Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua waited outside Zhen Ye’s pill chamber while Zhen Ye refined a Minghua Pill, then was summoned and reprimanded for neglecting his duties. The chapter ended with Xiao Hua defending his senior brother after Zhen Ye insulted Helpless’s judgment.

• Xiao Hua waited outside Zhen Ye’s pill chamber and cultivated while Zhen Ye and his disciples refined a Minghua Pill.
• Zhen Ye used his Golden Core pressure to interrupt Xiao Hua’s cultivation and force him to stand respectfully.
• After seven days, Zhen Ye finished refining the pill, then made Xiao Hua wait while he and Zhen Qing went to a great hall.
• Zhen Ye summoned Xiao Hua and criticized him as useless, blaming him for delaying the pill refinement by failing to open the Eastern Ridge formation.
• Xiao Hua replied that his own mistake should not be used to mock his senior brother, Helpless.

Xiao Hua defended Xiangyang and challenged Zhen Ye’s judgment of Rogue Cultivators, then faced punishment for delaying the Minghua Pills. Rather than spend a year as an alchemy boy, he accepted a task to seek information about an important item within twenty years.

• Xiao Hua argued that Xiangyang’s loyalty had protected Myriad Thunder Valley and questioned why Rogue Cultivators were condemned for using any means to cultivate.
• Zhen Ye learned Xiao Hua was a Rogue Cultivator and examined the carefully picked Xiao Yan Grass that Xiao Hua had brought as atonement.
• Zhen Ye offered to let Xiao Hua serve as an alchemy boy for a year, with the possibility of learning pill refinement and Samadhi True Fire.
• Xiao Hua declined the alchemy-room assignment because he needed time to cultivate, so Zhen Ye ordered him to seek information about a valuable item within ten years, later extending the deadline to twenty.
• Zhen Ye told Xiao Hua to ask Xiangyang to help investigate and kept Xiao Hua’s storage pouch as part of his punishment.

After Zhen Ye sent Xiao Hua to seek information about a mysterious opportunity, Xiao Hua returned to Myriad Thunder Valley and reunited with his fellow disciples and Master. He concealed the jade slip’s secret, collected spirit herb seeds, and revealed that he had reached the mid-stage eleventh layer of Qi Cultivation.

• Zhen Ye and Zhen Qing discussed using Xiao Hua’s experience as a Rogue Cultivator to search for news, while Zhen Ye privately intended the task to punish him over a twenty-year period.
• Xiao Hua reunited with Xiangyang, who had waited for him, and claimed that he had advanced in cultivation while secluded at East Ridge.
• Xiao Hua kept the jade slip’s contents secret from Xiangyang and asked him to accompany him to Shuo Lei Hall.
• Zhen Feng agreed to Xiao Hua’s request for spirit herb seeds, and Xiao Hua collected seeds to test at East Ridge Medicine Garden.
• Xiangyang brought Xiao Hua back to Wu Nai’s cave, where Wu Nai and the others welcomed his cultivation breakthrough.
• Xiangyang gave Xiao Hua his recent allowances and explained that Shuo Lei Hall’s one-year deduction would start from that month.

Xiao Hua discussed his recent punishment and cultivation progress with Nai, Zhuo, Xiangyang, and Yan Qinglian, who supported his plans to grow medicinal herbs and prepare for Foundation Establishment. Nai then explained the need to develop divine sense and revealed that Xiao Hua’s Sect Master Token let him cultivate techniques from all Eight Great Thunder Palaces.

• Xiangyang explained Xiao Hua’s punishment and his decision not to report it, while Nai confirmed that Martial Ancestor Zhen Ye had not made things difficult for Xiao Hua.
• Zhuo gave Xiao Hua three bottles of Essence Gathering Pills and explained how to take them, and Xiao Hua suggested growing herbs from pill formulas in East Ridge Medicine Garden.
• Nai gave Yan Qinglian a jade slip of Qi Cultivation pill formulas for Xiao Hua to copy, despite Xiangyang’s concern that planting the herbs might be inappropriate.
• Nai advised Xiao Hua to prepare for Foundation Establishment by developing divine sense with the sect’s method and Rainbow Bloom, and Zhuo offered to help find the needed materials.
• Nai learned that Xiao Hua had a Sect Master Token allowing him to cultivate techniques from all Eight Great Thunder Palaces, and Xiao Hua offered to retrieve Nai’s Lightning Escape Technique.

