Chapter Summaries

The Black Wind Three Fiends followed Lin Changheng out of the Black Market, intending to rob and kill him. Lin Changheng detected them and ambushed the burly leader, who countered with defensive talismans and a giant bag as the fight began.

• The Black Wind Three Fiends decided Lin Changheng was an easy target and followed him out of the Black Market, planning to attack before he reached the Desolate Ruins Market.
• Lin Changheng noticed the three cultivators trailing him and used his [Spirit-Sensing Technique] to identify their cultivation levels.
• Lin Changheng disappeared behind a hillside, prompting the three men to split up and surround his position.
• The burly cultivator found Lin Changheng missing, then turned toward a sudden attack and raised an earthen barrier and a [Water Curtain Talisman].
• Lin Changheng's mid-grade [Ice Spike Talisman] shattered the water curtain and nearly broke the barrier, cutting the burly cultivator's face.
• The burly cultivator cursed Lin Changheng and released a giant yellow cloth bag that opened toward the attack's source.

Lin Changheng used Earth Escape Art and a surprise attack to kill the robber cultivator leading the ambush, then pursued his two companions. He killed the short cultivator with an enormous Fireball Technique while the gaunt robber fled.

• The tall, burly cultivator trapped Lin Changheng in a storm of sand from the Sinking Sand Bag, but Lin used Earth Escape Art to appear behind him and kill him with a Fireball Technique.
• The short robber cultivator and his gaunt companion arrived, saw their eldest brother dead, and fled in opposite directions.
• Lin sent the Jade Bamboo Whip after the short cultivator and pursued him with the Wasp Blade and a massive Fireball Technique.
• The short cultivator's iron sword and jade-pendant shield failed to stop the fireball, and he burned to death as his companion cried out.

Lin Changheng killed three tribulation cultivators and searched their belongings after returning to Desolate Ruins Market. He discovered nearly four hundred bottles of [Earthfire Lizard] essence blood, enough to continue spirit seizure for the [Earthfire Lizard Treasure Seed], and began assessing the valuable magic artifacts he had taken.

• Lin Changheng killed the three tribulation cultivators, retrieved their magic artifacts and storage bags, extinguished the burning trees with the [Fire-Repelling Art], and erased traces of the battle.
• Back at the Immortal Inn in Desolate Ruins Market, Lin Changheng searched the three storage bags and found spirit stones, elixirs, talismans, and other ordinary loot.
• Lin Changheng opened a sealed wooden chest and discovered nearly four hundred bottles of [Earthfire Lizard] essence blood.
• Lin Changheng counted the remaining loot at a little over two hundred spirit stones and roughly three hundred and thirty spirit stones' worth of ordinary goods, excluding the essence blood and magic artifacts.
• Lin Changheng refined the [Sinking Sand Bag] and found it was an exceptional mid-grade magic artifact, then inspected the four low-grade artifacts, including the damaged [Flowerstone Shield] and intact [Silverpath Needles].

Lin Changheng refined the Sinking Sand Bag and absorbed Earthfire Lizard essence blood, gaining a powerful Fire-Repelling Monster Art and greater resistance to flames. He tested the art outside the market and found it could instantly repel both his fire spell and a fire talisman.

• Lin Changheng decided to keep the Sinking Sand Bag and sell the other stolen goods, then reminded himself to avoid the risks of robbery and conflict.
• Lin Changheng spent two or three days refining the Sinking Sand Bag and tested its ability to gather and unleash wind and sand.
• Lin Changheng absorbed Earthfire Lizard essence blood, formed a fifthfold treasure seed, and gained the Fire-Repelling Art and passive resistance to flames.
• Lin Changheng continued spirit seizure until he formed the Earthfire Lizard True Core and his second Monster Art, which could repel even superior-grade first-tier fire spells.
• The next day, Lin Changheng tested the Fire-Repelling Monster Art outside the market and instantly dispersed a Fireball Technique and a Fire Arrow Talisman.

Lin Changheng tested the limits of his Fire-Repelling Monster Art, then attended a crowded two-day auction. When a damaged feather and essence blood carrying a rare nethervoid bloodline appeared, he decided to bid, though the bundled lot left the audience hesitant.

• Lin Changheng used the Fire-Repelling Monster Art to dispel three fused Fire Arrow Talismans and concluded that he could manage at most two superior-grade fire spells in succession.
• Lin Changheng escaped underground when he heard people approaching, then entered the market and bought a seat at the upcoming auction.
• Lin Changheng restrained himself during the auction and bought a Mid-Grade Wood-Type Pill Formula and a superior-grade fire-type pill formula.
• At the auction’s second-day finale, the old man presented a damaged feather and a drop of essence blood from a rare wind-type avian monster with a nethervoid bloodline.
• Lin Changheng decided to bid on the bundled feather and essence blood, while the other guests hesitated over the starting price and the unwanted item.

