Chapter Summaries

After his mission, Qin Fei learned alchemy from the big yellow dog and used pills made from five-element spirit herbs to nourish his four Spirit Roots. Two years later, with his Spirit Roots strengthened and enough Spiritual Power accumulated, he prepared to break through from Late Qi Refining.

• After returning from the mission, Qin Fei traded the big yellow dog a handheld game console for a Jade Slip containing alchemy instructions and a method for refining five-element spirit herbs into pills.
• With the big yellow dog's guidance, Qin Fei overcame early failures and refined his first batch of pills, then used them to strengthen his Fire Spirit Root.
• Qin Fei bought five-element spirit materials from cultivators accepting missions posted on the Yama Pendant and steadily nourished his four Spirit Roots.
• Over two years, Shangyu Market's vanguard defeated the Barbarian Tribe, while Qin Fei cultivated whenever he was not on missions.
• Qin Fei accumulated the Spiritual Power he needed, opened his eyes, and prepared to break through from Late Qi Refining.

With the Jade Purity Pill, Qin Fei broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer and went to the Patrol Office to collect a new mission. At Jia Sixteen, Song Yue departed to lead his own squad, and the squad welcomed new member Lu Caiwei before setting out.

• Qin Fei broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer after more than two years of cultivation.
• Qin Fei collected a patrol mission at the Patrol Office, where Rogue Cultivators praised his record and the receptionist transferred his merit points in advance.
• Qin Fei met the Jia Sixteen Squad, confirmed his breakthrough, and learned that Song Yue was reluctant to leave and lead a new squad.
• Lu Caiwei arrived as Jia Sixteen's new Sixth Level Qi Refining member, and the squad joked with Song Yue before he solemnly said farewell.
• Qin Fei assigned Sun Tang, Luo Qiyuan, and Chen Qing their preparations, then led Jia Sixteen to set out with Lu Caiwei.

Qin Fei’s squad reached a secret formation-guarding mission near the Barbarian Tribe border, where Qin grew suspicious of the Lu Household cultivators and the hidden Foundation Establishment attempt. When two thousand barbarian troops attacked, he confronted the Lu cultivator at swordpoint and demanded an explanation.

• Qin Fei learned that his squad had been sent to guard an unnamed cultivator attempting Foundation Establishment and noticed Lu Caiwei’s unusual reaction.
• The big yellow dog detected a strong metal-attribute presence, but Qin Fei chose not to investigate and continued toward the assigned location.
• Qin Fei’s squad reached the formation core, where a Lu Household cultivator explained that their position had been discovered and that barbarian attacks had already begun.
• The Lu cultivator said only a little over a thousand barbarian troops were nearby, but Qin Fei’s Wooden Kite spotted around two thousand charging toward the formation core.
• Qin Fei suspected the Lu Household had arranged the mission and drew his longsword against the Lu cultivator, demanding an explanation.

Qin Fei uncovered the Lu Household’s plan to protect Lu Tianchou’s Foundation Establishment breakthrough and exposed their scheme to the Lin Household. After fleeing the battlefield, he learned that the formation was actually a forbidden blood-sacrifice array, and the big yellow dog proposed taking its power through a secondary core.

• Qin Fei deduced that the Lu Household had lured the reinforcement squads into guarding Lu Tianchou and planned to abandon them once he succeeded.
• Qin Fei sent Lin Man a message requesting help, revealing Lu Tianchou’s breakthrough location to the Lin Household.
• Lu Tianchou ordered the formation opened to let the barbarian army inside, while Qin Fei told Jia Sixteen Squad and the other squads to flee and warn the rest.
• Qin Fei escaped into the forest, where the big yellow dog realized the formation was the Five Extremes Spirit-Devouring Grand Formation, designed to sacrifice those inside.
• The big yellow dog explained that the formation had a secondary core that could let Qin Fei and him claim some of the blood sacrifice’s power.

