Chapter Summaries

Lin Xu became a true disciple of Xuanwei Monastery, received the Mountains and Rivers Reflection Mirror, and completed his trial. He returned to reality to find Chen Hao threatening his family over the Black Tiger Gang, then confronted him.

• Lin Xu learned that Xuanwei Monastery's Heart Lamp System used incense-offering currencies to make wishes and support cultivation.
• Daoist Xuanzhen confirmed Lin Xu as a true disciple and bestowed the Mountains and Rivers Reflection Mirror upon him.
• Lin Xu completed the remaining ceremony, returned to Peach Tree Village, and received confirmation that his trial mission was complete.
• Lin Xu chose to return to reality, where Chen Hao was pressuring Jiang Wanqing and Lin Xu's mother over Liang Hu's threat.
• Lin Xu appeared behind Chen Hao and calmly asked where Liang Hu was.

Lin Xu returned to school after passing the Spirit Realm Trial and enslaved Chen Hao with a bronze mirror, then forced him to reveal Liang Hu’s location. After demonstrating his power, Lin Xu flew toward the Black Tiger Gang’s base in the south of Meng City to confront them.

• Lin Xu bound Chen Hao as a mirror slave and tortured him until Director Zhang intervened.
• Lin Xu revealed he had passed the Spirit Realm Trial and reunited with his mother and Jiang Wanqing.
• Uncle Wang attacked Lin Xu, but Lin Xu burned him with his glazed lamp and revealed himself as an intermediate-stage Daoist.
• Lin Xu gave Chen Hao five minutes to disclose Liang Hu’s whereabouts, and Chen Hao identified the Black Tiger Gang’s base at an abandoned factory south of the city.
• Lin Xu told his mother and Jiang Wanqing to go home, then flew toward the abandoned factory as onlookers watched without stopping him.

Lin Xu killed Liang Hu and forced the Black Tiger Gang to submit, then returned to Meng City’s old quarter. He left Zhang Meng to root out Liang Hu’s remaining followers and headed home to his family.

• Lin Xu confronted Liang Hu at the Black Tiger Gang’s stronghold and killed him with a fire python.
• Lin Xu threatened the gang members, and Zhang Meng led them in attacking a wounded man who had been one of Liang Hu’s trusted followers.
• Zhang Meng promised to eliminate Liang Hu’s remaining loyalists within a day, and Lin Xu ordered him to report to the Lin family home.
• After Lin Xu left, Zhang Meng rallied the gang members to make their move that night and declared them brothers in life and death.
• Lin Xu walked through Meng City’s old quarter, greeted his neighbors, and continued home to his family.

Lin Xu returned home from the Spirit Realm, declined to commit to joining the Night Watchers, and reunited with his mother and Jiang Wanqing. Jiang Wanqing returned to her ailing grandfather, who revealed his concern over the Chen Lineage’s pressure and hinted that Lin Xu was the Jiang Clan’s son-in-law.

• Zhao Chengyuan and Su Li invited Lin Xu to join the Night Watchers, and he said he would consider it after handling family matters.
• Lin Xu greeted his mother and father’s memorial, then told Jiang Wanqing and his mother about his mission at Xuanwei Monastery and his plans to return to the Spirit Realm.
• Jiang Wanqing warned Lin Xu that Meng City would be unsettled and that he should watch out for the Chen Lineage.
• Jiang Wanqing returned to her grandfather, who said the Chen Lineage had targeted her and that he had planned to take her to another city before she went into the Spirit Realm.

Jiang Wanqing’s grandfather urged her to marry Lin Xu and ally the Jiang Clan with him against Chen Lingfeng, who planned to destroy the Jiang Clan using a Spirit Realm coordinate. The coordinate triggered a Spirit Realm Mist invasion of the Jiang compound, where Jiang Wanqing learned her grandfather was trapped in the most dangerous part of the estate.