Lin Changheng won an earlier auction lot for 470 Spirit Stones after a white-robed cultivator stopped bidding, then watched the auction unveil the Foundation Establishment Spirit Treasure Azurefall Cold Branch. The bidding for the branch began at 3,000 Spirit Stones.

• Lin Changheng bid 470 Spirit Stones for a lot after competing with a white-robed female cultivator, who stopped bidding after someone secretly advised her through the Sound Transmission Technique.
• The presiding old man awarded the lot to Lin Changheng, who completed the transaction with an attendant and returned to the auction hall.
• Two Foundation Establishment cultivators escorted an attendant carrying the Azurefall Cold Branch onto the stage, startling the auction crowd with their presence.
• The old man revealed that refining the branch could raise a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator's chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment by ten percent.
• The old man set the Azurefall Cold Branch's starting price at 3,000 Spirit Stones, with minimum bids of 100.

Lin Changheng watched proxy bidders compete for a Foundation Establishment Spirit Treasure, then avoided attention while studying the pill formulas and demonic beast materials he had acquired. He remained in the Immortal Inn for five days, with seven days left before his agreed departure with the Xu Family caravan.

• Lin Changheng deduced that the bidding Rogue Cultivators were proxies for Lineages concealing their efforts to obtain the Foundation Establishment Spirit Treasure.
• An aged bidder won the treasure for nine thousand five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Lin Changheng left the Auction hall, circled the Market Ward to shake off potential pursuers, and entered the Immortal Inn.
• Lin Changheng spent five days inside the inn cultivating and studying the Red Heaven Dharma Pill and Jade Rong Pill formulas.
• Lin Changheng learned from the Beast Taming Master's Detailed Guide how the acquired feathers and essence blood could be used.

Lin Changheng used a tiny drop of essence blood to create a Wind-Splitting Falcon treasure seed and discovered its powerful talents. While seeking supplies and more turbid-baleful essence blood, he learned the Beast-Taming Sun Clan was being forced to change its business model under pressure from the Upper Sect.

• Lin Changheng performed Spirit Seizure on the Wind-Splitting Falcon essence blood, forming a treasure seed that granted two points of progress and revealed three innate talents.
• Lin Changheng tried Spirit Seizure on the remaining feather, but the Origin Cauldron did not respond, so he sealed it away.
• Lin Changheng bought ingredients for a nourishing liquid and a Wood-Type Pill to strengthen the weakened Black-Armored Earth Turtle egg.
• Lin Changheng tried to reserve large quantities of turbid-baleful Demon Beast essence blood, but shopkeepers directed him toward major cultivation clans and the Beast-Taming Sun Clan.
• A shopkeeper told Lin Changheng that the Upper Sect had suppressed the Beast-Taming Sun Clan's conspicuous immortal city, forcing the clan to adopt the Song Family's broader shop model.

Lin Changheng learned that the Sun Clan might open a shop in the Xu and Liu families’ new Market Ward in Dustless Valley, then suspected a veiled passenger in the Xu Family caravan was carrying something valuable. The caravan was ambushed by poison and attackers seeking revenge for the Chen Family’s destruction, while Lin Changheng and the woman stayed concealed and unharmed.

• Lin Changheng questioned a shopkeeper about the Sun Clan’s expansion plans and resolved to seek a posting in Dustless Valley if the clan opened a shop there.
• During the caravan journey, Lin Changheng noticed the steward frequently patrolling near his carriage and inferred that the veiled woman was under protection.
• Lin Changheng suspected the Xu Family had secretly acquired a Foundation Establishment Spirit Treasure and hoped the caravan would avoid drawing attention.
• Steward Xu Xulin detected poison, warned the caravan, and led the Xu Family members in taking Antidote Pills and forming a defensive formation.
• Attackers ambushed the caravan, and Xu Xulin recognized them as enemies who had previously attacked the Xu Family and threatened the Chen Family’s last surviving member.
• Lin Changheng and the veiled woman remained inside the shielded carriage, relieved when they realized the attackers were not people who had followed them from the Market Ward.

Lin Changheng assessed the bandit ambush and joined the Xu Family’s defense after Xu Xulin asked him to help a young Veil Hat cultivator. He headed toward her fight with Chen Guqing, hoping to show the Xu Family his support while avoiding blame if she could not be saved.

