Recaps

Lu Changsheng reunited with his five former companions after three years and learned how their cultivation had progressed. After they agreed to meet again in ten years, he stayed behind to seek a place to trade talismans and buy materials.

• Hong Yi hosted Lu Changsheng, Li Feiyu, Hong Yi, Han Lin, Xiao Xiyue, and Zhao Qingqing at Ruyi Tower, where they caught up on their lives and cultivation.
• Lu Changsheng learned that Xiao Xiyue had become an Azure Cloud Sect inner disciple at the fourth level of Chain Qi, while Han Lin and Zhao Qingqing were outer disciples learning crafts.
• Han Lin revealed that Lu Changsheng had ranked first on the Heart-Questioning Platform but had not joined the Azure Cloud Sect because of his ninth-grade spiritual root and age.
• Lu Changsheng said he did not regret missing the chance to join the sect, and the group continued their gathering before touring Ruyi Commandery the next day.
• The six agreed to meet again in ten years and parted ways; Lu Changsheng stayed behind to seek a rogue cultivator gathering and trade his talismans for materials.

Lu Changsheng learned of a rogue cultivator trading gathering at Ox-Head Mountain and prepared to attend, trading talismans with Hong Yi and accepting his help. After disguising himself, Lu Changsheng used a Communication Talisman to enter the gathering’s hidden formation.

• Hong Yi told Lu Changsheng about the trading gathering at Ox-Head Mountain and gave him a Communication Talisman.
• Lu Changsheng thanked Hong Yi with talismans, and Hong Yi offered to buy more on behalf of the Ruyi Marquis Manor.
• Lu Changsheng sold Hong Yi ten First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans, agreeing that Hong Yi would pay after getting spirit stones from his father.
• Lu Changsheng left his Spirit Steed with Hong Yi and rode an ordinary horse toward Ox-Head Mountain.
• Lu Changsheng left his horse at a farmhouse, disguised himself with a human-skin mask and cloak, and found the formation on the mountain’s northern slope.
• Lu Changsheng activated the Communication Talisman, entered the path revealed through the mist, and stepped into the gathering.

Lu Changsheng sold talismans at a rogue cultivator gathering, then spent most of his earnings on supplies and gifts. As he left Ox-Head Mountain, three greedy cultivators followed him, suspecting he carried more valuable goods.

• Lu Changsheng entered the valley gathering and surveyed its low-end stalls and shops.
• Lu Changsheng sold nearly a hundred First-Tier Lower-Grade Talismans for 133 spirit stones.
• Lu Changsheng bought advanced talisman-making materials, cultivation books, five-element spiritual materials, and mundane medicinal pills.
• Lu Changsheng left the valley and used a Lightbody Talisman to hurry down the mountain.
• Three cultivators emerged from the valley and pursued Lu Changsheng, believing he had more valuables.

Lu Changsheng was pursued down Ox-Head Mountain by three bandit cultivators who wanted to rob him. He unleashed a barrage of talismans and then brought out the Golden Light Brick Talisman Treasure, crushing the pursuers beneath it.

• Lu Changsheng spotted three bamboo-hatted figures following him and recognized the burly man in yellow robes as someone who had bought talismans from him.
• Lu Changsheng used a Wind-Running Talisman to flee, but the three pursuers accelerated and closed in on him.
• Lu Changsheng stopped and launched a barrage of talismans at the three men, forcing them to defend themselves with an Earth Wall Spell, a black shield, and a flying knife.
• Lu Changsheng activated the Golden Light Brick Talisman Treasure, whose pressure immobilized the three pursuers as they begged for mercy.
• The Golden Light Brick slammed down on the three pursuers with an earth-shaking crash.

After killing three bandit cultivators with his Golden Light Brick talisman treasure, Lu Changsheng escaped and counted their belongings. He left for the Red Whale Gang to meet Li Feiyu, planning to settle his family and return to the safety of Green Bamboo Mountain.

• Lu Changsheng confirmed the Golden Light Brick had crushed the three bandits, recovered their Storage Bags and artifacts, destroyed the bodies, and fled the area.
• After resting and recovering his spiritual power with a spirit stone, Lu Changsheng assessed the dangers of the cultivation world and resolved to rely on the Lu Lineage for protection.
• Lu Changsheng counted about five hundred spirit stones’ worth of spoils, including artifacts, pills, and talismans, but decided that killing for wealth was too dangerous.
• Lu Changsheng tested a flying sword artifact, saw how efficiently it could attack, then set off for the Red Whale Gang to meet Li Feiyu and return home.

