Chapter Summaries

Chen Shuangbai joined the Jade Spring and Empty Sword Sects’ forces as they faced the Heart-Eroding Stronghold, whose Golden Core cultivator had been forced to hold his ground. True Person Xuanguang of the Spirit-Seeking Sect arrived to mediate a ceasefire, leaving the three parties awaiting the seniors’ response.

• Exalted Cultivator Huo gathered Chen Shuangbai and the other disciples and brought them to the front lines, where Lu Mingxuan explained that their sects had taken five of Wu Province’s nine commanderies.
• Chen Shuangbai saw True Person He and True Person Bo facing Shi Yan, the Heart-Eroding Stronghold’s Golden Core cultivator, while formations and cultivators held the line against the devil miasma.
• True Person Xuanguang arrived and respectfully greeted True Person Bo and True Person He, while his attendants showed resentment toward the Jade Spring Sect.
• True Person Xuanguang offered to mediate between the righteous and devil paths and asked the three parties to end the war for the time being.

Jade Spring, the Empty Sword Sect, and the Heart-Eroding Stronghold agreed to settle their dispute through a contest among young Foundation Establishment cultivators. The contest began with Lu Mingxuan’s victory and ended with the Heart-Eroding Stronghold taking one of the first three bouts.

• Bone-Corroding proposed a contest between the factions’ young elites, and Old True Person He accepted the arrangement.
• True Person Xuanguang raised and shielded an arena, then added two Spirit-Seeking Sect cultivators to the Heart-Eroding Stronghold’s three fighters to match the five from Jade Spring and the Empty Sword Sect.
• Lu Mingxuan challenged Sun Chen of the Evil Bone lineage and defeated him by smashing his puppets with Sword Qi.
• Qu Ling won her bout against a Heart-Eroding Stronghold disciple.
• Feng Jintang narrowly lost to the cold, hollow-eyed cultivator of the Hundred Poisons lineage.

Yan Heng fought Jin Yuanli of the Spirit-Seeking Sect and defeated him with her bamboo staff and azure spells. The Jade Spring Sect moved closer to securing the match, while Chen Shuangbai and the others gained a new appreciation for Yan Heng’s strength.

• Jin Yuanli stepped forward to fight for the Spirit-Seeking Sect, and Yan Heng volunteered to face him instead of Chen Shuangbai.
• Jin Yuanli attacked with earth spikes and charged with his golden staff, but Yan Heng knocked him backward with her bamboo staff.
• Jin Yuanli trapped Yan Heng in quicksand and swung his staff at her, but she solidified the ground and freed herself.
• Yan Heng trapped Jin Yuanli between three beams of azure spell-light, then struck him into the ground with her bamboo staff.
• Chen Shuangbai, Lu Mingxuan, and the others praised Yan Heng and wondered about the grade of her bamboo staff.

Chen Shuangbai fought Pang Zhiyuan of the Spirit-Seeking Sect’s declining Pang Household in a sword contest, discovering that Pang had mastered the Extreme Sword lineage and Sword Light Differentiation. The duel escalated as Chen displayed a technique that produced sixteen sword shadows, drawing congratulations from the watching cultivators.

• True Person Xuanguang ordered Jin Yuanli to return and receive punishment after Yan Heng had defeated him, while True Person Bo ignored Xuanguang’s question about the Three Spirits Bamboo Staff.
• Chen Shuangbai faced Pang Zhiyuan, a Late Qi Refining disciple of the Spirit-Seeking Sect’s Pang Household, and accepted his proposal to decide their match through the Sword Dao.
• Pang Zhiyuan launched fast, powerful Extreme Sword Qi, and Chen used Cold Spring and the Green Parasol Tree Sword to intercept his attacks.
• Pang Zhiyuan used Sword Light Differentiation to form eight sword shadows, surprising Chen and the watching disciples of the Empty Sword Sect.
• Chen’s deep-blue sword shadows swept toward Pang Zhiyuan, and the skyborne cultivators saw that one sword had differentiated into sixteen shadows.
• Yue You congratulated Exalted Cultivator Huo on the Jade Spring Sect’s sword accomplishment, and Huo accepted the praise.

