Recaps

Yu Bintian hosted a meal of rare Green Fang Rice aboard the Hundred Treasures Pavilion ship, then began an exchange gathering for the cultivators. Wang Yu learned how cultivation medicines and spirit stones could affect a cultivator’s progress as Yu Bintian sought suitable resources for a young family member.

• Gao Qi served the guests Green Fang Rice, which Yu Bintian had acquired despite the Huang Household’s usual refusal to sell it to outsiders.
• The guests praised the rice’s flavor and learned that spirit rice could nourish cultivators but was scarce and expensive.
• Yu Bintian proposed an exchange gathering, and Wang Yu agreed to consider trading his body-refining method after seeing the others’ offerings.
• Yu Bintian offered five packets of low-grade Dust-Cleansing Powder in exchange for medium-grade cultivation medicine, but the mendicant monk could offer only low-grade Spirit-Gathering Liquid.
• The young Huang couple explained that medium-grade medicines contained less medicinal toxin than low-grade ones and that prolonged spirit-stone use could damage a cultivator’s meridians.

Wang Yu traded a partial body-refining art for cultivation supplies and Yu Bintian’s Qi-Observing Technique, which he quickly mastered and used to see blood qi. His cultivation was boosted by a Concentrating Spirit Pill when the Iron Arrow encountered a dangerous Yin Qi Tide, and he hurried to answer Elder Feng’s call to assemble on deck.

• Wang Yu exchanged the four Wolf-Running Forms of his body-refining art for Yu Bintian’s Qi-Observing Technique, a Concentrating Spirit Pill, a Golden Light Talisman, Spirit-Gathering Liquid, and Spirit Stones.
• Wang Yu used Spirit-Gathering Liquid and swallowed the Concentrating Spirit Pill, greatly increasing his cultivation efficiency and Dharma Power.
• Wang Yu mastered the Qi-Observing Technique and discovered that it revealed the bloody glow of blood qi around his body.
• The Iron Arrow shook violently, and Elder Feng announced that it had encountered the once-in-a-decade Yin Qi Tide and ordered all cultivators to assemble on deck.
• Wang Yu grabbed his iron essence saber and rushed out of his room to face the crisis.

Wang Yu joined the Tower Ship’s defense against a yin qi tide of Filth-Bone Fish and fought alongside the other cultivators. After they battered a giant mutant fish, it began to self-destruct, leaving Wang Yu caught in the blast.

• Elder Feng used the Soul-Suppressing Banner to shield the Tower Ship and opened a gap for the crew and cultivators to fight the Filth-Bone Fish.
• Madam Yin warned Wang Yu about mutant fish and offered to protect him as the first wave swarmed onto the deck.
• Wang Yu used Firefly and his saber to kill attacking fish while the other cultivators revealed their combat skills.
• A twenty-foot mutant fish broke through, and Elder Feng trapped it with a net while the cultivators attacked until the Masked Young Man’s spear pinned its head.
• The wounded mutant began swelling to self-destruct, and Wang Yu rolled away as the explosion sent bone fragments flying and people screaming.

The Four Fiends of Misty Mountain attacked the tower ship, killing the Monk and overwhelming the cultivators as the black mist and Filth-Bone Fish closed in. Wang Yu escaped through the ship’s hull and swam toward the bank, protected by a Golden Light Talisman.

• The Sickly Daoist and Qian Kunzi emerged from a Mutant Filthy Bonefish after its explosion destroyed the Soul-Suppressing Banner and ship’s barrier.
• The Sickly Daoist killed the Monk with the Fallen Moon Sword, while Qian Kunzi revealed himself as one of the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain and demanded the cultivators surrender.
• As Elder Feng prepared to resist, Qin'er appeared behind him and stabbed him with a Blood-Red Short Sword.
• The Sickly Daoist ordered the others killed, and Qian Kunzi blew a White Horn that drove the surrounding Filth-Bone Fish to attack the ship.
• Wang Yu broke through the deck, descended into the cabins, and used Overclocking synchronization to find an escape route.
• Wang Yu used the Golden Light Talisman to survive Filth-Bone Fish bites, escaped through the hull, and swam toward the distant bank.

