Chapter Summaries

Hu Mang returned to Heavenly Gate after working on a spiritual infrastructure project in Java Country and discussed his injuries and a possible alumni talk with his former counselor. He boarded a jiao bus, mistook its electric motor for a broken spiritual artifact, and learned that it ran on electricity.

• Hu Mang arrived at Heavenly Gate-Zhongshan Holy Land International Airport and measured the airport's Spiritual Qi with his detector.
• Hu Mang received a call from his former counselor, who invited him to speak to new students about civil engineering and recalled his talent for the field.
• Hu Mang revealed that he had fallen from Foundation Establishment back to Qi Refining after a construction accident and had returned for treatment with extensive injuries.
• Hu Mang boarded a jiao bus after letting three buses pass, then inspected it and claimed its lack of spiritual power meant it was broken.
• The driver told Hu Mang that the bus ran on electricity, and Hu Mang called it advanced Dao arts.

Hu Mang returned to a transformed Heavenly Gate and discovered that shared flying swords had become a public service. On Riverheart Isle Road, he confronted an artificial ox demon and subdued it despite his injuries.

• Hu Mang scanned the city, saw that its Spiritual Qi was controlled by public laws, and chose to try a shared flying sword instead of the subway.
• Hu Mang registered and unlocked an Azure Edge Spirit Enterprise flying sword, rode it slowly to Riverheart Isle Road, and received a message from his mother offering to pick him up.
• Hu Mang sensed Sha Qi and Yao Qi and found an artificial ox demon rampaging in the street as cultivators fled or were knocked aside.
• Hu Mang attacked the ox demon with a kick and close-range martial techniques, draining much of his Law Power as he wrestled it to the ground.
• Hu Mang restrained the demon until it transformed into a lean male cultivator wearing black-framed glasses.

Hu Mang returned to his old home after helping subdue a man suffering acute Demonization, while Demon-Suppressing Guard Little Xu grew suspicious of the pills Hu Mang had taken. Little Xu found that they were a legal medicine, but remained unsettled by Hu Mang’s gaze.

• Hu Mang recovered after taking two red pills and watched doctors identify the transformed Wang Zeyu as a spirit network architect suffering acute Demonization.
• Hu Mang gave Little Xu his contact information, then returned to Azure Cloud Lane and visited Uncle Ma’s Law Artifact repair shop.
• Hu Mang found his mother away and measured the Spiritual Qi in the home cultivation room at grade 34, a Gushing Spring Grade.
• Little Xu searched the Demon-Suppressing Bureau’s internal spirit network and learned that Hu Mang’s pills were a legal medicine that nourished Qi and Blood.
• Little Xu recalled Hu Mang’s gaze and wondered whether the incident was really as simple as it seemed.

Hu Mang returned home with damaged meridians after surviving Mount Merapi’s calamity and found he could not cultivate normally. After discovering that an old set of Spiritual Power Radio Calisthenics still helped him digest Spiritual Cuisine, he told Mom Hu he had recovered Shen Kaidao’s legacy, and she urged him to practice an ancient Golden Core method.

• Hu Mang examined the damage to his meridians and recalled using the Dragon-Subduing Pile Method to force the calamity’s turbid Qi into his acupoints.
• Mom Hu welcomed Hu Mang home with a feast, and they discussed how cultivation had advanced dramatically in the modern era.
• Hu Mang entered the quiet room, avoided ordinary cultivation, and used the fifth set of Spiritual Power Radio Calisthenics to ease his indigestion.
• Mom Hu asked Hu Mang whether he had retrieved Shen Kaidao’s legacy, and he confirmed that Shen had faked his death and sailed overseas seeking his ancestor’s legacy.
• Mom Hu explained Shen Kaidao’s Golden Core lineage and encouraged Hu Mang to learn the ancient method from the recovered legacy.

Hu Mang and Mama Hu investigated the artifacts from Old Daoist Shen’s tomb, hoping to find a valuable cultivation method, but Uncle Ma explained that the antiques had no spiritual value and that an ancient method would be an impractical path for Hu Mang. The chapter ended with Hu Mang realizing that his family’s stories had made him expect a great opportunity and forget how much modern cultivation had surpassed the ancient era.