• Lin Changheng agreed to leave the carriage with the Veil Hat woman, then concealed himself and observed the battle as she rushed to help Xu Xulin.
• The Veil Hat woman drew Chen Guqing away from Xu Xulin, but his seventh-layer cultivation and Giant Sickle put her in grave danger despite her Golden Bell Talisman and silver disc.
• Xu Xulin was wounded while trying to reach her, then steadied himself and continued fighting his opponent.
• Lin Changheng and Xu Family cultivators killed two bandits, shifting the battle in the Xu Family’s favor.
• Xu Xulin asked Lin Changheng to help the Veil Hat woman and promised to take responsibility if anything went wrong.
• Lin Changheng accepted the risk and headed toward the fight between the Veil Hat woman and Chen Guqing.

Chen Guqing used a lust-inducing powder to overwhelm the veiled female cultivator, but she struck him with a Superior-Grade Attack Talisman before losing consciousness. As Chen Guqing recovered from the blast, Lin Changheng ambushed him with Cold Wind Talismans.

• Lin Changheng used a [Swift Travel Talisman] to hurry toward the battle while Chen Guqing deliberately drew the veiled female cultivator farther away.
• Chen Guqing slipped scarlet powder through her Golden Bell Talisman, and the powder made her weak and overwhelmed her with desire.
• The veiled female cultivator fought to preserve her clarity, then fired a Superior-Grade Attack Talisman at Chen Guqing before collapsing unconscious.
• Chen Guqing blocked most of the talisman's force with a Superior-Grade Defensive Magic Artifact but was knocked off balance and slightly injured.
• Lin Changheng, who had approached under concealment and used Earth Escape, attacked Chen Guqing with three mid-grade [Cold Wind Talismans].

Lin Changheng defeated and killed Chen Guqing, then collected his magic artifacts and planned to conceal his role in the battle. He began crafting a false account that would blame Chen Guqing’s death on the veiled female cultivator’s hidden talisman.

• Chen Guqing was trapped by Lin Changheng’s talismans and giant vines, then tried to bargain for his life while secretly readying his weapons.
• Lin Changheng used the Azure Flood Dragon Banner to restrain Chen Guqing’s Giant Sickle and blasted through his Black Shield with three enormous fireballs.
• Lin Changheng killed Chen Guqing with the Wandering Bee Sword, destroyed the corpse, and collected his Storage Bag and magic artifacts.
• Lin Changheng decided not to use the seized artifacts and resolved to hide that he had killed Chen Guqing.
• Lin Changheng planned to claim that Chen Guqing had attacked the veiled female cultivator and been gravely wounded by her concealed talisman.

Lin Changheng used the [Poison-Transforming Demonic Art] to clear the crimson mist from Xu Hanji and absorbed it without suffering its effects. He stayed beside her rather than take her Storage Bag, and the Xu Family members arrived as she slept.

• Lin Changheng discovered that the unconscious female cultivator was Xu Hanji, a daughter of the Xu Family's main line.
• Xu Hanji briefly recognized Lin Changheng before the crimson mist overwhelmed her again, and he used the [Poison-Transforming Demonic Art] to stop its effects.
• Lin Changheng absorbed and refined the crimson mist, chose not to take Xu Hanji's Storage Bag, and waited nearby.
• Xu Xulin arrived with Xu Xuheng and Xu Qianzhan, and they hurried toward Xu Hanji.

Lin Changheng helped the Xu Family rescue Xu Hanwu and returned with the family head, while the following years brought mounting conflict with the Qiu Family. The Xu Family’s fortunes changed when Xu Xujun returned as a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator.

• Lin Changheng explained how he had saved Xu Hanwu, and Xu Xuheng thanked him while promising personal and Lineage rewards.
• Xu Qianzhan praised Lin Changheng for his honesty, and the Xu Family head agreed to honor Lin’s wish to avoid the limelight.
• Lin Changheng and the recovering Xu Hanwu returned with Xu Xuheng aboard a Spell Boat.
• Over the next four years, the Qiu Family increasingly provoked and suppressed the Xu Family over holdings from the former Chen Family territory.
• When the Xu Family head remained in the Lineage during an apparent foundation-establishment attempt, the Qiu Family’s attack and scheme to unsettle him failed.
• Xu Xujun returned with his Foundation Establishment cultivation stabilized, prompting the Xu Family to celebrate its rise into a Foundation Establishment Family.

Lin Changheng received a superior-grade pill furnace from the Xu Family and refined his Lantern Grass Spirit treasure seed to its fifth tier, extending his lifespan. The transformation path revealed that he could refine the true essence of the divine ability Glorious Life.

• Xu Hanwu presented Lin Changheng with a superior-grade pill furnace as the Xu Family's reward and encouragement.
• The Xu and Liu families welcomed the Sun Clan into Azure Spirit Ward after a lengthy negotiation.
• Lin Changheng used the final batch of mountain and marsh spirit essence blood from the Liu Family to complete spirit seizure for his Lantern Grass Spirit treasure seed.
• Lin Changheng refined the fifth-tier seed, gaining another five years of lifespan and raising his total lifespan to 143 years.
• Lin Changheng discovered that transforming the seed could let him refine the true essence of the divine ability Glorious Life.

