Recaps

Xu Qingtong reunited with Chen Ruoling, Du Siwen, and Duoduo, then told them how devastating the calamity in Central Province had been. Xiao Bai and Xiao Qi had taken human form and become Xu Qingtong’s younger siblings, and Xiao Bai began settling into his new role as an elder by teaching Xu Chengkang and Duoduo Spatial Prison.

• Xu Qingtong raised Duoduo to her feet, teased her about slacking off, and praised Chen Ruoling for reaching the Golden Core Late Stage.
• Xu Qingtong told Chen Ruoling and Du Siwen that the calamity had devastated Central Province, destroyed the Wuji Sect and Jade Sound Pavilion, and claimed Tianji Zi, Xiao Yi, and Nalan Xue.
• Du Siwen embraced Xu Qingtong, then learned that Xiao Bai had taken human form, become his younger brother, and received the name Xu Yutong; Xu Qingtong also said Xiao Qi had become Xu Jing Tong.
• Xiao Bai imparted the inherited spell Spatial Prison to Xu Chengkang, who thanked his uncle, and Xu Qingtong promised to have Duoduo forge Xiao Bai a supreme-grade treasure.
• Xiao Bai offered to teach Spatial Prison to Duoduo as well, and she eagerly kowtowed to thank him.

Xu Qingtong returned to Qing-Bing Land, visited the Witch Clan and Gloomwind Valley, and invited Fang Tianqi to join the Tianhua Sect in Central Province. Fang Tianqi weighed the invitation against his duty to Gloomwind Valley and finally made up his mind.

• Xiao Bai taught Duoduo and Xu Chengkang Spatial Prison, along with ways to perceive Spatial Power and improve their spatial cultivation.
• Xu Qingtong visited the Witch Clan, reunited with Shi Chengjun and Gong Chu, and told Gong Chu that their master had died; Gong Chu chose to remain with the Witch Clan.
• Xu Qingtong went to Gloomwind Valley, where Fang Tianqi welcomed him and learned that the calamity in Central Province had subsided and Yu Tiancheng had died.
• Xu Qingtong invited Fang Tianqi to join the Tianhua Sect as an elder or city lord, explaining that its territory and cities far surpassed Gloomwind Valley's holdings.
• Fang Tianqi considered leaving now that Gloomwind Valley had flourished beyond its former heights, and finally made up his mind.

Fang Tianqi resigned as leader of Gloomwind Valley and joined Xu Qingtong on his journey to Central Province, while Duoduo and Xu Chengkang stayed behind to study spatial power. At the Tianhua Sect, Xu Qingtong appointed Fang Tianqi as Second Elder, but two people immediately objected.

• Fang Tianqi chose Qu Tianyi as his successor, resigned as sect leader, and left Gloomwind Valley to join Xu Qingtong.
• Xu Qingtong and his companions traveled by Flying Boat to Red Moon Island, where Duoduo and Xu Chengkang asked to stay with Xiao Bai and study spatial power.
• Xu Qingtong, Du Siwen, Chen Ruoling, and Fang Tianqi teleported to the Tianhua Sect, and Xu Qingtong explained the sect's situation to them.
• Xu Qingtong introduced Fang Tianqi as a new member of the Tianhua Sect and appointed him Second Elder.
• Two people objected to Xu Qingtong's appointment of Fang Tianqi.

Xu Qingtong organized the Tianhua Sect, mourned Yu Tiancheng with Du Siwen, and oversaw the sect’s growth over the following decade. When his cultivation reached a bottleneck, he went to Juxian Academy seeking guidance from his Martial Uncle Lü, only to learn that Lü was in seclusion.

• Xu Qingtong appointed Fang Tianqi and Dong Yunxiao as Deputy Sect Masters with separate duties, kept Guo Tianyu as Grand Elder, and assigned recruitment and administrative work.
• Fang Tianqi asked to visit Yu Tiancheng’s grave, and Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen that her master had died; Du Siwen grieved before learning Xu Qingtong had been in the Netherworld when it happened.
• Xu Qingtong took Du Siwen and Fang Tianqi to Juxian Academy to pay respects, and Du Siwen apologized after hearing about his time in the Netherworld.
• Fang Tianqi later reported that the Tianhua Sect had earned two hundred million spirit stones in less than a year, and the sect’s income, membership, and Central Province’s cities continued to grow over the following years.
• After ten years, Xu Qingtong reached a cultivation bottleneck and went to Juxian Academy to seek advice from his Martial Uncle Lü, but Shen Haotian told him Lü had been in seclusion for a year.

