Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng posed as a merchant to lure the wandering bandits into an ambush, but learned they were ordinary farmers forced to raid travelers by Water Mirror Pavilion. He offered them a chance to survive in exchange for their stolen wealth and followed them to its hiding place.

• Lin Heng bought four horse carriages and drove them out through Purple Firmament City's southern gate to attract the wandering bandits.
• The bandits surrounded Lin Heng in a narrow valley, and he subdued them with his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage pressure.
• The bald bandit mistook Lin Heng for someone sent by Water Mirror Pavilion or the City Lord's Mansion to kill them.
• The bald bandit explained that Water Mirror Pavilion had forced the bandits to rob travelers and threatened their families if they refused.
• Lin Heng offered to help the bandits survive if they gave him their hidden wealth, and they agreed to lead him to it.

Meng Yutong planned to discipline Lin Heng with specially forged tools when he returned, while Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao learned what he had done and agreed to confront him too. The two were then summoned to the mountain gate to meet visitors bringing Spirit Stones for admission tickets arranged by Lin Heng.

• Meng Yutong warned Yun Yao about revealing her bloodline power and asked Mu Liuxi about the tools she had ordered forged for Lin Heng.
• Mu Liuxi told Yun Yao about Lin Heng’s behavior and suggested Meng Yutong’s plans might be less about punishment than flirtation; they agreed not to warn him and to discipline him together.
• A Miscellaneous Servant Disciple reported that visitors from the secular world had arrived with Spirit Stones to pay for admission tickets Lin Heng had promised.
• Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao went to the mountain gate to find out what Lin Heng had arranged.

Fairy Cloud Peak earned 220,000 Spirit Stones by selling sightseeing packages, while Lin Heng stored the bandits’ stolen goods and let them go. At dawn, Water Mirror Pavilion disciples found Lin Heng beside the empty supplies, and he introduced himself as Ye Tian.

• Mu Liuxi registered advance payments from twenty-six clans, bringing Fairy Cloud Peak’s total to 220,000 Spirit Stones.
• Meng Yutong praised Lin Heng’s business plan, while Shi Yuanzhou dismissed complaints from Sitting Dao Peak and Return to Origin Peak.
• Lin Heng stored the bandits’ goods, wondered whether his system had gone silent, and told Baldy and the others they could return home if they stopped robbing people.
• Water Mirror Pavilion disciples arrived at dawn and found the stolen supplies gone and Lin Heng waiting beside a tree.
• Lin Heng called himself Ye Tian, and an extraordinarily handsome young man demanded to know whether he had taken their wealth.

Lin Heng killed Water Mirror Pavilion disciples who had attacked Purple Firmament City, left one survivor to spread the story under Ye Tian's name, and set out for White Sheep Heavenly Lake Cave. He found the buried entrance and began searching the underground chamber for a literary treasure, but movement behind him interrupted the search.

• Lin Heng killed the young man and the woman from Water Mirror Pavilion, knocked out another disciple, and took their Storage Rings and jade pendant.
• Lin Heng spared the last disciple so word would spread that Ye Tian had eliminated the attackers, then collected wood-attribute crystals and sixty thousand Spirit Stones.
• The Water Mirror Pavilion Pavilion Master ordered an investigation into Ye Tian and whether he was connected to the Ye Family of the Eastern Continent.
• Lin Heng followed the Jade Origin Vine's guidance to the buried entrance of White Sheep Heavenly Lake Cave and descended into its underground chamber.
• The Jade Origin Vine suggested that one of three objects symbolizing literature carrying the Dao might be hidden there, and Lin Heng heard movement behind him as he searched.

Lin Heng encountered White Sheep Daoist, who had survived through the power carried by words, and learned about the Literary Path’s history and the current Female Emperor’s flourishing era of many paths. White Sheep Daoist gave him a writing brush to deliver to the true inheritor of the Literary Path, and Lin Heng heard Bai Family members approaching as he prepared to leave.

