Chapter Summaries

Cui Dongshan staged a farewell spectacle to cheer Li Baoping before Chen Ping'an left Cliff Academy. After bidding farewell to his companions, Chen Ping'an departed with Pei Qian, while Cui Dongshan sent him off with a heartfelt reflection and blessing.

• Li Baoping discovered Chen Ping'an had left during the night, and Cui Dongshan comforted her by arranging a martial-world performance with Li Huai, Pei Qian, and the others.
• Cui Dongshan helped Pei Qian perform martial arts and sing the Stinky Tofu Ballad, then joined her in calling for Chen Ping'an.
• Chen Ping'an appeared on the lake, performed swordplay, and caught the sword Cui Dongshan tossed to him.
• Chen Ping'an said farewell to Li Baoping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, Mao Xiaodong, and the others before setting off with Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, and Shi Rou.
• Cui Dongshan walked with Chen Ping'an to the end of Baimao Street, shared his hopes for the world, and wished his teacher a springlike state of mind.

Chen Ping'an traveled toward Longquan County, accepted the Ziyang Mansion ancestor’s invitation, and reflected on the people and places awaiting him at home. In Longquan, Dong Shuijing received a Great Li Peace Talisman, Ruan Qiong agreed to send disciples on an imperial mission, and Cui Chan watched Chen Ping'an’s return with interest.

• Chen Ping'an sparred with Zhu Lian on the road and told Pei Qian she did not need to imitate him when she traveled with Li Huai and the others.
• The Ziyang Mansion founding ancestor invited Chen Ping'an and his companions aboard her flying pleasure boat, and he agreed to visit for a few days before continuing toward home.
• Dong Shuijing spoke with Gao Xuan and later Xu Ruo, who revealed Gao Xuan was a Great Sui prince, advised Dong Shuijing to study information and court affairs, and gave him a Great Li Peace Talisman.
• Ruan Qiong announced that his disciples could claim peaks upon reaching Nascent Soul, while Dong Gu declined an exception to open one early.
• Ruan Qiong agreed to send Ruan Xiu, Dong Gu, and Xu Xiaoqiao to assist Great Li against hostile mountain factions, and asked the court to approve taking Lu Clan remnants as Registered Disciples.
• Cui Chan visited the blank Stone tablet at the ruined northern mountain sect and wondered whether Chen Ping'an would still try to reason with people upon returning.

Wu Yi welcomed Chen Ping'an and his companions to Ziyang Mansion, where she treated him as an honored guest and prepared a grand banquet. There, Chen Ping'an unexpectedly reunited with Sun Dengxian, the Great Hero he had met at Centipede Ridge, while Madam Xiao Luan and her party faced Ziyang Mansion's deliberate insults.

• Wu Yi brought Chen Ping'an and his companions to Ziyang Mansion, presented him as an honored guest, and lodged them in a treasure pavilion.
• Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian discussed his plans for the future and Zhu Lian's martial arts before Wu Yi arranged a banquet and prepared to receive Madam Xiao Luan.
• Madam Xiao Luan arrived seeking Wu Yi's help amid growing pressure from Great Li, and Wu Yi ordered Huang Chu to negotiate with her or send her to the Water Prison.
• On the way to the banquet, Chen Ping'an recognized Sun Dengxian from their encounter at Centipede Ridge, and Sun Dengxian greeted him warmly as a young hero.
• A Ziyang Mansion steward insulted Madam Xiao Luan and hurried her party into Xue Mang Hall, then turned pale when he noticed Sun Dengxian beside Chen Ping'an.

At Ziyang Mansion’s banquet, Wu Yi humiliated Madam Xiao Luan before making peace with her, while Chen Ping'an stepped in to share her punishment wine and honor Sun Dengxian. Later, Wu Yi hinted that karmic obstruction clung to Chen Ping'an, and the chapter ended when he shut the door on Madam Xiao Luan’s unexpected late-night visit.

