Chapter Summaries

Shan Heyuan waited in an underground shelter while Shen Duheng underwent his Nascent Soul Tribulation, then reunited with him after he emerged safely. Back in their rebuilt inn, Shan Heyuan discovered that the broken sword had gained new Lightning-Struck Wood Sprouts and could enter and leave his Dantian.

• A cultivator invited Shan Heyuan to join the Flowing Cloud Hunting Team, and Shan Heyuan agreed to exchange Spiritual Power patterns but postponed the decision until Shen Duheng finished his tribulation.
• After more than two days of thunder, Shen Duheng completed his Lightning Tribulation, and Shan Heyuan hurried outside to embrace him and check his injuries.
• The innkeeper rebuilt the inn with a talisman array and told Shen Duheng that he might need to compensate him for the damage.
• Shen Duheng went to shower, and Shan Heyuan examined the broken sword, finding silver lightning patterns and four Lightning-Struck Wood Sprouts that appeared to have reached Nascent Soul grade.
• Shan Heyuan placed the broken sword in his Dantian, where it burrowed into the Golden Silk Dense Moss, then reached in and took it back out despite its faint resistance.

Shan Heyuan discovered that his Dantian could store and restore Spirit Plants despite his not having undergone the Heavenly Tribulation, while Shen Duheng suggested his Core Formation trial might be unusual. The next day they traveled across Fu Province to visit Shen Duheng’s old acquaintance, stopping overnight with their destination still ahead.

• Shan Heyuan tested the broken sword and Golden Silk Dense Moss, finding that he could remove them from his Dantian and put them back without harming them.
• Shen Duheng suggested Shan Heyuan’s Dantian had become a small world and that his Core Formation trial might not involve a Lightning Tribulation.
• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng he seemed unusually different and asked him to explain when he was ready; Shen Duheng agreed.
• Shen Duheng said they would visit an old acquaintance, and the pair set out the next morning after paying the innkeeper for the damage from the tribulation.
• Shen Duheng carried Shan Heyuan across Fu Province’s dry desert landscape, and Shan Heyuan fell asleep during the journey.
• Shan Heyuan woke at their nighttime rest stop and asked how much longer they had to travel.

Shen Duheng tracked down Yang Ji to collect on a promised spiritual sword, giving him one year to forge it. Yang Ji explained that he needed Heaven-Resembling Stone from a dangerous mine, and Shen Duheng prepared to obtain it himself.

• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan followed a Spiritual Power arrow to a village and found the bald man who owed Shen Duheng a spiritual sword.
• Shen Duheng demanded the sword, and Yang Ji agreed to forge it within one year after Shen Duheng threatened him.
• Yang Ji introduced himself to Shan Heyuan and learned that Shen Duheng had come with a good friend rather than a disciple.
• Yang Ji said the sword required Heaven-Resembling Stone from a deep shaft in the Sand Terrace Mine Area, where Core Formation Gang Heaven Monkeys posed the main danger.
• Shen Duheng asked about spirit fire, and Yang Ji said that a rumored yang fire called Pu Dan Fire might be in the mine.

Shen Duheng took Shan Heyuan to the Sand Terrace Mine Area to seek spirit fire that might help Shan Heyuan break through to Core Formation. After Shen Duheng killed a Gang Heaven Monkey, he went alone to investigate the nearby nest while Yang Ji stayed behind to guard Shan Heyuan.

• Shen Duheng agreed to help Yang Ji search the Sand Terrace Mine Area, and Yang Ji said he needed until the following afternoon to prepare materials.
• Shen Duheng told Shan Heyuan that his Chaos Spirit Root might let him subdue spirit fire and use it to break through his cultivation bottleneck.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan met Yang Ji the next afternoon and traveled with him by flying sword and hammer to the mine.
• The group entered the mine, where a Gang Heaven Monkey ambushed them, and Shen Duheng knocked it down with one sword stroke.
• Yang Ji collected the monkey's corpse and suggested that its nest might contain Heaven-Resembling Stone.
• Shen Duheng went alone to investigate the Gang Heaven Monkey nest, leaving Yang Ji to guard Shan Heyuan.

