Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Lingdang continues trying to join Chen Xuan’s Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Sect, returning for another physical test. She rejects the Spiritual Energy test and improves her three-lap running time to three hours and thirty-five minutes.
• Liu Shuyue argues that spells should be shared rather than kept as a monopoly by powerful sects. Although Chen Xuan worries about taking on a disciple, he accepts her reasoning that teaching Lingdang is permissible.
• A group of young Cultivators gathers outside the manor to ridicule the sect’s grandiose name and rural location. Chen Xuan decides he must defend its reputation.
• Before he intervenes, Lingdang charges into the crowd and kicks the ringleader, defending the sect despite not yet being accepted. When the group threatens her, Chen Xuan uses his Law Mantra to freeze, knock down, and raise them, then warns the crowd that he is the sect leader.
• To restore the sect’s standing, Chen Xuan claims Lingdang’s rejection reflects the sect’s high standards, not her lack of ability, and boasts that she would be a Heaven’s Pride in their sects.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Shuyue grows more willing to teach outsiders, guided by her belief that knowledge should benefit everyone. She credits Lin Qing’s anti-monopoly ideas, prompting Chen Xuan to tease her for taking Lin’s views to heart.
• Chen Xuan remains reluctant to commit to running a real sect, but his concern for its public image draws him into defending it. He uses overwhelming force while concealing the cost to his Spiritual Energy.
• Lingdang shows persistence, improving her running time, and loyalty: though still only a prospective disciple, she risks a fight to defend the sect. Her boldness contrasts with her exhausted, breathless delivery.
• The mocking Cultivators go from laughing at the sect to fearing Chen Xuan after witnessing his power. Chen Xuan turns their ridicule into an opportunity to present Lingdang as a valuable recruit and promote the sect’s prestige.

Significant themes

• Open knowledge versus monopoly: Liu Shuyue questions the Lotus Cloud Sect’s control over spells and favors making useful knowledge more widely available.
• Reputation and status: Chen Xuan sees public mockery as a threat to the sect’s future and counters it with a display of power and confidence.
• Belonging and loyalty: Lingdang defends a group that has not yet accepted her, suggesting that commitment can precede formal membership.
• Ambition and appearances: The sect’s extravagant name and humble setting invite ridicule, while Chen Xuan’s response challenges the crowd’s assumptions about its standing.

Plot points and events

• Chen Xuan dismisses the Cultivators who doubt his judgment of Lingdang and announces a public challenge: she must face ten opponents in succession. Anyone who defeats her will prove her stronger and earn the right to join the sect.
• Zhou Xubai, a Jinglan Sect disciple, tries to challenge Lingdang immediately, but Chen Xuan insists the event will take place the next day.
• Inside the estate, Lingdang realizes Chen Xuan is the sect master. She apologizes for having misunderstood him, and he forgives her. He recognizes that her running technique has improved, though she has not met the original passing standard. In light of her defending the sect, he gives her a special chance to pass by defeating ten challengers.
• Chen Xuan advises the exhausted Lingdang to rest, revealing that he has considered her condition rather than simply setting her up to fail.
• The following day, the villagers build an arena and seating, while Chen Xuan arranges promotional boards—including a fabricated account of the sect’s battle against demons—to publicize the event.
• More than four hundred spectators gather, including Cultivators and influential locals. Lingdang arrives in practical fighting clothes, concealing her face; Chen Xuan replaces her obstructive bamboo hat with a medical mask.
• Chen Xuan publicly calls for challengers. Zhou Xubai steps forward to face Lingdang.

Character development

• Chen Xuan shows himself to be confident, shrewd, and theatrical. He turns criticism into a public recruitment spectacle, uses publicity strategically, and applies his authority to create a special test for Lingdang. His advice about resting also reveals consideration beneath his bravado.
• Lingdang demonstrates quick learning and perseverance: she has improved her running by adjusting how she uses Qi. Though initially embarrassed by her mistaken assumptions about Chen Xuan, she is honest and eager to prove herself. She accepts the challenge without fear.
• Zhou Xubai is eager to defend his pride and test Lingdang, but Chen Xuan’s refusal to let him fight early frustrates him.

Character interactions

• Chen Xuan confronts skeptical Cultivators and turns their doubts into a challenge, while controlling the timing and terms of the event.
• Lingdang apologizes to Chen Xuan; he reassures her and offers her a route into the sect.
• Chen Xuan and Lingdang share a brief, considerate exchange about her fatigue and preparation.
• At the arena, Chen Xuan introduces Lingdang to the crowd and invites opponents forward; Zhou Xubai answers the call.

Significant themes

• Merit and proof: Lingdang’s place in the sect is tied to demonstrated ability, and Chen Xuan challenges others to support their claims with action.
• Pride and public reputation: The challengers’ wounded status drives the event, while Chen Xuan exploits the spectacle to promote his sect.
• Perseverance and learning: Lingdang’s improvement comes from adapting her technique and continuing to try.
• Authority and unconventional leadership: Chen Xuan personally handles recruitment and bends the entrance test to his own judgment, reversing ordinary sect expectations.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Xuan opens the sect tournament with rules modeled on Immortal Alliance duels: no outside items, lethal strikes, or bladed weapons; surrender, unconsciousness, or leaving the arena means defeat.
• Lingdang faces Zhou Xubai, a talisman specialist from Jinglan Sect. He defends with artifact talismans while preparing a formation that would strengthen him and weaken her.
• Lingdang disrupts his concentration by calling out attack directions in rhythm, sometimes truthfully and sometimes misleadingly. When Zhou hesitates, she lands a series of blows, knocking him down and winning.
• Yan Mingye of Heaven-Burning Hall challenges her next. He fills the arena with drifting clouds of fire, seemingly leaving her no safe route.
• Lingdang locates him through the gap beneath the flames and throws her peachwood sword. It strikes his forehead and knocks him unconscious, ending the spell and giving her a second consecutive victory.

