Chapter Summaries

Mu Qinglan stopped the Azure Cloud Sect elders from torturing or soul-searching their disciples and ordered them to investigate the suspected password, “Imperial Jade Liquid Wine.” Meanwhile, Chun Xiaobai celebrated his booming spiritual-qi business and considered expanding his commercial empire.

• Mu Qinglan suspected Yao Yuanzi’s proposal to use Soul Searching could expose the Azure Cloud Sect as a Demon Sect, so she held back and considered investigating him later.
• Mu Qinglan suggested that “Imperial Jade Liquid Wine” might be a password, and the hall masters agreed it could identify insiders and ward off people fishing for information.
• Mu Qinglan ordered the hall masters to uncover the password, then threatened them with her spear when one suggested seizing and torturing disciples.
• Mu Qinglan condemned the elders for considering harm to their own disciples and reflected that the disciples’ loyalty was vital to the sect’s survival.
• Chun Xiaobai profited 1.5 billion spirit stones in three days by selling spiritual qi at two hundred times the normal concentration, while Bai Yutang handed over the gratitude envelopes he had collected.
• Chun Xiaobai shared the envelopes with Bai Yutang, Fang Yuan, and Bai Jin'er, then pondered new businesses before Bai Jin'er brought him soup.

Chun Xiaobai patrolled the mountain while avoiding Bai Jin'er’s apparent advances and considering whether Yun Huoyue could treat his mysterious yang baleful intent. Meanwhile, Lu Qingshan mistook the disciples’ repeated phrase “Imperial Jade Liquid Wine” for a password and ended the day still searching for the right response.

• Bai Jin'er failed to find the Stronghold Madam Chun Xiaobai had requested, and he went on his mountain patrol after drinking her soup.
• Chun Xiaobai worried that Bai Jin'er desired him, reflected on his worsening nosebleeds and unusual condition, and decided not to risk asking Yun Huoyue for treatment yet.
• Chun Xiaobai observed that the disciples had become cooperative while cultivating in their Cave Abodes and exchanged mysterious passwords when leaving.
• After repeatedly hearing “Imperial Jade Liquid Wine” from groups of disciples, Lu Qingshan decided it was a password and began guessing possible replies.
• Lu Qingshan spent the day getting told to “Scram,” then approached an adorable-looking female disciple and asked where she was going.

Lu Qingshan finally learned the password to the disciples’ secret gathering place and followed Yao Yao to a heavily guarded mountain cave. There, he discovered that entry required spirit stones and was presented with an outrageous top-up offer.

• Yao Yao corrected Lu Qingshan’s password and agreed to take him along, while he decided she would make an ideal personal disciple.
• Yao Yao and Lu Qingshan passed disciples checking their password and guarding their trail, and Lu Qingshan realized how carefully the gathering was concealed.
• Yao Yao led Lu Qingshan to a guarded Cave Abode in the Sect’s Core Area, where he sensed golden core disciples hidden nearby.
• A guard checked Yao Yao’s Jade Token, and Fang Yuan deducted the cost of her ten-day stay from her balance.
• Lu Qingshan asked for his own token, and Fang Yuan showed him a price list advertising increasingly extravagant spirit-stone top-up bonuses.

Lu Qingshan paid to enter Fang Yuan’s Cave Abode and discovered that its immense spiritual qi could help him break through his cultivation bottleneck. Hall Master Zhang also arrived, realized the Cave Abode was draining the Sect’s spiritual qi, and hesitated to report it when he saw Lu Qingshan cultivating inside.

• Lu Qingshan gave Fang Yuan one million spirit stones to recharge his balance and was allowed into the Cave Abode.
• The Cave Abode’s spiritual qi flooded Lu Qingshan’s body, and he realized the faulty spirit-gathering array had drawn spiritual qi away from the Sect.
• Fang Yuan moved Lu Qingshan away from the entrance, and Lu Qingshan began cultivating, intent on breaking through to Nascent Soul.
• Hall Master Zhang entered after paying two million spirit stones and recognized that the Cave Abode’s array had raised the spiritual qi concentration to two hundred times normal.
• Hall Master Zhang weighed reporting the array malfunction against losing his chance to advance, then recognized Lu Qingshan inside.