• Jiang Yelei told Jiang Wanqing that Lin Xu’s talent made him a target and proposed marriage to secure him the Jiang Clan’s protection and support.
• Chen Lingfeng rejected an immediate attack on Lin Xu and ordered Meng Changlin to plant a sealed Spirit Realm coordinate in the Jiang Clan compound.
• Jiang Wanqing considered her grandfather’s plan to join forces with Lin Xu, then heard an alarm as Spirit Realm Mist spread through the compound.
• Jiang Wanqing encountered a horrifying ghost baby, lost her evil-warding talisman, and armed herself with a soul-suppressing talisman.
• Two guards told Jiang Wanqing that the eastern courtyard had collapsed, evil creatures surrounded the western courtyard, and Jiang Yelei was trapped in the rear courtyard where the evil Qi was strongest.

As the Jiang Clan compound was swallowed by Spirit Realm mist, Lin Xu sensed the invasion from afar while considering an alliance with Jiang Wanqing's family. The chapter ended with Zhou Qian trapped as a ghost emerged from her bedroom wall.

• Jiang Wanqing urged Uncle Wang and Uncle Li to gather the scattered survivors, but a red-clad vengeful ghost broke through the protective array and attacked Uncle Wang.
• Chen Xuan and Captain Meng Changlin watched the Jiang Clan compound from outside as the Night Watchers sealed off the surrounding streets and prepared to leave no survivors.
• Lin Xu found cultivation in the mortal world ineffective and considered recruiting the declining Jiang Clan to help build a force and gather worship and wish power.
• Lin Xu used the Glazed Spirit Lamp to extend his spiritual awareness and detected a familiar, decayed presence at a residential building several li away.
• Zhou Qian called the Night Watchers for help, heard a ghostly voice answer through the phone, and saw a bluish-gray hand emerge from her bedroom wall.

Lin Xu sensed a Spirit Realm invasion at the Jiang Clan's old residence and rushed there, destroying the creatures and the beacon that had spread the mist. He found a red-robed vengeful ghost choking Jiang Wanqing and launched a fiery attack as the chapter ended.

• Lin Xu used golden flames to destroy an uncanny creature threatening Zhou Qian, then sensed a sinister presence near the Jiang Clan's old residence.
• Lin Xu flew toward the residence and destroyed three shadowy figures that tried to block him; Meng Changlin ordered his team to let Lin Xu pass.
• Lin Xu pierced the Spirit Realm mist and burned the uncanny creatures attacking the courtyard's survivors.
• Lin Xu destroyed a bloody stone that contained a Spirit Realm Beacon, causing the mist to thin and dissipate.
• Lin Xu saw the red-robed vengeful ghost holding Jiang Wanqing by the throat and sent a fiery python lunging at it.

Lin Xu captured the level 7 vengeful ghost and destroyed the corpse-guarding ghost with the Glazed Spirit Lamp and Soul Shock Blast. After healing Jiang Yelei, he joined the Jiang Clan survivors as they assessed the damage, and Jiang Yelei acknowledged Lin Xu’s strength.

• Lin Xu used the spirit lamp to capture one of the three bloody shadows as Meng Changlin fled the scene.
• Lin Xu drove back the sinister gray mist and confronted the corpse-guarding ghost in the Jiang Clan compound.
• Jiang Yelei warned Lin Xu that the corpse-guarding ghost was nearly impossible to destroy, but Lin Xu struck it with Soul Shock Blast and burned it to ash.
• Lin Xu collected the strange creature’s loot and used the Rejuvenation Art to stabilize Jiang Yelei’s injuries.
• Jiang Wanqing reunited with Jiang Yelei, who sent the clansmen to aid the injured and assess the losses.
• Jiang Yelei told Lin Xu that he had never expected him to be so strong.

Lin Xu and the Jiang Clan discussed the Spirit Realm Beacon behind the invasion and the weakened government’s balance with powerful regional factions. Jiang Yelei advised Lin Xu that a Spirit Realm power needed a real-world foundation, leaving Lin Xu to consider how to build one in Meng City.

