Chapter Summaries

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.

After escaping to an abandoned quarry, Lu Yuan’s group treated their wounded while the collapse buried the false ruins clues and the mysterious Shadow Guards vanished. Lu Qinghe survived but needed rare medicines to heal his damaged meridians, and Lu Yuan resolved to gather the ingredients, find a new base, and settle accounts with the Cloud Mist Sect and Shadow Guards.

• Lu Yuan and his companions reached an abandoned quarry, where Shen Moxin treated Lu Qinghe and the others.
• A distant cave-in followed the Shadow Guards’ sudden withdrawal, and rumors about the buried ruins spread as the Cloud Mist Sect and Inspection Office forces pulled back.
• Lin Xiao woke and learned that Lu Qinghe needed rare ingredients for the Origin-Fortifying and Essence-Nurturing Decoction to avoid permanent injury.
• Lu Yuan promised his father would recover and vowed that everyone responsible for the injuries would pay.
• Shen Moxin proposed scouting an abandoned shelter in the Silent Hills, and Lu Yuan agreed to investigate once the wounded were steadier.
• Lu Yuan said he would contact Miss Bai Zhi for Moonlight Orchid floral dew and declared that the group would settle its debts with the Cloud Mist Sect and Shadow Guards.

Lu Yuan met Bai Zhi at an abandoned temple, where she gave him Moon Silver Orchid Floral Dew to treat Lu Qinghe and warned him that the Cloud Mist Sect was secretly investigating the collapsed ruins. Her offer of a hidden contact point left Lu Yuan with a valuable new ally as he headed back to the quarry to heal his father and prepare to move to the Silent Hills.

• Li Wangye placed Lu Yuan's signal at the East Market and returned safely to the quarry.
• Lu Yuan met Bai Zhi at the abandoned earth god's temple and explained that his father needed Moon Silver Orchid Floral Dew.
• Bai Zhi gave Lu Yuan her last three drops of floral dew without asking for payment.
• Bai Zhi warned Lu Yuan about hidden watchers in town and the Cloud Mist Sect's renewed investigation into the collapsed ruins.
• Bai Zhi shared a concealed contact point in an abandoned herb warehouse south of town before leaving.
• Lu Yuan returned toward the quarry with the dew, intending to heal Lu Qinghe and then find a new base in the Silent Hills.

Lu Yuan and his companions turned an underground cavern into a hidden refuge while Lu Qinghe recovered, and Lu Yuan resolved to build Spark into a lasting system of power. Lin Xiao then reported that Deacon Han was searching for them alone.

• Mo Chen led the group to a dry cavern, where Shen Moxin treated Lu Qinghe and Lu Yuan assigned the watch shifts.
• Over three days, Mo Chen set traps, Su Yan and Li Wangye organized the cavern, Shen Moxin nursed Lu Qinghe, Lin Xiao scouted the tunnels, and Mr. Wen mapped them.
• Lu Yuan planned the refuge and reflected on the threats facing them, deciding that Spark needed to become a system capable of producing Core Flames.
• Lin Xiao returned from scouting and told Lu Yuan that Deacon Han was searching for them alone, without anyone from the Inspection Office.

Lu Yuan received Deacon Han’s invitation to meet privately and went to the grove with Mo Chen’s warning devices in place. Deacon Han proposed cooperation based on Lu Yuan’s knowledge and Su Yan’s ability, leaving Lu Yuan to consider the offer.

• Lin Xiao reported that Deacon Han had left a meeting note near the mine, and Lu Yuan decided to meet him while keeping Lin Xiao hidden nearby.
• Lu Yuan assigned Shen Moxin, Su Yan, and Li Wangye to guard the hideout and set out with Mo Chen for the grove.
• Mo Chen planted warning and interference devices around the meeting spot, then hid while Lu Yuan waited alone.
• Deacon Han arrived alone and told Lu Yuan he knew about the fabricated ruins clues and Su Yan’s Soul Power technique.
• Deacon Han offered a different kind of cooperation involving technology or training to strengthen the empire’s lower-level Soul Masters.

Lu Yuan heard Deacon Han’s offer to train Soul Masters for a powerful imperial reformist in exchange for protection, supplies, and pressure on the Cloud Mist Sect. He postponed his decision for three days, demanded help punishing those who injured his father, and told Spark’s members they must preserve their independence and principles.

• Deacon Han offered Lu Yuan an imperial partnership to train recruits in practical Soul Power control and tactics, promising a secure site, supplies, and pressure on the Cloud Mist Sect.
• Lu Yuan asked whether the empire could assist with limited retaliation against the people who injured his father, and Deacon Han said he would seek instructions.
• Lu Yuan agreed to give Deacon Han an answer within three days and returned to the mine with Lin Xiao and Mo Chen.
• Lu Yuan explained the offer to Shen Moxin, Mo Chen, Lin Xiao, Su Yan, Li Wangye, and Mr. Wen, who raised concerns about the empire exploiting their knowledge and eventually suppressing them.
• Lu Yuan told Spark to consider the offer carefully while insisting that the Cloud Mist Sect must pay for his father’s injury and that Spark must not abandon its principles.

Deacon Han offered Lu Yuan tacit imperial permission to retaliate against the Cloud Mist Sect in exchange for long-term cooperation, prompting Lu Yuan and his allies to weigh the cost of surrendering control of their training method. Lu Yuan proposed a limited partnership while keeping their teachings independent and establishing a Spark Lecture Hall in the mine tunnels.

