Chapter Summaries

Liu Yu secured a five-year border garrison assignment through Yan Hongyu, giving him a chance to cultivate away from the main fighting while leaving him wary of enemy incursions near Mirror Province. Yan Hongyu also warned him to stop associating with Yan Qun'er, and Liu Yu watched her depart with his smile fading.

• Yan Hongyu took Liu Yu to the General Affairs Hall and arranged for him to receive a garrison mission.
• Senior Brother Qian tried to probe Liu Yu about his connections, but Liu Yu gave him little information.
• Yan Hongyu gave Liu Yu a mission token and jade tube, assigning him to guard a resource site near Mirror Province for five years with four outer disciples.
• Yan Hongyu ordered Liu Yu to meet the four disciples at Clear Spring Peak in seven days and depart without delay.
• Yan Hongyu warned Liu Yu not to associate with Yan Qun'er, and Liu Yu promised he would not disturb her cultivation.

Liu Yu settled into his new cave abode on Green Spirit Peak and prepared for his coming departure to the Qing Province border by seeking stronger defensive equipment and talismans. At Flowing Cloud Market Ward, he met Du Jingshan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who managed the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.

• Liu Yu recalled the lessons of the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation and flew to Green Spirit Peak to find his new cave abode.
• Liu Yu tidied the cave, matured spirit herbs with the Immortal Mansion, and disguised himself before leaving to prepare for the border mission.
• Liu Yu went to Flowing Cloud Market Ward and found that the ordinary magical artifacts and talismans at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion did not meet his needs.
• A shop assistant led Liu Yu upstairs, where Du Jingshan arrived and welcomed him as an honored guest.

Liu Yu visited Du Jingshan at Flowing Cloud Market Ward to buy stronger magical artifacts before heading to the Qing Province border. He bought a Black Iron Shield and traded a rare two-hundred-year-old spirit herb plus five hundred spirit stones for the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades, while Du Jingshan concealed a flash of greed.

• Liu Yu, using the false name Hong Hao, asked Du Jingshan to show him superior-grade defensive magical artifacts.
• Du Jingshan presented a Black Iron Shield, a Violet Light Bowl, and the top-grade Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades.
• Liu Yu paid five hundred and fifty spirit stones for the Black Iron Shield.
• Liu Yu offered a two-hundred-year-old spirit herb for the blades, and Du Jingshan asked him to add five hundred spirit stones.
• Liu Yu paid the additional spirit stones and took the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades, while Du Jingshan praised him and secretly grew greedy.

After leaving Flowing Cloud Market Ward, Liu Yu returned to Green Spirit Peak with supplies and two new magical artifacts, convinced Du Jingshan had secretly marked him for pursuit. He began refining his artifacts and finished imprinting the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades, preparing to conceal his full strength before the coming Spirit Stone Mine War.

• Liu Yu left the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, bought talismans and Spirit-Replenishing Pills from several shops, and used his remaining spirit stones to purchase a Middle-grade Storage Bag.
• Liu Yu noticed Du Jingshan had tried to leave a trace on his clothes, burned them on a barren mountain, and vowed to settle the grudge someday.
• Liu Yu returned to his cave abode on Green Spirit Peak, transferred his belongings into the Middle-grade Storage Bag, and buried his two Lesser Storage Bags beneath a cabinet.
• Liu Yu assessed the power of his new magical artifacts and decided to hide his full strength, using the Golden Dragon Sword and Black Tortoise Shield for ordinary encounters.
• Liu Yu quickly refined the Black Iron Shield, then spent more than half an hour and over half his magical power imprinting the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades.

Liu Yu prepared to leave for Cold Moon City to guard a cold iron ore vein during the Spirit Stone Mine War, collecting his yearly stipend and meeting his assigned teammates at Clear Spring Peak. He reunited with Wu Chang, who pledged to follow his lead.

• Liu Yu tested the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades and found he could control them with ease.
• Jiang Qiushui delivered the Jade Spirit Pill formula, five sets of spirit herbs, and ten spirit stones to Liu Yu, who rewarded her for her work.
• Liu Yu flew to Clear Spring Peak, where more than a hundred disciples gathered to depart for the front lines.
• Liu Yu reported to the General Affairs Hall, collected a year's stipend, and waited for his teammates.
• Wu Chang recognized Liu Yu, congratulated him on entering the inner sect, and promised to follow his lead during the assignment.

