Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu advanced his rune research with a new analyzer and prepared to improve Chen Village’s defenses and Rune Gun. A month later, he increased his rune-paper trade with Hou Sailei and obtained Qi Gathering Pills to help martial artists break through to the Qi Nourishing Realm.

• Chen Mu used the Multifunctional Analyzer to discover that crimson wolf bone had level fifteen heat resistance, making it suitable for a more powerful Rune Gun.
• Chen Mu set the analyzer to simulate how to arrange Chen Village’s defensive weapons and asked Landuo about the precision rune engraving device.
• A month later, Chen Mu told Hou Sailei he would double their monthly trade to ten thousand sheets of nine-rune paper, and Hou Sailei eagerly agreed.
• Hou Sailei gave Chen Mu five Qi Gathering Pills that could improve a martial artist’s chances of breaking through to the Qi Nourishing Realm.
• Chen Mu accepted the pills, told Hou Sailei to deduct their cost from the next trade, and left the Vast Sea Pavilion.

Chen Mu visited the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, where he befriended formation master Nan Huaiyuan and discussed their respective expertise. Nan Huaiyuan warned him that he had seen Wu Hongtian of the Wumeng Tribe in the market, leaving Chen Mu wary on his journey back to Chen Village.

• Chen Mu went alone to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and ordered supplies from Hua Ying.
• Nan Huaiyuan approached Chen Mu and invited him to exchange insights on formations.
• Nan Huaiyuan recognized the ingenuity of Chen Village's talisman formation, and Chen Mu credited his supposed master for guiding him.
• Chen Mu completed his purchase, paid Hua Ying, and prepared to leave.
• Nan Huaiyuan warned Chen Mu that he had seen Wu Hongtian at the Listening Wind Tower, and Chen Mu promised to be careful.

Chen Mu was ambushed by Mingye, who forced him to lead her to Soul Severing Valley in search of his supposed master. As they searched the valley, Chen Mu saw how powerful she was and waited for a chance to escape.

• Chen Mu left Wuyan Market for Chen Village but was ambushed by Mingye, who injured his Dragon-Horned Horse and captured him.
• Mingye demanded that Chen Mu take her to his master, whom she had been sent to kill; Chen Mu claimed his master was in Soul Severing Valley.
• Chen Mu led Mingye into Soul Severing Valley, pretending to call for his master while she threatened to kill him if they failed to find him.
• Mingye killed a leopard-like demon beast with a returning silver throwing knife, convincing Chen Mu that she was a powerful Qi Nourishing Realm cultivator.
• After they searched nearly half the valley and encountered fewer demon beasts, Chen Mu finally spotted an opportunity.

Chen Mu escaped Mingye by using an Invisibility Talisman, then hid in a tree hollow in Soul Severing Valley. Seeking any chance to survive against his powerful pursuer, he took a Qi Gathering Pill and broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm.

• Mingye fought the juvenile Golden-Winged Tiger while Chen Mu used an Invisibility Talisman to vanish into the forest.
• Mingye wounded the tiger until it fled, then tracked Chen Mu through the valley.
• Chen Mu ran through the mist, decided not to risk traveling at night, and returned to hide in a tree hollow.
• Chen Mu concealed the hollow with an illusion array, restored his Internal Force, and prepared to break through.
• Chen Mu took a Qi Gathering Pill, formed a Qi Sea, and entered the Qi Nourishing Realm.

Landuo discovered three Martial Master intruders inside Chen Village and called Chen Hongjie for help while Chen Mu, trapped in Soul Severing Valley, attacked Mingye with Rune Gun No. 2. Though the rune bullet badly wounded Mingye, she survived and pursued Chen Mu as he fled toward Chen Village.

• Landuo spotted three intruders moving toward Chen Village's residential area and used the illusion array to delay them.
• Landuo warned Chen Hongjie that Martial Masters had entered the village and asked him to gather the martial artists at the array core.
• Chen Mu saw Mingye searching near his hiding place and shot her with a rune-covered bullet from Rune Gun No. 2.
• Mingye survived the blast, countered Chen Mu's approach with a silver knife, and pursued him after taking a pill.
• Chen Mu burned a Windwalking Talisman and fled toward Chen Village, hoping to use its talisman array for protection.

Chen Mu returned to Chen Village with Mingye in pursuit and took control of the village-wide rune array, unleashing the Mechanism Fortress. The fortress captured Mingye and killed Wu Hongtian and his two companions, leaving Chen Mu and Landuo to consider the mechanism’s potential.

