Chapter Summaries

Fu Yihang passed Master Gao’s sword mountain and sea of fire tests with Gao Yunyi’s boots protecting his feet, then left to make the pond freeze so he could marry Xiuer. Master Gao remained determined to keep his daughter from marrying him, while Gao Yunyi rejected Master Gao’s invitation and left.

• Fu Yihang crossed the iron-nail path safely in the boots Gao Yunyi had given him, shocking Master Gao and the onlookers.
• Master Gao ordered the servants to stoke the flames, and Fu Yihang charged through the sea of fire, suffering burns but surviving.
• Fu Yihang told Master Gao he had passed the tests and asked when he could marry Xiuer; Master Gao reminded him that one test remained.
• Confident that he could make the pond freeze, Fu Yihang ran out to seek help from the heavens and immortals.
• Master Gao invited Gao Yunyi inside for wine, but Gao Yunyi refused and left.

Fu Yihang prepared offerings and prayed for the pond to freeze so he could marry Miss Gao, while Gao Yunyi watched. After Fu Yihang collapsed from exhaustion, Gao Yunyi prepared to intervene with a chilling power.

• Gao Yunyi equipped the Concentric Heart Ring, his reward for completing the second trial.
• Gao Yunyi followed Fu Yihang as he treated his burns and gathered offerings for the third trial.
• Fu Yihang arranged the offerings by the pond without Gao Yunyi's help.
• Fu Yihang repeatedly prayed and kowtowed to the gods to freeze the pond so he could marry Miss Gao.
• Fu Yihang collapsed after praying into the night without an answer.
• Gao Yunyi said Fu Yihang would be better off begging him, and a chill emanated from his fingers.

Fu Yihang woke to find the pond frozen and took it as proof that Heaven approved of his love for Xiuer. Master Gao witnessed the miracle and, fearing Heaven’s displeasure, accepted Fu Yihang and invited him to discuss the marriage.

• Fu Yihang woke sick and cold, discovered the pond had frozen, and excitedly credited the miracle to his devotion to Xiuer.
• Fu Yihang rushed to Gao Family Village to show Elder Gao the ice before it melted, while Gao Yunyi watched him go.
• Fu Yihang returned with Master Gao and a crowd, and they stared in amazement at the frozen pond.
• Master Gao heard the crowd call the ice a miracle and reluctantly accepted that his daughter should marry Fu Yihang.
• Master Gao called Fu Yihang his worthy nephew and invited him home to discuss the marriage.

After the Gao family welcomed Fu Yihang as Miss Gao’s future husband, she saw Gao Yunyi and abruptly chose him instead. Gao Yunyi resolved to force her and Fu Yihang back together so he could complete his task.

• Master Gao and Gao Yunyi returned to Gao Family Village with Fu Yihang, whom the servants and guards now treated deferentially as the family’s future son-in-law.
• Miss Gao and Fu Yihang reunited eagerly, and Fu Yihang announced that her father had agreed to their marriage.
• Fu Yihang asked Miss Gao to marry him, but she noticed Gao Yunyi and became captivated by his appearance.
• Miss Gao said she wanted to marry Gao Yunyi, leaving Fu Yihang and the others stunned.
• Gao Yunyi realized Miss Gao cared about Fu Yihang’s looks rather than him and vowed to force the pair together to complete his task.

Miss Gao rejected Fu Yihang and declared she wanted to marry another young master, but a lightning strike and the crowd’s fury forced her to agree to marry Fu Yihang. Master Gao announced their wedding for the next day, leaving Fu Yihang unable to feel happy about the marriage he had wanted.

• Miss Gao insisted she would marry another young master, while Fu Yihang stared in shock as his hopes were shattered.
• A lightning bolt destroyed a rockery after Miss Gao defied Heaven, and the crowd blamed her and called for her death.
• Master Gao promised the crowd that his daughter would marry Fu Yihang and threatened to punish her himself if she refused.
• Frightened by the lightning and the crowd, Miss Gao agreed to marry Fu Yihang and begged her father to protect her.
• Master Gao announced the wedding for the next day and promised a three-day feast, tripled allowances, and waived land rent.
• Fu Yihang realized that although his wish to marry Miss Gao had come true, he could not feel happy.

On the eve of Fu Yihang’s wedding, Gao Yunyi expected the marriage to complete his task, while Fu Yihang confessed his doubts and announced he wanted to take the Prefectural Examination. The chapter ended with Fu Yihang asking Gao Yunyi to rig the exam for him and Gao Yunyi storming away.

