Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua broke through to the third layer of Qi Cultivation aboard the ship and spent the morning training before investigating the small sword. He discovered that his divine sense could briefly stop the sword in midair and searched the Carefree Heart Sutra for guidance on Object Manipulation.

• Zhang Xiaohua absorbed Yuan Qi from two Yuan stones and broke through to the third layer of the Carefree Heart Sutra as the sun rose.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered that his divine sense had expanded enough to survey the ship and a broad stretch of sea, then spent the morning practicing his fists and the Art of Earth Evasion hand seals.
• Zhang Xiaohua saw Qin Shiyue courting Xu Jiaotong and thought of Meng, then considered whether the small sword could provide him with another means of attack.
• Zhang Xiaohua accidentally used his divine sense to pause the small sword in midair before catching it.
• Zhang Xiaohua consulted the Carefree Heart Sutra and found a passage about Object Manipulation at the tenth layer of Qi Cultivation.

Zhang Xiaohua learned to control a flying sword with divine sense and realized the Nameless Sword Moves were designed for object manipulation. As Qin Shiyue received the South Sea Dragon Palace’s gifts, Zhang Xiaohua wondered whether a chest contained a jade slip with sword arts, and Qin Shiyue discovered an unusual piece of jade.

• Zhang Xiaohua used Object Manipulation to lift and skillfully guide the little sword through his cabin.
• Zhang Xiaohua joined the banquet, then learned that a ship had arrived carrying gifts for the Cult Master.
• Dragon King Xu presented Qin Shiyue with more than ten chests of gifts, including worldly valuables beyond the ten listed on the register.
• Zhang Xiaohua connected the Nameless Sword Moves to Object Manipulation and practiced them as a series of flying sword techniques.
• Zhang Xiaohua suspected that the chest containing unusual vital-energy fluctuations held a jade slip, while Qin Shiyue inspected the jade artifacts and picked up an unusual piece.

Zhang Xiaohua examined the Immortal Path artifacts Qin Shiyue offered to the Cult Master, then practiced Earth Evasion and cultivated aboard the storm-tossed ship. The chapter left him sensing something and detecting another vessel nearby.

• Qin Shiyue placed Qi Stones and three scarlet flags into the chest of artifacts for the Heavenly Dragon Sect's Cult Master.
• Zhang Xiaohua found fragments of ancient text in a jade slip and resumed practicing the Art of Earth Evasion, but could not complete its second formula.
• Zhang Xiaohua absorbed primordial qi as a violent storm rocked the ship, while Qin Shiyue and Ying Fei suffered from seasickness.
• Zhang Xiaohua continued training the next day as Qin Shiyue recovered and Xu Jiaotong kept him company.
• Zhang Xiaohua sensed something during the next storm, swept the ship and surrounding sea with his divine sense, and detected another vessel.

Zhang Xiaohua sensed six government warships closing in, but Qin Shiyue and Dragon King Xu doubted him until the ships revealed themselves by lighting their lamps. The group prepared to flee through the only unlit gap in the encirclement.

• Zhang Xiaohua sensed six armed ships pursuing their vessel and hurried to warn Qin Shiyue.
• Qin Shiyue summoned Dragon King Xu, the Seven Waters Gang Leader, and Jing Lao Er, but Jing Lao Er insisted that no pursuers were present.
• Zhang Xiaohua explained that he sensed danger and urged them to prepare, while Jing Lao Er dismissed his warning and Qin Shiyue nearly struck him.
• Dragon King Xu ordered the ship’s lights extinguished, despite Jing Lao Er’s objections.
• The six warships lit their lamps around the vessel, proving Zhang Xiaohua’s warning was true.
• Zhang Xiaohua identified the one dark direction as the gap in the encirclement, and Dragon King Xu asked where they should flee.

Dragon King Xu’s ship tried to escape six pursuing naval ships, but a storm snapped its mast and slowed it down. With the enemy closing in, Qin Shiyue persuaded the Dragon Kings to stop fleeing and attack, and Dragon King Xu ordered the ship to ram one of the naval vessels.

• Zhang Xiaohua confirmed that six ships were pursuing them, and Qin Shiyue told him to stay close if trouble arose.
• Dragon King Xu led Qin Shiyue and the others to the upper platform, where they saw the naval ships closing in around their giant vessel.
• A thunderstorm battered the ships, slowing the pursuing navy vessels and giving Dragon King Xu hope of escape.
• The giant ship’s mast snapped and fell, reducing its speed as the naval ships caught up and began charging from the flanks.
• Qin Shiyue argued that the pursuing ships were likely undermanned and urged the Dragon Kings to board and fight instead of fleeing.
• Dragon King Xu ordered the sails lowered, the ship turned around, and the crew to ram the approaching naval vessel.