• Deacon Han told Lu Yuan that the Inspection Office would investigate the Cloud Mist Sect if evidence supported their wrongdoing, but said the arrangement depended on future cooperation and demanded Lu Yuan's answer in three days.
• Lu Yuan repeated the offer to his companions, and Shen Moxin, Mo Chen, and Lin Xiao discussed the risks and benefits of cooperating with the empire.
• Lu Qinghe argued that they had to keep their training path in their own hands, reminding the group that it had helped him break through a long-standing bottleneck.
• Lu Yuan proposed an equal, limited partnership with the empire that would preserve their control of their core theories and training methods.
• Lu Yuan announced plans to establish a Spark Lecture Hall in the mine tunnels, where they would teach, research, and train Soul Masters who shared their ideals.

Lu Yuan organized Spark Academy, negotiated supplies and intelligence with Deacon Han, and began training five recruits in the mine. After Lin Xiao brought back a map of a Cloud Mist Sect shipment route, a warning arrived that the sect might suspect a local force near Old Crow Ridge.

• Lu Yuan assigned Shen Moxin, Mo Chen, Li Wangye, Su Yan, Lin Xiao, and Lu Qinghe duties in establishing Spark Academy inside the mine.
• Lu Yuan negotiated with Deacon Han for construction supplies, five recruits, and intelligence on Cloud Mist Sect outposts in exchange for a limited three-month training program.
• The supplies arrived, the mine was renovated into classrooms, dormitories, and a workshop, and Shen Moxin completed three introductory textbooks.
• Five youths arrived and began training in Soul Power control, energy models, and body coordination under Shen Moxin and Su Yan.
• Lin Xiao returned with a map showing when Cloud Mist Sect escorts carried soul crystals through Mute Pass.
• Li Wangye delivered Mo Chen's warning that the Cloud Mist Sect might suspect a local force near Old Crow Ridge of involvement in the prisoner interception.

Lu Yuan opened his lecture hall by teaching the students to control Soul Power and reconsider supposedly useless Martial Souls, encouraging a poor student to explore his rusty short blade’s hidden potential. After learning that the Cloud Mist Sect had hired specialists and tightened patrols, Lu Yuan decided to change the plan and strike hard enough to deter them while recruiting more students.

• Lu Yuan began the lecture hall’s first lesson, explaining that Soul Power needed to be channeled and controlled, not merely accumulated.
• Lu Yuan argued that Martial Souls labeled as trash could have specialized uses, then helped a poor student detect a possible trait in his rusty short blade.
• The students debated Lu Yuan’s ideas, while the commoner student thanked him and resolved to train his control.
• Lin Xiao told Lu Yuan that the Cloud Mist Sect had posted a bounty for experts in ancient Soul Tool patterns and mechanical traps, increased patrols at Mute Pass, and brought unfamiliar trackers near the mine.
• Lu Yuan decided to revise the plan, injure the Cloud Mist Sect badly enough to deter further interference, and bring more useful people into the lecture hall.

Lu Yuan’s group raided a Cloud Mist Sect ore convoy to teach their trainees about combat coordination and openly marked the raid with the name Spark. After the Listening Wind Pavilion began investigating and rumors branded them a cult, Lu Yuan ordered the group to keep building their strength without retreating.

• Su Yan triggered the interference sphere, and Lin Xiao, Mo Chen, and Lu Yuan defeated the convoy guards in under sixty breaths and took the highest-purity ore.
• Lu Yuan left a metal plate bearing Blue Silver Grass and sparks at the scene, while Shi Xiaochuan and Zhao Tiezhu watched and learned how control, terrain, and coordination could decide a fight.
• Back at the mine, Shi Xiaochuan and Zhao Tiezhu told Lu Yuan they understood the practical value of Soul Power control and coordination.
• Deacon Han told Lu Yuan that the Cloud Mist Sect’s convoy had been robbed and passed on Bai Zhi’s warning that the sect had enlisted the Listening Wind Pavilion and that rumors of an underground cult were spreading.
• Lu Yuan rejected hiding or killing investigators and ordered his group to process the ore, accelerate workshop construction, and continue training.

Lu Yuan responded to the Listening Wind Pavilion’s investigation by ordering an internal cleanup, a discreet campaign to spread Spark’s principles, and a public demonstration targeting a Cloud Mist Sect convoy. A warning from the Shadow Guards revealed that a “cleaner” would arrive within three days, leaving the group braced for an imminent threat.

• Shen Moxin reported that the Listening Wind Pavilion was tracing the group’s purchases and contacts while conflicting rumors about them spread through town.
• After perimeter sensors were triggered and a contact point went dark, Lu Yuan ordered the group to destroy traceable records and spread limited information about Spark’s principles.
• Lu Yuan planned to stop a Cloud Mist Sect Soul Beast convoy at A Thread of Sky using a controlled rockslide, and assigned Mo Chen, Lin Xiao, and Su Yan to prepare.
• Lin Xiao brought Lu Yuan an unsigned warning from the Shadow Guards saying the “key” had been exposed, the “lock” alerted, and a “cleaner” would arrive within three days.
• Lu Yuan identified the “key” as their theoretical system and the “lock” as those opposing it, then told the group to prepare for the coming cleaner.