After escaping the sinking Iron Arrow, Wang Yu completed his Iron-Eater Crocodile bloodline awakening and was found by Madam Yin, who revived him with Stone Essence Milk. As she revealed her ties to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and hinted at the power of awakened bloodlines, a sudden blast destroyed their hiding place.

• Wang Yu escaped into the woods as the Iron Arrow sank and Elder Feng was killed during the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain's attack.
• Wang Yu hid in a tree hollow, collapsed after his bloodline awakened, and dreamed of his life as a giant crocodile.
• Madam Yin found Wang Yu with her Ghost Hounds and gave him Stone Essence Milk to help him recover; he then cultivated until the green markings on his skin disappeared.
• Madam Yin explained that she was a covert guard of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and had alerted it to the attack, while Wang Yu asked about the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain.
• Madam Yin congratulated Wang Yu on awakening his bloodline and gave him the remaining Stone Essence Milk, then began explaining the connection between bloodlines and beast taming.
• A sudden blast destroyed the tree hollow, and Wang Yu sprang up with his iron essence saber, wary of what had arrived.

Elder Cui arrived to pursue the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain, but Qin'er, Fallen Moon Daoist, and Mad-Hand Auntie ambushed him, revealing that they had lured him there. As Wang Yu and Madam Yin tried to escape, Qian Kunzi destroyed their carriage and forced them into a deadly chase involving Yu Bintian and the young couple from the Huang Household.

• Elder Cui pressured Wang Yu and threatened to search his soul, but Qin'er interrupted him with a surprise attack.
• Qin'er summoned Fallen Moon Daoist and Mad-Hand Auntie, and the three challenged Elder Cui before he fled on his Azure Light Boat.
• Madam Yin prepared a carriage to escape with Wang Yu, but Qian Kunzi emerged and destroyed it with his golden ring.
• Qian Kunzi revealed that Yu Bintian and the young couple from the Huang Household were under his control through Filth-Bone Fish and ordered the two groups to kill each other for their freedom.
• Madam Yin fled underground, Wang Yu escaped through the woods, and Yu Bintian and the young couple pursued them by different routes.
• Qian Kunzi waited for the pursuit to begin, then transformed into a white cloud and flew in the opposite direction.

Wang Yu fought the Huang couple despite their advantage in cultivation and magical artifacts, using his body-tempering method and Overclocking to turn the battle in his favor. He killed the Huang man, but the wife trapped him with a ribbon and detonated her Azure Token into a swarm of ice needles.

• The Huang man attacked Wang Yu with Wind Blades while his wife prepared Ice Spikes, and Wang Yu evaded the attacks with his Body-Tempering Method.
• The wife’s Ice Spikes slowed Wang Yu with bitter cold, but he used Overclocking to recover and leap away from the Huang man’s assault.
• The Huang man summoned a Straw Effigy double, but Wang Yu used Draw-Cutting Art to break through the real man’s blue barrier and kill him.
• Wang Yu dodged the wife’s Ice Spikes and charged her, but she ensnared him with a yellow ribbon and detonated her Azure Token into ice needles.

Wang Yu watched the Masked Young Man kill Rou'er and learned that he had recovered the Li Household's heirloom. After the two men agreed to leave each other alone, Qian Kunzi appeared and revealed that he knew the Masked Young Man's lineage and recognized the golden wood.

• Wang Yu fought off Rou'er's attack, but the Masked Young Man intervened and protected her from his saber.
• The Masked Young Man told Rou'er he still wanted to take her away, but killed her when she asked him to avenge Huang Lang and promised to join him afterward.
• The Masked Young Man revealed that he had already stolen the Li Household's ancestral heirloom back from the Huang Household and said he would eventually destroy them.
• Recognizing Wang Yu's Iron Essence Shield, the Masked Young Man decided they were not enemies, and the two men started to leave in opposite directions.
• Qian Kunzi appeared at the forest's edge with Yu Bintian's severed head and identified the Masked Young Man's lineage and golden wood.