• Gao Yunyi drank alone and thought that Fu Yihang’s wedding the next day would complete his task and let him escape.
• Fu Yihang joined Gao Yunyi, complained about the wedding preparations, and claimed he was happy to marry Xiuer despite sounding sorrowful.
• Fu Yihang offered to give up Xiuer to Gao Yunyi, but Gao Yunyi’s icy glare made him retract the offer.
• Fu Yihang said he wanted to take this year’s Prefectural Examination and see more of the world, and Gao Yunyi encouraged him.
• Fu Yihang asked Gao Yunyi to use his connections with the Prefect to help him pass, so Gao Yunyi told him to get lost and went inside.

At Fu Yihang and Miss Gao’s wedding, Gao Yunyi’s mission ended and he was revealed as an immortal, startling the guests before he vanished. In the sky, he considered whether to give Xiaobai a Spirit-Raising Pill that could help it become a first-rank Spirit Beast, but put it away to tease the eager bird.

• Fu Yihang and Miss Gao married in a grand ceremony, though both appeared reluctant despite their former devotion.
• Gao Yunyi’s mission completed, and turning it in caused him to level up and shine with golden light, revealing him as an immortal to the wedding guests.
• The guests knelt before Gao Yunyi, while Fu Yihang recognized that he had secretly helped him and begged to be taken along to cultivate immortality.
• Gao Yunyi vanished, and when Fu Yihang chased after him, a bolt of lightning struck the pavement and frightened him into silence.
• Flying on the Crane King, Gao Yunyi examined a Spirit-Raising Pill that could help Xiaobai advance from a Mortal Fowl to a first-rank Spirit Beast.
• Xiaobai cried eagerly for the pill, but Gao Yunyi put it in his inventory and told the bird its chance depended on how it behaved.

Gao Yunyi gave Xiaobai a Spirit-Raising Pill, and the Crane King endured a brutal transformation that ultimately made him the first spirit beast in the human world. As Xiaobai emerged reborn and more powerful, Gao Yunyi received a notification that his friend Zhang Huaimin had gone offline.

• Gao Yunyi took Xiaobai to an uninhabited mountain peak and gave him the Spirit-Raising Pill.
• Green flames engulfed the Crane King, and he endured agonizing pain as Gao Yunyi watched without helping.
• Believing Xiaobai had failed to break through, Gao Yunyi turned to leave and told him he was not worthy of following if he gave up.
• Xiaobai rallied his pride, and the green flames surged as his body regenerated with golden feathers, a three-colored tail, and a golden crest.
• Xiaobai completed his transformation as the first spirit beast in the human world, and Gao Yunyi saw a notification that Zhang Huaimin had gone offline.

Prince Ning's army besieged Heyang County, and County Magistrate Zhang and his outnumbered defenders fought to buy time for the people to escape. After Clerk Liu died defending the wall, Zhang rallied the survivors for what seemed likely to be their final stand.

• Zhang Huaimin urged the defenders to hold the wall until the people escaped through the south gate, while Constable Chen led the resistance.
• Clerk Liu arrived with a great bow, shot an enemy soldier, and was killed by an arrow to the throat.
• Zhang tried to use Clerk Liu's bow to avenge him but could not draw it, so he retreated behind a crenellation.
• Wounded Constable Chen warned Zhang that they could no longer hold the wall, with most of the defenders dead or injured.
• Zhang picked up a steel saber, praised the remaining defenders, and led them to charge the enemy.

Outside Heyang City, Prince Ning’s heir deliberately prolonged the siege to torment Zhang Huaimin while revealing that Prince Ning’s Residence planned to rebel before the rumored Immortal Elixir reached the Capital. He left the Thunderclap Battalion attacking the county as the first step in a campaign to seize Ji Province and advance on the Capital.

• Prince Ning’s heir refused General Chen’s request to storm Heyang County, claiming the inexperienced troops needed battlefield practice.
• Prince Ning’s heir overruled General Chen’s orders and recalled the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Zhang Huaimin and Heyang’s soldiers.
• Prince Ning’s heir learned that his father had received his report about the immortal and the Immortal Elixir, which was being sent to the emperor.
• Prince Ning’s heir explained that Prince Ning’s Residence planned to rise before the emperor could take the Immortal Elixir and recover.
• Prince Ning’s heir described the plan to capture Heyang County, seize Ji Province, and advance on the Capital, while intending to make Zhang Huaimin watch his defenders die.