Lu Changsheng visited the Red Whale Gang and asked Li Feiyu’s family to look after his relatives in the mortal world. After discovering the valuable martial-world pills Lu Changsheng had gifted them, Li Zhengyang promised to protect the Lu family.

• Red Whale Gang members escorted Lu Changsheng to the Red Whale, where Li Feiyu and his father, Li Tianyang, welcomed him.
• Lu Changsheng presented five bottles of medicinal pills to Li Tianyang and explained that the Nine Nether Mastiff was a gentle demon beast he had bought as a pet.
• After the banquet, Li Zhengyang identified the pills as rare medicines prized by martial artists and urged Li Feiyu to return them.
• Li Feiyu told his father that Lu Changsheng would not take back the gifts and suggested repaying him by helping his family.
• Li Zhengyang promised to keep Lu Changsheng’s parents and family safe and free from worry.

Lu Changsheng returned to Crouching Ox Village after three years away, reunited with his family, and secured their future before leaving for Ruyi Commandery with Li Feiyu. After meeting Hong Yi at the capital, the two resumed their journey toward Green Bamboo Mountain.

• Lu Changsheng reached Crouching Ox Village and reunited with his eldest sister and parents during his younger brother Changqing's wedding.
• Lu Changsheng arranged a lavish wedding feast, built houses for his family, and bought them farmland before leaving the village the next day with Li Feiyu.
• Nine days later, Lu Changsheng and Li Feiyu said farewell to Hong Yi outside Ruyi Commandery's capital.
• Hong Yi told Lu Changsheng that the talismans had earned him his father's praise and asked for priority when Lu Changsheng sold talismans in the future.
• Lu Changsheng and Li Feiyu continued along the main road toward Green Bamboo Mountain.

Lu Changsheng and Li Feiyu took shelter from a storm in a ruined temple, where they encountered an old man and a young woman whose story seemed suspicious. Li Feiyu attacked the old man, and a flame in his palm burned him to ashes.

• Lu Changsheng and Li Feiyu reached a ruined temple, cleaned it, and settled in for the night as rain began to pour.
• An old man and a young woman entered seeking shelter, and Li Feiyu noticed the woman was silenced and appeared to be asking for help.
• Li Feiyu told Lu Changsheng that the old man was an Innate Master and that the pair likely were not relatives.
• The old man approached the fire, and Li Feiyu suddenly struck him with a palm attack that ignited him and burned him to ashes.

Li Feiyu killed an old man who had poisoned their provisions and tried to drug them, then helped free Qu Zhenzhen, the girl he had abducted. After learning that Qu Zhenzhen had a spiritual root and nowhere to go, Lu Changsheng asked her to marry him and come home with him.

• Li Feiyu burned the old man to ash with a palm strike and explained that the man had poisoned their provisions and released a hidden drug.
• Li Feiyu freed Qu Zhenzhen from her muteness, and she wept before thanking him and Lu Changsheng for saving her.
• Lu Changsheng offered Qu Zhenzhen silver and proposed taking her to a nearby town, but she revealed that the old man had murdered her parents for refusing to let him offer her to an immortal as a concubine.
• Lu Changsheng used the Spirit Eye Technique and confirmed that Qu Zhenzhen had a spiritual root.
• Lu Changsheng asked Qu Zhenzhen to marry him and return home with him, leaving the choice up to her.

Lu Changsheng proposed marriage to Qu Zhenzhen after rescuing her and learned that she had a Spiritual Root. Qu Zhenzhen accepted, and she, Lu Changsheng, and Li Feiyu returned safely to Green Bamboo Mountain.

• Lu Changsheng told Qu Zhenzhen he wanted to spend their lives together, then explained that he and Li Feiyu were immortal cultivators.
• Qu Zhenzhen blamed herself for her parents’ deaths and agreed to marry Lu Changsheng; he established their engagement with a Spirit Contract.
• Lu Changsheng found a Spirit-Communing Stone among the old man’s belongings and deduced that the man had been searching for women with Spiritual Roots for a Corrupt Cultivator.
• The next day, Qu Zhenzhen joined Lu Changsheng and Li Feiyu on their journey back, riding with Lu Changsheng and carrying the Nine Nether Mastiff.
• After seven days of cautious travel, Lu Changsheng, Li Feiyu, Qu Zhenzhen, and the Nine Nether Mastiff returned safely to Green Bamboo Mountain.

Lu Changsheng brought Qu Zhenzhen to Green Bamboo Mountain, married her, and promised to help her find her brother, Qu Changge. The chapter ended with him lifting her veil in the bridal chamber.

