art she had recited.

• Jin Mang argued that Zhou Qing’s control of the Talismans harmed the sect, but Wei Kuang defended him and said Zhou Qing would share them if he could choose the shopkeepers.
• Wei Xing and Auntie pressured Wei Kuang to accept the Affiliated Families’ claim to the sect’s shops, and Wei Kuang finally agreed to their demand.
• Wei Kuang copied the formation from memory, then left Jin Mang’s courtyard without saying goodbye as Jin Mang and Wei Xing discussed how to divide the profits.
• Auntie hurried to Wei Kuang’s home to comfort him, but found the gate locked and Wei Kuang gone.
• The sect’s servants began building Qingyuan’s courtyard on Violet Cloud Mountain, while Zhou Qing studied the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art.

Zhou Qing had tried to advise a troubled Wei Kuang, but later rushed to his home after Qingyuan sensed someone’s cultivation dissipating. They found Wei Kuang dying, leaving Zhou Qing to face an unexpected loss at the beginning of his cultivation journey.

• Zhou Qing told Wei Kuang not to shoulder a conflict between two people he cared about if he was not the right person to resolve it.
• At midnight, Qingyuan sensed someone’s cultivation dissipating, and Zhou Qing recognized the black light rising from the direction of Wei Kuang’s home.
• Qingyuan carried Zhou Qing to Wei Kuang’s courtyard, where Zhou Qing shattered its restriction with a five-colored attack.
• Zhou Qing and Qingyuan found Wei Kuang frozen and without an aura, and Zhou Qing sensed that his life was fading.
• Jin Mang rushed into the room and froze when he saw Wei Kuang, while the black light above the courtyard disappeared.

After Wei Kuang’s death, Zhou Qing confronted the grief and new feelings stirring in his heart, then gained a deeper understanding of how a Dao Heart should be cultivated. The chapter leaves him seeing the true inner realm as a dark chaos filled with threatening shapes that his golden light repelled.

• Elder Jin Mang carried Wei Kuang’s corpse back to the Wei Family while Zhou Qing told Wei Xu to gather the disciples at his house the next night.
• Zhou Qing entered his inner realm and found it veiled in sorrowful mist, with a tiny figure of Qingyuan held by his Dao Heart.
• Zhou Qing told his Dao Heart to distinguish what mattered, and it crushed the tiny figure, clearing the mist from the realm.
• Zhou Qing concluded that cultivating the Dao Heart required both stillness and the challenges of lived experience.
• Zhou Qing dispersed his Dao Heart and saw through the memory-built inner realm to a dark, chaotic domain where golden light scattered strange shapes.

After reflecting on the terrifying power above his inner world, Zhou Qing reconsidered Wei Kuang’s death and suspected that a painful conflict had driven him to seek death. He comforted his grieving junior brothers and sisters and established monthly gatherings to share Dao Heart cultivation experience and reveal dangerous secrets.

• Zhou Qing sensed the immense power above his inner world, steadied himself, and emerged from meditation at dawn with his mind clear.
• Zhou Qing concluded that Wei Kuang may have deliberately sought death because people close to him forced him into an unbearable choice, and he regretted not questioning him further.
• Zhou Qing's junior brothers and sisters gathered at his home to mourn Wei Kuang, and Zhou Qing led them in a toast to him.
• Zhou Qing urged the disciples to accept the dangers of the immortal path and keep cultivating despite Wei Kuang's death.
• Zhou Qing announced that the disciples would gather each month to discuss cultivating the Dao Heart and disclose their secrets so he could help guard against danger.

Zhou Qing, troubled by a looming threat connected to his Dao Heart World, secured his disciples’ agreement to let him examine their hearts and resolved to investigate cultivators who had turned demonic. He continued developing formations and talismans, then went to Azure Cloud Mountain to ask Mu Zhuosha about the matter.

• Zhou Qing concluded that he needed stronger authority over his fellow apprentices and won their agreement to let him use the Truth-Seeking Array on them in exchange for guidance in Dao Heart cultivation and help during breakthroughs.
• Zhou Qing asked Feng Yuan about Wei Kuang, but Feng Yuan had seen nothing unusual half a month earlier, so Zhou Qing decided to ask Mu Zhuosha whether demonic cultivators had sensed the threat.
• Zhou Qing studied formation design through the night, focusing on an environmental detection formation and ideas for improving the Golden Needle Technique.
• Zhou Qing visited Qingyuan while craftsmen built her house, but she declined to go with him to Azure Cloud Mountain because she was wary of seeing Mu Zhuosha.
• Zhou Qing met Mu Zhuosha at the Scripture Pavilion, where she asked whether he had lured Qingmu's foolish daughter back.

Zhou Qing investigated demonic deviation and realized the Affiliated Families’ turmoil over his Talismans might be tied to Wei Kuang. He discovered Wei Kuang had died, while his family had secretly tried to copy Zhou Qing’s fake formation and blamed the young man for abandoning them.

