Chapter Summaries

Over six years, Chen Xun and Big Black Ox quietly strengthened their abilities while tending the Medicine Valley and preparing to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. Chen Xun began experimenting with the precious spiritual herbs, but his first attempt failed, leaving him to record what he had learned.

• Chen Xun watched from outside while Big Black Ox prepared for the Foundation Establishment attempt, and the two spent years studying pill refinement and controlling Pill Fire.
• News spread that Five Elements Sect disciples had achieved Foundation Establishment and that a peak master had found a young girl with a Heavenly Spirit Root.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox raised Mountain Chickens, discussed the sect's growing strength and dangers, and remained content to contribute quietly.
• They maxed out their mana with Longevity Points, then prepared to test their enhanced defenses and returned to their secret base.
• Big Black Ox flew off with its sword to keep watch while Chen Xun used five flames to refine a Sky Rainbow Fruit, which became useless Medicinal Liquid; he recorded the failed attempt.

Chen Xun spent years mastering the refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills with Big Black Ox, while the two grew stronger and watched tensions rise between the Qian and Wu Kingdoms. After ten years, Chen Xun refined five patterned pills and prepared to begin Foundation Establishment.

• Chen Xun failed repeatedly at refining spiritual herbs, recording each attempt until he successfully refined his first herb and could add points to defense.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox added ten years of Longevity Points to defense, then continued their quiet routine of attending the Sect Competition and eating melon seeds.
• As rumors spread that the Qian and Wu Kingdoms might go to war, Chen Xun worried about the Five Elements Sect, but Big Black Ox reminded him that fighting had not begun.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox agreed to prepare for danger without overestimating their strength or abandoning the sect.
• After ten years of practice, Chen Xun refined five Foundation Establishment Pills with green leaf-like patterns and told Big Black Ox to prepare for Foundation Establishment.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm after a year of cultivation, and Chen Xun discovered that the pills had widened his dantian. After celebrating their new stability in Medicine Valley, they headed to the Pill Refining Hall to register Chen Xun’s breakthrough.

• Chen Xun took a Foundation Establishment Pill, but his breakthrough failed to finish normally as the pill widened his dantian and increased his spiritual capacity.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox spent a year refining spirit herbs and attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox emerged from Medicine Valley as Foundation Establishment cultivators, with Big Black Ox breaking through its 20 Longevity Point limit.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox celebrated their breakthrough, then decided to add their Longevity Points to spiritual power.
• Chen Xun concealed Big Black Ox’s cultivation and went with it to the Pill Refining Hall to register his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

Chen Xun registered his breakthrough at the Pill Refining Hall after meeting Liu Yuan and Shi Jing, who celebrated his promotion to Martial Uncle. The chapter left him and Big Black Ox at the hall as the elders’ argument was brought to a halt by a powerful woman.

• Chen Xun met Liu Yuan and Shi Jing, revealed that he had broken through, and was greeted as their Martial Uncle.
• Chen Xun offered Liu Yuan and Shi Jing booklets of cultivation insights, but put them away after they declined the gifts.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox headed toward a high spot to admire the scenery while Liu Yuan and Shi Jing went to their master's cave dwelling.
• Their master appeared and carried Shi Jing off, warning him to reach Foundation Establishment within five years while Liu Yuan followed.
• At the Pill Refining Hall, Chen Xun registered his breakthrough as Foundation Establishment Realm elders argued over his success and nearly fought.
• A cold-faced woman appeared on the hall's high platform and ordered everyone to be silent.

Zuo Yiying registered Chen Xun in the Pill Refining Hall after confirming his Water Spirit Art had reached the second level, and gave him access to the sect’s true Spiritual Herb Garden. Chen Xun agreed to devote himself to growing herbs, but learned that leaving the sect for too long would count as defection and make him a target.

• Zuo Yiying reviewed Chen Xun’s background and confirmed that he and Big Black Ox were skilled and enthusiastic about growing spiritual herbs.
• Chen Xun demonstrated the second level of the Water Spirit Art, and Zuo Yiying explained that reaching the third level could earn someone the sect’s full support.
• Chen Xun promised to focus on practicing the Water Spirit Art and helping the sect, while Big Black Ox resented Zuo Yiying’s remarks about Chen Xun’s limits.
• Zuo Yiying gave Chen Xun cyan-grey elder clothing and registered his essence blood on a token that granted access to the true Spiritual Herb Garden.
• Zuo Yiying warned Chen Xun that if he failed to return within twenty years during any century away from the sect, he would be considered a defector and could be killed by anyone in the Five Elements Sect.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox formally joined the Five Elements Sect and learned the benefits of registration, including an annual stipend and access to more exchanges. Zuo Yiying gave Big Black Ox a Spiritual Beast Foundation Establishment Pill in exchange for Chen Xun's contribution points for ten years, and Chen Xun prepared to enter the Spiritual Herb Garden.

