Chapter Summaries

After Qin Han’s success granted Lu Changzhi a new paired-benefit effect, Lu Changzhi followed him while the others prepared to open their city to arriving cultivators. Gu Chen let everyone enter freely, and as they settled in, Lu Changzhi received a reward for completing a random mission.

• Lu Changzhi gained the Good Things Come in Pairs effect, which promised an extra benefit whenever he obtained Qin Han’s opportunities.
• At the city, Mu Fan and the others saw another beam of light rise from beneath the ground, and Gu Chen decided they should open the city while reserving its innermost area.
• Gu Chen told the cultivators gathered outside that they could enter for free as long as they caused no conflicts.
• The newcomers entered the city and celebrated having a free refuge, while Lu Changzhi listened to them discuss the secret realm.
• Lu Changzhi received a system notification that he had completed the random mission [Harvest Your Own Leeks Yourself] and that its rewards were being distributed.

Lu Changzhi received a Waveless Robe and a Heart-Binding Devil Seed, which he planned to use on Zhou Xun to uncover clues about the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty. As he slept, cultivators across the secret realm began hunting demonic beasts to gather light, while city authorities considered increasing the cost of staying in their cities.

• Lu Changzhi received 2,000 experience points, a Waveless Robe, and a Heart-Binding Devil Seed as mission rewards.
• The system explained that the Devil Race item could control someone below the Saint Realm, and that Impermanent Karma protected Lu Changzhi from its forbidden effects.
• Lu Changzhi considered using the Heart-Binding Devil Seed on Zhou Xun to learn more about the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, then left an External Avatar near Qin Han and went to sleep.
• Cultivators learned that lighting three levels of a nine-story tower could improve cultivation in the city, while lighting six might grant access to the secret realm's central cultivation site.
• After discovering that the beasts near the city were mostly weak demonic beasts, cultivators prepared to hunt them at night and gather light.
• Groups controlling the cities watched ordinary cultivators' efforts and considered raising the amount of light required to stay.

Zhou Mu ordered the Punishment Hall to investigate a suspected traitor who had secretly used another Privilege Token to enter the secret realm. Inside the realm, Qin Han recovered and prepared to resume hunting demonic beasts, while keeping his attention on the woman he truly wanted to win over.

• Zhou Xun sent a concealed message to Zhou Mu, reporting a powerful sword cultivator who appeared to have bypassed the secret realm's age restrictions.
• Zhou Mu concluded that someone had secretly kept another Privilege Token and summoned Zhuang Linfa to investigate everyone connected to the secret realm's entrants.
• Zhou Mu ordered Zhuang Linfa to find the culprit or punish someone to deter disobedience, and Zhuang Linfa returned to the Punishment Hall to consider whom to question.
• Qin Han told Hua Yunfan that he had mostly recovered, but she continued repelling beasts and urged him to rest while the unconscious woman recovered.
• Qin Han agreed that the woman needed better recovery pills so they could pick up the pace, then looked toward the woman he actually intended to win over.

Qin Jiuxiao woke after being buried and, after recalling his failed attempt to deal with Luo Zhen and Liu Qingyan, broke through in a fit of anger. He returned to his city to recover, where rumors had spread about his clash with Luo Zhen, and began searching for Luo Zhen in case of another ambush.

• Qin Jiuxiao clawed his way out of the ground and tried to remember who had saved him, suspecting that a familiar Sword Intent had intervened.
• Qin Jiuxiao recalled his failed plans against Luo Zhen and Liu Qingyan, grew furious, and unexpectedly reached a breakthrough.
• Qin Jiuxiao changed clothes and returned to his city, intending to rest, recover, and seek opportunities to grow stronger.
• People in Qin Jiuxiao's city discussed conflicting rumors about his conflict with Luo Zhen, including a story that Qin Jiuxiao had tried to force himself on him.
• Qin Jiuxiao ignored the rumors and scanned the city with his intent, searching for Luo Zhen in case he was preparing another sneak attack.

After recovering from an unexplained ambush, Luo Zhen decided to conceal his identity and grow stronger, while Lu Changzhi observed Qin Jiuxiao’s darkening progress and Qin Han tending to the wounded Liu Qingyan. As Qin Han applied medicine to Liu Qingyan, he considered testing a medicine on her.

• Luo Zhen realized he had been ambushed and buried, then decided to hide his identity and seek chances to increase his strength.
• Lu Changzhi learned that Qin Jiuxiao’s darkening progress had reached 20%, increasing his growth rate and chance of opportunities.
• Lu Changzhi watched Qin Han remain near the cave because Liu Qingyan had not yet awakened.
• Liu Qingyan woke, introduced herself to Qin Han, and asked him to apply medicine to her wound.
• While treating Liu Qingyan, Qin Han grew stirred and considered testing a medicine on her.

