Recaps

Shan Heyuan proposed replanting cuttings from the Supreme Harmony Sect’s diseased Spirit Plants, and Jiu Mingyue agreed to let him try under a Heavenly Dao oath. Shan Heyuan also practiced sword flight with Shen Duheng, who revealed that he had once been human, and Shan Heyuan stepped back onto the sword to continue.

• Shan Heyuan warned Jiu Mingyue that the sect’s diseased Spirit Plants were dying and proposed replanting sturdy branches as cuttings after disinfecting the fields.
• Shan Heyuan estimated a thirty percent success rate and asked the Supreme Harmony Sect to protect him from blame if the attempt failed.
• Jiu Mingyue agreed to have his sect leader martial uncle swear a Heavenly Dao oath with Shan Heyuan, who accepted the task.
• Shan Heyuan practiced flying on his wooden sword by the river while Shen Duheng stood ready to catch him.
• After Shan Heyuan asked how Shen Duheng had learned sword flight, Shen Duheng said he had once been human before becoming a sword spirit.
• Shan Heyuan recovered from a fall into Shen Duheng’s arms and stepped back onto the wooden sword to practice again.

While tending the sick Spirit Plants, Shan Heyuan entered a state of forgetting both self and surroundings and advanced from Qi Refining Fifth Stage to Qi Refining Eighth Stage. Jiu Mingyue invited him to take a special examination for the Supreme Harmony Sect's inner sect, and Shan Heyuan left the offer under consideration as he waited for Shen Duheng.

• Shan Heyuan returned to the Supreme Harmony Sect's separate Spirit Field with Shen Duheng and began preparing cuttings from the sick Spirit Plants with Qi Yuanbai.
• Shan Heyuan became absorbed in using the Spring Transformation Art, while Qi Yuanbai noticed his presence rising and Spiritual Qi forming a vortex around him.
• Jiu Mingyue arrived and told Qi Yuanbai not to disturb Shan Heyuan while he was in the state of forgetting both self and surroundings.
• Shan Heyuan finished treating the pile of Spirit Plants, came back to his senses, and learned that he had advanced three stages to Qi Refining Eighth Stage.
• Jiu Mingyue invited Shan Heyuan to take a special examination for the Supreme Harmony Sect's inner sect, and Shan Heyuan soaked the cuttings in rooting solution while waiting for Shen Duheng.

After advancing to Qi Refining Eighth Stage, Shan Heyuan declined the Supreme Harmony Sect’s invitation to join its inner sect, following his discussion with Shen Duheng. His successful revival and propagation of the sect’s sick Spirit Plants impressed Tong Liangji, who invited him to take Sword Reverence Academy’s entrance examination.

• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng that Jiu Mingyue had invited him to join the Supreme Harmony Sect’s inner sect, and Shen advised him to wait until he reached Foundation Establishment.
• Shan Heyuan declined the invitation, then successfully rooted and replanted cuttings from the Supreme Harmony Sect’s sick Spirit Plants, creating a garden with more plants than before.
• Tong Liangji visited the garden with Wen Chengyi, Jiu Mingyue, and others, praised Shan Heyuan’s work, and learned that the revived plants had a one hundred and twenty percent yield.
• Tong Liangji invited Shan Heyuan to take the entrance examination for Sword Reverence Academy and advised him to take the planter rank examination and study planter texts.

Shan Heyuan passed the fifth-grade planter qualification exam, began working as a consultant for the Supreme Harmony Sect, and reunited with Ma Rupei. When he returned home from celebrating, Shen Duheng showed him a news report claiming that the city of Yongli had died.

• Tong Liangji praised Shan Heyuan's work on the sick Spirit Plants, impressing Jiu Mingyue.
• Shan Heyuan studied for nearly half a month, passed the planter qualification exam, and was hired as Thousand Cries Peak's planting consultant.
• Shan Heyuan met Qi Yuanbai in the Spirit Plant garden and learned that Qi Yuanbai was tending it to develop his sword intent.
• Ma Rupei visited Shan Heyuan and told him he had reached Foundation Establishment, and Shan Heyuan invited him and Qi Yuanbai to celebrate over drinks.
• Shan Heyuan returned home and read Shen Duheng's news talisman, which reported that the city of Yongli had died.

