Chapter Summaries

Li Yun led the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples into the Water Domain, where Qin Tiexin, Li Yun, and Liu Qing passed the tide assessment and earned rewards. Li Yun defeated the Water Spirit Illusion Beast while Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing held back cultivators seeking to steal the kill; the group returned to the square as the Fire Domain awaited them the next day.

• Li Yun warned the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples to avoid domains that clashed with their spirit roots, and Qin Tiexin explained the domains’ rewards and guardians.
• Li Yun, Qin Tiexin, Liu Qing, and other cultivators entered the Water Domain and endured its increasingly powerful tides for one incense stick’s duration.
• Qin Tiexin, Li Yun, and Liu Qing received Profound Ice Flowers as the steadiest survivors, while all twenty-three who passed received Water Essence Pearls.
• Li Yun fought the Water Spirit Illusion Beast as Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing blocked cultivators trying to seize its reward, and Li Yun destroyed it with Water Dragon Break.
• Li Yun distributed healing and Qi Recovery Pills after the group returned to the square, and Qin Tiexin prepared for the Fire Domain the next day.

Qin Tiexin passed the Fire Domain’s purification trial by hammering impurities out of crimson heart copper, then helped defeat the Flame Demon and claimed its Jade Slip while the woman in red took its lava armor. He left the Fire Domain with Liu Qing, with the woman in red warning him to expect trouble.

• Qin Tiexin purified crimson heart copper with Edgeless and his fist, passed the trial, and received a Fire Lingzhi and Fire Crystal Stone.
• When the Flame Demon appeared and cultivators began attacking one another, Qin Tiexin shielded Liu Qing and then joined the woman in red in fighting the demon.
• Qin Tiexin and the woman in red struck the Flame Demon’s golden core together, destroying it and ending the battle.
• The woman in red seized the lava armor, while Qin Tiexin retrieved the Jade Slip and defended it with Liu Qing’s help.
• The woman in red warned Qin Tiexin to wait for her, then left; Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing also departed as the Fire Domain ended.

After passing the Earth Domain’s Gravity Corridor and refusing to compete for its guardian, Qin Tiexin was unexpectedly taken with Liu Qing by a five-colored light. They vanished from the domain, leaving Li Yun and the other cultivators behind.

• Back in the square, Liu Qing warned Qin Tiexin that his many gains might draw people’s attention and urged him to skip the Earth Domain, but Qin Tiexin chose to decide the next day.
• Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing entered the Earth Domain and advanced through the increasingly heavy Gravity Corridor, with Qin Tiexin reaching two hundred steps and Liu Qing stopping just past one hundred.
• After the trial, Qin Tiexin received a heavy rock fragment and an earth crystal stone, while the other cultivators watched as five allied cultivators defeated the Earth Spirit Puppet and claimed its Mysterious Earth Sword and earth marrow flower.
• As the cultivators prepared to leave, all five teleportation gates lit up and sent pillars of light down over Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing, carrying them away.
• Li Yun rushed to where Qin Tiexin had stood, but found only empty ground.

Qin Tiexin confronted Liu Qing about hiding his cultivation, and Liu Qing revealed that he sought the Primordial Unity Sect’s inheritance for those with five spirit roots. They abandoned their planned duel and agreed to enter the core hall together, with Liu Qing seeking a technique-enhancing treasure and Qin Tiexin claiming any body-refining or artifact-refining treasures.

• Qin Tiexin challenged Liu Qing about pretending to be weaker, and Liu Qing released his suppressed cultivation to Qi Refining ninth layer perfection.
• Qin Tiexin explained that Liu Qing’s performance in the Water and Fire Domains had exposed his disguise.
• Liu Qing revealed his lineage’s connection to the Primordial Unity Sect and explained that he sought its inheritance to change the fate of people with five spirit roots.
• Liu Qing proposed a fight for the core hall’s treasures, but extinguished his flame and suggested they work together instead.
• Qin Tiexin agreed on the condition that he could claim any body-refining or artifact-refining treasures, and the two headed toward the palace.

Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing joined forces to defeat the palace’s five-colored hall guardian puppet after exploiting the weakness created by extreme heat and cold. Exhausted but victorious, they watched the sphere descend and reveal two floating tokens.

• Liu Qing opened the palace doors, and Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing entered the hall to face the guardian puppet.
• Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing coordinated close-range attacks, vines, and fire spells, but the puppet’s defenses and strength wore them down.
• Qin Tiexin hurled Edgeless with a slab of flooring to expose the puppet’s back, and Liu Qing struck it with a golden-white fireball followed by an ice arrow.
• Qin Tiexin shattered the puppet’s cracked back with Mountain Shattering, destroying its core and defeating it.
• Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing helped each other stand, then watched the sphere reveal two floating tokens.

Qin Tiexin touched the artifact token and endured an illusion showing a possible future in which he lost his place in the sect, his cultivation, and his abilities but persevered as a mortal and passed on his knowledge. He woke in the core hall with the token and his current life intact, while Liu Qing remained trapped in his own illusion.

• Qin Tiexin touched the artifact token and was drawn into an illusion of the Heart-Forging Hall, where Luo Ling told him to leave because his cultivation and artifact-refining skills had not improved.
• Qin Tiexin recognized Chen Xi's signal and used the shattered Soul-Protection Jade to understand that the scene was an illusion, then watched his imagined self return to the Discarded Artifact Pavilion.
• In the illusion, Qin Tiexin's right hand was ruined, his cultivation declined, and bandits stole Edgeless after leaving him gravely wounded.
• Qin Tiexin's imagined self reached Ink City, taught Zhou Nan and Tu Yong his knowledge, and died after entrusting Tu Yong with Lin Feng's broken sword and a request to return it to the Lin Household.
• Qin Tiexin withdrew from the illusion and found Liu Qing still experiencing one; he sat aside, reflected on the imagined self's perseverance, and resumed circulating the Primordial Unity Instruction.

Qin Tiexin entered the artifact-refining chamber and discovered rare five-phase materials and the Five Phases Conversion Pearl, which greatly improved his cultivation efficiency. He returned to the great hall with the pearl secured while Liu Qing remained trapped in the illusion.

• Qin Tiexin opened the Artifact door and entered the artifact-refining chamber.
• Qin Tiexin collected five top-grade spiritual materials and a five-colored stone he suspected was a treasure material.
• Qin Tiexin opened the jade box with the Artifact token and found the Five Phases Conversion Pearl and its instructions.
• Qin Tiexin tested the pearl with a Lower-Grade Spirit Stone and found that it increased his cultivation speed at least fourfold.
• Qin Tiexin secured the pearl and returned to the great hall, where Liu Qing was still recovering from the illusion.

Liu Qing awakened from an illusion and claimed the pill chamber’s treasures, including the Five Elements Mutual Generation Pearl, while Qin Tiexin discovered a palm print resonating with the Primordial Unity Instruction. The chapter left Qin’s hand trapped against the print as his spiritual Qi poured into it.

• Liu Qing awakened from an illusion of a glorious future and entered the pill chamber to claim his rewards.
• Liu Qing obtained five spirit medicine seeds, the Five Elements Return to Origin Pill formula, and the Five Elements Mutual Generation Pearl.
• Liu Qing tested the pearl’s enhanced five-element techniques and spoke with his ring-bound master about building his strength before seeking revenge.
• Qin Tiexin sensed a resonance while cultivating, followed it behind the stone platform, and discovered a shallow palm print in the floor.
• Qin Tiexin’s Primordial Unity Instruction began circulating on its own, and the palm print pulled his hand against it while draining his spiritual Qi.

