Chapter Summaries

Ye Han, whom everyone called Erwazi, struggled through poverty while tending Old Moneybags Wang’s cattle and dreamed of leaving Green Ox Village. After falling asleep and losing the cattle, he followed their tracks into the mountains, where he found an ox’s remains and was attacked by a beast.

• Erwazi recalled how Teacher Lan Qing had named him Ye Han and resolved to leave Green Ox Village after winter.
• Erwazi woke near noon and discovered Old Moneybags Wang’s five cattle had disappeared while he slept.
• Erwazi followed fresh cow dung into the mountains, despite the danger from ferocious beasts.
• Erwazi heard a cow near a gorge and found a yellow ox’s skeleton surrounded by blood and entrails.
• A beast struck Erwazi into a rock wall, and he lost consciousness.

Erwazi woke among dead cows in a monster’s cave and tried to escape with his life. After taking a Purple Jade Little Cauldron that absorbed the cave’s glowing stones and woke the beast, he hid outside, but the monster returned.

• Erwazi woke beside dead cows in a cave and discovered an enormous scaled monster sleeping nearby.
• Erwazi quietly moved toward the exit, found a Purple Jade Little Cauldron buried beneath the bones, and took it.
• The cauldron vibrated and absorbed the glowing stones from the cave ceiling, waking the monster.
• Erwazi fled the cave and hid beneath a large rock as the monster charged into the valley.
• The monster returned to the cave entrance, leaving Erwazi fearing it had found him.

Er Wazi escaped a monster that a flying woman in blue drove away, then returned to its cave and secretly took a bundle of valuables. While he rested in an abandoned hunter's hut, the woman returned to the cave and began searching the mountain, spotting a glint of light near the hut.

• A beautiful woman in blue fought the enormous monster with her flying sword and chased it away from the cave.
• Er Wazi decided the monster would not return, went back into the cave, and secretly dug up a bundle of belongings.
• Er Wazi hid the bundle, left the valley, and spent the night in an abandoned hunter's hut.
• Er Wazi discovered that the Purple Jade Little Cauldron had turned to stone and found two silver ingots, a bronze token, a book, and a jade slip in the bundle.
• The woman returned to the cave, searched the mountain forests, and noticed a glint of cold light near Er Wazi's hut.

Erwazi left Green Ox Village for Wutong City after discovering strange items and learning that an Azure Profound Sect immortal had confined the villagers. He reached the city and spotted Teacher Lan Qing entering a place called Happy Red Courtyard, but a guard stopped him at the door.

• Erwazi examined the bronze token, the Azure Mystic Art book, and the stone-like cauldron, then packed them with the silver and unusual cloth.
• Erwazi learned from Old Moneybags Wang's wife that an Azure Profound Sect immortal had ordered the village to stay indoors for three days, and he left ten taels of silver as compensation for the lost cattle.
• Erwazi found Teacher Lan Qing's home empty and learned that he had moved away, so Erwazi left Green Ox Village and resolved to use the name Ye Han.
• Ye Han arrived in Wutong City, where he worried about spending his silver and searched for a way to get by.
• Ye Han recognized Teacher Lan Qing entering Happy Red Courtyard, followed him inside, and was turned away by a burly guard.

Ye Han went to the Happy Red Courtyard to find Master Lan Qing but was mistaken for a beggar and waited outside while seeking a way to exchange his silver. After a lame beggar discovered he had silver, he and three others cornered Ye Han and prepared to break his legs.

• The Happy Red Courtyard's doorman dragged Ye Han outside, and Ye Han realized Master Lan Qing had gone into a brothel.
• A passerby mistook Ye Han for a beggar and gave him a copper coin, which Ye Han used to ask where he could exchange silver.
• Ye Han broke off a small piece of silver with his copper token, exchanged it at the Gathering Fortune Money House, and bought five steamed buns.
• Ye Han waited outside the Happy Red Courtyard for Master Lan Qing, but the lame beggar tracked him down and called two others to seize him.
• A burly beggar caught Ye Han, dislocated his arm, and ordered the others to hold him down while the lame beggar fetched a brick to break his legs.

Teacher Lan Qing rescued Ye Han from a gang of beggars and discovered an Azure Mystic Token among the objects Ye Han had found. After Ye Han insisted he wanted to cultivate, Lan Qing began explaining how the token could lead him toward opportunity.

