Chapter Summaries

Xu Changshou, an orphaned cowherd, rescued the unconscious Daoist Zhang Zhengyuan and shared his meager food with him. Grateful, Zhang taught Xu the Six-Character Breathing Method and offered to take him as a disciple if he could sense qi.

• Xu Changshou carried the unconscious Zhang Zhengyuan to the cowshed after finding him by the roadside.
• Wang Xu-shi gave Xu only two of the four cornmeal buns promised for his day's labor.
• Xu saved one bun for Zhang, who woke the next morning and ate it after learning that Xu had rescued him.
• Zhang taught Xu the Six-Character Breathing Method and explained that it could strengthen his body.
• Zhang told Xu that sensing qi would let him become an immortal, and promised to take him as a disciple if he succeeded.

Zhang Zhengyuan took Xu Changshou as his nominal disciple, used a fireball talisman to stop Wang Xu-shi from abusing him, and settled into Master Wang’s house. Xu Changshou began practicing the Six-Character Breathing Method with intense dedication, determined to sense qi before Zhang Zhengyuan left.

• Zhang Zhengyuan taught Xu Changshou the Six-Character Breathing Method and took him to meet Master Wang.
• When Wang Xu-shi charged at Xu Changshou with a broom, Zhang Zhengyuan burned her hair with a fireball talisman and warned her not to bully the boy again.
• Zhang Zhengyuan announced that Xu Changshou was his nominal disciple and arranged to stay in Master Wang’s house while recuperating.
• Master Wang and Wang Xu-shi moved into the cowshed, while Xu Changshou enjoyed a bed, meat, and clean clothes.
• Zhang Zhengyuan supervised Xu Changshou’s daily cultivation practice, and Xu Changshou resolved to sense qi before his teacher left.

After months of practicing the Six-Character Breathing Method, Xu Changshou finally sensed qi and learned he had a spiritual root. Zhang Zhengyuan accepted him as a disciple and promised to teach him a true immortal art the next morning.

• Xu Changshou practiced for three months without sensing qi and grew discouraged, but Zhang Zhengyuan told him not to be impatient.
• Three days after calming his mind, Xu Changshou absorbed warmth while meditating, felt a golden thread circulate through his body, and discovered his strength had increased.
• Zhang Zhengyuan examined Xu Changshou and confirmed that he had a spiritual root and had experienced a qi sensation.
• Xu Changshou reminded Zhang Zhengyuan of his promise to accept him as a disciple, and Zhang Zhengyuan agreed to teach him a true immortal art the next morning.
• Xu Changshou eagerly imagined learning to fly on a sword and travel freely through the heavens.

Xu Changshou dreamed of Xu Gan and the Xu Family’s struggle against Wang Mang’s curse, then awoke with the Bloodline Jade Talisman around his neck. At dawn, Zhang Zhengyuan offered to teach him Green Immortal Sect cultivation arts, and Xu Changshou agreed to join the sect.

• Xu Changshou dreamed that Wang Mang sacrificed his cultivation to curse the Xu Family and seal its bloodline for a hundred thousand years.
• Xu Gan ordered the Xu Family to hide in the mortal world and vowed to refine a Bloodline Jade Talisman to preserve the family’s future.
• A mountain-sized jade talisman appeared in Xu Changshou’s dream, and he awoke to find the matching pendant around his neck.
• Xu Changshou decided to keep the Bloodline Jade Talisman secret and waited eagerly to learn immortal arts from Zhang Zhengyuan.
• Zhang Zhengyuan required Xu Changshou to join the Green Immortal Sect before learning its cultivation arts, and Xu Changshou agreed.

Xu Changshou learned a cultivation method from Zhang Zhengyuan and advanced to the qi refining third layer, then mastered the Withered Wood Palm. Zhang Zhengyuan said he would teach Xu Changshou higher-level cultivation methods after taking him to the Green Immortal Sect, while Wang Yuanwai and Wang Xu-shi went to ask Zhang Zhengyuan for a chance at immortality.

