Recaps

Ling Yunpo tested Qingping Sword’s Water Element Daoist Magic and considered how to use its fog in combat. After he waited for Senior Sister An on Green Snail Peak, Lou Zhizheng arrived and warned him that he was in deep trouble.

• Ling Yunpo questioned Qingping Sword about her rank, attribute, and Daoist Magic, and threatened to return her to the Sword Pool when she resisted.
• Qingping Sword taught Ling Yunpo Green Mist Shrouding the Blue Peaks, which filled the clearing with fog that blocked senses and slowed movement.
• Ling Yunpo tested the fog, discovered he could sense through it by connecting his aura to Qingping Sword, and began planning ways to exploit it in fights.
• Ling Yunpo dispelled the fog and waited beneath a tree for Senior Sister An to return.
• Lou Zhizheng arrived on Green Snail Peak, asked whether Senior Sister An was there, and told Ling Yunpo that he was in deep trouble.

Lou Zhizheng tried to recruit Ling Yunpo to Purple Cloud Peak by revealing that Su Jian had entered a life-or-death retreat, but Ling Yunpo refused to abandon Green Snail Peak. Lou Zhizheng left after issuing a formal sword-duel challenge, and An Zhisu retrieved the challenge talisman.

• Lou Zhizheng told Ling Yunpo that Su Jian had returned gravely wounded and entered a life-or-death retreat, leaving Green Snail Peak without a master to guide its disciples.
• Lou Zhizheng urged Ling Yunpo to join Purple Cloud Peak, promising that his master could guide Ling Yunpo's cultivation.
• Ling Yunpo refused to leave Green Snail Peak, declaring that he would remain loyal to Su Jian and support An Zhisu.
• An Zhisu revealed that she had heard their conversation and asked Ling Yunpo whether he would stay despite the difficulties; he reaffirmed his commitment to Green Snail Peak.
• Lou Zhizheng angrily departed after tossing down a sword talisman, and An Zhisu caught it and discovered that the Disciplinary Hall had approved his challenge to Ling Yunpo to a sword duel.

Ling Yunpo learned how Su Jian’s old grudges had worsened Green Snail Peak’s position and discovered that Purple Cloud Peak wanted his flying sword. Though An Zhisu warned that Lou Zhizheng could use a secret technique to reach a higher stage, Ling Yunpo accepted the challenge and asked her to teach him more swordsmanship.

• An Zhisu told Ling Yunpo how Su Jian’s duels and the resentment they caused had left Green Snail Peak isolated.
• An Zhisu suspected Purple Cloud Peak wanted Ling Yunpo’s flying sword and offered to pay the fine to reject Lou Zhizheng’s challenge.
• An Zhisu warned that Lou Zhizheng could use Purple Cloud Peak’s secret technique to temporarily reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage.
• Ling Yunpo insisted he would face the challenge, and asked An Zhisu to teach him more swordsmanship.
• The Kunlun Mirror briefly weakened Ling Yunpo’s unyielding persona, but An Zhisu still agreed to teach him everything she knew.

Ling Yunpo struggled to learn the Qisha Sword Art’s two-handed sword technique, while Qiu Changtian sought a way to face stronger opponents and received the Roaring Fate Wind Thunder method from the Ziwei Sect Master. After retrieving a Jade Pivot Thunder manual, Qiu Changtian learned that a lost Divine Firmament Thunder lineage might be traced to Yangzhou Kuaiji.

• Ling Yunpo repeatedly failed to circulate his qi along separate paths for the Qisha Sword Art’s two-handed Sword Control Technique, so An Zhisu decided to find him a teacher.
• Qiu Changtian asked the Ziwei Sect Master how to face a Marrow Cleansing Stage opponent without the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword, and the Sect Master passed on the Roaring Fate Wind Thunder method and gave him a Thunder Seed.
• The Ziwei Sect Master instructed Qiu Changtian to take a Thunder Seed pill every three days for nine days and study The Divine Firmament Jade Pivot Five-Thunder Exorcism Method.
• Qiu Changtian retrieved the Jade Pivot Thunder manual from Elder Xu, who warned him about the risks and difficulties of practicing Lightning Magic.
• Elder Xu told Qiu Changtian that the lost Divine Firmament Thunder lineage’s inheritor, Chonghe True Person, had last been recorded going to Yangzhou Kuaiji six hundred years earlier.

