Chapter Summaries

Concise Chapter Summary: Jiang Yuechu’s Utmost Restraint

Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu, Xun Bo, and the young master of the Xu Family arrive at the Xu Family manor for Guanlan Immortal Lord’s birthday banquet.
• Their arrival attracts attention because Xun Bo and the Xu heir behave extremely cautiously around Jiang Yuechu, revealing her superior status and intimidating presence.
• The banquet exposes a clear divide between demons and human cultivators: demons receive the best seats, food, and wine near the main hall, while humans are relegated to inferior side tables.
• Jiang Yuechu notices three sword cultivators from the Jieqing Sect—the same people she encountered at the ferry—seated prominently among the demons. Their presence is politically surprising because the Jieqing Sect and the Cloud-Dream Palace are supposedly opposed to demonic forces.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord appears with the veiled Young Palace Mistress of the Southern Immortal Palace. He takes pride in the Jieqing Sect’s attendance, believing it enhances his prestige and may help him eventually challenge her authority.
• When Guanlan allows the Young Palace Mistress to address the guests, she gives only a casual invitation to eat and drink. The demons respond with exaggerated worship and promises of absolute loyalty.
• A massive catfish demon remains indifferent to the spectacle, quietly eating a bloody beast leg while the other demons flatter the Young Palace Mistress.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Maintains a cold, detached exterior and projects overwhelming authority. Although she briefly considers slaughtering the many demons present, she restrains herself and reminds herself to remain inconspicuous and rational.
• Xun Bo: Becomes increasingly nervous about offending Jiang Yuechu or drawing attention to her. His deferential behavior demonstrates his fear and recognition of her strength.
• Young Master of the Xu Family: Acts timidly and obediently, following behind Xun Bo like a frightened child.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord: Displays outward confidence but privately feels resentful and humiliated by the Young Palace Mistress’s dominance. He endures the situation while secretly hoping to gain power and eventually suppress her.
• Young Palace Mistress: Appears languid, detached, and casually authoritative. Her minimal words command the devotion of the demons, illustrating her immense influence.
• Catfish Demon: Stands apart from the sycophantic crowd, showing no interest in the Young Palace Mistress’s speech or the surrounding political display.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Seating arrangements, body language, and social deference reveal the rigid power structure between demons, human cultivators, and major sects.
• Political compromise and betrayal: The Jieqing Sect’s attendance suggests that human Dao institutions may abandon their supposed principles for influence or advantage.
• Restraint versus violence: Jiang Yuechu’s fleeting desire to kill the gathered demons contrasts with her deliberate decision to remain low-key, emphasizing her struggle to control her destructive impulses.
• Flattery and opportunism: The demons’ ecstatic praise of the Young Palace Mistress demonstrates how weaker figures seek protection and favor from powerful beings.
• Outward composure versus inner ambition: Guanlan appears gracious and triumphant, but internally nurses resentment and ambitions of overthrowing the woman who currently outranks him.

Character Interactions

• Xun Bo cautiously introduces Jiang Yuechu to other guests but refuses to identify her, fearing the consequences of revealing too much.
• Xun Bo explains the political significance of the Jieqing Sect’s presence to Jiang Yuechu, while she listens without openly taking a position.
• Guanlan publicly defers to the Young Palace Mistress, giving her the place of honor and allowing her to address the banquet, though he privately resents her authority.
• The demons enthusiastically praise and pledge loyalty to the Young Palace Mistress, while the human cultivators remain silent and uncomfortable.
• Jiang Yuechu observes all these relationships from the sidelines, silently assessing the banquet’s power dynamics while trying to restrain herself.

Chapter Summary: Why Do You Always Force Me?

