Chapter Summaries

Tong Mingshan abandoned the Hundred Refinements Sect’s method and tried to use his twofold true fire to imitate his own heart and refine a True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart. After repeated failures, he found a way to coordinate his perception, intent, and fire, and began shaping its intricate structures.

• Tong Mingshan resolved to attempt a True Exquisite Heart after realizing that continuing with his old refining method would leave him unable to compete.
• Tong Mingshan studied his beating heart and decided to use it as a model, guiding his twofold true fire with his intent.
• Shi Chun questioned Luo Wan’s claims about the advantage of absorbing more divine fires, prompting the Bright Mountain Sect to realize that its assumptions about Tong Mingshan’s strength might be wrong.
• Sect elders and contestants doubted Tong Mingshan’s ability, while Luo Yan noticed that Zuo Zisheng could benefit if the stronger competitors failed at their True Exquisite Hearts.
• Tong Mingshan practiced refining the heart’s basic structures and learned to coordinate his perception and intent with the twofold true fire.
• Tong Mingshan’s twofold true fire excavated, shaped, and finished microscopic sections of the imitation heart, leaving each completed section in place.

Li Hongjiu revealed his hidden ability to refine a true exquisite heart, while Tong Mingshan practiced an unconventional method under mounting pressure. As Luo Shengsheng neared completion and Zuo Zisheng finished an eight-orifice heart, Tong Mingshan combined his discarded materials and unleashed a powerful black-and-white flame.

• Li Hongjiu restarted his work and used spellwork to construct the traces of a true exquisite heart, while Shi Chun struggled to understand Tong Mingshan's unusual technique.
• Tong Mingshan repeatedly practiced refining small sections of material, honing his control of true fire as the experts watched in confusion.
• Zuo Zisheng combined his eight pieces of material and appeared poised to finish an Eight-Orifice Exquisite Heart with a quarter of the time remaining.
• Luo Shengsheng's material began emitting seven-colored rosy radiance, and Yan Qufeng explained that it signaled a completed true exquisite heart.
• Tong Mingshan gathered the eight pieces he had discarded around his red-hot material and unleashed a black-and-white blaze that weakened the divine fires of the contestants beside him.

Tong Mingshan secretly forged a heart by synchronizing his perception with his Twofold True Fire while Luo Shengsheng and Li Hongjiu competed to refine multiple apertures of True Exquisite Hearts. Just as Li Hongjiu prepared to continue refining, the crowd’s attention shifted to Tong Mingshan, leaving the outcome of his unusual method unknown.

• Zuo Zisheng submitted an Eight-Orifice Exquisite Heart that passed inspection, while Luo Shengsheng completed one aperture of a True Exquisite Heart and began a second.
• Tong Mingshan fused his nine pieces of material and continued refining by harmonizing his inner perception with the flames, enduring a vivid and punishing mental struggle.
• Luo Shengsheng completed a second aperture and began a third as the remaining contest time dwindled.
• Li Hongjiu revealed three apertures in rapid succession using his model fusion technique, alarming the spectators and exhausting his mental strength.
• Li Hongjiu decided to refine two more apertures to outpace Luo Shengsheng, but a shout about Tong Mingshan caused the crowd to turn toward him.

As Tong Mingshan’s radiance spread across his material, the spectators realized he might be refining all nine apertures of a True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart at once. Li Hongjiu, Luo Shengsheng, and Gu Liani pushed themselves to keep up, while Tong Mingshan’s hair began turning gray as he pursued the contest’s supreme prize.

• Li Hongjiu saw Tong Mingshan refining the material in a way unlike the other contestants and realized his work might be a true exquisite heart.
• Luo Wan and Shi Chun said they did not know whether Tong Mingshan had learned the technique elsewhere, while the expert surnamed Wang speculated that Tong Mingshan had suddenly attained understanding.
• Li Hongjiu abandoned his earlier effort to conserve strength, and Luo Shengsheng and Gu Liani continued refining despite their visible exhaustion.
• Luo Shengsheng began refining his fourth aperture, and Li Hongjiu advanced to his fifth while watching Tong Mingshan’s radiance spread almost halfway through the material.
• Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi noticed that Tong Mingshan’s black hair was gradually turning gray as he continued refining.
• Shi Chun’s group realized Tong Mingshan had never given up and was fighting for the contest’s supreme throne.