• Wu Yi welcomed Chen Ping'an with unusual warmth, seated him among the most honored guests, and toasted him before the banquet.
• Wu Yi slighted Madam Xiao Luan, then ordered Huang Chu to toast her; Xiao Luan drank three jars of wine as punishment and offered another jar to Chen Ping'an.
• Chen Ping'an split a jar of wine with Xiao Luan, then toasted Sun Dengxian and reassured the humiliated steward with a raised cup.
• Wu Yi told Chen Ping'an that karmic obstruction clung to him and promised to explain how to address it after the wine wore off.
• Chen Ping'an and his companions returned to their quarters as rain began, and he practiced walking stances before sleeping.
• Madam Xiao Luan visited Chen Ping'an in the latter half of the night, but he slammed the door and told her to have some self-respect.

Chen Ping'an rejected Xiao Luan’s advances and spent the night reflecting on time, compassion, and his feelings for Miss Ning, while his thoughts helped form an embryonic Golden Core. Wu Yi’s schemes and Xiao Luan’s renewed attempt at seduction failed, and Chen Ping’an left Ziyang Mansion wary of its hospitality.

• Xiao Luan tried to approach Chen Ping'an, but Zhu Lian escorted her away and revealed his Far Travel Realm strength.
• Chen Ping'an pondered why the Sages wanted the world to slow down, then thought about being bolder with Miss Ning; his thoughts strengthened the golden Confucian scholar figure in his Human Body Small World.
• Wu Yi revealed that she had pressured Xiao Luan to seduce Chen Ping'an in exchange for benefits to Bai Hu River, but Xiao Luan’s attempt had failed.
• Pei Qian awoke from a dream and reflected on the lamp, moon, and Flood Dragon she sensed in Chen Ping'an’s heart, while keeping Cui Dongshan’s Brocade Pouch hidden.
• Chen Ping'an agreed to stay at Ziyang Mansion for one more day and toured the nearby waterways with Xiao Luan, who failed to win his attention.
• Xiao Luan told Wu Yi that Chen Ping'an had threatened to kill her if she kept pestering him, and Chen Ping'an told Zhu Lian that the martial world was full of perils.

Chen Ping'an and his companions left Ziyang Mansion and continued toward Longquan County, while the Old Flood Dragon explained Wu Yi’s gains and taught her about the Flood Dragon path between god and human. After Chen Ping'an rode Sword Immortal above a sea of clouds, he sensed that Cao Ci had broken through again.

• Huang Chu saw Chen Ping'an and his companions off with a box of four treasures, and Wu Yi's father later revealed that Cui Chan had arranged Chen Ping'an's stay at Ziyang Mansion.
• The Old Flood Dragon explained that Flood Dragons could pursue a path between gods and humans, warned Wu Yi to reach Nascent Soul within a hundred years, and told her that Chen Ping'an carried valuable Snake Gallstones.
• Zhu Lian befriended the Jixiang Temple Water God and asked him to watch out for Sun Dengxian as Chen Ping'an's group traveled toward Fengya County.
• At the cliffside camp, Pei Qian playfully pretended that the plum pit was lost, then watched Chen Ping'an ride Sword Immortal into the sky.
• Chen Ping'an pierced the clouds, practiced the Sword Furnace Stance above the golden sea, and sensed that Cao Ci had broken through again.

Chen Ping'an told Zhu Lian how Cao Ci had shaped his commitment to fist techniques and shared his suspicions that Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan were playing a game with him as the board. He then entered the Bride Ghost’s hidden estate with Zhu Lian, where his resolve brought forth a powerful martial aura.

• Chen Ping'an told Zhu Lian that Cao Ci’s skill had inspired him to keep practicing his fists and to someday defeat Cao Ci three times in a row in fist techniques alone.
• Chen Ping'an suspected that Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan had been playing a game across the places he had visited, with him as their board, but said he would face whatever came next.
• Chen Ping'an told Zhu Lian he planned to settle his old grievance with the Bride Ghost, then sent Shi Rou and Pei Qian ahead to Red Candle Town.
• Chen Ping'an used a Yang Qi Lantern Talisman and a Barrier Breaking Talisman to find and enter the Bride Ghost’s hidden estate with Zhu Lian.
• Chen Ping'an stood before the estate’s gate and plaque as his powerful martial aura rose, startling Zhu Lian.

