Chapter Summaries

The disguised Moon Demon and a wounded monk regrouped after escaping Liu Guan and discussed their sect’s competing directives and the danger of their plans being exposed. They found the ghost beast’s lair, where the monk destroyed a Chuanxiang Talisman, but the Moon Demon suddenly sensed the scent of a living person.

• The Moon Demon confirmed Liu Guan was no longer pursuing them and complained to the monk about his damaged puppet and their encounter with Madman Liu.
• The monk warned the Moon Demon against speaking the Divine Lords’ names and explained that Liu Guan’s fear of Madame Yellow Springs had unexpectedly helped them escape.
• The pair debated how the Nether Prison Cold Tide fulfilled the Bodhisattva’s decree while recognizing that its spectacle might not hold the world’s attention for long.
• The monk ordered them to remain inactive until they received new instructions, but warned they would need to deal with Liu Guan if he uncovered their secrets.
• The monk led the Moon Demon to the ghost beast’s true lair and erased the Chuanxiang Talisman; the Moon Demon then detected the scent of a living person.

The monk and the Moon Demon searched the ghost beast’s cave for the person who destroyed the monk’s avatar, finding that he had taken the Yinjie Tree roots and stems. When Liu Guan and pursuing fiends appeared, the pair fled, with the monk sacrificing his avatar to help the Moon Demon escape; elsewhere, Yu Ci spotted firelight through the cold mist.

• The monk destroyed the cave’s damaged illusion and entered with the Moon Demon, who found the cave had been thoroughly searched and its Yinjie Tree roots and stems taken.
• The monk ordered the Moon Demon to remember the unknown intruder’s scent and capture him alive if they met again, and they discussed the value of the stolen roots and stems and the possibility of Li Chen Sect involvement.
• The Moon Demon sensed danger, carried the monk away from Liu Guan and the pursuing fiends, and the monk told him to let go before transferring black Qi into the Moon Demon puppet and falling away.
• Yu Ci noticed firelight in the distance and assessed the dangerous concentration of fiends and other beings to the south.
• Yu Ci continued carrying the sealed fish-dragon in his pack and concluded that its earlier disturbance had been caused by the grappling hook.

Yu Ci struggled through the Sky Rift’s mass migration and rescued the badly injured Zhengyan from demons, suspecting the monk could provide vital clues about the upheaval. After treating him and weighing the risks, Yu Ci prepared to carry the unconscious monk onward with an object from his Storage Ring.

• A cold wave drove creatures upward through the Sky Rift, triggering bloody battles among raptors, beasts, and demons as Yu Ci fought his way through.
• Yu Ci recalled the strange Zheng De divine soul and the hook-rope, and resolved to reach the Li Chen Sect to report the crisis to Yu Zhou.
• Yu Ci spotted Zhengyan surrounded by demons and knocked him unconscious while saving him.
• Yu Ci examined Zhengyan’s injuries and fed him pills that suppressed the venomous fire qi damaging his organs.
• Yu Ci considered Zhengyan’s possible connection to the Sky Rift’s turmoil and retrieved a cloudlike object from his Storage Ring to aid their journey.

Yu Ci piloted the Ghost Gauze Cloud through the mist with the wounded Monk Zhengyan, fighting off pursuing beasts and avoiding aerial battlefields. He reached the top of the valley after witnessing Tu Du break free from demons, and prepared to deal with Zhengyan before leaving the Sky Rifts.

• Yu Ci placed Monk Zhengyan on Baoguang's Ghost Gauze Cloud and carefully flew toward the top of the Sky Rifts.
• Yu Ci cut down pursuing raptors and a flying demon, scattering their blood to draw other creatures away.
• Yu Ci spotted Tu Du fighting demons with the damaged Sun Soul Banner and watched him strike down a winged demon before fleeing into the mist.
• Yu Ci piloted the Ghost Gauze Cloud to the top of the valley and decided to leave the Sky Rifts.
• Yu Ci prepared to dispose of Monk Zhengyan before departing.

