Chapter Summaries

Qi Yun began testing youths’ Spiritual Roots to select five nominal disciples, while Xu Yan watched and kept his Mysterious Green Pearl hidden from notice. Outside Inkstone City, Wang Liu and Scarface plotted to rob novice cultivators as the selection continued.

• Qi Yun announced that he would take five nominal disciples and have Qingyun oversee Spiritual Root testing, offering a Foundation Establishment Pill to each chosen disciple.
• Xu Yan learned how valuable the pill was and watched Qi Yun, relieved that Qi Yun did not detect the Mysterious Green Pearl between his brows.
• Qingyun tested the gathered youths, rejecting Li Erniu and many others whose Spiritual Roots were too weak; Xu Yan noticed Qi Yun pay special attention to a youth with a Low-Grade four-attribute Spiritual Root.
• Wang Liu reassured Scarface that their plan to rob inexperienced cultivators would succeed, explaining how he used booklets to identify vulnerable rogue cultivators.
• On Azure Peak Terrace, ten of the thirteen mortal youths from Inkstone City had tested with Low-Grade Spiritual Roots, and the crowd focused on the final three.

Spiritual Root testing revealed Chen Yunyang’s High-Grade Metal Spiritual Root and Wu Cheng and Wu Yun’s Mid-Grade roots, while Xu Yan’s five-element talent was reduced to a Low-Grade result by the Mysterious Green Pearl. Just as Xu Yan was dismissed, someone called for him to wait.

• Chen Yunyang displayed a High-Grade Metal Spiritual Root, and Qi Yun accepted him as a disciple.
• The testing revealed several Mid-Grade Spiritual Roots, including those of Wu Cheng and Wu Yun.
• Du Fei tested as having a Low-Grade dual-element Spiritual Root and left disappointed.
• Xu Yan’s five-colored pillars rose high, then shrank after the Mysterious Green Pearl stirred, making him appear to have a Low-Grade Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root.
• The short old man told Xu Yan to step down, but a voice behind him suddenly ordered him to wait.

Xu Yan passed a second spiritual-root test that confirmed the crowd's belief that he had a low-grade Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root, while he privately confirmed that Qi Yun could not detect the Green Pearl. After parting from Du Fei and Du Jinlong at Separation Valley Market, Xu Yan decided to stay another day, while outside Inkstone City Scarface and Wang Liu waited for their target to emerge.

• Qi Yun asked Xu Yan to test his spiritual roots again, and the Green Pearl caused five pillars of light to appear before the Spirit-Testing Stone confirmed a low-grade Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root.
• The crowd mocked Xu Yan's aptitude, while Du Fei comforted him and Xu Yan realized Qi Yun had not detected the Green Pearl.
• Qi Yun selected five nominal disciples, including the hemp-clad youth and the Wu siblings, and the gathering ended.
• Du Fei gave Xu Yan his real address at Du Family Fort before leaving with Du Jinlong, and Xu Yan chose to stay in Separation Valley Market for another day.
• Outside Inkstone City, Scarface told Wang Liu he would wait only one more day for their target to come out.

Xu Yan left the Separation Valley Market and headed from Inkstone City toward Golden Rooster Mountain to practice his spells, unaware that Wang Liu and a scar-faced man were tracking him. They ambushed him on the road, and although Xu Yan escaped their first attacks with Swift Speed Talismans, a poisoned nail struck his shoulder.

• Xu Yan left the Separation Valley Market, prepared Swift Speed Talismans and a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, and set out from Inkstone City for Golden Rooster Mountain.
• Wang Liu and the scar-faced man noticed Xu Yan leaving and followed him with the help of a Spirit Marten.
• As Xu Yan neared Golden Rooster Mountain, Wang Liu fired a blood-colored flying sword while the scar-faced man launched three magical nails.
• Xu Yan dodged the flying sword but was hit in the shoulder by a Soul-Devouring Nail and sent flying.
• Xu Yan activated his Swift Speed Talismans and fled, while the scar-faced man claimed the nail's hundred-year corpse poison would kill him.

Xu Yan escaped an ambush by Scarface Qiu and Wang Liu after the Mysterious Green Pearl devoured the corpse poison in his wound. He recovered in a cave on Horse Mountain and began examining the Fire Array and Redfire Burning Art.