Liu Yu gathered four fellow disciples for their assignment at Cold Moon City and watched a Golden Core elder lead reinforcements toward the Spirit Stone Mine aboard a treasure. He then led his group out of the Primordial Yang Sect, with the others wary of his superior strength.

• Liu Yu met Zhou Guibo, Xie Huaxiong, and Sun Ju, and the five collected their stipends before leaving for Cold Moon City.
• Elder Li Changfeng arrived on a massive gourd treasure and departed with more than a hundred disciples assigned to reinforce the Spirit Stone Mine.
• Liu Yu considered the significance of a Golden Core elder's intervention and decided to leave with his group.
• Liu Yu displayed his superior-grade Golden Dragon Sword and led Wu Chang, Zhou Guibo, Xie Huaxiong, and Sun Ju out of the sect.

Liu Yu and four fellow Primordial Yang Sect disciples arrived in Cold Moon City to take over the Cold Iron Mine assignment. They met the city lord and Su Ding, who arranged for the handover to take place the next morning.

• Liu Yu warned Wu Chang, Zhou Guibo, Xie Huaxiong, and Sun Ju to follow his orders and remain vigilant during their five-year posting.
• Liu Yu led the group into Cold Moon City, where the city guards recognized them as immortal masters and escorted them to the city lord's residence.
• Chai Wenzheng welcomed Liu Yu and the others and said he had sent for Su Ding, the disciple currently stationed there.
• Su Ding arrived, explained that the four disciples assigned with him were still at the Cold Iron Ore Vein, and proposed that they complete the handover the next morning.

After arriving at the city lord's residence, Liu Yu joined Su Ding and the others for dinner, rejected an attendant Chai Wenzheng had placed in his room, and secured his quarters before resting. The next morning, he cultivated and headed to the hall to complete the Cold Iron Ore Vein handover, where Sun Ju was already waiting.

• Liu Yu agreed to discuss the mission handover with Su Ding over dinner, while Chai Wenzheng arranged food, wine, and dancers for the group.
• Liu Yu ate and drank sparingly, then went to his prepared room and ordered the woman Chai Wenzheng had arranged for him to leave.
• Liu Yu set up a Three Talents Formation in his room and slept through the night without cultivating.
• Liu Yu swallowed a Purple Spirit Pill and completed his morning cultivation before leaving to handle the Cold Iron Ore Vein handover.
• Liu Yu found Sun Ju waiting in the main hall, and she stood to greet him.

Liu Yu reprimanded the disciples who arrived late for the mine handover, then accompanied Su Ding and the others to the Cold Iron Ore Vein. The handover began after they arrived, while Liu Yu observed the harsh conditions endured by the mortal miners.

• Liu Yu sent Sun Ju to fetch the late disciples and warned Wu Chang, Zhou Guibo, and Xie Huaxiong not to let private affairs interfere with their duties.
• Su Ding arrived and led Liu Yu, Sun Ju, Wu Chang, Zhou Guibo, and Xie Huaxiong from Cold Moon City toward the Cold Iron Ore Vein.
• Liu Yu and the others saw the miners being whipped and given food according to how much ore they had produced, but Liu Yu decided not to intervene.
• Su Ding told the mine steward Lin Dayong that Liu Yu and the others were taking over his posting, and Lin Dayong went to summon the four Outer Disciples stationed at the mine.

Liu Yu completed the handover of the Cold Iron Ore Vein from Su Ding and confirmed that the records and mine formation were in order. After Su Ding and his group departed, Liu Yu assigned patrol and mining duties to his disciples and warned the steward to meet the ore quota.

• Liu Yu reviewed Su Ding's ore ledger and checked the stored ore against the records, finding no significant discrepancies.
• Liu Yu sent Wu Chang and the other disciples to test the mine formation, and they found no problems.
• Liu Yu completed the handover and bid farewell to Su Ding, who left with his four Outer Disciples.
• Liu Yu ordered Wu Chang, Zhou Guibo, Xie Huaxiong, and Sun Ju to patrol in rotating teams and defend the mine if enemy cultivators attacked.
• Liu Yu instructed Lin Dayong to record daily ore production and threatened to replace him if he failed to meet the quota.

Liu Yu appointed Lin Dayong to manage the Cold Iron Ore Vein and assigned four disciples to guard it, while using suspicion between them to keep them divided. He left the mine for Cold Moon City, where Chai Wenzheng had prepared residences for him to inspect.

