Chapter Summaries

Liu Yu won the Yellow Dragon Pill for six hundred spirit stones after the auctioneer enforced the rules against a bidder who invoked his family’s influence. He returned to his seat and watched the rabbit-masked cultivator win the Beauty-Nourishing Pill for eight hundred spirit stones, attracting the greed of other bidders.

• A scholar-robed cultivator invoked the Zhao Household’s Foundation Establishment Ancestors to pressure the monkey-masked bidder, and Ji Guanglin warned him not to violate the auction rules.
• Liu Yu bid six hundred spirit stones for the Yellow Dragon Pill, outlasting the scholar-robed cultivator and collecting the pill from the side hall.
• The auction continued as Ji Guanglin presented the Beauty-Nourishing Pill and bids rose past seven hundred spirit stones.
• The rabbit-masked cultivator bid eight hundred spirit stones and won the Beauty-Nourishing Pill.
• The rabbit-masked cultivator left for the side hall while Liu Yu noticed other cultivators watching her greedily and chose to remain uninvolved.

After buying the Yellow Dragon Pills at the auction, Liu Yu left the Market Ward to return to the Primordial Yang Sect, but the scholar-robed cultivator and his wife pursued him. Liu Yu lured them into the woods and prepared to ambush them, leaving the confrontation poised to begin.

• The Divine Fire Saber sold for 1,200 spirit stones, ending the auction, and Liu Yu left with the Yellow Dragon Pills.
• Liu Yu spotted a female cultivator heading toward the Primordial Yang Sect, then checked for anyone following him before leaving the Market Ward.
• Two cultivators pursued Liu Yu, and he suspected they were the couple who had competed with him for the Yellow Dragon Pills.
• Liu Yu replenished his magical power with spirit stones, descended into a stretch of woods, and concealed himself behind a tree.
• The scholar-robed cultivator called on Liu Yu to hand over the pills, but Liu Yu stayed hidden and readied two swords to attack when the pair showed an opening.

Liu Yu ambushed the scholar-robed cultivator and his wife, using his magical artifacts and talismans to pressure them. After the battle stalled and Liu Yu’s magical power began to run low, he launched a barrage of fire talismans at their defenses, leaving the golden barrier under attack.

• Liu Yu concealed himself and struck the scholar-robed cultivator and his wife with the Giant Wood Sword and Golden Dragon Sword.
• The scholar-robed cultivator used his saber and oval mirror to hold off the Golden Dragon Sword, while the alluring female cultivator defended against the Giant Wood Sword and attacked with talismans.
• Liu Yu’s swords and the cultivators’ magical artifacts clashed into a stalemate, draining his magical power.
• Liu Yu activated Fireball Talismans and Fire Serpent Talismans, sending fireballs toward the red silk and flames toward the scholar-robed cultivator.
• The alluring female cultivator countered with ice spikes, water balls, and a golden barrier, but more than a dozen fireballs continued toward the barrier.

Liu Yu survived the scholarly-robed cultivator’s Thunderstrike Talisman and Fire-Thunder Pearl, then destroyed his opponent’s weapons and killed him. The alluring female cultivator was left at Liu Yu’s mercy and tried to seduce him.

• The scholarly-robed cultivator unleashed a Thunderstrike Talisman and concealed Fire-Thunder Pearl at Liu Yu while his magical artifacts fought Liu Yu’s weapons.
• Liu Yu protected himself with two Vajra Talismans and the Black Tortoise Shield, but the Fire-Thunder Pearl’s blast injured him and weakened the shield.
• Liu Yu’s Golden Dragon Sword shattered the scholarly-robed cultivator’s azure saber and overwhelmed his remaining defenses.
• The scholarly-robed cultivator begged Liu Yu for mercy, but Liu Yu sent the Golden Dragon Sword through his defenses and killed him.
• The alluring female cultivator mourned her husband briefly, then loosened her robes and tried to win Liu Yu’s favor.

After killing two cultivators who ambushed him, Liu Yu reflected on his weakness, resolved to grow stronger, and set out for the Primordial Yang Sect to recover. On the way, he approached a battle and recognized the red-dressed female cultivator from the auction as one of its combatants.

• The alluring female cultivator tried to bargain for her life, but Liu Yu killed her with a silver needle artifact and collected the couple's belongings.
• Liu Yu burned the corpses, considered how his low cultivation had made him a target, and strengthened his resolve to become powerful.
• He retreated to a secluded cave, used the Wood Spirit Art and a healing pill to stabilize his injuries, then continued toward the Primordial Yang Sect.
• Liu Yu sensed a battle ahead and chose to approach covertly rather than take a long detour.
• He recognized the red-dressed female cultivator from the auction and suspected that her Beauty-Nourishing Pill purchase had attracted the attackers.

