Joyful Union Sect

Biodata

Name	Joyful Union Sect (合欢宗)
Affiliation	Immortal Alliance; legally recognized and protected by Da Gan
Occupation / Role	Orthodox cultivation sect centered on the Great Dao of the Mortal World, Yin–Yang harmony, and Dual Cultivation
Headquarters	Mortal World Mountain
Status	Active; recovering from the Yin Yang Fish crisis under Fu Xiaoxiao's temporary leadership
First Appearance	107

Background

The Joyful Union Sect was founded by an exceptional female cultivator who gathered the world’s harmful harvesting arts, refined away methods that damaged foundations or defied heaven, and imposed strict rules on their use. This transformed practices once associated with Evil Cultivators into a regulated, orthodox tradition. 107

Its foundational principle is “mutual complementarity between Yin and Yang, cultivating the Great Dao together.” The sect treats desire, emotion, and mortal life as legitimate paths of cultivation rather than inherently corrupting influences. 132 228

For roughly a millennium, the sect prospered by drawing upon the Yin Yang Fish, a former Law Position transformed into a spiritual object that could support an entire sect rather than a single wielder. 226

Cultivation System

Mortal World Art

The Joyful Union Sect’s cultivation system is rooted in the Great Dao of the Mortal World. Its practitioners cultivate through the seven emotions and six desires, using emotional experience and Mortal World Qi as the basis of advancement. 142 234

• All Joyful Union Sect cultivation methods ultimately draw power from the Yin Yang Qi and Mortal World Qi emitted by the Yin Yang Fish. 142
• The art gives practitioners heightened sensitivity to the desires and emotions hidden in others’ hearts. 139
• Its reliance on emotion makes disciples especially vulnerable to entities capable of resonating with or devouring emotions. 234
• The sect’s core techniques are restricted to disciples; attempts by outsiders to forcibly investigate them trigger soul-based restrictions and mutual destruction. 120

Dual Cultivation

Dual Cultivation is a central but regulated component of the sect’s traditions.

• Both parties must consent; coercive harvesting is forbidden under sect rules. 107
• A female disciple who wishes to Dual Cultivate with a male cultivator must offer Spirit Stones or elixirs as compensation. 117
• The sect’s rules distinguish its practices from the forced use of Mortals or low-level cultivators as Cauldrons, which remains condemned as Evil Cultivation. 107
• Some disciples, including Su Xiashao, pursue cultivation without seduction arts or Dual Cultivation. 135

Yin Yang Creation Strategy

The Yin Yang Creation Strategy is a Joyful Union Sect method taught to Gu Chengming after he agrees to assist the sect with its Yin Yang Fish problem. 133

• It enables perception of Yin Yang Qi and assists in locating the Yin Yang Fish. 135 226
• When used as the foundation for Gu Chengming’s Sword Domain, it manifests as pink ripples and requires his mindset to align with the method’s Joyful Union Sect characteristics. 203 287
• It was one reason the Yin Yang Fish recognized Gu Chengming as a suitable source of pure Yang Qi. 133 140

Yin Yang Fish

The Yin Yang Fish is the sect’s greatest treasure and the foundation of its continued existence.

• Born from chaos and nurtured in Yin and Yang, it produces a Yin Yang Pill once every ten years when supplied with sufficiently pure Yin Yang Qi. 133
• Its Yin Qi requirement is easily met by the sect’s many female disciples, but pure Yang Qi is scarce because suitable male disciples are few. 133
• The fish was once a Law Position, an embodiment of a Heavenly Dao law. Its transformation into a spiritual object allowed the entire sect to cultivate from its power. 226
• The sect’s cultivation system has a fatal dependency on it: without the fish, its methods would become “water without a source.” 142
• Its condition is maintained by successive sect masters; as a spiritual object, it can decay, become unbalanced, or suffer outside interference. 226

Yin Yang Twin Fish Array

The Yin Yang Twin Fish Array is the concrete manifestation of the sect’s foundation and is built around the Yin Yang Fish. 135

• The array and its surrounding Restrictions are fueled by Yin Yang Qi and Mortal World Qi. 142
• The Yin Yang Fish granted Gu Chengming protection that caused these sect Restrictions and formations to deactivate when he came into contact with them. 142
• During the sect crisis, Yun Ni used the desires of the disciples as pink chains to bind the fish and force its reversal into a Law Position. 144