Qin Fei used the power of the Lin Household’s blood sacrifice to complete the nourishment of four of his Spirit Roots, greatly improving his aptitude before escaping the valley. The Lu Household faced public outrage over the sacrifice, and Daoist Fuchen demanded that Lu Tianchou be handed over.

• Qin Fei agreed to let the big yellow dog redirect the blood sacrifice’s power to nourish his Spirit Roots, and the dog turned an auxiliary formation core into the main core using Qin Fei’s puppet materials.
• Qin Fei cultivated at the formation core for three days as the sacrifice’s power nourished his Spirit Roots, then escaped the valley with the big yellow dog before the Lin Household arrived.
• Qin Fei’s metal, wood, water, and fire Spirit Roots reached completion, making spiritual energy gravitate toward him, though the roots remained unstable and needed time to settle.
• Qin Fei returned to Shangyu Market and stayed in seclusion while news spread that Lu Tianchou’s failed breakthrough had followed the collapse of his State of Mind, and that the Lu Household had sacrificed patrol cultivators.
• At the Lin Household’s council hall, Daoist Fuchen demanded that the Lu Household hand Lu Tianchou over after the sacrifice provoked public outrage and drew the attention of the three great sects.

After preparing for Foundation Establishment, Qin Fei found that obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill was his main obstacle, so he posted a high-priced request and began working toward becoming a Second-Tier Puppet Master. Several months of intensive puppet production brought his Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion close to its next breakthrough.

• Daoist Fuchen took the dejected Lu Tianchou back to the Azure Wood Palace, and the Lu Household later scaled back its businesses.
• Qin Fei entered secluded cultivation, expanded his puppet factory, and began selling Flame Martial Guards through Wang Hu.
• Qin Fei learned that Foundation Establishment Pills required rare second-tier Demon Beast inner cores and found none for sale in Shangyu Market.
• Qin Fei considered seeking help, buying pills through the Yama Pendant, or making a Foundation Establishment Realm puppet to hunt a second-tier Demon Beast.
• Qin Fei offered ten thousand Spirit Stones per Foundation Establishment Pill through the Yama Pendant and focused on refining Desolate Rock Ghost Pythons and handheld game consoles.
• After several months of refining, Qin Fei’s Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion was ready to level up.

Qin Fei found that his puppetry mastery had stopped advancing, so he spent a year studying discarded puppets but still could not reach Second-Tier Puppet Master. He sought Fairy Caiyi’s guidance, and she told him his heart was not still because he had not decided why he practiced the Puppet Technique.

• Qin Fei discovered the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion’s puppet bonus applied to him and examined its newly unlocked Spirit Energy Cannon blueprint.
• After making a Spirit Energy Cannon failed to increase the pavilion’s experience, Qin Fei concluded that he needed to improve his mastery and began studying discarded puppets.
• Qin Fei spent a year studying every puppet in the scrap yard, improving greatly but failing to reach Second-Tier Puppet Master.
• Qin Fei visited the merchant association and asked Fairy Caiyi for guidance, choosing to use their promised assistance before Foundation Establishment.
• Fairy Caiyi told Qin Fei that his heart was not still and that he could not break through until he decided why he practiced the Puppet Technique.

Qin Fei opened the Mortal Puppet Abode to cultivate his state of mind, selling unusual puppets while quietly enjoying his game. After giving a Great Sage Equaling Heaven puppet to the neighboring pill shop owners’ son, Shitou, he asked the family to repay him by inviting him to a meal.

• Qin Fei opened the Mortal Puppet Abode and used the shop to experience cultivation and nurture his temperament.
• Two Rogue Cultivators visited, admired the shop’s cool breeze and lifelike ironwood puppet, then balked at the hundred-Spirit-Stone price of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
• Shitou sneaked into the shop, delighted in the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and accepted it and some peach shortbread from Qin Fei.
• Shitou returned with his parents, who tried to return the puppet, but Qin Fei insisted he keep it.
• Qin Fei asked Shitou’s parents to invite him over for a meal, and the big yellow dog wagged its tail at the mention of food.