Kunlun disciples speculated that Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian were romantically involved, while Qiu Changtian tried to recruit his fellow disciples for an outing. Xu Yinglian agreed to go with him after he challenged her insight, and asked to see his Lightning Magic.

• Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai gossiped about Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian, while Guan Zhan dismissed the idea that Qiu Changtian could be caught in romantic entanglements.
• Jian Qingnan said she had noticed Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian playing the qin and xiao together, but denied knowing anything about their relationship.
• Qiu Changtian caught Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai gossiping and urged them and the other disciples to go out gaining experience with him, but they all found excuses to leave.
• The Kunlun Mirror pointed out that Qiu Changtian wanted to raise his Invincible Persona synchronization value, and Qiu Changtian said he also needed spirit stones for Senior Sister An in Shu Mountain.
• Qiu Changtian invited Xu Yinglian on the outing, challenged her insight when she called his invitation a provocation, and she agreed while asking to see his Lightning Magic.

Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian led Kunlun disciples into a hidden leyline, where they discovered an underground palace linked to the ancient Yin Ghost Dao and fought swarms of Corpse Spiders. The disciples marveled at the pair’s strength as they held off a massive attack from both sides.

• Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian met Duan Tianbao and the other Kunlun disciples at the concealed leyline entrance, and Qiu Changtian led them inside.
• Qiu Changtian guided the group through the dark passage, pausing to let the tired disciples rest before they continued deeper.
• The group found an underground palace, and Qiu Changtian recognized bone ash in its walls as a sign of the ancient Yin Ghost Dao.
• Qiu Changtian killed a Corpse Spider with Yuyan Sword, and he and the disciples fought their way through more than seventy spiders.
• A large swarm of Corpse Spiders attacked from the front and rear, and Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian each held off one side while the other disciples struggled to maintain their formation.

Qiu Changtian led the Kunlun disciples through an underground chamber, where they encountered Yin Ghost Dao cultivators and fled after clashing with them. Senior Brother Wen recognized Qiu Changtian as a Lightning Magic cultivator with unusual restraint and decided he could become a grave threat to the sect.

• The Kunlun disciples defeated the Corpse Spiders and continued through the underground passage, where they found an eerie chamber filled with coffins and bones.
• Qiu Changtian agreed to turn back, then spotted Yin Ghost Dao cultivators emerging from another cave and confronted their leader, Senior Brother Wen.
• Senior Brother Wen and the Yin Ghost Dao disciples attacked, and Qiu Changtian used Jade Pivot Thunder to collapse the passage and help the Kunlun group retreat.
• Qiu Changtian covered the group's escape, sealed passages behind them with thunder, and collected Corpse Spider corpses before they fled the cave on flying swords.
• Senior Brother Wen learned that Qiu Changtian wielded Lightning Magic and resolved to investigate and eliminate him before he became a threat to the Yin Ghost Dao.

After returning from the dangerous expedition, Qiu Changtian kept Jade Pivot Thunder secret and advised his junior disciples to prioritize cultivation while learning Daoist Magic for protection. Xu Yinglian asked him to teach her a magic so she could catch up with and eventually surpass him, leaving their rivalry newly charged with warmth.

• The Kunlun disciples praised Qiu Changtian for saving them, while Xu Yinglian stood apart and watched him silently.
• Qiu Changtian concluded that Jade Pivot Thunder was too powerful to control and decided to keep it as a secret trump card.
• When Yan Zhitui asked about his Daoist Magic, Qiu Changtian explained why cultivation and flying swords usually deserved priority, while also recommending magic for disciples who traveled beyond the sect.
• After the others left, Xu Yinglian asked to practice Daoist Magic so she could surpass Qiu Changtian's Lightning Magic.
• Xu Yinglian said she wanted to keep up with Qiu Changtian and then leave him behind; the Kunlun Mirror lifted its mental suggestion, and her anger softened into a faint flutter of warmth.