Chen Shuangbai defeated Pang Zhiyuan by wielding sixteen sword lights, securing the Jade Spring Sect and Empty Sword Sect alliance’s victory in the tournament. With the contest settled and the rival cultivators gone, the two sects began reclaiming the five commanderies from the devil miasma.

• Chen Shuangbai used sixteen indigo sword lights to counter Pang Zhiyuan’s golden Sword Qi and threatened him from behind, prompting Pang Zhiyuan to concede.
• True Person Xuanguang praised Pang Zhiyuan, while the Jin family members scrutinized him after his return.
• Lu Mingxuan congratulated Chen Shuangbai, and Feng Jintang asked whether he had cultivated the True Explanation of Void Clarity Sword Control.
• The Kong Jian-Jade Spring Alliance won four of the five matches, and Chen Shuangbai credited his success to the sect’s guidance.
• Old True Person He drove True Person Bone-Corroding, Shi Yan, away, and True Person Xuanguang departed with his disciples.
• The Jade Spring Sect and Empty Sword Sect connected formation pillars to the earth veins and began reclaiming the five commanderies.

Old True Person He and True Person Bo suspected the Heart-Eroding Stronghold and Spirit-Seeking Sect were coordinating their actions, while the stronghold’s leaders discussed their losses and the Jade Spring Sect master’s attempt to reach Nascent Soul. True Person Xuanguang revealed that his sect had deliberately played along and “lost” twice, hinting that it was preparing to act.

• Old True Person He asked True Person Bo whether the two sects were colluding, and they discussed the suspicious timing of the clash and the possibility of forcing Zhenyangzi to appear.
• Old True Person He praised Chen Shuangbai’s sword talent, and True Person Bo explained that Chen had chosen an alchemy-focused junior as his master.
• At the Heart-Eroding Stronghold, True Person Bone-Corroding complained to True Person Xuanguang that losing five commanderies had badly hurt his sect.
• True Person Xuanguang said the Spirit-Seeking Sect had confirmed that True Person Qingchen was attempting to break through to Nascent Soul.
• True Person Bone-Corroding urged the Spirit-Seeking Sect to create trouble for the Jade Spring Sect, and True Person Xuanguang said his sect would act after deliberately playing along and losing twice.

Chen Shuangbai returned toward the Jade Spring Sect after demonstrating his ability to split one sword into sixteen, and planned to resume secluded cultivation. Near the sect border, Exalted Cultivator Wu confronted a newly Foundation Establishment bandit cultivator, while Chen Shuangbai suspected the man had another purpose besides plunder.

• Chen Shuangbai recalled how he had studied and deduced Sword Light Differentiation until he could split one sword into sixteen, then used it against Pang Zhiyuan.
• The Jade Spring Sect fortified the five commanderies for over a month before Exalted Cultivator Wu piloted the Flowing Light Cloud Boat back toward Sunken Jade Valley with the disciples.
• Chen Shuangbai planned to reach Great Perfection of Qi Refining and show his master the profound yin crystal marrow when he returned.
• At the border of the Jade Spring Sect and the Empty Sword Sect, Exalted Cultivator Wu sensed a provocation and left the cloud boat to confront a Foundation Establishment cultivator concealed by black Qi.
• Exalted Cultivator Wu attacked the bandit cultivator, but his strange spells and escape technique kept her from pinning him down, and Chen Shuangbai suspected he had not come merely to plunder.

A Foundation Establishment bandit attacked the Flowing Light Cloud Boat, but Yan Heng used the [Sharp Mountains and Embracing Rivers Painting] to capture him. After Exalted Cultivator Wu returned victorious, Chen Shuangbai reached Deer Deep Waters Peak and was praised by Yi Chongyue for his progress and swordsmanship.

• A Foundation Establishment bandit attacked the Flowing Light Cloud Boat with dark light, overwhelming the Qi Refining cultivators' defenses.
• Yan Heng activated the [Sharp Mountains and Embracing Rivers Painting] and sealed the bandit inside it, though the effort left her injured and exhausted.
• Exalted Cultivator Wu returned after defeating the other bandit, and the Flowing Light Cloud Boat continued safely toward Sunken Jade Valley.
• Chen Shuangbai arrived at Deer Deep Waters Peak and paid his respects to Yi Chongyue.
• Yi Chongyue praised Chen Shuangbai's improved cultivation and his comprehension of Sword Light Differentiation.

