Chapter Summaries

Li Xiaoya traveled to Demon Beast Valley with the Four Friends of the Wang and learned that Spiritual Artifacts were forbidden in the sect’s selection tournament. He began revising his plans and heard Wang Ding’s advice on improving combat skills without relying on artifacts or talismans.

• Li Xiaoya reassured the Four Friends of the Wang that he had other business in Demon Beast Valley and would part ways with them inside.
• Li Xiaoya gave Wang Ding a bottle of True Cultivation Pills to repay the group for helping him, and Wang Ding promised they could seek the group’s help at Twin Peaks.
• Wang Feiyu apologized for his earlier remarks, and Li Xiaoya accepted his apology.
• Li Xiaoya learned from Wang Ding that Spiritual Artifacts were prohibited in the sect’s selection tournament so the winners could compete fairly against disciples from the twelve sects.
• Wang Ding advised Li Xiaoya that the Four Friends of the Wang had been practicing spells and combat skills while avoiding Dharma Artifacts and talismans.

Li Xiaoya left Wang Ding and the others with a map of Demon Beast Valley and set off alone to practice his spells. He detected several first-tier demon beasts ahead and approached them under the Invisibility Art.

• Wang Ding gave Li Xiaoya a map of the explored parts of Demon Beast Valley and promised that the group would help him practice spell combat.
• Wang Xuanyu explained that the valley had more than a thousand teleportation points and covered about a hundred thousand li.
• Li Xiaoya and the four Wang siblings parted at a canyon exit, and Li Xiaoya headed into the grassland alone.
• Li Xiaoya found that the valley's flight-restricting artifact prevented him from activating his Azure Wind Leaf.
• Li Xiaoya sensed several first-tier demon beasts ahead, cast the Invisibility Art, and crept toward them.

Li Xiaoya tried to practice spell control by stealthily attacking Ironthread Snakes, but their swarm overwhelmed him and he was bitten before escaping. After surviving a pursuit by Azure Wolf Beasts, he rested in a hidden cave and sensed that his cultivation bottleneck was beginning to loosen.

• Li Xiaoya approached the Ironthread Snakes to practice his spells, but they spotted him and attacked.
• Li Xiaoya killed an Ironthread Snake with a Flame Blade, accidentally set the grassland ablaze, and was bitten while fighting the others.
• Hundreds of Ironthread Snakes surrounded Li Xiaoya, but he used Fire Ring and a fireball to break through and escape.
• A pack of Azure Wolf Beasts pursued Li Xiaoya for much of the day, and he fought while replenishing his magic power with spirit stones before escaping.
• Li Xiaoya found a hidden stone cave, rested there, and sensed that his cultivation bottleneck was beginning to loosen.

Li Xiaoya refined his spellcasting in Demon Beast Valley and developed the Cross Flame Blade to fight tougher demon beasts. After several more days of training, he broke through from the eighth to the ninth layer of the True Sun Formula and set out to test his improved abilities.

• Li Xiaoya combined two Flame Blades into a Cross Flame Blade and killed a charging second-tier Green Wild Boar.
• He continued hunting and studying spells, finding that the Cross Flame Blade used too much magic power and that second-tier demon beasts were difficult to injure.
• Li Xiaoya gathered fewer spirit herbs than on his previous visit and found no Green-Yellow Fruits, then took True Cultivation Pills and resumed cultivating.
• After five more days of hunting and training, Li Xiaoya broke through to the ninth layer of the True Sun Formula, gaining about a third more magic power than before.
• Li Xiaoya calmed his excitement with the Spirit-Calming Formula, then went to find a demon beast to test his skills.

Li Xiaoya used his newly strengthened Cross Flame Blade and the Fire Spirit Thread to kill two White Stone Monsters in Demon Beast Valley. After consolidating his cultivation at the ninth layer of the True Sun Formula, he found the teleportation point and emerged from the valley, where the Four Friends of the Wang recognized him.

• Li Xiaoya crept up on two White Stone Monsters feeding on a tiger carcass and used the Fire Spirit Thread to bind one.
• Li Xiaoya killed the other White Stone Monster with a strengthened Cross Flame Blade, then burned the bound beast to death with the Fire Spirit Thread.
• The Four Friends of the Wang worried that Li Xiaoya had not emerged from Demon Beast Valley and wondered if he had gotten lost again.
• Li Xiaoya spent two more days consolidating his cultivation after reaching the ninth layer of the True Sun Formula, which turned out to be slightly beyond the ninth layer.
• Li Xiaoya followed Wang Ding's map to the teleportation point and came out of the valley without finding any green-yellow fruit.

After returning from Demon Beast Valley, Li Xiaoya learned that Senior Brother Liu Hang had left the Heavenly Dao Sect to travel and had entrusted his cave abode to him. Little White gave Li Xiaoya a jade pendant, and he suspected it was the key to the cave abode’s formation.