Qiu Changtian reviewed the progress of his three identities and loaded Luo Yan’s save to seek an opportunity at Penglai. Shi Liuli tested Luo Yan’s astonishing memory and comprehension, then decided to take him to meet her father so he could become Luo Yan’s master.

• Qiu Changtian weighed the advantages and dangers facing his three personas and planned to use Qingping Sword and Jade Pivot Thunder in Ling Yunpo’s coming duel.
• Qiu Changtian loaded Luo Yan’s save, returning him to the Yuqing Temple dormitory without anyone noticing his absence.
• Shi Liuli confronted Luo Yan about earning a perfect score on the entrance exam, and Luo Yan claimed he had read the Three Caverns section in one hour.
• Shi Liuli recited the Nine Tripod Divine Elixir Scripture and challenged Luo Yan to explain how to prepare the Returning Elixir.
• Luo Yan recited the preparation method from memory, astonishing Shi Liuli, who decided to take him to meet her father and ask him to accept Luo Yan as a disciple.

Luo Yan joined Elder Shi Ding’s lineage at the Heavenly Works Workshop and was welcomed by Shi Liuli and the other disciples. Shi Liuli showed him around and introduced the close-knit workshop, where he received several valuable magic treasures.

• Elder Shi Ding questioned Luo Yan about his background, then invited him to join his lineage and learn artifact refining, which Luo Yan accepted.
• Shi Liuli took Luo Yan to meet the workshop’s senior disciples, while Elder Shi Ding watched them leave with a smile.
• Luo Yan met the drunken Eldest Senior Brother Linghu Chu, and Second Senior Sister Lei Caiyan gave him a Phoenix Tail Zither.
• Third Senior Sister Liang Ruohua gave Luo Yan a Fate-Connecting Mirror after Shi Liuli pleaded with her.
• Fourth Senior Brother Shi Wenshi gave Luo Yan a Hundred Treasures Bag, and Luo Yan appreciated the warmth among the workshop disciples.

Ling Yunpo returned to Shushan as An Zhisu arranged for Lin Duanshan to teach him dual-sword control. After Ling Yunpo learned a suitable energy route, Lin criticized his limited sword techniques and began demonstrating the Huashan Sword Technique.

• Ling Yunpo arrived at Green Snail Peak and overheard Lin Duanshan warning An Zhisu that Purple Cloud Peak had targeted him through Shi Ziming and might be setting a trap involving Lou Zhizheng.
• An Zhisu introduced Lin Duanshan, ranked third on the Immortal Sword Ranking, as Ling Yunpo’s dual-sword instructor, but Lin warned Ling Yunpo to abandon the duel if he lacked talent.
• Lin Duanshan guided Ling Yunpo through controlling Qingping and Shuangjiang swords using complementary energy routes, and Ling Yunpo quickly mastered the technique.
• Lin Duanshan scolded Ling Yunpo for knowing only Shushan sword techniques, prompting An Zhisu to defend him and order Lin to mind his own peak’s affairs.
• Lin Duanshan chose to demonstrate the Huashan Sword Technique against Ling Yunpo.

Ling Yunpo struggled to fight Lin Duanshan’s twin swords until the Qingping Sword coached him through the flaws in several sword styles. He turned the duel around with her guidance, but Lin Duanshan began using the Asura Path All-Kill Sword.

• Lin Duanshan attacked Ling Yunpo with the Kaiyue and Changbing Swords, leaving him too pressured to study the Huashan Sword Technique.
• An Zhisu warned Lin Duanshan not to insult Ling Yunpo, and the Qingping Sword explained how to exploit the Huashan style’s openings.
• Ling Yunpo used the Shuangjiang Sword to thrust at Lin Duanshan with “The Map Reveals the Dagger,” forcing him to recall the Kaiyue Sword to defend.
• The Qingping Sword identified the flaw in Lin Duanshan’s “Flowers Like Brocade” move, and Ling Yunpo struck the Kaiyue Sword into the ground with “Bear-Grizzly Mountain Splitter.”
• Lin Duanshan switched to the Wutai Mountain Hunyuan Sword Style, but Ling Yunpo drove both swords at him and forced him to defend.
• Lin Duanshan began using the Asura Path All-Kill Sword, and the Qingping Sword started explaining how to counter it.

