Chapter Summaries

Zhou Xun reunited with his three disciples, assessed their progress, and gave them guidance and gifts. He approved Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying becoming Dao companions and arranged protection for their journey to bring Shi Wanying’s mother to the wedding.

• Zhou Xun tested his puppet beasts, noted their heavy Spirit Stone consumption, and sent letters through Old Taoist Chuyun, the Song family head, and the Lin family head seeking High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• A year later, Zhou Xun welcomed Zhou Jinsong, Shi Wanying, and Wang Shun to Stillheart Pavilion and asked about their progress.
• Zhou Xun gave Wang Shun a defensive jade pendant and urged Zhou Jinsong to focus more on cultivation, giving him a Spirit Gathering Pill.
• Zhou Xun offered to write Shi Wanying a letter requesting a place for her at the White Cloud Spirit Pool.
• Zhou Xun approved Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying becoming Dao companions, and Shi Wanying planned to bring her mother from Clear Moon Quarter before the wedding.
• Zhou Xun lent the Blackscaled Armadillo to Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying to protect them on their journey.

Zhou Xun attended his disciples Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying’s Daoist partner ceremony, obtained four High-Grade Spirit Stones, and returned to Forgetful River Lake to cultivate toward the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. He began taking a Gathering Yuan Pill in closed-door cultivation to form his sixtieth drop of liquid mana.

• Zhou Jimin hosted Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying’s Daoist partner bond ceremony at Yuelai Inn, where Feng Tingli attended in honor of Zhou Xun.
• Wang Erniu traded Zhou Xun two High-Grade Spirit Stones for two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones on behalf of the Lin Family.
• Zhou Xun presided over the ceremony, and Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying formally became Daoist partners.
• Zhou Xun exchanged for two more High-Grade Spirit Stones at White Cloud Mountain, bringing his total to four for operating the quasi-Tier 3 puppet.
• After returning to Forgetful River Lake, Zhou Xun began closed-door cultivation at the peak of the fourth level of Foundation Establishment and swallowed a Gathering Yuan Pill.

Zhou Xun broke through to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment after three months of seclusion. After learning that Crimson Spirit Dragonfish had been disappearing from Wei Qiuxin’s breeding grounds, he went with Song Yiqing to investigate and discovered that thirty-six fish were missing.

• Zhou Xun refined Gathering Yuan Pills for three months until he formed his sixtieth drop of liquid mana and reached the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
• Zhou Xun tested his increased mana and divine sense, then left seclusion and reunited with Song Yiqing.
• Song Yiqing told Zhou Xun that spirit fish had gone missing while he was secluded, so Zhou Xun visited Wei Qiuxin on Spirit Fish Island.
• Wei Qiuxin explained that Crimson Spirit Dragonfish had vanished in groups of three every half month, and Zhou Xun agreed to investigate.
• Wei Qiuxin used her Spirit Beckoning Flute to gather the dragonfish, and Zhou Xun counted only 163 of the original 200.

Zhou Xun discovered that a demonic beast had been entering Spirit Fish Island through a flaw in the formation and set a trap to catch it. He captured a golden carp with a strange formation-breaking ability, and Wei Qiuxin began considering what kind of rare fish it might be.

• Zhou Xun found a damaged formation flag and suspected a demonic beast was stealing the Crimson Spirit Dragonfish.
• Zhou Xun laid a Water Ripple Formation trap around the flaw and concealed himself to wait for the thief.
• A wary golden carp used a cyan light to melt through the formation barrier and entered the trap.
• Zhou Xun trapped the carp with water dragons, subdued it, and brought it to Wei Qiuxin's cave abode.
• Wei Qiuxin recognized that the carp was not a Golden Spirit Carp and recalled other golden carp her father had described.

Zhou Xun subdued the mysterious golden carp and began raising it as a spirit beast at Forgetful River Lake. A year later, Wang Erniu arrived at Zhou Xun’s formation with his son Lin Youhe to visit him.

