Recaps

Xu Yi learned that he had placed sixty-seventh in the second class and received the Subordinate Eighth Rank of Immortal Official, then completed his divine-light baptism and began building connections. After Huangmei warned him that Yuwen Tuo was still targeting him, Xu Yi decided he could no longer afford to endure the man’s provocations.

• The Blue Robe Old Man and the Red Robe Middle-aged Man discussed Xu Yanzhi’s departure and prepared to rank the examination candidates.
• Xu Yi received his Immortal Official Token after placing sixty-seventh in the second class, earning the Subordinate Eighth Rank.
• Xu Yi and the other second-class candidates underwent divine-light baptism, which fixed their appearances, and then waited for their official assignments.
• Candidates gathered around Xu Yi to make connections, and he politely exchanged contact details with them.
• Huangmei told Xu Yi that Yuwen Tuo had sent someone to search the resting chamber, and Xu Yi resolved to deal with Yuwen Tuo rather than keep yielding.
• Xiao Tao sang among the lotus flowers on an orchid boat, and Director Yu was drawn in by the song.

After learning that Xu Yi passed the competition, Director Yu discovered he had visited Yuwen Tuo at Five Dragon Hall. Xu Yi begged Yuwen Tuo for forgiveness, but Yuwen Tuo rejected his apology and threatened to crush him.

• Xiao Tao told Director Yu that Xu Yi passed the competition and placed sixty-seventh in the second class.
• Xiao Tao explained that the Southern Heavenly Court blamed Xu Yi's success on Xu Yanzhi, whose poetry had spread as evidence.
• Xiao Tao reported that Xu Yi had visited Yuwen Tuo at Five Dragon Hall, and Director Yu said she and Xu Yi owed each other nothing.
• Old Fan urged Yuwen Tuo to exploit Xu Yi's visit, and Yuwen Tuo agreed to receive him and vent his anger.
• Xu Yi bowed and admitted that he had offended Yuwen Tuo while currying favor with Director Yu, but Yuwen Tuo dismissed his apology and threatened him.

Xu Yi tricked Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan into drinking tainted Spirit Wine, leaving them unconscious for two hours before he slipped away. He then visited Director Yu at Sunny Rain Pavilion, where Xiao Tao greeted him with sharp taunts.

• Xu Yi offered to help Yuwen Tuo win over Xu Yanzhi and Director Yu, then shared Spirit Wine with Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan.
• Xu Yi left the hall after claiming that Xiao Tao had summoned him, and Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan soon lost consciousness.
• Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan woke two hours later and learned from Zhang Cheng that Xu Yi had barely left the hall before returning and heading to Sunny Rain Pavilion.
• Xiao Tao mocked Xu Yi when he arrived at Sunny Rain Pavilion, and he replied that he remembered it had been eighty-seven days since they last met.
• Xu Yi told Xiao Tao and Director Yu that he regarded them as close friends and asked why they were keeping him at arm’s length.

Xu Yi confronted Director Yu and Xiao Tao, then used compromising Ruyi Pearl footage to drive Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan away. The two men left unable to deny the evidence, while Xu Yi warned them that he would expose them if they harmed him again.

• Director Yu accused Xu Yi of flattering Yuwen Tuo, and Xu Yi left after telling her and Xiao Tao to take care.
• Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan barged into Sunny Rain Pavilion, threatened Director Yu and Xiao Tao, and demanded to know what Xu Yi had done to them.
• Xu Yi claimed he had evidence of their disgraceful conduct and gave each man a Ruyi Pearl to inspect in private.
• Yuwen Tuo and Old Fan saw the footage, and Yuwen Tuo nearly attacked Xu Yi before Old Fan restrained him.
• Xu Yi warned the two men to leave and threatened to expose them if they caused him further harm.

Xu Yi used a humiliating ruse to make Yuwen Tuo leave Director Yu alone, then waited at his riverside retreat for his official assignment. He received a post as Deputy Supervisor of the Ninth Department of Xuan Du, an office that handled uncanny incidents and captured monsters.

