Recaps

At Lin Bai’s banquet, Chen Yule explained the history of Heaven Mountain Snow Deer and the guests praised the dish. Qian Hen revealed that his family raised several million snow deer at Night’s Rest Manor, leaving Lin Bai and the other guests stunned by the Qian Family’s wealth.

• Lin Bai had the Immortal Abode Restaurant serve the banquet, including its signature Heaven Mountain Snow Deer meat.
• Chen Yule described how hunting nearly drove the snow deer to extinction and how the Chu royal family reserved them for royal consumption.
• Lin Bai and the other guests tasted the venison, while Qian Hen praised Mount Qiyun’s cooking and offered to host them at Night’s Rest Manor.
• Qian Hen revealed that the Qian Family raised several million snow deer in the Night’s Rest Mountains and that the banquet’s venison came from there.
• Lin Bai silently reconsidered the Qian Family’s immense wealth and accumulated power.

Lin Bai treated the gathered Holy Sons, Holy Daughters, and disciples to the Immortal Abode Restaurant’s signature dishes, including rare deer and Flood Dragon meat. The meal’s cost stunned the guests, who eventually began feasting after Lin Bai invited them to eat.

• Qian Hen explained that his family had restored the Heaven Mountain Snow Deer population through breeding and cultivation, though most were raised for food.
• Chen Yule identified the thinly sliced meat as Flying Cloud Flood Dragon, and Qian Hen described how the Qian Family had preserved the species from overhunting.
• Chen Yule named the restaurant’s other signature dishes and revealed that Lin Bai’s banquet would cost at least two thousand immortal jades.
• Lin Bai said his earnings from the Southern Sky Hunting Garden had let him afford the meal, and the gathered disciples thanked him for the hospitality.
• After the server confirmed that the wine and dishes had arrived, Lin Bai invited everyone to eat, and the guests eagerly began feasting.

Lin Bai hosted a banquet for the martial artists who had accompanied him to the Southern Sky Hunting Garden, divided the imperial reward among them, and celebrated with the gathered Holy Sons, Holy Daughters, and disciples. As the feast wound down, Chen Yule reflected on their coming departures, while his companions promised to reunite for his wedding.

• Lin Bai split the million immortal jades awarded by His Majesty among the six participants, giving each person 166,666 immortal jades, and realized his own share might let him attempt a breakthrough.
• Lin Bai and the others drank and talked while Mo Nan covered the drunken Li Xuanqiu and urged her to restrain her seductive aura.
• The gathered disciples from different sects and lineages shared food, stories, and rumors, and Lin Bai grew curious about the territory of Ten Thousand Saints Mountain.
• Meng Qinxian lost a drinking contest to Lin Bai, Chen Yule, Yi Heze, and the others, and the group laughed together after stopping.
• Chen Yule lamented that the guests would soon leave the imperial capital, and Meng Qinxian and Yi Heze promised to attend his wedding.

Lin Bai’s banquet turned into a round of teasing about his supposed future marriage to Fallen Immortal. Fallen Immortal arrived after receiving no invitation, leaving Lin Bai embarrassed as Meng Qinxian urged him to comfort her.

• Lu Qingjun and the other guests joked about their future weddings, and Chen Yule redirected the teasing toward Lin Bai and Fallen Immortal.
• An attendant announced that Lin Bai had a guest, and Lin Bai allowed the unknown visitor into the private room.
• The veiled visitor revealed herself as Fallen Immortal and asked why Lin Bai had not invited her to his banquet.
• Meng Qinxian joked that Fallen Immortal had caught Lin Bai drinking outside, then tried to reassure her that Lin Bai had not flirted with anyone.
• Fallen Immortal blushed and said she did not care what Lin Bai was doing, while Meng Qinxian urged him to comfort her.

Fallen Immortal joined Lin Bai’s banquet and explained that Liang Wang had engineered the events at Southern Sky Hunting Garden to pull him into Prince Liang’s camp. Lin Bai learned that breaking the emperor’s marriage decree could endanger him and Tianshui Sect, leaving him to search for a way out of the engagement.