Mu Qinglan discovered that the Azure Cloud Sect’s spiritual qi had nearly vanished and that disciples, elders, hall masters, and even Lu Qingshan had gone missing. After her investigation teams also disappeared, she invoked the Sect-Breaking Order to summon the sect’s secluded ancestors, who found the Inner Sect deserted and began investigating.

• Hall Master Zhang recognized Lu Qingshan at Fang Yuan’s location and abandoned his assignment to sit beside him and absorb spiritual qi.
• Mu Qinglan received no replies from Lu Qingshan and learned that six of the twelve hall masters were missing.
• Mu Qinglan ordered the six remaining hall masters to investigate, but they too disappeared without responding to her messages.
• Mu Qinglan invoked the Sect-Breaking Order, awakening the Azure Cloud Sect’s Grand Supreme Elders and ancestors from seclusion.
• The ancestors found the Inner Sect deserted and learned from Mu Qinglan about the missing cultivators and dwindling spiritual qi.
• Elder Zhou produced an ancient Formation Disc as the elders debated what had happened.

Mu Qinglan and the Azure Cloud Sect’s elders searched for the cause of the sect’s missing spiritual qi and vanished people but found no clues. They summoned Yun Huoyue to bring Cangshan Daoist for a divination, while Chun Xiaobai remained troubled by a growing, unexplained evil fire.

• Ancestor Zhou checked the Azure Cloud Soul-Calming Disc and confirmed the missing elders and disciples were still alive.
• Mu Qinglan sent the Grand Supreme Elders and Ancestors to investigate, but they found no signs of damage or other clues.
• Ancestor Zhou suggested asking Cangshan Daoist to perform a divination, and Mu Qinglan sent Yun Huoyue an urgent summons.
• Yun Huoyue arrived, heard the account of the strange events, and said her master was visiting Cloud Province and would come soon.
• Chun Xiaobai lay in his courtyard, suffering from an increasingly fierce evil fire that left his gums swollen and spoiled his appetite.

Chun Xiaobai discovered that Bai Jin'er had secretly put Dragon-Tiger Great Medicine in his soup after Fang Yuan drank it and fled in a blazing state. While patrolling the mountain, Chun Xiaobai spotted Lu Qingshan among the meditating disciples and wondered how his old “good brother” had ended up on his turf.

• Bai Jin'er brought Chun Xiaobai a bowl of soup, and he handed it to Fang Yuan when he lost his appetite.
• Fang Yuan drank the soup, felt an overwhelming surge of heat, and rushed away in a panic.
• Chun Xiaobai questioned Bai Jin'er about the soup, then grew convinced she had secretly given him Dragon-Tiger Great Medicine.
• Bai Jin'er fled, and Chun Xiaobai left to patrol the mountain and investigate his yang baleful intent.
• Chun Xiaobai spotted a familiar veteran disciple meditating and recognized him as Lu Qingshan.

Cangshan Daoist arrived at the Azure Cloud Sect to investigate its falling spiritual qi and missing disciples, but his first divination triggered a backlash. After claiming he only needed nourishment and taking a ten-thousand-year blood ginseng as payment, he prepared to try again in earnest.

• Chun Xiaobai spotted Lu Qingshan and the Nascent Soul Realm elders absorbing spiritual qi, then fled before they could blame him for draining the Sect's lifeblood.
• Lu Qingshan sensed something familiar nearby and was shocked to see the many old fellows sitting beside him.
• Cangshan Daoist arrived at the Sect Master's Main Hall, where Yun Huoyue greeted her master and Mu Qinglan asked him to investigate the Sect's troubles.
• Cangshan Daoist began divining with his Heaven-Probing Disc, spat blood from a backlash, and secretly requested a ten-thousand-year blood ginseng as nourishment.
• After pocketing the ginseng, Cangshan Daoist began a second divination, and the Heaven-Probing Disc hummed as cracks appeared across it.

