Recaps

After the Xiangji Temple crisis, Li Yan investigated his father’s death and Zhao Changsheng’s connection to a resurrected Onmyoji from Dongying. The chapter left him greeting Senior Manager Wan, who arrived with Sha LiFei.

• Li Yan told Sha LiFei and Luo Faqing that the Buddhist Treasure had lost its power, and Luo Faqing agreed to help find a buyer and take his share of the spoils.
• Wang Dao Xuan confirmed that the monster’s death had lifted the Du Family’s Evil Curse, while Li Yan wondered why his father had investigated Zhao Changsheng.
• Li Yan studied the Flintlock Pistol he had taken from the old monk and considered how New-Style Gunpowder might change weapons in the Great Xuan Dynasty.
• Zheng Xian brought Li Yan case files concerning his father’s death, a brothel fire, and the Maitreya Sect’s Luan Hong’er, and shared what he had learned about the battle at Honnō-ji Temple.
• Li Yan concluded that Zhao Changsheng might have brought the resurrected Onmyoji Hui Qing back from Dongying, then greeted Manager Wan of Xianyang’s Hearing Sound Pavilion.

Li Yan learned that Manager Wan was gathering martial artists for Chang'an’s Drum King Assembly and demonstrated a new combination of Pigua boxing and the Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound to Lady Li. Meanwhile, Li KongQing went to the Prince Manor, where he was greeted by the Young Lord.

• Manager Wan told Li Yan that the Drum King Assembly would be held for the opening of a ritual-coin vault and asked him to play the Qin Han War Drums for the team.
• Sha LiFei, Wang Dao Xuan, and Li Yan left to handle their New Year work, and Li Yan visited Lady Li with gifts.
• Li Yan combined Pigua boxing with the Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound, and Lady Li offered to guide his training.
• Li KongQing traveled to the Prince Manor and reflected on how his changed conduct had improved his standing there.
• The Young Lord appeared behind Li KongQing as he sat working in the Benevolence and Filial Piety Pavilion.

Young Lord Xiao Hongqi warned Li KongQing to keep to his duties and opposed King Chang'an’s plans for overseas trade, while Yue Fachong tried to advance the scheme for his lineage. The chapter left Yue Fachong rejecting Luo Faqing’s objections and insisting that he would not repeat his master’s fate.

• Xiao Hongqi confronted Li KongQing over a denunciation letter, learned that Li had helped his mother’s disciple, and reminded him to focus on his duties as study companion.
• Li KongQing considered resigning, but Xiao Hongqi explained why he had been selected and convinced him to remain in his proper role.
• Xiao Hongqi questioned King Chang'an’s overseas trade plans at a treasure banquet and showed interest in shipworms said to treat his mother’s rheumatic pain.
• Yue Fachong told Luo Faqing that Xiao Hongqi’s opposition threatened the overseas scheme and argued that it could help their Shangshan lineage gain influence.
• Luo Faqing questioned the plan and suggested holding ceremonies instead, but Yue Fachong rebuked him and refused to follow his master’s path.

Luo Faqing delivered Yue Fachong’s warning to Qiao Sanhu, who continued plotting with Xiong BaoDong to profit from the Drum King Assembly and recover money from the Lu family. Meanwhile, Li Yan searched for Shadow and encountered his childhood companion Hei Dan fleeing through the streets.

• Yue Fachong warned Luo Faqing not to let sentiment distract him and ordered him to tell Qiao Sanhu to leave Chang'an.
• Luo Faqing confronted Qiao Sanhu at the Fire Bear Gang’s headquarters and delivered Yue Fachong’s warning, but Qiao Sanhu refused to be cowed.
• Qiao Sanhu and Xiong BaoDong agreed to target the Lu family’s eldest son and worked on securing a slot in the Drum King Assembly.
• Xiong BaoDong introduced Guo Ai, who reported that the mystic entertainers had agreed to join except for a stubborn leatherworker.
• Li Yan visited Bao Feng Pawnshop to look for Shadow, then found Hei Dan fleeing through the street and stopped him.

