Chapter Summaries

Lin Mo entered the Sword Tomb and discovered that the Formation Hall Master had murdered two elders and destroyed the formation’s control disc. Realizing the spiritheart vines on Spirit Plant Peak might have released their deadly qi, he rushed to protect Xiao He, Sang Sang, and Steward Wang.

• Lin Mo worried that Cloud Crane High Person faced a six-nine thunderfire tribulation, then hurried toward the sect’s forbidden grounds.
• A white-haired elder destroyed the Azure Cloud Primordial Defense Formation’s control disc after killing two Formation Hall elders, then left the Sword Tomb.
• Lin Mo entered the Sword Tomb and found the Treasure Gourd absorbing the sword intent there.
• Lin Mo discovered the two murdered elders and the shattered Formation Disc, then deduced that the Formation Hall Master had betrayed the sect.
• Lin Mo suspected that deadly qi had erupted from the spiritheart vines on Spirit Plant Peak and sprinted to reach Xiao He, Sang Sang, and Steward Wang.

Lin Mo discovered that the Azure Cloud Primordial Defense Formation’s Formation Disc had been destroyed and rushed to warn Spirit Plant Peak as Senior Yunhe’s Golden Core tribulation began. Wang Qiuru agreed to burn the spiritheart vines, while Lin Mo feared an attack would come before they could act.

• Lin Mo left the forbidden grounds and ran past the mountain guards, who realized the formation’s invisible Sword Qi did not hinder him.
• At Spirit Plant Peak, Shen Chengqi and Wang Qiuru discussed the six-nine thunderfire tribulation and the threat posed by rival sects.
• Lin Mo learned that Spirit Plant Peak’s three elders had left to fight the Tai Sui Gate, leaving the peak poorly defended.
• Lin Mo urged Wang Qiuru to have everyone uproot and burn the spiritheart vines, and she agreed to trust his warning.
• The first thunderbolt of Senior Yunhe’s tribulation struck as Lin Mo prepared to return to his courtyard.

Han Kang discovered that Feng Tu had sabotaged the Azure Cloud Primordial Defense Formation as Zhu Ang and his allies launched an attack during Cloud Crane High Person's tribulation. Ding Yan headed for Spirit Plant Peak, while Lin Mo sent Qin Sang Sang and Lin Xiaohe to safety and rushed toward the spirit fields.

• Cloud Crane High Person used a single-use talisman to withstand the first tribulation bolt after the Sword Qi failed to protect him and Feng Tu did not respond to Han Kang.
• Zhu Ang arrived with Feng Tu and other cultivators, revealed his attack on the Azure Cloud Sect, and ordered them to attack Han Kang.
• Han Kang confronted Zhu Ang as the attackers unleashed their techniques, while Ding Yan secretly flew toward Spirit Plant Peak with a sinister smile.
• Lin Mo found Qin Sang Sang and Lin Xiaohe, sent them to the Spirit Plant Courtyard for protection, and ran toward the nearest spirit field.

Lin Mo helped Spirit Plant Peak uproot its spiritheart vines, but the plants mutated into man-eating blood vines and attacked the workers. He saved Fang Ming, though Xiao Jin died, and began to suspect the mutation was deliberate and its mastermind was nearby.

• Lin Mo helped Fang Ming and the other disciples uproot spiritheart vines across Spirit Plant Peak.
• Blood-red vines attacked Fang Ming and Xiao Jin, draining their essence blood and spiritual energy.
• Lin Mo used three Fireball Art spells to destroy Fang Ming's vine and gave him a Wound-Repair Pill and an Essence Restoration Pill.
• Fang Ming recovered, but Xiao Jin had already been drained to death.
• Lin Mo realized the vines' mutation might have been deliberate and wondered why he had not been attacked and whether the mastermind was nearby.