The artifact-refining contest pushed its competitors to the brink as Mi Liangmeng, Gu Liani, and Luo Shengsheng finished and submitted their work, leaving Li Hongjiu and Tong Mingshan to continue. Tong Mingshan opened his eyes with his hair turned white and revealed a deep-blue refined object, while the final contest remained unresolved.

• Mi Liangmeng completed one aperture and submitted his assembled work, then Gu Liani finished her own despite bleeding and collapsed after handing it to the judges.
• Li Hongjiu advanced to the seventh aperture, while the strain and pressure caused Luo Shengsheng to cough blood, abandon further refining, and submit his work.
• Tong Mingshan's hair turned completely white as he continued refining, and he opened his eyes when his heart-shaped object reached its final stage.
• The seven-colored light faded from Tong Mingshan's cooled object, which cracked apart to reveal a deep-blue, metallic-looking artifact.

Tong Mingshan presented his white-haired transformation’s True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, whose flawless, thunderous heartbeat astonished the judges and spectators. Li Hongjiu conceded defeat, then was beaten by Qu Wuming for destroying his own seven-aperture heart instead of submitting it for adjudication.

• Tong Mingshan walked to the adjudicators and presented his refined Exquisite Heart for inspection.
• The Blazing Fire Sect elder tested the heart, which beat with a deep, thunder-like resonance; the expert surnamed Wang explained that this sound marked an exceptionally precise True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart.
• The other elders examined the heart, while Luo Yan accepted that Tong Mingshan’s skill had surpassed the competition.
• Li Hongjiu extinguished his remaining fires, destroyed his unfinished work, and conceded defeat to Tong Mingshan.
• Qu Wuming learned that Li Hongjiu had completed only seven apertures and destroyed his creation without submitting it for adjudication, then beat him and ordered him to kneel for a month after they returned.

Tong Mingshan won the artifact-refining competition by creating a True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, bringing glory to the Bright Mountain Sect but leaving him physically exhausted and with white hair. When the Hundred Refinements Sect invited him back, Shi Chun warned its sect master that Mulan Jin was waiting to arrest them over alleged ties to the Demonic Path.

• The judges confirmed Tong Mingshan's True Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, and the announcement sparked celebration and outrage among spectators and bettors.
• Crowds across the four Royal Capitals watched Tong Mingshan's victory, while Feng Chi, Mulan Qingqing, and others reacted with joy and surprise.
• Tong Mingshan discovered his hair had turned white, and the Bright Mountain Sect's members comforted and congratulated him.
• Yan Qufeng offered Tong Mingshan an elder's seat at the Hundred Refinements Sect, but Tong Mingshan refused, saying he could not return.
• Shi Chun stopped Luo Wan from pressuring Tong Mingshan and warned Yan Qufeng that Mulan Jin was in the valley, ready to arrest them over suspected Demonic Path connections.

The Divine Fire Pact’s leaders displayed the Three Great Sects’ treasures before announcing Tong Mingshan as the one who inherited the flame. The Hundred Refinements Sect withdrew its invitation to Tong Mingshan because of the Demonic Path, while Shi Chun arranged to retrieve his Sect Master’s artifact as the ceremony began.

• Tong Mingshan confirmed that Mulan Jin of the Stargazing Pavilion had come for Shi Chun’s group, and Yan Qufeng withdrew the Hundred Refinements Sect’s invitation to avoid involving the sect with the Demonic Path.
• Shi Chun told Wu Jinliang to retrieve the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart that their Sect Master had refined, intending to give it as a gift.
• Luo Yan displayed the True Flame Wish-Granting Tower, Gu Yanduo revealed an Azure Flood Dragon remnant soul, and Su Qiao demonstrated the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade by slicing the arena’s incense burner in half.
• Gong Shaoci offered to buy the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, but Gong Yuanzhi said they should pay fairly and avoid forcing a sale.
• The Blazing Fire Sect Master announced that Tong Mingshan of the Bright Mountain Sect had inherited the flame, and Tong Mingshan went to collect his prizes.
• Qu Wuming scolded Li Hongjiu for joking about the Three Great Sects surrendering their treasures and extended his punishment by another month.

Tong Mingshan received the three treasures for winning the Divine Fire Pact, while Shi Chun’s group recovered the Exquisite Heart and returned to their lodgings. As the Stargazing Pavilion prepared to take them into custody, Luo Yan negotiated for time to question Shi Chun, who revealed that the nine departed sect leaders had secretly gathered in his room.

