Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua learned that the Fu family’s talisman makers could request leave and arranged to travel, hoping to visit Xunyan Sect for the Fetal Breath Pill and Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal. After Chaotian Pavilion initially refused his group’s late registration, He Fu secured approval, and Xiao Hua left with a communication talisman while beginning to suspect He Fu might have ulterior motives.

• Ming Sui and Ye Xuguang explained the Fu family’s leave rules and invited Xiao Hua to request leave with them.
• Xiao Hua asked Fu Min for leave, and Fu Min approved it and granted him extra days without asking about his plans.
• He Fu told Xiao Hua he had learned the Fire Dragon Talisman and agreed to request leave with him and the others.
• Chaotian Pavilion had stopped leave registrations, but He Fu obtained a token that let the group register.
• He Fu arranged to meet Xiao Hua in Siyue Town and gave him a communication talisman, prompting Xiao Hua to wonder whether He Fu had an ulterior motive.

Xiao Hua traveled from Jinhua Mountain to Shallow Language City to arrange passage to Yanyuan City, where he planned to continue toward the Xunyan Sect. He unexpectedly encountered Xuan Lan twice and became curious about her unexplained trip to Moon Bright Shrine, while his reserved teleportation group remained incomplete.

• Xiao Hua joked with Ming Sui and Ye Xuguang about Fu He, then traveled with them toward Siyue Town.
• Xiao Hua encountered Xuan Lan near Siyue Town, where she said she had no particular destination before heading to the Teleportation Array.
• Xiao Hua disguised himself with Mihuan and teleported to Shallow Language City, where he reserved a trip to Yanyuan City for the following noon.
• Xiao Hua heard Xuan Lan ask an inn waiter for directions to Moon Bright Shrine and watched her hurry away after she noticed him.
• Xiao Hua presented his token at the Shallow Language City Teleportation Array and learned that only three of the other scheduled travelers had arrived.

Xiao Hua traveled from Shallow Language City through Yanyuan City to the Xunyan Sect, where he learned Zhuo Qingyuan had reached the peak of Qi Cultivation. He was surprised when Xiao Mao appeared and addressed him as Eldest Brother Xiao.

• Xiao Hua waited among four late Foundation Establishment cultivators before teleporting to Yanyuan City and flying toward the Xunyan Sect.
• Xiao Hua met Ming Feng and Ming Cheng at the Xunyan Sect’s Reception Pavilion and asked to see Zhuo Qingyuan.
• Ming Feng told Xiao Hua that Zhuo Qingyuan had left seclusion after reaching the peak of Qi Cultivation.
• Xiao Mao entered the reception room, bowed to Xiao Hua, and called him Eldest Brother Xiao.
• Xiao Mao explained that Xiao Hua had stopped him from making a reckless mistake, while Xiao Hua questioned whether Xiao Mao should address him that way.

Xiao Mao told Xiao Hua about Xunyan Sect’s dangerous ancient cultivation trial and asked him to be his elder brother, fearing they might never meet again. Zhuo Qingyuan arrived, learned of Cai’s death, and gave Xiao Hua fourteen Fetal Breath Pills while confirming that no Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal had been found yet.

• Xiao Mao discovered Xiao Hua had reached the mid-stage of the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation and explained that he had regarded Xiao Hua as family since receiving his mother’s jade pendant.
• Xiao Mao revealed that he had joined a trial involving an ancient technique intended for ninety-nine disciples whose cultivation had stalled, and described its method of fusing a magic artifact into the body.
• Xiao Hua encouraged Xiao Mao to believe he could succeed, and Xiao Mao explained that Senior Brother Zhuo had urged him to visit because this might be their last meeting.
• Zhuo Qingyuan entered, and Xiao Hua told him that Cai had died while seeking the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal.
• Zhuo Qingyuan apologized for telling Xiao Hua about the crystal, said no one had found one, and gave him fourteen Fetal Breath Pills.

Xiao Hua traded the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystals to Zhuo Qingyuan and chose the Samadhi True Fire method instead of a Qi Cultivation technique. Before Zhuo Qingyuan returned, Xiao Hua taught Xiao Mao secret arts to strengthen his meridians, leaving Xiao Hua with the Samadhi True Fire booklet and Xiao Mao beginning to memorize the techniques.

