Chapter Summaries

The auction sold a pair of spirit piglets to Han Shangyi and Elder Lü’s sect for 2,100 Spirit Stones before Lin Xiao ended the bidding. Liu Yunan announced regular future auctions and a long-term business arrangement from Xiushui City, leaving the sects and imperial families eager to learn more.

• The bidding for the spirit piglets climbed past 2,000 Spirit Stones as the participants began raising offers in tiny increments.
• Han Shangyi told Elder Lü that the sect could afford to keep bidding because payment for recent orders was due soon, and Elder Lü secured the piglets for 2,100 Spirit Stones.
• After several more items sold, Lin Xiao told Liu Yunan to end the auction because the attendees likely could not afford the more valuable items.
• Liu Yunan announced that the No. 1 venue would hold auctions every six months and the No. 2 and No. 3 venues would begin monthly auctions for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Liu Yunan offered the organizations a long-term business arrangement and invited interested attendees to wait at the Trade Affairs Center.

After the auction, cultivators gathered at the Trade Affairs Center, where Lin Xiao entrusted the Li Imperial Clan with continuing to manage Xiushui City's external trade. Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan discussed the villagers’ reception of the visitors and prepared for the evening’s activities, while Liu Yunan remembered a message he had yet to pass on to Yigao.

• After the auction, cultivators hurried to the Trade Affairs Center, hoping to hear how they could earn Spirit Stones.
• Lin Xiao asked the Li Imperial Clan to keep managing external trade, and Li Zhanying agreed and took charge of the meeting room and a dedicated office.
• The Li Clan began discussing trade with the visiting sects and imperial clans, whose confidence grew from the clan’s record of dealing with Pusi Kingdom’s three great sects.
• Liu Yunan asked Lin Xiao whether he had hosted the auction well, and Lin Xiao praised him.
• Lin Xiao warned Liu Yunan that cultivators’ politeness toward the villagers might only reflect that they were on Lingxian Sect territory, and he privately considered the need to change cultivators’ attitudes toward ordinary people.
• Liu Yunan assured Lin Xiao that the evening’s activities were arranged, then remembered he had a message to pass on to Yigao.

Lin Xiao reassured Liu Yunan that trusting the Li Clan with external trade could turn them into a dependable ally, while the Trade Affairs Center finalized orders with visiting sects and imperial clans. The guests were invited to celebrate New Year in Xiushui City, where they considered the opportunities ahead and discovered how warm the refurbished homes felt compared with the winter outdoors.

• Liu Yunan worried that giving the Li Clan full authority over external trade exposed the Lingxian Sect to the risk of losing goods and Spirit Stones.
• Lin Xiao told Liu Yunan that taking a chance on the Li Clan could bring them into the sect's circle of trusted allies.
• Li Zhanying and the Trade Affairs Center worked with visiting sects and imperial clans to finalize supply lists and manufacturing orders.
• The visiting cultivators learned that official business would resume after the seventh day of the new year, then accepted the Lingxian Sect's invitation to stay for the festivities.
• Xiushui City's residents realized their homes felt warm indoors even though the winter air outside remained cold.

Xiushui City celebrated New Year’s Eve with lantern arrays, bonfires, dancing, and fireworks, giving visiting cultivators a glimpse of simple happiness. The chapter left them reflecting on how their relentless pursuit of cultivation had crowded joy out of their lives.

• Xiushui City’s residents gathered for a generous reunion dinner and shared New Year treats in the brightly lit streets.
• Venerable Xunfang swept the city with his Divine Sense and noticed crowds gathering around lantern arrays and bonfires.
• The lanterns rose into the sky and formed auspicious images as the residents joined hands and danced around the bonfires.
• At midnight, the lanterns formed the words “Happy New Year” above Xiushui City before bursting into fireworks.
• The visiting cultivators watched the celebration and felt longing as they remembered the simple happiness they had lost while pursuing cultivation.

Lingxian Sect held a New Year celebration for Xiushui City’s mortals, astonishing visiting cultivators with its care and generosity. As the festivities continued, the cultivators resolved to strengthen ties with the sect and eagerly joined the mortals in sampling Spirit Cuisine.

• Visiting cultivators realized Lingxian Sect had arranged the celebration primarily for the mortals, while Venerable Xunfang watched the fireworks and felt something stirring within him.
• At the sect’s New Year feast, Senior Liao and other elders drew the older Azure Cloud Peak disciples into conversation, while Liu Yunan led younger disciples to watch the city’s festivities.
• The younger Azure Cloud Peak disciples recognized their practice lanterns displayed above Xiushui City before the lanterns burst into fireworks.
• Spirit Cuisine floated through the streets for the mortals to sample, and visiting cultivators were astonished that the spiritual ingredients had been made safe for them to eat.
• The major sect representatives decided to establish ties and a presence in Xiushui City, and cultivators joined the crowd to taste the dishes.

