Chapter Summaries

After Jiang Yi dealt with Zhang Chao and Dong Ba, he took charge of their workshops and settled the matter with the stewards’ help. Yang Xun offered him a place in the Inner Peaks in exchange for serving him, and Jiang Yi accepted by calling him Grandpa.

• Mortal Laborers at the Labor Affairs Courtyard speculated about Zhang Chao and Dong Ba, while He Laohun refused to reveal what he knew about Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi announced that Zhang Chao had been crippled and Dong Ba killed, and said he would temporarily oversee their workshops.
• Jiang Yi told He Laohun to keep watch, then thanked Yang Xun for mediating with Tang Cong and Zhou Guang.
• Yang Xun praised Jiang Yi’s methods and asked whether he had mastered the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art and could reach the fourth level of Qi Refining by spring.
• Yang Xun explained that Jiang Yi would need substantial support to survive in the Inner Sect and asked whether anyone would provide him money.
• Jiang Yi offered to serve Yang Xun and care for him in his old age, and Yang Xun promised him a place in the Inner Peaks if he called him Grandpa.

Jiang Yi secured Yang Xun’s support, learning that he could compete for an Inner Peaks seat if he reached the fourth level of Qi Refining before spring. Yang Xun gave him cultivation notes and promised to provide the costly materials for an eighth-grade body-refinement art, while Jiang Yi planned his next steps and awaited guidance from the Heavenly Book.

• Yang Xun explained that each Outer Sect duty officer could recommend a young cultivator for one of the Inner Peaks’ reserve seats, and urged Jiang Yi to reach the fourth level of Qi Refining before spring.
• Yang Xun gave Jiang Yi his cultivation notes for the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art and introduced the eighth-grade Water-Fire Pond and Marsh Body-Refinement Art.
• After Jiang Yi worried about the art’s expensive materials, Yang Xun assured him that he had already made plans and would cover the costs.
• Jiang Yi returned to the Work Dormitory, counted more than sixty thousand Talisman Money taken from Zhang Chao and Dong Ba, and planned to repay Sister Qin and give Yang Xun thirty thousand.
• Jiang Yi decided that the body-refinement art might help him reach the fifth level of Qi Refining, then consulted the Heavenly Book and resumed cultivating.

Jiang Yi pursued his cultivation and prepared to attend a lecture in the Inner Peaks, while He Laohun helped him obtain permission to ride a Flying Crane. After Duty Officer Zhou Guang accepted Jiang Yi’s explanation and gave him a riding token, Jiang Yi flew toward the Inner Peaks as He Laohun watched and hoped he would rise further.

• Jiang Yi followed the Heavenly Book’s demanding cultivation schedule and told He Laohun he was eager to attend a teaching elder’s lecture in the Inner Peaks.
• Jiang Yi repaid He Laohun for the Talisman Money he had paid, explaining that entering the Inner Peaks mattered more to him than small profits.
• At the Forging Room, Jiang Yi faced Duty Officer Zhou Guang, who asked about his killing of Dong Ba and his mastery of Yang Xun’s Fire-Control Art.
• Jiang Yi explained that he had acted under pressure and had already settled the matter with Yang Xun; Zhou Guang accepted his account and gave him a Flying Crane Riding Token.
• Jiang Yi rode a white crane toward the Inner Peaks while He Laohun watched him go and returned to work, wishing him success on the Dao Path.

Jiang Yi rode a flying crane to the Inner Peaks, while Zhou Guang discussed his prospects and rejected Luo Tong’s request to borrow the crane. Luo Tong left for Sewing Peak after learning Jiang Yi had taken the only crane.

• Jiang Yi rode a flying crane from the Outer Sect to the Inner Peaks and felt the spiritual vitality there strengthen his cultivation.
• Zhou Guang explained that he had accepted Jiang Yi’s payment and stopped seeking trouble with him after recognizing his talent and Inner Peaks ambitions.
• Zhou Guang kicked the horse-faced man for speaking up for Luo Tong, then assigned Qi Wei to clean his boots.
• Zhou Guang refused Luo Tong the flying crane because Jiang Yi had borrowed it to travel to the Inner Peaks.
• Luo Tong learned that Jiang Yi had borrowed the crane, dismissed the horse-faced man’s punishment, and headed to Sewing Peak.

