Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua visited Li Zongbao and told him that Cai Zhuoxia had died, recounting her final words and delivering the pouch she had left behind. After grieving through the night, Li Zongbao gained new insight into the Mirror of Parting Emotions and emerged with white hair and a colder demeanor as the Feathered Immortal Convention’s Gathering of Exchange began.

• Xiao Hua met Li Zongbao, explained his cultivation history, and said Cai Zhuoxia had entrusted him with a silk pouch for Li Zongbao.
• Li Zongbao pressured Xiao Hua to explain Cai Zhuoxia’s fate, then listened as Xiao Hua recounted her death in Yanlin Mountain Marsh and her final request.
• Li Zongbao examined Cai Zhuoxia’s lock of hair, wept, and eventually told Xiao Hua he believed his account before Xiao Hua departed.
• Li Zongbao remained alone with the pouch as his hair turned snow-white and his grief shifted into determination and indifference.
• Li Zongbao drew in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, coughed blood onto the pouch, burned it, and told Zhuo Hui that he had gained further insight into the Mirror of Parting Emotions.
• Zhuo Hui and the Joyful Sect disciples congratulated Li Zongbao, then left him to meditate as the Gathering of Exchange began.

Xiao Hua met with Xun Shu, who explained the hidden grades and severe limits of the Thunder Control Sect’s Lightning Evasion Technique. She proposed a cooperation that could give him a chance to advance beyond its lower grade, leaving him to consider her offer.

• Xiao Hua returned to his chamber, found Xun Shu’s communication talisman, and went to meet her.
• Xun Shu tried to thank Xiao Hua for saving her, but he stopped her and said he had acted because he could.
• Xun Shu confirmed that Xiao Hua knew Lightning Evasion and asked whether he wanted to cultivate it further.
• Xun Shu revealed that Lightning Evasion had three grades—Lightning Stillness, Lightning Movement, and Lightning Soaring—and that even the sect’s masters had rarely advanced beyond the lower grade.
• Xun Shu said Xiao Hua’s talent gave him a thirty percent chance to advance if he followed her advice, and explained that she wanted to cooperate with him.

Xiao Hua learned from Xun Shu that the Feathered Immortal Convention was a dangerous trial tied to Foundation Establishment, and he agreed to join her on a future trial when the time was right. At the next day's Gathering of Exchange, he noticed a rusty necklace, but an early Foundation Establishment Taiqing Sect disciple reached it first.

• Xun Shu explained that the Feathered Immortal Convention tested late Qi Cultivation disciples through dangerous trials and offered rewards to those who achieved high rankings.
• Xun Shu told Xiao Hua that Foundation Establishment depended on thorough cultivation and opportunity, and Xiao Hua agreed to accompany her on a future trial if he was going.
• Xiao Hua and Xun Shu clapped hands and swore an oath, then Xiao Hua left after asking about the Gathering of Exchange.
• Xiao Hua arrived at the plaza the next morning and saw cultivators displaying mostly ordinary or mysterious items for trade.
• Xiao Hua noticed a rusty iron-gray necklace, but an early Foundation Establishment Taiqing Sect disciple picked it up before he could reach it.

At the Feathered Immortal Convention’s exchange gathering, Xiao Hua traded six-hundred-year-old Linglong Grass to Zhong Xiaohan for a damaged Soul Collecting Bell and learned it came from a branch of the Xiaonan Cheng Family. As Xiao Hua searched the plaza for Buddhist gold foil, another Buddhist consciousness met his own, leaving him facing an unexpected presence.

• Xiao Hua watched cultivators use voice transmission and storage bags to negotiate exchanges, then saw the Changbai Sect, Ascension Gate, and Immortal Music Sect arrive.
• Xiao Hua examined Zhong Xiaohan’s damaged Soul Collecting Bell and learned she wanted a thousand-year Linglong Grass or other valuable items for it.
• Xiao Hua offered Zhong Xiaohan six-hundred-year Linglong Grass, and she exchanged the bell and a booklet describing its connection to a branch of the Xiaonan Cheng Family in the Xi Kingdom.
• Xiao Hua considered trading more Linglong Grass or Foundation Establishment Pills but decided that doing so could draw unwanted attention from Thunder Control Sect disciples.
• After the Shanghua Sect, Kunlun Sect, and Southern Nether Sect arrived, Xiao Hua searched for Buddhist gold foil, released his Buddhist consciousness, and sensed another Buddhist consciousness sweep over him.