Li Yan reunited with Hei Dan in Chang'an and drove off the Fire Bear Gang men who had beaten him and attacked his uncle. At a tavern, Hei Dan’s uncle revealed that a Demon Immortal he had once helped create had escaped, possessed someone, and cursed him to stop making Spirit Hide.

• Li Yan recognized Hei Dan, defeated several Fire Bear Gang men, and confronted their leader, Guo Ai, after learning Hei Dan’s uncle might have been killed.
• Guo Ai said Hei Dan’s uncle was alive, paid two hundred taels, and withdrew with his men; Li Yan then drove off two local hecklers with pebbles.
• Hei Dan led Li Yan to his uncle’s leatherworking courtyard, where they found the old man bruised but alive.
• Hei Dan’s uncle explained that he had learned to make Spirit Hide from a mysterious voice, but a Puppet Show Villain made from the hide became possessed and preyed on the troupe.
• Hei Dan’s uncle said the escaped Demon Immortal had come to Chang’an, cursed him, taken over his livelihood, and forced him to swear never to make Spirit Hide again.

Li Yan and Li ShiQing treated Li LaoGan for a Maggot Gu used by the Bee Sect to pressure him into accepting a swindle, then helped trace the fraud to Li LaoGan’s former shadow-puppet troupe. Their search led them to Qingyuan Tower in Pingkang Ward, where the workers greeted Li Yan as a familiar patron.

• Li ShiQing diagnosed Li LaoGan’s infestation as Maggot Gu and explained that the Bee Sect had likely used it to force him to accept a property scam.
• Li Yan explained Li LaoGan’s options under Jianghu Rules or imperial law, and Li LaoGan chose to recover his property without provoking a larger fight.
• Li ShiQing removed the Gu poison, and Li Yan discovered that Li LaoGan’s leather shop had changed hands several times.
• Zhao Jiu said the Bee Sect could not be traced through brokerage records and suggested one of Li LaoGan’s former apprentices had leaked the story.
• Li LaoGan learned that his old troupe was in Pingkang Ward, so Li Yan took him to Qingyuan Tower.
• Big Teapot and the madam greeted Li Yan enthusiastically and claimed Miss Wan Fang had been waiting for him.

Li Yan discovered that Zhao Wan Fang had tried to kill him over his father's past, then learned that Li LaoGan's former troupe had betrayed him by revealing his Spirit Hide craft. He left with Hei Dan, his nephew, and Band Leader Bai to confront the informant at Jinbao Gambling House.

• Li Yan listened to a Zhouzhi Taoist Opera before Zhao Wan Fang attacked him with concealed blades and accused his father of causing her family’s deaths.
• Li Yan told Zhao Wan Fang he would return that night to discuss the surviving witness and asked her to summon Band Leader Bai.
• Band Leader Bai confessed that his troupe’s gamblers had exposed Li LaoGan’s Spirit Hide craft to Jinbao Gambling House, leading to trouble for Li LaoGan.
• Hei Dan beat the young troupe members, and Li LaoGan severed ties with them after explaining that Spirit Hide required an opened Spiritual Root.
• Band Leader Bai identified a young scholar called Third Brother as the informant, so Li Yan took him and the others to Jinbao Gambling House.

Li Yan investigated the Bee Sect swindlers at Jinbao Gambling House and agreed to let Bai RuoXu recover the stolen goods. Later, Zhao WanFang recounted the fire that destroyed Jin Cui Brothel, and Li Yan connected the murderer to a Jinhua Cat and the Peilan Sachets carried by Consort Liu, Hua Qing, and Cui Lan.

