Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua blacked out after a mysterious particle entered his head and triggered a bracelet-like object in his mind; Little White Snake briefly transformed into a dragon before returning to normal. Xiao Hua awoke with no clear answers, then went with Xiao Yuehong to receive Jiang Jiantong and his children from the Hundred Herbs Sect.

• Xiao Hua climbed above the warm pool with Little White Snake and jumped in as a particle of light entered the back of his head.
• A bracelet in Xiao Hua's mind absorbed the particle and blazed with light, while Little White Snake grew enormous, began transforming into a dragon, and then returned to its former appearance.
• Xiao Hua regained consciousness in the pool, remembered only the blinding light, and received Xiao Yuehong's summons to the Reception Hall.
• Xiao Yuehong took Xiao Hua through a passage in the mountain mist to meet Jiang Jiantong, Jiang Fan, and Jiang Li of the Hundred Herbs Sect.
• Jiang Jiantong introduced his children, and Jiang Fan presented Xiao Yuehong with Qi Nurturing Pills and Snowy Elixir Pills.

Jiang Jiantong visited Shang Hua Ming, offered an alliance and proposed a marriage between Jiang Fan and Xiao Xianrui, while Xiao Hua discovered that a mysterious cube had illuminated the space inside his mind. Xiao Yuehong accepted the alliance but began to answer the marriage proposal, leaving his decision unresolved.

• Jiang Jiantong visited Shang Hua Ming with his children and brought valuable medicinal pills as gifts.
• Xiao Yuehong sent Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui to accompany Jiang Fan and Jiang Li around Huanghua Ridge.
• Xiao Hua saw a rotating cube shining like a sun inside his mysterious space and rushed to the Reception Hall.
• Jiang Jiantong proposed an alliance between the Hundred Herbs Sect and Shang Hua Ming, and Xiao Yuehong agreed to discuss mutual support.
• Jiang Jiantong offered two Foundation Establishment Pills as betrothal gifts and asked Xiao Yuehong to marry Xiao Xianrui to Jiang Fan.
• Xiao Yuehong thanked Jiang Jiantong but asked him to hear the rest of his response before drawing a conclusion.

Xiao Yuehong postponed Jiang Jiantong’s marriage proposal until Xiao Xianrui could decide for herself, while the young disciples of the two sects became acquainted. Xiao Hua discovered that the cube’s light nourished the herbs in his space, then began cultivating as the cube reacted and enveloped him in unseen starlight.

• Xiao Yuehong asked Jiang Jiantong to wait until he had consulted Xiao Xianrui, and Jiang Jiantong agreed to let the young disciples spend more time together.
• Xiao Hua found Jiang Li and Jiang Fan socializing with Xiao Xianrui while Gong Mingwei and Zhang Qingxiao stood awkwardly nearby, then refused to tell Zhang Qingxiao what the sect leaders had discussed.
• After the Hundred Herbs Sect guests departed, Xiao Yuehong ordered his disciples to return to Jingxin Cave and reflect on their mistakes without explaining further.
• Xiao Hua noticed the spiritual herbs in his space had recovered and realized the cube’s light might be supplying them with spiritual qi.
• Xiao Hua began cultivating, and the cube stopped rotating, pulsed with a profound fluctuation, and drew unseen starlight around his body like a cocoon.

Exotic Starlight accelerated the growth of Xiao Hua’s spirit herbs, leading him to hope he could cultivate Linglong Grass and help Shang Hua Ming obtain Foundation Establishment Pills. After learning how difficult Linglong Grass was to grow, he concealed his discovery from Xiao Yuehong and asked permission to search around Minsi Peak for herbs.

• While Xiao Hua slept, Exotic Starlight poured into the cube in his mind and made the spirit herbs in his space grow dramatically.
• Xiao Hua found that the herbs had grown as much in one night as they would in a year and imagined using Linglong Grass to help Shang Hua Ming make Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Xiao Hua asked Xiao Yuehong about Linglong Grass seeds, and Xiao Yuehong explained that they needed a hundred years of daily Spiritual Qi before sprouting and two more centuries of growth afterward.
• Xiao Hua hid his true reason for asking, while Xiao Yuehong urged him to cultivate and said he would search deeper into Huanghua Ridge for an old Spirit Gathering Fruit.
• Xiao Hua asked to search around Minsi Peak for spirit herbs, and Xiao Yuehong allowed him to try despite doubting he would find anything valuable.

