Chapter Summaries

Bai Qing's younger half sister stayed with him in the Immortal City, while Bai Lin celebrated her younger brother's dual spirit root. Li Ping joined the Meng Family and local artisans in opening Hu Feng's cave abode, where a jade slip was found.

• Bai Qing returned to his courtyard and found his younger half sister waiting; he let her stay but remained determined not to return to their lineage until he could do so as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
• Bai Lin told Li Ping that her younger brother had a dual spirit root and had begun cultivating, prompting Li Ping to consider the possibilities of building a Cultivation Family.
• A Meng Family cultivator invited Li Ping to witness the opening of Hu Feng's cave abode after Hu Feng had sent no word or rent for five years.
• Li Ping joined the Meng Family Ancestor and the mountain's artisans as a cultivator used a jade token to open Hu Feng's formation.
• The searchers found the cave abode neat and empty until a mid Qi Refining stage female cultivator brought the Meng Family Ancestor a jade slip from Hu Feng's Training Room.
• The Meng Family Ancestor read the jade slip, while the others assumed Hu Feng had left the Immortal City of his own accord.

Li Ping concealed his role in the jade slip that accused Dai Sangyu, Xiong Pohai, and Ye Chen of serious wrongdoing while the Meng Family debated how to respond. The Meng Family began verifying the accusations through Wang Xingwei, but Meng Qingyun found him inexplicably unconscious and returned without answers.

• Li Ping denied knowing what Hu Feng's jade slip contained, then privately considered selling copies if the Meng Family kept it from the public.
• The Meng Family Ancestor showed the jade slip to the family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and they disagreed over the risks of exposing its accusations.
• The Meng Family Ancestor ordered Meng Qingyi to investigate Wang Li and Wang Xingwei, promising to help make him acting sect leader if Dai Sangyu’s involvement was confirmed.
• Meng Qingyun learned that Wang Xingwei had gone missing from the Wang Family and found him unconscious at Cheng Yao's courtyard.
• Meng Qingyun examined and slapped Wang Xingwei, but could not wake him; after several specialists also failed to help, he returned to report to the Meng Family Ancestor.

Rumors about the Wang Family scandal forced Windmist True Person to investigate Ye Chen’s schemes, leading to his imprisonment and Dai Sangyu’s removal as acting leader. Meng Qingyi took over as acting leader, while Zhang Tie gained the logistics steward position; unbeknownst to Li Ping, Dai Sangyu’s reassignment also let her focus on attempting Core Formation.

• Miao Rou listened to Immortal City rumors with Liu Wusheng, who planned to find Yan Liming and take her back to the Bloodshadow Church.
• The Meng Family Ancestor spread the jade slip’s account to stir public outrage, while Ye Chen tried to flee the city but Meng Qingyi stopped him.
• Windmist True Person investigated the rumors and used a mind-bewitching art to make Ye Chen confess that he had acted alone.
• Windmist True Person stripped Ye Chen of his positions and imprisoned him, removed Dai Sangyu as acting leader, and appointed Meng Qingyi in her place.
• Zhang Tie became logistics steward, and Windmist True Person told Dai Sangyu to focus on cultivating toward Core Formation.

Cheng Yao helped Wang Xingwei recover from the despair that had kept him unresponsive for five years, and he began attempting Foundation Establishment in Zhang Tie’s cave abode. Meanwhile, Li Ping studied a Beast-Feeding Pill formula to speed the growth of his Desolate Fire Sparrow.

• Cheng Yao’s account of the defective Foundation Establishment Pills and the Wang Family’s neglect helped Wang Xingwei forgive himself and awaken, declaring that he would reach Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Xingwei tried to begin a breakthrough in Cheng Yao’s room, but she stopped him and agreed to find him suitable spirit land after he insisted he could succeed without a pill.
• Ten days later, Cheng Yao brought Wang Xingwei to Azure Dragon Mountain, where Zhang Tie let him use his second-tier upper-grade cave abode to attempt Foundation Establishment.
• Li Ping gave Yan Hengchuan and Ji Shuxuan pills and cultivation advice, then noticed Yan Hengchuan seemed troubled before the two juniors left.
• Li Ping studied a Beast-Feeding Pill formula so he could help his Desolate Fire Sparrow grow faster.