Wang Yu and the Masked Young Man fought the Dwarf, who attacked them with Filth-Bone Fish and Golden Rings while protecting the Thousand-Year Parasol Tree Wood. After the Masked Young Man’s flames failed, Wang Yu seized one ring, and the Masked Young Man revealed his Firebird Tattoo and unleashed a new technique.

• Madam Yin appeared motionless on the back of an enormous Filth-Bone Fish as the Dwarf threatened Wang Yu and the Masked Young Man.
• The Dwarf sent Filth-Bone Fish and two Golden Rings to attack them, leaving Wang Yu struggling to defend himself.
• The Masked Young Man used his Crimson Long Spear to burn away the fish and black vapor, but the Dwarf extinguished the flames and wounded him.
• Wang Yu hurled his Iron Shield at the Dwarf, then grabbed and pinned the Golden Ring with his strength.
• The Masked Young Man tore off his mask to reveal a Firebird Tattoo and declared, “Fire Phoenix Engulfs the Plains!”

Wang Yu witnessed Li Fengquan use Divine Soul Spirit Command to kill Dwarf and destroy the Filth-Bone Fish before leaving after warning Wang Yu that he would kill him next time they met. Wang Yu then examined Madam Yin and found that her face had changed into that of a stunningly beautiful woman.

• Li Fengquan unleashed a white firebird with Divine Soul Spirit Command, and Wang Yu knocked the golden ring from its path with his saber.
• The firebird melted the ring, burned the Filth-Bone Fish to ash, and killed Dwarf as he tried to flee.
• Li Fengquan retrieved the Black Leather Pouch, returned to human form, and warned Wang Yu that he would kill him the next time they met.
• Li Fengquan left, and Wang Yu waited until he was gone before picking up his damaged saber and checking on Madam Yin.
• Wang Yu turned Madam Yin over and discovered that her face had become extraordinarily beautiful despite her familiar clothes and hairpin.

After escaping Qian Kunzi, Wang Yu recovered in a hiding place beside the Redwater River while the unconscious “Madam Yin” regained her original appearance as Yin Linglong. She asked him to marry into the Yin family, and Wang Yu agreed, including to fulfill a future request from her.

• Wang Yu carried the unconscious woman away from the battlefield and hid with her in a hollowed boulder beside the Redwater River.
• The woman woke and discovered that her Illusory Form Great Art had been broken, leaving her unable to restore her Madam Yin appearance.
• Wang Yu showed Yin Linglong Qian Kunzi’s golden ring and told her Qian Kunzi was dead.
• Yin Linglong demanded that Wang Yu marry into the Yin family, citing his having seen her body and the chance to join a cultivation sect.
• Wang Yu agreed to marry Yin Linglong and promised to fulfill a future request from her.

Yin Linglong made Wang Yu her fiancé and explained the Yin Household’s ancestral ring, then told him about her disguise and the value of entry-level spells. The chapter ended with Wang Yu asking about her spirit root and what he should know before condensing his own.

• Yin Linglong marked Wang Yu as the Yin Household’s fiancé by placing its blood-bound ancestral ring on his finger.
• Wang Yu revealed that he was about fourteen and from near Yellowstone City, and Yin Linglong teased him about being her younger husband.
• Yin Linglong explained that she had impersonated her grandmother using the Illusory Form Great Art, which had failed after Yu Bintian struck her with a spell-breaking item.
• Yin Linglong told Wang Yu that entry-level spells and suitable magical artifacts could help cultivators defeat opponents at the same stage or even fight across stages.
• Wang Yu asked Yin Linglong about her spirit root and what to consider when condensing a spirit root.

Yin Linglong explained spirit root grades and cultivation speed to Wang Yu, then decided they had to flee before the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain could hunt them down. They escaped on a concealed boat, where Wang Yu saw the Heavenly Craft Sect’s advanced mechanism craft and was stunned by a faster iron vessel.

• Yin Linglong told Wang Yu that spirit root grade affected cultivation methods and power, while having fewer spirit roots generally increased cultivation speed.
• Wang Yu realized Yin Linglong had not joined a cultivation sect because her spirit root grades were insufficient, and she defended the importance of having three roots.
• Yin Linglong warned that the other three of the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain would search for them after succeeding against Elder Cui, so she and Wang Yu needed to leave quickly.
• Yin Linglong used an ancestral concealment treasure as she and Wang Yu traveled down the Redwater River in a Mechanism Self-Propelled Boat.
• Wang Yu admired the boat’s mechanisms, then gaped as a large iron vessel shot past them through the sky.

