Chapter Summaries

He Pingsheng helped secure the Mist God Flower by trapping and killing two Man-Faced Demon Spiders, leaving his companions stunned by his strength. Back at the Xuanyuan Alchemy Shop, Xuanyuan Chang Geng warned that pill refinement had only a thirty-percent chance of success, and He Pingsheng insisted on refining the pills himself.

• Bai Long's Immortal-Binding Rope snapped when a Man-Faced Demon Spider bit through it, and Zi Xian had to dodge its attack instead of picking the Mist God Flower.
• He Pingsheng trapped the second spider in ice with Glazed World, allowing Zi Xian to pluck the flower, then killed the first spider with the Great Banner Thunder-Rolling Technique.
• He Pingsheng collected both spiders' Poison Pellets and Silk Sacs, while Xuanyuan Chang Geng proposed dividing the twelve pills evenly among the four companions.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng warned that the single Mist God Flower gave him only a thirty-percent chance of refining the Second-Grade Pills, and He Pingsheng objected that he should refine them himself.

He Pingsheng challenged Xuanyuan Chang Geng to an alchemy contest to decide who would refine the rare Dual Spirit Pill. After He Pingsheng produced far better Spirit-Gathering Pills, Xuanyuan conceded and entrusted him with the Dual Spirit Pill ingredients.

• He Pingsheng insisted on refining the Dual Spirit Pill himself, and Xuanyuan Chang Geng agreed to compete with him using Spirit-Gathering Pill ingredients.
• He Pingsheng and Xuanyuan each refined a batch; He Pingsheng produced twelve middle-grade pills, while Xuanyuan produced four middle-grade and eight low-grade pills.
• He Pingsheng's second batch yielded four high-grade pills and eight middle-grade pills.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng was so shaken that his furnace exploded, and he admitted defeat.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng handed He Pingsheng two boxes containing all the ingredients for the Dual Spirit Pill.

He Pingsheng secluded himself to study and refine the Dual Spirit Pill, then used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to multiply and improve the pills. After he delivered twelve middle-grade pills to Xuanyuan Chang Geng, Xuanyuan offered him a share of his Alchemy Shop’s future earnings.

• He Pingsheng asked for three days to study the Dual Spirit Pill, and Xuanyuan Chang Geng, Daoist Bai Long, and Zi Xian agreed to watch over his courtyard.
• He Pingsheng refined one batch successfully with Golden Bee Sacred Nectar, producing four middle-grade and eight low-grade pills, but his second batch failed and yielded twelve dud pills.
• He Pingsheng put the pills in the Treasure-Gathering Basin, which multiplied them and improved their quality overnight.
• He Pingsheng gave the three men twelve middle-grade pills, and they divided them according to their agreement.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng praised He Pingsheng’s alchemy and offered him a forty-sixty share of the Alchemy Shop’s future earnings.

He Pingsheng declined Xuanyuan Chang Geng’s offer to refine pills regularly but agreed to help him or Bai Long when he had time and received a Xuanyuan Household token. He used it to visit Dingxiang City’s merchant district, where he found the Phoenix Cry and Dragon Roar Rankings being updated and learned how the rankings determined access to public resources.

• He Pingsheng refused Xuanyuan Chang Geng’s offer of regular pill-refining work but agreed to future requests under the Cultivation World’s ingredient-exchange rules, and Xuanyuan Chang Geng gave him a Xuanyuan Household token.
• Bai Long learned that Xuanyuan Chang Geng’s ancestor was Deputy City Lord Xuanyuan and asked He Pingsheng to refine pills for him in the future; He Pingsheng agreed when he had time.
• After resting for a few days, He Pingsheng took the token and traveled across Dingxiang City toward the merchant associations near the City Lord’s Manor.
• He Pingsheng followed a crowd to the manor’s south gate and saw the Phoenix Cry Ranking and Dragon Roar Ranking on two stone steles.
• A female cultivator explained that the rankings ranked Qi Refining Stage and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, determined access to public resources, and were updated every six months.
• He Pingsheng thanked the female cultivator and examined the Dragon Roar Ranking with his gaze and divine sense.

