Chapter Summaries

Chen Daoxuan and six other Qi Refining cultivators joined forces to kill a Bloodspot Sea Serpent threatening their ships. After the beast broke free and destroyed a Cargo Ship, Chen Daoxuan chose to keep fighting despite Chen Xianhe urging him to retreat.

• Chen Xianhe warned the group to flee if they could not defeat the Bloodspot Sea Serpent, and a black-robed elder identified the beast as a late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast threatening the nearby ships.
• The black-robed elder organized the seven cultivators, handed out Detox Pills, and used the Ice Binding Technique to freeze the serpent while the others attacked.
• Chen Daoxuan struck the frozen serpent with his Crimson Shadow Flying Sword, revealing his Great Accomplishment mastery of the Chasing Wind Sword Art and startling Chen Xianhe.
• The cultivators struggled to injure the serpent, and the ice cracked when the black-robed elder's concentration faltered.
• The Bloodspot Sea Serpent broke free and smashed a nearby Cargo Ship in half, prompting Chen Xianhe to signal Chen Daoxuan to withdraw.
• Chen Daoxuan decided to stay and try to defeat the serpent to protect the Azure Dragon.

Chen Daoxuan killed the Bloodspot Sea Serpent with the Flying Snow Sword, and the survivors divided the spoils. He traded his share of the serpent’s inner core and venom sac for five Water Spirit Pearls and the serpent flesh.

• As the Bloodspot Sea Serpent broke free from the ice, Chen Daoxuan struck with his Flying Snow Sword and beheaded it.
• The black-robed elder used the Ice Binding Technique to freeze the serpent’s remains until its last vitality faded.
• The black-robed elder divided the spoils by battle merit, giving Chen Xianhe’s group twenty Spirit Stones each.
• Chen Daoxuan agreed to trade the serpent’s inner core and venom sac for five Water Spirit Pearls and the serpent flesh.
• Chen Daoxuan received the flesh and pearls, while the black-robed elder took the snakeskin, fangs, venom sac, and inner core.

After joining forces against their enemies, Chen Daoxuan and Chen Xianhe grew closer to Wei Sihai, who advised them against opening a shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market. Chen Daoxuan revealed that he was an Artifact Forger, and Wei Sihai promised to introduce them to shop owners; the chapter ended as Zhou Mubai faced the Merfolk Tribe.

• Chen Daoxuan asked Wei Sihai about renting or buying a shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market.
• Wei Sihai warned Chen Daoxuan and Chen Xianhe that shops struggled to compete with cheaper street stalls.
• Chen Daoxuan demonstrated his mastery of the Fire Control Technique and revealed that he was an Artifact Forger.
• Wei Sihai offered to introduce Chen Daoxuan and Chen Xianhe to shop owners when they returned to the market.
• The Merfolk Tribe joined the battle against the Zhou Family after its disciples routed the Demonic Beast tide.
• Wei Sihai identified the white-robed man confronting the Merfolk as Guang'an Sword Immortal Zhou Mubai.

Chen Daoxuan watched Zhou Mubai battle a high-rank Mermaid and learned why the young Zhou Family Sword Cultivator was renowned. Zhou Mubai drove the Mermaids away but was injured, then worried that his family’s arrogance and worsening relations with the Yang Family could threaten the Zhou Family.

• Chen Daoxuan reflected on how the Qianyuan Sword Sect used rankings, fame, and Battle Merit to draw cultivators into its war against Cloud Country.
• Chen Daoxuan, Wei Sihai, and Chen Xianhe watched Zhou Mubai fight a high-rank Mermaid from too far away to follow the battle clearly.
• Zhou Mubai’s sword attack injured the high-rank Mermaid, who fled with the Mermaid tribe, while the battle’s aftershocks destroyed the foremost ships.
• Zhou Mubai stopped Third Granduncle from pursuing the Mermaids and said he wanted to avoid worsening the feud between the Zhou Family and the Mermaid tribe.
• Zhou Mubai privately worried that his family’s belief in its own invincibility was dangerous and that the Yang Family was secretly seeking allies to build a rival Immortal City.

After the Chen Family bought a shop in Guang'an Prefecture, Chen Xianhe handed leadership of the family to Chen Daoxuan and prepared to remain behind to manage the shop. Chen Daoxuan promised he would never abandon the family as they prepared to return to Twin Lakes Island.

• Chen Xianhe, Chen Daoxuan, and Wei Sihai celebrated the shop purchase, and Wei Sihai complained about the great cultivation clans controlling the markets.
• Chen Xianhe privately told Chen Daoxuan he would stay to oversee the shop and handed him the Chen Family Clan Leader's Seal.
• Chen Daoxuan reported that the family had spent nearly all its savings on the shop and supplies for their return to Twin Lakes Island.
• Chen Xianhe gave Chen Daoxuan ten Qi Gathering Pills and admitted he regretted not buying him a Meridian-Opening Pill earlier.
• Chen Xianhe asked Chen Daoxuan not to abandon the family, and Chen Daoxuan promised he never would.