• Xu Yi drove Yuwen Tuo away by making him believe that he and Old Fan had fallen in love, and Director Yu thanked Xu Yi for resolving the trouble.
• Xu Yi returned to his bamboo house and discussed with Desolate Wraith why Liu Guancen and Su Xiangjun had not visited, concluding that the scandal surrounding Xu Yanzhi had made people wary of him.
• Desolate Wraith noted that Xu Yi had enough Profound Yellow Essence to repay his loans, but Xu Yi chose to keep the resources while awaiting his posting.
• Xu Yi received an appointment as Deputy Supervisor of the Fifth Supervision, Ninth Department of Xuan Du, which investigated uncanny matters and captured monsters.

Xu Yi arrived at the Department of Xuan Du and discovered that Xuan Ye Wang had arranged his appointment so he could punish him over Xu Yanzhi. When Xuan Ye Wang ordered Xu Yi whipped, Xu Yi challenged the order by insisting he had followed the rules.

• Yuwen Tuo warned Xu Yi that his new Deputy Supervisor post in the Ninth Battalion, Fifth Supervision was a dangerous assignment, and Director Yu offered to help transfer him if necessary.
• Xu Yi collected his official credentials at Chu Tian City and reported to Battalion Judge Liu Dongsheng, whose cold reception made him suspect someone had influenced the office against him.
• At the Fifth Supervision, Xu Yi recognized Xuan Ye Wang as the Director overseeing his new post and realized Xuan Ye Wang had arranged the assignment to target him.
• Xuan Ye Wang demanded that Xu Yi kneel, then ordered guards to give him fifty lashes of the Withered Soul Whip after Xu Yi refused to back down.
• Xu Yi questioned the punishment and cited the Southern Heavenly Court's rules, while Xuan Ye Wang recalled that he was targeting Xu Yi because of his connection to Xu Yanzhi.

Xu Yi pretended to accept Xuan Ye Wang’s offer to help him target Xu Yanzhi, then tricked him into supplying blood for a recording Seven-Inch Nail-Head Book. He threatened to expose Xuan Ye Wang’s plan to defy the Heavenly Court’s edict, leaving Xuan Ye Wang silent and unable to retaliate.

• Xuan Ye Wang confronted Xu Yi over missing roll call, but Xu Yi’s calm replies left him unable to assert his authority before the gathered officials.
• After dismissing the others, Xuan Ye Wang offered Xu Yi a future as a Principal Eighth Rank if he helped locate or lure Xu Yanzhi.
• Xu Yi claimed he would obey, then asked Xuan Ye Wang to confirm the promise in a Seven-Inch Nail-Head Book.
• Xu Yi used his own recording book to capture Xuan Ye Wang’s blood and revealed that he had tricked him into documenting his plan.
• Xuan Ye Wang tried to strike Xu Yi but stopped himself because they were in Chu Tian City.
• Xu Yi threatened to reveal that Xuan Ye Wang intended to defy the Heavenly Court’s edict and seek revenge on a fellow trial participant, and Xuan Ye Wang fell silent.

Xu Yi took charge of the Fifth Supervision and discovered that his appointment left him responsible for two devastating zombie outbreaks that had already landed his predecessors in the Heavenly Prison. The cases had no surviving files or clues, leaving Xu Yi with a dangerous investigation to face.

• Xu Yi rejected Xuan Ye Wang’s demand to deal with Xu Yanzhi and left the Department of Xuan Du with Huang Mei.
• Xu Yi traveled to Yunzhou and learned that, with both previous supervisors imprisoned, he was the acting head of the Fifth Supervision.
• Xu Yi held banquets to learn about the officials and functionaries under him, finding the officials wary and many functionaries eager to support him.
• Xu Yi learned that the Fifth Supervision’s former supervisors had been punished over zombie outbreaks that destroyed Wengcheng and East City.
• Huang Mei pointed out that the case files were missing and questioned how a formation could have drained an entire city’s five vital energies without alerting the patrolling Ding Shen and Jia Shen.

Xu Yi investigated the suspicious reassignment of patrol officers, but Xuan Ye Wang gave him five days to solve the case or resign. He sought help from Tang Heng and Dongming Neng, and began asking Dongming Neng for assistance.

