Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua rescued Huo Furong and arranged for her to escort Xue Xue to Haoming City while he went off alone. In a secluded cave, he reviewed his Dharma Body, sword formation, and Buddha Sarira, reflecting on their limits and his future cultivation.

• Xiao Hua explained that he and Xue Xue had defeated the three demon cultivators who captured Huo Furong, and Huo Furong introduced herself as a disciple of Fire Fierce Mountain.
• Huo Furong revealed that Fan Qian had lured and captured her after she left Xiaotang Town, and she invited Xiao Hua and Xue Xue to travel with her to Haoming City.
• Xiao Hua agreed to travel with Huo Furong but sent Xue Xue ahead with her while he handled other business; Xue Xue urged him to return safely.
• Xiao Hua escorted the two women to Xiaotang Town, watched them enter the Teleportation Array, and secretly checked that no suspicious cultivators were nearby before leaving.
• Xiao Hua flew to a secluded cave, laid out protective talismans and the Rabbit Formation, then examined his Phoenix Dharma Body and practiced his thirty-two-sword formation.
• Xiao Hua manifested his Buddha Sarira and considered how it had changed after Huang Yi's lightning tribulation, promising himself he would pursue compassion as his cultivation grew.

Xiao Hua reviewed his treasures and cultivation methods, sorting his belongings and choosing two earth-attributed spells to practice. He resolved to help Xue Xue establish her foundation before entering seclusion, then reconsidered the seal on his Niwan Palace and took out the Empress’s token.

• Xiao Hua examined his spiritual fires, cultivation, and possessions, wondering about the Dragon Transformation Art and the limits of his spiritual fire.
• Xiao Hua sorted his storage bags, left the Dream Mirage Butterfly eggs untouched, and decided to save his unused magic artifacts for a Bidding Convention.
• Xiao Hua selected the Earth Condensing Technique and Earth Shield Technique, recorded Confucian script memories, and lamented that he lacked time to practice all his arts.
• Xiao Hua planned to accompany Xue Xue to the sea and help her establish her foundation before opening a cave abode in Myriad Thunder Valley for secluded cultivation.
• Xiao Hua worried about the unknown expert who had sealed his Niwan Palace, recalled the Empress’s earlier examination, and took out the token she had given him.

Xiao Hua followed Xie Zhiqian’s jade slip to Burial Flower Villa, hoping to find Sky Yin Grass for Xue Xue’s foundation establishment. He met two cultivators who recognized the message, but the chapter ended before they decided whether to help him.

• Xiao Hua studied the Earth Condensing Technique, then traveled to the place identified in Xie Zhiqian’s jade slip.
• Xiao Hua detected a formation around Burial Flower Villa and waited for its guardians to appear.
• Two mid Foundation Establishment female cultivators confronted Xiao Hua, who introduced himself as a Thunder Control Sect disciple seeking Xie Zhiqian.
• The gentler female cultivator examined the jade slip and learned that Xiao Hua had been unable to deliver it to the deceased Zhen Ye.
• Xiao Hua explained that he sought Sky Yin Grass for Xue Xue, and the other cultivator praised his loyalty before her senior sister stopped her.

Xiao Hua entered Burial Flower Villa and crossed its unusual estate to meet the Villa Master at Linlang Pavilion. He walked into the mysterious white mist alone, while Haitang and Meihua stayed behind to keep watch.

• The Villa Master ordered Haitang to let Xiao Hua enter and speak.
• Haitang used her begonia branch to carry Xiao Hua into Burial Flower Villa, where he sensed a powerful formation restricting his divine sense.
• Haitang and Meihua led Xiao Hua through the estate to a small bridge over an azure lake, then directed him to Linlang Pavilion alone.
• Haitang returned Xiao Hua's jade slip in a flower basket, while she and Meihua wondered at his calm, unhurried manner.
• Xiao Hua crossed the mossy bridge and entered the white mist without hesitation.

Xiao Hua entered Burial Flower Villa and was led through its illusion-filled pavilions to Linlang Pavilion, where he discovered the villa was built from rare Xianglan Bamboo. He met the sorrowful, strikingly beautiful villa master as her zither music broke off, leaving her grief unexplained.

