Recaps

Xiao Yu fought and killed six Flame Mice while trying to harvest jade marrow fungus on a cliff platform. After collecting the fungi, he fled the area and hid inside a hollowed-out tree to recover.

• Xiao Yu found jade marrow fungus on a platform and was attacked by a high-rank Flame Mouse.
• Xiao Yu used the Spirit Turtle Shield and Radiant Mother-and-Son Swords to kill the first Flame Mouse, then faced five more that emerged from a cliff crack.
• Xiao Yu fought the five Flame Mice in the cramped space, killing them all after an exhausting battle.
• Xiao Yu recovered some magical power, dug up the jade marrow fungus, and left before others could investigate.
• Xiao Yu ran three li, hollowed out a massive tree with his Small Axe, and hid inside to rest.

While Xiao Yu recovered in hiding, rival sect disciples fought over ripe spirit herbs at several locations. A Daoist and an elder killed a Yellow Maple Valley disciple and divided his spoils, while Qin Xian'er and Ling Yue drove Zhang He and a Blade Transforming Dock disciple away from a stone hall.

• A yellow-clad Yellow Maple Valley disciple confronted a gray-robed Qingxu Sect Daoist and an elder in blue over two ripe Heavenly Spirit Fruits beside a slain Gale Wolf.
• The Daoist and the elder joined forces, killed the young man when he tried to seize a fruit and flee, and divided the fruits, artifacts, and other valuables.
• At a stone hall on the Ring-shaped Mountain, Qin Xian'er and Ling Yue attacked Zhang He and a Blade Transforming Dock disciple with their flying swords.
• The Blade Transforming Dock disciple conceded, and Zhang He recalled his white bear; both men left the stone hall to Qin Xian'er and Ling Yue.

Xiao Yu traveled through the Ring-shaped Mountain seeking spirit herbs, avoiding fierce beasts and other disciples as he went. He found the secluded cave where Purple Monkey Flowers grew, but discovered a giant spider guarding them.

• Disciples across the Forbidden Grounds avoided deadly fights over spirit herbs, planning ambushes for the final day instead.
• Xiao Yu hunted lower-tier beasts, evaded stronger ones, and escaped a flock of forty or fifty Fire Crows.
• Xiao Yu headed to a secluded waterfall cave where his materials said Purple Monkey Flowers could be found.
• Xiao Yu entered the cave with a Moonlight Stone and protective barrier, then found three immature Purple Monkey Flowers and a giant spider beneath them.

Xiao Yu killed a powerful spider guarding purple monkey flowers, gathered more spiritual herbs, and planned to collect enough mature ingredients before leaving the Forbidden Grounds. On the fourth day, he spotted disciples from Spirit Beast Mountain and the Blade Transforming Dock heading into the underground cave he intended to explore, and chose to investigate cautiously.

• Xiao Yu ambushed the spider with magical artifacts and Fire Serpent Talismans, then killed it with the Small Axe after the flames badly wounded it.
• Xiao Yu dug up the purple monkey flowers, harvested the spider's valuable remains, and gathered herbs from three more unguarded locations.
• At the end of the third day, Xiao Yu rested in a secluded cave and decided to seek more mature spiritual herbs so he could collect ten before leaving.
• On the fourth day, Xiao Yu traveled toward an underground cave, killing several solitary mid-tier demon beasts along the way.
• Xiao Yu saw a brightly dressed disciple and a blue-clad disciple disappear near the cave, recognized them as likely members of Spirit Beast Mountain and the Blade Transforming Dock, and decided to investigate while keeping an escape route in mind.

Xiao Yu entered an underground cavern and found Zhang He and a Blade Transforming Dock cultivator fighting a Golden-Light Python over rare spirit herbs. After Zhang He used a Talisman Treasure to crush the python’s lower body, the golden brick suddenly turned toward the Blade Transforming Dock cultivator.

• Xiao Yu descended into the cavern and hid when he saw Zhang He and a young man from the Blade Transforming Dock fighting a Golden-Light Python.
• The python corroded Zhang He's arm with its black liquid, and Zhang He swallowed healing and antidote pills.
• Zhang He asked the young man to hold off the python while he activated a Talisman Treasure, and the young man trapped the python with an Earth Prison Talisman.
• Zhang He sent a giant golden brick crashing down, crushing the python's rear body and trapping it in a pit.
• As Zhang He brought the brick down toward the python's head, it changed direction and struck toward the young man from the Blade Transforming Dock.