Qin Tiexin activated a hidden chamber and discovered Primordial Unity True Person’s inheritance, including the Primordial Unity Instruction, Five Phases Gang Steps, and the sect master’s token. After meeting Liu Qing as he left the pill chamber, Qin Tiexin concealed his new authority over the ruins and accompanied him back toward the Five Domains Square.

• The palm imprint drained Qin Tiexin’s spiritual power, then opened a hidden staircase into a sealed chamber.
• Qin Tiexin read Primordial Unity True Person’s letter, which explained the difference between Mixed Spirit Roots and True Spirit Roots and named the ruins’ inheritance and treasures.
• Qin Tiexin used the sect master’s token to gain awareness and control of the ruins, then discovered his Spirit Roots were Mixed Spirit Roots in the complete Primordial Unity Instruction.
• Qin Tiexin acquired the Five Phases Gang Steps Jade Slip and returned to the central hall, where the hidden chamber sealed itself behind him.
• Liu Qing left the pill chamber pleased with his gains, and Qin Tiexin kept his authority over the ruins secret as they headed back toward the Five Domains Square.

Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing were ambushed by a poison cultivator who had exploited a loophole in the ruins’ rules to break through to Foundation Establishment. As poisoned needles flew at Qin Tiexin, he chose to attack rather than escape, leaving the square’s fate unresolved.

• Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing stepped onto Five Domains Square and were struck by poisonous smoke and a volley of wooden arrows.
• Qin Tiexin’s armor blocked an arrow, and he took an Antidote Pill while Liu Qing was weakened by poison.
• A rogue cultivator with the Green Wood Bow revealed that he had forced a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment after entering the ruins at half-step Foundation Establishment.
• Qin Tiexin saw Li Yun and the woman in red shielding unconscious Flowing Cloud Sect and Golden Sun Sect disciples inside a barrier.
• The poison cultivator’s Hidden Poison Insect triggered Qin Tiexin’s armor, then the cultivator launched five poisoned needles at him.
• Qin Tiexin decided to take the offensive instead of escaping with a Teleportation Talisman.

Qin Tiexin fought the poison cultivator with desperate speed and strength, but the Foundation Establishment opponent broke his defenses and poisoned him. As the poison cultivator closed in to kill him, Qin Tiexin activated the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token, and both of them vanished in its light.

• Qin Tiexin charged through poisoned needles and used his dagger and Edgeless to break the poison cultivator's shield, but the cultivator knocked the saber from his hands.
• The poison cultivator struck Qin Tiexin with a venomous claw, shattering his armor, breaking his ribs, and poisoning his chest.
• Liu Qing tried to rise and ask the aged voice in his ring for help, but his master told him to wait because Qin Tiexin would survive.
• The poison cultivator advanced with poisonous smoke, poisoned needles, and a venomous claw to kill Qin Tiexin.
• Qin Tiexin activated the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token, and its spatial force engulfed him and the poison cultivator before both vanished.

After escaping into the Earth Domain with the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token, Qin Tiexin used the Gravity Corridor’s rules to slow Cao Mu’s pursuit while fighting his injuries and poison. Cao Mu tried to bargain for the token, but Qin Tiexin turned to face him and unleashed five Wind Blades.

• Liu Qing and the woman in red watched Qin Tiexin and Cao Mu vanish, then prepared to deal with the poisoned cultivators and lingering mist.
• Qin Tiexin teleported to the Earth Domain and entered the Gravity Corridor, using the token to set its gravity to tenfold and casting Earth Wall Technique to reduce the pressure.
• Cao Mu followed Qin Tiexin into the corridor, but gravity crushed his ranged attacks and forced him to advance slowly under increasing pressure.
• Cao Mu offered to spare everyone and cure the poisoned cultivators if Qin Tiexin surrendered the control item, but Qin Tiexin kept walking before turning around.
• Qin Tiexin raised both hands and sent five Wind Blades into the air to plunge toward Cao Mu.

