Chapter Summaries

Summary: “A Righteous Visitor Comes to Demand Answers” (Part 2)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kongkong’er introduces Su Che to Beimang Ghost Ancestor, revealing that the Ghost Ancestor was the source of the Tai Hell Avici Sword technique. Su Che realizes the sword art was deliberately given to him because the association already knew he possessed the Azure Emperor’s Treasure Garden.
• The Ghost Ancestor and Kongkong’er explain that they recently stopped a Longevity Realm expert from the Devil Sect who had descended to the lower realm to harm the Azure Emperor’s reincarnation—Su Che.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King is displeased by their arrival and criticizes the Ghost Ancestor for attacking Su Che. The Ghost Ancestor implies that the Dharma King has been misleading or “coaxing” Su Che, creating tension between the two ancient figures.
• To prevent outside interference, Su Che invites everyone into the Azure Emperor’s Treasure Garden, specifically the Eastern Extremity Hall, where they can speak privately.
• Inside the hall, the Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King reveal that they were once connected as senior and junior brothers, despite having lived in vastly different eras and followed different paths.
• The Ghost Ancestor begins explaining the true history of the world and humanity, shifting the discussion from personal conflict to the origins of cultivation and the nature of the damaged world.
• He describes how ordinary worlds are governed by tightly ordered natural laws that make cultivation extremely difficult. Their world changed because of a mysterious historical “variable.”
• Rejecting common myths about humanity’s creation, he claims that humans existed before the Primordial Era and gradually developed civilization, technology, and longevity through their own understanding of natural laws—an account that strongly resembles Su Che’s memories of his former life.

Character Developments

• Su Che remains cautious and respectful, showing diplomatic judgment by inviting the group into the Treasure Garden rather than allowing the confrontation to continue outside. His recognition of the sword technique’s origin also demonstrates his growing understanding of the association’s plans.
• Kongkong’er continues to act as a mediator and deflector, shifting blame away from himself while presenting the Ghost Ancestor and clarifying their connection to the larger organization.
• Beimang Ghost Ancestor is revealed to be more than a powerful Ghost Cultivator: he is an ancient figure with a personal history tied to the Yin-Yang Dharma King and a deep understanding of the world’s forgotten origins. He appears both protective of Su Che and critical of those who conceal the truth from him.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King is shown to be defensive, bitter, and deeply nostalgic. Though he resents the Ghost Ancestor’s interference, he also acknowledges their shared past and his own status as a remnant of the fallen Ancient Heavenly Court.
• The Ghost Ancestor’s reflections reveal that both he and the Dharma King remain burdened by the past, despite having taken different paths after the collapse of the Ancient Heavenly Court.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus concealment: The Ghost Ancestor suggests that Su Che has not been told the whole truth and warns against allowing others to manipulate or delay him.
• The weight of history: Both ancient figures are shaped by the fall of the Ancient Heavenly Court and the transformations brought by time.
• Change and survival: The Dharma King sees himself as a forgotten gravekeeper, while the Ghost Ancestor has continued to pursue new possibilities. Their contrast highlights different responses to the passage of eras.
• Origins of civilization and cultivation: The chapter questions conventional myths about humanity’s creation and presents humans as naturally evolved beings who achieved greatness through observation, invention, and understanding.
• Technology and cultivation: The Ghost Ancestor’s description of pre-Primordial humanity blurs the line between technological advancement and supernatural power, suggesting that civilization may have once flourished without formal cultivation.
• A broken world: The revelation that Su Che’s world has been physically damaged and differs from normal worlds raises broader questions about its history, the mysterious “variable,” and the forces that reshaped reality.

Character Interactions

• Kongkong’er casually introduces Su Che to the Ghost Ancestor, while the Ghost Ancestor challenges Su Che for daring to use the sword intent he had taught him.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King criticizes the two visitors for appearing and attacking Su Che. The Ghost Ancestor responds respectfully but firmly, implying that the Dharma King has withheld important truths.
• Their exchange exposes an old relationship: the Ghost Ancestor once regarded the Dharma King as his senior brother, while the Dharma King now rejects that title because their lives and circumstances have diverged so drastically.
• Su Che acts as the neutral host, bringing all three into the Treasure Garden and creating the setting for a more honest discussion.
• The Ghost Ancestor uses his shared memories with the Dharma King to open a larger conversation about the ancient past, eventually directing the explanation toward Su Che’s own possible connection to humanity’s lost origins.

Summary of “Why Heaven and Earth Began to Spurn Them (Part 1)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Beimang Ghost Ancestor reveals that humanity once possessed its own civilization, but it was destroyed when the Demon Gods descended from beyond the universe.
• The Demon Gods corrupted the world’s laws, altered humanity’s bloodlines and appearances, and ruled living beings as if they were livestock. Humanity originally had black hair and black eyes, but later became mixed with bloodlines from other realms.
• In response to the crisis, the Supreme Dao Ancestor manifested in the mortal world and preached the Dao. His teachings gave rise to the Mystic Gate and eventually the Buddhist and Devil sects.
• However, the Demon Gods had already polluted the Nine Heavenly Human Arts. While cultivation became easier, it was fundamentally distorted, preventing successful cultivators from leaving the world.
• Humanity eventually fought back. The majority of the Demon Gods, most of whom were Earth Immortal-level beings, were sealed rather than killed because they had merged with the world’s laws. Destroying them outright would have caused catastrophic consequences.
• The battles shattered heaven and earth, making the world unstable and nearly uninhabitable. To repair and regulate it, the Ancient Heavenly Court was established by the Mystic Gate, led by the Five Directions and Five Emperors.
• The Ancient Heavenly Court used the sealed Demon Gods as anchors while purifying their corruption, repairing the laws, stabilizing the world, and regulating cultivators.
• Maintaining the damaged world required powerful immortals to expend their own cultivation indefinitely. Many cultivators resented this obligation, believing it turned their pursuit of freedom and immortality into forced labor.
• The Heavenly Court attempted to forge the world’s core into a supreme treasure that would stabilize heaven and earth and eventually free the immortals from their burdens.
• The project failed catastrophically. Heavenly Demons interfered, internal conflict erupted among the immortals, the laws descended into chaos, and the world’s core nearly disappeared.
• The Five Directions and Five Emperors died almost simultaneously, dozens of Dharma-Ending Lords emerged within the Heavenly Court, and the Ancient Heavenly Court collapsed.
• The Mysterious Capital Palace barely preserved the world from complete domination by the Heavenly Demons. The laws then rejected nearly everyone, causing widespread death and persecution.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King survived by retreating into the Yin-Yang Realm, while the Beimang Ghost Ancestor survived because he had been away in another world pursuing the Dao of Longevity.

Character Developments

• Su Che gains a far deeper understanding of the Five Directions and Five Emperors, the origins of the Ancient Heavenly Court, and the disaster that shaped the current world.
• He also begins to understand the conflict between mortal needs and immortal aspirations, recognizing why powerful cultivators would resist sacrificing their freedom for ordinary people.
• The Beimang Ghost Ancestor is established as a survivor and witness to ancient history. His account challenges the official belief that the Demon Gods were naturally born from heaven and earth.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King is revealed as another survivor of the Heavenly Court’s collapse. His survival depended on hiding in the Yin-Yang Realm and collecting the remains of his fellow disciples.
• The Five Directions and Five Emperors are portrayed not only as powerful leaders but also as close allies who guided the sealing of the Demon Gods and the creation of the Ancient Heavenly Court.

Significant Themes

• Distorted history and hidden truth: The commonly accepted origin of the Demon Gods is presented as propaganda or a deliberate falsehood.
• Humanity versus heaven: The true path of transcendence requires struggle between human beings and the forces governing heaven, rather than passive acceptance of divine authority.
• The cost of civilization: Repairing the world requires immense sacrifice, and the burden falls on beings who have already achieved freedom and immortality.
• Freedom versus responsibility: The immortals’ resentment reflects the tension between personal liberation and responsibility toward weaker beings.
• Corruption and unintended consequences: Even attempts to save the world—such as sealing the Demon Gods or forging a stabilizing treasure—can create new disasters.
• A broken cosmic order: The world is not merely politically damaged; its laws, spiritual foundations, and relationship with its inhabitants have been fundamentally corrupted.

Character Interactions

• The Beimang Ghost Ancestor acts as the primary narrator, explaining the ancient history to Su Che and correcting his understanding of the past.
• Su Che listens attentively, asks questions, and reflects on the implications of the history, particularly the burden placed on cultivators by the Heavenly Court.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King supplements the Ghost Ancestor’s account, explaining the final collapse of the Ancient Heavenly Court and revealing how both he and the Ghost Ancestor survived.
• The exchange between the Ghost Ancestor and Su Che is educational but also ideological: the Ghost Ancestor presents the Heavenly Court’s failure as the result of ambition, resentment, and cosmic corruption, while Su Che gradually recognizes the complexity of the conflict.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che learns that the Beimang Ghost Ancestor was once a disciple of the Black Emperor and achieved the Longevity Realm in another world, suggesting the Black Emperor and other ancient powers prepared contingencies before the fall of the Ancient Heavenly Court.
• The chapter explains the conflict between cultivators and the Ancient Demon Gods. Cultivators rely on the laws of Heaven and Earth to use their Dharma power, but the Demon Gods corrupted and controlled those laws through the Saint-Annihilating Path.
• After the Demon Gods were defeated, cultivators faced a new dilemma: whether cultivation should serve Heaven and the mortal world or pursue complete personal liberation from all obligations.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King reveals the purpose behind the ancient supreme treasure. If successfully refined, it would have restored the Nine Heavenly Human Arts to perfect harmony and allowed the Heavenly Court to reshape or expand the laws of Heaven and Earth.
• The ancient cultivators split into two approaches:
  • Staying: Repairing and restructuring the existing world.
  • Leaving: Building a Lesser Thousandfold World and relocating to another sustainable universe.
• Both plans were intended to proceed together, but the treasure failed at the final stage. At the same time, the Dharma-Ending Lord attacked from outside with countless Outer Dao Heavenly Demons.
• The resulting internal and external disaster caused the treasure to vanish and triggered Heaven and Earth’s rejection of the Mystic Gate cultivators. This became the true descent of Dharma-Ending Fate.
• The Ancient Heavenly Court collapsed. Countless Earth Immortals and sects were destroyed, and survivors were unable to advance because Heaven and Earth rejected them.
• The Yin-Yang Realm is revealed to be a tomb created by the Black Emperor, containing the remains of disciples who died in the catastrophe.
• The Ghost Ancestor insists that the ancient plan must still be completed to prove that their fallen comrades were not wrong. The Yin-Yang Dharma King rejects this, arguing that the past game was already lost and cannot be continued by them.