• Xiao Hua gave Xiao Mao two Fetal Breath Pills, and Zhuo Qingyuan urged Xiao Mao to strengthen his meridians before the trial.
• Xiao Hua showed Zhuo Qingyuan his Fire Marrow Blazing Crystals and learned he could exchange them for a cultivation technique, magic artifact, or Samadhi True Fire method.
• Xiao Hua chose the Samadhi True Fire method, which could be used to refine artifacts, concoct pills, make talismans, and attack.
• After Zhuo Qingyuan left, Xiao Hua apologized to Xiao Mao for trading crystals needed by the sect and secretly taught him the Dragon Transformation Art and part of the Blood Shadow Art under a blood oath.
• Zhuo Qingyuan returned with the Samadhi True Fire booklet and offered Xiao Hua another Qi Cultivation technique, but Xiao Hua reaffirmed his choice and accepted the booklet.

Xiao Hua discovered he could cultivate Samadhi True Fire and began investigating whether he could absorb the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal’s spiritual qi to rapidly advance his cultivation. Meanwhile, Xuan Lan waited at Moon Bright Shrine for Senior Qiu, who arrived and revealed he had been delayed while pursuing a rare thunder pearl.

• Xiao Mao and Zhuo Qingyuan departed, and Xiao Hua found that he could cultivate the Foundation Establishment technique Samadhi True Fire.
• Xiao Hua realized the Xunyan Sect’s method for absorbing fire-natured spiritual qi might help him cultivate quickly, but he could not draw spiritual qi from either a Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal or a spirit stone with the method he knew.
• Xiao Hua stayed in Yanyuan City rather than paying extra spirit stones to teleport to Shallow Language City, leaving a communication talisman at the array.
• Xuan Lan waited at Moon Bright Shrine for Senior Qiu and worried that he might not come to help the Liao family avenge its hatred against the Fu family.
• Senior Qiu arrived and told Xuan Lan that a rare thunder pearl near Xihuang Town had delayed him.

Xuanlan told Senior Qiu she had found clues about the Fu family and asked him to act, while elsewhere an Empress and a little girl crossed Xiaoyu Continent carrying an injured Little Sable. The Little Sable called for its mother, stirring an inexplicable response in Xiao Hua before he left the inn.

• Senior Qiu warned Xuanlan that powerful late Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered in Xihuang Town and reminded her to honor their deal.
• Xuanlan said she had discovered clues at the Fu family and persuaded Senior Qiu to intervene, then began recounting what she had learned.
• In Xiaoyu Continent's storming sands, an Empress and a little girl protected an injured Little Sable inside the light of a flower basket.
• The Empress explained that the Little Sable's injuries seemed connected to space or time and space, and that her natal soul beast method had failed because it longed for its mother.
• The little girl noticed that the Little Sable kept facing south, while the Empress worried about the dangers hidden across Xiaoyu Continent.
• In Yanyuan City, Xiao Hua heard the Little Sable call for its mother, thought of Little White, and left the inn after losing the urge to cultivate.

Xiao Hua learned that the Imperial Pill Sect had been driven out of Yanyuan City after taking the blame for the Bidding Convention’s pills and techniques. Recognizing a man connected to Fu He, Xiao Hua secretly followed him to Rice Garden Forest, where he overheard him meet Fu He.

• Xiao Hua found the Imperial Pill Sect’s shop nearly empty and learned from a tea house clerk that the sect had been expelled from Yanyuan City after offending a prestigious sect.
• A tea house clerk revealed that the Imperial Pill Sect was suspected of selling powerful pills and obtaining a complete set of Qi Cultivation techniques at the Bidding Convention.
• Xiao Hua recognized the voice of the old man who had spoken with Fu He in Yunxi Marsh, then followed him out of the city using the Art of Earth Evasion.
• At Rice Garden Forest, the old man met Fu He and called him Young Master, while Xiao Hua hid nearby and listened.

