Chapter Summaries

Li Ping advised Xiao Yunzhi to stay in Snowflight City and planned to ask the Snowflight Sect to let her borrow its third-tier spirit vein to attempt core formation. Shi Yutong visited to ask him to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and after he agreed, she said she would ask her parents whether Xiao Yunzhi could use the spirit vein.

• Li Ping warned Xiao Yunzhi that the Beast Tide made travel dangerous and suggested she remain in Snowflight City while he negotiated with the Snowflight Sect.
• Shi Yutong visited Li Ping and asked him to refine two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills from the sect's thousand-year-old golden marrow jade zhi.
• Li Ping readily agreed to refine the pills, then asked Shi Yutong to help Xiao Yunzhi borrow the Snowflight Sect's third-tier spirit vein for her core formation attempt.
• Shi Yutong said she could not decide without her parents' approval and hurried back to consult them.

Shi Yutong secured the Snowflight Sect's third-tier spiritual vein for Xiao Yunzhi to attempt Core Formation in exchange for three safe, uncompensated services after her success. While Xiao Yunzhi entered seclusion, Li Ping began fulfilling his promise to refine Foundation Establishment Pills for the sect.

• Shi Yutong reported Li Ping's request to True Person Mu Yun and True Person Qian Xue, who agreed to lend the spiritual vein for three safe services after Xiao Yunzhi achieved Core Formation.
• Shi Yutong conveyed the terms, and Xiao Yunzhi accepted and swore a heavenly dao oath before entering seclusion at the city's third-tier spiritual vein.
• Shi Yutong asked Li Ping to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and he began making them with the ingredients she had brought.
• After half a month, Li Ping produced ten top-quality Foundation Establishment Pills in his first batch, delighting Shi Yutong, and began refining the next batch.

Xiao Yunzhi prepared to attempt Core Formation while True Person Mu Yun left to reinforce Silver Moon City against the Beast Tide. After Li Ping refined twenty Foundation Establishment Pills for the Snowflight Sect, he declined payment and asked to borrow its spirit vein for a future Core Formation attempt.

• True Person Mu Yun told True Person Qian Xue that he would go to Silver Moon City to help defend it against the Beast Tide, leaving her to oversee Snowflight City.
• Xiao Yunzhi secured her secluded chamber with formations and the Blazing Sun Bird, then began preparing herself for Core Formation.
• Li Ping refined two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills for Shi Yutong, producing ten pills from each batch.
• Shi Yutong invited Li Ping to a banquet and offered to buy his two customary payment pills for four thousand spirit stones each.
• Li Ping waived his fee in gratitude for the Snowflight Sect's help, then asked to borrow its spirit vein when he attempted Core Formation.
• Shi Yutong agreed that Li Ping could borrow the spirit vein, following Xiao Yunzhi's precedent.

Li Ping quietly gathered herbs for an Essence Condensation Pill while cultivating and refining pills for the Snowflight Sect. After Ji Nianyuan was rejected from the sect, Li Ping persuaded Shi Yutong to admit him as an inner sect disciple, leaving Ji Shuxuan grateful and suspecting Li Ping had intervened.

• Li Ping skimmed herbs while refining pills for the Snowflight Sect and bought additional ingredients discreetly to prepare an Essence Condensation Pill.
• Ji Shuxuan delivered puppet materials to Li Ping, who learned that Ji Nianyuan had failed the Snowflight Sect's new state of mind trial.
• Li Ping asked Shi Yutong to admit Ji Nianyuan, and she agreed to make him an inner sect disciple.
• A Snowflight Sect steward informed Ji Shuxuan that Ji Nianyuan had been admitted as an inner sect disciple.
• Ji Shuxuan guessed that Li Ping had arranged his son's admission and felt deeply grateful.

A mysterious Black-Robed Dwarf planned to use a damaged black banner to harvest the souls of Silver Moon City’s inhabitants. Meanwhile, Li Ping completed his sixth upper-grade puppet and met Xie Xing, who claimed to have information about the Heavenly Craft Sect.

