Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ning, a Qi Refining cultivator serving the Su Household, spent the day patrolling Cuiwei Lake and charging the mysterious jade he had brought from his previous life. After the jade turned completely black, it entered his sea of consciousness and revealed a small storage space; Zhou Ning then sent his Divine Sense into it and felt the world spin.

• Zhou Ning reflected on his slow cultivation and his life before joining the Su Household as a retainer.
• Zhou Ning patrolled Cuiwei Lake by boat, searching for the Fuluo Eel that preyed on the Su Household's spirit fish.
• Zhou Ning infused his black jade with spiritual power throughout the day, then restored his strength by eating spirit rice.
• Zhou Ning charged the jade until its last white corner turned black, and it vanished into his sea of consciousness.
• Zhou Ning discovered that the jade could store objects in a space of roughly two cubic meters, then sent his Divine Sense into it and became dizzy.

Zhou Ning entered another world through the jade and witnessed Chai Dingchun refine the Profound-Piercing Wind and destroy his pursuers. After a mysterious woman killed him, he returned to Cuiwei Lake with a Storage Bag he had taken from the battle.

• Zhou Ning explored a withered forest in another world and discovered he could switch his awareness back to his body at Cuiwei Lake.
• He saw Foundation Establishment cultivators attack Chai Dingchun for the Profound-Piercing Wind and learned they had slaughtered Chai Dingchun's family.
• Chai Dingchun refined the Profound-Piercing Wind into deadly black smoke, which killed his attackers while one escaped in a death-substitution puppet.
• As the black smoke pursued him, Zhou Ning activated Mr. Wen's purple bracelet, and a purple insect destroyed the smoke.
• A woman in a black dress appeared, called Zhou Ning a variable, and killed him; he awoke at Cuiwei Lake holding the attackers' Storage Bag.

After looting Chai Dingchun’s belongings, Zhou Ning discovered a different cultivation system and began studying a method to open his meridians. He continued his work on Cuiwei Lake, where Su Yunjin delivered a letter from the Azure Mystic Sect and killed a Fuluo Eel for him, leaving Zhou Ning with an idea about using its Qi and Blood.

• Zhou Ning examined Chai Dingchun’s possessions, found a powerful Law Artifact, and read books describing meridian opening and Qi gathering in another world.
• Zhou Ning decided to try opening his meridians and began practicing the Spiritual Pivot Meridian-Unblocking Instruction, but found that progress was slow without Qi and Blood resources.
• Xu Qinghou invited Zhou Ning to join a group pooling spirit rice for a trawl net, but Zhou Ning declined so he could focus on cultivation.
• Su Yunjin delivered Zhou Ning a letter from the Azure Mystic Sect and encouraged him not to give up as a retainer.
• Su Yunjin trapped and killed a Fuluo Eel with her vermilion ring, then left Zhou Ning with the catch.
• Zhou Ning noticed the eel’s Qi and Blood and began considering how it might help him open his meridians.

Zhou Ning received a large Fuluo Eel from Su Yunjin and considered whether its foul blood could help open his meridians. After Xu Qinghou’s failed attempt to flatter Su Wen, he revealed that he knew why Zhou Ning had been rejected by the Azure Mystic Sect, leaving Zhou Ning ready to hear his explanation.

• Zhou Ning accepted the half-zhang-long Fuluo Eel and wondered whether its blood could help him open his meridians.
• Su Wen arrived to inspect the retainers, and Xu Qinghou extravagantly praised her beauty in hopes of winning her favor.
• Su Wen dismissed Xu Qinghou as unworthy, and the retainers laughed at him after she left.
• Xu Qinghou asked Zhou Ning why his own praise had pleased Su Yunjin, but Zhou Ning denied knowing anything about flattery.
• Xu Qinghou said Zhou Ning had a middle-grade spirit root but had been rejected by the Azure Mystic Sect, and Zhou Ning invited him inside to explain why.

Zhou Ning read letters from Jiang Xiaohua and Gu Xiangning, then heard Xu Qinghou’s theory that the Su Household had arranged his rejection from the Azure Mystic Sect because of his connection to Jiang Xiaohua. After dinner, Zhou Ning began using Fuluo Eel blood and his Meridian-Unblocking Instruction to attempt Meridian Opening, but the blood burned his feet.

