Recaps

Chen Yu studied the Outer Sect Genius Ranking, learned about Liu Jun’s many martial skills, and decided to reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining before challenging him. Back at his residence, he invited Lü Yanyan inside after she came to visit.

• Chen Yu read that the ranked geniuses owed substantial contribution-point debts but could repay only the principal over thirty years after entering the Inner Sect.
• Chen Yu noticed that most ranked geniuses had stalled below the seventh layer of Qi Refining and decided not to take out a loan to cultivate.
• Chen Yu learned that Liu Jun had at least eight known martial skills and concluded that he should surpass Liu Jun in cultivation before challenging him.
• Chen Yu returned the ranking to the Records Room and resolved to reach the sixth-layer peak, then cultivate the Heavenly Blade Art and advance to the seventh layer.
• Lü Yanyan waited outside Chen Yu’s residence, and Chen Yu invited her inside.

Lü Yanyan visited Chen Yu, encouraged him after failing the Heavenly Union Association assessment, warned him about desperate indebted disciples, and offered to bring him meals. After three days of cultivation and visits to the Immortal Ruins, Chen Yu realized his progress with the Earth-Warding Art had stalled because he needed to advance the Flame-Transforming Art, just as Senior Sister Lü arrived.

• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu she had scored fifteen out of twenty on the Heavenly Union Association assessment and asked him for pointers.
• Lü Yanyan warned Chen Yu that desperate disciples with debts might target his recently earned Contribution Points and advised him to be careful.
• Lü Yanyan offered to bring Chen Yu food from the Dining Hall, and he accepted.
• Chen Yu spent the next three days cultivating, sharing meals with Senior Sister Lü, and checking the Immortal Ruins, where he gained two Qi Refining Pills and the Flying Sword Technique.
• Chen Yu saw that the Earth-Warding Art could no longer earn Experience Points and concluded he needed to cultivate the Flame-Transforming Art to make up his progress.
• Chen Yu realized he had run out of chili peppers for the Flame-Transforming Art just as Senior Sister Lü arrived.

Chen Yu cultivated through the night and used his Experience Points to reach the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refining, preparing to challenge Liu Jun after further training. He left Emerald Cloud Peak to claim the Immortal Ruins’ refreshed treasures, unaware that his neighbor watched him with loathing.

• Lü Yanyan brought Chen Yu spicy food and told him that Xu Xingyao had been refined into Spirit Essence over his debts, while Liu Jun had taken his place on the Outer Sect Genius Ranking.
• Chen Yu learned that Liu Jun had held onto tenth place despite challenges, and Lü Yanyan warned him not to rush into challenging Liu Jun.
• Chen Yu cultivated with chilies and Ah Zhen until he had enough Experience Points to reach the sixth-layer peak of Qi Refining, then spent forty-nine points to advance to 69/70.
• Chen Yu planned to earn one more Experience Point by practicing the Heavenly Blade Art and believed his abilities would let him defeat Liu Jun.
• At one in the morning, Chen Yu left his room to seek the Immortal Ruins’ refreshed treasures, while someone watched him from a crack in a nearby doorway.

Chen Yu sensed someone following him down Emerald Cloud Peak and used a Glowing Jade to shake them off, then met Ren Shaohua and learned about Liu Jun. After visiting the Immortal Ruins and returning home, Chen Yu again felt watched, unaware that someone with a swollen forehead was hiding next door.

• Chen Yu felt someone watching him as he descended Emerald Cloud Peak, threw a Glowing Jade behind him, and heard something crash before the feeling disappeared.
• Chen Yu met Ren Shaohua, who said Liu Jun had defeated him and warned Chen Yu that Liu Jun had poor eyesight.
• Chen Yu went to Little Bamboo Peak, entered the Immortal Ruins, and took two Qi Refining Pills.
• Chen Yu returned to his residence and felt watched again, while a resentful figure with a swollen forehead hid behind a cracked doorway next door.

Chen Yu mastered the Wind-Riding Art and Flying Sword Technique by using a rope to assist his practice. After accidentally frightening a passing disciple with his bizarre training and sword demonstration, he planned to earn one more Experience Point by practicing the Heavenly Blade Art.

