Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi arrived at Dragon Head Peak and rescued the gravely wounded Qiu Wa from the Ghost Slaying Sect. As Qiu Wa weakened in his arms, Xu Yi gave her a bead of spiritual earth to eat.

• Qiu Wa tried to burrow underground, but Ghostfire Venerable struck her and she spat out green liquid as she grew weak.
• White Ghost seized Qiu Wa, but Xu Yi plunged from the sky and stomped White Ghost to death.
• Xu Yi scattered White Ghost’s Yin soul with a Soul Scattering Pearl while Ghostfire Venerable demanded an explanation.
• Xu Yi cradled Qiu Wa and called to her until she recognized him as Bearded Uncle.
• Xu Yi opened a box of spiritual-earth beads, and after Qiu Wa begged for one, he let her eat it.

Xu Yi saved Qiu Wa, then broke Ghostfire Venerable’s trap and killed the five ghosts while keeping his divine abilities hidden. As a Great Dao Sect elder arrived, Ghostfire Venerable accused Xu Yi of killing his companions.

• Xu Yi fed Qiu Wa spiritual soil until she recovered enough to fall asleep, then carried her on his back.
• Ghostfire Venerable revealed that he had trapped Xu Yi in the Netherworld Ghost Net and demanded the demon plant.
• Xu Yi detonated a Heavenly Thunder Pearl to shatter the formation, shielded Qiu Wa, and killed the five ghosts with the Wailing Stick.
• Xu Yi dodged Ghostfire Venerable’s Baleful Intent cones and chose not to reveal his divine abilities.
• Four riders from the Great Dao Sect arrived, and Ghostfire Venerable told a bald elder that Xu Yi had killed all six ghosts.

Xu Yi attacked Ghostfire Venerable during a public hearing and destroyed his dantian, provoking Purgatory Venerable while Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and Shanshan Buddha intervened. Purgatory Venerable demanded justice as the crowd gathered around the stunned Xu Yi.

• Purgatory Venerable demanded that Ghostfire Venerable explain the dispute, and the leaders learned that Xu Yi possessed a demon plant at the Transformation Stage.
• Ming Shenzong invited Xu Yi to tell his side, while Purgatory Venerable threatened him and warned the others not to interfere.
• Xu Yi pretended to begin his account, then used the Return to Origin Steps to strike Ghostfire Venerable and destroy his dantian.
• Purgatory Venerable struck at Xu Yi, who was injured but escaped, and Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and Shanshan Buddha blocked Purgatory Venerable from pursuing him.
• Purgatory Venerable demanded an explanation from Ming Shenzong as the crowd of onlookers grew to nearly a hundred.

Xu Yi used his authority as Commander of the Imperial Guard to stop Purgatory Venerable from confronting him, then settled into his quarters and cared for Qiu Wa. The chapter ended with Purgatory Venerable destroying a stilt house as Dean Su requested an audience.

• Xu Yi revealed his official credentials and summoned the Imperial Guards, forcing Purgatory Venerable and the others to back down.
• Ming Shenzong steered Purgatory Venerable away from a clash with the Guards, and Xu Yi left with Qiu Wa.
• Xu Yi arranged lodging and food for his Guards, chose a cliffside chamber, and vowed to protect Qiu Wa as he remembered Uncle Mu.
• Qiu Wa woke, delighted in Xu Yi’s feast of treats, and asked why he was so kind to her; Xu Yi said he wanted to be good to her for her own sake.
• Purgatory Venerable smashed the furnishings in a stilt house near the martial arena as an attendant announced Dean Su’s request to see him.

Purgatory Venerable and his strategist Su Mou considered how to kill Xu Yi, then met with Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and Shanshan Buddha to coordinate their plans and discuss the demonic plant. The meeting ended in a bitter dispute over who deserved the treasure.

• Purgatory Venerable rejected Su Mou’s proposal to use the Ghost Slaying Sect’s official connections to eliminate Xu Yi and ordered him to devise a secret, decisive attack instead.
• Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and Shanshan Buddha arrived to meet Purgatory Venerable, and Su Mou proposed cooperating against Xu Yi while discussing how to divide the demonic plant.
• Song Tingshu stated that they wanted Xu Yi dead and had come to discuss dividing the demonic plant.
• Purgatory Venerable challenged the visitors’ claim to the demonic plant, and Shanshan Buddha answered with a Buddhist admonition that further angered him.

Ming Shenzong brokered an agreement among the four factions: the winner of a sealed auction would take the demon plant, while the others shared the payment, and Purgatory Venerable would receive the captured thief. The middle-aged scholar proposed using the Seven Fiend Demonic Sound to make the thief's death appear accidental, but news that Zhou Shirong of the War Sect had arrived interrupted their plans.