• The Short Young Man and Scarface Qiu pursued Xu Yan, while the Mysterious Green Pearl absorbed the poison from his shoulder and let him escape.
• After failing to find Xu Yan, Wang Liu and Scarface Qiu argued over the failed ambush.
• Xu Yan chose Horse Mountain as a hiding place, bypassed its bandit checkpoint, and found a cave near a pool.
• Xu Yan blocked the cave entrance with rocks, took a Qi Gathering Pill, and spent three days recovering.
• Xu Yan realized the Mysterious Green Pearl could devour deadly poison, then took out a first-tier, low-grade Fire Array and the Redfire Burning Art.

Xu Yan practiced the Redfire Burning Art in a fire array, endured ten days of scorching heat, and mastered the spell. After another half month of training, he prepared to leave the cave, but approaching shouts interrupted him.

• Xu Yan activated a Fire Array and exposed himself to its flames to adapt his body for practicing the Redfire Burning Art.
• A cool energy from the Mysterious Green Pearl eased Xu Yan's pain and cleared his mind as he endured the flames for ten days.
• Xu Yan comprehended the spell and unleashed a massive fireball that blasted a deep crater into the cave floor, exhausting and shattering the Formation Disk.
• Xu Yan spent another half month learning to cast and withdraw the Redfire Burning Art at will, then changed clothes to leave the cave.
• Xu Yan heard someone nearby shout, "Stop!" and "Don't run!" as the commotion drew closer.

Lin Mengxi fled Horse Mountain Stronghold and hid in Xu Yan’s cave, where Wang Jinbiao and his bandits found her. Xu Yan killed Wang Jinbiao and three of the bandits, then questioned the last survivor, who claimed to know a useful secret.

• Lin Mengxi escaped from Horse Mountain Stronghold but ran into Xu Yan while seeking shelter in his cave.
• Wang Jinbiao arrived with four bandits, accused Lin Mengxi of meeting Xu Yan, and ordered them to attack him.
• Xu Yan engulfed Wang Jinbiao in flames, killing him and revealing himself as an immortal cultivator.
• Xu Yan killed two bandits who pleaded for mercy and another who tried to flee.
• Xu Yan asked the last bandit for a reason not to kill him, and the bandit offered to reveal a secret about Wang Jinbiao.

Xu Yan spared Li Tieniu after learning that Wang Jinbiao’s body-hardening martial arts were linked to a guarded place on Horse Mountain. After reaching the stronghold and killing the bandits who attacked him, Xu Yan followed Li Tieniu into a hidden cave leading to the Forbidden Ground.

• Li Tieniu told Xu Yan that Wang Jinbiao’s martial arts were connected to a Forbidden Ground and offered to lead him there.
• A red-clad girl offered Xu Yan a secret in exchange for being taken home, and Xu Yan agreed to bring her along.
• Xu Yan, Li Tieniu, and the girl traveled to Horse Mountain Stronghold, where the guards let them pass after learning Xu Yan was an Immortal Master.
• The drunken second-in-command and the other bandits attacked Xu Yan, who killed them with balls of flame.
• Li Tieniu led Xu Yan to Wang Jinbiao’s secret chamber and revealed a floor opening into a winding cave leading to the Forbidden Ground.

Xu Yan found several dozen drops of Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk in a cave beneath the forbidden grounds and returned to Horse Mountain Stronghold. There, he agreed to escort the girl in red home in exchange for her ancestors’ cultivation legacy.

• Xu Yan followed Li Tieniu into the forbidden grounds, killed the two bandits guarding them, and explored a valley that strengthened his magic power.
• Li Tieniu led Xu Yan to a limestone cave, where Xu Yan discovered and collected the remaining Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk.
• Xu Yan returned to Horse Mountain Stronghold with Li Tieniu and considered cultivating in seclusion until he reached the Third Layer of Qi Refining.
• The girl in red told Xu Yan that her ancestors had been immortals and offered their inherited legacy if he escorted her home.
• Xu Yan agreed to escort the girl and warned her not to deceive him.

Xu Yan reached Zhuliu City with the girl in red and exchanged her safe return for the Lin family's ancestral legacy. After finding a mysterious Mask and healing Lin Rongfu, he agreed to spend the night at the Lin Residence, wary of cultivators he had seen near the city.