Xiao Yu ambushed and killed Zhang He after Zhang He killed the Blade Transforming Dock disciple, then finished off the wounded Golden-Light Python and collected the cavern’s treasures. With enough spirit medicines to trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill, he left the underground space to wait for the Forbidden Grounds to reopen.

• The Blade Transforming Dock disciple used his blood essence to empower and destroy his flying knives, holding Zhang He's Golden Brick at bay while he tried to escape.
• Zhang He ordered the Giant Bear to block the disciple, and the bear kept him occupied until the Golden Brick crushed him.
• Xiao Yu emerged from concealment and killed Zhang He with the Shadowless Needle, causing the life-bound Giant Bear to die as well.
• Xiao Yu repeatedly struck the wounded Golden-Light Python's severed body until the python died.
• Xiao Yu took the dead cultivators' storage pouches and artifacts, dug up the spirit medicines, and skinned the Golden-Light Python.
• Xiao Yu left the cavern with enough spirit medicines to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill and planned to wait for the Forbidden Grounds to reopen.

Xiao Yu hid in a sealed cave on the Forbidden Grounds’ outskirts, sorted his stolen spoils, and began studying a secret art for strengthening magic tools with his blood. On the fifth afternoon, the sect leaders opened the passage and waited as an injured cultivator emerged first.

• Xiao Yu reached a barren hill, dug a hidden cave, and settled inside to wait for the Forbidden Grounds to open.
• Xiao Yu examined the four storage bags he had plundered and moved surplus Spirit Medicines and other valuables into the Mysterious Space.
• Xiao Yu identified Zhang He’s Golden Brick Talisman Treasure as a powerful weapon with at least two uses remaining.
• Xiao Yu read a jade slip describing the Blood Refining Secret Art and decided to learn it and strengthen his magic tools.
• On the fifth afternoon, seven Core Formation cultivators opened the passage, and an injured middle-aged man in yellow stumbled out.
• Li Huayuan scolded the injured man, who bowed, sat down, and began treating his wounds.

As the deadline to leave the Forbidden Grounds arrived, Xiao Yu crossed its increasingly violent outskirts and fought off a final ambush. He killed the robber with his Scarlet Cloud Sword Talisman Treasure and hurried toward the exit.

• Xiao Yu left his secluded cave and set out as cultivators across the Forbidden Grounds began fighting and robbing one another for supplies.
• Two Qingxu Sect Daoists captured Huang Bo’s Bloodsucking Mosquitoes, bound him, and killed him for his treasures.
• Wang and Liu agreed to end their stalemate and withdrew their magical artifacts to search for other targets.
• Xiao Yu survived two earlier encounters, killing a Heavenly Gate Fort cultivator and parting peacefully from an elite Covering Moon Sect disciple.
• At a crossroads, Xiao Yu blocked Li’s attacks with the Spirit Turtle Shield and killed him with the Scarlet Cloud Sword Talisman Treasure.
• Xiao Yu took Li’s storage pouch, swallowed a Spirit-Restoring Pill, and raced toward the exit.

The Forbidden Grounds closed after Xiao Yu and the surviving disciples escaped, leaving each sect to count its losses and surrender its collected herbs for inspection. Qingxu Sect won Fuyunzi's wager against Li Huayuan, and Xiao Yu departed with Patriarch Wang, resolved to put survival first.

• The remaining disciples emerged from the Forbidden Grounds, including Xiao Yu, who had fought off several ambushes on his way to the exit.
• The passage shattered and closed, and the sects counted their survivors, with the Covering Moon Sect returning the most.
• The sects handed over their medicinal herbs, and a Scent-Detecting Mouse failed to detect the herbs Xiao Yu had hidden in his space.
• Qingxu Sect presented three more medicinal herbs than Yellow Maple Valley, winning Fuyunzi the wager and the iron essence from Li Huayuan.
• Patriarch Wang led Xiao Yu and the other survivors away on a giant sword-shaped flying artifact, and Xiao Yu resolved to act cautiously and protect his life.

After returning from the Forbidden Grounds, Xiao Yu reclaimed his medicine garden caretaker position and recovered from his exhaustion. He then searched the Storage Bags taken from his attackers and found only ordinary cultivation resources.

