Recaps

Lin Xiao drew the Cloud Mist Sect pursuers away from Lu Yuan, then discovered a destroyed Soul Tool and the blast site it had caused in the stone forest’s southeast corner. The Soul Emperor captured him, but an explosion at Mo Chen’s rendezvous point left the elder deciding whether to pursue the commotion or hold Lin Xiao.

• Lin Xiao lured the Cloud Mist Sect pursuers away from Lu Yuan and used the stone forest’s terrain to evade them, injuring one Soul Ancestor.
• As his injured arm and dwindling Soul Power slowed him, Lin Xiao headed toward the southeast corner, where the Cloud Mist Sect had been investigating.
• Lin Xiao found a charred crater, destroyed bodies, and a wrecked large-scale Soul Tool amid traces of chaotic earth-vein and lightning-attribute Soul Power.
• The Soul Emperor intercepted Lin Xiao, bound him with Soul Power, and demanded to know where his accomplice and the thing were.
• An explosion erupted near Mo Chen’s rendezvous point, and the Soul Emperor hesitated between responding to it and dealing with Lin Xiao.

Lu Yuan survived three days hidden in a cavern by using soul marrow essence to recover and studying how it affected Soul Power. After the search outside ended, he left the cavern and headed for the abandoned hunters’ huts west of Maple Leaf Town to meet Mo Chen.

• Lu Yuan used a small piece of soul marrow essence to nourish his body, ease his hunger and cold, and help his wounds heal.
• Lu Yuan examined the essence and found that it could smooth and regulate Soul Power, inspiring him to develop a way to use it to assist cultivation and condition meridians.
• On the third night, Lu Yuan sensed that the patrols had left and waited until moonlight appeared before emerging from the crevice.
• Lu Yuan gathered his remaining supplies and soul marrow essence, then set out through the stone forest toward the backup meeting point with Mo Chen.

Lu Yuan reunited with Mo Chen and Shen Moxin, learned that Lin Xiao had been captured by the Cloud Mist Sect, and returned with the Soul Marrow Essence. He began planning to gather intelligence and strengthen the group so they could rescue Lin Xiao.

• Lu Yuan returned to the hideout and asked Mo Chen and Shen Moxin where Lin Xiao was.
• Mo Chen explained that a Cloud Mist Sect elder had captured Lin Xiao, while Shen Moxin reported that the others had safely relocated to Maple Leaf Town.
• Lu Yuan revealed that he had obtained three pieces of Soul Marrow Essence and said Lin Xiao had to be rescued too.
• Lu Yuan argued that they needed intelligence on the Cloud Mist Sect and greater strength before attempting a rescue.
• Lu Yuan proposed using the Soul Marrow Essence to help the group overcome bottlenecks and injuries as they prepared to bring Lin Xiao back.

Lu Yuan used Soul Marrow Essence to ease Mo Chen’s old Soul Power injury, proving it could gently treat damaged meridians. With part of the Essence spent, he laid out plans to strengthen the group and support Bai Zhi’s brother’s treatment as they prepared to rescue Lin Xiao.

• Lu Yuan returned with three pieces of Essence and directed the others to guard the house and prepare for his treatment of Mo Chen.
• Lu Yuan and Shen Moxin set up a Meridian-Moistening Formation, and Lu Yuan guided Essence through Mo Chen’s damaged meridians through the night.
• Mo Chen woke at dawn and found that the pain and stiffness beneath his left shoulder blade had eased by about thirty percent.
• Lu Yuan said they would ration the Essence, increase Su Yan and Li Wangye’s training, and consider using it in Bai Zhi’s brother’s detoxification and Martial Soul treatment.
• Lu Yuan told everyone they needed to grow stronger to rescue Lin Xiao.

Lu Yuan’s household learned that suspicious strangers were searching for injured outsiders and people connected to poisoning, then welcomed Mentor Wen, a former teacher who had tracked Lu Yuan down. After Mentor Wen demonstrated his ability to develop Lu Yuan’s Soul Power model, Lu Yuan judged his approach viable, leaving him with a place to pursue a new path as danger gathered outside.