• Xiao Hua entered Burial Flower Villa, where its music briefly helped him refine Earth Crystal Yao Ru and a female cultivator guided him through the waterside pavilions.
• As he admired the villa, Xiao Hua reflected on how he had declined chances to take control of Tianmen Mountain and decided he preferred a free, unburdened life.
• His guide led him through a water curtain to Linlang Pavilion, where Xiao Hua recognized the emerald bamboo as rare Xianglan Bamboo and hoped the villa master might possess Sky Yin Grass.
• Xiao Hua entered the pavilion and saw the villa master playing a nine-stringed zither, surrounded by four late Foundation Establishment female cultivators.
• The zither music ended when a string snapped, and the villa master sighed and raised her face, leaving Xiao Hua stunned by her beauty.

Xiao Hua met the Villa Master of Burial Flower Villa and sought Sky Yin Grass for Xue Xue, explaining her Misty Mountain bloodline and their journey. The Villa Master tested Xiao Hua, questioned him about Xie Zhiqian’s words, and ended by teasing him about eloping with his junior sister.

• The Villa Master revealed that she was a Golden Core Mid-stage cultivator and ordered Chun Kui to take the qin and Qiu Zan to light incense.
• Xiao Hua told the Villa Master that he sought Sky Yin Grass to help Xue Xue awaken her hidden lightning-element bloodline and establish her foundation.
• Xiao Hua compared Misty Mountain unfavorably with Burial Flower Villa, prompting the Villa Master to challenge his assumptions and threaten him with her magical power.
• Xiao Hua defended himself with the Earth Shield Technique and a protective magic treasure, then showed the Villa Master his Thunder Control Sect identity token.
• The Villa Master pressed Xiao Hua to repeat Xie Zhiqian’s words about Sky Yin Grass, and Xiao Hua recounted their encounter in Yanlin Mountain Marsh.
• After Xiao Hua mentioned traveling with his junior sister for a Foundation Establishment trial, the Villa Master accused him of eloping with her.

Xiao Hua tried to learn where the Sky Yin Grass could be found by offering his protective magic treasure to Chen Yi of Burial Flower Villa. Chen Yi sent the others away and asked him to recount what he knew about the Thunder Control Sect, especially the Feathered Immortal Convention, leaving Xiao Hua with no answer about the grass yet.

• Xiao Hua told Chen Yi that he had come seeking the Sky Yin Grass for Xue Xue and offered his protective magic treasure in exchange.
• Chen Yi revealed that neither Xie Zhiqian nor the Sky Yin Grass was at Burial Flower Villa, then asked Xiao Hua about his life in the Thunder Control Sect.
• Chen Yi promised to tell Xiao Hua where the Sky Yin Grass was if he shared what he had seen and heard in the sect.
• Xiao Hua recounted how he and Xue Xue entered the Thunder Control Sect, then described the Feathered Immortal Convention and Gen Qing's role in it.
• Chen Yi questioned Xiao Hua about Gen Qing's cultivation and criticized him for sharing his core-formation insights with Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua gave Chen Yi Gen Qing’s core-condensing insights in exchange for information about the Sky Yin Grass, but Chen Yi admitted she did not know its location. She said a planned expedition might find the herb and offered to trade it for Xiao Hua’s protective magic treasure, leaving him to wait for news or return to Burial Flower Villa.

• Xiao Hua erased the jade slip’s secret material and gave Chen Yi Gen Qing’s core-condensing insights, despite his promise to Gen Qing.
• Chen Yi kept the jade slip and gave Xiao Hua another jade slip containing insights that might help him condense his core.
• Chen Yi told Xiao Hua she did not know where the Sky Yin Grass was and that the expedition to search for it had not yet begun.
• Chen Yi explained that Xie Zhiqian had sought a final item at Yanlin Mountain Marsh and that preparations might have been complete four years earlier, though she did not know why there had been no news.
• Chen Yi promised to trade the Sky Yin Grass for Xiao Hua’s protective magic treasure if the expedition found it, and Xiao Hua agreed to wait for word or return after his training journey.