• Zhou Xun took the golden carp back to his cave residence, suspecting it was connected to the Azure Golden Dragon Carp bloodline.
• Zhou Xun used threats and Spirit Nourishment Pills to make the carp submit, then assigned Song Yiqing to raise it beneath the Crimson Fire Luan’s nest.
• Over the next year, Zhou Xun’s spiritual root sensitivity rose to fifty-seven points, Zhou Jinsong reached Late-Stage Qi Condensation, and Shi Wanying advanced to the eighth level and became pregnant.
• Wang Erniu brought his son Lin Youhe to Forgetful River Lake and reminded him to treat Uncle Zhou with filial respect.
• Song Yiqing brought Zhou Xun a Message Talisman announcing the visitors.

Zhou Xun welcomed Wang Erniu and Lin Youhe to Stillheart Pavilion, where they shared Peach Blossom Wine and caught up. Wang Erniu asked Zhou Xun for help with two matters, and Zhou Xun gave him a Spirit Gathering Pill for his daughter Lin Xiuyin before hearing the second request.

• Zhou Xun welcomed Wang Erniu and Lin Youhe after learning that Wang Erniu had advanced to the second level of Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Erniu repaid Zhou Xun three thousand Spirit Stones for the spiritual item that had helped him establish his foundation.
• Zhou Xun shared his aged Peach Blossom Wine with Wang Erniu and Lin Youhe, and Wang Erniu praised its cultivation benefits.
• Wang Erniu asked Zhou Xun for a Spirit Gathering Pill for Lin Xiuyin, who had been stuck at the peak of the Qi Condensation Sixth Level for three years.
• Zhou Xun gave Wang Erniu a Spirit Gathering Pill as a gift for his niece Lin Xiuyin and refused payment.

Wang Erniu warned Zhou Xun that strange changes in Hundred Savages Mountain pointed to a possible Beast Tide, and the two discussed preparations and escape plans. Zhou Xun sent warnings and supply instructions to Old Taoist Chuyun, while remaining confident that Forgetful River Lake could withstand the beasts likely to reach it.

• Wang Erniu told Zhou Xun that demon beasts in Hundred Savages Mountain had grown more numerous, stronger, and unusually peaceful with former enemies, signs resembling the Beast Tide omens recorded in the past.
• Wang Erniu said he planned to move Xiuyin and Youhe, along with Lin family descendants, to White Cloud Immortal City, and Zhou Xun gave him a nurtured escape talisman.
• After Wang Erniu left with Lin Youhe, Zhou Xun sent Song Yiqing to deliver a letter to Old Taoist Chuyun, urging him to buy talismans, spiritual herbs, and formation materials while spending available spirit stones.
• Song Yiqing asked whether the Beast Tide was coming and whether Forgetful River Lake could withstand it, and Zhou Xun judged the threat likely but believed their formation could handle the beasts that reached them.

Zhou Xun advanced his formation skills, fortified Forgetful River Lake against the Beast Tide, and raised his spiritual root to the limit of a Superior Spiritual Root. The chapter ended with Feng Tingli arriving at the lake to visit him.

• Zhou Xun successfully set up a Tier 2 Low-Grade formation and decided to delay exploring the ruins in Hundred Savages Mountain until after the Beast Tide.
• Zhou Xun celebrated his breakthrough with Song Yiqing, then used linked formations to fortify the perimeter of Forgetful River Lake.
• Zhou Xun absorbed Gan Yuan Blue and raised his spiritual root sensitivity to fifty-nine, the limit of a Superior Spiritual Root.
• Zhou Xun detected a visitor entering Forgetful River Lake and learned from a Message Talisman that the visitor was Feng Tingli.
• Zhou Xun greeted Feng Tingli outside the Vajra Five Elements Formation, and the two exchanged news of their cultivation.

Feng Tingli visited Zhou Xun to deliver an invitation to White Cloud Immortal City's once-in-a-decade auction. Zhou Xun found several treasures he wanted on the auction list and planned to ask Zhou Buqi to lend him spirit stones.