2. Character Developments

• Su Che: Gains a deeper understanding of the philosophical conflict behind cultivation, the Heavenly Court, and the burden of repairing Heaven and Earth. He also confronts the possibility that cultivation may impose obligations rather than grant pure freedom.
• Beimang Ghost Ancestor: Revealed as a former disciple of the Black Emperor. He remains driven by loyalty, regret, and a desire to vindicate the dead disciples of the Ancient Heavenly Court. His attainment of Longevity reflects his unwavering resolve.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King: Becomes increasingly fatalistic and disillusioned. Having survived the ancient catastrophe, he believes their cause was mistaken and that continuing it would only create further suffering. He urges the Ghost Ancestor—and implicitly Su Che—not to sacrifice themselves for a lost cause.
• The Black Emperor and ancient emperors: Though absent, they are portrayed as visionary planners who sought both to repair their world and create an escape route for its inhabitants.
• The fallen disciples: Their deaths are reframed as tragic sacrifices. They attempted to mend Heaven but were instead treated as sinners because their failure worsened the division between Heaven and Earth.

3. Significant Themes

• Freedom versus obligation: Cultivators may seek liberation from every external constraint, but great power also creates responsibilities toward the world and its people.
• The price of repairing the world: The effort to mend Heaven and Earth demanded immense sacrifice and ultimately destroyed the very people who undertook it.
• Loyalty versus resignation: The Ghost Ancestor’s determination contrasts with the Dharma King’s belief that accepting defeat is wiser than repeating the past.
• The burden of history: The survivors are haunted by the ancient catastrophe and disagree over whether the dead should be honored by continuing their mission or by abandoning it.
• The nature of good and evil: The chapter presents morality as relative to shared understanding, while suggesting that cultivators ultimately judge actions by whether they obstruct or advance the Dao.
• Heaven and Earth as active forces: The world itself can reject cultivators, making cultivation dependent not only on personal strength but also on harmony with cosmic laws.
• The futility of repeating the past: The Dharma King argues that the ancient conflict was decided long ago and that later generations cannot simply take the place of the emperors.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Che and the Ghost Ancestor: Su Che learns of the Ghost Ancestor’s history and witnesses the tension between the old disciple’s determination and the Dharma King’s despair.
• Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King: Their debate forms the emotional center of the chapter. The Ghost Ancestor wants to continue the struggle and vindicate their fallen comrades, while the Dharma King insists that their cause was flawed and irretrievably lost.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King and Su Che: The Dharma King warns Su Che not to become entangled in the ancient grievance. He advises him to avoid dragging innocent people into a conflict that does not belong to his generation.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King and Kongkong’er: The Dharma King’s glance toward Kongkong’er reinforces his skepticism toward younger or less experienced figures becoming involved in the old struggle.
• The ancient disciples and the Heavenly Court: Their collective sacrifice is central to the disagreement: one side views it as a cause that must be vindicated, while the other sees it as a tragic mistake that should not be repeated.

Chapter Summary: Why Raise an Army to Demand Answers? (Part 1)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King argue over whether to revive the past struggle against the Heavenly Court and use Narayana—or the person Ghost Ancestor believes can still serve as a key piece—to advance their plans.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King rejects Ghost Ancestor’s schemes. He argues that the destruction of the Heavenly Court cannot be reversed, nor can the dead disciples and former comrades be restored. The collapse of Heaven and Earth proves that the past cannot simply be rewritten.
• The two acknowledge their ideological split: Ghost Ancestor wants to manipulate the surviving remnants of the past into a new plan, while Yin-Yang Dharma King refuses to force everyone onto his “chessboard.”
• Ghost Ancestor turns his attention to Su Che, questioning whether Su Che has the strength and resolve to survive the coming “age of great contention” and final calamity.
• Ghost Ancestor presents several hypothetical crises:
  • The Northern Dynasties and Devil Sect invade while Mysterious Capital Palace is occupied.
  • Su Gui and Wei Huaiwen are killed.
  • The Yellow Heaven Sect and the society Ghost Ancestor represents issue conflicting orders.
  • Su Gui demands that Su Che betray his principles, oppress civilians, abandon his sect, or sacrifice White Deer Grotto for the Su Family’s larger cause.
• Su Che refuses to give a simple hypothetical answer. Instead, he declares that he has firm principles and will not obey authority merely because it comes from a powerful elder. He admits that many things can be compromised, but some values cannot be sold.
• Kongkong’er jokes that Su Che is indirectly insulting Ghost Ancestor, but Ghost Ancestor accepts the response and recognizes Su Che as sincere and principled.
• The discussion shifts to the Blood River Realm, Narayana’s former territory, where an old void rift created by the Celestial Master Sect has reopened or worsened into a Heavenly Outer Calamity.
• Su Che explains that Mysterious Capital Palace has arranged for him to lead an expedition to repair the rift, accompanied by the Celestial Master Sect.
• Both Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King are troubled because Su Che has not yet condensed a Reverted Elixir and may be underqualified to face such a powerful calamity.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King apologizes, saying that he has unintentionally dragged Su Che into a dangerous situation, leaving Su Che confused about the hidden implications.

Character Developments

• Yin-Yang Dharma King: Reveals himself as cautious, skeptical, and unwilling to repeat the catastrophic ambitions of the past. Though he opposes Ghost Ancestor’s plans, he clearly cares about Su Che and is willing to protect him.
• Ghost Ancestor: Remains focused on grand schemes involving the Ancient Netherworld and the remnants of the old Heavenly Court conflict. He tests Su Che’s loyalty and moral limits, but ultimately respects his honesty and integrity.
• Su Che: Demonstrates a strong moral core and independent judgment. He will not blindly obey elders, powerful factions, or family authority, even though he is willing to make sacrifices and contribute to causes beyond his current strength.
• Kongkong’er: Provides comic relief while also recognizing the tension between Su Che’s principles and Ghost Ancestor’s manipulative worldview.
• Su Gui and the wider factions: Their possible future demands highlight the political and moral pressures that will be placed on Su Che.

Significant Themes

• The irreversibility of history: Yin-Yang Dharma King insists that the fall of the Heavenly Court and the deaths of the past cannot truly be undone, challenging the desire to restore former glory.
• Free will versus manipulation: Ghost Ancestor views people as pieces on a chessboard, while Yin-Yang Dharma King resists forcing others into his plans. Su Che’s independence places him between these approaches.
• Principles under pressure: Su Che’s values are tested through hypothetical conflicts between sect loyalty, family obligations, political orders, and personal morality.
• Power versus character: Although Su Che’s cultivation is insufficient for the dangers ahead, his emotional warmth and integrity make him valuable to Yin-Yang Dharma King.
• The burden of inherited conflicts: The younger generation, especially Su Che, is being drawn into ancient struggles and disasters created by older powers.

Important Character Interactions

• Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King: Their debate exposes a deep ideological and emotional rift between former comrades or fellow disciples. They still share history and some affection, but no longer trust each other’s methods.
• Ghost Ancestor and Su Che: Ghost Ancestor interrogates Su Che’s loyalty and courage through threatening and hypothetical questions. Su Che responds respectfully but firmly, refusing to surrender his judgment.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King and Su Che: Yin-Yang Dharma King openly defends Su Che from Ghost Ancestor and later expresses regret for involving him in the dangerous Blood River Realm mission.
• Kongkong’er and the others: Kongkong’er breaks the tension by mocking Ghost Ancestor’s probing questions and pointing out Su Che’s indirect criticism of him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ghost Ancestor criticizes Su Che’s slow cultivation progress, especially because Su Che has established his Dingding Pivot but still has not formed a Reverted Elixir.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King reveals that Su Che’s stagnation is caused by the Ancient Era Ruomu Seed he once gave him. Su Che refined it into his natal treasure, the Yin Mountain Nether-Cavern Treasure Register.
• Ruomu is one of the seven great Spiritual Roots and embodies the Life-and-Death Law. Because it has become part of Su Che’s Dao Foundation, his cultivation and Ruomu’s growth are now bound together.
• Although Su Che’s cultivation is sufficient for forming a Reverted Elixir, Ruomu has not matured enough. Su Che must absorb vast quantities of death qi and suppress many dead spirits before he can advance.
• The group discusses possible solutions:
  • The Ghost Ancestor might provide a Void Step ghost for Su Che to suppress, but he is reluctant to expose their relationship.
  • Kongkong’er suggests abandoning the Ruomu-based path and focusing entirely on Sword Cultivation.
  • The Yin-Yang Dharma King rejects the proposal, fearing that Su Che might actually succeed in a path that would fundamentally alter his cultivation.

Character Developments

• Su Che learns the true origin of his Ruomu Seed and finally understands why his cultivation has stalled. He is initially shocked and frustrated, but begins considering how to obtain enough death qi to help Ruomu mature.
• Yin-Yang Dharma King is revealed as the person who originally gave Su Che the Ruomu Seed. His decision came from a desire to protect Su Che from ancient grudges, though it unintentionally created a major obstacle in Su Che’s cultivation.
• Ghost Ancestor shows concern about the coming great calamity and believes Su Che must become stronger quickly. He is willing to help but worries about the political consequences of openly supporting him.
• Kongkong’er provides historical and technical knowledge about Spiritual Roots and proposes the radical option of switching to Sword Cultivation.
• The elders’ discussion emphasizes that Su Che is an unusual and dangerous cultivator because he has incorporated a Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Root directly into his Dao Foundation.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and disaster intertwined: The Ruomu Seed grants Su Che extraordinary potential in the Life-and-Death Law, but also prevents his normal advancement.
• The burden of exceptional power: Ancient methods can produce great strength, yet they impose immense risks and requirements on the cultivator.
• Individual cultivation versus external expectations: Su Che is expected to become a major force against the coming calamity, even though his unusual path makes rapid advancement extremely difficult.
• Old grudges and present responsibility: The elders’ ancient disputes continue to affect Su Che, despite their insistence that outsiders should not be drawn into them.
• Uncertainty over changing paths: Switching to Sword Cultivation might solve Su Che’s immediate problem, but it could also permanently alter or derail his current Dao.

