Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan followed an old shepherd into a mountain residence, where monsters gathered for a feast. The shepherd revealed himself as a goat-headed monster and offered Jiang Yan as a gift to the wolf lord, who welcomed the prospect of eating a budding Dao cultivator.

• Jiang Yan met an old shepherd and accepted his offer to guide him out of the mountains after a meal at the mountain lord's residence.
• On the way, Jiang Yan saw a sheep shake its head like a person and noticed the shepherd growing more stooped as the stench around them intensified.
• At the residence, a boar-headed monster challenged the shepherd for bringing Jiang Yan, and the shepherd revealed his goat head and presented Jiang Yan as a congratulatory gift.
• Jiang Yan entered a courtyard filled with feasting monsters, where the human-looking host demanded to know why a person had been brought instead of sheep.
• The host transformed into a towering black wolf lord and eagerly accepted Jiang Yan as a potential meal.

Jiang Yan exposed the Wolf Lord’s feast and punished him for secretly turning people into livestock. The Wolf Lord fled after seeing his son’s head, but Jiang Yan used the Curse-Subduing Technique to kill him from afar.

• The Wolf Lord changed his mind about eating Jiang Yan and offered him roasted sheep, but Jiang Yan roasted a deer monster and ate its flesh and a sheep’s heart.
• The Wolf Lord explained that he was celebrating his young wolf’s enrollment under a Dao Academy student, and Jiang Yan produced a box containing the young wolf’s head.
• Jiang Yan accused the Wolf Lord of turning people into livestock and ordered his Treasure-Gathering Golden Toad to kill the gathered petty monsters.
• The Wolf Lord knelt and begged for forgiveness, then recognized his son’s head and attacked Jiang Yan before fleeing inside an abandoned wolf pelt.
• Jiang Yan triggered the Curse-Subduing Technique through the young wolf’s head, killing the fleeing Wolf Lord, and sent the golden toad to retrieve the corpse.

After defeating the wolf demon, Jiang Yan gathered the spoils and left the bewitched sheep behind, promising that a Dao academy instructor would rescue them. He hid in a cave, discovered a strange stone book inside the old goat demon, and headed home thinking about completing the tenth-rank realm.

• Jiang Yan collected the wolf demon’s corpse and other useful spoils, then told the bewitched meat sheep to wait for an academy instructor to rescue them.
• Jiang Yan rode Jinbao to a secluded cave and concealed its entrance with a Trace-Obscuring Talisman.
• Jiang Yan searched the old goat demon’s remains and found a black, stone-like object resembling an open book that could not be opened.
• Jiang Yan used a Lotus Fire Talisman to burn the remains, cleaned himself, and left the cave with the strange book.
• Jiang Yan rode Jinbao along the official road and resolved to hone his body at home before attempting to complete the tenth-rank realm.

Jiang Yan returned from the County Daoist Academy to the Jiang family estate, where his relatives welcomed him and learned he had passed the annual examination. He planned to perfect his body before returning to the academy to choose a cultivation method, and left that night to train in a clan stone chamber.

• Jiang Yan rode his Golden Treasure Toad through Morninglight Town and reached the Jiang family estate after dark.
• Shi Da recognized Jiang Yan and opened the estate gate, while other family members spotted him as he hurried toward his home.
• Jiang Yan reunited with Second Uncle Jiang, Second Aunt, and the young Jiang Li, and said he expected to pass the academy's annual examination.
• Jiang Yan told Second Uncle Jiang he planned to perfect his body before returning to the academy and asked to use a clan stone cultivation chamber.
• Second Uncle Jiang secured a chamber token and a Qi and Blood Pill for Jiang Yan, who left after dinner to begin training.

Jiang Yan used the Stone Book to understand the Livestock-Transformation Technique and a dangerous body-tempering method, then relied on the Immortal-Eating Method to complete the training in one night. He emerged from the stone chamber with increased strength, having finished a process that would otherwise have taken more than half a month.

• Jiang Yan activated the stone chamber's restrictions against the Stone Book, then discovered that reading the old goat's hide with the book made the Livestock-Transformation Technique easy to master.
• Jiang Yan used the Stone Book to study cultivation notes and realized it temporarily increased his comprehension at the cost of severe mental strain.
• Jiang Yan performed the Dao academy's body-tempering fist art, then ate the flesh-and-blood essences while practicing the Immortal-Eating Method.
• Jiang Yan pierced his body in multiple places and drove his Qi and Blood through the wounds until a thick blood shell formed around him.
• Jiang Yan broke free of the blood shell and found that his strength had increased after completing the body-tempering process in one night.

After perfecting his flesh, Jiang Yan refined Qi, entered the Dao, and bound the Stone Book to himself. Patriarch Jiang took him to the county Dao Academy to choose a cultivation method, and asked which of the six paths he preferred.