Xiao Hua drank Burial Flower Villa’s Snow Jin Wine and gained half a month’s worth of cultivation, but Chen Yi soon learned that the Youth-Preserving Grass had been contaminated by poisonous saliva. Suspecting Xiao Hua, she had him guarded and then summoned him to Mu Jing Yuan for questioning, leaving him to follow Senior Sister Peach Blossom into a maze-like bamboo forest.

• Chen Yi offered Xiao Hua three cups of Snow Jin Wine, which he refined and found equivalent to half a month of arduous cultivation.
• Chun Kui reported that the Youth-Preserving Grass seemed to have been contaminated by poisonous saliva, and Chen Yi struck and threatened her over the loss.
• Chen Yi suspected Xiao Hua, ordered Xia Lan to have him watched, and sent him to a small pavilion under guard.
• After half an hour, two female cultivators escorted Xiao Hua to Mu Jing Yuan, where Senior Sister Peach Blossom checked his token and opened a path through the bamboo forest.
• Xiao Hua followed Senior Sister Peach Blossom through the maze-like forest and entered a slender bamboo stalk that appeared to conceal the way forward.

Xiao Hua was brought before Chen Yi after someone poisoned Burial Flower Villa’s Youth-Preserving Grass, and Chen Yi questioned him about Sun Qian. As the elders struggled to find a cure, Xiao Hua considered using a secret method he knew, while Chen Yi turned her attention to Chun Kui.

• Tao Hua led Xiao Hua through Mu Jing Yuan to Chen Yi’s medicinal garden, where poisoned Youth-Preserving Grass and a dead female cultivator lay.
• Chen Yi asked Xiao Hua whether he knew Sun Qian, and Xiao Hua denied it and swore a heart oath.
• Xiao Hua identified the plants as Youth-Preserving Grass, and Chen Yi asked whether he had consumed any as a rogue cultivator.
• Elder Mu reported that mixed beast venom had poisoned the grasses and that the elders had less than a ten percent chance of detoxifying them.
• Chen Yi ordered the elders to keep studying the poison, while Xiao Hua considered using his Poison Cleansing Secret Method on the plants.
• Dong Jin removed the dead cultivator’s body, and Chen Yi turned toward Chun Kui.

Chen Yi threatened Chun Kui and Xiao Hua after poisonous saliva infected the Youth-Preserving Grass, but the elders’ treatment failed. Xiao Hua used Green Python venom and his secret method to cure the remaining four stalks, earning Chen Yi’s gratitude and leaving the garden to recover.

• Chun Kui begged Chen Yi to spare the Spring Department servants after the Youth-Preserving Grass was poisoned.
• Xiao Hua offered to use his secret poison-against-poison method, but Chen Yi initially refused to let him experiment.
• Elder Mu and the other elders treated a stalk with jade fluid, but their method worsened the poison and the grass began to die.
• Chen Yi ordered Xiao Hua to try, and he used Green Python venom to cure the first stalk of Youth-Preserving Grass.
• Xiao Hua cured the other three stalks, and Elder Mu confirmed that the grass should recover after a few days.
• Chen Yi credited Xiao Hua for making amends and ordered Chun Kui to remove the dead grass before she reactivated the formation.

Xiao Hua helped Chen Yi deal with the poisoned Youth-Preserving Grass and negotiated with her over his poison-countering secret method in exchange for the Sky Yin Grass. Chen Yi then received Zhu Chenghe, whose arrival might relate to an operation that could help her obtain the herb, but she stopped Xiao Hua as he tried to leave.

• Chen Yi let Xiao Hua take the dead Youth-Preserving Grass, though Chun Kui handed him only its portion above the soil.
• Chen Yi finished working in the bamboo grove and returned to Linlang Pavilion with Xiao Hua, where she rewarded him with three cups of spirit wine for saving the grass.
• Xiao Hua asked Chen Yi to notify him if she found the Sky Yin Grass, and she proposed trading the herb for his secret method of using poison against poison.
• Xiao Hua agreed to give Chen Yi the secret method in advance, while she urged him to stay at Burial Flower Villa until she found the herb.
• Chen Yi sensed Zhu Chenghe's arrival and said his visit might concern an operation that could lead to the Sky Yin Grass.
• Chen Yi told Xiao Hua to wait rather than leave, then called him back as he was departing Linlang Pavilion.

