Chapter Summaries

Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian shopped for spirit artifacts in Eastern Splendor City, where Lin Yulian bought a short saber and Liu Changxu found the artifact refining furnace he wanted. He purchased the Ruyi Purple-Gold Furnace with help from his mother, drawing the greedy attention of two nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators.

• Lin Yulian bargained for and bought a second-tier short saber for two thousand eight hundred low-grade spirit stones.
• Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian visited several trading houses but could not find a second-tier artifact refining furnace.
• Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian went to the Azure Cloud Pavilion and found five artifact refining furnaces on the fifth floor.
• An elderly cultivator introduced the Ruyi Purple-Gold Furnace, and Liu Changxu chose it for its ability to contain heaven-and-earth spiritfire.
• Liu Changxu bought the Ruyi Purple-Gold Furnace for thirty-three thousand low-grade spirit stones, borrowing eight thousand from Lin Yulian.
• Two nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators watched Liu Changxu's purchase with greed in their eyes.

Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian were returning home when two foundation establishment evil cultivators pursued them. Liu Changxu destroyed their flying boat with his Star-Iron Arrows and prepared to finish the fight.

• Liu Changxu refined and bound the Ruyi Purple-Gold Furnace, then left Eastern Splendor City with Lin Yulian the next morning.
• Liu Changxu and his family divided their cultivation crafts, with Liu Changxu focusing on artifact forging.
• Liu Changxu sensed danger while camping with Lin Yulian, spotted two evil cultivators pursuing them, and fled aboard the Azure Cloud Boat.
• As the pursuers closed in, Liu Changxu took the helm from Lin Yulian and fired a Star-Iron Arrow that knocked one cultivator off the Black Flying Boat.
• Liu Changxu fired a second Star-Iron Arrow, destroyed the Black Flying Boat, and decided to finish off the two evil cultivators.

Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian defeated two fleeing evil cultivators, using Liu Changxu’s archery to overcome a Foundation Establishment middle-stage opponent. After collecting their spoils and burning the bodies, Liu Changxu ordered Xiao Yun to stop eating a human corpse and resolved to forbid his spirit beasts from doing so in the future.

• The two evil cultivators fled in opposite directions, and Liu Changxu shot one down with three Star-Iron Arrows before sending the Azure Cloud Eagle to retrieve the remains.
• Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian pursued the other evil cultivator in the Azure Cloud Boat, and Liu Changxu attacked from beyond the enemy’s flying-sword range.
• Liu Changxu’s arrows shattered the evil cultivator’s damaged shield and killed him after a prolonged exchange that depleted Liu Changxu’s physical strength.
• Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian collected the dead cultivator’s valuables, burned his remains, and hurried back to the first corpse.
• Liu Changxu found Xiao Yun eating the first evil cultivator’s corpse, ordered it into the Spirit Beast Bag, and decided to forbid his spirit beasts from eating human corpses.

After Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian returned safely to Peach Blossom Mountain, Liu Changxu worried that the two evil cultivators they had killed might have ties to the Golden Core Zhao Household. At home, he sought comfort through intimacy with Li Zhenxin and then Lian'er.

• Liu Changxu reassured Lin Yulian after she worried about their fight with the evil cultivators and the possibility of accomplices.
• Liu Changxu and Lin Yulian returned to Peach Blossom Mountain on the third night and went their separate ways at Peach Blossom Manor.
• Liu Changxu found two tokens marked with the character "Zhao" in the evil cultivators' storage bags and suspected a connection to the Golden Core Zhao Household.
• Liu Changxu reunited with Li Zhenxin, and they went to the hot spring pool together.
• When Li Zhenxin could no longer endure their intimacy, she summoned Lian'er, and Liu Changxu turned his attention to the maid.

Liu Changxu recovered after a day-long cultivation deviation that terrified Li Zhenxin and Lian'er, but left them unharmed. After waking, he apologized to them while Lin Yulian reflected on the danger of inner demons and how fortunate the Liu Lineage was to have escaped a massacre.

• Li Zhenxin realized Liu Changxu had suffered cultivation deviation when she saw his bloodshot eyes, and she and Lian'er endured his rampage for a full day and night.
• Liu Changxu exhausted himself, collapsed, and slept for three days and nights as Lin Yulian protected the Red Lotus Pavilion and moved Liu Jiao to safety.
• Liu Changxu woke on the fourth day, reassured his family that he was well, and apologized to Li Zhenxin and Lian'er.
• Lin Yulian recalled how cultivation deviation could drive cultivators to slaughter their own lineages and felt relieved that Liu Changxu had harmed no one.

After recovering from cultivation deviation, Liu Changxu reflected on his lack of experience and decided he would need to travel and temper himself when circumstances allowed. He stayed home for now and helped his family prepare Ginseng Essence Pork Rib Soup, which was ready by evening.