• Mama Hu identified several artifacts as Liang dynasty antiques and recalled a Buddhist miracle she had witnessed in Jiankang City.
• Hu Mang examined an incomplete Dragon-Shaped Meridian Diagram while Mama Hu struggled to read an ancient book and found the characters “Tribulation Qi movement vein.”
• Mama Hu and Hu Mang wondered whether the writing came from High Antiquity and decided to ask Uncle Ma to appraise the items.
• Uncle Ma said the antiques had no spirituality and explained that an ancient Golden Core method would be a poor choice compared with modern opportunities for Hu Mang.
• Mama Hu went home upset, while Hu Mang realized that his belief in a coming fortuitous opportunity had clouded his judgment about ancient cultivation.

Hu Mang went to practice swordsmanship by the Phoenix River, received compensation for an overseas injury, and agreed to meet Wang after the Demon-Suppressing Guard put them in touch. His Black Robe Sword Technique amazed a retired cultivator, while the Demon Subjugation Bureau uncovered an unexpected issue in his background: his mother.

• Hu Mang left home to practice with his peachwood sword, but dozed by the river until a 200,000 Spirit Coin compensation payment woke him.
• Hu Mang spoke with Master Zhao, who checked on his recovery and compensation after the Spirit Power Station incident.
• Officer Xu connected Hu Mang with Wang, who called to thank him for stopping him during an episode of beast-of-burden disease, and they arranged to meet at a teahouse.
• Hu Mang demonstrated the Black Robe Sword Technique for a retired cultivator, stunning him with his elegant swordsmanship.
• At the Demon Subjugation Bureau, Xu learned that Hu Mang's identity checked out, though his mother was a point of concern.

Hu Mang told Mama Hu that his foundation was damaged beyond repair, triggering her fox-yao transformation and fury. He then met Wang Zeyu at Qingfeng Teahouse, where Wang explained Spirit Network cultivation and showed him the new Spirit Pivot No. 1.

• Little Xu learned that Hu Mang's mother's records were classified and that her pension came from the Wild Yao Protection Center at Pine Peak Blessed Land.
• Hu Mang told Mama Hu that he might be unable to recover from his damaged foundation, and she transformed into a red fox yao and attacked him.
• Hu Mang explained that he had concealed his yao traits with the Blood-Piercing Essence-Reversal Art, then left Mama Hu at home to calm down.
• Hu Mang met Wang Zeyu at Qingfeng Teahouse, and they discovered that they had both attended Southern Capital Academy.
• Wang Zeyu explained how Spirit Network programming used Dao Code to create reusable talisman effects across the network.
• Wang Zeyu gave Hu Mang a Spirit Pivot No. 1 and explained that it let users access the internet with their spiritual thoughts.

Hu Mang learned about the spirit network’s new technology from Wang Zeyu, whose sect developed firewalls that intercepted inner demons. Wang Zeyu’s account of a stolen Dao Law Large Model led Hu Mang to suspect that the silent figure in his mother’s room was the missing artifact spirit.

• Wang Zeyu gave Hu Mang a Spirit Pivot No. 1 and explained its role in the future spirit network.
• Wang Zeyu described how pseudo cultivators relied on network-enhanced Divine Sense and could lose a major realm if their connection failed.
• Wang Zeyu revealed that the Mystic Shield Sect made firewalls to block inner demons, reporting an 81.4 percent interception rate for Qi Training and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Wang Zeyu explained that Dao Law Intelligence could eventually help cultivators create Cultivation Methods and Divine Abilities, then mentioned a stolen experimental artifact spirit from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
• Hu Mang returned home, found Mother Hu absent, and wondered whether the motionless figure in her room was the stolen Dao Law Large Model.

Hu Mang worried about his missing mother and went to Hundred Herbs Spirit Hall for treatment after his condition worsened. A Golden Core doctor found that turbid Qi had blocked many of Hu Mang’s acupoints and took him to consult a Nascent Soul doctor.