• Ming Shenzong persuaded Purgatory Venerable and the middle-aged scholar to join the four factions in capturing the thief and auctioning the demon plant.
• Ming Shenzong, Shanshan Buddha, Song Tingshu, and the Ghost Slaying Sect placed sealed bids, and Ming Shenzong won with an offer of twenty million gold.
• The factions agreed that the thief's identity made an open attack risky, and the middle-aged scholar proposed arranging his unjust death with the Seven Fiend Demonic Sound.
• Ming Shenzong gave the middle-aged scholar the Treasure Fan, and the scholar named the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet as the means to unleash the demonic sound.
• A green-robed attendant announced that Zhou Shirong of the War Sect requested an audience, and Purgatory Venerable ordered him turned away.

Zhou Shirong visited Purgatory Venerable and the others, revealed that he knew they planned to attack the Commander, and offered to help lure him into their trap. He left them considering his offer after explaining that he and the Commander were enemies who held each other’s secrets.

• Zhou Shirong entered the gathering and claimed he was paying respects, though he was using the War Sect’s prestige for his own purposes.
• When Purgatory Venerable suspected Zhou Shirong had come to warn the Commander, Zhou Shirong pointed out that he had no reason to walk into a trap merely to report their plan.
• Zhou Shirong told the group that the Commander had reached the Boundless Sea before turning twenty and was too clever to be easily lured.
• Zhou Shirong offered to serve as bait, explaining that he and the Commander were enemies who held each other’s secrets.
• The middle-aged scholar accepted Zhou Shirong’s explanation and asked him to share the group’s plan.

Zhou Shirong secured the allies’ trust with the Life-Death Gu and claimed the bandit’s Sumeru Ring, then visited Xu Yi, who confronted him about Zhou Daogan and rejected his attempts to bargain. Zhou Shirong remained trapped in the deteriorating Yin Corpse and left furious at Xu Yi’s warning.

• Zhou Shirong swallowed the Life-Death Gu to prove his sincerity, then asked the conspirators for the bandit’s Sumeru Ring instead of a share of the demon plant.
• The group agreed to give Zhou Shirong the ring, and he praised their plan to hunt Xu Yi while warning that Xu Yi might avoid the battle.
• Zhou Shirong went to see Xu Yi, who told Qiu Wa she no longer needed to hide as long as he was there.
• Xu Yi confronted Zhou Shirong about Zhou Daogan, and Zhou Shirong described Zhou Daogan’s rise as a War Sect prodigy known as the Sword Seed.
• Zhou Shirong urged Xu Yi to return his Yin Corpse and let him deal with Zhou Daogan, but Xu Yi threatened to destroy the corpse if Zhou Shirong overstepped.

Zhou Shirong warned Xu Yi that several sects might be plotting against him and revealed the secret of the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet, while secretly planning to betray him. Xu Yi sent Zhou Shirong to infiltrate the conspirators, unknowingly suggesting the very cover story Zhou Shirong had already used.

• Zhou Shirong warned Xu Yi that Ghost Slaying Sect, Great Dao Sect, Imperial Confucian Sect, and Bitter Zen Monastery might target him, then told him about the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet and its immortal sword dance.
• Xu Yi agreed to watch the tablet but worried that the sects would soon move against Qiu Wa and that he had to conceal his strength before the boundary stele contest.
• Xu Yi called Zhou Shirong back and told him to infiltrate the sects and uncover their plans.
• Xu Yi proposed that Zhou Shirong gain their trust by claiming he wanted revenge on Xu Yi and could help lure him into a trap.
• Zhou Shirong was shaken by how closely Xu Yi's proposal matched the scheme he had already used to join Ming Shenzong and the others, then began plotting inwardly.

Zhou Shirong returned to Xu Yi and revealed that Ming Shenzong and the others had plotted to ambush him, while Xu Yi kept Zhou in line by claiming to hold his Yin Corpse. Xu Yi went looking for Xue Zihan with Qiu Wa, learned she had been summoned by Elder Liufeng, and the chapter ended with Xue Zihan still bathing as her maid called for her.

• Zhou Shirong weighed killing Xu Yi for the Yin Corpse but chose to return and cooperate because he feared losing it.
• Zhou Shirong told Xu Yi that he had met and plotted with Ming Shenzong and the others, and Xu Yi realized they had planned an ambush.
• Xu Yi sent a squad leader to a nearby city, then left with Qiu Wa to find Xue Zihan.
• Xu Yi and Qiu Wa passed the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet and reached the recruits’ lodgings, where they learned Elder Liufeng had summoned Xue Zihan that morning.
• Xue Zihan remained motionless in a bath for nearly two hours while her maid urged her to finish.