Character developments and interactions

• Lingdang proves herself quick-thinking as well as skilled: she adapts her swordsmanship to exploit Zhou’s divided attention, then chooses a decisive ranged attack rather than retreating from Yan’s flames.
• Zhou Xubai is disciplined and capable, but trying to maintain both his defense and formation leaves him vulnerable to Lingdang’s psychological misdirection.
• Yan Mingye relies on a dramatic, powerful fire technique and underestimates Lingdang’s willingness to attack through the danger.
• Chen Xuan acts as organizer and host, while Liu Shuyue interprets Zhou’s formation and explains the difficulty of coordinating speech and movement. A Jiu, A Hua, and Xue Xiaojin discuss and learn from the fights.
• The spectators initially expect the newcomers’ sect to be embarrassed, but become caught up in the contests and cheer Lingdang’s win.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity over raw power: Lingdang wins by reading situations and exploiting openings, not by overpowering her opponents.
• Attention and perception in combat: Shouts can disrupt an opponent’s timing, while observation of even a small gap can reveal a path to victory.
• Discipline and divided focus: Zhou’s attempt to manage two techniques at once creates the opening Lingdang needs.
• Sparring as learning: The tournament’s safety rules and the spectators’ discussions frame combat as a way to test skill and learn, rather than fight to the death.

Chapter Summary: “A Sect’s Heaven’s Pride”

Key plot points and events

• Lingdang defeats two more challengers, extending her winning streak to four. Her economical style—relying on swordsmanship, reflexes, and tactics rather than spells—helps her conserve spiritual energy.
• The growing crowd shifts from mocking Chen Xuan’s new sect to wondering where it came from and whether Lingdang can win ten matches. Chen Xuan realizes the event might have commercial potential as a regular fighting arena.
• A Jiu spots the plainclothed man who had previously searched for the siblings using their portraits. Chen Xuan tells A Jiu to alert the deputy sect master and follow the man, while he stays to oversee the challenge.
• Mo Shuyun, a Heaven’s Pride disciple from Heavenly Evolution Tower, publicly challenges Lingdang. He presents the match as a defense of the Heaven’s Pride title and proposes that Lingdang need only land one sword strike to win.
• Chen Xuan accepts, but establishes that a fighter loses only by conceding, being knocked unconscious, or leaving the arena. Mo enters the ring and begins avoiding Lingdang’s attacks, demonstrating footwork comparable to hers.
• After Mo disrupts Lingdang’s movement with an unexplained technique and kicks her out of the ring, she abruptly reverses direction in midair and returns. Chen Xuan realizes she used a hidden chain spell to pull herself back into the arena.

Character developments

• Chen Xuan shows increasing confidence as sect leader. He recognizes the crowd’s changing opinion, considers turning the matches into a business, and sees through Mo’s self-promotional challenge. He also remains alert to the danger facing A Jiu and A Ling.
• Lingdang continues to demonstrate exceptional stamina, tactical discipline, and combat skill. Though forced into a dangerous position, she reveals that she has a spell in reserve and can use it creatively under pressure.
• A Jiu remains shaken by the pursuit of the siblings but manages to identify the man who had sought them out, giving the sect a chance to investigate.
• Mo Shuyun appears polished and confident, but his challenge is also a calculated bid for reputation: either victory or Chen Xuan’s refusal could benefit him. In combat, he relies on evasive movement and a technique that throws off Lingdang’s step.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public perception: The crowd’s view of the sect changes as Lingdang’s victories accumulate, while Mo uses a public speech to shape opinion in his favor.
• Ambition and performance: Mo frames his challenge as principle, but Chen Xuan recognizes its strategic value. The spectacle is both a fight and a contest over status.
• Resourcefulness and restraint: Lingdang conserves energy by limiting her use of spells, then reveals a carefully timed technique when needed.
• Opportunity in spectacle: Chen Xuan sees that public enthusiasm could support a commercial arena, turning martial competition into a lasting enterprise.

Character interactions

• Chen Xuan reassures the frightened A Jiu and directs him to work with the deputy sect master to follow the portrait-seeking man.
• Mo addresses the crowd before speaking to Chen Xuan, provoking arguments between supporters of the two fighters.
• Chen Xuan accepts Mo’s challenge under rules that prevent a simple ring-out from ending the match unless the fighter actually leaves the arena.
• Lingdang greets Mo respectfully, but he dismisses her courtesy and invites her to attack. Their exchanges become a contest of her aggressive swordplay against his evasive footwork.

Key plot points and events

• During their duel, Mo Shuyun repeatedly uses an unseen sound-based attack to make Lingdang dizzy and unsteady, then punches her in the stomach.
• Lingdang refuses to give up and reveals she has secretly planted talismans around the arena. Her Thousand Mechanisms Lock the Moon formation summons chains that bind Mo Shuyun and restrain his fan hand.
• Mo Shuyun’s fan proves to be a disguise rather than the source of his power. He unleashes a devastating roar that injures Lingdang and leaves her apparently defeated.
• Chen Xuan points out that the match is not over while Lingdang remains conscious and the chains still hold Mo Shuyun. Lingdang struggles back up despite her injuries.
• Mo Shuyun roars again, but Lingdang uses the chains to propel herself forward like a projectile, driving her wooden sword into his chest. Both fighters fall, leaving the outcome unresolved.

Character developments

• Lingdang demonstrates remarkable preparation, tactical ingenuity, and resolve. Even when badly injured and unable to fight normally, she adapts by turning her bound body into the weapon her formation can deliver.
• Mo Shuyun is revealed to be a formidable sound-based fighter. His polished, elegant image gives way to a savage appearance when he unleashes his full power; his confidence also falters when Lingdang keeps advancing.
• Chen Xuan observes the fight closely, identifies the nature of Mo Shuyun’s attacks, and clarifies the rules that give Lingdang a chance to continue.

Significant themes

• Resolve versus physical limits: Lingdang’s determination lets her keep fighting through injuries that should have ended the match.
• Preparation and adaptability: Her hidden talismans and improvised final attack show that victory depends on planning as well as strength.
• Appearances versus reality: Mo Shuyun’s fan and refined demeanor conceal the true source and frightening nature of his power.
• The cost of competition: The duel escalates from a match into a dangerous confrontation, raising questions about how far fighters should go.