Chen Shuangbai met with Yi Chongyue, who praised his achievements and discussed his prospects for Foundation Establishment. Chen Shuangbai showed his master the Profound Yin Crystal Marrow, and Yi Chongyue agreed to seek spiritual materials for his foundation ritual array.

• Chen Shuangbai recounted his battles and ambushes to Yi Chongyue, who grew angry at the enemy’s boldness and praised Chen Shuangbai’s Sword Light Differentiation and ninth layer of Qi Refining.
• Chen Shuangbai asked about the three first-grade geniuses from his intake, and Yi Chongyue said all three had reached late Qi Refining under the guidance of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Chen Shuangbai presented Yi Chongyue with the lower second-tier Profound Yin Crystal Marrow and explained that he had obtained it through Zhao Shiyong at Phoenix Howling Ford.
• Chen Shuangbai asked whether Zhao Shiyong’s master could divine the future, and Yi Chongyue described the Profound Firmament Sect’s Heavenly Secrets Technique legacy and reassured him that the sect posed no threat.
• Yi Chongyue agreed to ask fellow cultivators about exchanging the crystal marrow for suitable foundation materials and to combine them with the sect’s treasury resources.

Chen Shuangbai returned to Verdant Hills Stream and began combining his study of alchemy with the Dao of Incense. He experimented with Five-Incense Pills under moonlight, discovering that the process might work.

• True Person Bo learned that the Fate-Governing Pavilion had been involved in an attack on Jade Spring disciples and warned Shi Yubai to stay alert to the Great Buddha Temple and Heart-Eroding Stronghold.
• Chen Shuangbai reflected on Yi Chongyue’s support and resolved to repay his master for helping him obtain the Profound Yin Crystal Marrow.
• Chen Shuangbai returned to Verdant Hills Stream, praised his four attendants’ care of the abode, and rewarded them with Qi-Nourishing Pills.
• Chen Shuangbai gathered dried herbs and flowers and began refining Five-Incense Pills while studying the Dao of Incense.
• Chen Shuangbai drew down moonlight with his Moon Lord Divine Manifestation, letting the seven incense pills absorb its mysteries and finding that the method might work.

After reconnecting with He Qi and Fu Qianlan, Chen Shuangbai gave them Five-Incense Pills he had made for practice. He Qi returned shortly afterward to buy more, explaining that the pills had become prized among outer disciples for helping them meditate and study cultivation methods.

• Chen Shuangbai welcomed He Qi and Fu Qianlan to his cave abode after they arrived by flying boat.
• He Qi complained that Chen Shuangbai had not visited him since entering the inner sect, and Chen Shuangbai apologized.
• Fu Qianlan explained that He Qi had joined the Jade Guarding Hall and become a disciple of a wine master.
• Chen Shuangbai gave He Qi and Fu Qianlan boxes of Five-Incense Pills as gifts.
• He Qi returned less than two days later and asked Chen Shuangbai to sell him more Five-Incense Pills, saying outer disciples prized them for meditation and studying cultivation methods.

Chen Shuangbai learned that his Five-Incense Pills helped disciples overcome distractions during cultivation and passed the business of sharing them to He Qi and Lu Zhiyuan. After showing Yi Chongyue his progress in alchemy and incense, Chen Shuangbai asked why Adept Zhang Xian of the Ning Country Zhang Clan had visited, and Yi Chongyue turned to Shi Yubai to explain.

• He Qi told Chen Shuangbai that the Five-Incense Pills had helped him pass a cultivation hurdle and that other disciples wanted to buy them.
• Chen Shuangbai gave He Qi the remaining pills and told him to work with Lu Zhiyuan on sharing the proceeds, while cautioning him not to rely too much on external aids.
• Chen Shuangbai continued studying alchemy and the Dao of Incense, and Yi Chongyue summoned him to Deer Deep Waters Peak.
• Yi Chongyue introduced Chen Shuangbai to Adept Zhang Xian of the Ning Country Zhang Clan, then sent Chen Shuangbai to wait in the side hall.
• Yi Chongyue praised Chen Shuangbai's cultivation and the Five-Incense Pills, then told Shi Yubai to explain why Adept Zhang had visited.