Qin Han treated Liu Qingyan’s wounds and decided to pursue a way to bring her closer to him, while Liu Qingyan independently planned to use an aphrodisiac to make him feel guilty and easier to control. As Qin Han roasted fish for her, Lu Changzhi watched and recognized the powder she had slipped into her wine.

• Qin Han finished treating Liu Qingyan’s wounds and left her to rest, while deciding he might try to take advantage of the situation later.
• Liu Qingyan concluded that Qin Han was a better choice than Qin Jiuxiao or Luo Zhen and resolved to deepen their relationship.
• Liu Qingyan planned to use drugs to create an opportunity, then secretly poured Yang Spring Powder into a flask of wine as Qin Han roasted fish.
• Lu Changzhi saw Liu Qingyan tamper with the wine and used the system to identify the powder as a powerful aphrodisiac.
• Liu Qingyan joined Qin Han by the fire, praised his cooking, and accepted his offer to share the grilled fish.

Lu Changzhi watched Qin Han and Liu Qingyan’s encounter after both consumed Peak Grade Yang Spring Powder, then discovered Hua Yunfan had possessed Qin Han. The system reported that two of Qin Han’s opportunities had disappeared, leaving Lu Changzhi startled and unsure what had happened to the Sword Heart opportunity.

• Lu Changzhi recognized that Qin Han was using the same Peak Grade Yang Spring Powder Liu Qingyan had put in the wine, and suspected Qin Han had sprinkled it on purpose.
• Qin Han and Liu Qingyan ate and drank the drugged food and wine, then became overwhelmed by its effects while Hua Yunfan gave them privacy.
• Lu Changzhi stopped watching to nap, then returned to observe that the encounter was still continuing and that Hua Yunfan had set up a concealment formation.
• Lu Changzhi sensed that Hua Yunfan had possessed Qin Han and recoiled from what he witnessed.
• The system alerted Lu Changzhi that two of Qin Han’s opportunities had disappeared.

Lu Changzhi learned that his involvement had altered Qin Han’s opportunities, so he made plans to guide Qin Han toward the missing rewards indirectly. After Lu Changzhi left to prepare at one opportunity’s location, Qin Han woke in the cave beside Liu Qingyan with little memory of what had happened.

• Lu Changzhi discovered that Qin Han’s Sword Heart and dung-digging opportunities had vanished, and the system explained that his interference had changed events.
• The system told Lu Changzhi that he could retrieve the rewards himself or guide Qin Han to them indirectly, since direct gifts would not count as opportunities.
• Lu Changzhi had the system devise several plans, chose one, and left to prepare at an opportunity’s location.
• After night fell, Qin Han and Liu Qingyan rested in a cave, and Qin Han eventually woke feeling exhausted and unable to recall what had happened.
• Hua Yunfan warned Qin Han that Liu Qingyan might be an adept, and Qin Han closed his eyes again while waiting for her to wake.

Qin Han and Liu Qingyan pretended their intimacy in the cave had been an accident, each believing the encounter had secured the other’s trust. Meanwhile, Lu Changzhi and Qin Li returned from City Sixteen with a remarkable haul, opened the core area to others, and arrived at a meal where Luo Ling'er had a treasure to show.

• Qin Han promised Liu Qingyan he would never let her down, while secretly hoping to use the same tactic to approach someone from the Extreme Arms Holy Land.
• Liu Qingyan concealed that she had caused the incident with her wine and was pleased to have gained control of a reliable ally.
• Qin Li returned to the city with a flying boat carrying a huge mass of light and told Lu Changzhi that City Sixteen had been cleared and dinner was ready.
• Lu Changzhi removed the formation around the core area and allowed the gathered people to enter, leaving Qin Li to handle their request to follow them.
• Lu Changzhi and Qin Li traveled to City Sixteen, where Luo Ling'er excitedly asked Lu Changzhi to guess what treasure she had found.

Luo Ling'er received a low-grade Saint Artifact war drum, and Lu Changzhi asked her to prepare a fish dish from a recipe in a jade talisman. After discussing their discoveries and plans for City Sixteen, the disciples decided to prioritize catching fish for their master the next day.

• Luo Ling'er showed Lu Changzhi the Enemy-Breaking War Drum, a low-grade Saint Artifact she had obtained in City Sixteen, and demonstrated her drumming.
• Lu Changzhi gave Luo Ling'er a jade talisman with a fish recipe, and Gu Chen offered to look for suitable fish.
• Qin Li described how the disciples had obtained resources in City Sixteen by passing tests and breaking their arrays, and gave Lu Changzhi a record of their finds.
• The disciples decided to open most of City Sixteen to outsiders without charging light, while forbidding spirit-beast hunting so the city could attract larger nighttime beast tides.
• Lu Changzhi told the disciples to set aside half a day the day after tomorrow to visit Zither Sound Valley.
• After Lu Changzhi left, Gu Chen and the others agreed that catching fish for their master would be their priority the next day.