• Chen Yu tied himself to a tree and practiced the Wind-Riding Art until he mastered it, then tested how it made him lighter and faster.
• A disciple saw Chen Yu swinging from the tree and ran to fetch Brother Wang, who dismissed his story after finding Chen Yu calmly wiping his sword.
• Chen Yu tied his sword to the rope and mastered the Flying Sword Technique, then tried directing the blade toward his waist with the scabbard there.
• The timid disciple returned and saw the sword plunge into Chen Yu, mistook the scene for a stabbing, and screamed before running after Brother Wang.
• Chen Yu found no one nearby after hearing the scream and decided to practice the Heavenly Blade Art to earn one more Experience Point.

Chen Yu mastered the Wind-Riding Art and Flying Sword Technique, then discovered that using a sword’s sharpness helped him cultivate the Heavenly Blade Art. After two hours of training with a Qi Refining Pill, he stood one experience point from reaching the seventh layer of Qi Refining and used his saved experience points.

• Chen Yu tested his newly mastered Wind-Riding Art and Flying Sword Technique and returned to his residence to study the Heavenly Blade Art.
• Lü Yanyan brought Chen Yu a meal and said she had caught a disciple violating the rules after he kicked another disciple.
• Chen Yu used his flying sword’s sharpness near his dantian to cultivate the Heavenly Blade Art, though he had to control the sword carefully to avoid stabbing himself.
• Chen Yu swallowed a Qi Refining Pill and cultivated for two hours, raising his progress to 69 out of 70 toward the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
• Chen Yu returned the flying sword to its scabbard and allocated his saved experience points, causing spiritual power to appear.

Chen Yu broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining and prepared to challenge Liu Jun while hiding his true strength and exploiting Liu Jun’s night blindness. He reached a secluded spot with Liu Jun, who accepted the challenge and revealed that he also stuttered.

• Chen Yu used 4 Experience Points to advance to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, strengthening his Spiritual Power and combat abilities.
• Chen Yu concealed his cultivation, painted his Standard Longsword black, and planned to use Liu Jun’s night blindness to disguise his strength.
• Chen Yu sensed that someone was following him again, but used the Wind-Riding Art to lose them and resolved to investigate after the challenge.
• Chen Yu found Liu Jun at the Jade Yao Inn and challenged him; Liu Jun accepted despite doubting Chen Yu’s strength.
• Chen Yu followed Liu Jun to a secluded spot, where Liu Jun stuttered as he announced that the challenge would begin.

Chen Yu challenged Liu Jun and used darkness, a flash of light, and a blackened robe to exploit Liu Jun’s night blindness. After Chen Yu secretly stabbed Liu Jun in the lower back, Liu Jun surrendered.

• Liu Jun agreed to a challenge with no restrictions, and Chen Yu accepted while imitating his stutter.
• Liu Jun attacked Chen Yu with his fists and sword, but Chen Yu easily dodged him and mocked his weak strength.
• Chen Yu blinded Liu Jun with Glowing Jade, causing him to crash into a tree.
• Chen Yu concealed himself in his ink-blackened robe while Liu Jun searched blindly and challenged him to come closer.
• Chen Yu stabbed Liu Jun in the lower back, and Liu Jun immediately surrendered.

Chen Yu forced Liu Jun to surrender his monthly contribution points while keeping his tenth-place ranking, then returned to cultivate and noticed signs that someone had been watching him. Next door, Xiang Baiwei questioned Chen Yu’s cultivation and wondered whether she had sensed a Key Seal near him.

• Chen Yu made Liu Jun sign a Forfeit Agreement and agree to transfer his contribution points each month in exchange for keeping his ranking and avoiding public humiliation.
• Chen Yu left with 209 contribution points and decided to cultivate diligently so he could reach Foundation Establishment.
• At his residence, Chen Yu noticed the neighboring door ajar and suspected someone had been watching him, but he went inside to cultivate.
• Xiang Baiwei considered how Chen Yu had shaken her off despite appearing to be at the fourth layer of Qi Refining and wondered whether he had practiced the Qi-Concealing Art.
• Xiang Baiwei recalled sensing a Key Seal near Chen Yu and questioned whether she had imagined it because he was not a woman.

Chen Yu learned that the New Disciple Initiation would include ordinary and privileged Outer Sect recruits, then rushed to the Heavenly Union Association to avoid being assigned to the event. He arrived too late: Senior Brother Ren told him his name had already been submitted.

• Chen Yu finished three days of cultivation and kept the alchemy book he had found in the Immortal Ruins.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu that the New Disciple Initiation was approaching and explained the Dao Sect's three categories of disciples.
• Chen Yu realized he did not want to spend time on the initiation mission and hurried to the Heavenly Union Association.
• Senior Brother Ren told Chen Yu that he had been selected to help with the initiation and that his name had already been submitted to the sect.

