Recaps

Xu Qingtong escaped into the Thousand-Cloud Mountain Range after killing Lin De, but became trapped in a natural illusion formation. As he rested inside the mist, Xiao Qi killed and ate a wandering soul, and Xu Qingtong suddenly awoke with stabbing pain in his body.

• Xu Qingtong used the Soul-Chasing Spear and Divine Sense Thorn to stun Lin De, then Xiao Qi struck him down, allowing Xu Qingtong to take his belongings.
• Xu Qingtong overheard Lin De's companions searching for his killer and fled south into the Thousand-Cloud Mountain Range.
• Xu Qingtong became lost in a natural illusion formation and decided to wait until daybreak while cultivating with Xiao Qi on guard.
• Xiao Qi warned Xu Qingtong of danger, then pinned down and ate a wandering soul that had tried to drain his yang energy.
• Xu Qingtong worried about Dongfang Hui and struggled to calm himself before lying down to sleep.
• Xu Qingtong suddenly felt stabbing pain in his body and jolted awake.

Xu Qingtong followed Cold Iron Ants out of an illusion formation and discovered that they were drawn to creatures and a spirit flower kept in his Seven-Star Bracelet. He entered their cave with Xiao Qi to help the ailing ant queen, whom he found surrounded by her swarm.

• Xu Qingtong woke to a Cold Iron Ant biting him, followed the ants through the mist, and escaped the illusion formation.
• Xu Qingtong followed the ants to their cave and learned from Xiao Qi that their queen was unwell.
• Xu Qingtong discovered the ants were attracted to the aura of things kept in his Seven-Star Bracelet and offered to help the queen.
• Xiao Qi communicated with the queen, and Xu Qingtong agreed to enter the cave after she promised the ants would let them leave once she was safe.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi followed the ants through the cave and found the whitish ant queen lying at its end.

Xu Qingtong rescued the Ant Queen, discovered Cold Spirit Mushrooms and Stardust Soil, and left the ant nest after collecting the treasures. When Xiao Qi suddenly flew toward a valley and stopped responding, Xu Qingtong followed and found ruins but no sign of it.

• Xu Qingtong placed the Ant Queen in the Seven-Star Bracelet, where Chaos Qi helped it recover enough to spit out the substance weakening it.
• The Ant Queen offered Xu Qingtong its remaining spiritual substance and permission to take the Cold Spirit Mushrooms and Termite Mushrooms from its chamber.
• Xu Qingtong identified the yellowish-gray substance as Stardust Soil and waited while the Ant Queen recovered inside the bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong declined to take the Ant Queen away, collected the Stardust Soil and mushrooms, and left the nest with Xiao Qi.
• Xiao Qi suddenly flew into a valley and stopped responding to Xu Qingtong, who followed it and found ruins without seeing it.

Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi hunted yin souls in the ruins, then confronted an intermediate ghost spirit in a cave. Xiao Qi devoured the creature, and Xu Qingtong wondered what the cave concealed.

• Xu Qingtong rescued Xiao Qi from two blood-red bats and a yin soul, killing the bats while Xiao Qi devoured the yin soul.
• Xu Qingtong agreed to explore the ruins with Xiao Qi so it could hunt more yin souls.
• Xiao Qi detected an intermediate ghost spirit in a mountain cave, and Xu Qingtong’s divine sense was attacked when he probed inside.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi fought the ghost spirit, with Xiao Qi weakening it using beams from its eyes while Xu Qingtong struck it with a divine sense thorn.
• Xiao Qi broke free, pulled a spherical object from the ghost spirit’s head, swallowed it, and devoured the creature.
• Xu Qingtong wondered what was hidden inside the cave.

Xu Qingtong explored the ruins, identified them as the former site of the Mystic Artifact Sect, and fell into a hidden chamber after moving the sect’s founding ancestor statue. He and Xiao Qi were trapped beneath a stone slab, with the chamber’s contents still unknown.

