Chapter Summaries

Xue Fuyao bought herbs whose roots seemed to contain fragments of the Broken Jade, then was kidnapped during a commotion in the market. Locked in a room with other children, she escaped her cage and faced pleas from the others to free them.

• Xue Fuyao sensed the Broken Jade near a herb stall, bought its herbs and basket, and learned the vendor had dug them in the Forest Outside the City.
• A thief alarm caused a crush in the market, and a person in black abducted Xue Fuyao while Gu Nian was protecting her.
• Xue Fuyao pretended to lose consciousness after the kidnapper covered her mouth with a drugged handkerchief, then discovered she was trapped with children, including disciples of the Four Great Clans of Cloud City.
• The other disciples explained that their families would redeem them, but Xue Fuyao decided to escape and help the children in the other cages.
• Xue Fuyao picked the lock with her hairpin, and the other children begged her to free them.

Xue Fuyao escaped from a human traffickers’ cellar and warned Lin Qing that the captives were in danger. The Yuanji Sect and the Four Great Clans raided the hideout, rescued the children, and returned to the Wang Household ahead of the postponed Spiritual Root test.

• Xue Fuyao freed the other captives, then arranged for them to stay in the cellar while she escaped to find help.
• Xue Fuyao overheard the traffickers’ boss order the captives killed, slipped out, and hurried to the Wang Household.
• Gu Nian and Lin Qing welcomed Xue Fuyao, and she told Lin Qing where the traffickers were holding the children.
• Lin Qing led Yuanji Sect disciples and people from the Four Great Clans to surround the hideout and rescue the captives.
• Gu Nian gave Xue Fuyao a Storage Bag as compensation, and the Spiritual Root test was postponed until the next day.

Xue Fuyao fused a small piece of broken jade and discovered that it had improved her appearance. She then accompanied Gu Nian to intervene when Madam Wang tried to seize Wang Mingyue’s Spirit-Cleansing Pills, and later decided to revisit the place where she had found jade fragments.

• Xue Fuyao washed the dirt from her herbs, gathered a fingernail-sized amount of broken jade, and fused it with her blood.
• The next morning, Xue Fuyao noticed her disguise had vanished and her appearance had improved, so she used the broken jade to recreate her former look.
• Gu Nian told Xue Fuyao that Madam Wang was pressuring Wang Mingyue to hand over her Spirit-Cleansing Pills, and explained that Wang Mingyue had asked Gu Nian for protection.
• Gu Nian confronted Madam Wang and asserted that Wang Mingyue, as a Yuanji Sect disciple, could not be humiliated; Madam Wang ordered her daughter taken back to her room and a doctor summoned.
• Xue Fuyao decided to return to the area where she had bought herbs, hoping to find more broken jade before entering the Yuanji Sect.

Xue Fuyao secretly recovered broken jade fragments from a wooded area before preparing to join the Yuanji Sect. Gu Nian explained the sect’s Heaven-Questioning Stairway trial and advised her about choosing a master, and Xue Fuyao set off for the sect aboard a Spirit Boat.

• Xue Fuyao returned to her courtyard, then left at night in sparrow form to find and collect glowing soil containing broken jade fragments.
• Xue Fuyao went to the spiritual-root testing site, where Gu Nian introduced her to Steward Chen.
• Gu Nian explained that Yuanji Sect candidates had to climb the Heaven-Questioning Stairway and advised Xue Fuyao to consider Elder Lingmu as her master.
• Xue Fuyao boarded the returning Spirit Boat with Gu Nian and fifteen other candidates, who traveled separately from the Four Great Clans' disciples.

Xue Fuyao recalled major events and opportunities that would unfold while she was inside the Yuanji Sect, especially the Zhang Family’s discovery of an Upper-Grade Spirit Vein. At the sect’s Heaven-Questioning Stairway, she resisted its illusions with the Heavenly Eye’s insight and climbed steadily past the other children, drawing the Sect Master’s attention.

• On the Spirit Boat, Gu Nian asked Xue Fuyao why she was not playing with the other children, and she said she was considering important matters.
• Xue Fuyao recalled upcoming cultivation-realm events and resolved that the Zhang Clan members must not gain the Upper-Grade Spirit Vein discovered by the Zhang Family.
• After half a month, Lin Qing explained that children had to climb more than one thousand steps of the Heaven-Questioning Stairway to qualify for the Yuanji Sect.
• Xue Fuyao stepped onto the stairway, had her cultivation sealed, and began climbing steadily without being slowed by its illusions.
• When an illusion of her Imperial Father appeared, Xue Fuyao quickly recognized it and continued climbing, passing those ahead of her.
• At the two thousand five hundredth step, Xue Fuyao increased her pace, and the Sect Master of Yuanji Sect praised her progress.