• Liu Yu threatened Lin Dayong with punishment for missing the ore quota, and Lin Dayong promised to obey.
• Liu Yu dismissed the four disciples, then privately advised Wu Chang to preserve his life if enemy cultivators attacked, knowing the others had seen their exchange.
• Liu Yu judged that the mine’s guards could not withstand a serious enemy assault and relied on his own strength and the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades to protect himself.
• Liu Yu flew to Cold Moon City on the Golden Dragon Sword, using his authority as mission leader to oversee the mine from the city and keep more time for cultivation.
• Chai Wenzheng welcomed Liu Yu and offered to show him a quiet residence in the southern part of Cold Moon City, and Liu Yu agreed to look at it.

Liu Yu accepted Chai Wenzheng’s mansion in Cold Moon City and ordered him to protect the grounds and keep the mine’s output steady. He settled in, then entered the Immortal Mansion to grow the herbs needed to refine Jade Spirit Pills.

• Liu Yu chose Chai Wenzheng’s mansion as his residence for the next five years.
• Liu Yu told Chai Wenzheng to keep people away from the mansion and replace miners so the mine’s output would not fall.
• Chai Wenzheng promised to carry out Liu Yu’s orders and arranged for men to patrol the mansion.
• Liu Yu set up the Three Talents Formation in a pavilion and decided to cultivate with Jade Spirit Pills rather than take another pill that day.
• Liu Yu entered the Immortal Mansion and planted the herbs needed to refine Jade Spirit Pills, accelerating their growth.

Liu Yu began refining Jade Spirit Pills with the Red Flame Formation, but his first attempt at tier-one peak pills produced a success rate below ten percent. After consuming all his ingredients, he shifted to taking the pills daily while continuing to cultivate his spells and magical artifacts.

• Liu Yu grew enough herbs for forty batches of Jade Spirit Pills and organized the seeds and harvested herbs in the Immortal Mansion.
• Liu Yu set up the Red Flame Formation in a new alchemy room and began refining Jade Spirit Pills, but his first batch failed.
• Over eight days, Liu Yu refined all forty batches and obtained only twenty-nine Jade Spirit Pills, accepting a substantial loss.
• Liu Yu began taking Jade Spirit Pills daily to advance his cultivation and continued practicing the Concealing Spirit Art and refining his Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades and Black Iron Shield.

After running out of spirit stones, Liu Yu refined a large batch of Pure Spirit Pills and disguised himself to travel south in search of a market where he could sell them. He headed for Yellow Mountain Market Ward, a small settlement with few powerful cultivators.

• Liu Yu spent his remaining resources growing herbs in the Immortal Mansion and refined a hundred and seventy Pure Spirit Pills with a thirty percent success rate.
• Liu Yu disguised himself with medicinal liquid, a bamboo hat, and a black veil, then left Cold Moon City on his Golden Dragon Sword.
• Liu Yu reflected on the Cold Iron Ore Vein, where Wu Chang and the other workers continued producing ore under his hands-off management.
• Liu Yu flew south toward Yellow Mountain Market Ward, the nearest cultivator gathering place, where most residents practiced early or middle Qi Refining.

Liu Yu traveled to the Yellow Mountain Market Ward to sell pills directly to rogue cultivators, avoiding the local shops and their low purchase prices. After setting up a stall and selling Pure Spirit Pills for several hours, he saw a tall, black-robed cultivator approach.

• Liu Yu entered the Yellow Mountain Market Ward after sending a Voice-Transmitting Talisman through its mist formation.
• Liu Yu checked the market's pill prices and decided to sell his pills directly to cultivators rather than to the shops.
• Liu Yu bought a seven-day stall permit, displayed Pure Spirit Pills, Purple Spirit Pills, and two magical artifacts, and set his prices below the shops'.
• Liu Yu used his seventh-layer Qi Refining aura to discourage a customer from bargaining, and the rogue cultivator bought a bottle of Pure Spirit Pills.
• Liu Yu sold Pure Spirit Pills for four hours until only fifty remained, then a tall cultivator in black robes and a bamboo hat approached his stall.

Liu Yu sold his pills to Pei Sanjiu, a vice president of the Cultivators’ Fellowship, who offered to make him the group’s dedicated alchemist. Liu Yu refused, and Pei Sanjiu responded with a veiled threat by boasting of the Fellowship’s strength, leaving Liu Yu unafraid and ready to face the rogue cultivators if necessary.

