Chapter Summaries

True Person Jianyun reported that a Blood Devil had infiltrated the Azure Xuan Region using a crude spatial device, and praised Qin Tiexin for killing it. He rewarded Qin Tiexin before announcing that Flowing Cloud Sect would send a force to garrison Wind and Snow Pass for three years, beginning in half a month.

• Nangong Yao summoned Qin Tiexin to the main peak assembly hall on behalf of Luo Ling Peak.
• True Person Jianyun explained that a wounded Blood Devil had teleported into the Azure Xuan Region and that Qin Tiexin had killed it near Maple Creek Village.
• True Person Jianyun praised Qin Tiexin and awarded him a high-grade storage ring, one thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, and a Curios Pavilion token.
• True Person Jianyun announced that Flowing Cloud Sect would send three hundred Foundation Establishment disciples and five Golden Core elders to Wind and Snow Pass in half a month for a three-year garrison.

After the Flowing Cloud Sect ordered a three-year garrison at Wind and Snow Pass, Qin Tiexin decided to go as an artifact-refining support worker despite his low cultivation. Elder Sun considered his experience and skills and began registering him under separate support rules.

• True Person Jianyun announced the garrison requirements, advance merit points, and a seven-day registration period, then distributed jade tokens describing the Devil Race.
• Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao discussed Luo Ling Peak's obligation to send someone, and Qin Tiexin argued that his Devil Race combat experience and artifact-refining skills made him suitable for the expedition.
• Nangong Yao agreed not to stop Qin Tiexin if Elder Sun accepted him as an artifact refiner.
• Qin Tiexin registered with Elder Sun and explained that he had killed a Blood Devil Demon General and could forge and repair middle-grade Law Artifacts.
• Elder Sun considered Qin Tiexin for logistical support and explained the required monthly assignments and harsh conditions; Qin Tiexin agreed.

Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao decided to travel together to Wind and Snow Pass, leaving Wu Zhen to oversee Luo Ling Peak. After Wu Zhen warned them about the dangers of the Northern Frontier and gave Qin Tiexin an old map, they began preparing for the three-year journey.

• Qin Tiexin told Nangong Yao that Elder Sun had agreed to let him serve at Wind and Snow Pass as an artifact-refining assistant, and Nangong Yao decided to go with him.
• Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao asked Wu Zhen to look after Luo Ling Peak while they were away.
• Wu Zhen shared his memories of Wind and Snow Pass, warned them about the cold, Devil Race attacks, and the dangers of hunting Demon Generals, then gave Qin Tiexin an old map of the area.
• Nangong Yao measured Qin Tiexin for protective inner armor made with ice silkworm silver silk.
• Qin Tiexin drafted a detailed checklist of cultivation resources, weapons, tools, pills, talismans, and other supplies to prepare for the journey.

Qin Tiexin prepared for the Northern Frontier campaign and gathered with the Flowing Cloud Sect’s expedition at dawn. After reconciling with Zhou Chongshan and speaking with Li Yun, he watched True Person Jianyun summon a Cloud Shuttle Boat and order everyone aboard.

• Qin Tiexin finished preparing his supplies and practiced his martial techniques before the expedition.
• Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao arrived at the plaza, where three hundred Foundation Establishment disciples and a smaller logistical contingent assembled.
• Zhou Chongshan apologized to Qin Tiexin for the Zhou Household’s actions in Green Cliff Town and offered to help him at Wind and Snow Pass.
• Li Yun congratulated Qin Tiexin and explained that she was going north to fight the Devil Race and seek Profound Ice Crystal Marrow.
• True Person Jianyun summoned the Flowing Cloud Sect’s Cloud Shuttle Boat and ordered the expedition to board.

Qin Tiexin traveled north aboard the Cloud Shuttle Boat, studying the Devil Race and preparing for the dangers ahead. On the fifth day, he reached Wind and Snow Pass and saw its immense wall and ice statue.

• Qin Tiexin boarded the Cloud Shuttle Boat with the logistics contingent and began the five-day journey north.
• Qin Tiexin studied a jade token detailing the Devil Race’s types, strengths, weaknesses, and valuable materials, while reviewing artifact-refining knowledge.
• Nangong Yao gave Qin Tiexin a warm fox-fur cloak she had made and reminded him to stay safe during his duties.
• On the fifth morning, Qin Tiexin went onto the deck and saw the vast icefield, the towering wall of Wind and Snow Pass, and the statue above it.

