Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke battled Qu Binli at the Dao Discussion Assembly, using his spirit arts to evade the Violet Lightning Flying Mantis and counter Qu Binli’s attacks. Qu Binli then used Force Anchoring a Thousand Jun to suppress Lin Ke’s control over the earth, leaving the fight poised with Lin Ke’s key technique disabled.

• Qu Binli sent his concealed Violet Lightning Flying Mantis after Lin Ke, but Lin Ke exposed it with fireballs and collapsing earth before Qu Binli attacked with Azure Firmament Lightning-Riding Art-Thunderstrike.
• Lin Ke escaped Qu Binli and the mantis with Dragonfly Dash Art, then drove Qu Binli back with metal earth spikes.
• Qu Binli used Lightning Flash to close in, but Lin Ke sensed him and countered with an earth-shaped spear.
• Lin Ke tried to separate Qu Binli from the Violet Lightning Flying Mantis with Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning, but Qu Binli cast Force Anchoring a Thousand Jun and immobilized the ground.
• Qu Binli revealed that he had studied Lin Ke and prepared countering arts, while Lin Ke found he could no longer control the earth and stone.

Lin Ke turned the tide against Qu Binli after appearing to be on the defensive, injuring the Violet Lightning Flying Mantis and then overpowering Qu Binli in their close combat. Qu Binli, realizing Lin Ke had concealed his strength and was running low on spirit power, launched Thunder Quake as a last resort.

• Lin Ke dodged Qu Binli and the Violet Lightning Flying Mantis while True Person Qing Dian taunted Butterfly Transformation True Person and expected Qu Binli to take Lin Ke's place on the Genius Ranking.
• Han Fu mocked the Azure Lightning Peak disciples until True Person Qing Dian ordered everyone to be silent.
• Lin Ke used Amethyst Carapace to withstand Qu Binli's lightning, then appeared behind the Violet Lightning Flying Mantis and tore off one of its forelimbs with his bone spike.
• Qu Binli recalled the injured Violet Lightning Flying Mantis and charged Lin Ke with an enormous lightning war hammer.
• Lin Ke traded blows with Qu Binli and sent him staggering back, revealing that he had been holding back.
• Qu Binli gathered the lightning around him into his hammer and charged Lin Ke with Thunder Quake.

Lin Ke overpowered Qu Binli in close combat because his five-colored glazed body crushed the force of Thunder Quake. To conceal his unusual resilience, Lin Ke claimed he could stack eighteen layers of Amethyst Carapace, leaving the arena stunned.

• Lin Ke tested his five-colored glazed body by fighting Qu Binli without adding more layers of Amethyst Carapace, and Thunder Quake failed to slow him.
• Lin Ke repeatedly attacked Qu Binli, drove him onto the defensive, and finally knocked him flying.
• Qu Binli demanded to know why Thunder Quake had no effect, and Lin Ke discovered that his physical strength had destroyed its special internal force.
• Lin Ke mocked Qu Binli and Azure Lightning Peak, then claimed he could stack eighteen layers of Amethyst Carapace to explain his resistance.
• The arena fell silent as the disciples reacted in shock to Lin Ke's claim.

Lin Ke defeated Qu Binli at the Dao Discussion Assembly, drawing the attention of disciples eager to buy his spirit insects. After the assembly, his friends asked him to explain the Amethyst Longhorn Beetles’ carapace-stacking ability.

• Lin Ke dodged Qu Binli’s attacks and knocked him unconscious, securing the victory.
• True Person Qing Dian reacted angrily to Qu Binli’s loss, while Rain Spider True Person praised Lin Ke and suggested he could rank even higher.
• Disciples from other peaks crowded around Lin Ke to ask about buying his Amethyst Longhorn Beetles and Stinger Hawk Moths and learning to stack carapaces.
• Lin Ke said he would sell newly bred spirit insects after the assembly, then told Fang Du they would discuss carapace stacking later.
• After the assembly ended, Lin Ke and his companions returned to Golden Silkworm Peak, where Fang Du asked him for the details.

