Chapter Summaries

Shan Heyuan struggled to find a way to outperform Shi Mian in cultivating Clear Source Grass, but Shen Duheng comforted him and kissed him, leaving him elated. The next morning, they checked the grass and decided to visit Shi Mian’s fields to see how he was doing things.

• Shan Heyuan considered refining Fertilizer Pills, using spiritual spring water, and revisiting the Spring Transformation Art, but found no suitable way to improve his results.
• Shen Duheng joined Shan Heyuan in his cabin, where Shan Heyuan worried that copying Shi Mian’s flood-irrigation method would cost too much and work poorly.
• Shen Duheng kissed Shan Heyuan and told him to sleep, while both men secretly struggled to stay composed beside each other.
• At dawn, Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng checked the Clear Source Grass and saw that yesterday’s spiritual-liquid rain had helped it grow.
• Shen Duheng suggested visiting Shi Mian’s fields, and Shan Heyuan agreed to observe his rival’s methods and learn from them.

Shan Heyuan studied Shi Mian’s thriving Clear Source Grass and realized he needed a different approach to the cultivation contest. He discovered that using Gentle Breeze to remove old leaves and regulate the plants’ Spiritual Power produced excellent new growth, then exhausted himself applying the technique across the field while Shen Duheng and Bi Jinying watched.

• Shan Heyuan visited Shi Mian’s plot, praised his careful work, and discussed cultivation with him before returning to his own field.
• After two days, Shan Heyuan saw Shi Mian’s team remove old leaves and admired how much better their Clear Source Grass looked.
• Shan Heyuan remembered reviving a rotting Spirit Plant by removing damaged parts, then used Gentle Breeze to strip old leaves and stimulate new shoots on his Clear Source Grass.
• Seeing the plump new growth and signs of improved quality, Shan Heyuan began regulating more plants with Gentle Breeze, eventually affecting several at once.
• Shen Duheng and Bi Jinying stayed nearby as Shan Heyuan tirelessly worked through the field, with Bi Jinying worrying about his intense use of Spiritual Power.

Shan Heyuan advanced tens of mu of Clear Source Grass to Core Formation grade, leaving him exhausted and triggering his Nascent Soul Tribulation. Shen Duheng provoked the sluggish tribulation clouds into gathering force, then carried Shan Heyuan away from the farm to face the tribulation in the wilderness.

• Shan Heyuan used Gentle Breeze across the Clear Source Grass fields, absorbing and circulating vast amounts of Spiritual Power as his Dantian Small World and its Spirit Plants grew stronger.
• The Clear Source Grass resonated with Shan Heyuan and advanced to Core Formation grade across tens of mu of fields while tribulation clouds gathered overhead.
• After Shan Heyuan finished tending all fifty mu, Shen Duheng caught him as he collapsed from exhaustion and carried him toward the large wooden house.
• Shan Heyuan sensed that his Nascent Soul Tribulation was near but incomplete, so Shen Duheng struck at the tribulation clouds to draw down stronger lightning.
• Shen Duheng's attacks enraged the clouds into covering the sky, and he carried Shan Heyuan away on his sword to undergo Tribulation Transcendence in the wilderness.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng went deep into the mountains to face Shan Heyuan’s Nascent Soul Tribulation, while people on the farm hid underground from the terrifying lightning. Shan Heyuan discovered that embracing Shen Duheng let him absorb the lightning and break through his bottleneck, then began drawing the current into his Dantian Small World.

• Bi Jinying ordered everyone at the farm to dig a tunnel and take shelter from the Tribulation Lightning.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng reached a mountaintop, where Shen Duheng’s sword strikes drew lightning that hit him but left Shan Heyuan unharmed.
• Shan Heyuan embraced Shen Duheng and conducted the lightning into himself, triggering a change in his cultivation and easing his bottleneck.
• Shen Duheng struck again while holding Shan Heyuan, and repeated bolts of lightning and Sword Intent refined Shan Heyuan’s body as a Nascent Soul began to form inside his Golden Core.
• Shan Heyuan opened his Dantian Small World and drew the conducted lightning inside, making his body tense as Shen Duheng watched him with concern.

Shan Heyuan absorbed the Tribulation Lightning into his Dantian and advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. Because the extraordinary tribulation exposed him and the realm spirit, Shen Duheng fled with him, leaving Sword Reverence City behind.

• Shan Heyuan drew the Tribulation Lightning into his Dantian Small World, creating a pillar of lightning that darkened the sky.
• Shan Heyuan's Golden Core transformed into a Nascent Soul, and the tribulation cloud dispersed.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng realized their unusual advancement and the realm spirit's presence had exposed them to the major sects.
• Shen Duheng put the realm spirit to sleep, and Shan Heyuan stored her on a peak in his Dantian Small World, away from the lake of lightning.
• Shen Duheng removed their tracking array and used a flying boat to take Shan Heyuan northeast, away from Sword Reverence City.

Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan fled to Haixi Province under false identities and settled in Youcheng City. Shan Heyuan showed Shen Duheng the transformed Dantian Small World, where they discovered that the Illusionless Tree and the lightning-struck wood sprout had fused into one plant.

• Shen Duheng disguised himself and Shan Heyuan, arranged false identities, and took him through a black-market teleportation array to Haixi Province.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan settled in Youcheng City under a cover story and suppressed their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• After the lightning in Shan Heyuan's Dantian Small World was absorbed, Shan Heyuan used his Nascent Soul to bring Shen Duheng inside and show him its mountains, lakes, plains, and farmland.
• Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan inspected the lake that still held silvery-white lightning currents and then went to check on the Illusionless Tree and lightning-struck wood sprout.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng discovered the two Spirit Plants had grown into one.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng found that the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout had merged with the Illusionless Tree and the broken sword had repaired itself, then Shan Heyuan began learning swordsmanship from Shen Duheng. As they hid from warrants and cultivated Shan Heyuan’s Dantian Small World, the Illusionless Tree grew into a towering tree that reminded him of the legendary Heaven-Supporting Tree.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng dug up the broken sword and found it repaired into a vermilion spirit sword bearing Shan Heyuan’s presence.
• Shan Heyuan accepted the sword and asked Shen Duheng to teach him swordsmanship, then began learning the fifty-two forms of “Questioning the Dao.”
• Shan Heyuan named the sword “Little Sword” and showed unexpected talent for the technique, while he and Shen Duheng assumed he might have learned it before.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng learned that the Sword Reverence Sect and Spirit Jade Palace had issued warrants accusing them of kidnapping the Realm Spirit, so Shan Heyuan concealed his Spiritual Power patterns and blocked his friends’ patterns.
• Shan Heyuan cultivated plants in his Dantian Small World, where the land grew lush and the spirit spring revived as dew appeared.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng watched the Illusionless Tree grow over five meters tall, and Shan Heyuan thought of the legendary Heaven-Supporting Tree.

Shan Heyuan struggled to grow the Thousand Powder Grass seed Shen Duheng needed for a cultivation-boosting pill, despite seeking advice and trying many methods. A grower friend offered to connect him with Master Kucheng, a renowned cultivation expert, leaving the problem unresolved.

• Shan Heyuan realized that his Dantian Small World contained the wood, water, and fire elements, though he and Shen Duheng had no time to seek the remaining elements.
• Shen Duheng gave Shan Heyuan a Thousand Powder Grass seed, explaining that he needed the herb to make a pill and restore his cultivation to the Middle Spirit Transformation Stage.
• Shan Heyuan failed to germinate the seed with metal-attribute Spirit Stones and sought advice at Youcheng Academy, but neither his attempts nor other growers’ suggestions worked.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng discussed whether his Metal Spirit Root or life-bound wood-attribute sword was preventing the seed from growing, but found no solution.
• A grower friend offered to introduce Shan Heyuan to Master Kucheng, a renowned grower, so he could ask for advice.

Shan Heyuan met Master Kucheng to seek advice on growing Thousand Powder Grass and received suggestions and the coordinates of a knowledgeable spirit plant. After Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng that Master Kucheng recommended Dual Cultivation, Shen Duheng proposed that they marry.

• Shan Heyuan met Master Kucheng, who suggested Dual Cultivation as a way to help Shan grow Thousand Powder Grass.
• Master Kucheng shared his Spiritual Power pattern and the coordinates of a great banyan tree with a Metal Spirit Root who might advise Shan.
• Master Kucheng said he could not read Shan's past or future because of the dense Golden Light of Merit around him.
• Shan Heyuan returned home and told Shen Duheng about the Dual Cultivation suggestion.
• Shen Duheng asked Shan Heyuan to marry him and form a closer bond.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng married in Youcheng City and spent their wedding night together. The next morning, Shen Duheng checked on Shan Heyuan and asked whether his Metal Spirit Root had improved.

• Shen Duheng proposed to Shan Heyuan with a pair of rings he had made, and Shan Heyuan accepted.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng held a small wedding banquet in Youcheng City, attended by their friends, Zhuo Zheng, Master Kucheng, and Gong Lie.
• Master Kucheng privately urged Shan Heyuan to open their wedding gift at home, where he found a large bag of ointment.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng spent their wedding night together, using the ointment Master Kucheng had given them.
• The next morning, Shen Duheng checked Shan Heyuan for a fever and asked if his Metal Spirit Root had improved.