Wang Yu and Yin Linglong traveled down the Redwater River under the cover of Purple Cloud Miasma, discussing the Heavenly Craft Sect and the Four Symbols Sect. Yin Linglong revealed that she had offered to marry Wang Yu to preserve her household’s sect protection, and they continued their journey by cultivating aboard the boat.

• Wang Yu and Yin Linglong watched an iron Mechanism Flying Boat pass safely through the Purple Cloud Miasma, and Yin Linglong explained the Heavenly Craft Sect’s standardized flying boats.
• Yin Linglong told Wang Yu that the Heavenly Craft Sect and Hundred Treasures Pavilion had appeared throughout the cultivation world and might have Golden Core patriarchs behind them.
• Yin Linglong explained that the Yin Household’s Sect Token would expire unless a descendant reached Foundation Establishment or joined a sect, and admitted that this was why she had first offered to marry Wang Yu.
• Wang Yu accepted that their arrangement benefited them both, and Yin Linglong promised she would marry him even if he failed the Four Symbols Sect’s entrance test.
• Yin Linglong refused to consummate the marriage until Wang Yu was older and urged him to cultivate so he could form his spirit roots and return with her to the Yin Household.
• Yin Linglong regulated her breathing aboard the boat, while Wang Yu took Spirit-Gathering Liquid and cultivated the second level of the Yin Water Art.

After Yin Linglong left, Wang Yu settled in Tongzhou City and spent half a year studying books to learn about the world. He uncovered clues connecting it to Blue Star, then tested his growing strength by lifting enormous stone locks.

• Yin Linglong told Wang Yu to cultivate in Tongzhou City until he reached the third level of Qi Refining, gave him Spirit-Gathering Liquid and protective talismans, and directed him to find Blacksmith Wu at Guangyuan Market.
• Wang Yu spent six months in Tongzhou City buying and reading books, eventually gathering 157 useful volumes from three bookshops.
• Wang Yu used Overclocking to memorize a compendium of medicinal herbs and reflected on what he had learned about the kingdoms, the unexplored Eastern Wasteland and Northern Sea, and the apparent connection to Blue Star.
• Wang Yu lifted two three-hundred-jin stone locks and caught them easily, though their impact drove his feet deep into the ground.

After fully awakening his Iron-Eater Crocodile bloodline, Wang Yu tested his strength and discovered that his rare Metal-Dowsing Art could sense and move nearby metal, though it quickly exhausted his mental power. He continued training the Four Beast Diagram and demonstrated the remarkable grip strength gained from its Tiger-Pouncing Forms.

• Wang Yu tested his increased strength and toughness, then used the Metal-Dowsing Art to lift a small rock before collapsing from the mental strain.
• Wang Yu concluded that Metal-Dowsing Art could sense metal within a hundred meters and move light objects a short distance, but was of limited use and costly to use.
• Wang Yu reflected on his rapid Yin Water Art cultivation, which had slowed after he ran out of Spirit-Gathering Liquid and Yin Spirit energy.
• Wang Yu practiced the Four Wolf-Running Forms and then completed the first eight forms of the Four Beast Diagram's Body-Tempering Method, including the Tiger-Pouncing Forms.
• Wang Yu drove his fingers into a gray brick and crushed it, showing the gains in his wrist and finger strength.

Wang Yu visited the Black Tiger Fist Hall to study its combat techniques and used Overclocked Synchronization Mode to refine his own version of the Black Tiger Fist. After practicing his unusual movements, he attracted the attention of someone who recognized him.

• Wang Yu went to the Black Tiger Fist Hall, where Senior Brother Li greeted him at the entrance.
• Wang Yu watched Instructor Zhu demonstrate the Black Tiger Fist Technique and explain its key principles.
• Wang Yu activated Overclocked Synchronization Mode as he studied Instructor Zhu's demonstration.
• Wang Yu practiced the Black Tiger Fist with increasingly awkward adjustments, ignoring the other disciples' reactions.
• An unidentified speaker praised Wang Yu's technique and asked whether his name was Wang Yu.