Gu Nian identified Xue Fuyao as a young cultivator with a wood-element Heavenly Spiritual Root, and Sect Master Xiao Fansheng persuaded Xie Yichu to take her as his disciple. After Xue Fuyao reached the summit of the Heaven-Questioning Stairway and entered the sect hall, the disciple-taking ceremony began.

• Gu Nian told Xiao Fansheng that Xue Fuyao had a wood-element Heavenly Spiritual Root and had reached the Third Layer of Qi Condensation soon after beginning cultivation.
• Xiao Fansheng convinced Xie Yichu to accept Xue Fuyao as his first and last disciple, and Xie Yichu agreed on that condition.
• Xue Fuyao reached the end of the Heaven-Questioning Stairway, recovered her strength, and joined the few who had climbed the steps on their own.
• An inner sect disciple led the successful climbers into the grand hall, where they paid respects to Xiao Fansheng and the elders.
• Xiao Fansheng nudged the dozing Xie Yichu as the disciple-taking ceremony was about to begin.

Xue Fuyao became Xie Yichu’s disciple and settled on Green Bamboo Peak, where she cultivated with his guidance and medicinal baths. As her cultivation rapidly advanced, she deliberately held back her breakthroughs and considered how to prepare for Foundation Establishment.

• Xie Yichu chose Xue Fuyao as his disciple, and she respectfully accepted him as her master.
• Xie Yichu brought Xue Fuyao to Green Bamboo Peak, gave her cultivation materials and rules, and told her to reach the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining before attempting Perfect Foundation Establishment.
• Xue Fuyao carved a cave abode beside a stream, sent Shadow One and the others a warning to keep an Upper-Grade Spirit Vein from the Zhang Clan, and cleaned fragments from her Storage Bag.
• Xue Fuyao followed a routine of cultivation and medicinal baths, advancing from the Sixth to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining while restraining her breakthroughs to strengthen her foundation.
• Xue Fuyao began clearing weeds on Green Bamboo Peak while thinking about her future Foundation Establishment.

Xue Fuyao used the Creation Green Lotus seed as a Foundation Establishment Object and successfully established her foundation, gaining an innate treasure art and a cultivation method. After informing Shadow One and the others about foundation-establishment options, she concealed her cultivation and left her cave abode, where a month had passed.

• Xue Fuyao reached the Qi Refining Stage, Twelfth Layer, and refined her spiritual power until it could not be purified further.
• Xue Fuyao placed the Creation Green Lotus seed at her dantian and entered a selfless state as its warmth spread through her body.
• Xue Fuyao successfully established her foundation using the seed and awakened the Creation Green Lotus Treasure Art, which could attack, defend, heal, and provide life force.
• Xue Fuyao gained the Creation Green Lotus Formula and decided she would still pursue the Divine-Grade Chaos Formula.
• Xue Fuyao informed Shadow One and the others about perfect foundation establishment and using a Foundation Establishment Object, then concealed her cultivation and left her cave abode after a month had passed.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Xue Fuyao transformed the overgrown Green Bamboo Peak into a place she could call home, while Xie Yichu quietly grew accustomed to her presence. She collected her delayed cultivation resources and went to the Spirit Plant Peak to buy plants, where Zhuang Bo asked which peak she belonged to.

• Xue Fuyao spent a month and a half clearing weeds, opening a mountain path, cutting down the trees, and preparing spiritual fields on Green Bamboo Peak.
• Xue Fuyao planned to plant fruit trees, bamboo, and other plants, while Xie Yichu watched her work and decided that having a disciple seemed worthwhile.
• Xue Fuyao secretly left Green Bamboo Peak and collected two months of cultivation resources at the Government Affairs Pavilion.
• Xue Fuyao visited the Spirit Plant Peak and told Zhuang Bo she wanted mature fruit trees and other ornamental spiritual plants.
• Zhuang Bo showed Xue Fuyao a catalog of discounted plants and asked which peak she came from.

Xue Fuyao filled Green Bamboo Peak with spirit plants and sunflowers, while Xie Yichu encouraged her to balance cultivation with exploring the sect. After inviting Gu Nian to visit the market, Xue Fuyao met her at the newly transformed peak.

• Xue Fuyao bought fruit trees, spirit plants, medicinal seeds, tea trees, and plant-watering liquid from Spirit Plant Peak and Spirit Medicine Peak.
• Xue Fuyao spent three days planting the purchases and sowed sunflower seeds from her childhood home.
• Xie Yichu saw the changes to Green Bamboo Peak, told Xue Fuyao not to overfocus on cultivation, and suggested she visit the sect market.
• Xue Fuyao checked that her sunflowers had sprouted and sent Gu Nian a message asking her to go to the market.
• Gu Nian arrived at Green Bamboo Peak and marveled at how much Xue Fuyao had transformed it.

