Recaps

The Yang Family deceived He Shenglai and Gao Hui with a staged explanation for their cultivation, then discussed how to spend their Spirit Crystals and strengthen the family. Yang Linghu broke through to the Second Level of Qi Gathering, and Chen Yang discovered that Linghu was close to advancing his Brute Force Art to its third level.

• Yang Lingrui, Yang Guanfeng, and Elder Yu convinced He Shenglai that the family’s cultivation progress came from Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass, and He Shenglai paid them thirty Spirit Crystals to settle the matter.
• After He Shenglai and Gao Hui left, Yang Guanfeng explained how the family had staged the deception and arranged for Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing to hide in Little Pine Mountain.
• The five Yang Family cultivators agreed to prioritize a protective formation, storage items, and a library of basic cultivation arts, and Yang Guanfeng sent Elder Yu to invite Liu Zihao.
• Yang Linghu broke through to the Second Level of Qi Gathering after a month of cultivation, and Chen Yang absorbed the spiritual energy from the resulting precious pearl.
• Chen Yang realized Yang Linghu was close to mastering the third level of the Brute Force Art, while Yang Linghu, Yang Lingrui, and Yang Lingqing returned to cultivation.

Gao Hui apologized to Yang Guanfeng and brought him Wang Xiong’s offer of the Wang Family’s shops and mineral deposits. Yang Guanfeng agreed to claim the contested deposit within three to five months and accepted Sun-Seeking Water from Gao Hui.

• Gao Hui apologized to Yang Guanfeng for He Shenglai’s actions in the Yang Family Forbidden Ground, and Yang Guanfeng forgave him.
• Gao Hui explained that Wang Xiong had entered his service and offered the Wang Family’s shops and mineral deposits to Yang Guanfeng in a letter.
• Yang Guanfeng learned that the Zhang Family of Sanglu Valley was eyeing the Wang Family’s border deposit and had four Qi Gathering cultivators, including its Sixth Level patriarch.
• Yang Guanfeng agreed that the Yang Family would take the deposit and said he would resolve the matter in three to five months.
• Gao Hui gave Yang Guanfeng Sun-Seeking Water as thanks and an apology, and Yang Guanfeng accepted it.

The Yang Family strengthened its defenses and acquired supplies before a letter revealed that the Zhang Family had sent people to White Stone Town. As Yang Guanfeng set out with Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu, Yang Lingqing presided over the family council for the first time as its future leader.

• Liu Zihao accepted the remaining payment, set up the Pine Forest Thick Earth Array, and reinforced the Cloud Mountain Mist Array around the Yang Family Forbidden Ground.
• Elder Yu gave the three children storage pouches and brought back basic sorcery books and two Qi Gathering cultivation techniques, leaving the family with only twenty Spirit Crystals.
• Yang Lingrui delivered Gao Hui's letter saying the Zhang Family had sent people, and Yang Guanfeng left with Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu to confront them.
• Elder Yu asked Yang Lingqing if she wanted to go with them, but she stayed behind to take charge of the council meeting.
• Yang Lingqing appeared before the assembled Yang Family members, received their greeting as an Immortal Master, and ordered them to rise and begin the council.

Yang Lingqing took charge of the Yang Family’s affairs, reorganizing the riverbanks and ordering a count of eligible children for cultivation selection. After the meeting, she asked her father whether he had ever been proud of her, and Yang Feiyun tearfully told her she had always been his pride.

• Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei reported the Yang Family’s recovery and the influx of refugees to Yang Lingqing.
• Yang Lingqing used earth spellcraft before the assembled clans, then ordered latecomers to settle on the South Bank and Clan Soldiers to guard the bridges.
• Yang Lingqing ordered Yang Xiaolei to count children aged ten to fourteen among the North Bank clans, and told him that Yang Linghu had succeeded in cultivation.
• Yang Feiyun advised Yang Lingqing to observe and listen while serving the ancestor, and she urged him to take care of his health.
• Yang Lingqing asked whether Yang Feiyun had been proud of her when she was taken to the Forbidden Ground, and he tearfully assured her that she had always been his most precious and proud daughter.