After marrying Shen Duheng, Shan Heyuan felt that he had finally found a home and tended the plants in his Dantian Small World. Their happiness was interrupted when two cities in northwestern Haixi Province suddenly died, burying most of their residents.

• Shan Heyuan reflected on how his marriage to Shen Duheng had given him a home and a sense of belonging.
• Shan Heyuan used Gentle Breeze and spirit mist to plant and nourish Thousand Powder Grass in his Dantian Small World.
• Shan Heyuan examined the Illusionless Tree but could not determine what was special about it.
• Shen Duheng brought Shan Heyuan congee, and Shan Heyuan quietly accepted it.
• Shocking news arrived that two cities in northwestern Haixi Province had suddenly died, burying most of their residents.

After two cities were destroyed without warning, Shan Heyuan helped grow medicinal herbs for evacuees while he and Shen Duheng prepared to move to Bi Province. The Realm Spirit woke, swore Shen Duheng’s lengthy oath, and agreed to help manage Shan Heyuan’s Spirit Plants in exchange for space grass.

• Shan Heyuan joined the Cultivation Association’s effort to grow healing herbs and supplies for people affected by the destruction of two cities.
• Shen Duheng told Shan Heyuan that rising danger in Haixi Province meant they would move to Bi Province, and they gathered supplies for the trip.
• Shan Heyuan restrained the newly awakened Realm Spirit and called Shen Duheng to decide what to do with her.
• Shen Duheng made the Realm Spirit memorize and swear a 1,385-character heart demon oath, then restricted her strength to Core Formation cultivation so she could remain awake.
• Shan Heyuan offered the Realm Spirit space grass in exchange for managing the Spirit Plants in his Dantian Small World, and she accepted.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng traveled to meet the Spirit Transformation great banyan tree, hoping to ask for a branch that might help Shan Heyuan cultivate faster. They reached the tree and introduced themselves at Master Kucheng’s request.

• Shan Heyuan assigned the Realm Spirit to care for his Thousand Powder Grass and continued studying space with her lessons and outside texts.
• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng he wanted to visit the great banyan tree for a branch, and Shen Duheng agreed to go with him.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng left Youcheng City in disguise and used spatial teleportation to reach the peninsula nearest the tree.
• People on the peninsula warned Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng that the tree’s senior was hostile to humans and that the surrounding sea was dangerous.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng flew over the sea, admired the great banyan tree and its wildlife, then revealed their identities and greeted the senior in Master Kucheng’s name.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng traded with the great banyan tree, obtaining the final five forms of the Spring Transformation Art and some branches before resuming their flight from pursuers. Shan Heyuan learned that the lost forms let him cultivate by plundering Spiritual Power from Spirit Plants, and found the method increased his cultivation speed more than fivefold.

• The great banyan tree welcomed Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng, accepted Shan Heyuan’s Fertilizer Pills and spiritual liquid, and offered to trade.
• Shan Heyuan traded five hundred Fertilizer Pills for the final five forms of the Spring Transformation Art, then exchanged Spirit Stones for some of the tree’s branches.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng departed without lingering and used teleportation arrays and ancient coordinates to continue fleeing.
• Shan Heyuan studied the final forms and learned they strengthened cultivators by plundering Spiritual Power from Spirit Plants, leaving the plants in poor condition.
• Shan Heyuan practiced the method and discovered that it made his cultivation more than five times faster.

Shan Heyuan’s cultivation rose as he and Shen Duheng traveled toward Bi Province, while his lost memories continued to trouble him. After Thousand Powder Grass matured in his Dantian Small World, Shan Heyuan used it to refine Sky-Soaring Pills and imagined a future when he and Shen Duheng could stop hiding and conduct business openly.

• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng discussed how Xin Xie’s Cultivation Method had become effective in a dying world, and Shan Heyuan advanced from the Nascent Soul Early Stage to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• Shan Heyuan began having unpleasant dreams he could not remember, and Shen Duheng comforted him as they traveled toward Bi Province using old spatial coordinates.
• Thousand Powder Grass matured in Shan Heyuan’s Dantian Small World, and the Realm Spirit praised his talent for growing Spirit Plants while asking him to release her.
• Shan Heyuan harvested the grass and took over refining pills from Shen Duheng, producing increasingly large batches of Sky-Soaring Pills with his familiar Pill Furnace and Pu Core Fire.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng joked about doing business once Shen Duheng reached the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, and Shan Heyuan described how he would reuse Spirit Plants after absorbing their Spiritual Power.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng settled in Bi Province, but the Realm Spirit returned to the Spirit Jade Palace after news of more city deaths reached them. After moving several times and disguising themselves, Shan Heyuan came home to find a familiar-looking stranger waiting at their door.