After learning that a distant city had died when the sky broke, Shan Heyuan considered leaving Jingzhishan Town to see a larger world. In winter, his cultivation advanced quickly with a spirit-tree sapling in his Dantian, while he and Zhong Shuran discussed finding more Foundation Establishment-grade spirit trees.

• Shan Heyuan asked Shen Duheng about the destroyed city, and Shen Duheng explained that the sky had broken, the Heavenly Dao was severed, and the city had been sealed off.
• Shan Heyuan learned the news had been withheld locally and reflected that cultivators could only see a small part of the world; he told Shen Duheng he might leave Jingzhishan Town after the New Year.
• Shen Duheng said his cultivation was close to Core Formation and encouraged Shan Heyuan to wait until spring before deciding whether to travel.
• Shan Heyuan showed Shen Duheng the Foundation Establishment-grade sapling in his Dantian, which was thriving and helping him approach Qi Refining Ninth Level.
• Shen Duheng offered to ask familiar shops to look for stronger spirit plants, while Shan Heyuan said he had also asked Fellow Daoist Jiu and others.
• Shan Heyuan visited Zhong Shuran to carve talismans, and Zhong Shuran said he knew of no one with access to spirit trees.

Shan Heyuan learned that a dangerous, possibly beyond-Core Formation spirit tree guarded the Black She Temple ruins, and Shen Duheng forbade him from seeking it out. Later, Shan Heyuan reached the Supreme Harmony Sect’s Spirit Plant garden, where Qi Yuanbai told him they had finally contacted their master.

• Zhong Shuran told Shan Heyuan that a self-aware Core Formation-grade spirit tree haunted the Black She Temple ruins and left permanent welts on intruders.
• Shen Duheng explained that the mutated tree used spatial Secret Methods and Shamanism to trigger inner demons, warned that its victims would die before reaching two hundred, and forbade Shan Heyuan from pursuing it.
• During winter, Shan Heyuan flew through the cold to the Supreme Harmony Sect’s Spirit Plant garden and arrived later than usual.
• Qi Yuanbai told Shan Heyuan that he and the others had finally contacted their master, who had been trapped in a small secret realm and praised Qi Yuanbai and his senior brother after learning the garden had been saved.

Shan Heyuan received five valuable cultivation Jade Slips from Daoist Zhan Cang, studied them, and began preparing an advanced fertilizer method. He and Zhong Shuran finished setting up a talisman formation by the river for the heap burning.

• Qi Yuanbai gave Shan Heyuan five Jade Slips as a gift from Daoist Zhan Cang, who had sent them in gratitude for Shan Heyuan's help with the Spirit Plants.
• Shen Duheng suggested Zhan Cang might be considering Shan Heyuan as a disciple, but Shan Heyuan wrote to thank him while making clear he wanted to travel and gain experience.
• Shan Heyuan spent nearly a month studying the Jade Slips and chose the Spirit-Imbuing Heap-Burning Method to make fertilizer for his Spirit Plants.
• Shan Heyuan bought the costly materials for the method and prepared a clearing by the river with firebreaks and a talisman formation plan.
• Shan Heyuan and Zhong Shuran worked together to bury the talisman pieces, completing the formation before noon.

Shan Heyuan, Zhong Shuran, and Shen Duheng finished firing a batch of fertilizer that unexpectedly formed into pills. Wen Chengyi and several third-grade growers tested them and confirmed they were a new variety of fertilizer pills, leaving the growers curious about how Shan Heyuan had made them.

• Shan Heyuan and Zhong Shuran spent half a day firing the fertilizer, with Shen Duheng later joining them and bringing Shan Heyuan more spiritual pills.
• Shan Heyuan sensed the fertilizer was finished late at night, and Shen Duheng removed the fire talisman while the batch continued to simmer inside the protective array.
• Shen Duheng discovered pill-shaped pieces among the ash, and Shan Heyuan, Zhong Shuran, and Shen Duheng wondered whether the unusual result was a failure.
• Shan Heyuan and his companions packed 10,321 fertilizer pills into eleven boxes and collected the remaining fertile ash before heading home.
• After Shan Heyuan contacted Wen Chengyi, Wen Chengyi arrived with several third-grade growers, who tested the pills and identified them as a new variety of fertilizer pills.