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Guanlan Immortal Lord’s birthday banquet, Blackwater Immortal Lord, a powerful Chessmaster Realm demon, insults the food and openly mocks the banquet’s arrangements.
• The demon then notices a black-clad human girl, Jiang Yuechu, seated quietly at a side table and orders her to approach.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord attempts to restrain Blackwater Immortal Lord, hoping to prevent conflict with the human cultivators of the Jieqing Sect. Blackwater accuses him of betrayal, leaving Guanlan embarrassed and powerless.
• The veiled woman at the main seat, Azure Sea Fairy, coldly orders Guanlan to return to his seat. She deliberately refuses to intervene, apparently intending to test both Blackwater and the Jieqing Sect.
• The human cultivators expect the Jieqing Sect to defend Jiang Yuechu, but Deacon Linghan remains silent. He Wuya stops Tang Wanyin from acting rashly, explaining that the sect has its own considerations and is currently in a difficult position.
• Blackwater grows impatient, knocks Uncle Xun and Xu Linmiao aside, and approaches Jiang Yuechu personally. It attempts to intimidate her with its immense power and threatening presence.
• Jiang Yuechu appears frightened at first, but then reveals a trace of the same savage madness as the demon. She quietly remarks that she had wanted to interact peacefully and asks why Blackwater always forces her.
• In an instant, Jiang Yuechu unleashes overwhelming black mist and slams Blackwater Immortal Lord into the banquet table. Despite its fearsome reputation and cultivation, the demon is completely pinned beneath her hand while she remains seated and unharmed.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her seemingly timid and casual demeanor is exposed as a façade or restraint. She demonstrates terrifying strength, effortlessly overpowering a renowned Great Demon and revealing a dangerous, predatory side.
• Blackwater Immortal Lord: Its arrogance and confidence collapse when it discovers that Jiang Yuechu vastly outmatches it. Its habit of bullying weaker beings is turned against it.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord: He is shown to be politically cautious and opportunistic. Although he wants to protect his connections with the Jieqing Sect, he lacks the courage to openly oppose Blackwater or Azure Sea Fairy.
• Azure Sea Fairy: She displays calculated control and contempt. She allows the confrontation to unfold, seemingly using it to punish Blackwater’s disloyalty and gauge the Jieqing Sect’s reaction.
• He Wuya and Tang Wanyin: Their exchange highlights the tension between moral responsibility and obedience to sect orders. Tang Wanyin wants to defend Jiang Yuechu, while He Wuya restrains her for strategic reasons.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power beneath humility: Jiang Yuechu’s quiet, unassuming appearance conceals overwhelming strength.
• Arrogance and consequences: Blackwater’s contempt for others leads directly to its humiliation.
• Political maneuvering and divided loyalties: Guanlan and Azure Sea Fairy treat the banquet as a struggle for influence between the Southern Immortal Palace, the Jieqing Sect, and the demons.
• The weakness of institutions: The supposedly transcendent Dao Sect hesitates to act, suggesting that its current authority and circumstances are more fragile than outsiders realize.
• Forced violence versus peaceful intent: Jiang Yuechu claims she wished to get along normally, but responds decisively when Blackwater repeatedly provokes and threatens her.

Character Interactions

• Guanlan tries to placate Blackwater, but Blackwater accuses him of wanting to betray the demons.
• Azure Sea Fairy dismisses Guanlan’s attempted intervention and asserts authority over him.
• Tang Wanyin urges immediate action, while He Wuya insists they follow their superior’s orders.
• Blackwater intimidates and physically attacks Jiang Yuechu’s companions before confronting her directly.
• Jiang Yuechu responds to Blackwater’s bullying by effortlessly defeating and pinning it, dramatically reversing the power dynamic of the banquet.

Jiang Yuechu subdued Blackwater Immortal Lord at Guanlan Immortal Lord’s birthday banquet, prompting Azure Sea Fairy to confront her with the power of an eight-piece Chessmaster. The chapter ended with Jiang Yuechu remaining calm and mocking Azure Sea Fairy as black mist spread from her eyes.