Chen Yu accepted his Heavenly Union Association mission, reached the qi refining seventh-layer peak, and went to the Immortal Ruins after midnight to look for treasure. He found a ring in the storeroom, where nothing had spawned before.

• Chen Yu learned his name had been submitted for the mission and consoled himself with the contribution points and merit point he would earn.
• Lü Yanyan brought Chen Yu saved food at the Dining Hall, where he noticed a girl glaring at him but decided she was not the person who had been watching him at night.
• Chen Yu chose to buy a cultivation manual before repaying Elder Sun's loan and cultivated at home.
• Chen Yu used three Qi Refining Pills to reach the qi refining seventh-layer peak before the New Disciple Initiation.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins after midnight and found a ring on a shelf in the storeroom.

Chen Yu discovered that the Storage Ring could hold objects and retrieve them from up to ten meters away, then hid it and stored his belongings inside. Next door, Ah Zhen sensed a Key Seal in Chen Yu’s possession and decided to investigate.

• Chen Yu tested the Storage Ring, learning he could store objects after linking them with spiritual power and that its range was ten meters.
• Chen Yu failed to store the pitch-black Coffin and left the Immortal Ruins with its treasures and Jade Pendant.
• Chen Yu hid the Storage Ring on a cord around his neck and stored Introduction to Alchemy, Ah Zhen, and a mysterious key inside it.
• The girl next door sensed the Key Seal in Chen Yu’s possession and resolved to investigate before returning to her vacant, bewildered manner.

Chen Yu joined Ren Shaohua, Xiang Baiwei, and the Heavenly Union Association on a mission to escort new disciples from Greenstone Town back to the Dao Sect. As the procession neared the sect, black-robed attackers ambushed them, and an Inner Sect disciple shouted in challenge.

• Chen Yu and the other association members left the Dao Sect and arrived at Greenstone Town with Ren Shaohua and Xiang Baiwei.
• Ren Shaohua warned Chen Yu to be wary of Xiang Baiwei, who had been watching him along the way.
• An Inner Sect disciple led the new disciples and ordered the group to return to the Dao Sect without stopping to rest.
• Ren Shaohua and Xiang Baiwei placed Chen Yu and the other members along the procession, where Chen Yu heard the registered disciples eagerly anticipate entering the Dao Sect.
• Black-robed figures appeared beside the procession and attacked, prompting an Inner Sect disciple to shout at them.

A masked leader and black-robed attackers ambushed the party escorting prospective Dao Sect disciples, trapping them inside a dark red barrier. Chen Yu tried to hide and wait for the Dao Sect elders, but a black-robed man blocked his escape and raised his saber.

• Black-robed men attacked the escort party near the Dao Sect, while a dark red barrier surrounded them and a masked man watched from a hillside.
• Chen Yu judged that the attackers were mostly at the seventh layer of qi refining and retreated behind the others as Ren Shaohua and Xiang Baiwei prepared to fight.
• Ren Shaohua was kicked aside, a Dao Sect disciple was killed, and the prospective disciples panicked and fled.
• Xiang Baiwei saved Ren Shaohua from a black-robed attacker, but Chen Yu slipped away amid the chaos.
• Chen Yu decided to hide until the Dao Sect elders arrived, but a black-robed man blocked his path and pointed a saber at him.

Chen Yu killed the black-robed man pursuing him with his hidden Flying Sword Technique, then concealed himself and began looting the battlefield as the Dao Sect elders attacked the Blood-Colored Grand Array. Xiang Baiwei spotted Chen Yu alive just before the array shattered.

• A black-robed man chased Chen Yu, who fled while waiting for a chance to strike without attracting the masked man's attention.
• Chen Yu used his Spirit Sword to kill his pursuer, stored the corpse and sword in his Storage Ring, and returned to hiding.
• The Dao Sect elders arrived outside the Blood-Colored Grand Array, and Chen Yu decided to loot nearby corpses while their attention was elsewhere.
• Xiang Baiwei searched for Chen Yu while retreating from two black-robed men, then spotted him among the newly admitted disciples moving toward the battlefield.
• The Blood-Colored Grand Array shattered after a deafening crash shook the area.

The Dao Sect elders destroyed the blood-colored array, but the Masked Man summoned a nascent soul-level shadow incarnation that threw the disciples' spiritual power into chaos. Sect Master Chu defeated the incarnation, and the elders began bringing the survivors back to the Dao Sect.

