Recaps

Qin Tiexin completed the All Laws Return to Artifacts mission in the imperial treasury and gained the Eye of Ancient Identification and intermediate Spiritual Material Sensing. He confirmed that his three unusual finds were objects from High Antiquity, then saw a map pointing to Bone-Melting Mountain’s Ancient Smelting Mystic Realm.

• Qin Tiexin identified eight precious materials in the treasury, completing the mission’s first stage objective.
• Qin Tiexin received the Eye of Ancient Identification and intermediate Spiritual Material Sensing as rewards.
• Qin Tiexin used his new ability to identify the three-phase grass, Bloodline Stone, and turtle egg as objects from High Antiquity.
• Qin Tiexin saw a map in the catalog marked Bone-Melting Mountain, Furnace Valley, and the Ancient Smelting Mystic Realm.

Qin Tiexin discovered that the Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts had closed his Illusory Realm Hall and revealed an unfamiliar map, leading him to suspect a new stage of its assessment. After returning from the treasury, he reached the martial practice grounds and agreed to spar with Xiao Zhenyue.

• Qin Tiexin found a map naming Bone-Melting Mountain, Furnace Valley, and the Ancient Smelting Mystic Realm, then realized the Illusory Realm Hall had vanished.
• Qin Tiexin and Lin Chuan registered their treasury items and left the treasury.
• Qin Tiexin and Lin Chuan went to the martial practice grounds, where they watched Lan Lingwei defend against Fu Qingge's talismans.
• Xiao Zhenyue asked Qin Tiexin to spar, and Qin Tiexin accepted before removing his outer robe and stepping onto the grounds.

Qin Tiexin sparred with Xiao Zhenyue and defeated him by breaking his shield with precisely repeated blows. After the fight, Qin Tiexin reflected on how his developing grasp of the Extreme Sharpness Principle had made his attacks more effective, while Xiao Zhenyue accepted defeat and invited him to join the army.

• Qin Tiexin and Xiao Zhenyue began a spar, with Qin Tiexin fighting barehanded against Xiao Zhenyue's shield, armor, and halberd.
• Qin Tiexin repeatedly struck a weak point in Xiao Zhenyue's shield while dodging or deflecting the halberd, and the two traded blows across the field.
• Qin Tiexin focused several punches on the same spot, breaking the shield and prompting Xiao Zhenyue to concede defeat.
• Xiao Zhenyue praised Qin Tiexin and offered him a military rank of commandant or higher, but Qin Tiexin declined because he preferred a carefree life.
• Qin Tiexin considered how precise, layered strikes had helped him break the shield and recognized that he was beginning to grasp the Extreme Sharpness Principle.

Qin Tiexin, still posing as Master Mingjue, defeated Yan Yue in a spar and denied having eaten Blood Demon Fruit. He then endured Fu Qingge’s increasingly powerful talisman attacks without his Qi Gang breaking, leaving the onlookers wondering about his strength.

• Yan Yue challenged Qin Tiexin after Xiao Zhenyue’s bout, and Qin Tiexin recovered most of his Qi and Blood before accepting.
• Qin Tiexin turned aside Yan Yue’s short-halberd attacks, and Yan Yue admitted defeat after a dozen exchanges.
• Yan Yue asked whether Qin Tiexin had eaten Blood Demon Fruit, and Qin Tiexin denied it; Yan Yue left, deciding he could not avenge his junior brothers.
• Fu Qingge challenged Qin Tiexin and bombarded him with talismans while he defended himself with his Qi Gang.
• Qin Tiexin concentrated his Qi Gang where the third-tier talismans struck, and the attacks failed to break through.

After the Star Selection candidates fought through the night, an imperial decree summoned them to Chenyang Hall to receive their rewards and placements. Qin Tiexin entered the palace with the others and searched a territorial map for Bone-Melting Mountain and Furnace Valley, but neither he nor Lin Chuan recognized the names.