• Jiang Yuechu held Blackwater Immortal Lord down with one hand while several demons surrounded her.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord tried to stop the demons and then threatened Jiang Yuechu, but Azure Sea Fairy ordered him to return to his seat.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord recognized Azure Sea Fairy’s Eight-Piece Chessmaster strength and backed down.
• Azure Sea Fairy manifested her Demon Palace and declared that every human who had looked at her defiantly was dead.
• Jiang Yuechu stayed calm, questioned Azure Sea Fairy’s boast, and let black mist spread from her eyes.

Azure Sea Fairy and True Lord Linghan clashed at Guanlan Mountain Manor while Jiang Yuechu held Blackwater Immortal Lord down. As the battle spread, Jiang Yuechu realized Dao Chess pieces could strengthen their owner's body, then silenced Blackwater Immortal Lord with another slap.

• Azure Sea Fairy attacked Jiang Yuechu with Phoenix's Ceremonial Arrival, but True Lord Linghan intervened and challenged her claim to represent the Southern Immortal Palace.
• True Lord Linghan summoned his Central Palace and nine Dao Chess pieces to fight Azure Sea Fairy's eight pieces as the manor descended into chaos.
• Azure Sea Fairy ordered the demons to protect Blackwater Immortal Lord and worried that the Jieqing Sect's disciples would kill him.
• Azure Sea Fairy urged Blackwater Immortal Lord to fight back, and he channeled five Dao Chess pieces into his body to break Jiang Yuechu's hold.
• Jiang Yuechu suspected that Dao Chess could enhance its owner's body, then pressed Blackwater Immortal Lord back down when he boasted.

Jiang Yuechu absorbed her Spirit-Grade Dao Chess piece and overwhelmed Blackwater Immortal Lord, who then decided to attack again to force the Jieqing Sect to rescue the girl. Above them, Azure Sea Fairy kept True Lord Linghan occupied, while he struggled to protect the promising cultivator below without giving her husband a chance to escape.

• Jiang Yuechu drew her Spirit-Grade Dao Chess piece into her body, gaining a surge of power and forming a flame-forged sword.
• Jiang Yuechu eased her grip on Blackwater Immortal Lord, and he leapt away after realizing how badly she had overpowered him.
• Blackwater Immortal Lord saw Guanlan Immortal Lord trapped and inferred that the Jieqing Sect had intervened because the girl was important to them.
• Blackwater Immortal Lord swallowed two pills, enlarged his demonic body, conjured a water-spirit war hammer, and challenged Jiang Yuechu again.
• Azure Sea Fairy continued battling True Lord Linghan, hoping to keep him occupied while her husband escaped amid the chaos.
• True Lord Linghan recognized the girl's potential and focused on keeping her alive, despite Azure Sea Fairy's relentless attacks.

Jiang Yuechu killed Blackwater Immortal Lord and routed the Demons attacking He Wuya, then battled Guanlan Immortal Lord and seized his treasured staff. Azure Sea Fairy unleashed a deadly spirit art against Guanlan Island, and True Lord Linghan realized he had left Jiang Yuechu outside his sword barrier.

• True Lord Linghan ordered Tang Wanyin to help Jiang Yuechu, but Jiang Yuechu stopped Tang Wanyin's sword and burned Blackwater Immortal Lord to death.
• Jiang Yuechu joined He Wuya's fight and overwhelmed the Demons, while Guanlan Immortal Lord tried to flee and she intercepted him.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord summoned his six Dao Chess pieces and the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff, but Jiang Yuechu shattered her Crimson Crescent Blade, took his staff, and kicked him into a mountainside.
• Azure Sea Fairy saw Guanlan Immortal Lord fall and turned to attack Jiang Yuechu, but True Lord Linghan struck her and forced her to retreat.
• Azure Sea Fairy activated the Southern Immortal Palace's Donglai One Qi spirit art, and True Lord Linghan protected He Wuya, Tang Wanyin, and the nearby human cultivators inside a sword barrier.
• Tang Wanyin asked about Jiang Yuechu, and True Lord Linghan realized that the purple qi had engulfed the island while Jiang Yuechu remained outside his barrier.