Character Interactions

• The Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King argue over whether Su Che’s slow progress reflects negligence by the Yellow Heaven Sect or the unavoidable consequences of the Ruomu Seed.
• The elders debate whether the Ghost Ancestor should lend Su Che a powerful ghost to suppress and absorb.
• The Ghost Ancestor refuses to act too openly, fearing that helping Su Che would reveal their close connection.
• Kongkong’er proposes abandoning Ruomu, prompting the Dharma King to accuse him of effectively forcing Su Che to become a Sword Cultivator.
• Su Che remains mostly silent but carefully listens, reassessing both his cultivation problem and the possible sources of help.

Chapter Summary: “Golden Wind and Jade Dew Do Not Meet (Part 1)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens by contrasting the cultivation philosophies of the Mystic Gate and the Sword Palace. The Mystic Gate seeks to combine the Nine Heavenly Human Arts, while sword cultivators pursue liberation by cutting away all restraints through the sword.
• A lesser-known sword-cultivation lineage from the Eastern Sea Sword Palace is introduced. Unlike orthodox sword cultivators, this lineage allows flexibility and “turns in the road,” treating other laws not as shackles but as potentially useful tools. Kongkong’er belongs to, or is heavily influenced by, this tradition.
• Kongkong’er proposes teaching Su Che a method from his lineage to help him form his elixir more quickly. The Beimang Ghost Ancestor initially objects, warning that one’s future Dao Path must be treated carefully.
• Su Che agrees to try Kongkong’er’s method. He reasons that the Ruomu Seed was likely placed in his path deliberately by powerful figures, and that his patriarch, the Yellow Heaven Sect’s leader, can resolve any consequences if something goes wrong.
• Su Che’s willingness reflects his unusually broad cultivation foundation. He has accumulated techniques from the Yellow Heaven Sect, Primordial Azure Emperor, Buddhist, Black Emperor, Ghost Ancestor, and various sword traditions. His cultivation has become a “general store,” making him less concerned about adding another method.
• The group discusses how to proceed without attracting attention in Jiankang City, which is filled with spies and observers. They eventually create a formal plan before Su Che leaves.
• The appearance of the Blood River Realm causes major political and military reactions throughout the Great Liang Dynasty:
  • Civilians near the spatial rift are evacuated to Ci Prefecture, both to protect them and to prevent ordinary people from being caught in the conflicts of arriving cultivators.
  • The court dispatches Circuit Inspectors and Night Pacification Bureau agents to monitor the cultivation world.
  • Marshal Wei Huaiwen leads troops north to reassert control over Yongzhou and nearby regions.
  • The Eastern Sea becomes increasingly chaotic after a notice from the Mysterious Capital Palace, drawing ambitious cultivators and powerful figures eager to exploit the situation.
• The chapter ends with Su Che quietly arriving at the famous worldly establishment known as the Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower, setting up the next stage of events.

Character Developments

• Su Che demonstrates confidence, adaptability, and a pragmatic attitude toward cultivation. Rather than clinging to strict sectarian boundaries, he is willing to experiment with any method that may help him advance.
• His trust in his patriarch and powerful allies shows that he remains bold but not reckless; he believes there is a safety net if the experiment goes wrong.
• Kongkong’er is revealed as an unconventional and opportunistic sword cultivator. Though associated with wealth and flexible methods, he argues that his pursuit remains within the principles of Dao and Virtue.
• Beimang Ghost Ancestor acts as the cautious voice, emphasizing the seriousness of changing or influencing Su Che’s Dao Path.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King and Ghost Ancestor are placed in a somewhat supervisory role, both concerned about Su Che’s increasingly complicated cultivation and the consequences of allowing another lineage to influence him.
• Wei Huaiwen and the Great Liang authorities appear politically calculating rather than purely defensive. Their response to the crisis combines disaster prevention, surveillance, and preparation for possible renewed conflict with the Northern Dynasties.

Significant Themes

• Addition versus subtraction in cultivation: The Mystic Gate seeks to harmonize many arts, while traditional sword cultivation seeks freedom through cutting away constraints. The flexible sword lineage offers a middle path.
• Purity versus adaptability: The chapter questions whether absolute purity of sword intent is enough to achieve true liberation. Su Che’s willingness to combine many systems suggests that adaptability may be more effective than rigid orthodoxy.
• Trust and destiny: Su Che interprets the Ruomu Seed’s arrival as part of a greater plan, showing his belief that powerful figures and hidden forces are guiding his path.
• Sectarian boundaries: The chapter favors practical use over ideological loyalty. Su Che’s “general store” cultivation embodies the idea that useful methods should be borrowed regardless of origin.
• Political instability beneath supernatural crisis: The Blood River Realm threatens catastrophe, but the response also exposes human rivalries, military opportunism, espionage, and struggles for political advantage.

Character Interactions

• Kongkong’er tries to persuade the Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang Dharma King to let him guide Su Che, defending his lineage against their suspicion.
• The Ghost Ancestor questions Kongkong’er’s suitability and warns that Su Che’s cultivation future must not be handled casually.
• Su Che unexpectedly intervenes and volunteers himself, surprising the others and shifting the discussion in Kongkong’er’s favor.
• Kongkong’er immediately embraces Su Che as a kindred spirit, while the other elders remain wary.
• The elders ultimately cooperate by designing a discreet and publicly defensible plan for Su Che’s training.
• The wider political interactions involve the Great Liang court, Marshal Wei Huaiwen, Yuwen Rui, and various cultivation factions maneuvering around the Blood River Realm crisis.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che disguises himself as a merchant and travels to the Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower near the Qinhuai River, avoiding attention because of the establishment’s disreputable reputation.
• Along the way, he hears rumors about two strange disappearances:
  • The Zhu Hua Troupe, a group of renowned courtesans favored by Princess Ning’an, has vanished and is rumored to have been composed of spies from the Northern Dynasties.
  • The Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower itself supposedly disappeared from the mortal world, though it now reappears before Su Che’s spiritual perception.
• Su Che senses that the tower possesses an extraordinary aura connected to the Great Dao, transforming it from a pleasure house into something resembling a Grotto-Heaven Paradise.
• Before entering, Su Che meets Xue Baizhi of Jade Sun Mountain, who has also been invited to the gathering organized by Mysterious Capital Palace.
• Together they enter the tower and discover that it is filled with female Daoists meditating on cushions rather than courtesans.
• Daoist Puxiang of Mysterious Capital Palace greets them alongside Bukong Dingguang Tathagata, a powerful Buddhist patriarch and Earth Immortal.
• Puxiang explains that he and the Buddha Ancestor are engaged in a wager, and he invites Su Che and Xue Baizhi to wait while they finish their contest.

2. Character Developments

• Su Che: Demonstrates caution and resourcefulness by disguising himself. He remains observant and skeptical, especially concerning the disappearances of the Zhu Hua Troupe and the strange transformation of the tower. His spiritual perception also reveals his growing sensitivity to profound Daoist forces.
• Xue Baizhi: Appears composed, capable, and politically responsible. Her participation shows Jade Sun Mountain’s willingness to cooperate in matters affecting the safety of the entire realm. She disguises herself as a male Daoist and confidently enters the mysterious tower.
• Daoist Puxiang: Presents himself as relaxed and humorous, but his presence confirms the seriousness of the gathering. His wager with the Buddha Ancestor suggests both confidence and an informal relationship with powerful figures from other traditions.
• Bukong Dingguang Tathagata: Despite being a mighty Buddhist patriarch, he appears amiable and approachable. His participation shows that the crisis surrounding the Void Rift has drawn cooperation across religious and factional boundaries.

3. Significant Themes

• The contrast between appearances and reality: The tower appears to be a brothel but is actually a Daoist sanctuary, while its inhabitants are female practitioners rather than courtesans.
• Unity in the face of crisis: Mysterious Capital Palace has gathered not only major Mystic Gate sects but also Jade Sun Mountain and the Buddhist School, indicating that the Void Rift threatens the entire realm.
• The hidden supernatural within the mundane world: Ordinary people see only a pleasure district, while cultivators perceive the tower’s connection to the Great Dao.
• Rumor, secrecy, and political uncertainty: The disappearance of the Zhu Hua Troupe and the tower raises questions about espionage, hidden motives, and the reliability of public explanations.
• Cooperation and rivalry among great powers: Daoist and Buddhist figures work together while still competing through a wager, suggesting that alliance does not erase personal or sectarian contests.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Che hears gossip from ordinary pleasure-seekers, gaining clues about the Zhu Hua Troupe and the tower.
• He meets Xue Baizhi, and the two exchange formal greetings before proceeding together.
• Xue Baizhi opens the tower’s doors, revealing its unexpected community of meditating female Daoists.
• Puxiang recognizes Su Che and praises Xue Baizhi’s talent, establishing a friendly and familiar tone.
• Puxiang introduces Bukong Dingguang Tathagata, while the Buddha Ancestor modestly challenges Puxiang’s claim that he will win their wager.
• Su Che and Xue Baizhi are asked to wait as the two senior figures continue their mysterious contest.

Chapter Summary: Not Intended as a War of Words (Part 1)

Plot Points and Events

• Su Che attends a gathering at Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower, where female Daoists sit solemnly while True Person Puxiang of Mysterious Capital Palace and Inexhaustible Light Buddha engage in a mysterious competition.
• Su Che sits with Xue Baizhi and meets Ji Boyuan, a talkative Void Step cultivator from the Divine Firmament Sect.
• Ji explains that Puxiang and the Buddha Lord are competing through Dao Resonance: Puxiang seeks to inspire the worldly women present to pursue the Dao and become Daoists, while the Buddha Lord hopes they will renounce worldly life and enter monastic Buddhism.
• The competition is not ordinary preaching. Instead, both sides subtly influence people through their presence and actions. Even if Puxiang wins, the women would not immediately become true cultivators; at most, they might awaken spiritually or recover some innate vitality.
• Two important figures arrive: Ming Wei of the Celestial Masters Sect and Yun Luo, the daughter of the Dragon Lord of Qiantang. Ji identifies Ming Wei as an extraordinary prodigy, possibly an Ancient Era powerhouse reincarnated into the present.
• Tension quickly develops between Ji Boyuan and Ming Wei. Ming Wei criticizes Ji for gossiping, while Ji dismisses him as a child.
• Yun Luo recognizes Su Che from their former meeting in the Yin-Yang Realm and politely acknowledges his accomplishments.
• Ming Wei confronts Su Che directly, accusing the Yellow Heaven Sect of having a scheme. Su Che counters by reminding him that the Celestial Masters Sect caused a major crisis and relied on others to help repair the damage. Ming Wei responds defiantly, asking who invited them.