Yu Ci escaped the turmoil in Sky Rift Valley with the wounded Monk Zhengyan and returned to Zhixin Temple with Fish Dragon Grass and other supplies. Zhengyan awoke to find his master had claimed him for a crucial task, while Yu Ci handed in his harvest and received 197 Good Deeds.

• Yu Ci saw a vast shadow swallow part of the Zhaoshen Map and found signs that a winged creature and a banner-bearing figure had fallen from the cliff.
• The Xuan Yin Sect withdrew calmly as the turmoil spread, while the Bai Ri Mansion waited for Tu Du and Jingshui Altar struggled to decide whether to abandon camp.
• Monk Zhengyan awoke at Jingshui Altar, where his master healed his injuries and then knocked him unconscious for a crucial task.
• The Moon Demon and Zhengyan's master speculated about who had rescued Zhengyan, unaware that Yu Ci had already traveled far away.
• Yu Ci returned to Zhixin Temple, met Baoguang, and handed in his gathered goods for 197 Good Deeds, disappointing Baoguang.

After returning from the Sky Rift, Yu Ci reported a carefully limited account of the danger there and gave Yu Zhou the medicinal ingredients he had recovered. Yu Zhou accepted the Fish Dragon that could secure Yu Ci’s place as an outer disciple, then revealed its name and demonstrated a startling use of Sword Qi.

• Yu Ci returned the Ghost Gauze Cloud to Baoguang and transferred him one hundred Good Deeds as thanks for lending it.
• Yu Ci told Yu Zhou that demons had invaded beneath the Sky Rift, he had clashed with Bai Ri Mansion, and an abnormal cold tide had caused chaos.
• Yu Ci gave Yu Zhou the Ghost Appearance Flower and Yinjie Tree root, then asked whether the Fish Dragon would settle his entry as an outer disciple.
• Yu Zhou accepted the Fish Dragon and explained that its fine quality called for a better use than forging artifacts or refining medicine.
• Yu Zhou told Yu Ci that the Fish Dragon was also called the Dao Worm and used Sword Qi to sketch its form in the air.

Yu Zhou explained to Yu Ci that the path to longevity demanded practical effort and that the sect’s merit system offered one way for cultivators to exchange for what they needed. Yu Ci accepted Yu Zhou as his master and joined the Li Chen Sect as an outer disciple, while Yu Zhou left him to consider how cultivation and the pursuit of nourishment worked.

• Yu Zhou showed Yu Ci the Thousand Illusions Sword Qi and warned him not to mistake such marvels for the Great Dao.
• Yu Zhou recounted his three centuries of cultivation, explained how few seekers even received teachings, and told Yu Ci that success depended on effort and fortune.
• Yu Ci bowed to Yu Zhou as his master and accepted the chance to begin the path of longevity as an outer disciple.
• Yu Ci asked where he should seek longevity, and Yu Zhou pointed him toward the sect’s immortal elders and their proven methods.
• Yu Ci objected to harming others for longevity, and Yu Zhou used the Yin Talisman Scripture and the sect’s Good Deeds trade to explain that cultivators could obtain nourishment through exchanges rather than killing.

After Yu Ci argued with the old Daoist about the merciless choices demanded by the path of longevity, his drunken words about commanding all things made the old Daoist leave without resolving his place at Zhixin Temple. Ten days later, Yu Ci’s quiet reflection brought him to a new state of insight, which was interrupted by a sudden, intense stimulus.

• The old Daoist explained that cultivation required understanding what to take and discard, then sang about the hardships of longevity with Yu Ci.
• Yu Ci declared that he would make all things his possessions and command heaven and earth; the old Daoist praised the thought and left, while Baoguang witnessed the scene.
• During the following ten days at Zhixin Temple, Yu Ci waited without receiving the fish-dragon or becoming an outer-sect disciple, and he settled into a period of reflection.
• Yu Ci contemplated how his awareness connected with heaven and earth, forming an image of concentric circles in which a faint inner light absorbed principles from the world.
• A distinct and intense stimulus suddenly entered Yu Ci’s meditative state.