Xiao Hua secured Chun Kui’s gratitude by asking for discarded spirit-herb seeds, while Chen Yi assumed his unusual interest came from his rogue cultivator upbringing. Chen Yi then met Zhu Chenghe, who revealed that the expedition’s final item had been found and the group was ready to set out, but kept its destination and purpose secret.

• Xiao Hua gave Chen Yi the secret technique on a jade slip, and she left to receive Zhu Chenghe of the Xuyan Sect.
• Chun Kui thanked Xiao Hua for protecting the Spring Division and offered him spirit herbs, but he asked instead for Burial Flower Villa’s unwanted seeds and withered herbs.
• Chen Yi and Chun Kui discussed Xiao Hua’s request, and Chen Yi decided to give him the useless seeds because she believed his habits came from poverty.
• Chen Yi invited Zhu Chenghe to Linlang Pavilion, where they drank wine and discussed the expedition.
• Zhu Chenghe told Chen Yi that the final item had been found four years earlier and their preparations were sufficient, but he refused to reveal more about the destination.

Xiao Hua studied Huang Yi’s Thousand Threads, Ten Thousand Connections technique but decided against the dangerous attempt to split his mind. Chun Kui delivered Burial Flower Villa’s accumulated discarded items, leaving Xiao Hua delighted by what he found in the storage bag.

• Xiao Hua inspected his growing inner space and reflected on the Heavenly Dao Starry Sky and the Karma Incantation.
• Xiao Hua studied Huang Yi’s Thousand Threads, Ten Thousand Connections technique and learned that its clones were each the original ghost.
• Xiao Hua rejected the risk of splitting his mind and chose to study the technique without using it for now.
• Chun Kui told Xiao Hua that no other seniors had visited Burial Flower Villa and handed him the villa’s accumulated discarded items.
• Xiao Hua thanked Chun Kui, waited until she had left, and discovered that the storage bag brought him great joy.

Xiao Hua planted the seeds and bamboo he found, then continued cultivating and studying his techniques. In the Northern Desert, True Person Liukong survived a swarm of Desert Scorpions and met Fairy Yingzhuo at Xunyunzi’s rendezvous, where Xunyunzi announced he had one piece of good news and one bad.

• Xiao Hua planted the discarded seeds and Xianglan Bamboos in his space, set aside the Youth-Preserving Grass roots, and continued refining Earth Crystal Yao Ru while pondering Soul Thorn.
• True Person Liukong arrived in the Northern Desert and was attacked by Desert Scorpions that swarmed from the sand.
• True Person Liukong killed the scorpions near him and struck down a black creature that attacked from beneath the sand before flying away.
• Fairy Yingzhuo arrived, and she and True Person Liukong realized Xunyunzi had invited them both to the same meeting.
• Xunyunzi joined them, explained that he had chosen the location years earlier and had not expected the scorpions to appear, then offered them one good piece of news and one bad.

Xunyunzi delivered the completed Python Dragon Pills to Fairy Yingzhuo and True Person Liukong, who saw that the pills could improve their chances of reaching Spirit Transformation. The three cultivators then discussed troubling changes in spiritual energy and the rise of new forces, leaving their sects’ future unresolved.

• Xunyunzi gave Fairy Yingzhuo and True Person Liukong the Python Dragon Pills he had refined.
• Fairy Yingzhuo and True Person Liukong inspected the pills and concluded that their unusual transformation from python to dragon could greatly improve their chances of reaching Spirit Transformation.
• Fairy Yingzhuo asked Xunyunzi whether he had found the white python’s escaped soul, and he said his search had failed.
• Xunyunzi warned that changes in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi threatened the future of their three sects.
• Fairy Yingzhuo pointed to weaker recruits, awakening cultivation-family bloodlines, and the growth of demonic cultivators as signs of change.
• True Person Liukong argued that changing how the sects selected disciples would be enough to preserve their standing.