He Pingsheng learned that Divine General Mountain would open in two years and asked Xuanyuan Chang Geng about the mountain and its selection process. He discovered that entry required a Dragon Roar Ranking place and passing a test, leaving the path to the mountain uncertain.

• He Pingsheng saw that Wang Dun ranked fourth on the Dragon Roar Ranking and heard that the competition was intensifying ahead of Divine General Mountain's opening.
• He Pingsheng visited the Coral Trading Company and learned that its next auction would take place in ten days.
• He Pingsheng went to Xuanyuan's Alchemy Shop and asked Xuanyuan Chang Geng about Divine General Mountain.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng explained that Divine General Mountain opened once every hundred years and drew Foundation Establishment cultivators seeking treasure and the ancient spear's lingering intent.
• Xuanyuan Chang Geng said Dingxiang Commandery had only a hundred admission places, awarded to the Dragon Roar Ranking's top hundred, and entrants also had to pass a test at the City Lord's Manor.

He Pingsheng attended an auction in Dingxiang City, where he unexpectedly reunited with Wang Dun, who had escaped the Great Void Sect and reached the twelfth layer of Foundation Establishment. Wang Dun sought an Origin-Reaching Pill and asked He Pingsheng to lend him spirit stones if the bidding price grew too high.

• He Pingsheng visited the Coral Trading Company’s auction to inspect third-grade treasures and took an ordinary seat.
• He Pingsheng was stunned when Wang Dun appeared, and Wang Dun was surprised that He Pingsheng had reached Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Dun revealed that he had reached the twelfth layer of Foundation Establishment and had come to bid on an Origin-Reaching Pill.
• Wang Dun explained that he had survived the Great Void Sect by playing dead, while He Pingsheng recounted fleeing after the sect was destroyed.
• Wang Dun asked He Pingsheng to lend him spirit stones if needed, and He Pingsheng said he had about forty or fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He Pingsheng attended the Coral Trading Company's auction with Wang Dun, who revealed his status as a highly ranked rogue cultivator. The auction began with Jinlan presenting a Seven-Colored Fan, while He Pingsheng learned about magical treasures and their potential to grow in power.

• A cultivator exchanged seats with Wang Dun, and he told He Pingsheng that he was fourth on the Dragon Roar Ranking and remained a rogue cultivator after leaving the Great Void Sect.
• Jinlan welcomed the guests, explained the Coral Trading Company's auction rules and fees, and opened the auction.
• Jinlan presented a low-grade fire-attribute magical treasure called the Seven-Colored Fan, and Wang Dun and He Pingsheng used their divine senses to inspect it.
• Wang Dun pointed out that Jinlan's body could be seen with divine sense, and He Pingsheng blushed before calming himself with the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula.
• Jinlan set the Seven-Colored Fan's starting bid at one hundred and thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones, and He Pingsheng considered the price and learned how magical treasures could be upgraded.

He Pingsheng and Wang Dun watched the auction prices soar as Golden Core cultivators competed for a Magical Treasure and a Golden Thunder Talisman. When the Origin-Reaching Pill came up, Wang Dun finally entered the bidding at fifty thousand spirit stones.

• A female cultivator won the Magical Treasure for one hundred and seventy-five thousand spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng gave up bidding on the Golden Thunder Talisman as its price climbed beyond two hundred thousand spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng remembered that Qiao Huizhu had spent years preparing a third-grade Hundred Concealment Talisman for him.
• The auctioneer offered a low-grade third-grade Origin-Reaching Pill, and Wang Dun waited as the bids rose.
• When the price reached forty-five thousand spirit stones, Wang Dun stood and bid fifty thousand.

Wang Dun bought an Origin-Reaching Pill with He Pingsheng's help, then tried to recruit him as a companion for Divine General Mountain. He Pingsheng refused after Wang Dun revealed that both the Alchemy Furnace he had given him and this invitation were connected to mysterious missions, and the two left the matter unresolved.