Ling Yunpo defeated Lin Duanshan in a sword match by quickly learning and countering his sword arts, impressing An Zhisu with his talent. An Zhisu offered him her master’s Tenth-Order Immortal Sword, Thunderbolt, but warned that its spirit would only accept an immortal as its master.

• Ling Yunpo used Qingping Sword’s guidance to counter Lin Duanshan’s All-Kill Sword and East Sea Jade Coral Sword techniques.
• Ling Yunpo recognized the Orthodox Xuanmen Kunlun Swordsmanship and used Qingping and Shuangjiang to defeat Lin Duanshan.
• Lin Duanshan admitted defeat, praised Ling Yunpo’s talent, and warned that Lou Zhizheng would not hold back his cultivation in the next match.
• An Zhisu praised Ling Yunpo and offered him a Tenth-Order Immortal Sword left by their master.
• An Zhisu explained that Thunderbolt had a sword spirit that only recognized immortals as its master.

Ling Yunpo had Qingping Sword persuade Thunderstrike Sword to accept him, then claimed he had subdued the Tenth-Order Immortal Sword through virtue. He showed Thunderstrike Sword to An Zhisu and left her wondering how he had won its submission.

• An Zhisu found Thunderstrike Sword in the storeroom and gave it to Ling Yunpo, but it initially rejected him and insulted him.
• Ling Yunpo asked Qingping Sword and the Kunlun Mirror how to make Thunderstrike Sword obey, and Qingping Sword offered to persuade it.
• After Ling Yunpo left the room, Qingping Sword unleashed a terrifying aura at Thunderstrike Sword.
• When Ling Yunpo returned, Thunderstrike Sword had become obedient and called Qingping Sword its empress.
• Ling Yunpo ordered Thunderstrike Sword to speak in a little girl's voice, then brought it to An Zhisu and said he had subdued it through virtue.

Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu arrived at Golden Hall Peak for Ling Yunpo’s duel against Lou Zhizheng, whose forced breakthrough to the Marrow Cleansing Stage drew the crowd’s condemnation. As the hostile spectators jeered at both duelists, An Zhisu answered a heckler with a threat to challenge his injured Senior Brother Jin, leaving the frightened disciple to warn Jin, who fled Shushan.

• Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu reached Golden Hall Peak, where Lou Zhizheng revealed that he had forced a breakthrough to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.
• The spectators jeered at Lou Zhizheng for using a secret technique and then abused Ling Yunpo for belonging to Green Snail Peak.
• Ling Yunpo recalled that Su Jian and An Zhisu’s fearsome reputations had made Green Snail Peak deeply unpopular within Shushan.
• A Green Bamboo Peak disciple mocked An Zhisu about Ling Yunpo’s chances, and she told him she would visit his injured Senior Brother Jin for a duel.
• The frightened disciple hurried to warn Jin, who scolded him and fled Shushan to avoid An Zhisu.

Ling Yunpo fought Lou Zhizheng in a duel on Shu Mountain, using Qingping Sword’s restriction and lightning magic to overcome Lou’s traps and defenses. He left Lou dead on the dueling ground as the fog cleared.

• The overseeing elder began the duel while secretly hoping Ling Yunpo would be badly injured or killed.
• Lou Zhizheng attacked Ling Yunpo with talismans and trapped him in a Quicksand Net.
• Ling Yunpo activated Qingping Sword’s Green Mist Shrouding the Blue Peaks restriction, filling the arena with fog and weakening non-Water-element spells.
• Lou Zhizheng raised a Golden Light Shield, but Ling Yunpo circled behind him and pierced the shield with Jade Pivot Divine Thunder.
• The fog dispersed to reveal Lou Zhizheng dead, while Ling Yunpo retrieved his immaculate Thunderstrike Sword.

Ling Yunpo won the match against Lou Zhizheng, and An Zhisu vowed to protect him and Green Snail Peak’s Daoist lineage. Meanwhile, Luo Yan agreed to help Shi Liuli find the Li Palace, setting up their next adventure.

