Chapter Summaries

At the Shanli Clothing Auction, Wang Ba posed as Shen Fu and sold Spirit Chicken Essence before Xuli Sect cultivators tried to force him to reveal Master Shen Fu’s whereabouts. Wen Yong intervened, and Wang Ba escaped by teleportation, while news of a second-tier artifact refiner gave him hope of obtaining the Law Artifact he needed.

• Zhao Wei opened the Clothing Auction at the Shanli boundary stele and reported that Great Qi had helped Great Chu defeat the Myriad Gods Kingdom in Wei Kingdom.
• The auction offered pills, artifacts, and a Chipo Lineage Body Cultivator, before Shen Fu’s Spirit Chicken Essence drew intense bidding and the final bottle sold for fifty middle-grade Spirit Stones.
• After the auction, Xuli Sect cultivators surrounded Zhao Wei and demanded that he swear an oath and lead them to Master Shen Fu.
• Wen Yong arrived, identified the attackers, and made them retreat; Zhao Wei’s concealed face then cleared, revealing that he was Shen Fu.
• Wen Yong told Shen Fu that a second-tier artifact refiner was passing through the area, gave him one thousand middle-grade Spirit Stones, and left.
• Shen Fu used a talisman to teleport home, where his reflection revealed his true identity as Wang Ba.

After nine years at White Cloud Flat, Wang Ba had reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and built a thriving spirit-beast operation, but his attempts to raise beasts to the third tier had failed. He worried about Bu Chan’s Foundation Establishment and sensed that White Cloud Flat’s long peace might soon end, leaving him prepared to relocate.

• Wang Ba recalled choosing White Cloud Flat as a refuge near the Exquisite Ghost Market and far from the Heavenly Gate Sect, while the Yan Kingdom’s sects were occupied fighting the Incense Dao.
• Wang Ba reviewed his nine years of progress, including reaching the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and earning a fortune as Master Shen, while failing to advance any spirit beast to the third tier.
• Wang Ba focused his breeding efforts on Jia Ten Five and the Azure-Water Spirit Turtles, whose strong bodies might withstand Gold Core Tribulation Lightning, though scarce materials and long breeding times delayed his plans.
• Wang Ba tended his spirit beasts and Thousand-God Wood, then worried that Bu Chan might fail her attempt at Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Ba reflected on the growth of his Yin Spirit Power and the risks of using it against sect cultivators protected by Soul-Guarding Talismans and formations.
• After recalling that Xuli Sect cultivators had surrounded and intercepted him, Wang Ba feared White Cloud Flat’s peace was ending and prepared to move elsewhere if necessary.

Wang Ba learned that a second-tier artifact refiner was nearing White Cloud Flat and visited the rogue cultivators’ Vermin Market while disguised as Zhao Wei. There, he overheard reports of heavy sect losses and a startling claim that the demonic sect to the west had been abandoned.

• Wang Ba cultivated with Cave God Condensing Spirit Incense, then received Wen Yong’s message that a second-tier artifact refiner would reach White Cloud Flat in three to five days.
• Wang Ba finished refining Spirit Chicken Essence and used his Yin Spirit Power to disguise himself as Zhao Wei before leaving his home.
• Wang Ba walked through Vermin Market and listened to rogue cultivators discuss the war, including reports that Xuli Sect had suffered losses and Zhenling Palace had lost three Gold Core True Persons.
• Wang Ba heard a cultivator claim that someone had entered the demonic sect to the west and found it completely empty.

Wang Ba learned that the Heavenly Gate Sect had vanished nine years earlier and traveled with Wen Yong to Zhenling Palace to have second-tier Spirit Chef law artifacts refined. After Zhenling Palace’s funeral revealed that Zhang Daobai might be gravely ill, Wen Yong hurried home to prepare for turmoil, while Wang Ba stayed to complete the artifacts.

• Wang Ba heard rumors that the Heavenly Gate Sect had been found deserted and secretly questioned the dark-faced cultivator, learning it had disappeared nine years earlier, the year Wang Ba left.
• Wang Ba met Wen Yong, agreed to travel to Zhenling Palace to find a second-tier artifact refiner, and declined a new cultivation method in favor of the Three-Aspect Creation Art.
• Wang Ba and Wen Yong met the artifact refiner surnamed Li, who recognized Wang Ba as Master Shen and traded Artifact Refining materials for Spirit Chicken Essence.
• The artifact refiner surnamed Li attended Zhenling Palace’s seven-day funeral and returned reporting that Zhang Daobai had not appeared, raising fears that the Yan Kingdom would fall into turmoil.
• Wang Ba urged Wen Yong to return home and prepare, then stayed with the artifact refiner surnamed Li to work on the law artifacts.
• Half a month later, Wang Ba received a complete set of kitchen-like law artifacts that would let him refine second-tier Spirit Chickens into essence.

