Recaps

Ge Shuyuan became the Luozhen Sect’s first Spirit Farmer, and Li Yunjing upgraded the Spirit Field to lv5 before asking Ge to develop a new variety of Spirit Rice. A report that a cultivator had died after taking a pill from the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion sparked suspicion and drove away its customers, so Li Yunjing went to investigate at Zheng Household Market.

• Ge Shuyuan successfully cultivated a Spirit Rice seedling and became the Luozhen Sect’s first Spirit Farmer.
• Li Yunjing upgraded the Spirit Field to lv5 and asked Ge Shuyuan to try cultivating a new variety of Spirit Rice as a requirement for the next upgrade.
• Shui Yao brought Li Yunjing Shen Chun’s report that Kuang Qihua had died after taking a Spirit Pill from the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion, damaging the shop’s reputation and business.
• Li Yunjing closed the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion and left with Shen Chun to investigate Kuang Qihua’s death at Zheng Household Market.
• Zhong Lan learned that the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion had closed and believed her sacrifice of twenty years of lifespan had paid off.
• Li Yunjing and Shen Chun arrived at Zheng Household Market, where the gathered cultivators recognized Li Yunjing and began discussing the incident.

Li Yunjing investigated Kuang Qihua’s death in Zheng Household Market and confirmed that he had taken a Condensed Ganoderma Pill from the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion. The corpse’s unnaturally rapid decay suggested foul play, so Li Yunjing closed the shop while the Luozhen Sect searched for answers.

• Li Yunjing assured passersby that the Luozhen Sect would investigate Kuang Qihua’s death and warned against spreading rumors.
• Zheng Qianjue told Li Yunjing how Kuang Qihua’s body had been found, and Luo Wan confirmed that Kuang Qihua had been alive around the beginning of the You hour the previous evening.
• Li Yunjing examined Kuang Qihua’s badly decomposed corpse and found a Luozhen Treasure Pavilion bottle containing three Condensed Ganoderma Pills; he determined Kuang Qihua had taken the missing pill.
• Li Yunjing concluded the corpse had decomposed far too quickly and told Shen Chun that the circumstances suggested foul play but offered too little evidence for a conclusion.
• Li Yunjing ordered the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion closed until the truth came to light, while Shen Chun proposed investigating whom Kuang Qihua had met after leaving the shop.

Li Yunjing investigated Kuang Qihua’s sudden death but found no direct evidence against Zhong Lan, then accepted Su Zhen’s invitation to visit the Fire Rosy Cloud Iron Mine. Meanwhile, Luo Wan claimed Kuang Qihua’s ghost was haunting her and went to the Luozhen Sect to report it.

• Li Yunjing consulted Ding Qifeng, who ruled out a conflict between the Condensed Ganoderma Pill and another medicine because there had been no bone-chilling cold at the scene.
• Li Yunjing asked Mo Xuan to investigate the Clear Wind Sect, while he pursued the case himself; Luo Wan saw what looked like Kuang Qihua’s ghost and fled into her house.
• After two days of investigation, Li Yunjing learned that Zhong Lan had briefly left Xunxian Town, but neither Shen Chun nor Mo Xuan found evidence linking her to Kuang Qihua’s death.
• Li Yunjing accepted Su Zhen’s invitation to inspect the Fire Rosy Cloud Iron Mine and asked the Departing Maple Sect to help investigate Kuang Qihua’s death.
• After Li Yunjing left, Luo Wan arrived at the Luozhen Sect’s gate, claiming that Kuang Qihua’s ghost was tormenting her and asking to speak with the sect master.
• Su Zhen welcomed Li Yunjing, promised to investigate the case, and led him and the others toward the Fire Rosy Cloud Iron Mine.

Li Yunjing and Su Zhen discovered that the Fire Rosy Cloud Iron Mine also contained a valuable Low-Grade Spirit Stone deposit, and agreed to ask the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance to oversee it. Meanwhile, Chu Chenzhou searched for a dead Spirit Vein, and Mo Xuan tried unsuccessfully to learn why Kuang Qihua was pestering Luo Wan.

