Joyful Union Sect

Biodata

Background / History

The sect accepted Liu Fuyao as an inner disciple after identifying her Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, while her former fiancé Lu Chen—judged to have a low-grade Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root—was assigned to the alchemy rooms as a handyman disciple 1. Its social order sharply favors inner disciples over servants and menial disciples, who can be punished, exploited, or killed with little consequence 1 29.

Before the current Sect Grand Tournament, the sect’s Nascent Soul patriarch died of old age despite having her lifespan extended with a Life-Extending Pill 19. The leadership concealed the loss while attempting to refine a Nascent Soul Pill, since the sect would be vulnerable to annexation without a Nascent Soul cultivator 18 19.

Sect Master Ye Chenyu and Supreme Elder Jiang Yingyue secretly ordered inner disciples to procure spirit herbs for pill refinement, while preserving Liu Fuyao as a possible future Nascent Soul cultivator through the Ruthless Dao 19 21. The crisis later became more urgent when intelligence revealed that the Black Tortoise Sect had learned of the patriarch’s death through an unknown traitor within the Joyful Union Sect 39 40.

The appearance of Little Xixi’s fire-element Heavenly Spirit Root sparked a struggle between the sect, the Sacred Pill Sect, and local cultivation families 31 32. After Sacred Pill Sect First Elder Lei Xuan abducted Xixi, Ye Chenyu and two elders pursued and injured him, escalating tensions between the two sects 32 33.

The concealed crisis culminated immediately after the Sect Grand Tournament, when Elder Su Mei exposed the patriarch’s death and assisted the Black Tortoise Sect’s attempted annexation 61. Ye Chenyu temporarily surrendered to prevent an immediate massacre, and the sect was reduced in name to the Black Tortoise Sect’s Joyful Union Hall 62. Jiang Yingyue subsequently advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, retook the sect’s defensive formation, and led the reversal that drove back the invaders 65 71 72.

After Ye Chenyu also advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, the sect regained two Nascent Soul protectors and restored Lu Chen’s status from menial disciple to its first male inner disciple 83 84. The sect later survived a full-scale Artifact Refining Sect assault, during which Jiang Yingyue killed Nascent Soul Peak patriarch Shen Zhennan and Ye Chenyu repaired the damaged mountain formation with Earth-Vein Dragon Qi 111 115.

Organization

Leadership

• Ye Chenyu — Sect Master; initially led the response to the Nascent Soul Pill crisis and Black Tortoise Sect threat, later broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm and continues to direct the sect’s external affairs 18 19 84 145.
• Jiang Yingyue — Supreme Elder, Alchemical Grandmaster, and Nascent Soul cultivator; the sect’s foremost formation controller and a principal defender of Joyful Union Mountain 19 65 71 72.
• Su Mei — Former sect elder, Alchemical Grandmaster, and Lin Yue’s master; betrayed the sect by revealing the patriarch’s death and aiding the Black Tortoise Sect 31 33 61 63.
• Su Qingzhu — Green Bamboo Peak master and Elder of Pill Cauldron Hall; Su Qingqing’s master 83 85.
• Qi Lingsu — Elder of the Transmission Hall; master of Ling Shuang and Ye Qingluan 83 145.
• Two Great Elders — Senior figures who joined Ye Chenyu in pursuing Lei Xuan after Xixi’s abduction 31 33.

Disciple Ranks

Gender Restrictions

Male outer disciples are traditionally prohibited from entering the inner sect or receiving the sect’s true inheritance 50. Their prescribed path is to serve as cultivation furnaces for female inner disciples, though some may reach Foundation Establishment through their own efforts 50.

Ye Chenyu made an unprecedented exception by admitting Lu Chen to the inner sect after her Nascent Soul breakthrough. He is the sect’s first and only known male inner disciple, a change that drew resentment from many female inner disciples while giving male outer disciples hope that the old restriction could be overturned 84 86.

Cultivation & Alchemy

Dual Cultivation

The sect is renowned for dual cultivation and regards it alongside pill refinement as a core discipline 5. Its arts include harvesting methods and union methods, with the Yin-Yang Union Method described as its supreme orthodox dual-cultivation technique 21 37.