• Tie Feng introduced Li Yan to Hall Master Bai at Jinbao Gambling House, where Bai promised to make the Bee Sect swindlers return what they took and pay compensation.
• After Li Yan and the others left, Bai RuoXu entered a hidden passage and poisoned the bandits from White Tiger Stronghold who had been staying underground.
• Li Yan visited Zhao WanFang after dark and asked what she had witnessed when Jin Cui Brothel burned down.
• Zhao WanFang described hearing a strange cat cry before the fire and identified Consort Liu, Hua Qing, and Cui Lan as women who carried Peilan Sachets.
• Li Yan explained that Yan Sect women in Jiangsu and Zhejiang raised Jinhua Cats and needed Peilan Sachets to keep the creatures from devouring them, leading him to understand the cause of his father's death.

Li Yan uncovered the Maitreya Sect’s role in the brothel murders and warned Zhao Wan Fang not to seek revenge recklessly. After settling Hei Dan’s family’s property dispute, he focused on cultivation and considered using the dangerous North Emperor Yin Mountain Method to overcome a bottleneck.

• Li Yan told Zhao Wan Fang that Consort Liu was alive and the Maitreya Branch Master called the Red Woman had arranged her father’s murder and the burning of Jin Cui Brothel.
• Li Yan warned Zhao Wan Fang to live for herself and not act recklessly before leaving through the window.
• A messenger delivered the shop title deeds and five hundred taels of compensation from Hall Master Bai, and Li Yan gave them to Li LaoGan and Hei Dan.
• Li Yan’s companions handled their growing work while he trained, fused Pigua and Red Fist, and planned to add the North Emperor Yin Thunder Hand to his close-range attacks.
• Li Yan’s spirit took on his own features as his Luo Feng Scripture cultivation reached a bottleneck, so he considered attempting the dangerous North Emperor Yin Mountain Method.

Li Yan chose a mass burial ground south of Chang'an for his ritual preparations and bought the needed implements at the City God Temple, where he discovered signs that the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect was preparing a major operation. Zhang ShiTong then brought him to the Divine Fist Society’s year-end gathering to meet powerful martial artists, and the chapter left Li Yan arriving at its headquarters.

• Wang Dao Xuan explained the Yin Fiend Lands around Chang'an, and Li Yan chose the mass burial grounds south of the city for his ritual.
• Zhang ShiTong arrived with New Year gifts and invited Li Yan to the Divine Fist Society’s gathering, where Pellet Strength experts would be present for the Drum King Assembly.
• Zhang ShiTong told Li Yan that the Gao family’s destruction had left a warning about powerful martial-world figures and advised him to keep a low profile around the visiting experts.
• Li Yan visited the City God Temple to buy ritual implements, saw Daoists preparing to mobilize troops, and learned that Luo MingZi had not returned.
• Li Yan reached the Divine Fist Society headquarters in Ban Zheng Ward and found Zhang ShiTong arguing with someone at the entrance.

Li Yan attended the Divine Fist Society gathering with Zhang ShiTong, where he observed powerful martial artists and learned about the region’s conflicts and the Society’s structure. After President Li and the gathering’s Pellet Strength experts arrived, Li Yan watched from the back and reflected that he was standing there like a lackey.

• Senior Zhang XiaoShan of Ezhou used refined force to toss Zhang ShiTong around, then entered the Divine Fist Society with a middle-aged Eight Trigrams expert.
• Li Yan noticed that Zhang XiaoShan’s scent remained unchanged while he exerted force and considered whether this was a trait of Pellet Strength experts.
• Zhang ShiTong told Li Yan how a mysterious challenger had left footprints in the stone arena, humiliating the former Shaan Prefecture president and prompting the new president to preserve them as a warning.
• Li Yan listened as martial artists discussed bandits, killers, trade routes, and other troubles across Shaan Prefecture, then declined Du Qing’s invitation to join the Lantian Divine Fist Society.
• President Li arrived with prominent martial artists, and Zhang ShiTong quietly identified them for Li Yan as the young men watched from the rear of the hall.