• Lu Changsheng brought Qu Zhenzhen and Li Feiyu to Green Bamboo Manor, where Uncle Fu allowed Qu Zhenzhen to stay but warned that cultivators and people with spiritual roots faced limits on entering Green Bamboo Mountain.
• Lu Changsheng took Qu Zhenzhen home, and his wives and concubines welcomed her as she settled into the family.
• After growing closer to Lu Changsheng, Qu Zhenzhen told him her family had been killed, revealed that her brother Qu Changge was in the capital, and asked him to help find him.
• Lu Changsheng agreed to search for Qu Changge and married Qu Zhenzhen in a simple ceremony at Green Bamboo Manor.
• Lu Changsheng asked Li Feiyu to have the Red Whale Gang search for Qu Changge, then joined Qu Zhenzhen in the bridal chamber.

Lu Changsheng married Qu Zhenzhen, taught her to cultivate, and learned she likely had an eighth-grade spiritual root before she became pregnant. He established the foundation of the Immortal Bearing Art, and the chapter ended with the birth of his fourteenth child, a boy without a spiritual root.

• Qu Zhenzhen asked whether she would become pregnant, and Lu Changsheng teased that having ten children would be fine before assuring her he was joking.
• Lu Changsheng taught Qu Zhenzhen the Evergreen Technique and estimated that she had an eighth-grade spiritual root.
• A month later, Qu Zhenzhen became pregnant, and Lu Changsheng anticipated that their child had a better chance of possessing a spiritual root.
• Lu Changsheng refined five-element spiritual materials for ten days and completed the foundation establishment of the Immortal Bearing Art.
• Lu Changsheng's fourteenth child was born without a spiritual root, and Lu Changsheng reflected on how having many children had changed his feelings toward each newborn.

Lu Changsheng continued cultivating and drawing talismans while waiting for Qu Zhenzhen to give birth, and he learned that her newborn son had a spiritual root. He left to cultivate so he could measure how much the child had improved his own spiritual root.

• Lu Changsheng reached the chain qi third layer and began drawing mid-grade talismans with ease, then replied to Hong Yi that he had talismans available to sell.
• Lu Changsheng asked Li Feiyu for news of Qu Changge, but the Red Whale Gang still had none.
• A man slept inside a blood cocoon in a sinister valley as a blood-red lotus appeared between his brows and forced his eyes shut again.
• Three months later, Lu Changsheng reached the peak of the chain qi third layer and sensed a bottleneck before his next breakthrough.
• Qu Zhenzhen gave birth to a boy, and Lu Changsheng sensed that the child had a spiritual root.
• Lu Changsheng soothed Qu Zhenzhen, left the baby with a wet nurse, and went to cultivate to gauge the improvement to his spiritual root.

Lu Changsheng strengthened his plans to trade with Hong Yi and arrange for his many children to be cared for outside Green Bamboo Valley. After his twentieth child triggered an achievement reward, he began his fifth prize draw, which landed on cultivation methods.

• Lu Changsheng discovered that his newest spiritual-rooted child slightly improved his cultivation speed and reflected on the benefits of having many children with spiritual roots.
• Hong Yi offered to send a subordinate to trade spirit stones for talismans, and Lu Changsheng promised to prepare about a hundred while hoping to build a useful connection.
• Lu Changsheng worried Green Bamboo Valley would not let him keep his growing number of children until their teens, so he considered asking Hong Yi to help settle them in the mortal world.
• Lu Changsheng's eighteenth and nineteenth children were born without spiritual roots, and he spent time watching his children play with the Nine Nether Mastiff.
• Lu Changsheng's twentieth child was born, triggering a system prize draw, and his fifth draw stopped on cultivation methods.

Lu Changsheng obtained and comprehended the orthodox-grade Hundred-Forging Treasure Body Art, a demanding method for refining his body with rare materials. He began practicing with a damaged shield artifact, then decided he needed balanced five-element materials to continue safely.

• Lu Changsheng received the Hundred-Forging Treasure Body Art from the system and learned that it was an orthodox-grade cultivation method.
• After comprehending the method, Lu Changsheng confirmed it had no harmful side effects but required scarce materials and careful cultivation.
• Lu Changsheng realized he could use magic treasures to accelerate his body refinement and hoped the system would provide one.
• Lu Changsheng practiced with the damaged shield artifact, absorbing its material essence for two hours before stopping.
• Lu Changsheng judged that the shield's cold, metal-element material could cause hidden injuries and decided to buy five-element spiritual materials.

