Chapter Summaries

At the Flowing Cloud Sect’s disciple ceremony, Lu Ming revealed an eleven-part wood heaven spirit root and was taken to a superior sect. Qin Tiexin failed the Qi-refinement test with five evenly distributed spirit roots but stayed to test his body-refining talent.

• Qin Tiexin helped prepare the Immortal-Welcoming Flat while Lu Ming gathered news about spirit roots and the sect’s selection.
• Deacon Zhao opened the ceremony and explained the spirit-root test, as applicants with weak or unsuitable roots were rejected.
• Lu Ming’s wood attribute measured eleven parts, and Deacon Zhao sent him by flying boat to a superior sect.
• Qin Tiexin tested with two parts in each of the five attributes and was barred from Qi refinement.
• Qin Tiexin joined around a hundred and fifty other applicants who chose to remain for the body-refining talent test.

Qin Tiexin passed the Flowing Cloud Sect Body Refining Institute’s strength and pain-tolerance trials, using his battlefield experience and the Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts to endure the second test. He became one of only five new outer institute disciples and was told to report the next morning.

• Instructor Shi tested the recruits by requiring them to lift age-appropriate stone locks overhead for ten breaths, and Qin Tiexin steadily passed the one-hundred-and-twenty-jin test.
• After more than two hours, only forty-seven recruits had passed the strength trial, and Instructor Shi led them to the stone rooms for a trial of pain tolerance and willpower.
• Qin Tiexin was paired with Zhao Heizi and endured the formation’s amplified pain and frightening illusions by controlling his breathing and drawing on his past hardships.
• Zhao Heizi and nearly all the other recruits were ejected, while Qin Tiexin remained on his cushion until the trial ended.
• Instructor Shi accepted Qin Tiexin and four others as outer institute disciples and ordered them to assemble at the hour of the Rabbit the next day.

Qin Tiexin passed the Body Verification Gate and became a menial disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect, then chose to work at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion. There, he began sorting and dismantling discarded artifacts, with the Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts revealing recoverable parts in a damaged disc.

• Wei Mang, Ma Chi, Sun Daniu, and Qin Tiexin passed through the Body Verification Gate, though its markings briefly flickered when Qin Tiexin crossed.
• Deacon Zhou accepted the five as outer sect menial disciples, and Qin Tiexin and Sun Daniu received a shared room and their sect supplies.
• Qin Tiexin chose the Discarded Artifact Pavilion for his work assignment and reported to Old Wu in the valley.
• Old Wu explained how to sort and salvage discarded artifacts, and Qin Tiexin carefully examined the junk while the Illustrated Catalog identified recoverable components in a damaged Star-Fixing Disc.
• Qin Tiexin practiced dismantling a half-Law Artifact and left the pavilion at dusk, eager to return the next day.

Qin Tiexin learned how the outer sect’s food system and lessons worked, discovering that his five spirit roots made Qi cultivation difficult and that the sect’s body cultivation methods were incomplete. After studying spiritual materials and spirit runes, he sought out more rune texts, though Senior Brother Li advised him to focus on sensing Spiritual Qi first.

• Qin Tiexin paid ten Spirit Crystals for meals and ate two bowls of spirit rice and his full portion of beast meat at the dining hall.
• At the Lecture Hall, Qin Tiexin failed to draw in Spiritual Qi, while Ma Chi also struggled and Sun Daniu appeared to sense something.
• Senior Brother Li explained the Qi cultivation realms and the advantages and weaknesses of Qi cultivators.
• Senior Brother Li described the body cultivation stages and revealed that Flowing Cloud Sect’s body cultivation text ended at the middle Qi and Blood Realm.
• Qin Tiexin attended lessons on spiritual materials and spirit runes, comparing what he learned with the Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts.
• Qin Tiexin asked Senior Brother Li where to study spirit runes and learned that the Scripture Pavilion held introductory texts, but was advised to prioritize sensing Spiritual Qi.

