Chapter Summaries

Linglong learned that He Pingsheng had reached the seventh level of qi refining and planned to deal with him at the upcoming Green Screen Mountain Trial. He Pingsheng then visited Horsehead Mountain Market with Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing, where he began shopping for talismans.

• Junior Brother Qin told Linglong that He Pingsheng had broken through to the seventh level of qi refining and gone to Horsehead Mountain Market with Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing.
• Linglong decided to wait for the Green Screen Mountain Trial to take revenge on He Pingsheng for rejecting her.
• He Pingsheng and his companions arrived at the crowded Horsehead Mountain Market, where disciples from many sects were preparing for the trial.
• Zhao Ling'er and Tian Xiaoqing went to look for low-grade defensive magical artifacts, while Xu Kunlun joined them and He Pingsheng chose to shop for talismans.
• He Pingsheng asked a Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciple about her Fireball, Ice Needle, Binding, and Lightning Talismans, and learned that a Fireball Talisman could be activated instantly for an attack equivalent to a seventh-level qi refining spell.

He Pingsheng bought first-grade talismans for the Emerald Screen Mountain trial, then tried to purchase a second-grade Blazing Fire Talisman for protection from Jade Virtue. He learned that every shop charged 1,800 spirit stones, more than he could afford, and left without one.

• He Pingsheng bought two Ice Needle Talismans, two Lightning Talismans, and an Earth Shield Talisman for 400 spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng sought a second-grade talisman because he feared Jade Virtue might discover his identity and kill him.
• He Pingsheng found a low-grade Blazing Fire Talisman at a shop, but the shopkeeper priced it at 1,800 spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng checked three more shops and found the Blazing Fire Talisman cost the same at each, so he realized he could not afford it.

He Pingsheng browsed a market stall of strange treasures before finding a rare Disguise Talisman for sale. He bought it after learning it could disguise him from most qi refining cultivators, leaving the market with a way to conceal his identity.

• He Pingsheng examined a black bead at a stall run by a white-haired old man, but walked away when the man demanded ten thousand spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng browsed the busy market, where vendors sold talisman scriptures, monkey wine, and other goods.
• He Pingsheng found a young woman selling talismans and asked about a yellow paper talisman.
• The young woman explained that her low-grade Disguise Talisman could change his appearance three times for four hours each and fool qi refining cultivators, but not foundation establishment cultivators.
• He Pingsheng bargained the price down from two hundred spirit stones to one hundred and eighty and agreed to buy the talisman.

He Pingsheng learned that the Vine Armor Shield he had sold to Harmony Hall was being resold for more, then discovered that Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, and Xu Kunlun had pooled their spirit stones to buy a mysterious black bead. He followed them to Yu Ning, who also found the bead’s effect on divine sense remarkable but could not identify it.

• He Pingsheng waited for Xu Kunlun, Zhao Ling'er, and Tian Xiaoqing, then learned the Vine Armor Shield he had sold for 1,150 spirit stones was being sold for 1,500.
• The four flew back to Bamboo Peak, where Zhao Ling'er showed He Pingsheng a black bead the three disciples had bought together for 1,000 spirit stones.
• He Pingsheng recognized the bead as the item a suspicious old man had tried to sell him for 10,000 spirit stones, but he did not tell the three their purchase was a scam.
• Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, Xu Kunlun, and He Pingsheng brought the bead to Yu Ning for inspection.
• Yu Ning held the bead, felt her divine sense grow clearer, and failed to discover what the bead was before asking how much the disciples had paid.

Yu Ning took her disciples’ Black Bead to present to Grand Ancestor Chongyang, who exposed it as a poisonous Jilan Flower Seed. After learning it had cost two thousand spirit stones, Yu Ning sent all four disciples to spend seven days in reflection punishment at the Teleportation Plaza.

• Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing pooled one thousand spirit stones to buy a Black Bead, and Yu Ning offered them two thousand for it as a birthday gift for Grand Ancestor Chongyang.
• Yu Ning brought the disciples to Chongyang’s Daoist Grounds, where he recognized He Pingsheng from their earlier meeting.
• Chongyang identified the Black Bead as a Jilan Flower Seed that numbed divine sense and gave Yu Ning spirit stones to cover the loss.
• Yu Ning ordered Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing to undergo seven days of reflection punishment at the Teleportation Plaza.
• Yu Ning also ordered He Pingsheng to join them, despite his protest that he had not known about the purchase.

With the secret realm opening soon, He Pingsheng completed his preparations by mastering the Ren Water Escape Technique and enhancing his talismans. Yu Ning summoned her nine disciples to announce their early departure, but Hou Muxian objected to leading them because he planned to seek a Water Essence Spirit Apricot in the core region.