Jiang Yi registered for Elder Xu’s lecture in the Inner Peaks and listened to a history of Jambudvipa Vast Land and its lost Sword Dao. The lecture ended with Jiang Yi still seated at the back, hoping to earn a place closer to the altar in the future.

• Jiang Yi arrived at Bluestone Square and learned how to register for the Inner Peaks lecture from an old Daoist.
• Jiang Yi registered at Qigong Court, paid the old Daoist for directions, and received a warning not to take cushions at the front.
• Jiang Yi climbed to Guanlan, found an inconspicuous seat, and watched Inner Peaks disciples occupy the front rows.
• Elder Xu lectured on the history of Jambudvipa Vast Land and offered several accounts of how it was reduced to four continents.
• Elder Xu described the ancient Sword Dao’s clash with the Buddhist Dao, its destruction, and its legacy as the only weapon Dao.
• The lecture concluded when the bronze chime rang and the Daoist attendant announced that it was over.

After Elder Xu’s lesson, Jiang Yi met Wang Heng, who brought him to Heshui Cave to introduce him to other outer-sect Mortal Laborers and explain how rural clans used sect connections to rise. When Wang Heng asked which Jiang clan Jiang Yi came from, Jiang Yi said he could count as part of the Guling Jiang Clan.

• Jiang Yi reflected that Elder Xu’s lesson offered little practical cultivation knowledge but could still broaden his understanding.
• Wang Heng introduced himself as a Mortal Laborer from Soul-Nourishing Peak and invited Jiang Yi to chat at Heshui Cave.
• Wang Heng explained how rural Qi Refining clans supported promising youths in sects to build influence and cited the Illuminating Nether Sect, the Fu Household, and the Kang Household.
• Wang Heng brought Jiang Yi to a gathering with Lu Yun, Zhao Fang, and Li Ruohan, then described their family backgrounds.
• Wang Heng asked which Jiang clan Jiang Yi belonged to, and Jiang Yi answered that he could just about count as a member of the Guling Jiang Clan.

Jiang Yi attended a meal at Heshui Cave, where Wang Heng and the others mistook his background and later learned he was Crimson Flame Peak’s Quenching Room Inspection Officer. After returning to the Large Compound, Jiang Yi considered the competition for Inner Peaks positions and asked the Heavenly Book for an auspicious day to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

• Wang Heng tried to cover Jiang Yi’s mention of the Guling Jiang Clan by claiming he meant the Lujiang Jiang Clan, and Lu Yun helped change the subject.
• Lu Yun told Li Ruohan that Essence-Nourishing Pills were difficult to obtain and revealed that Xu Yan had missed out on Hanyuan Pills and failed to find a rare fortuitous encounter.
• Jiang Yi realized the Moonlight Essence Flowing Essence he had consumed was the fortuitous encounter Xu Yan had searched for, while Wang Heng and Lu Yun mistook his quiet appetite for a lack of refinement.
• Li Ruohan asked Wang Heng to help her obtain Essence-Nourishing Pills so she could improve her chances of entering the Inner Peaks.
• After Jiang Yi left, Zhao Fang told Wang Heng that Jiang Yi was a Quenching Room Inspection Officer who had killed one opposing officer and crippled another; Wang Heng regretted mishandling the meal and resolved to repair the relationship later.
• Jiang Yi returned to Crimson Flame Peak, thought about the limited Inner Peaks positions, and asked the Heavenly Book to show him an auspicious day to reach the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to confirm that he was certain to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining and chose a meditation chamber at Heshui Cave on Wavelooking Peak. He began tempering his internal organs with the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art, confident the process would take twenty-four hours.

• Jiang Yi left the Large Compound in high spirits, and its residents wished him well as he headed out to cultivate.
• At the Forging Room, Zhou Guang and Qi Wei discussed Luo Tong's request for Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Zhou Guang told Qi Wei to demand two hundred thousand Talisman Money.
• Jiang Yi rented a meditation chamber at Heshui Cave, lit its Spirit-Calming Candle, and settled in to practice.
• Jiang Yi used the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art to gather Fire Nature and begin refining his internal organs.

