Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi’s eighteen arena victories made him famous across Huaixi Prefecture, but a guest from Immortal Martial Cliff explained that Tan Lang’s death had made him politically troublesome and unlikely to be recruited. After receiving a message through his voice-transmission pearl, Xu Yi hurried out, while Qiu Dao Ming and the others gathered at Shouqiu Lake.

• Steward Fang reported the arena’s earnings, and Xu Yi gave him a Crystal Token worth five thousand Spirit Stones.
• A guest from Immortal Martial Cliff told Xu Yi that Tan Lang had died while on official duty, stirring turmoil among Huaixi’s higher-ups and obstructing Xu Yi’s recruitment.
• Xu Yi learned that his public reputation could discourage attacks from Feng Ting Shu and Deputy Director Zhao, and the guest advised him to seek opportunities abroad.
• After the guest left, Xu Yi received a message through his voice-transmission pearl, changed expression, and told Old Cai he was leaving.
• Qiu Dao Ming gathered Tu Lao San, the Long-faced Youth, and others on a pleasure boat at Shouqiu Lake.

At a banquet, Tu Laosan and Lao Fei argued over Xu Yi’s prospects and whether he would serve a powerful clan to gain access to the Imperial Examination. Meanwhile, an old man fleeing the Chen family burst into Wudang’s government office, where Zhao Wuliang and Xu Yi’s disciples stood ready to stop the pursuers from fighting.

• Tu Laosan defended Xu Yi’s talent while Lao Fei dismissed the chance that Xu Yi could catch up after entering the Yin Venerable realm.
• Qiu Daoming toasted Tu Laosan and Lao Fei on their advancement, and the guests debated whether Xu Yi would become a powerful house’s servant to pursue cultivation.
• The purple-robed young man left Qiu Daoming’s gathering after criticizing the wine.
• A hemp-robed old man smashed through the doors of Wudang’s government office while Zhao Wuliang reviewed accounts, prompting Xu Yi’s six disciples to rush into the hall.
• A gold-robed man and four companions pursued the old man from the Chen family and threatened to kill him.
• Zhao Wuliang and the six disciples blocked the pursuers, warning them not to fight inside the government office.

Zhao Wuliang protected Old Thief Yu from Chen Xuan after the old man sought shelter in Wudang City's official office. Chen Xuan backed down after learning the city belonged to Xu Yi's Number One Under Heaven Sect, leaving him trapped by his earlier boast.

• The brocade-clad Chen Xuan demanded that Zhao Wuliang hand over Old Thief Yu, but Zhao ruled that the old man could remain under the city's protection.
• Chen Xuan blocked the green-robed man's Qi Hammer with a golden net, and the bald man identified him as a powerful member of the Huai Dong Chen Family.
• Zhao Wuliang refused to surrender Old Thief Yu, who warned that he would expose Xu Invincible if Zhao abandoned him.
• Chen Xuan learned that Wudang City belonged to the Number One Under Heaven Sect and that its leader was Xu Yi, invincible below Yin Venerate.
• Zhao Wuliang offered to summon Xu Yi, leaving Chen Xuan flustered and unable to retract his threat.

Xu Yi intervened when the Huai Dong Chen Family tried to seize Yu Ji, then negotiated with Chen Xuan after learning that force could bring Huaixi authorities into the dispute. Chen Xuan’s reaction to Xu Yi demanding an Earth Soul Talisman revealed that Yu Ji’s stolen treasure was extraordinarily valuable.

• Chen Xuan hesitated to take Yu Ji after recognizing Xu Yi’s reputation, but the Chen Family’s Seventh Elder arrived and ordered Yu Ji seized.
• The Seventh Elder broke Zhao Wuliang’s barrier, but Xu Yi’s swords forced the bald man and the young man to dodge.
• Xu Yi stormed into the hall, defeated the bald man, and left him badly injured.
• After Chen Xuan explained the dispute, Xu Yi warned the Seventh Elder that Huaixi laws could reach the Huai Dong Chen Family.
• Chen Xuan asked Xu Yi to spare Yu Ji and offered repayment, so Xu Yi demanded an Earth Soul Talisman.
• Chen Xuan said he needed family approval, revealing to Xu Yi that Yu Ji had stolen a treasure of immense value.

