Chapter Summaries

Xu Qingtong demonstrated his formidable Yuanrong Crossbow and unusually powerful Nascent Soul to Lü Wenqiu, who called him a freak. After Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen returned to their cave abode, Zhong Ziqing arranged a ceremony to celebrate their breakthroughs, then hinted that he would soon leave Tianhua Mountain.

• Zhong Ziqing and Lü Wenqiu discussed how Xu Qingtong had tempered his Nascent Soul with immortal light.
• After stabilizing his cultivation, Xu Qingtong returned to Zhong Ziqing’s cave abode, where Lü Wenqiu asked to inspect his Yuanrong Crossbow.
• Xu Qingtong fired three Yuanrong Bolts, blasting a large cave into the mountain, then showed Lü Wenqiu his unusually large, golden Nascent Soul.
• Zhong Ziqing and Lü Wenqiu praised Xu Qingtong, and Xu Qingtong asked to return to Wei City with Du Siwen.
• Zhong Ziqing tasked Shen Haotian with organizing a Nascent Soul Ceremony for Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.
• After Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen left, Lü Wenqiu asked Zhong Ziqing when he would leave, and Zhong Ziqing said that staying would be in vain now that he had reached the late stage of Spirit Transformation.

After Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen refined their Nascent Soul combat skills, Shen Haotian summoned them to prepare for a celebration and Dao discussion gathering. The Grand Elder arranged for Xu Qingtong to spar with Third Elder He Xiangming, and they met at the Martial Arts Arena under instructions to rely only on their own cultivation and avoid injury.

• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen returned to their cave abode, discussed their experiences after Nascent Soul formation, and spent a month sparring and improving their spell use.
• Xu Qingtong received a voice transmission from Shen Haotian, who told him that a Nascent Soul celebration and Dao discussion gathering would take place in five days and gave him a list of participants.
• The Grand Elder told Shen Haotian that Xu Qingtong would be difficult to defeat, then suggested that He Xiangming test him in a spar before the celebration.
• Xu Qingtong agreed to spar with He Xiangming and went with Shen Haotian and the Grand Elder to the Martial Arts Arena.
• Shen Haotian instructed Xu Qingtong and He Xiangming to use only their cultivation, spells, and divine abilities and to stop short of injuring each other.

Xu Qingtong defeated the Third Elder in a spar, earning predictions that he could place among the top three at the Dao discussion. Later, he met Luo Yichen privately and revealed the fate of Luo Yichen’s missing disciple Yu Xuzi, producing his remains as proof.

• Xu Qingtong used spells and physical strength to overpower the Third Elder, who ended their spar and said Xu Qingtong could reach the top five at the Dao discussion.
• The Grand Elder said Xu Qingtong could reach the top three, while Shen Haotian said making the top five would be enough to bring prestige to Juxian Academy.
• Two days later, Zhong Ziqing summoned Xu Qingtong and Lü Wenqiu to meet Luo Yichen and Tianji Zi.
• Xu Qingtong asked Luo Yichen to speak privately, and Luo Yichen took him into his Sumeru space.
• Xu Qingtong told Luo Yichen how he had encountered Yu Xuzi in Mist Valley and showed him Yu Xuzi’s coffin and outer casket, saying he had promised to return the remains to the Anyang Sect.

Xu Qingtong returned Yu Xuzi’s remains to Luo Yichen and urged him to confront the Anyang Sect’s corruption, but refused Luo’s offer to join the sect. Afterward, Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen he had fulfilled his promise, and they prepared for the Nascent Soul Celebration.

• Xu Qingtong showed Luo Yichen Yu Xuzi’s remains and belongings, convincing him that he had been Yu Xuzi’s disciple.
• Luo Yichen asked Xu Qingtong to keep the Anyang Sect’s disgrace secret and wrestled with whether to punish Sect Leader Yuquan.
• Xu Qingtong warned Luo Yichen that Yuquan was damaging the sect and refused an offer to join the Anyang Sect as a possible successor.
• Luo Yichen took Yu Xuzi’s remains and returned with Xu Qingtong to Zhong Ziqing’s cave abode.
• After other guests arrived and Xu Qingtong returned to his cave abode with Du Siwen, he told her he had returned Yu Xuzi’s remains and fulfilled his promise.