• Chen Hongjie and Chen Jianfeng’s forces struggled to hold Wu Hongtian and two intruders inside the rune array while Landuo worried they would run out of rune flags.
• Chen Mu was kicked through Chen Village’s gate by Mingye, who pursued him despite her injured shoulder, and Landuo handed him the village’s array disc.
• Chen Mu used the array disc to activate the Mechanism Fortress, whose automated gun barrels overwhelmed Mingye and captured her alive.
• Chen Mu turned the fortress’s guns on Wu Hongtian and his two companions, killing all three.
• Landuo admired the fortress, and Chen Mu reflected that combining beast souls with Rune Core programs had made its mechanisms far more powerful.

Chen Mu interrogated the captured assassin Mingye and learned that Tuoba Ziying had sent her, while Chen Haoran had joined the Flame Blessing Tribe to protect Chen Village. After hearing Mingye’s account, Chen Mu freed her, and she left the village vowing to kill him next time.

• Chen Mu and the villagers failed to make Mingye speak until Landuo threatened to refine her soul, prompting her to agree to talk in exchange for a quick death.
• Mingye named Tuoba Ziying as the person who had sent her, and Chen Hongjie explained that Chen Haoran and his wife had been captured eight years earlier by the Flame Blessing Tribe.
• Mingye revealed that Chen Haoran had surrendered a treasure and joined the tribe to persuade its leader to spare Chen Village.
• Chen Mu thanked Mingye for the information, removed her restraints, and let her leave despite knowing she might seek revenge.
• Mingye walked out of Chen Village and into the forest, then vowed to kill Chen Mu the next time they met.

After hearing about his parents, Chen Mu resolved to strengthen himself and entered seclusion to pursue advancement, eventually becoming an Earth Talisman Master. Meanwhile, Chen Village made peace with the Taiyan Tribe and chose to postpone expansion while it built up its strength.

• Chen Mu asked Landuo about ancient academies and decided to prepare for admission to the nearby Heaven-Questioning Pavilion by cultivating in seclusion.
• After two months of cultivation, Chen Mu condensed an illusory Yin Soul and broke through to the Earth Talisman Master realm.
• Chen Mu emerged from seclusion and met Tai Yunfan and Nan Huaiyuan, who had come to discuss Chen Village's plans.
• Chen Mu accepted Tai Yunfan's offer of friendship and agreed that Chen Village would not expand toward the Taiyan Tribe.
• Chen Hongjie and the others decided to wait three to five years before considering territorial expansion or advancing Chen Village to a mid-tier tribe.

Chen Hongjie took Chen Mu to the Chen Clan’s hidden ancestral land and revealed the clan’s ancient history and its danger in the Central Land. Though he warned Chen Mu to avoid bloodshed, he ultimately accepted Chen Mu’s journey and urged him to go.

• Chen Mu insisted on traveling to the Central Land to study despite Chen Hongjie’s objections.
• Chen Hongjie led Chen Mu through a hidden passage in the mountains behind Chen Village to the clan’s ancestral land.
• Chen Hongjie explained that the cavern had sheltered the clan during past calamities and that the Chen Clan had once been a mighty tribe descended from god-slayers.
• Chen Hongjie warned Chen Mu that the Central Land’s rulers had branded the Chen Clan sinful blood and that Chen Mu should avoid drawing attention to his origins by shedding blood.
• Chen Hongjie said the clan’s bloodline-awakening method was lost and that the Central Land had likely forgotten the Chen Clan, then encouraged Chen Mu to travel while he cared for Chen Village.

Chen Mu left Chen Village with A Huo and Chen Duo to pursue their studies, after arranging for Landuo and Chen Zihu to manage the village’s defenses and trade. On the journey, the three stopped at Weng Mountain Tribe, where they were invited to a bonfire feast.

• Chen Mu entrusted Landuo with the talisman-making equipment and Mechanism Fortress array plate, then arranged for Chen Zihu to take over his trade with Hou Sailei.
• Chen Mu bought two communication jade tokens and set out with A Huo and Chen Duo for the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
• As the three traveled through the winter mountains, A Huo noticed someone following them, but Chen Mu chose not to confront the follower.
• Chen Mu and his companions reached Weng Mountain Tribe and secured lodging for the night.
• The tribe's dark-skinned man invited Chen Mu and his companions to the annual sacrificial bonfire feast, and Chen Mu agreed after Chen Duo eagerly accepted.

