Chapter Summaries

Chen Shuangbai, Jiang Xunzhen, and Lu Zhiyuan explored the hidden valley beneath Senior Xu’s cave abode and found a mysterious seed. Five Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators ambushed them, and the group was left fighting to withstand the attackers’ poisonous arts.

• The three collected books and valuables from the little building, then searched it for the Spirit Plant core of the Water-Wood Life-Generating Array.
• Chen Shuangbai found a pitch-black seed on an earthen platform in a hidden valley and took it, believing he might be able to grow it.
• Chen Shuangbai sensed an attack and warned Jiang Xunzhen, who pierced a huge black palm and blasted its attacker across the valley.
• A one-armed old man and four companions surrounded the three and demanded everything they had found in the cave abode.
• Jiang Xunzhen recognized the attackers as members of the Heart-Eroding Stronghold and charged the old man as Lu Zhiyuan shielded Chen Shuangbai from poisonous vines.

Chen Shuangbai supported Jiang Xunzhen and Lu Zhiyuan with healing and enhancement incantations, then revealed his swordsmanship when two Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators attacked him. He wounded the twin-saber cultivator, and the flying-wheel cultivator launched a poisonous attack that struck an enormous curtain of water before him.

• Chen Shuangbai restored some of Lu Zhiyuan’s Law Power with a Flower Bloom Incantation and told him to face the enemy.
• Lu Zhiyuan charged into battle while Chen Shuangbai used Flower Bloom and Sweet Dew Incantations to strengthen Jiang Xunzhen and heal both senior brothers.
• The twin-saber and flying-wheel cultivators attacked Chen Shuangbai through poisonous mist, but he diverted their strikes with Misty Willows Brush the Waves.
• Chen Shuangbai followed with Green Shoots Break Through Snow, sending the twin-saber cultivator crashing into bluestones.
• The flying-wheel cultivator unleashed her Heart-Eroding Demonic Wheel, and it struck an enormous curtain of water before Chen Shuangbai.

Chen Shuangbai held off Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators while supporting Jiang Xunzhen and Lu Zhiyuan, then used Feiguang’s surprise attack to kill two enemies. The staff-wielding old man struck Chen Shuangbai and unleashed a furious assault as Jiang Xunzhen prepared a powerful counterattack.

• Chen Shuangbai used Cold Spring Guidance and healing incantations to withstand attacks from two stronger Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators.
• The staff-wielding old man unleashed poisonous vines against Jiang Xunzhen while poisonous fog intensified the pressure on Lu Zhiyuan.
• Feiguang swooped down and beheaded the woman fighting beside the twin-saber Devil Cultivator.
• Chen Shuangbai exploited the twin-saber Devil Cultivator’s distraction, stabbed him through the chest, and used Cold Spring’s frigid power to wound him fatally.
• The staff-wielding old man struck Chen Shuangbai with a giant vine, sending him flying, while Jiang Xunzhen summoned Scarlet Flame Breaks Evil.

Jiang Xunzhen, Lu Zhiyuan, and Chen Shuangbai fought the Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators and survived the elder’s final poisonous attack. After escaping the valley, the exhausted group praised Chen Shuangbai for his support in their victory.

• Jiang Xunzhen formed a powerful fire shuttle and pursued the staff-wielding elder as Lu Zhiyuan engaged the two Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators.
• Lu Zhiyuan pinned both cultivators with his golden mace, and Chen Shuangbai used the Sweet Dew Incantation to restore Jiang Xunzhen’s Law Power.
• Jiang Xunzhen’s fire shuttle broke through the elder’s defenses and killed him, but the elder unleashed Ten Thousand Poisons Explosion as he died.
• Chen Shuangbai pulled Jiang Xunzhen and Lu Zhiyuan to safety, and they used a talisman and Listening to the Rain in a Lotus Boat to withstand the poison vines until they dissipated.
• Chen Shuangbai carried the group out of the poisonous valley, and Jiang Xunzhen and Lu Zhiyuan credited him with helping secure their victory.