• Tong Mingshan accepted the True Flame Wish-Granting Tower, the orb containing the Remnant Dragon Artifact Spirit, and the bow-shaped blade, while the sect leaders invited him to join their sects.
• Wu Jinliang loudly demanded the Exquisite Heart from the Great Inscription Pavilion and returned it to Shi Chun.
• Shi Chun brought his group back to their lodgings, while Luo Yan learned that the other nine sects had left and their leaders had departed at the same time.
• Luo Yan asked Mulan Jin to delay taking Shi Chun into custody so he could question him, and Mulan Jin arranged for two men to accompany Luo Yan in disguise.
• Shi Chun entered a side room and found the disguised leaders of the Nine Great Sects waiting inside.

Shi Chun waited for Luo Yan to come seeking the Secret Art for finding Divine Fire while the Nine Great Sects hid in the Main Hall. Luo Yan confronted him and demanded the secret, and Shi Chun offered to sell it for the same price the other sects had paid as Luo Yan threatened to hand him over to the Stargazing Pavilion.

• Gu Yanduo explained that Luo Yan would likely seek out Shi Chun after the Nine Great Sects left, and Shi Chun worried the Stargazing Pavilion might reach him first.
• Luo Yan arrived at the Bright Mountain Sect with five people, and Shi Chun ushered him into the Main Hall while the other sect leaders hid in the rafters.
• Luo Yan searched for Tong Mingshan, but his disciple reported that Tong was meditating in the Side Room, leaving Shi Chun to suspect the hidden sect leaders had escaped notice.
• Luo Yan asked about the Secret Art for finding Divine Fire, and Shi Chun admitted that the Nine Great Sects knew of it because they had paid him.
• Shi Chun offered Luo Yan the same price as the other sects, and Luo Yan threatened to let the Stargazing Pavilion take him unless he revealed the secret.

Shi Chun negotiated collateral from Luo Yan in exchange for revealing that Fire God Incense had helped him find Divine Fire, then exposed that Situ Gu had made and given him the incense. Luo Yan abandoned Shi Chun to the Stargazing Pavilion, whose agents ordered the Bright Mountain Sect to come with them; Shi Chun sent Mulan Qingqing a message as Tong Mingshan prepared to leave.

• Shi Chun tested Luo Yan's promise to protect him from the Stargazing Pavilion and obtained valuables from the Heavenforging Sect as collateral.
• Shi Chun told Luo Yan that Fire God Incense guided its smoke toward nearby Divine Fire and said Situ Gu had supplied it.
• Situ Gu admitted that he had refined the incense and given it to Shi Chun, explaining that it might be toxic in the Divine Fire Domain.
• Luo Yan left with Situ Gu and the other Heavenforging Sect members, refusing to take responsibility for Shi Chun's trouble with the Stargazing Pavilion.
• Two agents showed the Pivot Star Token and ordered everyone from the Bright Mountain Sect to come with them.
• Shi Chun told Tong Mingshan that the Stargazing Pavilion had arrived and messaged Mulan Qingqing that he was still inside Artifact Cloud Valley.

The Stargazing Pavilion detained Shi Chun and the Bright Mountain Sect, but Mulan Qingqing intervened and secured their release. After returning to the Inn, Shi Chun warned that the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade should be sold through a staged transaction so its later disappearance would have a plausible explanation.

• Gong Shaoci learned that the Stargazing Pavilion had intercepted the Bright Mountain Sect, and Gong Yuanzhi went to keep watch over Shi Chun’s situation.
• Mulan Qingqing asked Mulan Jin to release Shi Chun so she could keep her promise to duel him, and Mulan Jin ultimately let the group go.
• Mulan Jin warned Mulan Qingqing that Shi Chun had wounded Li Hongjiu, while Gu Liani confirmed that Shi Chun was too powerful and cunning for her to challenge safely.
• Shi Chun reunited with the Bright Mountain Sect and their companions, who welcomed the group back after their close escape.
• At the Inn, Shi Chun proposed arranging a high-priced purchase of the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade followed by a staged theft to conceal where it went.

Shi Chun demanded five billion for the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, then captured Xiang Lan'er after she denied promising to become his woman. As Xiang Lan'er prepared to report his demands and Mulan Qingqing fled rather than meet him, Gong Shaoci arrived at the inn and was led to the target room.