• Zhou Ning read Jiang Xiaohua’s letter describing her progress to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement and Gu Xiangning’s advice on cultivation, crafts, and their planned reunion in four years.
• Xu Qinghou showed Zhou Ning his list of rejected immortal seedlings and argued that Su Yanghao had deliberately kept Zhou Ning out of the Azure Mystic Sect because of Jiang Xiaohua.
• Zhou Ning warned Xu Qinghou not to spread his theory, then invited him to stay for a meal; Xu Qinghou brought a wild pheasant, and they ate chicken stew with spirit rice.
• Zhou Ning decided that he needed greater strength to control his fate and prepared Fuluo Eel blood for his Meridian-Unblocking Instruction.
• Zhou Ning smeared the eel blood on his feet and used the Azure Flame Heart Method to guide Spiritual Qi toward his Gushing Spring Meridian Gates, but the blood turned scorching hot.

Zhou Ning opened the Gushing Spring Meridian Gate, discovered he could gather True Yang Metal Qi, and considered how to obtain more resources without risking a trip to market. After learning about nearby markets and arranging to use Xu Qinghou’s eel blood, he planned to continue opening his meridians in safety.

• Zhou Ning opened the Gushing Spring Meridian Gate and found that his strength and senses had greatly improved, though Spiritual Qi still could not circulate fully through it.
• Zhou Ning read Chai Dingchun’s notes and successfully gathered a wisp of True Yang Metal Qi by following its noon-time instructions.
• Xu Qinghou returned with two Fuluo Eels after Yuan Dahu’s group had become much more successful at fishing.
• Over dinner, Old Jia told Zhou Ning about Luyou Island, Forget-Return Market, and Purple Palace Immortal City, and warned that the latter was too dangerous for him.
• Xu Qinghou offered Zhou Ning materials, and Zhou Ning arranged to use the blood of his Fortune and Longevity Eels to temper Blood Sha Palm while paying him in spiritual rice.

During a fishing patrol, Su Wen confronted Zhou Ning for supposedly neglecting his duties, but he convinced her he had been practicing the Spirit Eye Technique and earned leave and Clear Spirit Powder. After hearing how harshly the Su Household punished other retainers, Zhou Ning became more cautious and asked Old Jia about cheap materials to help him open his Ancestral Aperture Divine Meridian.

• Su Wen visited the fishing grounds, questioned Xu Qinghou about Zhou Ning, and flew to his home when he could not be found.
• Zhou Ning explained that he had combined his days off and claimed his bloodshot eyes came from practicing the Spirit Eye Technique; Su Wen gave him Clear Spirit Powder and half a month's leave.
• Two retainers were expelled after the Su Household crippled their cultivation, making Zhou Ning wary of attracting attention.
• Zhou Ning asked Old Jia about affordable mind-clearing materials, and Old Jia recommended pure heart wisteria flower after describing the rare Spirit Condensation Pill.

Zhou Ning traded Clear Eyes Powder and spirit rice to Old Jia for a pure heart wisteria flower, then went hunting and discovered a concealed grove of red iron bamboo on Bamboo Creek Island. He left without approaching it, suspecting the Su Household had planted it and resolving to stay away.

• Zhou Ning used Su Wen's Clear Eyes Powder and ten jin of spirit rice to arrange for Old Jia to bring him a pure heart wisteria flower, despite Old Jia's warning about practicing worldly martial arts.
• Old Jia flew away on a green-leaf Law Artifact, then stopped at a reef to fish after his spiritual power ran low.
• Zhou Ning hunted two pheasants, testing his improved speed and strength with Qi Refining cultivation.
• Zhou Ning used the Spirit Eye Technique to see a hidden grove of red iron bamboo and recognized it as a valuable material grown by Chai Dingchun's clan.
• Zhou Ning recalled a large ship and a formation near the back mountain, then left the area and resolved not to return.

Zhou Ning opened the Ancestral Aperture and, a year later, completed Meridian Opening, preparing to enter the Land of Wei and seek a cultivation method matching his True Yang Metal Qi. The chapter leaves him ready to ask the new Steward Su for leave, as he secretly observes Xu Qinghou and Old Jia discussing their prospects.