• Jiang Yan discovered that his perfected body had produced spiritual Qi and refined the Stone Book into his upper Dantian.
• Jiang Yan returned home and showed Second Uncle Jiang his spiritual Qi, prompting Second Uncle to take him to the patriarch.
• Patriarch Jiang confirmed Jiang Yan had entered the Dao and immediately flew him toward the county Dao Academy on his Azure-Feathered Eagle.
• Second Uncle Jiang gave Jiang Yan ten Spirit Stones and talisman coins, and Patriarch Jiang promised to bring his family to visit before the prefectural examination.
• Patriarch Jiang asked Jiang Yan to consider which of the six cultivation paths he wanted to pursue.

Clan Leader Jiang explained the cultivation paths and Dao Realm history to Jiang Yan as they traveled to Morninglight Town's Dao Academy. Jiang Yan verified his excellent annual examination result and received a token to choose a cultivation method.

• Clan Leader Jiang recounted the Dao Realm's history and explained how the Six Paths of the Immortal Way divided into orthodox, side, and left-hand paths.
• Jiang Yan asked which path could help cover his expenses, and Clan Leader Jiang clarified that supplementary pursuits were available across all paths.
• Clan Leader Jiang and Jiang Yan traveled by Azure-Feathered Eagle to Morninglight Town and headed to the Dao Academy.
• Clan Leader Jiang gave a Spirit Stone to the clerk, who verified Jiang Yan's first-class excellent examination result and issued his cultivation-method selection token.

Jiang Yan entered the Immortal Stele to have his aptitude measured and receive a cultivation method. His fortune caused his golden light to surge far beyond everyone else’s, and a massive chain connected his Dao platform to the river of stars.

• Jiang Huaizhi escorted Jiang Yan to the Immortal Stele square, paid for a front-row cushion, and gave him a bundle of money for possible cultivation resources.
• Jiang Yan took grain avoidance pills, sat on his cushion, and was transported into the Immortal Stele Space, where Dao Academy disciples across the Immortal Dynasty were being assessed.
• The Immortal Stele measured Jiang Yan’s qualities, age, state of mind, background, and Jinbao, raising his golden light to about ten zhang.
• The Stele measured Jiang Yan’s fortune, and a fist-sized ball of light made his golden pillar surge to more than fifty zhang, astonishing Lü Fang and nearby disciples.
• Jiang Yan suspected the stone book in his mind had granted him extraordinary fortune, and a massive golden chain rose from his platform into the river of stars.

Jiang Yan obtained two cultivation methods from the immortal stele and learned that he had entered the Qi-Feeding and Method-Practicing Dao. After confirming that his physical cultivation had reached perfection, he left for the Dao Academy’s cultivation chambers to practice his methods.

• Other disciples obtained cultivation methods and vanished from their Dao platforms, while Jiang Yan’s chain hauled in two enormous balls of light despite their resistance.
• Jiang Yan received both methods, vanished from the Dao platform, and later saw his token display that he had entered the Qi-Feeding and Method-Practicing Dao.
• Jiang Yan learned from Jinbao that two days had passed, then handed his token to the minor official, who praised his Dao and drew the attention of nearby disciples.
• A female disciple announced that she cultivated the Furnace-Refining and Cauldron-Commanding Dao, attracting disciples who wanted to approach her.
• After learning that Jiang Yan’s physical cultivation had reached perfection, the minor official returned his gratuity and introduced him to a friend in charge of the cultivation chambers.
• Jiang Yan hurried to the cultivation chambers, while the minor official suspected the female disciple had hoped to attract Jiang Yan as a cultivation partner.

Jiang Yan rented a superior cultivation chamber and studied Guiding and Drawing, one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts, with help from the stone book. After twenty-eight days, he began cultivating it and drew pure Spiritual Qi into his body.

• Jiang Yan rented a superior stone chamber for twenty days and paid the clerk to keep others from disturbing him.
• Jiang Yan activated the Spirit Gathering Formation and learned that Guiding and Drawing cultivated Qi and the body, while Ingestion improved the refinement of Qi and resources.
• Jiang Yan used the stone book to decipher Guiding and Drawing, spending twenty-eight days in the chamber and extending his rental.
• Jiang Yan replaced the drained Spirit Stone and began guiding Spiritual Qi through his acupoints according to the method.
• Jiang Yan's cultivation stirred the chamber's Spiritual Qi into a whirlwind that filtered out impurities and fed pure Qi into his body.

Jiang Yan finished cultivating the Guiding Method, gained greater strength and the ability to cultivate Law Power automatically, then left seclusion as the Prefecture Examination approached. At Immortal Stele Square, he interrupted a dispute between Li Shun and the Chen Household and walked through the crowd.

