Chapter Summaries

Xu Yan brought the Soul-Returning Grass to the ailing Golden Light Daoist, while secretly hoping the old man's injuries would give him a chance to escape. Golden Light Daoist asked Xu Yan to help him to the Medicine Cauldron, leaving Xu Yan wary of what the old man intended.

• Xu Yan arrived at the ruined temple in the rain, accidentally breaking its rotten doors and extinguishing the flame inside.
• Xu Yan knelt before Golden Light Daoist, who ordered him to present the Soul-Returning Grass.
• Golden Light Daoist examined the thirty-year-old herb and said it would barely suffice for his needs.
• Xu Yan noticed a strange spirit medicine boiling in the Medicine Cauldron and privately considered escaping if Golden Light Daoist died.
• Golden Light Daoist told Xu Yan to help him up, then took hold of Xu Yan's arm and led him toward the Medicine Cauldron.

Golden Light Daoist revealed that he was brewing medicine with a child’s heart and liver, then discovered that Xu Yan had cultivated from an animal-hide scroll and planned to use Xu Yan’s blood essence to strengthen the medicine and heal himself. Xu Yan realized his life was in danger and fled toward the ruined temple’s exit.

• Golden Light Daoist admitted that the Medicine Cauldron held a three-year-old child’s heart and liver, then added the Three-Leaf Soul-Returning Herb to the mixture.
• Golden Light Daoist told Xu Yan that the medicine needed something from him, and Xu Yan offered his animal hide, green bead, and Fish Intestine Short Sword.
• Golden Light Daoist recognized the animal hide Iron Bull had given Xu Yan and realized Xu Yan had cultivated the technique written on it.
• Golden Light Daoist concluded that Xu Yan had a Spiritual Root and decided to use all his blood essence as a medicinal catalyst.
• Xu Yan sprang up and ran toward the ruined temple’s exit to escape Golden Light Daoist.

Xu Yan tried to flee Golden Light Daoist but was captured by a vine conjured from a talisman and dragged back to the ruined temple. As Golden Light Daoist prepared to drain Xu Yan’s blood essence over the Medicine Cauldron, he pressed Xu Yan’s Fish Intestine Short Sword against his heart.

• Xu Yan ran from the ruined temple, but Golden Light Daoist used a Talisman Paper to conjure a vine that bound him.
• Golden Light Daoist pulled Xu Yan back inside and carried him to the Medicine Cauldron, where his spiritual medicine was ready.
• Golden Light Daoist added a blue-green pill to the cauldron and revealed that he had killed seventy-two boys for their flesh and blood.
• Golden Light Daoist changed his mind about killing Xu Yan with the Golden Cone and took Xu Yan’s Fish Intestine Short Sword to draw out his blood essence.
• Golden Light Daoist pressed the Fish Intestine Short Sword against Xu Yan’s chest over his heart.

Golden Light Daoist drained Xu Yan’s blood essence into a Medicine Cauldron until the Green Pearl awakened and began consuming the spirit medicine, then the Daoist’s magic power and vitality. Xu Yan escaped his restraints and watched Golden Light Daoist wither, leaving the old man near death.

• Golden Light Daoist stabbed Xu Yan with the Fish Intestine Short Sword and drained his blood essence into the Medicine Cauldron.
• Xu Yan struggled, scattering some of his blood, and the blood awakened the Green Pearl with a dazzling green light.
• The Green Pearl devoured the spirit medicine’s spiritual energy, and Golden Light Daoist tried to seize it.
• The Green Pearl drained Golden Light Daoist’s magic power and vitality, while the vines binding Xu Yan vanished.
• Xu Yan pulled the Fish Intestine Short Sword from his chest, bandaged his wound, and saw Golden Light Daoist withered and near death.

After the Green Pearl killed Golden Light Daoist, it entered Xu Yan's brow, leaving him alive and free. The next day, Xu Yan searched the corpse for cultivation treasures and found a strange pouch he could not open.

• The Green Pearl devoured the medicinal cauldron’s spiritual power, then flew into Xu Yan’s brow without harming him.
• Xu Yan drank rainwater, dragged Golden Light Daoist’s corpse into a corner, and hung the Daoist robe over the temple entrance before falling asleep.
• Xu Yan woke the next day and searched Golden Light Daoist’s corpse, hoping to find the cultivator’s belongings.
• Xu Yan found a rune-covered pouch at Golden Light Daoist’s waist, but could not open it.

Xu Yan gave up trying to open Golden Light Daoist’s gray bag and began practicing the Spirit Guiding Art from a half-scroll of beast hide. After struggling to draw spiritual energy into his Dantian, he suddenly felt a powerful surge reach it and began opening it.