Shan Heyuan demonstrated his fertilizer-pill refining technique to the senior Spirit Plant growers, who were impressed by his precision and the quality of his pills. After observing him, Wen Chengyi and another grower tried refining fertilizer themselves, and the chapter ended with the three batches lined up for comparison.

• The growers confirmed Shan Heyuan's copy of Ge Xuan's Notes matched Shan Heyuan's and offered him materials so he could demonstrate his technique later.
• Shan Heyuan refined a smaller batch of fertilizer pills and buried one beneath each of the 733 Spirit Plants in his courtyard, then set up a recording Spirit Artifact to monitor their growth.
• On November 13, Shan Heyuan invited the senior growers to watch him refine another batch and asked Zhong Shuran to prepare the formation.
• The growers watched Shan Heyuan refine fertilizer outdoors and praised his precise control, powerful Divine Sense, and exceptionally refined pills.
• Wen Chengyi and another grower tried refining fertilizer pills using Shan Heyuan's method and a Pill Furnace, while Shan Heyuan watched and learned from them.
• Shen Duheng came to keep Shan Heyuan company, and the three growers' fertilizer pills were lined up for inspection late that night.

Shan Heyuan traded his newly refined fertilizer pills for ten Foundation Establishment-grade spirit seeds, then discovered that Shen Duheng had reached Core Formation and been injured by tribulation lightning. After caring for Shen Duheng at home, Shan Heyuan used a new Spring Transformation Art technique to water the Spirit Plants at the Supreme Harmony Sect, where Qi Yuanbai said the garden’s Spiritual Qi mist had become a place for meditation.

• Shan Heyuan and the cultivators compared their fertilizer pills and agreed that his talent and technique produced the best results.
• Shan Heyuan traded fertilizer pills with Wen Chengyi and four other cultivators for ten Foundation Establishment-grade spirit seeds.
• Shan Heyuan noticed Shen Duheng was injured and learned that he had reached Core Formation after surviving tribulation lightning.
• Shan Heyuan bandaged Shen Duheng’s wounds, gave him a healing pill, and made him chicken soup the next day.
• Shan Heyuan used Spring Breeze Turns to Rain to water the Spirit Plants at the Supreme Harmony Sect, and Qi Yuanbai told him that martial uncles meditated in the garden for its Spiritual Qi mist.

Shan Heyuan learned more about the dangerous Illusionless Tree near Black She Temple and believed his Fertilizer Pills might give him leverage to negotiate with it. After several days of disagreement, he and Shen Duheng agreed that Shen Duheng would try once to steal soil from near the tree, then retreat if he could not do so safely.

• Qi Yuanbai told Shan Heyuan about Xinglan Mountain and the Illusionless Tree, explaining that the Core Formation Stage spirit tree was mad and could trigger inner demons.
• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng he thought the Illusionless Tree might be short of fertilizer and wanted to test the idea by collecting soil near it.
• Shan Heyuan proposed asking a Core Formation Stage senior to collect the soil, but Shen Duheng insisted on doing it himself.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng argued for several days before agreeing that Shen Duheng would make one attempt and withdraw promptly if it became unsafe.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng traveled to Xinglan Mountain, where Shen Duheng collected soil from the dangerous Illusionless Tree. Back home, Shan Heyuan analyzed the soil and concluded that heavy rainfall had leached away nutrients, leaving the tree’s roots in extremely infertile soil.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng set out for Xinglan Mountain with a storage ring for carrying soil.
• Shen Duheng brought Shan Heyuan to a safe distance from the Illusionless Tree and warned him not to stare at it.
• Shen Duheng dodged the tree’s roots and collected three chunks of soil while Shan Heyuan watched in fear.
• Shan Heyuan asked Shen Duheng to collect additional soil from the forest outskirts, and they returned home.
• Shen Duheng brewed medicine for the shaken Shan Heyuan, who then labeled soil samples and performed chemistry experiments.
• Shan Heyuan concluded that abundant rainfall had leached essential nutrients from the soil around the Illusionless Tree’s roots.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng prepared to approach the Illusionless Tree with fertilizer pills and an offering, hoping to trade with it. The tree attacked them but stopped short of their position, then spoke angrily, showing that it could still communicate.