The Zhang and Yang Families disputed ownership of a White Stone mine, and their patriarchs agreed to settle the matter with a contest between their juniors. Yang Lingrui and Zhang Yao began their match, which remained undecided as Yang Lingrui sent a fast wind attack at Zhang Yao.

• Zhang Tianqi arrived at the former Wang Family mine with Zhang Yao and Zhang Chen and ordered laborers to begin extracting ore.
• Yang Guanfeng arrived with Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu, claimed the mine had been traded to the Yang Family, and challenged Zhang Tianqi's claim.
• Zhang Tianqi and Yang Guanfeng tested each other's strength, then agreed that their juniors would spar to decide the mine's ownership.
• Zhang Tianqi chose Zhang Yao to fight, while Yang Guanfeng sent Yang Lingrui forward.
• Zhang Yao used fire arts against Yang Lingrui, who countered with wind arts and launched three fast gusts at him.

Yang Lingrui defeated Zhang Yao by overwhelming his fire pillar with Gale Winds, securing the mineral deposit for the Yang Family. The family began mining the site, while Yang Linghu took charge of guarding it and received a gift from Yang Guanfeng.

• Yang Lingrui kept attacking Zhang Yao’s fire pillar until it grew beyond Zhang Yao’s control, and Zhang Tianqi intervened to prevent Zhang Yao from being badly injured.
• Yang Guanfeng declared the mineral deposit’s ownership settled, and Zhang Tianqi led the Zhang Family away.
• On the way back to Sanglu Valley, Zhang Tianqi told Zhang Yao that the Yang Family’s cultivation technique was extraordinary and that they would revisit the dispute after opening a nearby cave dwelling.
• Three days later, the Yang Family’s mining team arrived, and Yang Linghu stayed behind to guard the deposit.
• Yang Guanfeng visited Yang Linghu that night and left a small bottle, which Yang Linghu recognized as a gift from Yang Lingrui.

After his consciousness strengthened, Chen Yang examined Yang Lingrui and Yang Lingqing and discovered he could perceive their Qi Meridians in detail. He repaired an obstruction in Yang Lingqing’s left shoulder, and the Yang Family learned that completing the treatment would require four more sessions and considerable recovery time.

• Yang Guanfeng discussed the North Bank clans’ roster of fifty-five children with Yang Lingqing and Yang Lingrui, explaining that cultivation aptitude was extremely rare among ordinary families.
• After Ling Rui and Lingqing returned to cultivate, Chen Yang woke from a prolonged slumber and realized his consciousness had become more solid.
• Chen Yang tested his consciousness on Yang Lingrui and Yang Lingqing, and the two sensed him before recognizing that the Immortal Venerable Spirit Stone was inspecting them.
• Chen Yang examined both cultivators’ Qi Meridians and found an obstruction in Yang Lingqing’s left shoulder.
• Chen Yang used his spiritual power to widen the damaged Qi Meridian, allowing Yang Lingqing’s spiritual energy to flow more smoothly.
• Yang Lingqing told Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu that Chen Yang needed a month of rest after each treatment and four more sessions to fully repair her Qi Meridian, prompting them to promise to nourish him.

Yang Guanfeng and Yang Lingqing tested children brought to the Yang Family estate for cultivation aptitude. Zhao Qi qualified, and Wu Tong was allowed to be tested despite being over the age limit; her results left Yang Guanfeng and Yang Lingqing considering her unusual meridians.

• Yang Guanfeng finished recovering with help from Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu, then went with Yang Lingqing to meet the assembled clan children.
• Yang Feiyun allowed Wu San and his fifteen-year-old daughter Wu Tong to join the tests despite the age limit, and Yang Lingqing agreed to include her.
• Yang Guanfeng found that Zhao Qi had all twelve Qi Meridians intact, while the other fifty-four children tested before Wu Tong lacked cultivation aptitude.
• Yang Guanfeng tested Wu Tong and found spiritual power could pass through her body only with great difficulty, then asked Yang Lingqing to examine her.
• Yang Lingqing confirmed that spiritual power had made it through Wu Tong's meridians, though with extreme difficulty.

Wu Tong and Zhao Qi were chosen to cultivate for the Yang Family, and their families received generous rewards. Taken to the Forbidden Ground, the children began studying cultivation methods as Yang Guanfeng, Elder Yu, and Chen Yang watched over them.