Shan Heyuan and Yang Ji waited for Shen Duheng to return from fighting the Gang Heaven Monkey, then learned that Shen Duheng planned to seek revenge despite Yang Ji’s warning about the risks. Shen Duheng revealed that his enemy was the Sword Reverence Sect’s sect master, Shen He, whose name was his own.

• While waiting, Yang Ji teased Shan Heyuan about being Shen Duheng’s dao companion, but Shan Heyuan insisted they were brothers.
• An explosion shook the mine, but Shan Heyuan stayed behind as Shen Duheng had ordered.
• Shen Duheng returned unharmed with three pieces of Heaven-Resembling Stone and gave them to Yang Ji for the spirit sword.
• Yang Ji warned Shen Duheng that pursuing revenge now could endanger Shan Heyuan and the people suffering across the world, but agreed to make the sword as soon as possible.
• Shan Heyuan asked who Shen Duheng’s enemy was, and Shen Duheng revealed that his name was Shen He, the current sect master of the Sword Reverence Sect.

Shen Duheng revealed that Ji Li had murdered him and stolen his identity as sect master, and Shan Heyuan pledged to help him seek revenge. The two then searched a mine for spirit fire, following a trace Shan Heyuan sensed until they neared its source.

• Shen Duheng told Shan Heyuan that Ji Li had killed him during a ritual and taken his name and position in the Sword Reverence Sect.
• Shan Heyuan promised to stand with Shen Duheng in his revenge, and Shen Duheng explained that their struggle might have caused Shan Heyuan to cross into this world.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan descended into a mine together to look for spirit fire.
• Shan Heyuan sensed a trace of spirit fire in a side tunnel and used his Spiritual Power to confirm it.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan followed the fire-element Spiritual Power deeper into the tunnel, growing alert as they approached its source.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng found a conscious, Core Formation-grade Pu Core Fire in the mine, but Shan Heyuan was too weak to risk claiming it. When the fire followed them and eagerly fed on Shan Heyuan’s Spiritual Power, he decided they could try bringing it with them.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng caught the Pu Core Fire and trapped it in Shen Duheng’s sword formation, then discovered it was at the Middle Core Formation Stage.
• Shan Heyuan agreed they should leave the dangerous fire, but it followed them through the mine tunnel.
• Shan Heyuan released Spiritual Power carrying the presence of Breathing Earth, and the Pu Core Fire consumed it and flared up.
• Shen Duheng restrained the fire when it nearly reached Shan Heyuan, and Shan Heyuan realized it needed Spiritual Power to stay strong.
• Shan Heyuan offered the Pu Core Fire more Spiritual Power and decided they could try bringing it with them.

Shan Heyuan refined the Pu Core Fire, and the process unexpectedly triggered his breakthrough into Core Formation. As he formed a Golden Core and drew in Spiritual Power, Shen Duheng supplied Spirit Stones to keep him stable.

• Shan Heyuan persuaded the Pu Core Fire to let him refine it, and Shen Duheng stood guard.
• The Pu Core Fire entered Shan Heyuan’s Dantian and burned as he gradually brought it under his control.
• Shan Heyuan’s foundation platform and Spiritual Power melted together, then condensed into a brilliant Golden Core.
• The newly formed Golden Core absorbed the Pu Core Fire, and Shan Heyuan’s meridians began drawing in Spiritual Power from the surroundings.
• Shen Duheng fed Shan Heyuan’s breakthrough with successive sets of top-grade Spirit Stones, eventually using space-attribute stones as the suction continued.

Shan Heyuan completed Core Formation after Shen Duheng fed him a vast quantity of Spirit Stones, reaching the Core Formation Middle Stage Peak and discovering that his Dantian had expanded enormously. He and Shen Duheng examined his growing broken sword before preparing to leave the mine tunnel.