• Feng Tingli visited Zhou Xun, praised his cultivation prospects and comfortable life at Forgetful River Lake, and delivered an auction invitation.
• Feng Tingli told Zhou Xun that Zhou Buqi wanted to see him when he reached White Cloud Immortal City, and Zhou Xun agreed to visit.
• After Feng Tingli left, Zhou Xun examined the auction list and decided to secure an Azure Spirit Lantern Flower to improve his Crimson Fire Luan's bloodline.
• Zhou Xun found Gold Meteorite and Profound Flame Sand on the list and realized his spirit stones might not cover their cost.
• Zhou Xun planned to ask Zhou Buqi for a loan and estimated he could become a Tier 2 High-Grade Pill Refiner within three years.

Zhou Xun traveled to White Cloud Immortal City with Song Yiqing for the once-in-a-decade auction, then visited Dan Hai Pavilion and rewarded his disciple’s family and its longtime manager. He learned that the pavilion had built up stocks of talismans and spirit herbs as instructed.

• Zhou Xun brought Song Yiqing to White Cloud Immortal City and planned to help her advance so she could have two chances at Foundation Establishment.
• Zhou Xun visited Dan Hai Pavilion, met Zhou Jinsong and Shi Wanying, and named their infant son Zhou Jing.
• Zhou Xun gave Zhou Jing a jade pendant that gathered Spiritual Qi and offered defensive protection.
• Zhou Xun gave Old Taoist Chuyun a Tier 2 mid-grade Longevity Pill in recognition of his years managing Dan Hai Pavilion.
• Old Taoist Chuyun reported that the pavilion had stockpiled five Tier 2 Mid-Grade Talismans, thirty Tier 2 Low-Grade Talismans, nearly a hundred first-grade high-grade talismans, and two years’ worth of spirit herbs.

Zhou Xun prepared for a possible Beast Tide and visited Zhou Buqi to ask about the threat and borrow spirit stones for an auction. Zhou Buqi agreed to lend him thirty thousand spirit stones, then demanded an oath of secrecy before sharing what he knew about the Beast Tide.

• Zhou Xun ordered Old Taoist Chuyun to give him the Tier 2 Mid-Grade Talisman materials and store the rest, then concluded that a Beast Tide was likely approaching.
• Zhou Xun visited Zhou Buqi at White Cloud Mountain, where Zhou Buqi hosted him with rare Peach Blossom Wine.
• Zhou Xun told Zhou Buqi he expected to attempt advancement to Tier 2 High-Grade Pill Refiner in five or six years.
• Zhou Xun asked to borrow thirty thousand spirit stones, and Zhou Buqi agreed.
• Zhou Xun asked Zhou Buqi about the Beast Tide, and Zhou Buqi required him to swear upon his Dao heart to keep the information secret.

Zhou Xun learned that a Beast Tide was imminent and that White Cloud Immortal City would be defended by two True Core cultivators and a powerful formation. Back at his residence, he received a High-Grade Spirit Stone from the Song family, strengthening his preparations for the coming danger.

• Zhou Xun swore a Dao Heart Oath not to reveal what he had learned about the Beast Tide.
• Zhou Buqi told Zhou Xun that Demon Beasts were migrating from Hundred Savages Mountain and that South Peak True One would help defend White Cloud Immortal City.
• Zhou Xun decided to wait until Foundation Establishment Late Stage before visiting White Cloud Immortal City, then asked Zhou Buqi cultivation questions and left with the remaining Peach Blossom Wine.
• Song Zhishu visited Zhou Xun and delivered a High-Grade Spirit Stone on behalf of the Song family.
• Zhou Xun paid Song Zhishu ten thousand Spirit Stones and learned that Song Zhishu's Third Uncle had secured the High-Grade Spirit Stone through his Cloud Radiance Sect connections.

Zhou Xun agreed to help the Song family obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully refined pills for Fairy Moonbright and Fang Tianlun. At the auction, he passed on bidding for a Foundation Establishment Pill and began competing for an Azure Spirit Lantern Flower.