• Lin Bai welcomed Fallen Immortal to his banquet after she arrived unexpectedly and sat beside him.
• Fallen Immortal revealed that Liang Wang had bribed the Undying Holy Sect to force Lin Bai into the hunt and had used a marriage proposal to draw him toward Prince Liang’s Estate.
• Lin Bai thanked Fallen Immortal and said he would ask the emperor to dissolve their marriage, explaining that he already had a family.
• Fallen Immortal warned that breaking the publicly announced engagement would insult the imperial clan and put Lin Bai and Tianshui Sect at risk.
• Fallen Immortal said she had no right to reject the emperor’s choice, and Lin Bai considered how to escape the engagement.

Lin Bai and Fallen Immortal agreed to maintain the appearance of a devoted engaged couple until Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration, while postponing any attempt to break off their engagement. Their banquet was interrupted by the arrival of the Princess and Young Lord of Prince Liang’s Estate.

• Lin Bai considered breaking off his engagement, but Fallen Immortal warned that doing so before the Birthday Celebration would endanger him and shame the royal family.
• Lin Bai and Fallen Immortal agreed that he would cooperate with the royal family’s plan and not mention breaking off the engagement for now.
• Meng Qinxian invited Fallen Immortal to let Lin Bai join the others for wine, and the group drank together.
• An attendant announced another guest, and the Princess and Young Lord of Prince Liang’s Estate entered Lin Bai’s private room.

Chu Tingxue, Chu Tinghan, and Chu Zimo of Prince Liang's Estate arrived at Lin Bai's banquet with wine, where Chu Tinghan provoked Fallen Immortal and Lin Bai defended her. Lin Bai repelled Chu Tinghan and ordered the visitors to either join the banquet as guests or leave, and Chu Tingxue led her siblings out.

• Chu Tingxue, Chu Tinghan, and Chu Zimo entered Lin Bai's private room uninvited and presented two jars of fine wine as a congratulatory gift.
• Chu Tinghan recognized Fallen Immortal and taunted her about surviving the destruction of Prince Hong's Estate.
• Chu Tinghan unleashed sword intent at Fallen Immortal, but Lin Bai stepped in and blocked the attack.
• Lin Bai struck Chu Tinghan with his sword intent, shattered her defenses, and knocked her against the wall.
• Chu Tingxue apologized for her sister, and Lin Bai told the group to sit as guests or leave; Chu Tingxue then led Chu Tinghan and Chu Zimo out.

After Prince Liang's Estate warned Lin Bai to join them, Lin Bai reaffirmed his loyalty to Prince Chen and used a banquet to draw Chen Family and Sacred Lotus Palace into the investigation of the First Prince and Second Prince's deaths. He left Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun wondering whether he had uncovered a clue.

• Prince Liang's Estate sent Chu Tingxue and two others to warn Lin Bai to recognize the times and join their side, but Lin Bai refused to waver from supporting Prince Chen.
• Fallen Immortal thanked Lin Bai for defending her, and Lin Bai said he expected Prince Liang's Estate to become their enemy.
• Lin Bai recalled Chao Yushi's advice that he needed to provoke the Third Prince into exposing a flaw, and planned to use the banquet to recruit Chen Family and Sacred Lotus Palace to Prince Chen's cause.
• After drinking with Chen Yule, Huang Qingyun, and the others, Lin Bai asked whether they had found clues about the First Prince and Second Prince's deaths.
• Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun sobered and watched Lin Bai closely, suspecting he had finally found a clue.

Lin Bai revealed that the First Prince and Second Prince had been murdered with the Southern Border Insect Valley’s God-Devil Calamity Poison, though he said the valley itself was not involved. He traced the poison to a fugitive who stole its refinement method and eventually reached the Chu Empire’s imperial capital.

• Lin Bai told Chen Yule, Huang Qingyun, Yi Song, and the others that the First Prince and Second Prince had not died sudden deaths but had been murdered.
• Lin Bai explained that the God-Devil Calamity Poison was a colorless, odorless King Poison from the Southern Border Insect Valley that could leave no clear evidence after killing its victim.
• Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun recognized that the poison’s effects matched the princes’ case files, while Lin Bai invited them to verify its origins in the Southern Region.
• Lin Bai said the Southern Border Insect Valley had not interfered in the Chu Empire’s affairs and that a traitor had stolen a secret scroll detailing how to refine the poison.
• Lin Bai explained that the traitor fled east after the valley issued a Demon Realm Assassination Order and eventually arrived in the imperial capital.