• Xu Yan retrieved the half-scroll of beast hide and decided to practice its Spirit Guiding Art while he could not open Golden Light Daoist’s bag.
• Xu Yan caught and roasted a wild rabbit, then studied the scroll’s instructions and learned that it only covered the first five levels of Qi Refining.
• Xu Yan attempted to guide Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his Dantian, but the first wisps dissipated before reaching it.
• Xu Yan suspected his Spiritual Root was Low-Grade but resolved to keep practicing diligently.
• Xu Yan felt a sudden surge of energy follow a wisp of spiritual energy into his Dantian, recognized the sign of its opening, and began cultivating through the process.

Xu Yan opened his Dantian and reached the peak of the First Layer of Qi Refining with the Green Pearl’s help. He finally opened the Golden Light Daoist’s Storage Bag, discovered a Blazing Fire Sect jade token, and began learning about the Cultivation World as he examined the Daoist’s possessions.

• Xu Yan used the energy that surged from the Green Pearl to open his Dantian and convert the remaining energy into magical power.
• After half a month of cultivation, Xu Yan reached the peak of the First Layer of Qi Refining and used his magical power to open the Golden Light Daoist’s gray pouch.
• Xu Yan discovered that the pouch contained a large storage space and found the Blazing Fire Sect’s Separation Fire Jade Token among the Daoist’s belongings.
• Xu Yan read the jade token’s basic information about the Cultivation World and learned that the gray pouch was a low-grade Storage Bag nearing the end of its lifespan.
• Xu Yan inspected the Golden Light Daoist’s Golden Cone, spirit stones, pills, herbs, and other possessions, then noticed an item hidden in a corner of the Storage Bag.

Xu Yan discovered the Redfire Burning Art spell inheritance and decided to seek a low-grade fire formation so he could cultivate it. On his way to the cultivators’ market in Inkstone City, he encountered two cultivators who were also heading there for Senior Qi Yun’s disciple selection.

• Xu Yan found the Redfire Burning Art on a flame-shaped stone and learned that it required Earthfire, magma, or a low-grade fire formation to cultivate.
• Xu Yan gathered useful items, burned down the ruined temple with Golden Light Daoist’s corpse inside, and set out for Inkstone City.
• Xu Yan rested beneath a willow tree after traveling more than two hundred li toward the city.
• A young man and woman appeared before Xu Yan and asked for directions to Inkstone City.
• The pair dismissed Xu Yan as a beggar and continued on, mentioning Senior Qi Yun’s upcoming disciple selection.

Xu Yan cautiously agreed to travel with Du Fei, a rogue cultivator who claimed to belong to a household and offered to guide him to the Separation Valley Market. As they headed toward Inkstone City, Du Fei hinted that two major events were about to take place at the market.

• Xu Yan continued toward Inkstone City after learning that many cultivators would soon gather at the Separation Valley Market.
• Du Fei approached Xu Yan, removed the speed talismans from his legs, and asked to travel with him.
• Du Fei used his household's Qi-Appraisal Technique to identify Xu Yan's cultivation, and Xu Yan agreed to accompany him.
• As they walked toward Inkstone City, Du Fei revealed that he was actually a rogue cultivator who had invented his household identity.
• Du Fei said he wanted to visit the market to inspect cultivation methods and spells and trade for medicinal pills, then mentioned two upcoming major events.

Xu Yan learned from Du Fei about the trading convention at Separation Valley Market and Qi Yun’s plan to take provisional disciples, then reached Inkstone City with him. After learning that Qi Yun controlled the city and might be founding a seventh great sect, Xu Yan arrived at the fog-shrouded entrance to Separation Valley Market.

• Du Fei told Xu Yan that the five-year trading convention at Separation Valley Market was beginning and that Qi Yun would take five provisional disciples.
• Du Fei explained that Qi Yun was a powerful rogue cultivator nearing the Golden Core stage and described Fufeng Commandery’s six great sects.
• Xu Yan considered becoming Qi Yun’s provisional disciple but abandoned the idea because the green pearl hidden between his brows might be discovered.
• Du Fei told Xu Yan that Qi Yun controlled Inkstone City and that rumors said he planned to establish a seventh great sect.
• Xu Yan and Du Fei entered Inkstone City, followed the cultivators through it, and reached the fog-shrouded entrance to Separation Valley Market.