Chen Shuangbai learned that a Golden Core cultivator planned to establish a sect near Ning Country and might need the Jade Spring Sect’s aid. Yi Chongyue prepared Foundation Establishment materials for Chen Shuangbai and explained the grades of Foundation Establishment, leaving him to consider what kind of foundation he could achieve.

• Shi Yubai told Chen Shuangbai that Zhang was seeking help for his master, a Golden Core cultivator planning to establish a sect on an island near Ning Country’s estuary.
• Shi Yubai said the new sect would likely face opposition from Ning Country’s three sects, and promised to take Chen Shuangbai along if he had attained Foundation Establishment by then.
• After Shi Yubai left, Yi Chongyue tested Chen Shuangbai’s cultivation and pill refinement, then approved his study of the Dao of Incense after detecting moonlight power in his Five-Incense Pill.
• Yi Chongyue gave Chen Shuangbai three water- and wood-aligned spirit materials and promised to gather two more for a Foundation Establishment ritual.
• Yi Chongyue explained that Foundation Establishment depended on Law Power, character, and Dao heart, and that its grades ranged from Lower Vehicle to Higher Vehicle.
• Yi Chongyue said Lower Vehicle cultivators usually had little hope of reaching Golden Core, while Chen Shuangbai had the aptitude to achieve at least Middle Vehicle Foundation Establishment.

Yi Chongyue explained the differences between lower, middle, and higher vehicle Foundation Establishment to Chen Shuangbai, including how a phenomenon could grant Divine Abilities. Chen Shuangbai then shared incense pellets with fellow disciples to strengthen his ties in the sect and began visiting his martial uncles’ disciples.

• Yi Chongyue explained that lower vehicle Foundation Establishment offered limited advancement, while middle vehicle Foundation Establishment provided a stable Dao foundation and a chance to pursue a Golden Core.
• Yi Chongyue described higher vehicle Foundation Establishment, explaining that a phenomenon could accompany the forging of a Dao foundation and produce one or more Divine Abilities.
• Chen Shuangbai gave Yi Chongyue incense pellets, then visited fellow disciples to share more and maintain his friendships in the sect.
• Chen Shuangbai visited Peng Yu’s disciple Deng Yuxuan and gave her incense pellets before leaving to visit Shi Yubai’s disciples.
• Chen Shuangbai met Han Su, who greeted him familiarly and complained that Shi Yubai had kept him from going down the mountain.

After emerging from seclusion, Chen Shuangbai showed Yi Chongyue his alchemy progress and received the completed Azure Mystery Gathered Verdure Foundation Establishment Ritual Artifact. On the twenty-sixth day of the eleventh month, he entered seclusion at Verdant Hills Stream to attempt Foundation Establishment.

• Chen Shuangbai returned to Verdant Hills Stream after visiting Han Su, then spent more than half a year consolidating his cultivation and studying alchemy and incense.
• Chen Shuangbai checked his attendants’ accounts and left instructions for them to share his refined pills and incense with visiting friends.
• Chen Shuangbai showed Yi Chongyue the Mystic Light Illuminating Life Pill he had refined, and Yi Chongyue praised its efficacy.
• Yi Chongyue revealed that he had obtained the final material, azure radiance jade marrow, and gathered five spiritual materials for Chen Shuangbai’s Foundation Establishment ritual artifact.
• Yi Chongyue and Martial Aunt Peng Yu forged the Azure Mystery Gathered Verdure Foundation Establishment Ritual Artifact and gave it to Chen Shuangbai.
• Chen Shuangbai entered seclusion at Verdant Hills Stream to formally attempt Foundation Establishment.

Chen Shuangbai used the [Azure Mystery Verdure-Accumulating Foundation Establishment Ritual Apparatus] and the newly formed Fifth Month Divine Aspect to break through to Foundation Establishment. Just as he prepared to stabilize his realm, both Moon Lord Divine Manifestations sent moonlight into his Dantian, triggering an unexpected change.

