Chapter Summaries

Gu Shao'an exposed the disguised intruder as Yuan Dongyuan, master of Wuzheng Villa, and recognized him as a future enemy of Emei Sect. After rejecting Yuan Dongyuan’s attempt to dismiss his attack on Abbot Juechen as a misunderstanding, Gu Shao'an began dealing with him directly and left him injured and immobilized.

• Gu Shao'an defeated the disguised middle-aged man, then used medicinal water to remove his disguise and reveal Yuan Dongyuan.
• The guests recognized Yuan Dongyuan, and Gu Shao'an recalled that he had once targeted Emei Sect for the Youdan Baiye Flower to treat his son Yuan Suiyun's blindness.
• Yuan Dongyuan claimed he had come to make friendly relations and called his attack on Abbot Juechen a misunderstanding, while Abbess Miejue demanded an explanation.
• Song Miyun urged Abbess Miejue to avoid provoking Wuzheng Villa, but Gu Shao'an asked his master to leave Yuan Dongyuan to him.
• Gu Shao'an pressed down on Yuan Dongyuan's shoulder, shattered its bone, and sealed the major acupoints throughout his body.

Gu Shao'an exposed Yuan Dongyuan as the founder of Bat Island and crippled his martial arts in front of the guests at Golden Summit Plaza. Yuan Dongyuan was taken away unconscious, while Mei Jiangxue learned that he was responsible for the destruction of her family.

• Gu Shao'an sealed Yuan Dongyuan's acupoints and confronted him with evidence linking Bat Island and the Ghost Hand Gang to Yuan Suiyun.
• Gu Shao'an used the Soul Shifting Great Law, and Yuan Dongyuan confessed that he had founded Bat Island twenty years earlier.
• Mei Jiangxue recognized Yuan Dongyuan as the culprit behind the destruction of the Meishan Aristocratic Family, and Zhou Zhiruo calmed her by reminding her that Gu Shao'an would seek justice.
• After Yuan Dongyuan regained consciousness, Gu Shao'an shattered his dantian and announced that the world would learn he was Bat Island's master.
• Gu Shao'an knocked Yuan Dongyuan unconscious and asked Shitai Jueyuan to have Emei Sect disciples detain him in the Eastern Bamboo Forest.

Gu Shao'an crippled Yuan Dongyuan and helped Abbess Miejue assert Emei Sect's authority over the gathered forces. After the banquet, Qin Mengyao asked to test her swordsmanship against Gu Shao'an, and they prepared to duel in a pine grove.

• Gu Shao'an crippled Yuan Dongyuan, the master of Bat Island, and had Emei disciples take him away for interrogation.
• Abbess Miejue ordered Dragon Helm, Cloud Mountain Studio, and Bamboo Forest Gang to relocate within a month, while Gu Shao'an helped her pierce Sun Jinhai's hand with a bamboo chopstick.
• Abbess Miejue warned Yuan Jinshan and Si Changfeng against conspiring with Dragon Helm, then welcomed the guests to the banquet.
• Qin Mengyao praised Emei Sect and asked Gu Shao'an to exchange sword moves; he agreed to witness her Cihang Sword Canon.
• After the guests departed, Gu Shao'an and Qin Mengyao went to a pine grove, where Qin drew Clear Autumn and requested his guidance.

Gu Shao'an defeated Qin Mengyao in a sword spar, then recognized her seemingly vulnerable charm as part of Cihang Jingzhai's deliberate approach. He immobilized her and revealed that he knew the sect had chosen him as her Love Trial Guardian.

• Qin Mengyao attacked Gu Shao'an with the Clear Autumn Sword, but he countered her techniques with a pine branch and identified her mastery of Sword Heart Clarity.
• Qin Mengyao unleashed the Supreme Stillness Sword, and Gu Shao'an redirected its force, leaving her unable to overcome his superior realm.
• Gu Shao'an noticed Qin Mengyao's seductive, breathless appearance and suspected that Cihang Jingzhai had engineered it as part of the spar and its approach to him.
• Qin Mengyao praised Gu Shao'an, but he moved close to her and asked whether he made her want to speak at length or feel too ashamed to speak.
• Gu Shao'an tapped Qin Mengyao's acupoints to immobilize her and told her he knew about Cihang Jingzhai's plans in Yuzhou Prefecture and its visit to Emei Sect.
• Gu Shao'an said Cihang Jingzhai had chosen him as Qin Mengyao's Love Trial Guardian, and her startled reaction confirmed that he had guessed correctly.

