Recaps

Tang Yan moved his family and trusted aides to Northern Spirit, then left Medicine Valley and returned to the Spirit Wilderness Realm. There, Rao Baoyue recognized him as the man who had taken Little Meatball and confronted him at the passage entrance.

• Tang Ling consulted Uncle Mo, then arranged for the Tang Family to move to Northern Spirit while Tang Yan visited the Imperial Family and declined the emperor's hint about marrying Qing Xuan.
• The Imperial Family escorted the Tang Family through the passage, and the group reached Medicine Valley after two days of flight.
• Tang Yan said goodbye to Zi Yun on Donglai Island, tried to take one of the white steamed buns with him, then kicked it back to the island after hearing its cries.
• Rao Xinliu joined her sister Rao Baoyue at the Spirit Wilderness Realm passage, where Rao Baoyue explained that a mysterious man had taken Little Meatball and that she was guarding the entrance to catch him.
• Tang Yan entered the Spirit Wilderness Realm disguised as an old man, but Rao Baoyue recognized her mark, demanded he reveal himself, and confronted him about Little Meatball.

Tang Yan explained his misunderstanding over Little Meatball and traded the Greenwood Divine Bow to Rao Baoyue for a temporary exchange. Rao Baoyue then bound him with the Wings-Together Palm, named him her fourth disciple, and took him toward the Pill Alliance.

• Tang Yan showed Rao Baoyue and Rao Xinliu Little Dot and Little Meatball playing together, then explained why he had left Little Meatball behind.
• Tang Yan offered the Greenwood Divine Bow, and Rao Baoyue agreed to a temporary exchange for Little Meatball.
• Rao Baoyue struck Tang Yan with the Wings-Together Palm and ordered him to serve her for ten years, briefly activating the curse to demonstrate its pain.
• Rao Baoyue revealed she was a Thirteenth Elder of the Pill Alliance and named Tang Yan her fourth disciple; Rao Xinliu was the Fifteenth Elder of the Formation Alliance.
• Tang Yan learned about the Pill Alliance and its alchemy ranks, then Rao Baoyue tied him to her sword and sped toward the sect.

Tang Yan arrived at the Pill Alliance's Clear Sky Peak and met Rao Baoyue's three eccentric disciples. Rao Baoyue learned that they had failed their duties and ruined her undying wood, then ordered all four disciples to enter the upcoming Spirit Cliff Cave competition.

• Rao Baoyue showed Tang Yan the Pill Alliance and gave him an Identity Token before introducing him to Sun Long, Tong Banzhi, and Yan Biao.
• Sun Long reported that Clear Sky Peak had missed its missions, lost half its resources, and let Rao Baoyue's purple silver lotus and undying wood die.
• Rao Baoyue kicked Yan Biao after learning he had pulled up the undying wood, then ordered all four disciples to compete in the Spirit Cliff Cave contest.
• Yan Biao bragged that he had swapped Clear Sky Peak's undying wood with Spirit Splendor Peak's, then revealed he had left the live tree unplanted for seven days.
• Rao Baoyue saw that the undying wood was dead and reflected on how her poor teaching and disciple choices had led to her predicament.

Rao Baoyue assigned Tang Yan responsibility for managing Clear Sky Peak’s chores and keeping Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao in line. After learning about the herb garden and sect duties, Tang Yan visited the Scripture Pavilion to study the Spirit Wilderness Realm.

• Rao Baoyue put Tang Yan in charge of Clear Sky Peak’s duties and made him responsible for his senior brothers’ conduct and missions.
• Tang Yan followed Sun Long to the spirit herb garden, learned how to care for its 403 varieties of herbs, and accepted responsibility for the work despite the limited spirit liquid.
• Sun Long showed Tang Yan the sect’s halls, mission requirements, disciple rankings, and resource rules.
• Tang Yan asked Sun Long about the disciple rankings and monthly allowances, then chose to visit the Scripture Pavilion to study medicinal herbs.
• An old man at the Scripture Pavilion explained how Tang Yan could borrow up to three books for a month, and Tang Yan used his token to enter.