• Li Yunjing and Su Zhen inspected the Fire Rosy Cloud Iron Mine and learned that its reserves included at least fifty or sixty tons of ore and an associated Spirit Stone deposit.
• The surveyors estimated the Spirit Stone deposit could yield at least two hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, so Su Zhen and Li Yunjing agreed to seek the Immortal Alliance's oversight.
• Su Zhen left a Departing Maple Sect elder to guard the mine while he and Li Yunjing returned.
• More than seven hundred li north, Chu Chenzhou used a compass to search for a dead Spirit Vein, hoping to prove his Earth Vein Technique's worth and spite Half-Spirit Valley and the Liu Household.
• At Luozhen Sect, Mo Xuan asked Luo Wan why Kuang Qihua was pestering her, but she refused to tell him because he was not Sect Leader Li.

Li Yunjing learned from Luo Wan that Kuang Qihua’s ghost had been haunting her and planned to wait for it to appear that night. He also upgraded the Beast-Taming Grounds, which gained a chance for newborn Demon Beasts to develop bloodline atavism.

• Mo Xuan told Li Yunjing that Luo Wan had come seeking help because Kuang Qihua’s ghost was haunting her, and that she had refused to speak to anyone but him.
• Luo Wan told Li Yunjing that Kuang Qihua’s ghost had appeared two days earlier, claimed he had been murdered, and asked her to help find his killer; she also mentioned the Holy Venerable Who Delivers from Suffering and Hardship.
• Li Yunjing suspected an evil cult was involved and arranged to wait until night for Kuang Qihua’s ghost to appear.
• Wang Shanming reported that the Beast-Taming Grounds had five kinds of Demon Beasts and beast-taming rings, and Li Yunjing upgraded the grounds after inspecting them.
• Li Yunjing discovered the next upgrade could give newborn Demon Beasts a chance of bloodline atavism and resolved to wait for Kuang Qihua’s ghost.

Li Yunjing and Mo Xuan waited with Luo Wan for Kuang Qihua’s ghost, which appeared and identified the Greatly Compassionate Holy Venerable Who Delivers from Suffering and Hardship as his killer. Before Kuang Qihua vanished in Soul-Devouring Flames, he named Zhong Lan among the evil god’s believers; Li Yunjing planned to involve the Immortal Alliance, while Luo Wan worried she might be silenced.

• Li Yunjing convinced Mo Xuan to wait with Luo Wan for Kuang Qihua’s ghost, which appeared after two hours.
• Kuang Qihua told Li Yunjing that the Greatly Compassionate Holy Venerable Who Delivers from Suffering and Hardship had killed him and tried to convert him.
• Kuang Qihua named Zhong Lan, pavilion master of the Clear Wind Pavilion and an elder of the Clear Wind Sect, among the evil god’s believers before Soul-Devouring Flames destroyed his ghost.
• Li Yunjing found Kuang Qihua’s Jade Slip containing the Soul-Guiding Nine Heavens Method and decided to place it in the Luozhen Sect’s Scripture Pavilion.
• Li Yunjing told Mo Xuan to wait and enjoy the show, thanked Luo Wan for her help, and left her fearing they might kill her to silence her.

Li Yunjing upgraded his cave abode and successfully established a simplified Seventy-Two Sword Killing Formation to protect Luozhen Sect. At the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance, he shared Cold Scale Fish with Sikong Ying and discussed finding a spirit chef for his disciples.

• Li Yunjing paid Luo Wan with Spirit Stones and pills, then let her leave the Luozhen Sect before dawn after she promised to keep quiet.
• Li Yunjing upgraded his Sect Master's cave abode to level five and studied the Seventy-Two Sword Killing Formation while waiting for daybreak.
• Li Yunjing mastered a simplified, grade-one version of the formation and set it up around the Luozhen Sect's grounds.
• Li Yunjing rode his Fire Cloud Sword to the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance and met Sikong Ying carrying a Cold Scale Fish.
• Li Yunjing and Sikong Ying ate the fish while discussing the shortage of spirit chefs and Li Yunjing's plans for meals for his disciples.
• The Food Pavilion's head chef asked Li Yunjing whether he was looking for a spirit chef.