Jiang Yuechu escaped Azure Sea Fairy’s Spirit Art Realm attack, then ambushed her while True Lord Linghan engaged her. After Linghan asked Jiang Yuechu to kill the fallen Guanlan Immortal Lord, she gladly agreed and darted toward him.

• Jiang Yuechu used the [Moon-Companion Starbow] to escape Donglai One Qi and return safely to True Lord Linghan’s sword curtain.
• Azure Sea Fairy rushed toward the ruins where Guanlan Immortal Lord had fallen, but True Lord Linghan attacked her with nine Dao Chess pieces.
• Jiang Yuechu appeared beside Azure Sea Fairy and struck her face with the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff before retreating behind True Lord Linghan.
• True Lord Linghan raised his sword curtain to withstand Azure Sea Fairy’s purple qi while Jiang Yuechu watched from behind him.
• True Lord Linghan asked Jiang Yuechu to kill Guanlan Immortal Lord in exchange for a reward, and she darted toward the ruins as Azure Sea Fairy shouted in fury.

Chapter Summary: “Those from the Southern Immortal Palace”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu follows Guanlan Immortal Lord after he is violently kicked into a ravine during the battle between Azure Sea Fairy and Linghan True Lord.
• Finding Guanlan gravely wounded and helpless, Jiang Yuechu kills him by crushing his head with the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff.
• Guanlan mistakenly believes Jiang Yuechu may be his wife, Azure Sea Fairy, coming to rescue him. Jiang Yuechu coldly corrects him by saying, “It’s your mother,” before finishing him.
• His death grants Jiang Yuechu over 734,000 years of Dao Cultivation, though she considers this insufficient for her future plans to create and improve Dao Chess pieces.
• Azure Sea Fairy witnesses Guanlan’s death and is devastated. Her grief turns into uncontrollable rage, and she attempts to kill Jiang Yuechu and Linghan True Lord.
• Linghan True Lord reveals that the Jieqing Sect will not continue attacking Azure Sea Fairy—not because they lack the desire, but because they fear the consequences of killing her.
• Before Jiang Yuechu can decide whether to attack Azure Sea Fairy herself, reinforcements from the Southern Immortal Palace arrive.
• A powerful black-armored Chessmaster-level general leads a large demonic army. He orders his subordinates to escort Azure Sea Fairy back and warns that the Palace Lord has tolerated her behavior for too long and may personally intervene.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu remains emotionally detached and pragmatic. She shows no sympathy for Guanlan and treats his death primarily as both a strategic objective and a source of Dao Cultivation. Her calculations reveal her growing focus on accumulating power and creating higher-grade Dao Chess pieces.
• Guanlan Immortal Lord dies ignominiously. Once a powerful figure who rose through charm and dependence on Azure Sea Fairy, he is abandoned by circumstance and ultimately killed while believing his wife might save him.
• Azure Sea Fairy suffers a devastating emotional collapse after witnessing Guanlan’s death. Her grief exposes the depth of her attachment to him and transforms her from a composed combatant into a furious, irrationally dangerous figure.
• Linghan True Lord acts cautiously and practically. Although powerful, he is clearly wary of provoking the Southern Immortal Palace and recognizes that the Jieqing Sect cannot safely kill Azure Sea Fairy.
• The black-armored general is introduced as an imposing and disciplined authority figure, vastly stronger than Linghan True Lord. His arrival demonstrates that the Southern Immortal Palace takes control of Azure Sea Fairy seriously.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and dependence: Guanlan’s rise through Azure Sea Fairy’s protection and resources contrasts with his helpless death when she cannot save him.
• Love turning into destruction: Azure Sea Fairy’s grief over Guanlan becomes murderous rage, showing how attachment can lead to loss of control.
• Power and political restraint: Even powerful cultivators hesitate to kill Azure Sea Fairy because of her status and the retaliation that would follow.
• Pragmatism versus emotion: Jiang Yuechu focuses on benefits and survival, while Azure Sea Fairy is overwhelmed by personal loss.
• The insignificance of individual power before larger forces: The arrival of the Southern Immortal Palace’s army shifts the balance of the conflict and forces the other characters to reconsider their actions.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Guanlan: Guanlan mistakes Jiang Yuechu for his wife, but she responds with cruel indifference before killing him.
• Jiang Yuechu and Linghan True Lord: Jiang Yuechu considers exploiting the Jieqing Sect’s attack to kill Azure Sea Fairy, while Linghan warns that the sect cannot safely proceed.
• Azure Sea Fairy and Jiang Yuechu/Linghan: Azure Sea Fairy blames them for Guanlan’s death and vows to kill anyone who tries to stop her.
• Azure Sea Fairy and the Southern Immortal Palace: The arriving demons attempt to escort her away, but she resists in her grief. The black-armored general then personally confronts her and reminds her that the Palace Lord’s patience is nearly exhausted.