After Jiang Xunzhen, Lu Zhiyuan, and Chen Shuangbai defeated the Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators, a masked Evil Hunting Hall disciple named Yan Qi arrived and exchanged transmission contacts with Chen Shuangbai after recognizing his cultivation technique. The group returned to Jade Spring Sect, where Chen Shuangbai celebrated Feiguang’s first battle before beginning to heal.

• Jiang Xunzhen, Lu Zhiyuan, and Chen Shuangbai collected the defeated cultivators’ belongings and concealed the valley entrance.
• Yan Qi arrived with the corpses of the two fleeing Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators and urged the three to return to the mountain.
• Yan Qi recognized Chen Shuangbai’s Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation and exchanged transmission contacts with him.
• Jiang Xunzhen suggested Yan Qi wanted to befriend Chen Shuangbai because of his abilities, and the three returned to Jade Spring Sect.
• Chen Shuangbai returned to Lesser Yang Peak, released Feiguang, fed him spirit-nourishing pills, and began recovering from his injuries.

Jiang Xunzhen, Lu Zhiyuan, and Chen Shuangbai divided the cave abode’s spoils, agreeing to share the merit from books and cultivation notes while distributing the three Law Treasures. Back at his cave abode, Chen Shuangbai checked in with He Qi and Fu Qianlan, reflected on his cultivation, and laid out his new possessions to examine.

• Lu Zhiyuan sealed the gathering with two talismans before Jiang Xunzhen presented the spoils, and Chen Shuangbai kept the nearly lifeless spirit seed.
• Jiang Xunzhen arranged for copies of the old books and curios to be submitted to the Scripture Transmission Hall for merit shared equally among the three.
• Chen Shuangbai chose the Life-Accepting Gourd, Lu Zhiyuan took the Whirling Waves Shield, and Jiang Xunzhen received the Listening to the Waves Sword.
• Jiang Xunzhen made copies of the Listening to the Waves Notes and Green Wood Pill Explanation and proposed sharing the merit from handing over the originals.
• After the three shared a meal, Chen Shuangbai returned to his cave abode and messaged He Qi and Fu Qianlan; He Qi replied, but Fu Qianlan did not.
• Chen Shuangbai considered his progress at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer and laid out his new Law Treasure and copied texts for inspection.

Chen Shuangbai discovered that the Life-Accepting Gourd contained spiritual water that the Jade Platform Lotus Marsh transformed into Moon Soul True Water, and he examined the cultivation notes and pill formulas left by Senior Listening to the Waves Rogue Person. After identifying his weakened spirit seed as a Frostleaf Red Maple, Chen Shuangbai headed to find Lord Zhang Yin.

• Chen Shuangbai learned that the Life-Accepting Gourd could absorb water- and wood-attribute vital Qi and preserve medicinal properties, then found jade-glowing spiritual liquid inside it.
• The Jade Platform Lotus Marsh absorbed the gourd’s spiritual liquid, transported Chen Shuangbai inside, and produced three drops of Moon Soul True Water.
• Chen Shuangbai learned that Moon Soul True Water could cleanse, purify, awaken, and nourish, but put it away before using it on the spirit seed because he wanted its attribute identified first.
• Chen Shuangbai studied the Listening to the Waves Notes and Green Wood Pill Explanation, finding cultivation insights and two incomplete Pill Formulas.
• Chen Shuangbai visited the Expenditure Hall, where a senior brother identified the seed as a Frostleaf Red Maple, then Chen Shuangbai went to find Lord Zhang Yin.

Chen Shuangbai used Moon Soul True Water to revive a Jia Wood Spirit Seed and began planning how to make more True Water economically. After a brief enlightenment strengthened his cultivation foundation, he went to meet Du Zifeng at the Three Yang Peaks.