Lin Mo rushed to Ghost-Crying Field to confront the mastermind behind the mutated blood vines, preparing his defenses and hiding the Treasure Gourd. There, he found Ding Yan, who revealed his plan to harvest the disciples’ essence blood and demanded Lin Mo become his disciple or be burned to ashes.

• Lin Mo told Fang Ming to use fire-element spells against the blood vines, then sprinted toward Ghost-Crying Field, suspecting Xun Bin or Gou Fengying was behind the attack.
• Lin Mo prepared pills and the Ice Moon Pendant, hid the Treasure Gourd, and tried to wake the Gu-Devouring Bee, but it returned to sleep.
• Ding Yan, possessing a three-element spiritual root but reduced to the ninth layer of qi refining, broke Ghost-Crying Field’s formation and planned to feed on the blood vines’ victims.
• Lin Mo arrived at Ghost-Crying Field, where Ding Yan recognized him and demanded that he become his disciple or be reduced to ashes.

Lin Mo discovered that Gou Fengying had possessed Ding Yan and lured him close by pretending to accept his offer to join the Tai Sui Gate. After Lin Mo trapped Gou Fengying with the Spirit-Devouring Vine, the Heart-Rot Gu attacked, leaving Lin Mo struggling to survive behind the Ice Moon Pendant’s failing barrier.

• Lin Mo recognized that Gou Fengying had used a secret art to possess Ding Yan, though the possession had reduced his cultivation to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
• Gou Fengying explained that resentment over his four-element spiritual root and Bai Qing’s rise to Young Sect Master had driven him to join the Tai Sui Gate.
• Gou Fengying offered to take Lin Mo as his disciple and arrange for him to possess a body with a three-element spiritual root, and Lin Mo pretended to accept.
• Lin Mo drew Gou Fengying within range and used the Spirit-Devouring Vine to bind him, but Gou Fengying’s powerful divine sense struck Lin Mo and the Heart-Rot Gu escaped the vines.
• Lin Mo activated the Ice Moon Pendant to shield himself from the Heart-Rot Gu, whose repeated attacks cracked the barrier as Lin Mo urged the vine to kill Gou Fengying.

Lin Mo killed Gou Fengying with the Gu-Devouring Bee and Spirit-Devouring Vine, then returned to Spirit Plant Peak after the blood vines stopped attacking. As the thunderclouds over Sect Master Peak dispersed, he feared that the person undergoing the Six-Nine Thunderfire Tribulation had died.

• Lin Mo woke the Gu-Devouring Bee, which seized the Heart-Rot Gu and let him order the Spirit-Devouring Vine to crush Gou Fengying.
• Lin Mo confirmed Gou Fengying was dead, collected his Storage Bags and Flying Sword, and cleaned up the battlefield before leaving the Ghost-Crying Field.
• Lin Mo returned to Spirit Plant Peak, where surviving disciples gathered around him and the man-eating blood vines had fallen still.
• Lin Mo saw the thunderclouds over Sect Master Peak disperse and suspected that the person undergoing the Six-Nine Thunderfire Tribulation had died.

After the Azure Cloud Sect survived Zhu Ang’s assault, Lin Mo learned that Cloud Crane High Person had died during the battle. Lin Mo brought Han Kang a Storage Bag and asked permission to give Cloud Crane a grand funeral, leaving the contents of the bag and Han Kang’s response unknown.

• Zhu Ang escaped after the battle, while Han Kang found Cloud Crane High Person dying and heard his final request to look after Lin Mo.
• Cloud Crane High Person refused Han Kang’s Heaven-Returning Pill and died after naming Lin Mo his honorary disciple.
• Wang Qiuru counted the dead at Spirit Plant Peak as Bai Qing arrived to escort Lin Mo to Sect Master Peak.
• Bai Qing told Lin Mo that Zhu Ang’s attack had killed two elders and caused Cloud Crane High Person to fail his tribulation.
• Lin Mo offered Han Kang a Storage Bag and asked to give Cloud Crane High Person a grand funeral.

