Chapter Summaries

Xu Qingtong crafted several mid-grade talismans and broke through to the second qi refining layer. After he accidentally probed Shopkeeper Gu with his strengthened divine sense, Shopkeeper Gu warned him and gave him a Jade Slip containing the Qi-Observing Art.

• Shopkeeper Gu paid Xu Qingtong for his mid-grade Fireball Talisman and offered to buy more at a set rate.
• Xu Qingtong bought talisman paper and crafted several mid-grade talismans for his own use.
• Xu Qingtong reached the peak of the first qi refining layer, broke through to the second, and consolidated his cultivation.
• Xu Qingtong reflected on his slow progress, resolved to cultivate steadily, and discovered his divine sense had grown stronger.
• Xu Qingtong accidentally probed Shopkeeper Gu with his divine sense, and Shopkeeper Gu warned him against doing so and gave him instructions for the Qi-Observing Art.

Over three years at the Jade Spring Commerce Association, Xu Qingtong advanced to the third Qi Refining layer and honed his mid-grade talisman craft, though the talismans initially sold poorly. Once customers discovered their power, demand surged, and Wu Zheng urged Xu Qingtong to make more.

• Shopkeeper Gu told Xu Qingtong that his ancient Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art might prevent him from reaching Foundation Establishment, though it could grant exceptional abilities if mastered.
• Xu Qingtong spent three years at the Jade Spring Commerce Association, reached the third Qi Refining layer, and crafted over a thousand Mid-Grade Fireball Talismans and more than six hundred Mid-Grade Water Arrow Talismans.
• A wooden-faced customer bought dozens of Xu Qingtong's mid-grade talismans, and a wealthy young gentleman purchased Fireball and Shield Talismans to try them out.
• The wooden-faced customer returned for more talismans, and a girl also bought a large quantity as daily demand began to rise.
• After the shop's stock dwindled, the wealthy young gentleman returned and paid three spirit stones each for the remaining talismans.
• Wu Zheng told Xu Qingtong to hurry back and craft more mid-grade talismans as the shop ran low.

Shopkeeper Gu explained the Mist Valley Trial and the Young Talents Assembly to Xu Qingtong, who saw a chance to enter a major sect as an inner disciple. Despite Shopkeeper Gu’s warnings about his low cultivation and the dangers ahead, Xu Qingtong decided to register, and Shopkeeper Gu agreed to take him.

• Shopkeeper Gu told Xu Qingtong that the approaching Mist Valley Trial had caused cultivators to flock to the Jade Spring Commerce Association for Xu Qingtong’s inexpensive mid-grade talismans.
• Shopkeeper Gu explained the trial’s history, dangers, and rules, including the five places reserved for rogue cultivators and the Young Talents Assembly that selected them.
• Xu Qingtong learned that surviving the trial could let him join one of the three major sects as an inner disciple, and he asked whether he could still enter the assembly.
• Shopkeeper Gu warned Xu Qingtong that the points competition ended in two days and that, at the third level of qi refining, he would struggle against stronger opponents.
• Xu Qingtong insisted on registering because he wanted to become stronger and avenge his mother, and Shopkeeper Gu agreed to take him.

Xu Qingtong registered for the Young Talents Assembly after Shopkeeper Gu secured him a chance to compete, and prepared for his first matches by choosing magical artifacts, buying Qi-Replenishing Pills, and practicing his divine sense. He ended the chapter ready to compete the next day, with a needle-shaped divine sense attack as a hidden weapon.

• Shopkeeper Gu brought Xu Qingtong to the elders overseeing the Young Talents Assembly, and they allowed him to enter the next round if he won five matches in two days.
• Shopkeeper Gu told Xu Qingtong to choose an offensive magical artifact and armor, then helped him refine them and shared advice about their strengths and weaknesses.
• Xu Qingtong chose the damaged Goumang Seal and a piece of armor, then bought ten Qi-Replenishing Pills on Wu Zheng's recommendation.
• Xu Qingtong practiced wielding his artifacts and discovered that his needle-shaped divine sense could pierce a teacup.
• Xu Qingtong checked his talismans, finished preparing for the matches, and went to bed before the competition.

Xu Qingtong competed in the Combat Arena and won four matches by relying on his talismans, though Tian Zongfei’s ambush nearly caught him off guard. After returning to the Jade Spring Commerce Association, he reviewed his mistakes and resolved to stay alert and change his tactics before future opponents found ways to counter him.