Qin Tiexin worked a full day at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion, earned Spirit Crystals, and exchanged merit for two cultivation instructions. His first attempt to draw in Spiritual Qi made little progress because his Five Spirit Roots caused the mixed attributes to interfere, and he ended the day planning to keep working and learning.

• Qin Tiexin arrived early at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion and melted discarded artifacts into refined iron and copper ingots.
• Qin Tiexin earned sixteen Spirit Crystals and one merit point for his output and daily wages, then redeemed thirteen merit points and twenty-three Spirit Crystals for the Qi Drawing Instruction and Basic Body Tempering Instruction.
• Qin Tiexin studied the Qi Drawing Instruction and tried to draw Spiritual Qi into his body, but the clashing attributes of his Five Spirit Roots caused nearly all of it to dissipate.
• Qin Tiexin attended Senior Brother Li's lecture on sect rules and learned that basic Dharma Lecture Hall courses were free for new disciples for one month.
• Sun Daniu told Qin Tiexin that he had sensed Spiritual Qi and drawn a weak thread into his body.
• Qin Tiexin returned to the hut and planned to finish his work at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion, collect his earnings, study body tempering, and attend more lectures.

Qin Tiexin began body cultivation, reaching Body Refining First Layer after a single medicinal bath and an hour of Spiritual Qi training. His rapid progress and rising expenses left him wondering how to earn more Spirit Crystals without drawing attention.

• Qin Tiexin studied the Basic Body Tempering Instruction and spent three Spirit Crystals on herbs for a medicinal bath.
• Qin Tiexin tempered himself with eleven repetitions of the Old Qin Household Body Tempering Method, then soaked in the herbs until the medicinal liquid lost its potency.
• Qin Tiexin guided Spiritual Qi through his skin and formed a skin membrane, reaching Body Refining Realm First Layer in just over two hours.
• Qin Tiexin rushed to the dining hall and ate four bowls of spirit rice to ease the intense hunger caused by cultivation.
• Qin Tiexin practiced the Sharpness Spirit Rune in the Illusory Realm Hall, then realized his daily cultivation costs nearly consumed his earnings and considered finding another income source.

Qin Tiexin advanced rapidly in body tempering but struggled to reach the first layer of Qi refining, while realizing he needed better methods and materials to progress. At the Discarded Artifact Pavilion, he discovered a lower-grade law artifact disguised as scrap and prepared to expose the trap set for him as its perpetrators approached.

• Qin Tiexin followed a strict routine of work, classes, and cultivation, reaching the third layer of body tempering while his first Qi vortex remained incomplete.
• Sun Daniu told Qin Tiexin he had reached the first layer of Qi refining and gained higher wages and new opportunities.
• Qin Tiexin recognized that his current body-tempering method and medicinal formula were becoming inadequate, and that he needed Law Power to reforge Edgeless.
• Two veteran menial disciples at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion planned to frame Qin Tiexin after he refused to join their scheme to skim materials.
• Qin Tiexin found a broken sword that was actually an intact lower-grade law artifact disguised with false damage, and hid it before it could be ruined in the furnace.
• Qin Tiexin smelted a genuine scrap fragment to leave signs of black iron sand, then waited for the conspirators to arrive; footsteps sounded about a quarter of an hour later.

Qin Tiexin foiled Li Yuan and Du Ming’s attempt to frame him for smelting Shen Qingshan’s sword, and Old Wu forced the disciples to follow the Discarded Artifact Pavilion’s rules. After earning spirit crystals for his work, Qin Tiexin headed to the dining hall to replenish his strength.