Liu Yu decided to intervene when Yan Qun'er was cornered by the Black-and-White Fiends, hoping to gain favor with her prominent lineage. He blocked a lethal arrow and told Yan Qun'er to handle White Fiend while he faced Black Fiend.

• Yan Qun'er struggled against the Black-and-White Fiends after killing two of their companions, but the attackers pressed her as she ran out of trump cards.
• Liu Yu watched from concealment, judged Yan Qun'er inexperienced but influential, and decided that rescuing her could benefit his standing in the sect.
• Liu Yu discarded his disguise and prepared to use his Giant Wood Sword and Black Tortoise Shield rather than his more conspicuous Golden Dragon Sword.
• White Fiend formed a fiery arrow while Black Fiend strengthened himself, and their attacks overwhelmed Yan Qun'er's defenses.
• Liu Yu stepped in and blocked the arrow with his shield, then instructed Yan Qun'er to fend off White Fiend while he fought Black Fiend.

Liu Yu intervened when the Black-and-White Fiends attacked Yan Qun'er, declaring that he would stand with his senior sister. He fought Black Fiend to stall for time while Yan Qun'er gained the upper hand against White Fiend, who raised an umbrella and a Vajra Talisman to defend himself.

• Liu Yu rebuked Black Fiend and vowed to protect Yan Qun'er as a fellow Primordial Yang Sect disciple.
• Black Fiend and White Fiend attacked together, and Liu Yu used the Giant Wood Sword to clash with Black Fiend's saber.
• Liu Yu used the Giant Wood Sword and Black Tortoise Shield to keep Black Fiend occupied while waiting for Yan Qun'er's reinforcements.
• Yan Qun'er fought White Fiend with the Jade-Green Bracelet and Blue Orb, forcing him into a defensive position.
• White Fiend opened a small umbrella magical artifact and used a Vajra Talisman to form a golden barrier against Yan Qun'er's Blue Orb.

Liu Yu and Yan Qun'er drove off the Black-and-White Fiends, then waited in the wilderness for Yan Qun'er's aunt to arrive. As Yan Qun'er recovered and Liu Yu kept watch, the two became closer after he saved her.

• White Fiend used his blood essence to strengthen his umbrella artifact and repel Yan Qun'er's blue orb, then signaled Black Fiend to retreat.
• Liu Yu stopped Yan Qun'er from pursuing the fleeing fiends, and she blushed after realizing he had held her arm.
• Liu Yu and Yan Qun'er introduced themselves, and she explained that she had gone to Jiatai Market to buy a Beauty-Nourishing Pill for her aunt's hundredth birthday.
• Yan Qun'er said her aunt would arrive after receiving her Voice-Transmitting Talisman, then took a pill to recover her magical power.
• Liu Yu lit a fire, rested nearby, and kept watch over the darkness in case the fiends returned.

After Liu Yu saved Yan Qun'er, her aunt Yan Hongyu arrived and learned how he had protected her niece. Yan Hongyu praised Liu Yu and offered him a reward, leaving him to answer her offer.

• After recovering her spiritual power, Yan Qun'er sat by the campfire while Liu Yu replenished his energy with spirit stones.
• Yan Hongyu arrived on a flying red carpet, and Yan Qun'er ran to her aunt and tearfully recounted the attack and Liu Yu's intervention.
• Yan Hongyu vowed to mobilize the sect and her lineage to capture the two attackers who had escaped.
• Liu Yu saluted Yan Hongyu, who praised him for saving Qun'er and offered him a magical artifact, talismans, pills, or another reasonable reward.
• Yan Qun'er grew embarrassed and protested as Yan Hongyu asked Liu Yu what he wanted.

Liu Yu accepted gifts from Yan Hongyu after saving Yan Qun'er, then recounted his fight with the Black-and-White Fiends. Yan Hongyu took Yan Qun'er and Liu Yu back to the Primordial Yang Sect, where Yan Qun'er called out to Liu Yu as he prepared to leave.

• Liu Yu declined to demand a specific reward, and Yan Hongyu gave him a Black Jade Pendant and a Yan Household token.
• Yan Hongyu asked Liu Yu to recount the fight, and he described the Black-and-White Fiends and their distinguishing features.
• Yan Hongyu found a strip of Black Fiend's clothing and said the pair would not escape for long.
• Yan Hongyu flew Liu Yu and Yan Qun'er back to the Primordial Yang Sect on her Red Carpet Artifact.
• Liu Yu prepared to leave, and Yan Qun'er thanked him and called out, "Until we meet again."