Qin Tiexin survived Cao Mu’s poisoned needle and used a hidden poison and Luo Ling’s Sword Gang Talisman to kill him in the Gravity Corridor. After restoring normal gravity with the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token, Qin Tiexin reflected on the cost of the fight and the danger Foundation Establishment cultivators still posed.

• Qin Tiexin fired five Wind Blades at Cao Mu, breaking his wooden shield and forcing him to consume a Qi Burning Pill.
• Cao Mu caught up with Qin Tiexin and struck him with a poisoned needle, then believed him dead.
• Cao Mu succumbed to a mind-bewildering poison, lost his barrier, and was pinned down by fifteenfold gravity as Qin Tiexin rose unharmed.
• Qin Tiexin activated Luo Ling’s Sword Gang Talisman and cut Cao Mu in two.
• Qin Tiexin used the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token to restore normal gravity and considered how close he had come to dying.

Qin Tiexin reviewed how he had used his pills and talismans to lure Cao Mu into a calculated counterattack and kill him in the Gravity Corridor. After safely burning the corpse and collecting its belongings, he returned to Five Domains Square, where Li Yun and the woman in red were still struggling to maintain the barrier.

• Qin Tiexin recalled how Senior Brother Chen Xi's supplies and his own safeguards let him turn his escape plan into a trap for Cao Mu.
• Qin Tiexin used the wolf-fang Wind Blades, Blood-Eroding Pill powder, Turtle Breath Pill, and Sword Gang Talisman to exhaust and deceive Cao Mu before killing him.
• Qin Tiexin burned Cao Mu's corpse and avoided the poison needles that burst from it, then collected the Storage Bags and Green Wood Bow after checking for further traps.
• Qin Tiexin used the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token to locate the others and open a portal from the Earth Domain.
• Qin Tiexin returned to Five Domains Square, where Li Yun and the woman in red were barely sustaining the barrier amid poisonous mist.

After Qin Tiexin killed Cao Mu, he helped the survivors recover from the poisonous mist and opened the way out of the ruins. The survivors prepared to leave through the gate of light.

• Qin Tiexin announced Cao Mu’s death, gave Liu Qing an antidote, and Liu Qing used a wind technique to disperse the poisonous mist.
• Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing identified antidotes in Cao Mu’s Storage Bag and, with Li Yun and Duan Xuan, treated the poisoned cultivators.
• The Golden Sun Sect disciples and other survivors woke and thanked Qin Tiexin and Li Yun for saving them.
• Qin Tiexin used the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token to open a gate of light, and the survivors turned toward the exit.

After the secret realm’s survivors returned, Qin Tiexin received rewards for saving the sect disciples and traveled home with the Flowing Cloud Sect. He returned to Luo Ling Peak with valuable gains, while Liu Qing set off to establish his foundation and pursue a spirit fire.

• The cultivators left through the gate, and Li Yun stored the remains of two Flowing Cloud Sect disciples for burial.
• Qin Tiexin invited Liu Qing to join the Flowing Cloud Sect, but Liu Qing declined and left after disguising himself, following his master’s advice to establish his foundation and seek a spirit fire.
• Qin Tiexin used the Primordial Unity Sect Master Token to confirm the ruins were empty and closed the gate without taking the ruins away.
• The sect elders thanked Qin Tiexin for saving their disciples, and the Golden Sun Sect gave him a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• On the spirit boat, Qin Tiexin inspected his gains and reflected on the dangers of the secret realm before the Flowing Cloud Sect returned home.
• At the mountain gates, the disciples thanked Qin Tiexin, Li Yun said goodbye, and Qin Tiexin headed toward Luo Ling Peak.

Qin Tiexin reported his trials, treasures, and deadly fight with Cao Mu to Luo Ling and Wu Zhen. After assessing his gains and warning him about his lack of combat experience, Luo Ling ordered him to rest before beginning special training.