• Chen Xun agreed to enter the Spiritual Herb Garden after Zuo Yiying explained the sect's rules and reassured him about what would happen when his lifespan ran out.
• Zuo Yiying explained that registered cultivators received five hundred contribution points annually and broader access to the sect's resources, prompting Chen Xun and Big Black Ox to pledge their service.
• Zuo Yiying gave Big Black Ox a Spiritual Beast Foundation Establishment Pill as a congratulatory gift, in return for Chen Xun's contribution points for the next ten years.
• Zuo Yiying summoned Ruan Zheng and told him to show Chen Xun around the Pill Refining Hall, then said Chen Xun could head to the Spiritual Herb Garden in three days.
• Ruan Zheng encouraged Chen Xun to pursue pill refining, but Zuo Yiying appeared and he quickly praised the Spiritual Herb Garden instead.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox packed up Medicine Valley and prepared to move into the sect’s Spiritual Herb Garden, carefully hiding their resources before they left. They departed with their animals and belongings, drawing curious and respectful whispers from passing disciples.

• Ruan Zheng abandoned his attempt to enlist Chen Xun’s help and left after warning him about the Spiritual Herb Garden.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox agreed to stay cautious and conceal their abilities while living in the sect.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox packed their belongings, animals, and spiritual herbs, then destroyed and buried their cave dwelling.
• Big Black Ox retrieved concealed formation supplies and Spirit Medicine Seeds from the pool while Chen Xun kept watch.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox walked through Five Elements Sect with their boars, piglets, chicks, chickens, and eggs, prompting disciples to speculate about their purpose.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox entered the Five Elements Sect’s guarded Spiritual Herb Garden and reached their assigned plot at Gathering Spring Stream. After exploring its lush landscape and rare herbs, they settled in to build a chicken coop and pigsty while Chen Xun reflected on how easy the work was for its generous contribution rewards.

• Chen Xun presented his Restriction Token to two Foundation Establishment cultivators, who confirmed his assignment to the Earth Position’s Gathering Spring Stream Spiritual Herb Garden.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox entered the Floating Light Mysterious Female Grand Array and endured its probing senses before the formation concealed them within Mysterious Mist.
• Chen Xun used the token to reveal a path to Gathering Spring Stream, where he and the livestock marveled at the vast, green herb garden.
• Chen Xun lay in the grass while Big Black Ox and the piglets explored, then he decided they should build a chicken coop and pigsty.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox felled trees for their new shelters, and Chen Xun recognized rare spiritual herbs, including two auxiliary herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox prepared their new home at Gathering Spring Stream, then Chen Xun visited the old, dispirited Ji Kun before his journey to Southern Dipper Mountain. Chen Xun confronted Ji Kun over how much he had changed, leaving their reunion in the midst of an angry, painful exchange.

• Chen Xun began planning their cultivation and warned Big Black Ox not to use Foundation Establishment Pills without a cultivation art.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox spent a month preparing Gathering Spring Stream, then left as the sect's journey to Southern Dipper Mountain approached.
• Ji Kun packed his belongings in a shabby cabin and appeared on the list of disciples permitted to make the journey despite his age.
• Chen Xun arrived at Ji Kun's cabin, and the two exchanged strained remarks about Ji Kun's years in the Outer Sect Elder Hall.
• Chen Xun angrily seized Ji Kun by the robe and demanded to know what had happened to the spirited senior brother he remembered.
• Ji Kun laughed bitterly and called himself a lowly country bumpkin of the Cultivation World.

Chen Xun learned why Ji Kun had been disgraced after the previous Southern Dipper Mountain expedition and gave him support for the next one. Five months later, the expedition began, and Chen Xun and Big Black Ox set out to meet someone important.

• Chen Xun nearly struck Ji Kun, then listened as Ji Kun explained how Su Yetong had betrayed him after they killed a fellow disciple in Southern Dipper Mountain.
• Chen Xun gave Ji Kun a Yellow-Rank High-Grade Magical Artifact and a booklet of his insights, promising a Foundation Establishment Pill if Ji Kun returned with a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Herb.
• Chen Xun warned that he would deal with Su Yetong if Ji Kun failed to return, while Ji Kun vowed to win the coming expedition.
• Five months later, the Southern Dipper Mountain expedition began, and Chen Xun and Big Black Ox headed toward a sect marketplace to meet someone important.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox visited Hanging Bamboo Market, where they reunited with Le Feng and learned why he had left the sect. They returned to the Spiritual Herb Garden and eagerly studied a compendium of rare treasures, excited by the unknown possibilities ahead.

• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox entered Hanging Bamboo Market and went to the Shi Feng Talisman Shop to find Le Feng.
• Le Feng welcomed Chen Xun and Big Black Ox, then explained that he had left the sect because he had no ambitions for Foundation Establishment and wanted to guide younger disciples instead.
• Chen Xun and Le Feng reminisced and talked about their outlook on life before Chen Xun and Big Black Ox left the market.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox returned to the Spiritual Herb Garden, tended their plants and animals, and continued observing the Floating Light Mysterious Female Grand Array.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox read the Basic Compendium of Natural Treasures and marveled at rare materials that could improve artifacts, cultivate Pupil Power, and temper the body.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox helped Elder Jing Huang refine medicinal liquids, and Chen Xun learned that spiritual herbs could yield multiple batches of pills if their medicinal properties were suitable. After discovering Crane Spirit Tree wood was common and useful for preserving pills, they vented their regret by logging across the mountains and hauling the lumber back to the Spiritual Herb Garden.

• Chen Xun offered to help Jing Huang with pill refinement for free in exchange for learning basic techniques, and he and Big Black Ox spent half a month assisting in the Pill Refining Hall.
• Jing Huang explained that a primary spiritual herb for a Foundation Establishment Pill could refine multiple batches, while overly potent herbs could cause a pill to collapse.
• Chen Xun learned that Crane Spirit Tree wood was commonly used for Medicine Boxes and preserving pills, then fainted from regret over having wasted it before.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox began felling Crane Spirit Trees and carrying huge piles of lumber back to the Spiritual Herb Garden, calling logging a way to clear their minds.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox made tools from their growing lumber stacks and continued their duties without sensing the probing power in the formation again.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox feared that Ji Kun had died on Southern Dipper Mountain, but he returned safely after claiming first place. Back at the Spiritual Herb Garden, Chen Xun began secretly preparing a Foundation Establishment Pill for Ji Kun while continuing to cultivate herbs and refine pills.

• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox waited for Ji Kun among the returning disciples, then left believing he had not survived.
• Ji Kun called out to Chen Xun and Big Black Ox as they were leaving, and the three exchanged solemn greetings without speaking further.
• Ji Kun recognized that Chen Xun had deceived him about the magical artifact’s contribution value and resolved to remember his kindness.
• Chen Xun told Big Black Ox he would replace Ji Kun’s sect-issued Foundation Establishment Pill with one he refined himself, suspecting the official pills might be defective.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox reviewed how to avoid the grand formation’s inspections and began cultivating spiritual herbs and refining pills in their hidden cave.

Chen Xun delivered Ji Kun a Foundation Establishment Pill and a private message, then obtained a Five Elements cultivation art from Zuo Yiying. He and Big Black Ox returned to the Spiritual Herb Garden relieved that they had found a suitable cultivation method.

• Chen Xun gave Ji Kun a disguised Foundation Establishment Pill and a brocade pouch, while reminding him that he still owed two thousand contribution points.
• Ji Kun tried to return Chen Xun's magical artifact, but Chen Xun and Big Black Ox hurriedly fled before he could hand it over.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox staged a mournful entrance at the Pill Refining Hall to ask Zuo Yiying for an affordable Foundation Establishment cultivation art.
• Zuo Yiying gave Chen Xun the Hundred Refinements Five Elements Art, which included the Five Elements Shadow Escape movement technique.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox praised Zuo Yiying and headed back to the Spiritual Herb Garden, glad that their cultivation-art problem was solved.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox settled into a steady cultivation routine in the Spiritual Herb Garden while the Qian and Wu Kingdoms shifted their conflict into the Cultivation World. After Ji Kun achieved Foundation Establishment, he read Chen Xun’s letter and decided to apologize to the elder tied to his old grievance.

• Chen Xun chased Big Black Ox into the Spiritual Herb Garden after it startled him by farting, and they began cultivating there.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox followed a daily routine of cultivation, study, training, and tending spiritual herbs while their cultivation slowly improved.
• Two and a half years passed as Chen Xun and Big Black Ox added their Longevity Points to magical power, and the Qian Kingdom restored order while tensions grew between the cultivation sects of Qian and Wu.
• Ji Kun achieved Foundation Establishment and vowed to protect Chen Xun and Big Black Ox, while weighing whether to take revenge on Su Yetong.
• Ji Kun read Chen Xun’s letter advising him to make peace with the elder and Su Yetong, then burned the letter and prepared an apology gift.

Ji Kun followed Chen Xun’s advice, joined Elder Li’s faction, and avoided provoking Su Yetong, who later died during a dangerous mission assigned by Elder Dai. After realizing how close he had come to acting rashly, Ji Kun reunited with Chen Xun and Black Ox at the Spiritual Herb Garden, where the three caught up and bought formation materials.

