Chapter Summaries

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Chen Yu returned safely from the Netherdark Sea and rejoined Wu Wenjie, Lü Yanyan, and Ren Shaohua. While traveling back by boat, he realized Wu Wenjie had hidden his cultivation and overheard a remark suggesting Wu belonged to a secret organization, possibly the White Lotus Sect.

• Chen Yu returned to shore after reaching Foundation Establishment, and Lü Yanyan greeted him with relief while Ren Shaohua avoided speaking to him.
• The group took a boat left by the absent Jade Void Sect disciples and spent the night aboard.
• Chen Yu gave Wu Wenjie an Azure Flower to ease the pain from his venomous injuries.
• Chen Yu deduced that Wu Wenjie’s true cultivation was at the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refining, despite his outwardly concealed strength.
• Chen Yu overheard Wu Wenjie mention that an organization wanted to recruit him and suspected Wu belonged to the White Lotus Sect.

Chen Yu and his companions returned safely from the Netherdark Sea, but Elder Sun demanded proof that they had completed their mission. After refining three returning Dao Sect disciples into spirit essence, he turned to Chen Yu’s team.

• Wu Wenjie told Chen Yu about his engagement and invited him to his wedding, and Chen Yu accepted while worrying that the remark would invite disaster.
• Wu Wenjie guided the team back through the Outer Sea, and they reached shore without encountering trouble.
• Chen Yu, Wu Wenjie, Lü Yanyan, and Ren Shaohua returned to the Dao Sect Flying Boat and waited to board.
• Elder Sun questioned another team about its exploration, accused the disciples of lying, and refined all three into spirit essence.
• Elder Sun turned to Chen Yu’s team and demanded that they give their account.

Elder Sun questioned Lü Yanyan's team about their time on Island Twenty-Three, then seized most of their heart-calming grass as a supposed sect share. After Chen Yu received contribution points, Elder Sun refined Wu Wenjie and Ren Shaohua into Rhyme Spirit and moved on to the next team.

• Ren Shaohua described the team's journey on Island Twenty-Three, including the Evergreen Sect attack and the stone chambers beyond the gate.
• Chen Yu recounted entering an empty chamber and escaping its spiritual-power-draining suction, while concealing his Foundation Establishment cultivation from Elder Sun.
• Elder Sun accepted the team's account and declared that they had gathered only 100 stalks of heart-calming grass, despite Ren Shaohua's count of 182.
• Elder Sun took all the herbs and awarded Chen Yu 125 contribution points, revealing that Wu Wenjie and Ren Shaohua were being refined into Rhyme Spirit.
• Elder Sun collected the Rhyme Spirit from Wu Wenjie and Ren Shaohua, then turned to question another team.

Elder Sun killed most of the Dao Sect disciples after inspecting their mission reports, leaving Chen Yu among only six survivors. Before departing, the Dao Sect retaliated against the Evergreen Sect and Jade Void Sect for their ambushes, and Sect Master Chu warned their leaders through a projection before the Dao Sect Flying Boat left.

• Elder Sun refined Wu Wenjie and Ren Shaohua into spirit essence, then killed disciples who had lied about surveying their islands and those who were severely wounded.
• Chen Yu recognized the danger posed by Elder Sun and saw Evergreen Sect disciples shackled, a Jade Void Sect disciple begging, and Soul Sect disciples taken into a Soul Banner.
• Elder Sun ordered Chen Yu and another disciple to discard the bones, and Chen Yu secretly kept Senior Brother Wu's remains in his storage ring.
• Elder Sun killed Evergreen Sect and Jade Void Sect disciples in retaliation for their attacks on the Dao Sect.
• Elder Sun summoned Sect Master Chu's projection, and Sect Master Chu warned Ling Juetian and Jiang Chuan before striking the ground between the rival sects' Flying Boats.
• Elder Sun returned to the Dao Sect Flying Boat, which rose into the sky and departed with the six surviving Dao Sect disciples.

On the return trip from the Netherdark Sea, Chen Yu resolved to grow strong enough to control his own fate, while Lü Yanyan confessed her past deception and fear of being sent on another dangerous mission. She asked Chen Yu whether he would be willing to become intimate with her.

• Chen Yu reflected on Sect Master Chu's overwhelming power and considered how his resources and the Immortal Ruins could help him reach Nascent Soul.
• Lü Yanyan admitted that she had invented the Happy and Carefree service to trick Chen Yu out of Contribution Points, and Chen Yu revealed he had recognized the scam from the start.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu she had faced deceit and unwanted advances in the Dao Sect, but hoped to find someone she could depend on.
• Lü Yanyan suspected the sect had selected struggling disciples for the Netherdark Sea assignment and feared what might happen on their next mission.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu she wanted to depend on him and asked whether he would be willing to become intimate with her.