Character interactions

• Mo Shuyun taunts Lingdang and urges her to concede, while she answers his attacks with persistence rather than surrender.
• The spectators move from confusion to shock as they witness the invisible sound attacks, Mo Shuyun’s transformed appearance, and Lingdang’s refusal to fall.
• Chen Xuan interprets the fight for the audience and challenges Mo Shuyun’s claim of victory, helping keep the match alive.

Plot points and events

• Grand Historian Hong Li tells Governor Xu Yuanqing that his daughter, Xu Xuanling—competing under the name Lingdang—is fighting in an arena to earn admission to Chen Xuan’s newly founded sect. She has already failed its entrance assessment twice and must defeat ten opponents.
• Alarmed by reports that Xuanling was badly injured in her fifth match against Mo Shuyun, a powerful disciple of the Heavenly Evolution Tower, Xu Yuanqing rushes to the sect’s estate.
• He finds Xuanling alive and apparently unharmed, with her spiritual energy notably stronger than before. She admits she was injured but says she has recovered and that Chen Xuan has agreed to accept her.
• Xu Yuanqing confronts Chen Xuan. Chen confirms he only recently learned Xuanling’s identity and explains that her injuries—including internal bleeding and a concussion—were serious-sounding but treatable. Xu Yuanqing is left wondering how the sect healed her so quickly.

Character developments

• Xu Yuanqing shifts from concern to anger as he fears his daughter has been exploited, then to astonishment when he sees her recovery and increased strength. His approval of her joining a sect remains, but he wants her protected.
• Xu Xuanling shows determination and independence, accepting repeated challenges to join the sect. Her sheepish manner suggests she knows she pushed herself too far, but she insists she is fine and has achieved her goal.
• Chen Xuan remains composed under Xu Yuanqing’s questioning. His unfamiliar medical knowledge and the sect’s apparent healing ability make him seem even more unusual and capable.
• Hong Li admits he suspected Xuanling’s plan but failed to intervene; his concern is partly genuine and partly rooted in fear of being blamed.

Character interactions

• Hong Li confesses his knowledge of Xuanling’s secret arena challenge to Xu Yuanqing, who acts immediately.
• Xu Yuanqing questions spectators about the match, then checks his daughter himself before confronting Chen Xuan.
• Chen Xuan explains what happened without hostility. Xu Yuanqing accepts that Chen did not knowingly endanger his daughter, but remains unsettled by the injuries and recovery.

Significant themes

• Independence and parental concern: Xuanling pursues her own path, while her father struggles to balance support with protecting her.
• Appearances versus reality: Rumors make Xuanling seem gravely harmed, yet she appears well and stronger; the arena’s outcome is more complicated than outsiders understand.
• Unfamiliar power and knowledge: Chen Xuan’s sect challenges conventional cultivation and medicine, hinting at abilities that exceed established institutions.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuanqing examines the pills Chen Xuan used to treat Lingdang and is astonished by their quality and speed. Realizing the Immortal Alliance lacks comparable medicine, he sees their potential to help cultivators recover from injuries.
• Chen Xuan offers to provide pills in exchange for medicinal herbs from across the Alliance. Xu Yuanqing agrees to arrange a supply, establishing a mutually beneficial trade.
• Chen explains that Xu Xuanling’s surge in spiritual energy came from the intense battle, not a pill. He also reports treating Mo Shuyun’s broken rib and the spectators injured by the match’s aftermath.
• Xu Yuanqing praises Chen’s handling of the incident and leaves his daughter in Chen’s care. Xu Xuanling becomes an official sect disciple, assigned Class One, Number Eight, and is told she will live and train with the others.
• Chen explains that his role is to design training plans and guide disciples toward paths suited to their abilities. Xu Xuanling’s abilities—“Last Rally” and “Pain Tolerance”—suggest she can endure extreme pain and grow stronger near death.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuanqing shifts from concern and suspicion about his daughter’s dangerous match to admiration and trust in Chen, especially after seeing the medical pills and Chen’s responsible treatment of everyone injured.
• Chen Xuan demonstrates practical judgment and business sense, turning his sect’s medicinal advantage into a trade opportunity. He also shows a hands-off but strategic approach to leadership.
• Xu Xuanling accepts her place in the sect and learns that Chen will guide rather than personally teach her. Her unusual abilities hint at a training path built around surviving hardship.
• Xu Yuanqing and Chen interact candidly and respectfully, while the Grand Historian, Hong Li, is left bewildered by the governor’s sudden change in attitude.

Significant themes

• Trust and fair exchange: Xu Yuanqing stresses that the Alliance should benefit all sects rather than seize useful inventions.
• Responsibility and reputation: Chen treats the injured spectators and opponents, protecting his sect’s standing while accepting accountability.
• Individualized cultivation: Progress depends not only on pills or conventional training, but on a person’s unique abilities and experiences.
• Pain and resilience: Xu Xuanling’s talents frame suffering as a potential source of strength—though one that can become dangerous if pushed too far.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Xuan tells Xu Xuanling to rest for the day, then move into the estate and continue training with the disciples. She readily agrees, encouraged by her rapid improvement and energized by the arena crowds.
• Liu Shuyue and A Jiu track down Tubo, a servant of the Zhang Family. They learn the Zhangs found the Wei family’s home burned and, unable to find the missing children, have been searching for them.
• Chen Xuan suspects the Zhangs’ relationship with the Wei family is more complicated than ordinary neighborly kindness. The Zhangs regularly brought the Weis food, and the families shared an unexplained debt of gratitude.
• A Jiu asks to return home. Chen Xuan agrees, but insists that the siblings stay with him and Liu Shuyue, observe from a distance, and avoid the graves. They leave immediately for Feng County to visit the Zhangs before anyone can warn them.
• In the capital of Great Qi, the king addresses his officials after Liu Shuyue’s victory at Jiufeng City. He claims he has found a replacement for her and introduces Jiang Ning as the kingdom’s new Immortal Master.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Xuanling grows more confident in her fighting and enjoys the intensity and public approval of arena combat.
• Chen Xuan keeps his ability to inspect others secret, shows concern for the Wei siblings, and investigates the Zhang Family’s motives. He balances their wish to go home with precautions to protect them.
• A Jiu and A Hua show restraint and awareness of the danger of revealing themselves. Their gratitude toward Chen Xuan is clear, while their memories suggest the Zhangs cared for their family.
• Liu Shuyue handles the Tubo investigation cautiously, following him before confronting him rather than assuming guilt.
• The King of Qi presents himself as newly confident and frames the realm’s troubles as proof that it needs a strong Immortal Master. Jiang Ning’s arrival signals a major change in the kingdom’s political and military balance.