Wu Nai and Xiangyang advised Xiao Hua on cultivation, and Xiao Hua resolved to pursue Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation before Foundation Establishment. After receiving study materials and pills from Yan Qinglian, he left for East Ridge determined to grow stronger and reclaim Shang Hua Ming’s territory from the Hundred Herbs Sect.

• Wu Nai explained the Thunder Control Sect’s cultivation techniques and warned Xiao Hua not to practice the Foundation Establishment technique before reaching that stage.
• Xiao Hua insisted on trying to reach Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation before using an Essence Nourishing Talisman to establish his foundation.
• Wu Nai promised to seek an Essence Nourishing Talisman for Xiao Hua, and Xiangyang shared his Foundation Establishment experience with him through the night.
• Yan Qinglian gave Xiao Hua four booklets containing talisman and pill formulas, the opening of Thunderous Force, and a secret divine sense method, along with Essence Gathering Pills.
• Xiao Hua set out for East Ridge and vowed to reclaim Shang Hua Ming’s territory from Jiang Jiantong and the Hundred Herbs Sect.

After narrowly escaping a Foundation Establishment spirit beast, Xiao Hua worked to secure East Ridge Medicine Garden and studied the divine sense methods and formation records left by Zhen Xie. He began setting up the Dry Fire Formation, leaving the formation disk ignited and drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

• Xiao Hua escaped underground from a Foundation Establishment spirit beast and hurried back to East Ridge Medicine Garden.
• Xiao Hua secured his cave abode and studied Xiangyang's instructions for controlling divine sense and reading jade slips.
• Xiao Hua broke the pill chamber's earth fire restriction, planted spirit herbs, and learned to control his perception and write jade slips.
• Xiao Hua searched Zhen Xie's belongings and found a jade slip describing the Dry Fire Formation.
• Xiao Hua studied the formation and began activating its formation disk, which ignited and drew in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

Xiao Hua completed the Dry Fire Formation, then refined Essence Gathering Pills and realized that his pill-making skill surpassed the Thunder Control Sect’s alchemists. His discovery of the gap between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment led him to study the Thunderous Force technique, where he found its meridians did not connect to those used in Qi Cultivation.

• Xiao Hua spent several days setting up the Dry Fire Formation, corrected his mistakes, and finally activated it, though the formation flag drained all his spiritual power in a single use.
• Xiao Hua refined an Essence Gathering Pill and compared it with pills from Zhuo, Yan Qinglian, and his sect provisions, finding that their medicinal strength varied.
• Xiao Hua successfully refined four Essence Gathering Pills and discovered that his pills were several times stronger than those made by the Thunder Control Sect’s alchemists.
• Xiao Hua realized that Foundation Establishment cultivators used true essence rather than ordinary true qi, explaining why their spiritual power could operate the formation so easily.
• Xiao Hua read the Foundation Establishment technique Thunderous Force and found that its meridians did not connect to the meridians in Qi Cultivation techniques.

Xiao Hua spent nearly a year cultivating, refining pills, and mastering Lightning Evasion and two magical artifacts, reaching the peak of the eleventh layer of Qi Cultivation. After preparing Xiao Yan Grass for Zhen Ming, he welcomed him to the medicine garden, where Zhen Ming demanded to inspect the spiritual grasses Xiao Hua had planted.

• Xiao Hua wondered whether techniques beyond the recorded Heaven and Earth Manifestation existed, then decided to ask Xiangyang or Wunai after returning to Myriad Thunder Valley.
• Over ten months, Xiao Hua refined pills, practiced Lightning Evasion, and refined the Huanling Sect artifact and Yan Liwei's ring, naming them Dust Veil and Illumination Observation.
• Little Yellow recovered enough to fly slowly, and Xiao Hua let Little Silver forage among spiritual grasses in his space.
• Xiao Hua reached the peak of the eleventh layer of Qi Cultivation, harvested Xiao Yan Grass, and stayed at East Ridge awaiting Zhen Ming.
• Zhen Ming arrived, accepted the harvested Xiao Yan Grass, and ordered Xiao Hua to open the formation so he could inspect the planted spiritual grasses.