• Yang Guanfeng took Wu Tong and Zhao Qi away after they passed the aptitude test, while Yang Feiyun rewarded the villagers and granted their families additional benefits.
• Old Wu San gave up his rewards and stayed with the Yang Family as the steward of a side residence.
• News of the selections and rewards spread, prompting villagers to seek the Yang Family's favor and North Bank families to plan for more children.
• Elder Yu gave Wu Tong and Zhao Qi cultivation methods and instructed them in their introductory sections.
• Wu Tong and Zhao Qi began practicing while Yang Guanfeng, Elder Yu, and Chen Yang observed, and Yang Guanfeng asked Elder Yu to monitor their character.

Zhao Qi and Wu Tong trained in the Circulating Qi Induction Art, but Wu Tong struggled to draw in spiritual energy because her Qi Meridian entrances were unusually narrow. When she nearly gave up after another failed attempt, Chen Yang secretly widened one entrance and helped her begin cultivating.

• Zhao Qi and Wu Tong began practicing the Circulating Qi Induction Art and persisted through exhausting daily training.
• After a month, Zhao Qi drew his first wisp of spiritual energy into his body, while Wu Tong made no progress.
• Another month later, Zhao Qi had opened his first Qi Meridian, but Wu Tong still failed at the final step despite repeated efforts.
• Wu Tong continued practicing alone, collapsed after her eleventh circulation, and wept over her family and her lack of progress.
• Chen Yang used his spiritual power to widen an entrance to Wu Tong's Qi Meridian, allowing spiritual energy to enter without further guidance.
• Elder Yu realized Chen Yang had helped Wu Tong and bowed to thank him.

As the Yang Family enjoyed a year of growth, Yang Lingqing learned that wandering bandits had entered the region amid the war between Tiger Chasing and Tianyou. Zhao Qi returned from dealing with a bandit group and revealed that its leaders had cultivation, raising concerns about a more dangerous threat.

• Wu Tong successfully drew qi into her body, and Elder Yu praised her for opening her Dao Path.
• The Yang Family prospered for a year as White Stone Town recovered, Zhao Qi Condensed Qi Mansion, and the younger cultivators advanced.
• Yang Lingqing ordered patrols and precautions after reports of wandering bandits, then explained that the war between Tiger Chasing and Tianyou had drawn bandits into the Eastern Region.
• Zhao Qi reported that he had killed twenty-six bandits and brought back two leaders whose awakened Qi Meridians suggested they had a cultivation method.
• Yang Lingqing sent Zhao Qi to report the discovery to the Ancestors while she remained to guard Yang Lingrui during his breakthrough; Chen Yang sensed that Yang Linghu was safe and anticipated nourishment from Yang Lingrui's progress.

Yang Linghu realized that the bandit raids were being steered toward the Yang Family’s mine and evacuated the miners while preparing to face the threat alone. Zhang Chen had arranged the raids with Liao Feng and his brothers so he could destroy the mine’s defenders and claim the property.

• Yang Linghu killed another bandit group and noticed that the five groups’ trails all led south toward the mine from Sanglu Valley.
• Yang Linghu ordered the ore and laborers sent home within three days, then told the Clan Soldiers to leave with them and gave their captain a letter for Lingqing.
• Zhang Chen feasted with Liao Feng and his two sworn brothers, urging them to carry out the plan they had prepared.
• Zhang Chen had redirected bandits toward the mine and supplied Liao Feng’s group, hoping they would kill the Yang Family defenders so he could take the mine and earn credit for suppressing bandits.

Yang Linghu watched Scarface and the effeminate man find the Yang Family mine abandoned, then discovered Zhang Chen and Liao Feng were working with the bandits. After killing the effeminate man, Yang Linghu was cornered by Zhang Chen and Liao Feng, and their battle began.