• Lu Qinghe reported that three gray-clad newcomers in town were asking about out-of-town Soul Masters, injured people seeking doctors, and poisoning, so Lu Yuan ordered precautions and emergency preparations.
• A visitor knocked at the side gate, and Lu Yuan recognized him as Mentor Wen from Notting Junior Academy.
• Mentor Wen explained that the academy had dismissed him for rejecting mainstream teaching and supporting Lu Yuan’s model, and that rumors had led him to Maple Leaf Town.
• Mentor Wen recalled Lu Yuan’s Soul Power model and used a branch to derive how a periodic disturbance might affect Soul Power gathering.
• Lu Yuan said Mentor Wen’s derivation had flaws but its general approach was viable, as the household continued to face the threat of the strangers outside.

Lu Yuan’s group tested Mentor Wen’s loyalty and put his teaching skills and knowledge to work. His reports about the Cloud Mist Sect’s search, internal divisions, and a possible captive gave Lu Yuan a potential opening for a rescue plan, though the details remained uncertain.

• Mentor Wen swore to keep the group’s secrets, and Lu Yuan accepted him cautiously.
• Mentor Wen taught Su Yan and Li Wangye about Soul Power resistance using a well-and-pipe analogy, then helped organize and correct Shen Moxin’s theory notes.
• Mentor Wen reported rumors of Soul Kings fighting in the Black Stone Mountain Range, increased Cloud Mist Sect activity, losses within the sect, and stepped-up border patrols.
• Mentor Wen explained that a valuable captive might be kept alive and that the Cloud Mist Sect’s factions could create an opportunity; Lu Yuan ordered him to gather more information.
• Lu Yuan assigned the group further cultivation and planning, while Mentor Wen began sketching a rough map of the Cloud Mist Sect’s power structure.

Lu Yuan founded Spark with his allies to challenge a Soul Power system shaped by talent and birth, and organized their research, training, equipment, and medical work. As they began building their base, he considered provoking a diversion to create an opening to rescue Lin Xiao from the Cloud Mist Sect.

• Mentor Wen asked Lu Qinghe what Lu Yuan wanted, and Lu Qinghe said Lu Yuan sought a path that did not depend on heaven’s favor for a livelihood.
• Lu Yuan named the group Spark, explained its goals, and assigned its members roles in research, teaching, equipment, training, medicine, logistics, and security.
• The group converted the backyard into a theory corner, equipment workshop, training area, and pharmacology station, then began lessons and practical work.
• Lu Yuan gave Mo Chen a design for a discreet, short-range communication tool based on Soul Power resonance and reviewed Shen Moxin’s notes and the youths’ training.
• Studying scant information about the Cloud Mist Sect, Lu Yuan considered making a risky commotion to distract its forces and create a chance to rescue Lin Xiao.

Lu Yuan and his allies spread rumors about a relic, the Cloud Mist Sect’s losses, and its captive Lin Xiao to draw rival forces toward the Black Stone Mountain Range and divert the sect’s attention. By the third day, rumors had reached the area and unfamiliar observers had appeared, leaving Lu Yuan waiting to see how the Cloud Mist Sect and its rivals would respond.

• Lu Yuan proposed using vague rumors about an unusual phenomenon, the Cloud Mist Sect’s losses, and Lin Xiao’s Mutated Martial Soul to draw other forces in and ease pressure on the captive.
• Mo Chen built devices to reveal the messages, while Shen Moxin drafted them and Lu Qinghe helped choose locations.
• Lu Qinghe and Mo Chen planted twelve message devices around Maple Leaf Town, Blue Stone Town, and Falling Goose Pass.
• Over the next two days, Su Yan and Li Wangye trained to break through, while Lu Qinghe and Mentor Wen watched for signs that the rumors had spread.
• Mentor Wen reported that outsiders were discussing the Black Stone Mountain Range and that two unfamiliar Soul Masters appeared hostile toward the Cloud Mist Sect.
• Lu Qinghe reported that a peddler had repeated the rumor and spotted a gray-clad figure surveying the mountains, and Lu Yuan decided to wait for the Cloud Mist Sect’s reaction.

The Star Luo Empire's Inspection Office questioned Lu Qinghe about unusual activity near Maple Leaf Town and the Cloud Mist Sect. After the officials left, Lu Yuan and his allies realized the empire might offer a temporary chance to oppose the sect and save Lin Xiao, though any cooperation would be dangerous.