Wang Ba perfected his second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence, made a deal with Shang Li for rare materials, and returned to White Cloud Flat. He reunited with Bu Chan after she successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

• Wang Ba refined second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence and discovered that it nourished the Divine Soul as well as providing Spiritual Qi, Essence, and blood Qi.
• The Li-surnamed Artifact Refiner tasted Wang Ba's essence, praised its benefits, and received two portions before they set out for White Cloud Flat.
• At the Exquisite Ghost Market, Wang Ba paid Shang Li a deposit to obtain two rare materials needed to help Jia Ten Five advance to the third tier.
• Wang Ba learned that Tang Ji had gone to the Chen Kingdom, then traveled with the Li-surnamed Artifact Refiner back to White Cloud Flat.
• Wang Ba waited outside Bu Chan's Cultivation Chamber until she emerged five days later, having reached Foundation Establishment.

Wang Ba returned home and discovered that the Wu Ape King had advanced to second-tier supreme grade, while Jia Ten Five continued breeding and growing stronger. After visiting Wen Yong near Lingbi City, Wang Ba learned that all the second-tier alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering had disappeared.

• Wang Ba found that the Wu Ape King had advanced to second-tier supreme grade and planned to teach him new spells.
• Wang Ba examined Jia Ten Five, found its spiritual power had improved, and decided he might reduce the Thunderfire Lin needed for its Bloodline Breakthrough.
• Wang Ba and Bu Chan ate breakfast together, then Bu Chan tended the Thousand-God Wood while Wang Ba helped briefly before leaving to see Wen Yong.
• Wen Yong led Wang Ba into a concealed formation and told him that all the second-tier alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering had disappeared.

Wang Ba learned that second-tier alchemists had vanished after the Hundred-Pill Gathering and discussed the looming conflict between the Three Great Sects and Zhenling Palace with Wen Yong. Realizing that his Spirit Chicken Essence and reputation could protect him if he went public, Wang Ba agreed to make his formal appearance at the next Clothing Auction and left with a mysterious gift from Wen Yong.

• Wang Ba and Wen Yong suspected the Three Great Sects had abducted second-tier alchemists while preparing to seize Zhenling Palace's resources after True Lord Zhang's death.
• Wen Yong explained that Wang Ba's Spirit Chicken Essence gave him influence among rogue cultivators and the Three Great Sects, but warned that remaining anonymous could leave him vulnerable to secret capture.
• Wang Ba decided to step into the public eye to deter the Three Great Sects from targeting him and thanked Wen Yong for the warning.
• Wang Ba agreed to make his formal public appearance at the next Clothing Auction, and he and Wen Yong arranged the event together.
• Before Wang Ba departed, Wen Yong gave him a small box containing a treasure supplied exclusively to the Great Chu imperial court.

Wang Ba encountered Returning Wind Valley cultivators abusing rogue cultivators while searching for second-tier Alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering. When their leader tried to stop him with an Air-Sealing Talisman and attacked, Wang Ba countered with powerful Five-Element Law Techniques, leaving the outcome of their clash unclear.

• Wang Ba spotted Returning Wind Valley cultivators interrogating a rogue cultivator settlement and watched them kill a burly cultivator and torment those who knew about the Hundred-Pill Gathering.
• The round-faced, middle-aged cultivator questioned a young rogue cultivator about the Alchemists, then had him taken away for interrogation after he mentioned Wu Ying.
• Wang Ba tried to leave, but the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator used an Air-Sealing Talisman to halt him and attacked with a bead-shaped Law Artifact.
• Wang Ba blocked the attack with Water and Wood System Law Techniques, then fled as the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator concluded that he had concealed his strength.
• The round-faced, middle-aged cultivator unleashed nine bead-shaped Law Artifacts, but Wang Ba turned back and formed a powerful water dragon from overlapping Five-Element Law Techniques.
• The water dragon scattered the nine artifacts and exhausted the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator’s Law Power, then passed him harmlessly and dissolved into mist as a crimson glimmer appeared in his eyes.