• The Black-Robed Dwarf watched Silver Moon City and planned to restore his damaged Life-Bound Treasure by taking the city’s living souls.
• Ji Shuxuan thanked Li Ping for helping Ji Nianyuan enter the Snowflight Sect, and Li Ping returned to crafting puppets.
• Li Ping completed his sixth second-tier upper-grade puppet and stopped making more while he focused on cultivation and pill refining.
• Ji Shuxuan told Li Ping that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had information about the Heavenly Craft Sect and wanted to meet him.
• Li Ping and Ji Shuxuan went to the city inn, then Li Ping invited Xie Xing to a nearby tea house for a private discussion.
• Li Ping asked Xie Xing what he knew about the Heavenly Craft Sect, and Xie Xing agreed to share his information.

Xie Xing told Li Ping that a Heavenly Craft Sect vault lay near Snowflight City and tried to recruit him to fight the Demon Beasts guarding it, but Li Ping refused and returned to cultivation. A year later, he was interrupted by his new neighbors, a pair of twin Snowfolk girls, while Xiao Yunzhi remained in seclusion attempting Core Formation.

• Xie Xing claimed a map hidden in an old puppet led to a Heavenly Craft Sect vault about a thousand li from Snowflight City and asked Li Ping to help defeat the Demon Beasts guarding it.
• Li Ping declined the expedition, saying he preferred to cultivate, but offered to buy the sect's divine sense cultivation method if Xie Xing found it.
• After Li Ping dismissed Xie Xing, Xie Xing met six Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including Snowfolk and a Barbarian, who appeared to be targeting Li Ping for his wealth.
• Nearly a year passed as Li Ping cultivated and worried about the lonely Desolate Fire Sparrow while Xiao Yunzhi remained in seclusion attempting Core Formation.
• The vacant Cave Abode beside Li Ping's was rented, and its new tenants, twin Snowfolk girls, visited him.

Li Ping welcomed Snowfolk twins Bai Yi and Bai Jing as neighbors, then agreed to refine Essence-Origin Pills for Bai Yi. After witnessing his skill and learning from a treasure-seeking beast that Li Ping possessed a valuable treasure, the Seven Immortals of the North Pole plotted to lure him into an ambush.

• Bai Yi and Bai Jing visited Li Ping with spirit fruit, and Li Ping concealed Jia Er's true capabilities by calling him a low-tier puppet.
• Several months later, Bai Yi returned and asked Li Ping to refine second-tier upper-grade Essence-Origin Pills, which he agreed to do for a fee.
• Li Ping spent more than half a month refining the pills, and Bai Yi inspected them and paid him the agreed balance.
• Bai Yi told the other members of the Seven Immortals of the North Pole that her treasure-seeking beast had reacted strongly around Li Ping and suggested he carried a great treasure.
• The Triangular-Faced Elder rejected an immediate attack and proposed that Bai Yi and Bai Jing gain Li Ping's trust before the group lured him into an ambush.
• The Seven Immortals divided the Essence-Origin Pills among themselves and continued planning how to take down Li Ping.

Li Ping noticed Shi Yutong acting strangely and went to investigate the situation in Snowflight City, where Xu Guike told him the demon beasts seemed to be retreating. Elsewhere, a dwarf destroyed Silver Moon City and hunted its survivors, but a puppet confronted him with a warning about the Confucian Sect.

• The Silver Moon Sect Master ordered the young cultivators to flee Silver Moon City with True Person Mu Yun, but the dwarf trapped their flying boat in his White Bone Banner and captured them.
• The demon beasts and Barbarian Bone Tribe overran Silver Moon City, killing nearly ten million mortals and most of the cultivators; the dwarf then devoured the dead with his banner.
• The dwarf destroyed a third-tier puppet and searched unsuccessfully for its hidden controller before a second-tier puppet warned him that the Confucian Sect could learn of his crimes.
• Shi Yutong hurriedly collected her pills from Li Ping, prompting him to suspect that something was wrong in the city and go investigate.
• Li Ping declined Bai Yi's offer to travel together and visited Ji Shuxuan's shop, where Xu Guike told him the demon beasts appeared to be retreating.

