Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng advised Xing Piaopiao to cultivate patiently and gave her a weapon and training regimen. After a month spent coordinating the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts’ reorganization, he went to the imperial palace to choose an unexpected bride for Lin Tianlang by drawing lots among the princesses.

• Chen Changsheng explained to Xing Piaopiao why wealthy cultivators were difficult to rob and urged her to improve her judgment and cultivate diligently.
• Xing Piaopiao asked about forging a new weapon, and Chen Changsheng gave her scrap iron and prescribed saber practice.
• Chen Changsheng spoke with Bai Ze, learned the bandit reorganization was slow and short on resources, and discussed their suspicion that the Limitless Celestial was in the capital.
• Chen Changsheng decided to find a way to make money, then told Xing Piaopiao they were going to the imperial palace to select a wife for Lin Tianlang.
• Chen Changsheng presented the princesses with a box of lots and announced that whoever drew the red lot would be chosen to marry.

Chen Changsheng rigged a lottery to choose a princess to marry Lin Tianlang, and Anle Princess drew the red lot. He revealed to Xing Piaopiao that he selected Anle because her refusal to marry Tianlang even after hearing his promising future suggested she was innocent and safe; Chen planned to fetch her the next day.

• Chen Changsheng told the princesses that the red lot would determine which one married Lin Tianlang and promised that Tianlang would reach the Immortal King Realm within a hundred years.
• Pingyang Princess drew first, and the other twelve princesses followed before Chen Changsheng brought out a jar of special solution.
• After the lots were dipped, Anle Princess’s lot turned red, and Chen Changsheng secured Emperor Song’s permission to take her to his residence before fetching her the next day.
• Outside the Imperial Palace, Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao that he had rigged the lots and chosen Anle Princess because she had not dipped hers in the solution.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the lots turned red when exposed to air, revealing that Anle Princess had refused the marriage despite Tianlang’s prospects.

Chen Changsheng explained why he had chosen Anle Princess for the marriage alliance, while Anle realized her sisters had been trying to dissuade her even as they competed for the same opportunity. After Anle arrived at Chen Changsheng’s camp, he set out the military rules and asked her to help raise supplies, and she offered eight hundred thousand Divine Source.

• Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao that he had chosen Anle because a simple-minded princess would be easier to manage, and Xing Piaopiao realized he had chosen her for similar reasons.
• At Anle Palace, Zhaoyang offered to marry Lin Tianlang in Anle’s place, but Anle refused and sent her away.
• Anle examined her red lot and began to suspect something was wrong because her sisters had repeatedly warned her against marrying Lin Tianlang despite competing for the chance themselves.
• Chen Changsheng received Anle with Xing Piaopiao and a maid, then had Anle change into men's clothes before taking her to the camp.
• Chen Changsheng explained that military rules applied to Anle and asked her to help raise supplies; Anle offered eight hundred thousand Divine Source.

Chen Changsheng arranged for Princess Anle to meet Lin Tianlang, sent him a mysterious cookbook, and gathered military funds despite political isolation. He then prepared to raise Anle and Xing Piaopiao’s cultivation, but Anle revealed she had an Innate Stone Body.

• Anle explained that she loved eating and had donated eight hundred thousand Divine Source to help Lin Tianlang, her betrothed.
• Chen Changsheng told Jiang Shan to record Anle’s contribution and give Lin Tianlang the Grand Compendium of Culinary Arts, then promised Anle she could spend time with Lin Tianlang before marrying him.
• Jiang Shan warned Lin Tianlang to guard the cookbook carefully, and Lin Tianlang felt its powerful Dao aura when he opened it.
• Xing Piaopiao complained that they had raised only a little over two million Divine Source, and Chen Changsheng explained that their allies were withholding support after his conflict with the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation.
• Chen Changsheng said he had deliberately publicized their shortage before seeking more funds and planned to improve Anle and Xing Piaopiao’s cultivation.
• Anle said she could not learn a cultivation method because she had an Innate Stone Body, which Chen Changsheng explained meant she could not comprehend the laws.

Chen Changsheng explained that Anle could rebuild her Stone Life Lamp by cultivating through the Bitter Sea System’s basic Zhou Tian Circulation, even though she would have to cripple her cultivation and start over. He also revealed that experts filtered the divine power from other methods through the same circulation, while Xing Piaopiao learned that her master lacked this technique and was weaker than prodigy Immortal Kings.