• Shan Heyuan and Zhong Shuran spent the day preparing the courtyard, and Zhong Shuran finished setting up a restriction around the Spirit Plants.
• Shen Duheng showed Shan Heyuan a statue of the deity worshipped by the Black She Temple and explained that it might draw the Illusionless Tree's attention.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng planned their approach, then traveled to Xinglan Mountain with offerings and fertilizer pills.
• Shen Duheng set out the statue, sacrificial meat, and incense, provoking a powerful pressure from the Illusionless Tree.
• Shen Duheng retreated with Shan Heyuan as the Illusionless Tree's roots attacked, but the roots stopped at the edge of their reach.
• The Illusionless Tree withdrew its roots and roared at the humans, demanding to know what they were plotting.

Shan Heyuan negotiated with the Illusionless Tree for a living branch in exchange for fertilizer, while he and Shen Duheng camped nearby and gathered spirit herbs. The tree finally agreed to trade a small branch for ten thousand fertilizer pills, but Shan Heyuan could not tell whether it bore the tree’s mark.

• Shan Heyuan offered the Illusionless Tree fertilizer in exchange for an unmarked living branch, and Shen Duheng tossed the tree a box to sample.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng camped beside the tree, chatted with it, and gathered spirit herbs while waiting for it to consider the trade.
• After three days, Shan Heyuan offered ten thousand fertilizer pills for a forearm-length branch, but the Illusionless Tree demanded a hundred thousand.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng prepared to leave when negotiations stalled, prompting the Illusionless Tree to accept ten thousand pills for a small branch.
• The Illusionless Tree presented a three-inch branch, and Shan Heyuan could not determine whether it bore the mark that would prevent it from growing into a new plant.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng successfully traded fertilizer for a branch from the Illusionless Tree, and Shan Heyuan planned to work toward Foundation Establishment before treating it. After Shan Heyuan reached Qi Refining Tenth Stage, He Wu met with him and offered to take him as a Registered Disciple.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng traded fertilizer for a branch from the Illusionless Tree, which Shan Heyuan said he would deal with after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• Shan Heyuan soon reached Qi Refining Tenth Stage, surprising his friends, including Qi Yuanbai.
• He Mingqing returned and brought Shan Heyuan and Qi Yuanbai to meet He Wu.
• He Wu praised Shan Heyuan's care of the Spirit Plants, advised him about plant cultivation, and gave him two books on growing plants.
• He Wu asked Shan Heyuan whether he would become his Registered Disciple.

Shan Heyuan became He Wu’s Registered Disciple and gained access to new cultivation resources. He later agreed to demonstrate his fertilizer-pill refining method before the Supreme Harmony Sect, and began the demonstration with Shen Duheng nearby.

• He Wu took Shan Heyuan as his Registered Disciple, gave him a restriction talisman and Foundation Establishment-grade seeds, and Qi Yuanbai accepted him as Senior Brother Shan.
• He Wu told Jiu Mingyue that Shan Heyuan’s comprehension and opportunities promised extraordinary accomplishments, and urged him to be generous in judging others.
• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng about his new status and plans to use the sect’s library to study Foundation Establishment texts.
• Before leaving on a journey, He Wu gave Shan Heyuan access to his private Spirit Plant garden and asked him to look after it.
• At He Mingqing’s request, Shan Heyuan agreed to demonstrate the Spirit-Imbuing Heap-Burning Method at the Supreme Harmony Sect.
• With Shen Duheng standing nearby, Shan Heyuan steadied himself and began the fertilizer-pill refining demonstration before the gathered sect members.