Chen Ping'an discovered that Gu Tao was secretly warning him away from Book Scroll Lake and devised a plan to evade Great Li's surveillance. After separating from Pei Qian and Shi Rou, he traveled toward Book Scroll Lake by an indirect route, leaving the chapter flying there on his sword.

• The Embroidered Flower River's Water God confronted Chen Ping'an at the Chu mansion, where Gu Tao revealed himself as its new Mansion Lord and privately warned Chen Ping'an to return home and buy mountains.
• After Chen Ping'an left, the Water God wounded Gu Tao and monitored him, suspecting that Gu Tao might have helped Chen Ping'an reach Book Scroll Lake.
• At Red Candle Town, Chen Ping'an told Zhu Lian to escort Pei Qian and Shi Rou to Luopo Mountain while he continued toward Book Scroll Lake, and they arranged for Zhu Lian to disguise himself as Chen Ping'an.
• Chen Ping'an left Red Candle Town in disguise, took ferries toward the Zhu Ying Dynasty, and hired a private vessel when the regular routes had stopped running.
• When the vessel's owner tried to rob him, Chen Ping'an defeated him with two flying swords and punches, then continued reading while the owner recovered.
• After disembarking near the Zhu Ying Dynasty's border, Chen Ping'an learned the way to Book Scroll Lake and flew there on his sword.

Ruan Xiu and Director Song’s convoy traveled through war-ravaged Shihao Country toward Book Scroll Lake, where they planned to pursue a stolen Innate Sword Embryo and take part in a larger struggle for control. At Pond Water City, a middle-aged man named Chen learned what Gu Can had become and left a shop overwhelmed by the stories he heard.

• Ruan Xiu and Xu Xiaoqiao traveled south with Director Song’s party through Shihao Country as famine and war ravaged the land.
• Director Song explained that his group was pursuing a Golden Core cultivator who had abducted an Innate Sword Embryo and fled to Book Scroll Lake, where a wider contest over control was also underway.
• Ruan Xiu asked about Gu Can, and Director Song described his rise under Liu Zhimao and the power of his Flood Dragon retainer.
• A middle-aged man named Chen arrived in Pond Water City, bought a court-lady painting and two curiosities from an old shopkeeper, and asked about Book Scroll Lake.
• The shopkeeper described Gu Can’s violent rise and his reputation as the Crown Prince of the Lake, leaving Chen silent and visibly distressed.
• Chen left the shop, sat down on a step, and remained there like a dog by the roadside.

As Gu Can’s arrival at Book Scroll Lake became the centerpiece of Cui Chan’s design, Old Man Yang explained how the trap targeted Chen Ping'an’s principles and heart. Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan watched Chen Ping'an approach, and Cui Chan invited him into the trap.

• Fan Yan arranged a lavish crab feast for Gu Can as the Qingxia Island tower ship approached Pond Water City, while Tian Hujun questioned whether they should expose themselves to assassins.
• In Longquan County, Old Man Yang’s paid fortune-telling scheme at the Yang Family Shop collapsed after rumors branded him a fraud, and Zheng Dafeng returned to town and reconciled with his master.
• Old Man Yang told Zheng Dafeng that Cui Chan’s design aimed to force Chen Ping'an to confront Gu Can’s wrongdoing and that no outside power could resolve the conflict for him.
• Cui Chan revealed to Cui Dongshan how he had prepared Book Scroll Lake as a moral trial for Chen Ping'an, while Cui Dongshan grieved over his failed attempts to help his teacher.
• Chen Ping'an reached Book Scroll Lake at age seventeen, and Cui Chan welcomed him by saying, “Please, step into the jar!”