• Zhang Zhengyuan used a Jade Slip to teach Xu Changshou a cultivation method for the first three layers of the qi refining realm.
• Xu Changshou cultivated diligently and reached the qi refining second layer after ten days, then the third layer a month later.
• Zhang Zhengyuan said he would take Xu Changshou to the Green Immortal Sect once his injuries healed and taught him the Withered Wood Palm.
• Xu Changshou mastered the palm technique and shattered the Lying Ox Stone, frightening Wang Xu-shi.
• Wang Xu-shi told Wang Yuanwai what Xu Changshou had done, and the couple went to ask Zhang Zhengyuan for a chance to become immortals.

Zhang Zhengyuan brought Xu Changshou to the Green Immortal Sect after a half-month journey, and Xu Changshou marveled at the sect’s vast mountain complex. They headed for Steward Peak to register him, with Zhang Zhengyuan warning Xu to call him senior brother inside the sect.

• Zhang Zhengyuan gave Wang Yuanwai a Fireball Talisman and left Xu Family Village with Xu Changshou.
• Zhang Zhengyuan told Xu Changshou that the Green Immortal Sect lay three thousand li northwest, then led him there on foot over half a month.
• Zhang Zhengyuan brought Xu Changshou through a mist-shrouded path and showed him the sect’s peaks, buildings, and public flying boats.
• Zhang Zhengyuan explained the sect’s seven main peaks and said they were going to Steward Peak to handle Xu Changshou’s registration.
• Zhang Zhengyuan told Xu Changshou to address him as Senior Brother Zhang inside the sect, then urged him to board an arriving public flying boat.

Xu Changshou accompanied Zhang Zhengyuan to the Green Immortal Sect’s Steward Hall, where he learned that ordinary Qi Refining cultivators had little chance of reaching Foundation Establishment. Though the revelation shattered his hopes of an easy path to immortality, he resolved to rely on the Bloodline Jade Talisman and find a way to unlock it.

• Zhang Zhengyuan took Xu Changshou aboard a flying boat, where Xu noticed the other passengers’ gloomy expressions and excitedly enjoyed the flight.
• Zhang Zhengyuan brought Xu Changshou to the Steward Hall to turn in his assignment, and Liu Chuansheng accepted spirit-stone fragments to erase Zhang’s overdue fine.
• Liu Chuansheng explained that Foundation Establishment was nearly impossible for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, and Zhang Zhengyuan admitted that sect resources favored disciples from Aristocratic Clans.
• Xu Changshou realized that joining the sect would not free him from exploitation, but decided that life there was still better than his former life in Xu Family Village.
• Xu Changshou touched the Bloodline Jade Talisman and resolved to unlock it, believing it might be his chance to reach Foundation Establishment.

Xu Changshou joined the Green Immortal Sect, where his Spiritual Root test revealed all ten attributes and threatened to make cultivation extremely difficult. Liu Chuansheng registered him as a menial disciple, concealed his full Spiritual Root, and gave him the Ten Paths Formula, which covered Qi Refinement through the twelfth level.

• Liu Chuansheng tested Xu Changshou and discovered that he had a ten-attribute mixed Spiritual Root.
• Zhang Zhengyuan bargained with Liu Chuansheng for his referral reward, accepted three spirit stones, and left Xu Changshou at the sect.
• Liu Chuansheng registered Xu Changshou as a menial disciple and instructed him to claim he had only a five-element mixed Spiritual Root.
• Liu Chuansheng gave Xu Changshou his identification plaque and starter supplies, then explained that cultivation methods usually matched Spiritual Root attributes.
• Xu Changshou chose to practice a method that cultivated all ten attributes, and Liu Chuansheng gave him the Ten Paths Formula.

Xu Changshou learned that cultivators needed to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining to use jade slips and suspected he could then unlock his Bloodline Jade Talisman. After touring the Green Immortal Sect by flying boat, he arrived at Reserve Beauty Peak and found his assigned quarters at Gengzi Courtyard, number ten.