• Chen Changsheng explained the Bitter Sea System’s realms and asked Anle to reveal her life lamp.
• Xing Piaopiao identified Anle’s Stone Life Lamp as a poor grade, and Chen Changsheng said conventional cultivation could not take her far.
• Chen Changsheng proposed that Anle use the basic Zhou Tian Circulation to gather pure divine power and reshape her life lamp after starting over.
• Chen Changsheng criticized Xing Piaopiao for switching cultivation methods and explained that experts filtered other methods’ divine power through Sea of Bitterness Zhou Tian Circulation.
• Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao that her master did not know the technique and that prodigy Immortal Kings could defeat several ordinary Immortal Kings.

Chen Changsheng advised Xing Piaopiao and Anle on their cultivation, giving Anle a method to rebuild her Life Lamp Realm and telling Xing how to address her flawed foundation. After studying their cultivation arts, he concluded that Limitless Celestial had tampered with the world’s techniques to create a new Inner Core System.

• Chen Changsheng explained that heaven’s chosen gained an advantage by sharing cultivation insights, then told Xing Piaopiao she was not qualified to attend their Dao Debates.
• Chen Changsheng instructed Xing Piaopiao to purify the divine power in her body and study his Compendium of Constitutions.
• Chen Changsheng told Anle to scatter her cultivation and start over, then gave her a Jade Slip containing the Phoenix Art.
• Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao to master what she had already learned before he would teach her anything new, and asked her to copy out her cultivation arts.
• After comparing Xing Piaopiao’s and the imperial Princess’s cultivation arts, Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze that Limitless Celestial had tampered with them to create a new Inner Core System.

Chen Changsheng ordered Jiang Shan to crush the province’s bandits, then appeared before Emperor Song’s court after Jiang Shan’s bloody campaign. He exposed the Ministry of Revenue’s falling tax figures and revealed that he had sent a memorial about Jiang Shan’s actions, leaving the Minister of War under pressure to explain what happened to it.

• Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze to have Jiang Shan clear out a province’s bandits within half a year and reflected on his coming contest with the Inner Core System.
• Jiang Shan reorganized the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts, then swept through a province, killing thirty-eight officials and defeating eighty thousand local troops.
• After hiding away for half a year, Chen Changsheng appeared at court, where a censor accused him of disregarding court rules.
• Chen Changsheng admitted he had arrived late on purpose and accused the court of boasting about prosperity while tax revenue declined.
• Chen Changsheng challenged the Minister of Revenue’s explanation for falling tax receipts and warned that the Ministry’s accounts could be investigated.
• Chen Changsheng said he had reported Jiang Shan’s actions in a memorial a month earlier, and Emperor Song demanded an explanation from the Minister of War.

Chen Changsheng used a delayed memorial report to force Emperor Song to punish Shen Ting and the Ministry of War, then faced accusations from the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation over his unauthorized killings. The court turned toward judging Chen Changsheng’s own conduct.

• Emperor Song questioned the Ministry of War about its failure to deliver Chen Changsheng’s memorial report, and Chen Changsheng accepted its explanation while demanding a fitting punishment.
• Chen Changsheng argued that the Ministry of War’s officials should be transferred for their incompetence, and he silenced their objections by challenging whether the ministry belonged to Emperor Song or to them.
• Emperor Song asked Shen Ting whether others could manage the Ministry of War, and Shen Ting admitted that Great Song had other capable officials.
• Chen Changsheng argued that officials of every rank served Great Song and Emperor Song, and Emperor Song transferred Shen Ting to the Ministry of Rites.
• The Duke Who Pacifies the Nation challenged Chen Changsheng’s unauthorized killings and called for the court to address his conduct.

Chen Changsheng defended his handling of the officials' deaths before Emperor Song and challenged Duke Who Pacifies the Nation, who vowed to retaliate. At Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts, Jiang Shan explained why he had punished and handed over the men responsible, while Chen Changsheng prepared for Anle's Crown Prince brother to arrive.