Qin Fei helped Shitou's mother learn that Shitou's father had died and sheltered Shitou when his mother was forced into military service. After Shitou's mother returned, watching the boy's uncomplicated love of puppets helped Qin Fei understand what had kept him from becoming a second-tier Puppet Master.

• Shitou's mother asked Qin Fei to find out what had happened to her husband, and Qin Fei contacted Tiezhu for help.
• Tiezhu reported that Shitou's father had died in battle, and Qin Fei told Shitou's mother the truth.
• When soldiers forced Shitou's mother into service, Qin Fei let Shitou stay with him and asked Tiezhu to look after her.
• Shitou's mother returned safely a month later, and Shitou became cheerful again as he played with puppets.
• Qin Fei realized that fear and practical goals had driven his study of puppetry, and he resolved to cultivate it simply because he wanted to.

After three days of sudden enlightenment, Qin Fei reached the threshold of a Second-Tier Puppet Master and prepared to focus on cultivation and crafting. Three months later, he upgraded the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion to lv10, became a Second-Tier Puppet Master, and began studying a Foundation Establishment Realm puppet.

• Qin Fei gave Shitou three puppets, including Erlang, the Manifest Sage True Lord and the Great God of the Three Altars Dharma Assembly, before closing Mortal Puppet Abode.
• Qin Fei returned to the puppet scrapyard and crafted Spirit Energy Cannons while cultivating, nourishing his Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eye, and studying the second-tier puppet blueprint in the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter.
• After three months of crafting, Qin Fei filled the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion's experience bar and upgraded it to lv10.
• The Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion recognized Qin Fei as a Second-Tier Puppet Master and unlocked the Divine Travel Flying Boat blueprint.
• Qin Fei studied the final pages of the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter to begin crafting a Foundation Establishment Realm puppet.

Qin Fei declined the Lin Household’s invitation to become an inner-door Attendant but asked Lin Man about attending lectures at its Dao Academy. After struggling to craft a second-tier Puppet Core, he had found success with the simpler Divine Travel Flying Boat and hoped to learn from experienced Puppet Masters.

• Qin Fei spent years simulating the crafting of Puppet Cores while working toward a second-tier puppet.
• Lin Man visited Qin Fei and offered him an inner-door Attendant position on behalf of the Lin Household.
• Qin Fei declined, saying he preferred to live freely, and Lin Man accepted his answer.
• Qin Fei asked Lin Man whether second-tier Puppet Masters lectured at the Lin Household’s Dao Academy, then said he wanted to attend classes rather than teach.
• Qin Fei followed the big yellow dog's advice, shifted to crafting the Divine Travel Flying Boat, and succeeded with its simpler Puppet Core.

Qin Fei missed the chance to meet the Puppet Master who had just left the academy, but the instructor later sought him out after seeing the puppets he had made. Qin Fei welcomed the instructor and Zhou Ping and asked for guidance on refining a Puppet Core.

• Lin Man told Qin Fei that the second-tier Puppet Master had left the academy, so Qin Fei returned to refining puppets on his own.
• The instructor visited Shi Yue's home and praised Qin Fei's three puppets, judging that their maker had reached the threshold of a second-tier Puppet Master.
• Shitou's mother refused to reveal where Qin Fei had gone, then warned Shi Yue not to expose their benefactor to strangers.
• The instructor and Zhou Ping went to the Lin Household, where Qin Fei was waiting to meet them.
• Qin Fei credited the puppets from the Heavenly Secrets Sect ruins for his breakthrough as a second-tier Puppet Master and asked the instructor for guidance on making a Puppet Core.

Qin Fei improved his Puppet Technique under Wei Zhao’s guidance, then prepared for a long seclusion to craft a second-tier puppet. He entered his sealed secret chamber, and the puppet scrapyard remained silent through the changing seasons.