Significant themes

• Trust and hidden loyalties: The Zhangs’ repeated kindness hints at a deeper bond with the Wei family, while Tubo’s role remains worth investigating.
• Protection and caution: The siblings’ desire for closure is weighed against the risks of returning to their home and graves.
• Power and political legitimacy: The King of Qi uses the crisis—and Liu Shuyue’s rebellion—to justify installing a new Immortal Master and strengthen his rule.
• Public acclaim and personal growth: Xu Xuanling’s arena success shows how challenge and recognition can accelerate confidence as well as ability.

Plot points

• The King of Qi defends his appointment of Jiang Ning as immortal master, arguing that the kingdom’s immediate survival matters more than the Lotus Cloud Sect’s agreement. Jiang promises to give up the position if the sect sends a replacement or Liu Shuyue surrenders.
• Jiang claims Liu used dragon blood to awaken qi-sensing in refugees and build a disciplined force of cultivators loyal to her. He then reveals his own method: Primordial Essence Pills, made with demon essence, can let ordinary people sense qi.
• The pills have limits: recipients may never master advanced cultivation and will remain comparable to rogue cultivators. Still, the King sees their potential for creating a large, loyal army and promises Jiang whatever resources he needs. Jiang can produce one batch of a hundred pills each week, provided they can obtain demons.
• In the inner palace, the King’s deference reveals that he is under Jiang and Lan Qin’s influence. Lan Qin, a Lotus Cloud Sect disciple, asks whether their scheme succeeded.
• Jiang explains that they had planned to use Lan Qin’s influence over the kings of Luo and Qi to pressure Liu into returning to court and bring Qi’s immortal master under their control. Liu instead resisted and rebelled.
• Jiang and Lan Qin suspect Liu may have support from another senior sect member, but they cannot know whether such an ally would join them against the Lotus Cloud Sect. Jiang argues that their combined resources and pill-trained forces should defeat Liu’s smaller faction.

Character developments and interactions

• The King of Qi presents himself as a decisive protector of the realm, but his submissive behavior in private suggests he is being manipulated.
• Jiang Ning proves politically shrewd and ambitious, using claims of sect knowledge and a powerful cultivation method to secure the King’s backing. He remains confident that force will settle the conflict.
• Lan Qin shifts from seductive performance to candid discussion with Jiang, whom she calls her senior. She admits resentment and jealousy toward Liu and hints at wanting to dominate her personally.
• Liu Shuyue, though absent, emerges as a defiant and capable opponent: she has resisted political pressure, armed disaster victims with dragon blood, and may have rebelled to avoid a trap.
• The ministers and general initially question the appointment and its risks, but the promise of mass cultivation quickly outweighs their concerns.

Significant themes

• Power and loyalty: Cultivation techniques can turn ordinary subjects into armies, but their loyalty and reliability matter as much as their abilities.
• Political manipulation: Public claims of protecting Qi mask a private scheme to control Liu and consolidate power.
• Duty versus betrayal: Liu’s actions are framed as rebellion, yet her concern for civilians suggests she still follows the sect’s teachings.
• The sect’s lasting influence: Even those who feel betrayed struggle to escape the values and lessons impressed upon them by the Lotus Cloud Sect.

Chapter Summary: “Homecoming”

Key plot points and events

• Lin Qing flies Chen Xuan, Liu Shuyue, and the Wei siblings, A Jiu and A Hua, to a secluded area near the Zhang Family estate in Feng County. The children are awed by the helicopter, which they call an “immortal vessel”; Tubo is frightened by it.
• At the estate, the Zhang Family eagerly welcomes the siblings and confirms that they are safe. A Jiu and A Hua recognize their relatives and friends, then break down as they reveal that cultivators killed their parents and family.
• A Jiu explains that he fled with A Hua to Chang’an because his late master had warned him that Feng County was controlled by sect cultivators and that confronting them was dangerous.
• The Zhangs explain that remote villagers receive little protection from the Immortal Alliance. Many local families have moved closer to Chang’an, hoping to live within its walls, though the Zhangs remain in the mountains because hunting is their livelihood.
• Chen Xuan learns that the Zhang Family descends from the Feathered Forest Army, which was defeated when cultivators took power in Chang’an. The family’s martial traditions have survived for generations.
• The Zhangs’ bond with the Wei Family began sixty years earlier, when the We Is saved Zhang Shouyan’s grandfather in the mountains. The Zhangs continued to honor that debt by searching for the Wei children.
• After A Jiu asks to visit his family’s graves, Zhang Tie Gong agrees to take the siblings to them.

Character developments

• A Jiu and A Hua are reunited with people who care for them, but their grief over their parents’ deaths remains raw. A Jiu’s account also reveals his caution and responsibility in protecting his younger sister.
• Chen Xuan is struck by the Zhang Family’s history and by the precarious position of ordinary people under cultivator rule.
• Liu Shuyue openly condemns the killing of innocents, contrasting her moral outrage with the villagers’ resignation.
• Zhang Shouyan and the Zhang Family emerge as honorable, loyal people who preserve their ancestors’ values despite their defeat and isolation.

Significant themes

• The vulnerability of ordinary people: Remote communities receive little protection from powerful cultivators or the authorities meant to restrain them.
• Inherited loyalty and gratitude: The Zhangs honor a debt made generations earlier, showing how kindness can bind families across time.
• Displacement and belonging: Chang’an promises greater safety, but the Zhangs feel they cannot belong there or survive without their mountain livelihood.
• The legacy of political change: The Zhangs’ ancestry links them to the fall of secular rule and the rise of the cultivators’ power.