• Li Xiaoya reunited with the Four Friends of the Wang, who praised his breakthrough to the ninth layer and thanked him for the pills that had improved their cultivation.
• Li Xiaoya said he would visit Twin Peaks in a few days to spar with the Four Friends of the Wang, then returned to his residence.
• Li Xiaoya activated a Sound-Recording Talisman and heard Liu Hang explain that he had left the sect to travel and had entrusted his cave abode to Li Xiaoya.
• Li Xiaoya felt dejected that Liu Hang had left without seeing him, but calmed himself with the Spirit-Calming Art and went to visit the cave abode the next morning.
• Little White gave Li Xiaoya a jade pendant, and Li Xiaoya discovered that a formation blocked his divine sense from entering the valley.

Li Xiaoya returned to Senior Brother Liu Hang’s cave abode, received his possessions and instructions, and then visited Heavenly Venerable Daoling. After Daoling ended his fishing session and dismissed the Myriad Images Painting, he praised Li Xiaoya’s progress to the ninth layer and his steadier temperament.

• Li Xiaoya passed through the cave abode’s restriction with the Jade Pendant and listened to Liu Hang’s recorded instructions.
• Li Xiaoya collected Liu Hang’s gifts, including a defensive artifact, cultivation materials, pills, books, and Mid-grade Spirit Stones, then familiarized himself with the accessible parts of the cave abode.
• Li Xiaoya flew to Heavenly Venerable Daoling’s cave abode and waited quietly while his master fished in a landscape created by the Myriad Images Painting.
• Heavenly Venerable Daoling caught a large red carp and released it, explaining that the angler’s aim was not the fish before dismissing the painted landscape.
• Heavenly Venerable Daoling praised Li Xiaoya for reaching the ninth layer and becoming steadier.

Heavenly Venerable Daoling explained why Liu Hang had left to travel and began personally guiding Li Xiaoya’s cultivation. Li Xiaoya then visited Rainbow Rosy Peak to ask after Lin Xian’er, only to learn she was known there as Martial Aunt Lin.

• Heavenly Venerable Daoling told Li Xiaoya that Liu Hang had left to seek a breakthrough after encouragement from his eldest senior brother.
• Heavenly Venerable Daoling promised to teach Li Xiaoya at his Cave Abode on the first day of each month and gave him cultivation pointers.
• Li Xiaoya asked to participate in the selection for the Spiritlight Lake Immortal Gathering, and Heavenly Venerable Daoling told him he could decide for himself.
• After sending Li Xiaoya away, Heavenly Venerable Daoling summoned six streaks of light, and five visitors arrived at his Cave Abode the next morning.
• Li Xiaoya flew to Rainbow Rosy Peak and charmed its guard into speaking with him by joining her in criticizing Cai Liu’er.
• When Li Xiaoya asked whether Lin Xian’er had emerged from secluded cultivation, the female disciple identified her as Martial Aunt Lin.

Li Xiaoya learned that Lin Xian'er had reached core condensation and was expected to marry the Lin Family's eldest young master, leaving him devastated. As he tried to calm his chaotic magic power on Jade Bamboo Peak, his fury manifested in a mysterious figure that he attacked.

• Li Xiaoya learned from a female disciple that Lin Xian'er had advanced to core condensation and that the Lin and Liu families had arranged her marriage to the Lin Family's eldest young master.
• Li Xiaoya flew away in shock, and his grief sent his magic power into chaos and nearly caused qi deviation.
• Li Xiaoya landed on Jade Bamboo Peak and tried to steady his magic power by reciting the Spirit-Calming Formula and circulating the True Sun Formula.
• Thoughts of Lin Xian'er's marriage repeatedly reignited Li Xiaoya's fury, and black energy coiled around him.
• A laughing figure appeared before Li Xiaoya, and he attacked it with a Fireball that shattered it.

Li Xiaoya succumbed to qi deviation and nearly died after falling from a cliff, but the master of the fair, plump monk rescued him. After waking in Green Bamboo Valley, Li Xiaoya learned that his state of mind had been thrown into turmoil by love, and the monk revealed that his master was the Buddha of the Mystic Gate.

• Li Xiaoya hallucinated that a rival had taken Liu Xian'er and rampaged through Bamboo Grove Valley, firing fireballs.
• Li Xiaoya charged off a cliff while in his madness and plunged into the lake below.
• The master of the wooden-fish-riding cultivator pulled Li Xiaoya from the lake and took him back to Green Bamboo Valley.
• Li Xiaoya woke in a bamboo pavilion and learned from the fair, plump monk that his master had saved him.
• The monk said Li Xiaoya's love-driven turmoil had caused his qi deviation and revealed that his master was the Buddha of the Mystic Gate.