Chen Daoxuan left Guang'an Prefecture aboard the Azure Dragon after discussing the Chen Family's new Flying Sword shop with Chen Xianhe. During the voyage, a strange song incapacitated the other clan members, and Chen Daoxuan recognized the figures who appeared before him as the ship came under attack.

• Chen Xianhe wished Chen Daoxuan a safe voyage and asked why the family shop was named the Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Shop; Chen Daoxuan explained that he planned to focus on Flying Swords for Rogue Cultivators and small families.
• Chen Daoxuan departed Guang'an Prefecture aboard the Azure Dragon and spent the journey cultivating the Chasing Wind Sword Art, raising its Flying Sword power increase to eighty percent.
• A mournful song struck the Azure Dragon, but Chen Daoxuan resisted it and found every other clan member unconscious on deck.
• Chen Daoxuan saw countless shadows swimming beneath the ship and drew the Flying Snow Sword as a robust fish-tailed figure and a petite companion appeared before him.

Chen Daoxuan was stopped at sea by a wounded Merfolk leader, who questioned him about his clan and its weapons. After seeing the Flying Snow Sword, the leader proposed a trade with the Chen Family, and Chen Daoxuan eagerly asked to hear the offer.

• The wounded Merfolk leader halted the Azure Dragon, and Chen Daoxuan introduced himself while invoking the Qianyuan Sword Sect and disavowing the Zhou Family.
• The leader examined Chen Daoxuan's Red Copper Mine and Flying Snow Sword, then learned that his clan forged Magic Artifacts.
• Luo'er tested the Flying Snow Sword and remarked that weapons like it could help protect Merfolk from the Zhou Family.
• The Merfolk leader offered to discuss business with the Chen Family, and Luo'er brought Spirit Shells, Spirit Mine stones, and Spirit Stones as the proposed price.
• Seeing the supplies his clan needed, Chen Daoxuan eagerly asked the leader to explain the business.

Chen Daoxuan negotiated with Luo Li and the middle-aged merfolk man over selling Magic Artifacts to their tribe, agreeing after they swore not to use them against humans. Their reaction to his prices made him realize the Deep Sea World might hold vast wealth that land-dwelling cultivators had overlooked.

• Chen Daoxuan refused to sell Magic Artifacts until the middle-aged merfolk man swore a Great Dao Oath that his Luo Clan Merfolk Tribe would not use them to kill humans.
• Luo Li explained that the merfolk needed weapons to defend themselves from Demonic Beasts and other underwater races after fleeing the Zhou Family.
• Chen Daoxuan showed them three Magic Artifacts and quoted prices of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Spirit Stones, noting that his family could mass-produce only the cheapest kind.
• Luo Li was delighted by the prices and praised Chen Daoxuan as far better than the Zhou Family.
• Chen Daoxuan reconsidered the wealth of the Deep Sea World and looked at Luo Li with keen interest.

Chen Daoxuan returned to Twin Lakes Island after agreeing with the Merfolk Tribe to trade magic artifacts, then took temporary leadership of the Chen Clan. At the clan meeting, he questioned the officials about the family’s population and resources and discovered that basic records were missing.

• Chen Daoxuan agreed to sell magic artifacts to the Merfolk Tribe, and Luo Li gave him her Lifebound Scale so they could stay in contact.
• Chen Daoxuan and the Azure Dragon returned safely to Twin Lakes Island more than twenty days later.
• Chen Daoxuan announced that he would temporarily serve as Clan Leader while the current Clan Leader oversaw the family shop in Guang'an Prefecture immortal city.
• Chen Zhi reported that the clan had 774 households, 3,873 people, and 4,657 mu of farmland, but could not provide a detailed population breakdown.
• Chen Zhi admitted that the County Yamen did not know Twin Lakes Island's land area.

At a clan meeting, Chen Daoxuan ordered investigations into the Chen Clan’s population and Twin Lakes Island’s resources, then announced plans to establish an Industrial Zone. He reviewed the proposed workshop with Chen Beiwang and learned that a shortage of stonemasons could delay construction for six months.

• Chen Daoxuan ordered Chen Zhi to investigate the clan’s population, household structure, fertile couples, and unmarried men.
• Chen Daoxuan tasked Chen Beiwang with mapping Twin Lakes Island’s land, freshwater, and mineral resources.
• Chen Daoxuan announced that the Chen Family would build an Industrial Zone, with the coming Artifact Factory as its leading industry.
• After the other officials left, Chen Daoxuan kept Chen Yuancao, Chen Liangyu, and Chen Beiwang in the Council Hall to discuss the site and workshop plans.
• Chen Beiwang estimated the workshop would take six months to build because the family lacked stonemasons to prepare the required Blue Stone Material.