• Chen Shuangbai learned from Zhang Yin that the Frostleaf Red Maple's seed was a Jia Wood Spirit Seed, then revived it with Moon Soul True Water.
• Chen Shuangbai learned from the Dao Fruit that Moon Soul True Water could help him cultivate, and decided to blend Clear Spring Spiritual Water with liquid from the Life-Accepting Gourd to produce more.
• Chen Shuangbai placed the Life-Accepting Gourd in the pool outside his cave abode, where it began absorbing water and wood primordial Qi.
• Chen Shuangbai entered a brief state of enlightenment that strengthened his foundation, though he remained at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer Early Stage.
• Chen Shuangbai messaged Du Zifeng about the Jia Wood Spirit Seed, received instructions to meet at Earth Character Artifact Chamber Twenty-Six, and flew to the Three Yang Peaks.

Chen Shuangbai delivered a Jia Wood spirit seed to Du Zifeng, who promised to finish his treasure banner after resolving several design questions. The Book Spirit explained why Yan Qi valued Chen’s Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation, and after returning to cultivate, Chen reunited with Fu Qianlan and He Qi at Cloud Peak Small Market.

• Chen Shuangbai gave Du Zifeng a Frostleaf Red Maple spirit seed, and Du confirmed it was a superior Jia Wood seed.
• Du Zifeng said he needed another year or two to refine Chen Shuangbai’s treasure banner and promised to deliver it personally when it was finished.
• The Book Spirit explained that the Evil Hunting Hall often fought Heart-Eroding Stronghold and valued Chen Shuangbai’s enhancement Incantation for its potential to support and heal its members.
• Chen Shuangbai returned to his cave abode and spent about half a month cultivating, refining pills, and practicing with his Law Treasures and sword instruction.
• Fu Qianlan summoned Chen Shuangbai to Cloud Peak Small Market, where he reunited with her and He Qi after about a year apart.

Chen Shuangbai met with Fu Qianlan and He Qi to discuss their cultivation, the Lush Foliage Pavilion, and their approaching journeys home before their three-year guard assignments. After hearing Daoist Lingxiu lecture, Chen Shuangbai answered Yan Qi’s summons and began using the Duckweed Water Incantation to treat a poisoned Evil Hunting Hall disciple.

• Fu Qianlan, He Qi, and Chen Shuangbai shared news of their cultivation and discussed Chen Shuangbai’s dangerous cave-abode trip.
• Chen Shuangbai asked about the Lush Foliage Pavilion, and Fu Qianlan offered to contact its pavilion master so he could see the original Spring Rain and Flowering Wood Sword Instruction.
• The three discussed the approaching five-year mark and their plans to visit home before taking three-year guard assignments; Chen Shuangbai said he would deal with traitors in his clan.
• Chen Shuangbai attended Daoist Lingxiu’s monthly lecture on the Dao, then received Yan Qi’s message asking him to come to the Expenditure Hall.
• Yan Qi asked Chen Shuangbai to use the Duckweed Water Incantation on a poisoned Evil Hunting Hall disciple, and Chen Shuangbai began the purification ritual.

Chen Shuangbai used the Duckweed Water Incantation and a Miasma-Cleansing Pill to cure Luo Yi’s Bone-Corroding Wood Baleful Intent and ease his injuries. Yan Qi and Luo Yi then explained that the Heart-Eroding Stronghold was sending growing numbers of devil cultivators into Jade Spring Sect territory, leaving the Evil Hunting Hall to confront the threat.

• Chen Shuangbai used the Spirit-Appraising Pupil, the Duckweed Water Incantation, and a Miasma-Cleansing Pill to draw the poison from Luo Yi.
• Chen Shuangbai collected the expelled poison for study, then used the Sweet Dew Incantation to heal much of Luo Yi’s remaining injuries.
• Yan Qi thanked Chen Shuangbai and explained that he and Luo Yi had fought Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivators, who used gu insects and poison arts.
• Yan Qi revealed that the sect lacked enough resources to treat every injured Evil Hunting Hall member and that he had summoned Chen Shuangbai because of his incantation skills.
• Luo Yi and Yan Qi explained that the Heart-Eroding Stronghold’s ranks had swelled and its disciples were openly crossing into Jade Spring Sect territory to cause destruction.

After agreeing to Yan Qi’s request, Chen Shuangbai traveled with an Expenditure Hall team to treat villagers poisoned by the Heart-Eroding Stronghold. The group reached Great Locust Village, where Chen Shuangbai identified the poisonous fog and saw that the sect had begun containing it.