Cangshan Daoist’s attempt to divine the source threatening Azure Cloud Sect triggered a backlash that cost him a thousand years of lifespan and damaged his Heaven-Probing Disc. After securing rare treasures from the Sect, he changed his method and foretold that a lucky star would soon raise Azure Cloud Sect to the ranks of the Eastern Region’s foremost sects.

• Cangshan Daoist’s divination revealed that the mysterious person was beyond the Five Phases and reincarnation, and its backlash made him bleed, age, and lose a thousand years of lifespan while damaging the Heaven-Probing Disc.
• Cangshan Daoist asked Azure Cloud Sect for its nine-turn returning origin grass and extraterrestrial meteorite, and Mu Qinglan agreed to hand them over to protect the Sect’s foundation.
• Cangshan Daoist pocketed the treasures and explained that he would divine Azure Cloud Sect’s fortunes instead of probing the source that had caused the backlash.
• Cangshan Daoist divined that a lucky star would soon help Azure Cloud Sect become one of the Eastern Region’s foremost great sects, leaving the hall in stunned silence.

Cangshan Daoist told the Azure Cloud Sect that its lucky star lay southwest of the Inner Sect, and the elders rushed off to find him. Meanwhile, Chun Xiaobai feared the Sect would expose him, so he hurriedly prepared to flee with Bai Jin'er.

• Cangshan Daoist pointed the Azure Cloud Sect elders toward the southwest of the Inner Sect, claiming a lucky star awaited them there.
• The Grand Supreme Elders and Ancestors raced away to find the lucky star, while Mu Qinglan went to investigate and Yun Huoyue stayed with Cangshan Daoist.
• Cangshan Daoist settled onto the Sect Master's throne and celebrated the fortune he had made from the Azure Cloud Sect.
• Chun Xiaobai returned to his courtyard without finding Fang Yuan or Bai Yutang and ordered Bai Jin'er to pack so they could flee.
• Chun Xiaobai erased every trace of himself from the room, then helped Bai Jin'er cram her belongings into Storage Rings.

Bai Jin'er and Chun Xiaobai tried to flee separately as Chun Xiaobai sensed that the Sect’s leaders were closing in. Sect Master Mu Qinglan intercepted him, and he tried to distance himself from his Cave Abode by offering to reveal a secret.

• Bai Jin'er packed her belongings and agreed to hide in an empty Inner Sect Cave Abode while Chun Xiaobai stayed behind to cover her escape.
• Chun Xiaobai sent messages to Fang Yuan and Bai Yutang, but neither replied, then headed toward his Cave Abode without attracting attention.
• As Chun Xiaobai tried to take off, Mu Qinglan appeared and knocked him out of the air.
• Mu Qinglan questioned Chun Xiaobai about the suspicious Cave Abode and asked whether it belonged to him.
• Chun Xiaobai claimed he had an earth-shattering secret, and Mu Qinglan gave him a Black Jade Token for the Heaven Contention Tournament as a reward.

Chun Xiaobai distracted Mu Qinglan with a story about spiritual energy on the mountain, then ordered Bai Yutang to return and take the blame for their scheme. Bai Yutang agreed to protect his five hundred million spirit stones, and Chun Xiaobai gave him a strange incantation to use if his life was in danger.

• Chun Xiaobai dismissed the Heavenly Contention Tournament token and tricked Mu Qinglan into rushing toward the mountain with a story about its formation and spiritual energy.
• Chun Xiaobai fled and contacted Bai Yutang, learning that Bai Yutang and Second Boss were together.
• Chun Xiaobai told Bai Yutang that the Sect had uncovered their business and ordered him to return and take the blame.
• Bai Yutang realized Chun Xiaobai wanted him to be the scapegoat, but agreed after Chun Xiaobai threatened that the Sect might confiscate his five hundred million spirit stones.
• Chun Xiaobai promised Bai Yutang a life-saving incantation and told him to shout, “Lu, that old one! Heaven, that artifact!” toward a crowd if he was in danger.