Tang Yan surveyed sect missions, ordered Yan Biao to start completing them, and broke through to the Middle Dominion Realm after the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron released its accumulated power. He began studying Spirit Wilderness Realm medicinal materials to rebuild his Pill Dao knowledge from the ground up.

• Tang Yan borrowed three books on medicinal materials, then browsed the Mission Hall and chose Class D missions as the most achievable.
• Tang Yan found Yan Biao roasting a wild boar in a pill cauldron and learned that he and Tong Banzhi had ignored sect missions because the penalties seemed useless.
• Tang Yan told Yan Biao that he had been assigned custody of him and Tong Banzhi and ordered them to complete missions, threatening to have Tong Banzhi cuddle Yan Biao to sleep.
• The Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron released spirit power, and Tang Yan broke through to the Middle Dominion Realm, gaining a stronger dantian and a natal god with rudimentary spiritual awareness.
• Tang Yan began carefully studying his borrowed books, accepting that he had to learn the Spirit Wilderness Realm's medicinal materials before advancing in the Pill Dao.

Tang Yan discovered that the Eye of Truth let him quickly learn medicinal plants’ properties, then finished appraising Clear Sky Peak’s garden. He returned to find Rao Baoyue beating Yan Biao, and after she also struck Tang Yan, he escaped the courtyard while Tong Banzhi pursued Yan Biao.

• Tang Yan used the Eye of Truth to identify the medicinal properties of the golden spirit seed and heaven-mending zhi, realizing he could rapidly learn about unfamiliar plants.
• Tang Yan revived a dying purple silver lotus in the Chaos Space, replanted it, and finished appraising the medicinal garden.
• Tang Yan returned to find Rao Baoyue beating Yan Biao with the Undying Wood after Yan Biao had tampered with it.
• Tang Yan tried to calm Rao Baoyue, but she pinned him down and beat him before letting both disciples go.
• Yan Biao praised Tang Yan for rescuing him, then fled Tong Banzhi’s courtyard in his underpants while Tang Yan went to study.

Tang Yan automated the Spirit Herb Garden’s watering, proved his medicinal-herb knowledge at the Scripture Pavilion, and was ordered to rebuild Clear Sky Peak’s ruined hot spring while Rao Baoyue was away. The chapter ended with him resolving to do the job properly before she returned in three days.

• Rao Baoyue destroyed the hot spring in anger over Yan Biao’s behavior.
• Tang Yan designed an Irrigation Formation that watered the spirit herbs according to their needs, though his spirit liquid would soon run out.
• Tang Yan returned three medicinal-herb books and impressed the Scripture Pavilion’s old man by answering his questions, then borrowed three more books.
• Rao Baoyue summoned Tang Yan and ordered him to restore the hot spring within three days, warning him not to let his third senior brother urinate in it again.
• After Rao Baoyue left on business, Tang Yan decided to rebuild the hot spring properly.

Tang Yan renovated Rao Baoyue’s hot spring courtyard while continuing his studies, and Rao Baoyue later mistook its new cliffside view for a scheme to spy on her. She realized the courtyard wall still concealed the spring only after striking Tang Yan with Wings-Together Palm and leaping off the cliff to investigate.

• Tang Yan enlarged and lined the hot spring, improved the courtyard landscaping, and replaced the eastern wall with an illusion formation that preserved privacy from outside.
• Tang Yan returned books to the Scripture Pavilion, answered the keeper’s questions, and borrowed three books on geography, ores, and Beast Kings.
• Rao Baoyue returned to Clear Sky Peak frustrated that the undying wood she needed for Leng Shi’s life-extending pill had already been used.
• Rao Baoyue admired Tang Yan’s renovation, then suspected he had removed the wall to let someone spy on her and struck him with Wings-Together Palm.
• Rao Baoyue leaped off the cliff to search for a hidden peeper, then noticed the tall courtyard wall blocking the view from outside.