• Liu Baishan reassured Liu Changxu and gave him a Nameless Buddhist Scripture Fragment to help guard against inner demons.
• Liu Changxu recognized that inexperience had contributed to his cultivation deviation and resolved to travel in the future, though the coming war and his young daughter made the timing unsuitable.
• Lin Yulian took Li Zhenxin and Lian'er to the kitchen to prepare second-tier spirit cuisine for Liu Changxu.
• Liu Changxu joined his family in the kitchen and used his Jadewater Sword to chop the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros ribs for the soup.
• Liu Changxu simmered the Ginseng Essence Pork Rib Soup with purple sun ginseng and other ingredients until it was ready that evening.

Liu Changxu and his family shared a spirit-cuisine feast, and he later discussed making Lian'er his concubine with Li Zhenxin. Ten days later, he held a ceremony that formally accepted Lian'er as his woman.

• Lin Yulian gathered the family for a feast where Liu Changxu comforted Lian'er and Li Zhenxin over her new status.
• The family enjoyed spirit cuisine, including potent Ginseng Essence Pork Rib Soup, which Liu Changxu mostly consumed and refined through cultivation.
• Liu Changxu asked Li Zhenxin if she agreed to his taking Lian'er as a concubine, and she affirmed her support.
• Liu Changxu and Li Zhenxin arranged Lian'er's ceremony for ten days later.
• Liu Changxu held a grand ceremony attended by cultivators of the lineage, and Lian'er officially became his woman.

Liu Changxu began learning artifact refining in seclusion, determined to rely on himself rather than seek help from the Liu Lineage’s limited refiners. After more than twenty days of practice, he successfully refined several first-tier magical swords and improved his control over his strength.

• Liu Changxu entered seclusion to study artifact refining while his family planned to combine his mother’s Foundation Establishment banquet with Liu Shisheng’s future celebration.
• Liu Changxu used his Ruyi Purple-Gold Furnace to smelt starlight iron, but repeatedly ruined the sword blank because his blows were too strong.
• Liu Changxu gradually improved his forging control and practiced engraving artifact runes while Liu Jiao stayed beside him and brought him food.
• On the fifth day, Liu Changxu refined a lower-grade first-tier water-attribute magical sword and named it the Autumn Rain Sword.
• On the eighth day, Liu Changxu refined a lower-grade first-tier fire-attribute magical sword and named it the Blazing Sun Sword.
• On the twentieth day, Liu Changxu refined a middle-grade first-tier magical longsword and named it the Autumn Waters Sword.

After Liu Shisheng failed to reach foundation establishment, Liu Shihao convened the Household Elders' Council to discuss Lin Yulian's foundation establishment celebration and the Liu Lineage's preparations for the human-demon war. Liu Changxu proposed a two-part plan for recruiting rogue cultivators, and the elders approved it unanimously.

• Lin Yulian told Liu Changxu that Liu Shisheng had failed to reach foundation establishment and that Liu Shihao and Liu Shisheng were returning home.
• Liu Shihao and Liu Shisheng returned to Peach Blossom Mountain, and Liu Shisheng shut himself away.
• Liu Baishan outlined the Liu Lineage's increased strength and expanded territory at the Household Elders' Council.
• Liu Baichuan proposed recruiting rogue cultivators into the Household Battle Corps, prompting debate over how many to accept.
• Liu Changxu proposed recruiting ten permanent members and hiring others temporarily for major battles, and the elders unanimously approved his plan.

After the Elder Council set plans for recruiting rogue cultivators and debated their treatment, Liu Changxu prepared a demon-hunting trip to gather ingredients for Lin Yulian’s Foundation Establishment banquet. He left for Bear King Mountain with his family, relatives, Liu Baichuan, and his spirit beasts.

• The Elder Council scheduled recruitment to begin at Lin Yulian’s Foundation Establishment ceremony on March 20, Great Tang Year 3171, and decided to station recruited rogue cultivators at Star-Iron Mountain.
• Liu Qiusheng proposed giving rogue cultivators who married into the Liu Household the same treatment as lineage members, but Liu Shihao instead supported considering Foundation Establishment Pills based on loyalty and service, with stricter requirements.
• After the meeting, Liu Changxu decided to hunt second-tier demon beasts for ingredients for his mother’s banquet, and Li Zhenxin and Lian’er insisted on joining him.
• Liu Changxu agreed to bring five relatives and asked Liu Baichuan to join the expedition, while promising Lin Yulian that she could come on a future trip.
• Three days later, Liu Changxu took Li Zhenxin, Lian’er, his relatives, Liu Baichuan, and his four spirit beasts north aboard the Azure Cloud Boat toward Bear King Mountain.