At the Feathered Immortal Convention, Xiao Hua was discovered by Han Zhu of the Kunlun Sect, who recognized his Buddhist consciousness and warned him about the deadly conflict between Buddhism and Daoism. Han Zhu then gave Xiao Hua a method for controlling Buddhist consciousness, leaving Xiao Hua to examine it.

• A late Foundation Establishment cultivator with powerful Buddhist consciousness confronted Xiao Hua and summoned him to meet beside a stream.
• Xiao Hua unexpectedly met Zhuo Qingyuan, who said Xiao Mao had recovered and advanced to the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Xiao Hua went to the stream and learned that the cultivator was Han Zhu of the Kunlun Sect.
• Han Zhu told Xiao Hua that he had cultivated Buddhist consciousness incorrectly and that cultivation sects would kill him if they discovered his Buddhist practice.
• Han Zhu explained that he had searched for nearly a hundred years to find someone who had cultivated Buddhist consciousness and gave Xiao Hua a method to control it.

Xiao Hua received Han Zhu’s Golden Lü and began studying its Buddhist cultivation methods while remaining wary of Han Zhu’s motives. At the Gathering of Exchange, Fairy Hongxia examined a damaged jade ruyi that Yun Zichong bought for her, then met Xu Fu of the Ascension Gate.

• Han Zhu gave Xiao Hua the Golden Lü, warned him to put it away when sect disciples approached, and vanished.
• Xiao Hua returned to the pavilion, rejected Yuan Bo’s offer to buy him items, and went into his quiet room.
• Yuan Bo, Min Ge, and Wang Yunxiao met privately, then emerged with smug expressions as Xiao Hua studied the Golden Lü’s upper volume.
• Xiao Hua decided to learn the method for concealing Buddhist sense and began cultivating it in his quiet room.
• Yun Zichong bought a damaged jade ruyi after Fairy Hongxia paused at the stall, but she returned it without comment.
• Xu Fu of the Ascension Gate approached Fairy Hongxia and introduced himself.

Fairy Hongxia was harassed by Ascension Gate disciples until Li Zongbao intervened, and the Feathered Immortal Convention began under Taiqing Sect’s hosts. The opening was interrupted by the arrival of sword cultivators from Huan Kingdom’s Xuanjian Sect.

• Xu Fu, Wu Qiming, and He Shouzheng blocked Fairy Hongxia and tried to force her to exchange cultivation insights with them.
• Yun Zichong confronted Xu Fu, but Li Zongbao arrived and froze Xu Fu and his companions with his icy pressure before passing by.
• Yun Zichong learned that the white-haired cultivator was Li Zongbao of the Joyful Sect, while Fairy Hongxia wondered whether he truly was the youngest Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Deming welcomed the sect disciples to the Feathered Immortal Convention, and Renzhu explained the match rules, rewards, and time limits as Xiao Hua resolved to avoid unnecessary risks.
• Zhang Yuhe and Zhang Yutong of Huan Kingdom’s Xuanjian Sect sent a flying sword message announcing their arrival, and Renzhu welcomed them as sword lights appeared above the plaza.

At the Feathered Immortal Convention, twin Sword Cultivators Zhang Yuhe and Zhang Yutong asked Deming for help before the matches began. Xiao Hua entered his assigned illusion formation, where He Fangyuan challenged him, and the chapter ended as He Fangyuan launched a stronger attack.

• Zhang Yuhe and Zhang Yutong introduced themselves to Renzhu, and Zhang Yutong explained that they had come to Meng Kingdom on important business and wanted his help.
• Deming took the twins to the pavilions while Renzhu assigned the competitors to their illusion formations.
• Xiao Hua entered his formation, found its bright barriers blocked his escape, and discovered that He Fangyuan had tracked him down.
• He Fangyuan said that avoiding combat would disqualify them, and he and Xiao Hua exchanged names before attacking.
• Xiao Hua used Puchen to block He Fangyuan's first strike, and He Fangyuan sent a formation of azure phantoms toward him.