• Xiao Yu returned to the Sect with Patriarch Wang and asked Senior Brother Fang for the jade token to the Bing No. 7 Medicine Garden.
• Senior Brother Fang told He Liang that Xiao Yu still held the caretaker position, and He Liang angrily demanded that Xiao Yu give it up.
• Xiao Yu refused He Liang's offer and threats, so He Liang took the Spirit Stones Senior Brother Fang offered and left.
• Senior Brother Fang returned Xiao Yu's jade token, and Xiao Yu went back to the medicine garden and slept for two days.
• Xiao Yu examined the Storage Bags taken from the would-be robbers and found common resources worth more than two thousand Spirit Stones.
• After putting the items away, Xiao Yu suddenly became perfectly still.

Xiao Yu force-ripened Spirit Medicine and spent months practicing alchemy in an upper-grade Earthfire Room. After many failures, he refined fourteen Foundation Establishment Pills, leaving him with enough pills to prepare for Foundation Establishment.

• Xiao Yu gathered Spirit Medicine in his Mysterious Space and prepared to force-ripen the three main herbs needed for Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Over three months, Xiao Yu learned and improved the Blood Refining Secret Art, then gathered his force-ripened herbs and went to the Earthfire Hall.
• Xiao Yu rented upper-grade Earthfire Room Number Twenty-Three and prepared carefully portioned ingredients for repeated attempts at refining pills.
• Xiao Yu failed many times, eventually refined one Foundation Establishment Pill, and improved his success rate with subsequent attempts.
• After more than two months, Xiao Yu exhausted his raw materials and had successfully refined fourteen Foundation Establishment Pills.

Xiao Yu used his Foundation Establishment Pills to improve his constitution and steadily liquefy his magical power, eventually completing Foundation Establishment in the Medicinal Garden. As spiritual energy surged around him, He Liang and his uncle arrived at the garden’s ward to take Xiao Yu’s lucrative assignment.

• Xiao Yu hid his success at refining fifteen Foundation Establishment Pills and returned to the Medicinal Garden after paying the Earthfire Hall’s fees.
• After handing the required spirit medicines to Steward Song, Xiao Yu swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill and endured its painful effects, which advanced his cultivation technique to the thirteenth level.
• Xiao Yu took more pills, cleansing his body and gradually turning his gaseous magical power into liquid true essence.
• Ten days later, Xiao Yu liquefied the last of his magical power and drew a vortex of spiritual energy into his body.
• He Liang and his uncle arrived at the Medicinal Garden’s ward, and the old man sent a talisman inside while they waited.

Xiao Yu endured the painful breakthrough to Foundation Establishment and emerged from the Medicinal Garden, where He Jin and He Liang had been waiting. After sending them away, he went to the Council Hall to report his breakthrough to the Sect Master and have his status registered.

• Xiao Yu broke through to Foundation Establishment after taking four Foundation Establishment Pills and decided to seek a suitable cultivation technique.
• He Liang grew impatient outside the Medicinal Garden, but He Jin recognized Xiao Yu's new cultivation and stopped his nephew from insulting him.
• He Jin introduced himself and excused He Liang's behavior, then left with him after Xiao Yu asked what they wanted.
• He Liang urged He Jin to take the Medicinal Garden, but He Jin warned him not to provoke Xiao Yu and told him to avoid him.
• Xiao Yu flew to the Council Hall and asked to see the Martial Elder Master so the sect could register his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

Xiao Yu met with Sect Leader Chu to register his Foundation Establishment and choose a cave abode within the Giant Sword Sect’s territory. After Xiao Yu left, Sect Leader Chu recalled that he had entered the Forbidden Grounds six months earlier and wondered how he had advanced so quickly.

• Xiao Yu met Sect Leader Chu, who updated his identity token and recorded his name and blood essence on the Sect Scroll.
• Sect Leader Chu showed Xiao Yu a map of the sect’s territory, and Xiao Yu selected an unclaimed area for his cave abode.
• Sect Leader Chu assigned the chosen area to Xiao Yu and gave him Spirit Stones, formation flags, and a jade slip with formation instructions and Foundation Establishment guidance.
• After Xiao Yu left, Sect Leader Chu recognized him as one of the disciples who had entered the Forbidden Grounds and wondered whether his rapid progress came from a fortuitous encounter.