Liu Changxu led the Liu Household cultivators in a battle against a herd of Black-Horned Sheep, giving Lian'er her first chance to fight a Demon Beast. After the herd was defeated, Lian'er and Li Zhenxin celebrated their victories and received Liu Changxu's praise.

• Liu Changxu spotted a herd of twenty-three Black-Horned Sheep and led the Liu Household cultivators in pursuit.
• Liu Changxu sent Little Yellow to carry Lian'er, who began fighting a Black-Horned Sheep while the lion protected her from harm.
• Li Zhenxin and her Spirit Beast Xiao Zhu killed Black-Horned Sheep, while Fourth Elder Liu Baichuan battled the supreme-grade sheep king.
• Liu Changxu watched over the fighting as Lian'er grew more composed and other Liu Household cultivators gained the upper hand.
• After two hours, the Liu Household cultivators killed the herd, and Lian'er finished her first Demon Beast with a Fireball Talisman.
• Liu Changxu praised Lian'er and Li Zhenxin for their victories.

Liu Changxu discovered a sun-gold iron vein beneath the mountain where the Black-Horned Sheep grazed, and the Liu Household began mining it. After celebrating, Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao discussed how to protect and staff the distant mine as war with the Demon Race approached.

• Liu Changxu found Golden Sun Grass and suspected a sun-gold iron vein lay beneath the mountain.
• Liu Changxu used the Golden Flood Dragon Spear to uncover sun-gold iron, then informed the lineage.
• Li Zhenxin set up a concealment formation while Liu Changxu and the lineage members began excavating the vein.
• Liu Shihao arrived with lineage elders and members, and Liu Changxu showed him the ore they had mined.
• Liu Changxu hosted a Black-Horned Sheep feast, where Lian'er celebrated killing a sheep herself.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao gathered the lineage members to discuss staffing and protecting the mine near Demon Race territory.

Liu Shihao and Liu Changxu left the sun-gold iron mining operation to hunt demon beasts, then cleared Bear King Mountain of its Blackflame Tigers. They flew toward Greenplain Valley to face a herd of Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls.

• Liu Shihao disbanded the Demon Hunting Team and assigned the clansmen, including Liu Qiusheng, Li Zhenxin, and Lian'er, to mine sun-gold iron.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao flew to Bear King Mountain, where an injured Blackflame Tiger had claimed the spirit vein.
• Liu Changxu used Xiao Qing to locate the Blackflame Tiger in a cave, and he and Liu Shihao killed it.
• Liu Shihao took the Diamond Ape's Beast Core and corpse, while Liu Changxu claimed the Blackflame Tiger's Beast Core and found three cubs after the pair cleared the mountain.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao flew toward Greenplain Valley, which was occupied by Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls led by two second-tier lower-grade beasts.

Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao entered Greenplain Valley to fight the Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull tribe and reclaim the territory. Liu Changxu engaged one bull king while Xiao Qing the Green Fox fought the other, leaving Liu Shihao to deal with the first-tier bulls.

• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao flew into Greenplain Valley and spotted the Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull herd.
• The two second-tier bull kings alerted their herd, and the bulls gathered to meet the intruders.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao released their spirit beasts and agreed that Liu Changxu and Xiao Qing would fight the bull kings while Liu Shihao handled the first-tier bulls.
• Liu Changxu's arrows failed to penetrate a bull king's Golden Light Technique, so he switched to his Golden Flood Dragon Spear and blocked its counterattack with a spirit shield.
• Liu Changxu fought one second-tier bull king at close range as Xiao Qing engaged the other.

Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao fought the Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls while Xiao Qing kept one bull king occupied. Liu Changxu killed a second-tier bull, and Liu Shihao slew eighteen first-tier bulls.

• Xiao Qing used Illusory Dance and wind blades to hold a second-tier Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull at bay.
• Liu Shihao protected himself with a Diamond Talisman and killed five first-tier Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls.
• The two bull kings attacked Liu Changxu and Xiao Qing after Liu Shihao began slaughtering their descendants.
• Liu Changxu dodged the bull king's Golden Light Technique and impaled it with his Golden Flood Dragon Spear.
• Liu Changxu killed the second-tier Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull, while Liu Shihao's first-tier kill count reached eighteen.

Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao defeated the Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls in Greenplain Valley, returned to the sun-gold iron mine with a great harvest, and reunited with the Lineage members. Liu Changxu stayed behind to oversee the mining while Liu Shihao took Li Zhenxin, Lian'er, and Liu Changxia back to Peach Blossom Mountain.

