Chapter Summaries

Chen Yu used the Immortal Ruins to evade Sun Shengcheng, then returned to confront the enraged Dao Sect elder with a poisoned sword. Sun Shengcheng’s true-qi sword met Chen Yu’s longsword, and his expression changed as he realized something was wrong.

• Chen Yu slapped Sun Shengcheng twice, then vanished into the Immortal Ruins as the elder attacked.
• Chen Yu broke Sun Shengcheng’s true-qi binding and planned to use poison while avoiding a prolonged fight that could attract powerful cultivators.
• Chen Yu returned to the hut with a modified longsword coated in deadly poison and provoked Sun Shengcheng as the elder recited a calming mantra.
• Sun Shengcheng demanded to know who Chen Yu was and why he had infiltrated the Dao Sect, but Chen Yu attacked with his sword.
• Sun Shengcheng formed a sword from true qi and clashed with Chen Yu’s longsword, then realized something was wrong.

Chen Yu fought Elder Sun with his hidden Foundation Establishment cultivation, but Sun Shengcheng’s superior martial skills kept him on the defensive. Chen Yu used a concealed arrow in his sword hilt to surprise Sun Shengcheng, who seized the weapon and discovered the trick.

• Sun Shengcheng realized Chen Yu had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm after Chen Yu’s sword blocked his attack.
• Sun Shengcheng brought out the Crimson Devourer Sword and used a range of martial skills to overwhelm Chen Yu, forcing him to retreat into the Immortal Ruins.
• Sun Shengcheng concluded Chen Yu’s sudden appearances were limited to one spot and advanced, confident he could wait him out.
• Chen Yu claimed he would win and fired a concealed arrow from his sword hilt, but Sun Shengcheng dodged it.
• Sun Shengcheng rushed Chen Yu, took his Standard Longsword, and found the tiny arrow hole and yellow dust on its hilt.

Chen Yu’s poisoned hidden-arrow trick wounded Sun Shengcheng, who sacrificed his left arm to survive and prepared a profound-rank martial skill. Before Sun could attack, another poison paralyzed him, leaving Chen Yu free to weaken him further and continue testing poisons.

• Sun Shengcheng fired Chen Yu’s Standard Longsword, but its hidden arrow shot backward and pierced his left arm with poison.
• Sun Shengcheng swallowed a Detoxification Pill, then cut off his poisoned arm when the toxin kept spreading.
• Sun Shengcheng prepared to unleash a profound-rank martial skill while Chen Yu silently counted down, waiting for poison to take effect.
• Chen Yu approached the paralyzed Sun Shengcheng and explained that his full-body paralysis was normal after being poisoned.
• Chen Yu retrieved the arrows, used white powder to make Sun Shengcheng’s true qi dissipate, and took out more bottles to test additional poisons.

Chen Yu killed Elder Sun with Poison No. 53, concealed the evidence, and returned to the Immortal Ruins, where Elder Sun’s corpse revived and vanished. After searching Elder Sun’s Storage Ring, Chen Yu found instructions for refining spirit essence and learned it was made from a Qi Refining cultivator’s flesh, blood, and spiritual energy; the chapter ended as he examined a wooden box.

• Chen Yu confirmed that his poisons had affected Elder Sun, stored the corpse and severed arm, and cleaned the Thatched Cottage to hide the killing.
• Chen Yu sprinkled odor-removing powder and paralytic powder, then left without being seen and overheard disciples say Elder Sun had announced a period of seclusion.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Ruins, where Elder Sun’s corpse revived, reattached its arm, and vanished from the main hall.
• Chen Yu examined Elder Sun’s Storage Ring and found pills, weapons, and a booklet explaining how spirit essence was refined from a Qi Refining cultivator’s flesh, blood, and spiritual energy.
• Chen Yu set down the booklet and turned to the final item, a wooden box.

Chen Yu absorbed a strange red substance from Elder Sun’s legacy and upgraded his spiritual root to a five-attribute mixed spirit embryo, though it remained too weak for the True Yang Technique. When Lü Yanyan reported that the sect was seeking clues about Elder Sun’s disappearance and a substance called spirit embryo essence, Chen Yu recognized what he had absorbed and realized how he might cultivate the technique.

• Chen Yu opened the green birchwood box in Elder Sun’s legacy and absorbed a glowing red object that upgraded his spiritual root from a false spirit embryo to a five-attribute mixed spirit embryo.
• Chen Yu tried to cultivate the True Yang Technique but found that his new spirit embryo was still too weak to support it.
• Chen Yu left the Immortal Ruins and spent the next two days researching poisons, specialized weapons, and ways to cultivate the technique.
• Seven days later, Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu that Elder Sun had disappeared and the sect was offering contribution points for useful clues.
• Lü Yanyan said the sect was also looking for a red, stone-like substance called spirit embryo essence, and Chen Yu realized it was what he had absorbed and believed it could help him cultivate the True Yang Technique.