• Xu Qingtong collected mysterious cold crystals from the Ghost Spirit Cave Abode and refined the man in black’s Golden Light Shield and flying sword, Star Plucker.
• Xu Qingtong noticed that the ruins resembled Jade Spring Mountain and wondered about their connection before he and Xiao Qi fought Blood-Red Bats in the great hall.
• Xu Qingtong searched the hall and its nearby residences, then found a statue identified as the Founding Ancestor of the Mystic Artifact Sect.
• Xu Qingtong recalled that the Mystic Artifact Sect had been a secretive artifact-forging sect that existed a thousand years earlier and had since been destroyed.
• Xu Qingtong tried to turn the founding ancestor statue, triggering a mundane mechanism that dropped him and Xiao Qi into a hidden chamber and sealed the stone slab above them.

Xu Qingtong explored an underground secret chamber and discovered the remains of Yan Jiuxiao, along with the Mystic Artifact Sect's treasures and records. After burying Yan Jiuxiao and reassuring himself he would not starve, Xu Qingtong searched the remaining chambers and found another surprising discovery.

• Xu Qingtong failed to break through the stone slab above him, then descended into a hall and took Yan Jiuxiao's storage ring, jade slips, and Soul-Calming pendant.
• Xu Qingtong learned that Yan Jiuxiao had been the son of the Mystic Artifact Sect's last sect master and had starved to death after being trapped in the chamber by the Jade Spring True Person's assault on the sect.
• Xu Qingtong buried Yan Jiuxiao, worried he might also be trapped, then remembered the food and desolate space inside his Seven-Star Bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong examined a Spirit-Gathering Formation but found that its wood, fire, and earth spiritual qi could not help him.
• Xu Qingtong opened two chambers containing spirit medicines and artifact-refining materials, then entered the final chamber and reacted with astonishment.

Trapped in the hidden chambers, Xu Qingtong found working earthfire and resolved to learn formations and artifact refining so he could make a way out. After studying techniques and gathering materials, he began heating the Artifact Refining Cauldron to craft formation tools.

• Xu Qingtong tested the Earthfire Opening and confirmed that its flames still worked, then failed to force open the passage.
• Xu Qingtong studied Yan Jiuxiao's jade slip and decided to learn formations so he could improve his chances of escaping.
• Xu Qingtong found that the chamber's Spirit-Gathering Formation differed from the one he had studied, so he chose to make formation flags and a formation disc instead.
• Xu Qingtong studied the Profound Yang Artifact Refining Technique and Yan Jiuxiao's artifact-refining notes, and discovered that the small golden cauldron could not be bound through refinement.
• Xu Qingtong placed black iron stone beside the cauldron, activated the earthfire, and began heating it for artifact refining.

Xu Qingtong learned artifact refining, made a Spirit-Gathering Formation, and cultivated in the secret chamber for half a year, reaching the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Refining. After studying the Mystic Artifact Sect’s refining methods, he suspected Jade Spring Mountain’s and Biluozong’s artifact-refining traditions came from that sect.

• Xu Qingtong smelted black iron and refined formation flags, then struggled repeatedly to engrave the formation disc’s array.
• After practicing array engraving in his Niwang Palace for two days, Xu Qingtong successfully refined a formation disc, but discarded the first set of flags and disc because they did not fit together perfectly.
• Three days later, Xu Qingtong refined a matched set, destroyed the original Spirit-Gathering Formation, and laid out a new one using the Five Elements Generation positions from the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art.
• Xu Qingtong activated the formation and found its spiritual qi exceptionally dense, then cultivated while studying artifact refining for half a year and reached the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
• After leaving the cultivation chamber, Xu Qingtong speculated that Jade Spring True Person had taken the Mystic Artifact Sect’s refining methods and noticed something familiar while studying the Profound Yang Artifact Refining Technique.

