Chapter Summaries

Li Rui met Zhuge Ming, who concealed Li Rui’s karma, explained the cost of his victory, and decided White Jade Capital would withdraw to Jinting Minor Continent. Zhuge Ming sent Li Rui to Central Province with Cui He and gave him pills for the journey.

• Li Rui respectfully greeted Zhuge Ming, who praised his survival skills and helped conceal his karma.
• Zhuge Ming revealed that using the Immortal Tree had cost him three hundred years of lifespan and said he would seal White Jade Capital’s mountain and withdraw to Jinting Minor Continent.
• Li Rui understood that Zhuge Ming planned to retreat rather than fight over Taihua Province while White Jade Capital cultivated another Dao Monarch.
• Zhuge Ming gave Li Rui several supreme-grade pills and told him to leave the mountain in a few days.
• Cui He arrived, and Zhuge Ming ordered him to take Li Rui to Central Province, where the Cui Family name would protect him from bullying.

Cui He told Li Rui that the Dao Lord had summoned them to Central Province because the Ascension Platform was about to appear, and Li Rui traveled with Cui He and Yuan Dingting to the Outer Heavens. There, Li Rui reunited with Liao Qi and encountered Gao Tianxia carrying an Outer Realm Demonic Fiend’s head.

• Cui He explained that the Ascension Platform appeared once every five thousand years and that his main body had established a connection with it.
• Li Rui, Cui He, and Yuan Dingting used Fellow Daoist Liu’s teleportation array in White Jade Capital to reach the Outer Heavens.
• Cui He described the Outer Heavens as a sealed battlefield between the Immortal Cultivation World and the Outer Realm Demonic Fiends.
• Liao Qi greeted Li Rui and reunited with him in the sea of clouds.
• Gao Tianxia arrived before Li Rui holding the head of an Outer Realm Demonic Fiend.

Li Rui reunited with Gao Tianxia in the Outer Heavens, where they discussed the Contention for the Great Dao and Li Rui’s progress toward letting his Primordial Spirit leave his body. After three days, Li Rui and Cui He returned to Central Province and encountered Ji Mingyue and the Ji Clan.

• Gao Tianxia praised Li Rui and gave him the head of an Outer Realm Demonic Fiend he had killed.
• Liao Qi brought the group to Wangjun City, where they drank wine and Li Rui revealed his golden Immortal Spirit.
• Gao Tianxia asked whether Li Rui’s Primordial Spirit could leave his body, then explained how cultivators must contend for the Great Dao.
• Li Rui and Cui He stayed in the Outer Heavens for three days before taking the Teleportation Array to Central Province, while Yuan Dingting remained behind.
• A young Daoist charged Li Rui and Cui He ten Top Grade Spirit Stones, and Li Rui recognized Ji Mingyue and the Ji Clan nearby.

Li Rui settled in Violet Illusion Immortal City under the Cui Family’s protection and spent five years cultivating, during which the Southern Heaven Gate in his Immortal Court revealed its power. As he neared a breakthrough, he learned Zhong Li had succeeded in proving a Dao Seed through emptiness and heard that the Gazing Sky Tower was about to open.

• Cui He brought Li Rui, disguised as Cui Xu, to the Precious Splendor Pavilion in Violet Illusion Immortal City, where Cui Ci offered him a place to stay.
• Li Rui spent five years cultivating in seclusion at the pavilion while studying the Immortal Court within his Purple Palace.
• The Southern Heaven Gate released immortal qi and urged Li Rui to enter the Ascension Platform, but he resisted its mind-shaking call and continued cultivating.
• Immortal qi helped Li Rui advance rapidly and nourished the Flat Peach Immortal Tree, while he estimated his Primordial Spirit would leave his body within two years.
• Cui He told Li Rui that Zhong Li had succeeded in proving a Dao Seed through emptiness and that the Gazing Sky Tower was about to open.

Ji Mingyue and the other prodigies gathered in Violet Illusion Immortal City for the opening of the Gazing Sky Tower, where Li Rui hoped to find opportunities. After the tower opened, Li Rui entered with the crowd, while Gu Changsheng arrived to watch and wonder what surprise his friend would bring.

• Ji Mingyue told Ji Fan that the Gazing Sky Tower would open in one month, and Cui He explained its nine floors and the fortune Zhong Li had gained there.
• Li Rui recalled Zhong Li’s ascent and chose to seek opportunities at the tower rather than remain in White Jade Capital.
• When purple radiance appeared over the valley, Li Rui and Cui He joined hundreds of cultivators, including former Human Rankings top-ten prodigies.
• Violet Illusion True Monarch and Xuan Guang True Monarch opened the tower, and Li Rui entered with the other cultivators.
• Gu Changsheng arrived to greet Xuan Guang True Monarch and watched the tower, wondering what surprise Li Rui would bring.

