Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua improved his Fireball Talisman refining and discovered a genuine Mihuan and a mysterious gold foil among Zhang Zhihao’s possessions. He concealed himself with the Mihuan and reached Jingbo City’s market fair, where a city disciple stopped him at the entrance.

• Xiao Hua made his first successful Fireball Talisman, which looked crude but had middle-grade power.
• Xiao Hua searched Zhang Zhihao’s belongings, found a genuine Seven Wonders Sect Mihuan among his robes, and discovered a mysterious gold foil hidden in one of them.
• After his Fireball Talisman set the robes ablaze, the Yuyang Inn proprietor came to check on the noise, and Xiao Hua explained what had happened.
• Xiao Hua left the inn, wore the Mihuan to conceal his cultivation and appearance, and went to Jingbo City’s market fair.
• A Jingbo City disciple stopped Xiao Hua at the market fair entrance and asked whether it was his first time attending.

Xiao Hua entered Jingbo City's market, bought talismans, and heard Foundation Establishment cultivators compete for a Fire Snake Talisman refining method. There, he unexpectedly heard Xiao Xianrui and Jiang Fan behind him, and froze at the sound of Xiao Xianrui’s voice.

• Xiao Hua paid Jingbo City's entrance fee and received a communication talisman before entering the market.
• Xiao Hua bought several common talismans and followed a crowd to an elderly seller offering a Fire Snake Talisman refining method.
• Zhan Yu, Meng Tian, and Yan Liuying identified themselves and agreed that the highest bidder would obtain the method.
• Xiao Hua heard Xiao Xianrui and Jiang Fan arrive behind him and became unable to move as he listened to them speak.
• Jiang Fan recalled that Xiao Xianrui had given Peacock Illusion to Xiao Hua, causing Xiao Hua to react with shock.

Xiao Hua secretly encountered Xiao Xianrui at the market but chose not to reveal himself or return to her. He then investigated stalls selling demonic artifacts and learned that their stock supposedly came from a battle at Demon Subduing Valley three years earlier.

• Xiao Hua heard Jiang Fan tell Xiao Xianrui that he feared Xiao Hua was dead, then gave a cough that briefly made her suspect his identity.
• Yan Liuying bought the Fire Snake talisman-crafting method for four hundred high-grade spirit stones, and Xiao Hua left the crowd without approaching Xiao Xianrui.
• Xiao Hua considered returning to Xiao Xianrui but decided against risking Jiang Fan's suspicion and went to the demonic artifact stalls instead.
• Xiao Hua examined a weightless five-pointed artifact and learned it came from Demon Subduing Valley; a stall owner also offered him a blood-devouring dagger for fifteen top-grade spirit stones.
• Xiao Hua asked another cultivator whether the artifacts at the stalls genuinely came from Demon Subduing Valley, and the cultivator said only trades with those emerging from the valley could confirm their origin.

Xiao Hua browsed the demonic-artifact stalls, learned about the Ten Great Dangerous Lands, and reflected on Xi Wuming and the battle relics from Demon Subduing Valley. He then watched a bid for a rare two-thousand-year Qi Lian Grass, where Pharmacist Sui and Lie Hong challenged a Mihuan-clad cultivator over its price and purpose.

• Xiao Hua questioned a cultivator about demonic artifacts and heard that their true materials came from the Demon Realm, though the Ten Great Dangerous Lands might contain demonic energy.
• Xiao Hua noticed battle damage on a demonic spearhead, connected the artifacts to the Immortal-Demon War and Xiao Yuehong's trip to Demon Subduing Valley, and searched the fair for Xi Wuming without finding him.
• Xiao Hua passed bidding stalls for a talisman-covered magic artifact and a magic-treasure fragment, learning that only Golden Core cultivators could control the fragment.
• Xiao Hua stopped at a stall selling a two-thousand-year Qi Lian Grass and recognized Pharmacist Sui of Myriad Flowers Valley among the bidders.
• Pharmacist Sui and Lie Hong of the Hundred Herbs Sect argued with a Mihuan-clad cultivator about bidding one supreme-grade spirit stone for the Qi Lian Grass, and Lie Hong explained its rarity and special uses.