After leaving the Year-End Conference, Li Yan traveled with Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei through a snowstorm to the Mass Burial Grounds so he could cultivate in a Yin Fiend Land. They found an abandoned tomb pit, and Li Yan began preparing to draw in Killing Intent as his companions withdrew to safety.

• Li Yan declined Zhang ShiTong's offer to help him settle down and left the Year-End Conference to prepare for cultivation outside Chang'an.
• Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei insisted on accompanying Li Yan, and the three traveled through Chang'an during the noisy Hitting the Night Fox festivities.
• At the Mass Burial Grounds, Li Yan used the Divine Tiger Token and the Northern Emperor Mountain Climbing Art to weaken the surrounding Yin Wind and guide them to an abandoned Mountain God Temple.
• The three took shelter from the storm, found only empty coffins, and warmed themselves with wine, flatbreads, and braised meat.
• After the weather eased, Wang Dao Xuan led the group to a frost-covered abandoned tomb pit where Killing Intent had gathered.
• Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei helped prepare the site, then withdrew as Li Yan lit the costly Soul-Guiding Incense to begin his cultivation.

Li Yan used Soul-Guiding Incense to cultivate the North Emperor Yin Mountain Method, raising the Luo Feng Mountain within his preserved spirit but falling into a deep, icebound slumber. After awakening, he and Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei discovered Commandery Commandant Office gunners testing powerful flintlock rifles, and Li Yan realized the new weapons could overturn the Great Xuan Dynasty’s balance.

• Li Yan burned Soul-Guiding Incense and used the North Emperor Yin Mountain Method to raise the Luo Feng Mountain within his preserved spirit, while dense Yin Energy drew ghosts to the cave.
• Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei waited anxiously as strange disturbances filled the area, then hurried toward the cave after hearing a loud report.
• Li Yan woke from an icebound slumber, rejoined Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei, and identified the repeated booming sounds as gunshots.
• Li Yan, Wang Dao Xuan, and Sha LiFei found a Commandery Commandant Office camp where Guan WanChe oversaw two occultist gunners testing flintlock rifles loaded with New-Style Gunpowder.
• The gunners killed vicious wolves and fired at Kongming Lanterns, demonstrating the rifles’ power and accuracy, while Li Yan connected the test to recent changes in the Great Xuan Dynasty.

Chang Xuan’s men tested powerful new firearms, and Li Yan, Sha LiFei, and Wang Dao Xuan began practicing with flintlocks while preparing for the New Year. Li Yan then joined Manager Wan’s East Village Divine Pavilion team as its elaborate Drum King Assembly procession took shape.

• Chang Xuan praised the gun test and planned to report the method, while Taoist Zi Yuan reminded him of his promise to search for a wanted woman.
• Li Yan, Sha LiFei, and Wang Dao Xuan returned to the Mountain God Temple, discussed the new firearms, and decided to learn marksmanship.
• Li Yan taught Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan to use flintlocks, and the three practiced in the hills before stopping when their ammunition ran out.
• As New Year approached, the three prepared their residence and exchanged gifts with acquaintances and local groups.
• Li Yan visited Manager Wan’s team, found Zhao the Donkey outside, and saw the oversized Divine Pavilion prepared for the Drum King Assembly.
• Manager Wan explained that performers, musicians, drummers, and hired carriers would create a grand procession, and the gathered men agreed to help.

Li Yan and Zhao the Donkey discussed Heavenly Spiritual Treasures and the Li family's sealed coalfield before parting to celebrate the New Year separately. Li Yan then welcomed New Year's Eve in Chang'an with Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei.