After the Southern Immortal Palace general withdrew, Jiang Yuechu accepted True Lord Linghan’s invitation to visit the Jieqing Sect. The group prepared to leave, but Tang Wanyin noticed that Linghan’s pants were soiled, prompting his furious denial.

• The demon general reprimanded Azure Sea Fairy, then led the Southern Immortal Palace demons away without attacking Jiang Yuechu.
• True Lord Linghan admitted the general had reached the painting realm and warned Jiang Yuechu to avoid provoking powerful beings in the Cloud-Dream Realm.
• Linghan invited Jiang Yuechu to the Jieqing Sect, and she accepted so she could gain strength before approaching the Cloud-Dream Palace.
• Linghan introduced Jiang Yuechu to He Wuya and Tang Wanyin, then summoned a flying sword to take them to the sect.
• Tang Wanyin pointed out Linghan’s soiled pants, and he angrily demanded to know who had shat in them.

Jiang Yuechu traveled with True Lord Linghan and Tang Wanyin from the Great Marsh to the Jieqing Sect’s hidden Scroll World. After True Lord Linghan opened its entrance, Jiang Yuechu stepped inside without reacting to its grandeur, leaving him stunned.

• Jiang Yuechu reviewed the demon bodies she had reconstructed and decided to learn how Dao Chess stones were condensed before spending more Dao Cultivation.
• True Lord Linghan told Jiang Yuechu that they were nearing the Jieqing Sect’s territory as they flew beyond the Fifty-Thousand-Li Great Marsh.
• The group stopped before an ordinary-looking peak, and Tang Wanyin explained that the Nine Great Dao Sects kept their headquarters in independent Scroll Worlds.
• True Lord Linghan opened a hundred-zhang gateway into the Jieqing Sect’s Scroll World and invited Jiang Yuechu to enter.
• Jiang Yuechu calmly stepped through the gateway, and True Lord Linghan froze in disappointment at her lack of astonishment.

Jiang Yuechu entered the Jieqing Sect’s Hidden Sword Tower after True Lord Linghan invited her, expecting its legendary swords to impress her. Instead, she found a pile of rusty, broken blades and turned to leave, but stopped before reaching the door.

• True Lord Linghan led Jiang Yuechu through the Jieqing Sect and invited her to enter the Hidden Sword Tower, expecting its sword intent to humble her.
• He Wuya and Tang Wanyin warned True Lord Linghan that letting an outsider into the restricted tower could break sect rules, but he dismissed their concerns and explained his plan to put Jiang Yuechu in her place.
• Jiang Yuechu entered the tower and found more than a dozen broken or rusted swords on an offering table.
• After examining several swords and finding nothing remarkable, Jiang Yuechu decided the Jieqing Sect was fobbing her off and turned to leave.
• Jiang Yuechu stopped after taking two steps toward the door.