• Shen Qingshan rushed to the Discarded Artifact Pavilion with Li Yuan and Du Ming, who accused Qin Tiexin of smelting his missing Law Artifact sword.
• Qin Tiexin revealed Shen Qingshan’s intact sword and explained that the black-iron ingot came from a broken heart-protecting mirror fragment he had prepared.
• Shen Qingshan apologized to Qin Tiexin and paid him twenty spirit crystals after Old Wu challenged him and ordered him to leave.
• Old Wu reminded Li Yuan and Du Ming that anything delivered to the pavilion counted as scrap, then sent them back to work.
• Qin Tiexin finished his assignment, received seventeen spirit crystals at the Merit Hall, and went to the dining hall for five bowls of rice.

Qin Tiexin reached the Qi Refining First Layer and began using a Spiritual Qi furnace to process discarded Law Artifacts, earning more Spirit Crystals and strengthening Edgeless with spiritual materials. As he studied Spirit Runes and learned from Old Wu, his cultivation advanced steadily, and First Glimpse of Spiritual Runes reached 8/10.

• Qin Tiexin stabilized his Dantian vortex, reached the Qi Refining First Layer, and traced the Sharpness Spiritual Rune with real Spiritual Qi.
• The Law Enforcement Hall exposed Li Yuan and Du Ming's theft and abuse of their positions, confiscated their gains, and sent them to the mines for twenty years of hard labor.
• Qin Tiexin obtained a private stone chamber and used its Spiritual Qi furnace to separate pure spiritual materials from artifact remnants, increasing his daily earnings.
• Qin Tiexin bought Crimson Heart Copper and fused it into Edgeless, making the sword heavier and easing its hunger.
• Qin Tiexin followed a demanding routine of cultivation, artifact processing, classes, and Spirit Rune study, while buying more materials to increase Edgeless's weight.
• Old Wu taught Qin Tiexin how to dismantle an unstable Rebound Spirit Rune, and Qin Tiexin advanced First Glimpse of Spiritual Runes to 8/10.

Qin Tiexin learned that newcomer competitions could provide a path into the outer sect, so he trained his hands and feet to Body Tempering Fourth Layer and discovered he could repair damaged Semi-Law Artifacts. After earning thirty Spirit Crystals for his first repaired saber, he planned to save for materials and seek a saber technique before the competitions.

• Qin Tiexin learned about the minor and major newcomer competitions and decided to focus on body cultivation to improve his chances.
• Qin Tiexin trained Finger Strength Penetration and the Eagle Claw Technique, eventually tempering his fingers, palms, wrists, and toes to minor accomplishment.
• Qin Tiexin repaired a discarded saber by restoring its blade and reconnecting its broken Sharpness spirit rune.
• Old Wu tested the saber, confirmed the repair, and advised Qin Tiexin that he could earn money repairing weapons for disciples.
• Steward Sun paid Qin Tiexin thirty Spirit Crystals for the repaired saber, and Qin Tiexin decided to find a saber technique.

In his third month at the Flowing Cloud Sect, Qin Tiexin spent his savings on a martial technique suited to his strength and heavy saber. He left the library pavilion with the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique and planned to train for the minor tournament three months away.

• Qin Tiexin collected forty-two Spirit Crystals from Steward Sun and headed to the library pavilion with the hundred he had saved.
• Qin Tiexin entered the library pavilion and searched the first-floor martial techniques section for a saber technique.
• Qin Tiexin rejected several heavy saber techniques because their requirements or drawbacks did not suit his five spirit roots and weak meridians.
• Qin Tiexin chose the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique because it relied on physical strength, which suited his body and Edgeless.
• The library pavilion guard copied the technique onto a Jade Slip for Qin Tiexin, who left determined to train for the minor tournament.

Qin Tiexin studied the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique and injured himself while attempting its second form with Edgeless. After using a medicinal bath to recover and strengthen his arms, he resolved to place in the top ten of the minor competition and enter the outer sect.