• Wang Dun won the low-grade Origin-Reaching Pill for fifty thousand spirit stones, and He Pingsheng lent him the remaining twelve thousand five hundred needed to pay the commission.
• Wang Dun invited He Pingsheng to accompany him into Divine General Mountain, but He Pingsheng declined because he considered the trial dangerous and had no interest in spear intent.
• Wang Dun offered to cancel He Pingsheng's loan in exchange for his company, but He Pingsheng insisted that he did not want to go.
• When He Pingsheng challenged him over having enough spirit stones to repay the loan, Wang Dun revealed he had borrowed from him earlier as part of a mission to give him an Alchemy Furnace.
• Wang Dun said bringing He Pingsheng to Divine General Mountain was also a mission, but he could not explain who or what had issued it.
• He Pingsheng grew more suspicious and refused again, while Wang Dun agreed to discuss it later.

He Pingsheng bought the Cloud-Chasing Boots at the auction with spirit stones borrowed from Wang Dun, then joined a private trading fair at the Coral Trading Company. The fair began under Jinlan’s rules, while Wang Dun still aimed to take He Pingsheng to Divine General Mountain.

• He Pingsheng bid on the Cloud-Chasing Boots, and Wang Dun lent him all the spirit stones he had with him so He Pingsheng could pay for them.
• He Pingsheng received the boots and learned that other bidders had avoided them because they had been worn and would be unpleasant to nurture in a dantian.
• A white-haired Golden Core cultivator bought the auction’s final item, a Transformation-Breaking Pill, for over three million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Jinlan invited Golden Core cultivators and auction buyers to a private trading fair, and He Pingsheng and Wang Dun followed her to another hall.
• Jinlan opened the trading fair and announced that the company charged no intermediary fees, held the right of first purchase, and had final authority to assess item values.

He Pingsheng traded ten drops of Golden Bee Sacred Nectar for the Earth Essence Armor and a Spirit-Shaking Drum, then declined to offer more nectar. As the trading fair grew lively, Wang Dun tried to persuade him to visit Divine General Mountain in exchange for forgiving his debt, but He Pingsheng refused.

• Jinlan asked He Pingsheng to present his treasure first, and he offered ten drops of Golden Bee Sacred Nectar in exchange for two third-grade talismans.
• After other cultivators proposed talismans, a Spirit Artifact, or spirit stones, He Pingsheng rejected their offers and considered the Earth Essence Armor offered by a middle-aged Golden Core cultivator.
• He Pingsheng added the Spirit-Shaking Drum to the nectar and traded both items for the Earth Essence Armor.
• He Pingsheng refused the white-haired old man's request for more nectar, and the trading fair became lively as cultivators presented their wares.
• Wang Dun offered to forgive He Pingsheng's hundred-thousand-spirit-stone debt if he accompanied him to Divine General Mountain, but He Pingsheng said he would repay the debt within a year.

After the Trading Fair, He Pingsheng returned home and enhanced the Cloud-Chasing Boots and Earth Essence Armor, gaining powerful magical treasures. He began refining a speed-boosting pair of boots and two defensive armors, preparing to use the charged Seven-Buckle Sharp-Gold Armor as a backup.

• He Pingsheng left the Trading Fair with Wang Dun, who gave him his address after He Pingsheng declined to join the trip to Divine General Mountain.
• He Pingsheng burned away the previous owner's aura from the Cloud-Chasing Boots, washed them, and placed them in the Treasure-Gathering Basin.
• The enhanced boots became Golden-Pattern Cloud-Treading Boots and Black-Seal Dark-Gold Boots, both of which doubled travel speed and increased instantaneous burst speed fivefold.
• He Pingsheng chose to refine the Golden-Pattern Cloud-Treading Boots and placed the Earth Essence Armor in the basin for enhancement.
• The enhanced armor became Seven-Buckle Sharp-Gold Armor, which could withstand seven same-realm strikes when charged, and Fire Essence Blood-Reflecting Armor, which formed a defensive shield.
• He Pingsheng decided to refine both armors, charging the Seven-Buckle Sharp-Gold Armor as a backup while wearing the Fire Essence Blood-Reflecting Armor.