• Ji Kun apologized to Elder Dai, then officially joined Elder Li’s ranks, angering Elder Dai and earning praise for his service to the sect.
• Su Yetong grew terrified of Ji Kun and sought Elder Dai’s protection, so Elder Dai assigned her dangerous missions until she died in an accident.
• Ji Kun learned of Su Yetong’s death, recalled Chen Xun’s warnings, and realized he had wisely avoided acting against her himself.
• Ji Kun visited Chen Xun and Black Ox at the Spiritual Herb Garden, where they shared stories about the past half year.
• Chen Xun and Ji Kun spent their contributions on formation materials for Black Ox while maintaining proper seniority in front of others.

Ji Kun grew close to Chen Xun and Big Black Ox, while the pair cultivated through the years and Big Black Ox reached Foundation Establishment. The chapter ended with Chen Xun and Big Black Ox testing their skills in a playful battle at the Spiritual Herb Garden.

• Ji Kun regularly visited Chen Xun and Big Black Ox after missions, and promised to help Big Black Ox obtain a Spiritual Beast Foundation Establishment Pill before learning they already had one.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox mourned a deceased Golden Core Stage cultivator, paid off their debt to the Pill Refining Hall, and added seven Longevity Points to their magical power.
• Big Black Ox successfully established its foundation and registered at the Spirit Beast Hall.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox fought in the Spiritual Herb Garden, using illusions, spells, movement techniques, and formations against each other.
• Chen Xun declared himself the winner and playfully tossed Big Black Ox into the water, where the two continued roughhousing.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox realized that minor spells held valuable ideas and decided to study them as a path toward creating their own techniques and arrays. They devoted their contributions and years to that work, with Chen Xun cultivating spells and refining tools while Big Black Ox continued its array studies.

• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox tested the Basic Five Elements Escape Technique and found that its lifelike spiritual power avatars worked well with Five Elements Shadow Escape.
• Chen Xun argued that minor spells embodied the wisdom of their creators and that studying them could help the pair learn how cultivation methods and spells were made.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox agreed that he would focus on cultivation methods and spells while Big Black Ox pursued arrays, relying on their long lifespan to make progress.
• In the following years, they spent all their yearly contributions on minor spells and array materials, and Chen Xun began refining tools to save on materials.
• Contribution Hall elders gave Chen Xun several minor spell books, but he and Big Black Ox thanked them and promised to return the next year.
• Chen Xun continued studying minor spells and refining tools while Big Black Ox practiced arrays, both pursuing their chosen goals.

Ten years passed as Chen Xun and Big Black Ox continued cultivating in the Spiritual Herb Garden, while the Immortal Gates of Qian Kingdom and Wu Kingdom remained tense. When Liu Yuan and Shi Jing visited to invite them to Qian Imperial City, Chen Xun declined for now, asked them to bring him a map, and sent them off with advice to retreat when in doubt.

• Chen Xun raised his spiritual power to 42 with Longevity Points, and Ji Kun reported that there was no immediate trouble between the two nations.
• Liu Yuan and Shi Jing visited Chen Xun and Big Black Ox to say they were leaving for Qian Imperial City under their master's order to settle their mortal affairs.
• Liu Yuan asked whether immortals had to sever their ties to mortal family, but Chen Xun said their master would not harm them rather than answer directly.
• Liu Yuan and Shi Jing invited Chen Xun and Big Black Ox to travel with them, but Chen Xun declined because of their cultivation plans and asked them to bring back a map of Qian Kingdom.
• Chen Xun advised Liu Yuan and Shi Jing, “When in doubt, retreat first,” then watched them depart with Big Black Ox.

Chen Xun explained to Big Black Ox why they should not interfere in their friends’ personal choices, then spent thirty years cultivating with him. After reaching Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and discovering their pills could no longer sustain it, Chen Xun settled on focusing their training and began improving the Fireball Spell.

• Chen Xun told Big Black Ox that helping Ji Kun with practical matters was different from giving Liu Yuan and Shi Jing advice about their lives, and that they should focus on living well themselves.
• Chen Xun promised to make Big Black Ox an outfit when they visited the imperial city, and the two resumed cultivating.
• Thirty years passed after Liu Yuan and Shi Jing bade farewell, while a supposedly young female genius in the Five Elements Sect reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage and gained a reputation for arrogance.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox found that their mana had reached a limit, allocated their remaining Longevity Points to defense, and continued cultivating without seeking fame or battle.
• Chen Xun and Big Black Ox reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, but their Foundation Establishment Pills stopped working and their realms began to decline.
• Chen Xun told Big Black Ox he would focus on a limited set of techniques and improve the Fireball Spell without limit.