Li Rui climbed Gazing Sky Tower with ease, reaching the seventh floor and drawing the attention of the Ji siblings. He continued upward while Ji Fan advanced toward his goal of reaching Ninth Heaven Tower.

• Li Rui passed the tower’s tests and climbed to the fifth floor alongside Cui He, while more than half the cultivators fell behind.
• Cui He stopped on the fifth floor to cultivate, knowing his Celestial Realm strength would not carry him farther.
• Li Rui reached the seventh floor, where Ji Mingyue injured her divine soul after meeting his gaze.
• Ji Fan apologized to Li Rui with a Soul Consolidating Blood Pill, and Ji Mingyue remained on the seventh floor.
• Ji Fan reached the eighth floor and set his sights on Ninth Heaven Tower.

At the Gazing Sky Tower, Ji Fan and Li Rui both reached the ninth floor, astonishing the gathered cultivators and delighting the True Monarchs. As Li Rui began cultivating, a hidden tenth-floor door appeared, while an old Mystic received a stream of violet-gold energy and called it a harvest year.

• Fu Fengyang and the other cultivators failed to ascend to the ninth floor and began absorbing the eighth floor's fortune and destiny.
• Ji Fan passed the trial and stepped onto the ninth floor, revealing strength that surprised the others.
• Li Rui also reached the ninth floor, and the True Monarchs celebrated the fortune gained from two successful ascents.
• Ji Fan greeted Li Rui cautiously, then withdrew to cultivate while Li Rui meditated in another corner.
• Li Rui's Primordial Spirit was drawn from his body, and a door made of fortune and destiny appeared, revealing a hidden tenth floor.
• An old Mystic beneath a massive Armillary Sphere received violet-gold energy and called it a harvest year.

Li Rui entered the hidden tenth floor of the Gazing Sky Tower, where his apparent age of sixty qualified him for immortal-grade talent and a choice of one complete Dao Seed. After receiving Wuzhong Dao Lord’s Myriad Dao Primordial Method, Li Rui decided to seize all five Dao Seeds instead.

• Li Rui saw a Gate of Fortune that Ji Fan could not see and entered it after waiting until night.
• The gate judged Li Rui to have immortal-grade talent because it believed he was sixty, and he reached the tenth floor.
• Li Rui found five complete Dao Seeds and considered choosing Ageless Cedar for its life-extending benefits.
• The Immortal Ranking achievement awarded Li Rui the Myriad Dao Primordial Method, which he recognized as Wuzhong Dao Lord’s ultimate legacy.
• After digesting the method for a day, Li Rui raised his hand to take all five Dao Seeds.

After Li Rui emerged from Gazing Sky Tower's ninth floor, Xuan Guang True Monarch gave him a Golden Talisman and the Cui Family celebrated his achievement. Gu Changsheng warned Li Rui that he could not stay in Violet Illusion Immortal City, while Violet Illusion True Monarch discovered Sword River True Monarch in his chamber.

• Ji Fan left Gazing Sky Tower with Ji Mingyue after descending from the ninth floor.
• Li Rui emerged from the tower, accepted a Golden Talisman from Xuan Guang True Monarch, and returned to Violet Illusion Immortal City with Cui He.
• Cui Ci held a three-day feast for Li Rui, then Cui He brought Gu Changsheng to meet him.
• Gu Changsheng warned Li Rui that he could not remain in Violet Illusion Immortal City.
• Violet Illusion True Monarch learned that the middle-aged Daoist at Precious Splendor Pavilion was not from the Cui Family, then recognized Sword River True Monarch in his chamber.

Li Rui prepared to leave Violet Illusion Immortal City after Gu Changsheng warned him about Violet Illusion True Monarch and his rising Heavenly Secret Record rank, but Jiang Linxian arrived and took him away safely. In Divine Void City, Li Rui began refining the three Dao Seeds he had obtained from the Tenth Heaven Tower.

• Gu Changsheng warned Li Rui that Violet Illusion True Monarch might covet his Great Fortune and that Li Rui’s ranking on the Heavenly Secret Record could expose him.
• Li Rui activated the Teleportation Array he had prepared, but Jiang Linxian appeared and said he had already spoken with Violet Illusion True Monarch.
• Jiang Linxian escorted Li Rui, Gu Changsheng, and Cui He away from Violet Illusion Immortal City, and Violet Illusion True Monarch chose not to pursue them.
• Violet Illusion True Monarch withdrew from public view for thirty years after Jiang Linxian took Li Rui away.
• In Divine Void City, Li Rui circulated the Myriad Dao Primordial Method to refine the three Dao Seeds he had brought out of the Tenth Heaven Tower.