• Jiang Yan used eight Spirit Stones to successfully cultivate the Guiding Method, increasing his Spiritual Qi and spirit while enabling his Law Power to circulate and cultivate on its own.
• Jiang Yan cleaned himself with the Body-Cleansing Technique, returned his token, and left the cultivation chambers after enduring the clerk's flattery.
• Jiang Yan observed potential Prefecture Examination candidates as he walked through the increasingly crowded Dao Academy.
• Li Shun announced that he had entered the Spirit Communion and Beast Commanding Path, then resisted the Chen Household's demand that he take the Chen surname and join its register.
• Jiang Yan asked the crowd to make way, pushed through with his Law Power, and ended the confrontation as the Chen Household patriarch watched him leave.

Jiang Yan left the Dao Academy to rest and cultivate as the Prefecture Examination drew near. After his family celebrated his mastery of a cultivation method, Jiang Hanzhi gave him a Storage Law Artifact and resources for his future at the Prefecture Academy, while his second uncle and Jiang Li left him additional gifts.

• The Chen Lineage Chief angrily challenged Li Shun to take their dispute to the Dao Academy for adjudication.
• Jiang Yan returned to the Jiang Household's restaurant, sent a letter to his second uncle, and rested before establishing a routine of practicing the Guiding Method and studying Fushi.
• Jiang Hanzhi and Jiang Huannian arrived with the family, and Jiang Yan confirmed his cultivation progress by releasing Law Power.
• Jiang Hanzhi gave Jiang Yan a Storage Law Artifact containing five hundred Spirit Stones, ten years of allowance, and cultivation resources from the family branches.
• Jiang Hanzhi asked Jiang Yan to deliver letters to Jiang Chi and the others at the Prefecture Academy.
• Jiang Huannian left Jiang Yan forty-three Spirit Stones and a wooden sword-immortal carving that Jiang Li had added to the bundle, and Jiang Yan resumed cultivating.

Jiang Yan went to the Dao Academy for the prefectural examination, where the Black Gu Daoist appeared and took the candidates away on his strange Black Gu Tree. The chapter ended with their families left behind, unsure whether the headmaster’s bizarre transport was safe.

• Jiang Yan arrived at the Dao Academy with the clan head and Second Uncle Jiang, ignoring people outside who begged to become his servants.
• Jiang Yan reunited briefly with Li Daoyuan as candidates and their families waited inside the Dao Academy.
• The Black Gu Daoist appeared above the academy and announced that he would personally take the disciples to the prefectural examination.
• The Black Gu Daoist summoned his Black Gu Tree, wrapped the disciples in its leaves, and flew away with them.
• Jiang Huannian and the other family members watched the tree disappear and wondered whether the Black Gu Daoist had come to take the candidates as sacrifices.

Jiang Yan traveled with Black Gu Daoist and the other examinees to Rosyglow County for the prefectural examination. After the heads of all twenty-three county Dao Academies gathered, a horned man proposed beginning the exam.

• Jiang Hanzhi told Jiang Huannian that Black Gu Daoist was likely a powerful Dao Army veteran, and they left the academy hoping Jiang Yan would enter the prefectural academy.
• Black Gu Daoist carried Jiang Yan and the other examinees on the worm-covered Black Gu Tree, then answered questions about his seventh-rank cultivation and the examination's location.
• Black Gu Daoist explained that the prefectural examination was being held in Rosyglow County and rejected a disciple who asked to become his apprentice.
• Jiang Yan cultivated during the journey as Black Gu Daoist flew the group to Rosyglow County and brought them to its Dao Academy.
• The heads and examinees from all twenty-three counties assembled, and a burly, horned man suggested that the examination begin.

Greenfox Daoist arrived to oversee the Prefecture Examination and learned that an expedition to a small plane had lost six of its nine Daoists to a powerful summoned phantom. To save time, he took charge of the examination himself, sorting the candidates in the air by physical refinement and cultivation, with Jiang Yan among those who remained near the top.

• Greenfox Daoist appeared before the academy heads, who told him that six of nine Daoists had died while exploring a small plane after a native summoned a Sixth-Rank Realm phantom.
• Greenfox Daoist said the Dao Academy was investigating whether a medium-sized plane ruled the territory and redirected the academy heads to begin the Prefecture Examination.
• Chenniu Daoist proposed several examination formats, but Greenfox rejected them as too slow and decided to conduct the examination himself.
• Greenfox restrained Jinbao and the other spirit beasts, then lifted all candidates from the twenty-three Dao Academies into the air.
• Greenfox lowered candidates in stages according to their physical condition and cultivation, leaving Jiang Yan among the highest group as he began sorting them by Dao Path.