Elder Wu relayed the sect leader’s orders to investigate Sun Shengcheng’s disappearance and recruit candidates for Emerald Cloud Peak’s vacant elder position. He then gave Elder Yun secret instructions and a mysterious poison to examine, which Elder Yun identified as a lost formula from the Ruins Sect’s Poison Scripture.

• Elder Wu announced that five elders, including Elder Du and Elder Hao, would search the sect grounds for spirit embryo essence, and that Inner Sect elders must recommend Foundation Establishment disciples for Emerald Cloud Peak’s vacant position.
• Elder Wu privately instructed Elder Yun to kill three spies, disguising himself as He You when dealing with Du Sheng and leaving Du Sheng alive briefly before he died.
• Elder Wu showed Elder Yun yellow powder found outside Sun Shengcheng’s room, and Elder Yun found it numbing and could not identify its ingredients.
• Elder Yun recognized the powder as a lost poison recorded in the Ruins Sect’s Poison Scripture and said its maker might be at Foundation Establishment Peak or in the Golden Core Realm.
• Elder Wu let Elder Yun keep the poison for further study.

Chen Yu devised a way to cultivate the True Yang Technique by making a true essence flame himself and drawing it into his dantian. After successfully creating a flame and beginning the technique, he left the result of his experiment unresolved.

• Chen Yu reasoned that he could use a self-made true essence flame in place of a Fire Attribute spirit embryo to cultivate the True Yang Technique.
• He found instructions for condensing true essence flames in Alchemy Advancement and the Poison Scripture.
• Chen Yu melted the bracelets he had collected to retrieve their gathering spirit jade, then infused a piece with true qi and fire-attribute energy to create a true essence flame.
• He tested a flame and found it burned for about five minutes, then made another and pulled it into his dantian.
• Chen Yu began circulating his true qi according to the True Yang Technique, and the cultivation system displayed that cultivation was in progress.

Chen Yu used the True Essence Flame to cultivate the True Yang Technique, gained a true essence fire seed, and chose the Mountain-Subduing Technique as his next manual. After hearing disciples discuss Elder Sun’s presumed death, he spotted Xiang Baiwei in the Dining Hall.

• Chen Yu gained sixteen experience points by cultivating the True Yang Technique with the True Essence Flame and converted them into levels, forming a true essence fire seed that refined the Fire Attribute of his spirit embryo.
• Chen Yu chose the defensive Mountain-Subduing Technique and concluded he could cultivate it using earth-attribute materials from the Pill Hall.
• Chen Yu left the immortal ruins and heard Emerald Cloud Peak disciples say they believed Elder Sun was dead and hoped his death would ease their debts.
• Chen Yu entered the Dining Hall and was surprised to see Xiang Baiwei there.

Chen Yu warned Lü Yanyan not to use her contribution points and gave her another piece of spirit essence before Elder Li arrived to take over Emerald Cloud Peak. Elder Li audited contribution points and punished dozens of disciples, while Chen Yu avoided scrutiny and continued cultivating.

• Chen Yu suspected the White Lotus Sect had learned about the contribution points and warned Lü Yanyan not to use hers.
• Chen Yu reduced the contribution points in Lü Yanyan's Token and gave her another piece of spirit essence.
• Elder Li took office at Emerald Cloud Peak, ordered monthly meetings, and launched an audit of contribution points.
• Elder Li refined disciples whose cultivation had stagnated or whose contribution points seemed abnormal, killing dozens on his first day.
• Elder Li arranged with Elder Zheng of Jade Yao Peak to waive one year's interest on outstanding loans.
• Chen Yu escaped scrutiny with a single-digit contribution point balance and continued practicing the Mountain-Suppressing Art in the immortal ruins.

After Elder Du disappeared, Chen Yu watched the Dao Sect’s Outer Sect grow increasingly tense over the next two years while concealing his true cultivation. When Senior Sister Lü prepared to break through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, Chen Yu decided they would enter the Inner Sect together and set out to visit Senior Zhang first.