Lin Bai revealed to Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun that Xia Jingzhi, a Southern Border Insect Valley traitor tied to the Third Prince, had likely created the God-Devil Calamity Poison, then pretended to have drunkenly let the secret slip. After the banquet, Lin Bai and Fallen Immortal headed to Prince Hong Estate to meet Chao Yushi and continue their plan.

• Lin Bai told Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun that Xia Jingzhi had vanished after the Zhao Xing Office pursued him and was likely protected by the Third Prince.
• Lin Bai linked Xia Jingzhi’s poison-making method to the deaths of the First Prince and Second Prince and claimed he knew Xia Jingzhi’s whereabouts.
• Chen Yule and Huang Qingyun promised to inform only powerful elders in their family and sect and offered help capturing Xia Jingzhi.
• Lin Bai pretended to regret revealing the information while dismissing the banquet, then paid the bill and escorted Fallen Immortal through the night market.
• Fallen Immortal realized Lin Bai’s disclosure was part of his plan with Chao Yushi and suggested meeting at Prince Hong Estate instead of Hongtian Tavern.
• Lin Bai agreed, and he and Fallen Immortal set out for Prince Hong Estate.

Fallen Immortal brought Lin Bai back to Prince Hong Estate and explained how her parents had died after her mother was exposed as a Nine Underworlds Demon Palace spy. She revealed that Prince Liang’s Estate had also colluded with the Demon Palace, and that its spies had infiltrated powerful factions throughout Chu.

• Fallen Immortal introduced the Grand Luo Dao Fruit realm steward Uncle Lin and led Lin Bai into Prince Hong Estate.
• In Prince Hong’s study, Fallen Immortal told Lin Bai that her mother had been a Nine Underworlds Demon Palace spy and that both her parents had died after Liang Wang exposed her.
• Fallen Immortal said she intended to take revenge on Prince Liang’s Estate, while Lin Bai questioned whether her parents’ deaths had been justified.
• Fallen Immortal claimed that Prince Liang’s Estate had long colluded with the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Fallen Immortal warned Lin Bai that the Demon Palace had spies among Chu’s powerful princes, ministers, major families, and sects.

Lin Bai and Fallen Immortal discussed why Prince Hong Estate was waiting to expose Prince Liang Estate’s ties to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace until after the Chu Emperor abdicated. Lin Bai then arranged with Chao Yushi to spread news about the princes’ deaths and draw the Third Prince into action, while seeking help finding Xia Jingzhi.

• Fallen Immortal told Lin Bai that Prince Liang Estate had harbored hundreds of Nine Underworlds Demon Palace spies, but exposing them before the Chu Emperor abdicated could provoke Liang Wang to rebel.
• Lin Bai concluded that Prince Hong Estate would wait for the new emperor to ascend, since the new ruler would be a natural ally against Prince Liang Estate.
• Chao Yushi arrived, and Lin Bai asked him to spread word that Lin Bai knew the cause of the First Prince and Second Prince’s deaths, drawing the Third Prince’s attention.
• Chao Yushi promised the news would spread across Chu within days and warned that the Third Prince might target Lin Bai or Xia Jingzhi.
• Lin Bai asked Prince Hong Estate to help locate Xia Jingzhi and promised to repay its assistance with one favor within his ability.
• Chao Yushi estimated the Third Prince might act within two or three months, and Fallen Immortal asked what agreement he and Lin Bai had made.

Lin Bai secured Prince Hong Estate’s support for his search for Xia Jingzhi and investigation into the princes’ deaths, then focused on raising his cultivation. After weighing his options, he began using his 270,000 immortal jades to attempt a breakthrough, and seven days later spiritual energy gathered above his residence.