Jiang Yi completed organ tempering and viscera refining, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining and receiving Heshui Cave’s congratulatory gift. Meanwhile, Li Ruohan failed her breakthrough, and Luo Tong pressed his sister Luo Qian’er to finance his cultivation and secure his place in the Inner Peaks.

• Jiang Yi endured nearly twelve hours of cultivation, formed primordial essence throughout his body, and broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
• Li Ruohan told Wang Heng and Lu Yun that her breakthrough had failed, then arranged to bring Luo Tong to their association’s next gathering.
• Wang Heng explained that Heshui Cave gave copper juice and iron pellets to successful breakthrough candidates, and the group discovered that Jiang Yi had reached the fourth level.
• Luo Tong visited Luo Qian’er and urged her to use her connections to help him enter the Inner Peaks.
• Luo Qian’er explained that Duty Officer Zhou Guang wanted two hundred thousand in Talisman Money for an Essence-Nourishing Pill, but Luo Tong insisted she should demand at least three hundred and eighty thousand from Zhou Can.

Luo Qian'er and Luo Tong devised a plan to extract Talisman Money and resources from Zhou Can while using his marriage proposal to benefit the Lianxi Luo Clan. After learning Jiang Yi had become a Quenching Room Inspection Officer and was seeking an Inner Peaks position, Luo Qian'er felt betrayed and Luo Tong suggested she try to win him over.

• Luo Tong urged Luo Qian'er to pretend to accept Zhou Can's marriage proposal and demand two hundred thousand in Talisman Money before the family would consider it.
• Luo Tong explained the Lianxi Luo Clan's difficulties and proposed using the money to support his bid to become an Inner Peaks disciple.
• Luo Qian'er suggested promising Zhou Can the Pure Flood Lotus Root and two mu of lotus paddies as dowry, and Luo Tong agreed to the plan.
• Luo Tong asked about Jiang Yi, and Luo Qian'er recalled rejecting his advances after he offered her monthly Talisman Money.
• Luo Tong revealed that Jiang Yi had become the Quenching Room's Inspection Officer and was attending Inner Peaks lectures, leaving Luo Qian'er angry that he had stopped sending money.
• Luo Tong advised Luo Qian'er to show Jiang Yi favor if she had the chance, then left for Crimson Flame Peak.

After reaching the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, Jiang Yi gained Wang Heng, Lu Yun, and Li Ruohan’s respect and discussed cultivation with them over a feast. Li Ruohan later revealed her interest in Jiang Yi to Luo Qian’er, leaving Luo stunned.

• Wang Heng and Lu Yun warmly congratulated Jiang Yi and praised his prospects for joining the Inner Peaks.
• Jiang Yi drank molten copper and chewed iron pellets, refining their vital essence to strengthen his Primordial Essence.
• Li Ruohan asked Jiang Yi about earning money and offered to pay him to teach her how to coordinate her organs; he left the offer open while building goodwill with the group.
• After the feast, Luo Qian’er visited Li Ruohan to ask about bringing her younger brother into the Inner Peaks, and Li Ruohan agreed to help.
• Li Ruohan asked Luo Qian’er to find fine fabric for a cloak, explaining that Jiang Yi liked brighter colors and that she admired his cultivation talent.
• Luo Qian’er learned that Li Ruohan meant Jiang Yi from the Quenching Room and stood frozen in shock.

After reaching the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, Jiang Yi visited Yang Xun and strengthened their grandfather-and-grandson bond while learning that Yang was preparing a Water Pool and Fire Marsh ritual to restore his vitality. The Heavenly Book revealed a practical business opportunity, and Jiang Yi asked Yang to help assess it.

• Jiang Yi woke refreshed after stabilizing his Fourth Level cultivation and went to visit Yang Xun at the Quenching Room.
• Jiang Yi showed Yang Xun filial care, and Yang was astonished to learn that Jiang Yi had advanced to the Fourth Level in little more than a month.
• Yang Xun warned Jiang Yi against overusing medicinal plasters and told him he was preparing a Water Pool and Fire Marsh ritual to replenish his Primordial Essence and vitality.
• While dining with Yang Xun, Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to find ways to make money and learned that Heshui Cave wanted to sell Green Zhi Pulp as a cultivation supplement.
• Jiang Yi told Yang Xun that he had found a potential path to wealth and asked him to help judge whether it was sound.