Jiang Yan survived Green Fox High Person’s collision-based ranking test and qualified for the prefectural academy. As the Spirit Boat carried the candidates toward the academy, Jiang Yan settled into his room and continued cultivating.

• Green Fox High Person ranked the candidates by repeatedly forcing them to collide, and Jiang Yan rose into the top ten before the final rankings were settled.
• Green Fox High Person healed the injured disciples, announced that those still floating could enter the prefectural academy, and took the candidates aboard his Spirit Boat.
• Green Fox High Person said the investigation into the attack on the plane would take one to three years, then the Spirit Boat departed for the prefectural academy.
• Li Shun approached Jiang Yan, but Jiang Yan refused to associate with him and went to choose a room.
• Jiang Yan activated the room’s Spirit Gathering Formation and cultivated until dark, estimating that he needed another three to five days to form a full strand of Law Power.

Jiang Yan and the other disciples traveled toward Prefecture City, where Jiang Yan encountered tensions within Xiao Li’s circle of top-ranked examinees. The Spirit Boat landed at the Prefecture Academy, and the disciples prepared to enter.

• Jiang Yan joined Xiao Li and the other top-ranked disciples on deck, where Xiao Sheng subtly challenged him and Xiao Li smoothed over their exchange.
• Xiao Li pointed out the East River Army base and explained that the Spirit Boat had to detour around it before reaching Prefecture City.
• After Green Fox High Person ordered the disciples to pack, Li Yunshu questioned Xiao Li for defending Jiang Yan, and Xiao Li agreed to focus more on Xiao Sheng without provoking Jiang Yan.
• Jiang Yan packed his belongings and returned to the deck as the Spirit Boat descended at the Prefecture City Center.
• Green Fox High Person announced that they had arrived at the Prefecture Academy.

Jiang Yan and the Donghe Prefecture disciples entered the Prefecture Academy, which occupied a separate plane shared by multiple prefectures and inhabited by natives kept as training opponents. A Dao Army escort explained the restrictions on senior cultivators’ involvement, and the group continued toward the academy.

• High Person Green Fox activated a gateway between pillars with a Token, and Jiang Yan followed the disciples into another plane.
• Xiao Li identified the black-robed soldiers as Hexia Prefecture’s Dao Army and explained how their sleeve emblems marked their commandery and prefecture.
• High Person Green Fox said the plane’s natives had been left in half its territory to serve as a whetstone for the disciples.
• A Dao Army soldier took over as guide, and the disciples traveled toward Donghe Prefecture Academy on their spirit beasts or on foot.
• The soldier explained that the Immortal Dynasty barred Seventh-Rank and higher cultivators from intervening in small training planes unless native Sixth-Rank cultivators acted first, a rule imposed after a Fifth-Rank High Merit slaughtered a plane’s natives.

Jiang Yan registered as a disciple at the East River Prefecture Academy and learned that newcomers without Law Power had six months to meet the standard. He reunited with his cousin Jiang Chi, who brought him to a secluded courtyard and warned him to keep away from its bloodstained anvil and vats of gu insects.

• Jiang Yan and the other new disciples reached the academy's central plaza and registered their Law Power with the stele.
• Green Fox High Person announced that disciples without Law Power had six months to qualify, explained the lecture schedule, and told registered disciples to attend ordination the next day.
• Jiang Yan met his cousin Jiang Chi, verifying their identities with matching household Tokens.
• Jiang Chi took Jiang Yan on Jinbao to a secluded courtyard and warned him not to approach the hide-processing anvil or the vats of gu insects.
• Jiang Chi knocked on a room's half-open door and called for Fellow Daoist Tiegu.

Jiang Chi helped Jiang Yan rent a room and explained the East River Realm, the Prefecture Academy, and ways to support his cultivation. Jiang Yan learned that Jiang Chi had joined a wealthy household, then decided to ask Jiang Yunyao about the matter after registering the next day.

• Tiegu showed Jiang Chi and Jiang Yan the room Jiang Chi had rented before, and Jiang Yan paid twenty Spirit Stones to rent it for a year.
• Jiang Chi warned Jiang Yan about curfew, the Dao Army, the first-month protection for new disciples, and the Academy's annual training expedition.
• Jiang Chi advised Jiang Yan to pursue a supplementary cultivation art and told him that Jiang Yunyao worked at the Spring Breeze Tower.
• Jiang Chi took his letters from home and left on a pink-furred rabbit spirit beast, while Jiang Yan wondered about his cousin's circumstances.
• Zhang Yunhong told Jiang Yan that Jiang Chi had joined a wealthy household and might change his surname, and Jiang Yan chose to ask Jiang Yunyao about it the next day.