Li Rui cultivated the Myriad Dao Primordial Method while settling into Divine Void City with Cui He and Gu Changsheng. After a month in seclusion, he formed a jade embryo that flew beyond Shenshen Province.

• Li Rui studied the three compatible Dao Seeds and began condensing Primordial Power to cultivate the Myriad Dao Primordial Method.
• Cui He and Gu Changsheng explored Divine Void City together while Li Rui cultivated in their courtyard.
• Divine Void Guards pursued a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator through the city, prompting Gu Changsheng and Cui He to discuss the power of the Divine Void Immortal Dynasty.
• Li Rui spent a month in closed-door cultivation while Cui He and Gu Changsheng toured the city under disguised identities.
• Li Rui recited his cultivation formula and formed a jade embryo that flew beyond Divine Void City and Shenshen Province.

Li Rui’s Primordial Spirit roamed all Nine Great Immortal Provinces on its first outing and found Great Dao Divine Radiance before returning safely to his body. After breaking through, he accompanied Jiang Linxian to meet Zhu Qingshan, who arranged for him to become a Scholar of the Hall of Grand Literature at Hongwen Pavilion.

• Li Rui entered the Mystic God Realm and traveled across all Nine Great Immortal Provinces with his Primordial Spirit.
• Li Rui found a strand of Great Dao Divine Radiance and returned his Primordial Spirit to his body.
• Jiang Linxian congratulated Li Rui on his breakthrough and took him to an imposing estate in Divine Void City.
• Zhu Qingshan agreed to have Li Rui made a Scholar of the Hall of Grand Literature at Hongwen Pavilion.
• Jiang Linxian identified the old scholar as Zhu Qingshan of Divine Deer Academy.

Li Rui learned that Old Master Zhu was a Dao Lord Reincarnation with great influence, then accepted an appointment as a Hongwen Pavilion scholar approved by the Human Emperor. After befriending fellow scholar Teng Bochuan over a meal, he heard that the Human Emperor’s Imperial Decree had wondrous uses.

• Jiang Linxian explained Old Master Zhu’s status and urged Li Rui to cultivate in Divine Void City, then left to try for the Dao Lord Position at the Ascension Platform.
• Li Rui continued cultivating while Cui He and Gu Changsheng discussed the city, until a purple-robed official arrived to congratulate him.
• The official presented Li Rui with the Human Emperor-approved appointment document, making him a Hongwen Pavilion scholar and giving him seven days before he began his post.
• Li Rui accepted Teng Bochuan’s invitation to dine at Spiritual Light Tower, where they bonded over their shared connection to Old Master Zhu.
• After three rounds of Spiritual Wine, Teng Bochuan told Li Rui that the Human Emperor’s Imperial Decree had wondrous uses.

Li Rui began his post at Hongwen Pavilion, where he studied cultivation texts and used the Human Emperor Iron Silk to find seven strands of Great Dao Divine Radiance. As he entered the Starry Purple Palace to cultivate, he encountered Wuzhong Dao Lord.

• Teng Bochuan explained that the Human Emperor Iron Silk could help Li Rui find Great Dao Divine Radiance or strengthen his cultivation, and the two talked until dawn.
• After seven days, Li Rui went alone to the Imperial City and arrived at Hongwen Pavilion, where Teng Bochuan introduced its rules and ways to earn merit.
• Li Rui immersed himself in Hongwen Pavilion’s ancient books, studying incomplete divine abilities and recognizing the value of the post for building his knowledge and Dao Intent.
• Li Rui found seven strands of Great Dao Divine Radiance with the Iron Silk, further improved his strength, and noticed subtle changes in True Martial Descent.
• Li Rui entered the Starry Purple Palace to cultivate and saw a towering figure he recognized as Wuzhong Dao Lord.

Li Rui met Wuzhong Dao Lord’s Great Dao Imprint, which accepted him into the lineage of the Lord of the Immortal Court and passed on insights into the Myriad Dao Primordial Method. After learning about Wuzhong Dao Lord’s path and the dangers of Contention for the Great Dao, Li Rui resolved to prepare by building a deep foundation.

• Wuzhong Dao Lord recognized that Li Rui had cultivated the Myriad Dao Primordial Method and explained why he had never meant to pass it on.
• The Immortal Court manifested from Li Rui’s Violet Palace, and Wuzhong Dao Lord accepted him as a disciple on the Lord of the Immortal Court’s behalf.
• Wuzhong Dao Lord transmitted his cultivation insights to Li Rui and told him he did not need to follow the same path.
• Wuzhong Dao Lord’s Great Dao Imprint disappeared, leaving Li Rui to consider the method’s strengths and the threats awaiting him in Contention for the Great Dao.
• Li Rui decided to prepare early by building a deep foundation and growing strong enough to face future opponents.