• Hu Mang examined his motionless stepfather, then spent the night unable to reach Mom Hu and worried about where she had gone.
• Hu Mang asked Dad Hu if he knew where Mom Hu was, but Dad Hu said he did not know and suggested contacting the Demon-Suppressing Bureau if she was in danger.
• Hu Mang went to Hundred Herbs Spirit Hall because turbid Qi was making his limbs difficult to control.
• A Golden Core doctor examined Hu Mang and learned that he had used the Dragon-Suppressing Stake to drive turbid Qi into his acupoints.
• The doctor found that nearly a third of Hu Mang’s acupoints were blocked and took him to see the hospital’s Nascent Soul vice director.

Hu Mang went to the Golden Core Department, where Doctor Qin Mo examined him after hearing how he had survived a calamity ash eruption on Java Island. Qin Mo offered a way to remove the turbid Qi from Hu Mang’s body and restore his cultivation.

• Hu Mang and the balding doctor arrived at the Golden Core Department and waited while Qin Mo treated a couple seeking cultivation advice for their daughter.
• Qin Mo scolded the couple for considering risky Dantian expansion for their young daughter and explained the limits of Golden Core customization.
• A blond cultivator confessed to reckless Golden Core modifications, and Qin Mo immobilized him and ordered him to prepare for surgery to shatter his core.
• Qin Mo learned that Hu Mang had driven turbid Qi into his acupoints with the Dragon-Suppressing Stake after a calamity ash eruption on Java Island.
• Qin Mo proposed replacing Hu Mang’s meridians with artificial ones, then surgically removing the areas heavily permeated by turbid Qi so Hu Mang could cultivate again.

Hu Mang chose an affordable treatment for his damaged meridians at Hundred Herbs Spirit Hall while persuading Mama Hu to abandon a dangerous sacrificial remedy. He began treatment arrangements, and Mama Hu agreed to return home by flying boat and wait for its results.

• Doctor Qin Mo explained that artificial meridians cost millions, while a medical Lightning Tribulation Tower could clear most of Hu Mang’s turbid Qi for a little over a hundred thousand.
• Hu Mang chose the Lightning Tribulation Tower treatment, and Doctor Qin Mo directed him to pay and meet Doctor Sun in the internal meridian medicine department.
• Doctor Sun asked Qin Mo whether they should investigate an apparent Calamity Ash eruption overseas, and Qin Mo told him to file a report and leave the investigation to the responsible team.
• Mama Hu called Hu Mang and revealed she had considered using a dangerous demon technique or blood sacrifice to restore his cultivation.
• Hu Mang persuaded Mama Hu to let him try hospital treatment first, and she agreed to return to their hometown by flying boat while he kept her informed.

Hu Mang underwent treatment in the Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower, where Doctor Sun used demon-subduing lightning to expel his Turbid Qi and discovered signs of Demon Race blood. Doctor Sun offered him medicine and proposed researching his acupoints in exchange for a secret that could improve his future chances of forming a Golden Core, and Hu Mang agreed.

• Hu Mang returned to the Hundred Herbs Spirit Hall, where Doctor Sun showed him the Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower and explained its Treasure Artifact construction.
• Doctor Sun used the tower to treat Hu Mang, whose reflected acupoints vanished as painful lightning threads burned Turbid Qi from his body.
• Doctor Sun noticed Hu Mang's demon markings and praised his endurance, saying they might open his three yang meridians of the hand that day.
• Doctor Sun offered Hu Mang Heavenly Origin Bone-Strengthening Salve and asked him to cooperate in research on possible variant acupoints in people with Demon Race blood.
• Doctor Sun promised to reveal a secret about recultivation that could raise Hu Mang's future Golden Core chances by at least fifteen percentage points, and Hu Mang accepted.

Doctor Sun explained how cultivating anew could strengthen Hu Mang’s foundation, and Hu Mang agreed to undergo the costly process while continuing his treatment. After ten days, he had cleared his twelve regular meridians and returned home exhausted, while Doctor Sun discovered an unusual result in Hu Mang’s blood test.