Xiushui City celebrated its first New Year while Lin Yun and the city’s officials worked to manage its growth and attract residents. The Lingxian Sect and Li Clan agreed to send a Li clansman to join the sect, but Li Zhanying struggled to choose someone qualified to pass the Heart-Questioning Road.

• Xiushui City’s residents celebrated New Year’s Eve while Lin Yun, Yuan Jinsheng, Xuanyuan Haoyue, and ten Azure Cloud Peak disciples worked on city affairs.
• Lin Yun’s holiday decree closed businesses and city offices, leaving cultivators seeking to lease shops waiting until the seventh day of the New Year.
• Lin Xiao proposed that the Li Clan send a trade manager to join the Lingxian Sect by passing the Heart-Questioning Road, and Li Zhanying agreed.
• Li Zhanying considered the Lingxian Sect’s requirements for management ability, character, and perseverance but found choosing a suitable clansman difficult.

Li Zhanying persuaded Li Zhouxuan to risk the Heart-Questioning Road despite the possibility of leaving the throne, and brought him with four other carefully chosen Li Clan youths to the Lingxian Sect. Liu Yunan prepared to test the five, while Li Zhanying trusted his selections and accepted that the clan would not insist if none passed.

• Li Zhanying added Li Zhouxuan to the list for the Heart-Questioning Road and told him that passing could be a fortuitous opportunity worth leaving the imperial throne for.
• Li Zhouxuan decided to do his utmost to pass and planned how he could still assist his successor if he joined the Lingxian Sect.
• Li Zhanying brought five Li Clan youths, including Li Zhouxuan, to the Lingxian Sect on the fourth day of the first lunar month.
• Liu Yunan recognized Li Zhouxuan and asked whether the Li Clan needed to bring more candidates, but Li Zhanying said he had selected the five most steadfast and virtuous youths.
• Li Zhanying explained that he had carefully assessed the candidates, using Mo Yuanjiao and Xuanyuan Haoyue as examples of people who had passed the sect's selection.

Four Li Clan descendants passed the Heart-Questioning Road and joined the Lingxian Sect, with Li Zhouxuan assigned to oversee external trade. Mo Yuanjiao reunited with his former emperor cousin and revealed how powerful the sect’s cultivators had become.

• Four of the five Li Clan descendants passed the Heart-Questioning Road and joined the Lingxian Sect.
• The sect assigned Li Zhouxuan to the Trade Affairs Center and distributed the other three newcomers among mountain affairs while they cultivated.
• Mo Yuanjiao visited Li Zhouxuan’s dormitory and greeted him with the familiarity of their childhood.
• Li Zhouxuan explained that the Li Clan ancestor had driven him to the sect and ended his reign as emperor.
• Mo Yuanjiao told Li Zhouxuan that he had reached Middle-stage Golden Core and that other sect members had reached Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation.

Mo Yuanjiao told Li Zhouxuan about the Lingxian Sect’s strength and secrets, then Li Zhouxuan began his first day working at the Trade Affairs Center. He settled into the job with tea-making supplies from Mo Yuanjiao.

• Mo Yuanjiao reflected on how Lin Dayou had taught him practical skills and grounded him, and he remained determined to keep Lin Dayou as his master.
• Mo Yuanjiao enthusiastically told Li Zhouxuan about Senior Liao’s Spirit Transformation, the sect’s connection to the Immortal Cultivation Realm, and other facts, while warning him not to share details with outsiders.
• Li Zhouxuan left for the General Affairs Hall to collect his disciple allowance, still eager to hear more from Mo Yuanjiao later.
• On the seventh day of the new year, Li Zhouxuan went to work at the Trade Affairs Center with the other sect disciples.
• Li Zhouxuan set up a kettle and a miniature fire-starting array at his desk, then prepared to make spirit tea that Mo Yuanjiao had grown and given him.

Li Zhouxuan prepared his office and began receiving sect leaders and imperial clans at Xiushui City's trade center. He helped the Crimson Firmament Sect secure a shop rental voucher and offered them lists of goods to supply and purchase.

