Recaps

Liu Yunan returned to the Lingxian Sect and checked that everyone exploring the Green Field Mystic Realm remained safe. He then joined Sun Yigao to visit Tong Jialiang, whose condition had begun to worsen despite treatment.

• Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe returned to Hufang Province, then parted ways so Qin Jianghe could recruit staff for the North-South Trading House and Liu Yunan could return to Xiushui Village.
• Liu Yunan learned from Sun Yigao that the sect members inside the Green Field Mystic Realm were still exploring without incident, and checked their blinking red dots on the map.
• Liu Yunan told Sun Yigao that their business in the capital had gone smoothly, and the two chatted by the cold pool.
• Sun Yigao set out to treat Tong Jialiang, and Liu Yunan accompanied him to Lin Xiao's house.
• Sun Yigao told Liu Yunan that Tong Jialiang's conservative treatment had helped only slightly and was losing effectiveness, leaving him at risk of being crippled for life.

Liu Yunan visited Tong Jialiang with Sun Yigao, while Han Weishu asked him about the rumored war between Pusi Kingdom and Huanyou Nation. She had learned of the campaign by sending her Earth Spirit Qiuqiu to the Clear River Sect, and the news left her worried about her father and newly aware of her own helplessness.

• Sun Yigao told Liu Yunan that Tong Jialiang’s condition remained severe and that he was studying the Soul Awakening Pill Formula for a possible treatment.
• Liu Yunan and Sun Yigao arrived at Lin Xiao’s house, where Baojian welcomed them and Sun Yigao began treating Tong Jialiang.
• Han Weishu asked Liu Yunan whether Pusi Kingdom would go to war, and he avoided confirming the matter while warning her to keep any information private.
• Han Weishu revealed that her father was Han Shangyi, leader of the Clear River Sect, but she had actually learned about the campaign by sending Qiuqiu to eavesdrop on the sect’s meeting.
• Han Weishu worried that her father might face danger in the coming conflict and reflected that her low cultivation left her unable to help.

Liu Yunan visited Mo Yuanjiao’s family, helped send Qin Jianghe’s group toward the capital, and then privately discussed matters with Qin. Meanwhile, Liu Chun advanced to the final 2,500 in the Talisman Master Assembly as United Heroes Hall investigated his past without learning that he had joined the Lingxian Sect.

• Liu Yunan visited Mo Yuanjiao’s grandmother and mother in Emerald Peak Town before hurrying to Songyang County.
• Liu Yunan met Qin Jianghe and the group bound for the capital, then quietly gave Qin formation plates for Gu Yuxiao to use.
• The carriage convoy left Songyang County, and Liu Yunan took Qin Jianghe into the escort agency’s study for a private conversation.
• Liu Chun remained among the 2,500 contestants in the Talisman Master Assembly, drawing bets as a dark horse.
• Liu Chun answered United Heroes Hall’s questions about his past but concealed his membership in the Lingxian Sect, prompting them to investigate the Wu Household of Yuanling City.

The United Heroes Hall traced the incident to the Wu Household, only to discover that the household had been completely destroyed before investigators could reach it. Meanwhile, Liu Chun befriended Elder Zhang of the Heavenly Profound Sect, who offered to help him find his sister, leaving Liu Chun troubled by his own motives.

• The United Heroes Hall investigated Liu Chun's conflict with Wu Sanbao and suspected the Wu Household was behind the incident.
• Investigators arrived in Yuanling City and learned that the Wu Household had been wiped out without a trace.
• Dao Lord Taihua and other faction leaders concluded that someone had regained control of the Execution Stone and ordered an investigation.
• Elder Zhang offered to help Liu Chun join the Heavenly Profound Sect, but Liu Chun declined because he wanted to remain with the Lingxian Sect.
• Elder Zhang promised to use his connections to search for Liu Chun's sister, and Liu Chun accepted his help.
• After Elder Zhang left, Liu Chun felt guilty about befriending him partly to advance his search for his sister.

The major sects investigated the reappeared Execution Stone while warning their disciples and allowing news of the danger to spread. Yuan Qing informed Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu, and Lin Xiao decided to look for books about cultivation history, still keeping his own Execution Stone pieces secret.