Gu Shao'an foiled Cihang Jingzhai’s plan to make him Qin Mengyao’s Love Trial Guardian and warned her against targeting him. Back at Emei Sect, he revealed the sect’s scheme and decided to let Mei Jiangxue take revenge on Yuan Dongyuan after Zhu Wushi arrived.

• Gu Shao'an explained Cihang Jingzhai’s trial of love to Qin Mengyao, unsettled her with his touch, and warned that he would challenge Yan Jing'an if the sect targeted him again.
• Qin Mengyao admitted her attempt had failed, calmed herself, and descended the mountain; Gu Shao'an returned to the eastern bamboo grove after confirming she had left.
• Gu Shao'an told Abbess Miejue and the others that Cihang Jingzhai had tried to use Qin Mengyao to make him her Love Trial Guardian and that Yuan Dongyuan had helped her scheme.
• Gu Shao'an revealed to Mei Jiangxue that Yuan Dongyuan was responsible for Bat Island and the Meishan Aristocratic Family’s destruction, then asked how she wanted to deal with him.
• Gu Shao'an explained that he planned to let Zhu Wushi meet Yuan Dongyuan first, so Zhu Wushi could take responsibility for dealing with him and Mei Jiangxue could exact her revenge.

Gu Shao'an revealed that Yuan Dongyuan, Shangguan Jinhong, and Zhu Wushi were Dragon Heads of the Azure Dragon Society, then explained his strategy for keeping Emei out of the society’s schemes. After moving Yuan Dongyuan to the rear mountain, Gu Shao'an confronted him about Bat Island and Wuzheng Villa, ending with Yuan asking if Gu Shao'an intended to wipe them out completely.

• Gu Shao'an and the Emei elders discussed Yuan Dongyuan’s capture, and Gu Shao'an revealed that Yuan Dongyuan, Shangguan Jinhong, and Zhu Wushi were Dragon Heads of the Azure Dragon Society.
• Gu Shao'an explained that he had crippled Yuan Dongyuan to make the Azure Dragon Society wary of Emei, and Abbess Miejue entrusted him with handling the matter.
• Abbess Miejue said Yang Yan’s father had arrived and proposed settling Gu Shao'an and Yang Yan’s wedding date the next day.
• Gu Santong and Gu Shao'an spoke about the friends and family they had found at Emei, and Gu Santong joked that Gu Shao'an could succeed with a honey trap.
• Gu Shao'an went to Abbess Miejue’s courtyard and questioned the captive Yuan Dongyuan, who asked how Gu Shao'an had learned of his connection to Bat Island.
• Gu Shao'an warned Yuan Dongyuan that Wuzheng Villa would not escape the consequences, and Yuan asked whether Gu Shao'an meant to wipe them out completely.

Gu Shao'an briefed Abbess Miejue and the Emei elders on the Azure Dragon Society’s plans, while Zhu Wushi visited Emei to question Yuan Dongyuan. Zhu Wushi then challenged Gu Shao'an to a spar, and Gu Shao'an accepted.

• Gu Shao'an explained to Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo why he had warned Abbess Miejue about the coming turmoil and discussed the imperial court’s use of the Great Skill of Absorbing Power.
• Zhu Wushi and Duan Tianya arrived at Emei, and Abbot Juechen led them to Yuan Dongyuan, who was imprisoned in the back mountain.
• Yang Yan told Gu Shao'an that Zhu Wushi had entered the room, but Gu Shao'an said Zhu Wushi would not dare harm Yuan Dongyuan inside Emei.
• Zhu Wushi and Duan Tianya emerged after questioning Yuan Dongyuan, and Abbot Juechen checked that Yuan Dongyuan was unharmed.
• Zhu Wushi asked to spar with Gu Shao'an, seeking to test his martial arts, and Gu Shao'an accepted.