Gu Can arrived in Pond Water City and used Little Loach’s newly gained Nascent Soul strength to crush an assassination attempt, revealing his brutal rules for punishing those who targeted him. Chen Ping'an confronted Gu Can and slapped him twice, leaving them face-to-face at the chapter’s end.

• Gu Can disembarked with his companions, told Fan Yan’s group to go ahead, and took Lü Caisang with him through the city.
• Gu Can and Lü Caisang discussed their friendship and the danger posed by Yuan Yuan while Cui Chan explained to Cui Dongshan why Gu Can was unlikely to change.
• Little Loach ambushed and defeated a Zhu Ying Dynasty sword cultivator and a Far Travel Realm martial man, then captured the Golden Core formation master.
• Gu Can ordered Lü Caisang to explain his escalating punishments for repeated assassinations and declared that the woman’s nine generations would be exterminated.
• Chen Ping'an approached Gu Can, slapped him twice, and demanded that he repeat what he had said; Gu Can recognized him with a laugh.

Chen Ping'an reunited with Gu Can and Auntie on Qingxia Island, confronting Gu Can over his brutal rule at Book Scroll Lake while trying to understand his fear and protect their bond. After Gu Can defended his choices and broke down, Chen Ping'an ate a bowl of rice and returned the fist manual Gu Can had given him as a child.

• Chen Ping'an met Gu Can in Pond Water City, asked after Auntie, and accompanied him toward Qingxia Island while Gu Can brought along a captured assassin.
• When the assassin begged for mercy, Chen Ping'an questioned Gu Can about sparing or killing her, then told him that Book Scroll Lake's dangers did not justify slaughtering innocents.
• On the way to Auntie's home, Chen Ping'an apologized for arriving late and explained why he feared Gu Can had become the kind of bully they once despised.
• At dinner, Gu Can defended his violent methods as necessary to protect his mother, then wept and ran to the threshold after telling Chen Ping'an how frightened and alone he felt.
• Chen Ping'an declined the wine, accepted a bowl of rice, and placed Gu Can's old fist manual beside it, prompting Gu Can to beg him not to return it.
• Chen Ping'an ate the bowl of rice without answering Gu Can.

Chen Ping'an tried to make Gu Can confront the harm he had caused, but Gu Can admitted he still loved killing, leaving Chen Ping'an unable to reconcile his principles with his friend’s choices. After destroying his Golden Literary Core, Chen Ping'an began seeking a way to summon the dead, and a pale, meticulous man appeared on Qingxia Island as an accountant.

• Chen Ping'an spoke with Gu Can and his mother about hardship, kindness, and right and wrong, while Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan watched and discussed the deadlock between teacher and student.
• Gu Can explained that he had allowed Little Loach to kill enemies and their associates to protect himself and his mother, while Chen Ping'an tried to understand the reasoning behind his actions.
• Chen Ping'an shared his principles with Gu Can, but Gu Can admitted that he liked killing; Chen Ping'an told him he was not angry, then struggled with the Inner Demon their disagreement had awakened.
• Chen Ping'an read Pei Qian’s note asking him not to lose faith in the world, then shattered his Golden Literary Core and wrote three letters seeking knowledge about gathering souls, the dead, and summoning ancestors.
• The next day, a haggard young man arrived on Qingxia Island, sent Secret Letters to Wei Bo, Zhong Kui, and Fan Junmao, and asked Tian Hujun for records of everyone on the island.

Chen Ping'an set aside abstract lessons to investigate Book Scroll Lake’s people and history while keeping Gu Can and his allies in check. After confronting Lü Caisang and Chao Zhe with the Half-Immortal Weapon Sword Immortal, he continued his work and ended the night gazing across Book Scroll Lake.