Xiao Hua overheard Uncle Xiang urging Fu He to kill him and later followed Fu He back toward Jinhua Mountain. At Golden Phoenix Ridge, Xiao Hua attacked Fu He with a concealed needle just as Fu He launched a talisman, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Fu He told Uncle Xiang about his time with the Fu family but concealed his connection to Fu Chu and Fu Zhu.
• Uncle Xiang urged Fu He to infiltrate the Fu family's Inner Courtyard and kill Xiao Hua, and Fu He agreed to consider it.
• Xiao Hua learned that Fu He was traveling back to Siyue Town and later met him there before they set out for Jinhua Mountain.
• Fu He proposed visiting Golden Phoenix Ridge, and he and Xiao Hua stopped at a waterfall.
• Xiao Hua launched his Profound Iron needle at Fu He's back as Fu He sent out a yellow talisman without turning around.

Xiao Hua narrowly stopped his Profound Iron needle when he realized Fu He was sending a communication talisman to summon Chu'er, then learned to alter his appearance through Stealing Heaven and Changing the Sun. After returning to Chaotian Pavilion, he refined several pills and cultivated Samadhi True Fire, but Fu Zhu and Fu He discovered signs that someone had been using the forbidden pill room.

• Xiao Hua halted his Profound Iron needle when Fu He sent a communication talisman for Chu'er, then stayed behind as Fu He and Chu'er left together.
• Xiao Hua studied Stealing Heaven and Changing the Sun and discovered that changing his bones let him alter his face.
• Xiao Hua and Fu He flew safely back to Jinhua Mountain, where Xiao Hua spent two months refining pills and studying talisman-making with Fu Min.
• Xiao Hua successfully refined Wutuodan, Gui Ji Pill, and Jinglian Pill, then cultivated a wisp of purple-tinged Samadhi True Fire.
• Xiao Hua stored his pill furnace and hid inside the bluestone when the warning talismans sounded.
• Fu Zhu and Fu He entered the forbidden pill room and noticed the clean platform, realizing someone had recently been there.

Xiao Hua watched He Senior Brother attempt to deceive Fu Zhu and Fu Chu while pursuing Fu Family cultivation methods and talisman techniques. Fu Chu confronted him, but his claim that he wanted to become powerful enough to marry both sisters softened their anger, and another hidden person spoke from the shadows.

• Fu Zhu and He Senior Brother discovered that someone had used the earthfire in the forbidden alchemy chamber and stayed there together despite the risk of being caught.
• A hidden figure overheard He Senior Brother admit that he was pursuing the Essence Nourishing Talisman and stringing Fu Zhu and Fu Chu along.
• Fu Zhu showed He Senior Brother a booklet containing an Invisibility Talisman method after making him swear a blood oath to tell her the truth.
• Fu Chu emerged from hiding and accused He Senior Brother of deceiving both sisters to obtain their cultivation methods and talisman-crafting knowledge.
• He Senior Brother claimed he loved both sisters and wanted to become an elder so he could ask the Family Head to let him marry them both.
• A faint voice from another dark corner asked what should happen next.

Fu Yan confronted Fu He after discovering his affair with Fu Zhu and Fu Chu, revealing that she had stolen the Essence Nourishing Talisman method for him. The confrontation was interrupted by Fu Yu, who admitted he had used Fu Yan to obtain the method and threatened the others, leaving them trapped under his demands.

• Fu Yan told Fu He how she had loved him, stolen the Essence Nourishing Talisman method for him, and felt betrayed when she found him with Fu Zhu and Fu Chu.
• Fu Yan threw the method booklet at Fu He and urged him to study it before she had to return it at dawn.
• Fu Yu emerged from hiding and revealed that he had let Fu Yan take the method after spending a night with her, then followed her to exploit the situation.
• Fu Yu threatened Fu He and the three women, demanding that Fu Chu and Fu Zhu submit to him or he would kill Fu He and turn them over to the family head.
• Fu Chu stopped her attack after Fu Yu invoked the family head, while Fu Zhu and Fu Chu hesitated because he was stronger than them.

He Fu turned against Fu Yu and tried to kill him with a powerful talisman, but Fu Yu survived and turned on He Fu and the women. Xiao Hua intervened to save He Fu, but his spear could not break through Fu Yu’s defenses, leaving him in danger.