• Manager Wan rallied the Xuan Gate People to prepare for the Divine Tower competition and assigned Li Yan to accompany the procession with the Cloud Thunder Divine Drum.
• Li Yan visited Zhao the Donkey at the Daming Palace ruins, warned him about the imperial court's New Style Firearms, and learned that the Li family had sealed off a coalfield at Shenmu Fort.
• Zhao the Donkey showed Li Yan Coal Essence fossils and explained that outsiders had paid him to locate the deposit before the Li family occupied it; Li Yan urged him to avoid those strangers and bring future treasures to him.
• Zhao the Donkey described the dangers facing treasure hunters and the conflict between the Netherworld Patrol Lineage and the Li Mountain Lineage, then left to tend nearby Mountain God Temples for the New Year.
• On New Year's Eve, Wang Dao Xuan worshiped at the altar and the ancestral shrines, Li Yan prepared dinner, and Sha LiFei swept the courtyard and piled Winter Cypress.
• Li Yan, Wang Dao Xuan, and Sha LiFei lit the Winter Cypress and drank together as Chang'an's households celebrated the New Year.

After the New Year, Li Yan planned his cultivation and the Divine Pavilion Drum Team’s prospects, then joined Manager Wan and the team for a Breaking Five feast. The celebration ended when Guo LuQuan spotted the Enforcement Hall party returning in poor condition.

• Li Yan reviewed his recent gains, considered the limits of his knowledge about the martial world, and planned to earn money for the Drum King Assembly and Huashan Opening Cellar.
• On Breaking Five, Sha LiFei cleared out the New Year rubbish and returned to studying firearms while Wang Dao Xuan performed rituals at home.
• Manager Wan invited Li Yan to a restaurant opening, where they met the sedan bearer Guo LuQuan and other members of the Divine Pavilion Drum Team.
• A renowned Vegetable General served dishes at the feast, and Li Yan joined the others in eating and drinking games.
• Guo LuQuan pointed out that the Enforcement Hall party had returned, and Li Yan saw that they appeared to be in poor condition.

Li Yan learned that Zhao Changsheng had once been the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect genius Chang KongZi and uncovered a possible link between him and the deaths of Northern Frontier veterans. Luo MingZi rushed to report that Zhao Changsheng might be a God Ascender, while a mysterious woman in a sedan watched from afar.

• Li Yan saw the wounded Chang'an Enforcement Hall return with a Corpse Suppressing Coffin and the captured Maitreya Sect member DuGu Gan.
• At a tavern, Luo MingZi told Li Yan that Zhao Changsheng had been Chang KongZi, a gifted Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect Daoist who later defected and became a Maitreya Sect vice leader.
• Li Yan explained his suspicion that Zhao Changsheng had bewitched the veterans' Hundred Battles Tablets and caused calamities among their families.
• Luo MingZi revealed that the veterans had secretly been sent to destroy the Northern Frontier shamans' dragon-vein arrangements, and that Chang KongZi had led the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect during the campaign.
• Li Yan deduced that a shaman master had returned to life and possessed Chang KongZi; Luo MingZi warned that Zhao Changsheng might be a dangerous God Ascender and hurried to report the matter.
• After Luo MingZi left, Li Yan sensed a familiar scent, while a woman in white—the concubine from outside Lu Academy in GuShui Village—rode away in a sedan protected by a talisman.

Hua Lian and Long SanJiu gathered Maitreya Sect followers outside Chang'an and debated how to rescue DuGu Gan, while Li Yan learned more about the threat posed by Zhao Changsheng. Red Yaksha demonstrated the Noon Demon Slayer Sword and described seeing a true flying sword, leaving Li Yan wondering whether its wielder had been a God Ascender.

• Hua Lian killed the sedan bearers who had tried to exploit her and told Long SanJiu that DuGu Gan had been captured at the City God Temple.
• Fire Ghost demanded an immediate rescue, but Manager Wu warned that the Enforcement Hall's actions might be a trap, and Long SanJiu ordered him to arrange a meeting with Bai RuoXu.
• Li Yan told Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan about Zhao Changsheng and agreed they should avoid the Guangde Ward area while the Enforcement Hall's trap remained active.
• Red Yaksha visited Li Yan and demonstrated the Noon Demon Slayer Sword's yang sword and soul-severing yin sword.
• Red Yaksha recalled a Daoist using a flying sword to kill a corpse demon, and Li Yan suspected the Daoist had been a God Ascender.