• Xu Qingtong watched the Combat Arena matches, then defeated Liu Mang with a powerful Fireball Talisman and a series of follow-up attacks.
• Tian Zongfei ambushed Xu Qingtong with a Water Arrow Technique and a flying sword, but Xu Qingtong’s Shield Talismans held until Tian ran short of magical power and was forced off the platform.
• Xu Qingtong rested for an hour, returned to the platform, and won two more matches with his talismans.
• Xu Qingtong returned to the Jade Spring Commerce Association and told Wu Zheng and Gu Mingli that he had won all four matches.
• Xu Qingtong reviewed his fights and realized he needed to avoid distractions, remain alert, and change his tactics before opponents prepared counters.

Xu Qingtong improved his talismans with high-grade materials and entered the final day of the competition needing one more victory to qualify for the second stage. After Lin Qian nearly defeated him with a flying sword, Xu Qingtong stunned him with a mental attack and knocked him off the platform with a Water Arrow.

• Xu Qingtong bought high-grade talisman materials and made talismans that held up to sixty percent more spiritual power than before.
• Shopkeeper Gu examined Xu Qingtong’s talismans and warned him that their power rivaled the mid-grade Rain of Fire spell.
• Xu Qingtong prepared his remaining talismans and arrived early for the final day of the competition, where he stepped onto platform seven.
• Lin Qian challenged Xu Qingtong, pierced his shoulder with a flying sword, and forced him to rely on a superior-quality Shield Talisman and the Goumang Seal.
• Xu Qingtong sent a colorless, shapeless spike into Lin Qian’s forehead, stunned him, and blasted him off the platform with a Water Arrow.

During the five-day break before the elimination rounds, Xu Qingtong began practicing the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art to strengthen his body and break through his divine sense bottleneck. After enduring the first level’s agony, he emerged with a tougher body and divine sense roughly three times that of cultivators at his level.

• Xu Qingtong prepared high-grade talismans for the elimination rounds and wondered why his divine sense had stopped advancing.
• Xu Qingtong concluded that his ordinary body limited his divine sense and asked Shopkeeper Gu for a body-tempering method.
• Shopkeeper Gu gave Xu Qingtong the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art and warned him to practice only its first level.
• Xu Qingtong endured a day of searing pain as he tempered his skin, muscles, and bones, then tested his improved resistance with a Fireball Talisman.
• Xu Qingtong continued by tempering his internal organs, completed the first level, and greatly increased his divine sense.

Xu Qingtong attended the elimination tournament, drew a match on platform five in the sixth set, and watched several familiar competitors fight. After Lin Qian won a dangerous bout in the fifth set, Xu Qingtong prepared to take the stage for his own match.

• Xu Qingtong went to the Combat Arena, where Yuan Hong announced the tournament rules and competitors drew lots for their matches.
• Xu Qingtong drew platform five in the sixth set and noticed Lin Qian watching him with hostility.
• The wooden-mannered man defeated his opponent with a Mid-Grade Water Arrow Talisman, and Tian Zongfei defeated the girl in yellow.
• Lin Qian fought a stern-faced opponent, endured a Flying Knife wound, and won by knocking the man unconscious with a Fireball Talisman.
• After the fifth set ended, Xu Qingtong stood up to compete in the sixth set.

Xu Qingtong won his first-round match with powerful talismans, helped sell Mid-Grade Talismans at the Jade Spring Commerce Association, and advanced through the second and third rounds. As the fourth round began, he encountered another old acquaintance.

• Xu Qingtong defeated Zhang by overwhelming him with Fireball and Water Arrow Talismans.
• Xu Qingtong helped Wu Zheng and Shopkeeper Gu sell out the shop's Mid-Grade Talismans before returning to the competition grounds.
• Xu Qingtong quickly defeated a young married woman in the second round with a Water Arrow Talisman.
• Lin Qian, Tian Zongfei, and the wooden-faced man advanced through the second round, while Xu Qingtong also won his third-round match.
• A youth in splendid brocade robes eliminated the wooden-faced man in the third round, and Xu Qingtong encountered another old acquaintance in the fourth round.

Xu Qingtong advanced through the fourth and fifth rounds of the competition, defeating Tian Zongfei and a richly dressed young man to secure a place in the Mist Valley Trial. Elder Yuan Hong announced that the five winners would return in half a month to take part.

• Xu Qingtong faced Tian Zongfei in the fourth round and pressured him with powerful Fireball Talismans until Tian Zongfei's shield shattered.
• Tian Zongfei attacked Xu Qingtong with a bell that disrupted his mind, but Xu Qingtong countered with a divine-sense attack and blasted Tian Zongfei off the platform.
• Xu Qingtong advanced to the fifth round, where he drew the last platform and faced the richly dressed young man who had eliminated the dull-witted contestant.
• Xu Qingtong used the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art to endure an attack, then blasted his opponent off the platform with top-quality mid-grade talismans.
• Elder Yuan Hong announced that Xu Qingtong and the other four winners had earned places in the Mist Valley Trial and should return in half a month.