• The three Dao Sect elders shattered the blood-colored array and killed the Black-Robed Men at the qi refining seventh layer.
• The Masked Man summoned a nascent soul-level Grand Cultivator Shadow Talisman, causing many Dao Sect disciples to suffer damaged meridians or lose consciousness.
• Chen Yu found his spiritual power remained stable, deliberately drained it, and pretended to be unconscious.
• The Black-Robed Elder attacked the Dao Sect elders, but Sect Master Chu's giant sword stopped the strike and destroyed the shadow incarnation.
• The three elders protected the disciples from the clash, then began reviving survivors and preparing to return to the Dao Sect.

After surviving the attack, Chen Yu returned to the Dao Sect and planned to recover before examining the bodies he had stored. In the Immortal Ruins at midnight, a dead black-robed man suddenly sat up in front of him.

• The Dao Sect elders refined the fallen Inner Sect Disciples into spirit essence, searched the bodies, and led the survivors back to the sect.
• Chen Yu returned with Ren Shaohua and Xiang Baiwei, then decided to delay checking the black-robed men’s belongings until he could enter the Immortal Ruins.
• Chen Yu planned to postpone seeking Inner Sect status, exchange contribution points for wood- and water-attribute manuals after the initiation, and cultivate in seclusion.
• Lü Yanyan checked on Chen Yu, who stayed in his residence to recover until midnight.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins and began searching the black-robed men’s belongings, but a dead man suddenly sat upright.

Chen Yu watched three Black-Robed Men's corpses reanimate and vanish in the Immortal Ruins, then discovered that their strange bracelets punished cultivators for slacking. He left with fifteen Qi Refining Pills and two pieces of spirit essence, planning to trade for cultivation manuals and cultivate in seclusion.

• Chen Yu saw the Black-Robed Man's corpse sit up, then used the Flying Sword Technique to pierce it as two other corpses reanimated.
• The three Black-Robed Men's corpses walked to the center of the hall, glowed green, and vanished, leaving Chen Yu to suspect the Immortal Ruins were responsible.
• Chen Yu inspected his gains and found three trembling bracelets that shocked him and announced work violations when he touched them.
• Chen Yu kept fifteen Qi Refining Pills and two pieces of spirit essence, left the bracelets behind, and returned to his residence on Emerald Cloud Peak.
• Chen Yu planned to exchange Qi Refining Pills for wood- and water-attribute cultivation manuals and enter seclusion.

Chen Yu attended the delayed New Disciple Initiation after recovering from the attack, then went to the Scripture Repository to choose a wood-attribute cultivation manual. He checked the True Essence Profound Canon’s new comments, where several newcomers complained about its difficulty, before putting it down and taking another manual.

• Lü Yanyan reminded Chen Yu that the New Disciple Initiation had been postponed and escorted him to Emerald Cloud Peak’s plaza.
• An Emerald Cloud Peak disciple took over Chen Yu’s initiation duties and assured him he would still receive his mission reward.
• Elder Sun addressed the new disciples, who then collected their robes, room keys, and cultivation manuals while Chen Yu waited.
• After the initiation ended, Chen Yu went to the Scripture Repository and showed the old man his token, which held 214 contribution points.
• Chen Yu pretended to browse martial skills before checking the True Essence Profound Canon and reading the new complaints about its cultivation difficulty.
• Chen Yu put down the True Essence Profound Canon and picked up a wood-attribute cultivation manual.

Chen Yu bought the Evergreen Art and Azure Sea Art, then received advice from Senior Zhang about using spirit essences to cultivate. Back at his residence, he studied the Evergreen Art and considered whether a wood-attribute spirit essence could help him meet its requirements.

• Chen Yu spent 200 contribution points on the Evergreen Art and Azure Sea Art and calculated that he could repay his remaining loan from Liu Jun’s monthly payments.
• Senior Zhang warned Chen Yu that false spirit embryos made cultivation difficult and suggested using spirit essences of other attributes, though directly drawing out their energy was risky.
• Chen Yu learned the old man’s surname was Zhang, then left the Scripture Repository and passed a Heavenly Union Association recruitment table on his way home.
• Chen Yu studied the Evergreen Art and realized it required abundant spirit herbs and a sensation of warmth and swelling in his dantian.
• Chen Yu recalled Senior Zhang’s advice and took out the two spirit essences he had obtained to see whether one might help him cultivate the wood-attribute art.