• Song Zhishu asked Zhou Xun to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill for the Song family at the auction, and Zhou Xun agreed.
• Fairy Moonbright and Fang Tianlun brought Zhou Xun a complete set of Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, and he refined three pills, giving them two without charging a fee.
• Zhou Xun attended the auction at Azure Ape Hall with Song Yiqing and chose not to bid when a Foundation Establishment Pill went up for sale.
• Zhou Xun began bidding on an Azure Spirit Lantern Flower, raising the price to seven thousand Spirit Stones.

Zhou Xun bought rare materials at the White Cloud Immortal City auction, returned home to cultivate, and later welcomed Fairy Moonbright and Fang Tianlun as newly established neighbors. Their visit revealed their gratitude and growing success, while their unusual history as partners in cultivation and craft came to light.

• Zhou Xun won the Azure Spirit Lantern Flower for seven thousand spirit stones and spent over fifty thousand on Gold Meteorite and Profound Flame Sand.
• Before leaving White Cloud Immortal City, Zhou Xun sold Song Zhishu a Foundation Establishment Pill for five thousand spirit stones, honoring the Song family's past kindness.
• Zhou Xun returned to Forgetful River Lake and secluded himself, expecting to reach the Foundation Establishment Late Stage within ten years.
• A year later, Fairy Moonbright and Fang Tianlun visited Zhou Xun as Foundation Establishment cultivators, presented him with a defensive Mystic Tool and an Azure Cloud Mystic Robe, and revealed that they had rented Five Willow Mountain as their dojo.
• Zhou Xun welcomed the pair as neighbors and gave them Essence Gathering Pills; over the next half year, they visited often and brought gifts for him and Song Yiqing.
• Zhou Xun learned that Fang Tianlun and Li Rumeng had supported each other for years, helping Fang become a high-grade artifact refiner before they obtained materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

After breaking through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, Zhou Xun returned to his peaceful life with Song Yiqing and learned that their Azure Golden Dragon Carp had advanced to the first-tier high-grade. The chapter ended with the carp celebrating its breakthrough as the Crimson Fire Luan cried from a nearby cliff.

• Zhou Xun emerged from seclusion after reaching the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, and Song Yiqing congratulated him.
• Song Yiqing prepared a mid-grade Crimson Spirit Dragonfish for Zhou Xun, who praised her cooking and resumed his tranquil cultivation routine.
• Half a year later, Zhou Xun sensed a surge of magical power and hurried to the Azure Golden Dragon Carp's waters.
• The Azure Golden Dragon Carp broke through to the first-tier high-grade, and Zhou Xun rewarded it with a high-grade Spirit Nourishment Pill.
• Song Yiqing stroked the carp as it rubbed against her hand, while Zhou Xun scolded the Crimson Fire Luan for squawking.

Zhou Xun strengthened his stock of Tier 2 talismans as reports warned that demon beasts were spreading beyond Hundred Savages Mountain. He urged Song Yiqing to focus on cultivation, and the chapter ended with her reaching Qi Condensation Sixth Level and preparing to hand over the dojo’s mundane affairs.

• The Azure Golden Dragon Carp drenched the Crimson Fire Luan after it mocked the carp’s higher grade, and Zhou Xun stopped their fight.
• Zhou Xun drew a Tier 2 mid-grade Lightning Talisman and noted that he had amassed more than thirty Tier 2 Mid-Grade Talismans in preparation for the Beast Tide.
• Zhou Xun urged Song Yiqing to set aside dojo affairs and focus on cultivation, then helped her with her cultivation questions.
• Wang Erniu’s letter warned that demon beasts were attacking areas near Red Leaf Square, including a Tier 2 Ironfeather Eagle, and asked Zhou Xun to protect members of the Lin family if needed.
• Song Yiqing broke through to Qi Condensation Sixth Level, and Zhou Xun told her to leave the dojo’s mundane affairs to Fairy Wei.