• Xu Yi and Huangmei concluded that someone inside the patrol had helped the culprit by transferring Ding Shen and Jia Shen before the crime.
• A messenger delivered Xuan Ye Wang's order giving Xu Yi five days to solve the case or resign, so Xu Yi decided to gather help quickly.
• Xu Yi went looking for Tang Heng, who tried to flee, but Xu Yi caught up with him and persuaded him to contact Dongming Neng.
• Tang Heng told Xu Yi that Dongming Neng's family had deep connections in the Wind Message Battalion and suggested asking him for information.
• Dongming Neng arrived at Mount Lao, recognized Xu Yi as the cloaked man, and Xu Yi asked him to help with a difficult situation.

Xu Yi gathered help to investigate the zombie cases and quickly tracked down Cliff Ghost Emperor, Su Wuji. After their battle began, Su Wuji demanded to know what crime Xu Yi was accusing him of.

• Dongming Neng told Xu Yi that the zombie cases were likely tied to an Old Ancestor of the Xiang Family seeking the five energies, and agreed to obtain records on the three suspected evil cultivators.
• Tang Heng agreed to use his connections at the Good Materials Battalion to locate Black Wind Venerable, Cliff Ghost Emperor, and Blood River Old Ancestor.
• Xu Yi returned to the Fifth Supervision, where Desolate reported that only thirteen staff officers seemed reliable and then accepted Profound Yellow Essence as compensation.
• Dongming Neng sent the records, and Tang Heng later supplied Cliff Ghost Emperor's hiding place, so Xu Yi teleported there and attacked Su Wuji.
• Su Wuji summoned his Divine Diagram but could not defeat Xu Yi, then demanded proof of his alleged crimes and recorded their confrontation with a Ruyi Pearl.

Xu Yi investigated the Corpse Tide Major Cases and focused on Black Wind Venerable, whom he suspected of orchestrating them. Desolate confirmed Black Wind’s guilt and discovered that he was expecting an accomplice the next morning.

• Xu Yi pressured Su Wuji, who denied involvement but admitted Black Wind Venerable had been gathering materials for a great formation before fleeing.
• Xu Yi sent Desolate to investigate Black Wind Venerable while he traveled to the Eastern Lands to confront him.
• Black Wind Venerable denied the accusations and returned to his mountain gate without fleeing as Xu Yi watched from nearby.
• Desolate secretly investigated Black Wind Venerable and confirmed he was involved in the cases.
• Desolate reported that Black Wind had contacted an unknown person, who planned to meet him the next morning, and Xu Yi proposed striking them hard.

Xu Yi killed Gong Chu, the Xiang Family Third Old Ancestor’s head butler, and learned that the Xiang Family was behind Black Wind Venerable’s schemes. He prepared to impersonate Gong Chu and infiltrate his next meeting with Black Wind Venerable.

• Xu Yi disguised himself as Black Wind Venerable and lured Gong Chu into range, then immobilized and killed him so Desolate Charm could swallow his life wheel.
• Xu Yi searched Gong Chu’s belongings and kept watch until Desolate Charm confirmed that Gong Chu was the Xiang Family Third Old Ancestor’s head butler and had been meeting Black Wind Venerable.
• Desolate Charm explained that Gong Chu had no direct evidence of the Xiang Family’s involvement, and Xu Yi decided to target Black Wind Venerable instead.
• Xu Yi entered the Four-Colored Seal Space, then asked Desolate Charm to recount every detail of Gong Chu’s meetings with Black Wind Venerable.
• Xu Yi used a Ruyi Pearl to tell Black Wind Venerable he was delayed and would arrive soon, then memorized Gong Chu’s habits as they approached Black Wind Venerable’s cave abode.

Xu Yi disguised himself as Gong Chu to meet Black Wind Venerable and learned how Xu Yi’s investigation into the Corpse Tide Case had alarmed them. He recruited Xuanye Wang to remove Xu Yi from his post, leaving Xuanye Wang suspicious of the case and wondering which Langya family had contacted him.

• Xu Yi used Gong Chu’s memories and mannerisms to convince Black Wind Venerable he was Gong Chu, then heard about Empty Guest and Xu Yi’s investigation.
• Xu Yi and Black Wind Venerable discussed using Xuanye Wang, who held authority over Xu Yi, to stop the investigation.
• Xu Yi contacted Xuanye Wang through a Ruyi Pearl and offered him a generous gift to remove Xu Yi within two days.
• Xuanye Wang suspected Xu Yi had uncovered evidence in the Corpse Tide Case and asked whether the caller wanted him to halt the investigation.
• Xu Yi invoked the ties between the Five Gentlemen of Langya, and Xuanye Wang wondered which family had contacted him.