Xu Yi seized Chen Xuan, forced him to swallow a Life-Death Gu, and drove the Seventh Elder and the Chen family’s people from the hall. In a secret underground chamber, the brown-robed old man revealed that he had stolen a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart, hoping Xu Yi would trade it for spirit stones.

• Chen Xuan and the Seventh Elder decided to use force rather than surrender the Earth Soul Talisman, but Xu Yi attacked Chen Xuan and used him to block the Seventh Elder’s strike.
• Xu Yi made Chen Xuan swallow a Life-Death Gu, then threatened to crush its bottle until the Seventh Elder and the others retreated.
• The Seventh Elder told Chen Xuan to notify the clan, while Xu Yi led the brown-robed old man through a secret passage into an underground chamber.
• The brown-robed old man revealed that he had stolen a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart from the Chen family and wanted to exchange it for spirit stones.
• The brown-robed old man explained that the chart fragments had recently begun shining and could lead to the awakening Heavenly God Hall, then suggested Xu Yi could trade his fragment for what he needed.

Xu Yi negotiated with the hemp-robed old man, Brother Yu, over a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart and learned the secret behind Earth Soul Talismans and Netherworld Divine Generals. Brother Yu revealed that Netherworld Divine Generals were the true souls of Yin Venerables who had left their bodies.

• Xu Yi rejected Brother Yu’s demand for two hundred thousand Spirit Stones for the Heavenly God Chart fragment and challenged him to reconsider the price.
• Brother Yu offered to reveal why Netherworld Divine Generals appeared when Earth Soul Talismans were used, and Xu Yi agreed to hear the secret.
• Brother Yu explained that people could attain the rank of Yin Venerable without an Earth Soul Talisman, citing ancient cultivators and the Chaotic Star Sea.
• Brother Yu revealed that Netherworld Divine Generals were the true souls of Yin Venerables who had left their bodies, and Xu Yi understood the connection to Ari’s experience.

Xu Yi learned why Netherworld Divine Generals took portions of Yin Venerables’ Earth Souls and acquired a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart from Brother Yu. After returning to Cold Sun Peak, he spent seven days studying the fire talisman and mastered three fire-element Talisman Patterns.

• The old man in a green robe told Xu Yi that Netherworld Divine Generals gave severed Earth Soul fragments to the Northern Sacred Court, leaving their owners unable to become true Yang Venerables.
• Xu Yi thanked Brother Yu and completed their transaction, receiving a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart whose faint glow pointed toward a strange golden-armored shape.
• Brother Yu declined Xu Yi’s invitation to stay at Cold Sun Peak, and Xu Yi helped him evade Chen Family scouts before escorting him to a teleportation formation.
• Xu Yi returned to Cold Sun Peak a day later and went into seclusion to study the fire talisman with his remaining Fire Spirit Stones.
• After seven days of research, Xu Yi had not completed the fire talisman but had mastered the principles behind three fire-element Talisman Patterns.

Xu Yi enjoyed deciphering Talisman Patterns before General Zhou Zongshi visited to offer him a centurion's post in the Tiger Fang Guard and ask about his progress toward becoming a Yin Venerable. Xu Yi rejected the post, while Zhou's concern that Xu might become a rival at the Special Imperial Examination remained unresolved.

• Xu Yi found pleasure in solving fire-element Talisman Patterns, then fell asleep while practicing.
• Old Cai woke Xu Yi to report that General Zhou Zongshi of the Tiger Fang Guard had been waiting to see him.
• Zhou Zongshi offered Xu Yi a centurion's position in the Tiger Fang Guard, but Xu Yi declined because he did not want to submit to its strict command structure.
• Zhou Zongshi asked when Xu Yi expected to advance to Yin Venerable so he could join the other Huaixi Prefecture candidates in preparing for the Special Imperial Examination.
• Zhou Zongshi privately worried Xu Yi might obtain an Earth Soul Talisman and become a formidable competitor in the examination.