• Qin Tiexin reviewed the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique and recognized similarities to the saber forms he had comprehended on the battlefield.
• Qin Tiexin practiced Bear the Mountain and managed to hold the stance for the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
• Qin Tiexin attempted Suppress the Mountain with Edgeless, dislocating both arms and straining their muscles when he failed to channel his strength through his whole body.
• Qin Tiexin reset his joints and used a medicinal bath to heal his arms, discovering that the treatment had also strengthened them.
• Qin Tiexin pulled Edgeless from the flagstones and resolved to place in the minor competition's top ten so he could enter the outer sect.

In the thirty days before the minor competition, Qin Tiexin advanced to Qi Refining second layer, forged a Semi-Law Artifact, inscribed a Spirit Rune on Edgeless, and trained for the competition. On the eve of the event, he prepared to compete in combat and artifact refining, hoping to place in the top ten and earn access to greater sect resources.

• Qin Tiexin completed his second Qi vortex and reached Qi Refining second layer, giving him enough Spiritual Qi to attempt forging a Semi-Law Artifact.
• Qin Tiexin forged a Semi-Law Artifact saber and Steward Sun paid him sixty Spirit Crystals for it.
• Qin Tiexin inscribed the Thousand Jun Spirit Rune on Edgeless, increasing its weight to about fifteen hundred jin.
• Qin Tiexin exchanged most of his earnings for the Primordial Unity Stance Fist and registered for the combat and artifact-refining events.
• Qin Tiexin trained in the Primordial Unity Stance Fist and Heavy Mountain Saber Technique, then prepared Edgeless on the night before the competition.

Qin Tiexin attended the Flowing Cloud Sect’s minor competition and watched the first group of artifact-refining disciples complete their assessment. When the first group’s scores were announced, he took his place as participant forty-seven in the second group.

• Qin Tiexin left his stone chamber as the Five-Colored Trees turned gold and joined the crowded outer sect square.
• Deputy Sect Master Xu Cong opened the minor competition, and a deacon directed participants to one of five specialized assessments.
• Qin Tiexin joined the artifact-refining group and learned that three hundred participants would work in rotating groups under a two-double-hour limit.
• Qin Tiexin watched the first hundred disciples forge artifacts, studying their techniques as the stewards and elder-appointed observers watched.
• The first group finished, and Steward Zhou announced Huang Yan in first place and Lin Xiu in second while voiding the result of a disciple whose furnace exploded.
• Qin Tiexin took his station as number forty-seven in the second group.

Qin Tiexin chose to forge a Flowing Cloud Sword for the artifact-refining assessment, relying on his experience with salvaged weapons to complete its blade and star-iron coating. After recovering his Spiritual Qi, he began engraving the Sharpness spirit rune as the judges watched.

• Qin Tiexin selected azure pattern steel, star iron sand, and supplementary materials to forge a Flowing Cloud Sword.
• Qin Tiexin forged the steel into a clean, evenly shaped sword blank through twelve folds.
• Qin Tiexin spread molten star iron sand over the blade, forming flowing cloud patterns, then quenched it in spiritual spring water.
• Qin Tiexin meditated until his Spiritual Qi had recovered enough to attempt the Sharpness spirit rune.
• The judges assessed Qin Tiexin's work as promising, and he touched his glowing fingertip to the blade to begin engraving the rune.

Qin Tiexin completed the Flowing Cloud Sword during the artifact refining assessment and tied for third place overall. After the assessment, Senior Sister Nangong brought him to his room and offered to teach him artifact refining.

• Qin Tiexin engraved the sword’s spirit rune with his fingers, finished the weapon before time ran out, and earned ninety-two points for a semi-law artifact.
• A Foundation Establishment cultivator sent Qin Tiexin a voice transmission telling him to wait at the entrance after the assessment.
• The judges announced Zhao Yan in first place, Lin Han in second, and Qin Tiexin among three contestants tied for third in the overall rankings.
• After the assessment, Senior Sister Nangong used translocation to bring Qin Tiexin to his room and examined the Flowing Cloud Sword.
• Senior Sister Nangong learned Qin Tiexin had taught himself finger engraving by repairing broken artifacts and asked him to study artifact refining under her.