• Chen Changsheng agreed that those responsible for killing officials should be punished and said Jiang Shan and he would face penalties under Great Song law.
• Emperor Song accepted Chen Changsheng's handling of the matter and dismissed court; Duke Who Pacifies the Nation accused Chen Changsheng of being politically seasoned, and Chen Changsheng warned he would target the duke's moneybag next.
• Chen Changsheng returned to Hundred Fruit Garden and told Xing Piaopiao to prepare for guests, then informed Anle that her Crown Prince brother was coming.
• At Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts, Jiang Shan's followers demanded an explanation for the arrests, while seven Immortal King experts threatened to kill anyone who stayed.
• Jiang Shan told the crowd that the men who killed thirty-eight officials had violated military regulations and that his army had to obey the court's laws.
• Jiang Shan argued that the former bandits now benefited from their new status and warned that future violations of military regulations would bring harsher punishment.

Jiang Shan calmed the bandits after they killed their former brothers, gave them the court’s reward, and told Hong Jing he planned to replace unreliable men over time. At Hundred Fruit Garden, Chen Changsheng negotiated with the Crown Prince for the Ministry of War’s position in exchange for mines and military supplies, offering a low-cost Qilin Communicator as leverage.

• Jiang Shan told the bandits that the officials they had killed might avoid execution through Sir’s intervention, then offered money to anyone who wanted to leave.
• Jiang Shan gave the bandits a Beast Hide Pouch containing the imperial court’s reward and warned them not to repeat their mistake.
• Jiang Shan told Hong Jing that he planned to replace the profit-seeking bandits within thirty years and praised Sir for protecting Lin Yuan and the other future legion leaders.
• Chen Changsheng received the Crown Prince, who asked him to help secure the Ministry of War’s position.
• Chen Changsheng demanded metal mines for forging magical treasures and large quantities of military supplies, then presented the Crown Prince with a Qilin Communicator and a Jade Slip explaining its functions.

Chen Changsheng pitched the Qilin Plan to the Crown Prince as a way to weaken Tie Yunpeng by eliminating bandit strongholds and destroying the Baitong Commerce Guild. After the Crown Prince agreed to consider it, Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao that the plan also reflected the Emperor’s intent to act against the Crown Prince and Grand Preceptor Pang.

• Chen Changsheng explained that the Qilin Plan would undermine Tie Yunpeng’s military power by cutting off the supplies and wealth that supported his troops.
• Chen Changsheng linked the Baitong Commerce Guild’s wealth to bandit strongholds and argued that eliminating the bandits would bring down the guild.
• Chen Changsheng offered the Crown Prince five percent of the plan’s profits and described how the remaining shares would be divided among the Emperor, officials, and himself.
• The Crown Prince said he would consider the plan and asked Chen Changsheng to deliver results regarding the Ministry of War.
• After the Crown Prince left, Xing Piaopiao questioned Chen Changsheng about the meeting, and he said the Emperor intended to move against the Crown Prince and Grand Preceptor Pang.

Chen Changsheng explained to Xing Piaopiao the political maneuvering behind the Crown Prince’s bid for the Ministry of War position and why the capital’s factions accepted his mediation. He left Xing Piaopiao with an explanation of his strategy and told her she would understand more with time.

• Chen Changsheng teased Xing Piaopiao about her lack of intelligence, and she asked him to teach her more skills so she could better assist him and the Great Grandmaster.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Crown Prince’s attempt to secure the Ministry of War position signaled preparations for a decisive confrontation with His Majesty, while Grand Preceptor Pang would receive the post as compensation for surrendering the Escort Guild.
• Xing Piaopiao questioned why Chen Changsheng had given the Crown Prince half the profits, and Chen Changsheng said money would encourage the Crown Prince’s ambitions while their relationship remained a fair exchange of benefits.
• Xing Piaopiao asked why Chen Changsheng had shifted the capital’s deadlock, and he explained that he served as an intermediary who could smoothly handle changes without provoking the factions before their decisive battle.
• Chen Changsheng told Xing Piaopiao that the factions wanted a capable intermediary and that she would gradually understand the situation better.

Chen Changsheng’s Qilin Plan transformed communication and commerce while he helped Emperor Song weaken Tie Yunpeng. When Prince Anyun rebelled, Chen Changsheng left the capital with Xing Piaopiao and Anle, then reunited with Lin Tianlang.