• Fu Qingge ran out of spiritual power after bombarding Qin Tiexin with talismans and conceded their match.
• Lu Qingye, Chen Chen, and Lin Chuan decided not to challenge Qin Tiexin, while Lan Lingwei and Xie Chen remained the candidates most likely to pressure him.
• After Qin Tiexin recovered, Xie Chen approached to fight, but a palace attendant arrived with the emperor’s summons before he could draw his sword.
• The candidates followed the attendant to Chenyang Hall, where they waited in a side chamber and confirmed they would not change their submitted preferences.
• Qin Tiexin searched the dynasty’s territorial map for Bone-Melting Mountain and Furnace Valley, and Lin Chuan joined the search after admitting he had never heard of either place.

The top ten of the Star Selection entered Chenyang Hall, where the emperor announced the selection’s results and began revealing their postings. Lin Chuan received an assignment to Jade Star City, where he could remain near Xu Ying.

• Qin Tiexin and Lin Chuan waited while officials argued in the main hall over a border crisis with the Great Brahma Dynasty.
• The top ten entered Chenyang Hall and felt the pressure of the many Golden Core experts until the emperor told them to rein it in.
• The head of the Star Selection Bureau reported the examination results, including 497 deaths and 86 rule violators.
• The emperor ordered a thorough investigation of those who cheated or broke the rules, with severe punishment for the guilty.
• A palace attendant announced Lin Chuan’s posting as a subordinate seventh-rank military adjutant in Jade Star City’s Fifteenth Legion.
• Lin Chuan realized he would be near Xu Ying, and Marquis Lin’s nod suggested he had helped arrange the posting.

The Star Selection winners received imperial appointments suited to their wishes, while Qin Tiexin was named abbot of the rebuilt Royal Zhaoming Temple and chief instructor of the monk-soldier corps. As he left the palace, the severed arm revealed that the emperor was afflicted with a Bloodline Curse.

• Lu Qingye, Chen Chen, Yan Yue, Xiao Zhenyue, Fu Qingge, Xie Chen, Gu Ting, and Lan Lingwei received their assigned posts across the dynasty.
• Mingjue was appointed abbot of the Royal Zhaoming Temple on Pure Light Mountain and chief instructor of the Imperial City monk-soldier corps.
• Qin Tiexin learned that the temple would be rebuilt in about a month, and he and the other winners were given a month to prepare before taking office.
• The ten winners thanked the emperor and left the hall after their superiors offered congratulations and instructions.
• The severed arm told Qin Tiexin that the emperor was afflicted with a Bloodline Curse, and Qin Tiexin silently looked back toward the imperial desk.

After the Star Selection investiture, Lin Chuan learned that he would serve in Jade Star City, while Qin Tiexin returned to the Lin Residence and reunited with Ming'an. Qin Tiexin questioned the severed arm about the Bloodline Curse and learned it afflicted the emperor, the crown prince, and Chen Chen, leaving him concerned that he had been drawn into a larger conspiracy.

• Marquis Lin confirmed that he had arranged Lin Chuan’s posting to Jade Star City and praised his growth during the Star Selection.
• Marquis Lin told Lin Chuan that he and Madam Lin would propose to Xu Ying once Lin Chuan reached Core Formation.
• Qin Tiexin returned to the Lin Residence, carefully kept Ming'an from touching his hidden right arm, and later listened as the boy shared pastries and stories with him.
• Lin Chuan told Lin Wei that Sister Lan would remain at Supreme Splendor Academy as a spell instructor, delighting Lin Wei.
• After Ming'an fell asleep, Qin Tiexin asked the severed arm about the Bloodline Curse and learned that it was gnawing at the emperor’s power of the stars and also afflicted the crown prince and Chen Chen.
• The severed arm said that lifting the curse required a large quantity of objects of faith, and Qin Tiexin suspected he was already caught up in the Dynasty’s deeper troubles.

Qin Tiexin recalled meeting Chen Zhao during his treatment and learning that her unexplained bloodline disorder had trapped Su Qing in the palace as her physician. He suspected her illness was connected to the imperial family's bloodline curse, but the severed arm's proposed remedy required far more objects of faith than he possessed.