• Scarface and the effeminate man led more than fifty men to the mine, where they found the Yang Family had evacuated and removed all the ore.
• Yang Linghu observed from a nearby hill as Zhang Chen and Liao Feng joined Scarface and the effeminate man, confirming his suspicion that the Zhang Family was allied with the bandits.
• Yang Linghu tried to retreat, but Zhang Chen's jade pendant exposed him, and the effeminate man and Scarface charged him.
• Yang Linghu revealed his Second Level of Qi Gathering cultivation and killed the effeminate man with one punch, then fled as Zhang Chen and Liao Feng pursued him.
• Zhang Chen and Liao Feng used Wind Walking Talismans to intercept Yang Linghu, and the three began fighting.
• Yang Linghu fought while retreating, using Liao Feng as a shield against Zhang Chen's fire techniques and recognizing that Liao Feng was weaker than him.

Yang Linghu fought Zhang Chen and Liao Feng, then fled Zhang Chen’s pursuit and lured him into a stone forest. After breaking through Zhang Chen’s jade barrier, Yang Linghu was struck by a sudden dizziness and blasted away by Zhang Chen.

• Yang Linghu’s Brute Force Art let him hold his own against Zhang Chen and Liao Feng until Zhang Chen attacked them both with fireballs, badly injuring Liao Feng and Yang Linghu.
• Yang Linghu used the unconscious Liao Feng as a shield, then fled toward White Stone Town as Zhang Chen pursued him with the aid of a precious jade that replenished his spiritual power.
• Scarface found the wounded Liao Feng, mourned over him, and carried him away to seek help.
• After three hours of pursuit, Yang Linghu entered a stone forest and ambushed Zhang Chen, but Zhang Chen’s jade barrier stopped his first punch.
• Yang Linghu used the stone pillars and boulders to create an opening, then struck Zhang Chen’s barrier until it cracked and finally broke under his attacks.
• Just as Yang Linghu moved to punch Zhang Chen’s head, he became dizzy, and Zhang Chen counterattacked with several firebolts that sent him flying.

Yang Linghu delayed Zhang Chen by giving him a false cultivation technique, but Zhang Chen attacked him anyway. Yang Lingrui arrived in time to kill Zhang Chen and save Yang Linghu, and the two followed the traces of Liao Feng's corpse to a mountain cave.

• Yang Linghu offered to write down the Yang Family's cultivation technique to keep Zhang Chen from killing him, and secretly gave him a false version while waiting for help.
• After reading the technique, Zhang Chen claimed he would spare Yang Linghu, then attacked him and revealed that his precious jade's protection had recovered.
• Zhang Chen sent Yang Linghu flying and prepared to finish him, but Yang Lingrui arrived and used the Gale Wind to break through Zhang Chen's barrier, sever his arm, and kill him.
• Yang Lingrui treated Yang Linghu, who learned that Immortal Venerable Spirit Stone had warned his brother of the danger and that bandits had attacked the Clan Soldiers carrying his message.
• After recovering some spiritual power, Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui followed the traces from the earlier battle and found their way to a mountain cave.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui returned to the Yang Family with Han Wang, a survivor from the Eastern Wilderness, as the Dynasty ordered Yang Guanfeng to help suppress unrest at the border. Before departing, Yang Guanfeng asked Chen Yang to put the Great Dao above the Yang Family if disaster ever struck.

• Han Wang begged Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui to save his dying sworn brother Liao Feng, but Yang Linghu refused; they removed the pearl keeping Liao Feng alive and buried him after he died.
• Han Wang told Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui about his past in the Eastern Wilderness and his service under Zhang Chen, then agreed to answer the Yang Family elders' questions.
• Yang Guanfeng and Zhao Qi returned with a Dynasty decree ordering Yang Guanfeng and other Lineage leaders to go to the Eastern Region border and suppress the unrest.
• Yang Guanfeng questioned Han Wang, witnessed his blood oath, and ordered him to accompany the expedition as atonement for his crimes.
• On the eve of his departure, Yang Guanfeng knelt before Chen Yang and asked him not to let the Yang Family keep him from pursuing the Great Dao if calamity came.

After Yang Guanfeng’s final words made Chen Yang question his Dao, Chen Yang realized he could use the Yang Family to prove it and advanced to Late Qi Gathering. The Yang Family then brought him an azure-green jade treasure, which he absorbed before falling asleep to digest it.