• He Fu pretended to submit to Fu Yu, then used Fu Yu’s distraction to attack him with a Six Geng Void-Sealing Talisman.
• Fu Yu escaped the talisman’s formation, though its snowflakes shattered his defensive talismans and injured him.
• He Fu collapsed from exhaustion, rejected Fu Yun, and watched as Fu Yu sent a flying sword toward his heart.
• Fu Yun threw herself in front of He Fu and was pierced in the back by Fu Yu’s flying sword.
• Xiao Hua emerged from beneath the ground and attacked Fu Yu with his demon spear, but Fu Yu’s talisman defenses held and he began to counterattack.

Xiao Hua killed Fu Yu with the Samadhi True Fire and freed Fu Zhu and Fu Chu, but Yun'er died from her wounds. After returning to the small building, Xiao Hua met He Lang and the two Fu sisters, who planned to leave after taking things from the Fu family.

• Xiao Hua's Profound Iron needle pierced Fu Yu's palm, but Fu Yu drove Xiao Hua back with Palm Thunder.
• Xiao Hua feigned panic, rushed into Fu Yu, and burned through his protective talismans with Samadhi True Fire.
• Fu Yu died as the flames consumed him, and Xiao Hua took his storage pouch.
• Yun'er died in He Lang's arms after they reconciled, while Xiao Hua freed Fu Zhu and Fu Chu from their restraints.
• Xiao Hua returned to the small building, gathered his talisman-making materials, and waited for He Lang and the sisters.
• He Lang thanked Xiao Hua for saving them, and Fu Zhu explained that she and Fu Chu could not stay with the Fu family after taking its cultivation technique and an Invisibility Talisman.

Xiao Hua accepted the Essence Nourishing Talisman from He Fu and went to Chaotian Pavilion as the Fu family rang the Soul Annihilation Bell. Fu Yunbo accused He Fu of stealing the spirit talisman refining method and then demanded to inspect Xiao Hua’s storage pouch.

• He Fu offered Xiao Hua the Invisibility Talisman and a talisman-refining method, and Xiao Hua asked for the Fu family’s Essence Nourishing Talisman instead.
• After the Soul Annihilation Bell sounded, He Fu entrusted Xiao Hua with the Essence Nourishing Talisman and other items, and Xiao Hua flew to Chaotian Pavilion.
• Fu Yunbo told the assembled talisman masters that the Fu family’s spirit talisman refining method had been stolen and named He Fu as the suspect.
• He Fu denied Fu Yunbo’s accusation, claiming he was not the He Fu Fu Yunbo sought.
• Fu Yunbo called Xiao Hua forward and ordered him to hand over his storage pouch for inspection.

Fu Yunbo investigated the theft of the Fu Family’s inherited Spirit Talisman, punished Fu Min and Fu Shan for mistreating Xiao Hua, and confronted He Fu over the missing talisman. The chapter ended as Fu Yunbo revealed He Fu’s identity as Fu He, a direct descendant of the previous Family Head, and prepared to deal with him.

• Xiao Hua handed Fu Yunbo his storage pouches, and Fu Yunbo found none of the missing items in them.
• Fu Min admitted he had failed to teach Xiao Hua the Earth-Covering Talisman, while Fu Shan confessed his grudge against Xiao Hua; Fu Yunbo ordered both men to report for punishment.
• Fu Yunbo searched He Fu’s storage pouch and found a Fu Family cultivation manual, which He Fu claimed he had taken to improve his cultivation.
• Fu Yunbo questioned He Fu about Fu Yan, Fu Yu, and the missing Spirit Talisman, but He Fu denied involvement and blamed the missing pair.
• Fu Yunbo summoned Fu Zhu and Fu Chu, then revealed that He Fu’s real name was Fu He and that he was descended directly from the previous Fu Family Head.

Fu Yunbo revealed that Fu Zhu and Fu Chu were He Fu’s blood sisters, while Qiu Mingwei arrived with Liao Xuanlan to confront the Fu family over the Liao family’s decline. The dispute ended with Qiu Mingwei taking Fu Min and demanding access to the Fu Hall to verify Liao Xuanlan’s claims.