Xiao Hua finished his work at East Ridge Medicine Garden and traveled to Myriad Thunder Valley to visit his master’s cave abode. After giving Zhuo spirit herbs to help smooth things over, he asked Xiangyang why Foundation Establishment techniques opened new meridians instead of continuing through the old ones, leaving Xiangyang unable to answer.

• Xiao Hua gave Zhen Ming pills and spirit stones as compensation, and Zhen Ming warned him that the spare token for the East Ridge formation was still missing.
• Xiao Hua used Lightning Escape Technique to travel to Myriad Thunder Valley, where he bound the mountain ape guarding his master’s cave abode.
• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian welcomed Xiao Hua, and Zhuo praised his cultivation before accepting spirit herbs from him to smooth things over.
• Xiao Hua truthfully answered Xiangyang’s questions about his cultivation, then asked why Foundation Establishment techniques used new meridians.
• Xiangyang could not answer Xiao Hua’s question, so Yan Qinglian suggested that Xiangyang explain how he had established his foundation.

Xiao Hua learned how Foundation Establishment, Great Perfection, and the Essence Nourishing Talisman worked as Xiangyang and Wu Nai answered his questions. Wu Nai gave Xiao Hua a Jade Kylin Spirit and began explaining the risks of using an Essence Nourishing Talisman.

• Xiangyang described his failed first Foundation Establishment attempt, his fifty years of further cultivation, and his eventual breakthrough after taking ten Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Yan Qinglian and Xiangyang explained how the Essence Nourishing Talisman helped cultivators reach Great Perfection and could strengthen their spiritual power and divine sense.
• Zhuo gave Xiao Hua Qi Gathering Pills and spirit stones obtained by exchanging his herbs, and Wu Nai returned and criticized Xiao Hua for only reaching the peak of the eleventh Qi Cultivation layer.
• Wu Nai gave Xiao Hua a Jade Kylin Spirit after complaining that Zhen Yue had taken a Rainbow Bloom and recruited Wang Yunxiao, whom Wu Nai had wanted as a disciple.
• Wu Nai explained that meridians limited how much true qi cultivators could refine and that the Essence Nourishing Talisman extended Foundation Establishment to temper the meridians further, then warned that using it carried enormous risks.

Xiao Hua learned about the risks of using an Essence Nourishing Talisman and asked Xiangyang to guard him during his future Foundation Establishment. He visited Yan Lei Hall, where the lightning pillar showed him an apparent vision of Ancestor Qianyun establishing the Thunder Control Sect, and a familiar voice called his name as disciples emerged from a lecture.

• Helplessly warned Xiao Hua that losing control while using an Essence Nourishing Talisman could ruin his Foundation Establishment attempt or destroy his meridians, and postponed the decision until Xiao Hua reached the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Helplessly answered Xiao Hua's questions about divine sense and the Niwan Palace, then sent him away after speaking through the night.
• Xiangyang agreed to stand guard when Xiao Hua established his foundation, and Xiao Hua returned to East Ridge before changing course for Yan Lei Hall.
• An early Foundation Establishment cultivator directed Xiao Hua to the side halls, and Xiao Hua entered the pillar's apparent vision of Ancestor Qianyun using lightning to establish the Thunder Control Sect.
• Xiao Hua returned to his senses before the pillar as the eastern lecture ended, and a familiar voice called out to him.

Xiao Hua reunited with Xue Xue at Yan Lei Hall, where she and Xun Shu noticed his rapid cultivation progress and wondered about his mysterious background. He attended a lecture on the Lesser Confinement Technique, then asked the Foundation Establishment cultivator to show him the Scripture Transmission Pavilion.

• Xue Xue greeted Xiao Hua at Yan Lei Hall, and he exchanged greetings with her and Xun Shu as nearby disciples reacted to their closeness.
• Wang Yunxiao, Min Ge, and Yuan Bo spoke with Xiao Hua about his cultivation before leaving, while Xue Xue asked him to send her a communication talisman.
• Xun Shu told Xue Xue that Xiao Hua's rapid progress and unfamiliarity with the palace lectures made him seem mysterious, then guessed that she knew who his senior brother was.
• Xiao Hua entered a lecture on the Lesser Confinement Technique, deliberately failed to cast it, then performed it successfully after the Foundation Establishment cultivator corrected his hand seals.
• Xiao Hua asked the cultivator where Yan Lei Hall's Scripture Transmission Pavilion was, and the cultivator agreed to take him there.

