Chapter Summaries

Kang Changxi settled the aftermath of the clash in Cloud Horn Prefecture, while Senior Cultivator Wufeng accepted his new home and place in the Chongming Sect. In Phoenix Cry Prefecture, Kang Da delivered Demon Officer Yongli to Gada and received a Mani Treasure Leaf for Kang Dabao.

• Kang Changxi organized Cloud Horn Prefecture’s response and advised He Chang not to approach the Shannan Circuit General Administration Office yet.
• He Chang rode to Red Cloud Mountain to visit the injured Senior Cultivator Wenzun, while Kang Changxi returned to Yangming Mountain with Wufeng.
• Ye Zhengwen and the other elders welcomed Wufeng to Cloud Watching Abode and urged Kang Changxi to build a relationship with Wufeng and his disciple Zhou Yun.
• Kang Da brought the captured Demon Officer Yongli to Gada, who subdued him with the Nine-Leaf Beast Heart Jeweled Necklace.
• Gada gave Kang Da a Mani Treasure Leaf for Kang Dabao and celebrated finding the beast he had sought for a hundred years.

The officials in the Office of the Duke of Qin argued over how to respond to Kang Dabao, then jointly petitioned the Shannan Circuit General Administration Office. Meanwhile, Fei Ye Shui received the Mani Treasure Leaf and divined an auspicious sign for the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, though his death Qi and fading strength made its future uncertain.

• Sha Shan demanded that Kang Dabao be held accountable, while Zhu Tong's proposals to resolve the dispute met with opposition from the officials.
• Zhu Tong withdrew from the matter, and Gui Baifu led the remaining officials in signing a letter asking the Earl of Fengen to seek an explanation from the Marquis of Martial Peace.
• Sha Shan accused Qin Sufu of leaking the meeting's decisions, but Qin Sufu affixed the official seal and left without responding.
• Kang Dabao gave Fei Wanqing the Mani Treasure Leaf and urged her to travel cautiously to Ying Prefecture.
• Fei Tianqin brought the Mani Treasure Leaf to Fei Ye Shui, who revealed two more and used the clan's prepared treasures to perform a divination.
• Fei Ye Shui read the Qian hexagram as a sign that the clan would survive, then sent Fei Tianqin back to Phoenix Cry Prefecture while his own death Qi continued to worsen.

Kang Dabao prepared to defend the Chongming Sect against pressure from the duke’s office, while Kuai En rejected its order to punish the sect and chose to keep his troops from advancing. The chapter left Kuai En watching for a future change in circumstances as political tensions continued to build.

• Kang Dabao discussed the duke’s office’s demands with Duan Anle and Kang Changxi, then sent a letter to the Shannan Circuit General Administration Office defending the Chongming Sect’s actions.
• Kang Dabao ordered Qi Ke, Chen Zihang, and Gun Fangmu to help treat Wen Zun, and directed the Merit Points Hall to arrange rewards for those who helped capture Yongli.
• Kuai En read the duke’s office’s order and Kang Dabao’s letter, judged that the officials were trying to use him against the Chongming Sect, and sent the Golden-Feathered Owl back with Spirit Beast Pills.
• Kuai En instructed his officials to defend the Mountain South borders without moving troops toward Cloud Horn Prefecture, and ordered them to report that the Chongming Sect had acted in self-defense.
• Kuai En considered that he and Kang Dabao might clash in the future, but decided to wait for a new variable before choosing his next move.

Yang Wuwei visited Kang Dabao to get an introduction before taking a post in Ancient Mysterious Circuit, where Joyful Sight Mountain was facing growing danger. After sending him off with two captive Pill Masters, Kang Dabao worried over Kang Rongquan’s impending Core Formation and went to wait outside the Seclusion Chamber.

• Yang Wuwei visited Kang Dabao and received a letter of introduction to Joyful Sight Mountain for his new post in Ancient Mysterious Circuit.
• Kang Dabao told Yang Wuwei that two False Core blood cultivators had fled Joyful Sight Mountain after attacking one of its Foundation Establishment disciples, and Yang Wuwei realized the sect was in trouble.
• Yang Wuwei learned that You Longzi had given Kang Dabao two Clear Stream Trees to nourish Yangming Mountain’s Spirit Vein, and he promised he would never harm the Chongming Sect.
• Kang Dabao gave Yang Wuwei a talisman decree and sent him to collect two Pill Masters whom Joyful Sight Mountain wanted to arrest.
• Kang Changxi told Kang Dabao that Kang Rongquan had entered seclusion to attempt Core Formation, and Kang Dabao said he should face the trial without further guidance.
• Kang Dabao watched the Clear Stream Trees and the Seclusion Chamber, then decided to wait outside while Kang Rongquan continued his seclusion.

Kang Rongquan succeeded in forming his core inside Jade Peak Grotto-Heaven, and the Chongming Sect celebrated the news. As Zheng Yuntong hurried to join the celebration, the Fei Household prepared to launch a decisive battle once word arrived from Ying Prefecture.