• Zhou Qing asked Mu Zhuosha about demonic deviation and learned she had found a weakness in Sacred Lotus Maiden’s combat system.
• Mu Zhuosha warned Zhou Qing that releasing more Talismans could fuel Affiliated Family rumors that he meant to overturn the sect’s order.
• Zhou Qing connected the Affiliated Families’ interest in his Talismans to Wei Kuang’s dilemma between his family and himself, then visited Elder Jin Mang’s courtyard.
• Zhou Qing found Wei Kuang’s family gathered beside his coffin and recognized the complicated grief in his aunt’s expression.
• After Zhou Qing left, Wei Xing and Jin Mang revealed that the Wei Family had tried to copy his fake formation and had learned of Wei Kuang’s death that night.

After Wei Kuang's death exposed the Azure Cloud Sect's factional corruption, Zhou Qing focused on growing stronger and expanding Thorn Bind production. His disciples' work earned them valuable High-Grade Spirit Stones, and the chapter ended with Zhou Qing testing one during cultivation.

• Jin Mang decided to give Wei Kuang's fake talisman to Bai Muyun in hopes that its runes would help him deduce the real Thorn Bind Talisman.
• Zhou Qing suppressed his anger over Wei Kuang's death and resolved to improve his strength by earning spirit stones and cultivating.
• Zhou Qing recruited six more disciples to inscribe Talismans and used the Truth-Seeking Array to monitor his junior brothers and sisters, while reflecting uneasily on the control he had gained over them.
• After Thorn Bind sold out in Longevity Market, Zhou Qing expanded production to fifteen disciples and planned to supply shops near the seven Golden Core Sects.
• Zhou Qing distributed the first month's High-Grade Spirit Stone earnings to his junior brothers and sisters and Cheng Feipeng, then began testing a spirit stone's energy in his courtyard.

Over two months, Zhou Qing strengthened his cultivation and stabilized his thriving talisman business before breaking through to the third layer of Qi Refinement. He traveled deep into the Phoenix Tail Mountain Range to test the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art, which rapidly consumed his spiritual qi and expanded his magnetic field to more than ten zhang.

• Zhou Qing optimized his metal-element Golden Needle Technique, refused offers to expand Thorn Bind Talisman sales beyond seven shops, and hired Qingyuan to help inscribe Talismans.
• After two months of cultivation, Zhou Qing accumulated six chi of Spirit Pressure and planned to test the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art away from Violet Cloud Mountain.
• Zhou Qing broke through to the third layer of Qi Refinement, extending his magnetic field to three zhang and increasing its intensity by at least fifty percent.
• Zhou Qing left Violet Cloud Mountain after asking Qingyuan to watch the house and traveled nearly two hundred li into the Phoenix Tail Mountain Range.
• Zhou Qing activated the Rejuvenating Dry Wood Secret Art at full force, evaporated all the spiritual qi in his body within a few breaths, and expanded his magnetic field to more than ten zhang.

Zhou Qing used a brief peak in his life potential to unleash a Plasma Beam and a vacuum-accelerated iron pellet, then examined the damage each caused. After collapsing from the effort and returning home, he recovered from the exhaustion overnight but remained unable to cultivate or use spiritual energy.

• Zhou Qing expanded his magnetic field, formed a sphere of plasma, and fired a Plasma Beam that melted a deep hole through a mountain wall.
• Zhou Qing cleared a vacuum path for an iron pellet, accelerated it beyond thirty times its previous speed limit, and launched it into another mountain wall before his life potential fell back.
• Zhou Qing collapsed as his spiritual energy drained and his meridians ached, then rested before inspecting the crater left by the iron pellet and the hole bored by the Plasma Beam.
• Zhou Qing compared the attacks' concentrated heat and penetrating power with the iron pellet's explosive kinetic force, and resolved to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.
• Zhou Qing returned to Violet Cloud Mountain and slept deeply; the next morning, his spiritual energy had partly recovered and his magnetic field had fully recovered, though he still could not cultivate or use spiritual energy.

Zhou Qing learned that Bai Muyun’s attempt to study a scrambled talisman had caused an explosion, and he saw a chance to obtain information about the Array Institute’s newly discovered runes. He arranged to meet Wu Tao, who arrived at Zhou Qing’s home in secret.

• Qingyuan told Zhou Qing that Cheng Feipeng had asked to see him, and Zhou Qing went to Cheng’s home.
• Cheng Feipeng told Zhou Qing that Bai Muyun’s Research Room had exploded while Bai tried to replace unknown runes in a scrambled talisman.
• Zhou Qing realized the incident involved Wei Kuang’s false array diagram and decided to use the opportunity to learn about the new runes.
• Zhou Qing asked Cheng Feipeng to invite Wu Tao to his home, then worked with Cheng on research for an array that could explore the surrounding environment.
• After his meridian pain faded, Zhou Qing prepared to test spirit stone use, but Wu Tao arrived and cautiously slipped into his courtyard.