Chen Yu revealed that his false spirit embryo was the reason he had been selected for the dangerous mission, but Lü Yanyan still chose to trust him and asked for a sincere bond. After returning to the sect, Chen Yu learned that the immortal realm had reappeared on Little Bamboo Peak and that the peak had been sealed, then froze when he took out its Jade Pendant.

• Chen Yu told Lü Yanyan he had a false spirit embryo, but she said she still trusted him and asked to be close without making promises or scheming.
• Lü Yanyan rested her head on Chen Yu's shoulder as their Flying Boat returned to the sect.
• Elder Sun awarded each of the six surviving disciples 100 contribution points, and Chen Yu considered whether he could alter the points on a token himself.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan learned that an immortal realm had reappeared on Little Bamboo Peak and that the elders had forbidden entry.
• Back at his residence, Chen Yu took out the immortal realm's Jade Pendant and suddenly froze.

Chen Yu discovered that his growing control of the Immortal Ruins let him enter from his residence, where he found evidence that the ruins belonged to the Nether Ruins Sect. He selected a Foundation Establishment cultivation manual and began studying it.

• Chen Yu used the glowing Immortal Ruins Jade Pendant to enter the Immortal Ruins directly from his residence.
• Chen Yu found a stone inscribed with “Nether Ruins Sect” in the Immortal Ruins Main Hall and resolved to explore the ruins cautiously.
• Chen Yu discovered that the Immortal Ruins’ side halls now held neatly arranged supplies, including materials, artifacts, pills, herbs, and books.
• Chen Yu searched the cultivation manuals and found the True Origin Mystic Canon: Foundation Establishment Volume among several other manuals.
• Chen Yu chose the Foundation Establishment volume to strengthen his foundation and began examining its contents.

Chen Yu read the Foundation Establishment Chapter of the True Essence Profound Canon, then investigated the coffin room in the Immortal Ruins and encountered a gray-robed old man’s phantom. He fled before hearing the old man’s warning about the ruins’ deadly challenges, and reappeared just in time to hear, “You will die without a doubt!”

• Chen Yu learned that the Foundation Establishment Chapter required three stages to build a Dao foundation, then went to inspect the coffin room in the Immortal Ruins.
• After Chen Yu heard knocking from the coffin, a gray-robed old man’s phantom appeared and gathered true qi in his hand, so Chen Yu escaped using the Jade Pendant.
• The phantom introduced himself as Wei Yang and explained that the Immortal Ruins’ challenges could bring great rewards but failure meant death.
• Wei Yang described the unopened halls, mentioned a book called Great Dao of Alchemy and several crafting tools, and told the unseen listener to be cautious.
• Chen Yu waited before returning to the room, missing Wei Yang’s explanation that the phantom was only a prepared message.
• Wei Yang vanished after warning that the challenges would be deadly, and Chen Yu arrived in time to hear only, “You will die without a doubt!”

Chen Yu explored the Immortal Ruins’ side hall, suspected the being in the coffin planned to possess him at Golden Core, and prepared to deal with it first. He gathered supplies and equipment for cultivation, pill refinement, and artifact forging, planning to work in the coffin room.

• Chen Yu concluded that the coffin’s occupant intended to possess his body once he reached Golden Core, then kicked the coffin and vowed to deal with it first.
• Chen Yu chose the fire-attribute True Yang Technique as an additional cultivation manual and memorized it without beginning cultivation.
• Chen Yu found a large supply of Grain-Avoidance Pills in the pill room and moved them into his Storage Ring.
• Chen Yu claimed the Nine Springs Sword, a lower-grade profound artifact, and used it to cut a mid-grade spirit artifact spear in two.
• Chen Yu inspected the spirit herbs and storeroom, then took an Alchemy Furnace, a smelting furnace, and an artifact-forging bench to use in the coffin room.

Chen Yu discovered a deadly challenge in a newly opened side hall of the Immortal Ruins, with one month to strike a motionless figure or be erased. He also found that true qi and silent commands could alter Contribution Points, and planned to test the ability the next day.

• Chen Yu moved the Alchemy Furnace into the main hall and noticed that a previously closed side hall door had opened a crack.
• Chen Yu opened the side hall and sent an ordinary Spirit Artifact sword toward a figure, but an unseen force severed his control and corroded the sword.
• A message told Chen Yu that he had one month to strike the figure by any means or be erased, so he postponed the challenge while considering how to prepare.
• Chen Yu checked the other side halls and found their doors still shut.
• Chen Yu used true qi and silent commands to change Senior Brother Wu's token balance, then added one Contribution Point to his own token for a test the next day.