• Lin Heng apologized to White Sheep Daoist, who appeared in the inner chamber and revealed that the power carried by words had kept him alive.
• White Sheep Daoist discussed Lin Ziqing’s achievements and asked Lin Heng about the Female Emperor’s policies and the state of the Dynasty.
• Lin Heng told White Sheep Daoist that the Tianqi Era had advanced the Hundred Schools of Paths side by side.
• White Sheep Daoist gave Lin Heng a writing brush and instructed him to pass it to the true inheritor of the Literary Path, then vanished.
• Lin Heng put away the brush and heard people outside accuse a thief of robbing the grave of their Bai Family ancestor.

Lin Heng escaped the Bai Family after stealing a Literary Path artifact, while the family blamed the Eastern Continent Ye Family and considered issuing a Literary Path Execution Order. Ye Nantian admitted Ye Tian was his son but still an abandoned son, then argued with his wife over whether to bring him back and who should inherit the family.

• Lin Heng escaped the Bai Family by claiming he was Ye Tian of the Eastern Continent Ye Family and boasting that he had taken a writing brush from their ancestor’s body.
• The Bai Family patriarch discovered that the Literary Path Dao-carrying artifact was missing and ordered the cave sealed while preparing to confront the Ye Family and visit the Female Emperor.
• Seven days later, the Bai Family envoy questioned Ye Nantian, who confirmed Ye Tian was his son but said he had been expelled from the family.
• After learning the missing brush was a Literary Path Dao-carrying artifact, Ye Nantian urged the envoy to investigate before issuing a Literary Path Execution Order because Ye Tian was a disciple of Green Pavilion Sect.
• Ye Nantian accused his wife of helping drive Ye Tian out, while she insisted that Ye Guang should remain the heir.

Meng Yutong heard that disciples across many sects had gone missing and, with the Shadow Scout’s help, linked Sitting Dao Peak and the Heavenly Secret Sect to a scheme involving the Refining Void Pill and the Kingdom-Destroying Secret Realm. She decided to watch for their next move, and Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi arrived at Fragrant Cloud Hall.

• Meng Yutong learned that more than a hundred cultivation forces had reported missing disciples, including ten Green Pavilion Sect disciples whose Identity Tokens had shattered.
• The Shadow Scout reported that the Heavenly Secret Sect was preparing to refine the Refining Void Pill with help from several sects, and that Zhao Yue had visited them three years earlier.
• Meng Yutong connected Zhao Yue’s visit and the escalating conflict between Sitting Dao Peak and Fairy Cloud Peak to a possible plot against her in the Kingdom-Destroying Secret Realm.
• Meng Yutong suspected the Heavenly Secret Sect, Clear Moon Long Song, and Zhao Yue had worked together to injure her, and recalled that Zhao Yue had confessed to her thirty years earlier and been publicly rejected.
• Meng Yutong told the Shadow Scout to keep investigating and planned to reveal herself when her opponents tried to force her hand.
• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi arrived at Fragrant Cloud Hall after the Shadow Scout withdrew.

After returning to Green Pavilion Sect, Lin Heng searched for Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi before heading to Meng Yutong’s boudoir, unaware they were waiting to expose his behavior. Meng Yutong began revealing the truth about her bathing pool just as Lin Heng realized he had drunk from it.

• Meng Yutong agreed to attend the Peak Master meeting and told Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi to hide in her boudoir and watch Lin Heng.
• Lin Heng registered his mission for 120 points and learned that ten disciples had died, prompting the sect’s lockdown.
• Lin Heng searched Fairy Cloud Peak for Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi, admired the back mountain’s construction, and then went to find Meng Yutong.
• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi hid and watched as Meng Yutong prepared to act disheveled and alluring for Lin Heng.
• Lin Heng entered Meng Yutong’s boudoir, drank Spirit Spring Water from a bathing cup, and began kneading her hand.
• Meng Yutong told Lin Heng that the pool in her back garden was her bathing pool, and he froze in shock.