• Shi Chun argued that the Stargazing Pavilion's interest made the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade dangerous to everyone involved, and he demanded five billion from the Demonic Path for it.
• Xiang Lan'er agreed to report Shi Chun's price to her superiors, and Shi Chun sent Mulan Qingqing a flattering message while worrying that the Stargazing Pavilion had another move planned.
• Shi Chun tried to force Xiang Lan'er to honor her alleged promise, then used the Immortal-Strangling Sash to bind her and sealed her acupoints when she resisted.
• Feng Chi saw Shi Chun with the bound Xiang Lan'er but withdrew, and later returned to free Xiang Lan'er after Shi Chun left.
• Xiang Lan'er raged and considered fighting Shi Chun, but Feng Chi stopped her, and she resolved to relay his demands to her superiors.
• Gong Shaoci arrived at the inn with two attendants, and the advance man led him to the target room.

Gong Shaoci visited Shi Chun to buy the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, but Shi Chun refused to identify its buyer. When Lei Ying struck Duan Xiangmei, Wu Jinliang stood up to defend her, and Shi Chun joined him in refusing to kneel.

• Gong Shaoci offered Shi Chun two billion for the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, but Shi Chun said he had already sold it for five billion and would not reveal the buyer.
• Gong Shaoci left after Shi Chun refused to break his promise, and Lei Ying shoved Wu Jinliang aside when he tried to check on what had happened.
• Lei Ying slapped Duan Xiangmei when she protested, prompting Wu Jinliang to draw his weapon and block Gong Shaoci's party.
• Shi Chun ordered Wu Jinliang to move and apologize, but Wu Jinliang refused, shielded Duan Xiangmei, and said he did not want to kneel anymore.
• Shi Chun turned toward Lei Ying and declared, "Then we won't kneel!"

Shi Chun forced Gong Shaoci’s group to apologize to Duan Xiangmei, then arranged with Feng Chi and Xiang Lan’er to expedite the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade transaction and manage the fallout. The Green-Robed Man relayed their superiors’ praise and orders, while Feng Chi warned that Shi Chun had become estranged from them and urged a swift handover.

• Shi Chun threatened to fight Gong Shaoci’s group and reveal the Secret Art for finding divine fire as a bounty on Lei Ying’s family unless Lei Ying apologized to Duan Xiangmei.
• Gong Shaoci ordered Lei Ying to apologize, and Shi Chun sent his group away after accepting the apology and acknowledging his reliance on the Miao Household’s influence.
• Shi Chun told Feng Chi and Xiang Lan’er that he had refused Gong Shaoci’s offer for the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade and urged them to arrange the five-billion transaction quickly and prepare for the Gong Household’s investigation.
• Young Master Nan questioned Shi Chun about provoking Gong Shaoci, then went to sound him out after learning the blade had drawn a five-billion offer.
• Wu Jinliang admitted acting impulsively, while Shi Chun reflected that they had become bolder because they felt they now had strength to rely on.
• The Green-Robed Man told Feng Chi and Xiang Lan’er that their superiors praised Shi Chun and wanted the blade transferred quickly and a detailed account of the Divine Fire Domain, while Feng Chi reported Shi Chun’s estrangement and urged urgent arrangements.

Shi Chun told Lan Qiaoyan and Miao Yilan about Gong Shaoci’s attempt to obtain the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, then revealed that the buyer was the innkeeper. Lan Qiaoyan concealed what she knew to smooth things over, but afterward suspected Shi Chun had been warning the Miao Household of a hidden danger.

• Shi Chun completed the sale of the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade to the Demonic Path’s Heavenly Change branch through the innkeeper, then refused Xiang Lan’er’s request for an account of his time in the Divine Fire Domain.
• Shi Chun visited Lan Qiaoyan and Miao Yilan, gave Miao Yilan a Metal Heart, and explained that Gong Shaoci had tried to buy the blade and resorted to threats when Shi Chun withheld the buyer’s identity.
• Lan Qiaoyan told Shi Chun that Gong Shaoci had wanted the blade for his father, then summoned Gong Shaoci to meet him.
• Shi Chun apologized to Gong Shaoci and disclosed that the innkeeper had bought the blade; Lan Qiaoyan acted as though she knew nothing of their dispute, and Gong Shaoci left on good terms with Shi Chun.
• Gong Shaoci noticed Miao Yilan putting away the Metal Heart and departed to report the buyer’s identity to his father.
• Lan Qiaoyan told Miao Yilan to prepare to leave and said she suspected Shi Chun had been trying to warn the Miao Household about something.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang killed a Jieyun Mountain ambush, and Shi Chun discovered that the Blood Soul Saber could drain blood qi and strengthen him. After Gong Yuanzhi and others were murdered over the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade, the Royal Court detained Shi Chun’s group, then released them with Young Master Nan’s help; the identity of Gong Yuanzhi’s killer remained unknown.