Yu Ci received a visit from Xu Song, a Wanling Sect informant, who brought news about Xiao Jiu and Tu Du. After reflecting on the unsettling news, Yu Ci studied his new divine soul sensing ability, but Baoguang arrived with an announcement.

• Yu Ci recognized Xu Song as a Wanling Sect informant, and Xu Song congratulated him on his impending entry into the Li Chen Sect.
• Xu Song told Yu Ci that Xiao Jiu had not recovered and might be sent south, while claiming the journey would protect her from lingering dangers in Juebi City.
• Xu Song reported that Tu Du had returned to Bai Ri Mansion and entered seclusion to recover, prompting Yu Ci to end the visit abruptly.
• Yu Ci activated the Zhaoshen Map and reconsidered the dark shadow and shattered Sun Soul Banner from the Sky Rift Valley.
• Yu Ci traced how he had sensed Xu Song from afar and concluded that his experience had been divine soul sensing.
• Baoguang pushed open Yu Ci's courtyard gate and greeted him with news of a stroke of good fortune.

Yu Ci attended Xie Liang’s lecture on talismanic arts and found a deeper structure in the master’s opening principles. The lecture left off with Yu Ci asking whether pure “reason” could be perceived through the soul.

• Baoguang told Yu Ci that Yu Zhou had invited him to attend Xie Liang’s talisman lecture, and Yu Ci agreed.
• Yu Ci arrived at Xiande Hall and recognized Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi among the disciples gathered to hear Xie Liang.
• Xie Liang dismissed those unfamiliar with talismanic arts, then presented three principles that helped Yu Ci reorganize his understanding of the talisman manual.
• Xie Liang spent much of the morning discussing the precepts and principles behind talismanic cultivation, while Yu Ci listened and reflected on the idea of pure reason.
• Yu Ci connected Xie Liang’s description of pure reason to his recent experience of communicating with heaven and earth, then asked whether the soul could perceive it.

Xie Liang taught the Qi Infusion Method by repeatedly layering talisman strokes, then demonstrated how he used it to build up a Five Thunder Talisman over decades. Yu Ci gained a renewed understanding of the talisman and realized the demonstration might be far more dangerous than it first appeared.

• Xie Liang rebuked Yu Ci for asking about the Great Dao, then taught the Qi Infusion Method by drawing the Calm Heart Incantation over itself thirty-three times.
• Xie Liang told the disciples that the method required practice, and Yu Ci inferred that success depended on learning a repeatable knack.
• Kuang Yanqi asked how talisman arts could handle sudden combat, and Xie Liang explained that cultivators could improve speed through their own efforts and external objects.
• Xie Liang drew a Five Thunder Talisman on a dark purple pearl, impressing Yu Ci with his mastery and giving him new insight into the talisman.
• Xie Liang revealed that he had infused the Five Thunder Talisman into the pearl layer by layer for fifty-seven years, prompting Yu Ci to move his cushion farther away.

Xie Liang taught the cultivators about talisman disks and their use in speeding up talisman crafting, prompting Yu Ci to recognize a damaged disk among his possessions. As he considered its connection to past events and Jingshui Altar’s possible plans, Xie Liang and Yu Zhou arrived at night to speak with him before Xie Liang’s departure.

• Xie Liang demonstrated a talisman disk and explained the Circulation Disk Operation Technique to the cultivators in Xinde Hall.
• Yu Ci recalled that he owned a talisman disk and examined it alongside his other possessions after the day's lessons.
• Yu Ci recognized his damaged, finely made Shooting-Star Disk as the one Hu Ke had used to hunt ghost beasts, and connected its history to Zheng De, Sky Rift Valley, and Jingshui Altar’s possible plans.
• Baoguang announced that Yu Zhou and Xie Liang had come to see Yu Ci, and Yu Ci welcomed them into his room.
• Yu Zhou explained that Xie Liang had matters to discuss with Yu Ci and was leaving the next day.

Xie Liang thanked Yu Ci for finding medicinal ingredients, then questioned his reasons for joining the Li Chen Sect and challenged Yu Zhou over Tongde Hall’s role in selecting disciples. Their argument left Yu Zhou visibly displeased, while Yu Ci listened and weighed Xie Liang’s criticism.