Zhou Zongshi tried to persuade Xu Yi to offer himself to a prestigious lineage in exchange for an Earth Soul Talisman before the imperial examinations. Xu Yi maneuvered him into recommending the Zhou Family, but Zhou returned from consulting its elders with a troubled response.

• Zhou Zongshi warned Xu Yi that he had only seven days to join the formation or risk losing his place in the imperial examinations.
• Zhou urged Xu Yi to offer himself to a powerful family, explaining that his enemies made prominent figures reluctant to recruit him outright.
• Xu Yi pretended to accept Zhou's advice and asked him which family would take him in.
• Xu Yi found Zhou Zongshi's family listed in a Tiger Fang Guard patrol booklet and asked Zhou to arrange his admission.
• Zhou Zongshi consulted his family elders with a voice-transmission orb, then told Xu Yi to turn to another family, trailing off as he explained their response.

Xu Yi tricked Zhou Zongshi into handing over the Earth Soul Talisman, then fled before signing the Blood Oath. Zhou Zongshi went to the Discipline Department, where the Prison Litigation Department was thrown into an uproar over his lawsuit against Xu Yi.

• Zhou Zongshi offered Xu Yi a three-year household retainer contract in exchange for the Earth Soul Talisman and showed him the Blood Oath terms.
• Xu Yi agreed to the terms and asked Zhou Zongshi to bring the Blood Oath and Earth Soul Talisman.
• After examining the talisman, Xu Yi claimed he would have it verified and escaped into the sky with it.
• The Black Robed Elder tried to pursue Xu Yi, but Cold Sun Peak's wards delayed him, allowing Xu Yi to get away.
• Zhou Zongshi flew to the Discipline Department's Prison Litigation Department to file a lawsuit against Xu Yi, stirring up Heavy Sword Peak.

Zhou Zongshi brought Xu Yi before the Prison Litigation Department, accusing him of stealing the Zhou Family’s Earth Soul Talisman. When Xu Yi arrived, he denied knowing Zhou and turned the accusation into a demand for punishment against Zhou’s servant for insulting him, leaving the central dispute unresolved.

• Zhou Zongshi realized his accusation would be difficult to prove because he had no recording or witnesses beyond his own people, and he waited at the Prison Litigation Department for Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi arrived by Mechanical Bird and pretended not to recognize Zhou Zongshi, who accused him of stealing the Earth Soul Talisman.
• The Black Robed Elder insulted Xu Yi, and Xu Yi demanded a formal ruling for the elder’s offense against a superior.
• Zhou Zongshi apologized for his servant and offered to pay the penalty, and the White-faced Middle-aged Man warned everyone not to disrupt the court again.

Xu Yi faced Zhou Zongshi’s accusation before Chou Taichong and used the court’s laws to demand a debate over the truth of Zhou’s account. Zhou Zongshi accepted, leaving the case poised for their confrontation before the assembled officials.

• Chou Taichong presided as Zhou Zongshi recounted his accusation and turned the officials against Xu Yi.
• Chou Taichong demanded that Xu Yi prove his innocence or face torture.
• Xu Yi cited the law and asked to question Zhou Zongshi, but Chou Taichong initially refused to let him do so.
• Xu Yi argued that Zhou Zongshi’s account had to be reasonable and challenged him to debate it before the officials.
• Zhou Zongshi accepted Xu Yi’s challenge after realizing that refusing would make the officials suspicious.

Xu Yi exposed Zhou Zongshi’s account of their meeting on Cold Sun Peak as a calculated attempt to recruit him, while Zhou tried to win the officials’ support by admitting his selfish motive and producing the Blood Oath. Xu Yi challenged the oath’s apparent generosity and began explaining why it could not have represented the Zhou Clan’s true intentions.