Qin Tiexin and the Flowing Cloud Sect arrived at Wind and Snow Pass, where True Person Jianyun recounted how True Lord Snow Wind sacrificed herself to create the fortress and protect the Azure Xuan Region. As the sect entered the pass for its early three-year deployment, Qin Tiexin understood that his life had changed.

• Qin Tiexin stepped off the Cloud Shuttle Boat and adjusted to the pass's bone-deep cold with his cultivation and physical strength.
• True Person Jianyun led the Flowing Cloud Sect in paying homage to the statue of True Lord Snow Wind, Jiang Yi.
• True Person Jianyun explained how Jiang Yi slew the Devil Race commander and gave her life to raise the three-hundred-li ice wall that became Wind and Snow Pass.
• True Person Jianyun told the disciples that the sects rotated garrisons at the pass and that unusual Devil Race movements had brought their deployment forward by three years.
• Qin Tiexin followed the Flowing Cloud Sect into the inner city, looking back at Jiang Yi's statue and recognizing that everything had changed.

The Flowing Cloud Sect disciples arrived at Wind and Snow Pass and learned how the fortress, its assignments, and its devil-core merit system operated. After True Person Jianyun departed, Qin Tiexin prepared to begin his three-year posting at the frontier.

• Qin Tiexin and the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples explored the busy inner city and saw its markets, residents, and wounded cultivators.
• Senior Sister Shen explained the pass’s layout, combat and support duties, and the merit earned through devil cores and service.
• Qin Tiexin registered as an artifact refiner and received a key and map for artifact-forging room Number Seven in Section C.
• Nangong Yao received her combat assignment and told Qin Tiexin she would find him after settling in.
• True Person Jianyun ordered the disciples to hold the pass for three years, then departed on the Cloud Shuttle Boat.
• Qin Tiexin watched the eastern wall at dusk, holding his room key and Edgeless’s hilt as the sect faced the frontier alone.

Qin Tiexin settled into his assigned artifact-refining workshop at Wind and Snow Pass and received his first batch of battle-damaged Law Artifacts. He repaired a chipped flying sword and then began work on a broken spear.

• Qin Tiexin found C Zone Number Seven, arranged his familiar forging tools, cleaned the workshop, and cultivated overnight.
• Deacon Lin delivered damaged Law Artifacts and explained Qin Tiexin’s monthly repair quota, merit rewards, and workshop rules.
• Qin Tiexin used Spirit Rune Weakness Insight to find the flying sword’s broken runes and hidden crack.
• Qin Tiexin repaired the flying sword by reshaping its edge, engraving its runes, filling the crack, and finishing the blade.
• Qin Tiexin set the repaired flying sword aside and picked up the broken iron-spined spear.

Qin Tiexin repaired a shattered middle-grade saber by reinforcing it against the Northern Frontier's cold, earning its owner’s gratitude and a demon core. As he prepared to cultivate, Nangong Yao visited him at his workshop.

• Qin Tiexin completed seven lower-grade law artifact repairs in two days, and Deacon Lin began assigning him more difficult work.
• Deacon Lin gave Qin Tiexin a broken saber and approved his plan to reinforce its fracture with scarlet fire copper and nested spirit runes.
• Qin Tiexin repaired the saber, improving its toughness and cold resistance while restoring its spiritual power flow.
• The saber’s owner tested the repair, praised Qin Tiexin, and gave him a Devil Soldier-level demon core as extra payment.
• Nangong Yao arrived at Qin Tiexin’s door with a food box and teased him about gaining a reputation as an artifact refiner in Zone C.

Nangong Yao visited Qin Tiexin, brought him roast beast meat, and told him about Refined Blood Pills that could aid his body refining and cultivation. After she shared news of the battlefield and an Ice Devil’s weakness, Qin Tiexin decided to investigate a mysterious pearl Edgeless had produced and discovered three Refined Blood Pills hidden in the food box.

• Nangong Yao praised Qin Tiexin’s artifact-refining work and explained that his body tempering might let him safely take Refined Blood Pills.
• Nangong Yao told Qin Tiexin that Li Yun was in her combat squad and described how the squad defeated an Ice Devil by cutting it off from the Cold Qi that replenished its armor.
• Nangong Yao warned that Devil Race harassment near Wind and Snow Pass was growing more frequent and offered to help Qin Tiexin if he needed anything.
• Qin Tiexin examined the red-and-black pearl Edgeless had spat out after killing a Blood Devil and resolved to ask about it at the Pill Hall.
• Qin Tiexin found three Refined Blood Pills in a hidden compartment in Nangong Yao’s food box.