• Zheng Yuntong returned to Yangming Mountain and learned from Liu Ya that Kang Rongquan’s Core Formation attempt should become clear within days, but he was not allowed to wait outside Jade Peak Grotto-Heaven.
• Zheng Yuntong visited the Scripture Repository, where Shan Yong gave him free False Core notes and explained which other Core Formation records he could afford to borrow.
• Shan Yong’s neglected cloudleaf calamus bloomed as spiritual mist gathered over Elegant Spirit Peak and the Spirit-Suppressing Bell rang nine times, announcing Kang Rongquan’s success.
• Zheng Yuntong hurried toward Elegant Spirit Peak while Kang Da and Third Master Jiang rejoiced at Kang Rongquan’s breakthrough.
• Fei Tianqin rallied the Fei Household’s Golden Core cultivators and ordered them to prepare for a decisive battle after word arrived from Ying Prefecture.

Fei Ye Shui activated the Origin-Suppressing Cauldron to prepare the Ying Prefecture Fei Household against an invasion, while a hidden traitor and the gathered Nascent Soul powers threatened the clan. A later report described his death in battle and the political settlement that followed, as the Emperor of Wei grew wary of the allied chancellors and the danger posed by the Dragon Spawn.

• Fei Ye Shui used the Mani Treasure Leaf and his Essence Blood to awaken and control the Origin-Suppressing Cauldron's Innate Sha-Suppressing True Qi, exhausting his vital essence in the process.
• Fei Dongzheng secretly concealed a warm voice-transmission talisman and watched the Core-Embracing Terrace, while Fei Ye Shui secretly observed him with Divine Sense.
• The Emperor of Wei and Kuang Shenzhi discussed the approaching threat to Ying Prefecture, then received a report that Fei Ye Shui had killed Su Qingxuan, wounded Shi Yankong and Baili Cangming, and died when the cauldron shattered.
• Han Yonghe petitioned for Ying Prefecture to come under imperial rule, for the Fei descendants to be resettled, and for a shrine to honor Fei Ye Shui; Gui Nianzhi and Han Yonghe also jointly petitioned to appoint an imperial governor to Yuelu Prefecture.
• The Emperor of Wei granted Han Yonghe's requests and ordered the Fei Household resettled in Mountain North Circuit, while questioning the alliance between the chancellors and considering seeking help from the Dragon Spawn.

After Fei Ye Shui’s death, Kang Dabao attended the mourning rites and heard Fei Tianqin warn him not to grow complacent on the road to Nascent Soul. The Silver Saber Prince Consort Shen Lingfeng paid his respects, recalled Kang’s ancestral master, and left Kang and Jiang Qing pondering his warning that worldly ties could hinder cultivation.

• Kang Da brought his family to Fei Ye Shui’s mourning hall, where Fei Tianqin grieved and warned Kang Dabao that reaching Nascent Soul required constant vigilance and ambition.
• Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing stayed at the Fei residence for several days, consulted its scripture repository, and witnessed other Nascent Soul powers offer condolences with conspicuous distance.
• Fei Enwen summoned Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing to meet Shen Lingfeng, the Silver Saber Prince Consort, who had arrived to pay respects to Fei Ye Shui.
• Shen Lingfeng recognized Kang’s connection to Zhang Yuandao, praised his leadership, and advised him to serve the Duke of Qin by guarding the Huangpi circuit.
• As he departed, Shen Lingfeng warned Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing that the road to Nascent Soul demanded severing worldly ties; Kang and Jiang were deeply unsettled by his words.
• Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing prepared to leave for Yangming Mountain, while Fei Tianqin reassured Kang that the Fei Household would remain secure.

Kang Rongquan celebrated his Golden Core formation by demonstrating how clarity and turbidity sustained each other, impressing the Chongming Sect’s guests and unsettling those who had been probing its spiritual veins. After the ceremony, Jiang Qing asked Kang Da for permission to venture into the Outer Dao.

• Kang Rongquan descended to his Golden Core ceremony, where Kang Da and Chongming Sect disciples welcomed him before guests from neighboring powers.
• Kang Rongquan explained his understanding of the Dao of Alchemy and used Hornless Dragon Seizure to draw on the earth veins, revive a Clear Stream Tree, and nourish barren soil with spirit grass.
• Senior Cultivator Huiyi praised Kang Rongquan’s discourse, while visiting envoys abandoned their probing and showed the Chongming Sect greater respect.
• After the ceremony ended, Jiang Qing approached Kang Da and requested permission to journey to the Outer Dao.

High Person Three Words came to the Chongming Sect seeking a position and was tested in a spar on Orchid Terrace. Kang Changxi narrowly defeated him, while Jiang Qing effortlessly broke his strongest attack, and Sect Leader Kang Da used the lack of reliable replacements to delay Jiang Qing’s journey again.

• He Chang welcomed High Person Three Words, who offered a valuable jade talisman and said he had come to join the Chongming Sect.
• Sect Leader Kang Da summoned Kang Rongquan, Jiang Qing, and Kang Changxi to assess High Person Three Words through a spar.
• Kang Changxi fought High Person Three Words on Orchid Terrace and won by exploiting flaws in his techniques.
• Jiang Qing stopped High Person Three Words’ full-strength flame-metal attack with a single sword stroke, demonstrating his superior skill.
• Sect Leader Kang Da told Jiang Qing that the sect still lacked a reliable replacement, so Jiang Qing would have to delay his journey.