Xu Qingtong studied the Profound Yang Artifact Refining Technique and tried to repair and then recreate the Goumang Seal, but both attempts failed. He returned to the cultivation room and refocused on preparing to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

• Xu Qingtong decided to master the Profound Yang Artifact Refining Technique and refine the Five Elements Divine Seals after considering their abilities and rarity.
• Xu Qingtong studied the seal-refining method, then used the Golden Small Cauldron to repair his damaged Goumang Seal, but it exploded while he was engraving its formation.
• Xu Qingtong began making a new Goumang Seal, formed its body successfully, and then lost it when a mistake caused the formation to fail.
• Xu Qingtong stopped refining to conserve his remaining Thousand-Year Chi Peach Wood and returned to the cultivation room.
• Xu Qingtong realized that artifact refining had distracted him from his original plan to prepare for breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

Xu Qingtong stabilized his breakthrough to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and successfully refined and bound a Zhurong Seal after an initial failure while fusing Stardust Soil. He tested the Spirit Artifact by sending it toward the stone hall’s wall.

• Xu Qingtong swallowed Purple Sun Pills and broke through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, then spent half a month stabilizing his cultivation.
• Xu Qingtong gathered materials and prepared to refine a Zhurong Seal, carefully rehearsing its formation inscription.
• Xu Qingtong refined a Zhurong Seal, but it vanished when he tried to fuse Stardust Soil into it afterward.
• Xu Qingtong concluded that Stardust Soil had to be added before shaping and in a small quantity, then successfully refined another Zhurong Seal.
• Xu Qingtong bound the Zhurong Seal with his Essence Blood and sent it flying toward the stone hall’s wall.

Xu Qingtong refined the Five Elements Divine Seals while trapped in the secret chamber, then advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining. After testing the Rushou Seal against the chamber wall, he headed for the underground passage entrance.

• Xu Qingtong tested the Zhurong Seal's striking power and Scarlet Flame Flying Dragon spell, then decided to refine the other Five Elements Divine Seals.
• Over the next six months, Xu Qingtong refined all five seals and ritually refined them before nourishing them in his dantian.
• Xu Qingtong failed to break the stone slab sealing the passage, made more Bigu Pills, and discovered that his five kinds of spiritual power circulated around the seals and Dao Heart in a new pattern.
• After a year of cultivation, Xu Qingtong reached the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refining, then began attempting to break through to the seventh layer.
• Xu Qingtong broke through to the seventh layer, stabilized his cultivation, and tested the Rushou Seal against the stone wall before heading to the underground passage entrance.

After escaping the sealed chamber, Xu Qingtong searched the Mystic Artifact Sect ruins with Xiao Qi and began traveling north through the Thousand-Cloud Mountain Range. The chapter ended with a powerful Corpse Charm attacking him after his sword failed to injure it.

• Xu Qingtong broke through the stone slab with repeated attacks from his Five Elements divine seals, gathered his belongings, and bid farewell to Yan Jiuxiao’s grave, vowing to avenge him.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi entered the sect master’s cave abode, defeated two Yin Souls, and Xiao Qi said it was close to reaching the second tier.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi searched the Mystic Artifact Sect ruins but found nothing else, then left and traveled north through the mountains.
• Xiao Qi killed several first-tier Demon Beasts during their journey, but on the third day Xu Qingtong encountered a nearly Foundation Establishment-level Corpse Charm in a cave.
• Xu Qingtong’s Flying Sword failed to harm the Corpse Charm, and its palm strike nearly broke through his Golden Light Shield, forcing him to retreat.

Xu Qingtong defeated the Corpse Charm by breaking open its chest so Xiao Qi could take its Corpse Crystal. After exploring the cave, Xu Qingtong found a ghost lantern flower and a pool of mysterious green liquid that Xiao Qi identified as Yellow Springs Jade Dew.

• Xu Qingtong's weapons and spells failed to harm the Corpse Charm, and Xiao Qi explained that its consciousness was in the Corpse Crystal inside its chest.
• Xu Qingtong used the Rushou Seal's Armor-Piercing Technique to open the Corpse Charm's chest, allowing Xiao Qi to seize its Corpse Crystal and kill it.
• Xiao Qi asked to refine the Corpse Crystal in the Seven-Star Bracelet, and Xu Qingtong agreed after they confirmed the cave was safe.
• Xu Qingtong found a ghost lantern flower in the cave, dug it up, and placed it in the Seven-Star Bracelet for Xiao Qi to plant.
• Xu Qingtong discovered green liquid collecting beneath a crack in the cave wall, and Xiao Qi tasted it and identified it as Yellow Springs Jade Dew.