• Yin-Yang Union Method — A mutual method in which yin and yang energies circulate through both participants, benefiting each cultivator rather than simply draining one side 37.
• Nine-Yin Essence-Devouring Art — A harvesting technique used by Yun Feiyan to absorb another’s essence 36.
• Cultivation furnaces — Male outer disciples are institutionally expected to fill this role for female inner disciples 50.
• Literary and Martial Cultivation — Terms used for non-intimate, energy-circulation-based dual cultivation and bodily union respectively; the former has allowed Lu Chen’s companions and senior sect members to gain major cultivation benefits 44 98 104.
• Lu Chen’s Supreme Five-Elements Spiritual Root makes him an exceptionally valuable furnace tripod in the eyes of many sect disciples, intensifying disputes over his status and outside attempts to recruit him 141 142 143.

Pill Refinement

The sect possesses skilled alchemists but struggles to refine high-grade breakthrough pills, particularly Nascent Soul Pills 18 19.

• A Foundation Establishment Pill is considered difficult enough that only an Alchemical Master can reliably refine one; Jiang Yingyue is stated to be the only sect member initially confident in doing so 21.
• Failed Nascent Soul Pill attempts produced dangerous waste pills that were sent to the Waste-Pill Repository 18.
• The sect sought large quantities of Foundation Establishment Pills before the tournament to promote Qi Refining disciples and meet the requirements of its defensive formation 47 48.
• Jiang Yingyue later entrusted materials for Nascent Soul Pills to the masked Reclusive Pill King, whose assistance ultimately helped create the breakthroughs that restored the sect’s Nascent Soul-level protection 62 63 65.
• The sect’s Pill Cauldron Hall is led by Elder Su Qingzhu, while Jiang Yingyue remains its most prominent high-level alchemist 83 85.

Protective Formation

The sect’s major defensive formation is the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Union Immortal-Ensnaring Formation, also rendered as the Greater Celestial Circuit Star Immortal-Ensnaring or Starry Joyful Union Immortal-Enchanting Array 45 70 109 143.

• Requires at least 365 Foundation Establishment cultivators to activate by its conventional method 45 47.
• Previously trapped and killed a Nascent Soul intruder by disorienting him and draining his primordial yang 45.
• The sect was initially three Foundation Establishment cultivators short of activation during the current crisis 47.
• A Nascent Soul cultivator can also activate the formation by merging with its three hundred and sixty-five array platforms and drawing upon the stars, allowing Jiang Yingyue to command it as a mountain-protecting killing formation 70 71.
• The formation can seal Joyful Union Mountain against outside entry, suppress major Spirit Artifacts such as the Black Tortoise Seal, and empower Jiang Yingyue’s Astral Bow and Moon-Piercing Arrow 72 83 110.
• During the Artifact Refining Sect’s invasion, Ye Chenyu repaired its damaged barrier by drawing out Earth-Vein Dragon Qi beneath Joyful Union Mountain 115.

Sect Artifacts

• Yin-Yang Joyful Union Sword — An upper-grade Spirit Artifact kept in the Joyful Union Secret Realm. Its paired yin and yang swords multiply in power when jointly wielded by cultivators with Lunar and Solar Spiritual Roots 63.
• Astral Bow — Jiang Yingyue’s bow, empowered by the mountain formation and stellar force; its arrows have wounded and killed Nascent Soul-level enemies 72 110 115.
• Black Tortoise Seal — The Black Tortoise Sect’s supreme Spirit Artifact, later suppressed and retained by the Joyful Union Sect after the failed annexation 61 72.

Notable Locations

• Joyful Union Hall — Massive hall at the summit of Joyful Union Mountain, where senior disciples assemble during emergencies 41 50.
• Waste-Pill Valley — Remote sect area permeated by pill poison and used for storing discarded pills 18 21.
• Waste-Pill Repository — Repository guarded by menial disciples; it contains defective, dangerous, and discarded pills 18 40.
• Joyful Union Secret Realm — Restricted area where Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu discuss the sect’s Nascent Soul Pill crisis; it contains the sect’s highest inheritance, the Yin-Yang Joyful Union Sword, and a Spirit Spring 19 44 63 115.
• Outer Sect Plaza — Mid-mountain tournament ground reserved for outer disciples, who are barred from the summit matches 50.
• Great Spirit-Testing Hall — Inner-sect hall used to assess spiritual roots; Lu Chen’s examination there exposed his Supreme Five-Elements Spiritual Root 86 88.
• Forbidden Grounds — A restricted area within the secret realm where Lu Chen received three days of cultivation access as a reward for defending the sect’s honor 144.