Li Xiaoya met Dong Santong, a fellow disciple of Buddha Xuanmen, and learned that Liu Xian'er was not destined to marry the Lin family's eldest young master. Buddha Xuanmen then appeared and cautioned Li Xiaoya to control his emotions while recovering from qi deviation.

• Li Xiaoya recognized Dong Santong and discovered that he had once worked as an errand boy in a brothel before becoming Buddha Xuanmen's disciple.
• Dong Santong teased Li Xiaoya about Liu Xian'er, then revealed that she was a core condensation stage cultivator and the Liu family's successor.
• Li Xiaoya told Dong Santong that he had heard Liu Xian'er was promised to the Lin family's eldest young master, but Dong Santong said the hostile families would never arrange such a marriage.
• Dong Santong explained that Liu Xian'er's Nine-Spirit Maiden Art forbade dual cultivation before she formed her golden core, making Li Xiaoya rejoice.
• Buddha Xuanmen arrived and used a Buddhist chant to calm Li Xiaoya, warning him to avoid extreme emotions while recovering from qi deviation.

After recovering from qi deviation, Li Xiaoya received guidance and Ten-Thousand-Year Agarwood Buddhist Beads from Buddha Xuanmen, then resolved to enter the sect’s selection trials and seek Spiritlight Lake to advance his cultivation. Five days later, he headed to Twin Peaks to meet the Four Friends of the Wang.

• Buddha Xuanmen told Li Xiaoya to calm his mind and wear the Buddhist Beads, then dismissed him.
• Dong Santong complained that Buddha Xuanmen favored Li Xiaoya, and Buddha Xuanmen warned him to keep Li Xiaoya’s status as the Heavenly Dao Sect’s Calamity-Bound One secret.
• Li Xiaoya felt relieved that the rumor about Liu Xian'er was false, considered visiting her, then decided to focus on the sect’s selection trials and Spiritlight Lake.
• Li Xiaoya returned to his residence, examined his recovery, put on the Buddhist Beads, and reflected on his spellcasting practice.
• Five days later, Li Xiaoya finished tending Senior Brother Liu Hang’s cave abode and flew toward Twin Peaks, expecting the Four Friends of the Wang to have returned.

Li Xiaoya visited the Twin Peaks’ Star Plucking Platform and learned from Wang Xuanyu how its Dueling Formation absorbed cultivators’ Magic Power to keep the massive structure suspended. The chapter ended with them watching two ninth-level True Cultivation disciples duel.

• Li Xiaoya flew to the Twin Peaks and landed on the vast Star Plucking Platform.
• Wang Xuanyu greeted Li Xiaoya and explained that the Twin Peaks encouraged magical duels, especially before the sect’s upcoming selection trials.
• Wang Xuanyu told Li Xiaoya that a Dueling Formation beneath the platform absorbed power released in battles and could withstand fights between Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
• Wang Xuanyu led Li Xiaoya to watch a blue-robed disciple and a white-robed disciple exchange spells in an evenly matched duel.

Li Xiaoya watched Liu Shijie defeat a white-robed disciple and learned from Wang Xuanyu how the Star Plucking Ranking worked. He wondered how well he would fare in the rankings and whether Liu Shijie belonged to Xian'er's family.

• Wang Xuanyu pointed out that the blue-robed Liu Shijie was secretly planting Ice Explosion Techniques while fighting his opponent.
• The white-robed disciple stepped on an ice ball, was injured, and lost after Liu Shijie's Ice Spikes broke through his defenses; the formation's guardian stopped the match and declared Liu Shijie the winner.
• Wang Xuanyu explained that the Star Plucking Ranking offered rewards and opportunities, and described its challenge rules.
• Wang Xuanyu told Li Xiaoya that she ranked thirty-first and her siblings also held places on the ranking.
• Wang Xuanyu said Liu Shijie had challenged ranked disciples for over a month without losing, and Li Xiaoya wondered whether he was related to Xian'er before noticing he had left.

Li Xiaoya sparred with Wang Xuanyu and was quickly caught by her Grassroot Technique, prompting her to teach him how to prepare for duels. Wang Xuanyu then launched another attack before Li Xiaoya was ready.

• Wang Xuanyu invited Li Xiaoya to spar in the empty Dueling Formation, drawing the attention of nearby disciples.
• Li Xiaoya entered the arena with his Fire Spirit Thread while Wang Xuanyu prepared her brass-colored bottle.
• Wang Xuanyu fired a fiery arrow and bound Li Xiaoya's ankles with the Grassroot Technique, making him fall.
• Wang Xuanyu freed Li Xiaoya and explained that he should use a Protective Barrier and divine sense to detect hidden attacks.
• Wang Xuanyu suddenly fired three fiery arrows at Li Xiaoya's upper, middle, and lower body.