• Pei Sanjiu examined Liu Yu’s pills, bought all the Pure Spirit Pills and Purple Spirit Pills for 280 spirit stones, and asked whether Liu Yu had more.
• Pei Sanjiu introduced himself as a vice president of the Cultivators’ Fellowship and offered to supply spirit herbs in exchange for Liu Yu refining pills exclusively for the group.
• Liu Yu refused to become the Fellowship’s dedicated alchemist, explaining that alchemy was only a way to earn spirit stones.
• Pei Sanjiu challenged Liu Yu’s refusal and warned him that the Cultivators’ Fellowship had more than a dozen middle Qi Refining cultivators and four late Qi Refining experts.
• Liu Yu remained confident that the Fellowship’s rogue cultivators posed little threat to him unless they managed to surround him.

Liu Yu sold his remaining magical artifacts at the Yellow Mountain Market Ward and learned that the Feng Household had stayed away from him despite the other local lineages paying their respects. He left the market with nearly eight hundred spirit stones and remained wary of both Pei Sanjiu and the Feng Household.

• Liu Yu refused Pei Sanjiu's demand that he join the Cultivators' Fellowship and warned himself that he would deal ruthlessly with further interference.
• Liu Yu lowered the prices of the Silver Ruler and Yellow Fork, but rogue cultivators continued to haggle and walk away.
• Feng Guanglin admired the Silver Ruler, and his sister agreed to buy it for him on the condition that he reach the fifth layer of qi refining before turning seventeen.
• Liu Yu recalled that the Feng Household had not visited him in Cold Moon City, unlike the Hou Household and the Gongsun Household, and wondered whether its silence was unusual.
• The Feng siblings bought the Silver Ruler for one hundred and five spirit stones, and Liu Yu watched them leave with a cold expression.
• A fourth-layer qi refining rogue cultivator bought the Yellow Fork shortly before the hour of the Rooster, and Liu Yu packed up and left with nearly eight hundred spirit stones earned.

Liu Yu led Pei Sanjiu and two Cultivators’ Fellowship members away from the Yellow Mountain Market Ward and prepared to kill them. He revealed his top-grade Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades, which killed Pei Sanjiu’s two subordinates while Pei Sanjiu defended himself with a superior-grade artifact.

• Liu Yu noticed Pei Sanjiu and two Fellowship members following him, then flew west to draw them away from the market ward.
• Liu Yu assessed the pursuers’ cultivation levels and landed beside a secluded river after flying for half an hour.
• Pei Sanjiu offered Liu Yu food, drink, and protection if he joined the Cultivators’ Fellowship as its alchemist.
• Liu Yu rejected the offer and attacked all three men with his top-grade Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades.
• Pei Sanjiu blocked the blades with a superior-grade defensive artifact, but the son blades destroyed his subordinates’ artifacts and killed them.

Liu Yu killed Pei Sanjiu and two other members of the Cultivators’ Fellowship, then returned to Cold Moon City to recover and inspect their belongings. He found a specially marked Voice-Transmitting Talisman whose information surprised him.

• Pei Sanjiu begged for his life, but Liu Yu used the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades and the Golden Silk Mirror to defeat his artifacts and kill him.
• Liu Yu burned the three corpses, took their Storage Bags, and flew back to his residence in Cold Moon City.
• Liu Yu restored his magical power, then emptied Pei Sanjiu's Storage Bag and found spirit stones, pills, artifacts, a cultivation manual, and a specially marked Voice-Transmitting Talisman.
• Liu Yu read the talisman's information with his divine sense, and his pupils contracted in surprise.

Liu Yu learned that the Hehuan Sect, the Cultivators’ Fellowship, and the Feng Household planned to attack a spirit herb garden, with Purple Sun Grass promised as a reward. He chose to pursue the opportunity himself and prepared to approach the Feng Household while concealing his knowledge.

• Liu Yu read a talisman revealing the planned attack and the promise of Purple Sun Grass, which could improve a cultivator’s chances of foundation establishment.
• Liu Yu decided not to report the plot to the Primordial Yang Sect and began planning to rally fellow disciples and allied households against the conspirators.
• Liu Yu searched the other Storage Bags, collected their spoils, and resumed refining Jade Spirit Pills in his Immortal Mansion.
• The next day, Liu Yu learned that the city lord and an Immortal Master surnamed Feng had come to see him.
• Liu Yu invited the visitors to the Lake Pavilion, intending to keep the Feng Household reassured while he sought information about the Hehuan Sect cultivators.