Shan Heyuan finished firing Fertilizer Pills, traded them for Foundation Establishment-grade seeds, and cultivated in He Wu's private Spirit Plant garden. After reaching Qi Refining Great Perfection, he found that Foundation Establishment had not begun, and the chapter ended as Shen Duheng paused before answering the newspaper delivery.

• Shan Heyuan finished firing excellent Fertilizer Pills, and Supreme Harmony Sect cultivators traded dozens of Foundation Establishment-grade seeds for them.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng settled in He Wu's private Spirit Plant garden to cultivate, while Shan Heyuan tended the plants and Qi Yuanbai visited to deepen his Sword Intent.
• Shan Heyuan reached Qi Refining Great Perfection on the third day of the first lunar month and asked Shen Duheng what to do next.
• Shen Duheng examined Shan Heyuan and concluded that the time for Foundation Establishment had not yet come.
• Shan Heyuan began making pancakes as spring thunder sounded, then called to Shen Duheng to collect their newspaper; Shen Duheng paused before answering the knock.

Shan Heyuan’s unusual Foundation Establishment tribulation forced him to chase and attack its cloud, with Shen Duheng guiding him toward Spring Thunder Valley. The chapter left Shan Heyuan enduring powerful lightning there as his Spiritual Power turned to liquid and his body was reforged by the strikes.

• Shen Duheng told Shan Heyuan that the lightning nearby was his Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation, but it drifted away before striking him.
• Shen Duheng carried Shan Heyuan after the cloud, and Shan Heyuan attacked it with his broken sword to provoke a bolt of lightning.
• Shan Heyuan was struck repeatedly, began converting his Spiritual Power into liquid, and realized the lightning was helping him reach Foundation Establishment.
• When the tribulation cloud began to flee, Shen Duheng took Shan Heyuan to Spring Thunder Valley, where the persistent thunderclouds gathered overhead.
• Shan Heyuan sat in the valley as powerful Tribulation Lightning struck him, cleansing his body and rapidly healing his wounds.

Shan Heyuan completed Foundation Establishment in Spring Thunder Valley, where the broken sword sprouted a tiny bud after being struck by tribulation lightning. He struggled to identify or plant the bud, then woke to find that the late-spring cold had ended.

• Shan Heyuan endured the tribulation lightning and successfully established his Foundation, while Shen Duheng watched over him.
• Shan Heyuan found a tiny green bud on the broken sword and learned from Shen Duheng that the sprouting did not threaten him.
• Shan Heyuan brought the bud and an Illusionless Tree branch home, but could not determine how to plant the rootless bud.
• Shan Heyuan woke to a warm, damp breeze and realized the late-spring cold had ended and it was time to sow seeds.

Shan Heyuan discovered that the Illusionless Tree branch had grown roots, then decided to take the fourth-rank planter exam. He completed the exam’s practical portion by growing a Moist Fleabane Grass, and the instructors confirmed it met the requirements.

• Shan Heyuan cultivated with Shen Duheng and found that the Illusionless Tree branch had grown vigorous new roots.
• Shan Heyuan remembered that he was qualified to take the fourth-rank planter exam and bought study materials after seeking Wen Chengyi’s advice.
• Shan Heyuan signed up for the exam and found that its written and practical requirements were familiar to him.
• Shan Heyuan grew a Moist Fleabane Grass to Qi Refining Fifth Stage during the practical test.
• The three instructors inspected and recorded the plant, then told Shan Heyuan that he had finished the exam.

After discussing aging Spirit Plants with Wen Chengyi, Shan Heyuan received Foundation Establishment-grade spirit spring water and made a potent growth liquid. He used it to revive the Illusionless Tree and then tried a drop on the lightning-struck wood bud.

• Shan Heyuan met Wen Chengyi after the examination, and they discussed Spirit Plants that would not take root or grow.
• Wen Chengyi explained that an aging Spirit Plant might need to break through its original grade to extend its lifespan, then asked Shan Heyuan to request Shen Duheng's help retrieving Core Formation-grade spirit spring water from Dinggao Mountain.
• Wen Chengyi gave Shan Heyuan Foundation Establishment-grade spirit spring water to test on his own plant.
• Shan Heyuan prepared a growth liquid from a recipe in Spirit Plant Secrets using the spring water and thirty-seven materials.
• Shan Heyuan misted the Illusionless Tree with the liquid until it grew roots and a tender leaf.
• After confirming the liquid worked, Shan Heyuan applied a drop to the lightning-struck wood bud.