Lu Changzhi tracked developments across the secret realm and watched Qin Han leave with Liu Qingyan to investigate a place where many geniuses had failed. After the system revealed another opportunity tied to Qin Han’s Sword Heart, Lu Changzhi prepared to act.

• Lu Changzhi learned that conflicts had erupted in several cities over rising spirit-light fees, while other cities had adopted cheaper arrangements.
• Qin Han and Liu Qingyan left their cave, and Hua Yunfan advised Qin Han to conceal Liu Qingyan’s appearance.
• Qin Han questioned three youths about a place where even leading geniuses had failed, then paid them with recovery pills for more information.
• Qin Han took Liu Qingyan toward the place, while the three youths vanished as their illusory formation dissipated.
• Lu Changzhi wondered whether Qin Han had designs on Jiang Yun and received a system notification about another opportunity connected to Qin Han’s Sword Heart.

Lu Changzhi reached the Eighth Palace and used the Dao Simplification Brush to seal the area with the Saint King Heaven-Imprisoning Art, hoping to draw people to the Sword Heart opportunity for Qin Han. The disturbance attracted nearby treasure seekers and Dai Tianfeng, who rushed toward the palace determined to claim it.

• Lu Changzhi found the remote Eighth Palace guarded by a Transcendent Realm spirit beast and recalled that Qin Han had already taken its opportunity.
• Lu Changzhi assumed his old-man appearance and used the Dao Simplification Brush to cast the Saint King Heaven-Imprisoning Art around the palace.
• Nearby cultivators felt the commotion, guessed that a treasure had appeared, and headed toward the palace.
• Dai Tianfeng noticed the disturbance while leading his fleet toward the palace and ordered his people to speed up.

Lu Changzhi’s casual display of power stirred the secret realm and drew the attention of Zhou Xun and the elders, while the change to the fortuitous opportunity delayed Qin Han’s arrival until afternoon. Gu Chen and his companions reached a lake occupied by an adult Tiger Flood Dragon, and Gu Chen wondered whether it would taste like fish.

• Zhou Xun sensed the distant fluctuations and changed his plans to investigate their source.
• The elders discussed the immense power, ruled out the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, and sent nearby elders to investigate while informing Ancestor Jiang.
• Lu Changzhi checked the fortuitous opportunity information, learned its timing had shifted to the afternoon, and sensed figures converging on the area.
• Lu Changzhi transformed his External Avatar into a large bluestone and wondered whether he would eat grilled fish that day.
• Gu Chen led Mu Fan, Qin Li, Luo Ling'er, and Qin Han to a lake, where Qin Li identified an adult Tiger Flood Dragon beneath the water.
• Gu Chen asked whether the Tiger Flood Dragon’s fish-like body meant it would taste like fish.

Gu Chen, Qin Li, Mu Fan, Luo Ling'er, and Xiao Ye prepared to hunt a Tiger Flood Dragon for their master’s meal. They lured it from the lake with White Tiger essence blood, and the enormous beast leaped out as Qin Li ran to draw it onward.

• Gu Chen suggested hunting the Tiger Flood Dragon for its meat, and Qin Li agreed despite the danger of fighting it in the water.
• Gu Chen and Mu Fan showed their trump cards, but Qin Li rejected the most destructive options, and she sensed that Luo Ling'er's chopping block could suppress the beast.
• The group spread out and provoked the Tiger Flood Dragon with Xiao Ye's lightning techniques while Gu Chen blocked its water attacks.
• Qin Li used White Tiger essence blood to lure the Tiger Flood Dragon toward the surface, and Mu Fan prepared to assist.
• Qin Li ran to draw the beast out, and the Tiger Flood Dragon burst from the lake with a hideous, ferocious face.

Mu Fan, Gu Chen, and Luo Ling'er used their abilities to attack and suppress the Tiger Flood Dragon, while Qin Li realized Luo Ling'er's chopping board carried Order. The discovery led Qin Li to suspect their master was an Emperor Realm expert, and Luo Linger warned that she could not maintain the suppression much longer.

• Mu Fan activated formation disks to try to block the Tiger Flood Dragon from returning to the lake as it charged toward Qin Li.
• Gu Chen attacked with the small sword Gu Qingyang had given him, wounding the Tiger Flood Dragon but dealing less damage than he had hoped.
• Gu Qingyang and the other observers discussed the group's trump cards, and Gu Qingyang pointed out that Luo Ling'er's chopping board was no ordinary object.
• Luo Ling'er sent her chopping board over the Tiger Flood Dragon, and its strange power suppressed the creature's presence, speed, and defenses.
• Qin Li recognized the chopping board's power as Order and reasoned that their master must be an Emperor Realm expert.
• Luo Ling'er ate several Irascible Little Meatballs and warned everyone that she could not keep the suppression going much longer.