Tang Yan sought to sell Peng Jia a formation that would automate watering Mist-Hidden Peak’s spirit herb garden, but Peng Jia reacted angrily when Tang Yan confronted him about docking the workers’ pay. Their negotiation ended with Peng Jia suspecting Tang Yan was threatening him.

• Rao Baoyue discovered the cliff wall was an illusion and relaxed in the hot spring, where she found a mind-calming formation beneath the pool.
• Tang Yan noticed his spirit liquid was running low and traveled to Mist-Hidden Peak to investigate its herb-garden work.
• A blue-robed disciple told Tang Yan that Peng Jia routinely docked the workers’ wages using various excuses.
• Tang Yan offered to build a formation that would automate watering and proposed a monthly price of at least one hundred low-grade spirit stones.
• Tang Yan offered to pay Peng Jia fifty spirit stones a month for Pill Dao instruction and confronted him about cheating the workers.
• Peng Jia’s expression darkened as he accused Tang Yan of threatening him.

Tang Yan persuaded Peng Jia to pay him to install a formation that tended Mist-Hidden Peak’s Spirit Herbs, then studied the herbs and activated the formation. After buying Spirit Liquid from Peng Jia, Tang Yan asked who managed the other peaks’ herb gardens.

• Tang Yan warned Peng Jia that the elders knew about his affairs and convinced him that a formation would improve herb care and protect him from blame.
• Peng Jia agreed to pay Tang Yan a hundred and twenty Spirit Stones monthly, then inspected the formation Tang Yan had used at Clear Sky Peak.
• Tang Yan examined Mist-Hidden Peak’s Spirit Herbs, studied the medicinal properties of three hundred and thirty-six kinds, and set up the formation.
• The next morning, the formation accurately watered the Spirit Herbs, and Peng Jia paid Tang Yan a hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.
• Tang Yan returned the payment to Peng Jia and bought some of his saved Spirit Liquid at a discount, then asked who managed the other peaks’ herb gardens.

Tang Yan secured work at Star-Welcoming Peak and bought spirit liquid before a group of disciples arrived seeking revenge on Yan Biao for killing their Cloud Tiger. After hearing both sides and examining the corpse, Tang Yan prepared to record what happened and took out a dagger.

• Peng Jia introduced Tang Yan to Zhang Qiaoqian, who hired him to study the herbs at Star-Welcoming Peak and paid him fifty low-grade spirit stones.
• Tang Yan bought more spirit liquid from Peng Jia and planned to take the Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix on sect missions.
• A group of five disciples came looking for Yan Biao, having accused him of killing their Cloud Tiger.
• Yan Biao told Tang Yan that the tiger had bitten him and died after he flung it into a tree.
• Tang Yan took charge of the dispute, questioned the group, examined the Cloud Tiger's body, and prepared to record what happened.
• Tang Yan hung the Cloud Tiger's corpse from a rack and drew a dagger.

Tang Yan exposed the five Clear Sky Peak disciples’ abuse of the Cloud Tiger cub and their attempt to frame Yan Biao, then forced them to confess and hand over compensation. After they fled, Rao Baoyue returned to the courtyard, and Tang Yan reminded Yan Biao to complete a Sect Mission within half a month.

• Tang Yan dissected the Cloud Tiger and showed that it had suffered prolonged beatings, contradicting the five disciples’ claim that Yan Biao had injured it.
• Tang Yan accused the five of abusing the cub and framing Yan Biao, then threatened them with his killing intent and raised Ninefold Mountain against them.
• The five disciples knelt, admitted they had falsely accused Yan Biao and offended Clear Sky Peak, and surrendered their Storage Rings as compensation.
• Rao Baoyue watched the five leave and then returned to the courtyard.
• Yan Biao tearfully thanked Tang Yan and offered to roast him a chicken, while Tang Yan told him to pick up a Sect Mission and finish it within half a month.

Tang Yan forced Tong Banzhi to agree to complete his missions by frightening him with archery, while Yan Biao nearly terrified him into surrendering as well. At the Mission Hall, Tang Yan learned that neither senior brother could reliably meet the sect’s pill-refining standard, but he urged them to try anyway and promised to cover any losses.