Xu Yan and Du Fei entered Separation Valley Market, paying a spirit stone each, and Xu Yan saw the bustling cultivation hub for the first time. After witnessing the arrival of Senior Qi Yun’s Azure-Scaled Dove with prospective disciples, Xu Yan resolved to keep a low profile as he explored the market.

• Xu Yan and Du Fei passed through the fog and learned that visitors to the five-yearly trading fair had to pay one Low-Grade Spirit Stone to enter.
• A giant Azure-Scaled Dove arrived carrying Senior Qi Yun and more than a dozen youths from Inkstone City, who were coming to have their Spiritual Roots tested.
• Xu Yan and Du Fei paid the entrance fee and entered Separation Valley Market, where Du Fei explained that it stood over a tier-one spirit vein and visitors could stay for only a month.
• Xu Yan surveyed the crowded market square, its many shops, and the towers beyond, then reminded himself to act cautiously among the cultivators.

Xu Yan explored the Separation Valley Market, learned about the wares on sale, and searched for a first-tier, low-grade Fire Array. The chapter left him frustrated after two hours of browsing without finding any formations for sale.

• Xu Yan parted ways with Du Fei, who invited him to watch Qi Yun recruit nominal disciples in three days at Azure Peak Terrace.
• Xu Yan witnessed Mo Changqing expose a butcher's fake Azure Wolf Demon meat and warn him away from deceiving cultivators.
• Xu Yan learned from Daoist Qingyun that Qi Gathering Pills cost three Low-Grade Spirit Stones each.
• Xu Yan considered buying a Swift Speed Talisman priced at five Low-Grade Spirit Stones but left because he could not afford to spend his remaining funds.
• Xu Yan searched the market for a first-tier, low-grade Fire Array but found no stalls displaying formations.

Xu Yan found a low-grade tier-one auxiliary Fire Array at the Grand Mystic Formation Pavilion and negotiated its price down to fifty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones. As the old man prepared to accept, Xu Yan’s next words made him frown in disbelief.

• Xu Yan entered the Grand Mystic Formation Pavilion after the miniature formations in its signboard briefly trapped his attention.
• Xu Yan asked the pavilion’s drunken owner for a low-grade tier-one auxiliary Fire Array, and the old man mistook him for a young alchemist.
• The old man showed Xu Yan a special Formation Disk that could produce earthfire when supplied with Spirit Stones.
• Xu Yan negotiated the Formation Disk’s price from fifty-eight to fifty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, prompting the old man to agree.
• Xu Yan spoke again, and the old man frowned at what he said.

Xu Yan tried to buy a formation from Daoist San Zui but had no Spirit Stones, so he offered Golden Light Daoist's Golden Cone instead. After learning where to sell it, he took the artifact to the Hundred Treasures House and agreed to sell it outright for sixty low-grade Spirit Stones.

• Xu Yan offered the Golden Cone to Daoist San Zui in exchange for a formation, but San Zui refused it and advised him to sell it for Spirit Stones.
• Daoist San Zui told Xu Yan he could sell the artifact at a stall in Blue Brick Square or take it to the Hundred Treasures House.
• Xu Yan chose the Hundred Treasures House, wary that displaying Golden Light Daoist's signature artifact at a stall could draw dangerous attention.
• A young cultivator named Lan'er led Xu Yan inside the Hundred Treasures House, where a beautiful middle-aged woman offered sixty low-grade Spirit Stones for the Golden Cone.
• Xu Yan declined consignment and agreed to sell the artifact outright, and the woman went upstairs to fetch the Spirit Stones.

Xu Yan bought a Fire-Type Auxiliary Formation and browsed Separation Valley Market before heading to an inn. There, he reunited with Du Fei and met Du Fei’s father, who had come after his son.

• Xu Yan sold the Golden Cone for sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones and bought Daoist San Zui’s First-Rank Low-Grade Fire-Type Auxiliary Formation for fifty-five.
• Xu Yan searched for the disheveled old man selling Talisman Paper but found him gone, then bought A Guide to Cultivation and a Spirit Herb Illustrated Guide for one low-grade spirit stone.
• Xu Yan went to the Immortal Lodging Tower and saw Du Fei speaking with a burly middle-aged cultivator.
• Du Fei introduced Xu Yan to his father, who had hurried to the market after learning Du Fei had sneaked out; his father acknowledged Xu Yan after learning he was a rogue cultivator.

Xu Yan shared a spiritual meal with Du Jinlong and Du Fei at the Immortal Lodging Tower, then learned from Du Jinlong to avoid flaunting wealth in the Cultivation World. After Xu Yan traded Du Fei a Qi Gathering Pill for two nearly depleted Swift Speed Talismans, the three settled into neighboring rooms for their stay before Qi Yun's grand ceremony.