Lin Changheng comprehended the cycle of withering silence and glorious life, broke through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, and used his Origin treasure seed to reconstruct his incomplete cultivation art. He had finished revising its first eight layers and was developing the ninth.

• The Origin Cauldron showed Lin Changheng a vision of a withered tree reborn in emerald light, helping him understand glorious life and withering silence as a cycle.
• Lin Changheng decided to seek wood-element mystic spirit essence blood by applying to guard Azure Spirit Ward, where the Beast-Taming Sun Clan had arrived.
• Lin Changheng revealed that he had reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining after refining the Crimson Powder, whose side effects were neutralized by his Poison-Transforming Demonic Art.
• Lin Changheng activated his mid-grade Spirit Gathering Array and considered how to extend the incomplete Lihuo Night-Illuminating Art beyond its seventh layer.
• The fourth-tier Origin treasure seed enhanced Lin Changheng's comprehension, and he completed revisions through the eighth layer while forming a framework for the ninth.

Lin Changheng visited Xu Hanji to request a resident chief pill master posting in Azure Spirit Ward and an application for the superior-grade pill dao inheritance. Xu Hanji agreed to submit both requests to the clan, and Lin Changheng later encountered the overly friendly Pill Master Xu on his way to the Pill Room.

• Lin Changheng checked his Spirit Seizure treasure seed and left after tending to his mud-loving Black-Armored Young Turtle.
• Lin Changheng visited Xu Hanji and asked to become the resident chief pill master in Azure Spirit Ward.
• Xu Hanji said she would raise Lin Changheng's posting request with her father and the clan, noting that competition for the position was fierce.
• Lin Changheng also asked Xu Hanji to submit his application for the superior-grade pill dao inheritance, and she agreed to act immediately.
• Lin Changheng left for the Pill Room and encountered Pill Master Xu, who walked alongside him despite Lin Changheng's cool reception.

Lin Changheng tested the strengthened [Limb Hardening Otherworldly Art] and reunited with Xu Fugui and Bai Fengxian, who urged him to reach Foundation Establishment on their behalf. A month later, the Xu Family appointed him chief Pill Master of its shop in Azure Spirit Ward and granted him access to a superior-grade Pill Dao inheritance.

• Lin Changheng chose [Limb Hardening] and found that it resisted low-grade magic artifacts and even mid-grade ones without magical energy.
• Xu Fugui hosted a banquet where he and Lin Changheng caught up with Bai Fengxian, who planned to work on the Frontier Reclamation Battlefield.
• Xu Fugui revealed that he had advanced to late Qi Refining with a Realm-Breaking Pill after his depleted yang essence made his bottleneck hard to overcome.
• Bai Fengxian admitted he would not reach late Qi Refining and asked Lin Changheng to see the sights beyond Foundation Establishment for him.
• Lin Changheng promised to pursue Foundation Establishment, and a month later the Xu Family appointed him chief Pill Master of its Alchemy Shop in Azure Spirit Ward and offered him a superior-grade Pill Dao inheritance.

Lin Changheng received the Xu Family’s superior-grade Pill Dao legacy and studied it, gaining an initial grasp of its techniques. As he prepared to take up his post at the Azure Spirit Ward, he learned that Mo Zhaoli of the Purple Pole Sect was returning home to visit her family.

• The Xu Family entrusted Lin Changheng with its Two-Yi Profound Furnace Secret Record and told him to keep the news secret.
• Xu Family members discussed Lin Changheng’s rise and spread rumors about his relationship with Tantai.
• Lin Changheng visited the Scripture Repository Hall, where the steward apologized and handed him the superior-grade Pill Dao scroll.
• Lin Changheng studied the scroll for half a month and gained an initial grasp of its more complex pill-refining techniques.
• Five days later, Lin Changheng learned that Mo Zhaoli of the Purple Pole Sect would be returning home to visit her family.

Lin Changheng learned that Mo Zhaoli was returning to visit her grandfather and considered the Xu Family’s hopes of strengthening ties with her. That night, Tantai Feiyue returned and embraced Lin Changheng, and the two shared a passionate kiss.

• Lin Changheng postponed leaving the clan after learning Mo Zhaoli was coming to visit her grandfather.
• The Xu Family planned to welcome Mo Zhaoli and deepen its relationship with her, while she prepared to seek the resources needed for foundation establishment.
• Tantai Feiyue visited Lin Changheng at night after returning from the Azure Spirit Ward.
• Lin Changheng and Tantai Feiyue embraced and kissed, and their intimacy began to grow.