Character interactions

• The Zhang Family’s emotional reunion with A Jiu and A Hua shows their genuine concern for the children.
• Liu Shuyue challenges the group’s acceptance of violence against commoners; Zhang Tie Gong explains the limits of the Immortal Alliance’s reach.
• Chen Xuan questions the Zhangs about their origins, prompting Zhang Shouyan to explain their history and long friendship with the Wei Family.
• The siblings attempt to bow in gratitude, but the Zhangs stop them, emphasizing that their safety is reward enough.

Chapter Summary: A Thousand Miles Away

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan, A Jiu, and A Hua accompany the Zhang Family to the burial ground where the Wei Family’s remains were interred.
• A Jiu and A Hua discover that only twelve bodies were recovered, although thirteen members of the Wei Family—including their master, Ji—should have been present.
• The siblings realize that Master Ji’s body is missing. They suspect he may still be alive, possibly captured by the person responsible for destroying the Wei Family.
• Chen Xuan agrees to investigate but reminds them that strengthening themselves and preparing for revenge must remain their priority.
• Zhang Tie Gong explains the dangers surrounding rogue cultivators, who often compete with sect disciples for resources and may use questionable methods to survive. He also reveals that he had warned the Wei Family about taking Ji in, but the family chose to shelter him.
• The group spends the night with the Zhang Family before returning to Chen Xuan’s manor.
• Because the Myriad Mountain Great Wilderness must remain secret, Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue plan to use her room as a concealed meditation chamber. Its Spiritual Energy is exceptionally abundant—comparable to the strongest conditions at Kunlun Summit.
• A group of Cultivators arrives seeking information about the Demons ravaging France and the western lands. They are discouraged by the estimated one-year journey from Chang’an.
• Chen Xuan announces that his sect can develop a teleportation gate, allowing Cultivators to reach the Far Western Sea in only a few breaths.

Character Developments

• A Jiu and A Hua: Their grief over their family’s deaths deepens when they learn Master Ji is missing. Their loyalty to him remains firm, especially when they reject the accusation that he abandoned them. They reaffirm their determination to cultivate and avenge their family.
• Chen Xuan: Acts as both protector and mentor, allowing the siblings to mourn while guiding them toward disciplined cultivation. He also begins advancing his broader plans for the sect, including establishing a meditation chamber and creating long-distance transportation.
• Zhang Tie Gong: Shows compassion toward the siblings and regret over failing to prevent the Wei Family’s tragedy. His explanation of rogue cultivators adds context to the dangers Ji may have faced.
• Liu Shuyue: Demonstrates practical support for Chen Xuan by offering her room as a temporary cultivation site and helping him preserve the sect’s secrets.
• Master Ji: Though absent, his character becomes more significant. A Jiu and A Hua’s defense of him suggests he cared for them and may not have been responsible for abandoning the family.

Significant Themes

• Grief and remembrance: The graves and the siblings’ worship ceremony emphasize the importance of honoring the dead and preserving family bonds.
• Loyalty and trust: A Jiu and A Hua refuse to believe Master Ji betrayed them, contrasting their faith in him with the Zhang Family’s suspicion of rogue cultivators.
• Strength and revenge: Chen Xuan teaches that vengeance requires preparation; emotional determination alone is useless without sufficient power.
• Isolation and danger: Rogue cultivators exist outside established sects and face constant conflict over territory and resources, reflecting the risks of living beyond institutional protection.
• Distance and connection: The enormous distance between Chang’an and France creates a major strategic obstacle, which Chen Xuan hopes to overcome through teleportation technology.
• Building a sect: Chen Xuan is gradually transforming his organization from a private manor into a genuine cultivation sect with hidden resources, specialized facilities, and a role in protecting humanity.

Important Character Interactions

• A Jiu and A Hua mourn with the Zhang Family, then question Zhang Tie Gong about the missing body and Master Ji’s fate.
• The siblings passionately defend Master Ji when Elder Sister Zhang Yao suggests he abandoned them.
• Chen Xuan counsels the siblings to focus on cultivation rather than allowing uncertainty to disrupt their minds.
• Zhang Tie Gong shares his concerns about rogue cultivators and admits that his earlier warning to the Wei Family went unheeded.
• Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue collaborate on creating a secret meditation chamber at the manor.
• Chen Xuan meets visiting Cultivators and uses their concern about the western Demons to reveal his plan for a teleportation gate, potentially expanding the sect’s influence and humanity’s ability to resist the threat.

Plot points

• Chen Xuan proposes using the Ability Store’s VIP rooms as a teleportation network between the Central Plains and France. To protect the store’s secrets and limit its use, he invents restrictions: the system needs a costly anchor, can transport only people, and can operate only during favorable “celestial alignments.”
• He persuades Immortal Alliance Governor Xu Yuanqing to back the project. To ease major sects’ concerns about losing recruits, Chen suggests giving them extra places in the expedition while the Alliance organizes and commands the cultivators. Xu agrees and promises to arrange a diplomatic delegation if the array works.
• Chen visits Joan of Arc in Le Havre, where French forces are resisting an English invasion. Calais has fallen, and Normandy is expected to be attacked next.
• Chen tells Joan that the eastern delegation has made contact and that cultivator reinforcements may arrive, though details will take about two months. He asks her to register as a VIP customer as the first step toward making the connection work.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan shows strategic skill and quick improvisation, tailoring his explanations to reassure both Xu and Joan while keeping control of the teleportation system.
• Xu Yuanqing moves from amazement to practical concern, then readily supports Chen’s plan once its political advantages are clear.
• Joan of Arc remains resolute despite France’s precarious position. Her confidence in Chen leads her to accept his instructions without hesitation.
• Chen and Xu negotiate a plan that balances the interests of major and minor sects; Chen and Joan discuss the urgent military need for reinforcements.