He Pingsheng refined two defensive treasures and received visits from Bai Long and Zi Xian. Zi Xian asked him to refine Soul-Restoring Pills, believing He Pingsheng's divine sense cultivation made it possible.

• He Pingsheng refined eight restriction layers in the Seven-Buckle Sharp-Gold Armor and charged all seven of its protective buckles.
• He Pingsheng refined eight restriction layers in the Fire Essence Blood-Reflecting Armor and chose it as his everyday garment.
• Bai Long visited with ingredients for Spirit-Gathering Pills, and He Pingsheng gave him a batch of middle-grade pills.
• Zi Xian asked He Pingsheng to refine third-grade Soul-Restoring Pills, and He Pingsheng challenged him to explain why he thought it was possible.
• Zi Xian said he believed He Pingsheng could refine the pills because he had practiced a Divine Refining Technique, and He Pingsheng confirmed that he had cultivated his divine sense.

He Pingsheng agreed to refine Soul-Restoring Pills for Zi Xian’s injured younger sister, using Dual Spirit Pills to strengthen his divine sense enough to attempt third-grade alchemy. After studying the recipe, he began refining the batch and considered building a dedicated alchemy furnace.

• Zi Xian gave He Pingsheng two Dual Spirit Pills and explained that his younger sister’s divine sense had been badly injured, threatening her place on the Dragon Roar Ranking.
• Zi Xian asked He Pingsheng to refine a batch of Soul-Restoring Pills, offering to take two and let him keep the rest; He Pingsheng agreed, warning that he had never refined third-grade pills before.
• He Pingsheng entered seclusion, studied the Soul-Restoring Pill recipe in the Golden Core Collection, and mastered it within a day.
• He Pingsheng swallowed a Dual Spirit Pill, doubling his divine sense, then began refining the batch without adding Golden Bee Sacred Nectar.
• As he worked, He Pingsheng decided to build an alchemy furnace on the third floor after finishing the batch.

He Pingsheng refined Soul-Restoring Pills that healed Zi Lan’s injured divine sense, then learned the sinister red rattle drum that had hurt her was a supreme-grade spirit artifact. Zi Lan and Zi Xian departed after offering him the remaining pills, while He Pingsheng declined to visit Divine General Mountain despite having a spot.

• He Pingsheng used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to enhance a batch of failed pills into twelve low-grade Soul-Restoring Pills and twelve supreme-grade ones.
• He Pingsheng gave Zi Xian the low-grade pills, and Zi Lan took one to begin healing her divine sense.
• After several days refining the Golden-Pattern Cloud-Treading Boots, He Pingsheng learned Zi Lan had recovered and accepted the ten remaining pills.
• Zi Lan revealed that a red rattle drum, a supreme-grade spirit artifact, had injured her divine sense and helped its wielder rise into the top fifty.
• Zi Lan invited He Pingsheng to visit Divine General Mountain, but he declined and explained that he already had a spot from his friend Wang Dun.
• Zi Xian and Zi Lan left, and Zi Lan turned back as if she wanted to say something but said nothing.

He Pingsheng advanced his divine and body refining, then bought ingredients for Essence-Gathering Pills while claiming to act for his hidden master. He returned to his courtyard, doubled the ingredients with his Treasure-Gathering Basin, and began studying the pill formula.

• He Pingsheng refined the Golden-Pattern Cloud-Treading Boots and advanced both his divine refining and Nine-Toxin Golden Body to their second Foundation Establishment levels.
• He Pingsheng found that his divine sense extended more than five hundred zhang and decided to try refining third-grade pills.
• He Pingsheng collected two hundred Poison Pellets from Xuanyuan Chang Geng's Alchemy Shop.
• He Pingsheng bought ten sets of Essence-Gathering Pill ingredients from the Coral Trading Company, claiming he was buying them for his master.
• He Pingsheng enhanced the ten sets into twenty and spent three days studying the pill formula in seclusion.

He Pingsheng refined and enhanced Essence-Gathering Pills before learning that the rules for entering Divine General Mountain had changed. He went with Bai Long to the City Lord’s Manor and introduced himself to Zi Xian and Zi Lan under the borrowed name He Kunlun.