Xiao Hua turned the fight against He Fangyuan after recovering his Misty Steps, then stopped short of killing him when He Fangyuan showed signs of Foundation Establishment. He Fangyuan escaped the illusion array, while Xiao Hua searched for the Taiyi Azure Light Staff he had knocked away.

• He Fangyuan overwhelmed Xiao Hua with successive waves of phantoms from his Taiyi Azure Light Staff, and a beam of light stripped away the Dust Brush's protective radiance.
• Xiao Hua recovered his Misty Steps and dodged He Fangyuan's attacks without using spiritual power.
• Xiao Hua struck He Fangyuan's staff from his hand, caught up to him, and sent him flying with the Demon Spear Shaft.
• As He Fangyuan showed signs of Foundation Establishment, Xiao Hua halted his final blow and let him take a Foundation Establishment Pill and leave the illusion array.
• Xiao Hua searched the illusion realm for the discarded Taiyi Azure Light Staff, unaware that a particle of Buddhist light had appeared within his Buddha Sarira.

Zhang Yutong and Zhang Yuhe sought ancient Mysterious Yin Spirit Grass, and Deming offered to ask the visiting sects for help while keeping their request discreet. At the Feathered Immortal Convention, Xiao Hua faced Zhu Beibei of the Xuantian Sect, turned her sound attack against her, and captured her, leaving Zhu Beibei pleading for her life.

• Zhang Yutong told Deming that she and Zhang Yuhe needed Mysterious Yin Spirit Grass at least three thousand years old, but Taiqing Sect had only a two-thousand-year-old specimen.
• Zhang Yutong and Zhang Yuhe resolved to seek the grass, and Deming offered to consult the visiting sect leaders without revealing their request publicly.
• Zhang Yuhe asked to watch the Feathered Immortal Convention, and Deming escorted the sisters to the square after the first round of matches had ended.
• Xiao Hua faced Zhu Beibei in an illusion formation, where she attacked him with music from her silver pipa and sealed him with a Restriction Talisman.
• Xiao Hua revealed that he could still speak, seized Zhu Beibei, and sealed her true qi; Zhu Beibei dropped her pipa and begged him to spare her.

Xiao Hua defeated Zhu Beibei in the illusion array, took her spirit stones and a mysterious white bone, and let her escape. After he emerged, Xun Shu came out badly wounded, and a middle-aged cultivator tried to kill her before a tiny purple sword knocked his weapon aside.

• Xiao Hua spared Zhu Beibei after taking her pills, spirit stones, and a mysterious white bone, then let her activate her token and leave the illusion array.
• Zhu Beibei and Xiao Hua emerged, surprising the Taiqing Sect disciples, and Qian Diheng came over to speak with Xiao Hua.
• Qian Diheng revealed that he carried a blood-sacrificed magic treasure that protected him from attacks below Foundation Establishment.
• Xun Shu emerged from the illusion array covered in blood, and Xiao Hua gave her a healing pill.
• A middle-aged cultivator attacked Xun Shu after emerging, but a tiny purple sword knocked his flying sword away, leading Xiao Hua to suspect the attacker was a sword cultivator.

Xiao Hua helped save Xun Shu after Liu Weigang pursued her outside the illusion array, and the Changbai Sect disciple was expelled from the Vast Realm. Xun Shu awoke to learn Xiao Hua had protected her, while the Thunder Control Sect disciples praised his courage.

• Zhang Yuhe returned her flying sword as Gen Qing bound Liu Weigang for attacking Xun Shu after she had left the illusion array.
• Liao Zhouquan condemned Liu Weigang, and Renzhu expelled him from the Feathered Immortal Convention and awarded Xun Shu's sect all three points.
• Zhang Yuhe praised Xiao Hua's courage and tried to recruit him into the Huanjian Sect, but he refused to leave the Thunder Control Sect.
• Xun Shu awoke and learned Liu Weigang had been expelled and that Xiao Hua had helped save her.
• Xiao Hua explained what had happened, and the Thunder Control Sect disciples praised him for standing up to Liu Weigang.