Mu Qinglan discovered that Chun Xiaobai’s mountain had become a spiritual qi treasure ground, dramatically strengthening the Azure Cloud Sect and loosening her cultivation bottleneck. As she searched for the person who repaired the ancient formation, she caught the twelve Hall Masters secretly cultivating there and confronted Yao Yuanzi.

• Chun Xiaobai told Bai Yutang to memorize an incantation and warn Fang Yuan to hide, while keeping his own role in repairing the array secret.
• Mu Qinglan entered Chun Xiaobai’s Cave Abode and felt the mountain’s spiritual qi loosen her Nascent Soul Peak bottleneck.
• Mu Qinglan discovered hundreds of thousands of Azure Cloud Sect members cultivating there, including more than a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, and realized the ancient formation had been restored to a sixth-tier spirit-gathering effect.
• Mu Qinglan recalled Chun Xiaobai’s claim that heavenly lightning had struck the formation and concluded that someone must have repaired it, deciding to find the sect’s lucky star.
• Mu Qinglan spotted the twelve Hall Masters cultivating on the slope and fixed her murderous gaze on Yao Yuanzi, who tried to hide his guilt with a feigned expression of surprise.

Mu Qinglan discovered that Yao Yuanzi, the Hall Masters, and Azure Cloud Sect disciples had been paying spirit stones to cultivate at a hill powered by the Sect’s spirit vein. She realized someone had exploited the Heaven and Earth Boundless Formation for profit and vowed to catch the culprit.

• Mu Qinglan caught Yao Yuanzi and the eleven Hall Masters cultivating at the hill, and Yao Yuanzi claimed they were waiting for whoever had activated the formation.
• A disciple and his Senior Brother were awakened by the commotion, and the disciples revealed that they had paid spirit stones for entry tickets to cultivate there.
• Mu Qinglan saw a flyer advertising top-up bonuses and learned that Yao Yuanzi had topped up a million spirit stones while the disciple had paid a hundred thousand.
• Mu Qinglan realized that someone was siphoning spiritual qi from the Azure Cloud Sect’s earth vein and using the formation to make money.
• Yao Yuanzi and the Hall Masters denied knowing who was responsible and promised to capture and punish the supposed culprit.

Mu Qinglan confronted the twelve Hall Masters after Azure Cloud Sect disciples accused them of hiding the cultivation treasure land and neglecting their duties. The disciples defended the person behind the Spirit-Gathering Array, and Mu Qinglan silenced the furious crowd while weighing whether he might threaten the Sect.

• The entrance guard and other disciples revealed that Yao Yuanzi and the Hall Masters had cultivated for three days instead of searching for the culprit, provoking the crowd's anger.
• Yao Yuanzi defended himself by recalling his past sacrifices, but the disciples mocked his excuses and Mu Qinglan saw through his greed.
• Qian Wantong urged Mu Qinglan to prioritize finding the person who damaged the grand array, and the disciples accused him of trying to deflect blame and protect the Hall Masters.
• A defiant disciple accused Yao Yuanzi of using his authority to intimidate low-ranking disciples, while Mu Qinglan recognized that the person behind the array had gained their loyalty.
• The confrontation spiraled into an uproar among tens of thousands of disciples until Mu Qinglan roared for everyone to be silent.

Mu Qinglan discovered that Chun Xiaobai's spirit-gathering array was draining the Azure Cloud Sect's earth vein and ordered the formation masters to shut it down. The elders found an instruction manual showing how the array had been modified, and realized they could control its output.

• Lu Qingshan hid among the disciples after recognizing Mu Qinglan's terrifying aura.
• Mu Qinglan ordered every formation master in the sect to assemble and warned that the array could sever the earth vein's circulation.
• The Grand Supreme Elders and two Ancestors arrived, learned about the array's immense spiritual qi, and followed Mu Qinglan to Chun Xiaobai's mountain.
• The elders found the Array Foundation and discovered that someone had bypassed the central Formation Disc to control the grand array.
• The formation masters found an instruction manual and told Mu Qinglan they could shut down the array or adjust its output to different tiers.