Gu Shao'an explained that Yuan Dongyuan’s scheme to control Bat Island’s guests would leave Wuzheng Villa vulnerable once exposed, then questioned him about the Azure Dragon Society and Cihang Jingzhai’s plans. Afterward, Cihang Jingzhai’s hidden leaders discussed the failed attempt to influence Gu Shao'an and decided to head for Wudang.

• Gu Shao'an warned Yuan Dongyuan that Bat Island’s records and his exposed identity would turn the guests he had controlled against Wuzheng Villa.
• Gu Shao'an used the Soul Shifting Great Law to learn that Yuan Dongyuan knew nothing about when the Azure Dragon Society would attack Wudang, and that he had been sent to provoke Emei while avoiding direct conflict with Cihang Jingzhai.
• Gu Shao'an told Yuan Dongyuan he would escort him to Wuzheng Villa when Wudang and Shaolin set out for Taiyuan, then sealed his acupoints and left.
• Shitai Kurong told Qin Mengyao and Song Miyun that she had sensed another Condensing Essence into Astral Force expert in Emei’s eastern bamboo grove.
• Qin Mengyao admitted she had no confidence in drawing Gu Shao'an into Cihang Jingzhai’s Love Trial, and Shitai Kurong said the Abbey Master had made other preparations.
• Shitai Kurong announced that she, Qin Mengyao, and Song Miyun would change course and head for Wudang.

Qin Mengyao accepted Cihang Jingzhai’s plan to make Zhang Wuji the guardian of her trial of love, though she privately questioned the compromises people made. At Da E Mountain, Gu Shao'an found his own path to the momentum of Cloud Dragon Void Wander by embracing many forms rather than choosing one, and successfully reached the level of momentum.

• Shitai Kurong proposed Zhang Wuji as the guardian of Qin Mengyao’s trial of love, and Qin Mengyao agreed to follow the arrangement.
• After returning to her room, Qin Mengyao watched the moon and reflected that even people as well as the moon could be stained by dust.
• While studying the clouds during [Sudden Enlightenment], Gu Shao'an realized he did not need to choose a single momentum and could combine many forms into his own path.
• Gu Shao'an circulated his Gang Yuan and moved across the Bamboo Sea, leaving lifelike afterimages as Cloud Dragon Void Wander took on the momentum of clouds.
• Gu Shao'an reached the level of momentum as his movement became shapeless, unpredictable, and unrestrained.

Gu Shao'an met Gongzi Yu, identified him as the ruler of Great Wei and exposed Eunuch Cao, then explained that curing Gongzi Yu’s premature aging would require crippling his martial arts first. The revelation left Gongzi Yu’s attendants ready to attack as the meeting grew tense.

• Gu Shao'an refused Gongzi Yu’s medicine, mixed medicinal powder into wine, and quickly eased Gongzi Yu’s coughing.
• Gu Shao'an recognized the disguised Eunuch Cao and used his knowledge of the Heavenly Dipper Boy Skill to identify him.
• Gu Shao'an deduced that Gongzi Yu was the ruler of Great Wei, and Gongzi Yu confirmed the identity while asking how Gu Shao'an had learned it.
• Gu Shao'an insisted that he did not fear Gongzi Yu and claimed complete confidence in curing his premature aging.
• Gu Shao'an explained that the cure required clearing Gongzi Yu’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, which meant crippling his martial arts, prompting his attendants and Gu Shao'an’s companions to prepare for a fight.

Gu Shao'an treated Gongzi Yu, the emperor and Great Dragon Head of the Azure Dragon Society, and bargained for the society to leave Wudang and Emei alone. After leaving, Gu Shao'an suspected Gongzi Yu had staged the encounter because his chaotic Essence, Qi, and Spirit suggested he had used the Great Skill of Absorbing Power.