After a collision between the South Sea Dragon Palace and navy ships knocked Zhang Xiaohua into the sea, he drifted through an undercurrent and survived by clinging to floating lumber. He reached a deserted island’s waters but was pursued by a gigantic jellyfish, and the chapter ended as he prepared to use his flying sword.

• The South Sea Dragon Palace ship rammed the navy vessel, and Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep from his condition and was swept into the sea.
• Dragon King Xu ordered sailors to search for Zhang Xiaohua, but he drifted away on broken planks and was carried by an undercurrent.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke on the lumber, cultivated with his Yuan Stones, and spent a day and night adrift without fresh water.
• A Giant Jellyfish followed Zhang Xiaohua through the undercurrent, drawn to the Yuan Stones but deterred by the starlight around him.
• Near a deserted island, the Giant Jellyfish struck Zhang Xiaohua’s wood and forced him out of the current, so he used pieces of lumber to move toward the island.
• With the Giant Jellyfish pursuing him, Zhang Xiaohua took out his little flying sword.

Zhang Xiaohua fought off a giant jellyfish and reached a deserted island, where he found fresh water and an enormous edible root. He fell asleep beneath a rock, still wishing he had meat to eat.

• The giant jellyfish attacked Zhang Xiaohua, but he used his flying sword to wound it and drive it beneath the sea.
• Zhang Xiaohua followed the current to the deserted island and scanned it for drinkable water.
• He climbed the mountain and found a clear lake surrounded by a ring of mountains.
• Zhang Xiaohua found and ate an enormous sweet root he thought might be Solomon's Seal, then drank fresh lake water.
• Exhausted, Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep beneath an overhanging rock and wished he could eat meat.

Stranded alone on a deserted island, Zhang Xiaohua established a routine of cultivation and studied Earth Evasion and alchemy while waiting for Qin Shiyue to find him. After more than ten days without a ship, a lightning flash during a storm suddenly opened a path in his thoughts.

• Zhang Xiaohua assessed the island’s food and water, practiced his techniques, and decided to cultivate the Carefree Heart Sutra at night.
• Zhang Xiaohua found a dry cave and spent his days studying the jade slip’s basic alchemy arts while continuing to cultivate.
• After more than ten days without Qin Shiyue, Zhang Xiaohua grew anxious but advanced to the second Earth Evasion hand seal and the foundations of alchemy.
• As dark clouds gathered, Zhang Xiaohua saw lightning flash before him, and it seemed to open a path in his thoughts.

Zhang Xiaohua deliberately drew heavenly lightning to temper himself, and the storm greatly strengthened his cultivation, bones, and Wo Niu Stone. After spending more than twenty days cultivating on the island and waiting in vain for Qin Shiyue or a ship, he had advanced his techniques but found each new breakthrough required more effort.

• Zhang Xiaohua decided to draw heavenly lightning on the mountaintop and used the Wo Niu Stone while gathering Primordial Qi.
• A storm struck Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly, while starlight repaired his meridians and the Wo Niu Stone absorbed energy; he entered the middle period of Qi Cultivation third layer.
• A gigantic jellyfish fled the island after sensing the power of Zhang Xiaohua's cultivation, and he woke at dawn to find his true qi had increased.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered Big Dipper Divine Fist had advanced, practiced it, and comprehended the third spell formula of Earth Evasion.
• More than twenty days passed without Qin Shiyue or any ships appearing, while Zhang Xiaohua endured several thunderstorms and advanced Big Dipper Divine Fist to the fifth level.

After more than half a year stranded on the deserted island, Zhang Xiaohua mastered earth evasion and learned to activate his pill furnace. He ended the chapter by igniting the furnace and preparing to begin alchemy.

• Zhang Xiaohua advanced his cultivation and finally mastered earth evasion, using it to travel through the mountain before retreating from the scorching depths.
• He experimented with earth evasion until his true qi ran out, then replenished it with Origin Stones and reflected on how exhaustion and recovery might strengthen his cultivation.
• Zhang Xiaohua used his flying sword to catch a seabird and remembered that he needed fire to begin refining pills.
• He examined the pill furnace and found ancient talismans and a control method hidden within its grooves.
• Zhang Xiaohua followed the furnace’s hand seals and circulated true qi through its talismans, causing flames to fill it and startling him into withdrawing his divine sense.