Li Yunjing learned about the Holy Venerable Sect and identified Zhong Lan as one of its followers, prompting Sikong Ying to arrange her arrest. Wang Qianxue returned from a bloody battle with the Corpse Yin Cult and revealed that Xunxian Town had a spy within the Immortal Alliance.

• The Food Pavilion's head chef recommended his fifteen-year-old nephew, a first-grade spirit chef, for a tryout at the Luozhen Sect, and Li Yunjing agreed to test him that afternoon.
• Li Yunjing told Sikong Ying about the Holy Venerable Sect and named Zhong Lan of the Clear Wind Pavilion as one of its followers, so Sikong Ying hurried to arrange her arrest.
• Li Yunjing encountered Wang Qianxue among wounded Immortal Alliance disciples and fallen fighters, and she told him to call her Teacher's Wife.
• Wang Qianxue recounted how her team fought and defeated more than fifty Corpse Yin Cult cultivators, suffering heavy casualties across the allied branches.
• Wang Qianxue revealed that she had discovered a Corpse Yin Cult spy in the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance.

Li Yunjing told Wang Qianxue that the Corpse Yin Cult and White Bone Immortal Sect had appeared near Xunxian Town, while Zhong Lan had been arrested on suspicion of belonging to the Holy Venerable Sect. Wang Qianxue found a suspicious deity statue among Zhong Lan’s belongings and ordered her detained, though Zhong Lan insisted she had been wronged.

• Wang Qianxue told Li Yunjing that Gao Jin, the Worry-Relief Shop owner he had vouched for, was a Corpse Yin Cult undercover agent who had already fled.
• Li Yunjing gave Wang Qianxue True Person Liu’s Jade Slip, which described a White Bone Immortal Sect disciple posing as a deity in Little Qing Village; Wang Qianxue decided to report the danger to Immortal Alliance headquarters.
• Li Yunjing revealed that Zhong Lan of the Clear Wind Pavilion was suspected of following the Holy Venerable Sect and that Sikong Ying had captured her.
• Zhong Lan accused the Immortal Alliance of abusing its power over the dispute with the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion, but Wang Qianxue determined that she did not know about the Holy Venerable Sect.
• Wang Qianxue searched Zhong Lan’s Storage Bag and found a large deity statue, prompting her to classify Zhong Lan as a cult follower and order her taken away for interrogation.

Li Yunjing obtained an Alchemy Ancestor's journal and three heroic souls from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, then used them to upgrade the Luozhen Sect's Alchemy Chamber and prepare an upgrade for its training ground. He waited at the sect for the Immortal Alliance Cuisine Pavilion chef's nephew while the investigation into Zhong Lan remained unresolved.

• Wang Qianxue left after Li Yunjing explained the situation, and Li Yunjing left Zhong Lan's case to Sikong Ying and the others.
• Li Mingjie gave Li Yunjing an Alchemy Ancestor's journal and a jade bottle containing three heroic souls, charging most of the cost to his VIP allowance.
• Li Yunjing used the heroic souls to upgrade the training ground to level five, revealing its new Heroic Soul Possession effect and the requirements for level six.
• Li Yunjing copied the journal, then used the original to upgrade the Alchemy Chamber to level seven, which could enable the production of exquisite-quality spirit pills.
• Li Yunjing accepted Li Mingjie's invitation to a banquet and later waited at the Luozhen Sect for the Immortal Alliance Cuisine Pavilion chef's nephew.

Li Yunjing tested Hou Zihao’s cooking skills to decide whether he could join the Luozhen Sect’s Spirit Cuisine Pavilion. Hou Zihao’s Roasted Green Fang Pig impressed Li Yunjing, but after tasting the other dishes, Li Yunjing found their effects ordinary.

• Mo Xuan brought Chef Hou and his nephew Hou Zihao to meet Li Yunjing, who took them to the Spirit Cuisine Pavilion for a cooking test.
• Li Yunjing asked Hou Zihao to prepare Eight-Treasure Fish, Roasted Green Fang Pig, and Fish Rice while he and Chef Hou waited outside.
• Hou Zihao cooked Roasted Green Fang Pig, and Chef Hou explained that his original recipe made cultivators’ skin tougher and more resilient.
• Li Yunjing tasted the Roasted Green Fang Pig, enjoyed it, and decided that it was enough to let Hou Zihao stay.
• Hou Zihao served the Fish Rice and fish soup, and Li Yunjing judged that both tasted good but had only ordinary effects.

Li Yunjing pointed out Hou Zihao’s cooking mistake but allowed him to remain in the Luozhen Sect on condition that he improve his State of Mind. Later, Li Yunjing learned that the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion had been cleared of wrongdoing and that the Immortal Alliance planned to attack the Holy Venerable Sect, then accidentally sent his soul out of his body while studying a Law Technique.

• Li Yunjing explained that the Jade Mushroom had drained the Golden Jade Rice of its Spiritual Qi, and Chef Hou scolded Hou Zihao for ignoring basic ingredient pairings.
• Li Yunjing agreed to keep Hou Zihao in the Luozhen Sect if he cultivated his State of Mind and passed periodic tests, then gave him five food recipes to study.
• Li Yunjing upgraded the Spirit Cuisine Pavilion and saw that its next level would grant meals a chance to provide additional beneficial effects.
• Shui Yao brought Li Yunjing a message from Sikong Ying confirming Zhong Lan had framed the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion and that the Immortal Alliance would clear its name.
• Li Yunjing learned that the Immortal Alliance would attack the Holy Venerable Sect in five days and decided that he and Mo Xuan would represent the Luozhen Sect.
• While studying the Soul-Guiding Nine Heavens Method, Li Yunjing’s soul left his body and rose above Serene Valley, but he quickly returned when a gust of wind threatened to scatter it.

Li Yunjing recovered from the strain of sending his soul out of his body and found the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion thriving after the Immortal Alliance cleared it of responsibility for Kuang Qihua’s death. He recognized Lei Yang’s skill as a herb gatherer and offered to recruit him as the Luozhen Sect’s exclusive herb gatherer.

• Li Yunjing told Ding Qifeng about sending his soul ten thousand meters into the sky, and Ding Qifeng gave him spirit pills and warned him not to take such risks again.
• Li Yunjing went to Xunxian Town and learned that the Immortal Alliance had blamed the Holy Venerable Sect for Kuang Qihua’s death, bringing a surge of customers back to the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion.
• Li Yunjing bought five ninety-year-old spirit medicines from Lei Yang and his companions for five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Li Yunjing learned that Lei Yang was a professional herb gatherer and asked whether he would work as the Luozhen Sect’s exclusive herb gatherer.

Li Yunjing recruited Lei Yang and the Medicine King Gang as exclusive herb gatherers for the Luozhen Sect, then rejected the Clear Wind Sect’s offer of compensation for Zhong Lan’s actions. He ended his confrontation with True Person Wu by bringing up the mysterious death of a respected Rogue Cultivator.

• Li Yunjing offered Lei Yang and the Medicine King Gang’s members exclusive herb-gatherer positions with the Luozhen Sect, and Lei Yang agreed to ask the gang leader.
• Li Yunjing stored five spirit medicines to plant in the herb garden, where Nangong Ye’s enhancement could increase their medicinal age.
• Wang Qianxue summoned Li Yunjing to the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance because a Clear Wind Sect representative had come regarding Zhong Lan.
• True Person Wu offered the Luozhen Sect shops as compensation, but Li Yunjing rejected both offers and refused to reconcile with the Clear Wind Sect.
• Li Yunjing advised True Person Wu by asking whether he remembered the respected Rogue Cultivator Feng Feilong, who had vanished five years earlier and was later found dead.

Li Yunjing warned Wu Lingwei that he knew the Clear Wind Sect leader Wu Yunzhi had murdered Feng Feilong, then learned the Luozhen Sect could replace the Clear Wind Sect as a favored force. He planned to cultivate to Golden Core before taking revenge, while Wu Lingwei returned to the Clear Wind Sect and questioned his son about the witnesses to the murder.

• Li Yunjing told Wu Lingwei that Feng Feilong had been murdered for his treasure, and Wang Qianxue later heard Li Yunjing explain the Clear Wind Sect’s role in nearly killing Mo Xuan and Shui Yao.
• Wang Qianxue said the Luozhen Sect could take the Clear Wind Sect’s place among the forces being nurtured, but Li Yunjing needed to reach Golden Core soon to meet the requirements.
• After leaving Xunxian Town, Li Yunjing was stopped by Wu Lingwei, who gave him a Storage Bag and said the Clear Wind Sect wanted no conflict with the Luozhen Sect.
• Li Yunjing recalled learning from Wan Xing and Zhong Lan that Wu Yunzhi had killed Feng Feilong for an eight-hundred-year-old vermilion fruit, then silenced Wan Xing’s father, who had refused to help.
• Li Yunjing decided to return the Storage Bag and delay confronting the Clear Wind Sect until he reached Golden Core.
• Wu Lingwei returned to the Clear Wind Sect, summoned Wu Yunzhi, and asked who had known about Feng Feilong’s murder and whether they had all been eliminated.

Wu Lingwei learned that Li Yunjing knew about the Clear Wind Sect's past and considered how to silence him without implicating the sect. Li Yunjing entered seclusion to advance his cultivation, leaving Mo Xuan in charge of the Luozhen Sect, where new visitors and a completed disciple test awaited attention.

• Wu Yunzhi suggested killing Li Yunjing, but Wu Lingwei rebuked him and took out a Hero Token to consider other options.
• Lü Hong explained the bandits' Hero Tokens to Luozhen disciples, who were inspired by Li Yunjing's sword flight to cultivate.
• Li Yunjing gave Wu Lingwei's Storage Bag to Mo Xuan and entrusted him with the Luozhen Sect while he entered seclusion to pursue Golden Core.
• Li Yunjing activated the cultivation room's formation and drew in its Spiritual Qi to break through toward Foundation Establishment Perfection.
• After twenty days, Mo Xuan and Shui Yao discussed receiving a barbarian chief seeking trade with the Luozhen Treasure Pavilion and cooperation with the sect.
• Hu Ruizhu told Mo Xuan that Liu Qingsong had completed the sect master's test and requested verification.

Mo Xuan inspected the completed Welcoming Immortal Pavilion and approved Liu Qingsong and his fellow craftsmen to remain with the Luozhen Sect. He then welcomed three barbarian visitors, who admired the pavilion and asked how to build one for their tribe.

• Mo Xuan admired the Welcoming Immortal Pavilion that Liu Qingsong and the other craftsmen had built.
• Mo Xuan approved Liu Qingsong and his fellow craftsmen to stay in the Luozhen Sect and urged them to train as first-grade craftsmen.
• After Shui Yao informed him that the barbarians had arrived, Mo Xuan went to the mountain gate and learned they had brought five Flood Dragon Scale Horses as a gift.
• Mo Xuan welcomed Pan and the other barbarians, learned that Pan had asked for Li Yunjing, and led them to the Welcoming Immortal Pavilion.
• One barbarian asked Mo Xuan how the pavilion had been built and requested an introduction to craftsmen so he could build one for his tribe.

Mo Xuan agreed to a partnership with the Kui Tribe after learning that a mysterious disaster had devastated Hundred Yue Mountain and left the tribe in danger. He discovered that the Kui Tribe’s spirit wine could aid cultivators and arranged to trade for it, while Pan began wondering what else his own tribe could offer.

• Feng told Mo Xuan that an object from beyond the heavens had caused widespread contamination, ruined crops and spiritual resources, and driven Demon Beasts into attacks across Hundred Yue Mountain.
• Mo Xuan agreed to work with the Kui Tribe, and he and Feng arranged to trade the tribe’s Demon Beasts for Spirit Stones and other goods, with deliveries expected in about half a month.
• Feng shared spirit wine brewed by the Kui Tribe’s shaman, and Mo Xuan found that a small sip had an effect comparable to a second-grade Spirit Condensation Pill.
• Mo Xuan agreed to buy the Kui Tribe’s eight existing jars for 1,500 Low-Grade Spirit Stones or equivalent spiritual objects each and offered to buy future batches as well.
• Pan wondered what the Heavenly Ox Tribe could offer the people of Great Qiu and decided to ask his shaman when he returned.

Mo Xuan and Shui Yao discussed using the Kui Tribe’s spirit wine and Earth Spirit Fruits to advance their cultivation, while Li Yunjing reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and considered the requirements for upgrading his cultivation room. He returned to his cave abode to check two Demon Beast eggs, and one began hatching as the other started to rock.

• Mo Xuan refined the remaining spiritual power from Pan’s spirit wine and moved closer to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Shui Yao offered Mo Xuan an Earth Spirit Fruit, and he initially refused until she explained that Li Yunjing had permitted them to use the fruits.
• Mo Xuan advised Shui Yao to save her Earth Spirit Fruit until the Foundation Establishment Late Stage so she could reach Foundation Establishment Perfection.
• Li Yunjing broke through to Foundation Establishment Perfection and found that upgrading his cultivation room required a Dao Bone and other conditions.
• Li Yunjing returned to his cave abode and found cracks in both Demon Beast eggs; a snake’s head emerged from the left egg as the right egg began to rock.

Li Yunjing hatched two Netherworld Serpents, formed a blood contract with them, and tested their ability to protect his soul. Meanwhile, Su Zhen learned that Half-Spirit Valley had attacked the Departing Maple Sect’s guards and tried to take the Fireglow Iron Mine, so he sought help from the Immortal Alliance and informed the Luozhen Sect.

• Li Yunjing recognized the newly hatched black and white snakes as Netherworld Serpents and offered them his hand to see whether they would acknowledge him as their master.
• The two Netherworld Serpents drank Li Yunjing’s blood, formed a contract with him, and coiled around his arms after growing larger.
• Li Yunjing used the Soul-Guiding Nine Heavens Method to leave his body, and the Netherworld Serpents guarded his soul as he drew down starlight.
• Su Zhen received word that Half-Spirit Valley had injured Departing Maple Sect disciples and tried to seize the Fireglow Iron Mine at Flying Dragon Ravine.
• Su Zhen requested help from the Xunxian Town Immortal Alliance and informed the Luozhen Sect about the mine dispute.

Mo Xuan led Shui Yao, Lü Hong, Wang Shanming, and Zhang Hanpeng to Flying Dragon Ravine to support the Departing Maple Sect in its dispute with Half-Spirit Valley over the Fireglow Iron Mine. After Half-Spirit Valley claimed its geomancer had found the mine first and denied destroying the Departing Maple Sect’s marker, Mo Xuan confronted Liu Yunlong, who attacked him with a dragon of lightning.

• Mo Xuan learned that Zhang Hanpeng had become a spirit farmer, Hu had formed a first-grade mid-tier formation, and Wang Shanming had reached Qi Refining Completion.
• Mo Xuan received a message about trouble at the Fireglow Iron Mine and left with Shui Yao, Lü Hong, Wang Shanming, and Zhang Hanpeng to support the Departing Maple Sect.
• At the mine, the group found Departing Maple Sect disciples injured and learned that one had suffered lasting damage to his foundation.
• Su Zhen and Liu Yunlong disputed which sect had discovered the mine first, and a Departing Maple Sect disciple accused Half-Spirit Valley of destroying their marker.
• Mo Xuan called Liu Yunlong shameless, and Liu Yunlong attacked him with a dragon of lightning.

Sikong Ying defeated Half-Spirit Valley’s Liu Yunlong, then killed him and arranged for Golden Core cultivators to guard the Fireglow Iron Mine. He learned that Li Yunjing was entering seclusion for Core Formation, but the chapter ended with Mo Xuan receiving news that Half-Spirit Valley had harassed the mine again and injured someone.

• Sikong Ying drove off Half-Spirit Valley’s cultivators, kept Liu Yunlong behind, and beheaded him before burning his corpse to ashes.
• Sikong Ying warned Su Zhen that Half-Spirit Valley might retaliate and arranged for two Immortal Alliance Golden Core cultivators to help guard the Fireglow Iron Mine alongside True Person Liu.
• Mo Xuan told Sikong Ying that Li Yunjing was in seclusion to attempt Core Formation, surprising Sikong Ying with the possibility that Li Yunjing could set a Tianyuan record.
• On the last day of February, Mo Xuan read a Jade Slip reporting that Half-Spirit Valley had harassed the Fireglow Iron Mine again and injured one person.

Mo Xuan learned that the Immortal Alliance had called for a contest of techniques against Half-Spirit Valley, with Xunxian Town’s territory at stake. As the contest approached, Li Yunjing began drawing in vast amounts of spiritual energy, apparently starting his attempt to form a core.

• Half-Spirit Valley’s harassment of the Firecloud Iron Mine intensified, prompting Wang Qianxue to summon Mo Xuan and other Alliance leaders.
• Wang Qianxue announced a two-round contest against the Mysterious Dao Sect forces, with combat followed by traditional contests of techniques.
• Su Zhen warned Mo Xuan that Xunxian Town lacked practitioners skilled in traditional contests, and Mo Xuan hoped Li Yunjing could help.
• Mo Xuan returned to the Luozhen Sect and told Shui Yao about the contest, while both thought Li Yunjing’s participation would improve their chances.
• Li Yunjing began circulating the Supreme Unity Pure Subtlety Scripture, drawing spiritual energy into a vast vortex above the cultivation chamber.
• Ding Qifeng realized Li Yunjing was nearing Core Formation and felt both pride and envy as he remained stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Li Yunjing successfully formed a First-Grade Golden Core, elevating the Luozhen Sect to a third-tier sect. He also gained the passive support-type Innate Divine Ability Myriad Exquisite Wonders, which increased the rewards he received from his efforts.

• Ding Qifeng told the Luozhen Sect disciples that Li Yunjing was about to form his core, and Mo Xuan and Shui Yao watched the preparations with awe.
• Mo Xuan left the Luozhen Sect on March first to attend the first match between Xunxian Town and Half-Spirit Valley, where three Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators would compete.
• Li Yunjing absorbed the Spiritual Qi vortex as he formed his core, and a pillar of golden light announced his breakthrough to the sect and surrounding mountains.
• The Luozhen Sect disciples celebrated Li Yunjing's success, while Ding Qifeng resolved to set alchemy aside and focus on cultivation.
• Li Yunjing examined his First-Grade Golden Core and discovered that he had gained the Innate Divine Ability Myriad Exquisite Wonders, which improved the results of his cultivation and other endeavors.

After forming his Golden Core, Li Yunjing learned that the Luozhen Sect had continued to prosper during his seclusion and went to Xunxian Town to check on its contest with Half-Spirit Valley. He discovered that Xunxian Town had already lost one match, while Half-Spirit Valley’s contestants were using dangerous Second-Grade Boiling Spirit Pills.

• Li Yunjing recalled his Golden Core, checked on his growing Netherworld Serpents, and found that Mo Xuan and Shui Yao were away from the Luozhen Sect.
• Ding Qifeng and the disciples congratulated Li Yunjing on his Core Formation, and Li Yunjing rewarded each disciple with fifty Spirit Stones.
• Ding Qifeng reported that the Departing Maple Sect had supplied Fireglow iron ore, which Mo Xuan had turned into profitable Fireglow Spirit Iron, and described Half-Spirit Valley’s interference with the matches.
• Li Yunjing flew to Xunxian Town, watched the former head of the Hong Household defeat a one-eyed Foundation Establishment cultivator, and reunited with Mo Xuan and Shui Yao.
• Mo Xuan and Shui Yao told Li Yunjing that Xunxian Town had lost the first match because Half-Spirit Valley’s contestants had used Second-Grade Boiling Spirit Pills.