• Yang Guanfeng bowed to Chen Yang and left the ancestral hall after telling him to pursue the Great Dao without letting the Yang Family burden him.
• Chen Yang reflected through the night on his bond with the Yang Family and concluded that he could use the lineage to prove his Dao rather than choose between them and his path.
• At sunrise, Chen Yang’s White Space expanded and he advanced to Late Qi Gathering, gaining the ability to manipulate objects from afar with spiritual power.
• Elder Yu brought Chen Yang an azure-green stone-kind treasure that Yang Guanfeng had left for him to inspect.
• Chen Yang absorbed the jade, greatly increased his cultivation, and fell asleep to digest it.

After Chen Yang slept for three months, the Dynasty’s campaign ended, but its draft of cultivators left many lineages weakened and vulnerable. The Yang Family prospered under Yang Lingqing’s leadership, and Liang Yi brought the battered Liang Family to join them.

• The Dynasty’s draft weakened many lineages, sparking internal purges, factional conflicts, and attacks from their rivals.
• The Zhang Family’s strength fell after Zhang Tianqi left and Zhang Chen disappeared, and the family sealed Sanglu Valley amid rising internal tensions.
• The Songshan Yang Family remained unified under Yang Lingqing’s governance and expanded its businesses, mines, population, and villages.
• Liang Yi’s family suffered seizures, sabotage, and disappearances after his brother Liang Yuan was drafted away.
• Liang Yi accepted Yang Lingqing’s conditions, relocated the Liang Family to Pine Mountain, and presented their family register at the Yang Family council meeting.
• Yang Lingqing approved the Liang Family’s entry into the Yang Family lineage and arranged farmland, residences, and businesses for them.

Chen Yang observed the Liang Family entering the village, while Zhao Dapeng learned that the Yang Family had accepted them and recognized it as a warning about his own family’s misconduct. Zhao Dapeng gathered his household and took up an old machete to confront the trouble his relatives had caused.

• Yang Xiaolei checked the Liang Family’s roster and admitted seventy-four members into the village.
• A villager hurried to Zhao Mansion and told Zhao Dapeng that the Liang Family had arrived under the Yang Family’s protection.
• Zhao Dapeng learned that the Liang Family’s submission was a warning aimed at him because his relatives had repeatedly bullied people on both banks.
• Zhao Dapeng ordered everyone in his household to gather in the rear courtyard.
• Zhao Dapeng took an old brush-clearing machete from beneath his bed and strode out to face his household.

Zhao Dapeng brought the heads of six Zhao Family troublemakers to Yang Feiyun and apologized, learning that his son had become an Immortal Master. The Liang Family settled into its new home, while Gao Hui visited Yang Lingqing with the Dynasty’s monthly reward and news of Yang Guanfeng’s merit.

• Zhao Dapeng dragged a bloodied sack from Zhao Mansion and told Yang Tieli he was going to the Main Family to plead guilty.
• Zhao Dapeng knelt before Yang Feiyun, presented the heads of six Zhao Family juniors, and vowed to prevent further misconduct.
• Yang Feiyun forgave Zhao Dapeng and revealed that his son had succeeded in cultivation and was now an Immortal Master.
• Yang Xiaolei settled the Liang Family in a lavish courtyard with fields, a tavern, and shops, then reported to Yang Feiyun that all had gone smoothly.
• Gao Hui gave Yang Lingqing twenty Spirit Crystals and explained that ten extra were awarded for Yang Guanfeng’s service, then raised another matter to discuss.

Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi joined Gao Hui’s expedition to explore an ancient tomb, while Gao Hui confided that his lack of connections had stalled his prospects despite rebuilding White Stone Town. The chapter left Yang Lingrui reflecting that the Yang Family still had far to go and that he must remain diligent and cautious until his great undertaking was complete.

• Gao Hui told Yang Lingqing that Fengling Town had discovered an ancient tomb and invited the Yang Family to send cultivators to explore it.
• Yang Lingqing and Elder Yu chose Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi for the expedition, and Chen Yang secretly placed portions of his consciousness to protect them.
• Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi arrived in White Stone Town, where Gao Hui briefed them and two other cultivators on the journey to the tomb.
• Gao Hui told Yang Lingrui that his lack of background and connections had prevented him from advancing despite successfully rebuilding White Stone Town.
• Yang Lingrui recalled the Yang Family’s years of hardship and resolved to remain diligent and cautious until he achieved Core Formation and completed his great undertaking.