• Yu Ning waived He Pingsheng and the other three disciples’ reflection punishment after Hou Muxian came to the Teleportation Plaza.
• He Pingsheng returned to seclusion, practiced the Ren Water Escape Technique, and enhanced his talismans before organizing his magical artifacts and supplies.
• Seven days before the secret realm opened, Zhao Ling'er summoned He Pingsheng to Yu Ning Palace for a meeting.
• Yu Ning announced that all nine of her disciples had qualified for the secret realm and ordered them to depart that afternoon in Moon-White Sect Daoist Robes.
• Yu Ning appointed Hou Muxian to lead the group, but he objected because he intended to enter the core region and seek a Water Essence Spirit Apricot to break through his cultivation bottleneck.

He Pingsheng prepared to enter the Alliance Secret Realm with the Great Void Sect disciples, after Yu Ning warned them about the dangers and gave them escape tokens. At the Great Void Hall, he concealed his hatred for Linglong after she humiliated him by exposing the women’s clothing in his Treasure Bag.

• Yu Ning assigned He Pingsheng, Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing to team up, gave the disciples jade tokens that took three breaths to activate, and sent them to follow Elder Xuanyang.
• He Pingsheng packed his belongings, including women’s clothing he planned to use as a disguise, and joined the disciples at Bamboo Peak’s Teleportation Plaza.
• Linglong threatened He Pingsheng, then snatched his Treasure Bag and dumped out its contents, mocking him for carrying women’s clothing.
• Luo Yu pulled Linglong away, and Hou Muxian led the disciples through a Teleportation Array to the Great Void Hall.

He Pingsheng traveled with the Great Void Sect disciples aboard Elder Xuan Yang’s Flying Boat to the Green Screen Mountain Secret Realm for the Daoist Profound Alliance’s trial. The boat arrived at a crowded square, where He Pingsheng spotted the guarded formation that appeared to lead into the secret realm.

• Elder Xuan Yang gathered the disciples, explained how their Life-and-Death Tokens worked, and led them aboard his Flying Boat.
• Xuan Yang confirmed that disciples from all Ten Peaks were present and set off southeast with them.
• He Pingsheng and the disciples watched the scenery pass as the Flying Boat crossed mountain ranges and flew past Icebound Mountain.
• After two days, Xuan Yang landed the Flying Boat in a square filled with cultivators from other sects and lineages.
• He Pingsheng noticed an enormous formation guarded by eighteen cultivators in golden Daoist robes at the back of the square.

He Pingsheng learned how the secret realm was guarded and browsed the cultivators’ stalls with his companions. He chose to buy the Bronze Skin Golden Bone Scripture despite Zhao Ling’er’s warning, seeing it as a useful way to spend time while holding back his cultivation.

• Zhao Ling’er explained that eighteen Foundation Establishment disciples from different sects guarded the secret realm entrance to prevent any sect from entering early.
• Xu Kunlun invited He Pingsheng and Zhao Ling’er to look at the stalls, where cultivators were selling pills, talismans, and other goods.
• He Pingsheng recognized the beautiful talisman seller from Horsehead Mountain Market, who remembered selling him a Disguise Talisman.
• Zhao Ling’er teased He Pingsheng about the seller, and he hurried away to browse another stall.
• He Pingsheng discovered the Bronze Skin Golden Bone Scripture, a body-refining technique, and decided to try it despite Zhao Ling’er’s objection.

He Pingsheng and three fellow Bamboo Peak disciples entered the secret realm and searched for spirit herbs. They found hundreds of Immortal Bamboo Shoots, a first-grade ingredient for Qi-Gathering Pills, and prepared to harvest them.

• Elder Xuanyang sent the Great Void Sect disciples into the secret realm in batches and gave He Pingsheng's group new Treasure Bags.
• He Pingsheng, Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, and Xu Kunlun landed together and agreed to share any spirit herbs they found equally.
• Tian Xiaoqing scattered Seven-Leaf Spirit Herb seeds as the group traveled through the mountains.
• After finding no spirit plants for about an hour, the group spotted a grove of Immortal Bamboo.
• Xu Kunlun identified hundreds of Immortal Bamboo Shoots, and Zhao Ling'er told the group to harvest them all.

Zhao Ling'er and the others left most of the immortal bamboo shoots behind and climbed a mountain to survey the secret realm. After identifying a Tiger-Striped Golden Bee and learning how valuable its jelly was, Zhao Ling'er proposed finding its hive.