Zhou Qing offered Wu Tao a chance to rise in the Array Institute by helping him analyze Palace Lord Bai’s newly discovered rune, in exchange for revealing information about it. He gave Wu Tao a free set of calibration runes, and Wu Tao hurried off to test Zhou Qing’s prediction before Zhou Qing stopped him.

• Wu Tao told Zhou Qing that Palace Lord Bai was targeting disciples connected to him and investigating them for leaking Array Institute information.
• Zhou Qing asked Wu Tao to leave the Array Institute and work for him, but Wu Tao declined and warned him not to ask about the new runes.
• After confirming that Palace Lord Bai’s new rune had caused an explosion, Zhou Qing offered to help Wu Tao analyze it and advance his career.
• Zhou Qing named five runes Wu Tao could use to determine the new rune’s properties, shocking Wu Tao with his precise prediction.
• Wu Tao decided to return to the Array Institute and test Zhou Qing’s method, but Zhou Qing called him back.

Zhou Qing showed Wu Tao his extensive annotations on Azure Cloud Sect’s runes, which gave Wu Tao new confidence to investigate the troublesome new runes. Wu Tao hurried to the Array Institute, where its three greatest experts had failed to make progress, and arrived just as he claimed he had a sudden inspiration.

• Zhou Qing showed Wu Tao his Rune Compendium, revealing detailed annotations he had written to clarify the properties of Azure Cloud Sect’s runes.
• Wu Tao memorized Zhou Qing’s annotations for several runes and left to conduct experiments at Azure Cloud Mountain.
• Bai Muyun, Hong Guan, and Xuan Zhe stopped their experiments after repeated failures and agreed to begin reanalyzing the sect’s old runes.
• Wu Tao rushed into Xuan Zhe’s Research Room and told the three array masters that he had an inspiration for analyzing the new runes.

Wu Tao used Zhou Qing’s runes to analyze the new rune before Bai Muyun, Xuan Zhe, and Hong Guan, achieving perfect equilibrium. Bai Muyun praised him as a true genius and vowed that the Array Institute would nurture him, while Wu Tao felt guilty about taking credit for Zhou Qing’s work.

• Bai Muyun initially ordered Wu Tao to leave, but Xuan Zhe persuaded him to let Wu Tao try analyzing the new rune.
• Wu Tao inscribed Zhou Qing’s runes alongside the new rune, and the spiritual energy fluctuations reached perfect equilibrium.
• Bai Muyun asked how Wu Tao had succeeded, and Wu Tao claimed intuition had guided his experiment.
• Wu Tao recited Zhou Qing’s annotations, impressing Bai Muyun and Hong Guan with their precision.
• Bai Muyun declared Wu Tao a greater genius than Zhou Qing and promised to nurture him, while Wu Tao felt guilty but excited.

Wu Tao joined Bai Muyun, Xuan Zhe, and Hong Guan in deciphering new runes, but he lacked the ability to do so on his own. Zhou Qing used his magnetic field perception to analyze a rune and gave Wu Tao the runes needed to assess it perfectly, leaving the masters astonished by Wu Tao’s success.

• Bai Muyun welcomed Wu Tao into the rune research team and changed the rules so apprentices who perfectly assessed ten runes could apply to become formal array masters.
• When Wu Tao could not offer ideas for a new rune, Bai Muyun’s disappointment made him fear that his lack of knowledge would be exposed.
• Wu Tao sought Zhou Qing’s help, and Zhou Qing analyzed the new rune through its spiritual energy fluctuations and supplied runes for Wu Tao to use.
• The next day, Wu Tao used Zhou Qing’s runes to perfectly assess the new rune, shocking Bai Muyun, Xuan Zhe, and Hong Guan.

Wu Tao followed Zhou Qing’s guidance and gained acclaim for analyzing new and old runes, while secretly agreeing to obtain the confidential Spirit Realm Network Array Diagram in exchange for more annotations. As rumors that Zhou Qing was the sect’s true prodigy reached Bai Muyun, Bai Muyun brought Wu Tao to the Sect Leader to defend his rising status.

• Bai Muyun praised Wu Tao’s rune calibration, and Wu Tao concealed that his achievements relied on Zhou Qing’s help.
• Zhou Qing agreed to provide Wu Tao annotations for one hundred runes if Wu Tao obtained the confidential Spirit Realm Network Array Diagram, and promised to help him become an Array Grandmaster.
• Wu Tao accepted Zhou Qing’s offer, received annotations for ten runes, and followed Zhou Qing’s advice to slow his analysis and avoid suspicion.
• Over the next month, Wu Tao analyzed thirteen new runes and supplied supplementary explanations for fifty old ones, earning public praise and a lasting place in the Rune Compendium.
• After rumors claimed Zhou Qing was more gifted than Wu Tao spread through the sect, Bai Muyun took Wu Tao to meet Sect Leader True Person and said he wanted to rebut the claims.