Xu Qingtong took part in the Tianhua Dao Discussions on Tianhua Mountain and faced veteran Nascent Soul cultivator Hu Wanchun in the first round. He gained the upper hand through a series of spells, but their duel was still underway.

• Shen Haotian introduced Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen at the celebration, then sent the Nascent Soul cultivators to Tianhua Mountain for the Dao Discussions.
• Shen Haotian announced the restrained-duel rules, and Xu Qingtong drew Hu Wanchun, a rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• Xu Qingtong and Hu Wanchun traded spells, with Hu Wanchun's Earth Dragon Technique breaking Xu Qingtong's Ice Flame Palm before Xu Qingtong destroyed the Earth Dragon with an Overlord Hammer.
• Hu Wanchun summoned a giant scorpion, and Xu Qingtong blocked its attacks with a Black Tortoise Shield before trapping and dissolving it with Snowfall Across the Sky.
• Xu Qingtong's Golden Light Slashes damaged Hu Wanchun's Earth Wall, and he continued firing them rapidly as Hu Wanchun tried to reinforce his defense.

Xu Qingtong advanced through the Dao discussions and defeated Wu Shaohan in the round-robin tournament. He then used the Time Law and a series of spells to leave Yuwen Kui dazed beneath a suspended Overlord Hammer.

• Xu Qingtong defeated Hu Wanchun, and four Juxian Academy cultivators advanced to the second round.
• Xu Qingtong advanced after the Third Elder conceded, while Du Siwen won and the Second Elder lost to Yuwen Kui.
• Wu Shaohan defeated Du Siwen, while Xu Qingtong defeated the Second Elder of the Heavenly Mystery Palace to reach the top three alongside Wu Shaohan and Yuwen Kui.
• Xu Qingtong overwhelmed Wu Shaohan with lightning spells, forcing him to concede.
• Xu Qingtong slowed Yuwen Kui with the Time Law, struck him with an Ice Flame Palm and two Raging Thunder Fingers, then suspended an Overlord Hammer above his head.

Xu Qingtong won the exchange contest, returned to Wei City, and spent ten peaceful years building a family and helping the city prosper. After the birth of his son Xu Chengkang, Lan Xin Butterfly brought word that Zhong Ziqing needed to see him.

• Xu Qingtong stopped his attack on Yuwen Kui when Shen Haotian intervened, and Shen Haotian awarded him first place and Wu Shaohan second.
• Xu Qingtong agreed with Zhong Ziqing and Shen Haotian to return to the Academy every six months to teach, then left for Wei City with Du Siwen.
• Guo Tianyu and the others welcomed Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen to Wei City, where the residents celebrated Xu Qingtong's Nascent Soul breakthrough.
• Over the next ten years, Ding Jiayue, Cui Yan, and Lan Xin Butterfly formed their cores, and Cui Yan and Lan Xin Butterfly chose to stay in Wei City after Xu Qingtong returned their soul blood.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen had a son, Xu Chengkang, and Chen Ruoling proposed the nickname Cute Baby.
• Lan Xin Butterfly arrived with a message that Zhong Ziqing needed to see Xu Qingtong.

Xu Qingtong learned that Zhong Ziqing planned to leave Central Province by attempting to open a Space-Time Passage to the Spirit Realm. Before departing, Zhong Ziqing tasked Xu Qingtong with helping protect and strengthen Juxian Academy in preparation for a possible upheaval, and Xu Qingtong returned to Wei City to begin making arrangements.

• Xu Qingtong hurried to Juxian Academy after Lan Xin Butterfly reported that Zhong Ziqing wanted to speak with him.
• Zhong Ziqing told Xu Qingtong that the destroyed Ascension Passage prevented cultivators from ascending and that he planned to try opening a Space-Time Passage to leave the Mortal Realm.
• Zhong Ziqing warned that Juxian Academy might face challenges after his departure and asked Xu Qingtong and Hao Tian to help safeguard its strength.
• Zhong Ziqing predicted that a major upheaval might strike Central Province within a hundred years and urged the Academy to cultivate talent and secretly stockpile scarce resources.
• Xu Qingtong proposed establishing a Garrison Camp to retain talented people, and Zhong Ziqing and Lü Wenqiu supported the idea.
• Xu Qingtong returned to Wei City and began arranging the preparations with Guo Tianyu, Cui Yan, and the others.