Qin Tiexin used Nangong Yao’s Refined Blood Pills to strengthen his blood, then sought experts to identify a mysterious bead Edgeless had produced after absorbing a Blood Devil’s Sha Qi. After swallowing it, he discovered it greatly advanced his cultivation and considered seeking more Devil Race enemies to obtain further Blood Beads.

• Qin Tiexin appreciated Nangong Yao’s care and swallowed a Refined Blood Pill, advancing his body tempering eighth-layer blood strengthening.
• Qin Tiexin visited Snow Pill Workshop and other shops, but the Alchemists could only identify the bead as containing pure Qi and Blood.
• Qin Tiexin swallowed the red-and-black bead and used the Cauldron Eating Art to absorb its fierce torrent of power.
• Qin Tiexin found the bead’s effect far stronger than a Refined Blood Pill and realized Edgeless had condensed it after absorbing a Blood Devil’s Sha Qi.
• Qin Tiexin considered obtaining more Blood Beads by fighting the Devil Race, but recognized that his logistics duties and the pass’s regulations restricted him from leaving.

After three months at Wind and Snow Pass, Qin Tiexin reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and the peak of Blood Strengthening, then used his accumulated merits to buy hundred-year Earth Marrow Milk. He finished brewing Marrow Cleansing Liquid, preparing to pursue the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.

• Qin Tiexin chose to improve his strength before considering leaving Wind and Snow Pass.
• Over three months, Qin Tiexin increased his artifact-repair quota while cultivating and advanced to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and the peak of Blood Strengthening.
• Qin Tiexin learned that a bottle of hundred-year Earth Marrow Milk cost one thousand service merits and spent that amount to buy one from the Ice and Snow Pavilion.
• Qin Tiexin combined the Earth Marrow Milk with the other ingredients and brewed Marrow Cleansing Liquid over six hours.

Qin Tiexin completed a second marrow cleansing by enduring the painful effects of the Marrow Cleansing Liquid. After sensing the medicinal potency beginning to transform his bones, he went to the Ice and Fire Cave to continue the marrow-replacement process.

• Qin Tiexin prepared the Marrow Cleansing Liquid with ice spring water Nangong Yao had brought back from the Eternal Night Sea.
• Qin Tiexin soaked in the medicinal solution and endured an unbearable marrow-deep itch as the potency penetrated his bones.
• Qin Tiexin absorbed all the medicinal potency, washed away the expelled impurities, and sensed a faint golden sheen beneath his skin.
• Qin Tiexin recalled that alternating extreme cold and heat could complete marrow replacement and produce spirit marrow.
• Qin Tiexin traveled through Wind and Snow Pass and entered the Ice and Fire Cave.

Qin Tiexin used alternating heat and cold to drive the Marrow Cleansing Liquid into his bones, then adapted the tempering process to his artifact-forging work. After half a month, he cultivated his first drop of Spirit Marrow and reached minor accomplishment in the ninth layer of Body Tempering.

• Qin Tiexin rented adjacent ice and fire chambers at Wind and Snow Pass for ten days.
• He endured three daily cycles of heating his bones in the fire chamber and cooling them in the ice spring, activating the Marrow Cleansing Liquid.
• After seven days, Qin Tiexin completed the basic tempering stage and returned to his artifact-forging room.
• He enlarged his quenching pool and began alternating furnace work with ice-water immersion, increasing his tempering cycles while repairing Law Artifacts.
• Half a month later, Qin Tiexin discovered a drop of Spirit Marrow forming in his bones and reached Body Tempering Ninth Layer, marrow replacement minor accomplishment.

After reaching initial attainment in the ninth layer of body tempering, Qin Tiexin tested his new strength and continued training and forging weapons. Nangong Yao invited him to join an outing beyond the pass in five days, and he considered the chance to test his cultivation and Edgeless’s ability to produce Blood Beads.

• Qin Tiexin struck a strength-testing stele and recorded twelve thousand jin, stunning the cultivators nearby.
• Qin Tiexin resumed cold-and-heat tempering and forged throwing spears, including a Bursting Spear.
• Nangong Yao visited Qin Tiexin, discovered he had reached the ninth layer of body tempering, and brought him dried Ice Plain Bear meat.
• Nangong Yao invited Qin Tiexin to accompany her and Li Yun to explore an ice crystal vein beyond the pass, advising him to apply for a gathering mission as cover.
• Qin Tiexin considered the outing as a chance to test his recent progress and whether Edgeless could again condense Blood Beads after killing members of the Devil Race.