• Li Zhouxuan brewed Mo Yuanjiao's spirit tea while arranging trade plans and contracts in his office.
• Li Zhouxuan welcomed Venerable Xunfang and the Crimson Firmament Sect's second elder, who requested a shop in the city's commercial district.
• Li Zhouxuan explained the rental terms and gave Venerable Xunfang a voucher to sign a contract and draw lots for a shop.
• Venerable Xunfang agreed that the Crimson Firmament Sect was interested in trade orders, and Li Zhouxuan gave him the trade center's purchase list.
• Li Zhouxuan also handed Venerable Xunfang a bulk sales list, whose goods and prices surprised him.

The sects and imperial clans received Xiushui City's trade lists, placed orders, and signed shop rental contracts. Venerable Xunfang proposed that they divide their shops into distinct specialties to avoid competing against one another, and Luo Goddess Mountain offered to focus on talismans.

• Li Zhouxuan gave the Crimson Firmament Sect its lists, and the waiting factions quickly followed its example to receive their own lists and shop vouchers.
• The factions cautiously placed orders, while the three great sects and the Li Imperial Clan bought large quantities of resources and materials.
• The factions drew lots and signed contracts for shops in Xiushui City's commercial district.
• Venerable Xunfang suggested that each shop adopt a distinct main line of business to prevent destructive competition.
• A representative of Luo Goddess Mountain said its members specialized in talisman-making and proposed making talismans the group's main business.

The sect leaders and imperial clans discussed supporting Lingxian Sect’s Xiushui City commercial district, and Han Shangyi proposed hiring Rogue Cultivators for menial work. Bai Yu’s remark that the Mortal Realm was already a pool of stagnant water silenced the room and left its leaders confronting how their own outlooks had changed over time.

• Bai Yu declared Luo Goddess Mountain’s position, prompting the other sects and imperial clans to plan support for the commercial district and discuss spreading the word about it.
• Han Shangyi received a voice transmission from Han Weishu and proposed hiring Rogue Cultivators to work in sects and Xiushui City.
• Han Shangyi argued that wages would give Rogue Cultivators resources to pursue cultivation and free sect members to focus on more important work.
• A Golden Mandarin Duck Kingdom cultivator questioned the benefit of paying Rogue Cultivators for work their own disciples could do.
• Bai Yu said the Mortal Realm was already a pool of stagnant water, and the room fell silent as its leaders reflected on how their youthful hopes had faded.

The Lingxian Sect persuaded the sects and imperial clans in Xiushui City to hire Rogue Cultivators, spreading resources and opportunities throughout the Mortal Realm. After the merchants received their shop plaques and returned home, the Lingxian Sect opened a small general store stocked with affordable, ordinary goods made by its disciples.

• Bai Yu supported the Clear River Sect's proposal to hire Rogue Cultivators, and the other sects and imperial clans agreed.
• Liu Yunan explained to Han Weishu that employing Rogue Cultivators would help spread the commercial district's influence throughout the Mortal Realm.
• Li Zhouxuan finalized shipping and receiving orders, and Trade Center disciples gave each household five jade plaques for its shops.
• The sect and imperial clan representatives returned home without opening their shops, since they lacked goods and customers were scarce.
• The Lingxian Sect opened a small general store on No. 1 Street, selling affordable basic items made by disciples of its four arts halls.

Faction leaders visited Xiushui City's agricultural district and discovered that the Lingxian Sect had opened extensive markets for seeds, produce, customized farming tools, and specialized cultivation supplies. They left astonished by the sect's expertise and the range of goods available.

• The faction leaders visited Street One and saw shops selling Spirit Plant seeds and stalls offering fresh spirit grain, rice, fruits, and vegetables, but they resisted buying to save Spirit Stones.
• On Street Two, they discovered farming tools of different grades that could be customized to customers' requirements, including tools comparable to high-grade Law Artifacts.
• The leaders went to Street Three and found numbered spirit fertilizers matched to particular plants and soils, along with pest-control formation disks and pills for fields and Spirit Plants.
• At the end of Street Three, the leaders found insects sold for their benefits to spirit fields, including a species that pollinated crops, ate pests and rotting plants, and produced useful fertilizer.

News of Xiushui City drew Rogue Cultivators from across the Pusi Kingdom, and Wen Xiangzhi moved there with his extended family. As they traveled, his sons questioned the move without knowing that their father had once cultivated at the Shangyang Sect and hoped one of his descendants might have a Spirit Root.