Xiao Hua watched a Qi Lian Grass auction before rushing to a crowded stall after hearing someone was selling pill formulas. Lie Hongji examined the seller’s incomplete Yellow Marrow Pill formula and reacted with furious laughter, leaving the crowd uncertain about what he had found.

• Pharmacist Sui and Lie Hongji oversaw the bidding for Qi Lian Grass, which a Mihuan-wearing cultivator bought for one and a half top-grade spirit stones.
• Xiao Hua heard a call advertising pill formulas and hurried to a stall that had drawn a large crowd.
• Lie Hongji and Wan Lei stepped forward as several cultivators prepared to bid on the formula.
• The fat stall owner revealed that the pill formula was incomplete and let Lie Hongji inspect it after Lie demanded assurance that it was being sold as complete.
• Lie Hongji read the booklet, identified it as a Yellow Marrow Pill formula, and then laughed furiously at the seller.

Xiao Hua bought an incomplete pill formula after discovering it described Yellow Mi Grass, which had sprouted among his seeds. After learning the Hundred Herbs Sect had plenty of Zhe Wu Grass despite previously giving him little, he left the stall furious at Jiang Jiantong and approached another vendor.

• Lie Hong and Wan Lei exposed the fat man's pill formula as incomplete and seemingly worthless, but Xiao Hua recognized its value and bought it for twenty middle-grade spirit stones.
• Xiao Hua realized the formula named Yellow Mi Grass and Extreme Marrow Fruit, and confirmed that a Yellow Mi Grass seed from the Hundred Herbs Sect had sprouted in his space.
• Xiao Hua studied the formula, gathered its remaining herb seeds and seedlings at the market, and spent very few spirit stones.
• A Hundred Herbs Sect disciple said the sect had at least a thousand thirty-year-old Zhe Wu Grass plants, angering Xiao Hua because the sect had previously given him only a small amount.
• Xiao Hua blamed Jiang Jiantong for coveting Shang Hua Ming, then headed toward a nearby stall and approached its Qi Cultivation third-layer owner.

Xiao Hua recognized the Rogue Cultivator who had tried to swindle Xiao Mao and set out to turn the tables on him at the market. After Xiao Hua left the stall, the Rogue Cultivator accused him of stealing the jade pendant and threatened to summon Jingbo City's disciples.

• Xiao Hua browsed the Rogue Cultivator's stall and found the jade pendant Xiao Mao had wanted.
• Xiao Hua pretended to consider buying a black sphere, the pendant, and a demon beast inner core while the Rogue Cultivator quoted outrageous prices.
• When an accomplice appeared to claim the pendant, Xiao Hua tossed it back and tried to leave without buying anything.
• The Rogue Cultivator's accomplice announced that the pendant was missing, and the Rogue Cultivator chased Xiao Hua down and accused him of stealing it.
• The Rogue Cultivator demanded two top-grade spirit stones or Xiao Hua's storage pouch and threatened him with Jingbo City's disciples.

Xiao Hua called Jingbo City guards after Chang Feng accused him of stealing a jade talisman, and an inspection found no talisman on him. When the officials cleared Xiao Hua, he insisted that Chang Feng’s false accusation still required an explanation, and the matter remained unresolved.

• Chang Feng threatened Xiao Hua and summoned Jingbo City, but Xiao Hua sent his own communication talisman first and restrained Chang Feng when he attacked.
• Guard Xu inspected Xiao Hua’s storage bag, found no jade talisman, and summoned Captain Yang after Chang Feng claimed it was hidden beneath Xiao Hua’s Mihuan.
• Chang Feng tried to withdraw his accusation when Captain Yang and two other cultivators confirmed Xiao Hua carried no jade talisman.
• Xiao Hua demanded that Jingbo City address Chang Feng’s false accusation, and Captain Yang ordered Guard Xu to enforce the city’s rules.
• Chang Feng apologized and claimed he had been mistaken, but Xiao Hua challenged his excuse and accused him of deliberately framing him.