Feng FeiYan was drawn into Guo YuHuai’s scheme against Chang Xuan, while Bai RuoXu learned that DuGu Gan had been captured after a disastrous expedition in the Qinling Mountains. Bai RuoXu arranged a nighttime rescue, then fled Chang'an after realizing his identity had been exposed.

• Red Yaksha told Li Yan and the others that a Drought Demon had been sealed in the Qinling Mountains and that Demon Hunters were preparing to move it from Chang'an.
• Guo YuHuai persuaded Feng FeiYan that Chang Xuan would sacrifice her and ordered her to investigate his nighttime trips to the Mass Burial Grounds, then arranged for his men to kill her on the way.
• Guo YuHuai ordered an agent to spread the claim that Bai RuoXu belonged to the Maitreya Sect and had helped steal firearms.
• Manager Wu told Bai RuoXu that the Treasure Painting had led DuGu Gan and Long SanJiu to a false treasure site containing a Corpse Raising Ground, where a Drought Demon and a tide of corpses had devastated their forces and led to DuGu Gan’s capture.
• Bai RuoXu told Manager Wu to gather the others for a nighttime rescue, then took his hidden banknotes and escaped through a secret passage.

After the Commandery Commandant Office searched their courtyard for traitors, Li Yan learned that its New Style Firearm had been stolen and that Feng FeiYan was caught between rival factions. He sent Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan out of Chang'an, then hid in the city as the Lantern Festival and Drum King Assembly approached.

• Feng Han's men searched Li Yan's courtyard, but Guan WanChe arrived and stopped them before they found anything.
• Guan WanChe's hound led officers to Sha LiFei's Medicine-Powered Puppet, and Guan warned the group that Chang'an would soon become dangerous.
• Li Yan secretly overheard Guan WanChe order a search for Bai RuoXu and the missing Divine Firearm, then concluded Feng FeiYan had become entangled in the factional struggle.
• Li Yan sent Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan out of Chang'an, warned Lady Li and Li KongQing to stay cautious, and remained behind for the Drum King Assembly.
• As the Commandery Commandant Office searched Jinbao Gambling House, Courtesan Zhao WanFang found Li Yan eating at Qingyuan Tower and asked if he planned to move into the brothel.

Li Yan learned how the struggles over Feng FeiYan and the Maitreya Sect had thrown Chang'an into chaos, then kept out of sight until officials restored order for the Lantern Festival. As the Drum King Assembly began, performers and crowds filled Vermilion Bird Avenue while rival divine-tower processions gathered outside the city.

• Li Yan told Zhao Wan Fang that revenge would require more than martial arts, and she thanked him with renewed determination.
• Shen SanYou investigated the turmoil and revealed that Guo YuHuai had framed Chang Xuan, Feng FeiYan had escaped with the Thunderbolt Fire, and Bai RuoXu had fled after seizing a firearm.
• Li Yan heard of arrests and deaths across Chang'an, avoided contacting his connections, and waited at Qingyuan Tower for the Lantern Festival.
• Li Siyuan and the King of Chang'an restored order, while the Commandery Commandant Office reprimanded Guo YuHuai and reassigned another chiliarch but retained Chang Xuan.
• The Lantern Festival crowds gathered along Vermilion Bird Avenue as performers prepared for the Drum King Assembly, and rival divine-tower processions assembled outside Mingde Gate.

Li Yan’s procession joined the Drum King Assembly on Vermilion Bird Avenue, where his drumming drew the crowd’s attention and led him to break through to the Peak of Hidden Strength. After completing the daytime circuit, the exhausted team prepared for the night’s contest.