Character Developments

• Su Che remains cautious and observant. He does not fully understand the competition at first, but he quickly grasps its significance. He is polite toward everyone, even when drawn into tense exchanges.
• Ji Boyuan is established as boisterous, informal, and highly sociable. He admires Su Che’s master, Yulizi, and treats sectarian alliances in a rough, “brothers-in-arms” manner. Despite his casual chatter, he is a powerful Void Step cultivator.
• Ming Wei appears young but is exceptionally accomplished and self-assured. His sharp criticism and confrontational attitude reveal a proud, fiery temperament.
• Yun Luo behaves with composure and elegance. Her recognition of Su Che suggests a prior connection and perhaps respect for his rise in status.
• Xue Baizhi remains beside Su Che but is largely ignored during Ji Boyuan’s conversation.

Significant Themes

• Daoist and Buddhist rivalry: The central competition represents a contest between the spiritual foundations of the Mystic Gate and Buddhism, expressed through influence rather than open combat.
• Subtle power and spiritual influence: Great cultivators no longer need direct displays of force; their ideals can shape others through invisible, profound means.
• Sectarian alliances and conflict: The shared reverence for the Supreme Dao Ancestor creates bonds among the Mystic Gate sects, but these alliances coexist with suspicion, rivalry, and personal hostility.
• Reputation and legacy: Yulizi’s past military achievements and Ming Wei’s extraordinary cultivation history show how legendary reputations shape present relationships.
• Pride versus diplomacy: Su Che’s restrained politeness contrasts with Ji’s casual boldness and Ming Wei’s aggressive directness.

Character Interactions

• Ji Boyuan warmly introduces himself to Su Che and Xue Baizhi, emphasizing their shared devotion to the Dao Ancestor.
• Ji praises Su Che’s master and attempts to establish immediate camaraderie with Su Che.
• Ji privately explains the Puxiang–Buddha competition to Su Che.
• Ming Wei rebukes Ji for speaking about others behind their backs, creating immediate friction.
• Yun Luo greets Su Che as an old acquaintance and comments on his achievements.
• Ming Wei challenges Su Che over the Yellow Heaven Sect’s presumed intentions, prompting Su Che to criticize the Celestial Masters Sect’s past actions.
• The chapter ends with the gathering’s atmosphere turning confrontational, suggesting that the meeting may become a verbal—and possibly broader—conflict.

Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Boyuan of the Divine Firmament Sect and Mingwei of the Celestial Master Sect engage in a sharp verbal dispute over their sects’ methods and the current situation. Their argument reflects longstanding hostility between the two groups.
• Su Che considers intervening, especially because of his Divine Firmament Sect’s alliance with the Yellow Heaven Sect, but their confrontation is interrupted by the arrival of Xiao Feiyu.
• Xiao Feiyu, a boisterous swordsman from the Eastern Sea Sword Palace, introduces himself as the “Astonishing God Sword,” ranked twenty-eighth among Eastern Sea Void Step sword cultivators. He immediately begins joking and provoking the other guests.
• Xiao’s conversation with Yun Luo reveals tensions between the Sword Palace and the Dragon Clan. They exchange polite-sounding but hostile remarks concerning the Eastern Sea’s demonic disturbances and the Sword Palace’s recent killing of two alligator dragons.
• Hundred-Foot Horizon of White Deer Grotto arrives and sits apart from the others. Su Che taunts him over their previous conflict, implying that he may one day destroy White Deer Grotto’s ancestral memorial tablets. Hundred-Foot Horizon responds calmly, while Yun Yuchen adds a pointed remark about whether people who preach benevolence will truly sacrifice themselves for it.
• The gathering grows increasingly hostile, with many factions appearing ready to settle old grievances rather than cooperate.
• True Person Puxiang finally appears and restores order. He explains the purpose of the gathering: the void rift is connected to the dangerous Blood River Realm and threatens the peace of the world.
• Mysterious Capital Palace has invited representatives from the three Mystic Gate Dao sects, Buddhism, the Devil Sect, the Eastern Sea Sword Palace and Dragon Clan, Jade Sun Mountain, and White Deer Grotto.
• Puxiang announces that the number of Ancient Netherworld entry tokens has been increased from eight to thirteen. One token will be awarded to whoever seals the void rift and restores peace.
• Participation is open to anyone, regardless of sect or origin, but Puxiang warns that the mixed gathering will be extremely dangerous. He begins explaining that the void passage, originally opened by Demon Lord Jiuyuan, was modified and isolated by senior Celestial Master Sect figures, giving it unusual properties.

2. Character Developments

• Su Che remains observant and cautious, recognizing the factional hostility around him while considering when—or whether—to intervene. He also shows a sharper, more openly confrontational side when mocking White Deer Grotto.
• Ji Boyuan is portrayed as arrogant and aggressive, using righteous rhetoric to defend the Divine Firmament Sect while insulting the Celestial Master Sect.
• Mingwei proves equally capable of verbal retaliation, defending his sect’s plans and criticizing the Divine Firmament Sect’s vengeful reputation.
• Xiao Feiyu is introduced as sociable, boastful, humorous, and talkative, but his jokes conceal a sharp awareness of political tensions. His status as a high-ranking sword cultivator establishes him as a significant figure.
• Yun Luo maintains her composed, amused demeanor and responds to Xiao Feiyu’s provocations with elegant but pointed counterattacks.
• Hundred-Foot Horizon demonstrates restraint and dignity by refusing to be drawn into Su Che’s insults, suggesting strong self-control and confidence.
• True Person Puxiang assumes the role of mediator and authority, shifting the gathering from personal disputes to the larger crisis surrounding the void rift.

3. Significant Themes

• Factional rivalry versus common purpose: The various sects are supposedly gathered to address a global threat, yet old grudges and political conflicts make cooperation difficult.
• Righteousness as rhetoric: Characters repeatedly invoke justice, benevolence, and the common good, but their words often function as weapons in personal and sectarian disputes.
• Public duty and impartiality: Puxiang presents Mysterious Capital Palace as acting for the benefit of Heaven and Earth rather than any single faction, emphasizing merit-based access to the reward.
• Dangerous cooperation: The gathering brings together orthodox sects, Buddhists, devils, dragons, and sword cultivators, creating an unstable alliance in which anyone may become either an ally or an enemy.
• Hidden history and altered reality: The void rift’s unusual nature stems from its manipulation by earlier masters, hinting that the coming mission will involve more than simply sealing a portal.

4. Character Interactions

• Ji Boyuan and Mingwei: Trade insults over sectarian narrow-mindedness, vengeance, and the legitimacy of their respective traditions.
• Xiao Feiyu and Su Che: Xiao flatters and jokes with Su Che, comparing his appearance to a statue of the Azure Emperor and identifying him as the Azure Emperor reincarnated.
• Xiao Feiyu and Yun Luo: Exchange courteous but hostile comments about the Sword Palace, the Dragon Clan, and demonic activity in the Eastern Sea.
• Su Che and Hundred-Foot Horizon: Reignite their personal feud through veiled threats involving White Deer Grotto’s patriarchs and memorial tablets.
• Yun Yuchen and Hundred-Foot Horizon: Yun Yuchen challenges White Deer Grotto’s commitment to true benevolence, though Hundred-Foot Horizon deliberately refuses to respond.
• Puxiang and the assembled factions: Puxiang interrupts the escalating disputes and redirects everyone’s attention toward the void rift, the Blood River Realm, and the reward of an Ancient Netherworld token.

Chapter Summary: Joining Forces and Playing Powers Against Each Other to Compete for Supremacy (Part 1)

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Person Puxiang of Mysterious Capital Palace explains that the newly formed Void Passage connects to a secret estate—the Immortal Abode—left behind by former Celestial Master Sect seniors.
• The Immortal Abode contains a contingency formation capable of sealing the Void Passage and preventing the Devil Lord or other dangerous beings from emerging.
• Because the passage contains restrictive arts that impede Immortal True Persons, only Void Step cultivators can enter safely. It also contains powerful Outer Dao Heavenly Demons, making the expedition extremely dangerous.
• Mysterious Capital Palace urges the various sects to set aside old grudges and cooperate for the sake of the realm. However, Puxiang also reveals that the Immortal Abode contains valuable ancient immortal treasures, turning the mission into a competition.
• Yun Luo questions why the stronger elders of Mysterious Capital Palace cannot seal the passage themselves. Puxiang replies that the mission is intended to temper the younger generation and allow them to obtain the relics.
• Xiao Feiyu worries that powerful sects might later seize the treasures from weaker participants. Puxiang assures everyone that the treasures belong to whoever can claim them, suggesting that Mysterious Capital Palace has already negotiated with the Celestial Master Sect over access.
• Su Che asks what will happen if the expedition becomes violent. Puxiang gives no firm promise of protection, merely describing conflict as another source of karmic opportunity. He warns that demonic forces may attempt to stabilize the Void Passage, potentially trapping and corrupting everyone inside.
• The restrictions will be removed in three days, giving the sects time to prepare.
• After the meeting, the participants are returned to the streets of Jiankang City, while the Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower disappears, implying that the confrontation between True Person Puxiang and Buddha Lord Bukong is still unresolved.
• Su Che confronts Zhongjia of White Deer Grotto, accusing the sect of stealing the Destiny Patterns of heroes, colluding with the Devil Sect, and harboring ulterior motives. Their exchange confirms the deep hostility between Su Che and White Deer Grotto.
• Ji Boyuan of the Divine Firmament Sect offers to support Su Che against White Deer Grotto, framing the conflict as a defense of the righteous sects.
• Ming Wei sarcastically criticizes the Divine Firmament Sect and the other major powers for forming an intimidating alliance while claiming to uphold unity.
• Yun Luo withdraws from the gathering, identifying herself as a remnant of the Demon Gods and implying that she does not belong among the orthodox Mystic Gate sects.
• Xiao Feiyu proposes that the Celestial Master Sect, Yellow Heaven Sect, Divine Firmament Sect, and Sword Palace cooperate to control the expedition. The group agrees to coordinate rather than compete openly.
• Ji Boyuan reveals that the Yellow Heaven Sect and Sword Palace possess talismans granted by Mysterious Capital Palace. He also explains the historical connection between the Celestial Master Sect and the Ancient Heavenly Court, strengthening the claim that the Divine Firmament Sect is a legitimate heir to Ancient Heavenly Court traditions.