Chen Yu began cultivating the Foundation Establishment chapter of the True Essence Profound Canon but found his progress painfully slow, with only a month to pass the Immortal Ruins challenge. The next day, he confirmed that his altered contribution points could be spent normally and planned to prepare a bow and arrows for the challenge.

• Chen Yu cultivated the True Essence Profound Canon's Foundation Establishment chapter, but gained experience too slowly and could not think of a safe way to liquefy his true qi faster.
• Chen Yu decided to prioritize passing the Immortal Ruins challenge, then went to bed and planned to test his contribution points and prepare a bow and arrows the next day.
• Chen Yu woke near noon, sensed that Xiang Baiwei was cultivating, and resolved to stay neutral in the Dao Sect's affairs involving the White Lotus Sect.
• Chen Yu bought a new set of robes at the sundries pavilion and confirmed that his altered contribution points had been deducted normally.

Chen Yu learned that Elder Sun had raised loan interest and allowed contribution-point wagers in sparring matches on Emerald Cloud Peak. As Chen Yu considered how to repay his debt, Senior Sister Lü suggested that they spar.

• Chen Yu overheard disciples discussing higher loan interest and new rules allowing them to wager contribution points in challenges.
• Chen Yu read Elder Sun’s notice: interest would compound by calendar year, and disciples could spar for points only against opponents in the same cultivation realm, with killing forbidden.
• Chen Yu considered paying back 200 contribution points to limit the interest he might owe and dismissed the sparring rule as little threat to him.
• Lü Yanyan arrived, heard Chen Yu explain the new rules, and earnestly proposed that they spar.

Lü Yanyan entrusted her contribution points to Chen Yu to protect them from challenges and help him repay his loan. After transferring points to him, Chen Yu went to Elder Sun’s residence to settle his debt, where Elder Sun asked whether he had come to discuss interest or borrow more.

• Lü Yanyan explained that disciples with many contribution points would become targets and asked Chen Yu to safeguard hers, offering them for his loan repayment.
• Chen Yu agreed to hold Lü Yanyan’s points, and they went to his room, where she transferred forty-three contribution points to him after they sparred.
• Chen Yu left to repay his loan and look for materials for making bows and arrows.
• At Elder Sun’s residence, Chen Yu saw disciples begging for lower interest or taking out loans, and he feared Emerald Cloud Peak would soon fall into chaos.
• After waiting in line, Chen Yu reached Elder Sun, who asked whether he wanted to discuss his loan’s interest or borrow contribution points.

Chen Yu went to repay his loan, but Elder Sun imposed a full year of interest and refused to accept a partial payment, while revealing Chen Yu’s Contribution Points to the disciples waiting nearby. Chen Yu left with new challengers likely to target him, helped Senior Sister Lü prepare to repay her loan, and gathered materials to make a bow and arrows for the danger awaiting him in the Immortal Ruins.

• Elder Sun told the waiting disciples that Chen Yu had a false spirit embryo, had reached his borrowing limit, and had returned with 225 Contribution Points, drawing covetous attention to him.
• Chen Yu offered to repay his 300-point loan, but Elder Sun demanded 330 points and refused to accept the 312 points Chen Yu had available.
• Chen Yu left Elder Sun’s residence as fourth-layer Qi Refining disciples watched him eagerly, and he resolved to deal first with the challenge in the Immortal Ruins.
• Chen Yu encountered Senior Sister Lü on her way to repay her loan and transferred her 20 Contribution Points so she could settle it without attracting too much attention.
• Chen Yu found suitable materials for a bow and arrows and carried them back to his room.

Chen Yu tested whether he could strike the figure in the Immortal Ruins with ranged attacks and discovered that spirit essence endured the corridor’s force longer than ordinary materials. He left to seek a stronger piece from Elder Sun, then asked Xiang Baiwei about Wu Wenjie and learned that she did not recognize him as a member of her organization.

• Chen Yu fired a wooden arrow and a broken spear at the figure, but both stopped in midair and rapidly corroded.
• Chen Yu tested a rat, stone, soil, and water in the corridor; the rat died and turned to ash, while the other materials corroded.
• Chen Yu threw depleted fire-attribute spirit essence toward the figure and saw it travel farther than the other materials before corroding.
• Chen Yu considered buying stronger spirit essence from Elder Sun and decided to ask whether he would sell one.
• Chen Yu asked Xiang Baiwei who Wu Wenjie's Dao Companion was, but she did not recognize Wu Wenjie or recall anyone by that name in her organization.