• Tang Yan examined the storage rings taken from the five men and found enough treasure pills to fulfill a mission.
• Tang Yan and Yan Biao went to fetch Tong Banzhi for missions, but Tong refused, so Tang Yan tied him to a frame and shot arrows around him.
• Yan Biao took the bow and frightened Tong Banzhi into agreeing to do his missions.
• Tang Yan brought Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao to the Mission Hall, where they rejected several missions as unsuitable or too dangerous.
• Tang Yan discovered that Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao could not reliably refine pills to the required quality, but urged them to practice and offered to cover their losses.

Tang Yan had Yan Biao and Tong Banzhi practice refining Netherpassage Pills while he studied and noted their mistakes. After learning of Feng Chenye’s search for Meng Yao and his five stories, Profound Pupil ordered the Thousand Connections Pavilion to print and promote them throughout the Spirit Wilderness within seven days.

• Tang Yan took missions for Netherpassage Pills and turned in twenty Mountain-Breaking Pills to complete a Grade-C mission.
• Tang Yan brought Yan Biao and Tong Banzhi to his courtyard to refine pills and observed their work while studying the Beast King Compendium.
• A Thousand Connections Pavilion attendant told Profound Pupil how Feng Chenye had searched for Meng Yao, written five stories, and lost his self-printed books to bandits.
• Profound Pupil divined that Meng Yao faced a terrible disaster and ordered the Pavilion to print and promote Feng Chenye’s five books across the Spirit Wilderness within seven days.
• Tong Banzhi failed to make qualifying pills, and Yan Biao’s cauldron lid flew into the sky before returning to him.
• Tang Yan wrote down the senior brothers’ pill-refining mistakes and told them to study the notes before trying again in two hours.

Tang Yan guided Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao in alchemy until they could refine pills that met the required standards, then arranged to install an irrigation formation in Purple Hut Peak's Spirit Herb Garden. After accepting Tang Yan's tuition, Ling Guangshan agreed to teach him alchemy and invited him to watch as he refined Mountain-Breaking Pills.

• Tang Yan agreed to guide Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao in ninth-tier alchemy and told them to say Rao Baoyue had taught them.
• Tang Yan corrected their mistakes as they refined pills, and after several days Tong Banzhi made high-quality Netherpassage Pills while Yan Biao met the mission requirements.
• Tang Yan persuaded Ling Guangshan to let him install an irrigation formation in the Spirit Herb Garden by offering him monthly tuition for alchemy guidance.
• Tang Yan set up and tested the formation, then gave Ling Guangshan half of the garden's monthly income as tuition.
• Ling Guangshan agreed to teach Tang Yan once a month and invited him to observe the refinement of Mountain-Breaking Pills.

Tang Yan learned the Mountain-Breaking Pill formula and treasure-pill techniques from Ling Guangshan, then secretly refined superior pills with his own methods. He resolved to keep his abilities and earnings hidden while he quietly grew stronger.

• Ling Guangshan tested Tang Yan's familiarity with the Mountain-Breaking Pill, then taught him its ingredients, proportions, and treasure-pill refining techniques.
• Tang Yan recognized Ling Guangshan's methods as techniques he had already learned through the Reach the Summit Pill Dao Academy.
• Ling Guangshan refined five Mountain-Breaking Pills and promised Tang Yan he could return with questions.
• Tang Yan left Purple Hut Peak and decided he could obtain more treasure-pill formulas from core disciples and deduce unfamiliar recipes through practice.
• Back at Clear Sky Peak, Tang Yan refined six Mountain-Breaking Pills in less than half a cup of tea, and they reached the Immortality Pill grade.
• Tang Yan restrained himself from openly taking missions and resolved to earn spirit stones, learn formulas, and grow stronger in secret.

Feng Chenye discovered that the Thousand Connections Pavilion had arranged for his stories to be printed across the Spirit Wilderness Realm, with notices seeking Meng Yao in every book. Meanwhile, Meng Yao was revealed to be among the scholars guarding a failing seal beneath the Hanlin Mountain Range.