• Chen Changsheng proposed the Qilin Plan, and the court suppressed opposition as new formations and Qilin Communicators spread.
• Chen Changsheng used the Qilin Communicator to establish a delivery network that undermined major commerce guilds, while Jiang Shan cleared bandits from Great Song.
• After Prince Anyun captured ten cities, Chen Changsheng explained that he had expected Tie Yunpeng to rebel and planned to use the crisis to leave Capital City.
• Emperor Song recalled Tie Yunpeng to lead the army, while Chen Changsheng, Xing Piaopiao, and Anle secretly left the capital.
• Chen Changsheng reunited with Lin Tianlang, and Anle nervously recognized his voice as the one she had heard during their years of correspondence.

Chen Changsheng reviewed Shui Po Liang Shan’s preparations and announced that the group would soon face a real battle. At the gathering, he began briefing everyone on the Capital City’s response to Prince Anyun’s rebellion.

• Chen Changsheng learned that Shui Po Liang Shan had rebuilt the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts, improved the Signal Tower, and prepared supplies for about eighty thousand people at Upper B grade.
• Chen Changsheng asked Bai Ze to summon Jiang Shan and the others, then teased Anle about Yan Qing’s voice until she flew off and Lin Tianlang followed her.
• In the woods, Anle and Lin Tianlang reconciled; Anle asked whether he could keep her safe, and Lin Tianlang promised to protect her and cook for her for life.
• At the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, Chen Changsheng told the assembled group that Tie Yunpeng would lead the expedition against Prince Anyun’s rebellion and could join forces with the prince within about three months.

Jiang Shan and his advisers assessed the threat posed by Tie Yunpeng’s vast army and debated how to protect their forces. Jiang Shan ordered most of Liang Shan’s people to leave and develop elsewhere while he remained to defend it, and Lin Yuan prepared to lead the departing group.

• Chen Changsheng estimated that Tie Yunpeng could raise two million troops, including about eight hundred thousand elite soldiers, while the Song emperor had at most 1.5 million troops available.
• Lin Yuan urged the group to split its forces and expand, while Yan Qing argued they should stay together and strike Tie Yunpeng before he could consolidate his power.
• Jiang Shan decided to leave two-thirds of the force behind to hold Shui Po Liang Shan and send the rest away to develop elsewhere.
• Lin Yuan volunteered to stay, but Jiang Shan ordered him to leave and took responsibility for defending Liang Shan himself.
• Lin Yuan told Chen Changsheng he planned to push deeper into Tie Yunpeng’s territory with academy students, and Chen Changsheng advised him to bring experienced veterans.
• Lin Yuan asked who Chen Changsheng really was, but Chen Changsheng said he would reveal the answer when the time came and then left.

Jiang Shan discussed his evacuation plan for the academy students with Chen Changsheng, who questioned whether Jiang could face the Limitless Celestial. Jiang argued that the Limitless Celestial’s refusal to adopt the Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System had already put him at a disadvantage, and Chen Changsheng accepted that Jiang had a chance of winning.

• Jiang Shan assigned the 568 academy students and 145 veterans to three teams led by Lin Yuan and Yan Qing, Hong Jing and Lin Tianlang, and Xing Piaopiao and Lord Bai.
• Chen Changsheng questioned Jiang Shan’s trust in Lin Yuan and warned that Lord Bai might resent receiving so few people, while Jiang defended his assignments.
• Chen Changsheng asked Jiang Shan about his cultivation and explained that the Limitless Celestial might have reached the tenth realm of the Golden Core System, comparable to an Emperor.
• Jiang Shan said he would face the Limitless Celestial with the support of countless Sages of the Bitter Sea System, arguing that the Limitless Celestial had already lost by refusing to switch systems.
• Chen Changsheng recognized that Jiang Shan had inherited Lu Mingyu’s distinctive understanding of the Bitter Sea System and agreed that Jiang had a chance of winning.

Chen Changsheng sent Jiang Shan to face Limitless Celestial, warning him that defeat would disgrace the Bitter Sea System, while Jiang Shan insisted he would win. Chen Changsheng explained to Bai Ze that he feared Limitless Celestial might revive the Golden Core System and undermine the Bitter Sea System’s plans.