At a Weng Mountain Tribe bonfire banquet, Chen Mu danced with Mazha before discovering that Mingye had been following him. He invited her to travel with him to the Central Land, and she agreed to become his companion.

• Gebu welcomed Chen Mu, Chen Duo, and A Huo to the banquet and served them food and fruit wine.
• Chen Duo pushed Chen Mu into dancing with Mazha, and Chen Mu gradually began to enjoy the dance.
• Chen Mu noticed someone watching him with hostility, left the crowd, and called for the follower to reveal herself.
• Mingye appeared, and Chen Mu learned her name and told her he planned to travel to the Central Land to study at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
• Chen Mu invited Mingye to join him, and she agreed, so he led her back to meet Chen Duo and A Huo.

Chen Mu and his companions discovered a tribe slaughtered by horse bandits while traveling toward Central Land. After Chen Duo rescued a surviving little girl, Chen Mu learned the bandits had headed toward the Weng Mountain Tribe and decided to turn back.

• Chen Mu introduced Mingye to Chen Duo and A Huo, and Mingye removed her mask and revealed she was seventeen and had reached the Late Qi Nourishing Realm at sixteen.
• The four companions set out the next morning, and Mingye traveled on her powerful fourth-rank Dark Moon Wolf.
• Chen Mu and his companions entered a deserted tribe and found its people, including women and children, brutally killed by horse bandits.
• Mingye explained that horse bandits used torture and slaughter to intimidate tribes into surrendering their wealth.
• Chen Duo found a surviving little girl beneath a corpse, and A Huo warned that the bandits might be headed for the Weng Mountain Tribe.
• The girl pointed toward the Weng Mountain Tribe, so Chen Mu decided the group had to turn back.

Chen Mu and his companions fought the Blood Wolf Gang as it attacked the Weng Mountain Tribe, defeating its leaders and routing the bandits. Chen Mu chased down the last fugitives and returned after killing them.

• Chen Mu left Mingye to protect the rescued girl while he, Chen Duo, and A Huo entered the Weng Mountain Tribe to fight the attacking bandits.
• Chen Mu and his companions fought through the Blood Wolf Gang, and Qi Lang led an attack that put A Huo in danger.
• Chen Mu used Explosive Flame Talismans to reach A Huo, then fought Qi Lang with his Dharma-Breaking Staff.
• A hidden Soul Power attack left Qi Lang vulnerable, and Chen Mu knocked him down as the Blood Wolf Gang began to retreat.
• Mingye killed the wounded Qi Lang with her flying dagger, while A Huo killed the short old man who had attacked him with silver needles.
• Chen Mu pursued the fleeing bandits beyond the tribe, killed the survivors, and returned.

After the Weng Mountain Tribe accepted Chen Mu’s offer to join Chen Village, he arranged protection for them and resumed his journey toward the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion with his companions. Their dangerous travels strengthened the group, and Chen Duo broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm as they advanced more than halfway to their destination.

• Chen Mu offered Gebu and the weakened Weng Mountain Tribe a place as vassals of Chen Village, and Gebu agreed after the tribe discussed the proposal.
• Chen Duo asked to make Little Juzi her sworn little sister, and Chen Mu agreed to bring her to Chen Village.
• Chen Mu arranged for Chen Village’s cavalry to escort the Weng Mountain Tribe and Little Juzi, then set up a protective talisman formation before departing with A Huo and the others.
• The group faced dangerous demonic beasts on their journey, narrowly escaping a giant white bear and gaining combat experience.
• Chen Duo broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm during a battle with wolves, while Chen Mu and the others also improved through their trials.

Chen Mu and his companions came upon a caravan under attack by bandits and joined the fight. They drove off the raiders, and Chen Mu killed the bandit leader with his Rune Gun.

• Chen Mu, A Huo, Chen Duo, and Mingye heard explosions and rode toward them.
• The bandit leader revealed that Hou Gu's third brother had sent the raiders, then attacked the caravan when Hou Gu refused to surrender quietly.
• Hou Gu drew the bandits away from the wagons while Chen Duo and Chen Mu attacked the leader with their Dharma-Breaking Staffs.
• A woman in black and Hou Gu fought the leader's followers as a sword-wielding youth broke through the attackers around the wagons.
• The bandit leader signaled a retreat and fled, but Chen Mu pursued him and killed him with repeated shots from his Rune Gun.