• Zhou Ning used the Pure Heart Wisteria Flower to open the Ancestral Aperture, awakening powerful Divine Sense that reached two hundred and twenty meters.
• After another year of practice, Zhou Ning connected all six meridians and completed Meridian Opening, though he still needed a cultivation method and matching spiritual energy to become a true Qi Refining cultivator.
• Zhou Ning inspected Chai Dingchun's cultivation methods and prepared to take his gathered True Yang Metal Qi to the Land of Wei in search of its matching method.
• Zhou Ning reflected on the worsening Fuluo Eel shortage and the new Steward Su's monthly catch requirements for Cuiwei Lake retainers.
• Zhou Ning decided to prepare for a trip to the Land of Wei and ask Steward Su for leave, then used Divine Sense to overhear Xu Qinghou and Old Jia discussing cultivation and business.

Zhou Ning secured two months of leave from Steward Su and entered seclusion, then used his jade to travel to another world and headed for Gazing Immortal Port to sell Fuluo Eel blood. He entered the city as a Rogue Cultivator and learned that its Spirit Vein was monopolized, leaving him to consider renting a cave abode for Spiritual Qi.

• Zhou Ning waited nearly six hours to meet Steward Su, then offered to keep supplying fifty jin of Fuluo Eels each month while he took two months to cultivate.
• Steward Su granted Zhou Ning's request, and Zhou Ning returned to his courtyard and hung a seclusion sign on the door.
• Zhou Ning used the jade to travel to a dry world, carrying over a hundred jin of Fuluo Eel blood and setting out for Gazing Immortal Port.
• Zhou Ning reached Gazing Immortal Port after two days, paid spirit rice for an identity token, and entered as a Rogue Cultivator.
• Zhou Ning hired a wildflower girl to explain the city districts and learned that higher cultivators had monopolized the city's Spirit Vein, so he would need to rent a cave abode for Spiritual Qi.

Zhou Ning searched Gazing Immortal Port for a high-grade Cultivation Method and bought the Xinsi Golden Scripture after learning that True Yang Metal Qi could let him cultivate it. He ended the chapter with new information about the Land of Wei and a recommendation to visit the Lubei He Household, while the wildflower girl’s time assisting him ran out.

• Zhou Ning asked the wildflower girl where to buy inheritances and high-grade Cultivation Methods, then followed her to a market of cultivator stalls.
• A little old man tried to sell Zhou Ning a first-grade method and a fraudulent seventh-grade scripture, but the wildflower girl exposed the traps and led Zhou Ning away.
• A woman in the purple veil showed Zhou Ning Fire Element methods and explained that the Xinsi Golden Scripture used True Yang Metal Qi, which could no longer be gathered in the world.
• Zhou Ning exchanged sixty jin of marsh-water spirit substance for the Xinsi Golden Scripture and swore a soul oath not to pass it on.
• The woman in the purple veil identified Zhou Ning’s talismans, answered his questions about cultivation and the Land of Wei, and directed him to the Lubei He Household for pills.
• The woman in the purple veil packed up and left, and the wildflower girl told Zhou Ning that her time was up.

Zhou Ning bought cultivation pills at the He Household Pill House and decided to seek an alchemy inheritance from the He Household. After failing to find the woman in purple gauze, he asked his young guide to investigate the clan for him.

• A stranger tried to divine the origin of a marsh-water spiritual item outside Gazing Immortal Port, but the Profound-Piercing Wind injured his Primordial Spirit; the Wu Household's ancestor warned him not to provoke the city's powerful occupant.
• Zhou Ning hired the wildflower girl to guide him to the He Household Pill House, where he had He Zhuoran appraise a Primordial Origin Pill and learned it was high-quality and free of human blood.
• Zhou Ning sold forty jin of eel blood for eight Spirit Stones and bought two bottles of Ginseng-Nurturing Pills from He Zhuoran.
• He Zhuoran's account of impure and harmful pills in the Land of Wei strengthened Zhou Ning's resolve to learn alchemy and investigate the He Household.
• Zhou Ning waited at the street-stall square for the woman in purple gauze, but she did not appear; he then asked the wildflower girl to find out about the He Household in Lu North and agreed to hire her again.