• Gu Shao'an explained that Gongzi Yu’s failing organs and depleted vitality would not be cured by entering the Heavenly Human Realm, and estimated that he had two years to live with his new cultivation method.
• Gongzi Yu agreed to pay Gu Shao'an for medicine that would ease his symptoms, and Gu Shao'an asked the Azure Dragon Society not to involve Wudang or Emei in its plans.
• Gongzi Yu accepted the request, said Wudang would not be targeted, and promised to summon Gu Shao'an to watch a play there after his marriage.
• Gu Shao'an wrote Gongzi Yu a prescription and left with Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan; Gongzi Yu then clarified that Yuan Dongyuan had acted without his orders and could be dealt with freely.
• At a nearby restaurant, Gu Shao'an confirmed Gongzi Yu’s identity to Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan and reasoned that Gongzi Yu’s immense, chaotic Essence, Qi, and Spirit might indicate the Great Skill of Absorbing Power.

Gu Shao'an explained that the late emperor had spent decades engineering a contest in which Zhu Wushi would become a Heavenly Human Realm expert and Gongzi Yu would absorb his power. After taking Gu Shao'an's medicine, Gongzi Yu felt better and ordered the Azure Dragon Society to leave the Emei Sect and Gu Shao'an alone, while the threat to Wudang remained unresolved.

• Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo deduced that Gongzi Yu planned to use Zhu Wushi as a stepping stone to the Heavenly Human Realm, and Gu Shao'an confirmed it.
• Gu Shao'an revealed that the late emperor had arranged for Zhu Wushi to build Dragon Guard Manor and gather experts so Gongzi Yu could eventually absorb Zhu Wushi's power.
• Gu Shao'an explained that Zhang Sanfeng's death would weaken Great Wei's deterrence against Great Yuan and Great Sui, so the Azure Dragon Society would now seek another target.
• Gu Shao'an reassured Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan that Gongzi Yu would not harm him while he could treat the emperor's premature aging condition.
• Gongzi Yu drank Gu Shao'an's bitter medicine and felt an unprecedented lightness in his body.
• Gongzi Yu ordered the Azure Dragon Society not to act against the Emei Sect or Gu Shao'an.

After warning Abbess Miejue and the Emei Sect about the Azure Dragon Society’s plans, Gu Shao'an watched Zhu Wushi question Yuan Dongyuan. Zhu Wushi then invited Gu Shao'an to exchange martial arts, intending to test his strength, and Gu Shao'an accepted.

• Gu Shao'an explained why Abbess Miejue and the others needed to know about the coming turmoil, then discussed the imperial court’s Great Skill of Absorbing Power with Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo.
• Zhu Wushi and Duan Tianya arrived at Mount Emei, and shitai Juechen led them to Yuan Dongyuan, who was imprisoned in the rear mountain.
• Yang Yan told Gu Shao'an, Zhou Zhiruo, and Mei Jiangxue that Zhu Wushi had entered Yuan Dongyuan’s room, and they decided not to interfere.
• Zhu Wushi left Yuan Dongyuan unharmed and asked Gu Shao'an to exchange pointers, intending to test whether he was connected to the earlier events involving Gu Santong and Wuzheng Villa.
• Gu Shao'an accepted Zhu Wushi’s challenge, eager to measure the Divine Marquis’s strength.

Gu Shao'an and Zhu Wushi sparred on the rear mountain, where their exchange revealed the depth of each man’s cultivation and techniques. Gu Shao'an unleashed Shocking the Hundred Miles with Heaven and Earth Momentum, while Zhu Wushi countered with the Heaven and Earth Great Shift.