• Yan Qi asked Chen Shuangbai to help villagers suffering from demonic poison, and Chen Shuangbai agreed to go down the mountain.
• Chen Shuangbai boarded a flying boat with Yan Qi and an Expenditure Hall team carrying food and other supplies for mortals.
• An Expenditure Hall deacon explained that the Jade Spring Sect transported supplies openly to reassure people and demonstrate the stability of its territory.
• Yan Qi told Chen Shuangbai that Great Locust Village’s water, soil, vegetation, and inhabitants had been poisoned, and that a Heart-Eroding Stronghold cultivator had attacked him when he sought help.
• Chen Shuangbai used his Spirit-Appraising Pupil to identify the village’s poisonous fog and its underground source, while the sect’s advance party contained the area and began purging the poison.

Chen Shuangbai and Yan Qi arrived at Great Locust Village, where the Bone-Corroding Wood Baleful Intent had killed dozens and left many villagers gravely poisoned. Chen Shuangbai judged that he could treat the worst cases, and prepared to begin using sect supplies.

• Chen Shuangbai and Yan Qi landed at Great Locust Village, where Expenditure Hall attendants unloaded their supplies.
• Huang Shaoyuan reported that forty-three villagers had died and described how the surviving patients were separated and treated.
• Yan Qi and Chen Shuangbai entered the cave where more than thirty gravely poisoned villagers were suffering.
• Chen Shuangbai examined a patient and assessed that his Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation, spiritual liquid, and Miasma-Cleansing Pills could improve the patients' condition.
• Chen Shuangbai sat down to treat the villagers and asked Yan Qi whether the supplies included high-quality healing and detoxifying pills.

Chen Shuangbai used pills and the Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation to purge the baleful poison from an unconscious boy in Great Locust Village. After replenishing his Law Power with sect-provided Spirit Stones, he moved on to treat the next injured person, strengthened by his new insights into the incantation.

• Yan Qi provided Chen Shuangbai with Miasma-Cleansing Pills, Spring-Turning Pills, and Mysterious Origin Life-Restoring Pills for the village's victims.
• Chen Shuangbai used Miasma-Cleansing Pills and the Sweet Dew Incantation to restore the unconscious boy's vitality and give him strength to resist the poison.
• Chen Shuangbai cast the Duckweed Water Incantation alongside the pills, gradually drawing most of the toxins from the boy's body.
• Yan Qi congratulated Chen Shuangbai when the boy's poison had been nearly cleared, and the attendants carried the boy away to recover.
• Yan Qi supplied Chen Shuangbai with sect-allocated low-grade Spirit Stones, and Chen Shuangbai replenished his Law Power before going to treat the next injured person.

After treating the poisoned villagers, Chen Shuangbai returned with Yan Qi to Great Locust Village, where they discovered that its ancient locust tree had become a demonic creature. Yan Qi prepared to fight it while Chen Shuangbai held back.

• Chen Shuangbai saved twenty-seven wounded villagers and improved his mastery of the Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation.
• Yan Qi praised Chen Shuangbai, who reaffirmed the sect’s duty to protect ordinary people from harm.
• Chen Shuangbai and Yan Qi reached the village ancestral hall and saw that the great locust tree had lost its spirituality to the baleful poison.
• Chen Shuangbai spotted concentrated malice inside the tree and warned Yan Qi just before it attacked them with a branch.
• Yan Qi identified the tree as a demonic creature, told Chen Shuangbai to stand back, and revealed his deep-blue chain sword.

Yan Qi defeated the demonized locust-tree monster and purified the poisoned water vein beneath the ancestral hall. Chen Shuangbai recovered a useful wood heart, and the Jade Spring sect planned to restore the area for the local mortals.

• Yan Qi used his chain sword to kill the demonized locust-tree monster in a few strikes.
• Chen Shuangbai found a wood heart in the monster's remains, and Yan Qi let him keep it after warning that it was tainted by baleful poison.
• Yan Qi descended into the underground water vein to place the sect's medicine, then returned with a demonic snake he had killed.
• The Expenditure Hall's attendants harvested useful parts from the snake for the sect's merit tally.
• Yan Qi said clean water would clear the poison in about a month and that the sect would adjust its patrol route to protect the area.