Li Ping refined Beast-Feeding Pills for the Desolate Fire Sparrow while Yan Hengchuan and Gu Musheng separately grew suspicious of He Yunyi. Yan Liming revealed his demonic identity after discovering Liu Wusheng had reached the Immortal City, then decided to flee with the unconscious Yan Hengchuan as leverage.

• Li Ping failed twice before successfully refining Beast-Feeding Pills, then fed them to the growing Desolate Fire Sparrow.
• Yan Hengchuan admitted to Ji Shuxuan that he suspected He Yunyi was hiding from pursuit, but chose not to tell Li Ping.
• Gu Musheng investigated He Yunyi's village and, after meeting him, suspected that He Yunyi had been possessed before arriving in the Immortal City.
• Yan Liming recognized that his disguise had raised Gu Musheng's suspicions and realized Liu Wusheng had come to the Immortal City.
• Yan Liming found Spiritual Chef Mo suffering under the Heart-Devouring Curse and took the unconscious Yan Hengchuan as a bargaining chip before fleeing.

Li Ping learned that He Yunyi was possessed by Yan Liming, who had massacred Cloudstep Residence and fled with Yan Hengchuan missing. Li Ping headed to He Yunyi’s village to investigate, while Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou also pursued the lead, and Miao Rou secretly alerted the Immortal City Authorities.

• Gu Musheng told Li Ping that He Yunyi might have been possessed, and Li Ping advised reporting the matter to the Immortal City.
• Ji Shuxuan reported that Cloudstep Residence was filled with corpses and Yan Hengchuan was missing, prompting Li Ping to connect the massacre to He Yunyi.
• Gu Musheng deduced that Yan Liming might return to He Yunyi’s village for his Storage Bag, and Li Ping left to investigate while keeping Gu Musheng and Ji Shuxuan on Immortal Peach Mountain.
• Miao Rou and Liu Wusheng traced Yan Liming’s resource purchases to Cloudstep Residence, but found the restaurant massacred and realized he had fled.
• Miao Rou and Liu Wusheng learned the location of He Yunyi’s village, and Miao Rou secretly spread word that Yan Liming had possessed He Yunyi and fled after killing people.

Li Ping traveled to Teng Feng’s birthplace to intercept the body-snatcher, while Yan Liming fled into the Cloudmist Mountains with Yan Hengchuan. Li Ping waited near the village but found Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou searching for Yan Liming’s belongings, and realized Liu Wusheng was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

• Li Ping flew toward the village with his artifacts and talismans, disguised himself, and waited nearby for the body-snatcher.
• Yan Liming recovered his strength in a cave, revealed that Yan Hengchuan had been pretending to be unconscious, and demanded that he serve as his subordinate.
• Yan Liming carried Yan Hengchuan deeper into the Cloudmist Mountains, intending to hide and cultivate there.
• Li Ping waited near the village for over two hours before Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou arrived and sent flying insects to search the area.
• Li Ping sensed that Liu Wusheng was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and began considering retreat.

Li Ping used poison and a Talisman Treasure to ambush Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou as they searched a village for their master's corpse. Miao Rou died, but Liu Wusheng survived the first attack and sent his poisonous insects against Li Ping.

• Liu Wusheng's green insects swarmed the village, killing villagers as they searched for Yan Liming's corpse.
• Li Ping recognized Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou as demon cultivators and secretly released blood-eroding poison toward them.
• Liu Wusheng revealed his plan to kill Miao Rou, but both he and Miao Rou realized they had been poisoned.
• Li Ping activated the Blazing Fire Ring and shattered Liu Wusheng's shield and spear before destroying the Leaf-Shaped Flying Boat.
• Miao Rou was crushed with the Flying Boat, while Liu Wusheng escaped and unleashed a swarm of flying insects at the Blazing Fire Ring.

Li Ping battled Liu Wusheng, using poison and the Blazing Fire Ring Talisman Treasure to overwhelm him. After Liu Wusheng fled with the Bloodwing Escape Art, Li Ping pursued him, and Liu Wusheng detonated a thunder pearl, destroying himself.

