Chapter Summaries

Wang Yu gathered supplies in Yellowstone City, commissioned an iron essence saber, and discovered that Dongyue had survived and returned home. He settled in abandoned stone houses outside the city to cultivate, then broke through to the second layer of the Yin Water Art and began testing its power.

• Wang Yu bought ingredients for Blood-Refining Soup and Bone-Corroding Water, then paid a smith to forge a long saber using his iron essence fragment.
• Wang Yu saw a ranked Demon Beast carcass at the Li Family Butcher Shop and recognized Dongyue among the people entering the shop.
• Three days later, Wang Yu left Yellowstone City and settled in abandoned stone houses, where he brewed Blood-Refining Soup and practiced his techniques while cultivating with spirit stones.
• After his last spirit stone ran dry, Wang Yu continued honing his Dharma Power until he broke through the first bottleneck of the Yin Water Art.
• Wang Yu found that his Dharma Power had more than doubled and his divine sense had strengthened, then channeled Dharma Power into his palm to test the second-layer formula.

Wang Yu tested his new Dharma Power, managed to activate the Profound Wind Fan, and struggled to form the Firefly spell mark. After seven days and dozens of painful failures, he completed the mark and successfully cast a small flame.

• Wang Yu failed to open the Storage Bag, which required more Dharma Power than he could currently supply.
• Wang Yu activated the Profound Wind Fan, producing a powerful gale that nearly exhausted his Dharma Power.
• Wang Yu attempted to form the Firefly spell mark, but repeated failures and overclocking caused severe spell backlash.
• Wang Yu abandoned overclocking for spell formation and spent seven days enduring thirty or forty failed attempts.
• Wang Yu completed the Firefly spell mark and cast a small red flame on his fingertip.

Wang Yu tested the Firefly spell and discovered it could melt iron despite its limited range and slow flight. After receiving his boarding signal, he boarded the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Iron Arrow and began its voyage to the Wu Kingdom, but cavalry arrived at the dock and two riders flew toward the departing ship.

• Wang Yu used Firefly to burn a wooden chair to ash and melt an iron rod, then practiced the spell and learned that it was powerful but slow and short-ranged.
• An Azure Paper Crane signaled that it was time to board, so Wang Yu gathered his weapons and bundle and hurried to the dock.
• Elder Feng checked Wang Yu’s ticket and allowed him aboard the Iron Arrow, while Li Laosan explained the ship’s rules and protections.
• Wang Yu explored the ship, saw its Soul-Suppressing Banner and Talisman Crossbows, and settled into his cabin.
• The Iron Arrow departed the dock and glided into the river, but a troop of cavalry arrived and two riders leaped into the air toward the ship.

Wang Yu avoided a search by Huang Household cultivators and continued his journey aboard the Iron Arrow, where he received an invitation to a gathering of immortal masters. He entered Hall A-3 that evening, leaving the reason for the gathering and the people inside unrevealed.

• Elder Feng refused to let two Huang Household cultivators search the Iron Arrow, and they left as the ship departed.
• Wang Yu cultivated and practiced Water Gathering for seven or eight days, but failed to condense its spell mark.
• A girl named Qin'er mistook Wang Yu for her big brother, and her mother apologized for the confusion.
• Wang Yu watched the Iron Arrow repel a school of hornfish, then accepted an invitation from Gao Qi to dine with Yu Bintian and other immortal masters.
• Wang Yu went to Hall A-3 that evening, and two guards admitted him.

Wang Yu attended a gathering of cultivators aboard the Iron Arrow, where Yu Bintian introduced the passengers and discussed the hardships of cultivation. As the group shared their histories and plans, Madam Yin asked the Huang Household couple about two people who had tried to board before the ship departed.

• Yu Bintian welcomed Wang Yu and introduced Iron-Arm Zen Master, Madam Yin, Brother Huang, and Fellow Daoist Hu.
• Yu Bintian’s Qi Observation Method revealed Wang Yu’s unusually vigorous blood and vital energy, prompting the others to ask about his body-refining art.
• The cultivators discussed their backgrounds, the scarce resources available to rogue cultivators, and the difficulties of advancing toward Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yu said he had left Yellowstone City to gain experience and find a place with a spirit vein, and Yu Bintian offered to introduce him to contacts at Guangyuan Market.
• Madam Yin asked Brother Huang whether the two people who had tried to board before departure belonged to the Huang Household and had been looking for him and his wife.

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.