Xiao Yuehong flew into Huanghua Ridge’s forbidden depths, determined to find spirit herbs that could help Shang Hua Ming compete with Hundred Herbs Sect. Xiao Hua returned to the herb garden and examined a Flying Talisman from his growing spiritual space while learning about the different kinds of talismans.

• Xiao Yuehong resented Jiang Jiantong’s proposal and Foundation Establishment Pills, then flew toward the depths of Huanghua Ridge to seek spirit herbs.
• Xiao Hua checked on Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui without revealing why Xiao Yuehong had left.
• Xiao Hua rejoiced that spirit herbs in his mind’s space grew at a rate of one day inside for one year outside.
• Xiao Hua returned to Xihua Peak’s herb garden and took out a Yellow Flying Talisman.
• Xiao Hua reviewed how Yellow Talismans, Spirit Talismans, and Jade Talismans worked, including the rare Heaven-Connecting Jade.

Xiao Hua examined the mysterious serpentine object he had kept for three years, then asked Little White Snake to help him find hidden places where he could plausibly claim to have found spirit herbs. After preparing those locations, he returned to cultivation and reflected on his progress and Shang Hua Ming’s cultivation levels.

• Xiao Hua found that his Flight Talisman worked unusually well for him, then examined the shadowless serpentine object hidden in his mind before flying to Xihua Peak’s cold pool.
• Xiao Hua summoned Little White Snake and asked it to lead him to a concealed place where he could later claim to have discovered spirit herbs.
• Little White Snake led Xiao Hua through a hidden cave to a small underground pool, where he prepared the ground to stage a future discovery of the Spirit Gathering Fruit and Linglong Grass.
• Xiao Hua followed Little White Snake to several more hidden locations and made them look as though spirit herbs had been harvested there.
• Xiao Hua resumed cultivation and considered how his magical power continued to grow despite remaining at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, while recalling Gong Mingwei’s account of cultivation progress.

Xiao Hua told Xiao Xianrui, Gong Mingwei, and Zhang Qingxiao that Xiao Yuehong had been missing in Huanghua Ridge for more than twenty days, just as Myriad Poisons Sect attacked Shang Hua Ming’s protective array. The disciples discovered the attackers included two Foundation Establishment cultivators, while a message from Jiang Jiantong revealed that Hundred Herbs Sect had contacted Xiao Yuehong about his daughter; the message’s main purpose remained unheard.

• Xiao Hua reported Xiao Yuehong’s long absence to Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui after noticing a communication talisman arrive.
• Xiao Hua and the three senior disciples heard attacks striking Shang Hua Ming’s sect-protecting grand array and went to inspect it.
• Xiao Xianrui identified the attackers as Myriad Poisons Sect disciples, while Protector Zhen and Protector Liao prepared to attack the array themselves.
• Xiao Xianrui sent a paper-crane communication talisman toward Huanghua Ridge to alert Xiao Yuehong.
• Gong Mingwei opened the incoming scarlet communication talisman and heard Jiang Jiantong ask whether Xiao Yuehong had discussed a matter concerning his daughter.

The Myriad Poisons Sect attacked Shang Hua Ming while Xiao Yuehong was away, and Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui struggled to defend the sect-protecting formation. The formation faltered under Protector Liao and Protector Zhen’s assault, leaving the defenders exposed.

• Jiang Jiantong warned Xiao Hua through a communication talisman that the Myriad Poisons Sect might attack, and the group realized the Hundred Herbs Sect’s warning had arrived too late to summon help.
• Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui poured their spiritual power into a jade pendant to reinforce Shang Hua Ming’s formation, while Xiao Hua was told his cultivation was too weak to help.
• Protector Liao used her Beauty like Jade artifact and Corpse Poison Butterflies against the formation, but they only cleared a small patch of mist.
• Protector Zhen enlarged his Undying Golden Spear and struck the formation, then combined his attack with Protector Liao’s black qi to shatter the mist and scatter the defenders.
• Protector Zhen and Protector Liao saw the exposed Xiao Hua and the others and remarked that the absent Xiao Yuehong had left only four people to control the formation.