• Doctor Sun explained the Heavenly Gate General Qi Refining Instruction and how cultivators could raise their cultivation to Foundation Establishment before resetting it to improve their meridians and cultivation prospects.
• Hu Mang agreed to cultivate anew under Doctor Sun’s care, extending his treatment to at least twenty days and paying for the lightning tribulation tower himself.
• Ten days later, Doctor Sun reported that Hu Mang’s twelve regular meridians were clear and that his measurements were around the level of a peak Qi Refining cultivator.
• Hu Mang asked whether they could continue their deal despite finding no new acupoints in his regular meridians, and Doctor Sun pointed out that the smaller meridians remained.
• Doctor Sun studied Hu Mang’s unusual blood test report as Hu Mang returned home, applied the salve, and fell asleep with lightning still crackling around him.
• A fragment on Hu Mang’s bedside table briefly glowed, while a figure in the dark living room silently read the Qi Meridians supplement Hu Mang had brought home.

Hu Mang recovered his spiritual energy after ten days of electrotherapy and learned that “Father Hu” could accurately explain and potentially improve his chosen Qi Refining method. The next day, Doctor Sun noticed that Hu Mang’s residual lightning power had vanished and questioned him about it.

• Hu Mang woke feeling restored, sensed Spiritual Qi flowing through his meridians, and suppressed the urge to break through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
• Hu Mang reassured Mama Hu over the phone, then grew suspicious when he realized “Father Hu” had touched his belongings.
• “Father Hu” explained the Qi Vessel Supplement and offered to develop additional Qi vessel branches if Hu Mang supplied more information.
• Hu Mang reviewed “Father Hu’s” requested research materials, including information on five elements, collaterals, Spirit Roots, and celestial circuits.
• Hu Mang asked Doctor Sun for basic and advanced Dao Technique materials, and Doctor Sun pointed him toward the Blessed Land Library.
• Doctor Sun asked Hu Mang why no residual lightning power remained in his body.

Hu Mang discovered a hidden Demon Acupoint during Doctor Sun’s examination, then used Father Hu’s new cultivation supplement to rapidly advance his Qi Refining cultivation. The chapter left him discussing divine-sense internet access and the prospect of mass-produced virtual Spirit Transformation.

• Doctor Sun discovered that Hu Mang’s wrist held a dominant Demon Acupoint, and Hu Mang’s activated claws carved deep gouges into a metal table.
• Hu Mang borrowed three books from the library and gathered information for Father Hu, who quickly wrote a Qi Vessel Phenomena supplement to Hu Mang’s cultivation method.
• Hu Mang studied the supplement and trained with high-grade Spiritual Qi at the Hundred Herbs Spirit Hall, reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in three days and the Seventh Layer in five.
• Doctor Sun told Hu Mang that Spirit Pivot No. 1 phones allowed divine-sense internet access and that virtual Spirit Transformation might soon be mass-produced.

Hu Mang’s overlooked fragment absorbed the lightning from his electrotherapy and transported him to a ruined ancient city beneath immense thunderclouds. His Spiritual Qi detector registered a Leakage Level of 91, leaving him facing a large-scale cultivation disaster.

• Doctor Sun told Hu Mang that Virtual Spirit Transformation might soon become widespread, though he dismissed the idea and went to his electrotherapy session.
• Old Zhang told Little Xu that virility pills were used overseas to activate cultivators’ Demon Race bloodlines for brutal arena fights.
• Hu Mang discovered that a small fragment was absorbing the lightning power from his electrotherapy.
• The fragment flared and pulled Hu Mang out of his room, transporting him to a storm-battered ancient city.
• Hu Mang found that his phone had no signal and his Spiritual Qi detector showed a Leakage Level of 91.

Hu Mang explored the lightning-struck ancient city and discovered a tower built from the corpses of Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devils. After he fled, Ancestor Xuanyin absorbed the tower’s Devil Qi and was praised for nearing a breakthrough in his Mystic Yin Devil Cultivation Method.