Xiao Hua helped the wounded Xun Shu return to the pavilion, where their feelings grew complicated after they crossed paths with Fairy Hongxia and Yun Zichong. As the third round was delayed by two contestants dying together, Li Zongbao urged the cultivators to pursue Foundation Establishment without losing their resolve, and Renzhu announced the bouts would begin.

• Xiao Hua urged Xun Shu to withdraw if her injuries prevented her from continuing, but she explained that forfeiting meant leaving the convention entirely and chose to stay.
• Xiao Hua escorted Xun Shu to the pavilion, where they passed Fairy Hongxia and Yun Zichong without speaking; Xun Shu sensed hostility from Fairy Hongxia and a tremor from Xiao Hua.
• Xun Shu went into her quiet room to change and recover, while Xiao Hua struggled to stop thinking about Fairy Hongxia's dismissive glance.
• Xiao Hua discovered that a disciple from the Shanghua Sect and one from the Joyful Sect had died in the third-round bout after fighting beyond the time limit.
• Li Zongbao argued that cultivators had to risk their lives in pursuit of the Dao, lifting the disciples' spirits.
• Renzhu praised Li Zongbao and announced that the third round of bouts was about to begin.

Xiao Hua faced a Changbai Sect cultivator who tried to kill him with a Green Wood Formation and a binding rope during the third round. Xiao Hua broke free of the wood with his Spirit Crow Fire Net and revealed his Samadhi True Fire, but the cultivator released a strange spirit insect as the fight continued.

• Xiao Hua entered the illusion realm and found a middle-aged Changbai Sect cultivator waiting with an attack prepared.
• The cultivator trapped Xiao Hua in a Green Wood Formation, but Xiao Hua dodged the wooden attacks with Misty Steps.
• The cultivator strengthened the formation, and Xiao Hua used his Spirit Crow Fire Net and nine powerful Fire Crows to burn through the green wood.
• Xiao Hua rushed at the cultivator, who used a crimson rope to bind him while the Dust Whisk's protective radiance kept it from reaching his body.
• Xiao Hua used Samadhi True Fire against the rope, and the cultivator released a strange insect from a spirit beast pouch.

Xiao Hua sent Xiao Huang and Little Silver out to help him fight the middle-aged Changbai Sect cultivator after the cultivator’s strange insect began breaking through his Dust Shield. Xiao Huang wounded the insect and threatened the cultivator’s defenses, but the cultivator revived his pet and reached for another object, leaving the battle unresolved.

• The middle-aged cultivator’s strange insect repeatedly struck Xiao Hua’s Dust Shield, leaving dark spots that threatened to break through it.
• Xiao Hua summoned Xiao Huang and Little Silver from his space and told them to help while warning Xiao Huang to retreat if she was in danger.
• Xiao Huang dodged the insect and tore its shell with one claw, forcing it to retreat toward the middle-aged cultivator.
• Xiao Hua sent Little Silver to bite the cultivator’s long rope while Xiao Huang attacked his defensive talisman.
• The middle-aged cultivator fed blood to the wounded insect to revive it, then reached into his storage pouch for another object as the fight remained evenly matched.

Xiao Hua survived the Changbai Sect cultivator’s magic-treasure attack, killed him, and secured the strange insect before recovering in the illusion array. As the array returned to normal, a new, differently colored grain of Buddhist light appeared within Xiao Hua’s Buddha Sarira.

• The Changbai Sect cultivator used his heart’s blood and mana to unleash a huge seal that disrupted the illusion array and trapped Xiao Hua beneath it.
• Xiao Hua resisted the seal with his demonic hammers, then used the Dragon Transformation Art to free his true qi and escape its crushing force.
• Xiao Hua pursued the weakened cultivator and smashed his chest with a demonic hammer, killing him as he showed signs of reaching Foundation Establishment.
• The seal shrank back to its original size after the cultivator died, and Xiao Hua sent Xiao Huang, Xiao Yin, and the captured strange insect into his space.
• Xiao Hua recovered while the illusion array restored itself, then saw a beam descend onto the corpse and noticed a differently colored grain of Buddhist light in his Buddha Sarira.

Xiao Hua emerged from the illusion array alive after killing the Changbai Sect cultivator Fan, then claimed the contents of Fan's storage bag. He accepted it despite the other sect leaders' strange reactions, and learned that the Thunder Control Sect had suffered heavy losses in the third round.