Lin Mo explained to Han Kang why he entered the Sword Tomb and recovered the Formation Disc fragments and two elders’ bodies, then offered the Essentials of Wood Spirit Formation to the sect. After earning Han Kang’s approval and a reward for his service, Lin Mo received a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, though Han Kang warned that his chances of success were below ten percent.

• Lin Mo told Han Kang that Cloud Crane had warned him about the Formation Hall master and instructed him to investigate the forbidden grounds during the tribulation.
• Han Kang judged that Lin Mo’s recovery of the Formation Disc fragments and elders’ bodies offset his offense, but warned him to protect the sect’s formation secrets.
• Lin Mo said he had brought his younger sister to Spirit Plant Peak and hoped to bring his parents to the sect later; Han Kang approved his loyalty but advised waiting until the Tai Sui Gate was dealt with.
• Lin Mo gave Han Kang the Essentials of Wood Spirit Formation and reported that Ding Yan had stopped him from consulting the Scripture Pavilion; Han Kang allowed him to visit freely and asked him to choose a reward.
• Lin Mo requested a Foundation Establishment Pill, and Han Kang gave him a low-grade pill while warning that his five-spirit-root aptitude left him with less than a ten-percent chance of breaking through.

Lin Mo accepted a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill but doubted its chances and chose to study alchemy in the Scripture Pavilion. After learning about the Foundation Establishment Pill’s ingredients and the dangers of pill toxins, he was left wondering how toxic the pill Han Kang had given him was.

• Lin Mo accepted the low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill from Han Kang and followed Bai Qing to the Scripture Pavilion.
• Lin Mo chose a detailed alchemy text rather than an ice-element cultivation method, keeping his hidden ice spiritual root concealed.
• Bai Qing found Thirty-Nine Pill Recipes, and Lin Mo learned that its Foundation Establishment Pill recipe required rare ingredients, an upper eighth-rank cauldron, and a Golden Core cultivator.
• Lin Mo studied the section on pill toxins and wondered how much toxin Han Kang’s low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill contained.
• Bai Qing told Lin Mo that no method of removing pill toxins was known in the cultivation world.

Lin Mo discovered that his Treasure Gourd’s spirit spring water could purge toxins from a Foundation Establishment Pill, though it did not raise the pill’s grade. After three months of steady cultivation and recovery at the sect, he reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining and began considering a new formation using the Sword Tomb’s lingering sword intent.

• Lin Mo soaked a Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill in mid-grade spirit spring water and found that gray-black vapor escaped while the pill remained low-grade.
• Lin Mo concluded that the spirit spring water had purged the pill’s toxins, then checked his Spirit-Devouring Vine and Gu-Devouring Bees before returning to cultivate.
• Over three months, the sect repaired the damage on Sect Master Peak, Han Kang buried Cloud Crane High Person in the Sword Tomb, and Lin Mo delivered Essentials of Wood Spirit Formation to the Scripture Pavilion.
• Lin Mo harvested spirit plants in his Treasure Gourd, advanced to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, and obtained a Dragon Saliva Grass plant from Lü Di.
• Lin Mo considered combining the Azure Cloud Primordial Defense Formation with the Sword Tomb’s lingering sword intent to create a new formation.

Lin Mo turned the Spirit-Devouring Vine into the formation disc and bases for a modified Azure Cloud Primordial Defense Formation. Its first attack carved a notch into Gou Fengying’s middle-rank eighth-grade flying sword, leaving Lin Mo stunned by its power.

• Lin Mo decided to carve the formation patterns into the Spirit-Devouring Vine’s root ball instead of using his flying sword as the formation disc.
• Lin Mo carved the patterns into the root ball and connected them to thousands of rootlets with his divine sense.
• Lin Mo activated the formation, transforming the vine’s thirty-six thorn-covered branches into sword-like branches infused with sword intent.
• Lin Mo ordered one branch to attack his flying sword, and its pale green sword light cut a notch into the blade and spread cracks around it.