• Lin Xu told Jiang Yelei that he had encountered people lying in ambush and trying to intercept him, and Jiang Yelei suspected Chen Lingfeng had targeted the Jiang Clan.
• Lin Xu showed the group fragments of the object that had held open the Spirit Realm rift, and Jiang Yelei identified it as a Spirit Realm Beacon used by cultists.
• Jiang Yelei explained how regional professionals and former Yulin Guard members had gained power, while the government maintained national unity through a fragile balance.
• Lin Xu said he planned to establish a base in Meng City as a transit point between the Spirit Realm and reality.
• Jiang Yelei warned Lin Xu that a Spirit Realm power would be difficult to sustain without a real-world foundation, and Lin Xu asked for his guidance.

Lin Xu learned about the Chen Lineage’s control over Meng City and accepted Jiang Wanqing’s help in establishing himself. After Lin Xu defeated the Chen Lineage’s attackers, Chen Lingfeng ordered an investigation into Lin Xu and suspected someone had leaked the plan.

• Jiang Yelei told Lin Xu that the Chen Lineage dominated Meng City and offered the Jiang Clan’s help in building his influence.
• Jiang Yelei proposed that Jiang Wanqing handle political affairs for Lin Xu, and Lin Xu agreed to work with her.
• Jiang Yelei reflected that he hoped to prevent a repeat of Jiang Yungui’s disappearance in the Spirit Realm.
• Meng Changlin told Chen Lingfeng that Lin Xu had killed three attackers and swiftly defeated a red-clad vengeful ghost and a corpse-guarding ghoul.
• Chen Lingfeng ordered Meng Changlin to investigate Lin Xu’s background and identify who had warned him about the attack.

Lin Xu learned more about the Black Tiger Gang and Meng City’s power structure as Zhang Meng pledged the gang’s support. The two concluded that Chen Lingfeng would not tolerate Lin Xu’s rise, leaving Lin Xu aware that conflict with the Chen Lineage was likely.

• Zhang Meng visited Lin Xu with gifts, and Lin Xu told him to leave them at the door and call him A-Xu or Brother Xu.
• Zhang Meng said Liang Hu’s trusted men had been dealt with and reported that the Black Tiger Gang had over a thousand members, including seven Spirit Realm adventurers.
• Lin Xu asked about Meng City’s gangs, and Zhang Meng explained that the Chen Lineage controlled the city while the Black Tiger Gang was one of its three major gangs.
• Lin Xu told Zhang Meng that the Black Tiger Gang would watch over Meng City’s underworld and make sure no news escaped them.
• Zhang Meng asked whether Lin Xu opposed the Chen Lineage, then described Chen Lingfeng’s ruthless rule and suspected role in killing a rising clan’s genius.

Lin Xu gave Zhang Meng a Dharma Seed, making him a Daoist and binding him to Lin Xu as an ally against Chen Lingfeng. After Zhang Meng departed, Lin Xu prepared to return to the Spirit Realm and wondered why his Source Fire had replenished so quickly and what his dungeon entry ticket might lead to.

• Lin Xu told Zhang Meng that he had allied with the Jiang Clan and planned to oppose Chen Lingfeng rather than become his lackey.
• Lin Xu offered Zhang Meng a Dharma Seed that would open his Divine Aperture, warning that accepting it would bind Zhang Meng to his restrictions.
• Zhang Meng swore loyalty to Lin Xu and accepted the Dharma Seed, awakening as a Daoist with a dark-gold-grade cultivation technique.
• Zhang Meng left with his lackey, while Lin Xu decided the Black Tiger Gang could help gather intelligence and spread rumors.
• Lin Xu noticed his Source Fire had replenished unusually quickly and connected the change to the special dungeon entry ticket he had found in a treasure chest.