Lin Ke revealed that the Dream-Eating Gecko had helped him defeat Qu Binli, then considered how to expand his spirit insect business by breeding new insects. He discovered that his Ghost-Curtain Insects had matured into Ghost-Curtain Moths and began weighing possible partners for them.

• Lin Ke told Han Fu, Han Yun, Fang Du, Shi Ping, and Zhu Qingge that the Dream-Eating Gecko had helped him defeat Qu Binli and could guard the Great Wilderness Palace and Green Mulberry Garden.
• Zhu Qingge offered Lin Ke two million spirit stones to cultivate insects for sale, but Lin Ke declined because he had already prepared enough.
• Lin Ke decided that he needed to breed new spirit insects to expand his sales beyond Amethyst Longhorn Beetles and Stinger Hawk Moths, while keeping Giant Sun Dragonflies secret.
• Lin Ke entered his Niwan Palace and found that his Ghost-Curtain Insects had emerged from their cocoons as mature Ghost-Curtain Moths.
• Lin Ke considered pairing the Ghost-Curtain Moths with Blackgold Silkworms, Stinger Hawk Moths, or Amethyst Longhorn Beetles.

Inside his Niwan Palace, Lin Ke tested crossbreeding the Ghost-Curtain Moth with several Spirit Insects, losing most of his moths to failed attempts. His final pairing with a Titan Giant Spider produced a new Spirit Insect, though both parents died.

• Lin Ke’s attempts to breed Ghost-Curtain Moths with Blackgold Silkworms failed, killing the silkworms.
• Lin Ke tried pairing the moths with Amethyst Longhorn Beetles and Stinger Hawk Moths, but the attempts failed and left him with only nine moths.
• Lin Ke brought in eggs and breeding stock for other Spirit Insects, including Titan Giant Spiders, and hatched them inside his Niwan Palace.
• Lin Ke tested the Ghost-Curtain Moths with several kinds of Spirit Insects, but most pairings failed until only two moths remained.
• A Titan Giant Spider trapped a Ghost-Curtain Moth in silk, then died after producing a cocoon.
• A new Spirit Insect emerged from the cocoon.

Lin Ke refined a Ghost Titan Spider and discovered that its abundant, resilient silk could serve as an affordable material for garments and armor. He told Zong Ya that it could give her a practical way to train as a Seamstress, and she recognized that mass production could challenge sect monopolies on similar materials.

• Lin Ke refined the Ghost Titan Spider and found that its lure-coated silk was tough, resistant, and plentiful.
• Lin Ke realized the spider silk could let Zong Ya practice weaving without wasting expensive golden silkworm silk.
• Lin Ke visited Zong Ya at Green Mulberry Garden, where she explained her research into Spirit Plants.
• Lin Ke showed Zong Ya the Ghost Titan Spider and described its silk and his plans to produce it in quantity.
• Zong Ya said the silk could open a new market and potentially displace the sect's monopolies on cold jade spider silk and red hou mane.

Lin Ke discussed using Ghost Titan Spider silk to develop the Great Wilderness Palace’s industries and asked Zong Ya to investigate the market for materials from Blue Poison Peak and Ghost-Suppressing Peak. He then had Lin Can produce a Ghost Titan Spider and learned that even a juvenile required thirty portions of Insect Gel.

• Zong Ya suggested that Lin Ke could compete with Blue Poison Peak and Ghost-Suppressing Peak by producing Ghost Titan Spider silk and soft bristles.
• Lin Ke explained that he had come to ask whether the spider silk met Seamstress standards, and Zong Ya described the skills she would need to learn before making use of it.
• Lin Ke asked Zong Ya to contact Spirit Insect Cave acquaintances for information about the two peaks’ material sales and prices, and she agreed.
• Lin Ke visited Lin Can and asked her to produce a Ghost Titan Spider using her Insect Gel.
• Lin Can produced a juvenile Ghost Titan Spider at the cost of thirty portions of Insect Gel, and Lin Ke refined it and noted its unusually high cost.