Shan Heyuan tested spiritual liquid on his Spirit Plants and learned about Core Formation-grade spirit spring water on Dinggao Mountain. He and Shen Duheng traveled into the mountain range, reaching the spring’s mapped location after several days of collecting Spirit Plants.

• Shan Heyuan used spiritual liquid to help the Illusionless Tree grow leaves, but the lightning-struck wood bud showed little change.
• Shan Heyuan discussed the spirit spring water with Shen Duheng, who later agreed to take him to Dinggao Mountain after speaking with Wen Chengyi.
• Shan Heyuan bought supplies and commissioned talismans from Zhong Shuran before the trip.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng set out for Dinggao Mountain, carrying Shan Heyuan’s precious Spirit Plants with them.
• Shan Heyuan dug up more than ten Spirit Plants as they followed Wen Chengyi’s map, and they reached the marked location after three and a half days.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng found a Core Formation demon bull guarding the spirit spring, then Shan Heyuan proposed cultivating Drunken Ox Grass to weaken it. They stayed on a nearby mountain while he repeatedly bred and planted the grass, leaving their fight with the bull postponed.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng found the spirit spring guarded by a powerful demon bull and retreated to a defensible mountain nearby.
• Shan Heyuan suggested using Drunken Ox Grass to get the demon bull drunk, and Shen Duheng agreed to stand guard while he prepared it.
• Shan Heyuan grew Drunken Ox Grass until it flowered and proposed cultivating a Foundation Establishment-grade batch to improve their chances.
• Shan Heyuan repeatedly pollinated the grass, selected seeds with abundant Spiritual Qi, and forced them to sprout while Shen Duheng guarded him and gathered herbs.
• After more than ten days, Shen Duheng sent Jiu Mingyue a communication talisman to arrange for another grower to tend the gardens on Thousand Cries Peak.

Shan Heyuan cultivated Drunken Ox Grass to Foundation Establishment grade, then he and Shen Duheng used it to intoxicate and kill the demon ox guarding a Core Formation-grade spirit spring. After collecting spring water, they began taking the spring’s mud, sand, and stones before preparing to leave.

• Shan Heyuan harvested Foundation Establishment-grade Drunken Ox Grass seeds after cultivating the grass through two seasons, then collapsed from exhaustion and slept through the autumn rain.
• After waking, Shan Heyuan gave the seeds to Shen Duheng, who scattered them toward the spirit spring with a sword-driven wind while the demon ox remained unaware.
• Shan Heyuan used Drunken Ox Grass spirit liquid to thicken the spring mist, and the demon ox ate the grass, became intoxicated, and fell asleep.
• Shen Duheng killed the sleeping demon ox and filled Wen Chengyi’s water storage bag with spring water; Shan Heyuan collected another 100 liters and left some water behind to preserve the spring.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng dug out most of the mud, sand, and stones at the spring’s bottom, leaving some behind as its foundation.

After returning from the Spirit Spring, Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng settled back into their courtyard, where Wen Chengyi bought the spring water and suggested they move to a better spirit field. Shan Heyuan revealed he planned to take the third-grade planter exam, leaving Wen Chengyi stunned by how quickly he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng returned home, tended the courtyard, and sent messages to their friends.
• Wen Chengyi arrived and paid Shen Duheng five million spirit beads for one hundred liters of Core Formation-grade Spirit Spring water.
• Wen Chengyi admired Shan Heyuan's Spirit Plants and offered to help find them a mid-grade spirit field, and Shan Heyuan accepted.
• Wen Chengyi reminded Shan Heyuan to collect his fourth-grade planter token, and Shan Heyuan said he would try the third-grade exam.
• Wen Chengyi realized Shan Heyuan had reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and was astonished by his rapid advancement.