Prince Ning's Heir ordered the Thunderclap Battalion to storm Heyang County after General Chen warned that fleeing residents might expose their movements. County Magistrate Zhang was captured alive, but as townspeople rushed back to save him, the rebel cavalry thundered toward them.

• General Chen urged Prince Ning's Heir to launch a full assault before Heyang County's residents escaped, and Prince Ning's Heir ordered the army to attack.
• County Magistrate Zhang grieved over the dead defenders and, surrounded by rebel soldiers, tried to kill himself by biting his tongue.
• Hundreds of Heyang County residents returned armed with makeshift weapons and shouted that they had come to save County Magistrate Zhang.
• County Magistrate Zhang rejoiced at their return, then panicked when the approaching cavalry made the ground tremble.

Prince Ning's Heir let his soldiers plunder Heyang County and tortured Xiucai Liu's daughter as he indulged in unchecked power. He became enthralled with ruling like an emperor and wondered how he could avoid waiting for his father to take the throne.

• Prince Ning's Heir ordered Heyang County looted for three days, while soldiers robbed shops and abused residents who had stayed behind.
• Prince Ning's Heir plotted to seize control of the Thunderclap Battalion by threatening to have Chen Zhong stripped of his post.
• Prince Ning's Heir tortured Xiucai Liu's daughter and poured wine over her as she lay unresponsive at his feet.
• Prince Ning's Heir ordered his guards to take the woman away, and they eagerly carried her off.
• Prince Ning's Heir reveled in his freedom and wondered how he could become emperor sooner than his father.

Gao Yunyi returned to Heyang County after learning County Magistrate Zhang had died, found his skinned body hanging at the County Yamen, and carried it to the unfinished Immortal Shrine. Enraged, he began slaughtering the soldiers responsible, leaving the county town in terror.

• Two soldiers guarding the County Yamen spotted Gao Yunyi standing in the empty street.
• Gao Yunyi recognized County Magistrate Zhang's straw-stuffed skin and remembered the man's promise and his final message.
• When the two guards attacked, Gao Yunyi killed them with Sword Qi, took Zhang's body down, and laid it on the shrine's divine platform.
• After soldiers discovered the dead guards and raised the alarm, Gao Yunyi turned to face the approaching enemies with killing intent.
• Gao Yunyi unleashed crimson Sword Qi that incinerated six soldiers searching the shrine and stunned the soldiers outside.

Gao Yunyi emerged from the flames and slaughtered the soldiers outside the County Yamen before confronting Xiao Yunzheng, the heir of Prince Ning. Xiao Yunzheng tried to recruit the immortal to help him seize power, but Gao Yunyi attacked him, leaving his guards dead or wounded and Xiao Yunzheng terrified.

• Gao Yunyi used his maxed-out Blazing Sun Sword Qi to incinerate a group of soldiers and carve a trench through the paving.
• The surviving soldiers panicked, fled, or begged for mercy, but Gao Yunyi cut them down with Sword-Ray.
• Xiao Yunzheng emerged with his personal guards, recognized Gao Yunyi as an immortal, and decided he could use him to gain the throne.
• Xiao Yunzheng offered Gao Yunyi treasures, a fief, and honors in exchange for secret support, but Gao Yunyi answered with a blast of crimson Sword Qi.
• A loyal guard shoved Xiao Yunzheng aside, saving him from the attack, which killed or wounded many of his guards and left him so frightened that he wet himself.

After County Magistrate Zhang’s death, Gao Yunyi rejected a system quest and slaughtered the soldiers surrounding the County Yamen, consumed by grief and rage. Prince Ning's Heir went mad and ordered more cavalry sent against him, while Gao Yunyi stood untouched amid the devastation.

• Gao Yunyi rejected the system’s recruitment quest, choosing to keep killing rather than accept its reward.
• Gao Yunyi reflected on County Magistrate Zhang’s death and the loneliness it left him feeling in this world.
• A wounded guard urged Prince Ning's Heir to flee, but Prince Ning's Heir insisted the immortal belonged to him and ordered all the cavalry brought in.
• Soldiers fled and spread conflicting rumors as chaos engulfed the county town.
• Gao Yunyi killed wave after wave of soldiers outside the County Yamen, leaving the street covered in corpses and blood.

Gao Yunyi froze and slaughtered the Thunderclap Battalion’s charging cavalry while Prince Ning’s Heir watched in rapt admiration. As soldiers fought over whether to flee the city, a majestic cry suddenly halted the clash at the gate.