• Manager Wan explained that the rules had changed: twenty-four teams would compete at night to seize ritual flags and carry them to the City God Temple.
• Teams from across the region paraded along Vermilion Bird Avenue, displaying their distinctive drums, divine towers, and traditions.
• Li Yan led his procession with the Cloud Thunder Divine Drum, steadying his team’s rhythm and drawing the crowd’s attention.
• As the Qin Han War Drums moved through their three sections, Li Yan comprehended the Great Cloud Thunder Sound and opened the Yin-Yang Knot, reaching the Peak of Hidden Strength.
• After the procession completed its circuit, Li Yan repaired his injuries, and Manager Wan invited the exhausted team to eat before the nighttime event.

Li Yan’s team prepared to carry their divine tower through Chang’an during the Lantern Festival, while Gu Chenzi revealed that the procession’s ritual was meant to suppress a Drought Demon tied to the Maitreya Sect. The Prince handed authority to Young Lord Xiao Hongqi, and the nighttime Wandering Gods Society began with the teams converging on Vermilion Bird Avenue; Li Yan’s team met the Jinzhou procession first and reached the Yulin team near East Market.

• Manager Wan told Li Yan’s team they had been assigned Daozheng Ward, and he explained that the Jinzhou and Yulin teams could become rivals along the route.
• Gu Chenzi told Li Yan that the ritual would borrow divine power to stabilize the Drought Demon before it was transported to Mount Hua, and Li Yan agreed to watch for rumors.
• King of Chang'an Xiao Qingyuan announced that Young Lord Xiao Hongqi would take over the manor’s affairs, and Xiao Hongqi bestowed wine on the drum teams.
• At Zi Hour, Guo LuQuan and the men lifted the divine tower, and the Wandering Gods Society processions set out through Chang'an.
• Li Yan’s team saw the Jinzhou procession charge ahead but continued toward East Market, where they encountered the Yulin procession.

Li Yan’s team defeated Hu Qingquan’s team on the road, then reached Vermilion Bird Avenue as rival teams drew crowds with spectacular performances. The chapter ended when a young man from the Xiangchu team challenged Manager Wan’s group.

• Hu Qingquan admitted that the Fire Bear Gang had pressured him to obstruct Manager Wan, so the teams settled their dispute through a contest of strength and skill.
• Guo LuQuan’s formation toppled the Yulin team’s divine tower, and Manager Wan accepted its mystical banner after Hu Qingquan conceded.
• Li Yan’s team continued to Vermilion Bird Avenue, gathering incense and followers as their divine towers absorbed incense power.
• The Ezhou team performed a Hundred-Section Lantern Dragon, while the Xiangchu team displayed an Incense Dragon and a Medicine-Powered Puppet Dragon.
• The Zuo Family Troupe used the Eight Directions Manifestation Art to project towering godly figures through smoke and shadow puppets.
• A young Xiangchu disciple approached Manager Wan and challenged him to a contest.

Li Yan fought Yuan Ba of the Meishan Dharma Sect in a martial and magical contest, winning both rounds with his Pigua Fist and North Emperor Swift Travel Technique. Yuan Ba admitted defeat but offered an ancient Phoenix Gold Ornament instead of a flag, and Li Yan felt unusual good fortune surge from it.

• Manager Wan agreed to Yuan Ba’s challenge, and Li Yan stepped forward to represent their team.
• Li Yan gained the upper hand with Pigua Fist, then exchanged blows with Yuan Ba’s Five Thunders Breaking the Formation before Yuan Ba conceded the fist contest.
• Yuan Ba demonstrated the Snow Mountain Dharma by reaching into a torch’s flames without being burned.
• Li Yan admitted he could not perform Yuan Ba’s fire trick, then used the North Emperor Swift Travel Technique to leap across the street and onto a restaurant.
• Yuan Ba admitted he could not match Li Yan’s Jia Ma technique and offered an ancient Phoenix Gold Ornament instead of a flag.
• Li Yan took the ornament and felt its streams of good fortune flow into his Great Luo Dharma Body.