• Shen Duheng used top-grade, high-grade, and middle-grade Spirit Stones to supply Shan Heyuan with Spiritual Power as he formed his core over three days and two nights.
• Shan Heyuan awoke, found Shen Duheng behind a wall of Spirit Stones, and told him his Dantian had grown as large as a small valley and that he had refined the Pu Core Fire.
• Shan Heyuan realized Shen Duheng had spent the Spirit Stones he had gathered for a spirit sword, and he worried over the loss while planning to grow Spirit Plants in his Dantian to recoup some of the cost.
• Shan Heyuan showed Shen Duheng the broken sword, which had gained two buds and a metallic sheen during Core Formation.
• Shen Duheng examined the broken sword and said he could not keep using it because it had not originally belonged to him.

Shan Heyuan learned that the broken sword in his Dantian had been left by the Azure Cloud Dao Ancestor, then discovered that his newly expanded Dantian had become a miniature world. Shen Duheng confirmed Shan Heyuan’s Spiritual Power had returned to normal and urged him to keep the discovery secret as they prepared to leave.

• Shen Duheng explained that the broken sword was a treasure left by the Azure Cloud Dao Ancestor and had once hidden his remnant soul from Ji Li.
• Shan Heyuan showed Shen Duheng his barren Dantian, where his Golden Core floated above an empty space.
• Shan Heyuan moved his Golden Core and ignited the Pu Core Fire, transforming his Dantian into a valley-like world with a sun and fertile-looking land.
• Shen Duheng saw the miniature world through Shan Heyuan’s Divine Sense and warned him not to show it to anyone else.
• Shen Duheng checked Shan Heyuan’s Spiritual Power and found it normal, then they prepared to leave while Shan Heyuan began collecting the scattered Spirit Stone powder.

Shan Heyuan discovered that his Dantian could store ordinary objects and even absorb another cultivator’s Spiritual Power, then used Pu Core Fire to begin refining Yang Ji’s Heaven-Resembling Stone. The stone started to melt, and Shan Heyuan carefully separated its impurities.

• Shan Heyuan found that his Dantian could hold Spirit Stone powder, a broom, ore, and Shen Duheng’s spirit sword, and could swallow a stream of Shen Duheng’s Spiritual Power.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng left the Sand Terrace Mine, and Shan Heyuan made his Golden Core burn brighter beneath the sun.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng visited Yang Ji, who was refining the Heaven-Resembling Stone in an artifact furnace.
• Yang Ji was shocked to learn Shan Heyuan had reached Core Formation, then let him take over the refining with Pu Core Fire.
• Shan Heyuan’s Pu Core Fire melted the Heaven-Resembling Stone, and he carefully separated its impurities.

Shan Heyuan helped Yang Ji refine materials and forge a spirit sword for Shen Duheng, then left with Shen Duheng for the Senyang Mountain Range. In Kaiya City, they overheard two cultivators discussing a secret realm called Xijing and a Spirit Plant garden, leaving Shan Heyuan wondering whether they would investigate it.

• Shan Heyuan refined several materials for Yang Ji, who forged a spirit sword blank for Shen Duheng and handed it over to complete himself.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng parted from Yang Ji and headed toward the Senyang Mountain Range to gather Spirit Plants and test Shan Heyuan's new Core Formation strength.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan passed Spirit Jade Palace inspections and stopped in Kaiya City to shop before visiting a tavern for local news.
• Shen Duheng secretly relayed two gray-robed cultivators' discussion of an entrance fee, a Spirit Plant garden in Xijing, and their plans for the secret realm.
• Shan Heyuan silently asked Shen Duheng whether they should go to Xijing.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng entered the West Jing Secret Realm to investigate a spirit said to have formed there and to learn from the realm’s unusual nature. As they explored its shifting forest, Shan Heyuan sensed that it resembled a dead world sustained by contained Spiritual Power.