• Teacher Lan Qing killed the four beggars who had attacked Ye Han and took him to another alley.
• Lan Qing questioned Ye Han about the female immortal and inspected the bundle Ye Han had brought from the monster's cave.
• Ye Han asked about the Happy Red Courtyard, and Lan Qing brushed off his questions before explaining immortal cultivation.
• Lan Qing told Ye Han that he had spiritual roots but ordinary aptitude, and Ye Han resolved to pursue cultivation rather than return to Green Ox Village.
• Lan Qing said the Azure Mystic Token could help Ye Han gain wealth and status even if he could not cultivate.

Ye Han climbed a dangerous cliff to summon the Azure Profound Sect and present a mysterious recommendation letter. After the sect’s azure-robed youth discovered the letter’s immense power, he took Ye Han toward the sect on White Snow, which treated Ye Han with disdain.

• Ye Han reached the mountain summit after three days of travel and lit the Messaging Talisman Mr. Lan Qing had given him.
• An azure-robed youth arrived on White Snow and questioned Ye Han, suspecting that a mortal could not have climbed the sheer mountain alone.
• Ye Han showed the youth a sealed letter of recommendation, whose hidden divine sense startled him, and said he would explain it only to the sect master.
• The youth stopped threatening Ye Han and invited him to come along, while White Snow refused to let him ride on its back.
• The youth ordered White Snow to carry Ye Han in its talons toward the mountains, and Ye Han vowed to pluck its feathers someday.

Ye Han arrived at the Azure Profound Sect and asked Sect Master Qing Xuan to let him cultivate. Though Qing Xuan judged his spiritual roots poor, he honored the envelope Ye Han brought and agreed to arrange his entry into the sect.

• The youth in green carried Ye Han through the mountains on White Snow and brought him to the Azure Profound Sect.
• Ye Han presented Sect Master Qing Xuan with the envelope Mr. Lan Qing had given him and claimed it had been passed down by his ancestors.
• Sect Master Qing Xuan found Ye Han's aptitude ordinary and offered him wealth and status instead of cultivation.
• Ye Han insisted that he only wanted to cultivate, and Qing Xuan agreed to honor the envelope and grant his request.
• A green-robed disciple escorted Ye Han to a side hall to await arrangements.

The Azure Profound Sect elders argued over which peak would take Ye Han, a mortal admitted as an inner disciple because he carried an Azure Mystic Token. When the sect master let Ye Han choose between Profound Heaven Peak and Seven Mysteries Peak, Ye Han sensed the elders’ motives and asked the sect master for advice.

• The Azure Profound Sect Master told the elders to choose a peak for Ye Han, whose Azure Mystic Token required the sect to admit and protect him as an inner disciple.
• The Fifth Elder offered Profound Heaven Peak, while the Seventh Elder volunteered Seven Mysteries Peak; the sect master warned the Fifth Elder to safeguard Ye Han and support his cultivation.
• The Azure Profound Sect Master decided that Ye Han could choose which peak to join, despite the Fifth Elder’s attempt to claim him.
• The Azure Profound Sect Master introduced the Fifth Elder and Seventh Elder to Ye Han, who wondered why two elders wanted him despite his poor aptitude.
• Ye Han suspected the Azure Mystic Token was behind their interest and asked the sect master which peak would be better for him.

Ye Han weighed the competing offers from the Fifth Elder and Seventh Elder before choosing to join Seven Mysteries Peak. He left with the Seventh Elder, while the Fifth Elder was left furious after losing his chance to obtain the Azure Mystic Token.

• The sect leader declined to recommend a peak, and the Seventh Elder offered Ye Han a cave abode at Seven Mysteries Peak.
• The Fifth Elder countered with cultivation resources and urged Ye Han to join Profound Heaven Peak.
• Ye Han asked the sect leader to choose for him, then decided Seven Mysteries Peak seemed safer.
• Ye Han formally chose the Seventh Elder, who gave him a token bearing his name and welcomed him to Seven Mysteries Peak.
• The sect leader returned the Azure Mystic Token to Ye Han, but the Seventh Elder blocked the Fifth Elder and led Ye Han away.

The Seventh Elder brought Ye Han to the cave abode he had obtained with his Azure Mystic Token, modified its token so Ye Han could enter without magical power, and left him to manage on his own. After exploring the empty rooms and resolving to become a cultivator despite his poor talent, Ye Han left to ask someone how to begin.