Mu Qinglan realized the Azure Cloud Sect had gained far greater control over its primordial grand array and ordered the disciples gathered to identify the person responsible. Bai Yutang arrived, discovered the sect’s leaders were waiting, and immediately knelt before Mu Qinglan, denying that he had done anything.

• Mu Qinglan recognized that the array could now be controlled from the first to sixth tiers and ordered the disciples below the mountaintop to assemble.
• Mu Qinglan questioned the gathered disciples about who had received their spirit stones, but they refused to identify the person in charge.
• Qian Wantong named Bai Yutang as the disciple responsible for the entrance, angering the disciples who wanted to protect him.
• Bai Yutang arrived, saw Mu Qinglan and the sect’s senior leaders, and realized he could not escape through the guarded gate.
• Bai Yutang slid to his knees, clung to Mu Qinglan’s thigh, and pleaded that he was sorry before insisting he had not done it.

Mu Qinglan demanded to know who had activated the Spirit-Gathering Array, while the disciples and elders defended the array’s mysterious benefactor as the sect’s lucky star. Bai Yutang tried to conceal Chun Xiaobai’s identity, and as Mu Qinglan attacked him, he shouted a cryptic life-saving incantation.

• Mu Qinglan questioned Bai Yutang about who activated the Spirit-Gathering Array, but the disciples rushed to stop him from answering.
• A disciple argued that the array’s two-hundredfold spiritual qi was worth the spirit stones, persuading the Hall Masters and elders that its creator benefited the sect.
• Mu Qinglan roared at the crowd and pressed Bai Yutang to reveal the culprit, while Bai Yutang feared losing his five hundred million spirit stones if he named Chun Xiaobai.
• The Ancestors, Grand Supreme Elders, and Elder Zhou urged Mu Qinglan not to drive away the sect’s hidden genius, but she suspected the benefactor was deliberately turning the sect against her.
• Bai Yutang stalled by reciting a poem, and Mu Qinglan thrust her Golden Spear at him; he shouted, “Lu, that old! Heaven, that vessel!”

Lu Qingshan realized Chun Xiaobai was behind the spiritual qi crisis and intervened to save Bai Yutang from Mu Qinglan. The elders carried Mu Qinglan away while the disciples praised Lu, and he promised her he would catch Chun Xiaobai.

• Lu Qingshan recognized Chun Xiaobai’s scheme and feared that Bai Yutang would expose his misappropriation of the Heavenly Artifact.
• Lu Qingshan blocked Mu Qinglan’s spear and declared Bai Yutang innocent as the elders urged her to protect the Sect’s unknown genius.
• Lu Qingshan signaled the Hall Masters and elders, who forcibly carried Mu Qinglan down the mountain while the disciples cheered for him.
• Lu Qingshan told Mu Qinglan that punishing Bai Yutang would turn the Sect’s disciples against her, then promised to catch Chun Xiaobai.
• Mu Qinglan calmed down and realized Chun Xiaobai had anticipated her reactions and led her into his open stratagem.

Mu Qinglan made Lu Qingshan promise to catch the thief who had siphoned off her sect’s spiritual qi, while Chun Xiaobai waited outside the Inner Sect and encountered Cangshan Daoist. Cangshan Daoist tried to divine Chun Xiaobai’s fortune but abruptly spat blood in his face.

• Mu Qinglan accepted Lu Qingshan’s offer and ordered him to bring her the thief, and Lu Qingshan promised to catch him within three days.
• The Hall Masters and elders hurried toward Chun Xiaobai’s mountain to absorb its rich spiritual qi.
• Chun Xiaobai waited outside the Inner Sect, wondering why no elders had come after him and whether Bai Yutang or another ally had intervened.
• Cangshan Daoist found Chun Xiaobai, grew suspicious of his concealed aura, and mistook him for a bandit scouting the Azure Cloud Sect.
• Cangshan Daoist offered to divine Chun Xiaobai’s fortune for free, then suddenly spat blood across Chun Xiaobai’s face.