Jiang Yuechu entered the Hidden Sword Tower and forcibly subdued the sentient Shadowbearing Sword, which offered to help her find treasures and expose other awakened swords. Outside, Wuxiang Elder arrived expecting Shadowbearing to accept a worthy disciple, while True Lord Linghan realized he had wet himself.

• Jiang Yuechu caught the scrap metal moving on the offering table and seized the broken Shadowbearing Sword to refine it.
• Shadowbearing revealed its identity and pleaded for its life, offering sword knowledge, sect secrets, and help finding treasures.
• Jiang Yuechu asked whether other swords were sentient, and Shadowbearing named Dragon Abyss and Chunjun while volunteering to expose them.
• True Lord Linghan waited outside the Sword Pavilion with He Wuya and Tang Wanyin, worried that Jiang Yuechu had stayed inside too long.
• Wuxiang Elder arrived after the sect master sensed Shadowbearing manifesting its spirit and hurried toward the Sword Pavilion, expecting it to acknowledge a master.
• He Wuya pointed out that True Lord Linghan's trousers were wet, and Linghan admitted he had mistaken piss for sweat.

Jiang Yuechu stood in the Hidden Sword Tower holding the broken Shadowbearing Sword when Wuxiang Elder and other Jieqing Sect elders arrived and accused True Lord Linghan of bringing an outsider inside. After learning of Jiang Yuechu’s exceptional strength, Wuxiang Elder abruptly changed his attitude, leaving the elders’ response to her in suspense.

• The Shadowbearing Sword named the broken swords on the offering dais while Jiang Yuechu considered keeping them as guides.
• Wuxiang Elder entered the Sword Pavilion with other elders and demanded to know which peak Jiang Yuechu belonged to.
• True Lord Linghan admitted that Jiang Yuechu was not a Jieqing Sect disciple and explained that he had brought her in as thanks for helping slay demons.
• True Lord Linghan privately told Wuxiang Elder that Jiang Yuechu had reached the one-piece chessmaster realm and slain five- or six-stone demons.
• Jiang Yuechu loosened her grip to return the Shadowbearing Sword, but Wuxiang Elder suddenly greeted her warmly as young friend Jiang.

Jiang Yuechu negotiated with Wuxiang Elder for the Shadowbearing Sword and a mid-grade protective spirit artifact. After she left, Wuxiang Elder revealed that her extraordinary strength and an approaching discovery at the Cloud-Dream Palace’s border made it important for the Jieqing Sect to treat her carefully.

• Wuxiang Elder urged Jiang Yuechu to take the Shadowbearing Sword after first refusing to give it to her.
• Jiang Yuechu rejected True Lord Linghan’s offer of a low-grade spirit artifact, so Wuxiang Elder promised her a mid-grade protective spirit artifact from the treasury.
• Jiang Yuechu accepted the deal, took the Shadowbearing Sword, and left with True Lord Linghan.
• Wuxiang Elder told the other elders that Jiang Yuechu had killed a powerful demon despite being at a much lower realm and had no sect backing her.
• Wuxiang Elder revealed that traces of another Immortal-God Cave Abode had appeared at the edge of the Cloud-Dream Palace’s territory, alarming the elders.

True Lord Linghan persuaded Jiang Yuechu to stay with the Jieqing Sect as a nominal guest elder, offering her access to its library and support without binding rules. As he led her to the treasury, he explained that the sect took assignments from its subordinate forces, and Jiang Yuechu perked up at the prospect of slaying demons.