Xu Qingtong learned that his stalled cultivation came from refining Xiao Yi’s nascent soul and chose to enter the world to improve his mindset and prepare for Spirit Transformation. He began a long seclusion, leaving Du Siwen startled by its possible duration.

• Xu Qingtong spent a month studying jade slips in the Library Pavilion until Shen Haotian told him Lü Wenqiu had emerged from seclusion.
• Lü Wenqiu explained that Xu Qingtong’s mindset had fallen behind his cultivation after he refined Xiao Yi’s nascent soul, and suggested Entering the World and Leaving the World as a path to Spirit Transformation.
• Xu Qingtong recalled the risks and hardships of Entering the World and learned how the method could strengthen his Dao heart through a mortal’s life.
• Xu Qingtong decided to enter the world to comprehend the changes of yin-yang and the five elements, since his Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art offered no guidance beyond Nascent Soul.
• Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen he would enter seclusion for decades or possibly centuries and asked her to look after Cheng Kang, Duoduo, and Ruoling.

Xu Qingtong entered the mortal world by attaching his Divine Thought Body to Zhang Xiaobao, a fisherman’s son whose mind had been damaged by a childhood fever. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiaobao speaking clearly for the first time, astonishing his father.

• Xu Qingtong explained to Du Siwen that he would enter the mundane world to cultivate and arranged for Dong Yunxiao and Fang Tianqi to oversee the sect while he went into seclusion.
• Xu Qingtong condensed a Divine Thought Body and traveled in disguise to Siwei Island to find a suitable host.
• Xu Qingtong met Zhang Decai and his son Zhang Xiaobao, bought by Zhang Decai’s pumpkins, and used the moment to attach his Divine Thought Body to the boy.
• Xu Qingtong settled in a thatched cottage and began cultivating with the Cosmic Heart Stone as Zhang Xiaobao’s memories surfaced.
• Zhang Decai returned to find Xu Qingtong gone, then heard Zhang Xiaobao speak and excitedly asked his son to repeat himself.

Xu Qingtong’s Divine Thought helped Zhang Xiaobao express himself while he lived among the boy’s family and experienced ordinary life through him. After Zhang Xiaobao spoke and joined his father at sea, Xu Qingtong watched him begin learning to row on his own.

• Zhang Decai heard Zhang Xiaobao say “pumpkin,” then hurried home to tell Zhou Shi that their son could speak.
• Zhou Shi embraced Zhang Xiaobao as he named familiar things and asked to eat pumpkin, while Xu Qingtong passed along only the words the boy wanted to say.
• Zhang Decai and Zhou Shi spent the night teaching Zhang Xiaobao, and the next morning Zhang Decai took him fishing.
• Zhang Xiaobao insisted on rowing, but his first attempts spun the boat in place, so Zhang Decai taught him by guiding his hands.
• Xu Qingtong refrained from teaching Zhang Xiaobao the rowing technique directly and instead observed as the boy watched his father and began imitating him.

Zhang Xiaobao spent a year mastering rowing to help his father, Zhang Decai, but their fishing trip ended in disaster when a sea beast smashed their boat. Zhang Decai wounded the beast but was dragged underwater, leaving Xiaobao calling for him as Xu Qingtong watched and struggled against intervening.

• Zhang Xiaobao practiced rowing by the wharf until Zhang Decai taught him to control the boat, and Zhou Shi wept with pride when they returned home.
• Over the next year, Zhang Xiaobao grew stronger and became a better rower than Zhang Decai through daily practice and helping on fishing trips.
• Zhang Decai and Zhang Xiaobao went fishing in hot weather to earn enough to replace their worn-out boat, but a sea beast attacked and knocked their baskets of fish into the water.
• Zhang Decai handed the oar to Zhang Xiaobao and tried to fend off the sea beast with a steel trident while Xu Qingtong sensed the danger but chose not to intervene.
• The sea beast smashed the boat, and Zhang Decai struck it with his trident before its taut rope pulled him headfirst into the sea as Zhang Xiaobao cried out.