Xu Yi disguised himself as Gong Chu and met Xuan Ye Wang, persuading him to withdraw his deadline for Xu Yi and help set a trap using the Corpse Tide Major Case. Xuan Ye Wang hesitated over causing another attack, but Xu Yi promised to keep it small and provide a scapegoat.

• Xuan Ye Wang agreed to meet Gong Chu at Black Wind Venerable's cave abode, and Xu Yi revealed himself as Gong Chu.
• Xuan Ye Wang said he had given Xu Yi five days to solve the case or resign, while Xu Yi warned that the deadline could provoke influential allies and backfire.
• Xu Yi persuaded Xuan Ye Wang to cancel the deadline and promised to pursue a surer plan to bring Xu Yi down.
• Xu Yi proposed using another corpse tide attack to frame Xu Yi, and Xuan Ye Wang worried that he would be blamed too.
• Xu Yi promised to limit the deaths to dozens or a hundred people and provide a scapegoat, while Xuan Ye Wang remained hesitant.

Xu Yi and Xuan Ye Wang arranged a trap meant to frame Xu Yi, while Xuan Ye Wang tried to verify Gong Chu’s connection through Yuwen Tuo. Xu Yi turned the tables by publicly accusing Xuan Ye Wang of abusing his authority, leaving the director furious as his men dragged Xu Yi away.

• Xu Yi instructed Xuan Ye Wang to draw away the patrols so they could stage a raid, and he asked Black Wind Venerable to prepare a convincing formation.
• Xu Yi considered using Cliff Ghost Emperor or Blood River Old Ancestor as a scapegoat, but said they could deal with Xu Yi first if needed.
• Xuan Ye Wang contacted Yuwen Tuo to confirm his relationship with Xu Yi, and Yuwen Tuo warned him not to target Xu Yi before cutting off the call.
• Xu Yi reported that Black Wind Venerable was behind the case, but Xuan Ye Wang refused to order an arrest and told him to investigate at his own pace.
• Xu Yi shouted that Xuan Ye Wang was jealous and abusing his authority, and Xuan Ye Wang ordered his men to drag him out.

Xu Yi and Black Wind Venerable staged a plot at Ten-Mile Fort, but an unexpected raid forced them to flee. Black Wind was captured, and the pursuers praised the commissioner for solving the case.

• Xu Yi dismissed Yuwen Tuo's pleas to prove his innocence, while Xuan Ye Wang received a warning from Xuan Tianhua and arranged to bring Xu Yi down.
• Black Wind Venerable finished copying the formation at Ten-Mile Fort and waited for Gong Chu's signal to begin the staged crime.
• Xu Yi arrived disguised as Gong Chu, but a sudden raid interrupted their plan and drove him and Black Wind Venerable into flight.
• Xu Yi and Black Wind Venerable blamed Xuan Ye Wang for exposing them as they tried to escape their pursuers.
• Xu Yi urged Black Wind Venerable to flee alone, but Black Wind was struck by magnetic lightning and captured.
• Black Wind regained consciousness bound by ropes and heard someone praise the commissioner for cracking the case.

Black Wind Venerable realized Xuan Ye Wang had arranged the plot against him, but Xu Yi delivered him to the Ji Si Office before Xuan Ye Wang could act. Xuan Ye Wang’s scheme collapsed as the Xuan Family blamed him for the Xiang Family’s retaliation and ordered him brought back.

• Black Wind Venerable uncovered Xuan Ye Wang’s role in the plot and resolved to expose him.
• Xuan Ye Wang learned Xu Yi had taken Black Wind Venerable to the Ji Si Office and rushed there, but discovered the prisoner had been transferred to Zhong Shu Province.
• Xuan Tianhua struck Xuan Ye Wang and accused him of endangering the Xuan Family, while Xuan Ye Wang blamed Xu Yi and claimed Seventh Uncle knew about Gong Chu.
• Xuan Huang Tian told Xuan Tianhua that the Xiang Family had destroyed the Xuan Family’s Wu Dong base and taken Black Wind Venerable.
• Xuan Huang Tian ordered Xuan Tianhua to bring Xuan Ye Wang back, while Xuan Ye Wang continued to deny responsibility.