Jiang Yi secured Yang Xun’s help in arranging a deal for his Green Zhi Pulp recipe and learned why cultivators sometimes recited poetry during breakthroughs. Returning to the Large Compound, he met Luo Qian’er and used her claims of past sincerity to ask her to repay the Talisman Money he had given her.

• Jiang Yi told Yang Xun about his Green Zhi Pulp recipe and his plan to sell it to Heshui Cave, and Yang Xun agreed to speak with an acquaintance at Wavelooking Peak while Jiang Yi contacted Wang Heng.
• Yang Xun explained that the vanished [Confucian Dao] was said to grant fortune to cultivators who recited poetry during a breakthrough, and Jiang Yi regretted not doing so at the fourth level of Qi Refining.
• Jiang Yi returned through the snow and found Luo Qian’er waiting outside the Large Compound after Sister Qin had refused to let her in.
• Luo Qian’er tried to win Jiang Yi’s sympathy, but he praised her supposed past encouragement and asked her to return some of the Talisman Money he had given her.

Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book’s advice to manipulate Luo Qian’er into believing he cared for her future, hoping to gain her Talisman Money. After she left, he asked the Heavenly Book to find him a safe fortuitous encounter at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and prepared to wait for its answer.

• Jiang Yi impressed Luo Qian’er by claiming Duty Officer Yang and several Inner Peaks disciples valued him and expected him to secure a place there.
• Jiang Yi urged Luo Qian’er to seek an additional Inner Peaks place and hinted that financial support from her could help him advance and repay her later.
• Luo Qian’er left the courtyard feeling attached to Jiang Yi, while Widow Qin scolded him for entertaining her and Old Li offered a cautious word of comfort.
• Jiang Yi consulted the golden paper and reflected that he had used its guidance to gain Luo Qian’er’s trust and ask for Talisman Money.
• Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book to reveal a trouble-free fortuitous encounter available at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and saw that the deduction would take two days and four double-hours.

Jiang Yi learned how Inner Peaks disciples outsourced sect assignments and used the Heavenly Book to identify opportunities, then visited Qigong Court to pursue resources and meet Wang Heng’s associates. He met Senior Brother Xiao Tongquan, who offered him support, just as Li Ruohan introduced Luo Tong.

• Jiang Yi checked the Heavenly Book’s predictions, noted several opportunities in the Inner Peaks, and decided to visit after confirming the trip could bring gains.
• At Wavelooking Peak, Jiang Yi tipped an old Daoist, who explained how outer sect workers could take assignments on behalf of Inner Peaks disciples and earn cultivation supplies.
• Jiang Yi registered at Qigong Court, where Wang Heng introduced him to Xiao Tongquan, a fifth-level Qi Refining disciple who promised him a future supplementary place in the Inner Peaks.
• Xiao Tongquan told the gatekeeper that Jiang Yi was his trusted friend and should not have to register on future visits.
• Li Ruohan arrived with Luo Tong and introduced him to the gathered senior brothers; Luo Tong recognized Jiang Yi and wondered about his connection to his sister.

At a gathering in Heshui Cave, Xiao Tongquan demonstrated his formidable fifth-level Qi Refining abilities while discussing his struggle to master an art for the Inner Peaks assessment. Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to learn that Xiao ranked first among the outer four peaks’ Mortal Laborers and that Jiang Yi himself ranked seventh.

• Luo Tong greeted Jiang Yi and privately resolved to have his sister mend ties with him.
• Xiao Tongquan described his likely Inner Peaks prospects and admitted he could not grasp the Metal-Breaking Jade-Cleaving Qi Blade Art Elder Xu had given him.
• Luo Tong praised Xiao Tongquan’s family learning, accidentally touching on his taboo, but Xiao Tongquan changed the subject and offered to demonstrate his abilities.
• Xiao Tongquan summoned a massive True Qi palm and unleashed destructive water-nature power, impressing Jiang Yi and the others.
• Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book for their rankings and learned Xiao Tongquan ranked first while he ranked seventh among the outer four peaks’ Mortal Laborers.