Lin Heng learned that the treasured Spirit Pool water was Meng Yutong’s bathwater, then tried to carry her off to bathe together and was knocked unconscious. Meng Yutong went to the Main Peak meeting, where Zhao Yue proposed taking over Fairy Cloud Peak’s affairs and the elders challenged his scheme.

• Lin Heng realized the Spirit Pool water was bathwater and decided it was still valuable because it came from Meng Yutong.
• Lin Heng picked up Meng Yutong and proposed they bathe together, so Meng Yutong knocked him unconscious.
• Meng Yutong told Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi to drag Lin Heng to her Little Black Room and beat him, then left for the Main Peak.
• Yun Yao tied a rope around Lin Heng’s neck and dragged him away while sect disciples watched.
• At the Main Peak meeting, Zhao Yue proposed that the six peaks take over Fairy Cloud Peak’s affairs, and the Azure Mist Peak elder objected.

Meng Yutong returned from seclusion with her cultivation intact, confronting the elders who had tried to absorb Fairy Cloud Peak. The elders then chose to open Green Pavilion Sect to outside cooperation and training as they responded to deadly mission attacks, while Lin Heng was knocked unconscious again.

• Azure Mist Peak and Star Peak defended Fairy Cloud Peak, and Star Peak's steward argued against forcing Meng Yutong out of seclusion.
• Meng Yutong arrived at the meeting and revealed that her cultivation was unharmed, surprising Zhao Yue and Xu Gou and challenging them over their schemes against Fairy Cloud Peak.
• Shi Yuanzhou urged Zhao Yue and Xu Gou to apologize to Meng Yutong before shifting the meeting to the deaths of ten Green Pavilion Sect disciples on missions.
• Shi Yuanzhou explained that disciples from nearby sects had also died and presented two options: seal the sect or open its gates and cooperate with the Dynasty.
• Meng Yutong and the other elders supported opening the sect and sending disciples out to train and cooperate with the Dynasty.
• Yun Yao struck Lin Heng with a whip, knocking him unconscious just as he showed signs of waking.

Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi confronted Lin Heng in the Little Black Room after learning he had tried to force Meng Yutong. Lin Heng defended his actions without realizing that Meng Yutong’s cultivation had recovered, and the two senior sisters prepared to punish him.

• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi inspected the Little Black Room and its restraints and torture devices while waiting for Lin Heng to wake.
• Lin Heng awoke bound and unable to use his True Yuan, and Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi slapped him and demanded that he confess to his actions toward Meng Yutong.
• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi accused Lin Heng of hiding his attempt to rush his master and of seeking an opportunity to enter Fragrant Cloud Hall.
• Lin Heng continued to believe Meng Yutong had lost her cultivation and claimed that rushing his master had helped Fairy Cloud Peak.
• Yun Yao mocked Lin Heng’s justification, while she and Mu Liuxi recognized that he still did not understand the situation had changed.

Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi tried to punish Lin Heng for his attempted rebellion, but his Five Elements Body left him nearly immune to their whips. Meanwhile, Meng Yutong asked Treasure Pavilion steward Ling Fei to contact Ten Directions Hall for help, leaving to deal with Lin Heng afterward.

• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi whipped Lin Heng, but his tough body and rapid healing made the punishment painless.
• Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi realized Lin Heng had cultivated the Wood Element Body, then decided to pretend they had knocked him unconscious and wait for Meng Yutong.
• Meng Yutong visited Treasure Pavilion steward Ling Fei after meeting with the Elders.
• Meng Yutong asked Ling Fei to use Lin Heng's name to contact the Hall Master of Ten Directions Hall, his biological mother, because Fairy Cloud Peak faced growing threats.
• Ling Fei agreed to help but warned Meng Yutong that Ten Directions Hall might not care about Lin Heng.
• Meng Yutong left the Treasure Pavilion, promising to cherish Lin Heng when she returned.