• Qin Tiexin overheard Su Qing treating Chen Zhao, who endured severe pain while insisting that she was not hurting.
• Su Qing explained that Chen Zhao's star physique had developed chaotic celestial star power and that the imperial family had confined her physicians to the palace until they found a cure.
• Chen Xi offered to take Su Qing away, but Su Qing refused because Chen Zhao depended on her meridian treatments and might otherwise die from the pain.
• Chen Zhao saw Qin Tiexin in his medicinal vat and offered him her calming sachet to ease his apparent suffering.
• Qin Tiexin connected Chen Zhao's illness with the bloodline curse mentioned outside Chenyang Hall and hoped the severed arm could resolve it.
• Qin Tiexin learned that the remedy required a vast quantity of objects of faith, while he possessed only the great bell from Zhaoming Temple.

Qin Tiexin learned that a bloodline curse was slowly consuming the Chen Household's Power of the Stars and suspected it was connected to Buddhist forces and the Great Brahma Dynasty. He decided to seek Senior Brother Chen Xi's help and planned to address the severed arm as well.

• Qin Tiexin learned from the severed arm that the curse gnawed away at the Chen Household's Power of the Stars and would eventually erupt unless its source was cut off.
• The severed arm sensed a Buddhist presence and faint fiendish Qi in the curse, leading Qin Tiexin to connect it with Zhaoming Temple, Golden Summit Temple, Xiao Wan, and Devil Venerable Xuanli's bracelet.
• Qin Tiexin concluded that the Great Brahma Dynasty might be behind the threat to the Myriad Stars imperial family and kept his suspicions from Lin Chuan, Marquis Lin, and Ming'an.
• Qin Tiexin decided that Senior Brother Chen Xi was the best person to help untangle the connected events.
• The severed arm said the curse might be worn away through cultivation if its source could be found and stopped from growing.
• Qin Tiexin decided to visit Senior Brother Chen Xi the next day and resolve the matter of the severed arm.

Qin Tiexin left the Lin Residence for a month to seek treatment for his arm, while keeping his plans concerning Meridian Opening and the Bloodline Curse secret from Ming'an. After disguising himself, he reached Chen Xi’s courtyard and waited for a reply as he studied his cultivation method.

• Qin Tiexin told Marquis Lin he was leaving for a month to seek treatment for his arm.
• Ming'an asked to accompany Qin Tiexin, but Qin Tiexin refused and gave him a daily prayer task to help him wait for his return.
• Lin Chuan offered Qin Tiexin Spirit Stones and suggested they share a meal before everyone went their separate ways.
• Qin Tiexin left the Lin Residence alone, disguised himself with Chen Xi’s Form-Changing Talisman, and carefully made his way to Chen Xi’s courtyard.
• Qin Tiexin checked the courtyard’s formation, replaced its Spirit Stones, and sent Chen Xi a message asking him to return quickly.
• While waiting, Qin Tiexin put away the Bloodline Stone and studied the Meridian Opening section of the True Fire Furnace Scripture.

Qin Tiexin studied the Meridian Opening Realm and the process of breaking through from the Qi and Blood Realm. He compared its power to his earlier fight with Xiao Zhenyue, then learned that the True Fire Furnace Scripture offered a different cultivation method.

• Qin Tiexin recalled that Golden Core cultivators could enter the Central Heaven Great Region and that he might meet the age requirement before the other conditions.
• Qin Tiexin considered how meridian opening would let him channel more of his Qi and Blood into each attack and potentially shatter Xiao Zhenyue's shield with one punch.
• Qin Tiexin read about the five steps of opening a meridian: gathering Qi and Blood, assaulting the meridian, rebuilding it, opening it, and consolidating it.
• Qin Tiexin learned how opening the conception and governing vessels, the twelve primary meridians, and the eight extraordinary meridians led to the Meridian Opening peak and a body cultivator's Golden Core.
• Qin Tiexin discovered that the True Fire Furnace Scripture had a different method of cultivation.

Chen Xi learned that the Bloodline Curse was afflicting the Chen Household and suspected Buddhist sects in Ten Thousand Stars City were sustaining it. He left to investigate and told Qin Tiexin to stay hidden, leaving him with Demon Beast flesh to aid his cultivation.