Lin Mo named his Spirit-Devouring Vine’s fused weapon formation the Azure Wood Sword Formation, then secured permission to leave the sect and retrieve Liu Xianzong from the Blood Fiend Cave. Liu Xianzong learned that Lin Mo was approaching, but worried about how his dark red transformation would affect their reunion.

• Lin Mo tested the Spirit-Devouring Vine’s Coiled-Branch Swords and named their fused formation the Azure Wood Sword Formation.
• Lin Mo went to Han Kang and requested permission to retrieve Liu Xianzong, whose punishment term in the Blood Fiend Cave had ended.
• Lin Mo told Han Kang he believed Liu Xianzong had survived and asked to leave the mountain in search of Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Han Kang allowed Lin Mo to leave, warned him not to bring disgrace on the sect, and ordered him to kill anyone from the Tai Sui Gate.
• Chen Li told Liu Xianzong that Lin Mo was approaching, and Liu Xianzong worried that Lin Mo would be angry about his dark red transformation.

After six months in the Blood Fiend Cave, Liu Xianzong emerged transformed, stronger, and unharmed, while Lin Mo prepared to leave the mountain for a sect assignment. Lin Mo went to the Sect Affairs Hall to exchange spirit stones for a flying sword and tried to negotiate for a Sword-Controlling Art as well.

• Chen Li confessed that he had taught Liu Xianzong to absorb resentful energy and killing intent, changing Liu's body but leaving his primordial spirit unharmed.
• Lin Mo accepted Liu Xianzong's transformation and led him out of the Blood Fiend Cave.
• Lin Mo told Liu Xianzong about the past six months, then gave him supplies for himself and Sang Sang before heading to the Sect Affairs Hall.
• Lin Mo asked the steward to exchange spirit stones for an upper-tier eighth-grade flying sword, but the steward demanded two thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
• Lin Mo offered to complete the exchange if the steward included a copy of the Sword-Controlling Art.

Lin Mo bought an upper-tier eighth-grade Flying Sword and a Sword Flight Primer, visited his parents in Locust Grass Village, and learned to fly the sword on his way to the Longevity Domain. At Hundred Blessings Market, he asked Zhou Wu to assess a Foundation Establishment Pill and help him find high-grade or supreme-grade ones.

• Lin Mo traded mid-grade spirit stones for an upper-tier eighth-grade Flying Sword and received a Sword Flight Primer from the steward.
• Lin Mo visited his parents in Locust Grass Village, told them about himself and Xiao He, and left them diluted Spirit Spring Water.
• Lin Mo disguised himself and learned sword flight, discovering that his condensed spirit mist let him fly efficiently even at great heights.
• Lin Mo reached Hundred Blessings Market in the Longevity Domain and met Zhou Wu, who offered his market knowledge.
• Lin Mo told Zhou Wu he wanted high-grade or supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and showed him a pill purified with Spirit Spring Water for appraisal.

Lin Mo brought a Foundation Establishment Pill to the Ling Lineage’s shop in Hundred Blessings Market to learn its value and find high-grade or Supreme-Grade pills. After Ling Fu examined the pill, Lin Mo realized that Spirit Spring Water had improved its grade and efficacy, leaving him confident he could turn high-grade pills into supreme-grade ones.

• Zhou Wu estimated that Lin Mo’s Foundation Establishment Pill would sell for at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones and offered to guide him to a pill shop.
• Zhou Wu took Lin Mo to the Ling Lineage’s shop and explained that the eight great lineages reserved better Foundation Establishment Pills for negotiation.
• Lin Mo saw the Market Guard break up fights and learned from Zhou Wu about their pay and rewards, including Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Lin Mo entered the Ling Lineage’s enormous shop and asked the attendant to assess his Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Ling Fu found that the pill’s aura fell between mid-grade and high-grade, leading Lin Mo to realize Spirit Spring Water could raise high-grade pills to supreme-grade or better.