Xue Fuyao explored the Yuanji Sect market and was drawn into a dispute between Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei over an apparently ordinary black bracelet. The sisters made her arbitrate, and she took the bracelet to examine it while the stall owner watched from the crowd.

• Gu Nian accompanied Xue Fuyao to the sect market, then they separated so Xue Fuyao could browse on her own.
• Xue Fuyao used her Heavenly Eye to find and buy several valuable items hidden among ordinary goods.
• Xue Fuyao hurried to a commotion and found Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei arguing over a scratched black bracelet.
• Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei summoned two Inner Sect Disciples who both had romantic feelings for them, escalating the dispute.
• A bystander asked Xue Fuyao to arbitrate, and the sisters agreed before she took the bracelet from them.
• Xue Fuyao found the bracelet seemed entirely ordinary and noticed the stall owner watching the argument from within the crowd.

Xue Fuyao bought a bracelet to stop Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei from fighting over it, then learned from a menial disciple that it was the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet, which contained the sealed supreme charm bones of two succubi. The menial disciple claimed her family had passed down its history, and Xue Fuyao gave her cultivation resources while doubting her story.

• Xue Fuyao bought the bracelet for ten low-grade spirit stones and refused to give it to either Ye Qinxuan or Ye Qinfei, who left in opposite directions.
• A menial disciple approached Xue Fuyao and asked to buy the bracelet, claiming it resembled a keepsake from her mother.
• Xue Fuyao led the menial disciple somewhere secluded and demanded that she reveal the bracelet's secret.
• The menial disciple identified it as the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet and explained that it sealed the supreme charm bones of two succubi.
• Xue Fuyao suspected Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei had fused with the charm bones in her past life and questioned how the menial disciple knew the bracelet's history.
• The menial disciple said an ancestor had helped suppress the succubi, and Xue Fuyao gave her cultivation resources while suspecting she had lied.

Xue Fuyao used the Heavenly Eye to discover two supreme charm bones inside the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet and worried that Ye Qinxuan and Ye Qinfei might seek it. She brought the bracelet to Xie Yichu and asked about succubi and supreme charm bones, and he asked whether she wanted them.

• Xue Fuyao left the market after giving a menial disciple cultivation resources and later met Gu Nian at Alchemy Peak’s pill shop, where Gu Nian bargained with Chu Yunzhe.
• Xue Fuyao returned to Green Bamboo Peak and used the Heavenly Eye to see the bracelet’s true form and the red and blue supreme charm bones inside it.
• Xue Fuyao considered the risks involving the menial disciple, Ye Qinxuan, and Ye Qinfei, then decided to seek Xie Yichu’s advice.
• Xue Fuyao explained the market events to Xie Yichu and showed him the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet.
• Xie Yichu examined the bracelet and asked Xue Fuyao if she wanted the supreme charm bones.

After the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet was verified, Xue Fuyao received it as a reward instead of the Supreme Charm Bones sealed inside. She learned the bones had been refined into Charm Bone Essence, while powerful female elders in the Back Mountain Forbidden Land had fought over them.

• Xie Yichu took the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet to Sect Master Xiao Fansheng, and the main peak masters gathered in the Back Mountain Forbidden Land to examine it.
• Over the next half-year, Xue Fuyao revealed that she had reached Foundation Establishment, while her actual cultivation advanced to the Middle Stage.
• Xiao Fansheng summoned Xue Fuyao to Qianyuan Peak and confirmed that the bracelet contained the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet and two Supreme Charm Bones.
• Xue Fuyao chose the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet as her reward and declined to fuse with the Supreme Charm Bones.
• Xie Yichu told Xue Fuyao that the bones had been refined into Charm Bone Essence and that female grand supreme elders had fought over them.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Xue Fuyao asked Xie Yichu to let her leave the sect, but he had her learn the secret Longevity Formula first. A month later, she mastered its first level and entered the Library Pavilion to choose more cultivation methods.

• Xue Fuyao asked Xie Yichu if she could leave the mountain to gain practical experience after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• Xie Yichu pointed out that Xue Fuyao had not chosen a cultivation method or learned spells, and gave her the Longevity Formula to study.
• Xie Yichu told Xue Fuyao to keep the Longevity Formula secret and outwardly claim she practiced the Azure Cloud Formula.
• Xue Fuyao quickly mastered the Longevity Formula, and it circulated in harmony with her Creation Green Lotus Formula.
• A month later, Xue Fuyao reached the first level of the Longevity Formula and went to the Library Pavilion to choose cultivation methods.

Xue Fuyao selected cultivation techniques and spells at the Library Pavilion, where she confronted Ye Qinfei over a bracelet and warned her against spreading rumors. Back at Green Bamboo Peak, she learned Shadow One’s group had found the UpperGrade Spirit Vein and planned to build connections after reaching Foundation Establishment.