• Qin Tiexin recounted how he passed the five-domain trials and worked with Duan Xuan and Liu Qing to defeat the Flame Demon and the hall-guarding puppet.
• Luo Ling examined Qin Tiexin's Five Phases Conversion Pearl and explained that it could greatly improve his cultivation speed, while Wu Zhen identified his five spirit dao stone as treasure-grade material for a future lifebound Spirit Artifact.
• Qin Tiexin described Cao Mu's ambush and how he survived the poison attacks and killed Cao Mu with a Sword Gang Talisman; Luo Ling examined him and praised his survival while advising him to use lifesaving items more decisively.
• Luo Ling told Qin Tiexin that Chen Xi had left the sect to prepare for Core Formation and advised him to wait before giving Chen Xi anything.
• Luo Ling warned Qin Tiexin that he lacked experience adapting when a fight disrupted his plans, then ordered him to rest for two days before special training.

After recovering from the secret realm, Qin Tiexin began sparring with Nangong Yao to address his weakness against nimble opponents, but she defeated him in ten breaths with her Cloud Gauze Handkerchiefs. When Luo Ling asked about a Jade Slip he had found in the Fire Domain, its name appeared as “True Fire Instruction,” and Luo Ling narrowed her eyes.

• Qin Tiexin spent two days sorting his spoils and reviewing his secret-realm battles until his injuries and unsettled state of mind had recovered.
• Luo Ling summoned Nangong Yao to train Qin Tiexin in fighting against opponents with a different pace and style.
• Nangong Yao used her Cloud Gauze Handkerchiefs to entangle and trip Qin Tiexin, defeating him before he could get close or use Mountain-Shaking Steps.
• Luo Ling arranged for Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao to spar every three days, forbidding Edgeless and requiring him to use a short saber.
• Qin Tiexin examined the crimson Jade Slip from the Fire Domain, revealing the words “True Fire Instruction,” and Luo Ling narrowed her eyes at the name.

Qin Tiexin submitted the True Fire Instruction to the Flowing Cloud Sect, and Luo Ling arranged for him to exchange it for an opportunity to enter the Curios Pavilion. After discussing his need for better ranged combat options, he began cultivating while planning to search the Library Pavilion and Curios Pavilion.

• Luo Ling examined the True Fire Instruction and explained that the high-quality fire cultivation method could earn Qin Tiexin a substantial reward from the sect.
• Qin Tiexin chose to submit the method because it did not suit his five spirit roots and could benefit other disciples.
• Luo Ling recommended that Qin Tiexin exchange the method for entry to the Curios Pavilion and suggested he first search the Library Pavilion for ranged martial skills.
• Qin Tiexin explained the Wind Fang Bracelet's limitations and sought a ranged option that was more flexible and suited to his strength.
• Qin Tiexin considered his past fights, resolved to search the Library Pavilion the next day and the Curios Pavilion afterward, then began cultivating with the Five Phases Conversion Pearl.

Qin Tiexin searched the Library Pavilion for a ranged technique suited to his strength and chose Falling Star Spear, a javelin technique he could support by forging weapons himself. After testing his first javelins, he found their power promising but his accuracy poor, and planned to practice and visit the Curios Pavilion.

• Qin Tiexin examined ranged martial techniques and Law Techniques in the Library Pavilion but found them unsuitable for his strengths and limitations.
• Qin Tiexin discovered Falling Star Spear, compared it with Heavenly Gang Return, and chose to copy Falling Star Spear because he could forge its javelins himself.
• Qin Tiexin used Vajra Hammer Fist to forge five practice javelins and took them to a clearing on the rear mountain of Luo Ling Peak.
• Qin Tiexin threw the javelins at a bluestone target from three hundred paces, demonstrating great power but poor accuracy and ruining all five weapons.
• Qin Tiexin returned to his cave abode and planned to practice his throwing technique, forge spirit-rune javelins, and visit the Curios Pavilion the next day.