• Abbot Juechen warned Gu Shao'an and Zhu Wushi to stop their spar at the right point, and they moved to the rear mountain to face each other.
• Zhu Wushi struck first with a palm carrying more than a century of cultivation, forcing Gu Shao'an back one step and surprising him with the depth of Gu Shao'an's power.
• Gu Shao'an used Repentant Dragon from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms to break through Zhu Wushi's Dragon Claw Hand and numb his arm.
• Zhu Wushi dispelled Gu Shao'an's follow-up palm with a sharp black light from his fingertips, prompting Gu Shao'an to prepare a stronger strike.
• Gu Shao'an unleashed Shocking the Hundred Miles, drawing in Heaven and Earth Momentum to form nine dragon-shaped streams of Gang Yuan.
• Zhu Wushi used the Heaven and Earth Great Shift to draw Gu Shao'an and his dragon-shaped palm force into opposing currents of attraction and repulsion.

Gu Shao'an and Zhu Wushi sparred, each gauging the other's strength without revealing everything. After Zhu Wushi left, Gu Shao'an told Abbot Juechen he believed he had the advantage in a real fight, then headed toward the eastern bamboo forest.

• Gu Shao'an avoided using the Heaven and Earth Great Shift and countered Zhu Wushi's nine dragon-shaped attacks with a force from his palm before the two exchanged a powerful punch.
• Gu Shao'an and Zhu Wushi stopped fighting, praised each other's strength, and discussed why Gu Shao'an had not previously linked Wuzheng Villa to the Ghost Hand Gang.
• Zhu Wushi credited Gu Shao'an with helping Great Wei Kingdom by exposing Yuan Dongyuan, then departed with Duan Tianya.
• Abbot Juechen asked about Gu Shao'an's condition and compared Zhu Wushi's strength to Pang Ban's; Gu Shao'an explained that Zhu Wushi had absorbed many martial artists' cultivation and skills.
• Gu Shao'an estimated that he had a seven-to-three advantage over Zhu Wushi but cautioned that Zhu Wushi might still be hiding his strength; Abbot Juechen reminded him that Senior Gu could join him if necessary.
• Gu Shao'an left Abbot Juechen and headed toward the eastern bamboo forest.

Duan Tianya learned that Zhu Wushi considered Gu Shao'an nearly flawless and potentially his equal, while Gu Shao'an told Gu Santong about Zhu Wushi’s role in the emperor’s scheme and the danger surrounding the Azure Dragon Society. Gu Shao'an then asked Gu Santong to help test whether the Heaven and Earth Great Shift could counter the Great Skill of Absorbing Power, and they prepared to try it.

• Zhu Wushi told Duan Tianya that Gu Shao'an excelled in nearly every aspect of martial arts and might become a formidable Heavenly Human Realm expert.
• Gu Santong asked Suxin to have another child, but Suxin spotted Gu Shao'an, who admitted he had overheard them and revealed that his qinggong had reached the level of Momentum.
• Gu Shao'an told Gu Santong that Zhu Wushi could not be killed yet because Gongzi Yu and the emperor had plans involving Zhu Wushi’s absorbed power and a Heavenly Human Realm expert.
• Gu Santong theorized that a court expert had secretly observed Zhu Wushi and copied the Great Skill of Absorbing Power; Gu Shao'an asked him to move Suxin to the Emei Sect’s rear mountain while he went to Wudang with the Azure Dragon Society.
• Gu Shao'an proposed using the Heaven and Earth Great Shift’s yin and yang qi to disrupt the Great Skill of Absorbing Power, and Gu Santong agreed to test the idea with him.

Gu Shao'an warned Zhang Songxi about Cihang Jingzhai's scheme involving Zhang Wuji and Qin Mengyao, then investigated the deaths at Wuzheng Villa. After Yuan Dongli's apparent account led the group to abandon the inquiry, Gu Shao'an met an unexpected visitor in Taiyuan Prefecture and recognized Dongfang Bai.

• Gu Shao'an told Zhang Songxi to inform Zhang Sanfeng about Cihang Jingzhai's "Love Trial Guardian" scheme.
• A servant summoned the group to find Yuan Dongyuan and Yuan Xiaotian dead, with a warning carved at the scene against investigating Bat Island.
• Yuan Dongli claimed a masked attacker with Condensing Essence into Gang strength had killed the two men and struck him with Shaolin's Great Vajra Palm.
• Yuan Dongli asked Gu Shao'an to give Wuzheng Villa time to investigate, and the group left without pursuing the matter further.
• At a Taiyuan tavern, Gu Shao'an accepted an invitation to a private pavilion and recognized the figure waiting inside as Dongfang Bai.

