Arc 8Chapters 176–200
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Xu Qingtong decided to give Chen Ruoling five spirit roots and accept her as Yu Xuzi’s second disciple on his master’s behalf. After completing the dangerous alterations, he taught her the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art and continued assessing whether Fu Xingzhi could be trusted with it.
Xu Qingtong studied how to refine an external incarnation, then set out with Du Siwen to answer a demon-beast attack on the Spirit Stone Mine. He confronted a powerful Raised-Tail Fire Ape, but it broke free of his vines and launched a Fire Dragon at him.
Xu Qingtong and his allies defeated the Tail-Raising Fire Ape and secured the fourth-tier inner core he needed. After learning that the demon-beast attack seemed suspicious, Xu Qingtong withdrew the trial disciples, reinforced the Spirit Stone Mine’s defenses, and returned to Cloudsky Peak to make a new plan.
Xu Qingtong refined an incarnation and tested the limits of his mental connection with it. After preparing elixirs for his own breakthrough, he gave Du Siwen supplies and urged her to advance so they could investigate Black Witch Marsh and the Valley of the Dead.
Xu Qingtong arranged new disciple trials and refined powerful Spirit Artifacts for Lei Wei before retreating to advance his cultivation. After consuming two Foundation Establishment Realm Realm-Breaking Pills, he broke through the barrier to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
After consolidating his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, Xu Qingtong learned that Cloudsky Peak had prospered during his seclusion and decided to scout the Valley of the Dead alone while Du Siwen remained in seclusion. He entered the barren valley cautiously and uncovered buried tree trunks, leaving him to wonder what had transformed the place.
Xu Qingtong uncovered clues that the Valley of the Dead might be connected to the ancient Sea Tribe, while Xiao Qi attempted a breakthrough inside the Seven-Star Bracelet. When a scorpion horseshoe crab attacked, Xu Qingtong exploited its weak divine soul and killed it with a Divine Sense Thorn.
Xu Qingtong fought a powerful Corpse Charm and her two Corpse Fiends after she approached his cave. He defeated one Corpse Fiend and tore the Corpse Charm’s Storage Bag away, but her sudden roar struck him at close range.
Xu Qingtong escaped the Valley of the Dead after discovering the Corpse Charm could not cross its entrance, then returned at dawn and encountered a far stronger Corpse Fiend. He fled the valley again after its roar knocked him unconscious and resolved to return when he was stronger.
Xu Qingtong explored Black Witch Marsh and discovered a Dragon Crocodile Turtle in a lake. With Xiao Qi newly advanced and Xizi in reserve, he fought the turtle while Xiao Qi handled an Ironback Centipede, leaving Xu Qingtong attempting to restrain the turtle with Green Vines.
Xu Qingtong and his spirit beasts hunted demon beasts across Black Witch Marsh, but a strange mound and an unusual tree drew his attention. When he probed a hollow in the tree, an immense suction pulled him inside.
Xu Qingtong fell through a hollow tree into an unfamiliar realm and was welcomed by the Witch Clan chief, Si Yuanzhi. After Si Yuanzhi invited him to stay for a few days, Xu Qingtong asked Yi Tonghe about the clan’s presence beyond Qing and Bing Provinces.
Xu Qingtong learned that the Witch Clan’s Lesser Heaven Realm lay outside Qing and Bing Provinces, then attended a banquet where he demonstrated his immortal arts and watched the Second Elder perform powerful shamanic arts. Si Yuanzhi and the elders tested Xu Qingtong’s abilities as they considered recruiting him, and the chapter ended with Si Yuanzhi beginning to explain how Witch Clan arts worked without spiritual power.
Si Yuanzhi explained the Witch Clan’s history and asked Xu Qingtong to join them and someday find them a new home. Xu Qingtong agreed on the condition that he conceal his affiliation until he was strong enough and never betray humans or harm the Witch Clan.
Xu Qingtong learned the Witch Clan’s writing and Taiyi Heart Method, then began cultivating with the power of the stars and studying witchcraft. After half a month, he successfully summoned a ghostlike monster and sent it to strike a tree.
Xu Qingtong learned that ancestral blood could strengthen his Shamanic Arts and merged with the Blood of the Witch Ancestor, accelerating his cultivation. After spending over half a year studying and training in the Lesser Heaven Realm, he prepared to return to Bingzhou and received guidance and protective treasures from Si Yuanzhi.
Xu Qingtong left Black Witch Marsh and returned to Cloudsky Peak after nearly a year away, bringing a Witch Clan Elder Token and a Calamity-Substitute Pill. He reunited with Du Siwen and learned she had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, but her account of a recent sparring competition was left unfinished.
After Azure Sea Gate disciples injured two Cloudsky Peak disciples, Xu Qingtong confronted sect master Mu Shaoping and defeated him in a fight. Mu Shaoping admitted defeat, but refused Xu Qingtong’s demand for compensation, leaving the dispute unresolved.
Xu Qingtong settled the dispute with Azure Sea Gate and returned to Cloudsky Peak, where he planned to train his disciples before eventually seeking a route to the Central Province. He reunited with Fu Xingzhi and Li Yingjie, while Du Siwen remained troubled by his longing for Dongfang Hui.
Xu Qingtong visited his elderly uncle and aunt, advised Chen Ruoling, and discovered that Cloudsky Peak’s summit greatly improved his shamanic cultivation. He arranged to cultivate there in seclusion, while his original body pursued other work; half a year later, his incarnation reached a bottleneck.
Xu Qingtong’s incarnation broke through to the Sorcerer Realm, then used his observations of the Five Stars to improve his cultivation. After another year, he reached the mid-stage Sorcerer Realm and tested several shamanic arts, while the Cursing Technique remained untested.
With the Autumn Sword-Tournament less than half a year away, Xu Qingtong organized a selection for Cloudsky Peak and began preparing his cousin Chen Ruoling for the competition. The chapter leaves Chen Ruoling astonished after Xu Qingtong gives her five newly refined Exquisite Bangles that are spirit artifacts.
Xu Qingtong rewarded Chen Ruoling and Li Yingjie with spirit artifacts, then recognized Fu Xingzhi as his true disciple and taught him the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art. He established a formation for Fu Xingzhi before turning to preparations for Cloudsky Peak’s minor tournament, where he learned that some new disciples had advanced to the higher-level competition.
Cloudsky Peak held its first Minor Competition, where the disciples fought for rankings and places in the Autumn Sword-Tournament. After four days, Chen Ruoling took first among the low-ranking disciples, while Xu Qingtong questioned how Tian Zhengyang had quietly placed fourth.
Xu Qingtong brought Cloudsky Peak’s disciples to the Sect’s Autumn Sword-Tournament after two months of intensive training. Cloudsky Peak dominated the tournament, making its name and earning the greatest rewards among the seven peaks.