Liu Yu returned to his cave abode after buying a Bottleneck-Breaking Elixir and recovering from injuries sustained in two magical battles. He examined the spoils from the cultivators he had killed and resolved to continue pursuing a breakthrough into late Qi Refining.

• Liu Yu left Yan Qun'er unanswered as he rode his Giant Wood Sword back to Greenwood Peak, and Yan Hongyu comforted her niece.
• Liu Yu healed his internal injuries with a pill, then slept for twelve hours to recover from his exhaustion.
• Liu Yu surveyed the night sky before opening the Storage Bags taken from the scholar-robed cultivator and his wife.
• Liu Yu set aside damaged magical artifacts, ordinary pills, and an oval mirror he planned to refine, while noting that he needed a middle-grade Storage Bag.
• Liu Yu counted a little over five hundred spirit stones and recalled the female cultivator's behavior after her husband's death, then suppressed his rising desire with water.

Liu Yu refined the small oval mirror into a support artifact he named the Golden Silk Mirror, then used the Immortal Mansion to mature the Clear Lotus Tea Tree and prepare its leaves. He finished processing the tea and planned to brew it with dawn dew.

• Liu Yu sorted his spirit stones, artifacts, talismans, and pills among his Storage Bags to conceal his wealth and keep his supplies organized.
• Liu Yu refined the small oval mirror, tested its ability to disrupt magical power in artifacts, and named it the Golden Silk Mirror.
• Liu Yu planted the Clear Lotus Tea Tree seed in the Immortal Mansion, where it rapidly matured and consumed most of the spirit stones he brought.
• Liu Yu harvested the tea leaves and prepared them according to Zhang Chunming's instructions.
• Liu Yu finished processing the tea and decided to collect dawn dew to brew it.

Liu Yu tested Clear Lotus Tea and found that it slightly strengthened his divine sense, then recovered from his injuries and broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining. He began circulating his newly increased magical power through the Wood Spirit Art’s seventh-layer pathways.

• Liu Yu collected dew and brewed Clear Lotus Tea, confirming that it nourished his divine sense and increased its range by about two inches.
• Over the next half month, Liu Yu drank a pot of Clear Lotus Tea each day, meditated, refined his qi, and recovered fully from his injuries.
• Liu Yu prepared to break through to late Qi Refining and swallowed a Yellow Dragon Pill to help assault the bottleneck.
• Liu Yu combined the pill’s energy with his magical power until he shattered the bottleneck into late Qi Refining.
• Liu Yu guided his magical power through the Wood Spirit Art’s seventh-layer meridians.

After consolidating his breakthrough to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, Liu Yu traveled to Clear Spring Peak to become an Inner Disciple. He presented his identity token to Uncle-Master Geng, beginning the promotion process as unusual activity on the peak hinted that something had happened.

• Liu Yu consolidated his cultivation, increasing his magical power and divine sense after reaching late Qi Refining.
• Liu Yu decided to enter the inner sect so he could avoid outer-sect chores and receive a larger stipend.
• Liu Yu flew to Clear Spring Peak and noticed that its cultivators were unusually hurried and grave.
• Two Outer Disciples admitted Liu Yu to the Rectified Origin Hall after sensing his cultivation.
• Uncle-Master Geng examined Liu Yu, approved of his steady cultivation, and asked for his wooden identity token.

Liu Yu completed his promotion to Inner Disciple of the Primordial Yang Sect and received a token from Geng Yuanzhang to secure a cultivation abode. He went to the General Affairs Hall and asked Senior Brother Qian to assign him one, discreetly offering him ten spirit stones.

• Liu Yu told Geng Yuanzhang that he had reached the seventh layer of qi refining and explained his progress by claiming he could refine several kinds of pills.
• Geng Yuanzhang verified Liu Yu's qualifications, engraved a new jade identity token, and officially made him an Inner Disciple.
• Liu Yu changed into Inner Disciple robes and completed the ceremony of paying respects to the sect's patriarchs.
• Geng Yuanzhang gave Liu Yu a silver-leaf token and told him to use it to obtain a cave abode on Green Spirit Peak.
• Liu Yu left for the General Affairs Hall, where he asked Senior Brother Qian to arrange an inner sect cultivation abode and discreetly handed him ten spirit stones.

