Chapter Summaries

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi defeated Yan Peng, with Ding Songyan using him to practice swordsmanship before knocking him unconscious to search his dreams for his hidden money. They learned Yan Peng had been sent after Mount Fuyu elixir herb, possibly as part of a Yellow Millet Sect plot, and prepared to divide his savings among his victims as Ding Songyan began to transform.

• Yan Peng tried to escape but Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi trapped him and took turns testing their swordsmanship against him.
• Yan Peng burned his vital essence to fight back, but Ding Songyan read his techniques and forced him into the moves he wanted to practice.
• Ding Songyan knocked Yan Peng unconscious and told Zheng Zhuxi he planned to enter his dream to discover where Yan Peng hid his money.
• Ding Songyan revealed that Yan Peng had come for Mount Fuyu elixir herb, and Zheng Zhuxi suspected the Yellow Millet Sect needed it for a Dream Tribulation.
• Zheng Zhuxi planned to give her share of Yan Peng's savings to the victims of his crimes, and Ding Songyan offered to donate his share too.
• Ding Songyan's face grew pointed and blue-black scales appeared across his skin.

Ding Songyan killed Yan Peng and questioned his Yin Soul, learning that a masked person had forced him to steal the Mount Fuyu Elixir Herb. He and Zheng Zhuxi planned how to distribute Yan Peng’s stolen fortune to victims’ families, then set out to follow the Chen Family Caravan in hopes of drawing out more attackers.

• Yan Peng fled to his hidden courtyard, gathered his wealth and cultivation manuals, and was killed by Ding Songyan, who had followed him there through a dream.
• Ding Songyan questioned Yan Peng’s Yin Soul and learned that the mysterious employer wore a Lady Meng mask, hid his voice, and threatened to expose Yan Peng’s identity.
• Ding Songyan proposed giving victims’ families part of Yan Peng’s fortune upfront and distributing the rest monthly, with Zheng Zhuxi arranging trustworthy sect members to oversee the payments.
• Ding Songyan searched Yan Peng’s body and recovered money and three antidotes as Xie Fengchao, Xing Chang, and Pan Yunzhou returned after clearing two bandit strongholds.
• Zheng Zhuxi suggested following the Chen Family Caravan to find more people seeking the Mount Fuyu Elixir Herb, and Ding Songyan agreed, hoping to encounter a Martial Grandmaster of the Yellow Millet Sect.

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi helped the caravan defeat Yan Peng, then continued toward Qisong Prefecture as Yu Jinhong delivered the Mount Fuyu elixir herb. Yu Jinhong was caught in a shared dream by a masked figure, and the chapter ended with Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi discovering the dreamer was an unconscious inn attendant.

• Zheng Zhuxi presented Yan Peng's head at the Ruined Temple, and she and Ding Songyan refused Yu Jinhong's offer of repayment or a name exchange.
• Ding Songyan explained how he had kept Yan Peng's miasma away from them, and he and Zheng Zhuxi rested while Yu Jinhong guarded the caravan.
• The caravan traveled safely through the mountains, and Yu Jinhong later left it with the Mount Fuyu elixir herb to deliver to the Yellow Millet Sect.
• Yu Jinhong dreamed he had reached Qisong Prefecture and was handing over the herb, but a candle flame dispelled the dream before the transaction was completed.
• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi confronted a masked figure in an inn corridor, and Zheng Zhuxi removed the Lady Meng Mask to reveal an unconscious inn attendant.

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi foiled an attempt to steal the Mount Fuyu Elixir Herb and rode to Xuande County to secure Yan Peng’s hidden money and cultivation resources. After setting a concealed trap for whoever might return to the secret chamber, they went back to their inn, where Yu Jinhong requested an audience.

• Zheng Zhuxi dispelled the inn attendant’s nightmare, and he recalled being given the Lady Meng Mask in a dream.
• Yu Jinhong decided the caravan would deliver the elixir herb to Qisong Prefecture, while Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi left overnight to reach Yan Peng’s secret chamber first.
• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi entered the courtyard residence, subdued the hidden Gu Worms, and took Yan Peng’s money, manuals, and cultivation resources.
• After waiting for the mysterious person to appear without success, Ding Songyan planted concealed sword intent in the secret chamber’s opening mechanism.
• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi returned to the inn, where an attendant told them Yu Jinhong had requested an audience.