Organization

Position / Group	Known Role
Sect Master	Disappeared with several senior Elders roughly three years before the Yin Yang Fish crisis; her destination and fate remain unknown. 142 226
Fu Xiaoxiao	Elder Siyu and temporary leader after Yun Ni’s fall; later receives authority over the Yin Yang Fish alongside Gu Chengming. 147 230
Yun Ni	Former de facto leader responsible for daily affairs and external relations; attempted to save the sect by reversing the Yin Yang Fish, but died after her plan failed. 141 231
Elder Kurong	Reclusive Elder who opposed Yun Ni’s direction and helped stabilize the sect after the crisis. 141 231
Elder Jingxin	Mediating Elder aligned with Kurong; later assists in stabilizing the sect and advises Fu Xiaoxiao. 141 231 241
Core Disciples	Includes Su Xiashao and Su Qiuzhi, who later represent the sect in the Sect Competition. 216 300
Outer Sect Disciples	Many work in sect-affiliated Capital City businesses or rely on the sect for cultivation resources. 107

Holdings and Economy

• Mortal World Mountain — the sect’s headquarters, containing its main hall, guest courtyards, forbidden areas, and the Yin Yang Twin Fish Array. 135 137
• Elegant Garden — one of the sect’s largest Capital City establishments; a well-informed gathering place managed by Yun Wan. 116 117
• Drunken Dream Boat — a five-story agarwood pleasure vessel protected by Joyful Union Sect formations and used for major festivals. 128
• Flower God Festival — a triennial festival in which branches select outstanding disciples to receive the title of Flower Queen. 129
• Yin Yang Pills — produced by the Yin Yang Fish once every ten years and described as the sect’s true economic foundation. 133

Yin Yang Fish Crisis

The disappearance of the Sect Master and senior Elders left the sect increasingly dependent on Yun Ni’s leadership while the Yin Yang Fish fell out of balance. The resulting excess Yin Yang Qi and Mortal World Qi affected much of the sect; Gu Chengming observed that roughly eight out of ten disciples showed signs of the imbalance. 135 142

Yun Ni believed that reverting the Yin Yang Fish into a Law Position could secure the sect’s future. To accumulate the necessary power, she created the Sentient Desires system, which amplified the emotions and desires of more than a thousand disciples and sought to establish a “Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.” 141 144 228

Her plan was secretly supported by the Longevity Sect, which provided the Heart Gu secret art. The Heart Gu amplified disciples’ emotional fluctuations and housed Mortal World Seeds that converted those emotions into sustenance for the entity Sorrow and Joy. 231 234

Gu Chengming dismantled Sentient Desires by addressing the individual desires of the affected disciples rather than accepting Yun Ni’s collective vision. The collapse of the system injured Yun Ni, restored the Yin Yang Fish’s balance, and transferred authority over the fish to Fu Xiaoxiao and Gu Chengming. 145 147 229

After Yun Ni’s death, Fu Xiaoxiao temporarily assumed leadership. The sect compensated Da Gan for the crisis’ effects on the Capital region and began an internal purge focused on removing Heart Gu and Mortal World Seeds from its disciples. 231 233

External Relations

• Da Gan — recognizes and protects the sect as legitimate. After the Yin Yang Fish crisis affected the Capital region, the sect cooperated with Da Gan’s investigation and paid compensation. 107 231
• Imperial Observatory — dispatched Xu Huaiyi to supervise the internal purge and assess the Yin Yang Fish’s recovery. 151
• Town Night Division — intervened during the crisis through Gu Chengming and Li Suizhuang; later handled the matter internally to avoid wider political fallout. 147 159
• Longevity Sect — secretly manipulated Yun Ni through the Heart Gu and Mortal World Seed scheme, intending to turn the sect’s emotion-based cultivators into sustenance and future followers. 150 234
• Wenjian Sect — sought-after source of sword cultivators; the Joyful Union Sect attempted to recruit Gu Chengming due to his Beguiler Bone and pure Yang Qi, but he refused to abandon Wenjian Sect. 120 132 133

Trivia

• Despite its reputation for Dual Cultivation and harvesting methods, the Joyful Union Sect is explicitly regarded as an orthodox righteous sect within the Nine Provinces. 107
• The sect’s disciples later formed the grassroots Sword Seeking Pavilion after more than a thousand of them dreamed of the same mysterious sword cultivator. 148 232
• The Yin Yang Fish’s authority has been held by fewer than four people in the sect’s thousand-year history. 230