• Chen Changsheng chose Jiang Shan to challenge Limitless Celestial, and Jiang Shan vowed to stake his life on victory for the Bitter Sea System.
• Chen Changsheng gave Jiang Shan a Jade Slip and promised to brew wine for him when he returned victorious.
• Bai Ze suggested sending Lu Mingyu or Chen Feng instead, but Chen Changsheng said doing so could expose his plans.
• Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze that the Golden Core System had great potential and could threaten the Bitter Sea System’s carefully arranged contest against the Forbidden Ground.
• Chen Changsheng recounted how changes to the Lower Realm’s rules and the rise of the Bitter Sea System had derailed Limitless Celestial’s ambitions.
• Chen Changsheng said the power of Wu Li, Zhang Bairen, Scholar, and Thirteen had convinced Limitless Celestial that the Golden Core System had been defeated.

Chen Changsheng explained why Limitless Celestial resented the Golden Core System’s fate and judged that Jiang Shan could defeat him despite the system’s failure. As Tie Yunpeng prepared a massive assault on the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts, Bai Ze led Xing Piaopiao on a questionable mission to dig up Tie Yunpeng’s ancestors’ graves for supplies.

• Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze that Limitless Celestial wanted the Golden Core System remembered, but believed Jiang Shan had a chance to win because of his cultivation and inherited techniques.
• Tie Yunpeng learned that his allies were delaying their commitment and ordered fifty thousand elite troops and two hundred thousand soldiers to capture the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts within a month.
• Tie Yunpeng warned his general not to underestimate Jiang Shan, who had managed the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts for eighteen years.
• As Tie Yunpeng’s army gathered, several groups quietly left Shui Po Liang Shan, including Xing Piaopiao and Bai Ze.
• Bai Ze ordered Xing Piaopiao to dig up Tie Yunpeng’s ancestors’ graves to obtain money and grain, and Xing Piaopiao objected.

Bai Ze led his force onward to excavate more tombs while Chen Changsheng met Emperor Song and exposed his identity as Lu Mingyu, the second-generation Undertaker. After Lu Mingyu sensed someone scheming against him, he deduced that Chen Changsheng was involved and celebrated by declaring he would invite the world to a feast a thousand years later.

• Bai Ze corrected Xing Piaopiao's attitude, warned her about military law, and led his eighty-four people onward to excavate tombs.
• Chen Changsheng's clone confronted Emperor Song, who recognized him as the Undertaker and identified him as Lu Mingyu, Chen Changsheng's last disciple.
• Emperor Song told Lu Mingyu that Grand Preceptor Pang and Tie Yunpeng likely held clues to the rebellion and the person Lu Mingyu sought.
• Chen Changsheng intercepted people trying to leave the Greenwood Epoch, gathered intelligence, and noted that he had yet to find Limitless Celestial's hiding place.
• Lu Mingyu's attempt to deduce who was scheming against him failed, leading him to realize Chen Changsheng was responsible.
• Lu Mingyu embraced Guan Ping and announced he would host a feast in a thousand years, leaving Guan Ping confused because she was not pregnant.

White-Faced Scholar confronted Jiang Shan about the plan to defend Shui Po Liang Shan against Tie Yunpeng’s army and learned that Jiang Shan expected the fort’s corrupt fighters to die in battle. Jiang Shan secretly arranged for a few people to be moved to the rear, including White-Faced Scholar, and Chen Changsheng revealed that the Grand Formation only slowed his creation of Paper figure avatars.

• White-Faced Scholar reported that Tie Yunpeng had mobilized over two hundred thousand men and asked Jiang Shan whether he meant for the defenders to die.
• Jiang Shan explained that he considered the Nine Caves and Eighteen Forts’ fighters beyond reform and handed White-Faced Scholar a list of people to move toward the rear.
• White-Faced Scholar saw that his own name was not on the list, but Jiang Shan called him back and told him to avoid the front lines.
• Jiang Shan urged White-Faced Scholar to live so they could pursue their shared goals, and White-Faced Scholar promised to survive.
• Jiang Shan asked Chen Changsheng how many Paper figure avatars he could create while maintaining the Four Extremities Grand Array, and Chen Changsheng said he could make them without limit, though more slowly.