Xu Qingtong returned to Juxian Academy with his family after delegating Wei City's administration and preparing for a long absence. There, he learned that Zhong Ziqing planned to open the Ascension Passage and gave him his Spirit Transformation cultivation insights, leaving Xu Qingtong to face questions about his master's departure.

• Xu Qingtong gave Guo Tianyu authority over Wei City, assigned tasks to Cui Yan, Lan Xin Butterfly, and Jia Yue, and arranged to return to the Academy.
• Xu Qingtong gathered Chen Ruoling, Du Siwen, Duoduo, and Cute Baby, collected the Soul-Refining Pool, and traveled with them to Juxian Academy.
• Xu Qingtong met Zhong Ziqing and Lü Wenqiu, who confirmed that he would command the Academy's Garrison Camp with Ximen Wanyan as his deputy.
• Xu Qingtong explained that Yuanrong Crossbows and their bolts could not be produced or supplied in bulk, but promised to seek ways to improve them.
• Zhong Ziqing said he would attempt to open the Ascension Passage and gave Xu Qingtong his Spirit Transformation cultivation insights; when Lü Wenqiu asked whether he would return, Zhong Ziqing asked if Xu Qingtong had not told him.

Xu Qingtong gave Zhong Ziqing Mandui Fruits that could help him open the Space-Time Passage, while Zhong Ziqing and Lü Wenqiu gave protective gifts to Du Siwen’s son. After returning to their cave abode, Xu Qingtong learned about the fighter Ximen Wanyan and discussed the Garrison Camp with Shen Haotian.

• Zhong Ziqing revealed that he planned to travel to the Guiyuan Continent and gave Du Siwen’s son a jade pendant, while Lü Wenqiu gave him a Seven-Orifice Pill.
• Xu Qingtong recognized the Shentu carving on the pendant and offered Zhong Ziqing five Mandui Fruits, improving his chances of opening the Space-Time Passage.
• Zhong Ziqing decided to refine the Mandui Fruits before departing and promised to help Xu Qingtong rebuild the Ascension Passage if he reached the Spirit Realm.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen returned to their cave abode, where Shen Haotian explained Ximen Wanyan’s background and martial record.
• Xu Qingtong agreed to spar with Ximen Wanyan, and Shen Haotian proposed building a small courtyard residence for Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen.

Xu Qingtong met Deputy Commander Ximen Wanyan and fought him in a sparring match with his cultivation suppressed and no treasures. Xu Qingtong overwhelmed Ximen with spells until Ximen conceded, leaving their promised roles and allegiance settled.

• Shen Haotian arranged for Xu Qingtong to have a courtyard beside Cloudwater Retreat and asked him to set up the Garrison Camp.
• Shen Haotian introduced Xu Qingtong to Deputy Commander Ximen Wanyan at the Martial Arts Arena, where they agreed that the loser would follow the winner.
• Xu Qingtong blocked Ximen Wanyan's sword with a Black Tortoise Shield and countered with an Ice Flame Palm and an Overlord Hammer.
• Xu Qingtong used lightning spells to corner and strike Ximen Wanyan until he conceded.
• Xu Qingtong stopped attacking and teased Ximen Wanyan that they could continue if he was not convinced.

Xu Qingtong sought a way to fund the Garrison Camp and came up with a plan to buy the Academy's surplus elixirs, talismans, and Treasures for sale in Wei City. He gave Chen Ruoling three million spirit stones and instructions to begin purchasing goods, leaving her puzzled about his intentions.

• Xu Qingtong told Ximen Wanyan to recruit elite students for the Garrison Camp, then failed to persuade Shen Haotian to provide it with more support.
• Xu Qingtong visited Yu Tiancheng, who refused to depend on him and agreed to let Xu buy and sell the elixirs he refined.
• Xu Qingtong realized he could use his position as Wei City's City Lord to sell products made by the Academy's idle artisans.
• Xu Qingtong asked Chen Ruoling to get Wei City's prices from Lan Xin Butterfly through Lei Wei, then reviewed the price list Lei delivered.
• Xu Qingtong told Lei Wei to seek admission to the Garrison Camp by fighting Ximen Wanyan, then gave Chen Ruoling three million spirit stones to buy goods from three Academy pavilions at a discount.

