Chapter Summaries

Li Zhouxuan presented the sect representatives with a list of cultivation supplies for sale at unusually low prices and confirmed that the imperial family could seek other requested goods. After the sects began arranging purchases, he announced that the meeting would move on to a second matter.

• Li Zhouxuan distributed the cultivation goods list and asked whether the sect representatives accepted the prices.
• Elder Lü questioned whether the listed goods were real, and Li Zhouxuan assured him that supplies were plentiful.
• Liu Yunan feigned surprise and asked whether the prices and requests for additional goods would remain available, and Li Zhouxuan confirmed they would try to source them.
• The sect representatives discussed trading arrangements, while Elder Lü handed Li Zhouxuan a sealed list of the Clear River Sect's requested goods.
• Li Zhouxuan announced that the meeting would move on to a second matter.

Li Zhouxuan offered the sects a regular order for Calming Qi Talismans at five Spirit Stones apiece, with the drawing method provided free under a formal contract. After a Li clan cultivator demonstrated the method, he asked the representatives to decide their shares of a monthly supply of five hundred talismans.

• Li Zhouxuan announced an order for Calming Qi Talismans at five Spirit Stones apiece, prompting Elder Xu to object to the low price.
• Li Zhouxuan clarified that he wanted regular production rather than existing stocks and offered the drawing method free to participating sects.
• Li Zhouxuan required agreements to be recorded in contracts stamped with each sect master's seal.
• A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator of the Li clan drew an inferior Calming Qi Talisman behind an Isolation Formation, and the representatives examined it to verify the method.
• Li Zhouxuan specified a steady demand for five hundred talismans each month and invited the sects to consider their shares.

Elder Lü committed the Clear River Sect to producing all five hundred Calming Qi Talismans in the monthly order, while Li Zhouxuan promised the other sects future opportunities. After the meeting, Qin Jianghe explained that Brother Xiao wanted trade with the mortal-world sects to benefit everyone and support their long-term development.

• Elder Lü claimed the entire Calming Qi Talisman order for the Clear River Sect, despite the Cloud and Mist Sect representative protesting.
• Li Zhouxuan warned that the talismans had to pass inspection and agreed to sign the contract when Sect Leader Han arrived.
• Li Zhouxuan reassured the Cloud and Mist Sect, Shangyang Sect, Lingxian Sect, Liu Yunan, and Qin Jianghe that further deals could follow.
• After lunch, the three great sects stayed to discuss the campaign against Huanyou Nation, encouraged by the favorable prices and expected profits.
• Back at their residence, Liu Yunan asked Qin Jianghe why Brother Xiao had arranged the trade through the imperial family.
• Qin Jianghe said Brother Xiao wanted the mortal world to grow into a cultivation world rather than exploit it for short-term profit.

Qin Jianghe and Liu Yunan bought a shop in the capital to support the Lingxian Sect’s dealings, then met Emperor Li Zhouxuan to review the imperial family’s and three great sects’ requirements for the campaign against Huanyou Nation. The chapter ended as Liu Yunan used his cultivation to draw the memorials toward himself.

• Liu Yunan agreed with Qin Jianghe that the sect needed a shop in the capital to provide cover for its dealings with the imperial family.
• Qin Jianghe and Liu Yunan searched the capital and bought a shop with a large back courtyard for nine thousand six hundred taels.
• Mo Yuanjiao established an intelligence department in his household, which served as the Lingxian Sect’s temporary base in the capital.
• After the court and three great sects agreed on preparations for the campaign against Huanyou Nation, Li Zhouxuan summoned Qin Jianghe and Liu Yunan to his study.
• Li Zhouxuan presented four memorials of requirements, and Liu Yunan used his spiritual power to pull them from the emperor’s hands.

Liu Yunan, Qin Jianghe, and Li Zhouxuan settled prices and procedures for the Lingxian Sect’s trades with the Pusi Kingdom’s sects and the Li Clan. Li Zhouxuan agreed to keep helping the sect and begin connecting it with neighboring kingdoms, provided the kingdom remained stable.

• Liu Yunan reviewed the lists and confirmed the Lingxian Sect could supply the additional goods in exchange for a one-third deposit.
• Qin Jianghe told Li Zhouxuan that future transaction arrangements should go through the Gu Clan General Goods Store on Hefeng Street to avoid attracting attention.
• Qin Jianghe explained that the Lingxian Sect wanted continuous help from the Li Clan, and Li Zhouxuan weighed the request before agreeing to show the sect absolute sincerity within its promise.
• Qin Jianghe asked the Li Clan to connect the Lingxian Sect with neighboring kingdoms so it could expand trade with their sects.
• Li Zhouxuan agreed to begin arranging those contacts carefully while keeping conditions in the Pusi Kingdom stable.

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.