Lin Ke gathered the Great Wilderness Palace’s shareholders at Golden Silkworm Peak to discuss expanding its business, introducing the Ghost Titan Spider and its valuable silk. Han Yun proposed selling the silk to the Frontline, but production limits and the lack of seamstresses made the plan impractical, prompting Lin Ke to suggest another approach.

• Lin Ke contacted the Great Wilderness Palace’s shareholders and gathered them at Golden Silkworm Peak, while Zong Ya and Huang Fuqi were absent.
• Lin Ke presented the Ghost Titan Spider and its silk, explaining that he could mass-produce the insect and wanted to expand the Green Mulberry Garden’s operations.
• Zhu Qingge examined the silk and judged it comparable to blackgold silkworm silk.
• Han Yun proposed selling blackgold silkworm and Ghost Titan Spider silk to the Frontline’s two Nascent Soul elders to earn spirit stones and build renown.
• Lin Quan-meng pointed out that the Great Wilderness Palace could not meet the Frontline’s demand and that no seamstresses there could process the materials.
• Lin Ke said he had another suggestion based on Han Yun’s idea.

Lin Ke proposed donating the Great Wilderness Palace’s materials to the sect instead of selling them, using the gifts to build its reputation and gain support from the Golden Wing Sect’s leaders. After explaining how yielding short-term profits could secure greater long-term benefits, he won over the others.

• Lin Ke asked his companions about the sect’s wartime demand for supplies and pointed out that factions were raising prices to profit from shortages.
• Lin Ke proposed donating the Great Wilderness Palace’s blackgold silkworm silk and future ghost titan spider silk to a Garrison Elder in support of the sect.
• Han Yun, Han Fu, Fang Du, and Shi Ping objected to giving away supplies without immediate returns, while Zhu Qingge and Lin Quan-meng remained silent.
• Lin Ke explained that free supplies could build the Great Wilderness Palace’s name and reputation while earning support from the sect’s higher-ups.
• Zhu Qingge praised Lin Ke’s foresight, and Han Yun and the others accepted his plan without further objections.

Lin Ke and his companions discovered that Blue Poison Peak and Ghost-Suppressing Peak had more than doubled the prices of supplies needed at the front. Lin Ke then asked Butterfly Transformation True Person to introduce the Great Wilderness Palace as a donor of supplies, leaving her startled by his proposal.

• Zong Ya returned with production figures and prices showing that Blue Poison Peak made over five hundred jin of cold jade spider silk monthly and Ghost-Suppressing Peak nearly a thousand jin of red hou mane.
• Zong Ya revealed that both materials were selling for more than twice their usual prices, and she warned the group to keep the information secret.
• Zhu Qingge reassured the group that the sect would address the peaks' profiteering at the right time, while Lin Ke focused on growing the Great Wilderness Palace.
• Lin Ke went to Moon Moth Peak and told Butterfly Transformation True Person about the inflated supply prices.
• Lin Ke asked Butterfly Transformation True Person to introduce the Great Wilderness Palace so it could donate supplies to the front, and she asked if he understood what he was proposing.

Lin Ke persuaded Butterfly Transformation True Person to support his plan to supply silk to the sect, and showed her the Ghost Titan Spider’s potential production. She took the insect to report suspiciously low silk output at Blue Poison Peak to Supreme Elder Hua, while Lin Ke returned to the Green Mulberry Garden to begin raising Ghost Titan Spiders.