Lin Xu arranged for his family and the Jiang Clan to move to safety before returning to the Spirit Realm, while Chen Lingfeng’s Night Watchers arrested Li Meng as the suspected mole and ordered his family killed. Back in Peach Tree Village, Lin Xu found that little had changed and considered his identity panel after the trial mission ended.

• Lin Xu arranged for Mother Lin and the Jiang Clan to move downtown, away from Chen Lingfeng’s reach.
• Chen Lingfeng and Meng Changlin accused Li Meng of being the mole who tipped off Lin Xu about the operation at the Jiang Clan compound.
• Chen Lingfeng’s Night Watchers sealed Li Meng’s internal Qi and dragged him away, and Chen Lingfeng ordered his family to be given quick deaths.
• Lin Xu returned to the Spirit Realm and was greeted by Meng Yaoguang and another woman in the quiet chamber at Peach Tree Village.
• Lin Xu learned that little had changed during his absence and examined his updated identity information, noting that the trial mission had ended without giving him what he wanted.

Lin Xu reviewed the privileges of a true disciple and resolved to pursue the vacant mastership of the Incense Offering Hall. He then began preparing the Ghost Bride’s forces for his plans by refining their souls, starting with a resentful lantern-bearing ghost.

• Lin Xu learned that a true disciple with a million merit points and Daoist Xuanzhen’s approval could become a deacon elder, and he chose to aim for the Incense Offering Hall.
• Lin Xu studied the Mystic Yin Soul Refining Scripture and incorporated it into the Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter as the Soul-Cleansing Song of the Forgotten River.
• Yan Jingshu reported that she had gathered 317 red-clad wedding escort ghosts, five night-roaming wandering souls, and three lantern-bearing ghosts.
• Lin Xu ordered Yan Jingshu to bring the ghosts to his quiet chamber in batches for Water and Fire Refinement and Deliverance.
• Lin Xu used Glazed Heart Fire to cleanse a resentful lantern-bearing ghost and inscribed the Soul-Cleansing Song of the Forgotten River onto Yin soul paper, transforming the ghost into a paper figure.

Lin Xu escorted supplies to the frontline camp with his newly assembled forces, then led them toward a demon stronghold near a Spirit Vein. As his group approached the mountain, Li Yingqiu was hiding nearby among the demon patrols, desperate to survive and return to save Sixian.

• Lin Xu sent his convoy out under the protection of Dharma protectors, Taoist soldiers, militiamen, and the Ghost Bride’s paper-figure ghosts.
• The Ghost Bride’s forces trapped and refined seventeen vicious nightmares into lamp oil, and the convoy reached the frontline camp safely.
• After completing the escort, Lin Xu headed for the hills to claim the demon stronghold and its Spirit Vein as a strategic base.
• The Ghost Bride’s paper-figure ghosts killed seventeen wandering corpses near the mountain and drew their remnant souls into the spirit lamp.
• Li Yingqiu hid in a tree near a demon patrol, prepared to fight if discovered, but a squirrel distracted the dog demon and the patrol moved on.

Li Yingqiu found Dew-Congealing Fern while fleeing through the forest, but Lin Xu’s ghost horde began attacking the Yao territory nearby. After defeating several patrols, Lin Xu directed the ghosts toward the cliff opposite the Yao lair, preparing to attack the cave.

• Li Yingqiu gathered three Dew-Congealing Fern plants, hoping to buy life-sustaining pills for Sixian, then fled when she heard Yao soldiers fighting.
• Qiuqiu spotted Li Yingqiu through the Evil Eye, and Lin Xu identified her as a lone adventurer before turning his attention to the Yao cave.
• Lin Xu sent the ghost horde against the patrolling Yao soldiers, whose captain was killed and absorbed by the lantern-bearing ghost.
• Lin Xu ordered the ghosts to avoid the Yao lair and wipe out the scattered patrols first.
• After killing four patrols, the ghosts charged toward the shaded cliff opposite the Yao lair.