Li Rui spent years cultivating discreetly in Hongwen Pavilion while learning about the Jiedao Sect and advancing his Dao Seeds. After ten years, King Tianxuan visited with a young man whom Teng Bochuan recognized as the Jiedao Sect disciple he had previously described.

• Teng Bochuan invited Li Rui to visit Divine Deer Academy, but Li Rui declined to avoid exposing his secrets.
• Teng Bochuan told Li Rui about a Jiedao Sect disciple who had become the sole direct disciple of the Dao Lord he had once taught.
• Li Rui cultivated at Hongwen Pavilion, nurturing his True Martial Descent Dao Seed while studying the Myriad Dao Primordial Method and the Immortal Court.
• Over ten years, Li Rui repaired two divine abilities and kept to secluded cultivation until the Divine Void Immortal Dynasty's guardians stopped suspecting him.
• King Tianxuan arrived at Hongwen Pavilion with a young man, and Teng Bochuan told Li Rui that the young man was the Jiedao Sect disciple he had mentioned.

Li Rui studied the incomplete writings on True Martial Descent in Hongwen Pavilion while powerful figures discussed the Dao opportunity rumored to lie within Taihua Province’s Immortal Tomb. After keeping a low profile in Divine Void City, Li Rui returned home and met Zhong Li, who apologized for not welcoming him sooner.

• King Tianxuan and Xie Tingxuan discussed Zhuge Ming’s control of the Immortal Tomb and anticipated a chance to act after his death.
• Master Zhang confirmed that the Immortal Tomb might contain an immortal artifact and a Dao opportunity, drawing King Tianxuan’s interest.
• Xie Tingxuan mentioned that Li Rui was in Hongwen Pavilion.
• Li Rui read about True Martial Descent and reflected on how nurturing the Dao Seed had strengthened him.
• Li Rui returned to his residence, where Zhong Li greeted him and apologized for the breach of etiquette.

Li Rui reunited with Zhong Li, who had successfully planted an empty-verified Dao Seed, while Gu Changsheng returned to his clan to prepare for tribulation. Back at the courtyard, Li Rui discovered the Six-Sign Dao Tree’s second fruit and was interrupted by a visitor claiming to be a king.

• Li Rui greeted Zhong Li and learned he had planted an empty-verified Dao Seed after surviving a dangerous attempt at empty verification.
• Zhong Li told Li Rui he had come to visit Master Zhu and invited him to visit during his stay.
• Gu Changsheng returned to the Heavenly Secret Clan’s ancestral land to prepare for tribulation transcendence, leaving Cui He alone with Li Rui.
• Li Rui examined the second fruit on the Six-Sign Dao Tree and realized it was a fragrant, pear-like fruit rather than another Fresh Peach Immortal Fruit.
• A visitor outside Li Rui’s courtyard introduced himself as a king and requested an audience with Scholar Li.

King Tianxuan tried to recruit Li Rui into the Hall of Investiture, but Li Rui refused after recognizing the offer as a scheme to give the Divine Void Immortal Dynasty grounds to act against White Jade Capital. A year later, the fruit in Li Rui’s purple palace ripened and fell from the old peach tree.

• King Tianxuan offered to recommend Li Rui for the Hall of Investiture, but Li Rui refused and endured his pressure.
• Li Rui told Cui He that joining the Hall of Investiture would merge the fortunes of the Yu Kingdom and the Divine Void Immortal Dynasty, giving the dynasty grounds to act against White Jade Capital.
• Li Rui revealed that a hidden True Lord had influenced their thoughts, and that he had used Jiang Linxian’s aura to deduce the scheme.
• Teng Bochuan warned Li Rui that King Tianxuan was prejudiced against students of Divine Deer Academy, and Li Rui remained vigilant.
• A year later, the spiritual fruit on the old peach tree in Li Rui’s purple palace ripened and fell from its branch.

Li Rui secretly consumed the Immortal Fruit in a remote mountain and used its power to form the rudiment of the Niwan Palace Grotto-heaven. He returned to Divine Void City and Hongwen Pavilion, where Teng Bochuan told him he had been visited by Scholar Xie.

• Li Rui entered seclusion, used a formation to teleport far beyond Divine Void City, and consumed the Immortal Fruit.
• The fruit’s power gathered in Li Rui’s niwan, where the Myriad Dao Primordial Method began opening the Niwan Palace Grotto-heaven.
• After a month, Li Rui returned to Divine Void City, and Cui He reported that Teng Bochuan had visited while he was away.
• Li Rui resumed his duties at Hongwen Pavilion and told Teng Bochuan that his attempt to send out his Primordial Spirit had failed.
• Scholar Xie approached Li Rui and Teng Bochuan, and Teng Bochuan asked what he wanted.