Chen Daoxuan inspected the Chen Family’s Stone Processing Workshop and discovered that scarce raw materials, rather than slow construction, were delaying the family’s projects. He used his Flying Sword to turn three thousand cubic meters of stone into bricks in a few hours, leaving the watching clansmen awed by his power.

• Chen Daoxuan praised Chen Liangyu for guarding the closed Red Copper Mine and assigned him to select fifteen literate, clever young men to gather at the Earth Fire Chamber.
• Chen Daoxuan visited the Stone Processing Workshop with Chen Beiwang and learned that its low output came from a lack of raw stone.
• Chen Daoxuan ordered Chen Beiwang to have Chen Zhi arrange for clansmen to bring raw stone from the Quarry.
• Chen Zhi organized workers who transported more than three thousand cubic meters of stone to the workshop in one afternoon.
• Chen Daoxuan used his Crimson Shadow Flying Sword to cut all the stone into Blue Stone Bricks within three hours, astonishing Chen Beiwang and the watching clansmen.

Chen Daoxuan tested the Water Spirit Pearl and Qi Gathering Pill together and found that they greatly increased his cultivation speed, bringing a breakthrough within reach. Afterward, he went to the clan’s old Earth Fire Chamber to meet Chen Liangyu and the young apprentices he had gathered.

• Chen Daoxuan ordered Chen Beiwang to have the workshop built within a month and reminded him to map Twin Lakes Island.
• Chen Daoxuan returned to his cave mansion and used the Water Spirit Pearl and a Qi Gathering Pill to cultivate.
• Chen Daoxuan discovered that his cultivation speed had risen several times over and estimated he could reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining within half a year.
• Chen Daoxuan ended cultivation after exceeding his usual limit and felt his meridians ache.
• Chen Daoxuan arrived at the old Earth Fire Chamber and asked Chen Liangyu about the youths waiting to serve as apprentices.

Chen Daoxuan trained young clan members to operate the Spirit-Melding Furnace in the Earth Fire Chamber. After demonstrating how to refine ore and explaining the workers’ duties, he paused the lesson so the hungry youths could eat before learning temperature control.

• Chen Daoxuan brought Chen Liangyu and the youths into the Earth Fire Chamber and introduced the Spirit-Melding Furnace.
• Chen Daoxuan explained how the furnace worked and described the feeder and furnace operator roles, including their different pay.
• Chen Yunsheng asked why so many trainees were needed when each furnace required only two workers, and Chen Daoxuan explained that the clan planned to acquire more furnaces.
• Chen Daoxuan demonstrated refining Dark Iron and Red Copper Mine while answering the youths’ questions for four hours.
• Chen Liangyu brought meal boxes, and Chen Daoxuan apologized for overlooking the time before promising to continue the lesson on controlling the furnace’s temperature.

Chen Daoxuan’s fifteen apprentices learned to operate the Spirit-Melding Furnaces, and Chen Yunsheng successfully refined the first semi-finished material for a Crimson Shadow Flying Sword. Chen Daoxuan appointed Chen Liangyu as the Artifact Factory’s first director, and a month later the factory building was completed.

• Chen Yunsheng successfully operated a Spirit-Melding Furnace, allowing Chen Daoxuan to forge a Crimson Shadow Flying Sword from the red liquid mass.
• Chen Daoxuan praised Chen Yunsheng and appointed him to teach the other fifteen youths how to operate the furnaces.
• Chen Daoxuan named Chen Liangyu the Artifact Factory’s first Factory Director and tasked him with scheduling furnace production.
• More youths became qualified Furnace Operators, though some spirit mine ore was ruined during training.
• One month later, the Artifact Factory’s building was completed as Chen Daoxuan forged his fifth Spirit-Melding Furnace.

Chen Daoxuan completed the Chen Clan’s new factory and began production of Crimson Shadow Flying Swords. The Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Factory started refining ore, beginning the family’s shift to assembly-line artifact production.

• Chen Daoxuan inspected the completed factory buildings and tasked Chen Beiwang’s Directorate of Works with constructing dormitories, supporting facilities, and roads.
• Chen Daoxuan named the factory the Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Factory and installed its Spirit-Melding Furnaces after transporting them from the Earth Fire Chamber.
• Chen Daoxuan prepared to use the family’s purchased Red Copper Mine and Profound Iron Ore to produce Crimson Shadow Flying Swords.
• The next day, Chen Daoxuan saw crimson liquid emerge from the first furnace while the other workshops refined ore, and he entered the first forging workshop.

Chen Daoxuan led the Rainbow Sound Flying Sword Factory through its first day of production, and the assembly line made five flawless Flying Swords in five hours. He learned that the factory had only enough Red Copper Mine for a little over a month at its current rate, then accepted Chen Liangyu’s invitation to celebrate the opening.