Zhou Ning traded the Chai Household’s Purple Mansion cultivation method to He Zhuoran for the He Household’s alchemy inheritance and a concealing technique. He left Gazing Immortal Port’s He Household Pill House with the contract, while He Zhuoran wondered whether he would survive the approaching calamity.

• Zhou Ning learned that Devil Cultivators had surrounded Gazing Immortal Port and that the He Household faced decline after its Purple Mansion ancestor died.
• Zhou Ning studied the He Household’s predicament and went to the He Household Pill House to meet He Zhuoran.
• Zhou Ning offered He Zhuoran the Void Wind Qi-Unifying Instruction in exchange for the He Household’s alchemy inheritance.
• Zhou Ning negotiated for the Qi Refining alchemy inheritance, the Foundation Establishment Pill inheritance, and He Zhuoran’s Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique.
• Zhou Ning and He Zhuoran made a deal under a spiritual oath, and Zhou Ning left with the contract.
• He Zhuoran considered killing Zhou Ning but held back because of the oath, then wondered whether Zhou Ning would survive the coming calamity.

Zhou Ning spent his final day in Gazing Immortal Port with the wildflower girl before Devil Cultivators broke through the city barrier and plunged it into chaos. After killing a Devil Cultivator who had apparently murdered the girl, Zhou Ning picked up her bloodstained flower and mourned her.

• Zhou Ning bought an Illusory Light Bewildering Shadow Formation Plate and treated the wildflower girl to new clothes and a meal, agreeing to meet her at an exchange fair the next day.
• Devil Cultivators shattered the city's barrier and began raiding as Zhou Ning hurried into the streets, hoping to take advantage of the disorder.
• A young Devil Cultivator ambushed Zhou Ning, and Zhou Ning asked whether he had seen a little girl wearing a flower.
• The Devil Cultivator taunted Zhou Ning about the girls' blood, so Zhou Ning fought him with talismans and Chai Dingchun's red sword, losing an arm in the battle.
• Zhou Ning killed the Devil Cultivator with an Innate Bright Thunder Talisman, collected his belongings, and stopped his bleeding.
• Zhou Ning found the wildflower girl's bloodstained flower and mourned her death.

Zhou Ning scavenged amid the chaos in the city, then witnessed a Golden Core Dharma Aspect loom over the cultivators as Purple Mansion experts rescued a select few. The Wu Household patriarch used his Divine Ability to drive the remaining cultivators into a frenzy of slaughter, while Zhou Ning recognized the deception and the patriarch watched from above.

• Zhou Ning bluffed a bare-chested Devil Cultivator with a Shattering Slaughter Talisman and received a Storage Bag before fleeing.
• A woman’s Golden Core Dharma Aspect covered the sky, and the He Household’s Purple Mansion patriarch rescued He Zhuoran and several other figures while abandoning the rest.
• Zhou Ning watched the stranded cultivators despair, and several reacted wildly as they believed they were about to become rations.
• The Wu Household patriarch appeared and used All Dream to convince every cultivator that only one person could live and establish the Lone Slaughter of All immortal foundation.
• The cultivators began killing one another, while the Wu Household patriarch activated Alone Awake and coldly watched them fight.

After returning to Bamboo Creek Island, Zhou Ning secured his cottage with the Illusory Light Bewildering Shadow Formation Plate and inventoried what he had gained in the Land of Wei. He ended with thirty-three Spirit Stones and several valuable items, then took out the Xinsi Golden Scripture.

• Zhou Ning remembered the slaughter in the Land of Wei and named his little red sword the Fallen Red Sword.
• He set up the Illusory Light Bewildering Shadow Formation Plate to conceal his courtyard and block Divine Sense probing.
• Zhou Ning counted his Spirit Stones and reviewed the Xinsi Golden Scripture, Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique, Divine Cauldron Inner Landscape Scripture, and Ginseng-Nurturing Pills.
• He searched the Devil Cultivator’s Storage Bag, finding twenty-one Spirit Stones, Law Artifacts, the Flowing Plainness Boat, and the Bone Casting Blood Refining Technique.
• Zhou Ning emptied the brown Storage Bag and found several dozen formation flags, profound Jade Slips, and eight Spirit Stones, bringing his total to thirty-three.
• After putting everything away, Zhou Ning took out the Xinsi Golden Scripture.