After completing their escort mission, Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan claimed the bounty for Yan Peng and discovered a possible pattern of deaths linked to dreams. At the county yamen, Ding Songyan recognized his sword intent on Chen Jindong, the Yellow Millet Sect prodigy.

• Yu Jinhong told Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan that the Mount Fuyu Elixir Herb had been delivered to the Yellow Millet Sect for Chen Jindong.
• Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan claimed the bounty for Yan Peng and learned that the Lü siblings had come to identify their father, who had supposedly died of a sudden illness.
• Ding Songyan saw the dead man's remnant soul insist that he had dreamed he was sick, then warned Zhong Pinglan that similar deaths might have occurred.
• Zheng Zhuxi bought the Lü siblings' pine longevity stones, and Ding Songyan left the mortuary after confirming the ghost had calmed.
• Ding Songyan spotted Chen Jindong at the county yamen and told Zheng Zhuxi that his sword intent was on him.

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi suspected Chen Jindong was the mysterious person behind Yan Peng’s theft, then considered whether he was also causing people to fall ill and die through dreams. That night, Zheng Zhuxi fought her way out of a nightmare involving the Devil Lord, while Chen Jindong encountered an unknown swordsman at the Night Market.

• Chen Jindong greeted Zheng Zhuxi and thanked her and Ding Songyan for protecting his Mount Fuyu elixir herb before heading to the Hundred Treasures Hall.
• Ding Songyan told Zheng Zhuxi that Chen Jindong likely was the mysterious person, but they lacked evidence to report him to the authorities.
• Ding Songyan shared the Lü Siblings’ father’s remnant soul account and his suspicions about dream-induced illness, and Zheng Zhuxi agreed to wait for County Captain Zhong’s investigation.
• Zheng Zhuxi bought masks at the Night Market with Ding Songyan, then dreamed that the Devil Lord Qin Guanchan attacked him and turned on her.
• Zheng Zhuxi’s Candlelight Sword Intent broke the nightmare, and she realized Chen Jindong had entered her dream.
• Chen Jindong opened his eyes at a noodle stall and saw a swordsman in a Carefree Headwrap sitting opposite him.

Ding Songyan identified Chen Jindong as the one who entered Zheng Zhuxi’s nightmare, but could not confront him without evidence. When Chen later appeared in their linked dream, he asked them for help against another self that had been acting through his body while he slept.

• Ding Songyan confronted Chen Jindong at a Night Market noodle stall, but Chen denied wrongdoing and Ding let him go for lack of proof.
• Ding Songyan told Zheng Zhuxi how he had traced Chen through her dream, and warned that Chen might retaliate after being humiliated.
• Ding Songyan entered Zheng Zhuxi’s dream again, where the two realized their dreams had become linked.
• Chen Jindong appeared in the dream and asked Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi to save him from the fiend inside him.
• Chen Jindong explained that another version of himself had been active while he slept and had caused a girl to become obsessed with him as her Dream Lover.

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi uncovered Chen Jindong’s murderous second personality and brought the deaths he caused to County Captain Zhong’s attention. Chen returned to his sect with He Yuanzhi to pursue a breakthrough, leaving Zheng Zhuxi suspicious after she noticed his reaction to the Lü siblings’ grief.

• Chen Jindong explained that his other personality had killed several people through dreams and asked Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi to help suppress it during his breakthrough, but Ding refused to agree without further thought.
• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi decided to wait for County Captain Zhong’s investigation before choosing whether to enter Chen Jindong’s dream.
• Zhong Pinglan confirmed four suspected dream-related deaths, including the Shao Residence’s fourth daughter, and said he would report Chen Jindong to the Martial Prohibition Bureau and the Ministry of Justice.
• Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan encountered the Lü siblings at an inn, where Yu Jinhong offered to arrange a courtyard for them while they waited to travel home with their father’s ashes.
• Chen Jindong returned with his master He Yuanzhi, announced that he was going back to the Yellow Millet Sect to enter seclusion, and smiled faintly while hearing about the Lü siblings’ loss; Zheng Zhuxi noticed and gripped her sword.