• Zhao Ling'er stopped the group from gathering more bamboo shoots, and the four divided ten each among themselves.
• He Pingsheng led Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, and Xu Kunlun up a mountain to look for landmarks, but Zhao Ling'er could not locate them on the map.
• Two Tiger-Striped Golden Bees approached the group; Zhao Ling'er killed one, while Xu Kunlun's palm strike sent the other flying away.
• Zhao Ling'er explained that the bees were deadly but their jelly could restore spiritual power, neutralize poisons, and help refine pills.
• Zhao Ling'er urged the others to search for the hive and record its location if they could not gather any jelly.

Zhao Ling'er led He Pingsheng, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing into a cliffside cave to collect Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Jelly, but an immense swarm drove them back outside. Trapped on a narrow platform with thousands of bees covering their barriers, they faced imminent danger.

• Zhao Ling'er warned the group about the bees' lethal venom and told them to retreat or crush their jade talismans if the swarm became overwhelming.
• The four entered the cave with defensive barriers and ran deeper as increasing numbers of bees pursued them.
• Zhao Ling'er decided the group should retreat after the swarm grew too large to withstand.
• A vast cloud of bees surged out from deeper in the cave and chased the four onto the narrow cliffside platform.
• Zhao Ling'er called for them to use their Paper Cranes, but thousands of bees covered their barriers before anyone could escape.

Tian Xiaoqing, Zhao Ling'er, and Xu Kunlun escaped a swarm of Tiger-Striped Golden Bees by crushing their Jade Tokens, while He Pingsheng jumped from the cliff and survived using his Water Escape Technique. The three returned to Emerald Screen Mountain and told Elder Xuanyang that He Pingsheng remained inside, leaving the bee swarm's location unknown until he came out.

• As the light membrane weakened under the Tiger-Striped Golden Bees, He Pingsheng suggested jumping into the pool below and said he knew the Water Escape Technique.
• Tian Xiaoqing, Zhao Ling'er, and Xu Kunlun crushed their Jade Tokens and teleported away, leaving He Pingsheng alone at the cave entrance.
• He Pingsheng jumped from the cliff, broke his left leg when he hit the pool, then escaped the bees by swimming downstream with the [Ren Water Escape Technique].
• He Pingsheng set up a Defense Formation, swallowed a Supreme Golden Bone Pill, healed his leg, and decided to spend the night rather than continue searching for treasures.
• Xu Kunlun, Tian Xiaoqing, and Zhao Ling'er appeared on the plaza, where Elder Xuanyang questioned them about leaving the secret realm so early.
• Zhao Ling'er told Elder Xuanyang they had encountered tens of thousands of Tiger-Striped Golden Bees and said He Pingsheng was still inside, so they did not know where the swarm was.

He Pingsheng used the moonlight inside the secret realm to strengthen a body-tempering technique, obtaining the Heaven Tier Nine-Toxin Golden Body and choosing it over the Fire-Bathed Golden Body Art. He headed back to the Tiger-Striped Golden Bees to collect Poison Pellets and began by killing one bee.

• He Pingsheng placed a jade slip containing the Bronze Skin Golden Bone Scripture in the Treasure-Gathering Basin and let moonlight essence strengthen it overnight.
• He Pingsheng examined the strengthened jade slips and found the Heaven Tier Fire-Bathed Golden Body Art and Nine-Toxin Golden Body techniques.
• He Pingsheng chose the Nine-Toxin Golden Body because it could temper his body and grant resistance to poisons, and because he could begin cultivating it with Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Poison Pellets.
• He Pingsheng packed his belongings, left his formation in place, and returned toward the Tiger-Striped Golden Bees' nest to obtain Poison Pellets.
• He Pingsheng spotted a Tiger-Striped Golden Bee and killed it with a precise strike from his Flying Sword.

He Pingsheng cultivated the Nine-Toxin Golden Body with Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Poison Pellets, gaining resistance to poison and tougher skin. He then entered the hive, collected a gourd of bee jelly, and returned to his formation to sample it.

• He Pingsheng learned to circulate his blood and refined four Poison Pellets, completing the first level of the Nine-Toxin Golden Body's Qi Refining Chapter.
• He Pingsheng tested his new resistance by letting a Tiger-Striped Golden Bee sting him and found its poison did not affect him.
• He Pingsheng entered the hive with Fire Crows and a Stalwart Stone Talisman, pushing through swarms of golden bees.
• He Pingsheng collected roughly a gourdful of bee jelly and gathered thousands of golden bee carcasses before returning to his formation.
• He Pingsheng circulated his blood to reduce the swelling from the stings, then tasted a drop of the bee jelly.