Elder Liufeng threatened Xue Zihan into submitting to him, but Xu Yi arrived and claimed she was his cousin to make Liufeng bring her into the hall. Qiu Wa reunited with Xue Zihan, while Xu Yi’s plan to protect her and seek Liufeng’s help remained unresolved.

• Elder Liufeng threatened to destroy Xue Zihan’s sect unless she obeyed him, and she submitted out of gratitude to Fairy Yuqing.
• Elder Liufeng left Xue Zihan to meet Xu Yi, who asked him to mediate with the Ghost Slaying Sect.
• Xu Yi claimed Xue Zihan was his cousin and asked Elder Liufeng to help for the sake of his wife’s family.
• Elder Liufeng summoned Xue Zihan to the main hall, where Qiu Wa jumped into her arms and complained that she had been missing.

Xu Yi tried to protect Xue Zihan by claiming to be her cousin, but Elder Liufeng’s gathering was interrupted by Zhan Shence, who became captivated by Xue Zihan. The chapter ended with Elder Liufeng summoning his guards after Zhan Shence’s companions openly bid for her.

• Snow Beauty recognized Xu Yi’s true face, while Xue Zihan realized he had come to keep his promise.
• Xue Zihan tried to leave and pushed Qiu Wa into Xu Yi’s arms, but Xu Yi caught her wrist and insisted he would not abandon her.
• Elder Liufeng grew furious at their apparent intimacy and smashed the tea table.
• Zhan Shence arrived with companions and demanded to see the beauty Elder Liufeng had taken as his wife.
• Zhan Shence and his companions praised Xue Zihan’s beauty, and several offered money for her.
• Elder Liufeng summoned dozens of guards and challenged Zhan Shence over his companions’ behavior.

Zhan Shence attacked Zhang Liufeng and tried to court Xue Zihan, but Xu Yi took her away and killed Fatty Steward when he attacked. Xu Yi left Zhan Shence to answer to the royal soldiers and reached Mingsi Hall with Xue Zihan.

• Zhan Shence's four companions swept aside the Upper Three Heavens experts, and Zhan Shence wounded Zhang Liufeng with a single attack.
• Zhan Shence offered Xue Zihan a rose, but Qiu Wa crushed it with a Green Vine, and Xu Yi led Xue Zihan away.
• Fatty Steward attacked Xu Yi, who killed him with Divine Sword Capturing Dragon and summoned soldiers to investigate the death and question Zhan Shence.
• Zhan Shence sent the soldiers to question Handsome Scholar and tore the dome free in anger as Xu Yi and Xue Zihan left.
• Xu Yi dragged Xue Zihan several miles and released her when they saw Mingsi Hall.

Xu Yi reunited with Xue Zihan and urged her to join the Imperial Guard, then secretly used a comprehension test as a pretext to teach her the Return to Origin Steps. He hoped to make her strong enough to protect herself before the dangerous events he expected at Dragon Head Peak.

• Xu Yi introduced himself to Xue Zihan and thanked her for caring for Qiu Wa, and she recognized him as the poet Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi reassured Xue Zihan about Zhang Liufeng and suggested she join the Imperial Guard, and she agreed to take its comprehension test.
• Xu Yi taught Xue Zihan mathematics through the day and into the night, and she grasped the seventeenth positive integer.
• Xu Yi demonstrated the Return to Origin Steps in the courtyard, and Xue Zihan quickly understood the cultivation art.
• Xu Yi used the test as an excuse to strengthen Xue Zihan because he expected a battle at Dragon Head Peak and feared for her safety.

Xu Yi taught Xue Zihan Return to Origin Steps and Hidden Edge Style, helping her learn to use circles for both offense and defense. After she passed his test, he gave her weapons and supplies to protect herself in the coming battle, then left her to rest.

• Xu Yi taught Xue Zihan Return to Origin Steps through the mathematics of the regular seventeen-sided polygon, and she quickly mastered the footwork.
• Xu Yi taught Xue Zihan Hidden Edge Style, and she derived its principles by dawn.
• Xue Zihan attacked Xu Yi with a powerful wave of energy, but he dispersed it with his hands and showed her how to defend with circles.
• Xue Zihan used circles to deflect Xu Yi's attacks, and he declared that she had passed.
• Xu Yi gave Xue Zihan the Tide Listening Twin Swords, pills, Heaven's Thunder Pearls, and magic robes to help protect her.
• Xu Yi carried the sleeping Qiu Wa to the bedroom and told Xue Zihan he would introduce her to everyone the next day.

Xu Yi and Qiu Wa played in the first snow with Xue Zihan, then Xu Yi learned that Ming Shenzong wanted him to watch a battle. After breakfast, he asked Qiu Wa whether she could use the Turtle Breath Technique.