Wang Yu’s Black Tiger Fist revealed a powerful black tiger martial image, astonishing Hall Master Tian and his companions. After testing Wang Yu’s strength, Hall Master Tian explained the martial image and had his daughter bring a mirror so Wang Yu could see it for himself.

• Hall Master Tian arrived with Instructor Zhu and his daughter Ziying, then took Wang Yu to a secluded courtyard after noticing his Black Tiger Fist.
• Hall Master Tian ordered Wang Yu to perform the fist technique at increasing speed, and Wang Yu formed a vivid black tiger martial image.
• Hall Master Tian exchanged a punch with Wang Yu, revealing his own martial image and overwhelming strength as Wang Yu staggered back.
• Hall Master Tian explained that Wang Yu had formed the black tiger martial image without learning the Black Tiger Breathing Method, and Wang Yu asked to pay to learn it.
• Hall Master Tian told Ziying to bring a large bronze mirror so Wang Yu could see the image on his back.

Wang Yu demonstrated that his revised Black Tiger Fist could form a black tiger martial image, leading Hall Master Tian to offer him the Black Tiger Breathing Method and a place as his true disciple. Wang Yu rejected the lifelong obligations because he preferred immortal cultivation, then revealed his identity by casting the Firefly Spell.

• Hall Master Tian recognized that Wang Yu had formed a black tiger martial image and learned that Wang Yu had altered the Black Tiger Fist using another cultivation method.
• Hall Master Tian identified Wang Yu as a Bloodline Awakener and offered to teach him the Black Tiger Breathing Method in exchange for the method he had incorporated.
• Hall Master Tian explained that the Black Tiger Breathing Method came from the ancient Qi Refining Practitioners and described the power of its three levels.
• Hall Master Tian offered Wang Yu the chance to become his true disciple, but warned that he could never take another master or leave Tongzhou if he inherited the hall.
• Wang Yu refused the offer because he wanted to remain an Immortal Cultivator, then cast the Firefly Spell to reveal his identity.

Wang Yu discovered that Overclocking let him unleash Sonic Boom Fists, though the effort injured his arms. Tian Ziying then traded him the first two levels of the Black Tiger Breathing Method for his illustrated body-tempering method, leaving him pleased with the exchange.

• Wang Yu practiced the Black Tiger Fist and, in Overclocking mode, threw two Sonic Boom Fists that left his arms bloodied.
• Wang Yu sensed Tian Ziying hiding on the courtyard wall and learned that she had watched him perform the punches.
• Tian Ziying explained that Sonic Boom Fists strained the arms and suggested the Black Tiger Breathing Method could help him use them safely.
• Tian Ziying offered the first two levels of the Black Tiger Breathing Method for Wang Yu's method, and they negotiated the exchange under oath.
• Four hours later, Tian Ziying left with Wang Yu's illustrated booklet while Wang Yu kept the yellowed booklet containing the breathing method.

Wang Yu mastered the first layer of the Black Tiger Breathing Method and discovered that it greatly increased his strength and gave him an invisible defensive membrane. After breaking through to the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, he felt his spirit seed begin to devour his dharma power and transform.

• Hall Master Tian accepted the breathing method booklet from Tian Ziying and explained why he had traded rather than force Wang Yu to reveal his technique.
• Tian Ziying and Hall Master Tian realized that Wang Yu's Four Tiger Pounce Forms were difficult for them to cultivate, and Hall Master Tian struggled with the breathing method's illustrations.
• Two months later, Wang Yu used overclocked synchronization mode to master the Black Tiger Breathing Method's first layer and demonstrated its explosive strength and defensive air membrane.
• Wang Yu identified killing intent and Baleful-Harmonizing Powder as the obstacles to cultivating the second layer, then chose to seek clues elsewhere rather than confront Hall Master Tian.
• Wang Yu trained in a cabin outside Tongzhou City and, more than ten days later, broke through to the Yin Water Art's third layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
• Wang Yu's spirit seed began devouring his dharma power and undergoing a mysterious transformation.