• True Lord Linghan invited Jiang Yuechu to stay temporarily at the Jieqing Sect as a nominal guest elder, and she accepted the arrangement.
• True Lord Linghan brought Jiang Yuechu to the treasury and introduced her to the inner sect disciples guarding its entrance.
• The inner sect disciples greeted Jiang Yuechu respectfully after True Lord Linghan announced her new honorary position.
• True Lord Linghan explained that the Dao Sects took on trouble-shooting assignments from their subordinate forces, including slaying demons.
• Jiang Yuechu grew excited when she heard about the demon-slaying work.

Chapter Summary: “Cloudwater Fury”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu enters the Jieqing Sect’s treasure vault with Linghan True Lord. The vault resembles a vast mountain cavern, filled with rows of racks holding jade boxes, scrolls, magical treasures, and spirit artifacts.
• They pass several powerful elders, including Martial Uncle Withered Wood, who silently observes Jiang Yuechu before returning to meditation.
• Linghan True Lord honors his promise to let Jiang Yuechu choose a mid-grade spirit artifact as compensation.
• Jiang Yuechu reveals that she does not know the difference between magical treasures and spirit artifacts. Linghan True Lord explains that magical treasures are ultimately lifeless tools whose power depends on the user, while spirit artifacts possess spiritual essence, can respond to their master’s thoughts, absorb spiritual energy, and may eventually develop full artifact spirits.
• He warns Jiang Yuechu about the importance of defense, recounting how a gifted Jieqing Sect disciple who focused entirely on offensive swordsmanship was killed by a weaker demon’s ambush.
• Linghan True Lord selects a mid-grade defensive spirit artifact called Cloudwater Fury for Jiang Yuechu. The white robe automatically protects its wearer by summoning the power of clouds and water, especially against hidden or poisonous attacks.
• Jiang Yuechu puts on the robe. It adjusts itself to fit her body, and its water-and-cloud patterns produce faint sounds of rain, wind, and thunder.
• Linghan True Lord admires her transformed appearance and then offers to show her around the sect.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her lack of basic cultivation knowledge is emphasized, despite her extraordinary strength and ability to defeat demons far above her level. She remains direct, practical, and unembarrassed about asking questions. Although she prefers inconspicuous clothing, she accepts Cloudwater Fury because its defensive value outweighs her aesthetic concerns. She also shows a sensible willingness to strengthen her weaknesses.
• Linghan True Lord: He becomes increasingly intrigued and perplexed by Jiang Yuechu’s unusual path of cultivation. Despite being surprised by her ignorance, he patiently educates her and demonstrates genuine concern for her survival. His choice of a defensive artifact shows that he recognizes the danger of her relying too heavily on offensive power.
• Martial Uncle Withered Wood: Though largely silent, his brief scrutiny of Jiang Yuechu suggests that the sect’s senior elders are aware of her unusual nature and abilities.
• The deceased Jieqing Sect disciple: His story serves as a cautionary example of how even overwhelming strength can fail when a cultivator neglects defense.

Significant Themes

• Living spirit versus lifeless tool: The chapter contrasts magical treasures, which are dependent objects, with spirit artifacts, which possess an independent spiritual essence and can bond with their masters.
• Strength and vulnerability: Exceptional offensive ability does not guarantee survival. Ambushes, poison, and hidden attacks can exploit a cultivator’s weaknesses.
• Practical cultivation: Jiang Yuechu’s choice reflects the importance of adapting to reality rather than pursuing power or appearance alone.
• Mystery of Jiang Yuechu’s talent: Her ability to reach a high realm without formal instruction or common knowledge reinforces her image as an extraordinary, almost instinctive cultivator.
• Companionship on the path to the Dao: Spirit artifacts are described as more than weapons—they can become companions that assist their masters in pursuing cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Linghan True Lord respectfully introduces Jiang Yuechu to Martial Uncle Withered Wood, who silently evaluates her.
• Jiang Yuechu’s blunt question about spirit artifacts creates an awkward but humorous silence among the elders, exposing how unusual her background is.
• Linghan True Lord patiently explains the artifact hierarchy, while Jiang Yuechu summarizes the distinction as “the difference between the living and the dead,” amusing and slightly shocking him.
• He shares a warning from the sect’s past to persuade her of the value of defensive protection.
• After Jiang Yuechu dons Cloudwater Fury, Linghan True Lord briefly admires her appearance before offering to guide her through the Jieqing Sect.