• Du Jinlong welcomed Xu Yan to a meal and introduced the Immortal Lodging Tower's spiritual dishes.
• Xu Yan enjoyed the meal and nearly offered Du Fei a Qi Gathering Pill in the crowded hall, but Du Jinlong stopped him and warned him not to flaunt his wealth.
• Xu Yan, Du Jinlong, and Du Fei booked neighboring rooms and agreed to stay for three days until Qi Yun's grand ceremony.
• Xu Yan offered Du Fei a Qi Gathering Pill, and Du Jinlong told his son to accept it but give Xu Yan something in return.
• Du Fei gave Xu Yan two nearly depleted Swift Speed Talismans, which Xu Yan gladly accepted.

Xu Yan studied a cultivation guide, learned about Spiritual Roots and the levels of cultivation, then used Qi Gathering Pills to attempt a breakthrough. After consuming three pills, his Dantian filled and the qi vortex surged, leaving him on the verge of reaching the Second Layer of Qi Refining.

• Xu Yan activated the inn room’s Composite Formation and confirmed that its barrier could protect him.
• Xu Yan read A Guide to Cultivation and learned about Spiritual Roots, cultivation realms, and the grades of cultivator weapons.
• Xu Yan suspected that his Spiritual Roots were poor and wondered whether the Mysterious Green Pearl was inside his Sea of Consciousness.
• Xu Yan decided to cultivate at the inn and swallowed Qi Gathering Pills to break through from the first layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu Yan needed three Qi Gathering Pills to fill his Dantian, and the qi vortex surged as he neared a breakthrough.

Xu Yan broke through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining and stabilized his cultivation before leaving Separation Valley Market with the Du father and son. They headed to Azure Peak Terrace for Qi Yun’s disciple-acceptance ceremony, while Xu Yan overheard rumors about Qi Yun’s power and plans.

• Xu Yan used three Qi Gathering Pills to break through, expanding his Dantian and reaching the Second Layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu Yan spent three days stabilizing his cultivation and resolved to learn the Redfire Burning Art after leaving Separation Valley Market.
• Xu Yan checked out of the inn and joined the Du father and son on their way to Azure Peak Terrace.
• As the three traveled with crowds of cultivators, Xu Yan overheard rumors that Qi Yun might establish a sect and had escaped a Golden Core patriarch from the Spirit Sword Sect.
• Du Fei excitedly told Xu Yan that they were almost at Azure Peak Terrace.

Xu Yan and Du Fei joined the registration for Senior Qi Yun’s gathering after Du Fei explained that the test would reveal their Spiritual Root attributes and aptitudes. They received identity jade tokens and stepped onto Qi Yun’s enormous Nine-Leaf Circular Platform, where they waited among the other candidates.

• Du Fei urged Xu Yan to register for Senior Qi Yun’s gathering, but Xu Yan initially refused because he feared the Mysterious Green Pearl between his brows might be discovered.
• Du Fei explained why learning a Spiritual Root’s attribute mattered, and Xu Yan agreed to take the test with him.
• Du Fei noticed Xu Yan had advanced to the Second Layer of Qi Refining and said that their cultivation progress suggested they might have low-grade spiritual roots.
• Xu Yan and Du Fei received identity jade tokens after registering and climbed Azure Peak Terrace to join the gathered candidates.
• Four black-robed cultivators directed Xu Yan and Du Fei onto a leaf of the Nine-Leaf Circular Platform, which Du Fei identified as one of Senior Qi Yun’s supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts.

Xu Yan waited with the other candidates for Senior Qi Yun to arrive and choose nominal disciples, while learning about the Wu family siblings and witnessing the sect’s powerful elders and demonic bird. Qi Yun announced that he would take five nominal disciples and give each one who reached Qi Refining Perfection a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Xu Yan recognized the Wu family siblings from the road, and Du Fei explained their family’s standing and connection to the Ascension Gate.
• An Azure-Scaled Dove landed on the platform carrying Liu Qingyun, Zhang, and a group of youngsters before flying away.
• Liu Qingyun announced that Senior Qi Yun was delayed refining pills, and Xu Yan waited nervously for four hours.
• Qi Yun arrived on a flying sword, apologized for the delay, and revealed that his furnace held six Foundation Establishment Pills for the five nominal disciples he would select.
• Qi Yun said each of his five nominal disciples would receive a Foundation Establishment Pill upon reaching Qi Refining Perfection, startling the candidates.