• Qin Tiexin told Chen Xi about the Bloodline Curse, Chen Zhao's illness, Su Qing's confinement, Zhaoming Temple's destruction, and the severed arm's assessment that the curse was draining the Chen Household's Power of the Stars.
• Chen Xi concluded that the imperial family was detaining medical cultivators to prevent information from leaking and that someone was nurturing the curse from outside.
• Chen Xi decided to investigate Buddhist sects in Ten Thousand Stars City and warned Qin Tiexin not to discuss the matter or act rashly.
• Chen Xi gave Qin Tiexin a Storage Bag of Demon Beast flesh, reinforced the courtyard formation, and left.
• Qin Tiexin found that the bag held many fresh Golden Core Realm Demon Beasts, each dead with an expression of terror and no visible signs of struggle.

Qin Tiexin prepared Demon Beast flesh in his great cauldron and studied the True Fire Furnace Scripture’s method of opening meridians. He realized the process could also burn away the hidden injuries and blockages accumulated through years of cultivation, and began preparing to try it.

• Qin Tiexin examined the great cauldron and recalled how he had acquired it from the Iron Spine Sect ruins.
• He remembered Xu Ying explaining the cauldron’s Spirit Artifact abilities and offering to buy it, but he had kept it because it helped him stew Demon Beast flesh.
• Qin Tiexin put Demon Beast meat and spirit spring water into the cauldron, then activated its heating runes.
• As the broth cooked, Qin Tiexin reviewed the True Fire Furnace Scripture’s method of using the Fire of Life to clear meridians.
• Qin Tiexin recognized that the method could burn away the hidden injuries and blockages left by his past cultivation and battles.

Qin Tiexin began preparing a Meridian Seed by compressing the Qi and Blood from Golden Core Demon Beast meat around his Fire of Life, using spiritual liquid to accelerate the process despite the severe pain. The seed remained far from formed, so he resolved to continue slowly and practice martial skills before stewing another cauldron the next day.

• Qin Tiexin ate more than half a cauldron of Golden Core Early Stage Demon Beast meat, and its energy swelled through his body.
• Qin Tiexin followed the True Fire Furnace Scripture to gather and compress his Qi and Blood around the Fire of Life, forming the embryonic point of a Meridian Seed.
• Qin Tiexin turned spiritual liquid from his Dantian into mist and sent it to his heart, making the Fire of Life burn stronger and speeding up the compression while causing intense pain.
• Qin Tiexin stopped after more than two hours and estimated that forming a Meridian Seed would require at least thirty cauldrons of meat.
• Qin Tiexin decided to save the stored Qi and Blood for emergencies, then practiced martial skills in the courtyard and planned to stew another cauldron the next day.

After twenty days of secluded cultivation, Qin Tiexin had condensed his Qi and Blood into a bead but still needed more time to form a Meridian Seed. Chen Xi arrived disguised as a monk and tested him with a surprise attack, then revealed he had been injured fighting a Golden Core Peak opponent and hinted that he had found something interesting.

• Qin Tiexin spent twenty days cultivating, condensing his Qi and Blood into a bead that was still short of becoming a Meridian Seed.
• Chen Xi appeared in the courtyard disguised as a monk, and Qin Tiexin attacked him before recognizing his voice.
• Chen Xi praised Qin Tiexin's improved combat strength after their brief clash.
• Qin Tiexin noticed Chen Xi was injured, and Chen Xi said he had been caught by a dirty trick while fighting a Golden Core Peak monk.
• Qin Tiexin described his cultivation progress, and Chen Xi said he had found something interesting.

Chen Xi revealed that the Holy Buddha Son planned to weaken the Myriad Stars Dynasty by cursing the Chen Household’s bloodline with Devil Venerable Xuanli’s bracelet. He warned Qin Tiexin to focus on cultivation while he tried to keep them out of the conflict, though the Holy Buddha Son’s hidden power remained unknown.

• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin how he infiltrated Jialan City and discovered the Holy Buddha Son’s plan to use a Buddhist Devil Artifact and Chen blood to curse the imperial family.
• Chen Xi explained that the curse targeted the Chen Household’s star power, had first affected the little princess, and could leave the dynasty vulnerable to invasion by Great Brahma.
• Chen Xi identified Devil Venerable Xuanli’s bracelet as the catalyst and explained why the Buddhist sects, including Xiao Wan, had searched for it; he also revealed that the Golden Summit Temple hired Chen Du to kill Qin Tiexin.
• Qin Tiexin said the purified bracelet was with Ming'an, and Chen Xi advised keeping it hidden because it might help break the curse.
• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin to focus on reaching Meridian Opening while he handled the danger, and Qin Tiexin asked about the elusive Holy Buddha Son’s cultivation.