• The Seventh Elder brought Ye Han to a cave abode and clarified that he was not Ye Han's master and had only helped because of the Azure Mystic Token.
• The Seventh Elder modified the Cave Abode Token so Ye Han could set a spoken phrase, then flew away.
• Ye Han chose "Ox gate, open" and entered the cave abode, where he found several unfamiliar rooms and an empty storeroom.
• Ye Han stored his belongings, kept his silver, and reflected on his poor cultivation talent and the cloth Mr. Lan Qing had taken as payment.
• Ye Han left the cave abode to wander the mountain and ask someone how to become a cultivator.

Ye Han left his cave abode on Seven Mysteries Peak and searched for someone who could explain cultivation and help him find food. After nearly disturbing the sleeping Elder Liu, he met a burly young man and pretended the Seventh Elder had praised his talent, leaving the young man envious and opening a chance to learn about the sect.

• Ye Han admired Seven Mysteries Peak, worried that he could be expelled if he failed to cultivate, and realized he had no food or guidance.
• Ye Han climbed down a vine from the cliff and followed the steps until he found an old man dozing by a small building.
• When Ye Han tried to wake the old man, a burly young man whisked him away and warned that the sleeper, Elder Liu, had turned a previous intruder to ashes.
• The young man questioned how a mortal like Ye Han had reached Seven Mysteries Peak, so Ye Han claimed the Seventh Elder had brought him there because of his cultivation talent.
• The young man believed Ye Han might have a heavenly or dual spiritual root and envied his prospects, while Ye Han saw him as a chance to learn about cultivation.

Ye Han befriended Zhang Qingshan and learned about the Azure Profound Sect’s cultivation hierarchy, spiritual energy, and the benefits of a private cave abode. He offered Zhang a place to cultivate in exchange for teaching him cultivation methods.

• Ye Han encouraged Zhang Qingshan, learned his name and cultivation level, and gained his trust.
• Zhang Qingshan explained that strength determined status in the sect and that Foundation Establishment cultivators could soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth.
• Zhang Qingshan mistook Ye Han’s inner-sect position and private cave abode as signs of exceptional talent and connections.
• Ye Han learned that cave abodes contained Spirit Gathering Arrays and that Foundation Establishment Pills were important for advancing realms.
• Ye Han asked Zhang to teach him cultivation methods and offered to let him cultivate in his cave abode in return.

Ye Han persuaded Zhang Qingshan to help him reach his cliffside cave abode, using his supposed connection to the Seventh Elder to win the cultivator’s trust. After showing Zhang Qingshan the cave’s rich spiritual energy, Ye Han offered to let him cultivate there in hopes of getting help learning cultivation.

• Zhang Qingshan hesitated to teach Ye Han because he feared the Seventh Elder’s reaction, but Ye Han explained that he mainly needed help reaching his high cave abode.
• Ye Han asked Zhang Qingshan how long it had taken him to reach the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm, and Zhang Qingshan said he had cultivated for eight years.
• Zhang Qingshan carried Ye Han up the cliff to his cave abode, impressing Ye Han with his speed and strength.
• Ye Han opened the cave abode with the command “Ox Gate, open,” and Zhang Qingshan admired its spiritual energy and envied his good fortune.
• Ye Han told Zhang Qingshan he could cultivate in the cave abode if he considered him a friend, hoping to secure Zhang Qingshan’s guidance.

Ye Han struggled to sense spiritual energy while practicing the Golden Spirit Art, and Zhang Qingshan suggested the art might not suit his spirit roots. Ye Han produced a cultivation manual supposedly given to him by the Seventh Elder, and Zhang Qingshan was shocked to see the Azure Mystic Art.

• Ye Han lamented that three days of practicing the Golden Spirit Art had brought no progress in sensing spiritual energy.
• Zhang Qingshan brought Ye Han a roasted beast leg and asked whether he had made any progress.
• Ye Han wondered if his supposed talent was false, and Zhang Qingshan suggested he might lack a metal spirit root and need another cultivation art.
• Ye Han realized he had a cultivation art from the Seventh Elder, retrieved the Azure Mystic Art from storage, and secretly tucked the Small Cauldron into his robe.
• Zhang Qingshan recognized the Azure Mystic Art and asked Ye Han in shock how he had obtained it.