Xiao Hua won tenfold compensation from Chang Feng after exposing his attempt to pass off a jade pendant as a jade talisman, and Jingbo City’s officials enforced the market’s rules. After hiding and disposing of the seized goods, Xiao Hua spotted a familiar figure accompanied by someone who shocked him.

• Chang Feng denied that he had sold a jade talisman, but Xiao Hua produced witnesses who confirmed Chang Feng’s claims and price.
• The elderly man surnamed Yang ruled that Chang Feng owed Xiao Hua ten jade talismans’ worth of compensation and made him surrender his stall goods and storage pouch.
• Guard Xu warned Chang Feng against further trouble, while Xiao Hua used his Mihuan to disappear into the crowd with the compensation.
• Chang Feng’s accomplice whispered to him after Xiao Hua left, restoring some of Chang Feng’s confidence.
• Xiao Hua transferred the jade pendant meant for Xiao Mao and emptied Chang Feng’s storage pouch into his space before deciding to dispose of the pouch.
• Xiao Hua spotted a familiar figure and then stopped in surprise when another person appeared beside them.

Xiao Hua followed Cai Zhuoxia and Li Zongbao through Jingbo City’s market, sold a storage bag, and bought a Marrow Cleansing Pill. After discovering that the pill barely improved his cultivation, he resolved to investigate its effects and began preparing to refine Ice Thorn Talismans.

• Xiao Hua saw Cai Zhuoxia accompanying Li Zongbao and discreetly followed them through the market.
• Xiao Hua sold a storage bag at a Seven Wonders Sect stall for two supreme-grade spirit stones and exchanged one for a fire-aspect stone.
• Xiao Hua explored the market, learned about Xi Country’s sects, and won a Marrow Cleansing Pill at auction for ten mid-grade spirit stones.
• Xiao Hua took the pill at an inn and found that it improved his cultivation by only a little more than a month’s worth of ordinary practice.
• Xiao Hua put away his fire-aspect spirit stones, cultivated through the night, and prepared to refine Ice Thorn Talismans the next day.

Xiao Hua struggled to refine Ice Thorn Talismans and worried that demonstrating his talisman skills would expose him to the Hundred Herbs Sect. After Ma Dengsheng summoned him to Huayun Courtyard for Tianqi’s opportunity, Xiao Hua met Qing Fengmin, who asked how his yellow-talisman refinement had progressed.

• Xiao Hua repeatedly failed to refine Ice Thorn Talismans, then improved until he could nearly complete one but still could not finish its script.
• Xiao Hua received Ma Dengsheng’s message summoning him to Huayun Courtyard for an enormous opportunity and weighed the risks of showing Tianqi his talisman skills.
• Xiao Hua went to Huayun Courtyard, sent Ma Dengsheng a message talisman, and told him he had been practicing Ice Thorn Talismans without completing one.
• Ma Dengsheng reassured Xiao Hua that his progress was commendable and sent a message to Qing Fengmin.
• Ma Dengsheng examined Xiao Hua’s storage pouch, and Qing Fengmin arrived and asked about Xiao Hua’s yellow-talisman refinement.

Xiao Hua returned the borrowed Fireball Talisman booklet and demonstrated his talisman crafting to Heaven Abandon’s assessors, but his Ice Thorn Talisman failed. The assessors disagreed over his aptitude, and Ma Dengsheng proposed that Xiao Hua join Heaven Abandon as a talisman crafter while delaying access to its cultivation techniques until he successfully refined an Ice Thorn Talisman.

• Xiao Hua returned Qing Fengmin the borrowed mid-grade spirit stone and offered back the Fireball Talisman booklet, but Qing Fengmin let him keep the booklet until he refined a Fireball Talisman.
• Qing Fengmin summoned Zhou Zengheng, Li Xiaowen, and Cheng Yu to assess Xiao Hua’s talisman-crafting skills for membership in Heaven Abandon.
• Xiao Hua attempted to refine an Ice Thorn Talisman, but it failed at the final step and turned to ashes.
• Cheng Yu rejected Xiao Hua as a talisman crafter, while Li Xiaowen and Zhou Zengheng judged that he had enough aptitude to qualify despite his weak spiritual-power control.
• Ma Dengsheng proposed that Xiao Hua join Heaven Abandon immediately but receive no cultivation techniques until he successfully refined an Ice Thorn Talisman, and Qing Fengmin approved the arrangement.
• Qing Fengmin welcomed Xiao Hua into Heaven Abandon and asked Ma Dengsheng and the three assessors to take him to register.