• Xie Liang thanked Yu Ci for helping him obtain medicinal ingredients, and Yu Zhou explained that the ingredients had been urgently needed.
• Yu Zhou asked Xie Liang to appraise Yu Ci’s fish-dragon and find a way to preserve its value rather than kill it for a quick trade.
• Xie Liang questioned Yu Ci about exchanging the fish-dragon for outer chamber disciple status, and Yu Ci said he sought longevity and intended to follow the sect’s rules.
• Xie Liang praised Yu Ci’s understanding but accused Yu Zhou of misleading disciples through Tongde Hall and treating Good Deeds as a path to advancement.
• Yu Zhou defended Tongde Hall and the Empirical Branch, while Xie Liang argued that Yu Zhou remained trapped by his own limitations despite the sect’s support.

Yu Ci’s questions and the talisman scripture impressed Xie Liang, who recognized the book’s age and value and agreed to copy its useful contents for the sect. Xie Liang praised Yu Ci’s insight and perception but said he was not yet mature enough to receive an Innate Qi Refining Technique, prompting Yu Zhou to ask whether Xie Liang could pass on the Primal Beginning Qi.

• Yu Zhou and Xie Liang stopped arguing after Baoguang and Yu Ci redirected the conversation to Yu Ci’s Talisman Arts.
• Xie Liang questioned Yu Ci about the Ghost Binding Talisman and borrowed his talisman scripture to examine it.
• Yu Ci reflected on the hierarchy of Xie Liang’s teachings and asked whether the Circulation Disk Operation Technique had any taboos; Xie Liang praised his insight.
• Xie Liang identified the scripture as an exceptionally valuable work at least six hundred years old and asked to copy it for the sect, and Yu Ci agreed.
• Xie Liang praised Yu Ci’s soul cultivation and perception, then said Yu Ci was not yet ready to receive his Innate Qi Refining Technique.
• Yu Zhou reacted in shock and asked whether Xie Liang could pass the Primal Beginning Qi to Yu Ci.

Yu Ci learned the requirements for studying Xie Liang’s Xuan Yuan Gen Ben Qi Fa and used his damaged Talisman Disk to raise suspicions about Monk Yi Xin. Xie Liang agreed to investigate repairing the disk and promised Yu Ci an opportunity to pursue longevity, while Yu Zhou’s plan to bring him there was exposed.

• Yu Zhou praised Xie Liang’s Qi Refining Technique, and Xie Liang explained that Yu Ci needed sect membership and skilled use of the Qi Infusion Method to study it.
• Xie Liang identified Yu Ci’s broken Talisman Disk as an altered array disk and explained its unusual construction and the difficulty of repairing it.
• Yu Ci recounted how he obtained the disk, drawing attention to Zheng De and the Jingshui Altar; Yu Zhou warned Xie Liang to watch Monk Yi Xin near Sky Rift Valley.
• Xie Liang took the disk and talisman writings to consult Senior Brother Lu about repairs, and Yu Ci said he would exchange the fish-dragon only for longevity.
• Xie Liang promised Yu Ci an opportunity to pursue longevity and invited him to seek instruction after mastering the Qi Infusion Method.
• As Xie Liang departed, he accused Yu Zhou of arranging the meeting to obtain his Qi Refining Technique.

Yu Ci studied the Four Methods and tried to understand the Qi Infusion Method through patient observation, then encountered a Daoist demonstrating a Water Aspect Bird. Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi confronted him at Zhixin Temple, leaving their grievance unexplained.

• Yu Ci reflected on Xie Liang’s promise and concluded that he needed to understand the Qi Infusion Method rather than force it through repeated attempts.
• Yu Ci considered the Moral, Scholarly, Disciplinary, and Empirical Methods, then studied the movement of qi in a Calm Heart Incantation.
• Yu Ci read the Shangqing Juxuan Xing Shu Mi Shou Fu Jing in the forest and noticed a mountain tit behaving strangely toward him.
• Yu Ci watched a black-robed Daoist control the bird and recognized it as a Water Aspect Bird when it changed into a magpie.
• Yu Ci prepared to speak with the Daoist, but Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi arrived and demanded that he answer for what he had done.