Xu Yi received a promotion and valuable rewards for solving the Corpse Tide Major Case, while Xuan Ye Wang escaped after attacking Xuan Tianhua. Xu Yi collected his rewards and began refining Dao Source in seclusion to advance his Dao Fruit.

• Xuan Ye Wang admitted his failure to Xuan Tianhua, then broke his uncle’s protective barrier and vanished, declaring he would return to the Xuan Family with his head held high.
• A decree from Zhong Shu Province promoted Xu Yi to Principal Eighth Rank and confirmed him as the Fifth Supervision’s full Supervisor, awarding him one hundred Profound Yellow Essence and a bottle of Dao Source.
• Xu Yi gave Officer Lu five pieces of Profound Yellow Essence, then accepted more than one hundred and twenty pieces from his subordinates.
• Xu Yi collected his official rewards at Merit Hall and went into seclusion at his Supervisor’s Yamen to refine the Dao Source.

Xu Yi used Dao Source to strengthen his Dao Fruits, then attended a banquet where Xiang Yingxin and Xuan Ye Wang confronted him over the Corpse Tide Major Case. The confrontation ended with Xiang Yingxin furious and Xu Yi denying their accusations while turning them back on his visitors.

• Xu Yi manifested the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Aspect, whose Divine Tree branches gathered Dao Source and helped his two life wheels absorb it efficiently.
• Liu Guancen invited Xu Yi to a small banquet by the Xiang River, then warned him that someone else had arranged the meeting before leaving.
• Xiang Yingxin appeared and questioned Xu Yi about the Corpse Tide Major Case, and Xu Yi inferred that an old acquaintance was influencing him.
• Xuan Ye Wang revealed himself behind a golden barrier and admitted that he had underestimated Xu Yi and lost to him fairly.
• Xiang Yingxin accused Xu Yi of trapping Black Wind Venerable and sabotaging Xuan Ye Wang, but Xu Yi denied wrongdoing and suggested Xiang might be connected to the demon.

Xu Yi defended himself against Xuan Ye Wang’s accusations and escaped the Xiang Family’s Sixth Uncle by threatening to expose evidence tied to Gong Chu. The Sixth Uncle refused to help clear Xuan Ye Wang’s name without proof and said the Xiang Family could not openly move against Xu Yi.

• Xu Yi laid out his theory that Xuan Ye Wang had arranged Black Wind Venerable’s capture, then blamed Xuan Ye Wang when the plan went awry.
• The Xiang Family’s Sixth Uncle appeared, praised Xu Yi’s account, and blocked him when he tried to leave.
• Xu Yi invoked his Celestial Court office, broke the Sixth Uncle’s barrier, and threatened to give Gong Chu’s silver dagger to the Ji Division.
• The Sixth Uncle let Xu Yi depart because killing a serving celestial official would trigger a major investigation.
• Xuan Ye Wang asked the Sixth Uncle to testify for him, but the Sixth Uncle said he lacked evidence and suggested capturing Xu Yi for soul-washing.
• The Sixth Uncle agreed the Xiang Family could not let Xu Yi manipulate them, but said it could not act against him without solid evidence.

Xu Yi challenged the Xiang Family by ordering Xiang Yingxin summoned, but his subordinates refused and officials arrived to warn him against provoking powerful interests. He welcomed Sima Wei and Xuan Wuyi, then offered to go to Foolish Old Man Mountain with Xuan Wuyi, who privately warned him of the danger.

• Xu Yi told Old Desolate that the Xiang Family had forced him to act and decided to change his image.
• Xu Yi ordered Chen Fang to summon Xiang Yingxin to court that day, but Chen Fang and the other inspectors refused to carry out the assignment.
• Xu Yi declared he would uphold the Fifth Supervision's authority himself, while Zuo Jihuan and several officials urged him to reconsider.
• Xu Yi told Old Desolate that summoning Xiang Yingxin was meant to spread the news and hinted that his real plan was still to come.
• Xu Yi greeted Deputy Division Envoy Sima Wei and Commissioner Xuan Wuyi when they arrived at the yamen.
• Xu Yi thanked Xuan Wuyi for offering guidance and proposed visiting Foolish Old Man Mountain with him, prompting Xuan Wuyi to privately warn him about the dangers.