After joining Heaven Abandoned, Xiao Hua prepared for its secret undertaking, stockpiling talismans before setting out for Xiyin Gate. There, Ma Dengsheng introduced him to the waiting cultivators, but his low cultivation drew immediate criticism, and Li Xiaowen questioned Ma Dengsheng’s decision to bring him along.

• Xiao Hua officially joined Heaven Abandoned after Cheng Yu, Li Xiaowen, and Zhou Zengheng vouched for him, and Ma Dengsheng told him that the group was preparing for a major undertaking.
• Xiao Hua agreed to participate, returned to his inn, and refined talismans while waiting for Ma Dengsheng’s message; Ma later informed him that the group would leave from Xiyin Gate ten days later.
• Xiao Hua made more than two thousand Fireball Talismans over the next ten days, then headed out of Jingbo City and encountered Chang Feng, who refused to give him directions.
• Xiao Hua found Xiyin Gate and joined Ma Dengsheng and five other cultivators waiting outside the city.
• A scar-faced cultivator objected to Xiao Hua’s shallow cultivation, and Li Xiaowen asked Ma Dengsheng whether he had arranged Xiao Hua’s participation because of him.

Ma Dengsheng assigned Xiao Hua to Li Xiaowen’s team for Tianqi’s secret treasure hunt, where the six cultivators followed a chain of sealed directions. The group set out toward Nancai Ping, a place they could not pass through during daylight, and stopped to rest before reaching it.

• Ma Dengsheng persuaded Li Xiaowen to take Xiao Hua along, and Li agreed to teach him talisman making in exchange for Xiao Hua showing sincerity.
• Ma Dengsheng gave each of the six cultivators a silk sachet and explained that they could open them only at successive designated locations within thirty days.
• After Ma Dengsheng secretly told them their first destination, the six cultivators set off, with Xiao Hua using his flying talisman to keep up with the others.
• The team traveled away from Jingbo City, and Li Xiaowen announced they would reach Nancai Ping the following night and rest before continuing.
• Fu Shu complained about having to pass through Nancai Ping, and Li Xiaowen explained they would face a swarm of flying insects.

Li Xiaowen and the others prepared to cross Nancai Ping at night, where swarms of Ice Bugs threatened travelers. Xun Feiyan’s spell revealed that Xiao Hua’s constitution could shift among all five elements, but the group dismissed the mystery and left him protected in the middle of their formation.

• Yong Shang and Fan Daomao urged Li Xiaowen to use his talismans against the Ice Bugs, and Li Xiaowen explained that his water-element specialty would not help them.
• Xun Feiyan examined Xiao Hua’s constitution and found that it could become any of the five elements at one hundred percent, while Xiao Hua denied knowing anything unusual about himself.
• Li Xiaowen set up a Warning Talisman around the group’s camp, and Yong Shang praised his skill.
• The group discussed Nancai Ping’s cold climate and dangerous Ice Bug swarms, then planned to cross at night when the bugs were rarely seen.
• Li Xiaowen distributed his Fireball Talismans to the group but gave none to Xiao Hua, whom they planned to protect in the formation’s middle.

Xiao Hua and the others entered the perilous Nancai Ping on a full-moon night, hoping to open one of their silk pouches. The chapter left them discovering that Fan Daomao’s pouch had begun to glow, while two Huanling Sect cultivators followed behind, intending to use the group as bait.

• At dawn, Li Xiaowen gathered his mother-and-child warning talismans, and the six cultivators set out toward the Xushu Mountain Range.
• As night fell, Li Xiaowen warned Xiao Hua about the dangers ahead and gave everyone sound-linking talismans before leading the group into Nancai Ping.
• Two disguised Huanling Sect cultivators watched the group enter and decided to follow them as bait for a creature they hoped to lure out.
• Xiao Hua and the others crossed the dark, icy valley and reached Nancai Ping’s terraces without encountering anything unusual.
• Li Xiaowen asked everyone to check which silk pouch could be opened, and Fan Daomao found that his pouch was glowing as it absorbed the cold aura.