Xu Qingtong collected Yellow Springs Jade Dew, then was ambushed by the Chai brothers while flying toward Gloomwind Valley. He killed Chai Yun and Chai Hu fled after summoning help.

• Xu Qingtong collected the Yellow Springs Jade Dew for Xiao Qi and told him to refine the Corpse Crystal in the Seven-Star Bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong left the Thousand-Cloud Mountain Range and flew toward Gloomwind Valley as Chai Hu and Chai Yun decided to rob him.
• Chai Hu attacked Xu Qingtong, and Chai Yun joined in with an axe and an eight-sided purple-gold hammer, but the Houtu Seal blocked their blows.
• Chai Yun began activating a Talisman Treasure, so Xu Qingtong sent the Goumang Seal to bind him and then cut off his head with a flying sword.
• Chai Hu crushed a jade token to summon help, then fled after Xu Qingtong killed Chai Yun.

Xu Qingtong killed the Chai brothers and fled toward Gloomwind Valley, but Chai Zhengde caught up and badly wounded him near the sect’s mountain gate. Dongfang Jin stopped Chai Zhengde from killing Xu Qingtong, while another person rushed to Xu Qingtong’s side.

• Xu Qingtong collected the Chai brothers’ belongings, burned their bodies, and hurried toward Gloomwind Valley.
• Chai Zhengde learned that Chai Yun and his brother’s Soul-Life Tablets had shattered, then pursued Xu Qingtong.
• Xu Qingtong raced toward Gloomwind Valley, but Chai Zhengde struck him with a flying sword and wounded him despite the Houtu Seal’s protection.
• Chai Zhengde reached Xu Qingtong at the mountain gate and raised his hand to kill him, but Dongfang Jin appeared and challenged him.
• Chai Zhengde explained why he believed Xu Qingtong had killed his sons, as another person rushed out of the valley to Xu Qingtong’s side.

Yu Tiancheng rescued his wounded disciple Xu Qingtong, confronted Chai Zhengde, and secured a settlement before warning Xu about Chai Long. After recovering, Xu learned his master had also threatened the Lin Family and began planning to cultivate toward Foundation Establishment, until a woman called to him from outside his cave.

• Yu Tiancheng arrived, struck Chai Zhengde, treated Xu Qingtong, and heard Xu recount how he killed two men who attacked him.
• Yu Tiancheng took Xu back to Swallowtail Peak, while Dongfang Jin settled the dispute with Chai Zhengde and promised compensation from Gloomwind Valley.
• Three days later, Yu Tiancheng gave Xu a Storage Bag containing one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones and warned him about Chai Long.
• Xu told Yu Tiancheng about the Shangyi Pavilion ambush and learned he could collect three years of Alchemist stipends from the Four-Hall.
• Yu Tiancheng threatened the Lin Family, and Xu planned to gather herbs, refine elixirs, and pursue Foundation Establishment before a woman called from outside his cave.

Xu Qingtong reunited with Du Siwen and Dongfang Hui after returning from three years in Thousand Cloud Mountain, and Dongfang Hui helped tend his wound while they caught up. They compared their cultivation progress before Dongfang Hui mentioned the Autumn Sword-Tournament, leaving Xu Qingtong asking about it.

• Du Siwen visited Xu Qingtong, scolded him for leaving without her, and discovered his sword wound.
• Du Siwen removed Xu Qingtong’s bloodied bandage and began treating him, but Dongfang Hui arrived and saw them together.
• Du Siwen left, and Dongfang Hui jealously took over bandaging Xu Qingtong’s wound before telling him she had missed him during his three-year absence.
• Xu Qingtong apologized for leaving without telling Dongfang Hui and explained how he had survived in Thousand Cloud Mountain and reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
• Dongfang Hui said she had also reached the seventh layer and expected to reach the eighth before next year’s Autumn Sword-Tournament, prompting Xu Qingtong to ask what it was.