Jiang Jiantong and Jiang Fan watched the Myriad Poisons Sect attack Shang Hua Ming while waiting to see whether Xiao Yuehong would appear. As Xiao Hua struggled to stabilize the sect formation, a giant python transforming into a flood dragon appeared and pursued the two attackers.

• Jiang Jiantong explained why the Hundred Herbs Sect would wait before intervening, suspecting the Myriad Poisons Sect had another move in reserve.
• Xiao Hua took the jade pendant and poured in his spiritual power, barely stabilizing Shang Hua Ming's protective sect formation.
• Protector Zhen resumed attacking the formation, but dark clouds and thunder suddenly gathered above Huanghua Ridge.
• Protector Zhen recognized an enormous, illusory flood dragon as a giant python transforming and urged Protector Liao to flee.
• Protector Zhen and Protector Liao fled, but the flood dragon released a frigid azure radiance that caught up with them.

Little White transformed into a flood dragon and killed the Myriad Poisons Sect attackers, while Xiao Hua and the others remained unaware behind Shang Hua Ming’s restored formation. A late Nascent Soul Daoist deduced that Little White cultivated the Dragon Transformation Art and left to seek a chance to seize its inner core; ten days passed without another attack, and Xiao Yuehong remained missing.

• Little White froze the two Myriad Poisons Sect Protectors and several qi cultivation disciples, then shattered them with a breath before shrinking back into a white snake.
• Jiang Jiantong and Jiang Fan watched from their flying shuttle, concluded Shang Hua Ming had a powerful guardian beast, and planned to strengthen ties with the sect through Xiao Xianrui.
• A young Daoist revealed he had been observing the battle and deduced that Little White was a snake using the Dragon Transformation Art; he decided to seek a helper and pursue its inner core when it attempted to transform into a dragon.
• Xiao Hua, Gong Mingwei, Xiao Xianrui, and Zhang Qingxiao restored the grand formation without knowing Little White had defeated the attackers, then chose to remain on guard when they found no trace outside.
• Ten days passed without another Myriad Poisons Sect attack, while Xiao Yuehong remained missing after more than a month without news.

Xiao Hua waited for Xiao Yuehong’s return, tending to his rapidly maturing spirit herbs and discovering that the mysterious light also seemed to preserve the puppet’s spirit stone. Xiao Yuehong returned injured but in good spirits, carrying Spirit Gathering Fruits, and the chapter ended as he showed the gathered disciples what he had obtained.

• Xiao Xianrui received Xiao Yuehong’s message that he was injured and returning, so Gong Mingwei and Zhang Qingxiao went deeper into Huanghua Ridge to meet him while Xiao Hua stayed behind.
• Xiao Hua found that the spirit herbs in his space had gained more than thirty years of medicinal age, including purple Spirit Gathering Fruits, while the Linglong Grass seeds had not sprouted.
• Xiao Hua discovered that the puppet’s spirit stone had not dimmed after weeks in the space and suspected the cube’s light had replenished it.
• After receiving Xiao Xianrui’s summons, Xiao Hua brought purple Spirit Gathering Fruits to Minsi Peak and met Xiao Yuehong, who had returned pale and injured aboard his flying boat.
• Xiao Yuehong invited Xiao Hua to sit in the main hall, but Xiao Hua declined and stood beside him.
• Xiao Yuehong showed the others several Spirit Gathering Fruits he had gathered, explaining that they were not old enough but could still be used.

Xiao Hua presented Xiao Yuehong with more than a dozen bottles of thirty-year-old Spirit Gathering Fruits, giving Shang Hua Ming the ingredients to refine Qi Nurturing Pills but leaving Xiao Yuehong needing Zhe Wu Grass. With the sect still threatened by the Myriad Poisons Sect, Xiao Yuehong sent Xiao Hua to the Hundred Herbs Sect to offer thanks and trade for the grass.