Significant themes

• Technology and power: Instant travel could transform warfare, but Chen carefully limits access to prevent its misuse.
• Political compromise: Successful cooperation requires distributing benefits and addressing competing institutional interests.
• Faith and trust: Joan’s belief in Chen makes her willing to act on promises before the promised aid is finalized.
• Resistance under pressure: France’s forces continue fighting to buy time for the cities behind them, even as the invasion advances.

Plot points and events

• Chen Xuan has a specially designed building constructed beside the manor and registers it as a branch of his store. Though outsiders believe it is a teleportation array funded by several major groups, the “array” is actually the store’s elevator, disguised with a narrow passage and lighting effects.
• More than a hundred people gather for the trial: Governor Xu Yuanqing and Immortal Alliance delegates, cultivators from local sects, and twenty French delegates returning home.
• Chen Xuan leads the group through the branch store, limiting each trip to fifty people. Colored spotlights and lasers convince the cultivators they are witnessing profound truths about light.
• The elevator opens onto a corridor transformed into a star-filled passage. Chen Xuan calls it the “River of Time” and claims it can cross great distances quickly; he suggests time travel may be possible but says he has not mastered it.
• The group passes through a room styled as Joan of Arc’s chamber, then a crude building on France’s front line. They emerge onto Normandy Beach, confirming that they have reached the West.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan carefully stages the journey, blending practical concealment with confident explanations. He uses the cultivators’ awe of unfamiliar technology to strengthen his reputation while protecting the elevator’s true nature.
• Xu Yuanqing is curious and impressed, questioning the building’s design, the lights, the “River of Time,” and Chen Xuan’s knowledge. He accepts Chen Xuan’s evasive answer about its source as a matter of heavenly secrecy.
• The visiting cultivators respond with wonder and growing reverence. Some interpret the lighting effects as glimpses of deep Daoist truth, while the French delegation’s return is intended to support relations between France and the Immortal Alliance.

Significant themes

• Technology mistaken for the supernatural: Ordinary modern devices appear miraculous to people unfamiliar with them, allowing Chen Xuan to pass technology off as an ancient or heavenly art.
• Knowledge and power: Chen Xuan’s explanations, however improvised, shape how others understand the world and increase their respect for him.
• Appearance and reality: The teleportation array is a carefully staged illusion, while the journey itself is real.
• Cross-cultural connection: The transport operation links the Central Plains and France and may help build political ties between them.

Key events

• The French delegation and Immortal Alliance cultivators arrive near Le Havre through the teleportation array. The French are overwhelmed to be home, while Joan of Arc welcomes the visitors as commander of the French army.
• Before the two sides can finish their introductions, a warning horn sounds. More than twenty strange, barnacle-covered warships surge out of the sea and beach themselves, followed by enormous sea creatures and human-shaped, half-demon commanders.
• The cultivators are stunned to see demons fighting in an organized force. Xu Yuanqing explains that demons in the Central Plains are generally unintelligent and prey on one another, making this alliance—and the attackers’ numbers—unprecedented.
• Chen Xuan suspects that the sea’s different environment may support a demon society or organization, with intelligent leaders coordinating otherwise instinct-driven creatures. Xu suggests capturing higher-ranking demons to learn how the alliance works.
• Xu declares that the cultivators may kill any demon, regardless of sect or seniority. Eager for battle, they charge into the fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Joan of Arc is introduced as a woman who personally commands troops in armor. She formally greets Xu Yuanqing and Chen Xuan, then immediately rides off to respond to the alarm.
• Xu Yuanqing moves from amazement at the spectacle to grave concern, recognizing that the organized demon army could threaten the East. He also takes charge of the delegation’s response and encourages the cultivators to prove themselves.
• Chen Xuan records the historic meeting, then analyzes the demons’ behavior and proposes that the sea may have enabled their organization.
• The French and Eastern delegations share a moment of wonder and mutual introduction, though they rely on an interpreter. The cultivators’ curiosity quickly turns to eagerness once the enemy appears.

Significant themes

• First contact and cultural exchange: The meeting brings together French soldiers and Eastern cultivators from radically different worlds.
• The unknown nature of demons: The attackers challenge the assumption that demons are solitary, unintelligent beasts.
• Unity and coordination: Even creatures that may lack individual intelligence can be organized by capable leaders—a possibility with far-reaching consequences.
• Preparation through conflict: The cultivators view the battle as both a defense against a serious threat and a chance to test and strengthen themselves.

Key plot points and events

• The Immortal Alliance’s fewer than fifty cultivators join the battle and quickly destroy more than a hundred demons, helping hold the edge of the battlefield.
• Governor Xu Yuanqing celebrates the cultivators’ success, but reveals that he is especially pleased because Chen Xuan’s discovery of a demon-producing site may ease the Alliance’s fierce competition over Cave Heaven resources.
• Xu offers to recommend Chen for a future post in the governor’s office. Chen politely declines to show interest, since he sees little practical benefit for his sect.
• Chen asks how the Alliance treats cultivators who abandon their sects. Learning that sects commonly pursue deserters, he raises the case of two of his disciples, who once studied under a rogue cultivator.
• Xu is angered by the reported killing of the rogue cultivator and civilians in Feng County. He promises to investigate the magistrate’s records and pursue justice if the story is confirmed.
• The battle changes dramatically when armored sea demons emerge from British warships. These huge, cannon-equipped creatures fire volleys into the cultivators, killing two and gravely wounding several more.
• Xu rushes to intervene, and Chen joins him. Xu launches his wine gourd and formation talismans, invoking the technique “Drunken Wine Breaks the Army!”

Character developments

• Chen Xuan remains focused on his sect’s interests rather than pursuing official status. He also shows growing concern for his disciples’ past and uses his rapport with Xu to seek justice on their behalf.
• Xu Yuanqing reveals both pride in the Alliance’s role in protecting its territory and genuine commitment to fairness. His anger over the civilians’ deaths reinforces Chen’s belief that Xu is unlikely to have been involved.
• Chen and Xu move from a private discussion of politics and the past to a shared emergency, with Chen choosing to support Xu in battle.