Li Ping discovered that Snowflight City had gone into lockdown and sought out Shi Yutong, whose grief suggested that something had happened to her family. Elsewhere, a Puppet negotiated with a dwarf cultivator to blame the Ice Flood Dragon for his crimes, and the chapter ended with Shi Yutong struggling to steady herself before Li Ping.

• Shi Yutong asked True Person Qian Xue about True Person Mu Yun, who was expected to break out of Silver Moon City and return to Snowflight City.
• A Puppet confronted a dwarf cultivator about slaughtering mortals and persuaded him to blame the Ice Flood Dragon and urge the Immortal Alliance to kill it.
• The Puppet admitted its controller was a survivor of the Heavenly Craft Sect, then destroyed itself to prevent the dwarf from tracking it.
• Li Ping learned that the Beast Tide might be dispersing, sold Xu Guike Spirit Talismans, and left Ji Shuxuan's shop.
• Li Ping found Snowflight City under lockdown, declined Bai Yi's offer to return to Changping Ward together, and went to the city center for news.
• Li Ping met Shi Yutong and saw that she had red eyes and a sorrowful expression, but he did not ask what had happened.

After True Person Mu Yun died in Silver Moon City, Shi Yutong tried to hold Snowflight City together while her mother, True Person Qian Xue, was overcome with grief. As rogue cultivators began testing the weakened Snowflight Sect, Shi Yutong chose to abandon most of the city and withdraw the sect and its families behind the protective formation.

• Shi Yutong thanked Li Ping for noticing her distress and asked him to refine more recovery and healing pills, which he agreed to do.
• Bai Yi reported the city lockdown to the Triangular-Faced Elder and his group, who discussed inviting Li Ping over and sent Seventh Brother to investigate the Snowflight Sect.
• News spread that Silver Moon City had fallen and True Person Mu Yun had died, while True Person Qian Xue remained secluded and rumors claimed she had lost her cultivation.
• Mysterious assailants killed a Snowflight Sect patrol, prompting Shi Yutong and the sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivators to discuss the growing attacks.
• Shi Yutong refused to ask her grieving mother to appear and ordered the sect and its families to withdraw behind the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, abandoning the rest of the city.

As Snowflight City descended into violence after the deaths of its Core Formation leaders, Li Ping weighed whether to stay in the Snowflight Sect or flee if its protective formation fell. Meanwhile, attackers broke into Li Ping’s cave abode, only to find it empty.

• Ji Shuxuan told Li Ping that the Snowflight Sect had withdrawn its cultivators and families inside while rogue cultivators looted the city.
• Li Ping reassured Ji Shuxuan that the sect could defend itself, though he learned Xu Guike and Lin had left the city to hunt demon beasts.
• Li Ping watched the city’s renewed nighttime violence and concluded that rogue cultivators might soon attack the Snowflight Sect for its wealth.
• Li Ping decided to stay while the sect’s third-tier formation held, but resolved to flee if it fell; he also hoped Xiao Yunzhi would successfully reach Core Formation.
• Attackers broke through the formations at Li Ping’s cave abode and found it empty.

After finding Li Ping gone, the Seven Immortals of the North Pole heard Long Jie’s proposal and agreed to cooperate with him. Meanwhile, Li Ping learned that Shi Yutong wanted him to refine a Profound Heart Pill for True Person Qian Xue, and he devised a way to help without revealing his full alchemical skill.

• The Seven Immortals of the North Pole discovered Li Ping had left his cave abode after finding that the Cloudstep Merchant Association’s goods had already been looted.
• Long Jie privately proposed a plan to the Triangular-Faced Elder, who agreed to cooperate despite his concerns about True Person Qian Xue.
• Li Ping checked on Xiao Yunzhi’s seclusion, saw that she showed no sign of an imminent breakthrough, and returned to find Shi Yutong waiting for him.
• Shi Yutong asked whether Li Ping could refine third-tier pills and requested a Profound Heart Pill to treat True Person Qian Xue’s damaged mind.
• Li Ping claimed he had only a thirty percent chance of success, then proposed dividing the ingredients into ten portions so he could make repeated attempts without exposing his true skill.