• Li Ping’s blood-eroding poison killed Liu Wusheng’s Green-Devouring Insects, allowing the Blazing Fire Ring to break through.
• While Liu Wusheng restrained the ring with a mist python, Li Ping secretly sent nine poisoned Life-Taking Flying Needles into his flank.
• Liu Wusheng cut away part of his abdomen to remove the needles, but Li Ping attacked again and forced him to flee using the Bloodwing Escape Art.
• Li Ping pursued Liu Wusheng with the same forbidden escape art, and Liu Wusheng turned to face him with a blue-green pearl.
• Li Ping retreated as Liu Wusheng detonated the thunder pearl, leaving only fragments where he had stood.

Yan Liming tried to persuade the captive Yan Hengchuan to accept a demonic cultivation method by claiming it had taken him from a five-spirit root to Core Formation. Meanwhile, Li Ping reviewed the costly battle and examined the Body Possession’s recovered belongings, discovering that its black sword was a Core Formation cultivator’s Life-Bound Treasure.

• Yan Liming drained three Boar Demons of their blood essence and pressed Yan Hengchuan to become his servant.
• Yan Liming called Yan Hengchuan an Inferior Cultivator, then revealed that he had also possessed a five-spirit root and credited a demonic cultivation method with his rise to Core Formation.
• Li Ping recalled that Liu Wusheng and Miao Rou had died before he could learn the Body Possession’s identity, and he noted that a bloody light from Liu Wusheng had entered his body.
• Li Ping assessed the damage to his Blazing Fire Ring Talisman Treasure and found that most of Miao Rou and Liu Wusheng’s loot had been destroyed.
• Li Ping examined the Body Possession’s recovered Storage Bag and identified its small black sword as a Core Formation cultivator’s Life-Bound Treasure.

Li Ping sorted through the possessions of the Body Possession cultivator, gave Gu Musheng a Foundation Establishment Pill, and returned to the Immortal City without finding Yan Hengchuan. When Xiong Pohai arrived to arrest Gu Musheng, Li Ping confronted him and defended his third brother.

• Li Ping stored the Golden Core, treasures, spirit herbs, and a Foundation Establishment Pill, then discarded unwanted items and learned that the blood-colored jade slip contained the demonic Blood Spirit Myriad Transformations Scripture.
• After waiting near the village for several days without finding the Body Possession cultivator or Yan Hengchuan, Li Ping returned to his Cave Abode and told Ji Shuxuan that Hengchuan might still be alive.
• Li Ping gave Gu Musheng the Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward, and Gu Musheng asked him to keep it safe until he was ready to attempt Foundation Establishment.
• Li Ping kept Gu Musheng in his Cave Abode while they waited for the Immortal City investigation, concerned that Gu Musheng could not resist a Mind Bewitchment technique.
• Xiong Pohai and the Meng Family Ancestor entered Li Ping's Cave Abode, and Xiong ordered his law-enforcement cultivators to seize Gu Musheng.
• Li Ping released his spiritual pressure, stopped the cultivators, and told Xiong Pohai that Gu Musheng was his third brother, not a scoundrel.

Li Ping protected Gu Musheng from Xiong Pohai’s attempt to take him in for questioning, while learning that the demon cultivator who possessed He Yunyi was Yan Liming of the Bloodshadow Church. After Xiong Pohai’s search led him to evidence pointing toward Liu Wusheng, he abandoned the investigation and hurried away.

• Li Ping refused to let Xiong Pohai take Gu Musheng away, and the Meng Family Ancestor intervened to arrange questioning at Immortal Peach Mountain.
• Xiong Pohai questioned Gu Musheng about He Yunyi and the village, recorded his answers, and let him go after he swore a heavenly Dao oath.
• The Meng Family Ancestor told Li Ping that the Immortal City had failed to find the demon cultivator and identified him as Yan Liming of the Bloodshadow Church.
• Li Ping worried about Yan Hengchuan’s fate, then fed green insect corpses to the Blood Rakshasa Banner to strengthen its blood-eroding poison before returning to cultivation.
• Xiong Pohai investigated Teng Feng’s village and recognized the green insects as evidence connected to Liu Wusheng, so he hastily withdrew with his subordinates.