Significant themes

• Resources and institutional conflict: The Alliance struggles to mediate disputes between sects, and new sources of resources could reduce competition.
• Justice and responsibility: Xu insists that abandoning a sect does not justify harming civilians, and promises to investigate.
• Technology reshaping warfare: Cannon-armed, armored demons turn a familiar battle into a devastating new kind of conflict, exposing the cultivators’ vulnerability.
• Action over status: Chen declines a promising official position because it would not serve his priorities.

Character interactions

• Xu praises Chen and offers him a government post; Chen declines tactfully and redirects the conversation to rogue cultivators.
• Chen tells Xu about his disciples’ former teacher and the alleged killings. Xu responds with indignation and offers concrete help.
• When the cannon attack threatens the cultivators, Xu and Chen abandon their conversation and charge into battle together.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuanqing’s Drunken Army-Breaking Array burns the demons that enter it while protecting allies and allowing the cultivators to replenish their spiritual energy from defeated enemies.
• As giant crab demons turn their cannons toward Xu Yuanqing, Chen Xuan takes to the air, uses Divine Eye Technique to identify vulnerable spots, and sends four thought-controlled energy swords to strike the demons beneath their armor. Their deaths trigger cannon blasts that damage nearby lesser demons.
• Meanwhile, Joan of Arc leads the French cavalry and witches through the enemy ranks. She later hands off her banner and destroys an armored demon—and the warship behind it—with a powerful sword strike.
• After more than two hours, the demons are routed. The French have over a hundred casualties, and six cultivators have died. Five cultivators choose to remain at the front as support; the others return to Chang’an.
• Chen Xuan asks Joan about witches skilled at finding people. She recommends Marlena, an experienced scout who has been studying immortal spells. Before parting, Chen scans Joan again and discovers that her ability is an S-rank, level-two Transcendent Spirit Sword Technique.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan demonstrates the precision and adaptability of his flying swords, impressing the cultivators and making Xu Yuanqing realize how difficult he would be to face. He also reflects on how sect training and personal breakthroughs shape cultivation.
• Xu Yuanqing proves the strength of his array and is astonished by Chen Xuan’s unprecedented sword control.
• Joan of Arc continues to inspire and lead her troops, showing both tactical judgment and extraordinary sword power. Her ability is far more advanced than Chen had assumed.
• The cultivators gain combat experience but also confront the real danger of frontline warfare; some are motivated to stay and help.
• Chen and Joan discuss the army’s need for scouting support, while Chen’s request to inspect her ability ends with the revelation of her exceptional talent.

Significant themes

• Individual talent and innovation: Sect training provides foundations, but personal insight and distinctive techniques create major differences between cultivators.
• War’s cost and opportunity: Victory brings spiritual growth and battlefield experience, but also heavy casualties and lasting risks.
• Cooperation across groups: Arrays, cultivators, witches, and French troops each contribute different strengths to the fight.

Key plot points and events

• News spreads that Chen Xuan’s teleportation array can send cultivators to France to fight demons. He posts rules requiring travelers to report to the Immortal Alliance Expeditionary Army and follow its orders. On the next opening, 120 cultivators depart.
• The Immortal Alliance, encouraged by Xu Yuanqing, begins promoting the Grand Expedition Plan to relieve resource competition among sects.
• Chen Xuan turns his attention to finding the people responsible for his young guest’s troubles. He asks Marlena about her training and her ability to locate people.
• Marlena has learned talisman-making from Immortal Master Liu. Her “high-grade” Invisibility Talismans are written in French, prompting Chen Xuan to reconsider whether talisman-making depends on intent rather than conventional script.
• Marlena explains that she can track people using her owl, Xinda, or a Ghost Hound—but cannot locate someone from a portrait alone. Divination and prophecy are, in her view, mostly fabricated claims.
• Grand Historian Hong Li reports that no recent fugitive record names Ji Yanshu, A Jiu’s master. Chen Xuan asks him to search older unresolved cases, especially those at least five years old. Hong Li agrees to prioritize the archive search.
• Hong Li also reminds Chen Xuan that the sect tournament begins in fifteen days. It includes a team event before the group stages, not merely individual duels.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan balances organizing the demon expedition with investigating A Jiu’s past. Marlena’s unusual talismans make him question his assumptions about cultivation techniques, while Hong Li’s records give him a practical lead.
• Marlena is becoming a capable disciple: she has talent in talisman arts and can use animal companions and tracking magic. Her earnestness contrasts with Chen Xuan’s more casual manner.
• Hong Li acts as a helpful, conscientious ally, explaining how fugitive records and the tournament are handled and agreeing to search older archives.
• A Jiu’s mystery remains unresolved. The lack of a recent record suggests Ji Yanshu may have used an alias, belonged to a smaller sect, or been a long-term fugitive.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and organized action: The expedition emphasizes following the Alliance’s command structure rather than fighting demons independently.
• Different forms of knowledge: Marlena’s French-script talismans challenge Chen Xuan’s assumption that spiritual techniques require established forms.
• The limits of investigation: Tracking magic requires a trail or scent, while a portrait cannot replace evidence; Chen Xuan must rely on patient archival research.
• Institutions and records: The Alliance’s archives and fugitive registers help connect personal mysteries to larger systems of sect governance.

Plot points and events

• Chang’an is filling with cultivators, their families, merchants, and visitors ahead of the sect tournament. The Immortal Alliance treats the event as a public festival, expecting increased tax and trade revenue.
• With eight days until the tournament, Grand Historian Hong Li reports that a five-years-old record matches A Jiu’s description of her missing master. The man is Ji An, whose sect-given name was Zhang Lingqu, and he belonged to the Clear Song Sect.
• The record says Ji An defected after rejecting his elders’ discipline and stealing money and a sword. Chen Xuan doubts this explains the situation, especially since Ji An apparently stayed near Chang’an for years.
• Chen Xuan wants to question the Clear Song Sect. Governor Xu Yuanqing advises against going alone and authorizes a formal joint investigation involving at least three sects: Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Sect; Heavenly Evolution Tower; and Ascension Terrace.
• Chen Xuan will lead the investigation, with Hong Li representing Ascension Terrace. Xu will contact Heavenly Evolution Tower and notify Chen once its representatives arrive.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan shifts from suspicion to action, determined to uncover what happened to Ji An and why his history may connect to A Jiu’s account. He is surprised by the authority given to him but accepts the responsibility.
• Hong Li demonstrates the value of his government connections by quickly locating Ji An’s records and helping arrange the investigation.
• Xu Yuanqing shows both concern for possible crimes against mountain villagers and trust in Chen Xuan, entrusting him with leadership despite the political responsibility involved.
• The chapter also explains cultivators’ attachment to sect-given Daoist names: these names mark formal entry into cultivation and can carry the weight of a family name.