Lu Changsheng met Hong Yi outside Green Bamboo Mountain and completed their first talisman transaction. Hong Yi then presented two exotic martial artists, Jiu'er and Shui'er, as a gift, leaving Lu Changsheng surprised and awkward.

• Lu Changsheng brought a box of one hundred talismans to meet Hong Yi and his armed entourage at the foot of Green Bamboo Mountain.
• Lu Changsheng sold Hong Yi the talismans for 112 spirit stones, and Hong Yi accepted the goods without inspecting them closely.
• Hong Yi said he had brought Lu Changsheng a gift and signaled for two women to leave the carriage.
• Jiu'er and Shui'er introduced themselves to Lu Changsheng as their master, and he realized Hong Yi had given them to him.
• Lu Changsheng felt awkward despite recognizing the two women’s beauty and martial skill.

Lu Changsheng accepted two women Hong Yi offered him, arranged a regular talisman trade, and asked Hong Yi to investigate Qu Changge’s disappearance. He brought the women back to Green Bamboo Mountain, where the disciples and his household reacted to his growing number of concubines.

• Hong Yi gave Lu Changsheng two women trained by the White Jade Pavilion, and Lu accepted them after confirming they were willing.
• Lu Changsheng and Hong Yi agreed that Lu would provide about thirty talismans every three months, and Hong Yi agreed to search for Qu Changge.
• Lu Changsheng registered the women with Uncle Fu, while Lu Lineage disciples gossiped about his new concubines.
• Lu Changsheng visited Li Feiyu, who identified the women’s cultivation method as the Cauldron Bewitching Art and explained that the White Jade Pavilion likely trained human cauldrons.
• Lu Changsheng took the women home, where his wives and concubines grew jealous and he had to soothe them.

Lu Changsheng revealed to Uncle Lu that he could draw first-tier middle-grade talismans, and proved it by completing a Fire Cloud Talisman. Uncle Lu planned to report the news to Lu Yuanding, while Lu Changsheng decided to seek out the Fifth Elder for spirit wine that could nourish his body.

• After several days of revelry with the two women Hong Yi sent him, Lu Changsheng resolved to stop indulging and drew a Fire Cloud Talisman to demonstrate his new skill.
• Lu Changsheng told Uncle Lu he could draw first-tier middle-grade talismans, and Uncle Lu asked him to make another Fire Cloud Talisman as proof.
• Lu Changsheng deliberately failed four attempts before completing a Fire Cloud Talisman, convincing Uncle Lu of his ability.
• Uncle Lu gave Lu Changsheng Jade Bamboo Wine to ease his fatigue, and Lu Changsheng found that it tasted good and nourished his body.
• Uncle Lu told Lu Changsheng that the Fifth Elder sold Jade Bamboo Wine and other spirit wines, then left to report Lu Changsheng's advancement to Lu Yuanding.

After Lu Changsheng advanced to a First-Rank Middle-Grade Talisman Master, Lu Yuanding convened Lu Lineage elders to discuss how to keep and support him. The elders proposed marrying their descendants to him, and Lu Yuanding suggested his daughter Lu Miaohuan as a match.

• Uncle Lu showed Lu Yuanding the Fire Cloud Talisman Lu Changsheng had drawn, confirming his advancement to First-Rank Middle-Grade Talisman Master.
• Lu Yuanding called a meeting of Lu Lineage elders to decide how to arrange Lu Changsheng’s future and secure his service to the lineage.
• The elders agreed Lu Changsheng’s talent could make him a future Second-Rank Talisman Master, though some questioned how firmly he was attached to the Lu Lineage.
• The Fifth Elder offered his granddaughter Lu Miaoyi as a wife for Lu Changsheng, and other elders and senior members proposed their own descendants.
• Lu Yuanding considered Lu Changsheng a suitable husband for his daughter Lu Miaohuan and told the meeting that she would be a good match.

Lu Miaohuan reluctantly agreed to meet Lu Changsheng after Lu Yuanding persuaded her that his talent as a talisman master made him a suitable match. Lu Changsheng learned the Lu Lineage had arranged a matchmaking meeting with the second young lady, who had a sixth-grade spiritual root.

• Lu Yuanding urged Lu Miaohuan to marry Lu Changsheng, praising his rapid progress as a talisman master and promising she would be his principal wife.
• Lu Miaohuan reconsidered her objections and agreed to meet Lu Changsheng at Bamboo Heart Lodge the following day.
• Lu Changsheng played with his children until Uncle Lu summoned him to the reception room.
• Uncle Lu told Lu Changsheng to prepare for a matchmaking meeting arranged by the lineage head.
• Uncle Lu revealed that Lu Changsheng would meet the second young lady, Lu Miaohuan, whose sixth-grade spiritual root could help their future children inherit spiritual roots.