Yu Ci faced Jin Chuan’s accusation that he had colluded with demons in the Sky Rift, but Senior Brother Li and Baoguang arrived before Jin Chuan could attack. Senior Brother Li reclaimed the Yin Thunder Jin Chuan had borrowed, then demonstrated its power.

• Jin Chuan accused Yu Ci of hiding details about the Sky Rift and claimed he had colluded with demons.
• Jin Chuan moved to attack Yu Ci, but Kuang Yanqi grabbed him while Baoguang shouted from above.
• Baoguang arrived with Senior Brother Li and explained that Jin Chuan had borrowed Senior Brother Li’s One Qi Thousand Knot Yin Thunder to harm Yu Ci.
• Senior Brother Li ordered Jin Chuan to return the Yin Thunder, and Jin Chuan handed over the black bead.
• Senior Brother Li released the Yin Thunder’s power, spreading a web of lightning across the nearby forest.

Yu Ci demonstrated his sword technique to Li You, then met Meng Wei, a senior disciple of the Disciplinary Branch who was reviewing his qualifications. Meng Wei confronted Jin Chuan over accusing Yu Ci of colluding with demons, leaving Jin Chuan unable to defend his actions.

• Yu Ci broke through Li You’s Yin Thunder and reached him, and Li You apologized for testing him while praising his skill.
• Baoguang explained that Li You was thirty-five and close to reaching the Returned Pellet realm, while Li You warned Jin Chuan that Yu Ci could have killed him.
• Meng Wei arrived, reprimanded Li You for violating three sect precepts, and ordered him to answer to the Disciplinary Court.
• Meng Wei introduced herself to Yu Ci and explained that she would verify his Good Deeds before he could become an outer disciple.
• Meng Wei questioned Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi about their accusation that Yu Ci colluded with the demons of Sky-Rending Valley, and Jin Chuan faltered when asked for evidence and authority.

Meng Wei disciplined Jin Chuan for framing Yu Ci, then revealed that she had obtained the Water Aspect Bird for her friend Murong Qingyan of the Myriad Manifestations Sect. Li You warned her about Murong Qingyan, and the chapter ended with Li You and Baoguang rushing to meet Yu Zhou after forgetting his instructions.

• Kuang Yanqi helped Jin Chuan admit fault, and Meng Wei said she would report Jin Chuan to the Disciplinary Hall for punishment.
• Meng Wei addressed Li You’s lapse in supervision, then greeted Yu Ci and Baoguang after recognizing them as the ones who had caught the Water Aspect Bird she requested.
• Meng Wei explained that she had procured the bird for Senior Sister Murong of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, whom Li You identified as Murong Qingyan and criticized.
• Meng Wei rejected Li You’s warnings about Murong Qingyan and said she judged her friends for herself.
• The morning meditation bell reminded Li You and Baoguang that they had forgotten Yu Zhou’s instructions, so they departed on the Ghost Gauze Cloud and learned Murong Qingyan was coming by Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat.

Yu Ci officially became an outer-chamber disciple of the Li Chen Sect and practiced the Star Connection Secret Art at South Frost Lake. Meanwhile, Kuang Yanqi reflected on how Jin Chuan’s reckless actions had damaged his standing, while Yu Ci continued cultivating beneath the stars.

• Yu Ci bid farewell to Meng Wei after asking her to consider his entry into the sect.
• Jin Chuan angrily blamed Kuang Yanqi for stopping him from attacking Yu Ci, while Kuang Yanqi privately condemned Jin Chuan’s recklessness and considered his own ambitions beyond Bai Ri Mansion.
• Five days later, Yu Ci handed over the fish-dragon, passed the mountain gate’s examination, and officially became an outer-chamber disciple of the Li Chen Sect.
• Yu Ci practiced the Star Connection Secret Art at South Frost Lake, using the stars to form talismanic patterns in his mind and refine his cultivation.
• After completing his exercise, Yu Ci remained in the lake as Baoguang swam over in a pair of shorts.