Xu Yi defied Xuan Wuyi and insisted on investigating the Corpse Tide Major Case, then summoned Xiang Yingxin at Yugong Mountain. As Xiang Yingxin and Xiang Tianwen prepared to confront him, Xu Yi arrived with two hundred troops, betting that his challenge could force Heaven’s Court’s powerful factions to act.

• Xu Yi rejected Xuan Wuyi’s attempt to stop him, saying only Xuan Ye Wang was his superior and that he would investigate the case regardless of pressure.
• Xiang Yingxin learned that Xu Yi had summoned him and dismissed Xuan Ye Wang’s warning to lie low.
• Xiang Tianwen urged Xiang Yingxin to confront Xu Yi, even if it came to blows, to protect the Xiang Family’s standing.
• Xu Yi’s summons rang out at Yugong Mountain, ordering Xiang Yingxin to cooperate with the investigation into the Corpse Tide Major Case.
• Xiang Tianwen concluded that Xu Yi was using the Xiang Family as a target to provoke a broader shift within Heaven’s Court.
• Xu Yi arrived outside Yugong Mountain with two hundred Gongs, Ding Shen, and Jia Shen, and told Huang Mei he was willing to take the risk.

Xu Yi publicly challenged the Xiang Family’s claims and defeated Xiang Yingxin with a sudden lightning attack, leaving Xiang Tianwen to charge at him. The clash ended with Xiang Yingxin bound and the confrontation escalating.

• Xiang Yingxin accused Xu Yi of insulting the Xiang Family, while Xiang Tianwen urged him to frame the summons as a personal vendetta.
• Xu Yi challenged Xiang Yingxin to a fight, and Xiang Tianwen encouraged him to accept, confident the family could handle Xu Yi.
• Xiang Yingxin agreed to fight, but Xu Yi struck first with two lightning spears and overwhelmed him.
• Xu Yi seized Xiang Yingxin, bound him with the Dragon Binding Rope, and stunned the gathered onlookers with his strength.
• Xiang Tianwen charged at Xu Yi after realizing the Xiang Family’s reputation was at stake.

Xu Yi confronted the Xiang Family over its obstruction of his investigation, using a public display of righteous spirit to expose his resolve. Afterward, the Heavenly Court issued him a promotion, which he accepted while recognizing the Xiang Family’s threat had forced him to change his persona.

• Xu Yi rejected Xiang Tianwen’s appeal to the Xiang Family’s ancestral prestige and accused the family of defying Heavenly Court law.
• Xiang Tianwen threatened Xu Yi, but Xu Yi answered with a recitation of righteous principles that left the onlookers silent and made Xiang Tianwen spit blood.
• At Sunny Rain Pavilion, Xiao Tao reported Xu Yi’s confrontation to Director Yu, who criticized his calculated methods but asked Xiao Tao to bring her the rest of his poem.
• A proclamation from the Heavenly Emperor praised Xu Yi’s service and announced his career advancement, and Xu Yi rewarded Lord Lu with a Sumeru Ring containing five pieces of Profound Yellow Essence.
• Xu Yi concluded that Xiang Tianwen’s belief in Xuan Ye Wang and the Xiang Family’s power had forced him to change his persona to protect himself.

Xu Yi used his confrontation with the Xiang Family to build a reputation as an unyielding official, earning a promotion, a thousand Profound Yellow Essence, and admission to the Dao Palace. After leaving his post, he accepted a northern mountains cave residence and focused on advancing his cultivation.

• Xu Yi exploited the Heavenly Court’s support for examination-appointed officials to pressure the Xiang Family and establish his reputation as an unyielding official.
• The Xiang Family ended its dispute with Xu Yi, and the Heavenly Court promoted him to Principal Seventh Rank, awarded him a thousand Profound Yellow Essence, and scheduled his Dao Palace training.
• Lord Lu and Liu Dongsheng warmly congratulated Xu Yi, while Chen Fang and the other officials marveled at his rapid rise.
• Xu Yi received his official credential, command token, and reward from the Personnel Office, then accepted a cave residence arranged by the Discipline Office.
• Xu Yi reviewed the stages of the Divine Diagram and set his immediate goal on reaching the Second Realm.