After Xiao Tongquan left Heshui Cave following Luo Tong’s clumsy flattery, Jiang Yi impressed Li Ruohan with his knowledge of cultivation and Spell Refinement. He sold his improved Green Zhi Pulp recipe to Steward Xu for 150,000 Talisman Money, and Luo Tong overheard the deal and hurried to Sewing Peak, hoping to secure Jiang Yi as his brother-in-law.

• Xiao Tongquan rebuked Luo Tong’s praise, then left Heshui Cave, prompting Wang Heng and Lu Yun to depart as well.
• Li Ruohan thanked Jiang Yi for explaining cultivation and Spell Refinement, and regretted that Xiao Tongquan had left before meeting him.
• Jiang Yi offered Steward Xu his improved Green Zhi Pulp recipe, and they agreed on a sale for 150,000 Talisman Money.
• Steward Xu paid a 50,000 Talisman Money deposit and arranged for Wang Heng to deliver the remaining 100,000 to Jiang Yi the next day.
• Luo Tong overheard the payment arrangements, realized Jiang Yi had considerable earning power, and rushed to Sewing Peak to seek his sister’s help in winning Jiang Yi over.

Zhou Can grew jealous of Luo Qian’er’s connection to Jiang Yi, but Luo Qian’er soothed his suspicions and persuaded him to give her money and arrange her brother’s entry into the Inner Peaks. Jiang Yi received a repayment from Luo Qian’er and an unexpected gift from Luo Tong, leaving him with more money and wondering what the siblings were planning.

• Zhou Can learned that Luo Qian’er had visited Crimson Flame Peak and ordered his informant to alert him if Jiang Yi approached her again.
• Zhou Can confronted Luo Qian’er, but she claimed Jiang Yi had pestered her and reminded Zhou Can of the spiritual treasures and Spirit Fields she had arranged for him.
• Luo Qian’er threatened to end their relationship, prompting Zhou Can to promise help for Luo Tong and offer her two hundred thousand Talisman Money as a betrothal gift.
• Jiang Yi returned to Crimson Flame Peak with fifty thousand Talisman Money from Heshui Cave and used the Heavenly Book to confirm that more gains awaited him that night.
• Luo Qian’er brought Jiang Yi fifty thousand Talisman Money, which he counted as repayment of her debt.
• Luo Tong visited Jiang Yi and gave him a thick stack of Talisman Money, promising to bring Essence-Nourishing Pills and invite him for drinks.

Jiang Yi brought Yang Xun the money for an improved cultivation ritual, then impressed him with his understanding of the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art. Yang Xun welcomed him for a feast and continued studying the art with him, while the Daoist Attendant observed that Yang Xun had become both Jiang Yi’s grandson and apprentice.

• Jiang Yi showed Yang Xun the two hundred and twenty thousand Talisman Money he had raised, and Yang Xun offered to add another hundred and eighty thousand for an eighth-grade ritual.
• Yang Xun warned Jiang Yi not to rely on promises from powerful figures in the Dao Lineage and offered to protect him from trouble over the Green Zhi Pulp deal.
• Jiang Yi explained the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art, and Yang Xun became engrossed in his insights and questions.
• Yang Xun invited Jiang Yi to stay, opened his treasured Nine-Insect Wine, and shared food and drink with him.
• Jiang Yi and Yang Xun resumed discussing the art, while the Daoist Attendant privately remarked that his master had become Jiang Yi’s grandson and apprentice.

After advancing his cultivation, Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book to assess the danger of accompanying Yang Xun down the mountain. Meanwhile, Zhou Can used a connection to Senior Brother Xu to win Luo Tong’s trust while secretly planning to get rid of him and threatening Jiang Yi in his thoughts.

• Jiang Yi woke refreshed after drinking Nine-Insect Wine and saw that his Fourth Level of Qi Refining progress had reached 39%.
• Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book to estimate the danger of accompanying Yang Xun down the mountain, and it began a ten-hour deduction.
• Luo Tong told Zhou Can that he had obtained Essence-Nourishing Pills from Zhou Guang, and Zhou Can said Senior Brother Xu could help Luo Tong reach Heart-Seizing Forest.
• Luo Tong accepted Zhou Can’s offer and decided he no longer needed to curry favor with Xiao Tongquan, Li Ruohan, or Jiang Yi.
• Zhou Can resented Luo Tong for spending the money and planned to have him killed, then considered disposing of Jiang Yi if he stood in the way.