Cultivators from eight towns traveled to Feng Ling to investigate an ancient tomb, while Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi joined the White Stone Town team. In Feng Ling, Duan Yong explained the tomb’s formidable entrance restrictions to Li Cheng and revealed that Solitary Moon Mountain had sent a Condensing Essence cultivator who apparently dismissed the site.

• Lin Yu and Lü Liang greeted Yang Lingrui and discussed the Zhang Family’s unexplained decision to keep Sanglu Valley closed.
• Yang Lingrui said the Yang Family had withdrawn from its northern mine and knew nothing about the Zhang Family’s actions, while Zhao Qi quietly listened as instructed by Elder Yu.
• Gao Hui distributed maps, gave Yang Lingrui White Stone Town’s seal, and sent the twelve cultivators on their journey to Feng Ling.
• Half a month later, the cultivators from seven towns had gathered in Feng Ling, and Duan Yong welcomed Li Cheng and the Cuixi team.
• Duan Yong told Li Cheng that the ancient tomb’s entrance restrictions were too formidable for Feng Ling Town to break, and Li Cheng inferred that Solitary Moon Mountain’s visitor had looked down on the tomb.

Yang Lingrui met Li Cheng at the gathering of cultivators summoned to explore the ancient tomb, while Zhao Qi investigated the group. Li Cheng privately revealed that his family faced a grave political crisis and was seeking ways to secure its future.

• Li Cheng warmly welcomed Yang Lingrui, learned he was fourteen, and suggested he might suit Li Cheng’s fifteen-year-old sister.
• Duan Yong thanked the assembled cultivators and announced that he would lead them to the ancient tomb at noon the next day.
• Zhao Qi reported that thirty-seven people were joining the expedition and shared their names, backgrounds, and cultivation levels with Yang Lingrui.
• Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi questioned why the powerful Li Family would consider a match with Yang Lingrui and speculated that the family faced a major change.
• Li Cheng’s confidants objected to his choosing Yang Lingrui for his sister, but after they left, he revealed that the Li Family’s position was precarious and that he was seeking alliances to protect it.

Li Cheng, Duan Yong, Yang Lingrui, and the other cultivators opened the ancient tomb by activating its restriction and entered its first level. Yang Lingrui went down toward the second level with Li Cheng, while Zhao Qi stayed behind and began investigating the unevenly spaced stone pillars.

• Li Cheng joined Duan Yong and the cultivators at the tomb, where they activated the nine-point restriction and fought waves of specters while Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi dispersed the green smoke feeding a powerful Ghost Soldier.
• Li Cheng defeated the weakened Ghost Soldier, and the group entered the tomb and split up to explore its first level.
• Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi found Refined Ore before a Li Family cultivator summoned them to the passageway leading to the second level.
• Li Cheng invited Yang Lingrui to descend with him, but Zhao Qi stayed behind because the second level was too dangerous for him.
• After other cultivators mocked Zhao Qi and entered the passageway, he examined the stone pillars whose uneven distribution had caught his attention.

Yang Lingrui and Li Cheng’s group crossed the ancient tomb’s second level, defeating its guardians and collecting treasures before reaching the third level. There, they joined Huang Yan and Zheng Huaming before a strange hall whose carvings resembled people worshipping ghosts.

• Yang Lingrui chose the right-hand passageways, and Li Cheng’s group killed a swarm of corpse-born worms and found a Spirit Awakening Pill and Mountain Moving Talismans.
• Yang Lingrui defeated a Skeleton Python with his Gale Wind techniques, impressing Li Cheng and his subordinates.
• Li Cheng identified an Exotic Stone, which Yang Lingrui kept, and the group later defeated a ghost general and found a treasured sword and Vitality Returning Grass.
• After passing through five stretches of passageway, Yang Lingrui’s group reached the third level and met Huang Yan and Zheng Huaming at the main hall.
• Li Cheng and the others examined the hall’s strange carvings of kneeling people and a blurry figure, which seemed more like ghost worship than Buddha worship.