Qin Tiexin secured permission to gather materials beyond Wind and Snow Pass and prepared to travel with Nangong Yao and Li Yun. After receiving protective armor and cold-resisting pills, the group set out from the eastern gate.

• Qin Tiexin convinced Deacon Wang to issue him a gathering permit with strict limits on how far and how long he could remain outside the pass.
• Nangong Yao gave Qin Tiexin an Ice Silkworm Armor and tested its defenses, then set rules for their trip beyond the pass.
• Qin Tiexin checked his equipment, including fifty javelins and the wolf-fang bracelet, before departure.
• Li Yun gave Qin Tiexin third-grade Warm Yang Pills to protect against the cold during their outing.
• Qin Tiexin joined Nangong Yao and Li Yun at the eastern gate, and the group set out across the ice field.

Qin Tiexin left Wind and Snow Pass with Nangong Yao and Li Yun to gather materials beyond its walls. After reaching the Devil Domain Forest, the group headed north along its edge toward an area where profound ice crystal marrow could form.

• Qin Tiexin, Nangong Yao, and Li Yun passed the inner-wall checkpoint and crossed the passage between the walls.
• At the outer gate, a Golden Core cultivator checked their identities, marked them for reentry, and warned them to return before dark.
• The three left Wind and Snow Pass and crossed the frozen plain toward the Devil Domain Forest.
• Li Yun explained that the ten-li cleared area was the agreed boundary between human and Devil Race territory.
• Li Yun led Qin Tiexin and Nangong Yao north along the forest's edge toward terrain rich in ice spiritual Qi.

Qin Tiexin entered the Devil Domain Forest with Nangong Yao and Li Yun, discovering that the forest suppressed Divine Sense while his Spirit Material Sense remained effective. When Nangong Yao detected three approaching Horned Demons, Qin Tiexin prepared to ambush them and waited for a clear opportunity to attack.

• Qin Tiexin found that the forest reduced his Divine Sense range to fifty paces, while Li Yun explained that Nangong Yao's stronger Divine Sense helped the squad keep watch.
• Nangong Yao reminded Qin Tiexin to retreat from Demon Generals, never act alone, and follow her commands.
• Qin Tiexin activated Spirit Material Sense and found it could detect metal and ore much farther than his suppressed Divine Sense.
• Nangong Yao detected three high-ranking Devil Soldiers approaching, and the squad concealed themselves and moved closer.
• Qin Tiexin identified the targets as Horned Demons, set out four throwing spears, and waited for them to approach within range.

Qin Tiexin killed three Horned Demons with a rapid volley of javelins, collected their Devil Cores, and discovered that Edgeless absorbed their Sha Qi without producing a Blood Bead. As the trio continued north, his Spirit Material Sense detected a buried fragment of an artificially refined Law Artifact.

• Qin Tiexin threw four javelins in quick succession, crippling the Horned Demons with the Parent-Child Spear and killing them with three Armor-Piercing Spears.
• Qin Tiexin absorbed the demons' Sha Qi with Edgeless, but no Blood Bead appeared, then extracted three Devil Cores from their skulls.
• Nangong Yao and Li Yun let Qin Tiexin keep the Devil Cores and praised his ranged attacks as the trio cleared the scene and continued north.
• Qin Tiexin used Spirit Material Sense and detected a buried fragment of an artificially refined Law Artifact ahead.

Qin Tiexin found a buried sword, ruined belongings, and the remains of a Great Yan Sect disciple while traveling with Nangong Yao and Li Yun. After learning the disciple had likely died in a Devil Domain Forest battle, he gathered the bones and token to take back to the pass, and the group continued north.

• Qin Tiexin sensed something buried beneath the snow and led Nangong Yao and Li Yun to investigate.
• Qin Tiexin dug up a broken Upper-Grade Law Artifact made mostly of moonlight copper, along with scraps of clothing and a ruined Storage Bag.
• Qin Tiexin uncovered a skeleton bearing fatal wounds and carefully arranged the bones on a piece of cloth.
• Qin Tiexin found a bronze token identifying the dead man as a member of the Great Yan Sect.
• Nangong Yao recalled that the Great Yan Sect disbanded after most of its members died in a battle with a Devil Marshal in the Devil Domain Forest.
• Qin Tiexin kept the ruined sword and Storage Bag, planned to deliver the bones and token to the registration office, and continued north with Nangong Yao and Li Yun.