Wang Xingwei successfully reached Foundation Establishment without a pill, while Li Ping continued cultivating and strengthening his resources. At the group’s annual gathering, Zhang Tie shared a rumor that Immortal City might auction two Foundation Establishment Pills next year, raising Gu Musheng’s and Cheng Yao’s hopes of securing one.

• Immortal City’s investigation into Yan Liming’s possession attempt found nothing, and Yan Liming did not reappear.
• Wang Xingwei reached Foundation Establishment in Zhang Tie’s cave abode, then left with Cheng Yao after thanking Zhang Tie.
• Li Ping spent the year cultivating, selling pills and demon cultivators’ magic artifacts, and buying the talisman treasure Void Seal and poisons for the Blood Rakshasa Banner.
• At the annual gathering, Li Ping assessed the group’s cultivation progress and collected five hundred sixty spirit stones for the Foundation Establishment Fund.
• Zhang Tie told the group that Immortal City might auction two Foundation Establishment Pills next year, prompting Gu Musheng and Cheng Yao to hope they could obtain one.

After persuading Wang Xingwei to return to the Wang Family as its grand elder, Cheng Yao discovered the clan was burdened with debt and devised a way to recover spirit stones from rogue cultivators who had profited from Ye Chen’s scheme. She began visiting them with Wang Xingwei and Wang Family cultivators, leaving the clan’s future and her own ambitions tied to how much they could reclaim.

• Wang Qu Yan asked Wang Xingwei to return to the Wang Family, but Wang Xingwei initially refused because he resented how the family had treated him.
• Cheng Yao persuaded Wang Xingwei to accept the position of grand elder, and several days later the Wang Family welcomed him at its ancestral grounds.
• Cheng Yao learned that the Wang Family had sold its holdings and owed spirit stones after exhausting its resources and compensating rogue cultivators for Ye Chen’s scheme.
• Realizing many of the compensated cultivators had been Ye Chen’s plants, Cheng Yao obtained their names from Wang Qu Yan and decided to recover the money.
• Cheng Yao took Wang Xingwei and several Wang Family cultivators to confront the listed rogue cultivators, recovering spirit stones and interest from some of them.

Li Ping learned that Yan Hengchuan had survived and was waiting at High Ridge Mountain, so he hurried there to find out what had happened. The chapter revealed how Yan Hengchuan escaped Yan Liming’s control but remained trapped in a half-puppet body, and it ended with Li Ping approaching High Ridge Mountain.

• Li Ping agreed to accompany Gu Musheng to the Foundation Establishment Pill auction after Gu Musheng decided to bid for another pill.
• Yan Liming sent Yan Hengchuan into a cave to scout, unaware that Yan Hengchuan was secretly resisting the Blood Puppet Technique and found an emergency exit.
• Yan Hengchuan escaped through the cave’s hidden exit while Yan Liming waited outside, then discovered that his half-puppet body could no longer cultivate with the Golden Sword Art.
• Yan Hengchuan reached High Ridge Mountain and asked the Bai Family to contact his grandmaster, Li Ping.
• Bai Lin told Li Ping that Yan Hengchuan was at High Ridge Mountain, and Li Ping immediately set out aboard the Floating Shadow Shuttle.

Li Ping reunited with Yan Hengchuan and explained that he could either remove Yan Liming’s blood soul seed or cultivate the Blood Spirit Myriad Transformations Scripture for a chance to seize Yan Liming’s Foundation Establishment. Yan Hengchuan chose the demonic method to pursue revenge, while Li Ping returned to Immortal City and resumed cultivation as the auction began.

• Li Ping examined Yan Hengchuan at High Ridge Mountain and learned how Yan Liming had forced him to cultivate a demonic art that was turning him into a puppet.
• Li Ping recognized Yan Liming’s Blood Puppet Technique and explained that Yan Hengchuan could choose righteous cultivation or use the Blood Spirit Myriad Transformations Scripture and attempt to seize Yan Liming’s Dao foundation.
• Yan Hengchuan chose the Blood Spirit Myriad Transformations Scripture and vowed to kill Yan Liming, so Li Ping gave him the Jade Slip and arranged for him to cultivate with the Bai Family.
• Li Ping stayed with the Bai Family for several days, then left Yan Hengchuan with pills and returned to Immortal City while worrying that the demonic scripture might corrupt him.
• Li Ping returned to Immortal Peach Mountain and resumed cultivation until the Immortal City Auction began.