Chen Xi uncovered the Xiao Household's role in the curse scheme and planned to target its allies while drawing in the Myriad Stars court. After three days of seclusion and Qin Tiexin's accelerated cultivation, Qin attended Lin Chuan's gathering with his restored arm exposed, shocking everyone.

• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin that the Xiao Household had supplied the Chen Household bloodline and information to Brahma Sound Valley, and had helped Xiao Wan and Xiao Yan during the Star Selection.
• Chen Xi planned to strike the Xiao Household, Golden Summit Temple's base, and Bodhi Monastery's base, then use the Myriad Stars court to pressure the Great Brahma Dynasty; he told Qin to pass the information to Su Qing.
• Qin Tiexin trained for three days by practicing martial techniques while absorbing Demon Beast flesh, strengthening his Meridian Seed and Blood Bead despite pain and discomfort.
• Qin Tiexin left for the Gathering Stars Teahouse after Chen Xi gave him permission, disguising himself along the way before restoring Mingjue's appearance.
• At the gathering, Lin Chuan, Xu Ying, Liu Suifeng, Du Heng, and Ling Shuyao saw Qin Tiexin's restored right arm, and Lin Chuan asked whether it had been successfully reattached.

Qin Tiexin reunited with his companions after having his severed arm reattached and learned about their new postings. As the group shared an evening together, they prepared to part ways for different futures.

• Liu Suifeng examined Qin Tiexin’s reattached arm, and Qin explained that a secluded medical cultivator had restored it.
• Qin Tiexin congratulated Lin Chuan on his cultivation breakthrough and asked about the charred willow branch, which Lin said had great potential despite not matching his current path.
• Lin Chuan told Qin Tiexin that Liu Suifeng would serve as an assistant formation master at Southern Barrier Pass, where Du Heng would administer the Demon Beast Hunting Association.
• Xu Ying said she would travel with Lin Chuan to Jade Star City to work as an alchemist at the government workshop, prompting Liu Suifeng to tease them.
• As the companions joked together in the teahouse, Qin Tiexin reflected that they would soon go their separate ways.

As the group prepared to leave Ten Thousand Stars City, they promised to reunite there every three years. They gave Qin Tiexin an advance gift for rebuilding Zhaoming Temple, leaving him with arrays, pills, cultivation texts, and talismans.

• Ling Shuyao said she would stay in Ten Thousand Stars City as a female official in the Eldest Princess's residence while managing the Imperial Dao Arts Workshop.
• Liu Suifeng proposed that the group meet in Ten Thousand Stars City every three years, and Lin Chuan, Du Heng, Xu Ying, and Qin Tiexin agreed.
• Liu Suifeng, Du Heng, Xu Ying, Ling Shuyao, and Lin Chuan presented Qin Tiexin with gifts in advance of Zhaoming Temple's completion.
• Liu Suifeng gave Qin Tiexin Golden Core Realm spirit-gathering and defensive array discs, while Du Heng gave him two hundred Qi and Blood Pills.
• Xu Ying gave Qin Tiexin healing and other medicinal pills, and Ling Shuyao supplied a storage ring containing one hundred organized Jade Slips.
• Lin Chuan gave Qin Tiexin two hundred talismans, including another hundred Fu Qingge had added to congratulate him.

Qin Tiexin accepted his companions’ gifts and gave each of them a finely crafted upper-grade law artifact dagger in return. The group shared a toast to Senior Brother Ming, Zhaoming Temple, and their bright future together.

• Qin Tiexin carefully packed away the gifts his companions had prepared for him as Mingjue.
• Qin Tiexin gave Lin Chuan, Du Heng, Liu Suifeng, Xu Ying, and Ling Shuyao individually crafted daggers suited to their abilities.
• Liu Suifeng, Xu Ying, and Ling Shuyao tested their daggers and discovered their special features.
• Liu Suifeng called for wine and food, and the companions gathered around the table.
• Liu Suifeng led a toast to Senior Brother Ming, Zhaoming Temple, and their shared road ahead, and Qin Tiexin drained his cup.