He Pingsheng harvested a large quantity of Blazing Sun Flower pollen in the Secret Realm, but two Zhuang Family disciples confronted him and demanded he return it. The chapter ended with them blocking his escape while he prepared for a possible attack.

• He Pingsheng marked the Tiger-Striped Golden Bees’ location near Thousand-Pillar Mountain and flew north toward the Secret Realm’s core region.
• He Pingsheng discovered a valley of Blazing Sun Flowers growing beside an earthfire fissure and collected fourteen bottles of pollen.
• Two disciples of the Zhuang Family arrived and claimed their elders had planted the flowers in the Secret Realm.
• The Zhuang Family man and woman demanded He Pingsheng return the pollen and hand over his Storage Bag for inspection.
• He Pingsheng secretly readied his Stalwart Stone Talisman as the two disciples moved to block him in.

He Pingsheng fought two Zhuang Lineage cultivators after they attacked him over the Blazing Sun Flowers. He held off their strikes with talismans and spells, then summoned a Yellow Turban Strongman to attack the woman as the battle continued.

• He Pingsheng rejected the Zhuang Lineage pair's claim to the Blazing Sun Flowers, arguing that the Secret Realm belonged to all sects and Lineages.
• The Zhuang Lineage man launched a surprise spear attack, but He Pingsheng's [Stalwart Stone Talisman] shield blocked it.
• He Pingsheng sent three Fire Crows at the woman; she destroyed two and used a high-grade defensive talisman to survive the third, which shattered her talisman.
• The Zhuang Lineage man used Zhuang Lineage's Thirteen Spear Strikes to break He Pingsheng's [Stalwart Stone Talisman] shield.
• He Pingsheng cast the Earth Armor Technique, summoned a Yellow Turban Strongman, and sent it charging at the woman.

He Pingsheng defeated a Zhuang Family man and subdued the man's female companion, who offered information about treasures in the Secret Realm. When he inspected her jade slip, she poisoned him with hidden needles and escaped behind a tree.

• He Pingsheng used his Yellow Turban Strongman to pressure the Zhuang Family woman while defending against the man’s nine spear strikes.
• The man fled, and He Pingsheng killed him with an Ice Arrow Talisman before turning on the woman.
• The woman begged for her life and offered to reveal a treasure-rich location containing cornus fruit, so He Pingsheng dismissed the Yellow Turban Strongman.
• The woman gave He Pingsheng a jade slip, then launched three poisoned needles into his leg, abdomen, and shoulder while he examined it.
• The woman leaped behind a large tree as poison began spreading through He Pingsheng’s body.

He Pingsheng survived a poisoning attempt by a Zhuang Family disciple, killed her, and looted her and her companion’s belongings. After gathering spirit herbs and spending the night cultivating, he found that the Treasure-Gathering Basin had doubled his Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Jelly and enhanced its gourd.

• He Pingsheng pretended to succumb to poison, then used his defensive barrier and Fire Crows to kill the Zhuang Family female disciple.
• He Pingsheng neutralized the remaining poison with Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Jelly and his Nine-Toxin Golden Body technique, then collected both disciples’ Treasure Bags.
• He Pingsheng found little wealth in the bags but discovered the Zhuang Family’s map, which marked a second-grade Cornus fruit location he chose to avoid.
• He Pingsheng traveled north, gathered many first-grade herbs and three second-grade rehmannia roots, then set up a formation for the night.
• He Pingsheng placed a gourd of Tiger-Striped Golden Bee Jelly and a Small Silver Shield in the Treasure-Gathering Basin, which produced two golden-speckled gourds filled with jelly.

He Pingsheng enhanced bee jelly into potent golden jelly and collected two supreme-grade shields, then encountered a poisonous toad guarding thirteen Gold-Silver Peaches. He escaped the toad’s first attack and picked the peaches, but two Jade-Eyed White Toads emerged as he returned, forcing him to fight.

• He Pingsheng tasted the enhanced golden bee jelly and found that a tiny amount could refill a depleted Dantian with spiritual power.
• He Pingsheng inspected the Black Ice Shield and Spiritwood Shield, both supreme-grade magical artifacts with four layers of restrictions, and put them away.
• He Pingsheng discovered a Gold-Silver Peach tree across a pool and was struck by a poisonous toad’s tongue, but survived because of his Hundred Poisons Immunity.
• He Pingsheng blocked the Jade-Eyed White Toad’s next tongue attack with Vajra Shield, crossed the pool, and collected all thirteen Gold-Silver Peaches.
• Two Jade-Eyed White Toads attacked He Pingsheng with poisonous tongues, and he summoned a twelve-foot Yellow Turban Strongman.