• The major sects exchanged information about the Execution Stone and warned their disciples to stay vigilant without revealing the investigation's progress.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu noticed Banxiang City's strange atmosphere but remained unaware of the Execution Stone's return.
• Yuan Qing told Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu that the Execution Stone had reappeared and that the major sects were investigating it.
• Lin Xiao realized he had pieces of the Execution Stone in his private treasury and decided not to take them out casually.
• Lin Xiao asked Yuan Qing where to find books about cultivation history, and Yuan Qing offered to show him the way.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu watched the Talisman Master Assembly’s final elimination competition, where 500 participants would be reduced to 100 in each group. After a mysterious cultivator named Uncle Yue gave them jade tokens in return for snacks, Lin Xiao realized the gift had advanced his system task, and the two refocused when Liu Chun appeared.

• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu arrived early to watch the competition and shared fragrant snacks in the stands.
• Uncle Yue approached them for food, accepted a bag of snacks from Jiang Youfu, and gave both of them white jade tokens before vanishing unnoticed by the crowd.
• Lin Xiao realized Uncle Yue was a powerful cultivator and saw his system’s befriending count rise from 1/5 to 2/5.
• Lin Xiao told Jiang Youfu to put away the jade token, and they watched the competition absentmindedly until Liu Chun appeared.
• The rolling elimination format kept the 100 highest-scoring participants in each group until all 500 had taken the test.

Lin Xiao watched the fourth group compete in the Talisman Master Assembly, where one contestant stunned the crowd by producing a string of Earth Ninth Grade talismans. The contestant’s identity remained unknown as the spectators tried to guess who it was.

• The fourth group began drawing five advanced elemental attack talismans and five defensive talismans under a strict time limit.
• The testing platform’s first hundred results seemed unremarkable, leading spectators to suspect the group lacked standout talisman masters.
• The 101st contestant’s first two talismans both tested at Earth Ninth Grade, shocking the venue.
• Lin Xiao told Jiang Youfu that the next talisman would also be Earth Ninth Grade, reasoning that it was probably not Liu Chun’s work.
• The tester announced that the third talisman was Earth Ninth Grade, and spectators began guessing the contestant’s identity.

He Yi stunned the Talisman Master Assembly by producing ten earth-grade ninth-rank talismans and taking first place in the replacement top hundred. Liu Chun placed second in the first three hundred but fell to seventh after the unusually strong fourth group’s full results were announced, prompting the assembly’s organizers to investigate.

• The examiner tested He Yi’s ten talismans and found that every one was earth-grade ninth rank, making him temporarily first in the replacement top hundred.
• Spectators identified He Yi among the fourth group, while Lin Xiao suspected that even his exceptional results might have been restrained.
• Liu Chun produced one earth-grade fourth-rank talisman, three third-rank, five second-rank, and one first-rank talisman, temporarily placing second in the fourth group.
• When the fourth group’s results were complete, Liu Chun fell to seventh, and the group’s top five all had at least one earth-grade fifth-rank talisman.
• The assembly’s leaders summoned their staff to investigate why the fourth group’s results were so much stronger than those of the other groups.

After the Talisman Master Assembly narrowed the field to five hundred, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu visited a strange, unmanned bookstore to find useful books for their sect. Lin Xiao gathered far more books than planned, and Jiang Youfu found a history book as the chapter ended.

• The fifth group completed its assessment, and the golden list named the five hundred remaining participants, including Liu Chun.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu left the assembly venue and followed Yuan Qing's directions to a bookstore shaped like an enormous upside-down turtle shell.
• They entered the silent shop, where a sign required visitors to pay five Spirit Stones if they left without buying a book.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu split up to search the shelves for books about the cultivation world and its history.
• Lin Xiao collected a large pile of books and Jade Slips, while Jiang Youfu found A Brief History of the Northern and Southern Spirit Domains.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu browsed a bookshop and bought a vast collection of books to build up the Lingxian Sect’s knowledge. After paying over five thousand Spirit Stones, they stored their purchases and left the shop.

• Jiang Youfu brought Lin Xiao more books, while Lin Xiao discovered the shop would not let him store any books until he had bought them.
• Lin Xiao browsed the shelves, found that advanced cultivation books cost five hundred Spirit Stones each, and returned to the cheaper books.
• After a book’s free preview ended, Lin Xiao urged Jiang Youfu to choose interesting books beyond history texts.
• Hours later, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu brought nearly 1,300 books to the exit, and the shop displayed a total price of 5,122 Spirit Stones.
• Lin Xiao paid the full amount, then he and Jiang Youfu stored the books in their Storage Bags and left the bookshop.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu watched the final assessment of the Talisman Master Assembly, where the remaining contestants drew five high-grade talismans of their choice. After the rankings were announced and the talisman masters received their identity tokens, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu went to contact Liu Chun.

• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu arrived early at the venue and waited for the final assessment to begin.
• The five hundred remaining talisman masters drew five high-grade talismans of their choice, while Liu Chun stuck to conventional designs to avoid attracting more attention.
• Liu Chun placed thirty-ninth, while He Yi took first place overall after dominating the final assessments.
• The assembly issued identity tokens to all five hundred talisman masters, and Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu were pleased when Liu Chun received his.
• After the crowd dispersed, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu went to Liu Chun’s accommodations and sent him a Sound Transmission Talisman.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu reunited with Liu Chun and agreed to accompany him to Yuanling City while he searched for his younger sister. Back at their cave abode, Yuan Qing asked to travel with Lin Xiao because he could not return to the Heavenly Profound Sect and did not know where else to go.

• Liu Chun met Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu at the north gate, recognizing them after Lin Xiao spoke in his familiar voice despite their disguises.
• Liu Chun explained that he was staying to search for his younger sister and planned to meet Elder Zhang in Yuanling City.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu offered to stay with Liu Chun, and they agreed to return to Yuanling City together the next day.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu returned to their cave abode and found Yuan Qing waiting for them after the Talisman Master Assembly ended.
• Yuan Qing told Lin Xiao that Yuan Zhiyun had urged him to travel, then asked to accompany Lin Xiao because he did not know where to go.

Lin Xiao agreed to let Yuan Qing travel with him and Jiang Youfu, and learned that Senior Yue’s jade token was a powerful defensive treasure. The group prepared to leave Banxiang City, with Liu Chun arriving as they finished packing.

• Lin Xiao agreed that Yuan Qing could travel with them and confirmed they would leave Banxiang City the next day.
• Yuan Qing said a fellow disciple had already bought his boat ticket, and he refused Lin Xiao’s offer to return the Spirit Stones he had given him.
• Lin Xiao asked Liao Pantu why he had been unusually quiet, and Liao Pantu revealed that the bookstore was probably opened by his arch-enemy, Yin Xuanzi.
• Liao Pantu urged Lin Xiao to keep Senior Yue’s jade token safe, and Lin Xiao appraised it as a defensive mystic-rank, fifth-grade talisman treasure that could withstand one full-force strike from the Spirit Transformation Stage.
• Lin Xiao woke Jiang Youfu and Yuan Qing the next morning, and Liu Chun arrived as they finished packing to leave.

Lin Xiao and his companions returned to Yuanling City, where fear spread after the Wu Household was slaughtered. While gathering information about local goods, Lin Xiao asked Yuan Qing about mortals and learned that Yuan Qing might prefer living among them.

• On the return journey, Lin Xiao learned from Liao Pantu that Hengtong City may have been isolated by Gold Mountain City and other powers.
• Lin Xiao, Liao Pantu, Yuan Qing, and Liu Chun returned to Yuanling City and saw smoke rising from the Wu Household's residence as residents feared further attacks.
• The group stayed at their inn for several days, and Lin Xiao later went out with a disguised Yuan Qing to gather information about goods and prices.
• Lin Xiao asked Yuan Qing what he thought of mortals and whether he would live among them, and Yuan Qing said he might prefer life among mortals.
• Lin Xiao and Yuan Qing spent the day touring Yuanling City as Lin Xiao recorded prices and types of goods.

While Yuan Qing visited the Yuan Household after hearing its ancestor was gravely ill, Lin Xiao sought a Foundation Establishment cultivator to meet and learned more about the bookshop’s mechanisms. The next morning, Liu Chun went to introduce Lin Xiao to his old friend, Su Yaoguang.

• Yuan Qing went alone to the Yuan Household’s main residence after hearing that its old ancestor was near death and Yuan Bi was struggling to find medicine.
• Liu Chun told Lin Xiao about his Foundation Establishment friend, whose family ran a small general store, and Lin Xiao asked him to arrange an introduction.
• Liao Pantu explained that the bookshop’s functions relied on formations combined with a special turtle shell, which Yin Xuanzi had received as a gift.
• Yuan Qing did not return to the inn that evening, while Lin Xiao and the others carried on without particular concern.
• Liu Chun visited Su Yaoguang at Su’s General Store and greeted his old friend.