After a sea beast destroyed Zhang Decai’s boat, Xu Qingtong secretly taught Zhang Xiaobao a fishing method that could earn the family a living from shore. Zhang Decai and his son returned home with valuable fish, giving the family hope, while Zhang Decai began telling Zhou Shi how Xiaobao had caught them.

• Zhang Decai escaped the sea beast and swam to shore with Zhang Xiaobao, though both were badly injured by giant crabs along the way.
• With their boat destroyed and savings nearly gone, Zhang Decai worried that his family would have no way to earn a living.
• Zhang Xiaobao brought home two Three-Flower Stone Perch and explained that an old man had shown him how to catch them with a cord and hook.
• Xu Qingtong left more Three-Flower Stone Perch at the shore, then vanished after deciding to pass the Fishing Method of Ksitigarbha to Zhang Xiaobao.
• Zhang Xiaobao demonstrated the fishing method to Zhang Decai, and they filled their basket with valuable fish.
• Zhang Decai sold the fish, bought rice and meat, and began explaining to Zhou Shi how Zhang Xiaobao had caught them.

Zhang Decai began honoring Xu Qingtong as the Bamboo Hat Immortal and prospered by fishing, while Xu Qingtong discovered that the family’s worship produced a mysterious white substance within him. Over two years, Zhang Xiaobao developed exceptional swimming and underwater skills, deepening Xu Qingtong’s understanding of water.

• Zhang Decai and Zhou Shi decided to honor the unknown immortal with a tablet called the Bamboo Hat Immortal and asked Carpenter Wang to make it.
• Zhang Decai placed the tablet in his home, prayed to it each morning, and learned to fish successfully, earning enough money to support his family.
• Xu Qingtong sensed that the family’s prayers caused a mysterious white substance to accumulate in his middle dantian.
• Zhou Shi persuaded Zhang Decai to stop fishing for a day to keep their fishing method from becoming widely known.
• Zhang Xiaobao practiced swimming for years, mastered underwater breathing, and became fast enough to catch fish by hand.
• Xu Qingtong experienced Zhang Xiaobao’s swimming through his divine thought body and gained new insights into water and the five elements.

Xu Qingtong tested whether worship from people besides Zhang Decai would grow the mysterious white mist within him, and discovered that it did. As more villagers worshipped the Bamboo Hat Immortal and sought his help, Xu Qingtong granted modest requests but ignored greedy ones.

• Xu Qingtong used the Time Law to stop two servants from whipping Zhang Decai's family, making the Man in Brocade Robes and his attendants flee.
• News spread that the Bamboo Hat Immortal protected Zhang Decai's family, and Old Man Zheng prayed for help finding his missing donkey.
• Xu Qingtong found the donkey with his Divine Sense and drove it home, prompting Old Man Zheng to proclaim the Bamboo Hat Immortal's power.
• Old Man Zheng's story led villagers to seek Ancestral Tablets from Carpenter Wang, and their offerings made Xu Qingtong's white mist grow.
• Xu Qingtong helped villagers with reasonable requests but ignored the Zhou family's demand for a mansion and two maids.

As the Bamboo Hat Immortal’s worshippers multiplied, Xu Qingtong discovered that using spells weakened the divine thought body within Zhang Xiaobao. When a fourth-tier octopus attacked the town, its people gathered to beg the Immortal for help, and Xu Qingtong left his cottage to respond.

• Xu Qingtong tested the divine thought body in Zhang Xiaobao by refraining from intervening for three days and found that it stopped diminishing, while Zhang Xiaobao no longer provided him with insights.
• A fourth-tier octopus surged ashore, swallowed three people, and retreated into the sea as Zhang Xiaobao escaped and told Zhang Decai what had happened.
• The town headman visited Zhang Decai and asked him to bring the Bamboo Hat Immortal’s ancestral tablet to town so the people could pray for protection.
• The townspeople gathered outside the yamen and worshipped the Bamboo Hat Immortal, prompting the white mist inside Xu Qingtong to swell.
• Xu Qingtong weighed the townspeople’s plea against the risk of spoiling his cultivation attempt, then vanished from his cottage; as the headman spoke, something slammed down outside the yamen.