Lu Changsheng agreed to meet the Lu Lineage head’s daughter, Lu Miaohuan, about marriage after advancing to a first-rank middle-grade talisman master. He arrived at Bamboo Heart Lodge and greeted her as she appeared, leaving their meeting just beginning.

• Uncle Lu told Lu Changsheng that the Lu Lineage wanted him to meet its Second Miss, and Lu Changsheng agreed to attend.
• Lu Changsheng decided that marrying into the Lu Lineage would offer security for him and his family, though he would not accept Lu Miaohuan if her temper made their marriage unbearable.
• Lu Changsheng told his wives and concubines that he had advanced to first-rank middle-grade talisman making, and they celebrated his achievement with him.
• The next morning, Uncle Lu escorted Lu Changsheng to Bamboo Heart Lodge and advised him to coax Lu Miaohuan and go along with what she said.
• Lu Miaohuan arrived dressed for the meeting, and Lu Changsheng stood to greet her politely.

Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaohuan enjoyed a long, flattering conversation that left her willing to marry him, but her conditions conflicted with his plans for a large family. When he asked for time to consider them, Lu Miaohuan left in anger, and Uncle Lu hurried after her.

• Lu Changsheng apologized to Lu Miaohuan for their unpleasant first meeting and charmed her with compliments and conversation.
• Lu Changsheng praised Lu Miaohuan over her elder sister, Lu Miaoge, and shared a poem and its story with her.
• After more than two hours of conversation, Lu Miaohuan said she would marry Lu Changsheng if he made her his principal wife, took no more wives or concubines, and did not force her to have children.
• Lu Changsheng asked to consider her conditions, and Lu Miaohuan grew cold and stormed out of the Bamboo Heart Lodge.
• Uncle Lu saw Lu Miaohuan leave in anger and hurried after her.

Lu Changsheng refused Lu Miaohuan’s marriage proposal, explaining that his wish to take many wives and have many children made them incompatible. He quickly agreed to marry Lu Miaoyun instead, leaving Lu Miaohuan furious and determined to find someone better.

• Lu Changsheng told Uncle Lu he could not marry Lu Miaohuan because their temperaments and expectations differed, and Uncle Lu agreed to report his answer to Lu Yuanding.
• Lu Yuanding accepted Lu Changsheng’s refusal and recognized that he had not considered the young man’s wishes when arranging the match.
• Two days later, Lu Changsheng met Lu Miaoyun, the Fourth Elder’s granddaughter, and they both agreed to marry; the Lu Lineage set their wedding for eighteen days later.
• Lu Miaohuan smashed several ornaments after learning Lu Changsheng had chosen Lu Miaoyun, then vowed to find a man far better than him.

Lu Changsheng married Lu Miaoyun in a grand ceremony that made her his principal wife and brought him into the Lu Lineage's inner circle. After the wedding, he arranged to visit the Fifth Elder to sample and buy spirit wine.

• Lu Changsheng comforted his wives and concubines after they learned he would marry Lu Miaoyun, promising to hold grand weddings for them someday.
• Eighteen days later, Lu Changsheng led a festive procession around Green Bamboo Mountain to bring Lu Miaoyun to his residence.
• Lu Lineage disciples and fellow live-in sons-in-law watched and discussed Lu Changsheng's rise from a recruited son-in-law to a Mid-Grade Talisman Master marrying the Fourth Elder's granddaughter.
• With the lineage's senior figures as witnesses, Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoyun completed their wedding, and she became his principal wife.
• Lu Changsheng entertained the guests, met the lineage's senior figures, and arranged with the Fifth Elder to visit and purchase Jade Bamboo Wine and other spirit wines.

Lu Changsheng married Lu Miaoyun and spent their wedding night together, with Xiao Qing accompanying the bride as her bedchamber maid. The next morning, the newlyweds prepared to visit the Fourth Elder, while Xiao Qing remained on duty outside their room.

• Xiao Qing welcomed Lu Changsheng at the bridal chamber, where he lifted Lu Miaoyun's veil and drank wedding wine with her.
• Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoyun drank wine that heightened their desire, then spent their wedding night together.
• The next morning, Lu Changsheng woke beside Lu Miaoyun and urged her to rest, but she reminded him they needed to visit Grandmother.
• Lu Miaoyun put away the handkerchief, and she and Lu Changsheng dressed and left to pay their respects to the Fourth Elder.
• Lu Miaoyun told Xiao Qing she did not need to stand guard, but Xiao Qing said she was not tired.