• Lu Yuan detected unfamiliar Soul Power in the garden as Lu Qinghe reported that Inspection Office officials were approaching.
• Lu Yuan hid the others and watched while Lu Qinghe answered Deacon Han's questions about suspicious visitors, mountain rumors, and the Cloud Mist Sect.
• Deacon Han told Lu Qinghe to report any future misconduct by the Cloud Mist Sect, then left with his team.
• Mentor Wen explained that the Inspection Office was likely seeking leverage over the Cloud Mist Sect and signaling that the empire was watching.
• Shen Moxin and Lu Yuan discussed a possible tacit understanding with the empire, which might help them save Lin Xiao and survive.

Lu Qinghe reported that Deacon Han had offered the family protection and rewards in exchange for information about the Cloud Mist Sect. Lu Yuan chose to pursue a cautious, anonymous exchange with the Inspection Office, leaving the group to weigh the risks of maneuvering between two powerful factions as they sought to save Lin Xiao.

• Deacon Han asked Lu Qinghe to gather intelligence on the Cloud Mist Sect and promised the Inspection Office would help the family in return.
• Lu Qinghe repeated Deacon Han’s offer to the group, and Mo Chen, Shen Moxin, and Mr. Wen reacted with alarm and suspicion.
• Lu Yuan weighed the possible benefits against the risks of revealing their secrets or becoming expendable to the empire.
• Lu Yuan proposed sharing only selected, vague intelligence and cutting contact if the Inspection Office pressured them or betrayed them.
• Mo Chen agreed to try building a one-way, single-use recording chip, and Lu Yuan instructed Lu Qinghe to wait at the old tea stall in three days without approaching Deacon Han.

Lu Yuan and his allies launched a cautious intelligence deal with Deacon Han by delivering a disguised report under the name “Mist.” After Han accepted the first volume and offered protection in return, he demanded more details and warned them to keep their loyalties clear.

• Lu Yuan and his allies prepared a one-use sound-triggered tablet and a carefully mixed report of truths and falsehoods titled “Mist,” Volume One.
• Lu Qinghe exchanged a signal with Deacon Han’s disguised porter at the old tea stall and directed him to retrieve the tablet from Eagle’s Beak Rock.
• After the tablet was taken, Lu Yuan’s group learned that the Inspection Office had posted notices promising increased patrols and urging residents to report suspicious sect activity.
• Deacon Han visited Lu Yuan’s home, confirmed that the first volume was valuable, and offered continued protection if they provided useful intelligence.
• Deacon Han demanded more specific information about the captive and the mysterious force, warned against divided loyalties, and left expecting volume two.

Su Yan broke through to level ten after refining his Soul Power through precise control, and Lu Yuan began planning a trip to find him a suitable first Soul Ring. The group prepared to travel to the outskirts of the Black Stone Mountain Range in three days, where they would also observe the Cloud Mist Sect’s activity near the border.

• Su Yan completed a flawless circle with his Soul Power and broke through to level ten, drawing congratulations and questions from the others.
• Lu Yuan and Shen Moxin discussed Soul Ring abilities that would complement Su Yan’s Iron Hammer Martial Soul, including stability, vibration, and precision.
• Lu Yuan identified the Iron-Armored Pangolin Beast and Thousand-Segment Stone Worm as possible Soul Beast targets and said the trip would also test the group’s training and observe the Cloud Mist Sect’s patrols.
• Lu Yuan set the expedition for three days later and assigned the group preparation tasks, while Su Yan promised to make the most of the opportunity.

Lu Yuan led Su Yan, Li Wangye, Mo Chen, and Shen Moxin through the forest, teaching them to assess Soul Beasts and setting up to capture a young Mountain-Shaking Armadillo for Su Yan’s First Soul Ring. The plan was interrupted when the Desolate Wolf gang appeared to claim the beast, leaving the team hidden above as the bandits prepared to attack it.

• Lu Yuan guided the team through the mountains, explaining how to read Soul Beast signs and avoid danger while Shen Moxin recorded observations and Mo Chen tested his devices.
• Lu Yuan identified a young Mountain-Shaking Armadillo as a suitable First Soul Ring for Su Yan and instructed the team on how to approach it safely.
• Mo Chen and Lu Yuan placed Soul Power disruptors around the armadillo, but a metal device at Mo Chen’s waist emitted a faint hum and alerted it.
• The Desolate Wolf gang emerged from the rocks and moved to surround the armadillo, while Lu Yuan signaled his team to take cover.
• Mo Chen identified the newcomers as notorious bandits, and the scar-faced leader prepared to attack the armadillo as Su Yan watched tensely from hiding.