Zhou Ning weighed the risks of choosing between two cultivation paths, then abandoned the Law Power of the [Clear Flame Heart Method] and successfully entered Qi Refining through the [Xinsi Golden Scripture]. He discovered that his new Metal and Fire powers had greatly expanded his Divine Sense and made it easier to ride the wind.

• Xu Qinghou returned with Fuluo Eels and asked Old Jia whether he could obtain a Three Flowers Pill for a breakthrough.
• Xu Qinghou and Old Jia discussed the war between the Lei Household and the Jade Countenance Sect while Zhou Ning listened from his room with Divine Sense.
• Zhou Ning compared the [Clear Flame Heart Method] with the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] and decided to pursue the latter, accepting its restrictions in exchange for its advantages.
• Zhou Ning spent three days dispersing the Law Power he had cultivated through the [Clear Flame Heart Method].
• Zhou Ning absorbed True Yang Metal Qi, completed a circuit through his body, and became a Qi Refining cultivator.
• Zhou Ning tested his new ability to ride the wind, formed a golden flame streamer, and celebrated his success.

After cultivating the Xinsi Golden Scripture, Zhou Ning spent a month consolidating his strength and mastering the Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique, which could conceal his cultivation and disguise his presence. He emerged from seclusion posing as a failed cultivator, intending to stay with the Su Household while quietly preparing for alchemy.

• Zhou Ning assessed how his new Law Power and ability to fly could help him survive threats, then took a Ginseng-Nurturing Pill and cultivated with the aid of a Spirit Vein.
• Over a month of seclusion, Zhou Ning mastered the Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique and discovered it could conceal his cultivation method and realm while improving his appearance.
• Zhou Ning emerged and let Old Jia believe his attempted breakthrough had failed, concealing that his true strength had increased.
• Old Jia left to stockpile pills amid the battle between the Jade Countenance Sect and the Lei Household, while Xu Qinghou said he hoped to buy a flying Law Artifact after reaching the middle stage.
• Zhou Ning agreed to Xu Qinghou's suggestion that they buy flying artifacts together, then noticed Xu Qinghou had nearly beaten Old Jia at their board game.

Zhou Ning learned how Xu Qinghou’s fishermen tracked and caught Fuluo Eels, then heard about the Jade Countenance Sect’s failed attack on the Lei Household. After studying the He Household’s alchemy inheritance, Zhou Ning planned to begin refining pills while concealing the extent of his abilities.

• Xu Qinghou told Zhou Ning that Yuan Dahu’s Spirit Planting Law Technique let the fishermen track Fuluo Eels and exploit their mating season for large catches.
• Xu Qinghou described the Jade Countenance Sect’s failed raid on the Lei Household’s Lightning-Attracting Tower and explained the power of the Lei Household’s Thunder Explosion Pearls.
• Zhou Ning calculated how quickly the Ginseng-Nurturing Pill could advance his cultivation and studied the He Household’s Divine Cauldron Inner Landscape Scripture.
• Zhou Ning read how generations of the He Household had developed their alchemy inheritance through painstaking work and resolved to seek its Foundation Establishment alchemy inheritance later.
• Zhou Ning demonstrated his control over a flame from his Dantian and decided to buy ingredients openly on Luyou Island before secretly purchasing more at Forget-Return Market.

Zhou Ning raced across the lake toward Luyou Island and accepted a ride from Su Yunjin, who tested his spellcasting and lent him her old Pill Furnace. They continued toward the island with Zhou Ning carrying the furnace in his bundle.

• Zhou Ning used his lightness skill to hurry across the lake toward Luyou Island, drawing the attention of cultivators fishing nearby.
• Su Yunjin spotted Zhou Ning from her flying boat, invited him aboard, and questioned him about his slow cultivation and plans to study pill refinement.
• Su Yunjin demonstrated how to concentrate the Fire Bullet Technique, and Zhou Ning praised her control while concealing his own motives.
• Su Yunjin lent Zhou Ning her old Pill Furnace after learning he had none, and he thanked her eagerly.
• When Su Yunjin told Zhou Ning to put the heavy furnace away, he wrapped it in his bundle, reminding her that he could not afford a Storage Bag.