Liu Chun introduced Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu to his old friend Su Yaoguang, hoping they might make friends and eventually do business together. Su Yaoguang was surprised by how young the two visitors looked and could not determine their cultivation levels.

• Su Yaoguang warned Liu Chun against going to the Mortal Realm, believing its thin Spiritual Qi could hinder his cultivation, and offered him a place to stay.
• Liu Chun explained that his friend came from the Mortal Realm, had saved his life, and wanted to meet cultivators; he suggested Su Yaoguang might also do business with him.
• Su Yaoguang agreed to meet Liu Chun's friend, and Liu Chun returned to give Lin Xiao the answer.
• That afternoon, Lin Xiao disguised himself and went with Liu Chun and Jiang Youfu to Su's General Store.
• Su Yaoguang studied Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu, was puzzled by their youth and hidden cultivation levels, and Liu Chun solemnly introduced them.

Lin Xiao befriended Su Yaoguang over a meal, advancing his quest to meet cultivators, then learned that Yuan Qing’s patriarch was being worn down by a heart demon. He asked Yuan Qing if they could visit the patriarch.

• Lin Xiao treated Su Yaoguang and Liu Chun to a meal at the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion, and his [Befriend Cultivators] quest advanced from 2/5 to 3/5.
• Yuan Qing returned to the inn and told Lin Xiao that the Yuan Household patriarch might not survive the year without an Icefield Spirit or another way to save him.
• Yuan Qing explained that the patriarch had been locked in a struggle with a heart demon for years and was now exhausted in body and mind.
• Lin Xiao asked Liao Pantu whether observing someone afflicted by a heart demon was dangerous, then asked Yuan Qing if they could visit the patriarch.

Lin Xiao offered to use his Purification Technique to ease the Yuan Household ancestor’s struggle against an inner demon, hoping to bring Fuzi along to observe. Yuan Qing and Yuan Bi accepted his offer and began arranging a discreet visit.

• Lin Xiao told Yuan Qing that his technique might calm the ancestor’s mind and lessen the inner demon’s burden, while admitting he was unsure how much it would help.
• Yuan Qing gratefully agreed to tell his eldest uncle, and Lin Xiao asked him to keep the offer secret.
• Yuan Qing assured Lin Xiao that Yuan Bi was trustworthy, while privately resolving to protect Lin Xiao’s identity at any cost.
• Yuan Qing told Yuan Bi that Lin Xiao might be able to help the ancestor, and Yuan Bi welcomed the offer.
• Yuan Bi promised to arrange the visit discreetly and said he would even seal his own memories if Lin Xiao remained concerned.

Yuan Qing brought Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu into the Yuan Household to treat its ancestor, whose inner demon had grown more severe. After Yuan Bi left them alone with the ancestor in his sealed cave, Lin Xiao prepared to begin.

• Yuan Qing told Lin Xiao that he had arranged a secret midnight entrance through the Yuan Household's back door, and Lin Xiao brought Jiang Youfu along.
• Yuan Qing led Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu through the unguarded household and into the mountain where the ancestor was in seclusion.
• Yuan Bi warned them about the ancestor's spreading inner demon and opened the stone door, revealing the black Qi engulfing the old man.
• Lin Xiao told Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing to leave while he and Jiang Youfu treated the ancestor, and Yuan Bi withdrew and closed the stone door.

Lin Xiao used the Heart Purification Technique to treat the Yuan Household patriarch’s inner demon, asking Jiang Youfu to read The Doctrine of the Mean aloud so he could focus. The technique began erasing the black Qi, but Lin Xiao remained immersed in it as dawn came and Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing still waited outside.

• Lin Xiao told Jiang Youfu to observe the Yuan Household patriarch’s inner demon and explain what happened to the sect.
• Lin Xiao began using the Heart Purification Technique but struggled to concentrate, so he gave Jiang Youfu The Doctrine of the Mean to read aloud.
• Jiang Youfu’s reading calmed Lin Xiao, who then cast the technique and sent clear Qi toward the patriarch, erasing the black Qi it touched.
• Jiang Youfu saw the patriarch’s expression relax, while Liao Pantu was astonished that Lin Xiao’s technique could eliminate a severe Nascent Soul Realm inner demon.
• Lin Xiao became immersed in a silent darkness as he continued the technique, and Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing waited outside through the night until morning.

Lin Xiao used the Heart Purification Technique while Jiang Youfu read aloud, weakening the Yuan Household patriarch’s heart demon before collapsing from exhaustion. Yuan Bi took Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu away, then realized how much the black Qi around his patriarch had diminished.