Gu Shao'an tested a new Heaven and Earth Great Shift technique that could counter Zhu Wushi's Great Skill of Absorbing Power, then prepared to escort Yuan Dongyuan to Wuzheng Villa with Jiangxue. After making plans for protection and receiving a new martial art from his system, Gu Shao'an obtained the Finger Flicking Divine Skill.

• Gu Shao'an formed Yin-Yang vortices that diverted Gu Santong's Great Skill of Absorbing Power, and Gu Santong agreed the method could briefly counter Zhu Wushi if their cultivation levels were comparable.
• Gu Santong warned that Zhu Wushi would likely try to eliminate Gu Shao'an and might seize Yuan Dongyuan on the way to Wuzheng Villa, so Gu Shao'an planned to have Sun Baifa guard the Emei back mountain and asked Gu Santong to protect Suxin there.
• Gu Shao'an told Abbess Miejue and the others that he would leave for Wuzheng Villa the next day with Mei Jiangxue, while Gu Santong secretly followed in case Zhu Wushi attacked.
• Shitai Jueyuan urged Mei Jiangxue to obey Gu Shao'an and trust no one else, while Abbess Miejue and the other elders resolved to strengthen their cultivation to protect the Emei Sect.
• Gu Shao'an spent his Achievement Points on the system roulette and received the Boundless Energy trait, a Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom, and a Martial Art Card.
• Gu Shao'an used the Martial Art Card and obtained the Finger Flicking Divine Skill.

Gu Shao'an mastered Finger Flicking Divine Skill to the Smooth and Natural realm and saw how it could aid his Emei Swordplay. The next day, while traveling with Mei Jiangxue and Yuan Dongyuan, he refused to comfort Yuan over his crimes and warned Mei Jiangxue to guard against taking the wrong path.

• Gu Shao'an cultivated Finger Flicking Divine Skill until he could pierce dozens of bamboo stalks with a single finger strike.
• Gu Shao'an decided to wait until Abbess Miejue and the others reached the Condensing Essence into Astral Force stage before teaching them the technique.
• Thirty li west of Jiading Prefecture, Yuan Dongyuan asked Gu Shao'an why Mei Jiangxue looked at him with killing intent, and Gu Shao'an explained that Yuan's forces had slaughtered her family.
• Gu Shao'an told Yuan Dongyuan that his crimes deserved no comfort and that he had been kept alive only because killing the master of Wuzheng Villa would violate the rules.
• Mei Jiangxue asked whether Yuan Dongyuan truly regretted his actions, and Gu Shao'an warned her that remorse could not undo wrongdoing and urged her to consider the consequences of her choices.

Gu Shao'an and Mei Jiangxue survived an attempted poisoning, but the attackers revealed little before Mei killed them. An Azure Dragon Society messenger then warned Gu Shao'an that Zhu Wushi would be kept from interfering with their journey, leaving Gu Shao'an wondering who truly controlled the forces behind the scenes.

• Gu Shao'an discovered that spiritual energy hidden in the gray-clad man's mind had killed him when Gu Shao'an tried to question him, then learned the surviving attackers knew nothing about the poisoning.
• Gu Shao'an told Mei Jiangxue to deal with the murderous accomplices, and she killed them with throat and chest strikes.
• Gu Shao'an expelled Mei Jiangxue's poison and gave her a medicinal pill while Gu Santong arrived and heard how Zhu Wushi appeared to have arranged the attack.
• Gu Shao'an asked Gu Santong to stay close during the journey, and an inn waiter delivered the Great Dragon Head's message that the Divine Marquis of Iron Courage would not trouble them.
• Gu Shao'an and Gu Santong discussed the Azure Dragon Society's reach and the emperor's ambitions, while Gu Shao'an wondered whether he would meet the hidden mastermind at Wudang next year.