Yan Jingshu’s ghosts attacked the auxiliary yao cave and killed the wolf yao, while Lin Xu suspected something had happened to the main cave. After the battle, Lin Xu opened an iron chest and found a single-use blueprint for a resource building.

• Yan Jingshu led her ghosts into the auxiliary cave, where they were met by the wolf yao and its soldiers.
• The wolf yao overwhelmed the first wave of ghosts, but Yan Jingshu’s lantern-bearing ghosts and spirit-lamp curse helped her turn the fight around.
• Yan Jingshu’s black hair pierced the wolf yao and drained its essence blood and yao power until it died, leaving behind a crescent blade.
• The ghosts defeated the remaining yao soldiers, and Lin Xu suspected the yao from the main cave had not moved out willingly.
• Lin Xu opened three wooden chests for Low-Grade Spirit Stones, then found a single-use resource-building blueprint in an iron chest.

Lin Xu and the Wedding Procession Ghosts confronted the black tiger yao at his stronghold, but the tiger yao’s roar devastated the ghosts and forced them into battle. Lin Xu’s guardians combined their Sharp Wind Flags to hold the tiger yao back while the yao soldiers attacked the ghost ranks.

• Lin Xu and his group reached the yao cave, where the black tiger yao and more than a hundred lesser yao waited with bound yin soldiers.
• The black tiger yao attacked with a thunderous roar and Tiger Sha, shattering the Ghost Bride’s Nether Hair and destroying several red-clad paper figures.
• The tiger yao feinted toward the Ghost Bride, then charged Lin Xu, but the guardians’ Evil Eyes interrupted him with Mind Blasts.
• Lin Xu coordinated twenty-nine guardians to combine their Sharp Wind Flags into a gale that forced the tiger yao to stop and defend himself.
• The yao soldiers charged into the ghost ranks, cutting through the red-clad paper figures and spraying their green ghost blood.

Lin Xu and Yan Jingshu fought alongside the red-robed ghosts against the Yao army, while the black tiger Yao repeatedly targeted Lin Xu. As the tiger Yao launched a dangerous attack, Lin Xu read Yan Jingshu’s thoughts and recognized that the tiger was preparing to counter her strike.

• The red-robed ghosts and Yao soldiers became locked in a fierce battle as their strongest fighters clashed.
• The Ghost Bride wounded the black tiger Yao while Lin Xu used the Glazed Lamp, the Evil Eye, and the Sharp Wind Flag to keep it under attack.
• The black tiger Yao unleashed its power, escaped the fire dragon, and charged toward Lin Xu, but the Ghost Bride ensnared it with nether hair and struck its waist with her blood-red hairpin.
• The tiger Yao retaliated with blade Gang Qi aimed at Lin Xu, and Yan Jingshu rushed to protect her master.
• Lin Xu used the Dharma Seed’s resonance to read Yan Jingshu’s thoughts and realized the tiger Yao was slowing down to counter her concentrated attack.

Lin Xu and Yan Jingshu defeated the Black Tiger King through a risky counterattack, then captured it and learned the military cultivation method it practiced. Yan Jingshu survived but suffered severe soul injuries, and Lin Xu began considering the potential of the tiger demon’s art.

• Lin Xu warned Yan Jingshu that the Black Tiger King had used him as bait, but she charged the tiger demon anyway and pierced its chest with her blood hairpin as its saber shattered her soul body.
• Lin Xu realized Yan Jingshu was still alive, drew her into his body to heal, and saw the red-robed ghosts defeat the remaining demon soldiers and ghost troops.
• Lin Xu ordered the red-robed ghosts to bind the wounded Black Tiger King, who surrendered and offered to serve him as Hu Da.
• Lin Xu demanded the tiger demon’s cultivation method, learned it practiced the Tiger Sha Troop Refining Art, and recognized its potential for creating powerful yin soldiers.