• Chou Taichong approved a public debate, and Xu Yi questioned Zhou Zongshi about their meeting on Cold Sun Peak until Zhou could not reproduce how he had led Xu into agreeing to join the Zhou Family.
• Zhou Zongshi admitted that he had gone to recruit Xu Yi for the Special Imperial Examination and accused Xu Yi of breaking his promise and taking his Earth Soul Talisman.
• Xu Yi accepted Zhou Zongshi’s admission, then demanded that he write out their Blood Oath; urged on by the Black Robed Elder, Zhou wrote that Xu would serve the Zhou Family for three years before regaining his freedom.
• The officials condemned Xu Yi after reading the oath, and Zhou Zongshi asked what defense he could offer.
• Xu Yi accused Zhou Zongshi of deceiving the officials and argued that the Zhou Clan could not have approved such generous terms after a single day’s acquaintance, especially when an Earth Soul Talisman was at stake.

At the Prison Litigation Department, Xu Yi turned Zhou Zongshi’s accusation around by exposing the suspicious terms of their Blood Oath and challenging Zhou’s account. Zhou pressed Xu to explain how he could obtain an Earth Soul Talisman, but the hearing ended without a resolution, leaving Zhou consumed by anger.

• Xu Yi said Zhou Zongshi had used a generous Blood Oath to lure him, then threatened to ruin his cultivation when Xu became suspicious.
• Chou Taichong and the other officials began to doubt Zhou Zongshi, while the Black Robed Elder tried to defend the Zhou household.
• Zhou Zongshi demanded that Xu Yi explain his confidence in obtaining an Earth Soul Talisman, and Chou Taichong ordered Xu to defend himself.
• Xu Yi refused, arguing Zhou’s accusations were incoherent and that he was not required to answer them under Sacred Court law.
• Chou Taichong suggested postponing the case, but Zhou Zongshi remained too furious to let it go.

Xu Yi faced torture after Zhou Zongshi staked his Star on proving his innocence, but Deputy Envoy Cen intervened on Elder Qin’s authority and forced Chou Taichong to abandon the case. Xu Yi left without pressing his advantage and met Cen at a mountain pavilion, where Cen called him clever.

• Zhou Zongshi staked the Star on his chest and demanded that Xu Yi’s case be investigated to the end.
• Chou Taichong ordered his guards to torture Xu Yi, while Zhou Zongshi warned that the instruments would shake Xu Yi’s yin soul.
• Deputy Envoy Cen intervened, questioned Chou Taichong’s conduct, and threatened to report it to Elder Qin.
• Chou Taichong begged for mercy and closed the case, and Xu Yi chose to leave without pursuing Zhou Zongshi or the Zhou Clan.
• Xu Yi met Deputy Envoy Cen at a pavilion beneath a cloud pine, where Cen told him he was very clever.

Xu Yi accompanied Deputy Envoy Cen to meet Elder Qin, who had summoned him after hearing about his conduct at the Discipline Department. Elder Qin presented an Earth Soul Talisman and asked if it was what Xu Yi wanted.

• Xu Yi thanked Deputy Envoy Cen for helping him and gave him a thousand spirit stones to secure his goodwill.
• Deputy Envoy Cen took Xu Yi through a hidden passage above Bayi City to a spiritual island and explained its wonders, including the demon carp that guarded the Jade Wave Pool.
• Deputy Envoy Cen led Xu Yi to a bamboo hut where Elder Qin was waiting.
• Elder Qin questioned Xu Yi about whether he was calculating the favors owed to him, then showed him an Earth Soul Talisman and asked if that was what he wanted.

Xu Yi tried to secure Elder Qin’s protection by giving him a fragment of the Heavenly God Chart, but Elder Qin refused to promise anything beyond his help with the Prison Litigation Department. After Xu Yi left, Elder Qin confronted him again, and their tense exchange ended with Elder Qin accusing him of holding a grudge.