• Tian Hujun delivered Incense Hall records to Chen Ping'an and learned he would not interfere in Book Scroll Lake’s upcoming choice of a martial world monarch.
• Gu Can asked Chen Ping'an to name Little Loach, and Chen Ping'an named her Tan Xue; he also arranged for local histories to be gathered as a paid business.
• Cui Dongshan and Cui Chan discussed Chen Ping'an’s choices, the trials confronting him, and the danger that Book Scroll Lake could impose on him.
• Chen Ping'an laid out his Bamboo Slips in the sun and decided to set aside bookish principles in favor of understanding people and tracing matters to their source.
• At dinner, Chen Ping'an limited Gu Can to three cups of wine, then later confronted Lü Caisang and Chao Zhe and summoned Sword Immortal to warn them.
• Chen Ping'an read records from across Book Scroll Lake, reflected on letters he had sent, and walked to the ferry landing to gaze over the lake.

Chen Ping'an explored Book Scroll Lake’s islands while wrestling with how to help Gu Can acknowledge his wrongs without abandoning his own principles. After killing assassins and rescuing a young woman and her father from Cloud Tower City, he returned to Qingxia Island and warned Gu Can and Little Loach to avoid being drawn into the island factions’ struggle.

• Chen Ping'an struggled to define how Gu Can might recognize his wrongs, then agreed for the moment to persuade him to curb his killing.
• Chen Ping'an toured Book Scroll Lake’s islands, recording their customs and factions while many island lords refused to let him ashore.
• Three assassins ambushed Chen Ping'an; he killed several attackers, then entered Cloud Tower City to confront the surviving assassin and ordered Tan Xue to protect Gu Can and leave the city alone.
• Chen Ping'an secretly followed the Cloud Tower City faction’s plot against the assassin’s daughter, then intervened when Du Shehu tried to sell and assault her, freeing her and saving her father.
• The young woman threatened revenge, and Chen Ping'an told her where she could find him before returning by boat toward Qingxia Island.
• Chen Ping'an met Gu Can and Little Loach aboard a tower ship, discussed the fighting at Gongliu Island, and warned them not to rush into a conflict between Great Li and the Zhu Ying Dynasty.

Chen Ping'an gathered information and Yin creature ghosts for his plans while tensions grew around Book Scroll Lake. As the island lords’ talks were shaken by an attack on Furong Mountain, Ruan Xiu revealed herself as the Great Li pursuer behind it and noticed someone near Gongliu Island who caught her interest.

• Chen Ping'an read Wei Bo’s Secret Letter and learned two secret arts for gathering souls and communicating with the dead.
• Gu Can’s mother warned him not to imitate Chen Ping'an and ordered the women of Chunting Mansion not to gossip in front of him.
• Chen Ping'an negotiated for Yin creature souls with the Ghost Cultivator Ma, Liu Chongrun, and Yu Gui, using his summoned divine puppets to intimidate Yu Gui.
• Chen Ping'an reflected on Book Scroll Lake’s coming struggle for control while the island lords argued on Gongliu Island.
• Unknown cultivators attacked Furong Mountain, where a fire dragon appeared; Gu Can and Little Loach chose to wait rather than intervene.
• Ruan Xiu captured and killed the tall youth at Furong Mountain, then looked toward Gongliu Island after spotting someone who intrigued her.

Ruan Xiu arranged to quarry Furong Mountain and help Director Song find gifted children, while Old Man Liu Cheng returned to Book Scroll Lake and declared his intention to kill Gu Can. Chen Ping'an continued gathering information and stories as Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan weighed the risks of their competing plans, leaving Chen Ping'an poised to record Hong Su’s memories and possibly the Ghost Cultivator’s story.

• Ruan Xiu asked Director Song for Furong Mountain stone, promised to find three promising children, and sent Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao to quarry the mountain.
• Old Man Liu Cheng met Wang Guanfeng, ordered the Wang family to back Liu Zhimao, and said he would kill Gu Can himself while the family stayed out of the affair.
• Chen Ping'an kept visiting Book Scroll Lake’s island leaders, declined Gu Can’s dinner invitation, and told him he would speak to his mother another time.
• Cui Chan assessed Old Man Liu Cheng’s return and the shifting plans on Book Scroll Lake, while Cui Dongshan proposed making a high-stakes wager of his own.
• Chen Ping'an interviewed Hong Su and wrote down her memories; afterward, the Ghost Cultivator asked her to persuade him to record his story with Liu Chongrun as well.