Known Members

• Liu Fuyao — Sect Saintess; possesses a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, cultivates the Ruthless Dao, and is one of the sect’s principal younger-generation experts 1 19 145.
• Yun Feiyan — Eldest senior sister who advanced from Foundation Establishment Great Perfection to the Golden Core Realm; she remains a leading disciple and member of the sect’s Cultivation Assembly delegation 32 50 63 145.
• Su Qingqing — Former ordinary inner disciple and manager of the Outer Enforcement Hall; later became Su Qingzhu’s personal disciple after placing among the tournament’s top hundred 29 46 85.
• Jiang Yurou — Inner disciple involved in sending a poisoned waste Nascent Soul Pill to the Waste-Pill Repository; later joined the Cultivation Assembly delegation 18 32 145.
• Lin Yue — Favored disciple of the former Elder Su Mei; possesses a high-grade Fire Spiritual Root and was one of the sect’s three great genius disciples 31.
• Pang Yong — Manager who previously oversaw menial disciples and the alchemy-room workforce; Lu Chen later replaced him as manager of the Black-Character Alchemy Room 1 41 84.
• Lu Chen — Former menial disciple assigned to the alchemy rooms and Waste-Pill Repository; secretly possesses methods that restore discarded pills and was elevated to the sect’s sole male inner disciple 1 18 84 86.
• Qin Xue — Core disciple who fought in the defense of Joyful Union Mountain and later joined the Cultivation Assembly delegation 115 145.
• Ling Shuang — Personal disciple of Transmission Hall Elder Qi Lingsu and a member of the Cultivation Assembly delegation 145.
• Ye Qingluan — Personal disciple of Transmission Hall Elder Qi Lingsu and a member of the Cultivation Assembly delegation 145.
• Wu Yan — Personal disciple of the Spirit-Testing Hall elder and a member of the Cultivation Assembly delegation 145.
• Zhao Qingyun — Personal disciple of the Artifact Refining Pavilion elder; she later regained an Ascension Token by completing a mission in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm 145 262.

External Relations

• Black Tortoise Sect — Former primary external threat. It annexed the sect in name after Su Mei’s betrayal, but Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough and the mountain formation reversed the invasion; Black Tortoise Sect members remain hostile and later surrounded the sect’s expedition in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm alongside Artifact Refining Sect cultivators 61 72 282.
• Sacred Pill Sect — Rival sect whose First Elder Lei Xuan abducted Little Xixi after discovering her Heavenly Spirit Root; the resulting confrontation injured Lei and worsened relations 32 33.
• Artifact Refining Sect — Mortal enemy that used Shen Li’s staged injury as a pretext to invade Joyful Union Mountain, seeking its territory, resources, Ascension Tokens, and Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly places 105 110 111. Its Nascent Soul Peak patriarch Shen Zhennan was killed during the failed assault, but its surviving members remain hostile 115 282.
• Blissful Sect — Its Saintess, Liu Yan’er, infiltrated the House of Ten Thousand Beauties to monitor the Joyful Union Sect after the Blissful Sect submitted to the Black Tortoise Sect 39. Liu Yan’er later fled persecution by the Blissful Sect and sought protection through her connection to Lu Chen’s circle 145 151.
• Grand Void Immortal Sect — Powerful host of the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly. Its successor Li Yunsheng attempted to recruit Lu Chen, but the sect refused to surrender him and remains politically cautious toward her sect 141 143.
• Myriad Demons Sect — A hostile demonic sect whose Holy Maiden Mo Xian’er impersonated Liu Fuyao to frame the Joyful Union Sect for Shen Li’s injury and provoke war with the Artifact Refining Sect 105 108.
• Lin Household — A Hehuan Town cultivation family with connections to the sect through Lin Yue and the former Elder Su Mei; it submitted to the Blissful Sect during the Black Tortoise occupation 31 63.
• Yun Household — A Hehuan Town cultivation family with multiple sect disciples, including Yun Feiyan and Yun Feier; it was suppressed during the Black Tortoise Sect’s occupation but later regained hope after Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough 28 32 63 65.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nascent Soul Crisis

The sect’s failed Nascent Soul Pill refinement and the death of its patriarch place its survival in doubt 18 19. Ye Chenyu considers Liu Fuyao’s Ruthless Dao cultivation a second path toward restoring the sect’s Nascent Soul-level protection 19.