Chen Mu and his companions joined Hou Gu’s caravan on the way to Wilderness Border City, where they learned more about the Central Land and discussed talisman cultivation. After ten days of travel, they reached the city, their first stop in the Central Land.

• Chen Mu persuaded Mingye, Chen Duo, and A Huo to travel with Hou Gu’s caravan toward Wilderness Border City.
• Chen Mu taught Chen Duo to use Rune Gun No. 2, and she killed a fourth-tier demonic beast that attacked the caravan.
• Chen Mu and Hou Gu discovered their connection through Hou Sailei and discussed the Vast Sea Pavilion and the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce.
• Chen Mu and Hou Gu shared wine and discussed the Dao of Talismans during the journey.
• Chen Mu and his companions arrived at Wilderness Border City after ten days of travel.

Chen Mu and his companions arrived in Wilderness Border City, where Hou Gu arranged lodging and Ye Qing'er showed them around. They explored the bustling streets and learned about the Hidden Dragon Ranking, then settled in to rest and read about the world’s young heroes.

• Chen Mu entered Wilderness Border City with Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye, and Hou Gu used his connections to get them past the city guards.
• Hou Gu arranged rooms for the group at an Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce inn and asked Ye Qing'er to host them while he returned to his affairs.
• Ye Qing'er invited Chen Mu and the others to a meal, then took them to explore the city’s busy commercial streets.
• Ye Qing'er brought the group to Listening Wind Tower and explained that the Heavenly Secret Tower published the Hidden Dragon Ranking of the world’s strongest young heroes.
• Chen Mu bought a standard copy of the Hidden Dragon Ranking and put it in his storage ring to read later.

Ye Qing'er explained the Central Land’s major powers to Chen Mu, and Chen Mu explored the Myriad Treasures Pavilion for materials to advance his talisman research. After buying several costly supplies, he followed a shopkeeper to inspect discounted ancient treasures, regretting that White Turtle was not there to help him judge them.

• Ye Qing'er explained that the Central Land’s leading forces were the Heavenly Court, two clans, three sects, and four academies.
• Chen Mu and the others split up to browse the commercial street, and Chen Mu entered the Myriad Treasures Pavilion with two women.
• Chen Mu searched the spiritual materials section, found several rare materials, and bought a small portion of the supplies he needed.
• The shopkeeper offered Chen Mu a chance to inspect ancient treasures discounted to one-tenth of their original price.
• Chen Mu entered the exhibition hall and regretted not bringing White Turtle, who had stayed behind because of his enemies and unrecovered strength.

Chen Mu browsed ancient relics at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and bought a rusted spatial-cutting dagger with a meditation cushion after discovering the cushion reacted to his Acala Heart Sutra. He returned to the inn with Ye Qing'er and Mingye, where Chen Duo was waiting for dinner.

• Ye Qing'er warned Chen Mu that the pavilion’s ancient relics were mostly damaged and unlikely to be valuable.
• Chen Mu inspected a black pill furnace, then Mingye chose a rusted dagger with spatial-cutting power but objected to its price.
• The shopkeeper explained the dagger’s high price and the lower prices of items on the display case’s bottom level.
• Chen Mu touched a pale yellow meditation cushion and felt it draw on his Spiritual Power as his Acala Heart Sutra circulated.
• Chen Mu bargained for the dagger and received the cushion as a gift, then returned to the inn with Ye Qing'er and Mingye.
• Chen Duo complained that she was hungry, and the group shared another sumptuous dinner.

Chen Mu discovered that the cushion he bought was a Karmic Fire Cushion that could temper the soul, and he used it to break through to Intermediate Earth Talisman Master. After enduring its dangerous illusions, he decided not to try a stronger level of Karmic Fire yet.

• Chen Mu recognized Sanskrit-like patterns on the cushion and used the Acala Heart Sutra to feed it Spiritual Power until it stopped absorbing, loosening the barrier to the Middle Stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm.
• Chen Mu learned that the cushion could produce three levels of Karmic Fire to temper the mind and spirit, but that only those with steadfast character could use it.
• Chen Mu activated the first level, and Karmic Fire forced him to relive painful memories of losing his adoptive father and fearing for his family.
• Chen Mu steadied himself with the Acala Heart Sutra and Acala Mudra, suppressing the fire as his soul transformed and he became an Intermediate Earth Talisman Master.
• Chen Mu found that the Karmic Fire greatly accelerated his Soul Power cultivation but carried the risk of trapping him in its illusions, so he avoided trying a higher level.