• Shen Duheng told Shan Heyuan that an old account described a spirit forming in the West Jing Secret Realm, and suggested it might help him understand small worlds.
• Shen Duheng explained that Spirit Jade Ancestor had created the secret realm by combining a refined storage Law Artifact with a dead world.
• After reading about the realm overnight, Shan Heyuan decided to visit it with Shen Duheng and they bought tickets to enter.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan found themselves alone in the misty forest, which separated visitors and could change its terrain.
• Shan Heyuan sensed that the realm lacked the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao and concluded that it resembled a dead world whose Spiritual Power had been contained.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng explored the West Jing Secret Realm, gathered Spirit Plants, and encountered its powerful realm spirit, who sensed an unusual presence of space on Shan Heyuan. Shan Heyuan concealed his abilities and tried to leave, but the realm spirit continued pursuing them.

• Shan Heyuan deduced that Spirit Jade Palace had opened the secret realm to study whether cultivators could live in its small world, and he and Shen Duheng found the formation's rich central area.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng avoided taking Spirit Stones and instead collected Spirit Plants, with Shen Duheng defeating their guards while Shan Heyuan preserved the plants' roots.
• After two days, Shan Heyuan had collected eleven Foundation Establishment-grade and three Core Formation-grade Spirit Plants, then a Spirit Transformation realm spirit appeared and sensed a strong presence of space on him.
• Shan Heyuan claimed the presence came from traveling from another spacetime and used his fire-element Spiritual Power to hide his other abilities when the realm spirit questioned him.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng tried to leave, but the realm spirit blocked them and kept appearing behind them as they fled.

Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan discovered that the West Jing Secret Realm was becoming unstable, then negotiated with its Realm Spirit over Shan Heyuan’s unusual Spiritual Power. When the Realm Spirit tried to detain them after Shan Heyuan refused to let his power be studied, Shen Duheng drew his sword to defend them.

• Shen Duheng pointed out that the West Jing Secret Realm’s space was collapsing and cracked, and Shan Heyuan realized its elemental imbalance threatened the realm.
• The Realm Spirit checked Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng’s identities, then learned that Shan Heyuan’s Spiritual Power contained traces of Breathing Earth and space.
• Shan Heyuan demonstrated his Spiritual Power in exchange for Nascent Soul-grade spiritual spring water, which the Realm Spirit gave him.
• The Realm Spirit asked Shan Heyuan to pour his Spiritual Power into a gourd for study, but Shan Heyuan refused and Shen Duheng defended his right to refuse.
• When the Realm Spirit told them to remain as guests, Shen Duheng struck with his sword and warned her that they would not accept Spirit Jade Palace bullying them.

Shen Duheng fought the Realm Spirit while Shan Heyuan hid beneath the West Jing Secret Realm’s grand formation and discovered its buried Spirit Stones. Shan Heyuan secretly dug up 579 unused top-grade Spirit Stones and stored them in his Dantian Small World as Shen Duheng kept the Realm Spirit occupied.

• The Realm Spirit recognized Shen Duheng’s Knowing People sword move and questioned his identity as Shen Duheng sent Shan Heyuan away to hide.
• Shan Heyuan gave Shen Duheng a broken sword containing the Power of the Five Elements, then concealed himself near the formation’s center by suppressing his Spiritual Power and burrowing underground.
• Beneath the formation, Shan Heyuan found two sets of Spirit Stones and decided to take the unused set, reasoning that he and Shen Duheng might have to flee after offending the Spirit Jade Palace and Sword Reverence Sect.
• While Shen Duheng fought the Realm Spirit above, Shan Heyuan dug up the unused Spirit Stones and swallowed them into his Dantian Small World.
• Shan Heyuan finished with 579 top-grade Spirit Stones and left the set powering the formation untouched.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng fled the Spirit Jade Palace with the unconscious Realm Spirit, and Shan Heyuan discovered he could hide her in his Dantian Small World. They decided to keep her confined there to delay the Spirit Jade Palace’s pursuit, leaving as her power was sealed at the Nascent Soul level.