• Liu Chuansheng explained that reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining allowed cultivators to project spiritual energy, use jade slips, and practice simple spells, and he warned Xu Changshou not to leave the sect before then.
• Liu Chuansheng gave Xu Changshou his newcomer supplies and assigned him to Gengzi Courtyard, number ten, at Reserve Beauty Peak.
• Xu Changshou learned to use his Storage Bag while waiting for a public flying boat, then read the Disciple Handbook and reviewed the sect rules during the ride.
• Xu Changshou deliberately rode the flying boat in the wrong direction to see more of the sect, marveling at Fengdu Peak and Great Unity Peak along the way.
• Xu Changshou got off at Reserve Beauty Peak, saw its crowded and shabby menial-disciples' quarters, and found Gengzi Courtyard.

Xu Changshou arrived at Gengzi Courtyard and met the other young menial disciples, most of whom came from cultivation lineages. While settling into his room, he learned that his neighbor Jiang Xiaochuan came from a small lineage and that the higher-cultivating Ye Shanhua belonged to the influential Ye Family of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

• Xu Changshou entered Gengzi Courtyard, where Jiang Xiaochuan introduced him to the other nine young disciples, including Ye Shanhua.
• Xu Changshou felt out of place among disciples from cultivation lineages and concealed that he came from Xu Family Village in Laiyang Commandery.
• Xu Changshou went to room ten, and Jiang Xiaochuan helped him tidy it before explaining how the sect recruited menial disciples.
• Jiang Xiaochuan explained that lineages with Foundation Establishment cultivators were considered major lineages and identified Ye Shanhua as the only disciple there from one.
• Jiang Xiaochuan told Xu Changshou that Ye Qingfeng, a Golden Core cultivator and former alchemist, had founded the Myriad Treasures Pavilion three hundred years earlier.

Xu Changshou learned more about life as a servant disciple while sharing a meal and traveling with Ye Shanhua and the others aboard her White Jade Boat. Their conversation introduced him to the major powers of the Eastern Expanse Cultivation World, and the group headed toward Steward Peak to buy supplies.

• Xu Changshou ate dogtooth rice and yellow goat meat with Jiang Xiaochuan, who told him that Qi Gathering Pills could aid cultivation.
• Ye Shanhua invited Xu Changshou and the others to Steward Peak, then summoned her White Jade Boat, which she said had cost five hundred spirit stones.
• The group discussed the boat’s spiritual energy consumption, and Xu Changshou concealed his envy of Ye Shanhua’s wealth.
• Aboard the boat, Ye Shanhua and the others discussed powerful cultivators and the major factions of the Eastern Expanse Cultivation World.
• Xu Changshou realized Zhang Zhengyuan had exaggerated the Green Immortal Sect’s standing to persuade him to join.

Xu Changshou bought Qi Gathering Pills at Steward Hall and spent nearly half a month refining one, breaking through to qi refining fourth layer. His Bloodline Jade Talisman reacted briefly but did not activate, and he was left desperately hungry after cultivating without food or water.

• Xu Changshou bought five Qi Gathering Pills from Liu Ru Is and returned alone to Reserve Beauty Peak.
• Xu Changshou learned the Ten Paths Formula and began refining a Qi Gathering Pill in his room.
• Xu Changshou spent nearly half a month refining the pill, whose medicinal power rapidly raised his cultivation and suppressed his hunger.
• Xu Changshou broke through to qi refining fourth layer, and his Bloodline Jade Talisman turned red and trembled before settling back to normal.
• Xu Changshou realized he had gone nearly half a month without food or water, gulped down water, and found himself even hungrier.

After spending half a month refining a Spirit-Gathering Pill without food or water, Xu Changshou returned to the Gengzi Courtyard and learned that the sect would soon register their spiritual roots to assign them duties. Ye Shanhua explained the sect’s peaks and the scarcity of inner sect positions and Foundation Establishment Pills, leaving Xu Changshou newly aware of how difficult advancement would be.