After earning a place in the Mist Valley Trial, Xu Qingtong prepared for its dangers by making talismans and acquiring resources to advance his body-tempering art. With five days left before the trial, he began cultivating the second level of the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art.

• Shopkeeper Gu warned Xu Qingtong that the Mist Valley Trial was dangerous and that fellow participants could be more threatening than demonic beasts.
• Xu Qingtong decided to earn spirit stones by making talismans, then produced over a thousand mid-grade talismans after working for seven days.
• Shopkeeper Gu paid Xu Qingtong part of what the shop owed him, and Xu Qingtong exchanged some of his payment for the fire-aspected Red Sun Sword and a hundred-year fire lotus.
• Xu Qingtong showed Shopkeeper Gu that he had mastered the first level of the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art, then bought the remaining ingredients and supplies he needed.
• With five days left before the trial, Xu Qingtong borrowed a cauldron, prepared the ingredients for the second level, and climbed into it to begin cultivating.

After reaching the second level of the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art, Xu Qingtong bid farewell to Shopkeeper Gu and Wu Zheng and went to the Combat Arena for the Mist Valley Trial. He met Dongfang Hui, An Chengbao, Qin Xinghan, and Lin Qian before the elders announced their departure.

• Xu Qingtong broke through to minor attainment in the second level after enduring four days in the medicinal cauldron.
• Xu Qingtong asked Wu Zheng to test his tempered body with a Fireball Talisman, but the blast sent him through a wall without injuring him.
• Xu Qingtong said farewell to Shopkeeper Gu and Wu Zheng before leaving the Jade Spring Commerce Association.
• At the Combat Arena, Xu Qingtong met Dongfang Hui and An Chengbao while Qin Xinghan watched Dongfang Hui and Lin Qian arrived later.
• Yuan Hong, Zhou Xin, and Guo Tianyu emerged from the hall and announced that the group would set out.

Xu Qingtong traveled with Yuan Hong and the others to Mist Valley, where the leaders of the Three Great Sects opened the entrance and prepared a teleportation array. He received a Jade Token and entered the valley last, facing a month-long trial to gather medicinal herbs among dangerous demon beasts.

• Yuan Hong enlarged a magical Small Boat and carried Xu Qingtong, Dongfang Hui, and the others to Mist Valley.
• Xu Qingtong saw disciples from Gloomwind Valley, Biluozong, and the Azure Sea Gate gather at the valley entrance, followed by their leaders Dongfang Jin, Peng Muyang, and Mu Ze.
• Dongfang Jin and Mu Ze broke through the mist restriction while Peng Muyang set up a Teleportation Array at the entrance.
• Dongfang Jin and Peng Muyang explained that the Jade Tokens contained trial tasks and could teleport disciples into and out of the valley during the one-month trial.
• The sect disciples entered the pillar of light with their Jade Tokens, and Xu Qingtong entered last because his cultivation was the lowest.

Xu Qingtong entered a forested valley to gather medicinal plants for a trial, but after finding purple spirit fruits and fleeing a swarm of yellow wasps into a lake, he remained trapped in the water. With the wasps still waiting above, he decided to risk a dangerous solution.

• Xu Qingtong used his Jade Token to learn which medicinal plants he needed and cautiously entered the forest.
• Xu Qingtong found a purple spirit fruit tree, drove off a small demonic beast with a Fireball Talisman, and collected the ripe fruits.
• Xu Qingtong searched the forest for four hours, but most of the plants he found were too young to harvest.
• Xu Qingtong burned a yellow wasp with a Fireball Technique, then fled when a huge swarm arrived and chased him.
• Xu Qingtong plunged into a lake to escape the swarm, but the wasps waited above while he repeatedly surfaced for air and was stung.
• Xu Qingtong realized he could not remain underwater indefinitely and resolved to take a risk.

Xu Qingtong found Yu Xuzi imprisoned in a secret chamber beneath the lake and learned that Jade Spring True Person had betrayed him over a thousand years ago. Yu Xuzi revealed that he had taught the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art to Xu Qingtong’s ancestor and asked Xu Qingtong to take him as his master.

• Xu Qingtong followed a light on the lakebed to a circular platform and was transported into a secret chamber.
• Yu Xuzi asked Xu Qingtong about Jade Spring and the Goumang Seal, then revealed that Jade Spring True Person had imprisoned him over a thousand years earlier.
• Yu Xuzi recounted how Jade Spring True Person ambushed him out of jealousy and sealed his body and soul.
• Yu Xuzi explained that he had all five spiritual roots and cultivated the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art, which Xu Qingtong also practiced.
• Xu Qingtong revealed that his ancestor Chen Yuanhua had passed down the art, and Yu Xuzi asked him to become his master.