• Lin Ke assured Butterfly Transformation True Person that his risky plan would benefit the Great Wilderness Palace, and she agreed to support him.
• Lin Ke estimated that ten Ghost Titan Spiders could produce three to four hundred jin of silk each month, with greater yields possible after trials.
• Butterfly Transformation True Person suspected Blue Poison Peak’s silk production figures were irregular and took the Ghost Titan Spider to discuss the matter with the elders and Supreme Elder Hua.
• Lin Ke returned to the Green Mulberry Garden, briefed Zong Ya and the others, then sought out Lin Can to begin raising Ghost Titan Spiders.

Lin Ke bred ten fully grown Ghost Titan Spiders, built them a cave in the Green Mulberry Garden, and arranged for Fang Tong and his workers to tend them. After buying the Hundred-Spider Breeding Manual, he learned how to raise the spiders and began studying methods for harvesting their silk.

• Lin Ke used Insect Gel to produce ten fully grown Ghost Titan Spiders, each inheriting the Titan Giant Spider's bloodline traits.
• Lin Ke dug a spacious, shaded cave on Golden Silkworm Peak and summoned Fang Tong to organize the spiders' care.
• Lin Ke released the Ghost Titan Spiders and reassured Fang Tong that they were under his control and not particularly aggressive.
• Fang Tong prepared the cave with damp shade moss and feed while Lin Ke went to the sect and bought the Hundred-Spider Breeding Manual.
• Lin Ke returned, fed the spiders Insect-Feeding Pills, and used the manual to explain their care requirements to Fang Tong.
• Lin Ke studied the manual's spider silk harvesting and refining methods, hoping to produce his first batch of spider silk soon.

Lin Ke began preparing a yin-and-yang environment to improve the Ghost Titan Spiders’ silk, but Butterfly Transformation True Person informed him that the sect would restrict his material donations to nearby guard posts. The sect had approved the arrangement in principle while limiting Lin Ke’s influence.

• Lin Ke entrusted Fang Du with caring for the Ghost Titan Spiders and began renovating their nest.
• Wu Yu advised Lin Ke to add yang eyes and yang-aspected spirit plants to the Frostmoon Yin-Gathering Array, and Lin Ke agreed.
• Butterfly Transformation True Person noticed the solar essence in Lin Fusang and returned the Ghost Titan Spider she had taken.
• Butterfly Transformation True Person told Lin Ke that the Supreme Elder had approved donations in the Great Wilderness Palace’s name but limited them to guard posts belonging to the four Peak Seats around the Green Mulberry Garden.
• Lin Ke suspected the sect was restricting him to prevent him from gaining control over material supplies.

Lin Ke and his companions built a Silk-Guiding Tower to harvest silk from adult Ghost Titan Spiders for the Great Wilderness Palace’s new supply business. After the first harvest, they began weighing the silk to see whether its yield met expectations.

• Lin Ke accepted the Butterfly Transformation True Person’s terms for supplying the sect with spider silk, and she said the sect would inspect its quality before regular purchases began.
• Lin Ke told his companions the agreement was settled, and Zhu Qingge, Fang Du, and Shi Ping stayed at the Green Mulberry Garden to help raise spirit insects and produce supplies.
• Zhu Qingge funded a thirty-zhang Silk-Guiding Tower, which Lin Ke and the others built above an expanded Ghost Titan Spider nest.
• After four days of feeding the spiders, Lin Ke and his companions watched the adult Ghost Titan Spiders weave their first silk around the tower’s Cold Crystal Pillars.
• The spiders finished producing silk after two hours, and Fang Tong led his men in peeling it from the pillars while Lin Ke asked them to weigh the harvest.

Lin Ke oversaw the first harvest of Ghost Titan Spider silk and taught the workers an improved method for processing it. After separating usable silk from defective material, he began instructing the spinners, leaving the first production run underway.

• Fang Tong reported that the harvest yielded sixty jin of spider silk, including fifty jin suitable for armor and ten jin with impurities.
• Lin Ke told Fang Tong to store the usable silk for spinning and keep the defective silk for other uses, then had the spiders fed.
• Lin Ke assured Shi Ping and Fang Du that a second batch could be harvested in three or four days and that production could increase.
• Lin Ke brought Shi Ping and Fang Du to the workshop and explained how to spin spider silk using the Hundred-Spider Breeding Manual and methods from his previous life.
• Lin Ke demonstrated that soaking spider silk in warm water softened it without damaging its toughness, and the women began learning his process.