Liu Yu used Uncle-Master Geng’s token to secure a cave abode on Green Spirit Peak and returned to Greenwood Peak for one last night before moving. He reflected on his progress and resumed cultivation with Purple Spirit Pills.

• Senior Brother Qian recognized Uncle-Master Geng’s Silver Leaf and secured approval for Liu Yu to choose a cave abode on Green Spirit Peak.
• Liu Yu selected a vacant abode near a spirit vein node, received its Restriction Token, and gave Senior Brother Qian two more spirit stones.
• Liu Yu returned to his cave abode on Greenwood Peak and planned to move to Green Spirit Peak the next day.
• Liu Yu reflected on his journey from beggar boy to inner sect disciple and resolved to plan carefully for Foundation Establishment.
• Liu Yu inspected Purple Spirit Pills taken from the Pockmarked Cultivator and the Confucian-Robed Man, then swallowed one and cultivated through the night.

After entering late Qi Refining and joining the inner sect, Liu Yu visited Jiang Qiushui to learn why the sect was bustling. He left the visit having asked her to manage the sale of pills he refined, hoping to build his influence while focusing on cultivation.

• Liu Yu gathered his belongings and rode his Giant Wood Sword to Jiang Qiushui's cave abode for news.
• Jiang Qiushui was surprised to see Liu Yu in inner-disciple robes and congratulated him on reaching late Qi Refining.
• Jiang Qiushui lamented that she remained stuck in middle Qi Refining, and Liu Yu reassured her that she could break through with time and opportunity.
• Liu Yu asked Jiang Qiushui to handle the sale of some of his pills so he could devote more time to cultivation.

Liu Yu recruited Jiang Qiushui to sell his pills, but she told him that a dispute over a spirit stone mine had sparked deadly fighting between the Primordial Yang Sect and the Hehuan Sect. Fearing a wider war and the danger to low-ranking disciples, Liu Yu hurried to acquire resources for refining Jade Spirit Pills.

• Jiang Qiushui agreed to work for Liu Yu after weighing the chance to earn spirit stones against her need to advance her cultivation.
• Liu Yu asked Jiang Qiushui about the tense activity at Clear Spring Peak, and she explained that the Primordial Yang Sect and the Hehuan Sect were fighting over a medium-sized spirit stone mine.
• Jiang Qiushui reported that disciples and Foundation Establishment Realm martial uncles had already died, while the other great sects might join the conflict and ignite a wider war.
• Liu Yu realized that his late Qi Refining cultivation offered little safety in a war and worried that Outer Courtyard disciples without connections would be sent to the battlefield.
• Liu Yu gave Jiang Qiushui seven bottles of Pure Spirit Pills to sell and instructed her to buy the Jade Spirit Pill formula and five sets of spirit herbs as quickly as possible.
• Liu Yu urged Jiang Qiushui to keep a low profile, patted her shoulder, and left while she watched him with a complicated gaze.

Liu Yu learned from Shang Chuanjiang that the Spirit Stone Mine War had caused heavy casualties and that the Primordial Yang Sect would send more disciples to the front. Hoping to secure a safer assignment, Liu Yu hurried toward Green Elegance Peak to use the token he had received from Yan Qun'er.

• Liu Yu told Jiang Qiushui where to find his new cave abode and flew to meet Shang Chuanjiang for information about the war.
• Shang Chuanjiang reported that all five great sects had joined the conflict, with many Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators already dead, and urged Liu Yu to seek a rear-area assignment.
• Liu Yu told Shang Chuanjiang he had no connections but decided to try using the yellow token in his Storage Bag to secure safer duty.
• Liu Yu considered the sects' power and the danger of desertion, then set off urgently for Green Elegance Peak without inspecting his new cave abode.

Liu Yu visited Yan Hongyu on Green Elegance Peak and asked her to arrange a safer rear assignment during the Spirit Stone Mine War. After he offered her two rare spirit herbs, Yan Hongyu accepted his request and asked him to return her yellow token.

• Liu Yu presented his identity jade token and Yan Hongyu's yellow token to the mountain guards, who verified his identity and sought her permission for his visit.
• Yan Hongyu agreed to see Liu Yu, and he climbed Green Elegance Peak to her cave abode.
• Liu Yu explained that he lacked the cultivation and magical artifacts to survive the Spirit Stone Mine War and asked for an assignment guarding a location in the rear.
• Liu Yu gave Yan Hongyu two rare, two-hundred-year-old spirit herbs, which she recognized and placed in her Storage Bag.
• Yan Hongyu accepted Liu Yu's choice and asked him to return the yellow token.