• Wei Zhao showed Qin Fei a second-tier puppet and taught him about its Puppet Core while they discussed the Puppet Technique.
• After three months, Wei Zhao and Zhou Ping said farewell, and Qin Fei’s simulated success rate for crafting Puppet Cores had improved to one in a hundred attempts.
• Qin Fei decided to enter seclusion after resolving to craft a second-tier puppet.
• At the patrol office, Lin Man told Qin Fei that the Lin Household would exempt him from assignments because Wei Zhao had visited them.
• Qin Fei bought supplies, notified Tang Zhan and the others, activated his secret chamber’s defensive restrictions, and entered seclusion.

After Shangyu Market’s costly war with the Barbarian Tribe ended, Fairy Caiyi prepared to return to Azure Wood Palace, and the Star Radiance Merchant Association planned to follow. Qin Fei remained away in the Luoping Mountain Range, where he successfully used the Soul Condensation Technique to create a soul core for controlling a second-tier puppet.

• Daoist Fuchen ordered Shangyu Market to switch to defense, lift the city-gate restrictions, and punish the Rogue Cultivators who had fled, then left with Fairy Caiyi to report to Azure Wood Palace.
• The Lin Household patriarch and the Lu Household patriarch worried that Shangyu Market would be vulnerable to a Barbarian Tribe counterattack after Daoist Fuchen and Fairy Caiyi departed.
• Fairy Caiyi invited Tang Zhan and the others to leave with her, and they agreed to wait for Qin Fei while Tiezhu planned to meet them later.
• Tang Zhan and the others left messages for Qin Fei at the empty puppet scrapyard, then closed the shop and disappeared from Shangyu Market.
• In a hidden cave in the Luoping Mountain Range, Qin Fei used the Soul Condensation Technique to merge several souls taken from Yin Wind Wolves and stored the resulting soul core in a jade bottle.

After breaking through to Qi Refining Ninth Layer, Qin Fei completed a second-tier puppet using the souls of Yin Wind Wolves and a newly crafted Puppet Core. He split off a strand of divine thought to control it, then awoke from the technique’s severe aftereffects and named the Foundation Establishment Early Stage puppet Iron Guard.

• Qin Fei discovered that his seclusion had advanced him to Qi Refining Ninth Layer and expanded his Divine Sense to a one-li radius.
• Qin Fei used the souls of Yin Wind Wolves and the Soul Refining Technique to complete the second-tier puppet.
• Qin Fei endured the Spirit Splitting Technique’s pain and placed a strand of divine thought into the Puppet Core.
• Qin Fei ordered the puppet to guard him, then fainted from the strain.
• Qin Fei awoke in the cave, named the puppet Iron Guard, and heard it greet him as Fellow Daoist Qin.

Qin Fei sent the Iron Guard to hunt a Purple Flame Deer, and the Iron Guard rescued Sun Tang’s squad by killing the beast. Qin Fei then confronted two cultivators hiding a Purple Flame Deer fawn.

• Qin Fei tracked a Purple Flame Deer with the Iron Guard while watching through the Wooden Kite.
• Sun Tang and the other cultivators lost control of the Twenty-Four Demon-Subduing Formation as the Purple Flame Deer attacked them.
• The new captain fled, but the Purple Flame Deer caught and killed him before continuing its rampage.
• The Iron Guard arrived, crushed the deer's purple flames, and killed it with brutal punches.
• Qin Fei found two Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators hiding in a cave with a Purple Flame Deer fawn and asked what they had found.

Qin Fei and Iron Guard defeated two cultivators who had stolen a Purple Flame Deer fawn, and Qin Fei named the fawn Cloud Treader and left it in his Mustard Seed Space. Meanwhile, Sun Tang’s group divided the slain deer and prepared to flee as the Barbarian army advanced, while Qin Fei’s friends in Shangyu Market worried that he would not return before the market evacuated.