Returning Wind Valley’s Feng turned Yu Xi’s torture of rogue cultivators into a public show of leniency, hoping to win their support as the Yan Kingdom’s sects prepared for conflict. Wang Ba learned of the sect’s plans, decided to remain in the Yan Kingdom under his alias Shen Fu, and heard a new rumor at Vermin Market about Zhenling Palace’s Palace Master.

• Feng dismissed suspicions that Wang Ba was involved in the missing alchemists and led the Returning Wind Valley disciples to continue questioning rogue cultivators.
• After praising Yu Xi for torturing captives, Feng ordered Junior Brother Yin to cripple Yu Xi’s cultivation and expel him, explaining that the punishment could help Returning Wind Valley recruit rogue cultivators.
• Wang Ba learned that Returning Wind Valley was seeking skilled rogue cultivators and had a list of prominent names, including his alias Shen Fu.
• After checking that Feng had left no tracking marks, Wang Ba teleported home and went to Vermin Market to seek news.
• At a teahouse, Wang Ba overheard that Zhenling Palace’s current Palace Master had personally denied rumors a few days earlier.

Wang Ba heard conflicting rumors about Zhang Daobai’s condition and considered how his survival could shape the Yan Kingdom’s stability. When Xuli Sect cultivators occupied the rogue cultivator settlement and began searching homes, Bu Chan emerged from Wang Ba’s house after its valuable contents had vanished, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Cultivators in a teahouse debated whether Zhang Daobai was injured, and Wang Ba suspected the rumors might be false.
• A dark-faced cultivator asked Wang Ba for help obtaining a Shanli Clothing Auction invitation, while Foundation Establishment cultivator Mu remarked on Wang Ba’s apparent wealth.
• Xuli Sect cultivators sealed the settlement, stopped Wang Ba from fleeing, and began questioning rogue cultivators and searching their homes.
• Wang Ba realized the Xuli Sect searchers were approaching his home and prepared to defend its formation and the Spirit Beasts inside.
• Bu Chan opened the formation and calmly faced the Xuli Sect cultivators, while Wang Ba discovered that the Spirit Beasts and other valuable contents had disappeared.

Wang Ba and Bu Chan concealed their identities during a Xuli Sect search, but Wang Ba realized the questioning was a pretext for a wider purge and escaped to send warnings. A message alerted Returning Wind Valley that Master Shen Fu was trapped among the rogue cultivators surrounded by the Xuli Sect.

• Bu Chan let the Xuli Sect search her home and leave with a few items and Spirit Plants, avoiding suspicion about their hidden formation and Spirit Beasts.
• Wang Tang questioned Wang Ba about Zhao Wei, Master Shen Fu, and sect connections, then let him return home while secretly ordering Bu Chan to be questioned longer.
• Wang Tang told his junior that the Xuli Sect had found cultivators connected to renowned practitioners and ordered them to seize or kill the rogue cultivators before rival sects learned of the operation.
• Wang Ba suspected Wang Tang was stalling and used a Teleportation Talisman to reach a cave, send two Voice Transmission Talismans, and return home.
• The cultivator surnamed Feng received a message that Master Shen Fu was surrounded by the Xuli Sect at the rogue cultivator gathering place in White Cloud Flat.

Wang Ba’s attempt to avoid the Xuli Sect’s forced recruitment was interrupted when Wang Tang’s Spirit-Guarding Mirror warned of a nearby Myriad Gods Kingdom cultivator. The Xuli Sect began capturing the settlement’s rogue cultivators with a Human Bag, but as Wang Tang threatened Wang Ba, a voice from the horizon demanded that he release Shen Fu.

• Wang Tang invited Wang Ba to return with him to the Xuli Sect, while Wang Ba secretly tried to probe him with Yin Spirit Power and withdrew when the Spirit-Guarding Mirror reacted.
• Wang Tang suspected a Myriad Gods Kingdom cultivator was nearby and urged Junior Brother Xu to seize all the rogue cultivators before they could escape.
• Zhu Xian deployed a Human Bag to suck in the rogue cultivators, while Xuli Sect cultivators drove others into it and killed those who resisted.
• Junior Brother Xu used a Third-Tier Ritual Sword to pin fleeing Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators in place, leaving Wang Ba and Bu Chan trapped under threat of Sword Light.
• Wang Ba refused Wang Tang’s offer to join the Xuli Sect, and Wang Tang threatened him before a voice from the horizon demanded that he release Master Shen Fu.