Xu Qingtong arranged to raise money and supplies for the Garrison Camp by buying and reselling elixirs and talismans. He left Ximen Wanyan to deliver the goods to Wei City and collect spirit stones, while the Grand Elder departed empty-handed after giving Cute Baby a supreme-grade spirit artifact.

• Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen he was taking on the Academy’s resource shortage because he felt indebted to it.
• The Grand Elder visited Xu Qingtong’s cave abode, gave Cute Baby a supreme-grade spirit artifact, and left without accomplishing his intended purpose.
• Chen Ruoling delivered elixirs and talismans, and Xu Qingtong appointed her chief steward of the Garrison Camp for five thousand spirit stones a month.
• Xu Qingtong gave Ximen Wanyan elixirs and talismans to sell to Vice City Lord Guo Tianyu in Wei City, then told him to use the proceeds to buy more goods for resale.
• Xu Qingtong told Ximen Wanyan not to hold back against anyone who interfered and let him decide how to distribute anything looted from their corpses.

Xu Qingtong persuaded Shen Haotian and the Grand Elder to let him continue selling elixirs and talismans, then moved with Du Siwen and Cute Baby into Spring-Knowing Abode. He watched Zhong Ziqing open a Space-Time Passage and leave for the Spirit Realm, and the chapter ended with Xu Qingtong standing in the void after his master's departure.

• Shen Haotian and the Grand Elder confronted Xu Qingtong about selling Academy supplies, but they let him continue as commander of the Garrison Camp and keep selling elixirs.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen packed their belongings and moved into Spring-Knowing Abode beside Cloudwater Retreat.
• Zhong Ziqing told Xu Qingtong that refining the Mandui Fruit had raised his chances of reaching the Spirit Realm to seventy percent.
• Xu Qingtong, Zhong Ziqing, and Lü Wenqiu flew into the sky, where Zhong Ziqing taught Xu Qingtong how to open a Space-Time Passage.
• Zhong Ziqing successfully opened a passage and entered it, leaving Xu Qingtong and Lü Wenqiu behind.

After Zhong Ziqing departed, Xu Qingtong worried that the Academy would lose its deterrent power and focused on strengthening the newly established Garrison Camp. He asked Duoduo to help study a powerful crossbow and left the chapter considering how to adapt it for Spiritual Power.

• Zhong Ziqing shattered the void and departed, leaving Xu Qingtong and Lü Wenqiu grieving his departure.
• Tianji Zi and Nalan Xue discussed whether Zhong Ziqing had gone to the Spirit Realm, while Luo Yichen received Xiao Yi's message that Zhong Ziqing had left.
• Ximen Wanyan returned with 2.3 million Spirit Stones, and Xu Qingtong directed him to strengthen and fairly recruit for the Garrison Camp.
• Xu Qingtong worried the Academy might face pressure without Zhong Ziqing and decided to build the Garrison Camp into a formidable force.
• Xu Qingtong summoned Duoduo to help adapt the Yuanrong Crossbow for Spiritual Power, then demonstrated its explosive power with Demonic Power.
• Duoduo observed the crossbow's blast and suggested that its black bead might be the key to its power.

Xu Qingtong expanded the Seven-Star Bracelet and tested whether he could grow Demonized Garden Balsam in its different environments. After Duoduo reproduced the Yuanrong Crossbow, he successfully refined a bolt powered by spiritual energy and left to share the news with Du Siwen.

• Duoduo identified the Yuanrong Crossbow’s black bead as its key component, and Xu Qingtong asked her to reproduce the weapon as a Treasure, promising materials from his martial aunt.
• Xu Qingtong refined the Seven-Star Bracelet again, expanding its Desolate Space, then built formations to simulate demonic conditions and planted Demonized Garden Balsam inside and outside them.
• Over the following year, the Garrison Camp grew to fifty members, Wei City prospered, and Duoduo refined a low-grade Yuanrong Crossbow.
• After Xiao Qi reported a change in the balsam’s color, Xu Qingtong harvested fruits from both patches and used them to develop Yuanrong Bolts.
• Xu Qingtong refined a bolt that activated with spiritual power and tested it with Duoduo’s crossbow, producing a mushroom cloud on a distant hillside.
• Xu Qingtong rushed back to the Spring-Knowing Abode and kissed Du Siwen before running inside, while she scolded him for acting shamelessly in front of their child.