• Qin Fei exposed two cultivators’ plan to take the Purple Flame Deer fawn, and Iron Guard killed them both despite one using the fawn as a hostage.
• Qin Fei named the fawn Cloud Treader and put it in his Mustard Seed Space, where it began suckling the startled big yellow dog.
• Qin Fei collected the cultivators’ Storage Bags and the Purple Flame Deer’s inner core, then left with Iron Guard.
• Sun Tang’s group divided the dead Purple Flame Deer, learned the Barbarian army was advancing, and decided most of them should leave Shangyu Market.
• Wang Hu told Tang Zhan and the others that he had found no trace of Qin Fei, and they feared Shangyu Market would fall before he returned.

Qin Fei hunted second-tier Demon Beasts in the Luoping Mountain Range until he had gathered enough cores, then discovered that Shangyu Market had fallen to the barbarians. He followed the fleeing cultivators’ trail and found the Lin and Lu Households debating whether to bring hundreds of thousands of Rogue Cultivators along to Repel the North City.

• Qin Fei settled into a cave abode on Luoping Mountain and hunted Demon Beasts with Iron Guard while learning pill refinement from the big yellow dog.
• Qin Fei and Iron Guard killed a Black Dark Ox, bringing Qin Fei closer to his goal of gathering ten second-tier Demon Beast cores.
• Qin Fei arrived above Shangyu Market and saw that the barbarians had taken control; his voice transmission talisman could not reach Tang Zhan and the others.
• Qin Fei sent birds to search for signs of the fleeing cultivators, then followed a trail of abandoned belongings and corpses out of the market.
• The Lin and Lu leaders debated whether to bring the Rogue Cultivators with them to Repel the North City, and the Lu Household’s ancestor agreed to try.

Tang Zhan and the others traveled with the Shangyu Market refugees while A Luodan lured a million-strong beast tide toward them. The Lin and Lu Households were devastated, and the remaining Rogue Cultivators faced the approaching horde in panic.

• Tang Zhan and the others decided to stay with the procession while waiting for Qin Fei, and two Barbarian Tribe Foundation Establishment cultivators watched them from the shadows.
• The Lin Household ancestor halted the procession on the plain, where he and the second elder spotted a beast tide approaching through a vast cloud of yellow sand.
• The Lin and Lu Household descendants at the front were caught in the tide; the Lin Household's third elder and the Lu Household ancestor perished, while the Lin Household ancestor and one Lu Household cultivator escaped.
• Tang Zhan and Wang Hu tried to flee with their companions, but landed when they recognized the flying attackers as Lightning Mantises that preyed on airborne creatures.
• A Luodan admitted to Gutulu that he had lured the beast tide by capturing a Crimson Zheng cub, intending to make the beasts blame the humans.
• The Lin and Lu Households lost over ninety percent of their people, while the refugees behind them gained time before the beast tide reached them.

Qin Fei rescued Shi Yue, his mother, and other Rogue Cultivators from a barbarian patrol, then learned that a Beast Tide had scattered the million people fleeing Shangyu Market. As he prepared to search for his missing friends, he recognized the old man who had once tried to harm him.

• Tang Zhan and his companions escaped the Beast Tide on Zhang Yu's motorcycles and headed for Repel the North City.
• Qin Fei found barbarian soldiers driving a group of Rogue Cultivators like livestock and ordered the Iron Guard to kill the soldiers.
• Shi Yue and his mother recognized Qin Fei, who asked them what had happened while he was away.
• Shi Yue's mother explained that the Lin and Lu Households had abandoned Shangyu Market and that a Beast Tide had scattered the million Rogue Cultivators on their journey.
• Qin Fei asked Shi Yue's mother to lead him to where the Beast Tide had appeared, then recognized the old man as the Gu worm cultivator who had tried to harm him in the hundred-story tower.