• Xu Yan and the girl in red entered Zhuliu City after he spotted four cultivators riding toward it.
• The girl reunited with her grandfather, Lin Rongfu, who offered the Lin family's ancestral legacy as payment for her rescue.
• Xu Yan opened the Bronze Chest and found a Storage Bag and a strange Mask that could not be stored inside the bag.
• Xu Yan tested Lin Rongfu and discovered he was a mortal, then used magic power to heal his illness.
• Lin Rongfu invited Xu Yan to stay overnight, and Xu Yan accepted because night had fallen and cultivators were nearby.

Xu Yan examined the mask and treasures left by the Lin lineage's ancestor, discovering that Lin Dao had been an alchemist and had devised a possible method for making a flame-containing explosive Pill. He resolved to learn alchemy and test the idea once he reached the third layer of Qi Refining, but nearby fluctuations of magic power interrupted his preparations for sleep.

• Xu Yan put on the mask and saw that it could disguise him with an unfamiliar middle-aged face.
• Xu Yan inspected the Storage Bag and found pills, a cultivation art, a Pill Furnace, a pill dao guide, and Lin Dao's cultivation notes.
• Xu Yan learned from the notes that Lin Dao had been expelled from Medicine King Valley and had conceived a Pill that could contain flames and detonate.
• Xu Yan decided to learn alchemy and make the Pill as a hidden weapon, though he would need to reach the third layer of Qi Refining first.
• Xu Yan sensed nearby fluctuations of magic power just as he was about to rest.

Xu Yan witnessed the Blood-Robed Daoist battle four Spirit Sword Sect disciples in Zhuliu City and escape using his demon blood gourd. Suspecting demonic forces had infiltrated Fufeng Commandery, Xu Yan left the city and hurried back to Horse Mountain Stronghold.

• Xu Yan sensed cultivators fighting near the city center and slipped out of the Lin Residence to watch from hiding.
• Four Spirit Sword Sect disciples confronted the Blood-Robed Daoist over his murder of one of their nominal disciples.
• The Blood-Robed Daoist used his Demonblood Ghost Gourd to corrupt one disciple's flying sword and injure him.
• The Blood-Robed Daoist escaped through the gap in the encirclement, while the other three Spirit Sword Sect disciples pursued him.
• Xu Yan wondered whether demonic forces had infiltrated Fufeng Commandery, then left Zhuliu City for Horse Mountain Stronghold.

After half a year cultivating at Horse Mountain Stronghold, Xu Yan broke through to the Third Layer of Qi Refining and developed Divine Sense. He stabilized his cultivation, then planned to learn alchemy, investigate his would-be killers, change cultivation techniques, and examine the Mysterious Green Pearl while keeping it secret.

• Xu Yan had Li Tieniu and five surviving bandits gather thousands of medicinal herbs for his alchemy practice.
• While admiring the snowy scenery atop Golden Summit Peak, Xu Yan entered a state of Void Clarity and gathered spiritual qi.
• Xu Yan broke through to the Third Layer of Qi Refining and gained Divine Sense that reached several dozen zhang.
• Xu Yan spent three days consolidating his cultivation and decided to seek a new technique because his current one only reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu Yan planned to learn alchemy, conceal his identity, investigate the cultivators who had ambushed him, and study the Mysterious Green Pearl without attracting attention.

Xu Yan tested the Mysterious Green Pearl and learned that he could control its ability to devour spiritual energy. He began testing whether it could remove the toxins from a poison pill while leaving its spiritual energy intact.

• Xu Yan examined the Green Pearl in his Sea of Consciousness and realized it had been absorbing his magic power.
• Xu Yan cautiously sent his Divine Sense into the Green Pearl and discovered he could summon it into his palm.
• Xu Yan used the Green Pearl to devour the spiritual energy in a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk, and Qi Gathering Pill.
• Xu Yan rested after controlling the Green Pearl left him mentally fatigued, then directed it toward a First-Tier Low-Grade Poison Pill to test whether it could consume the toxins separately.

Xu Yan used the Green Pearl to remove the toxins from a Poison Pill while preserving its spiritual energy, then tested the pill on a Snow Monkey. After confirming the process worked and receiving enough energy to reach the peak of the Third Layer of Qi Refining, he prepared to carry out his next plan.

• Xu Yan controlled the Green Pearl to devour the toxins in a Poison Pill while leaving its spiritual energy intact.
• Xu Yan caught a Snow Monkey and gave it the altered pill to test whether it was still toxic.
• The Snow Monkey struggled to endure the pill’s spiritual energy, so Xu Yan suppressed it and guided the energy into its body.
• After absorbing the pill’s energy, the Snow Monkey grew larger and more intelligent, and Xu Yan tested a second altered pill on it.
• The Green Pearl returned energy to Xu Yan, raising him to the peak of the Third Layer of Qi Refining, and the Snow Monkey absorbed the second pill without trouble.