Xu Qingtong refined Yuanrong Bolts, armed Duoduo and Ximen Wanyan with them, and sent Ximen to organize training in the Garrison Camp. When Wei City came under attack from a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, Xu Qingtong rushed there and learned that Ximen’s team had already killed the intruder with six bolts.

• Xu Qingtong turned his Demonized Garden Balsam fruits into Yuanrong Bolts while Duoduo refined ten Yuanrong Crossbows.
• Duoduo bargained with Xu Qingtong and received nine Yuanrong Bolts for her crossbow.
• Xu Qingtong gave Ximen Wanyan six Yuanrong Crossbows and eighteen bolts, then ordered him to organize arena matches in the Garrison Camp.
• Lei Wei reported that a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was attacking Wei City, so Xu Qingtong flew there using his Flying Heaven Wings.
• Ximen Wanyan told Xu Qingtong that he and two others had fired six Yuanrong Bolts and blasted the attacker to bits.

After a Nascent Soul cultivator attacked Wei City and was killed, Xu Qingtong restored order, watched for interference from the Five Great Sects, and strengthened the city’s defenses with Yuanrong Crossbows and Bolts. He left Guo Tianyu in charge of the weapons while Duoduo trained in the Soul-Refining Pool.

• Xu Qingtong ordered Wei City’s formation repaired, casualties compensated, and patrols increased after the attack.
• Ximen Wanyan returned to the Academy, where recruits crowded the Garrison Camp after hearing it had killed a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
• Xu Qingtong stayed in Wei City for over half a year and eliminated covert agents sent by the Five Great Sects to cause unrest.
• Xu Qingtong harvested Yuanrong Fruit, refined 108 Yuanrong Bolts, and asked Duoduo to bring three Yuanrong Crossbows to Wei City.
• Duoduo delivered the crossbows and trained in the Soul-Refining Pool while Xu Qingtong gave Guo Tianyu the weapons and fifty Yuanrong Bolts.

Xu Qingtong equipped Wei City with powerful Yuanrong weapons, and its guards killed a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Profound Yin Church, provoking Sect Leader Wei Qifeng. Shen Haotian warned Wei Qifeng that attacking Wei City could bring ruinous losses and draw in powerful allies.

• Xu Qingtong gave Ximen Wanyan forty Yuanrong Bolts for the Garrison Camp, refusing his attempt to ask for more.
• Over ten years, Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen advanced to the intermediate level of Nascent Soul Early Stage, while Cute Baby reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu Qingtong armed Wei City's Golden Core cultivators with Yuanrong Crossbows and instructed Guo Tianyu to send them in pairs on missions.
• After two Wei City guards killed a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Profound Yin Church, Shen Haotian summoned Xu Qingtong to answer Wei Qifeng's complaint.
• Xu Qingtong claimed Wei City as his personal domain and told Wei Qifeng that Juxian Academy would not intervene in a war.
• Shen Haotian cautioned Wei Qifeng that Wei City's crossbows could defeat Nascent Soul cultivators and that Lü would oppose any attack involving Yin Wanchou.

The Profound Yin Church rejected Shen Haotian’s warning and prepared to attack Wei City over the death of one of its Nascent Soul Cultivators. Xu Qingtong organized the city’s defenses, and the chapter ended as the church’s Grand Elder prepared to lead its forces against Wei City.

• Wei Qifeng challenged Shen Haotian’s warning, insisted the Profound Yin Church would not let the killing go unanswered, and left Juxian Academy.
• Shen Haotian warned Xu Qingtong that Wei Qifeng was a dangerous opponent, while promising that Lü Wenqiu would keep Yin Wanchou in check.
• Xu Qingtong returned to Wei City and arranged for its six Yuanrong Crossbows and thirty-two bolts to target the church’s Nascent Soul Cultivators.
• Xu Qingtong ordered the city to prepare for battle after Lan Xin Butterfly reported that the Profound Yin Church was mobilizing.
• Wei Qifeng appointed the Grand Elder to lead five Nascent Soul Cultivators and sixty Golden Core cultivators against Wei City.