• Hu Mang calmed himself and cultivated, drawing the world’s powerful Spiritual Qi into his body.
• Old Zhang and Little Xu learned that Hu Mang had been a notorious underground ring fighter in Port Surumai, and Little Xu recognized that he was stronger than a Qi Refining cultivator.
• Hu Mang explored the ancient city and saw that its buildings were made from valuable spirit materials that had lost their spirituality.
• Hu Mang encountered a huge lightning-struck corpse that still carried Foundation Establishment Realm pressure and suspected it had once been a Golden Core creature.
• Hu Mang discovered the Devil Suppression Tower, recognized its contents as Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devils, and fled as three figures approached.
• Ancestor Xuanyin swallowed the tower’s tip and absorbed Devil Qi while an associate praised the progress of his Mystic Yin Devil Cultivation Method.

Hu Mang hid from Ancestor Xuanyin, then met Zhou Yu and learned that Demon-Subduing City’s altered mechanisms were turning its inhabitants against one another. As Hu Mang and Zhou Yu discussed their worlds’ cultivation systems, a sinister voice confronted them about Ancestor Xuanyin’s devil-path inheritance.

• Hu Mang sensed Ancestor Xuanyin absorbing devil Qi at the Devil Suppression Tower and waited until the old cultivator departed with his disciples.
• Ancestor Xuanyin ordered You Lin'er to capture nearby people and revealed a plan to kill Zhen'ezi and another Thunder Sect cultivator before taking over Demon-Subduing City.
• Zhou Yu introduced himself to Hu Mang, warned him about the city’s dangers, and explained how its Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil mechanism had begun marking people indiscriminately.
• Hu Mang and Zhou Yu compared their cultivation systems, and Hu Mang pretended to be a Buddhist cultivator at the same level as Zhou Yu.
• A sinister voice interrupted them, questioning why the prison’s demons and devils should concern Ancestor Xuanyin, an inheritor of the yin corpse lineage.

Hu Mang and Zhou Yu fought their way through You Lin'er’s ambush of Bone Devil Seeds, then became entangled in a chaotic battle with other fleeing cultivators. Hu Mang gained a new ability to sense good and evil, and Devil-Subduing Lightning destroyed their pursuers and killed the Great Hand Seal expert, leaving Zhou Yu to share the spoils with Hu Mang.

• You Lin'er sent Bone Devil Seeds after Hu Mang and Zhou Yu while he pursued other fleeing groups.
• Hu Mang used his blood-refining strength to kick the Bone Devil Seeds away as Zhou Yu’s sword attacks proved ineffective.
• Hu Mang and Zhou Yu encountered two cultivators; Hu Mang killed one after catching an Emei Piercer, and the other’s Buddha light blasted back the Bone Devil Seeds.
• A divine presence gave Hu Mang information about good and evil, and he sensed Zhou Yu had gained good while the opposing cultivator had gained evil.
• Devil-Subduing Lightning struck the battlefield, reducing the Bone Devil Seeds to ash and killing the Great Hand Seal expert.
• Zhou Yu searched the corpses for Storage Bags and handed one to Hu Mang.

Hu Mang investigated the spiritual infrastructure of Demon-Subduing City while Zhou Yu offered to lead him to a divine spear. Elsewhere, dangerous cultivators and creatures clashed as the city’s tribulations continued, and Hu Mang finally agreed to seek the spear.

• Hu Mang questioned Zhou Yu about Storage Bags and decided to study how the city’s spiritual systems worked rather than rush to a Thunder God's Shrine.
• You Lin'er attacked a burly man with Bone Devil Seeds, but the man cut them apart and identified himself as a Devil Purging Officer of the Jade Firmament Divine Dynasty.
• A fat man mourning his little brother continued devouring Devil Creatures at a Devil Suppression Tower, while a beauty python fled Marsh Water Divine Lightning in the city’s underground channels.
• Hu Mang surveyed spiritual power around the city and concluded that seven or eight sources sustained its old infrastructure.
• Hu Mang had Zhou Yu cut a charred pillar, prompting a lightning strike, then finished his survey and agreed to visit the divine spear.