Lu Yuan and his companions outmaneuvered the Desolate Wolf men long enough for Su Yan to kill a young Mountain-Shaking Armadillo and absorb his First Soul Ring. After the group collected their belongings and started back, Lu Yuan remained wary that the Desolate Wolf might still be following them.

• Scarface and the Desolate Wolf men tried to claim the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo, but Lu Yuan deterred them by invoking the Inspection Office and Deacon Han.
• Lu Yuan coordinated Mo Chen, Li Wangye, and Su Yan to disrupt the beast's charge and deliver a fatal hammer strike.
• Su Yan absorbed the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo's Soul Ring and gained a vibration Soul Skill that worked especially well against hard targets.
• The Desolate Wolf men collected the beast's shell, flesh, and blood, then left while Lu Yuan's group waited before moving on.
• Lu Yuan ordered everyone to withdraw quickly, warning that the Desolate Wolf men might still be nearby.

Su Yan absorbed the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo’s hundred-year Soul Ring and gained a Concussion skill, while Lu Yuan’s group escaped an ambush by Desolate Wolf using prepared Soul Tool traps. As they returned toward Maple Leaf Town, an unfamiliar middle-aged man began watching the old Lu family residence.

• Lu Yuan guided Su Yan through absorbing the Mountain-Shaking Armadillo’s Soul Ring while Shen Moxin, Mo Chen, and Li Wangye kept watch.
• Su Yan successfully gained a pale yellow Soul Ring and discovered his Concussion skill could send penetrating shockwaves through targets and disrupt Soul Power.
• Scarface and four subordinates attacked the group, but Mo Chen’s flash bombs and blast stones disoriented them, allowing the five to escape with the beast’s remains.
• Scarface ordered his men to investigate the newcomers in Maple Leaf Town and vowed retaliation against Lu Yuan’s group.
• Lu Yuan’s group headed back toward town, concerned that Desolate Wolf and other nearby forces were taking notice of Spark.
• An ordinary-looking middle-aged man at an eastern tea stall watched the direction of the old Lu family residence before disappearing into the crowd.

Lu Yuan detected two covert watchers around the old house and staged a conversation to mislead them while his group investigated. After the watchers vanished, they left an unfamiliar eye emblem at the gate, and Lu Yuan prepared everyone to continue acting normally as they faced an unknown third party.

• Lu Yuan noticed the unnatural quiet around the old house and had Mo Chen make devices to detect Soul Power fluctuations while the others searched for clues.
• The group found signs of surveillance, and the devices detected two sustained, faint Soul Power signals near the woodpile and water jar.
• Lu Yuan and Lu Qinghe staged a conversation about giving Deacon Han false information, while Lu Qinghe arranged to buy iron nails under a cover story.
• Lu Yuan monitored the devices overnight and saw both signals disappear before dawn; he then found a metal eye emblem attached to the gate.
• Lu Yuan concluded the emblem was a warning that someone was watching and told everyone to carry on as usual while investigating the unknown observers.

Lu Yuan’s group received three precisely targeted gifts from the unseen observers and left a Soul Power resonance diagram in return, but the observers returned only a marked metal piece. The chapter ended with news that the Cloud Mist Sect was searching for an accomplice connected to the mountain lightning, putting Lin Xiao in immediate danger.

• Su Yan found a fragment of the ancient Resonance Theory beneath the old scholar tree, and Shen Moxin recognized its significance.
• The group received two more gifts, a Mist Shadow Marten booklet and an ancient Soul Tool component, and Lu Yuan concluded that the observers were testing them and displaying their resources.
• Lu Yuan sent a wooden box containing a basic resonance diagram to the observers, with a device meant to record the Soul Power of whoever opened it.
• Su Yan found the box gone and an eye-marked metal piece with a new scratch in its place, and Lu Yuan inferred that the observers were assessing their knowledge and ideas.
• Li Wangye reported that the Cloud Mist Sect was searching inns for an alleged accomplice after extracting information about the mountain lightning from a captive, and Lu Yuan realized Lin Xiao was in greater danger.