• Xu Changshou left his room after half a month of cultivation, ate a large meal at the Spirit Dining Hall, and told the other disciples he had spent the time refining a Spirit-Gathering Pill.
• The disciples admired Xu Changshou’s perseverance, while Su Mo insisted that hard work could overcome a lack of resources and Ye Shanhua argued that resources mattered more.
• Xu Changshou discovered that the other disciples had also advanced in cultivation, with Ye Shanhua reaching the fifth level of qi refining.
• Ye Shanhua told the disciples to stay in the courtyard the next day for spiritual-root registration, which would determine their future duties among the sect’s peaks.
• Ye Shanhua explained that Luminous Grace Peak admitted only thirty inner sect disciples every three years and that Foundation Establishment Pills were scarce, with even recipients having only a thirty percent chance of success.

Ye Shanhua explained how servant disciples’ spiritual roots determined their future assignments among the Green Immortal Sect’s seven peaks. Xu Changshou learned his five-element root could send him to the unpopular Green Ink Peak, and he had no connections or wealth to avoid it.

• Ye Shanhua said servant disciples would be assigned to the seven peaks according to their spiritual roots, and Su Mo learned his attributes would likely send him to Scarlet Fire Peak as a bellows boy.
• Ye Shanhua described Great Unity Peak and Cinnabar Clouds Peak as desirable assignments, while Fengdu Peak and Green Ink Peak were undesirable for their duties and weak cultivation resources.
• Xu Changshou asked what roots led to Green Ink Peak, then admitted he had a five-element mixed spiritual root, which met its recruitment standard.
• Ye Shanhua told Xu Changshou he could avoid Green Ink Peak by seeking a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator’s intervention or greasing palms with gifts.
• Xu Changshou realized he lacked both connections and spirit stones, and resigned himself to the possibility of drawing talismans.

Xu Changshou learned that disciples were using gifts and connections to influence their assignments, then attended Liu Ru Is’s lessons on qi refining bottlenecks. He planned to rely on Qi Gathering Pills to reach the seventh layer and prepared to take his second pill that night.

• Liu Chuansheng registered the disciples’ spiritual roots, and Xu Changshou noticed that several people had been recorded with water, fire, and wood roots.
• Jiang Xiaochuan told Xu Changshou that gifts could influence placement on Cinnabar Clouds Peak, though the sect would favor candidates with genuine roots and stronger backing.
• Xu Changshou attended Liu Ru Is’s three days of lessons on qi refining bottlenecks and learned about pills and other breakthrough methods.
• Xu Changshou decided to use his remaining Qi Gathering Pills to support his cultivation and save his Fragmented Spirit Stones for pills before attempting to reach the seventh layer.
• Xu Changshou prepared dogtooth rice and focused himself before taking his second Qi Gathering Pill.

After years of relentless cultivation, Xu Changshou reached the peak of the qi refining sixth layer but became stuck at a bottleneck, so he joined Ye Shanhu and the others on a trip to the Cinnabar Clouds Peak market. He hoped to buy Qi Gathering Pills and noticed the Bloodline Jade Talisman stirring as he neared the seventh layer.

• Xu Changshou refined Qi Gathering Pills, broke through to the qi refining fifth layer, and saved his remaining resources for the difficult breakthrough from the sixth to the seventh layer.
• Over the next two and a half years, Xu Changshou cultivated almost without sleeping and reached the peak of the qi refining sixth layer, where his progress stalled and the Bloodline Jade Talisman grew restless.
• Xu Changshou left seclusion and discovered that Ye Shanhu had reached the qi refining eighth layer, while Jiang Xiaochuan, Han Zong, Li Linhao, Zhang Feixian, Shi Wantong, Lin Xian'er, Qian Yuanbao, and Su Mo had reached the sixth layer.
• Ye Shanhu told Xu Changshou about the Cinnabar Clouds Peak market and its cheaper Barrier-Breaking Pills, and he agreed to go with the group.
• Ye Shanhu took the group to the market on her White Jade Boat, where they arrived amid rows of vendors selling pills, talismans, swords, and other goods.