Li Ping refined a Profound Heart Pill for Shi Yutong to treat her mother, True Person Qian Xue, while preparing for a possible attack on the Snowflight Sect. Outside the sect, Long Jie lured six rogue cultivators into a joint assault by claiming Jadeglory Essence was hidden inside, and his insider reported that the defensive formation could be sabotaged.

• Li Ping failed twice before refining a third-tier Profound Heart Pill, and Shi Yutong gave him the remaining spirit herbs as payment.
• Shi Yutong and Master Lei gave the pill to True Person Qian Xue, who fell asleep, while Master Lei warned Shi Yutong about the rogue cultivators.
• Li Ping prepared his puppets, talismans, and Soul-Destroying Sword as he sensed that the silence outside the sect might signal a coordinated threat.
• Long Jie told six rogue cultivators that the Snowflight Sect might hold Jadeglory Essence and persuaded them to join an attack.
• Long Jie promised to break the sect's defensive formation and received word from his insider that the sabotage was ready.

After the Snowflight Sect’s protective formation collapsed, Li Ping fled the sect as rogue cultivators stormed in. The Seven Immortals of the North Pole followed their treasure-hunting rat toward a newly detected treasure, unaware that its trail led to Li Ping.

• Shi Yutong broke down while talking with Master Lei, then gathered herself at dawn to lead the Snowflight Sect.
• The Seven Immortals of the North Pole planned to avoid entering the sect and use their treasure-hunting rat to steal a Core Formation Treasure from whoever took it.
• Long Jie watched as the Snowflight Sect’s third-tier formation collapsed, and rogue cultivators rushed inside to plunder the sect.
• Li Ping realized the formation had fallen, abandoned the Snowflight Sect, and hid in an empty courtyard outside its grounds.
• The treasure-hunting rat sensed a third-tier object near the sect, and the Seven Immortals followed it toward Li Ping’s location.

Long Jie headed for the Snowflight Sect’s secluded spirit herb garden while the Seven Immortals of the North Pole tracked Li Ping, who had just left the sect. The seven confronted Li Ping and demanded he become their pill slave, but he poisoned them and launched a counterattack.

• Rogue cultivators attacked the Snowflight Sect’s heartland, while Long Jie made his way to the spirit herb garden with a formation-breaking talisman.
• Long Jie began trying to break the garden’s formation as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator attacked him with a hairpin artifact.
• The Seven Immortals of the North Pole followed their treasure-seeking beast to Li Ping and surrounded him in his courtyard.
• Li Ping summoned the Blood Rakshasa Banner, three puppets, and magic artifacts as Bai Yi demanded his storage bag and submission to a controlling restriction.
• Li Ping’s blood-eroding poison took effect, and Jia Yi, Jia Er, and Jia San attacked the seven cultivators.

Li Ping unleashed his puppets and talisman treasures against the Seven Immortals of the North Pole, turning their ambush into a massacre. After killing the Triangular-Faced Elder and the white-robed scholar, only Xie Xing remained alive.

• Li Ping directed Jia Yi and Jia Er to attack the Triangular-Faced Elder and the white-robed scholar with their Talisman Treasures while Jia San charged the poisoned cultivators.
• Jia San killed the barbarian, the Bai sisters, and a burly cultivator, taking their Storage Bags.
• Li Ping struck the Triangular-Faced Elder with Wild Thunder Talismans, then killed him with four more lightning serpents as Jia Yi seized his Storage Bag.
• Jia Yi and Jia Er joined forces against the white-robed scholar, smashed his defenses, and killed him.
• Jia Er took the white-robed scholar's Storage Bag, leaving only Xie Xing alive among the Seven Immortals of the North Pole.

Li Ping captured and killed Xie Xing, discovered a Spirit Beast Token among the Seven Immortals of the North Pole’s spoils, and released the beast it controlled. As the Snowflight Sect’s defenses neared collapse, True Person Qian Xue awakened and bound the attacking rogue cultivators, while Long Jie fled after taking the Spirit Herb Garden’s tree and leaving Lei Sha dead.