Xu Qingtong left Siwei Island after ending his failed cultivation attempt, but established the Bamboo Hat Palace and arranged for Tianhua Sect disciples to help the townspeople. Zhang Xiaobao and Zhang Decai discovered the palace, and Xu Qingtong asked Fang Tianqi to post a yearlong mission there.

• The townspeople thanked the Bamboo Hat Immortal after a gigantic dead octopus fell outside the yamen, while Xu Qingtong accepted that his cultivation attempt had failed.
• Xu Qingtong built the Bamboo Hat Palace, left Zhang Xiaobao a vision of it, and departed from Siwei Island.
• Zhang Xiaobao found the palace and brought Zhang Decai there, where Zhang Decai knelt before the statue.
• The village head visited the palace with yamen runners, named the nearby mountain Bamboo Hat Mountain, and posted guards at the palace.
• Xu Qingtong asked Fang Tianqi to post a one-year sect mission to help mortals at the Bamboo Hat Palace.

Xu Qingtong learned that the mysterious energy mortals’ worship had placed in his Dantian was likely the Power of Incense, which required Buddhist cultivation techniques to activate. Hoping Ksitigarbha could teach him, Xu Qingtong prepared for a secret journey to the Netherworld and left Gloomwind Valley to meet Xiao Bai.

• Xu Qingtong ordered Fang Tianqi to post a well-paid mission for a Golden Core Cultivator to serve as the Bamboo Hat Immortal’s envoy at Bamboo Hat Palace, and Feng Sanqiang accepted it.
• Xu Qingtong visited Lü Wenqiu, who identified the strange energy in his Dantian as possibly the Power of Incense and explained that Buddhist cultivation techniques could activate it.
• Xu Qingtong decided to seek Ksitigarbha, Jin Qiaojue, in the Netherworld despite Lü Wenqiu’s warning not to go after the recent war.
• Xu Qingtong gathered Yuanrong Fruit, supplies, elixirs, and treasures to prepare for the trip.
• Xu Qingtong secretly asked Xiao Bai to help him reach the Netherworld and told him not to inform his Senior Sister or Xiao Qi.
• Xu Qingtong left Gloomwind Valley after making preparations to depart with Xiao Bai.

Xu Qingtong traveled through the Netherworld Forest and Phoenix Mausoleum Mountain Junctions with Xiao Bai before entering the Netherworld through the weakest passage. He reunited with Ksitigarbha, Jin Qiaojue, who explained the power of faith and gave him a Buddhist scripture to help him use it.

• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Bai found that the Junctions in the Haoyu Mountain Range and Netherworld Forest were too difficult for Xiao Bai to open.
• Xiao Bai carried Xu Qingtong inside the Seven-Star Bracelet to Phoenix Mausoleum Mountain, where he opened a passage through a weaker Junction.
• Xu Qingtong entered the Netherworld, concealed his aura, and began figuring out how to find Ksitigarbha.
• Ksitigarbha, Jin Qiaojue, appeared and recognized that Xu Qingtong had cultivated the power of faith.
• Ksitigarbha explained that sincere prayers from people who revered Xu Qingtong had produced the power of faith, then gave him a golden Buddhist scripture.

Xu Qingtong received the Wordless Heart Sutra from Ksitigarbha in the Netherworld and returned safely to the Tianhua Sect. After studying it for three months, he mastered Buddhist power and two hand seals, then tested the Non-Form Seal’s defenses.

• Ksitigarbha gave Xu Qingtong the Wordless Heart Sutra and warned him not to return to the Netherworld without business there.
• Xu Qingtong returned to Central Province with Xiao Bai, visited Lü Wenqiu at the Academy, and then teleported back to the Tianhua Sect.
• Du Siwen confronted Xu Qingtong and Xiao Bai about their trip to the Netherworld, examined the scripture, and warned them not to sneak off to dangerous places again.
• Xu Qingtong studied the Wordless Heart Sutra for three months and learned Buddhist power, the Non-Form Seal, and the Bodhi Seal.
• Xu Qingtong circulated the power of faith through his body while forming the Non-Form Seal to test its defensive strength.

Xu Qingtong mastered the Wordless Heart Sutra and Buddhist seals over a year, then entered Jade Glass City to cultivate among mortals. After finding an unconscious miner named Huang Dachuan, he offered to treat him, leaving the miners to decide whether to trust him.