Ye Han showed Zhang Qingshan the Azure Mystic Art and claimed the Seventh Elder had given it to him, concealing that he had found it himself. Zhang Qingshan recognized it as a secret wood-type cultivation art that could reach the Golden Core Stage, then began explaining it to Ye Han, who started to understand why he could not practice the Golden Spirit Art.

• Zhang Qingshan recognized the Azure Mystic Art and envied Ye Han, who claimed the Seventh Elder had given it to him and asked him to keep it secret.
• Ye Han persuaded Zhang Qingshan to read the manual by appealing to his gratitude and asking for help understanding it.
• Zhang Qingshan spent several hours studying the Azure Mystic Art and discovered it was a wood-type art that could lead to the Golden Core Stage.
• Zhang Qingshan told Ye Han to guard the manual, admitted he could not practice it, and began explaining its cultivation methods.
• Ye Han asked Zhang Qingshan questions during the explanation and began to understand why the Golden Spirit Art had not worked for him.

After Zhang Qingshan taught Ye Han about cultivation and the Azure Mystic Art, Ye Han began practicing and sensed wood-attribute spiritual energy. He soon entered the Qi Refining Realm, leaving him wondering whether he was a cultivation genius.

• Zhang Qingshan explained spiritual roots and cultivation, then taught Ye Han the Azure Mystic Art over two days.
• After confirming Ye Han understood the art, Zhang Qingshan began studying it himself to seek a breakthrough.
• Ye Han sensed a faint wisp of spiritual energy during his first attempt, but became exhausted and went to sleep.
• As Ye Han dreamed, tiny purple lights drifted from his robe into his body while Zhang Qingshan continued cultivating.
• The next day, Ye Han clearly sensed wood-attribute spiritual energy and entered the Qi Refining Realm far faster than Zhang Qingshan had expected.

Ye Han rapidly advanced to the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm, while Zhang Qingshan broke through to the eleventh layer and praised Ye Han’s aptitude. Suspecting his mysterious little cauldron caused his unusual progress, Ye Han waited until Zhang Qingshan left and took it out to examine it.

• Ye Han cultivated for more than four hours and noticed his senses and vitality had improved as he reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
• Zhang Qingshan broke through a year-long bottleneck to reach the eleventh layer and thanked Ye Han for lending him the Azure Mystic Art and cave abode.
• Zhang Qingshan noticed Ye Han’s cultivation and assumed his rapid progress came from exceptional aptitude, while Ye Han privately doubted that explanation.
• Ye Han suspected the little cauldron beneath his robe was responsible for his progress and asked Zhang Qingshan to find him food.
• After Zhang Qingshan left, Ye Han closed the cave abode, took out the cauldron, and saw that it had changed.

Ye Han discovered that the Purple Cauldron had returned to its purple-jade form and hid it beneath his bed. When Zhang Qingshan arrived with three suspicious disciples, Ye Han concealed his identity and refused to let them into the cave abode.

• Ye Han noticed the Purple Cauldron had changed back into purple jade and hid it beneath his bed.
• Ye Han waited for Zhang Qingshan, then heard Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai questioning and pressuring him outside.
• Ye Han opened the entrance, greeted Zhang Qingshan, and presented himself to the three disciples as an ordinary disciple.
• Zhang Qingshan introduced Ye Han as the owner of the cave abode, surprising the three disciples.
• Ye Han said the peak master had only let him use the cave abode temporarily, pulled Zhang Qingshan inside, and shut the entrance on Zhang Sanlei and the others.

Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai speculated that Ye Han had helped Zhang Qingshan break through to the eleventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm. As the three left, an unseen cultivator offered them magical artifacts to spread the truth about Ye Han, leaving them wondering what was unusual about him.

• Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai realized Zhang Qingshan had reached the eleventh layer and suspected Ye Han’s Cave Abode had helped him.
• Li Zongqing identified the Cave Abode as belonging to the Seventh Elder, and the three speculated that Ye Han had received it from him.
• Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai left without confronting Ye Han because they did not know his background.
• An unseen cultivator stopped the three and offered them three mid-grade magical artifacts to spread the truth about Ye Han.
• Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai wondered what was unusual about Ye Han and why the cultivator wanted to undermine him.