• The supervising elder declared Ling Yunpo the winner and ruled that no one would be held accountable because Lou Zhizheng had initiated the challenge.
• An Zhisu congratulated Ling Yunpo, returned with him to Green Snail Peak, and promised her master that she would protect him and preserve the peak’s Daoist lineage.
• Shi Liuli told Luo Yan that she had learned the Li Palace was about to open after pressing her fellow disciples for a shortcut to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.
• Luo Yan reasoned that the Li Palace was likely associated with the Li trigram and agreed to help Shi Liuli find it.

Luo Yan searched the Daozang Pavilion for information about the Imperial Palace, then used the Kunlun Mirror to ask Xu Changqing about it. Xu Changqing explained that the Imperial Palace Secret Realm could help Foundation Establishment disciples advance their cultivation, and said it might open soon.

• Luo Yan and Shi Liuli found only a cryptic reference to the Imperial Palace in the Daozang Pavilion and speculated about why their seniors would not discuss it.
• Luo Yan tricked Shi Liuli into letting him enter a quiet room, then loaded the Kunlun save and took on Qiu Changtian's identity.
• Qiu Changtian visited Xu Changqing and asked him about the Imperial Palace.
• Xu Changqing explained that the ancient Chan Sect built the Imperial Palace Secret Realm as a trial ground where Foundation Establishment disciples could gain treasures and advance by one cultivation realm.
• Xu Changqing said the sect expected the Imperial Palace to open soon and had kept its purpose quiet to prevent disciples from becoming lax; Qiu Changtian promised not to tell anyone, including Xu Yinglian.

Luo Yan explained why cultivators spent extra time in the Abode Transformation Stage, then crafted a Quicksand Net cauldron artifact. Shi Liuli returned with confirmation that the Li Palace existed and asked Luo Yan to uncover its trials and opening date, leaving him wondering whether her charm made people lose their wits.

• Luo Yan explained to Shi Liuli that a secret realm might let cultivators advance past earlier stages and spend longer refining their foundations for a better golden core.
• Shi Liuli accepted Luo Yan's theory and left to question Eldest Senior Brother, while Luo Yan returned to his cauldron-making assignment.
• Luo Yan completed a Quicksand Net cauldron artifact and considered making more for Qiu Changtian and Ling Yunpo.
• Shi Liuli returned and told Luo Yan that Eldest Senior Brother had confirmed the Li Palace existed, then asked him to investigate its trials and how to pass them.
• Shi Liuli asked when the Li Palace would open and pleaded for Luo Yan's help, prompting him to wonder whether her innocent charm made people less intelligent.

Qiu Changtian lectured his fellow disciples and learned that his reputation had earned him a crowd of admirers, who wanted to know whether he and Xu Yinglian were Dao Companions. He promised to reject them himself, while Xu Yinglian bristled at the thought of rivals and Qiu Changtian reaffirmed his commitment to her.

• Qiu Changtian gave his junior brothers and sisters a morning lecture and invited them to ask questions.
• Chen Zhen asked whether Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian were Dao Companions, and Xu Yinglian answered that they were only engaged.
• Jian Qingnan and Zhong Tianhuai told Qiu Changtian that his looks, status, strength, and public kindness had made him popular among Kunlun disciples.
• Yan Zhitui praised Qiu Changtian's words about fellow disciples helping one another, while Jian Qingnan explained that female disciples hoped to learn whether Xu Yinglian had claimed him.
• Qiu Changtian said he would reject his admirers himself, and Xu Yinglian insisted he should not send Jian Qingnan to speak for him.
• Qiu Changtian agreed to handle the matter and resolved not to pursue anyone else after agreeing to become Dao Companions with Xu Yinglian.

Qiu Changtian rescued Penglai disciples trapped in an ancient cave-heaven by identifying and dismantling the formations sustaining the vines. After the formation broke, the Kunlun Mirror recorded a synchronization increase.

• Qiu Changtian accepted a Deacon Hall assignment to rescue Penglai disciples trapped in the Qinling Mountains and flew there with Bilian.
• Qiu Changtian identified the vines as part of an Yi Wood Dragon Binding Formation and explained that an Abode Transformation Stage cultivator had set it up incompetently.
• Qiu Changtian destroyed the Gui Water Moistening Formation at a pool with Jade Pivot Divine Thunder.
• Qiu Changtian split open a disguised rock with Yuyan Sword and retrieved the cauldron hidden beneath it, breaking the Ji Earth Bearing Formation.
• Qiu Changtian told the trapped disciples to chop down a potted iron tree, causing the vines to wither and free them.
• Bilian admired Qiu Changtian, and the Kunlun Mirror recorded Invincible Persona, Synchronization +1.