• Qiu Wa woke Xu Yi with a snowball prank, and he chased her through the snow.
• Qiu Wa brought Xue Zihan outside, and the three played together until Xu Yi began calling her “Snow Beauty.”
• An attendant announced that Zhou Shirong wanted to see Xu Yi, and Zhou Shirong warned him that several powerful forces were preparing to crush him.
• Xu Yi assured Zhou Shirong that he had a plan and would not risk his life, then met Xue Zihan and Qiu Wa for breakfast.
• Xu Yi watched Qiu Wa demonstrate her new abilities and asked whether she could use the Turtle Breath Technique.

Xu Yi concealed Qiu Wa in a prepared box and ordered the Imperial Guards to search around Azure Eagle Rock before going to watch the bloody arena battles. There, Mr. Su approached him and began explaining the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet and the coming Immortals' Martial Performance.

• Xu Yi praised Qiu Wa into using the Turtle Breath Technique, then placed her in a ventilated Geng Iron box and hid it beneath his robes.
• Xu Yi rebuffed Xue Zihan's questions, introduced her to the Four Great Commanders, and ordered the guards to search every blade of grass and tree within fifty miles of Azure Eagle Rock.
• Xu Yi went to the martial arena and saw its snow-covered grounds stained with blood and the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet glowing red.
• Mr. Su introduced himself as the Master Strategist and spoke with Xu Yi about the arena fighters and the tablet.
• Xu Yi asked Mr. Su to explain the Immortals' Martial Performance, and Mr. Su said Xu Yi would soon witness it himself.

Xu Yi learned how the Immortal's Martial Performance depended on Yin Soul strength and why powerful factions guarded the site. As he left, Mr. Su triggered a hidden attack, and Xu Yi watched the slaughter without intervening.

• Mr. Su explained that comprehension of the Immortal's Martial Performance depended chiefly on Yin Soul strength, and that Soul Sensing Ancestors could remain immersed far longer than others.
• Mr. Su revealed that Wuji Temple's Xue Muhua had exposed the Scar-faced Daoist rumors, while powerful sects and Aristocratic Clans guarded the site against Rogue Cultivators.
• Xu Yi praised Mr. Su's explanations, then excused himself and walked away.
• Mr. Su, seeing that the Seven Fiend Demonic Sound had not begun, signaled Purgatory Venerable, Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, Shanshan Buddha, and hidden men in black to kill spectators.
• The attackers silently killed more than a dozen spectators and hurled their bodies toward the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet.
• Xu Yi sensed the attack and chose not to save the doomed fighters and spectators.

Xu Yi was ambushed by Mr. Su and a group of conspirators who sought the demon plant and planned to disguise his death as the work of the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet. After the tablet’s wail triggered a massacre among the recruits, Xu Yi attacked Purgatory Venerable but was blasted away, surrounded by the conspirators.

• Xu Yi learned from Mr. Su that illusions and Three Yin Liquid could help during the Immortal's Martial Performance, then Mr. Su ambushed him with a powerful punch.
• Purgatory Venerable, Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and Shanshan Buddha joined Mr. Su and demanded to know where the demon plant was.
• Xu Yi challenged them to explain how they would evade the Great Yue Royal Court’s investigation, and the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet released a wail that incapacitated everyone and drove the recruits to slaughter one another.
• Xu Yi realized the conspirators had provoked the demonic sound to conceal his murder, but Mr. Su threatened him with torture unless he cooperated.
• Xu Yi activated Divine Sword Capturing Dragon and aimed a tiny arrow at Purgatory Venerable, but Purgatory Venerable dodged and Ming Shenzong deflected the arrow, blasting Xu Yi away.
• Seven or eight conspirators pursued Xu Yi and surrounded him, blocking every route of escape.

Xu Yi exposed Purgatory Venerable, Mr. Su, Ming Shenzong, Song Tingshu, and their allies with a Shadow-Sound Pearl, revealing their scheme to murder candidates and frame him. He punished those who had attacked him and left them fearing the political fallout if the recording reached the Great Yue Royal Court.

• Xu Yi revealed the Shadow-Sound Pearl’s recording, exposing the group’s plot to kill candidates and blame their deaths on the demonic sound.
• Song Tingshu and Purgatory Venerable questioned how Xu Yi had uncovered their scheme, and Xu Yi explained that he had arranged for a spy and bought the pearl in advance.
• Xu Yi slapped Purgatory Venerable and struck Mr. Su, Ming Shenzong, and Song Tingshu in retaliation for their attacks.
• Xu Yi spared Shanshan Buddha, while the others recognized that the recording could cause a major scandal for the Great Yue Royal Court.