Zhang Xiaohua practiced controlling his pill furnace, learned to refine a Grain Abstinence Pill, and successfully made and ate one. After reflecting on mortality and his family, he resolved to pursue immortality for their sake as a storm gathered over the sea.

• Zhang Xiaohua spent a month practicing with the pill furnace, improving his pill-fire control and flying-sword skills while hunting seabirds to roast.
• Zhang Xiaohua found that Solomon's Seal could serve as the main ingredient for a Grain Abstinence Pill and began experimenting with alchemy.
• Zhang Xiaohua's first attempt failed when the hand seals drained his true qi, so he placed Origin Stones in the furnace's grooves and tried again.
• Zhang Xiaohua struggled to coordinate his divine sense and hand seals but finally divided the medicine into one pill, which melted in his mouth and relieved his hunger.
• Zhang Xiaohua thought about his family and the brevity of human life, then resolved to seek immortality for their sake as storm clouds gathered over the sea.

After refining Grain Abstinence Pills for months on the deserted island, Zhang Xiaohua explored its rocky interior in search of something to make clothes from. He discovered a hidden cave protected by a powerful red restriction and, after brute force failed, realized he might have another way to approach it.

• Zhang Xiaohua stored his refined Grain Abstinence Pills and reflected on his progress in alchemy and cultivation, while worrying that his clothes were nearly worn out.
• Zhang Xiaohua set off to explore the island’s interior, hoping to find suitable material to preserve his modesty.
• Zhang Xiaohua found a concealed cave after sensing a fluctuation of Primordial Qi in a rocky gorge.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered that a red light curtain sealed the cave and blocked both his earth evasion and divine sense.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s powerful punch rebounded from the restriction and sent him flying, so he searched it for a weakness.
• Zhang Xiaohua recalled something, took an object from his robes, and approached the restriction again.

Zhang Xiaohua broke through a cave’s restriction, discovered a robed skeleton, and buried its remains while keeping the robe and a mysterious token. After returning to the cave and absorbing its unusual Primordial Qi, he began breaking through to the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation.

• Zhang Xiaohua used the Nameless Sword Technique and the little sword to break the cave’s light barrier.
• Zhang Xiaohua found a robed skeleton in the cave, accidentally reduced it to powder, and carried its remains to the lake.
• Zhang Xiaohua buried the ashes, found a strange metal token among the robe’s folds, and kept it.
• Zhang Xiaohua washed the water-repellent black robe, put it on, and returned to the cave.
• Zhang Xiaohua cultivated amid the cave’s seemingly endless, scorching Primordial Qi as his true qi surged toward the fifth layer.

Zhang Xiaohua gained insight into the Way of Life and Death, completed the Five Elements in his True Qi, and advanced to the middle of the fifth Qi Cultivation layer. After collecting the cave’s Luminous Pearls, he turned his attention to the jade slips on the stone table.

• Zhang Xiaohua’s insight helped him understand why early Qi Cultivation required steady refinement and a foundation of Five Elements True Qi.
• Zhang Xiaohua drew fire-attributed vital energy from the cave, completing the Five Elements cycle in his Meridians and strengthening his True Qi.
• Zhang Xiaohua broke through to the fifth layer of the Carefree Heart Sutra and reached its middle stage through gradual cultivation.
• Zhang Xiaohua pried every Luminous Pearl from the cave wall, then returned several to restore some light.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed the jade slips on the stone table after realizing that divine sense could not reveal their contents.

Zhang Xiaohua broke the restriction protecting six jade slips and found that five of them remained sealed, while the plain, plump slip revealed the history of Fire Dragon True Person. He learned that the cultivator had left his possessions in a cave in the Feilv Mountain Range before sailing away, though Zhang Xiaohua did not know where that range was.

• Zhang Xiaohua used the warm current flowing through his left arm and the little sword to break the restriction over the stone table.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried to read five jade slips, found each protected by another restriction, and put them into his clothes.
• Zhang Xiaohua examined the remaining plump jade slip and read its account of Fire Dragon True Person, a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Zhang Xiaohua learned that Fire Dragon True Person had left his possessions in a restricted cave in the Feilv Mountain Range before seeking a way beyond worldly bonds by sea.
• Zhang Xiaohua wondered where the Feilv Mountain Range was and complained that Fire Dragon True Person had left his wealth behind.