True Lord Linghan brought Jiang Yuechu to the Dao Discussion Palace, where she joined a lecture by Elder Taizhen. After Linghan left to handle an urgent sect matter, Jiang listened as Taizhen explained spirit arts and introduced the Jieqing Sect’s Six-Turn Heavenly River technique.

• True Lord Linghan explained the Jieqing Sect’s ranks and rules to Jiang Yuechu as they walked to the Dao Discussion Palace.
• Linghan brought Jiang Yuechu into a lecture hall, where Elder Taizhen recognized her as Guest Elder Jiang and invited her to sit.
• A flashing jade talisman summoned Linghan away to discuss an urgent sect matter, and he left Jiang Yuechu at the lecture.
• Elder Taizhen resumed his lecture, explaining the principles of spirit arts and recommending the Six-Turn Heavenly River technique to the disciples.

Jiang Yuechu listened to Elder Taizhen explain the Six-Turn Heavenly River despite the disciples’ warnings that it was too difficult to cultivate. As the lecture continued, she mastered the art and revealed its Supreme Realm attainment, astonishing everyone in the hall.

• Elder Taizhen taught the disciples the Six-Turn Heavenly River while Jiang Yuechu listened intently.
• A disciple warned Jiang Yuechu that the art was notoriously difficult to cultivate and rarely rewarded the effort.
• Jiang Yuechu dismissed the warning and carefully memorized the art’s formula and principles.
• The disciples whispered about Jiang Yuechu’s identity while Elder Taizhen noticed her at the back of the hall.
• Jiang Yuechu manifested the Six-Turn Heavenly River at Supreme Realm, leaving Elder Taizhen and the disciples stunned.

Jiang Yuechu revealed that she had cultivated the Six-Turn Heavenly River to the Supreme Realm after hearing Elder Taizhen’s lecture, astonishing the disciples and elders. As Elder Taizhen realized she had learned the art without prior exposure, he wondered why the Jieqing Sect had not made her a direct disciple.

• Jiang Yuechu manifested a starry Heavenly River that surpassed the manual’s recorded consummate stage, revealing her mastery of the Six-Turn Heavenly River.
• Jiang Yuechu agreed that the art had been difficult and saw that extrapolating it had consumed over six million years of Dao Cultivation, leaving her with 1,767,048 years.
• Elder Taizhen hurried down from the dais to question Jiang Yuechu, but True Lord Linghan entered and mistook his excitement for anger.
• True Lord Linghan tried to take Jiang Yuechu away, but Elder Taizhen stopped him by gripping his wrist.
• Elder Taizhen learned that Jiang Yuechu came from a rogue cultivator background and realized she had likely mastered the art without ever encountering it before.

Jiang Yuechu rejected Elder Taizhen’s offer to take her as a disciple and settled into quarters as a guest elder of the Jieqing Sect. After True Lord Linghan showed her to the Sitting-in-Forgetfulness Grove, she asked where to take training missions.

• Elder Taizhen offered to take Jiang Yuechu as his disciple, but True Lord Linghan warned him that Wuxiang Elder had already shown interest in her.
• Elder Taizhen offered Jiang Yuechu a high-grade spiritual artifact, but she declined to take a master and asked True Lord Linghan to show her to her quarters.
• True Lord Linghan led Jiang Yuechu to a bamboo house in the Sitting-in-Forgetfulness Grove, where the Jieqing Sect's personal disciples cultivated.
• True Lord Linghan gave Jiang Yuechu a Green Jade Dao Tablet proving her guest elder status and prepared to leave.
• Jiang Yuechu stopped True Lord Linghan and asked where she could take training missions.