Li Xiaoya trained in spell combat with Wang Xuanyu, who taught him to stay alert and defend himself while attacking. He learned that Dong Santong had taken first place on the Star Plucking Ranking and heard that Liu Xian'er had once been strong enough to rank among the top three.

• Wang Xuanyu attacked Li Xiaoya with vines and fire spells, breaking his barrier and binding him before advising him to fight back with spells.
• Li Xiaoya launched a Flame Blade and Fire Spirit Thread at Wang Xuanyu, but she struck him with a fireball while he was distracted.
• Wang Xuanyu warned Li Xiaoya never to lower his guard during combat, and he acknowledged her advice.
• Wang Xuanyu told Li Xiaoya that Dong Santong had defeated Huang Hua to claim first place and described Dong's rare light spiritual root and rapid cultivation.
• Li Xiaoya asked about Liu Xian'er's former ranking, and Wang Xuanyu said Liu's abilities could have placed her in the top three.

Li Xiaoya sparred with Wang Xuanyu at the Star Plucking Platform, then watched two Twin Peaks disciples compete in a Star Plucking Ranking match and learned from their techniques. After the match, Wang Xuanyu invited him to meet her brothers, and he joined her on the way to the stone bridge where the Four Friends of the Wang were waiting.

• Li Xiaoya and Wang Xuanyu ended their casual spar when their time in the Dueling Formation ran out.
• Wang Xuanyu explained Twin Peaks' rivalry between the Wood Method Hall and Earth Method Hall as two disciples fought for a Star Plucking Ranking position.
• Li Xiaoya studied the duel and noticed how the five elements affected the fighters' spells.
• Wang Xuanyu received a message from her siblings and invited Li Xiaoya to their meeting place.
• The wood-spell disciple defeated the earth-spell disciple, and Wang Xuanyu flew with Li Xiaoya to meet the other members of the Four Friends of the Wang.

Li Xiaoya visited the Four Friends of the Wang to spar and followed them to a secluded practice ground outside Twin Peaks. He began a match with Wang Ling, whose metal and earth spells put him under pressure, but he dodged her attacks and the chapter ended with their fight still underway.

• Li Xiaoya told Wang Ding that Wang Xuanyu had guided him to seek a spell spar with the Four Friends of the Wang.
• Wang Ding led Li Xiaoya and the others to a secluded basin outside Twin Peaks, explaining that Twin Peaks disciples practiced and lived within the mountains.
• Wang Ling accepted Li Xiaoya’s challenge, and they took positions on opposing rocks.
• Wang Ling used her golden bow to counter Li Xiaoya’s Flame Blades and sent arrows of light toward him.
• Li Xiaoya dodged Wang Ling’s Stone Spire and three arrows of light by changing his landing point midair.

Li Xiaoya defeated Wang Ling in a magical duel with his self-developed Cross Flame Blade and binding rope. Afterward, the others explained how Dharma Artifacts enhance spells, revealing that Li Xiaoya had not known this basic cultivation knowledge.

• Li Xiaoya countered Wang Ling with a Cross Flame Blade that broke through her defenses and knocked her aside.
• Li Xiaoya bound Wang Ling with his Red-and-Yellow Rope, and Wang Feiyu caught her as she fell.
• Li Xiaoya celebrated his first victory, while Wang Ling blamed Wang Feiyu and demanded that he defeat Li Xiaoya for her.
• Wang Ding asked about the Cross Flame Blade, and Li Xiaoya said he had developed it himself in Demon Beast Valley.
• Wang Ding and Wang Feiyu explained that Dharma Artifacts could strengthen and speed up spells, and Li Xiaoya realized Wang Ling’s bow had enhanced her magic.

Wang Ding explained the differences between offensive and support Dharma Artifacts, and Li Xiaoya demonstrated the power of his Fire Dragon Sword. The others were amazed, but Wang Ding warned Li Xiaoya that displaying such a valuable weapon could make him a target.

• Wang Xuanyu told Li Xiaoya that Wang Ling's Golden Thread Bow increased the power and speed of metal-element spells, while Wang Ding explained that support Dharma Artifacts had specialized functions rather than offensive power.
• Wang Ding explained that Li Xiaoya's Fire Spirit Thread could bind enemies and that support artifacts could provide abilities beyond Five Elements Method spells.
• Li Xiaoya revealed his Fire Dragon Sword and, after channeling Magic Power into it, expanded it and blasted a huge hole into a cliff with its attack.
• Li Xiaoya boasted that the Fire Dragon Sword would help him win the sect tournament, but Wang Ding warned that its power consumed much of his Magic Power and that rivals might kill him to steal it.