After learning that Wu Wenjie did not belong to the White Lotus Sect, Chen Yu wondered what secret organization the dead disciple had served. He sought a higher-quality Rhyme Spirit for cultivation and struck a deal with Xiang Baiwei, who agreed to obtain legitimate contribution points in exchange for the truth.

• Xiang Baiwei told Chen Yu that Wu Wenjie had never belonged to the White Lotus Sect, leaving Chen Yu unsure which organization Wu had served.
• Xiang Baiwei suspected that news of the White Lotus Sect might have leaked, while Chen Yu decided to be cautious around the Dao Sect’s Outer Sect.
• Chen Yu asked Elder Sun to exchange for a mid-grade Rhyme Spirit suited to the fifth layer of Qi Refining, and Elder Sun set the price at five hundred contribution points.
• Chen Yu realized he was 208 contribution points short and considered asking Xiang Baiwei for help in return for the clue about Wu Wenjie.
• When Chen Yu asked whether Xiang Baiwei’s contribution points had been earned legitimately, she admitted they had been altered, and she agreed to obtain one hundred legitimate points in exchange for the truth.

Chen Yu refused Xiang Baiwei’s invitation to meet a White Lotus Sect elder and focused on learning artifact refining in the immortal realm. After studying the basics, he began making a hidden-weapon firing device from a mid-grade Spirit Artifact longsword and other materials.

• Xiang Baiwei gave Chen Yu 100 Contribution Points, and he told her what he knew about Senior Brother Wu and the Outer Sect’s other organizations.
• Chen Yu refused to join the White Lotus Sect and declined to meet one of its elders, then Xiang Baiwei left.
• Chen Yu entered the immortal realm and studied Introduction to Artifact Refining to learn how Spirit Artifacts conducted spiritual power.
• Chen Yu started modifying a mid-grade Spirit Artifact longsword into a hidden-weapon firing device, shaping an Artifact Blank and pouring molten iron into it.
• Chen Yu formed meridians in the molten iron and used a frost crystal to cool the device until it took shape.

Chen Yu finished modifying his Spirit Sword with a concealed arrow mechanism, then left the Immortal Ruins and found Outer Sect disciples crowding outside to challenge him for his contribution points. He decided to use their eagerness to earn the 108 points he needed and opened the door to propose his own rules for sparring.

• Chen Yu integrated a concealed arrow launcher into his Spirit Sword, creating a weapon that could shoot an arrow at an unsuspecting wielder.
• Chen Yu left the Immortal Ruins after spending the night there and discovered a crowd of Outer Sect disciples gathered outside his residence.
• Chen Yu learned the disciples had come to challenge him after news spread that he held more than three hundred contribution points.
• Chen Yu decided to earn the 108 contribution points he needed by winning sparring matches, but considered how to avoid taking on challengers one by one.
• The disciples agreed to wait outside until Chen Yu came out, and Chen Yu opened the door and told them they would have to follow his rules to spar.

Chen Yu turned the disciples demanding spars into an auction for one daily match, with contribution points as the stake and bids limited to each bidder’s available balance. After allowing teams to pool points, he scheduled the first auction for the hour of the Rooster and left, where Lü Yanyan called out to him.

• Chen Yu warned the disciples that he could refuse their sparring challenges and reminded them that he had previously prompted the sect to add new rules.
• Chen Yu proposed auctioning one sparring slot each day, with the winning bid serving as the match’s stake.
• Chen Yu ruled that bids could not exceed the contribution points in a disciple’s Token, and the protesting disciples eventually accepted the condition.
• Chen Yu allowed disciples to pool their points as a team but said only one member of each team could spar.
• Chen Yu scheduled the first auction for the hour of the Rooster, went inside to change, and then headed down the mountain.
• Lü Yanyan called out to Chen Yu as he left.

Lü Yanyan worried that Chen Yu would lose his 300 contribution points in the sparring matches, but he stayed confident and asked her to organize a betting pool in his favor. He prepared several unconventional tactics in the Immortal Ruins, leaving the evening matches ahead.

• Lü Yanyan visited Chen Yu after hearing that his exposed contribution-point balance had drawn disciples to his residence, and he assured her he was confident about the sparring matches.
• Chen Yu transferred points to Lü Yanyan's Token and asked her to organize a wagering pool and bet on him to win; she agreed.
• After they ate at the Dining Hall, Chen Yu returned to his residence and entered the Immortal Ruins to prepare for the evening matches.
• Chen Yu ground ghosttail grass into powder and extracted essence from soul-trapping flowers, then tested their effects on a white mouse.
• Chen Yu decided the Glowing Jade, ghosttail grass powder, and soul-trapping flowers could help him win three matches, while he postponed using his unfinished concealed weapon.