• Li Ping escaped the battle with Jia Yi, Jia Er, and Jia San, then used Soul Search on Xie Xing and learned that the Heavenly Craft Sect ruins story was a scam.
• Li Ping burned Xie Xing to ash, sorted through the Seven Immortals of the North Pole’s belongings, and found a Spirit Beast Token among their spoils.
• Li Ping activated the Spirit Beast Token and summoned the black spirit beast, whose pale golden spots surprised him.
• At the Snowflight Sect, Shi Yutong and the sect’s cultivators struggled as rogue cultivators battered their formation.
• True Person Qian Xue awoke and used a vast snow-white silk ribbon to bind the rogue cultivators, including their four Foundation Establishment Late Stage leaders.
• Long Jie sensed Qian Xue’s power, fled the Snowflight Sect, and left Lei Sha’s blood-covered corpse behind.

Li Ping discovered that the treasure-seeking beast had led the Seven Immortals of the North Pole to him, then followed it to track a cultivator carrying stolen treasure. Disguised as Bai Yi, he persuaded the lustful Long Jie to travel with him while secretly poisoning him with the Blood Rakshasa Banner.

• Li Ping realized the treasure-seeking beast had revealed his whereabouts to the Seven Immortals of the North Pole, and sensed that True Person Qian Xue had awakened at the Snowflight Sect.
• The treasure-seeking beast detected a cultivator carrying treasure, so Li Ping disguised himself as Bai Yi and pursued him toward the city outskirts.
• Long Jie, carrying a spiritual treasure stolen from the Snowflight Sect, recognized Li Ping's disguise as Bai Yi and approached him with lecherous intentions.
• Li Ping pretended to accept Long Jie's offer to travel together while activating the Blood Rakshasa Banner to spread blood-eroding poison.
• Long Jie followed Li Ping toward the outskirts, began feeling tingling and itching, and wondered what was happening to him.

Li Ping, disguised as Bai Yi, killed Long Jie outside Snowflight City and took his Storage Bag, though the Void Seal Talisman Treasure was consumed. He returned to the Snowflight Sect, where a young cultivator scorned him for having fled during the battle.

• Long Jie realized Li Ping had poisoned him and prepared his magic artifacts as Jia Yi and Jia Er aimed their bows at him.
• Li Ping unleashed the puppets and the Void Seal Talisman Treasure, and their attacks destroyed Long Jie's defenses.
• Jia Yi and Jia Er shot Long Jie dead, and Li Ping sent Jia San to retrieve the corpse's Storage Bag.
• The Void Seal Talisman Treasure burned away after the battle, and Li Ping collected the Storage Bag, stored his puppets, and burned Long Jie's corpse.
• Li Ping returned to Snowflight City and entered the Snowflight Sect, where a young cultivator accused him of abandoning the sect during the battle.
• Li Ping told the young cultivator that he was inexperienced and did not know the truth.

Li Ping returned to the Snowflight Sect to help heal its wounded and preserve his ties with Shi Yutong, while defending his decision to prioritize his own survival. After learning that Shi Yutong’s longtime teacher had died during the chaos, he waited through months of recovery until Shi Yutong finally came to see him.

• Mei Hao welcomed Li Ping and defended him against a young cultivator who criticized him for fleeing, then led him to find Shi Yutong.
• Mei Hao explained that True Person Qian Xue had awakened and defeated the rogue cultivators, though the sect and Snowflight City had suffered heavy damage.
• Shi Yutong was absent because she had gone to investigate trouble at the herb garden, so Li Ping returned to his palace and resumed cultivation.
• Ji Shuxuan told Li Ping that he had led his family to a low-grade herb garden, where they survived the raid and earned rewards; Li Ping corrected him that he was prudent, not merely playing it safe.
• Mei Hao later told Li Ping that Senior Sister Lei, Shi Yutong’s childhood teacher, had died and a guarded spiritual object had gone missing; Li Ping spent the following months cultivating and refining pills.
• Shi Yutong finally visited Li Ping near the end of the year, looking haggard and apologizing for her long absence.