Fan Daomao’s glowing silk pouch revealed Qing Fengmin’s warning to go to Yulian Mountain, but an ice bug swarm appeared before the group could leave Nancai Ping. As the swarm attacked the fleeing cultivators, Xiao Hua remained hidden until a sudden wave of heat descended on him.

• Fan Daomao took the glowing silk pouch out of his storage bag, and Qing Fengmin’s message told the group to proceed to Yulian Mountain.
• Xiao Hua spotted a swarm of ice bugs approaching, and Li Xiaowen led the group to hide behind ice spikes with Weak Water Talismans.
• A piercing cry from the valley made several red flying creatures turn back toward the group, drawing the ice bugs after them.
• Li Xiaowen, Fu Shu, Yong Shang, and the others fled as the ice bugs split up to pursue them.
• Fu Shu and the other cultivators used Fireball Talismans to blast the pursuing ice bugs, while Xiao Hua stayed concealed.
• Xiao Hua felt a wave of scorching heat descend from above his head.

Xiao Hua fled the ice worms and red insects through the valley, discovering that Binding Talismans could bring them down and divert the swarm. After the red insects converged on him, he drew out their hidden controller and attacked the voice with Fireball Talismans.

• Xiao Hua dodged the pursuing ice worms and red insect, finding that both the Weak Water Talisman and Iron Cloth Talisman turned to ice when struck.
• Xiao Hua used Binding Talismans to trap the red insect and several ice worms, causing them to fall and drawing some of the swarm away.
• A shrill cry summoned the other red insects, and Xiao Hua realized that most of the ice worms were now pursuing him.
• Xiao Hua flew through the encirclement, repeatedly binding and bringing down red insects while studying the sound that appeared to control them.
• A voice from below accused Xiao Hua of harming its Fire Mushroom Worms, and Xiao Hua fired more than ten Fireball Talismans toward it.

Xiao Hua fought off the ice worms and killed Fei Qing with the Demonic Spear Tip after Fei Qing's pigeon attacked him. He escaped a second cultivator's Immobilization Talisman and ambushed him with the spear tip, leaving his opponent impaled on the cliff face.

• Xiao Hua used Fireball Talismans to draw away and destroy some ice worms, then confronted the scorched cultivator who had sent them after him.
• The cultivator summoned Fei Qing, a pigeon that evaded Xiao Hua's Immobilization Talismans and struck his back, but Xiao Hua killed it with the Demonic Spear Tip.
• Xiao Hua bombarded the grieving cultivator with Fireball Talismans, then flew along the cliff while the ice worms forced his opponent to hide inside a rock-like disguise.
• A second cultivator disguised as a rock immobilized Xiao Hua with a talisman and sent him falling toward the valley floor.
• Xiao Hua broke free, flew back to the cliff, and impaled the second cultivator with the Demonic Spear Tip.

Xiao Hua killed a Qi Cultivation seventh-layer cultivator, then fled through Nancai Ping as Ice Worms pursued him. After choosing a gorge, he encountered a vast swarm and an enormous Ice Worm King, while the dead cultivator’s short, stout brother pursued him from behind.

• Xiao Hua killed the seventh-layer cultivator with the demonic spear tip, then broke the ice on his back and fled from the advancing Ice Worms.
• The short, stout cultivator used a talisman to evade the Ice Worms, took the dead cultivator’s storage pouches, and pursued Xiao Hua aboard a spindle boat.
• Xiao Hua reached two gorges and chose the left one, while the short, stout cultivator stopped at its entrance and hesitated to follow.
• Xiao Hua realized the left gorge was likely the wrong route, but a strange, freezing divine sense and the Ice Worms blocked his escape.
• Xiao Hua blasted a path through tens of thousands of Ice Worms with fire talismans as a gigantic Ice Worm King rose behind him.