• Chen Yu learned that Elder Du had disappeared and wondered who had killed him, while keeping his own role in Elder Sun’s death concealed.
• Over two years, the Dao Sect tightened its rules and cultivation rewards as Inner Sect promotions dwindled and hidden groups withdrew from the Outer Sect.
• Chen Yu reflected on his Foundation Establishment cultivation and his plan to choose a new manual from the Scripture Repository after entering the Inner Sect.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu that she was close to breaking through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, and he encouraged her to proceed while revealing that his own bottleneck had loosened.
• Lü Yanyan shared an intimate moment with Chen Yu, who wondered whether she had a special physique because her cultivation had advanced unusually steadily.
• Chen Yu used the Qi-Concealing Art to display the seventh layer of Qi Refining and headed to visit Senior Zhang at the Scripture Repository before entering the Inner Sect.

Chen Yu told Zhang Jiuge that he had reached the Qi Refining seventh layer and would soon enter the Inner Sect. After Zhang recommended five elders as potential mentors, Chen Yu asked whether he was Zhang Jiuge.

• Chen Yu visited Zhang Jiuge at the Scripture Repository to bid him farewell before advancing to the Inner Sect.
• Zhang Jiuge discovered that Chen Yu had reached the Qi Refining seventh layer and asked how he had progressed so quickly.
• Chen Yu explained that Zhang's earlier advice had convinced him to focus on cultivation manuals rather than martial skills.
• Zhang Jiuge gave Chen Yu the names of five Inner Sect elders and warned him about their different qualities and Yun Xiaofeng's unlikelihood of accepting a disciple.
• Chen Yu asked Zhang Jiuge whether he was the legendary disciple Zhang Jiuge.

Chen Yu learned that Zhang Jiuge’s cultivation and vitality had been ruined, likely because Inner Sect elders extracted his Spirit Embryo Essence, and resolved to stay cautious while seeking a suitable mentor. The next morning, Lü Yanyan joined him to register for the Inner Sect.

• Zhang Jiuge confirmed Chen Yu had guessed his identity, warned him to keep a low profile in the Inner Sect, and refused to explain what had happened to him.
• Chen Yu suspected the Dao Sect elders had extracted Zhang Jiuge’s Spirit Embryo Essence and feared the same fate for himself.
• Chen Yu chose Elder Yun as his preferred mentor, with Elder Xu as his second choice, and decided to attract Elder Yun’s attention with his Poison Path insights.
• Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu she had reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and Chen Yu said he was ready to enter the Inner Sect.
• Lü Yanyan grabbed Chen Yu’s wrist and led him toward Elder Li’s residence, scaring off rule-enforcing disciples by revealing her cultivation.

Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan registered for promotion to the Inner Sect, and Senior Brother Li warned them to stay inconspicuous and choose their first elder carefully. They set off for Heavenly Chasm Peak, while Chen Yu wondered whether his Dao of Poison insights could attract Elder Qiyun.

• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan told Elder Li they had reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining and wanted to register for promotion to the Inner Sect.
• Elder Li crossed their names out of the Emerald Cloud Peak Disciple Register and gave them blank tokens and a map to Heavenly Chasm Peak.
• Elder Li advised them to conceal their abilities and research Inner Sect elders before choosing one, then admitted he hoped they might help him in the future.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan left for Heavenly Chasm Peak, enjoying their newfound freedom from Outer Sect rules.
• Chen Yu wondered whether his insights into the Dao of Poison could attract Elder Qiyun's attention.

Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan crossed the heavenly chasm to register as Inner Sect disciples, then found themselves besieged by eager elders seeking to take them as disciples. Chen Yu submitted his preferences and called Lü Yanyan over as she struggled to escape the crowd.

• An Inner Sect disciple summoned an Azure Cloud Crane to ferry Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan across the chasm.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan followed signs to the promotion office, registered their details, and received information about the Inner Sect elders.
• A crowd of Inner Sect elders rushed into the office and urged the new disciples to choose them as mentors.
• Chen Yu selected Elder Yun, Elder Xu, and Elder Wu on his preference form and handed it to the clerk.
• Lü Yanyan politely tried to refuse the elders until Chen Yu called her over.

Chen Yu reconsidered his preference form after learning that Elder Yun, Elder Xu, and Elder Wu did not actively recruit disciples, then began comparing the other elders who approached him. As Lü Yanyan struggled to reach him through the crowd, Chen Yu favored an elder with many disciples, hoping to keep a low profile and develop in secret.

• The Inner Sect elders abandoned Chen Yu’s side and surrounded Lü Yanyan, who tried to make her way toward him.
• The old woman at the counter warned Chen Yu that his three preferred elders did not recruit actively and that he might lose the right to choose if they rejected him.
• Chen Yu crossed out Elder Wu from his preference form, prompting nearby elders to approach him with offers to become their disciple.
• Chen Yu asked the elders how many disciples they had, then approved of one elder’s nearly thirty disciples because the crowded group would help him stay unnoticed.
• Two more elders announced that they had over twenty disciples each, including one whose disciples were mostly girls.