Xu Changshou bought seven high-quality Qi Gathering Pills from Huang Xiangui at the market, then returned to Gengzi Courtyard with Ye Shanhua and the others. Jiang Xiaochuan showed off his Barrier-Breaking Pill and explained why pills that helped cultivators break through were so expensive.

• Xu Changshou inspected Huang Xiangui’s Qi Gathering Pills and bargained him down to seven for fifty spirit stone fragments.
• Xu Changshou returned to the market entrance and went back to Gengzi Courtyard with Ye Shanhua and the others.
• Ye Shanhua offered to obtain more Barrier-Breaking Pills, while Xu Changshou claimed his family had prepared one for him.
• Jiang Xiaochuan showed Xu Changshou his Barrier-Breaking Pill and boasted that he would surpass him after secluding himself.
• Jiang Xiaochuan explained that Barrier-Breaking Pills cost more because they helped cultivators break through at crucial moments, and said Foundation Establishment Pills were also Barrier-Breaking Pills.

Xu Changshou and the other servant disciples learned their assignments on the Duty Board, which sent Xu to Green Ink Peak as a talisman attendant. The chapter ended with Jiang Xiaochuan entering secluded cultivation and promising to emerge as Xu’s senior brother.

• Xu Changshou and Jiang Xiaochuan discussed the value of Foundation Establishment Pills before hearing that the Duty Board had been posted.
• Xu Changshou found Jiang Xiaochuan assigned to Great Unity Peak as an herb garden attendant and Li Linhao assigned there as an immortal crane keeper.
• Xu Changshou saw Ye Shanhua, Zhang Feixian, and Lin Xian'er assigned as pill-refining attendants at Cinnabar Clouds Peak, while Qian Yuanbao was assigned to mining at Heavenly Pivot Peak and Shi Wantong to formations at Eight Trigrams Peak.
• Xu Changshou found Han Zong assigned to Fengdu Peak as a tomb-raiding attendant, then discovered that he alone was assigned to Green Ink Peak as a talisman attendant.
• Jiang Xiaochuan rushed into Xu Changshou's room the next day and announced that he was entering secluded cultivation.

Xu Changshou entered seclusion and broke through to the seventh level of qi refining, then activated the Bloodline Jade Talisman and discovered a hidden space filled with talisman knowledge. He began studying its many powerful talismans.

• Jiang Xiaochuan and the others broke through to the seventh level of qi refining and hoped Xu Changshou would still be behind them, but he remained in seclusion.
• Xu Changshou refined pills in seclusion and eventually broke through to the seventh level, demonstrating his new ability to release spiritual energy beyond his body.
• Xu Changshou infused the Bloodline Jade Talisman with spiritual energy, causing it to vanish into his palm and leave a red mark.
• Xu Changshou pressed his marked palm to his forehead and entered a mist-filled space containing stone doors and walls covered in talismans.
• Xu Changshou studied the talismans and learned that many, especially lightning-based varieties, had powerful effects and could surpass Magic Artifacts.

Xu Changshou learned the Great Dao Talisman Scripture and emerged from seclusion after reaching the seventh level of qi refining. After bidding farewell to his companions at Reserve Beauty Peak, he arrived at Green Ink Peak, where Yang Bailao took him into the valley to meet Li Dao Path.

• Xu Changshou received the Great Dao Talisman Scripture through the stone door and confirmed he could enter its chamber whenever he wished.
• Xu Changshou emerged from seclusion at the seventh level of qi refining, surprising Jiang Xiaochuan and prompting congratulations from Ye Shanhua and the others.
• Xu Changshou and the other disciples held a farewell gathering at Gengzi Courtyard before leaving Reserve Beauty Peak.
• Xu Changshou traveled by Public Flying Boat to Green Ink Peak and met Yang Bailao, who warned him to mind his words and actions around Li Dao Path.
• Yang Bailao introduced Xu Changshou to Niu Kunlun, who remarked that Green Ink Peak had not received a newcomer in nine years before hurrying away.