• Xiao Qing trapped a second-tier lower-grade Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull with the Eye of Samsara, allowing Liu Changxu to kill it with his spear as Liu Shihao joined the assault.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao collected their spoils and found two lower-grade first-tier Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bull calves, which Liu Changxu placed in his Spirit Beast Bag.
• Liu Changxu and Liu Shihao returned to the sun-gold iron mine, where the Lineage members welcomed them and heard about their victories over the Blackflame Tiger and the Golden-Eyed Unicorn Bulls.
• Liu Shihao invited Li Zhenxin and Lian'er to return home, and Liu Changxu prepared a celebratory dinner before his father left with them and Liu Changxia the next morning.
• Liu Changxu stayed at the mine with Grand Elder Liu Qiusheng to oversee the mining work.

Liu Changxu investigated why the Liu Household could not mine deeper sun-gold iron and found their tools were failing against the hard ore. He repaired their damaged artifacts and refined a Supreme-Grade First-Tier Mining Pick, becoming a first-tier supreme-grade Artifact Refiner.

• Liu Changxu inspected the mine and learned that the clansmen could not extract the hard, high-quality ore deeper underground with their existing tools.
• Liu Qiusheng reported that the vein appeared to be a micro vein and that the household had already mined twenty-two thousand jin from its shallow layers.
• Liu Changxu gathered the damaged mining picks and promised to repair them and refine suitable mining tools.
• Liu Changxu repaired the clansmen's mining picks and Liu Changyong's magical saber in two days.
• Liu Changxu smelted sun-gold iron ore, forged a mining-pick blank, and inscribed artifact runes to refine a Supreme-Grade First-Tier Mining Pick.
• Liu Changxu became a first-tier supreme-grade Artifact Refiner.

Liu Changxu returned to Peach Blossom Mountain to prepare for Lin Yulian’s Foundation Establishment celebration and proposed tournaments to recruit rogue cultivators and fairly support promising members of the Liu Household. The elders approved both competitions, and news of the internal tournament spread across the mountain.

• Liu Changxu finished forging mining picks for the Lineage members and left Grand Elder Liu Qiusheng in charge of the sun-gold iron mining operation while he returned to Peach Blossom Mountain.
• Liu Changxu reunited with Liu Jiao and spent time with his daughter and two wives as preparations for Lin Yulian’s celebration continued.
• Liu Changxu proposed an arena tournament for Qi Refinement rogue cultivators to recruit strong fighters into the Warrior Corps, with rewards for the top five contestants.
• Liu Changxu proposed a recurring tournament for Lineage cultivators under fifty, with a supreme-grade magical artifact and priority access to Foundation Establishment Pills for the winner.
• Liu Shihao and the Lineage elders unanimously approved the tournaments, easing concerns among the members, and news of the internal competition spread throughout Peach Blossom Mountain.

The Liu Household of Peach Blossom Mountain prepared for its Foundation Establishment celebration, arena tournament, and lineage competition, drawing rogue cultivators and prominent guests from across the region. As the celebration began and guests presented gifts, Liu Changxu was left busy receiving the many visitors.

• The Liu Household announced an arena tournament to recruit rogue cultivators and a lineage competition whose rankings would determine members’ priority for redeeming Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Liu Changxu proposed the ranking system to ease lineage members’ suspicions about favoritism, while Liu Baishan planned to step down as patriarch after the competition.
• Qi Refinement rogue cultivators gathered at Peach Blossom Mountain, and thirty-two registered for the arena tournament.
• On March 20, Great Tang year 3171, cultivators and representatives from many lineages and households arrived for the celebration, including Liu Changxu’s maternal relatives and in-laws.
• Liu Changxu hurried between guests as the master of ceremonies announced their gifts, which included spirit plants, jade, rice, weapons, and talismans.

Lin Yulian shared her Foundation Establishment insights at her celebration, and the Liu Household hosted a lavish banquet that revealed its growing strength to its guests. As the feast ended, Wu Changping sought closer ties with the Liu Household, and Liu Shihao proposed an afternoon gathering for the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

• Lin Yulian taught the assembled cultivators about her path to Foundation Establishment at Peach Blossom Plaza.
• Liu Changxu, Li Zhenxin, Lian'er, and the Liu Household prepared an abundant feast, including Liu Changxu's Five Elements Return to One Soup.
• Wang Yuting recognized the Liu Household's strength through the rare second-tier ingredients served at the banquet.
• Wu Changping resolved to pursue a marriage alliance with the Liu Household because the Wu Household was vulnerable and he feared for its future.
• Liu Shihao welcomed the guests, and the banquet ended in a cheerful atmosphere as Wu Changping displayed unusual friendliness toward the Liu Household.
• Liu Shihao proposed that the Foundation Establishment cultivators meet that afternoon to exchange cultivation insights and spirit treasures.