Xiao Yu visited the Scripture Pavilion to choose a Foundation Establishment cultivation art and compared the available options. He found an incomplete copy of the Azure Essence Sword Art and suspected Yellow Maple Valley had given the Giant Sword Sect a deliberately simplified version.

• Xiao Yu went to Morning Glow Peak, where Zhang Qian escorted him through the teleportation array to the Scripture Pavilion.
• The gray-haired elder recognized Xiao Yu, gave him a token, and allowed him to enter the third floor.
• Xiao Yu examined cultivation arts and focused on powerful options, including the Phantom Body Art and the Origin Return Art.
• Xiao Yu discovered an incomplete copy of the Azure Essence Sword Art, which only covered cultivation through late Foundation Establishment.
• Xiao Yu recalled Yan Kuan using an extraordinary sword art and suspected Yellow Maple Valley had withheld most of the Azure Essence Sword Art from the Giant Sword Sect.

Xiao Yu chose to cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art and collected several cultivation materials at the Scripture Pavilion. He left after bargaining with the gray-haired old man over the steep copying fees, paying 650 Spirit Stones for five jade slips.

• Xiao Yu decided to copy and cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art, hoping to obtain its missing treasures later, and picked up an intermediate spell jade slip.
• Xiao Yu found the Origin-Raising Pill formula and selected materials on artifact refining and array formation from the pavilion shelves.
• Xiao Yu asked the gray-haired old man to copy five jade slips and protested when the man quoted fees totaling 980 Spirit Stones.
• Xiao Yu bargained with the old man and agreed to pay 650 Spirit Stones for the copies.
• The gray-haired old man copied the five jade slips and handed them to Xiao Yu.

After establishing his foundation, Xiao Yu sought out Yan Kuan to obtain the Sword-Controlling Technique he had used in battle. Yan Kuan traded Xiao Yu a concealed golden sword-cultivation page for pills, a magic tool, and Spirit Talismans, leaving Xiao Yu with the technique and Yan Kuan pleased with the exchange.

• Xiao Yu returned the Medicinal Garden token to Fang Yuan and asked where to find Yan Kuan, the Qi Refining disciple known as the Martial Fool.
• Xiao Yu found Yan Kuan fighting a Savage Bull Beast at Qilin Pavilion, and the beast fled after Yan Kuan struck it with his flying sword.
• Xiao Yu praised Yan Kuan's Sword-Controlling Technique and pressed him to trade it, offering pills, a magic tool, and Spirit Talismans.
• Yan Kuan gave Xiao Yu a silver-covered page and explained that fire would reveal its original golden surface.
• Xiao Yu burned away the silver, discovered a sword-cultivation technique on the golden page, and handed Yan Kuan the promised goods in exchange.

Xiao Yu built a secluded cave abode and switched to the Azure Essence Sword Art, unlocking its complete cultivation method and the Three-Turn Heavy Origin Art. After enhancing the art in the Mysterious Space, he strengthened his sword abilities and prepared to leave seclusion.

• Xiao Yu carved out a cave abode near the Giant Sword Sect and concealed it with a formation.
• Xiao Yu studied the Azure Essence Sword Art, stabilized his cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, and tested its sword aura and protective shield.
• Xiao Yu used his Azure Essence Sword Aura to unlock the Golden Page, which transferred the complete Azure Essence Sword Art and the Three-Turn Heavy Origin Art into his mind.
• Xiao Yu enhanced the Azure Essence Sword Art in the Mysterious Space and found that his magical power and sword abilities had doubled in purity and strength.
• Xiao Yu finished switching cultivation arts and prepared to leave seclusion to handle several matters.

Xiao Yu entered Taihao Market in Fengdu Kingdom and used a teahouse to learn about the local cultivation world. He left after gathering information, including news of an auction beginning in three days.

• Xiao Yu reached Taihao Market, passed through its formation barrier, and explored the large market.
• Xiao Yu entered the Spirit Immortal Abode and ordered Pure Spirit Immortal Tea while listening to nearby cultivators.
• A group of unaffiliated cultivators discussed an upcoming auction and a rumored pill that could increase the chances of Core Formation.
• Xiao Yu spent the afternoon learning about Fengdu Kingdom and its cultivators, then paid for his tea and left at night.