• Chao Yushi explained that he had agreed to help Lin Bai find Xia Jingzhi and investigate the deaths of the First Prince and Second Prince in exchange for Lin Bai’s future help against Prince Liang's Estate.
• Lin Bai, Chao Yushi, and Fallen Immortal agreed to postpone dealing with Prince Liang's Estate and exchanged Command Talismans before Lin Bai returned to the Tianshui Sect palace.
• Lin Bai considered his cultivation plans and concluded that immortal jade was more effective for breaking through than Dao Fruits or medicinal pills.
• Lin Bai decided to spend his 270,000 immortal jades attempting to advance from the lower-grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm to the mid-grade realm.
• After resting for two days, Lin Bai entered seclusion, activated the formations, and began refining immortal jade with his Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit.
• Seven days later, spiritual energy gathered like a funnel in the courtyard of Lin Bai’s residence.

The Third Prince learned that Lin Bai had uncovered evidence about the deaths of the First Prince and Second Prince and identified Xia Jingzhi. He feared Lin Bai would reveal the evidence at the Chu Emperor's Birthday Celebration, and Old Huo proposed dealing with Lin Bai before then.

• Old Huo reported that Lin Bai had obtained evidence concerning the First Prince's and Second Prince's deaths and had named Xia Jingzhi as a traitor of Southern Border Insect Valley.
• The Third Prince feared Lin Bai's discovery could destroy his plans to inherit the throne and questioned how Lin Bai had found Xia Jingzhi.
• Old Huo said all other people involved in the princes' deaths had been eliminated, leaving only the Third Prince, Old Huo, and Xia Jingzhi alive with knowledge of the truth.
• Old Huo suspected Lin Bai would reveal the evidence during the Chu Emperor's Birthday Celebration and urged the Third Prince to act against him beforehand.
• The Third Prince asked Old Huo to explain his countermeasure, and Old Huo began outlining his plan.

Lin Bai risked a breakthrough to the mid-grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm, driven by his desire to gain the strength to leave the Demon Realm and find his family and friends. He succeeded despite the danger, then stabilized his cultivation after a month of recovery.

• Tianshui Sect members guarded Lin Bai’s residence for seven days while he attempted his breakthrough, and Qiao Mo realized he wanted to leave the Demon Realm.
• A surge of spiritual energy and power emerged from Lin Bai’s residence, signaling that he had reached the mid-grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm.
• Lin Bai emerged and thanked the Tianshui Sect members, while Ancestor Pan Qing congratulated him and warned him not to rush his next breakthrough.
• Lin Bai recognized that his dangerous attempt had pushed his Dao Fruit to develop too quickly, and Ancestor Pan Qing gave him medicinal pills to stabilize his cultivation.
• After a month of taking the pills and cultivating in seclusion, Lin Bai successfully stabilized his new realm.

After emerging from seclusion, Lin Bai learned that the Flying Sword Devil Sect had arrived in the Imperial Capital and that its Saint, Luo Qiu, had challenged the Divine Armory Pavilion arena. Lin Bai learned how the arena was being used to rank visiting martial artists, leaving the capital poised for more contests.

• Grand Ancestor Pan Qing told Lin Bai that many sects and friends had sent invitations while he was in seclusion, and Lin Bai set them aside to ask about the Third Prince.
• Grand Ancestor Pan Qing revealed that the Flying Sword Devil Sect had arrived with a powerful delegation led by its Saint, Luo Qiu, and had invited Lin Bai to a banquet.
• Bai Yifei said Luo Qiu had defeated eighteen opponents of the same realm at the Divine Armory Pavilion arena within three days.
• Qiao Mo explained that the pavilion had opened its arena for martial exchanges ahead of the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration and would use the contests to update its rankings.

Lin Bai emerged from seclusion and received the repaired Yellow Springs Demon Bone from Meng Ye, learning it could grant him Superior-Grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm power for only half an hour. He owed Meng Ye fifty thousand immortal jades and began thinking about how to earn the money.

• Lin Bai learned that delegations from the Flourishing Sects and Chu's major families and sects would arrive in the imperial capital, but heard no news about the Third Prince.
• Lin Bai decided to seek out Chao Yushi after leaving seclusion to learn more about the Third Prince's movements.
• Meng Ye visited Lin Bai on Old Man Wuchuan's orders and delivered the repaired Yellow Springs Demon Bone.
• Meng Ye explained that the bone could grant Lin Bai Superior-Grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm power for half an hour, after which he had to remove it or risk death.
• Lin Bai discovered he had spent all his immortal jades and agreed to owe Meng Ye fifty thousand until he could pay Old Man Wuchuan.