Chen Ping'an wrestled with how people’s hearts and the teachings of the Three Teachings shaped good and evil, then collapsed after glimpsing a broader understanding of the “one.” Zhong Kui and Ruan Xiu arrived while he slept, and Zhong Kui left eight auspicious characters over Book Scroll Lake before departing.

• Chen Ping'an declined to drink Hong Su’s Yellow Vine Wine because he feared it might be unsafe, then resolved to remain at Qingxia Island and prevent Gu Can from committing further wrongs.
• Chen Ping'an drew a circle at the ferry landing and used it to explore different kinds of human nature, the limits of moral instruction, and the distinct aims of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
• Chen Ping'an wondered whether he had begun to understand the “one,” then fell asleep on the landing, exhausted but joyful.
• Zhong Kui and Ruan Xiu arrived as Chen Ping'an slept, and Ruan Xiu advised Zhong Kui not to stay and interfere.
• Zhong Kui returned Chen Ping'an’s charcoal, wrote “All endeavors auspicious; nothing forbidden” above Book Scroll Lake, and departed for Tongye Continent.

Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan uncovered signs that Qi Jingchun and Old Man Yang had concealed the truth about Chen Ping'an's past, while Cui Chan left Book Scroll Lake to attend to Great Li's affairs. Old Man Liu Cheng attacked Qingxia Island, but Chen Ping'an saved Gu Can and survived the encounter; afterward, Chen Ping'an sat alone in pain as dawn broke.

• Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan studied the ferry circle and Flowing Time Scroll, finding clues that Qi Jingchun had looked toward the sophora tree's highest leaves and that Old Man Yang had hidden traces of Kiln Master Yao.
• Cui Chan left Book Scroll Lake after warning Cui Dongshan to avoid interfering with his plans, and Cui Dongshan stayed behind to play five-in-a-row.
• Old Man Liu Cheng attacked Qingxia Island, wounded Gu Can and the Flood Dragon, and fought Chen Ping'an, who held off his attacks with Sword Immortal until Old Man Liu Cheng withdrew.
• Chen Ping'an carried the wounded Gu Can back and promised to keep helping him, while Gu Can asked Chen Ping'an to keep Tan Xue by his side.
• Chen Ping'an left Gu Can with the woman and went alone to his house, where he swallowed medicinal paste and watched the lamplight fade as day broke.

Chen Ping'an confronted Liu Zhimao about his past schemes and demanded that he free Hong Su, while Liu Zhimao weighed the risks of keeping his power on Book Scroll Lake. As Chen Ping'an’s injuries and concern for Gu Can weighed on him, he visited Hong Su and assured her that she had a friend in him.

• Gu Can woke briefly, and his mother met Liu Zhimao to ask what Chen Ping'an wanted and how Qingxia Island should respond to Old Man Liu Cheng.
• Liu Zhimao brought Chen Ping'an the jade token and a bowl that replayed his conversation with Gu Can’s mother, but Chen Ping'an stopped the recording and questioned Liu Zhimao about his schemes and Cultivation of the Heart.
• Chen Ping'an offered Liu Zhimao a chance to erase their grievance by freeing Hong Su and promised to try to influence Great Li; Liu Zhimao said he would give him an answer within three days.
• Xun Yuan advised Old Man Liu Cheng about Jade Guizong’s plans, while Cui Dongshan analyzed the political maneuvering around Book Scroll Lake and confronted Fan Yan over his deception of Gu Can.
• Chen Ping'an visited Hong Su with Yellow Vine Wine, shared a drink with her, and told her not to be afraid because he was her friend.