Meng Yutong revealed that she had faked her weakened cultivation to expose plots against Fairy Cloud Peak and lure out ill-intentioned disciples. She confronted Lin Heng over his attempt to take her to the Back Garden, but he denied wrongdoing as she called for evidence.

• Meng Yutong found Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi beside an unharmed Lin Heng and learned that his Wood Element Body had healed his whip injuries.
• Lin Heng woke, sensed Meng Yutong's cultivation pressure, and decided to deny his earlier intentions.
• Meng Yutong restrained Lin Heng with her power and told him her cultivation had never been seriously damaged.
• Meng Yutong explained that she had feigned weakness to expose people plotting against her and Fairy Cloud Peak, including Elders and disciples.
• Lin Heng denied being a defiant disciple and asked for evidence, so Meng Yutong told Mu Liuxi to retrieve a recording scroll.

Mu Liuxi read aloud a detailed record of Lin Heng’s offenses against Meng Yutong, and Meng Yutong locked him in the Little Black Room for punishment. While whipping him, she revealed that she had been trying to lure Ye Tian into defying her, but Lin Heng was the only disciple who took the bait.

• Mu Liuxi read the scroll listing Lin Heng’s many offenses, including demanding resources, entering Meng Yutong’s quarters, and taking a Sixth-Grade Spirit Restoration Pill.
• Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao urged Meng Yutong to punish Lin Heng severely before leaving the Little Black Room.
• Lin Heng begged Meng Yutong for forgiveness, blamed his actions on her beauty, and admitted in his thoughts that he wanted to win next time.
• Meng Yutong bound Lin Heng upside down and whipped him as he complained that Ye Tian had gotten away with defying her.
• Meng Yutong revealed that she had pretended to be weak to lure Ye Tian, but Lin Heng alone had defied her, and the beating continued as Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi listened outside.

Meng Yutong questioned Lin Heng’s defiant thoughts and gave him a chance to explain why he wanted to charge his master. Lin Heng argued that admiration for an outstanding master was natural, but Meng Yutong ended their discussion by offering him a Training Tool that terrified him.

• Meng Yutong continued disciplining Lin Heng in the Little Black Room, while his inner resolve to overpower her only grew stronger.
• Meng Yutong said she could sense that Lin Heng still resisted her admonitions and offered to end his punishment if he explained his earlier claim about disciples charging their masters.
• Lin Heng asked why Meng Yutong had rejected Zhao Yue, and she said she would not accept a confession from someone she considered trash.
• Lin Heng argued that disciples could naturally admire their master because she was the most outstanding woman they could encounter on Fairy Cloud Peak.
• Meng Yutong warned Lin Heng that admiration did not justify pursuing her at any cost, then offered him a Training Tool to dispel his evil thoughts.
• Lin Heng recognized the Training Tool’s effect, threw it away in terror, and protested that it would ruin his future sexual happiness.

Lin Heng rejected Meng Yutong’s chastity ring punishment and agreed to earn Fairy Cloud Peak two million spirit stones in six months to avoid wearing it for ten years. After releasing him, Meng Yutong learned that Ye Tian had plotted with Gao Chuang to cripple Lin Heng in the Inner-Sect Grand Competition, and she resolved to warn Ye Tian.

• Meng Yutong offered Lin Heng a choice between wearing a chastity ring for three years and earning two million spirit stones for Fairy Cloud Peak within six months; failure would mean wearing it for ten years.
• Lin Heng accepted the money-making challenge, and Meng Yutong released him after two and a half days in the Little Black Room.
• The Shadow Scout questioned Meng Yutong’s indulgence toward Lin Heng, and Meng Yutong said she would let him keep pursuing her if he had the ability to succeed.
• The Shadow Scout reported that Ye Tian had befriended Gao Chuang and plotted to cripple Lin Heng during the Foundation Establishment Track of the Inner-Sect Grand Competition.
• Meng Yutong concluded that Ye Tian’s scheme had been deep and resolved to warn him for plotting against a fellow disciple.