Meng Ye told Lin Bai that the Third Prince had taken the bait after hearing Lin Bai’s investigation into the First and Second Princes’ deaths. He explained why Old Man Wuchuan had returned to the Imperial Capital and left Lin Bai to handle the coming confrontation.

• Meng Ye delivered the Yellow Springs Demon Bone and activated a barrier around Lin Bai’s residence so they could speak privately.
• Meng Ye revealed that the Third Prince had invited Old Man Wuchuan to help refine a Grand Yi Divine Weapon after Lin Bai’s remarks at the Immortal Abode Restaurant spread.
• Lin Bai urged Old Man Wuchuan to leave the Imperial Capital and offered to repay his debt, but Meng Ye said his master could no longer leave.
• Meng Ye explained that Old Man Wuchuan had chosen to return because the First and Second Princes had once shown him kindness.
• Meng Ye said the Third Prince had taken Lin Bai’s bait and urged him to seize the opportunity, while Old Man Wuchuan and Meng Ye would leave the matter to him.
• Lin Bai promised to protect Old Man Wuchuan and handle the rest, and Meng Ye departed.

After Meng Ye warned Lin Bai that the Third Prince might already be making a move, he told him about the Divine Armory Pavilion’s gambling arenas as a way to earn immortal jades. Lin Bai decided to prioritize meeting Chao Yushi and dealing with the Third Prince, then left the Tianshui Sect residence with Qiao Mo and Qin Yao.

• Meng Ye warned Lin Bai that their meeting could be investigated and that the Third Prince might already have taken action.
• Meng Ye explained that the Divine Armory Pavilion hosted gambling around its martial arena, where Holy Sons and Holy Daughters wagered immortal jades.
• Lin Bai calculated that his breakthrough had consumed all 270,000 immortal jades he had, and estimated he would need 300,000 to 500,000 more for his next breakthrough.
• Lin Bai decided to focus on the Third Prince and planned to meet Chao Yushi before making further plans.
• Qiao Mo and Qin Yao joined Lin Bai as he left the Tianshui Sect residence, and the three wandered through the imperial capital.

As the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration approached, Lin Bai toured the capital with Qiao Mo and Qin Yao while drawing the attention of the Third Prince’s watchers. After receiving a message from Zhang Linghu, he went to the Moon Palace and arranged to visit Deer Terrace Palace for Lady White Deer’s sword dance.

• Lin Bai spent the day exploring the capital’s busy market with Qiao Mo and Qin Yao, noticing people secretly watching him and suspecting the Third Prince had begun paying attention to him.
• Zhang Linghu sent Lin Bai a message naming the Moon Palace, Deer Terrace Palace, and Lady White Deer.
• Lin Bai told Qiao Mo and Qin Yao he had business at the Moon Palace, then went there alone after they agreed to wait outside for three hours.
• Lady Qiong Yi told Lin Bai that Yun Ke had left the Moon Palace and described the performances planned by its Courtesans.
• Lin Bai chose to attend Lady White Deer’s sword dance at Deer Terrace Palace and followed a maid there.

Lin Bai arrived at Deer Terrace Palace for the Sword Dance banquet but lacked the five hundred immortal jades required to enter. Before he found a solution, he encountered Li Mo, Zhao Xiantu, and a formidable sword cultivator they identified as Lin Bai’s fellow young-generation rival, Luo Qiu.

• Lin Bai realized he had no money or suitable treasure to pay Deer Terrace Palace’s admission fee and worried that making a scene would embarrass Tianshui Sect and Chu Emperor.
• The maids at the entrance recognized Lin Bai as Wolf Marquis but insisted that he pay the five-hundred-immortal-jade fee.
• Li Mo and Zhao Xiantu arrived with their young family talents and a visitor called Brother Luo, discussing Lady White Deer and Moon Palace’s courtesans.
• Li Mo and Zhao Xiantu recognized Lin Bai and said they hated him, then introduced him to Brother Luo as Tianshui Sect’s Holy Son, Wolf Marquis, and Chu’s foremost young sword cultivator.
• Lin Bai suspected that Brother Luo was Luo Qiu, the Holy Son of the Flying Sword Devil Sect, and studied the formidable sword cultivator.