After Wang Yu reached the third layer of Qi Refining, he found that his Spirit Seed had vanished and his ability to absorb spiritual energy had greatly improved, though he still could not locate his Spirit Root. He opened City Lord Huang’s Storage Bag and learned the Flame-Splitting Art, then tested his spells and considered the difference in their power.

• Wang Yu formed his Spirit Root, increased his Dharma Power and divine sense, and realized he needed to leave Tongzhou City for a Spirit Domain with a Spirit Vein.
• Wang Yu fully opened City Lord Huang’s Storage Bag and found about thirty Spirit Stones, two green branches that dissolved when touched, and a manual titled Flame-Splitting Art.
• Wang Yu studied the Flame-Splitting Art with Taiyuan’s help and learned to split Firefly into multiple flames.
• Wang Yu tested his spells and found that split Firefly flames could destroy saplings, while Water Gathering and Lightning Flash remained weak Parlor Trick Arts.
• Wang Yu wondered why Firefly was far more powerful than the other spells he had learned.

Wang Yu encountered a murdered caravan and a wounded woman from the Prince of Celestial River's Manor, who was being pursued by an ugly bandit cultivator. After the bandit attacked Wang Yu despite promising to let him leave, Wang Yu countered his talismans and Magical Artifact, ending the chapter with a saber strike.

• Wang Yu found more than a dozen dead guards and several dead pack animals at a mountain junction.
• A wounded woman in white emerged from underground and begged Wang Yu to save her from the ugly man pursuing her.
• The ugly man attacked Wang Yu with his silver hammer, but Wang Yu dodged and tried to leave after the man offered to let him go.
• The woman warned Wang Yu that the bandit had poisoned her guards and would kill him too, but Wang Yu continued walking away.
• The ugly man used a talisman to trap Wang Yu's legs and struck at him with invisible wind pressure, but Wang Yu escaped and countered with his Silver Folding Fan.
• Wang Yu rushed the ugly man and unleashed the Draw-Cutting Art.

Wang Yu killed the ugly Middle Qi Refining cultivator who had pursued Princess Tianhe, then met Elder Hua, who invited him to travel with them to Guangyuan Market. Wang Yu accepted, though he remained wary of the old man’s strength.

• Wang Yu dodged the ugly man’s hidden weapons and shattered his barrier with a flurry of saber strikes.
• Wang Yu used the Black Tiger Breathing Method to drag the ugly man out of the ground and beat him to death.
• Wang Yu collected the silver hammer, Storage Bag, Talismans, and black cylinders from the corpse, then prepared to leave Princess Tianhe behind.
• Elder Hua emerged from the woods with the corpse of the other Bandit Cultivator and greeted Princess Tianhe.
• Elder Hua invited Wang Yu to accompany them to Guangyuan Market and promised a reward from the Celestial River Prince's Manor.
• Wang Yu accepted Elder Hua’s invitation, saying he did not know the precise location of Guangyuan Market.

Elder Hua explained the Qi Refining Practitioner tradition and the Thousand Bamboo Sect to Wang Yu and Princess Tianhe as they traveled toward Guangyuan Market. After learning about the sect’s Golden Core ancestor and Princess Tianhe’s offer to help him join, Wang Yu followed them through an illusion-hidden cliff into the sect’s lands.

• Elder Hua described the strengths, limitations, and dangers of Qi Refining Practitioners and advised Wang Yu to focus on cultivating dharma power.
• Princess Tianhe asked about Golden Core lifespans, and Elder Hua revealed that he was an outer disciple of the Thousand Bamboo Sect and that its Violet Light Ancestor had lived for five hundred years.
• Princess Tianhe offered to help Wang Yu join the Thousand Bamboo Sect after he tested his spirit root, and Elder Hua explained that the sect stood alongside the Four Symbols Sect.
• Wang Yu said he would decide whether to join after testing his newly condensed spirit root, while the white-robed woman reacted sourly to Elder Hua’s offer.
• Elder Hua led Wang Yu and Princess Tianhe through a cliff that transformed into mist, revealing the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s farmland, residences, and valley buildings.