• Xiao Yuehong explained that he needed to refine Qi Nurturing Pills quickly to strengthen Shang Hua Ming against another attack by the Myriad Poisons Sect.
• Xiao Hua presented the Spirit Gathering Fruits he had found on Xihua Peak, astonishing Xiao Yuehong and the others with their number and age.
• Xiao Yuehong realized he needed enough Zhe Wu Grass to pair with the fruits and decided to seek a trade with the Hundred Herbs Sect.
• Xiao Yuehong chose Xiao Hua to visit the Hundred Herbs Sect because the other disciples needed to guard the sect-protecting formation, and Xiao Hua accepted despite Zhang Qingxiao's concern.
• Xiao Yuehong gave Xiao Hua flight and other yellow talismans, sent a communication talisman ahead, and escorted him out of Shang Hua Ming's formation toward the Hundred Herbs Sect.

Xiao Hua set out from Huanghua Ridge to retrieve Zhe Wu Grass, while Xiao Yuehong’s group wondered about the Spirit Gathering Fruits he had found. After safely crossing the plains, Xiao Hua was approached by a middle-aged cultivator who rebuked him for calling him Senior Brother.

• Xiao Yuehong sent Xiao Hua toward Hundred Herbs Sect because he and the other disciples could not safely leave Shang Hua Ming’s formation.
• Xiao Yuehong ordered Zhang Qingxiao to inspect Xiao Hua’s cave and learned that a fresh patch of Spirit Gathering Fruit had been picked, though no Spirit Gathering Grass remained.
• Xiao Hua waited near Huanghua Ridge, stored his talismans and supplies in his hidden space, and took a detour across the plains to avoid demon beasts and isolated encounters.
• Xiao Hua passed several groups of stronger cultivators by flying cautiously and keeping his distance.
• As dusk fell near a dense forest, a middle-aged cultivator approached Xiao Hua and scorned him for calling him Senior Brother.

Xiao Hua was ambushed by Fellow Daoist Chang while traveling to Yaonong Peak, but Fellow Daoist Li intervened and gave him a ride. As they crossed the Chifang Mountain Range, Li noticed that the forest was unusually silent.

• Xiao Hua told Fellow Daoist Chang that he was a probationary disciple of Shang Hua Ming traveling to the Hundred Herbs Sect to seek Mojie Pills.
• Fellow Daoist Chang suspected Xiao Hua carried valuables, struck him with a Binding Talisman, and moved in to search him.
• Fellow Daoist Li arrived, stopped Fellow Daoist Chang, and sent him away after confirming Xiao Hua carried no valuables.
• Fellow Daoist Li warned Xiao Hua not to reveal his destination or purpose, then carried him toward the forest on a door-panel-shaped artifact.
• Fellow Daoist Li remarked that the Chifang Mountain Range was strangely quiet, and Xiao Hua also noticed the absence of the usual nighttime sounds.

Xiao Hua broke free of Fellow Daoist Li’s Immobilization Talisman and spent the night cultivating in the forest. At dawn, a fleeing young woman and four pursuers converged on him, while an unseen danger blocked his escape.

• Fellow Daoist Li left Xiao Hua on a forest ridge to chase a green streak of light.
• Xiao Hua shattered the Immobilization Talisman with his strength, then cultivated through the night.
• Xiao Hua realized he was lost at dawn, but a fleeing young woman flew toward him as four cultivators pursued her.
• The young woman tried to keep the pursuers from involving Xiao Hua, while he sensed a dangerous presence behind him and held back from fleeing.
• The four cultivators surrounded Xiao Hua and the young woman, demanding the item she had obtained the previous night.

Xiao Hua watched a young woman fight off four cultivators with talismans, only for the Pilan Twin Bears to corner her alongside their two accomplices. With six Qi Cultivation fifth-layer opponents blocking his escape, Xiao Hua spoke up in an attempt to protect her, and the men mocked his low cultivation.

• The young woman used several talismans to defeat the four cultivators’ attacks and escape, while Xiao Hua watched and hesitated to flee.
• Two cultivators intercepted the young woman and forced her back to the other four men, who admitted they had planned to share the item she carried.
• The young woman recognized the newcomers as the Pilan Twin Bears and trembled as they threatened to assault and kill her if she did not cooperate.
• Xiao Hua realized he could not escape and that the young woman was relying on him, so he urged the Pilan Twin Bears to accept the item and let her go.
• The Pilan Twin Bears dismissed Xiao Hua’s appeal and mocked him for being only at the first layer of Qi Cultivation.