Xu Yan confirmed that the Snow Monkey suffered no ill effects from consuming a Poison Pill and planned to join the Rogue Cultivator Alliance under a fabricated alchemist identity. Before seeking its resources and information, he began studying alchemy in his cave abode so he could become a First-Rank Alchemist.

• Xu Yan released the Snow Monkey after five days of observing its vigorous growth and finding no abnormalities.
• Xu Yan decided to join the Rogue Cultivator Alliance to earn Spirit Stones, find cultivation resources, gather information on the Short Young Man and Scarface, and seek a new cultivation art.
• Xu Yan planned to use the mask from the Lin Family's inheritance to pose as an alchemist and keep his true identity hidden.
• Xu Yan entered the alchemy room he had prepared on Golden Summit Peak and placed the Complete Guide to the Pill Dao and Lin Dao's alchemy insights on a stone platform.
• Xu Yan began studying both alchemical inheritances before attempting pill refinement, aiming to become a First-Rank Alchemist.

Xu Yan studied two alchemical legacies and spent months practicing pill refinement until he reached the level of a First-Tier Low-Grade Alchemist. After successfully refining Qi Gathering Pills and removing the toxins from a ruined pill with the Green Pearl, he prepared to seek certification from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.

• Xu Yan memorized the alchemical legacies, gathered ordinary medicinal herbs, and began practicing with Lin Dao's crimson Pill Furnace.
• Xu Yan failed repeatedly at refining Detoxification Pills, then improved his technique over five months until he could refine three kinds of ordinary medicinal pills with a one hundred percent success rate.
• Xu Yan refined a batch of Qi Gathering Pills, producing two normal pills and one ruined pill.
• Xu Yan used the Green Pearl to devour the toxins in the ruined pill, then left his cave to head to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.

Xu Yan visited Ascendant City to register with the Rogue Cultivator Alliance under the invented name Lin Yan. After learning how an alchemist could gain recognized status in the alliance, he revealed that he was one and requested an assessment.

• Xu Yan arrived at Ascendant City and learned that the Rogue Cultivator Alliance branch was located in the city's center.
• A guard directed Xu Yan to the registration hall, where he joined a queue of rogue cultivators seeking alliance membership.
• Xu Yan learned that Daoist Cangyun, a first-tier, low-grade alchemist, was being taken to an assessment.
• Xu Yan registered as Lin Yan by paying three low-grade spirit stones and received a jade identity token.
• Xu Yan told the registrars that he was also an alchemist, and they offered to arrange his assessment.

Xu Yan took the First-Rank Alchemist assessment under the name Lin Yan, but all three batches of Qi Gathering Pills failed. He used the Green Pearl to remove the toxins from the failed pills and submitted six treated pills for inspection, leaving the result uncertain.

• Yun Feng led Xu Yan, posing as Lin Yan, into the Alchemy Hall and explained the assessment rules and White Perilla requirement.
• Xu Yan entered the isolated C-13 alchemy room and began the six-hour assessment using the supplied Spirit Herb and Pill Furnace.
• Xu Yan failed to produce a successful batch in each of his three attempts and worried that the Green Pearl's treated pills might not pass inspection.
• Xu Yan used the Green Pearl to draw the toxins from all nine failed pills, put six in the jade vial, and sent Yun Feng a message through the Jade Slip.

Xu Yan's alchemist assessment came down to whether the unusual, undersized Qi Gathering Pills he had refined counted as genuine. Ma Pengfei and Sun Yan accepted them as valid, and Xu Yan passed, bringing him closer to joining the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.

• Yun Feng brought stewards Ma Pengfei and Sun Yan to inspect Xu Yan's assessment results.
• Sun Yan and Ma Pengfei found that Xu Yan's Qi Gathering Pills were unusually small but contained the expected spiritual energy.
• Ma Pengfei and Sun Yan hesitated to decide whether the pills qualified and considered asking Elder Yu to judge them.
• Xu Yan explained that his childhood injury to his divine sense caused his pills to be small and offered three more pills for inspection.
• Sun Yan and Ma Pengfei deemed the pills genuine and declared that Xu Yan had passed the assessment.