Wang Tang and the cultivator surnamed Xu tried to seize the rogue cultivators while keeping the operation secret, but Feng Bao and Returning Wind Valley intervened, demanding Master Shen Fu. The Danlong Gate then arrived with Wen Yong, who identified the supposedly unremarkable Wang Ba as Shen Fu, leaving Wang Tang stunned.

• Feng Bao arrived with more than twenty Returning Wind Valley cultivators, and Wang Tang attacked Wang Ba before Feng Bao struck Wang Tang with his Wind-Breaking Beads.
• The cultivator surnamed Xu attacked Feng Bao, but Returning Wind Valley's cultivators formed a formation to shield him, and Wang Tang stopped Xu from striking again.
• Wang Tang and Xu denied that Master Shen Fu was among the captives, while Feng Bao insisted that they release him; Wang Ba kept quiet when Wang Tang pointed him out as a possible Shen Fu.
• As the Xuli Sect and Returning Wind Valley prepared to fight, Zhang Yunlong arrived with Danlong Gate cultivators and Wen Yong, claiming they had come to visit a friend.
• Wen Yong looked toward Wang Ba and respectfully asked whether Brother Shen Fu was unharmed, shocking Wang Tang and the others.

Wang Ba’s identity as Master Shen Fu was revealed, prompting the Three Great Sects to claim him as a guest elder while Wang Tang secretly prepared to kill him. True Person Yan arrived and tried to bring Wang Ba to Returning Wind Valley, but an ominous sound of approaching hooves interrupted the standoff.

• Wen Yong identified Wang Ba as Master Shen Fu, shocking the cultivators and drawing Zhang Yunlong and the other sect leaders into conversation with him.
• Wang Tang decided to assassinate Wang Ba with the cultivator surnamed Xu, but True Person Yan’s arrival disrupted their planned strike.
• Wang Tang and Zhang Yunlong claimed their sects had secured Wang Ba as a guest elder, and True Person Yan declared him a guest elder of Returning Wind Valley as well.
• Wen Yong said his father intended to take Wang Ba as a disciple, but True Person Yan proposed that Wang Ba begin by staying at Returning Wind Valley.
• True Person Yan prepared to take Wang Ba away, then sensed a threat approaching from the southeast as the sound of hooves grew louder.

A mysterious Gold Core True Person arrived in a carriage drawn by Hybrid Chi Horses and sought Wang Ba, startling the gathered cultivators and angering Yan Qing. The woman inside ordered everyone to leave, while Wang Ba stayed outside after sending Bu Chan into his house, hoping the visitor might help his plans.

• Li Ji arrived driving a carriage drawn by four Hybrid Chi Horses, and the cultivators suspected its hidden passenger was a Gold Core True Person.
• Yan Qing greeted the silent passenger, but Li Ji explained that his martial uncle did not wish to meet anyone and was looking for someone.
• Li Ji spotted Wang Ba and revealed that the carriage’s owner wanted to speak with him alone, provoking Yan Qing and Feng Bao.
• Wang Ba considered fleeing with Bu Chan but decided to stay, believing the visitor might revive his plans to find a powerful faction’s protection.
• Wang Ba sent Bu Chan into his house and remained outside as the woman in the carriage told everyone to get lost.

Wang Ba secured an order for two hundred portions of Spirit Chicken Essence from Li Ji’s martial aunt, a powerful consort at Prince Gao’s Residence, and gained the Three Great Sects’ wary protection. After Li Ji and his martial aunt departed, Wang Tang returned to the Xuli Sect and urged its Sect Master to kill Shen Fu.

• Li Ji’s martial aunt stopped True Person Yan with an emerald bracelet, then asked Wang Ba whether he could refine third-tier Spirit Chicken Essence.
• Wang Ba admitted he could only make second-tier essence, so the woman ordered two hundred portions and agreed to receive at least ten per month through Li Ji without paying.
• The Three Great Sects offered to host Wang Ba, but he agreed to remain at his dwelling while the sects established posts nearby and kept the captured rogue cultivators imprisoned.
• Wang Tang and the other sect representatives competed to recruit Wang Ba, while Wang Tang later privately urged him to join the Xuli Sect.
• In the flying carriage, Li Ji defended Wang Ba, and his martial aunt warned that her influence would not protect him for long because people underestimated her and overestimated her power.
• Wang Tang returned to the Xuli Sect, reported what had happened to the Sect Master, and recommended killing Shen Fu immediately.