• Fu Yunbo revealed that Fu Zhu and Fu Chu were He Fu’s blood sisters, and Xiao Hua’s Hand of Cause and Effect grew clearer as he realized the connection.
• Qiu Mingwei arrived at Jinhua Mountain, and Liao Xuanlan identified herself as a descendant of the Gengshan Liao Family and accused Fu Yunbo of harming her family.
• Liao Xuanlan named Fu Min as her source and claimed the Fu Hall held records, but Fu Min denied telling her anything.
• Liao Xuanlan confronted Fu Min over his betrayal and his mistreatment of Xiao Hua, while Qiu Mingwei urged Fu Yunbo to let them inspect the Fu Hall.
• Fu Yunbo refused entry until the missing spirit-talisman inheritance was recovered and argued that the Liao family bore responsibility for opening the alchemy technique.
• Qiu Mingwei lifted Fu Min toward himself and declared that they would settle the matter by searching the Fu Hall.

Qiu Mingwei and Fu Yunbo fought in Chaotian Pavilion, which collapsed as Fu Yunbo claimed Fu Min had died beneath the ruins. Fu Yunbo used Elder Wu Hairong’s token to halt Qiu Mingwei, but four Foundation Establishment cultivators from the three great sects arrived seeking Xiao Hua, who had stayed on Jinhua Mountain to learn how the conflict ended.

• Qiu Mingwei tried to seize Fu Min, and Fu Yunbo opposed him, triggering a clash that destroyed Chaotian Pavilion’s restrictions and sent its occupants fleeing.
• Fu He escaped with Fu Zhu and Fu Chu while Fu Feng and Liu Yun stayed behind; the pavilion collapsed during the fight, and Fu Yunbo claimed Fu Min had been crushed to death.
• Qiu Mingwei accused Fu Yunbo of arranging Fu Min’s death, but Fu Yunbo showed him Elder Wu Hairong’s Shanghua Sect token and persuaded him to back down.
• Four Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived and surrounded Jinhua Mountain; Qie Yu identified himself as a Shanghua Sect cultivator and said the group also included members of the Xunyan Sect and Seven Wonders Sect.
• Qie Yu asked whether the Fu Family employed a talisman master named Xiao Hua, and Fu Yunbo confirmed that Xiao Hua was on Jinhua Mountain.
• Xiao Hua remained on the mountain after escaping Chaotian Pavilion, curious about the fate of Fu Min and the feud between Liao Xuanlan and the Fu Family.

As four Foundation Establishment cultivators pursued Xiao Hua beneath Jinhua Mountain, he tried to merge the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal into his body to raise his cultivation. The crystal unleashed uncontrollable flames that transformed his flesh, bones, and meridians, leaving him to seek another way to control them.

• After Qie Yu called his name, Xiao Hua realized Cai Hongfeng had revealed his secret and fled underground, but Qie Yu, Cai Hongfeng, and two other Foundation Establishment cultivators pursued him.
• Fu Yunbo searched for Fu He while Fu Shan and Liao Xuanlan realized Xiao Hua was the cultivator they had recently encountered.
• Cornered beneath the mountain, Xiao Hua remembered Xiao Mao's method for merging a magical artifact and used it to fuse the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal into his arm.
• The crystal ignited Xiao Hua's body, and its flames burned his flesh and bones as his body's 132 million points absorbed them.
• Xiao Hua tried to direct the flames into his meridians and temper them with the Burning Heaven Art, but the Dragon Transformation Art swallowed the flames and they resisted his control.
• Unable to control the flames in his meridians, Xiao Hua decided to try the Heaven and Earth Manifestation.

Xiao Hua struggled to control the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal as its spiritual energy strengthened his cultivation and threatened his meridians, while Qie Yu and three others pursued him underground. With Fu Yunbo and Qiu Mingwei waiting above, Xiao Hua changed course and escaped into an earthfire passage, leaving his pursuers behind for the moment.

• Xiao Hua used Heaven and Earth Manifestation and the Dragon Transformation Art to refine the Fire Marrow Blazing Crystal’s surging energy and keep his meridians from bursting.
• When a powerful force blocked his descent, Xiao Hua turned toward the surface and used the force of the earth to accelerate past Qie Yu and the others’ encirclement.
• Xiao Hua realized that Fu Yunbo and Qiu Mingwei were waiting above, so he changed direction and searched for the earthfire passage.
• Qie Yu recognized Xiao Hua’s plan and ordered Cai Hongfeng to stop him, but Cai Hongfeng could not catch up before Xiao Hua plunged into the earthfire passage.