At the Moon Palace, Lin Bai clashed with Luo Yu of the Flying Sword Devil Sect after Luo Yu accused him of stealing the sect’s sword-control techniques. Lin Bai refused to pay admission to Deer Terrace Palace without his own immortal jades, and a crow appeared just after he said he had sent someone to bring them.

• Luo Yu insulted Lin Bai as a thief who had stolen the Flying Sword Devil Sect’s cultivation art, while Li Mo and Zhao Xiantu joined in mocking him.
• Lin Bai invoked his title as Wolf Marquis and warned Luo Yu to mind his words; Li Mo and Zhao Xiantu restrained Luo Yu from starting a fight in the Moon Palace.
• Luo Yu introduced himself as a cousin of Holy Son Luo Qiu, and Lin Bai dismissed him for not being Luo Qiu.
• The maids at Deer Terrace Palace asked Lin Bai, Li Mo, and Zhao Xiantu to pay five hundred immortal jades to enter and watch the sword dance.
• Lin Bai said he had left without immortal jades but had sent someone to deliver them, and a crow cried from the woods above the palace.

Lin Bai negotiated with the crow to borrow immortal jade for his entry to Deer Terrace Palace, where they planned to watch the sword dance. The crow abandoned its demand for the Green Jade Fragment but proposed a new condition involving Holy Daughter Mo Nan’s robe as they entered.

• The crow landed on Lin Bai’s shoulder and insulted Li Mo, then threatened him until Lin Bai stopped it and invoked the Chu Emperor.
• Lin Bai asked the crow to lend him five hundred immortal jades, and the crow demanded repayment of fifty thousand and freedom to go wherever it wanted in the Chu Kingdom.
• The crow asked for the Green Jade Fragment as its third condition, but Lin Bai refused, so the crow agreed to let him owe a favor instead.
• The crow gave Lin Bai five hundred immortal jades, which Lin Bai handed to the Deer Terrace Palace maidservant to gain entry.
• The crow admitted it had searched the Imperial Capital’s treasuries and mentioned the Nine Heavens Starry Robe worn by Holy Daughter Mo Nan, then teased Lin Bai about wanting it.
• Lin Bai and the crow bickered as they entered Deer Terrace Palace and sat at a small table to watch the sword dance.

Lin Bai watched Lady White Deer’s sword dance at Deer Terrace Palace and recognized her One-Turn Sword Heart. Luo Yu then provoked her by comparing her favorably to Lin Bai, while Lin Bai stayed in his private room and Lady White Deer deflected the insult.

• Lin Bai entered Deer Terrace Palace, watched Lady White Deer perform a sword dance, and sat in a private room with the crow.
• The crow said Bai Xiaoxiao had asked it to keep an eye on Lin Bai and had given cultivation manuals to her group.
• Lin Bai sensed that Lady White Deer possessed a One-Turn Sword Heart, and she ended her dance and welcomed the gathered sword cultivators.
• Luo Yu praised Lady White Deer as possibly superior to Lin Bai, provoking the guests and drawing the crow’s anger.
• The crow explained that the Flying Sword Devil Sect lacked the complete sword-flying Dao inheritance held by the Flying Sword Immortal Sect.
• Lady White Deer recognized Luo Yu’s hostility and said that Lin Bai remained the foremost young sword cultivator in the Chu Kingdom.

At Deer Terrace Palace, Luo Yu provoked Lin Bai and challenged his reputation, prompting Lin Bai to defeat and suppress him with a flying sword. The guests were left stunned as Lin Bai ordered the music and dancing to continue.

• Lady White Deer finished her sword dance, and Luo Yu disparaged Lin Bai in front of the guests.
• Lady White Deer changed the subject and prepared to perform another sword dance while Luo Yu continued to taunt Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai released his sword intent and sent a flying sword at Luo Yu, overpowering Luo Yu's swords.
• Lin Bai's flying sword pierced Luo Yu's chest, pinned him at the bottom of the pool, destroyed his meridians, and sealed his Dao Fruit.
• Lin Bai told everyone to continue the music and dancing.