• At Wind-Containing Bay, Feng Chenye sensed a vast tide of literary qi and resumed telling his story to a crowd.
• A tourist recognized Feng Chenye’s story in books printed by the Thousand Connections Pavilion and gave him five copies.
• Feng Chenye searched for Meng Yao among the tourists, then visited bookshops and learned his books were being released in hundreds of thousands of cities.
• The Heavenly Intent Bookshop’s shopkeeper explained that the Thousand Connections Pavilion had commissioned and funded the mass printing and promotion.
• At the academy’s abyss in the Hanlin Mountain Range, the dean warned that the Literary Sage’s seal might fail within half a month as sixteen scholars channeled literary qi into it.
• Meng Yao was revealed to be one of the sixteen scholars guarding the seal.

Tang Yan secretly learned Peng Jia's pill-refining method, then made upper-grade pills to trade for cultivation resources without attracting the attention of the she-devil. Meanwhile, Feng Chenye's strength rose rapidly as literary qi gathered around him, and he continued north with his mind on his book.

• Tang Yan advised Yan Biao to turn in four missions to earn enough Spirit Stones to buy more herbs.
• Tang Yan visited Peng Jia, posed as a student seeking guidance, and watched him refine five upper-grade Void-Quelling Qi-Boosting Pills.
• Peng Jia told Tang Yan about a small Trading Point east of the sect where disciples could sell surplus upper-grade pills for better prices.
• Tang Yan used the method he had observed to refine six upper-grade Void-Quelling Qi-Boosting Pills and decided to visit the Trading Base the next day.
• Feng Chenye advanced from Saint Level first grade to sixth grade in one day as literary qi poured into him, then continued north while reading.

Tang Yan sought permission from Rao Baoyue to visit a nearby Trading Base and went after convincing her he wanted to find something to cheer her up. At the base, he met a stallholder who could supply the medicinal herbs he needed, and he asked whether the man could provide them long-term.

• Tang Yan asked Rao Baoyue for permission to visit the Trading Base, and she allowed him to go only if he returned before dusk.
• Tang Yan disguised himself and visited the small Trading Base, where pill buyers offered him low prices for Mountain-Breaking Pills.
• Tang Yan discovered an old stallholder selling rare herbs and many other goods while also buying pills.
• Tang Yan learned the old man could supply the medicinal herbs he wanted at the Pill Alliance's prices.
• Tang Yan asked the stallholder whether he could provide medicinal herbs on a long-term basis.

Tang Yan traded high-grade pills to Shopkeeper Qin for ingredients and acquired a sound-recording Magic Treasure after Shopkeeper Qin accidentally erased its music. He recorded ten classical pieces and presented the renamed Portable Music Player to Rao Baoyue, who examined it without responding.

• Tang Yan exchanged thirty Mountain-Breaking Pills and twelve Void-Quelling Qi-Boosting Pills for ingredients, then bought more with four hundred low-grade spirit stones.
• Tang Yan rejected Shopkeeper Qin’s suggestive Dragon Pillar and chose a sound-recording Magic Treasure instead.
• Shopkeeper Qin demonstrated the device but accidentally erased its ten stored zither pieces, then gave it to Tang Yan for free.
• Tang Yan recorded ten classical pieces in God's Domain and returned to the Pill Alliance after cursing Rao Baoyue during the journey.
• Tang Yan presented the Portable Music Player to Rao Baoyue and claimed it held ten pieces by the Zither Immortal Yu Boya.
• Rao Baoyue examined the Portable Music Player while Tang Yan waited anxiously for her reaction.

Tang Yan gave Rao Baoyue a supposedly ancient musical treasure, but she discovered its true origins and beat him before realizing the recordings were extraordinary compositions. Meanwhile, the Dean and fifteen sages resealed the Demon Race’s passage, and Meng Yao read a novel Wang Instructor delivered that deeply impressed her.