Qiu Changtian introduced Bilian to Xu Yinglian, whose jealousy sharpened when Bilian flirted with him and Kunlun disciples crowded around him. As Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian left together, she warned him to guard his primordial yang so he would not slow his cultivation and lose to her.

• Bilian questioned Qiu Changtian about his cultivation and Dao Companion, then suggested she would welcome him in bed if he visited the Eastern Sea.
• Xu Yinglian met Bilian outside Kunlun's Deacon Hall and coldly invited her to join a swordsmanship practice, which Bilian declined.
• Bilian departed after trading hostile looks with Xu Yinglian, and Qiu Changtian began explaining how they had met.
• Kunlun disciples surrounded Qiu Changtian with greetings and teasing questions, while Xu Yinglian watched with murderous jealousy.
• Qiu Changtian teased Xu Yinglian about being jealous and admired, and she warned him that losing his primordial yang would slow his cultivation and let her beat him.

Ziwei Sect Master brought Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian to Penglai for a meeting between Kunlun and Yuqing Temple. At the welcoming banquet, Shi Liuli admired Qiu Changtian for rescuing Yuqing disciples, while Xu Yinglian bristled at Shi Liuli’s attention and traded barbed remarks with her.

• Ziwei Sect Master ordered Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian to accompany him to Penglai and meet Yuqing Temple’s elite disciples.
• The Kunlun delegation traveled by treasure ship to Penglai Island, where the Yuqing Temple master and elders welcomed them.
• At the banquet, Shi Liuli praised Qiu Changtian for breaking the Yi Wood Dragon Binding Formation and rescuing Yuqing disciples.
• Qiu Changtian modestly deflected Shi Liuli’s admiration and introduced Xu Yinglian to change the subject.
• Xu Yinglian called Shi Liuli Elder Shi Ding’s beloved daughter, and Shi Liuli recognized the remark as a slight.

After the banquet, Qiu Changtian played music with Xu Yinglian and then switched to Luo Yan to find out whether Shi Liuli had noticed his deception. As Luo Yan, he overheard Shi Liuli and the Yuqing Temple girls spreading outrageous stories about Qiu Changtian, and Shi Liuli insisted they were all true.

• Qiu Changtian avoided meeting Luo Yan and found Xu Yinglian playing the Phoenix Tail Zither beneath a winter plum.
• Xu Yinglian challenged Qiu Changtian about looking for Shi Liuli, but he eased her anger by criticizing Shi Liuli’s habit of making enemies.
• Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian performed a zither-and-flute duet before he returned to his room.
• Qiu Changtian used the Kunlun Mirror to load Luo Yan and check whether Shi Liuli had noticed anything amiss.
• Luo Yan overheard Shi Liuli and the girls praising Qiu Changtian with exaggerated tales of his exploits and the supposed value of his hair.
• After the girls questioned the rumors, Shi Liuli declared that they were all true.

Luo Yan listened as Shi Liuli and her fellow disciples admired a biography of Qiu Changtian, then reflected on his complicated feelings about being his own fan’s object of affection. After Shi Liuli invited him to join the Changtian Society, Luo Yan considered joining to keep the group from causing trouble.

• Shi Liuli showed the Yuqing Temple disciples a biography of Qiu Changtian, and Luo Yan listened outside as they praised him.
• Luo Yan decided that Shi Liuli’s admiration for Qiu Changtian was idol worship and that he had no romantic feelings for her.
• Luo Yan studied his assignments and waited for the Kunlun delegation to arrive at Yuqing Temple.
• After the welcoming banquet, Shi Liuli complained to Luo Yan about Xu Yinglian, and he agreed with her to earn synchronization points.
• Shi Liuli invited Luo Yan to join the Changtian Society, and he considered joining to prevent the group from causing trouble.