Zhou Xun appointed Wei Qiuxin chief steward of his Dao grounds and promised her a White Cloud Spirit Pool slot, then continued cultivating as demon beasts spread from Hundred Savages Mountain. After the Crimson Fire Luan broke through, Zhou Xun’s peaceful life was overshadowed by the growing threat near Red Leaf Square.

• Zhou Xun told Song Yiqing to focus on cultivation and summoned Wei Qiuxin to offer her the chief steward position and a place in the White Cloud Spirit Pool.
• Wei Qiuxin accepted the position, and Zhou Xun gave her a token granting access to Lakeheart Island and the ability to contact him.
• Demon beasts increasingly encroached on human territory near Hundred Savages Mountain, while Zhou Xun improved his talisman-making and other skills over the next year.
• Zhou Xun and Song Yiqing witnessed the Crimson Fire Luan break through to Tier 1 High-Grade, giving Zhou Xun a flying spirit beast to ride.
• Wang Erniu’s reports described growing numbers of demon beasts around Red Leaf Square, and the Lin family withdrew its personnel from a Crimson Spirit Iron Mine.

Zhou Xun followed a divination compass deep beneath Forgetful River Lake to pursue the strange Fish Demon Wei Qiuxin had failed to catch. He passed through an ancient, damaged restriction into a vast underwater region, where several auras entered his divine sense.

• Wang Erniu continued hunting demon beasts on the front lines, while Zhou Xun turned their hides and blood into Tier 2 Mid-Grade Talismans.
• Wei Qiuxin told Zhou Xun about a horned Fish Demon that had injured people and escaped her traps, and gave him its broken fin.
• Zhou Xun used the Diviner's Compass to track the demon into the lake and killed a different strange fish along the way.
• Zhou Xun descended more than fifty thousand zhang, followed an underwater passage, and found an exit marked by fragments of ancient restrictions.
• Zhou Xun passed through the exit into a vast body of water, where several auras entered his divine sense.

Zhou Xun discovered a vast, exceptionally rich spiritual vein beneath Forgetful River Lake and secretly turned its cavern into a cultivation retreat. Two years later, he attempted to refine Tier 2 High-Grade Spirit Gathering Pills, successfully processing and fusing the medicinal liquids.

• Zhou Xun surfaced in an enormous cavern, repelled its demonic beasts, and followed the rushing water to a vast underground river.
• Zhou Xun found abandoned human cave residences and judged the cavern’s spiritual vein to be at least Tier 3 Top Grade, then concealed its entrance with restrictions.
• Zhou Xun reopened a cave residence and cultivated there for two years, advancing close to the peak of Foundation Establishment sixth layer.
• Zhou Xun prepared to refine Tier 2 High-Grade Spirit Gathering Pills using his ancient pill furnace, Dragon Spirit Charcoal, and spiritual herbs.
• Zhou Xun processed the herbs into medicinal liquid and successfully fused the liquids into a single mixture.

Zhou Xun became a Tier 2 High-Grade Pill Refiner, then tried and failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. After recovering from the attempt, he left his hidden underground cave estate and reunited with Song Yiqing, who had reached the peak of Qi Condensation Sixth Level.

• Zhou Xun refined three Spirit Gathering Pills, two genuine and one inferior, and mastered the methods for several Tier 2 High-Grade pills.
• Over half a month, Zhou Xun used his Tier 2 High-Grade herbs to make pills, then shifted his focus to talisman crafting and sold Tier 2 Low-Grade Talismans through Old Taoist Chuyun at Dan Hai Pavilion.
• Zhou Xun reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Sixth Level and attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, but the attempt injured him and failed.
• After recovering, Zhou Xun concluded that his breakthrough attempt had weakened the bottleneck and that several more attempts might let him pass it.
• Zhou Xun returned from his secret underground cave estate to Lakeheart Island and met Song Yiqing, who had reached the peak of Qi Condensation Sixth Level.