Senior Sister Nangong gave Qin Tiexin supplies and set conditions for joining her lineage: he had to win first place in artifact refining at the newcomers' tournament and avoid a poor result in combat. After cultivating with a Spirit Stone overnight, Qin Tiexin joined the combat assessment and took his assigned platform.

• Senior Sister Nangong explained her master's approach to artifact refining, praised Qin Tiexin's steady craftsmanship, and pointed out his weak spirit root and low Qi Refining level.
• Senior Sister Nangong gave Qin Tiexin a Storage Bag containing Spirit Stones and three Jade Slips, then required him to take first place in artifact refining six months later and not disgrace her in the combat assessment.
• Qin Tiexin agreed to the conditions and used a Spirit Stone to cultivate, filling his dantian in four hours at more than three times his usual speed.
• The next morning, a steward announced the combat assessment rules and had the new disciples draw tokens for five random matches.
• Qin Tiexin drew token C, thirty-five, and leaped onto his assigned stone platform.

Qin Tiexin fought through four matches on Platform C-35, defeating opponents with steady technique, strength, and his black saber Edgeless. After breaking the blue-robed young man's strongest spell and sword, he stood one victory away from completing the matches.

• Qin Tiexin defeated a Qi Refining Second Layer boy by catching his sword wrist and pushing him off the platform.
• Qin Tiexin endured a female disciple's Water Arrow Technique and sent her off the platform with his Primordial Unity Stance Fist.
• Qin Tiexin overcame Wang Meng's body-refinement attacks and forced him to concede by pinning him to the stone.
• Qin Tiexin blocked the blue-robed young man's Metal Sharpness sword and traded blows with him until the young man launched Golden Radiance Thrust.
• Qin Tiexin cleaved through Golden Radiance Thrust and broke the young man's sword, forcing him to concede; his fourth token line lit up, leaving one match.

Qin Tiexin fought Li Yun in the final match of the combat assessment and forced a draw by carrying her off the platform with him. After reviewing his weaknesses, he learned he had placed joint sixth and reaffirmed his goal of taking first place in the tournament three months away.

• Li Yun used her Water Cloud Silk and water techniques to keep Qin Tiexin at a distance and bind his leg.
• Qin Tiexin used the ribbon's pull to charge Li Yun, break through her water barrier, and carry her beyond the arena's boundary.
• Qin Tiexin cushioned Li Yun's fall, and the deacon declared the simultaneous fall a draw.
• Qin Tiexin treated his injuries and reviewed the weaknesses revealed by his five matches.
• The deacon announced Qin Tiexin and Li Yun as joint sixth with four wins and one draw, and Qin Tiexin resolved to improve before the tournament in three months.

After analyzing his tournament fights, Qin Tiexin planned an intense training schedule and began working in the Artifact Refining Branch Hall to improve his skills and earn resources. As he studied runes and refined his routine, he prepared for another encounter with Li Yun at the grand competition in three months.

• Qin Tiexin reviewed his five fights, identified ways to exploit opponents’ expectations, and resolved to seek a better Cultivation Method and ways to handle ranged attacks.
• Qin Tiexin calculated that his thirty Spirit Stones could not fund the Qi Refining he needed, then set a daily schedule that reduced his rest time.
• Qin Tiexin entered the Artifact Refining Branch Hall, where Sun Gu inspected Edgeless, explained the rules, and directed him to the third-grade area.
• Zhou Ping explained the materials costs and buyback rates, while Qin Tiexin learned that a minor assessment in three months would halve resources for those ranked in the bottom half.
• Qin Tiexin forged and sold a Semi-Law Artifact short saber, then completed his four hours of work at the Discarded Artifact Pavilion.
• Qin Tiexin studied the spirit-rune and artifact-refining Jade Slips, cut his rest to two hours, and expected Li Yun to return for the grand competition in three months.