Li Ping won a rare fire-element Demon Core at the Immortal City auction, while Gu Musheng secured the first Foundation Establishment Pill for three thousand five hundred spirit stones. The auction ended with Cheng Yao winning the second pill, leaving both her and Gu Musheng with a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment.

• Li Ping accompanied Gu Musheng to the auction and gave him two thousand six hundred and sixty spirit stones to bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Li Ping won a second-tier upper-grade fire-element Demon Core for one thousand five hundred spirit stones to prepare for the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s advancement.
• Gu Musheng bid three thousand five hundred spirit stones and won the first Foundation Establishment Pill after the auction announced that two pills were available.
• Another cultivator won the second Foundation Establishment Pill for three thousand seven hundred spirit stones, and Gu Musheng felt better about his own price.
• Cheng Yao paid three thousand seven hundred spirit stones and won the second Foundation Establishment Pill, while Wang Xingwei watched beside her.

At the Shared Boat Association’s year-end gathering, Li Ping reviewed his companions’ progress, replenished the Foundation Establishment fund, and gave Gu Musheng a Foundation Establishment Pill before reflecting on his own steady cultivation. Meanwhile, in Great Zhou, Teng Feng reached Foundation Establishment and learned that Minggu had prepared a valuable set of resources for him.

• Li Ping assessed Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, and Bai Qing’s cultivation and collected their contributions to the Foundation Establishment fund.
• Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, and Bai Qing recounted their work and circumstances, including Cheng Yao’s control of the Wang Family’s finances.
• Li Ping gave Gu Musheng the Foundation Establishment Pill he had obtained from Yan Liming and urged him to prepare for his breakthrough.
• After the others departed, Li Ping calculated that ten years of cultivation had brought him to minor accomplishment in early Foundation Establishment.
• Teng Feng successfully reached Foundation Establishment in Luojing, and Minggu told him he could collect a Foundation Establishment set of resources from the Immortal Stipend House.
• Teng Feng wondered whether his brothers in the Western Wasteland had survived and realized he would need to reach Core Formation before returning to them.

Li Ping noticed Bai Lin’s cultivation had slowed, while Gu Musheng began his foundation-establishment attempt at Immortal Peach Mountain. After an initial failure, Gu Musheng combined his remaining Foundation Establishment Pill with Jadeheart Essence and succeeded, making him the Shared Boat Association’s third foundation-establishment cultivator.

• Li Ping questioned Bai Lin about her slow cultivation progress, but she insisted she was doing fine.
• Gu Musheng arrived at Immortal Peach Mountain to use his auctioned Foundation Establishment Qualification, and Zhang Tie took charge of guarding him.
• Xiong Pohai delivered Gu Musheng’s Foundation Establishment Pill, and Gu Musheng entered the secluded chamber to prepare.
• Gu Musheng’s first attempt failed to advance him beyond peak qi refining, so he restored his condition before trying again.
• Gu Musheng swallowed his second Foundation Establishment Pill with Jadeheart Essence and began his final attempt.
• A spiritual-qi vortex formed above the chamber and later dispersed, confirming that Gu Musheng had achieved foundation establishment.

Gu Musheng achieved Foundation Establishment, became Windmist True Person’s disciple, and reunited with Zhang Tie and Li Ping. Li Ping rejected Gu Musheng’s plan to open a shop and proposed using Zhang Tie’s position to help him become a steward of the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion.

• After stabilizing his breakthrough, Gu Musheng emerged from seclusion, and Zhang Tie congratulated him before taking him to meet Meng Qingyi and Windmist True Person.
• Windmist True Person accepted Gu Musheng as her disciple, gave him three bottles of cultivation-enhancing pills, and promised him a cave abode and access to the Secret Arts Pavilion.
• Gu Musheng chose to visit Li Ping before selecting his cultivation methods, believing Li Ping was far more powerful than he appeared.
• Gu Musheng told Li Ping he wanted to open a comprehensive shop in the Inner City and invited Li Ping and Zhang Tie to invest.
• Li Ping rejected the shop proposal and suggested that Zhang Tie and Gu Musheng work together to secure Gu Musheng a steward position at the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion.