Chapter Summaries

After more than a year of studying and cultivating, Shen Ge joined Mu Wan on a trip to hunt a Tide Crab near the coast. They found the creature in shallow water and discovered it was badly wounded and close to advancing to the third tier.

• Shen Ge spent more than a year studying artifact refinement, cultivating, and sparring with fellow disciples.
• Mu Wan asked Shen Ge to help hunt a Tide Crab near the sect’s Sand Copper mine, and he agreed to split the materials with her.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan traveled by flying boat to the coast and learned that the Tide Crab was in a shallow bay near a reef.
• A disciple from Azure Jade Peak directed them to the bay, then sent a talisman after their flying boat had departed.
• Mu Wan’s sword attack failed to draw out the Tide Crab, so Shen Ge bombarded the reef area with flying swords.
• The Tide Crab emerged and attacked with water bullets, and Mu Wan noticed its wound and judged that it was close to becoming a third-tier Demon Beast.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan killed a Tide Crab with talismans and a powerful Soul-Losing Gall, then returned to the sect with its remains. Their hidden ambushers gave up on attacking them and planned to lure another Demon Beast instead.

• Shen Ge and Mu Wan attacked the Tide Crab, and Shen Ge used a Fire Dragon Talisman and two Burst Talismans to injure it and destroy one eye and three legs.
• Mu Wan threw a Soul-Losing Gall at the Tide Crab, killing it with a tremendous explosion, then recovered its huge pincer and gave Shen Ge a piece of its shell.
• Several people hiding among the distant clouds decided not to ambush Shen Ge and Mu Wan after seeing the Soul-Losing Gall’s power.
• The ambushers planned to lure another Demon Beast and obtain a defensive Law Artifact so they could control their next target.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan returned to the sect, where Shen Ge planned to use the Tide Crab’s shell to refine two shield Law Artifacts.

After half a year of studying artifact refining, Shen Ge made several weapons and improved a Tide Crab shell. He then heard Mu Wan’s concerns about two disciples who had died near the South Sea, where the sect had sent an enforcement squad to investigate.

• Shen Ge forged a low-grade Law Artifact saber and a hollow, split longsword whose blank could rival a high-grade Law Artifact.
• Shen Ge briefly heated a Tide Crab shell to remove impurities without damaging its defensive structure.
• Mu Wan told Shen Ge that two Foundation Establishment disciples had died while fighting a First Tier Peak Giant-Mouthed Fish near the South Sea.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan considered whether another Demon Beast might have killed the disciples, though they could not explain why so many beasts had appeared in shallow water.
• Mu Wan said the Law Enforcement Hall had sent five Foundation Establishment cultivators to investigate, and Shen Ge urged her to wait for their findings.

Shen Ge sold a Law Artifact at the sect market and met Senior Sister Wang Yan, who had just come out of seclusion. Mu Wan told them that a Law Enforcement Hall squad sent to the South Sea had been killed, and Wang Yan agreed to join them in hearing Liu Xiao's report.

• Shen Ge sold his Fire-element saber for three hundred contribution points after Wang Yan praised its formations.
• Shen Ge showed Wang Yan his Water-element sister swords, but she declined to buy them because she had a Wood Element Spirit Root and already owned Law Artifacts.
• Mu Wan kicked Shen Ge away from Wang Yan, then greeted Wang Yan and asked whether Tongxuanzi had succeeded in refining the pill.
• Wang Yan introduced herself to Shen Ge and offered to provide pills for the cost of materials.
• Mu Wan told Wang Yan that Liu Xiao had called a meeting about the South Sea and that the Law Enforcement squad there had been killed.
• Shen Ge blamed the Devil Creek Sect remnants or Rogue Cultivators, and Wang Yan proposed they go hear Liu Xiao's report.

Wang Yan and the others discussed suspected attacks on Spirit Moon Sect disciples and the sect’s likely response. They also prepared for the East Approach Secret Realm, whose dangers and powerful cultivators could make the coming expedition costly.

• Liu Xiao, Shen Ge, Mu Wan, Chu He, and Jin Ling concluded that the Tide Crabs and other incidents pointed to an ambush and a lost ore vein, though the enemy’s strength remained unknown.
• Wang Yan instructed Liu Xiao to monitor the sect’s response and said they would join any enforcement squads, but not interfere if a Golden Core elder was sent.
• Jin Ling reported that the East Approach Secret Realm would open within three to five months, and Wang Yan urged that cultivators attempting Golden Core breakthroughs be awakened and postpone them.
• Mu Wan and Jin Ling explained that the secret realm contained deadly beasts and sect rivalries, but its rules restricted the strongest beasts and discouraged righteous sects from killing one another.
• Chu He said Meng Yan of Yellow Maple Valley might be the realm’s strongest cultivator, having previously killed several devil cultivators with his Thunder Method.

Shen Ge learned about the Southern Barbarian Lands’ renowned Foundation Establishment cultivators and was warned to avoid the dangerous East Approach Secret Realm. He chose to study an escape technique at the Scripture Repository, where Martial Uncle Fenghuo reminded him of their previous unpleasant encounter.

• Mu Wan told Shen Ge about the ranked Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Jin Ling explained that Senior Sister Liuyue was excluded because she had reached the Golden Core Realm.
• Liu Xiao dismissed the rankings as unreliable, then left to oversee the sect’s arrangements.
• Jin Ling warned Shen Ge and Mu Wan not to enter the East Approach Secret Realm, while Mu Wan invited Shen Ge to a market and auction in Changliu.
• Shen Ge agreed that the secret realm was too dangerous for him and said he would wait for Liu Xiao’s advice before deciding what to do.
• Shen Ge spent four hundred contribution points to learn Gale Escape from a Jade Slip at the Scripture Repository.
• Martial Uncle Fenghuo warned Shen Ge not to pry into his cultivation or mention their past discussion, which had ended with Fenghuo throwing him down a mountain.

Shen Ge returned to his courtyard after advising Martial Uncle Fenghuo, while Lü Yang reached Flowing Gold Valley and became Xuanfeng’s youngest disciple. Meanwhile, Princess and Han Yu arrived in Linhai City, where the Princess questioned Han Yu about her studies.

• Fenghuo angrily threw Shen Ge out after he advised him to abandon his obsession, and Shen Ge returned to his courtyard to study an escape technique.
• Lü Yang entered Flowing Gold Valley and asked to return to the sect as Lü Hou’s descendant and Xuanfeng’s disciple.
• Xuanfeng examined Lü Yang’s Spirit Roots, accepted him as her youngest disciple, and warned him not to follow his grandfather’s old path.
• A merchant caravan carrying the Princess and Han Yu arrived in Linhai City, and the Princess told Han Yu about the Flowing Cloud Kingdom’s grain wealth and asked whether she had studied her books.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan traveled to Changliu, stopping at the Verdant Sea so they could pay respects to the dead. At Ghost Demoness’s grave, Shen Ge uncovered and reburied a strange light that later took on his likeness, while an ambitious youth climbed toward the Evergreen Sect’s elders.

• Liu Xiao told Shen Ge that Li Hai would lead an investigation into the enforcement squad’s annihilation, and Mu Wan took Shen Ge aboard her flying boat to Changliu.
• At the Verdant Sea, Mu Wan burned incense for the fallen while Shen Ge went to Ghost Demoness’s grave and bowed to her.
• Shen Ge cautiously uncovered a small white light in the soil, then buried it again without touching it.
• After Shen Ge rejoined Mu Wan, the white light grew into a fist-sized orb and briefly displayed an image of Shen Ge.
• At the Evergreen Sect, a Qi Refinement Eighth Layer youth climbed through storms toward the sect elders, and the Sect Master promised to make him his personal disciple if he reached the top.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan arrived at Changliu Market, where Mu Wan sold Law Artifacts to fund their visit to the evening auction. Meanwhile, Li Hai investigated the South Sea mine, caught a suspicious guard, and destroyed his body to question his spirit.

• Shen Ge and Mu Wan heard that the Wan Household was seeking a Foundation Establishment husband for Wan Yue, and Shen Ge joked about entering the selection.
• Mu Wan spent most of her Spirit Stones on artifact-refining materials, then sold low- and mid-grade Law Artifacts to raise three thousand Spirit Stones for the auction.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan entered the auction building and waited in a private room until the evening auction began.
• At the South Sea mine, Li Hai secretly watched the guard and noticed him receive a suspicious voice-transmission Jade Slip.
• Li Hai confronted the guard, who admitted nothing and begged to explain, so Li Hai crushed his body and left his spirit alive.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan attended an auction, where Mu Wan bought a top-grade defensive Law Artifact for Shen Ge after a bidding contest drove its price to 2,600 Spirit Stones. The auction ended the sale with Shen Ge facing a large debt to Mu Wan.

• Shen Ge and Mu Wan entered the auction hall and watched bidders compete for several items without placing bids.
• Shen Ge bid 1,500 Spirit Stones for a top-grade defensive Law Artifact but stopped when another bidder raised the price to 1,700.
• Mu Wan began bidding on Shen Ge’s behalf, explaining that she would lend him the Spirit Stones and he could repay her with money or artifact-refining materials.
• The rival bidder raised the price to 2,300 Spirit Stones, and Mu Wan countered with 2,600.
• Xiao Ya sold the defensive Law Artifact to Mu Wan for 2,600 Spirit Stones, leaving Shen Ge worried about his debt.

After the auction, Shen Ge reflected on his growing strength while Mu Wan led him through the night market and reminded him that he owed her 2,600 Spirit Stones within three years. They continued looking for gifts for her senior sisters, with Shen Ge hoping to find useful, inexpensive items.

• Shen Ge watched the auction’s final lots draw fierce bidding, including a Law Treasure-grade flying sword that sold for fifteen thousand Spirit Stones.
• Mu Wan took Shen Ge to browse a riverside night market after they left the auction house.
• Shen Ge reviewed his Law Artifacts and Law Techniques and concluded that his strength had improved greatly since leaving the mountain.
• Mu Wan told Shen Ge he had to repay her 2,600 Spirit Stones within three years, and Shen Ge reluctantly agreed to pay on time.
• Mu Wan asked Shen Ge to help choose gifts for her senior sisters, and he began searching for distinctive, inexpensive items with useful functions.

Spirit Moon Sect disciples departed for the East Approach Secret Realm while Shen Ge and Mu Wan watched the Wan Household’s marriage tournament at Changliu Market. Tang Yu won his fifth consecutive match and emerged as a likely contender to marry Wan Yue.

• Ziyang sent the Spirit Moon Sect disciples to the East Approach Secret Realm under Shangguan Ouyang and Jin Yun’s leadership.
• Ziyang worried that Mo Qingyu had shown no change while attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan watched the Wan Household’s marriage tournament and discussed why the Wan Household avoided deeper ties with the Spirit Moon Sect.
• Tang Yu defeated another Foundation Establishment Late Stage opponent, earning his fifth consecutive victory.
• Shen Ge predicted Tang Yu could win the tournament and gain a prosperous path through marriage to Wan Yue.

Old Man Wuya took the spirit-only Mo Shang deeper into a deadly frozen region, refusing to explain his plans. Meanwhile, Shen Ge and Mu Wan discussed Tang Yu’s chances in a contest before Huang Tao proposed a wager that Mu Wan urged Shen Ge to accept.

• Old Man Wuya told Mo Shang that the Devil Creek Sect had been wiped out and said they would reach their destination in about two days.
• Mo Shang feared Old Man Wuya intended to kill him but had no choice except to keep following him.
• Huang Tao introduced himself to Shen Ge as a disciple of the Extreme Shadow Sect and questioned Shen Ge’s belief that Tang Yu could win.
• Shen Ge admitted that his prediction was only a feeling, while Huang Tao maintained that Tang Yu had little chance against stronger challengers.
• Huang Tao offered a Star Stone as a stake in a bet on Tang Yu’s victory, and Mu Wan first warned Shen Ge against gambling before urging him to wager his Spirit Stones, artifacts, and pills.

Shen Ge accepted Huang Tao’s wager over Tang Yu’s fights and received a Sound Transmission Jade Slip, while a quiet female cultivator joined their conversation. As Tang Yu faced a formidable Foundation Establishment Peak opponent in the final match, Shen Ge noticed the woman’s concern and Huang Tao’s chances of winning the wager improved.

• Shen Ge agreed to wager two high-grade Law Artifacts and several Foundation Establishment Pills against Huang Tao’s Star Stone, and accepted Huang Tao’s Sound Transmission Jade Slip.
• A white-robed female cultivator joined Shen Ge and Huang Tao as they watched Tang Yu win four more narrow fights.
• As the final match began, a burly Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator mocked Tang Yu and attacked him with a fireball and a flag Law Artifact.
• Tang Yu dodged the fireball and countered with his flying sword, while the woman showed a faint trace of worry.
• Huang Tao said the opponent’s high-grade flag Law Artifact put Tang Yu in a difficult position, and Shen Ge remarked that Huang Tao now had a good chance of winning their wager.

Tang Yu defeated the brute by luring him into completing a hidden formation, and Shen Ge won the star stone bet with Huang Tao. After learning that Huang Tao had used the exchange to evade a dangerous pursuer, Shen Ge and Mu Wan reunited with their sect’s group and Martial Uncle Feng Qing.

• Tang Yu tricked the brute into triggering a formation made from concealed patterns, pinning him to the arena floor and securing victory.
• Shen Ge explained the formation to Mu Wan and Huang Tao handed him the star stone he had wagered.
• Huang Tao accepted Shen Ge’s pills and defensive Law Artifact, then left to return to his sect.
• A hidden figure cursed Huang Tao and Extreme Shadow Sect, threatening to destroy the sect after reaching the Golden Core stage.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan reunited with the Spirit Moon Sect group and Martial Uncle Feng Qing.
• Mu Wan asked why Huang Tao had given Shen Ge the star stone, and Shen Ge explained that Huang Tao wanted to avoid a dangerous pursuer while making a connection.

Shen Ge discussed giving the Law Treasure to Senior Sister Liuyue, while the East Approach Secret Realm opened and scattered cultivators across its dangerous regions. Qin Yu began searching for his companions, and other entrants pursued their own plans amid the realm’s growing violence.

• Shen Ge told Mu Wan he planned to give the Law Treasure to Senior Sister Liuyue, who could use it alongside her Mountain and River Cauldron.
• Shangguan Ouyang announced that the East Approach Secret Realm had opened, and the sect groups entered through the vortex.
• Qin Yu urged the Spirit Moon Sect disciples to use their location talismans and regroup before seeking treasures, then entered the Verdant Forest and flew toward his companions.
• A purple-haired cultivator killed a Blood Devil Grotto member and a blue-gray serpent, collected their materials, and set out to find a flat peach tree.
• Bai Lili traveled across the northern grasslands on a cyclops and thought about finding Meng Yan while avoiding the Gale Devil Wolf.
• The secret realm erupted into continuous battles between cultivators and Demon Beasts and among the human entrants.

Shen Ge returned to the Spirit Moon Sect and gave Su Liuyue the Star Stone he and Mu Wan had obtained, while warning her about a possible Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator. After receiving Golden Body Talismans from Su Liuyue, Shen Ge and Mu Wan prepared to cultivate in seclusion and traded boasts about their strength.

• Shen Ge and Mu Wan returned to the Spirit Moon Sect with the main group, and Shen Ge suspected the person targeting Huang Tao was at Foundation Establishment Peak.
• Shen Ge visited Su Liuyue, told her about the Wan Household gathering and his wager with Huang Tao, and showed her the Star Stone.
• Shen Ge gave Su Liuyue the Star Stone so she could refine an offensive Law Treasure, and she accepted it and gave him Golden Body Talismans to share with Mu Wan.
• Shen Ge gave Mu Wan half the talismans and said he would cultivate in seclusion for at least half a year, prompting Mu Wan to decide to cultivate too.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan teased each other about their abilities and argued over whether Mu Wan would share any future firepower-coverage invention.

The Spirit Moon Sect fled the rampaging Thunder Eagle, while Meng Yan secretly stole its egg from the nest. The enraged Thunder Eagle unleashed widespread destruction across the East Approach Secret Realm, threatening the disciples in hiding.

• Qin Yu and the Spirit Moon Sect fled the Thunder Eagle and planned to lure it toward the Blood Devil Grotto, the Hehuan Sect, or the Gale Devil Wolves.
• Han Yu and Lin Yu of the Evergreen Sect blamed Meng Yan for provoking the Thunder Eagle and worried his actions could spark a war between sects.
• Meng Yan used a Heaven-Deceiving Talisman to evade the Thunder Eagle, then took its egg from the nest and decided to make it his spirit pet.
• The Thunder Eagle sensed the theft, returned to its nest, and began destroying the surrounding forest with its cries and lightning.
• Disciples from the Spirit Moon Sect, Flowing Gold Valley, the Evergreen Sect, and the devil sects realized the Thunder Eagle had gone completely berserk.

Shen Ge left the Spirit Moon Sect for Flowing Cloud City after Senior Sister Liuyue asked him to help the emperor with an unspecified problem. He reached the palace and waited while a general went to inform His Majesty of his arrival.

• A girl riding atop a cyclops watched the Thunder Eagles rampage and speculated that their chaos could spark a battle among the third-tier Demon Beasts.
• Blood God Son and Blood Devil wondered who had provoked the Thunder Eagles, then decided to hide until the secret realm opened.
• After fifteen days of secluded cultivation, Shen Ge tended his spirit medicines and received a Jade Slip message from Senior Sister Liuyue directing him to Flowing Cloud City.
• Mu Wan warned Shen Ge not to act arrogantly around the imperial family and agreed to let him repay his Spirit Stone debt gradually.
• Shen Ge flew to Flowing Cloud City, concealed himself from the mortals below, and introduced himself to the palace guards as an emissary from the immortal sect.
• A general greeted Shen Ge politely and sent someone into the palace to notify the emperor of his arrival.

Shen Ge met the emperor of the Flowing Cloud Kingdom and advised him on why rebellions occurred and how to address them. After their discussion, the emperor revealed that he wanted to know whether a princess who had entered an immortal sect about 170 years earlier was still alive.

• An elderly eunuch escorted Shen Ge to the imperial garden, where the emperor welcomed him and invited him to talk over a meal.
• The emperor asked Shen Ge why rebellions continued despite his efforts to lower taxes and improve conditions for the people.
• Shen Ge explained that powerful elites stirred up rebellions when their interests were threatened, and advised the emperor to educate the people and protect their livelihoods.
• The emperor praised Shen Ge's counsel and promised to consider a plan, while Shen Ge cautioned him against rushing reforms.
• Shen Ge recognized that the emperor had concealed his real concern and asked what he truly wanted.
• The emperor asked whether a princess who entered an immortal sect around 170 years earlier was still alive.