• Shan Heyuan dug up supreme-grade Spirit Stones from the main formation and hid underground until Shen Duheng called for him.
• Shen Duheng brought the unconscious Realm Spirit and explained they needed to hide her before the Spirit Jade Palace discovered them.
• Shan Heyuan swallowed the Realm Spirit into his Dantian Small World, then took her back out after Shen Duheng reacted with surprise.
• Shan Heyuan noticed the Realm Spirit’s power and the secret realm’s presence weakened when she was in his Dantian, and proposed keeping her there so she could not alert the Spirit Jade Palace.
• Shen Duheng agreed, sealed the Realm Spirit’s cultivation at the Nascent Soul level, and Shan Heyuan confined her in his Dantian Small World again.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng concealed their theft of Spirit Stones and the Realm Spirit from Spirit Jade Palace investigators, then returned to Sword Reverence City. Shen Duheng restored Shan Heyuan’s memories, leaving Shan Heyuan to wonder whether releasing the sleeping Realm Spirit would expose them.

• Shan Heyuan stole 579 supreme-grade Spirit Stones and used the Realm Spirit’s Spiritual Power patterns to misdirect Spirit Jade Palace investigators while he and Shen Duheng staged a chase.
• Shen Duheng temporarily altered Shan Heyuan’s memories, and the two pretended to search the secret realm for Spirit Plants.
• Spirit Jade Palace questioned Shan Heyuan, Shen Duheng, and disciples from other sects after discovering the stolen Spirit Stones and the missing Realm Spirit.
• The investigators found no evidence against Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng, though they secretly placed tracking marks on them before letting them return to Sword Reverence City.
• Shen Duheng restored Shan Heyuan’s memories, and Shan Heyuan discovered the sleeping Realm Spirit and the stolen Spirit Stones in his Dantian Small World.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng kept the captured Realm Spirit unconscious while Shan Heyuan prepared a house for her in his Dantian Small World and expanded its growing plots. The chapter ended when Shen Duheng said the strange images in Shan Heyuan’s memories did not come from the Realm Spirit.

• Shen Duheng sealed the Realm Spirit’s meridians, questioned her, and said they wanted her to stay as their guest for eight or ten years.
• While Shen Duheng spoke with the Realm Spirit, Shan Heyuan built a small house with confinement talismans inside his Dantian Small World and planned plots for Spirit Plants.
• Shan Heyuan soaked the Sword Reverence Sect’s Great River Flower seed and added spirit soil to his Dantian Small World, transforming it into a secluded, garden-like place.
• Shen Duheng returned with the Realm Spirit unconscious, and Shan Heyuan showed him the changes to his Dantian Small World.
• Shan Heyuan said he had glimpsed the Realm Spirit’s thoughts and memories, but Shen Duheng replied that the strange images in Shan Heyuan’s memories did not come from her.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng agreed to investigate Shan Heyuan’s uncertain past, but surveillance kept them from leaving Sword Reverence City. Shan returned to work, relaxed with Jiang Zhi and Li Jian over drinks, and came home to Shen Duheng’s care.

• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng that he might have arrived in the cultivation world earlier than he remembered and that his unusual luck and fighting mindset made him suspect something was wrong.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng decided to investigate his past but agreed to keep working because they were under surveillance.
• Shan Heyuan returned to the Spirit Plant gardens and thanked Jiang Zhi and Li Jian for looking after them while he was away.
• Shan Heyuan shared drinks with Jiang Zhi and Li Jian, who teased him about his rapid Core Formation and mentioned rumors that the academy might promote him to instructor.
• Shan Heyuan pet a big yellow dog on his way home, then found Shen Duheng waiting and accepted the sweet soup he had made.