Xiao Yu sold talismans and unwanted equipment in Taihao Market, then consigned two Foundation Establishment Pills at the auction house in Fengdu Kingdom in exchange for pill formulas. He continued searching the market for spirit medicine seedlings and seeds ahead of the auction.

• Xiao Yu sold seven hundred Fire Serpent Talismans to Shopkeeper Wang for four thousand five hundred spirit stones.
• Xiao Yu sold unused magic tools and other items at a general goods shop, bringing his spirit stone supply to nearly seven thousand.
• Xiao Yu bought talisman-making and equipment-refining materials and collected most of the spirit medicine seedlings and seeds he needed for Origin-Raising Pills.
• Xiao Yu consigned two Foundation Establishment Pills with Song Qian and requested pill formulas suitable for improving a foundation establishment cultivator's cultivation in return.
• Xiao Yu left the auction house and resumed searching the market for spirit medicine seedlings and seeds.

Xiao Yu attended the annual grand auction in disguise, where the auctioneer introduced the bidding rules and sold the first two items. The auction continued as Xiao Yu waited for the treasures he wanted to appear.

• Xiao Yu bought a black bamboo hat Magic Tool to conceal his appearance and took a seat among the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• After more than two hundred cultivators gathered, the old man surnamed Li explained the auction rules and opened the event.
• The auctioneers sold the Windshadow Sword for six hundred and fifty Spirit Stones to a gray-clad man at early Foundation Establishment.
• The three lots of Qi-Gathering Pills sold for five hundred and fifty, five hundred and forty, and five hundred and seventy Spirit Stones.

Xiao Yu competed against a woman in white and a red-robed old man to buy the top-grade Meteor Boat at auction. He won it for 1,150 Spirit Stones and returned to his seat with the flying Magic Tool.

• The elderly man surnamed Li introduced the Meteor Boat as a top-grade flying Magic Tool crafted by Artifact Spirit Master, and bidding quickly began.
• Xiao Yu joined the bidding, determined to replace his slow, low-grade flying Magic Tool.
• A woman in white asked Xiao Yu and the red-robed old man to let her have the boat, but both refused.
• The red-robed old man tried to pressure Xiao Yu into withdrawing, but Xiao Yu rejected his threat and continued bidding.
• Xiao Yu offered 1,150 Spirit Stones, and the red-robed old man stopped bidding.
• Xiao Yu paid for the Meteor Boat, collected it from the elderly man surnamed Li, and returned to his seat.

Xiao Yu watched the auction sell two Foundation Establishment Pills and then a Core Condensation Pill for an enormous price. The female cultivator in the black bamboo hat won the final treasure, drawing greedy and hostile attention as the auction ended.

• The rabbit-masked cultivator won the first Foundation Establishment Pill with two usable pill formulas and two ancient formulas, while the middle-aged scholar won the second with two formulas and one thousand Spirit Stones.
• The elderly man surnamed Li presented a Core Condensation Pill as the auction's final item and set its starting price at four thousand Spirit Stones.
• Xiao Yu abandoned any thought of bidding because he lacked the Spirit Stones and feared attracting dangerous attention.
• The bidding for the Core Condensation Pill climbed to eleven thousand Spirit Stones as most participants dropped out.
• The female cultivator in the black bamboo hat outbid the stout cultivator by one hundred Spirit Stones and bought the pill for eleven thousand six hundred Spirit Stones.
• Several cultivators eyed the winner with greed or hostility as the auction ended.

Xiao Yu attended a cultivators’ exchange gathering and traded a thousand-year-old Frankincense Grass for the simplified Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation. He left with the array disks, flags, and instructions, while the gathering continued.

• Huang traded a six-hundred-year-old spirit ginseng for two Azure Spirit Pills.
• An old woman sold her Tier-3 demon beast core for 1,200 spirit stones after cultivators bid against one another.
• Xiao Yu watched the gathering and noticed that most offered items and requested trades were beyond his means.
• A man wearing a black bamboo hat offered a simplified Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation for thousand-year spirit medicine or high-quality yin-attribute pills.
• Xiao Yu traded his thousand-year-old Frankincense Grass for the formation’s disk, thirty-six flags, and a jade slip explaining how to use them.