Xiao Hua used his speed and strength to shatter the Pilan Twin Bears’ Iron Cloth Talismans, then fled with Cai Zhuoxia before the onlookers realized his apparent power was a bluff. He brought her to a concealed mountain refuge, where Cai Zhuoxia introduced herself and revealed her family’s connection to the Cai Family of Qingyuan.

• Cai Zhuoxia gave Xiao Hua Fireball Talismans, and the Pilan Twin Bears protected themselves with Iron Cloth Talismans.
• Xiao Hua used a Flight Talisman to close in and break one Pilan Twin Bear’s defense with repeated punches, then shattered the other’s talisman with a single blow.
• Cai Zhuoxia attacked the first bear with her Sword Talisman as Xiao Hua charged the second, and the Pilan Twin Bears and four onlookers fled.
• Xiao Hua seized Cai Zhuoxia and escaped with her, realizing the others might see through his act once they recovered from their surprise.
• After hours of flight, Cai Zhuoxia questioned why a Nascent Soul stage senior needed Flight Talismans, and Xiao Hua took her to a hidden spot among the mountains.
• Cai Zhuoxia introduced herself as a member of the Cai Family of Luyang, a branch of the Cai Family of Qingyuan, and Xiao Hua was startled when she mentioned her Lineage.

After Xiao Hua rescued Cai Zhuoxia from the Pilan Twin Bears, she mistook him for a Nascent Soul cultivator and tried to learn his identity and offer repayment. Xiao Hua clarified that he was only at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, while Cai Zhuoxia explained Rogue Cultivators and the dangers they posed.

• Cai Zhuoxia described the Cai Family of Luyang’s ties to the Kunlun Sect and asked Xiao Hua for his immortal title so she could remember his rescue.
• Xiao Hua revealed that he was only at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, astonishing Cai Zhuoxia, who had assumed his speed and youthful appearance meant he was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Cai Zhuoxia asked about Xiao Hua’s sect and background, and he gave his name but declined to reveal his sect.
• Xiao Hua admitted he did not know what a Rogue Cultivator was, and Cai Zhuoxia explained that they cultivated outside sects and cultivation families.
• Cai Zhuoxia said the Pilan Twin Bears were Rogue Cultivators who had obtained nameless techniques, and Xiao Hua recognized that such cultivators often relied on robbery and plunder.

Xiao Hua agreed to help Cai Zhuoxia at Hundred Zhang Peak in half a year and continued toward Yaonong Peak, reflecting on his ability to break talismans with physical force. He reached the Hundred Herbs Sect and asked its disciples for an audience with Sect Leader Jiang.

• Cai Zhuoxia asked Xiao Hua to accompany her to Hundred Zhang Peak in half a year, and he accepted her invitation.
• Cai Zhuoxia gave Xiao Hua a communication talisman and directions to Yaonong Peak before they parted ways.
• Xiao Hua recognized that he could break talismans with physical force, but concluded the ability depended on surprise and that raising his cultivation mattered more.
• Xiao Hua avoided a distant battle and other cultivators on his way to the mountain range near Yaonong Peak.
• Three Hundred Herbs Sect disciples stopped Xiao Hua, and he identified himself as a disciple of Shang Hua Ming seeking an audience with Sect Leader Jiang.

Xiao Hua arrived alone at the Hundred Herbs Sect, where Jiang Fan gave him an elaborate welcome despite Jiang Li’s disdain. As Jiang Fan showed him Yaonong Peak’s medicinal fields and training grounds, Xiao Hua privately dismissed the sect’s boasts and revealed his confidence in his ability to grow rare spirit herbs.

• Xiao Hua told Chen Feng he had come alone from Shang Hua Ming, and Chen Feng sent a talisman to notify Jiang Fan.
• Jiang Fan and Jiang Li came to greet Xiao Hua with a ceremonial procession, but Jiang Li ignored him after discovering he was only at the first layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Xiao Hua explained that his fellow disciples were confined to Jingxin Cave and that Shang Hua Ming’s sect master could not leave the mountain.
• Jiang Fan escorted Xiao Hua toward the Reception Hall and described the Hundred Herbs Sect’s extensive medicinal fields and stores of old spirit herbs.
• Jiang Fan pointed out the sect’s dangerous training grounds, while Xiao Hua privately thought he could cultivate thousand-year Linglong Grass himself.