• Visitors saw signs for aquatic products and poultry and livestock districts as they left Xiushui City.
• After the Li Clan spread news of the city, Rogue Cultivators decided to settle there for safety and access to cultivation resources.
• Wen Xiangzhi left his former life as a Shangyang Sect cultivator behind and built a wealthy household in the mortal world, raising thirty-three children.
• Wen Xiangzhi brought more than fifty family members toward Xiushui City while leaving his old residence and farmland in the care of a steward.
• Wen Xiangzhi's second son complained about the journey, while his eldest son said the family should trust their father's decision.
• Wen Xiangzhi secretly assessed his descendants for signs of Spirit Roots and believed most of them lacked one.

Wen Xiangzhi moved his family to Xiushui City, hoping his unusual eldest grandson, Wen Liyun, would one day cultivate immortality. As the family arrived, Wen Xiangzhi reminded the eight-year-old to focus on his studies once they settled.

• Wen Xiangzhi recalled sensing unusual Spiritual Qi when Wen Liyun was born and began teaching him from a mysterious book when he was two.
• Wen Xiangzhi worried that the Lingxian Sect had not announced another recruitment assembly and decided to move the Wen Household to Xiushui City.
• The Wen Household joined a growing stream of travelers, and constables escorted them through Hufang Province toward Xiushui City.
• Wen Liyun spotted the city gate and excitedly asked Wen Xiangzhi whether Xiushui City was fun.
• Wen Xiangzhi told Wen Liyun to quiet down and resume his lessons after they settled in.

Wen Xiangzhi brought his family to settle in Xiushui City, where the gate attendant directed them to the brokers who helped newcomers find homes. Broker Hu Defu began searching for a suitable house, and Wen Xiangzhi was astonished that the city issued Storage Bags to its brokers.

• Wen Xiangzhi told Wen Liyun that Xiushui City would be their new home as the family approached the city gates.
• Wen Xiangzhi presented the family's registration documents and travel permits, and the gate attendant directed them to the left gate and explained the settlement rules.
• Broker Hu Defu greeted the Wen family, served them tea, and asked about their housing needs.
• Wen Xiangzhi requested a house large enough for fifteen or sixteen rooms, preferably to buy but otherwise to rent.
• Hu Defu took out a booklet from his Storage Bag, and Wen Xiangzhi learned that the City Lord's Manor issued specially made bags to its brokers.

The Wen Household toured house listings with Hu Defu and learned that Xiushui City provided free tea to arriving travelers. As they set out to view houses in the west of the city, Hu Defu pointed out that they could take a bus.

• Hu Defu showed Wen Xiangzhi house prices and recommended options outside the expensive central district.
• Wen the Eldest offered coins for the tea, but Hu Defu and the waiter explained that the city lord's residence paid for the stall and its supplies.
• The Wen Household followed Hu Defu away from the city gate to view houses in the west of the city.
• Hu Defu told Wen Xiangzhi that the carriage was slow and pointed out an approaching bus at South City Gate Station, which cost one copper coin per passenger.

After arriving in Xiushui City, Wen Xiangzhi marveled at its bus and learned that Lingxian Academy would expand enrollment so every child could attend, including older students through an Evening Academy. He decided to send all the Wen family children, while news of the academy and the city’s modern conveniences spread widely.

• Hu Defu paid for Wen Xiangzhi and several of his sons to board a bus, while the rest of the Wen family traveled by horse carriage.
• Wen Xiangzhi watched the city race past the bus windows and felt reassured that moving his family to Xiushui City had been the right decision.
• Second Wen returned home with news that Lingxian Academy would accept every child in the city and open an Evening Academy for working adults.
• Wen Xiangzhi and Second Wen agreed to send all the family’s children to Lingxian Academy.
• Residents across Xiushui City discussed the academy’s expanded enrollment, the city’s unusual facilities, and the growing reputation of the Lingxian Sect.

News that the Lingxian Sect had a Spirit Transformation cultivator spread throughout the Mortal Realm, while other sects prepared orders connected to Xiushui City. The Lingxian Sect resumed classes and production after its holiday, and Lin Xiao chose not to borrow Spirit Stones from Senior Liao to settle the sect’s debt.

• Rumors from sects and royal families that attended the Lingxian Sect’s gathering spread until people believed the Lingxian Sect had a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• At the Azure Lotus Sect, Junior Brother Fang told Senior Brother Wan about talisman-making rewards and the cultivator supplies sold in Xiushui City, then suggested visiting it together.
• Sects and royal families that had attended the Xiushui City auction kept some details quiet while their disciples discussed the city and its possible trade deal.
• After three days off, the Lingxian Sect resumed classes and began producing higher-grade goods to fulfill its orders and pay its hundred-thousand-Spirit-Stone debt.
• Lin Xiao decided not to ask Senior Liao for Spirit Stones, despite knowing that the elder could easily provide them.