Wang Tang proposed killing Shen Fu, but the Xuli Sect's Sect Master ordered him to prepare for a possible future attempt instead. In Yongan City, Wen Yong revealed his father had died and shared his father's Gold Core insights with Wang Ba after seeing the potential of Wang Ba's improved Spirit Chicken Essence.

• Wang Tang urged the Xuli Sect's Sect Master to have Shen Fu killed, but the Sect Master explained why the sect should not act yet and told Wang Tang to prepare curse-killing cultivators for later.
• The Three Great Sects announced plans to develop Yongan City and provide facilities and protection for rogue cultivators.
• Wang Ba learned that Wen Yong was the son of a Gold Core True Person and heard how Wen Yong's parents' marriage had secured his father's support from the Danlong Gate.
• Wen Yong privately revealed that his father had died years earlier, and Wang Ba swore a Heart Demon Oath to keep the secret.
• Wang Ba showed Wen Yong second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence, which strengthened the Divine Soul, and Wen Yong responded by giving him his father's Core Formation insights, including a method for forming an upper third-grade core.

Wang Ba studied the requirements for forming an upper-three-grade Gold Core, then perfected his second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence and drew unwanted attention from cultivators seeking to buy it. After discovering a dual-cultivation method and pills meant for the Great Chu Imperial Clan, he considered using them with Bu Chan, but the chapter ended with Wen Yong warning him to beware of the Xuli Sect.

• Wang Ba read Wen Yong's wooden ornament and learned that an upper-three-grade Gold Core required exceptional Law Power, a suitable method, and rare spirit materials; he believed his foundation could qualify him for a third-grade core but lacked other requirements.
• Wang Ba spent six months refining second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence until he produced a completely pure batch, then consumed it and made a substantial gain in cultivation.
• Bu Chan returned carrying gifts from cultivators hoping to buy Spirit Chicken Essence, and Wang Ba explained that he had given his allocations to Wen Yong and had none to spare.
• Wang Ba found the wooden box Wen Yong had given him and discovered an imperial-clan dual-cultivation method with herbal pills; he considered using it with Bu Chan to help her cultivation.
• Wen Yong sent Wang Ba a Voice Transmission Talisman warning him to beware of the Xuli Sect.

Wang Ba learned that his Spirit Chicken Essence was hurting the Xuli Sect’s spirit cuisine business and decided to reduce its production while focusing more on cultivation. After finding no third-tier materials in Yongan City, he returned home, where someone arrived with what he had wanted.

• Wang Ba visited the Xuli Spirit Rice Shop and saw that customers were angry about its prices and preferred saving for Spirit Chicken Essence.
• Wang Ba realized his product was competing with the Xuli Sect’s spirit rice and decided to reduce first-tier Spirit Chicken Essence production.
• Wang Ba considered materials for Jia Ten Five and the Wu Ape King, but found no third-tier treasures in Yongan City.
• Wang Ba returned to his residence to cultivate, but a voice outside the formation called that he had brought what Wang Ba wanted.

Wang Ba traded Spirit Chicken Essence to True Person Kang for rare materials needed for Jia Ten Five’s bloodline breakthrough, then learned that the Xuli Sect had seized the Five Classics Sect and feared the shifting balance among Yan Kingdom’s great powers. He began teaching Bu Chan and the Wu Ape King law techniques, and the chapter ended as two Gold Core rogue cultivators arrived for their appointment.

• Wang Ba exchanged eighty portions of Spirit Chicken Essence with True Person Kang for Jade-Feather Bone and a Third-Tier Spirit Beast Inner Core, leaving only White Dragon Sulfur among the materials he needed for Jia Ten Five’s breakthrough.
• True Person Kang told Wang Ba that Lin Boyue had caught the Five Classics Sect off guard and placed restrictions on its two Gold Core True Persons, prompting Wang Ba to worry about upheaval among the Three Great Sects.
• Bu Chan asked Wang Ba to teach her law techniques, and he chose Stone-Copper Body, Ten Thousand Vines Technique, and Life-Restoring Technique for her.
• Wang Ba watched Bu Chan struggle with the techniques while the Wu Ape King quickly learned several of them, then scolded the ape for showing off.
• Gold Core rogue cultivators Yuan Wenzhi and Zhang Tailai arrived at Wang Ba’s gate to keep their appointment with him.