• Xu Yi admitted that he had taken the Zhou Family’s Earth Soul Talisman from Zhou Zongshi and explained why he had chosen to give Elder Qin the fragment of the Heavenly God Chart.
• Xu Yi asked Elder Qin for protection, but Elder Qin said he had no wish to get involved and asked what Xu Yi really wanted.
• Xu Yi thanked Elder Qin for his help with the Prison Litigation Department and left, regretting that his gift had not secured broader protection.
• Xu Yi met Deputy Envoy Cen outside the Purple Bamboo Forest, and Elder Qin appeared without Xu Yi sensing him.
• Xu Yi challenged Elder Qin’s unpredictable conduct, while Deputy Envoy Cen reacted in alarm.
• Elder Qin accused Xu Yi of holding a grudge and said he had only pretended to part with the fragment willingly.

Elder Qin seized Xu Yi’s Sumeru Ring and examined his treasures, then returned them and refined Xu Yi’s Soul-Summoning Banner. Xu Yi’s anger gave way to gratitude after the banner advanced to the peak of the third tier, and Elder Qin declared that they were even.

• Xu Yi challenged Elder Qin after Elder Qin removed the seal from his Sumeru Ring, but Elder Qin stopped Xu Yi’s fire dragon and Cen Tian’s sword formation with mist and sent Cen Tian away.
• Elder Qin emptied Xu Yi’s Sumeru Ring and questioned him about the Crystal Jade Skeleton, Coral Horn, and iron essence; Xu Yi claimed each had come to him by luck.
• Elder Qin returned the Sumeru Ring with Xu Yi’s treasures inside, keeping only the Soul-Summoning Banner to improve it.
• Elder Qin refined the Soul-Summoning Banner in a scarlet cauldron until its two and a half blue Law Patterns became three complete patterns.
• Xu Yi thanked Elder Qin and promised to repay him, but Elder Qin said that they were even.

Xu Yi left Green Isle after Elder Qin praised his Soul-Summoning Banner, secretly giving the Crystal Jade Skeleton to Elder Qin and gaining Deputy Envoy Cen as an ally. Meanwhile, the Zhou Clan punished Zhou Zongshi for his failures, then gave him a chance to restore the clan’s reputation by dealing with Xu Yi.

• Elder Qin praised the sorrow-infused Soul-Summoning Banner before vanishing, and Xu Yi set off to leave Green Isle.
• Xu Yi tossed the Crystal Jade Skeleton into the woods as a gift for Elder Qin, then met Deputy Envoy Cen at the rainbow bridge.
• Deputy Envoy Cen befriended Xu Yi, and the two parted ways above Bayi City as Xu Yi headed for Cold Sun Peak.
• The Zhou Clan elders stripped Zhou Zongshi of his imperial examination slot and warned him not to provoke Xu Yi, who had gained powerful backing.
• Zhou Zongshi’s uncle told him to handle Xu Yi discreetly and restore the clan’s dignity, and Zhou Zongshi agreed.

Xu Yi mastered the Soul-Binding technique Elder Qin sent him, greatly increasing the Soul-Summoning Banner’s power and preventing it from becoming tainted by captured souls. After studying records on reaching the Yin Venerable realm, he set out to break through and investigate how the Netherworld Divine General tracked Earth Soul activity.

• Xu Yi examined the Soul-Summoning Banner’s new effects, then received Steward Fang and asked him to gather materials for fire-element talisman paper.
• A messenger from Green Island delivered a jade tablet containing the Soul-Binding technique and Elder Qin’s annotations for the banner.
• Xu Yi practiced for five days and mastered Soul-Binding, extending the banner’s soul-capturing range beyond fifty yards and allowing it to purify impurities.
• Xu Yi ordered Old Cai to handle several matters, boarded the Mechanical Bird, and studied Steward Fang’s records about breaking through to the Yin Venerable realm.
• Xu Yi flew west to pursue his breakthrough and reasoned that Huaixi Prefecture used a secret method to detect attempts to seize Earth Souls.