Chen Yu chose Song Caiyun as his first elder candidate after asking how many of her disciples had reached foundation establishment, then insisted on visiting Elder Yun and Elder Xu before deciding. He and Lü Yanyan submitted forms listing all three elders and prepared to visit Yun and Xu the next day.

• Chen Yu asked the remaining elders how many foundation establishment disciples they had and chose Song Caiyun, who had five.
• Elder Qian challenged Chen Yu's reasoning, but Chen Yu said he had simply wanted to choose an elder whose disciples would help him improve his cultivation, prompting Elder Qian to leave in anger.
• Chen Yu told Song Caiyun he had not yet agreed to become her disciple and planned to visit Elder Yun and Elder Xu first.
• Lü Yanyan arrived, and Chen Yu offered to list Song Caiyun on both their preference forms as a way to make amends.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan submitted forms naming Elder Yun, Elder Xu, and Elder Song, then learned they could visit Yun and Xu by the next day.

After warning Lü Yanyan that the Inner Sect elders might covet their Spirit Embryo Essence, Chen Yu explained why he trusted Elder Song’s answers and considered how to secure a place with Elder Yun. He ended the chapter in the Pill Hall, struck by an idea for making sure Elder Yun accepted both him and Lü Yanyan as disciples.

• Chen Yu took Lü Yanyan to the inn and explained the elders’ circumstances and his reasons for suspecting their intentions.
• Lü Yanyan asked how Chen Yu knew Elder Song had not lied, and he cited a rule forbidding Inner Sect elders from deceiving prospective disciples.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan ate at the inn and briefly explored Heavenly Chasm Peak before returning to rest.
• Chen Yu entered the Immortal Trace, then went to the Poison Hall and collected its four refreshed treasures.
• Chen Yu went to the Pill Hall, picked up the Poison Scripture, and began considering an alternative way to get Elder Yun to accept both him and Lü Yanyan.

Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan collected assessment slips and headed for Elder Yun’s Nine-Bend Peak, where Chen Yu promised he could help them both become personal disciples. Along the way, they witnessed sharply contrasting relationships between Inner Sect elders and disciples, leaving Lü Yanyan bewildered.

• The old woman at the Inner Sect Affairs Office gave Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan slips for Elder Yun’s and Elder Xu’s assessments after waiting until working hours began.
• On the way to Nine-Bend Peak, Lü Yanyan told Chen Yu not to pass up a chance to become Elder Yun’s personal disciple for her sake, and Chen Yu assured her he could get Elder Yun to accept them both.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan saw an elder on Graceful Spirit Peak threaten an elderly disciple for failing to advance his cultivation.
• At Bald Stone Peak, they watched a Foundation Establishment disciple berate an elder for neglecting to request food, and the elder hurried off to fix the problem.
• Lü Yanyan asked Chen Yu if she had imagined the disciple berating the elder, and Chen Yu confirmed what she had seen.

Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan arrived at Nine-Bend Peak to take Elder Yun’s Poison Path assessment and found his disciples strangely eager to welcome them. They learned the assessment required passing seven of ten trials, then waited as the disciples gathered to begin.

• Chen Yu pondered the Inner Sect’s contrasting disciple-elder relationships and concluded he needed more time to understand the sect.
• Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan reached Nine-Bend Peak, where Li Wei recognized them as new candidates for Elder Yun’s discipleship.
• Li Wei explained that Elder Yun’s ten disciples would administer ten Poison Path trials, and passing seven would qualify them to become his disciples.
• A young disciple called Li Wei Senior Brother and asked him to summon the others while Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan waited near the summit.
• Elder Yun’s disciples hurried to meet the newcomers, and their eager attention unnerved Lü Yanyan until the young Senior Brother told them not to scare the candidates.

Chen Yu used a weakened poison from the Poison Scripture to secretly poison the disciples administering the Nine Bends Peak entrance examination, hoping to impress Elder Yun without revealing the scripture. The chapter ended with the examiners bleeding from their noses and desperately calling for an antidote, while Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan showed no symptoms.

• Chen Yu decided to demonstrate his Poison Path skill by poisoning Elder Yun's disciples during the examination.
• Chen Yu noticed that the young Senior Brother had added red scorpion wood powder and centipede leaf to the meal, but he and Lü Yanyan ate without showing any effects.
• The young Senior Brother presented Chen Yu and Lü Yanyan with voluntary consent forms before beginning the examination.
• The young Senior Brother and the nine other Senior Brothers began bleeding from their noses and cried out for bluewood fruit, the antidote.
• Lü Yanyan realized the food had been poisoned and saw that neither she nor Chen Yu had been affected.