Lin Mo traded a Foundation Establishment Pill to Ling Fu for three excellent Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills, then purified them in the Treasure Gourd's spirit stream. After checking on the expanding Gourd Space and its spirit fields, he left the inn and told Zhou Wu to take him to a different shop.

• Lin Mo exchanged one Foundation Establishment Pill with Ling Fu for three of the Ling Family Store's finest Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Lin Mo booked a top-tier room at the Hundred Prosperity Inn, set the Gu-Devouring Bee to guard it, and entered the Gourd Space.
• Lin Mo purified the three pills in the spirit stream, removing their impurities and pill toxins.
• Chen Li told Lin Mo that the Gourd Space's spatial barrier had expanded from under two hundred zhang to more than eight hundred, apparently in step with Lin Mo's cultivation.
• Lin Mo instructed Chen Li to keep tending the spirit fields, returned to his room, and found the Gu-Devouring Bee had kept watch.
• Lin Mo rejoined Zhou Wu and the driver and told them to take him to a shop other than the Ling Family Store.

Lin Mo visited the Wu Household Shop and traded three quasi-supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for high-grade pills, spirit resources, and a discount on future purchases. The shopkeeper accepted the deal, leaving Lin Mo with a valuable exchange and a new connection to the Wu Household.

• Lin Mo learned from Zhou Wu that the Wu Household Shop dealt in higher-grade goods and entered the shop to seek a trade.
• When no attendant came to help him, Lin Mo offered his Foundation Establishment Pills, and the bearded shopkeeper examined them.
• The shopkeeper determined that the pills were quasi-supreme-grade and said they could offer a seventy to eighty percent chance of reaching foundation establishment.
• Lin Mo claimed his lineage needed pills for its members and demanded five high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for each pill he traded.
• The shopkeeper offered seven high-grade pills, two thousand mid-grade spirit stones, two thousand drops of mid-grade spirit liquid, and a twenty percent discount on future purchases.
• Lin Mo accepted the shopkeeper's offer, and the two agreed to the exchange.

Lin Mo brought seven toxin-cleansed Foundation Establishment Pills to the Qi Household, hoping to trade them for Supreme-Grade pills and other items. The Qi shopkeeper recognized their extraordinary quality, and a woman from the Wu Household arrived to inspect them.

• Lin Mo finished removing the pill toxins from seven high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and revealed that they showed nine rings and a faint tenth.
• Lin Mo went to the Qi Household’s shop and offered the seven pills in exchange for Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills, with any remaining value paid in other goods, spirit stones, or spirit liquid.
• The gray-robed shopkeeper examined the pills and realized they surpassed ordinary Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills, then said he needed to report the deal to the lineage’s senior members.
• A woman from the Wu Household arrived and demanded to see the pills, questioning whether the report about seven Quasi-Perfect Foundation Establishment Pills was true.

Lin Mo negotiated with Miss Wu, the Qi Household Young Master’s wife, over his seven Quasi-Perfect Foundation Establishment Pills and a Supreme-Grade pill. After Miss Wu verified their quality and questioned why he wanted to trade them, she wrote down a list of resources the Wu and Qi Households could offer, leaving Lin Mo to judge whether it would satisfy him.

• Miss Wu arrived at the Qi Household shop, and Wu Feng explained that the Eight Great Households were allied and that she managed the Qi Household’s Market District affairs.
• Lin Mo worried that Miss Wu might recognize the pills as originating from the Wu Household, but demanded to see a Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill before trading.
• Miss Wu displayed a Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and Lin Mo presented his seven Quasi-Perfect pills in exchange for resources he needed.
• Miss Wu examined the pills and confirmed that their quality surpassed Supreme-Grade pills, with a faint tenth pill ring.
• Lin Mo explained that he wanted to trade for resources beyond pills, and Miss Wu wrote a list of what the Wu and Qi Households could provide.