• Shen Duheng began taking Sky-Soaring Pills to restore his cultivation, and Shan Heyuan watched to ensure they caused no problems.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng rented a small farm in Bi Province and hoped to live there peacefully while improving their cultivation.
• After hearing that a fifth city had died and one was near the Spirit Jade Palace, the Realm Spirit asked to return and promised not to endanger them.
• Shan Heyuan agreed to let the Realm Spirit go back, and news later reported that she was helping the Spirit Jade Palace and cultivators of Fu Province.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng moved three times and disguised themselves as a beast and its master, with Shen Duheng as the beast.
• Shan Heyuan returned from trading for spirit grass and found a tall figure in white at their door who looked strangely like Shen Duheng.

Ji Li confronted Shan Heyuan at his home and overpowered him before Shen Duheng returned. Shen Duheng faced Ji Li and challenged him about his deteriorating bodies and desire to escape as more worlds died.

• Ji Li found Shan Heyuan alone, sealed the surrounding space, and invited himself inside to wait for Shen Duheng.
• Ji Li offered Shan Heyuan a place in the Sword Reverence Sect or Planting Institute, but Shan Heyuan rejected the offer and drew his sword.
• Shan Heyuan attacked Ji Li and opened his Dantian Small World, but Ji Li seized him and revealed he had come for Shen He.
• Shen Duheng returned rather than flee, and Ji Li confronted him about his reckless behavior.
• Shen Duheng asked whether Ji Li had come because worlds were dying and challenged him about changing skins and rotting from within.

Shen Duheng and Shan Heyuan used Tribulation Lightning to weaken Ji Li during their desperate fight. The chapter ended with Shan Heyuan confronting Ji Li as Shen Duheng neared Spirit Transformation.

• Shen Duheng fought Ji Li and guessed that Lin Ji was Ji Li's next target, while Ji Li threw the sealed Shan Heyuan aside.
• Shan Heyuan unleashed Tribulation Lightning at Shen Duheng's signal, and Shen Duheng used his sword techniques to block Ji Li's attack.
• Shen Duheng provoked his Spirit Transformation tribulation and fought Ji Li as lightning struck them both, while Shan Heyuan remained unharmed.
• Shan Heyuan opened his Dantian Small World and poured its contents into the Tribulation Lightning, completing its Heavenly Dao Principles and greatly strengthening it.
• Ji Li endured the enhanced lightning and tried to kill them, but Shan Heyuan rose to fight him as Shen Duheng's presence climbed toward Spirit Transformation.
• Ji Li accused Shen Duheng of teaching Shan Heyuan the Sword Reverence Sect's core sword techniques and called Shen He a traitor.

Shan Heyuan saved Shen Duheng from Ji Li by burning away his body and sending their Dantian Small World into the void, where they were temporarily safe. As his memories returned, Shan Heyuan remembered his past as the Sword Reverence Sect’s Azure Cloud Dao Ancestor and learned that his earlier attempt to save the dying cultivation world had failed.

• Shan Heyuan took the unconscious Shen Duheng into the Dantian Small World while Ji Li attacked him under the Tribulation Lightning.
• Ji Li grievously wounded Shan Heyuan, who ignited his Nascent Soul-level Pu Core Fire and burned away his body to let the Dantian Small World escape into the void.
• Ji Li searched for Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng but could not find them, then left as the Tribulation Lightning continued to strike.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng lay in the empty Tribulation Lightning lake inside the drifting Dantian Small World, safe from Ji Li for the time being.
• Shan Heyuan recovered memories of his past as the Azure Cloud Dao Ancestor, including his choice to try to save the cultivation world rather than gamble on ascending directly.

Shan Heyuan explained how his past self had self-destructed during a tribulation and eventually returned through the Spirit Vein beneath Jingzhishan Town, while he and Shen Duheng recovered in the void. They planned an escape route, but disagreed over whether to risk emerging in Dunchuan City or choose a safer destination.

• Shen Duheng woke in Shan Heyuan’s damaged Dantian Small World and learned that Shan Heyuan’s body had been destroyed while they escaped Ji Li.
• Shan Heyuan told Shen Duheng about his past life, including his self-destruction during Tribulation Transcendence, his years as a Rogue Cultivator, and his rise to sect master of the Sword Reverence Sect.
• Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng shared stories and joked together before resting in a small stone house inside the Dantian Small World.
• After resting, Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng calculated three safe exit coordinates in the void.
• Shen Duheng suggested emerging in Dunchuan City to gather supplies and find a puppet for Shan Heyuan’s Nascent Soul, but Shan Heyuan worried that the Proliferation Sect might expose them and proposed Qiuyi Mortal Market instead.