Chen Yu discovered that spirit herbs could absorb spirit essence and produce traces of plant vitality, allowing him to cultivate, though at an extremely slow rate. After deciding to wait for more herbs, he caught violations among veteran disciples and gathered more treasures from the Immortal Ruins, then planned to study their properties at the Heavenly Union Association's Records Room.

• Chen Yu found that spirit herbs absorbed the nearby spirit essence and produced a faint plant vitality that let him gain experience through cultivation, but at a painfully slow rate.
• Chen Yu decided to save his spirit essence and wait for more spirit herbs instead of trying Senior Zhang's suggestion to cultivate directly from spirit essence.
• Chen Yu went out to catch violations, tricked veteran disciples into running and jumping on the stone steps, and caught three violations to finish his monthly assignment.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins around midnight and obtained two spirit herbs and two unidentified materials.
• Chen Yu decided to visit the Heavenly Union Association's Records Room to learn more about spirit herbs and materials.

Chen Yu spent seven days studying cultivation references at the Heavenly Union Association and learned of Zhang Jiuge's legendary loan scheme. After gathering spirit herbs in the Immortal Ruins, he tested whether their released essence could accelerate his cultivation, gaining experience points through the system.

• Chen Yu read reference books about spirit herbs, rare materials, treasure grades, and the cultivation world at the Heavenly Union Association's Records Room.
• Chen Yu read Zhang Jiuge's Loan Legend and learned that Zhang had exploited multiple loans until the Dao Sect caught and punished him.
• Chen Yu noticed that no one had followed him since the New Disciple Initiation and returned to Little Bamboo Peak.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins, collected its refreshed treasures, and gathered seventeen spirit herbs from his Storage Ring.
• Chen Yu placed the spirit herbs with wood-attribute spirit essence and used the released essence to cultivate, earning experience points through the system.

Chen Yu cultivated with spirit herbs and used his accumulated experience to advance to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. After dealing with a veteran disciple’s rule-breaking trap, he noticed his shy neighbor following him toward Little Bamboo Peak and escaped with the Wind-Riding Art.

• Chen Yu returned home with the Spirit Essence and seventeen spirit herbs, then began cultivating with them to earn experience.
• Senior Sister Lü warned Chen Yu that veteran disciples were posing as newcomers to trick others into breaking rules, and he soon exposed one by baiting him into demonstrating a violation.
• Chen Yu cultivated through the afternoon and spent two experience points to advance from the seventh to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
• After dinner, Chen Yu disguised his cultivation and continued cultivating until nearly midnight before heading toward Little Bamboo Peak.
• Chen Yu confronted his neighbor after she secretly followed him past several peak turnoffs, then used the Wind-Riding Art to disappear from her sight.

Chen Yu collected new treasures from the Immortal Ruins and focused on cultivating toward Foundation Establishment, while warning his neighbor to stop following and watching him. After seven days of uninterrupted cultivation, he had advanced to Qi Refining Eighth Layer (39/90) and planned to gather dry rations and chili peppers to save time.

• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins after making sure Xiang Baiwei had stopped following him, collected a spirit-artifact rope, and stored the drained bracelets he had taken from the Black-Robed Men.
• Chen Yu resolved to reach Foundation Establishment so he could use the Immortal Ruins’ materials to pursue alchemy and artifact refining.
• Chen Yu confronted the neighbor who had been watching him, and she apologized from behind her closed door.
• Chen Yu spent the next seven days cultivating, converted 38.15 experience points into levels, and reached Qi Refining Eighth Layer (39/90).
• Chen Yu decided to bring back dry rations and chili peppers so meals would take less time, then went out.

Chen Yu shared a meal with Lü Yanyan, who praised the anonymous genius behind the sect’s new ban on entrapment without realizing it was him. When disciples recognized Chen Yu as the rule-changing genius, he fled the Dining Hall, while Lü Yanyan learned the truth and became even more determined to attach herself to him.

• Chen Yu agreed to eat with Lü Yanyan before going into seclusion to cultivate.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu that the sect had banned entrapment and praised the unknown disciple who had inspired the new rule.
• Several disciples recognized Chen Yu, and one knelt to ask him for more methods to catch rule-breakers and earn Contribution Points.
• The Dining Hall crowd hailed Chen Yu as the god who made the sect add a new rule, so Chen Yu escaped using the Wind-Riding Art.
• Lü Yanyan realized Chen Yu was the genius she had praised and left the crowd, convinced he was the promising prospect she had sought.