Xu Qingtong refined Spirit Artifacts for Dongfang Hui and Du Siwen, then began cultivating in seclusion. His growing reputation as an alchemist soon brought a steady stream of disciples seeking his services, earning him pills and Contribution Points.

• After spending time with Dongfang Hui and recounting his travels to Du Siwen, Xu Qingtong collected his alchemist's stipend and began seclusion.
• Xu Qingtong refined two suits of Spirit Artifact armor and a powerful piercing hairpin, then gave one suit and the hairpin to Dongfang Hui and the other suit to Du Siwen.
• Xu Qingtong gave Dongfang Hui five bottles of Purple Sun Pills and returned to his cave abode to cultivate toward the ninth level of Qi Refining.
• Less than two months into seclusion, an Inner Disciple from Heavenly Pillar Peak asked Xu Qingtong to refine two batches of Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Xu Qingtong agreed.
• A female disciple from Spirit Hidden Peak asked Xu Qingtong to refine a Beauty-Nourishing Pill, and he succeeded after studying its recipe for several days.
• Over the next month, Xu Qingtong accepted numerous pill-refining requests and earned more than two hundred Contribution Points, along with extra pills from the batches.

Xu Qingtong discovered that Chai Long had been sending people to occupy his time with elixir refining, nearly distracting him from cultivation with fame and profit. After reflecting on his goals, Xu Qingtong entered seven months of seclusion, reached the limit of the seventh layer of Qi Refining, and began attempting a breakthrough to the eighth layer.

• Xu Qingtong asked Gong Chu to investigate why people kept coming to him for elixir refining, and Gong Chu traced them to Chai Long.
• Xu Qingtong understood Yu Tiancheng’s warning, rejected the lure of fame and profit, and his Dao Heart Seed grew larger.
• Xu Qingtong closed his cave abode and cultivated continuously in the Spirit-Gathering Formation while Du Siwen kept visitors away.
• After seven months, Xu Qingtong reached the limit of his spiritual power and prepared to break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu Qingtong swallowed a Purple Sun Pill and began refining its medicinal power.

After breaking through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, Xu Qingtong learned that Chai Long had persuaded Dongfang Jin to betroth Dongfang Hui to him. Xu Qingtong challenged Dongfang Jin and was expelled from Gloomwind Valley, but Dongfang Jin offered him a chance to prove himself in the Autumn Sword-Tournament.

• Xu Qingtong broke through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining and reunited with Dongfang Hui.
• Dongfang Hui told Xu Qingtong that Dongfang Jin had agreed to her betrothal to Chai Long, despite her refusal.
• Xu Qingtong confronted Dongfang Jin and demanded permission to marry Dongfang Hui, but Dongfang Jin rejected him and expelled him from Gloomwind Valley.
• Yu Tiancheng arrived and announced that he would leave with Xu Qingtong, prompting Dongfang Jin to call them back.
• Dongfang Jin agreed to postpone Dongfang Hui's betrothal and promised to accept Xu Qingtong if he placed in the top five at the Autumn Sword-Tournament.

After Dongfang Jin’s scheme against him and Yu Tiancheng, Xu Qingtong resolved to grow stronger for the Autumn Sword-Tournament and began crafting new tools. He finished an invisible, illusion-inducing clasp and planned to refine Ice Spirit Pills for his master, Yu Tiancheng.

• Dongfang Jin furiously cursed Xu Qingtong and Yu Tiancheng after they left, while Xu Qingtong vowed to take revenge on Chai Long and repay his master’s kindness.
• Xu Qingtong decided to enter the Autumn Sword-Tournament and improve his combat strength by crafting concealed weapons and a close-range defense treasure.
• Xu Qingtong melted down Chai Hu’s needle-shaped magical artifact and studied its concealment array before developing a design of his own.
• Xu Qingtong refined the Forest Owl skull and Illusion-Toothed Weasel teeth into the supreme-grade Illusionary Shadow Clasp, which could conceal itself and induce hallucinations.
• Xu Qingtong planned to cultivate his divine sense and use the Cold Spirit Mushrooms to refine Ice Spirit Pills for Yu Tiancheng, who was nearing an attempt at Golden Core formation.