• Gao Yunyi froze the charging cavalry’s horses and killed the fallen riders with his Blazing Sun Sword Qi, leveling up as he fought.
• Prince Ning’s Heir admired Gao Yunyi’s power, while his guard abandoned him and tried to escape alone.
• Routed soldiers reached the city gate, where an officer enforcing General Chen’s orders refused to let anyone leave.
• The fleeing soldiers charged the gate, and the guards fought back until a majestic cry rang across the sky and stopped the battle.

Gao Yunyi and Xiaobai slaughtered the soldiers in Heyang County, and Gao Yunyi rejected Prince Ning's heir's offer before killing him. Two hours later, General Chen returned with captured commoners and found the city devastated and the heir's head hanging at the County Yamen.

• Xiaobai attacked the soldiers at Heyang County's gate with a gale and green flames, killing the fleeing men.
• Gao Yunyi used his skills and pills to kill the soldiers throughout the city, gaining experience and building up a terrifying aura of blood Sha Qi.
• Prince Ning's heir offered to share the realm with Gao Yunyi, but Gao Yunyi rejected the recruitment quest and killed him.
• Gao Yunyi reached level 19 after killing the heir.
• General Chen led several hundred captured commoners into the city and found the streets filled with corpses and the County Yamen surrounded by ice and frozen soldiers.
• General Chen saw Prince Ning's heir's familiar head hanging from the ruins of the County Yamen gate.

As the dying Liang Emperor Xiao Chengqian prepared to settle Great Liang’s succession, Eldest Princess Xiao Zhaohuang reflected on how he had forced her into a rivalry with her nephew, Xiao Chengchen. She believed neither Xiao Chengchen nor her brother Xiao Yuanheng could rule well, and feared the court would destroy her once her nephew took the throne.

• The Liang Emperor lay dying in Yangxin Hall as ministers and nobles gathered to witness the succession.
• Xiao Chengchen waited to inherit the throne and resented Xiao Zhaohuang for competing with him.
• Xiao Zhaohuang recalled that she had never wanted the throne but had taken up arms and gained power at her father’s command.
• Xiao Zhaohuang judged Xiao Chengchen unfit to rule and feared that his accession would bring her and her followers to ruin.
• Xiao Zhaohuang concluded that the Liang Emperor had been wrong to expect her to sharpen Xiao Chengchen into a capable ruler.

As the Liang Emperor prepared to seal the succession edict naming Xiao Chengchen heir, Xiao Wenhan arrived with news of an Immortal and an elixir said to revive the dead and prolong life. The Liang Emperor halted the seal, his eyes brightening at the promise of renewed life.

• The Liang Emperor dictated an edict entrusting the throne to Xiao Chengchen and calling on Xiao Zhaohuang to help safeguard Great Liang in times of turmoil.
• The Liang Emperor took up the Imperial Jade Seal while Xiao Chengchen eagerly awaited the transfer of power.
• The Liang Emperor reflected on his reign and told Xiao Zhaohuang that he hoped she would not blame him.
• An attendant announced that Xiao Wenhan had arrived with an Immortal Elixir from Heyang County, claiming it could revive the dead and prolong life.
• The Liang Emperor stopped the seal just short of the edict and reacted to the announcement with renewed hope.

The imperial court erupted over Xiao Wenhan’s alleged pursuit of immortals, but the dying Liang Emperor tried to summon him. Xiao Zhaohuang overruled Xiao Chengchen’s attempt to claim a succession edict, while Wang Zitao urged the imperial eldest grandson to use Xiao Wenhan’s audience as a pretext to eliminate the Eldest Princess’s faction.

• Ministers denounced Xiao Wenhan and demanded that he be punished for neglecting his duties and deceiving the throne.
• Xiao Chengchen ordered Xiao Wenhan thrown out, but Xiao Zhaohuang reminded him that he had no authority to issue commands before the succession edict was sealed.
• The Liang Emperor struggled to speak, and Xiao Chengchen wrongly announced that he had ordered the succession edict proclaimed.
• Xiao Zhaohuang seized Xiao Chengchen and tossed him aside, then heard the Liang Emperor call for Xiao Wenhan and ordered him summoned to an audience.
• Wang Zitao told Xiao Chengchen to let Xiao Wenhan present the elixir and then accuse him and the Eldest Princess’s faction of treason if it failed.
• Xiao Chengchen fell silent as Wang Zitao left, taking his silence as consent to a plan against the Eldest Princess’s faction.