• Xue Fuyao memorized several movement and combat techniques on the fifth floor of the Library Pavilion, then chose commonly used spells on the first floor.
• Ye Qinfei confronted Xue Fuyao about the bracelet she said had been snatched half a year earlier, but Xue Fuyao denied it and threatened consequences if rumors spread.
• Xue Fuyao left the Library Pavilion and recalled how Ye Qinfei had used rumors and apparent grievances to turn pursuers against others in her previous life.
• Shadow One reported that the group had found the UpperGrade Spirit Vein and had been mining its spirit stones while cultivating in its abundant spiritual energy.
• Shadow One said the group planned to reach Foundation Establishment before joining separate factions, and Xue Fuyao advised them not to join blood-related immortal cultivation lineages and refused their offer of spirit stones.

Xue Fuyao received a token from Xie Yichu to enter the Qingfeng Secret Realm and went to Gu Nian to learn about the upcoming expedition. Gu Nian explained the realm’s dangers and handed her a map, then asked whether Xue Fuyao had prepared her other supplies.

• Xie Yichu gave Xue Fuyao a Qingfeng Secret Realm token and told her to leave with Gu Nian the next day, then tossed her a storage bag.
• Xue Fuyao visited Gu Nian, who explained that the secret realm opened every five years, admitted only Foundation Establishment cultivators, and contained spiritual Qi that could harm their cultivation if absorbed too freely.
• Gu Nian told Xue Fuyao that entrants were randomly teleported, that she had tasks to complete, and that the Divine Spirit Fruit had not been found in years.
• Gu Nian gave Xue Fuyao an old map of the secret realm and asked whether she had prepared her other things.
• Xue Fuyao blinked at Gu Nian, not knowing what other things she meant.

Xue Fuyao prepared for the Qingfeng Secret Realm and discovered that her Demon-Suppressing Bracelet needed Monster Beast cores and flesh to recover. At the secret realm gathering, she recognized the Zhang triplets from her previous life and resolved to eliminate them while they were still relatively weak.

• Gu Nian advised Xue Fuyao to prepare weapons, pills, talismans, and a flying treasure, and Xue Fuyao confirmed her master had supplied them.
• Xue Fuyao found that the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet was damaged and hungry for Monster Beast cores and flesh, which she promised to provide in the secret realm.
• Xue Fuyao traveled with Gu Nian and the Yuanji Sect disciples, noticed Ye Qinfei's killing intent, and saw Ye Qinxuan watching her with guilt and wariness.
• At the secret realm destination, Xue Fuyao recognized Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Hongzhi, and Zhang Qizhi as the triplets who had harmed her in her previous life, and learned they had bought entry slots from the Kunlun Sect.
• Gu Nian greeted Senior Brother Yan Changxi, who asked whether Xue Fuyao was her master's new disciple.

Xue Fuyao entered the Qingfeng Secret Realm after avoiding Ye Qinfei’s apparent attempt to tamper with her. She arrived alone in an unmapped valley and began considering how to hunt demonic beasts to repair the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet.

• Gu Nian warned Xue Fuyao to avoid the Zhang Family triplets if they encountered them together in the Secret Realm.
• The Qingfeng Secret Realm entrance appeared, and an elder announced that entrants would be teleported out after one month.
• Xue Fuyao noticed Ye Qinfei rushing toward her with something concealed in her sleeve, then stepped aside and let Ye Qinfei stumble through the gate first.
• Xue Fuyao entered the Secret Realm and arrived in a verdant valley filled with dense spiritual Qi.
• Xue Fuyao realized the valley was not marked on the map Gu Nian had given her.

Xue Fuyao discovered a hidden valley filled with ancient spirit medicines and fed many of them to the Demon-Suppressing Bracelet, restoring some of its condition. At the valley’s center, she identified Jade Glass of the Azure Moon and began forming a bond with it using her creation spirit root, but the connection remained incomplete.

• Xue Fuyao used her Heavenly Eye to confirm the unexplored valley was real and free of nearby danger, then gathered its thousand-year-old spirit medicines in jade boxes.
• The Demon-Suppressing Bracelet trembled and communicated that it wanted to eat, so Xue Fuyao fed it most of the spirit medicines she collected and saw its condition improve.
• Xue Fuyao followed increasingly rare spirit medicines toward the valley’s center and discovered a hidden barrier formed by a pale purple light.
• Xue Fuyao identified the fragile plant inside the barrier as Jade Glass of the Azure Moon, a spirit plant that concealed its surroundings and drew rare medicines to grow within its barrier.
• Xue Fuyao revealed her creation spirit root and Creation Green Lotus Body, then cut her palm and let her blood fall on Jade Glass of the Azure Moon to begin forming a connection with it.