Xu Qingtong refined Ice Spirit Pills and gave them to Yu Tiancheng, who prepared to attempt a Golden Core breakthrough and revealed secrets about cultivation in their land. Xu Qingtong returned to seclusion to study the True Origin Scripture, where he gained a sudden insight.

• Xu Qingtong studied the Ice Spirit Pill recipe, exchanged for supplementary herbs, and refined several pills after five attempts.
• Xu Qingtong brought two Ice Spirit Pills to Yu Tiancheng, who was moved by the gift and said he would prepare to break through to the Golden Core Realm.
• Yu Tiancheng explained the dangers of forming a Golden Core, including Heart Demons and a minor heavenly tribulation, and revealed that Jade Spring True Person had damaged the region's spiritual Qi source a thousand years earlier.
• Yu Tiancheng told Xu Qingtong to cultivate and prepare to win honor at the Autumn Sword-Tournament in half a year.
• Xu Qingtong returned to his cave abode to cultivate the True Origin Scripture and suddenly gained an insight into Severing the Three Extremities.

Xu Qingtong advanced his divine sense, learned about the Autumn Sword-Tournament, and prepared for the competition after failing to find armor materials. He crafted a Spirit Artifact bowl for Gong Chu, who activated it outside Xu Qingtong’s cave abode and asked him to test its defenses.

• Xu Qingtong reached the third level of the True Origin Scripture and spent four months cultivating his divine sense until it rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivator.
• Xu Qingtong visited Du Siwen to ask about the Autumn Sword-Tournament, then learned the Four-Hall lacked the materials he needed to refine armor.
• Xu Qingtong bought medicinal ingredients for the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art with Gong Chu covering the contribution points he lacked, and agreed to craft Gong Chu a Magical Artifact.
• Xu Qingtong used Black-Ice Cold Jade, an Earth-Armored Beast’s leg bone, and Stardust Soil to refine a defensive Spirit Artifact bowl named Clouded Mountains and Mist-Shrouded.
• Gong Chu ritually refined the bowl, then tested its hazy defensive barrier outside Xu Qingtong’s cave abode and asked Xu Qingtong to attack him.

Xu Qingtong refined the Supreme Clarity Yin-Yang Cauldron and used it to advance his Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art before preparing talismans for the Autumn Sword-Tournament. Du Siwen told him the tournament was only two days away and that his master had entered her to help clear difficult opponents from his path.

• Xu Qingtong tested the Rushou Seal and Cloud-Mountain Mist-Covered Bowl with Gong Chu, then revealed that he had refined the bowl himself.
• Xu Qingtong found firecloud stone and red-core mottled brocade grass in the Seven-Star Bracelet and discovered the Golden Small Cauldron was the Supreme Clarity Yin-Yang Cauldron.
• Xu Qingtong refined the cauldron and spent nearly a month using it to practice the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art, advancing another minor realm.
• With the Autumn Sword-Tournament approaching, Xu Qingtong practiced making Crimson Flame, Ice Blade, and Divine Shield Talismans.
• Du Siwen visited Xu Qingtong and explained that their master had entered her in the tournament to eliminate difficult opponents for him.

Xu Qingtong sparred with Du Siwen and revealed his control of the Five Elements Divine Seals. After learning he had crafted her armor and could make her a Spirit Artifact, Du Siwen left for the upcoming tournament, while Xu Qingtong asked her to keep his seals secret.

• Du Siwen warned Xu Qingtong about Zhuang Shengren and Hong Wuyang, two likely top-five contenders in the Autumn Sword-Tournament.
• Du Siwen insisted on sparring with Xu Qingtong, who blocked her attacks with the Houtu Seal and bound her halberd with the Goumang Seal.
• Xu Qingtong stopped Du Siwen with a third seal and then revealed all five of his Spirit Artifacts, the Five Elements Divine Seals.
• Xu Qingtong asked Du Siwen to keep the seals secret because powerful cultivators might covet them.
• Du Siwen realized Xu Qingtong had crafted the armor he gave her and promised to rely on him for future Spirit Artifacts before leaving for the tournament.