Lin Ke submitted Ghost Titan Spider silk to the Golden Wing Sect for inspection, where its exceptional strength and spirit power transmission impressed the inspectors. The silk passed, and its potential to improve the sect’s battlefield advantage left the inspectors astonished.

• Lin Ke brought his processed Ghost Titan Spider silk to Moon Moth Peak for inspection by White Wind True Person and Azure Moon True Person.
• Azure Moon True Person tested the silk and found that it could transmit Dao Foundation Stage spirit power and withstand a Mortal Artifact’s strike when woven into cloth.
• Azure Moon True Person fashioned the silk into inner armor, and White Wind True Person tested it, finding that it could withstand a powerful attack before breaking under his greater strength.
• White Wind True Person concluded that the armor could give cultivators a chance to survive lethal attacks, and Azure Moon True Person confirmed that Lin Ke’s silk had passed inspection.
• White Wind True Person said the armor could help the Golden Wing Sect gain an advantage in its stalemated war against the Demon Race.

Lin Ke prepared to develop the Great Wilderness Palace and warned himself to expect interference from Blue Poison Peak. He proposed that Wu Yu manage the new Great Wilderness Palace Market, leaving Wu Yu to consider two pay options.

• Azure Moon True Person and White Wind True Person left Moon Moth Peak, and Butterfly Transformation True Person warned Lin Ke that Blue Poison Peak might sabotage his silk business.
• Lin Ke returned to Green Mulberry Garden and decided to establish the Great Wilderness Palace Market to sell spirit insects and attract other merchants.
• Lin Ke offered Wu Yu the job of managing the market and helping oversee Green Mulberry Garden and Whitegrass Pond.
• Lin Ke offered Wu Yu either ten thousand low-grade spirit stones per month or five thousand plus ten percent of the shop's profits.
• Wu Yu asked about Lin Ke's plans and why he had been chosen, and Lin Ke praised Wu Yu's abilities and said he trusted him.

Lin Ke sought masons to build a market and storage facilities beside the Great Wilderness Palace, and Zhao Ming offered the Ingenious Workshop’s services for free. Lin Ke suspected the workshop had an ulterior motive behind its costly offer.

• Wu Yu chose a fixed salary to manage the Great Wilderness Palace’s shops despite Lin Ke urging him to accept a share of the profits.
• Lin Ke planned a market and nearby storage and supply-transfer facilities beside the Great Wilderness Palace.
• Lin Ke went to the markets near Year Festival Square to recruit masons for the construction.
• Lin Ke told the gathered disciples the market would sell Green Mulberry Garden goods and welcome other vendors, with construction expected to finish within a month.
• Zhao Ming offered to have the Ingenious Workshop build the market to the highest standards without charge.
• Lin Ke doubted the offer and suspected the Ingenious Workshop wanted something in return.

Lin Ke met privately with Zhao Ming of the Ingenious Workshop to discuss building his market and learned why Zhao Ming had offered to work without payment. They agreed that Zhao Ming would build the market in exchange for Lin Ke’s monthly cultivation guidance and protection, and Zhao Ming prepared to start work.

• Zhao Ming led Lin Ke to the Ingenious Workshop branch so they could discuss their terms in private.
• Zhao Ming explained that he hoped Lin Ke’s reputation would help him prove himself and secure his position in his father’s business.
• Zhao Ming asked Lin Ke to guide his cultivation for half a day each month and give him the first shop in the market rent-free with protection.
• Lin Ke agreed to both conditions, provided Zhao Ming’s account was true.
• Zhao Ming said he had a thousand craftsmen and could bring them over as soon as Lin Ke was ready.