• He Pingsheng refined several batches of waste pills, enhanced twelve into twenty-four supreme-grade Essence-Gathering Pills, and decided to resume cultivation.
• Daoist Bai Long told He Pingsheng that the Dragon Roar Ranking’s top three hundred could enter Divine General Mountain with a companion, while other Foundation Establishment cultivators could qualify through a City Lord’s Manor test.
• He Pingsheng agreed to visit the manor, partly hoping to find cultivators from the Great Void Sect and send Qiao Huizhu a message.
• He Pingsheng and Bai Long joined Zi Xian and Zi Lan among the crowd waiting at the City Lord’s Manor, where testing was set to begin the next day.
• When Zi Lan asked his full name, He Pingsheng called himself He Kunlun to conceal his identity from any Beast Taming Immortal Sect members.

He Pingsheng entered the City Lord’s Manor with Wang Dun and disguised himself after learning that rival factions had gathered in Dingxiang City. He spotted Qiao Huizhu and former Great Void Sect disciples among the arriving sects, while the Beast Taming Immortal Sect secretly planned to lure him into the open and kill him.

• Wang Dun confronted He Pingsheng about joining the expedition, and Zi Lan challenged him before learning that he ranked first on the Dragon Roar Ranking.
• As the cultivators entered the City Lord’s Manor, Wang Dun explained his disguise, and He Pingsheng used a Disguise Talisman to conceal his appearance.
• He Pingsheng spotted Qiao Huizhu and Xiao Xuan among the Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciples, but stayed seated when he saw the Beast Taming Immortal Sect arrive.
• He Pingsheng recognized Xiao Xuejian, Yang Qingyun, and Withered Wood True Person among the Beast Taming Immortal Sect disciples, and Wang Dun vowed to kill Withered Wood True Person at Divine General Mountain.
• A woman in the Beast Taming Immortal Sect revealed that she had placed Xiao Xuan beside Qiao Huizhu to provoke He Pingsheng and draw him out for an ambush.

He Pingsheng took the City Lord's Manor's comprehension test, where examiners used mirrors to assess what he could see. He identified several colored dragons, including an unexpected purple one and a golden one, and continued to the sixth examiner.

• He Pingsheng, Wang Dun, Zi Xian, Zi Lan, and Bai Long entered the test squad and were warned that passing would earn them a Black Token for Divine General Mountain.
• A woman examiner noticed that He Pingsheng and Wang Dun were using Disguise Talismans, while the first examiner assessed He Pingsheng's cultivation and five-element spiritual root.
• He Pingsheng saw a red dragon in the first mirror and an orange dragon in the second.
• He Pingsheng saw a purple dragon in the third mirror and realized the mirrors' order might be scrambled to catch people who concealed what they saw.
• He Pingsheng saw a golden dragon in the fourth mirror but said nothing, then identified the yellow dragon in the fifth mirror and was sent onward.

He Pingsheng obtained a Black Token after identifying five dragons in the mirrors, while Wang Dun revealed he had seen all nine. At the teahouse, Qiao Xiaoqiao warned He Pingsheng that the Beast Taming Immortal Sect was watching, and Qiao Huizhu hinted that he should go to Divine General Mountain.

• He Pingsheng identified five dragons, concealed that he had seen the Black Dragon, and received a Black Token.
• Wang Dun told He Pingsheng he had seen all nine dragons but had not admitted it, while Bai Long said he had seen only three and received no token.
• Zi Xian and Zi Lan emerged with tokens after seeing five and seven dragons, respectively, while Bai Long left without one.
• He Pingsheng spotted Qiao Huizhu and the Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciples at a teahouse but hesitated to approach because he suspected the Beast Taming Immortal Sect was watching.
• Qiao Xiaoqiao warned He Pingsheng not to look around and asked his group to move seats, then Qiao Huizhu said the tokenless disciples could return with the Beast Taming Immortal Sect.
• He Pingsheng understood Qiao Huizhu was urging him to go to Divine General Mountain and told Wang Dun to let him know when they were leaving.