Significant themes

• Public spectacle and profit: The tournament’s growing popularity turns it into a festival and a major source of revenue, potentially shaping how the competition is run.
• Identity and belonging: Sect names represent communal inheritance, while abandoning a sect can mean returning to one’s original name.
• Authority and justice: The Alliance cannot interfere with ordinary sect discipline, but a multi-sect inquiry can investigate alleged abuses while preventing a sect from obstructing the process.
• Trust and cooperation: Chen Xuan’s access to a legitimate investigation depends on relationships and cooperation across sects.

Plot points and events

• Liu Shuyue finalizes the ten-person tournament roster: A Jiu, A Hua, Xu Xuanling, and seven cultivators from Mala Village, led by Fu Jiaolu. Witch Marlena is reassigned to the investigation team.
• Chen Xuan checks the team’s training. Fu Jiaolu and Xu Xuanling have made solid progress, while A Jiu and A Hua have advanced at an astonishing rate, learning powerful techniques in just over a month. Their rapid growth raises concern that they may soon hit a cultivation ceiling and develop Heart Demons.
• Liu Shuyue takes the team to Chang’an to register and secure tournament lodging before the district closes. Chen Xuan will need to join them soon if he intends to attend the full event, though a hidden connection to VIP rooms may let him bypass the restrictions.
• Grand Historian Hong Li arrives with official approval for an investigation team. Heavenly Evolution Tower’s Mo Shuyun is among its members, along with Immortal Alliance officials who will document and verify the investigation.
• Chen Xuan, Hong Li, Mo Shuyun, the officials, and Marlena travel into Zhongnan Mountain to investigate Clear Song Sect. An owl scout reports a tower and someone waiting at its gate.
• They reach Clear Song Sect, a striking stone tower built into the mountainside beneath a split waterfall. A cultivator at the entrance greets them and asks their purpose.

Character developments and interactions

• A Jiu and A Hua confirm their exceptional talent, learning in weeks what took Liu Shuyue years. Their promise is tempered by the risk of an early bottleneck.
• Fu Jiaolu and Xu Xuanling demonstrate steady, impressive improvement through disciplined study and practice.
• Chen Xuan balances practical concerns—training, travel, and investigation—with suspicion about why Mo Shuyun was assigned to the team.
• Mo Shuyun initially seems like a possible saboteur because of his prior humiliation, but his constant chatter and willingness to follow orders make his motives unclear. He and Chen Xuan exchange pointed but civil remarks.
• Marlena contributes through her owl familiar, which scouts ahead and identifies someone at the sect entrance.
• Hong Li leads the official investigation party, though the mountain climb visibly tires him.

Significant themes

• Discipline versus shortcuts: the trainees reject unnaturally obtained Spiritual Energy and progress through study, meditation, and combat practice.
• Talent and its dangers: extraordinary ability brings promise but may also lead to premature limits and spiritual crises.
• Appearances and uncertainty: Mo Shuyun’s refined manner contrasts with his talkative personality, leaving Chen Xuan unsure of his intentions.
• Sect identity and status: Clear Song Sect’s inventive mountain stronghold contrasts with Chen Xuan’s comparatively plain manor, highlighting the importance of place and presentation in the cultivation world.

Key plot points

• Chen Xuan and the Immortal Alliance investigation team arrive at the Clear Song Sect seeking its absent sect master. Zhang Zhi, the lone disciple supposedly left to guard the mountain, says everyone else has gone to watch the sect tournament.
• Though Zhang Zhi resists letting them inside, Mo Shuyun asserts the Alliance’s authority and pressures him to admit them.
• The sect’s main hall looks deserted and poorly maintained. Chen notices excessive dust, cobwebs, moss, and damage inconsistent with the disciples’ having left only two days earlier.
• The investigators search the building. Marlena’s spirit hound detects something strange near a wall beside the meditation room; Chen spots mismatched bricks, and Mo Shuyun senses faint wind behind them, suggesting a sealed passage.
• Zhang Zhi returns with tea and reacts violently when they examine the wall. His earlier submissiveness gives way to threats, and Chen realizes his aura is changing.
• As Chen orders the others to protect themselves, Zhang Zhi’s back bulges and a second body begins emerging from him.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan remains observant and cautious, using his Heavenly Cloud Skill and Divine Eye Method to question Zhang Zhi’s story and uncover signs of concealment. He takes charge when danger becomes apparent.
• Mo Shuyun initially uses rank and forceful rhetoric to get the team inside, seeming eager to distinguish himself. He dismisses Chen’s suspicions at first, but becomes uneasy when the wall and Zhang Zhi’s behavior prove suspicious.
• Zhang Zhi shifts from stiff but polite gatekeeper to an openly hostile threat, revealing that his apparent ordinary identity—or body—may conceal something unnatural.
• Marlena discreetly deploys her spirit hound, whose unusual sensitivity helps locate the suspicious wall.
• Chen directs Mo Shuyun to protect the Grand Historian and tells Marlena to keep safe, prioritizing the team as the threat emerges.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: The sect’s empty, quiet exterior and Zhang Zhi’s polite manner conceal signs of a deeper danger.
• Vigilance and evidence: Chen trusts physical clues and supernatural perception over Zhang Zhi’s explanations.
• Authority and ego: Mo Shuyun’s insistence on rank contrasts with Chen’s focus on investigation and safety.
• Unnatural transformation: Zhang Zhi’s splitting body introduces a sudden supernatural threat and leaves the chapter on a cliffhanger.