• Chen Daoxuan discovered that the Spirit-Melding Furnace made Artifact Refining far less exhausting and enabled much faster production.
• Chen Daoxuan inspected the factory’s five Crimson Shadow Flying Swords and found no defects.
• Chen Liangyu told Chen Daoxuan that the factory’s eighteen hundred catties of Red Copper Mine would last only a little over a month.
• Chen Daoxuan asked Chen Liangyu to keep detailed records of materials, qualified products, and defects for the clan.
• Chen Liangyu invited Chen Daoxuan to a banquet at his residence, and Chen Daoxuan agreed to attend.

Chen Daoxuan visited Chen Liangyu’s manor and learned that the Chen household relied on many purchased slaves to work its land, reinforcing his resolve to reform unfair distribution within the clan. A quarrel in the rear courtyard interrupted the banquet, and Chen Daoxuan decided to investigate.

• Chen Daoxuan arrived at Chen Manor and learned that its plaque had been written by Chen Dengyuan.
• Chen Daoxuan questioned Chen Liangyu about the household’s slaves and learned that the Chen Clan used them to cultivate its land.
• Chen Daoxuan considered the clan’s unequal distribution of land and resolved to address its harmful practices when he could.
• Chen Yunsheng joined Chen Liangyu and Chen Daoxuan at the banquet, and the three talked over drinks.
• A quarrel broke out in the rear courtyard, and Chen Daoxuan rose to go investigate after sensing something interesting there.

Chen Daoxuan intervened in a quarrel at Chen Manor and discovered that Chen Nianchu had an Immortal Physique. After confronting the household over its treatment of Chen Nianchu and his mother, Chen Daoxuan asked the boy to help build a better Chen Family, and Nianchu asked him to become his father.

• Chen Liangyu arrived with Chen Daoxuan and found his Second Madam insulting Chen Nianchu, his mother, and his little sister, then slapped the Second Madam when she tried to blame the children.
• Chen Daoxuan examined Chen Nianchu and saw a Rosy Cloud that revealed the boy's Immortal Physique.
• Chen Daoxuan invoked the third article of the Chen Clan Rules, which prescribed execution for anyone who bullied a mortal with Spiritual Roots, but Chen Nianchu denied that the Second Madam had bullied him.
• The Second Madam accused Madam Chen of manipulating events to remove Nianchu and his mother, prompting Chen Daoxuan to challenge the household to remember the Chen Clan Ancestral Precept.
• Chen Liangyu and the household recited that every bearer of Chen blood was a Chen clansman, and Chen Daoxuan invited Nianchu to help make the family better.
• Nianchu agreed to Chen Daoxuan's proposal, then asked him to become his father.

Chen Daoxuan broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining and used an Enlightenment to pursue a breakthrough in the Chasing Wind Sword Art. He remained intent on earning enough to cultivate a Spirit Vein for the Chen Family within the year.

• Chen Daoxuan resolved to cultivate a Spirit Vein for the Chen Family, noting the Flying Sword Factory had produced 148 Flying Swords in a month but that sales through Guang'an Prefecture alone would not meet his one-year goal.
• Chen Daoxuan examined Luo Li's Lifebound Scale, which had shown no response to his attempts to channel true Qi into it, then set it aside and began cultivating.
• Using the Water Spirit Pearl and Qi Gathering Pill, Chen Daoxuan accumulated true Qi and broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, increasing his total true Qi by at least fifty percent.
• Chen Daoxuan reflected on the cultivation resources of Qianyuan Sword Sect disciples and the advantage he gained from the Primordial Enlightenment Scripture.
• Chen Daoxuan let ten motes of Star Dust merge and received a surge of insight into the Chasing Wind Sword Art.

Chen Daoxuan perfected the Chasing Wind Sword Art and continued his work while Chen Daochu trained on Scenic Cliff. Meanwhile, the injured Merfolk Clan Leader prepared to attack the Water Ape Tribe in three days, and Luo Li was tasked with buying weapons from the Chen Family.

• Chen Daoxuan used his accumulated Enlightenments to cultivate the Chasing Wind Sword Art to Perfection.
• Chen Daoxuan watched Chen Daochu practice swordsmanship, then instructed him to circulate his Qi before flying to the Artifact Factory.
• Luo Li warned the Merfolk Clan Leader that the battle for Demon Ape Mountain would cause heavy casualties, but he insisted on attacking despite his wounds from Zhou Mubai.
• The Merfolk Clan Leader declared that the Merfolk Tribe would launch a full-scale assault on the Water Ape Tribe in three days.
• Luo Li proposed buying weapons from the Chen Family to strengthen the Merfolk clansmen, and the Merfolk Clan Leader assigned the matter to her.