Character Developments

• True Person Puxiang presents himself as reasonable and benevolent, but his statements reveal that Mysterious Capital Palace is manipulating the younger generation into taking risks while using the Immortal Abode’s treasures as an incentive.
• Su Che openly asserts his hostility toward White Deer Grotto and shows that he is unwilling to prioritize superficial unity over settling serious grievances. His accusations also suggest that he has uncovered dangerous conspiracies involving the sect.
• Zhongjia remains guarded and defiant, refusing to answer Su Che’s accusations and demonstrating White Deer Grotto’s confidence and independence.
• Ji Boyuan reveals a more politically shrewd side beneath his informal manner. He quickly recognizes the value of forming an alliance and supports Su Che for both personal loyalty and broader sectarian advantage.
• Ming Wei becomes increasingly sarcastic and confrontational, resenting the larger sects’ dominance while defending the Celestial Master Sect’s rightful claim to the Immortal Abode.
• Xiao Feiyu acts as a practical mediator and strategist. Though wary of political retaliation, he helps organize cooperation among the major orthodox powers.
• Yun Luo maintains her distance from the orthodox sects, emphasizing her identity as a Demon God remnant and refusing to become entangled in their power struggle.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation versus rivalry: The sects are told to unite against a common danger, yet the promise of ancient treasures encourages competition and distrust.
• Political manipulation: Mysterious Capital Palace presents the expedition as a noble mission but also uses it to test younger cultivators and redistribute valuable relics.
• Orthodoxy and legitimacy: The characters debate who truly represents the righteous tradition, especially through claims of descent from the Ancient Heavenly Court.
• Old grudges and strategic alliances: Personal hatred does not disappear simply because a larger crisis emerges. Instead, grudges become tools for forming temporary coalitions.
• Power and hidden conspiracies: Su Che’s accusations against White Deer Grotto hint at a broader struggle involving stolen destiny, the Devil Sect, and attempts to reshape the balance of power.
• Danger beneath opportunity: The Immortal Abode promises treasures and advancement, but the Void Passage may also trap, corrupt, or destroy those who enter.

Important Character Interactions

• Puxiang and the gathered sects: Puxiang explains the mission and attempts to secure their cooperation while withholding any guarantee that they will be protected from one another.
• Su Che and Zhongjia: Their hostile confrontation exposes the longstanding conflict between Su Che and White Deer Grotto and hints at White Deer Grotto’s involvement in dangerous schemes.
• Su Che and Ji Boyuan: Ji offers enthusiastic support, turning Su Che’s personal feud into a cause for the orthodox sects.
• Ji Boyuan and Ming Wei: Their exchange highlights tensions between large, powerful sects and the smaller Celestial Master Sect.
• Ming Wei, Xiao Feiyu, and Ji Boyuan: Despite mutual distrust, they begin planning a united front to compete for the Immortal Abode.
• Yun Luo and the orthodox sects: Her departure reinforces the divide between the Demon God remnants and the Mystic Gate’s orthodox traditions.

Summary: “Cooperation and Rivalry for Supremacy (Part 2)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The factions aligned with Su Che—the Yellow Heaven Sect, Divine Firmament Sect, and East Sea Sword Palace—show signs of possibly cooperating, while other powers pursue their own agendas.
• Zhongjia secretly travels to a ruined mountaintop temple at White Deer Grotto, evading surveillance from the Imperial Demon Hunters and Night Pacification Bureau.
• He meets Yue Luan, a mysterious devilish figure, and Zhen Ping’er, a talented courtesan of the Zhu Hua Troupe and representative of the Northern Lands’ Devil Sect.
• Zhongjia reports that placing Zhu Yan inside a hidden grotto activated arrangements left behind by Hidden Light Celestial Venerable, causing part of the Blood River Realm to reappear.
• Yue Luan and Zhen Ping’er discuss the resulting opportunity: if the passage to the Blood River Realm—or the Ancient Netherworld—is sealed, the Northern Lands may gain valuable Talismanic Arts connected to the Ancient Netherworld.
• The three agree to cooperate in pursuing the secret estate of the ancient immortals. However, their immediate strategy is to create conflict among the Mystic Gate factions before they can unite.
• Yue Luan identifies the main danger as a possible alliance between the Yellow Heaven Sect, Divine Firmament Sect, and East Sea Sword Palace. He proposes sabotaging this alliance and recruiting Rogue Cultivators into a separate coalition.

Character Developments

• Zhongjia is revealed as a confident and influential leader acting on behalf of his sect. He believes his faction’s long-term preparations will soon grant it enormous Destiny Aura and make it a pillar of the Central Land.
• Yue Luan emerges as a calculating strategist with extensive knowledge of the political and mystical landscape. He is pursuing the Ancient Netherworld and is also searching for Zuo Lengchan, whom he regards as a potential disciple connected to his former estate, Jade Sun Mountain.
• Zhen Ping’er demonstrates exceptional intelligence, political awareness, and skill in calculation despite being only at the Reverted Elixir realm. She questions the motives of powerful factions and understands the risks of revealing her sect’s plans.
• Zhongjia and Zhen Ping’er form a cautious alliance, though Zhen stresses that she cannot fully control the actions of her elders and fellow disciples.
• Yue Luan acts as the mediator and architect of the alliance, while also encouraging Zhen Ping’er to use her talent for manipulation and intrigue.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation built on rivalry: Factions temporarily ally not out of trust, but to exploit shared opportunities and defeat stronger competitors.
• Political manipulation and divided power: The central strategy is to prevent the Mystic Gate factions from uniting by deepening existing tensions.
• Ancient legacies and hidden realms: The Blood River Realm, Ancient Netherworld, and the ancient immortal estate represent sources of immense power that drive the factions’ ambitions.
• Destiny and legitimacy: Zhongjia claims his sect is destined to dominate the Central Land, while the characters dismiss competing claims—such as the supposed reincarnation of the Azure Emperor—as likely frauds.
• Confidence versus uncertainty: Mysterious Capital Palace appears to tolerate the rising factions, creating speculation about whether it is confidently controlling events or allowing powerful “breeds” to develop for its own purposes.
• Information as a weapon: Knowledge of hidden realms, factional relationships, and the locations of key figures gives the characters leverage over their enemies.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhongjia and Yue Luan: They speak as political equals, exchanging information while subtly challenging each other’s motives and ambitions.
• Zhongjia and Zhen Ping’er: Zhongjia proposes cooperation, but Zhen responds cautiously, warning that the alliance could expose her sect to political retaliation.
• Yue Luan and Zhen Ping’er: Their conversation is marked by teasing and mutual recognition. Yue Luan acknowledges her unusual talent, while she probes his interest in the Ancient Netherworld and Zuo Lengchan.
• The three conspirators: They ultimately agree to work together against the ancient immortal estate, while planning to manipulate the Mystic Gate factions and Rogue Cultivators into fighting one another.

Chapter Summary: “Schemes of the Heart Lie Beyond the Belly (Part One)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che, Ji Boyuan, and Xiao Feiyu spend the day drinking in a small tavern in Jiankang City. They consume enormous amounts of cheap wine while sharing stories about ancient history, cultivation, and Xiao Feiyu’s adventures in the Eastern Sea.
• The tavern waiter worries that the three men are occupying a table without generating profit, while the accountant chooses not to interfere, fearing they may be powerful martial artists who could cause trouble.
• An apparently wealthy, well-mannered middle-aged man secretly reveals himself to be an Imperial Demon Hunter attached to the Palace Secretariat. He instructs the accountant to serve the three guests properly and avoid attracting attention.
• Afterward, the waiter reports that the guests are actually “immortal masters.” They have paid for the wine with a gold ingot and left a Yellow Talisman, instructing the tavern to paste it onto a large urn of water. After a month, the water will supposedly transform into exceptionally fragrant wine.
• The accountant realizes that the Imperial Demon Hunters were likely aware of the guests’ identities and had come to observe them discreetly. He secretly decides to keep the talisman and eventually leave for the prosperous new city of Suzhou, imagining a better future for himself.

Character Developments

• Su Che remains calm and observant, participating in the conversation mainly by asking Ji Boyuan and Xiao Feiyu about cultivation difficulties and learning from their experiences.
• Ji Boyuan appears sociable and knowledgeable, entertaining the others with stories from the Ancient and Medieval Eras.
• Xiao Feiyu presents himself as a bold, decisive swordsman, proudly recounting his exploits and his willingness to act in the interests of his sect.
• The waiter is practical but easily overwhelmed. His anxiety about money and his dreams of building a house and marrying contrast with his awe at encountering immortals.
• The accountant is cautious, shrewd, and self-interested. He handles the Imperial Demon Hunter’s warning carefully, then secretly plans to keep the talisman and improve his own circumstances.
• The Imperial Demon Hunter demonstrates discretion and authority, concealing the guests’ identities while monitoring them without causing a disturbance.

Significant Themes

• The hidden extraordinary within ordinary life: A mundane tavern becomes the meeting place of powerful cultivators and government agents.
• Appearance versus reality: The three men look like ordinary drinkers, while the polite wealthy patron is secretly an Imperial Demon Hunter.
• Greed and opportunity: The tavern staff immediately view supernatural encounters through the lens of profit, wages, prosperity, and personal advancement.
• Power and secrecy: The Imperial Demon Hunters’ covert observation suggests political authorities are carefully monitoring cultivators and unusual figures.
• Humor from contrasting perspectives: The immortals treat the tavern casually, while the ordinary workers are terrified and fascinated by events they barely understand.