• Xiao Hua emerged from the illusion array, and Fan's corpse was thrown out shortly afterward, revealing that Xiao Hua had defeated him.
• Xiao Hua stopped the Changbai Sect disciples from taking Fan's storage bag and asked the Taiqing Sect to judge what belonged to him.
• Renzhu and Liao Zhouquan inspected the storage bag and confirmed it belonged to Xiao Hua, though both were stunned by its contents.
• Xiao Hua accepted the storage bag and found it contained a fortune, then concealed his surprise from the Thunder Control Sect disciples.
• Li Xiaoxiao told Xiao Hua that the Thunder Control Sect had suffered heavy losses in the third round.

Xiao Hua entered the fourth-round match against Zhong Xiaohan of the Immortal Music Sect, who pleaded for mercy after seeing his earlier victory over a powerful Changbai Sect cultivator. Xiao Hua rejected her plea and attacked, leaving her surrounded by the explosions of his Fireball Talismans.

• Gen Yue warned the Thunder Control Sect disciples to strike the Changbai Sect with their strongest magical artifacts, while Xiao Hua learned that Min Ge and Yuan Bo had survived but were badly injured.
• Li Xiaoxiao received a bye, and Gen Yue urged Xiao Hua to withdraw, but Xiao Hua decided to keep competing rather than risk Wunai's anger.
• Zhong Tianxing of the Immortal Music Sect asked Xiao Hua to show mercy to his junior brother, but Xiao Hua discovered his opponent was Zhong Xiaohan.
• Zhong Xiaohan offered her storage pouch and asked Xiao Hua to let her last half an incense stick, but Xiao Hua refused and attacked her with the Dust Crusher.
• Zhong Xiaohan blocked Xiao Hua's attacks with snowflake magic and a defensive robe, while Xiao Hua surrounded her with dozens of Fireball Talismans and set off repeated explosions.

Xiao Hua helped Zhong Xiaohan reach Foundation Establishment by pushing her to the brink of death, then returned to the Thunder Control Sect pavilion and found Yuan Bo and Min Ge discussing their defeat. Wang Yunxiao revealed that Xiao Hua had won all four matches and ranked first among the sect’s disciples.

• Xiao Hua overwhelmed Zhong Xiaohan with talismans and nearly struck her with the Demon Spear Shaft, triggering her Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
• Xiao Hua stopped his attack and urged Zhong Xiaohan to take a Foundation Establishment Pill; she did so and was carried out of the illusion array.
• Xiao Hua learned that Zhong Tianxing had escorted Zhong Xiaohan away, then returned to the Thunder Control Sect pavilion after completing his four matches.
• Xiao Hua visited the injured Yuan Bo and Min Ge, who blamed Xun Shu and the Changbai Sect for their defeat.
• Wang Yunxiao arrived and disclosed that Xiao Hua had defeated a Changbai Sect expert in the third round, won all four matches, and ranked first within the Thunder Control Sect.

Xiao Hua’s visit to Min Ge and Yuan Bo ended in a bitter argument when Min Ge insulted him over his relationship with Xun Shu and his success at the convention. Back in his chamber, Xiao Hua faced Changbai Sect disciples demanding the return of Senior Brother Fan’s missing Divine Strength Centipede, and Ming Cheng’s mention of recorded images left him alarmed.

• Min Ge accused Xiao Hua of exploiting Xue Xue, pursuing Xun Shu for her backing, and visiting only to mock the injured disciples, while Wang Yunxiao and Yuan Bo tried to stop him.
• Xun Shu arrived and rebuked Min Ge, and Xiao Hua left for his quiet chamber, brooding over his conspicuous victories and his role in helping Zhong Xiaohan establish her foundation.
• Liu Sixu and Hei Ye of the Changbai Sect barged into Xiao Hua’s chamber and demanded Senior Brother Fan’s missing spirit pet, the Divine Strength Centipede.
• Liu Sixu prepared to attack Xiao Hua with a golden hammer, but Ming Cheng of the Taiqing Sect arrived and intervened.
• A Taiqing Sect disciple reported that the illusion realm contained no spirit pet, and Ming Cheng asked whether its recorded images had been checked, alarming Xiao Hua.