• Xu Qingtong discovered that practicing the Wordless Heart Sutra restored his power of faith, and he studied the sutra while the fishermen of Siwei Island continued worshipping him.
• A year later, Xu Qingtong had mastered the Non-Form Seal and Bodhi Seals, reached a bottleneck in his power of faith, and decided to Enter the World to Cultivate in Jade Glass City.
• Xu Qingtong entered Jade Glass City's mortal district disguised as an old herb seller and examined the city with his divine sense.
• Miners brought the badly injured Huang Dachuan to a clinic, where the doctor treated his back wound but warned that his head injury and obstructed qi might prove fatal.
• As the miners carried Huang Dachuan home, Xu Qingtong stopped them and said their jolting could kill him, offering to help if they trusted him.

Xu Qingtong saved Huang Dachuan and left him elixirs, then traveled Central Province to place divine thought bodies in craftsmen and returned to seclusion. Over the next decade, the bodies returned with the craftsmen’s life experiences, deepening Xu Qingtong’s understanding of earth, wood, and fire while metal remained uncomprehended.

• Xu Qingtong treated Huang Dachuan with crushed pills, healed his divine soul, and gave him two bottles of elixirs under the name Old Man Bamboo Hat.
• Huang Dachuan returned to his village and established a shrine to Old Man Bamboo Hat, increasing Xu Qingtong’s power of faith.
• Xu Qingtong traveled Central Province for a year, placed three more divine thought bodies in suitable hosts, and then returned to the Tianhua Sect to cultivate in seclusion.
• Ten years later, Xu Qingtong absorbed the returning divine thought body’s experiences after its mason host died in a fall.
• The carpenter and potter later died, and their returning divine thought bodies brought Xu Qingtong further insights into wood and fire.
• Xu Qingtong gained understanding of four of the five elements, with only metal left to comprehend.

After decades of living among ordinary people through his Divine Thought Bodies, Xu Qingtong gained new insights and felt his cultivation nearing a breakthrough. As sects shifted in strength, the Profound Yin Church moved against Anyang Sect territory, and Xu Qingtong set out to discuss the threat with the Sect Master.

• Huang Dachuan died peacefully at seventy-one, and his final outlook on life and death stayed with Xu Qingtong.
• Xu Qingtong combined the insights from his five Divine Thought Bodies, raised his state of mind, and began cultivating in hopes of breaking through.
• Chen Ruoling and Ding Jiayue reached the Nascent Soul realm, while Guo Tianyu stepped down as Grand Elder and Chen Ruoling succeeded him.
• The Heavenly Mystery Palace split into factions, while the Profound Yin Church and Anyang Sect recovered and new sects appeared across the region.
• Lan Xin Butterfly told Xu Qingtong that eight Profound Yin Church Nascent Soul cultivators were targeting Linyue City and Wei City, and he ordered her to monitor their movements.
• Xu Qingtong considered the possibility that the Profound Yin Church planned to swallow the Heavenly Mystery Palace, then left Gloomwind Valley to speak with the Sect Master.

Xu Qingtong weighed whether to abandon his incarnation or cultivate it to the Demon King level before attempting Spirit Transformation. He went to Huijing Pavilion over its unpaid tribute, where a clash with its veiled master ended in a startling recognition.

• Xu Qingtong learned that the Profound Yin Church had sent eight Nascent Soul cultivators to Linyue City, and Shen Haotian predicted they meant to pressure the Tianhua Sect into negotiations.
• Xu Qingtong agonized over whether to discard his incarnation or cultivate it into a Demon King before Spirit Transformation, then set out to seek his senior sister's advice.
• Lan Xin Butterfly told Xu Qingtong that Huijing Pavilion had withheld tribute for two years, injured a Tianhua Sect envoy, and demanded a duel with him.
• Xu Qingtong met the veiled pavilion master, Huiqing, resisted her strange charm, and repelled her attack with the Non-Form Seal.
• Xu Qingtong struck Huiqing through her Protective Barrier, and when her cloak fell away, he recognized her; Huiqing asked whether he meant to destroy Huijing Pavilion.

Xu Qingtong learned that Huijing Pavilion's master was his former acquaintance Dongfang Hui, who told him about her painful past and ancient ruins overseas. After discussing the ruins with Du Siwen, Xu Qingtong arranged to explore them with Dongfang Hui and set out for Huijing Pavilion.