As the Cloud Mist Sect searched Maple Leaf Town for accomplices, Lu Yuan’s family hid their traces while Deacon Han gave them three days to provide useful intelligence or prove their value. Lu Yuan abandoned his cautious approach and began considering a dangerous plan based on forbidden Soul Power theories.

• Li Wangye warned Lu Yuan that the Cloud Mist Sect had begun searching the town after claiming a third group had used lightning traps in the mountains, and Lu Yuan ordered the family to hide evidence and sent Li Wangye to a hunter’s cabin.
• Lu Qinghe learned that the Cloud Mist Sect had taken two traveling rogue cultivators and that the Inspection Office would only assist its investigation.
• Su Yan delivered Li Wangye’s map showing seven checkpoints, guarded roads, and five reinforcements headed toward the Thousand Needle Stone Forest.
• Deacon Han told Lu Yuan that the Inspection Office needed substantial intelligence or proof the Lu family was valuable, giving him three days to respond.
• Lu Yuan decided they needed a point of attack that could disrupt the Cloud Mist Sect without striking directly, and focused on a parchment describing forbidden theories of Soul Power.

Lu Yuan proposed forging a clue to ancient ruins in the Black Stone Mountain Range to distract the Cloud Mist Sect, draw in the Inspection Office and Shadow Guards, and create a chance to rescue Lin Xiao. Mr. Wen provided information about the Ghost Cry Rift, giving the plan a real-world foundation, and the group began preparing to launch the deception within three days.

• Lu Yuan outlined a plan to forge a ruins clue and Soul Power resonance key, then leak and partially confirm it through channels likely to reach the Cloud Mist Sect and the Inspection Office.
• Lu Yuan estimated the plan had a thirty percent chance of helping rescue Lin Xiao, while the group's chances of escaping safely remained unknown.
• Mr. Wen revealed an old map and mining-team account describing unnatural metal fragments, strange Soul Power, cave-ins, and Soul Beasts at the Ghost Cry Rift.
• Mo Chen and Shen Moxin saw how the real site and its traces could support the forged clue, while Lu Yuan thanked Mr. Wen for the information.
• Lu Yuan assigned the group tasks to prepare the materials, theory, and site details, and said they had three days to put the key into circulation.

Lu Yuan and his allies forged fake ancient relics and spread rumors about ruins in the Black Stone Mountain Range to draw rival forces toward the Ghost Cry Rift. As suspicion grew and Deacon Han began investigating, Lu Yuan ordered Mo Chen to prepare convincing traces at the Rift while planning to stay out of sight.

• Mo Chen, Su Yan, Shen Moxin, and the others finished crafting counterfeit relics, and Lu Yuan sent Li Wangye to leak a rumor about an ancient map to Quick-Mouthed Liu.
• Lu Qinghe planted fragments near Deacon Han's usual seat, and rumors about ruins in the Black Stone Mountain Range spread through town.
• Mo Chen reported that members of Desolate Wolf were entering the mountains, while Deacon Han questioned Lu Qinghe about the rumored relics and warned him to report anything he knew.
• Lu Yuan sensed someone watching him in the Lu family's backyard and concluded that the bait had begun attracting interested parties.
• Lu Yuan asked Mo Chen to create fake ancient traces at the Ghost Cry Rift to slow the incoming explorers, and Mo Chen agreed to finish in one and a half days.

Lu Yuan and his companions watched the Cloud Mist Sect, the Inspection Office, and rogue cultivators compete for control of Ghost Cry Rift while waiting for their plan to create an opening. Their scheme took an unexpected turn when mysterious Shadow Guards activated one of Lu Yuan’s concealed rune nodes, revealing that they recognized the lock.

• Deacon Han refused the Cloud Mist Sect’s demand to leave and insisted the Inspection Office lead the investigation while both sides remained at the rift.
• Lu Yuan, Shen Moxin, Su Yan, and Mo Chen watched the camps from concealment and discussed how the rival groups’ standoff could help their plan.
• A minor clash between rogue cultivators drew attention from the camps, adding to the tension around the rift.
• Lu Yuan spotted five or six gray-cloaked figures on the eastern precipice, and Shen Moxin sensed their strange, powerful Soul Power.
• The leader of the Shadow Guards struck a concealed rune node on the western cliff, making its deep-blue pattern glow and emit a resonance resembling the forged energy signature.
• Lu Yuan and his companions realized the Shadow Guards recognized the lock and might know how to open it, leaving their plan disrupted by an unforeseen rival.