• Jiang Youfu kept reading as Lin Xiao purified the Yuan Household patriarch’s heart demon, resisting its attempt to shake his concentration.
• Lin Xiao erased part of the heart demon, and the patriarch began fighting back as the black Qi and spreading sores on his body subsided.
• Lin Xiao fainted from overusing his spiritual power, and Liao Pantu gave Jiang Youfu a miniature spirit boat and an invisibility talisman.
• Jiang Youfu carried Lin Xiao out, and Yuan Bi offered to take them back on his spirit boat.
• Yuan Bi noticed that the heart demon’s Qi had thinned considerably and wondered whether Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu had achieved the remarkable change.

Yuan Bi learned that the Yuan Household's ancestor could now suppress his inner demon after Lin Xiao purified it, while Lin Xiao recovered at an inn. Yuan Bi thanked Lin Xiao in person and promised his friendship, bringing Lin Xiao one step closer to completing the [Make Connections] task.

• Yuan Bi returned to the Yuan Household and found that the ancestor's inner demon had weakened enough for him to suppress it himself.
• The ancestor asked Yuan Bi to thank Lin Xiao, then explained that he would recover gradually while keeping the news from the household.
• Jiang Youfu checked Lin Xiao at the inn, confirmed that he had only exhausted his spiritual power, and watched him recover.
• Yuan Qing thanked Lin Xiao for saving the ancestor and vowed to repay him personally.
• Yuan Bi visited Lin Xiao in disguise, thanked him on behalf of the Yuan Household, and offered him his friendship.
• Lin Xiao received a [Make Connections] task notification showing that his count had risen from 3/5 to 4/5.

Lin Xiao returned to the Yuan Household to continue purifying the ancestor’s inner demon, while Liu Chun set out after receiving a message from Elder Zhang. After working through the night, Lin Xiao completed the second treatment and saw the sores on the ancestor’s face begin to disappear.

• Lin Xiao arranged to return the next day to help the Yuan Household ancestor, and Yuan Bi said the ancestor had regained his senses and could suppress his inner demon.
• Liu Chun received a message from Elder Zhang and left early the next morning, prompting Lin Xiao to tell him to stay in touch.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu disguised themselves and went with Yuan Bi to the ancestor’s seclusion cave.
• Lin Xiao used the Heart Purification Technique while Jiang Youfu read the Doctrine of the Mean, and Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing guarded outside.
• After the treatment lasted through the night, Lin Xiao remained conscious, and the sores and blotches on the ancestor’s face began to disappear.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu left the Yuan Household after Lin Xiao purged Yuan Ruogu’s inner demon and earned his friendship. Back at the inn, they discovered Liu Chun’s younger sister lying unconscious in bed with a talisman on her head.

• Lin Xiao recovered while Yuan Ruogu eliminated the last remnants of his inner demon, then Yuan Ruogu thanked him and promised to answer his call.
• Lin Xiao received a third Floating Island Fragment after completing the sect construction side quest.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu accepted Yuan Bi’s invitation to a future private banquet and left the Yuan Household.
• At the inn, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu followed an attendant carrying hot water to their room and found Liu Chun waiting inside.
• Liu Chun led them to his younger sister, who lay unconscious beneath a quilt with a talisman stuck to her head.

Liu Chun brought his gravely injured sister Liu Qin back from the Heavenly Profound Sect, where a minor elder had persecuted her and destroyed her cultivation. After hearing how close she was to death, Lin Xiao offered to ask the Yuan Household for help and, if they could not treat her, return to the sect so everyone could search for a solution.

• Liu Chun explained that his sister Liu Qin had been persecuted by a minor elder of the Heavenly Profound Sect, who destroyed her Spirit Root and cultivation.
• Elder Zhang had gathered evidence against the elder and brought Liu Qin out of the sect; the sect master sent the culprit to the Law Enforcement Hall for punishment.
• Liu Chun found Liu Qin's body severely damaged and unable to accept medicine, so he prepared a medicinal bath prescribed by a spiritual physician.
• Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu left the room while Liu Chun placed Liu Qin in the bath, and Lin Xiao set up an isolation restriction.
• Liu Chun admitted that a talisman was only stabilizing Liu Qin temporarily and regretted not searching for her sooner.
• Lin Xiao offered to ask the Yuan Household for treatment the next day or return to the sect with Liu Chun to seek help.