Character Interactions

• Su Che, Ji Boyuan, and Xiao Feiyu bond over wine, storytelling, and discussions of cultivation.
• The waiter repeatedly presses the accountant about the financial cost of serving the guests, while the accountant urges patience and caution.
• The Imperial Demon Hunter quietly pressures the accountant into cooperating, using both official authority and secrecy.
• The waiter later shares the astonishing news about the guests with the accountant, who responds with skepticism toward the waiter’s regret at not begging the immortals for blessings.
• The staff’s conversations reveal how ordinary people interpret cultivators through rumors, superstition, and hopes of gaining wealth or status.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving the tavern, Su Che, Ji Boyuan, and Xiao Feiyu are followed by Imperial Demon Hunters. Su Che releases his aura, causing the hunters to recognize their strength and withdraw respectfully.
• The three discuss the Eastern Sea, where frequent demonic-beast attacks have made ordinary people and cultivators unusually resilient and pragmatic.
• Their conversation turns to cultivation philosophies:
  • Ji Boyuan explains that the Divine Firmament Sect’s “thunder” is not literal lightning but a profound Dao principle representing vitality, Yin-Yang, Creation, and the power governing Heaven and Earth.
  • Xiao Feiyu describes the Sword Palace’s doctrine: Numinous Obscurity is the sword blade, while Dao and Virtue serve as its sheath, refining and controlling the sword’s destructive power.
• Xiao reflects on Ji’s Yellow Talisman, which transformed water into something indistinguishable from wine through the Truth-Illusion Method. Although it tasted and smelled like wine, its true essence remained water.
• The group predicts that the tavern’s waiter and accountant will become consumed by greed over the talisman and the profits it could generate. Their rivalry may lead to violence or even death.
• They further speculate that outsiders—including Imperial Demon Hunters or rogue cultivators—could seek the talisman, potentially destroying the tavern family or exploiting the item generations later for political or sectarian advantage.
• Xiao clarifies that Sword Cultivation requires not only using Dao and Virtue as a sheath but also as the blade itself: cultivators must continually look inward and judge their own conduct.
• He reveals that some Sword Palace cultivators are abandoning the traditional Dao-and-Virtue path to pursue other sword doctrines, such as using a single sword to generate or embody all arts.
• Su Che asks another question, but Xiao’s irritated expression makes clear that he considers it overly presumptuous.

Character Developments

• Su Che shows increasing insight into swordsmanship and the moral principles underlying Sword Cultivation. His recent lessons from Kongkong’er allow him to understand that a true Sword Cultivator is defined by adherence to Dao and Virtue, not merely by wielding a sword.
• Ji Boyuan is presented as powerful, intellectually relaxed, and unconcerned about the consequences of his casual acts. He created the Yellow Talisman as a good-natured experiment, but accepts that human greed may turn it into a source of conflict.
• Xiao Feiyu reveals himself as thoughtful beneath his relaxed, irreverent manner. His reflections on Dao and Virtue show that he is seriously examining the meaning of Sword Cultivation and his own path.
• The tavern waiter and accountant, though absent from the scene, are characterized through the group’s predictions as examples of escalating greed: each is likely to seek greater profit rather than accept a fair or honest arrangement.

Significant Themes

• Human greed and the “hell” of the heart: A small act of generosity becomes dangerous because people cannot resist seeking greater benefits. The chapter emphasizes that inner desire, rather than external demons, often creates the greatest suffering.
• Truth and illusion: Ji’s talisman demonstrates that something can appear completely real while remaining fundamentally false. The distinction between appearance and essence is central to both the talisman and broader Daoist cultivation.
• Dao and Virtue as restraint: Power is not enough; it must be tempered by moral discipline. Xiao’s sword metaphor presents Dao and Virtue as both the sheath that restrains power and the blade that cuts through one’s own flaws.
• Tradition versus innovation: The Sword Palace contains a growing divide between traditional cultivators who uphold Dao and Virtue and reformers who seek to redefine swordsmanship through other Heavenly Arts.
• Consequences of seemingly minor actions: Ji’s casual gift may produce long-term conflict, illustrating how small choices can generate complex karmic consequences.

Character Interactions

• Su Che, Ji Boyuan, and Xiao Feiyu converse as increasingly comfortable peers, combining philosophical discussion with humor and criticism.
• Ji and Xiao exchange views on the relationship between their respective traditions: the Mystic Gate seeks harmony among the Nine Arts, while Sword Cultivators concentrate their principles through the sword.
• Xiao’s praise of Ji’s talisman also contains a warning about its danger, while Ji responds without regret or defensiveness.
• Su Che contributes observations about the likely schemes of the tavern workers and later connects Xiao’s teachings to his own sword training.
• Xiao initially engages with Su Che’s questions but ends the passage by silently rebuking him for probing too far, adding a playful tension to their relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Shoucheng Gains a Sword—No Easy Matter (Part One)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Feiyu explains the two principal sword-cultivation traditions of the East Sea Sword Palace:
  • Purification Lineage, including Rainbow Transformation and Mist Transformation, which focuses on refining and strengthening sword intent until it can sever anything.
  • Creative Lineage, which studies the nature and weaknesses of a target before attacking, much like a butcher understanding an ox’s structure before cutting it apart.
• Su Che considers the Creative Lineage as a possible alternative to the difficult path of pure sword-intent purification. Because of the Ruomu Seed and his own circumstances, he feels he cannot simply pursue the traditional route to its ultimate conclusion.
• Xiao Feiyu reveals that the Creative Lineage is becoming increasingly popular because Purification is extremely demanding. Although Purification still dominates among powerful Earth Immortals, the two traditions are approaching parity among newly advanced Immortal True Persons.
• He predicts that factional tensions within the East Sea Sword Palace will eventually emerge as Creative sword cultivators become more numerous.
• Ji Boyuan compares the Sword Palace’s internal tensions to disputes within the Mystic Gate, including whether cultivators should remain involved in worldly affairs, pursue transcendence in the Outer Void, or openly eradicate the Northern and Southern Devil Sects.
• The three men agree on a general strategy of cooperation before parting.
• Su Che travels to Mount She to meet Li Shouchang and discuss their next steps.
• At Mind-Stilling Temple, Su Che unexpectedly encounters Jiang Shoucheng, who has brought him a specially forged sword as a gift.
• Jiang explains that he and Li Shouchang made the sword from Star Sand, Mystic True Iron, and Elemental Magnetism principles, with their master overseeing its completion.

Character Developments

• Su Che becomes more seriously interested in the Creative Lineage. He recognizes that its flexible, analytical approach may suit his personality and circumstances better than pursuing absolute sword-intent purification.
• Xiao Feiyu is shown as candid and self-aware about the Sword Palace’s internal problems. Although troubled by the coming conflict between the two sword traditions, he openly shares the information with Su Che and Ji Boyuan.
• Ji Boyuan reveals that the Mystic Gate is also facing major ideological divisions, suggesting that the problems afflicting the Sword Palace are part of a broader crisis in the cultivation world.
• Jiang Shoucheng appears to have regained some freedom after previously being punished to guard the Yellow Heaven Sect’s gate. His thoughtful gift demonstrates his concern for Su Che and his practical skill as a swordsmith.
• Li Shouchang continues to serve as a dependable senior brother and collaborator, helping Jiang Shoucheng forge Su Che’s new weapon.

Significant Themes

• Competing paths of cultivation: The chapter contrasts Purification, which relies on overwhelming refinement and force, with Creation, which relies on understanding principles, structure, and weaknesses.
• Tradition versus adaptation: The rise of the Creative Lineage reflects how established sects must adapt when traditional methods become too difficult for most practitioners.
• Factional and ideological conflict: The disputes within the Sword Palace and Mystic Gate reflect a larger era of instability, in which old divisions and competing visions of cultivation are becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.
• Friendship and mutual support: Despite the political and philosophical conflicts around them, Su Che’s allies cooperate and provide practical assistance.
• The importance of a suitable weapon: The gift of the sword marks a meaningful step in Su Che’s development, giving him a weapon worthy of his cultivation and possibly supporting his exploration of a new sword path.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and Xiao Feiyu engage in a philosophical discussion about sword cultivation. Su Che challenges the wording of “One Sword Births Ten Thousand Arts,” proposing that the Creative Lineage may be better described as “One Sword Employs Ten Thousand Arts.”
• Xiao Feiyu and Ji Boyuan share their respective sects’ troubles, creating a moment of mutual understanding and shared discouragement.
• Su Che, Xiao Feiyu, and Ji Boyuan establish a cooperative relationship before separating.
• Su Che and Li Shouchang reunite at Mind-Stilling Temple to plan their future.
• Su Che and Jiang Shoucheng meet warmly, and Jiang presents Su Che with a carefully forged black sword made through the combined efforts of Jiang and Li Shouchang.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che receives a specially crafted sword from Senior Brothers Li Shouchang and Jiang Shoucheng. The weapon is designed to complement his Dual-Yi Elemental Magnetism Radiance, an ability closely associated with how the three first became acquainted.
• Li and Jiang explain that they collaborated on the sword, with Jiang even asking their master to inspect Li’s artifact-refining work. Su Che is deeply moved by their thoughtfulness.
• The brothers discuss the upcoming operation organized by Mysterious Capital Palace to seal the Void Rift and investigate the ancient Immortal Abode.
• The Yellow Heaven Sect will send only Su Che, Li Shouchang, and Jiang Shoucheng. The Patriarch deliberately avoids deploying a large force to prevent the Celestial Master Sect from suspecting that the Yellow Heaven Sect intends to seize the Immortal Abode’s treasures.
• Su Che reveals that the Yellow Heaven Sect will cooperate with the Divine Firmament Sect and the East Sea Sword Palace. Li and Jiang react unhappily, anticipating that their small delegation will be overshadowed by the other factions.
• The operation will include many powerful and potentially conflicting groups, including White Deer Grotto, the Dragon Clan, western Buddhist forces, and even the Devil Sect. The brothers suspect Mysterious Capital Palace is intentionally creating a chaotic situation to test everyone.
• The Yellow Heaven Sect has been instructed not to compete aggressively for the Immortal Abode’s treasures or the Netherworld spirit talisman awarded for sealing the rift. Instead, they should focus on observing the Void Rift and learning from the laws left behind by Ancient Era True Immortals.
• Li and Jiang reveal that although they are Void Step cultivators, they were born in the Yellow Heaven Sect’s Lesser Pure Void Realm rather than the present world. They plan to visit the ancestral homelands of their lineage after descending.
• The three agree that Li and Jiang will spend a month traveling through the human world before regrouping at Mind-Stilling Temple and departing for the Void Rift together.
• Su Che returns home late at night, where the old monkey Kongkong’er is still waiting for him.