• Xu Qingtong met privately with Dongfang Hui and learned she had fled overseas after struggling with the Heart-Severing Treasure Canon and had been trapped for decades in ancient ruins.
• Dongfang Hui showed Xu Qingtong immortal jade from the ruins, and he agreed to consider investigating them with her.
• Dongfang Hui asked Xu Qingtong to apologize to Du Siwen for using her past grievance as a pretext, and Xu Qingtong returned to the Tianhua Sect.
• Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen about Dongfang Hui and the ruins, and Du Siwen approved his plan to go while warning him to be careful.
• Xu Qingtong had Fang Tianqi waive Huijing Pavilion's annual tribute, left the Tianhua Sect, and sent Dongfang Hui a voice transmission when he reached her pavilion.

Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui traveled to Purple Rosy Clouds Island to explore ancient palace ruins protected by formations. After entering the island’s outer formation, they tested a palace’s defenses, but Dongfang Hui’s attempt to probe the formation failed, leaving her asking Xu Qingtong to increase his attacks.

• Dongfang Hui took Xu Qingtong by flying boat across the sea to Purple Rosy Clouds Island, where she explained that she had once been trapped there for decades.
• Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui entered the island’s outer formation and headed toward the palaces at its center.
• Xu Qingtong attacked a nearby palace formation with Golden Light Slash and repeated Overlord Hammers, which the formation blocked and rebounded.
• Dongfang Hui tried using her formation disc to examine the palace’s formation, but it showed no change.
• Dongfang Hui asked Xu Qingtong whether he could make his attacks more powerful.

Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui broke into a protected palace, searched its rooms, and collected several unusual items. They then entered Tranquil Heart Hall, where Xu Qingtong suspected a mound in the courtyard was a tomb.

• Xu Qingtong used a Yuanrong Crossbow to weaken the palace formation, allowing Dongfang Hui to break it open.
• Xu Qingtong sent a Puppet inside the palace to check for danger before he and Dongfang Hui entered.
• Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui searched the palace; Xu Qingtong kept the golden dragon paperweight, brushes, jade bed, and an immortal artifact platform.
• Dongfang Hui opened the formation around Tranquil Heart Hall and let Xu Qingtong inside.
• Xu Qingtong noticed a large mound surrounded by white jade masonry and said it looked like a tomb.

Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui explored a hidden palace and copied several cultivation teachings from its walls, but they discovered that the formation was difficult to exit. Xu Qingtong’s attempt to break it rebounded and badly injured him, leaving him recovering under Dongfang Hui’s care.

• Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui found a tomb in the courtyard and discovered teachings carved into the palace walls, including the Nine Immortals Scripture.
• Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui copied the teachings on cultivation, alchemy, talismans, body tempering, and formations onto jade slips.
• Dongfang Hui failed to open the formation at the palace gate, so Xu Qingtong attacked it with the Yuanrong Crossbow.
• The formation reflected the Yuanrong Bolt’s force, badly injuring Xu Qingtong despite his use of the Non-Form Seal.
• Dongfang Hui gave Xu Qingtong a Soul-Returning Pill and helped him refine it; he woke after four hours and mostly recovered over two days.
• Xu Qingtong said his meridians and divine sense still needed time to heal, and Dongfang Hui offered to help him to the West Wing.

Xu Qingtong and Dongfang Hui remained trapped in Tranquil Heart Hall and studied the techniques and formations that might let them escape. After nearly a year, Xu Qingtong had learned much of the Body Tempering Technique and had his incarnation study the Nine Immortals Scripture, but he could not sense the immortal essence it required.

• After recovering, Xu Qingtong discussed the hall’s reflective formation with Dongfang Hui, who concluded that they might escape by repenting before the ancestors or mastering the techniques and arts carved on the walls.
• Xu Qingtong chose to study the Body Tempering Technique in the central chamber while Dongfang Hui continued studying formations.
• Over nearly a year, Xu Qingtong worked out the Body Tempering Technique’s movements and energy circulation but had not mastered their speed or timing.
• Xu Qingtong visited Dongfang Hui and learned that she had gained only limited insight, so they agreed to keep studying while trapped.
• Xu Qingtong summoned his incarnation to study the Nine Immortals Scripture, which described cultivation toward ascension, but he could not sense immortal essence.