Zhang Xiaohua studied Fire Dragon True Person’s legacy and learned that the newly unlocked jade slip contained the Azure Blood Alchemy Heart, a method for strengthening divine sense by exhausting and replenishing true qi. The technique appeared perfectly suited to Zhang Xiaohua’s circumstances, though its later stages remained untested.

• Zhang Xiaohua learned that Fire Dragon True Person had survived on the deserted island by cultivating its fire-aspected qi, and he took heart from the possibility of eventually returning to the continent.
• Zhang Xiaohua studied basic restrictions for several dozen days and unlocked only one of the five jade slips, which contained information about restrictions and arrays.
• Zhang Xiaohua read Fire Dragon True Person’s insights into arrays and discovered the unfinished Azure Blood Alchemy Heart technique for exchanging true qi for increased divine sense.
• Zhang Xiaohua considered the risks and benefits of the untested technique, while the chapter explained that his low cultivation and access to the Wo Niu Stone’s Primordial Qi made him unusually well suited to cultivate it.

Zhang Xiaohua’s cultivation of the Azure Blood Alchemy Heart unexpectedly formed an alchemy heart and greatly expanded his divine sense, allowing him to advance his study of formations. He unlocked another jade slip, but its contents left him with an unreadable expression.

• Zhang Xiaohua practiced the Azure Blood Alchemy Heart three times a day while continuing his other cultivation and studying restrictions and formations for two years.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s cultivation advanced, and his divine sense grew to cover nearly the entire deserted island, though no ships arrived.
• During a session of the Azure Blood Alchemy Heart, Zhang Xiaohua’s Upper Dantian formed a liquid alchemy heart, and his divine sense expanded to more than twice its former range.
• Zhang Xiaohua realized that his improved clarity helped him overcome bottlenecks in his study of formations.
• Zhang Xiaohua unlocked the restriction on a slender jade slip and found its contents unreadable to him.

Zhang Xiaohua studied Fire Dragon True Person’s rare Art of Fire Evasion and began cultivating it, discovering that it also improved his Earth Evasion. After nearly a year of training, he continued developing his techniques while preparing to enter the dangerous Earth Lung Fire.

• Zhang Xiaohua learned that Fire Dragon True Person had mastered the Art of Fire Evasion and left its incantation and cultivation insights in a jade slip.
• Zhang Xiaohua continued cultivating Azure Blood Alchemy Heart, strengthening his divine sense and improving his control of the flying sword.
• Zhang Xiaohua read the Fire Evasion jade slip and successfully used the technique to return to the cave entrance.
• Zhang Xiaohua realized that Fire Evasion required a fire-attribute environment and decided to build his strength in the cave before approaching the Earth Lung Fire.
• Zhang Xiaohua spent nearly another year cultivating Fire Evasion alongside his other techniques, and his Earth Evasion improved as well.

Zhang Xiaohua mastered Fire Evasion in the underground lake of fire, then combined it with Earth Evasion to enter and travel through the magma. He discovered more Luminous Pearls in the magma and greedily began collecting them.

• Zhang Xiaohua descended through the restricted cave passage and found a vast lake of fire, where he began practicing Fire Evasion.
• Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly entered and exited the flames, refining Fire Evasion over more than half a year until he could move precisely through them.
• Zhang Xiaohua pried Luminous Pearls from the walls and caught them with Fire Evasion, improving his technique as he collected them.
• Zhang Xiaohua realized he might be able to enter the magma by combining Earth Evasion and Fire Evasion, then decided to risk trying it.
• Zhang Xiaohua successfully entered the magma using both techniques and found that he could travel through it safely while collecting more Luminous Pearls.

While gathering Luminous Pearls in the magma, Zhang Xiaohua encountered the immense divine sense of a sleeping creature and escaped to another part of the underground sea of fire. He found and removed a mysterious, extremely heavy sword-like object, then left the creature undisturbed, though he wondered if they would meet again.

• Zhang Xiaohua sensed a powerful divine presence beneath the magma, briefly glimpsed its gigantic closed eye, and hurried away from it.
• Zhang Xiaohua emerged in an unfamiliar part of the sea of fire and used his divine sense to locate a distant cave.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered a dark sword-like object floating in a small tempering formation and cautiously pulled it free.
• Zhang Xiaohua found the object icy and thousands of jin heavy, but it performed poorly when he thrust it into a stone wall.
• Zhang Xiaohua collected the nearby Luminous Pearls, picked up the sword-like object, and left the magma monster undisturbed while wondering if they might meet again.