Character Developments

• Su Che shows strong gratitude and emotional sensitivity. Though wealthy in treasures, he recognizes the sword as meaningful because it addresses a genuine weakness and represents his senior brothers’ care. He also displays a pragmatic, somewhat bold attitude toward potentially claiming treasures from the Immortal Abode.
• Li Shouchang remains humorous and outspoken, joking about the Yellow Heaven Sect’s small delegation and suggesting they carry a makeshift banner. Beneath his levity, however, he is frustrated by the sect’s politically constrained role and worried about losing face.
• Jiang Shoucheng appears more composed and thoughtful. He emphasizes the deeper cultivation opportunity offered by studying the Void Rift and Ancient Era laws, while also revealing a competitive streak when he suggests that the Yellow Heaven Sect might still strive to rank first.
• The relationship among the three develops into genuine brotherhood. Their teasing, shared complaints, and willingness to make plans together show increasing trust and camaraderie.

Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and mutual care: The sword is less important as a material treasure than as a symbol of the senior brothers’ concern for Su Che.
• Political restraint versus personal ambition: The Yellow Heaven Sect must suppress its desire for glory and avoid appearing aggressive because of tensions with the Celestial Master Sect and Mysterious Capital Palace.
• Cultivation through experience: Even without claiming treasures, studying the Void Rift and traveling through the mortal world can deepen one’s understanding and strengthen the heart.
• Factional tension and hidden motives: The gathering contains numerous sects and races with competing goals, suggesting that Mysterious Capital Palace’s arrangements may conceal a larger test or political design.
• Heritage and belonging: Li and Jiang’s plan to visit their ancestors’ homelands highlights the importance of lineage, origins, and connection to the mortal world.

Important Character Interactions

• Li and Jiang present Su Che with the sword and dismiss his attempt to repay them, insisting that they are brothers of the same sect.
• Su Che explains the rules of the upcoming expedition, prompting Li and Jiang to complain about the burdensome assignment and their sect’s limited representation.
• The brothers debate whether the Yellow Heaven Sect should pursue treasures, concluding that understanding the Void Rift may be more valuable than material rewards.
• Su Che and his senior brothers agree on a month-long separation for Li and Jiang’s travels, followed by a reunion at Mind-Stilling Temple before the expedition.

Chapter Summary: “What Kind of Instrument Is a Sword? Examining Creation (Part 1)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Fox enjoys a peaceful evening at Marquis Changxin’s Residence, relaxing with tea and preserved fruit while Su Che begins a new lesson under Kongkong’er.
• Kongkong’er introduces Su Che to Thunderstruck Wood, a lightning-tempered spirit wood from Skyfall Gorge. Its extreme toughness makes it an ideal target for sword practice.
• The wood cannot be damaged by ordinary cultivators below the Void Step realm, making Su Che’s task—to cut it as a Reverted Elixir sword cultivator—seem impossible.
• Kongkong’er explains that Su Che must study the Creation lineage, one of the Three Laws of Heaven. Unlike the Purification lineage, which focuses on strengthening sword attacks, Creation seeks to understand the principles that cause things to exist and change them at their foundation.
• Su Che initially theorizes that he must remove the lightning energy responsible for the wood’s toughness. Kongkong’er corrects and guides him toward using sword intent as a tool of investigation rather than simple destruction.
• After Su Che’s first powerful strike fails completely, Kongkong’er teaches him an excerpt from Sword Immortal Bai Chuan’s Jade Truth Ninefold Spirit Sword Canon, emphasizing the unity of heart, spirit, thought, and intent.
• Su Che makes a second, much lighter attack infused with purer sword intent. Although the Thunderstruck Wood produces a strange clang, it remains uncut.
• Kongkong’er recognizes that Su Che has only begun approaching the Creation lineage and expects the lesson to require considerable time.

Character Developments

• Su Che begins shifting his understanding of the sword. He learns that sword intent is not merely a weapon for killing but an instrument for examining and altering the laws underlying physical things.
• He demonstrates intelligence by quickly identifying the lightning tempering as the likely source of the Thunderstruck Wood’s resilience, though he has not yet learned how to act upon that insight.
• His second strike shows improved discipline and purity of intent, suggesting that he is beginning to internalize the Creation method.
• Kongkong’er takes on the role of a demanding but patient mentor. He broadens Su Che’s cultivation beyond immediate combat power, prioritizing comprehension of laws and the foundations of the Dao.
• Kongkong’er also reveals concern about the limited time before Su Che’s journey to the Blood River Realm. He believes Su Che’s deeper preparation may not be completed and expects Ghost Ancestor and Yin-Yang to provide additional protection.

Significant Themes

• Creation versus destruction: The chapter presents the sword as an instrument capable of understanding and reshaping existence, not merely cutting or killing.
• Investigation of things: True cultivation requires discovering why something possesses its qualities before attempting to change it.
• Inner unity: The sword canon emphasizes the union of heart, thought, spirit, and intent. Technical strength alone is insufficient.
• Knowledge over raw power: Kongkong’er argues that mastery of laws is more important than magical power or the number of divine abilities one possesses.
• The limits of time and preparation: Su Che is beginning an important path, but the approaching journey leaves little opportunity for mastery, creating uncertainty about his readiness.

Character Interactions

• Little Fox’s relaxed presence contrasts with the serious cultivation lesson taking place in the courtyard.
• Kongkong’er uses the Thunderstruck Wood as both a physical challenge and a teaching tool, guiding Su Che through questions rather than simply explaining the answer.
• Su Che actively engages with Kongkong’er’s instruction, offering his own theory about the wood’s toughness and attempting to apply the lesson through successive sword strikes.
• Their relationship develops as one of mentor and promising student: Kongkong’er sees Su Che’s potential but recognizes that understanding the Creation lineage will take far longer than the limited time available.

Chapter Summary: “What Is a Sword? Probing Creation (Part 2)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At dawn, Little Fox and Kongkong’er eat hot pot in Marquis Changxin’s garden while watching Su Che practice against an immovable piece of Thunderstruck Wood.
• Kongkong’er counts Su Che’s sword strikes, revealing that he has already made 13,267 attacks over the course of the night.
• Despite extreme physical and mental exhaustion, Su Che continues practicing. His goal is to understand and eventually cut through the Thunderstruck Wood.
• Su Che realizes that the “Jade Truth Ninefold Spirit Sword Canon” treats sword intent not merely as a weapon, but as a tool for examining the structure and laws governing matter.
• Combining sword intent with the Yellow Heaven Sect’s Two Principles Elemental Magnetism Aurora Orthodox Method, Su Che begins to sense the internal composition of the wood.
• After thousands of attempts, his sword intent becomes increasingly fine and threadlike, allowing him to detect the wood’s layered surface, dense internal structure, and circulating lightning force.
• He discovers that Thunderstruck Wood’s exceptional toughness comes from its scale-like exterior and the Yin-Yang magnetic forces that compress and stabilize its interior.
• Su Che searches for a weakness in this structure and finally delivers a sword strike infused with a profound rule and faint lightning.
• The Thunderstruck Wood splits cleanly in two. Kongkong’er praises Su Che’s talent, while Su Che nearly collapses from exhaustion.

Character Developments

• Su Che makes a major breakthrough in his understanding of sword cultivation. He learns to use sword intent as an investigative instrument capable of perceiving the laws and structures behind physical objects.
• His previous foundations in the Tai Hell Avici Sword and its emphasis on minute, intricate transformations prove crucial to his success.
• Su Che demonstrates exceptional persistence and adaptability, combining techniques from different traditions rather than relying on a single method.
• Although he is still at a relatively early cultivation stage and has not formed a Reverted Elixir, his deep foundation and unusual talent become increasingly evident.
• Kongkong’er shifts from skeptical observation to genuine admiration, recognizing that Su Che has accomplished something beyond ordinary cultivation.
• Little Fox remains cheerful and food-focused, providing a humorous contrast to Su Che’s intense and exhausting training.

Significant Themes

• Sword intent as a means of understanding creation: The chapter expands the concept of swordsmanship beyond combat. A sword can investigate matter, reveal its composition, and ultimately reshape or destroy it.
• The relationship between science and cultivation: Su Che connects his former-world understanding of physics with the cultivation concept of “investigating things,” interpreting Yin-Yang forces, structure, density, and material properties through a scientific lens.
• Persistence and experimentation: Su Che succeeds through repeated trial and error, gradually refining his method instead of relying on sudden inspiration.
• Integration of different traditions: Sword cultivation and elemental magnetism complement one another, showing that breakthroughs can come from combining seemingly separate systems.
• Creation through destruction: To cleave the Thunderstruck Wood, Su Che must first understand and disrupt the structure that gives it strength, suggesting that true mastery requires understanding how things are made before they can be remade or destroyed.

Character Interactions

• Little Fox and Kongkong’er joke and converse while eating, with Kongkong’er teasing her about her appetite and her dependence on Su Che’s wealth.
• Kongkong’er carefully observes and counts Su Che’s strikes, acting as both spectator and evaluator.
• Little Fox reacts with surprise to the enormous number of strikes and continues encouragingly describing the hot pot.
• Kongkong’er’s sudden applause marks Su Che’s successful breakthrough, and he openly praises Su Che’s talent.
• Su Che does not directly engage much with the others during the training, remaining wholly absorbed in the process until the final strike leaves him dizzy and depleted.

Chapter Summary: Cutting Wood, Still Space, Observing True Illusion (Part One)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che successfully cuts a piece of Thunderstruck Wood in half, despite lacking the raw sword sharpness to sever it directly.
• He spends thousands of strikes using extremely fine Sword Qi to grind away the wood’s lightning-forged outer scales, treating his sword intent like a file rather than a blade.
• At the same time, he uses Elemental Magnetism to disrupt the balance between the Yin and Yang lightning within the wood. Once the wood’s structure and internal power cycle become unstable, a final light strike splits it cleanly.
• Su Che realizes that he did not truly sever the wood in one attack; instead, he gradually understood and dismantled its structure until the final strike merely completed the process.
• Kongkong’er praises Su Che and explains that this indirect, precise method suits him better than the pursuit of absolute sword purity.
• Kongkong’er then demonstrates a special sword pellet technique from the Separation and Reunion Pavilion. Although Su Che can see the pellet, his spiritual perception insists that it does not exist.
• The demonstration reveals that Kongkong’er is actually holding two sword pellets, one in each hand, though Su Che fails to notice one of them until Kongkong’er brings them together.
• Kongkong’er introduces the Pavilion’s secret art, Still Space, and begins drawing its diagram in the air with sword intent.