Xunyunzi, Fairy Yingzhuo, and True Person Liukong discussed how aberrant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi could threaten cultivation and agreed to divide Xi Kingdom’s spirit stone veins among their sects and others. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua studied the Soul Thorn and worried about Chen Yi, who was meeting with Qiang Yuefeng and others to discuss a journey that seemed short on support.

• Xunyunzi warned Fairy Yingzhuo and True Person Liukong that the Spiritual Qi aberration could undermine cultivation and even block the path to immortality.
• Xunyunzi proposed dividing Xi Kingdom’s spirit stone veins among their three sects and allocating portions to other sects, and Fairy Yingzhuo and True Person Liukong agreed.
• Xunyunzi, Fairy Yingzhuo, and True Person Liukong left as a gigantic Desert Scorpion emerged where True Person Liukong had slain one earlier.
• Xiao Hua gained insight into the Soul Thorn while worrying that Chen Yi might delay his reunion with Xue Xue and that his cultivation was insufficient to face Chen Yi.
• Chen Yi hosted Qiang Yuefeng, Zhu Chenghe, and Xie Zhiqian at Linlang Pavilion, where Qiang Yuefeng questioned whether their group of four was enough for the planned journey.

Zhu Chenghe, Xie Zhiqian, Qiang Yuefeng, and Chen Yi discussed preparations for entering a dangerous, secret contest site and whether to bring Xiao Hua, a Thunder Control Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator. Zhu feared Xiao Hua could alert his sect, while Chen Yi began explaining that Xiao Hua came from a Rogue Cultivator background and had only a late Foundation Establishment master.

• Qiang Yuefeng agreed to enter the dangerous land but insisted they discuss every possible precaution first.
• Xie Zhiqian said his sect’s records supported Zhu Chenghe’s account and revealed that he had hoped to recruit Zhen Ye for his superior flying speed.
• Chen Yi revealed that Zhen Ye had died and that his martial nephew Xiao Hua had come to Burial Flower Villa seeking Sky Yin Grass.
• Xie Zhiqian, Zhu Chenghe, and Qiang Yuefeng questioned whether Xiao Hua could help them, while Zhu warned that his Thunder Control Sect ties could expose their plan.
• Chen Yi began arguing that Xiao Hua was unlikely to pose a threat, saying he came from a Rogue Cultivator background and had a late Foundation Establishment master.

Chen Yi and the other Golden Core cultivators summoned Xiao Hua and made his participation in the search for Sky Yin Grass depend on whether he knew the Lightning Evasion Technique. Xiao Hua demonstrated his Zhe Lei Evasion, passed their test, and was approved to join the expedition.

• Chen Yi and the others decided to summon Xiao Hua and test whether his Lightning Evasion Technique could help them obtain Sky Yin Grass.
• Xiao Hua told the cultivators that he had practiced Zhe Lei Evasion but had not mastered it, and agreed to join if they would protect him.
• Zhu Chenghe demanded a demonstration, and Xie Zhiqian attacked Xiao Hua with a flying sword while Xiao Hua fled using Zhe Lei Evasion.
• Xiao Hua's evasion kept him ahead of the sword, though he remained within Linlang Pavilion's formation and pretended to be astonished by it.
• Qiang Yuefeng and Chen Yi supported Xiao Hua's participation, and Zhu Chenghe agreed to let him go.

Xiao Hua joined Chen Yi, Zhu Chenghe, Qiang Yuefeng, and Xie Zhiqian on a secret journey after preparing for departure. The group headed toward Mo Ran Black Forest, leaving Xiao Hua alarmed by the danger of their destination.

• Xiao Hua suspected the others planned to use him to test dangers on the journey, so he practiced the Soul Thorn technique while waiting to depart.
• Chen Yi summoned Xiao Hua, and the group left Burial Flower Villa aboard Zhu Chenghe's concealed flying boat.
• Sun Qian emerged from a boulder, saw the group depart, and fled after wondering whether Chen Yi had set a trap for her.
• Zhu Chenghe told Xiao Hua the group was traveling to Mo Ran Black Forest, and Xiao Hua reacted with alarm at the place's reputation.