Xiao Hua used the Sect Master Token to gain permission to consult records at the Transmission Technique Pavilion, where he learned how its magical light orbs stored and accessed materials. He entered the orb available to his cultivation level and emerged with a jade slip, leaving the pavilion’s records system still mysterious.

• Xiao Hua presented his identity token and Sect Master Token, and the pavilion guards confirmed he could consult records one level above his cultivation but could not take them out.
• A lightning net tested Xiao Hua as he entered the pavilion, then vanished when his token repelled it.
• A cultivator emerged from a wall scroll and explained that Xiao Hua had to throw his identity token into a light orb to access its records.
• Xiao Hua’s token was rejected by an orange-red orb, but an emerald-green orb formed stairs that carried him inside.
• Xiao Hua returned from the orb with a jade slip, and a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator entered a wall scroll that became a mountain painting.

Xiao Hua searched the Scripture Transmission Pavilion, then broke through to the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation and accidentally forged a Buddha Sarira while trying to awaken divine sense. The chapter left him with powerful Buddhist consciousness but no divine sense, unsure how he would explain the result or cultivate further.

• Xiao Hua searched the Scripture Transmission Pavilion for cultivation techniques, found many incomplete or unsuitable, and shifted his attention to spells.
• Xiao Hua returned to East Ridge Medicine Garden and, after more secluded cultivation, broke through the bottleneck of the eleventh layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Xiao Hua's breakthrough ignited heartfire, so he used an ancient Rainbow Bloom in the Thunder Control Sect's secret technique to try to give birth to divine sense.
• The oversized seven-colored sphere resisted the secret technique, and Xiao Hua instead tempered it according to the Baye Linglong Scripture.
• Xiao Hua formed a rough Buddha Sarira and gained Buddhist consciousness that reached several dozen zhang, but he worried that he had not gained divine sense.

Xiao Hua used the Jade Qilin Fruit and heartfire to awaken a weak divine sense and learn the Spirit Guiding Technique, then discovered that a year had passed during his secluded cultivation. After he delivered the Xiao Yan Grass, the story shifted to Fairy Jieqiong ending a cultivation session in an icy cave and taking Xiao Mao and four other disciples to Golden Goose Ridge, while Li Zongbao arrived at a distant palace.

• Xiao Hua refined the Jade Qilin Fruit with his heartfire, forming a tiny point at the Buddha Sarira’s brow and gaining a weak divine sense along with the Azure Blood Alchemy Heart and Spirit Guiding Technique.
• Xiao Hua compared divine sense with Buddhist consciousness, considered the abnormality of his Niwan Palace, and chose not to probe it further.
• Zhen Ming arrived to collect the Xiao Yan Grass, and Xiao Hua realized his secluded cultivation had lasted a year before handing over the grass and flying toward Myriad Thunder Valley.
• Fairy Jieqiong opened a hidden passage beneath an icy peak and ended the cultivation of five Qi Cultivation disciples, including Xiao Mao.
• Fairy Jieqiong ordered Foundation Establishment cultivators to escort the five disciples to Golden Goose Ridge, while Li Zongbao hurried into a distant palace.

Li Zongbao learned that he would serve as deputy leader of the Joyful Sect delegation to the Feather Immortal Gathering, while his Mirror of Parting Emotions remained blocked by an unknown attachment. Xiao Hua celebrated reaching the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation with his masters, but the spirit wine they served him had an unexpectedly fiery effect.

• Heng Ming discussed Li Zongbao’s cultivation and claimed credit for the blood-shadow demon’s defeat on behalf of the Joyful Sect.
• Heng Ming told Li Zongbao that Zhuo Hui had chosen him as deputy leader for the Joyful Sect’s delegation to the Feather Immortal Gathering in Meng Kingdom.
• Li Zongbao admitted that he was close to a breakthrough in the Mirror of Parting Emotions but could not pass its final barrier, and Heng Ming warned him about mortal ties and attachments.
• Xiao Hua flew to Wu Nai’s cave residence, where Wu Nai and Xiangyang congratulated him on reaching the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Wu Nai and the others toasted Xiao Hua with spirit wine, and Xiao Hua cried out when its fiery sensation rushed through him.