Character Developments

• Su Che demonstrates greater mastery of the Creation lineage’s sword intent. He learns to overcome limitations in raw power by analyzing an object’s structure, exploiting weaknesses, and attacking its underlying principles.
• His approach confirms that he is not a “pure” sword cultivator in the traditional sense. Because of his responsibilities and broad abilities, he cannot devote himself solely to unrestrained sword intent or perfect simplicity.
• Kongkong’er shows a more flexible philosophy toward Sword Cultivation. Influenced partly by Sword Immortal Baichuan, he no longer believes that only those capable of absolute purity deserve to walk the sword path. He values practical methods that allow ordinary or complicated individuals to achieve genuine accomplishments.
• Kongkong’er takes on the role of teacher, preparing Su Che to learn the assassin techniques that made the Separation and Reunion Pavilion famous.
• Little Fox remains playful and perceptive. She interrupts the lesson with a humorous question about payment but also recognizes the extraordinary nature of Kongkong’er’s deception.

Significant Themes

• Indirectness versus brute force: Su Che succeeds not by overpowering the Thunderstruck Wood, but by studying its structure, weakening it, and attacking its hidden vulnerabilities.
• The nature of swordsmanship: The chapter challenges the East Sea Sword Palace’s narrow definition of Sword Cultivation. Practical, adaptive, and conceptually sophisticated methods may be just as legitimate as direct, overwhelming sword intent.
• Purity versus practicality: Kongkong’er argues that few people can achieve perfect purity, and that this should not prevent others from pursuing the sword. Different paths can still lead to meaningful achievement.
• Perception and truth: The sword pellet demonstration shows that even spiritual perception—the sense cultivators normally trust most—can be deceived. All forms of perception remain tied to the world of form and can therefore be manipulated.
• Assassination as discipline: Successful assassination requires more than lethal power. It depends on concentrated killing intent, concealment, self-preservation, awareness, and decisive judgment.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and Kongkong’er discuss the nature of Sword Cultivation after Su Che’s successful cutting technique. Kongkong’er validates Su Che’s method while explaining why it differs from traditional sword-purist ideals.
• Kongkong’er demonstrates the invisible sword pellet to Su Che, deliberately forcing him to confront the limits of his spiritual perception.
• Little Fox joins the exchange, confirming that even her own spiritual perception is deceived and adding comic relief by asking whether payment should count as a fourth rule of assassination.
• Kongkong’er explains the three essential assassin principles—one-strike lethality, concealment, and clear awareness—before preparing to teach Su Che the secret art of Still Space.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kongkong’er transmits the Void-Breathing Secret Art to Su Che through a wordless, heart-imprinting method similar to Buddhist teachings. The transmitted vision is a shifting landscape of mountains, rivers, clouds, and fog, symbolizing the art’s principles of concealment, confusion, separation, and reunion.
• Little Fox cannot understand the technique because she lacks knowledge of sword cultivation and Sword Intent. Su Che, however, enters deep meditation for nearly three hours and plants the art’s foundations within his mind.
• Kongkong’er explains that the Void-Breathing Secret Art is both:
  • Passive: concealing one’s aura and traces.
  • Active: interfering with an enemy’s senses by creating contradictions between what they see and what their spiritual perception detects.
• Su Che realizes that Kongkong’er deceived him by drawing his attention toward whether a sword pellet in one hand existed, causing him to overlook the sword pellet in the other. The technique relies on distracting the mind—“a single leaf before the eyes hides Mount Tai.”
• Kongkong’er gives Su Che a difficult test: retrieve a piece of split Thunderstruck Wood hidden somewhere inside the heavily guarded Great Liang imperial palace without alerting anyone.
• Because the palace is protected by formations, spirit beasts, guards, inspectors, and demon hunters, the task appears nearly impossible. Su Che concludes that the Void-Breathing Secret Art is the key.
• Rather than immediately infiltrating the palace, Su Che disguises himself in ordinary clothing and enters a gambling house in Jiankang City to practice the technique by attempting to steal money. He is noticed immediately by a young attendant, but decides to continue testing his methods.

Character Developments

• Su Che demonstrates strong comprehension and endurance. Although he cannot master the secret art instantly, he understands its underlying principles and recognizes that repeated practice will allow him to make it his own.
• He begins shifting from merely thinking like a cultivator to thinking like an assassin, applying deception, misdirection, and concealment strategically.
• Kongkong’er takes on the role of demanding teacher and tester. He jokes with Little Fox but becomes serious when setting Su Che’s trial, forcing him to apply the art under realistic conditions.
• Little Fox remains curious and concerned for Su Che, but her inability to understand the sword technique highlights the gap between her knowledge and Su Che’s developing mastery.

Significant Themes

• Transmission beyond words: True mastery can be conveyed through direct spiritual impression rather than verbal instruction.
• Perception and illusion: What people notice depends on where their attention is directed. Manipulating perception can be more effective than simply hiding.
• Separation and reunion: The secret art embodies opposites—presence and absence, life and death, advance and retreat, concealment and exposure.
• Practice over instant understanding: Su Che receives the seed of a powerful technique but must cultivate it through repeated use.
• Adaptability and practical application: Knowledge becomes meaningful only when tested in real situations, leading Su Che to practice first in a gambling house before attempting the imperial palace infiltration.

Character Interactions

• Kongkong’er explains the art to Su Che while teasing Little Fox about her lack of understanding.
• Little Fox worries when Su Che meditates for several hours, while Kongkong’er assures her that he is comprehending the technique.
• Kongkong’er recounts how he deceived Su Che, allowing Su Che to understand the practical use of sensory interference.
• Kongkong’er challenges Su Che to retrieve the Thunderstruck Wood, turning instruction into a direct trial.
• Little Fox questions Kongkong’er’s claim that he hid the wood despite remaining nearby, prompting him to boast about his undetectable movements.
• Su Che and Little Fox later observe the beginning of his practical test when he enters the gambling house and is immediately approached by its attendant.

Chapter Summary: There Is a Way Even in the Dice Game (Part One)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che visits a gambling den in Jiankang disguised as “Mr. Zuo” or “Old Zuo.” The establishment is protected by Boss Cui, who has connections to the Metropolitan City God’s residence, making it difficult for government offices or demon hunters to interfere.
• The gambling house is popular with palace eunuchs, who regard it as a safe place to gamble because the City God’s people protect it from malicious yin creatures.
• Su Che’s real purpose is to find a palace eunuch and obtain the talisman-bearing waist token required to enter the imperial palace. Since no suitable eunuchs are present, he must reconsider his plan.
• A broker named Bai Qian approaches Su Che and offers to help him exchange his silver for gambling chips. Bai Qian contributes five taels himself, believing Su Che is a wealthy or important hidden figure who may reward him.
• Su Che follows Bai Qian through the gambling house. At the entrance to a side room, a martial guard attempts to stop him because of the sword in his hand. Su Che uses Kongkong’er’s Void-Breath Secret Art to alter the guard’s perception, causing him to believe Su Che is unarmed.
• Inside, Su Che finds several Sic Bo tables but no palace eunuchs. He admits to Bai Qian that he has never gambled before and asks for an explanation of the rules.
• Bai Qian explains the dice game: three dice determine whether the result is “big” or “small,” with special combinations having different names and payouts.
• Su Che places his first bet on “big,” apparently without knowing proper gambling procedure. Another gambler warns him that dealers may manipulate the dice and cost players their fortunes.
• The dealer reveals the result: four, four, and five—totaling thirteen, which counts as “big.” Su Che wins his opening wager, and Bai Qian eagerly moves to collect the payout.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Demonstrates his larger objective beneath his casual disguise. He is observant and strategic, using the gambling den as a means to infiltrate the palace rather than visiting for entertainment. Despite his cultivation and confidence, he is genuinely unfamiliar with gambling and relies on Bai Qian for basic instruction. His use of the Void-Breath Secret Art shows his subtle, nonconfrontational approach to obstacles.
• Bai Qian: Appears shrewd, socially adaptable, and experienced in navigating the gambling world. He quickly decides that Su Che may be a wealthy “true dragon” and invests his own money in him, hoping for future profit. His confidence begins to falter when he realizes Su Che may actually be a novice, but the unexpected win renews his excitement.
• Master Hu: The gambling house’s guard is shown to be cautious but limited. Though he recognizes Su Che’s weapon and attempts to enforce the rules, he is easily deceived by Su Che’s supernatural technique.
• The gambler and dealer: The nearby gambler provides practical knowledge about the risks of gambling, while the dealer represents the house’s controlled and potentially deceptive environment.

Significant Themes

• Appearances and deception: Su Che hides his identity, Bai Qian disguises his greed as good judgment, and Su Che manipulates Master Hu’s perception. The entire gambling house operates through concealed networks of power and influence.
• Chance versus control: Although gambling appears to depend on luck, Su Che’s actions suggest that knowledge, cultivation, and hidden abilities can influence outcomes. His first win introduces the possibility that he may exploit the game rather than merely participate in it.
• Power behind ordinary institutions: The gambling house looks like a common den, but its survival depends on connections to the City God’s residence and the protection of supernatural authorities.
• Human desire and desperation: The courtyard reflects the full range of emotions—joy, regret, greed, and despair—as gamblers win and lose money.
• Ingenuity as a path forward: The chapter’s title is reflected in Su Che’s willingness to use an unconventional route toward his palace infiltration goal.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and Bai Qian: Bai Qian tries to assess Su Che’s wealth and background while Su Che allows the misunderstanding to continue. Their relationship is built on Bai Qian’s opportunism and Su Che’s deliberate concealment.
• Su Che and Master Hu: The guard challenges Su Che over his sword, but Su Che quietly overrides his senses instead of escalating into violence.
• Su Che and the gamblers: Su Che’s apparent ignorance attracts advice and skepticism from experienced gamblers. His bold first bet makes him appear either foolish or unusually confident.
• Su Che and the dealer: Their interaction is minimal but tense: Su Che places a reckless-looking wager, while the dealer controls the dice and determines the immediate outcome.