• Rao Baoyue recognized the metal plate’s signature as belonging to her friend Xiang Xiaoyu, and Tang Yan cursed Shopkeeper Qin for misrepresenting the treasure.
• Rao Baoyue beat Tang Yan after discovering the recordings were cheap performances from pleasure houses, then listened to the ten pieces and realized they were masterpieces.
• The Dean and fifteen sages suppressed the demonic qi and repaired the seal on the Demon Race’s passage.
• Wang Instructor delivered five books to Meng Yao, who read Sword God and praised its writing after finishing it.

Meng Yao discovered that Feng Chenye had published five books while searching for her and decided she would reunite with him after the demon suppression ended. Before she could meet him, the Demon Race began battering the seal again, and she rushed to the Hanlin Mountain Range with the Academy’s worthies.

• Meng Yao found Feng Chenye’s notices searching for her at the end of his five books and remembered his devotion to her.
• Meng Yao sent a message through the Thousand Connections Pavilion inviting Feng Chenye to the Academy, then read the remaining books and praised his literary talent.
• Mr. Lan, the Dean, and other Academy worthies visited Meng Yao and questioned her about her relationship with Feng Chenye.
• The Demon Race struck the seal again, and the Dean led the worthies toward the Hanlin Mountain Range.
• Meng Yao told Wang Instructor to withdraw her invitation to Feng Chenye until the Demon Calamity had been completely quelled, then followed the others.

Tang Yan learned that Feng Chenye’s five books had become popular across the Spirit Wilderness Realm and hoped they would help Feng Chenye find Meng Yao. He tried to secure a contract to manage Cloud Ease Peak’s herb garden and lessons from Duan Yin, but when the deal failed, he told her about his friendship with Feng Chenye and was left answering her risky question about who was prettier, Meng Yao or the Thirteenth Elder.

• Tang Yan returned books to the Scripture Pavilion and learned from the old man that Feng Chenye had published five widely popular books.
• Tang Yan read all five books, borrowed three more, and bought six treasure pills from the Pill Alliance storehouse.
• Tang Yan proposed that Duan Yin hire his irrigation formation for Cloud Ease Peak’s Spirit Herb Garden and teach him alchemy, but she rejected his offer.
• Tang Yan showed Duan Yin Feng Chenye’s jade token and told her how Feng Chenye and Meng Yao had met and become close.
• Duan Yin asked Tang Yan whether Meng Yao or the Thirteenth Elder was prettier, leaving him wary of her question.

Tang Yan told Duan Yin stories while she practiced alchemy, helping her refine upper-grade Void-Spirit Purification Pills and earning the Spirit Herb Garden contract. When they left her bedchamber at dawn, Duan Yin’s innocent thanks sparked a scandalous rumor among the disciples.

• Duan Yin demanded that Tang Yan find Feng Chenye’s other books, so he offered to recount their stories instead.
• Tang Yan persuaded Duan Yin to practice alchemy while listening, and she refined upper-grade Void-Spirit Purification Pills after gaining an insight from his tale.
• Duan Yin promised Tang Yan the Spirit Herb Garden contract without kickbacks if he finished the stories, and he told her the remaining three books through the night.
• Duan Yin took Tang Yan to the Spirit Herb Garden at dawn and thanked him for a satisfying night, prompting disciples to assume they had spent the night together.

Tang Yan finished marking herbs at Cloud Ease Peak and went to meet Chen Yu at Spirit Dream Peak, while He Muyang learned that Duan Yin might have a Dao companion and began plotting against Tang Yan. The chapter ended with Tang Yan praising Chen Yu after witnessing his extraordinary sword strike.

• Tang Yan marked 183 new herbs in Cloud Ease Peak's Spirit Herb Garden after Duan Yin brought him there.
• The academy's experts prepared to defend the seal beneath the Literary Sage statue as demonic energy battered it, and the dean urged everyone to hold their ground.
• Lü Haijiao told He Muyang that Duan Yin appeared close to Tang Yan, so He Muyang ordered him to investigate and find a way to ruin Tang Yan.
• Tang Yan went to Spirit Dream Peak to seek cooperation with Chen Yu and found him practicing beneath a waterfall.
• Chen Yu cut through the waterfall with a sword strike, and Tang Yan approached to praise his skill.