• Chen Shuangbai prepared for Foundation Establishment, relying on his pure Law Power, powerful spiritual sense, and moonlight-nourished body.
• The Lord of the First Month Divine Aspect drew down moonlight to clarify the Fifth Month Divine Aspect, which appeared with crimson hair and a vermilion leopard.
• The two divine aspects and the ritual apparatus helped Chen Shuangbai absorb the essence of jade and Spirit Stones as he assailed the Foundation Establishment barrier.
• Chen Shuangbai’s Law Power liquefied into a lake, his body transformed, and his spiritual sense became Divine Sense, completing his breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Before Chen Shuangbai could stabilize his new realm, the two Moon Lord Divine Manifestations sent their distinct streams of moonlight into his Dantian, and his sea of Qi surged with an unexpected change.

Chen Shuangbai completed Foundation Establishment and produced a vast Dao foundation phenomenon that drew the Jade Spring Sect’s senior cultivators and Golden Core True Persons to Verdant Hills Stream. The chapter left Yi Chongyue and Peng Yu celebrating as the sect recognized Chen Shuangbai as an exceptional talent.

• Chen Shuangbai drew in primordial Qi for about a year as he attempted Foundation Establishment, while Yi Chongyue watched over him and supplied additional resources.
• As the commotion subsided, Peng Yu and Yi Chongyue sensed Chen Shuangbai’s Foundation Establishment success and celebrated.
• A brilliant lake-like Dao foundation phenomenon appeared above Verdant Hills Stream, drawing the attention of senior Foundation Establishment cultivators across the sect.
• True Person Bo and True Person Mei arrived, examined the phenomenon, and praised Chen Shuangbai as an outstanding talent and future pillar of the sect.
• Yi Chongyue and Peng Yu identified Chen Shuangbai as the cultivator who had produced the phenomenon, and the gathered Foundation Establishment cultivators congratulated Yi Chongyue.

Chen Shuangbai emerged from seclusion after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment and revealed that his breakthrough had granted him two Divine Abilities. After his master and Peng Yu departed, he examined the hidden offensive power of his second ability.

• Chen Shuangbai emerged from his cave abode after his Foundation Establishment phenomenon faded and greeted Yi Chongyue and Peng Yu.
• Chen Shuangbai confirmed that he felt well and privately told Yi Chongyue and Peng Yu that he had gained the Divine Ability [Dew-Drinking Radiance].
• Yi Chongyue cautioned Chen Shuangbai to keep the details of his Divine Ability secret, then returned to Deer Deep Waters Peak after checking his condition.
• Chen Shuangbai discovered that Zhiqi and Musheng had developed a sense for Qi and could become outer sect disciples, while Wenxiu and Shiyong had not.
• After the attendants left, Chen Shuangbai revealed that he had gained a second Divine Ability, [Fallen Toad Light], a dark, offensive power.

After achieving Foundation Establishment, Chen Shuangbai examined his new Divine Abilities and discovered that his Spirit Artifact had grown stronger. Qi Xuan arrived with a ceremonial procession to escort him to Jade Spring Peak for registration and investiture as a True Disciple.

• Chen Shuangbai studied [Dew-Drinking Radiance] and [Fallen Toad Light] and considered how to cultivate them.
• Chen Shuangbai found that his Law Artifacts had gained radiance and that the [Clear Waves Reflecting the Moon Banner] had advanced to mid-grade.
• Chen Shuangbai manifested the Lord of the First Month and the Lord of the Sixth Month, then returned them to his Dantian.
• Qi Xuan arrived at Verdant Hills Stream with a ceremonial procession and invited Chen Shuangbai to Jade Spring Peak for registration, investiture, and gifts.
• Chen Shuangbai boarded the precious carriage, which departed for the heart of the sect as disciples watched.

Chen Shuangbai was formally registered as the Jade Spring Sect’s one hundred and seventy-third True Disciple. True Person Bo then revealed that the sect’s founding patriarch had come from another continent, leaving Chen Shuangbai eager to learn more about the sect’s origins.

• Chen Shuangbai arrived at the True Disciple Hall with Yi Chongyue and met True Person Bo.
• Chen Shuangbai honored the founding patriarch and entered his name and details into the sect’s register of True Disciples.
• True Person Bo gave Chen Shuangbai a True Disciple Life Jade, which recorded his name after he placed a drop of blood on it.
• True Person Bo told Chen Shuangbai that the Jade Spring Sect was not native to the Jing Kingdom and that its founding patriarch, Du Zhenliu, had come from another continent.