Qin Tiexin asked Xu Ying to sell him a Life-Extension Pill for an elder whose lifespan was nearly exhausted, but learned that the pill cost six hundred thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones. When he offered to gather the money within seven days, Xu Ying told him someone had already bought it two months earlier.

• Liu Suifeng, Du Heng, Lin Chuan, Xu Ying, Ling Shuyao, and Qin Tiexin drank together and discussed the dangers awaiting them in Jade Star City and the need to gain real combat experience.
• After Du Heng and Ling Shuyao left, Qin Tiexin asked Xu Ying about the Life-Extension Pill at the Jade Cauldron Pill Pavilion.
• Xu Ying explained that the third-tier pill cost six hundred thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, far more than Qin Tiexin had estimated.
• Qin Tiexin said he would pay a hundred-thousand-Stone deposit and gather the rest within seven days.
• Xu Ying stopped Qin Tiexin and revealed that someone had bought the pill two months earlier, leaving Qin Tiexin and Lin Chuan stunned.

Qin Tiexin learned that the Life-Extension Pill he sought for Martial Uncle Wu had been bought by a disguised gambler who made a fortune betting on him. After arranging medicines for two mortals, he heard Xu Ying offer a risky alternative for Martial Uncle Wu’s predicament.

• Xu Ying told Qin Tiexin that a disguised old man bought the Jade Cauldron Pill Pavilion’s Life-Extension Pill for six hundred thousand spirit stones after winning a million by betting on Senior Brother Ming.
• Qin Tiexin accepted that he had missed his chance and asked whether the pavilion had other lifespan-extending medicines.
• Qin Tiexin bought medicines for mortals and learned that Zhou Cang’s lost leg could not be restored, while Tu Dazhu’s severed fingers could be regrown with two pills at the cost of one to three years of his lifespan.
• Qin Tiexin described Martial Uncle Wu’s damaged foundation and dwindling lifespan to Xu Ying.
• Xu Ying said she knew of a risky method involving a special pill and asked whether Qin Tiexin could accept it.

Qin Tiexin learned about a forbidden pill that could give Martial Uncle Wu a False Golden Core and a longer lifespan at the cost of severe pain and a permanently locked cultivation. He bought the pill so Martial Uncle Wu and Luo Ling could decide whether to use it, then walked home wondering whether Ming'an should return with them to the Azure Xuan Region.

• Xu Ying explained that the Origin-Locking False Golden Core Pill could grant Martial Uncle Wu a Golden Core lifespan but carried a low success rate, lasting pain, and an irreversible limit on his cultivation.
• Qin Tiexin weighed the pill’s risks against Martial Uncle Wu’s limited lifespan and worried about how Luo Ling would feel about the choice.
• Qin Tiexin decided the choice belonged to Martial Uncle Wu and Luo Ling, and bought the pill from Xu Ying for a hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Qin Tiexin declined to give Xu Ying the courtyard’s address and arranged to collect the pill himself another day.
• Qin Tiexin left the teahouse and wondered whether Ming'an should return to the Azure Xuan Region with them or remain in the Heavenly South Domain.

Chen Xi used his puppet to help Su Qing trace the curse against the Chen Clan to the Great Brahma Dynasty, prompting the imperial family to launch an investigation. After seeing his companions off, Qin Tiexin learned that Zhaoming Temple would be completed in seven days, as the city’s crackdown on Buddhists intensified.

• Qin Tiexin guarded Chen Xi while Chen Xi transferred his consciousness into the palace puppet and shared his findings with Su Qing.
• Su Qing verified that the curse likely originated with the Great Brahma Dynasty and reported her suspicions without naming Chen Xi or Qin Tiexin.
• The emperor ordered a thorough investigation, and Ten Thousand Stars City tightened its guards and questioned or detained people suspected of being Buddhists.
• Chen Xi returned to his body after four nights and told Qin Tiexin that the imperial family had acted.
• Qin Tiexin and Ling Shuyao saw Lin Chuan, Xu Ying, Du Heng, and Liu Suifeng leave the capital.
• Qin Tiexin visited the Ministry of Rites, registered himself and Ming'an with Zhaoming Temple, and learned that the temple would be completed in seven days.