Qin Li killed the Tiger Flood Dragon with ease after Luo Ling'er’s chopping board suppressed its strength and physical abilities. As Gu Chen prepared the fish, Qin Li explained the board’s unusual effect, while the observing patriarchs remarked that none of Lu Changzhi’s disciples were ordinary.

• Luo Ling'er struggled to control the Tiger Flood Dragon with her chopping board, so the group focused on attacking it.
• Qin Li tore through the Tiger Flood Dragon’s scales and killed it with a strike powered by Geng Metal.
• Qin Li told Gu Chen to prepare the fish, and he asked what realm she had reached.
• Qin Li explained that the chopping board had suppressed the Tiger Flood Dragon’s body, strength, defense, and speed, then said Gu Chen would understand more after improving his strength.
• The watching patriarchs praised Lu Changzhi’s disciples and envied his good fortune and resources.

Lu Changzhi learned that Qin Li had killed a Transcendent Realm Tiger Flood Dragon with help from Luo Ling’er's cooking chopping board, then enjoyed the grilled meat and planned to raise tasty beasts from the secret realm. He went to nap while Qin Han traveled through the secret realm and sensed a familiar feeling.

• Luo Ling'er served Lu Changzhi grilled meat from a Tiger Flood Dragon, and Mu Fan explained that Qin Li had torn the beast apart with help from Luo Ling'er's chopping board.
• Lu Changzhi realized Luo Ling'er's cooking tool could suppress ingredients, then praised her grilled fish and learned Gu Chen had brought the Tiger Flood Dragon back to give him the best.
• Qin Li confirmed the Tiger Flood Dragon was dead, and Lu Changzhi planned to seek out tasty beasts in the secret realm to raise.
• Lu Changzhi checked the Eighth Palace, saw that Qin Han was absent, and went to sleep before planning to give him a special privilege.
• Qin Han traveled aboard a flying boat, sensed a familiar feeling in the secret realm, and asked Hua Yunfan whether he had a premonition too.

Qin Han believed the strange events following his encounter with Liu Qingyan might signal good fortune, and he prepared to investigate the commotion near the Eighth Palace. There, Dai Tianfeng arrived and sensed a powerful sword-related opportunity behind an impenetrable barrier.

• Qin Han told Hua Yunfan he thought the trip would bring him an opportunity, and she warned him to keep a low profile.
• Qin Han wondered whether Liu Qingyan brought her partners good fortune and said he would test the idea on the trip.
• Crowds gathered near the Eighth Palace, where they failed to break through or find an entrance to the sealed space.
• A white-haired elder said the barrier's power might exceed a Saint's art, though he could not confirm whether a Saint King was involved.
• Dai Tianfeng arrived, drawing attention to the many spirit-beast lights surrounding him.
• Dai Tianfeng sensed an extremely high-quality sword-related opportunity beyond the barrier and resolved to obtain it.

Dai Tianfeng and Wujie both failed to break through the secret realm’s array, leaving the gathered cultivators searching for another way in. Qin Han and Liu Qingyan watched from concealment as Qin Han waited for the right moment and a crucial person.

• Dai Tianfeng used his Saint Rank High Grade sword and near-Sword King Sword Intent to unleash a powerful strike, but the array stopped it without a ripple.
• Dai Tianfeng tried other methods while the other cultivators resumed their efforts to find a way through.
• Wujie arrived with a large group of Buddhist monks, exchanged a brief remark with Dai Tianfeng, and then failed to breach the array with his own methods.
• The crowd speculated that the array required special conditions and noted that the Extreme Arms Holy Land had not arrived.
• Qin Han and Liu Qingyan watched from the crowd in cloaks, and Qin Han continued waiting for the right moment and a crucial person.

Lu Changzhi discovered that several powerful Five Symbols Sect ancestors had entered the secret realm and imprinted Dai Tianfeng’s talent for sword cultivation. As night approached, he prepared to help Qin Han and then Zhou Xun, while Qin Han seized the chance to approach the circle.

• Lu Changzhi located Qin Han hiding in the crowd and found Mu Yuan, a Saint Realm ancestor, accompanied by several Transcendent Realm ancestors.
• Lu Changzhi imprinted Dai Tianfeng’s talent, hoping to help Gu Qingyang become an Innate Sword Seed.
• Lu Changzhi spotted Zhou Xun and planned to handle him after helping Qin Han obtain a benefit.
• As night fell, most of the crowd left the circle, wary of the beast tide and doubtful they could claim its treasure.
• Qin Han signaled Liu Qingyan and moved toward the circle as the crowd departed.