After Meng Yutong released Lin Heng from the Little Black Room, he sought help from Mu Liuxi, who warned him about Yun Yao and pointed out that his plan to raise two million spirit stones was unrealistic. As Lin Heng struggled to think of new ways to earn money, Yun Yao arrived and caught him holding Mu Liuxi’s hand.

• Lin Heng left the Little Black Room and went to the Disciple Palace, where Mu Liuxi treated his swollen eye and warned him to behave around Yun Yao.
• Lin Heng told Mu Liuxi that Meng Yutong had released him on conditions and that he needed two million spirit stones to complete his mission.
• Mu Liuxi explained that the Immortal Academy Hall would not earn enough in time and that Lin Heng would need to find another way to raise at least one million spirit stones.
• Lin Heng considered targeting wealthy clans for money as Yun Yao entered the palace and saw him holding Mu Liuxi’s hand.

Mu Liuxi told Yun Yao that Star Peak had cut off mineral supplies, so she planned to seek resources in Jiang Bing City while Lin Heng tried and failed to win Yun Yao’s affection. At the Blood Moon Cult, Jiang Caiyan took the throne, crushed a dissenting Great Leader, and ordered Black Robe to accompany her to the Forbidden Prison.

• Mu Liuxi explained that Star Peak had stopped supplying minerals after pressure from the Second Elder and decided to seek resources in Jiang Bing City.
• Yun Yao refused Lin Heng’s advances as punishment, and Lin Heng thought about making amends to Jiang Caiyan when she returned.
• Jiang Caiyan took her seat as Cult Leader of the Blood Moon Cult, where One-Armed Black Robe accused her of murdering her mother and seizing power.
• The disciples condemned Cult Leader Fang’s cruel rule, and Jiang Caiyan used a Black Chain to drain One-Armed Black Robe’s life essence.
• Jiang Caiyan ordered Black Robe to accompany her to the Forbidden Prison.

Jiang Caiyan imprisoned Fang Su and took control of the Blood Moon Cult, then outlined plans to reform it and expand its influence by navigating between righteous and evil factions. Meanwhile, Xiao Yao Yao finally visited Lin Heng’s courtyard at night after six days.

• Jiang Caiyan confronted the imprisoned Fang Su, revealed her knowledge of Fang Su’s role in her mother’s death, and said she would send Fang Su’s daughter to the Flower Pavilion.
• Jiang Caiyan told Black Robe that she would let Fang Su live to witness the Blood Moon Cult’s rise, while Black Robe worried that Lin Heng had changed her temperament.
• Jiang Caiyan proposed transforming the Blood Moon Cult into a force that could aid both the Dynasty and Yi Pavilion without fully joining either side.
• Jiang Caiyan said she would use her connection to Lin Heng and Green Pavilion Sect as cover for the cult’s plans.
• After six days, Xiao Yao Yao quietly went to Lin Heng’s courtyard at night, claiming she had simply missed him.

Lin Heng asked Saint Ye for a way to earn two million Spirit Stones within half a year, and Saint Ye offered several pill formulas in exchange for Lin Heng improving the Illusory World Mirror’s barren region. Lin Heng abruptly felt unable to breathe and woke to find Xiao Yao, his Senior Sister, at his bedside.

• Lin Heng told Saint Ye that his agreement with his master required him to earn two million Spirit Stones in half a year.
• Saint Ye agreed that selling pills could be profitable and offered pill formulas in exchange for Lin Heng changing the barren stretch of the illusory world.
• Saint Ye displayed formulas for a Dream-Enhancing Pill, Beauty Pill, and Endurance Pill, while Lin Heng also asked about forbidden pills.
• Lin Heng suddenly felt as if a ghost were pressing down on him and broke away from the Illusory World Mirror.
• Lin Heng woke in the real world and saw Xiao Yao, his Senior Sister, before him.