Lu Yuan, Shen Moxin, and Mo Chen watched the gray-clad Observers use their forged clues to uncover what seemed to be real remnants of the Lost Era and force the Cloud Mist Sect and Inspection Office to withdraw. With the Cloud Mist Sect’s leaders distracted, Lu Yuan decided to launch a rescue mission for Lin Xiao.

• The gray-clad leader identified the rock markings as residual information from the Lost Era and invoked the Hidden Knowledge Pact to take control of the ravine.
• The Observers used gray mist to activate the markings, which turned ocher red and appeared to undergo an unknown verification process.
• Deacon Han recognized the leader’s symbol and withdrew the Inspection Office, while the Cloud Mist Sect’s Soul King reluctantly led his disciples away.
• Lu Yuan saw the standoff as an opportunity to rescue Lin Xiao from the now less-guarded Cloud Mist Sect camp.
• Lu Yuan ordered Mo Chen to check their equipment and Shen Moxin to review the camp layout before they approached from the northern ridge.

Lu Yuan and his companions infiltrated the Cloud Mist Sect camp to rescue Lin Xiao, but Lin Xiao broke free in a frenzy before they could begin their attack. Lu Yuan led the group into the chaos, aiming to stop the Soul Ancestor and steady Lin Xiao.

• Lu Yuan, Mo Chen, Su Yan, and Lu Qinghe silently subdued two Cloud Mist Sect patrol disciples and took their identity tokens.
• Mo Chen disabled the camp’s Soul Tool alarm net, creating an opening that would last about a hundred breaths.
• Lin Xiao burst from the central tent, his Soul Power out of control, and struck down a Cloud Mist Sect disciple before attacking the Soul Ancestor’s barrier.
• Lu Yuan ordered Mo Chen and Su Yan to disrupt the camp and sent Lu Qinghe to restrain the Soul Ancestor while he tried to steady Lin Xiao.
• Lu Yuan charged into the camp as Mo Chen threw iron bombs, Su Yan gathered Soul Power, and Lu Qinghe confronted the Soul Ancestor.

Lu Yuan diverted Lin Xiao’s rampaging Soul Power and briefly restored his clarity, but a hostile Soul Ancestor struck at their fragile balance. Lin Xiao took the wind blade meant to disrupt them, leaving him gravely wounded as Lu Yuan turned toward the attacker in rage.

• Lu Yuan studied Lin Xiao’s unstable Soul Power and used a fine thread of his own power and a calming hum to redirect its dangerous flow.
• Lin Xiao briefly regained clarity, but the Soul Ancestor escaped Lu Qinghe and sent a wind blade toward the unstable Soul Power between Lin Xiao and Lu Yuan.
• Lin Xiao shielded the channeling point with his body and took the wind blade across his back, suffering a grave wound.
• The injury redirected some of Lin Xiao’s rampaging Soul Power and checked his collapse, while Lu Yuan fixed the pinned Soul Ancestor with rage and killing intent.

Lu Yuan led his injured companions away from the Cloud Mist Sect's camp, stabilized Lu Qinghe, and chose Old Crow Ridge as their refuge. As the group set out, he resolved to survive first and settle the debt with the Soul Ancestor and Cloud Mist Sect later.

• Lu Yuan stopped Lin Xiao's rampage, and Lu Qinghe was wounded protecting him as the Soul Ancestor fled.
• Lu Yuan ordered Mo Chen to cover their retreat with a smoke bomb and guided the group northeast through rocky terrain.
• Lu Yuan cleared the wind-attribute Soul Power from Lu Qinghe's circulation and fed him Soul Marrow Essence to stabilize him.
• Lu Yuan reassured Lin Xiao, warned him not to use Soul Power, and decided they would hide at Old Crow Ridge to find herbs and shelter.
• After resting, Lu Yuan carried Lu Qinghe as the group departed, keeping the Soul Ancestor, Cloud Mist Sect, and unseen watchers in mind.