The crisis is eventually resolved through Jiang Yingyue’s Nascent Soul breakthrough and, later, Ye Chenyu’s successful advancement after using a Grade-Five Nascent Soul Pill 65 83 84.

Little Xixi Incident

The sect attempts to claim Little Xixi after her Heavenly Spirit Root is exposed, but Lei Xuan of the Sacred Pill Sect abducts her first 31 32. Ye Chenyu and the elders respond directly, injuring Lei Xuan and recovering Xixi 33.

The incident also contributes to Ye Chenyu’s belief that the mysterious masked alchemist may be a vital ally, after Jiang Yingyue returned Xixi to Lu Chen rather than forcibly recruiting her 44.

Preparation for War

The sect recalls its inner disciples, gathers Foundation Establishment Pills, and seeks enough Foundation Establishment cultivators to activate the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Union Immortal-Ensnaring Formation 44 47 48.

The ninefold warning bell signals the severity of the emergency and summons inner and personal disciples to Joyful Union Hall 41. Though initially short of the conventional activation requirement, the sect later reveals that a Nascent Soul cultivator can operate the formation through a separate method 47 70.

Sect Grand Tournament

The once-in-a-decade Sect Grand Tournament begins as the sect faces both internal instability and the looming Black Tortoise Sect invasion 18 49 50. Inner disciples compete at the summit, while outer disciples fight on Life-and-Death Arenas at the mid-mountain plaza 50.

The tournament’s conclusion immediately triggers the Black Tortoise Sect’s public annexation attempt. Its top hundred-ranked disciples become targets for forced transfer as cultivation partners, while Su Qingqing’s sixty-first-place ranking places her among those threatened 61 62.

Black Tortoise Sect Annexation

Su Mei’s betrayal enables the Black Tortoise Sect to expose the patriarch’s death and impose surrender terms that demand resources, the top hundred tournament disciples, and Liu Fuyao for the Black Tortoise Holy Son 61. Ye Chenyu surrenders temporarily to preserve the disciples’ lives, while Xuan Kui occupies Joyful Union Hall and begins seizing the secret realm’s inheritance 62 63.

Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm overturns the occupation. Using the Greater Celestial Circuit formation, she suppresses the Black Tortoise Seal, kills or defeats invading forces, and forces two arriving Black Tortoise Nascent Soul patriarchs to retreat after severely wounding Xuan Wentian 65 71 72.

Artifact Refining Sect War

Mo Xian’er engineered a conflict by impersonating Liu Fuyao and severely injuring Shen Li, causing the Artifact Refining Sect to believe that Joyful Union Sect had attacked its heir 105. The Artifact Refining Sect then mobilized ten Nascent Soul cultivators and nine Black-Armored Warships, using vengeance as a pretext to seize the sect’s territory, Ascension Tokens, and places in the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly 109 110.

The invaders activated the Tenfold Annihilation Heaven-Refining Array, trapping Joyful Union Mountain within a cauldron phantom and nearly breaching the sect’s defensive formation 111 113. Jiang Yingyue ultimately killed Nascent Soul Peak patriarch Shen Zhennan with a formation-empowered arrow, collapsing the enemy array, while Ye Chenyu used Earth-Vein Dragon Qi to restore the mountain barrier 115.

Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly

Ye Chenyu selected Lu Chen, Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Qin Xue, Jiang Yurou, Ling Shuang, Ye Qingluan, Su Qingqing, Wu Yan, and Zhao Qingyun as the sect’s ten delegates to the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly 145. The assembly grants access to the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, where completing assigned trials can earn Ascension Tokens and cultivation rewards 146.

Within the secret realm, Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Su Qingqing, Jiang Yurou, and other sect disciples became trapped in Ten Thousand Souls Valley against Yin Spirits and an Evil Corpse 257. Lu Chen rescued the group with his Pure Yang blood qi and led them toward the exit, while Zhao Qingyun completed a mission and regained an Ascension Token 262. The sect’s group later became surrounded by Artifact Refining Sect and Black Tortoise Sect cultivators while attempting to locate the captured Lu Chen 282.