Xu Qingtong accepted Yu Xuzi as his master and received instructions about the Anyang Sect and the Seven-Star Bracelet before Yu Xuzi died. After refining the bracelet and storing his master's remains, Xu Qingtong searched for a way out and examined the decoy Storage Ring, which abruptly drained much of his divine sense.

• Xu Qingtong accepted Yu Xuzi as his master after learning that Yu Xuzi could teach him the complete Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art.
• Yu Xuzi told Xu Qingtong about his ties to the Anyang Sect, warned him about Yuquan, and instructed him to retrieve the Seven-Star Bracelet after his death.
• Yu Xuzi died, and Xu Qingtong removed his chains, paid his respects, and retrieved the bracelet from his Dantian.
• Xu Qingtong refined the Seven-Star Bracelet, learned it contained a vast storage space, and discovered that he lacked the cultivation to activate its other functions.
• Xu Qingtong stored Yu Xuzi's remains in the bracelet and searched the stone chamber for an exit, but found no clues.
• Xu Qingtong suspected the decoy Storage Ring held a hidden secret, examined it, and lost more than half his divine sense to its powerful suction.

Xu Qingtong found the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art and learned that he needed a Sinew-Building Elixir to address his missing spirit root, then escaped the stone chamber through a hidden formation. He emerged at a hall where an Azure Sea Gate disciple killed a Biluozong disciple in a fight.

• Xu Qingtong searched the Storage Ring and found no Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art, then discovered the desired art in a Black Jade Slip inside the Seven-Star Bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong learned that the art required five spirit roots and found a Sinew-Building Elixir recipe, but lacked most ingredients and the skill to refine it.
• Xu Qingtong uncovered a hidden formation platform, replaced its spent spirit stones, and teleported out of the stone chamber.
• Xu Qingtong reached a great hall and saw an Azure Sea Gate disciple and a Biluozong disciple fighting inside.
• The Azure Sea Gate disciple stunned the Biluozong disciple with a roar and killed him with a thrown steel trident.

Xu Qingtong survived a deadly confrontation with a burly Azure Sea Gate cultivator, then looted the dead men and destroyed their bodies. With seven kinds of trial herbs collected and time to spare, he headed for a hillside and discovered a cave in its cliff face.

• The burly man attacked Xu Qingtong to silence him, but Xu used talismans, the Goumang Seal, and a flying sword to kill him.
• Xu Qingtong took the burly man's Storage Bag and found five kinds of trial herbs inside.
• Xu Qingtong took the Biluozong disciple's Storage Bag and flying sword, bringing his total to seven kinds of trial herbs.
• Xu Qingtong gathered the valuables, burned both corpses, and decided to prioritize his safety while searching for the three remaining herbs.
• Xu Qingtong reached a hillside and discovered a cave in the nearby cliff.

Xu Qingtong entered a cave and fought a powerful demon snake to save a trapped bird. After killing the snake and recovering his magic power, he wondered where the bird had gone.

• Xu Qingtong investigated the cave, broke through a barrier, and found a demon snake attacking a small bird.
• Xu Qingtong chose to help the bird, drove it toward the entrance, and fought the snake with the Red Sun Sword and Fireball Talismans.
• Xu Qingtong lured the snake into a narrow passage and spotted a wound the bird had pecked below its head.
• Xu Qingtong struck the wound with the Red Sun Sword and killed the demon snake after disrupting it with a divine sense attack.
• Xu Qingtong recovered most of his magic power through meditation, then wondered where the bird had gone.

Xu Qingtong rescued an injured bird and discovered it was the ancient divine beast Double-Pupiled Bird, which bonded with him and became Xiao Qi. He tested the Seven-Star Bracelet’s desolate space with plants and animals, then sent a primordial spirit inside to begin planting.

• Xu Qingtong healed the injured bird, salvaged the dead serpent, and found a hundred-year-old Scale Flower Grass in the cave.
• Xu Qingtong recognized the bird’s double pupils, but when he tried to release it, it returned to his shoulder and offered him its soul blood.
• The Double-Pupiled Bird acknowledged Xu Qingtong as its master, explained its connection to the Seven-Star Bracelet, and was named Xiao Qi.
• Xu Qingtong collected plants and had Xiao Qi catch hares and pheasants to test whether they could survive inside the bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong confirmed the animals were alive, drew the bracelet into his body, and sent a primordial spirit inside to plant the wilted vegetation.