After the Great Locust Village mission, Yan Qi warned Chen Shuangbai that the Heart-Eroding Stronghold was pursuing a larger scheme against the Jade Spring Sect. Chen returned to the sect, resumed cultivating, and received a visit from the Expenditure Hall to assess his contributions.

• Yan Qi promised to report Chen Shuangbai’s service to the Expenditure Hall and told him the Heart-Eroding demonic beasts had sent vanguards into the three prefectures.
• Chen Shuangbai returned to the sect and sent flying letters to He Qi and Fu Qianlan, warning them not to spread the information carelessly.
• Chen Shuangbai cultivated with the Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method and resolved to find a better way to recharge his [Dao Fruit].
• An Expenditure Hall steward and two attendants arrived at Chen Shuangbai’s cave abode to recognize his contributions, and the steward introduced himself as Sun Wubai.

Chen Shuangbai received a reward from the Expenditure Hall for saving villagers, including Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and rare water moon jade crystals. He realized the crystals’ moonlight could recharge his Dao Fruit more effectively than ordinary moonlight, and accepted them gratefully.

• Sun Wubai delivered Chen Shuangbai a reward on behalf of the Expenditure Hall for his role in saving injured villagers and protecting the Jade Spring Sect’s reputation.
• Chen Shuangbai cautioned Sun Wubai that he preferred to cultivate quietly rather than attract attention, though Sun made no promises on the higher-ups’ behalf.
• Sun Wubai presented Chen Shuangbai with thirty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and a box of water moon jade crystals.
• Sun Wubai explained that the crystals contained pure water Spiritual Qi and moonlight that could aid cultivation, calm the mind, and stabilize a cultivator’s foundation.
• Chen Shuangbai sensed that his Dao Fruit could absorb the crystals’ moonlight and accepted the reward with a deep bow.

Chen Shuangbai discovered that his Dao Fruit could absorb the moonlight in water moon jade crystals much faster than basking in moonlight, and he decided to earn Merit Points by refining pills so he could obtain more. As pill sales rose, he asked Lu Zhiyuan to help secure a supply of the crystals, and Lu agreed to introduce him to the elder in charge of exchanges.

• After Sun Wubai left, Chen Shuangbai used the Dao Fruit to absorb the moonlight from all twelve water moon jade crystals, leaving their water-aspected Spiritual Qi behind.
• Chen Shuangbai decided to sell more pills and exchange the proceeds for water moon jade crystals to charge the Dao Fruit before leaving the mountain.
• Chen Shuangbai asked Fu Qianlan to learn which pills the Empty Sword Sect needed most, and Fu reported that Miasma-Cleansing Pills and Spring-Turning Pills were in high demand.
• Over the following months, Chen Shuangbai sold increasing quantities of both pills to the Expenditure Hall, prompting Qian Jin and Lu Zhiyuan to ask whether he needed help.
• Chen Shuangbai asked Lu Zhiyuan about obtaining water moon jade crystals, and Lu offered to introduce him to the elder overseeing their exchange allocation.

Fan Yunsong and Fan Cailing visited Chen Shuangbai to check on his pill refining and advise him about his upcoming garrison assignment. Chen Shuangbai learned that the assignment process was complicated and not managed by the Expenditure Hall.

• Fan Yunsong visited Chen Shuangbai with his younger clan sister, Fan Cailing, and explained that Yi Chongyue had heard about Chen Shuangbai's pill refining and wanted to know if he had run into trouble.
• Chen Shuangbai said he was refining pills to earn Merit Points and obtain spiritual materials before leaving the mountain for a garrison assignment.
• Fan Yunsong and Fan Cailing explained that garrison locations could offer either a comfortable posting or a chance to prove oneself, and that the sect usually assigned them by drawing lots while making adjustments for individual circumstances.
• Fan Cailing told Chen Shuangbai that outer disciples' garrison assignments were not administered or arranged by the Expenditure Hall.