Xiao Hua celebrated reaching the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation with Wunai, Zhuo, Xiangyang, and Yan Qinglian, while discussing the pressure and risks of his eventual Foundation Establishment. Zhuo gave Xiao Hua a Spirit Crow Fire Net and a jade slip on artifact refinement, and the chapter ended as Xiao Hua began asking Wunai a question.

• Xiao Hua tasted Wunai’s Nine Transformations of Spirit Wine and offered his remaining cups to Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian in gratitude for their support.
• Wunai poured wine for Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian and praised their work for Myriad Thunder Valley.
• Xiangyang warned Wunai that Xiao Hua had practiced three cultivation methods as a Rogue Cultivator, and Zhuo urged Wunai not to place too much pressure on Xiao Hua about Foundation Establishment.
• Xiao Hua said he would do his best to establish his foundation, and Wunai insisted that his Hidden Fire Physique would help him overcome the bottleneck.
• Zhuo gave Xiao Hua the Spirit Crow Fire Net, explained its reliance on top-grade fire-aspected spirit stones, and handed him a jade slip containing artifact-refinement methods.
• Xiao Hua accepted the gifts and began asking Wunai a question.

Xiao Hua studied Dry Thunder Palace’s Lightning Evasion Technique before being instructed to lose a selection match in an illusion realm. Once the contest began, he faced Qian Ye and secretly prepared to test his abilities instead.

• Xiao Hua learned that Dry Thunder Palace’s nine-layer Lightning Evasion Technique could greatly increase his speed, though he had only reached its first layer.
• A Foundation Establishment cultivator told Xiao Hua to lose to a particular disciple in the upcoming illusion-realm contest so they would settle their debt.
• Xiao Hua entered the selection, where the rules required 320 disciples to battle for points and the top twenty to advance.
• Xiao Hua’s opponent, Qian Ye of Dry Thunder Palace, appeared and revealed his twelfth-layer Qi Cultivation; Xiao Hua chose to flee while sending a Profound Iron needle through the sand.
• Qian Ye pursued Xiao Hua with a lightning-wreathed spear, but Xiao Hua dodged it with ease.

Xiao Hua eliminated Qian Ye with a coordinated attack, then lost his next bout because he failed to use his divine sense in a dark illusion. Back in Qin Lei Hall, he reflected on his mistakes and was recognized by a female disciple.

• Xiao Hua dodged Qian Ye's short spear, used Fireball Talismans to weaken his defense, and killed him with the Profound Iron needle while concealing Puchen's role.
• Qian Ye was eliminated and concluded that Xiao Hua had secretly controlled two magic artifacts, unaware that Xiao Hua had also controlled the talismans with Buddhist consciousness.
• Xiao Hua considered how to improve his tactics before the first round ended and the contestants were sent to their next illusion battles.
• Xiao Hua entered a pitch-black illusion, waited for light instead of using divine sense, and was pinned by a seal while a female cultivator attacked him with a flying sword.
• Xiao Hua returned to Qin Lei Hall, realized he should use divine sense sooner, and began planning for future opponents.
• A female disciple recognized Xiao Hua and exclaimed that he had reached the twelfth layer of Qi Cultivation.

Xiao Hua fought Li Xiaoxiao in the third round of the selection, using an unexpected formation-like tactic before surrendering when her water spells trapped him. After hundreds of varied battles, he encountered Xun Shu and several other late-stage opponents, but never found the disciple he had been seeking.

• Xun Shu questioned Xiao Hua about his Rogue Cultivator origins, then left after he asked her to speak more quietly.
• Li Xiaoxiao attacked Xiao Hua with water streams, while Xiao Hua used his Dust Brush and Fireball Talismans to counter her spells.
• Li Xiaoxiao neutralized Xiao Hua’s fire attack with water and trapped him in an ice sphere, so Xiao Hua surrendered and used his token to leave.
• Xiao Hua fought several hundred opponents in varied illusionary realms, gaining combat experience and improving his control of magical artifacts.
• As the selection neared its end, Xiao Hua encountered Xun Shu, Wang Yunxiao, Yuan Bo, and Min Ge, but immediately left when he saw Xun Shu.
• Xiao Hua never encountered the disciple he had been seeking, while Xun Shu watched him disappear with an unreadable expression.