• Lan Qiaoyan and Miao Yilan discussed Shi Chun’s warning to keep their distance from Gong Shaoci and wondered what danger he knew about.
• A disguised Jieyun Mountain disciple lured Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang away from the inn, where Qiao Wugong, Bai Shuchuan, and five others ambushed them.
• Shi Chun killed all seven attackers with the Blood Soul Saber, discovered it absorbed their blood qi, and used the Demon-Bathing Art to drain the saber’s awakened evil spirit.
• Shi Chun told Xiang Lan’er and Feng Chi that Gong Shaoci was buying the Desolate-Breaking Remnant Blade for his father, then took the Bright Mountain Sect group away on the Palace Ship.
• After Gong Shaoci’s men killed the innkeeper who had sold the blade, the innkeeper and his watchers were found murdered; Gong Yuanzhi was also killed, leaving Gong Shaoci grieving and frightened.
• The Royal Court sealed the island and arrested Shi Chun’s group, but Young Master Nan helped secure their release; Shi Chun then wondered who had killed Gong Yuanzhi.

Shi Chun worked discreetly at Morning Moon Hall in Dazhi City while searching for Death-Defying Incense, which might restore the artifact spirits in his ruined treasures. He learned that the incense had once appeared near the city, and Dong Liangyu began to regard him as a genuine book lover.

• Shi Chun reflected on how he had spent two years lying low after the Divine Fire Pact and advanced his cultivation by refining demonic qi.
• Tong Mingshan and Young Master Nan both told Shi Chun that his damaged magical treasures could scarcely be repaired, so he focused on finding Death-Defying Incense to awaken their artifact spirits.
• Young Master Nan told Shi Chun that corpses less than three months dead had revived near Dazhi City after an unusual fragrance appeared, suggesting Death-Defying Incense had been used there.
• Shi Chun traveled to Dazhi City to investigate traces of the incense and took an errand job at Morning Moon Hall while searching old books for clues about Divine Bird Mountain.
• Dong Liangyu noticed that Shi Chun sincerely read and quietly appreciated the literary gatherings, and she began to think more highly of him.

Shi Chun accepted a low-paying job at the Dong family’s reading house and spent more than a year living quietly under the alias Wang Ping. While investigating the vanished Divine Bird Mountain and Golden Tower Mountain, he found no answers and continued to long for the figure who haunted his dreams.

• Dong Liangyu and her siblings investigated Shi Chun, gained Dong Wenshu’s approval, and offered him fifty gold a month with meals, lodging, and access to the library.
• Shi Chun agreed to work at the reading house, and Wu Jinliang asked to join him but was politely turned down.
• Shi Chun left the ranch and settled into the reading house, where he worked reliably and kept proper distance from the Dong sisters.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang adopted the aliases Wang Ping and Gao He while keeping their whereabouts secret from Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er.
• Shi Chun posted reward questions about Divine Bird Mountain and Golden Tower Mountain, but the reading house’s scholars could not answer either one.
• Shi Chun watched the busy street and reflected on his peaceful life, though he still dreamed of the person who haunted him.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang discussed their allies’ rapid cultivation progress and the risks it might bring. After more than a year of searching Dazhi City for clues to the Death-Defying Incense, Shi Chun decided to lure out anyone connected to it by staging an apparent public display of the incense.

• Dong Liangying watched Shi Chun at the book house while he and Wu Jinliang left to talk privately.
• Wu Jinliang told Shi Chun that An Wuzhi had reached the earth immortal realm and that Tong Mingshan and Zhu Xiangxin had reached grand completion of human immortal.
• Shi Chun worried that his rapidly advancing subordinates might eventually outgrow their dependence on him.
• Shi Chun showed Wu Jinliang a tin of black ointment and explained that he would use it to bait someone who recognized Death-Defying Incense.
• Shi Chun told Wu Jinliang to summon Chu Jingtang, Lao Changhai, and Xiao Sheng to run the operation while he and Wu Jinliang stayed out of sight.