Ding Songyan persuaded Zheng Zhuxi to seek justice for Chen Jindong through official channels, then claimed Chen suffered from Different Soul Syndrome to persuade County Captain Zhong and Divine Physician Zeng to examine him. They caught up with Chen and He Yuanzhi on the road, where Chen resisted the proposed examination.

• Zheng Zhuxi agreed with Ding Songyan that Chen Jindong was guilty and resolved to pursue justice, while reaffirming that she would follow proper procedures in other cases.
• Ding Songyan told Zheng Zhuxi they should return to County Captain Zhong and give their accusations official authority.
• At the Xuande County Yamen, Ding Songyan claimed Chen had Different Soul Syndrome and convinced Zhong Pinglan to summon Divine Physician Zeng to examine him.
• Ding Songyan, Zheng Zhuxi, Zhong Pinglan, and Divine Physician Zeng caught up with Chen Jindong and He Yuanzhi on the road to the Yellow Millet Sect's Mountain Gate.
• Ding Songyan urged He Yuanzhi to let Divine Physician Zeng examine Chen, but Chen angrily denied being ill and resisted.

Chen Jindong refused an examination for foreign-soul syndrome and triggered the dream tribulation on the spot, where his other self began confessing crimes aloud. Ding Songyan entered the dream and revealed that Chen Jindong’s other self had fallen asleep, then declared himself Chen Jindong’s dream tribulation.

• Chen Jindong rejected Divine Physician Zeng’s examination and swallowed the Mount Fuyu elixir herb to begin the dream tribulation immediately.
• Ding Songyan used the heavenly heart imprint to conceal his changing appearance and divide his awareness.
• Inside the dream, Chen Jindong confronted his other self while, in the real world, he spoke about the crimes they had committed.
• Divine Physician Zeng recognized signs of foreign-soul syndrome, and Zhong Pinglan realized Chen Jindong’s words could expose his crimes.
• Chen Jindong found Ding Songyan in a prison cell, where Ding Songyan told him his other self had fallen asleep and said he was Chen Jindong’s dream tribulation.

Ding Songyan used Chen Jindong’s divided soul and hidden sword intent to undermine his confidence during the Dream Tribulation, exposing his crimes and killing him. He Yuanzhi rushed to Chen Jindong’s body as the others watched in shock.

• Chen Jindong’s dream revealed his crimes, and He Yuanzhi realized that the Shao family’s Fourth Miss and others had been murdered.
• He Yuanzhi used Three Thousand Years of Great Dreaming to guide Chen Jindong through a lifetime of success, but a lash from his dead master awakened him to the dream.
• Ding Songyan’s hidden sword intent wounded Chen Jindong inside the dream, making him doubt that his Calamity Ward could protect him.
• Ding Songyan pierced Chen Jindong’s throat in the dream, and Chen Jindong died beside the official road.
• He Yuanzhi rushed to Chen Jindong’s corpse while County Captain Zhong and the others stared in shock.

After Chen Jindong died during his Dream Tribulation, Ding Songyan questioned his Yin Soul and uncovered how he committed his crimes and concealed them. He Yuanzhi took Chen Jindong’s body back to the Yellow Millet Sect as Zhong Pinglan prepared to report the case, while Ding Songyan told Zheng Zhuxi that he had gained a great deal.

• Divine Physician Zeng reflected that Chen Jindong might have survived if he had treated his Different Soul Syndrome before attempting a breakthrough, and He Yuanzhi accepted that the illness had doomed his disciple.
• Ding Songyan used his Yin Eye and Qingmengmeng’s Seed to question Chen Jindong’s Yin Soul, who admitted to seeking the Mount Fuyu Elixir Herb, planning around his divided selves, and wearing a Lady Meng Mask to escape his past.
• Chen Jindong’s Yin Soul explained how he entered an Imperial Court inspector’s dream and made the inspector believe he had already assessed Chen’s good and evil.
• When asked for his last words, Chen Jindong’s Remnant Soul cursed He Yuanzhi before breaking apart, and Ding Songyan told He Yuanzhi that the different souls had clashed and perished together.
• He Yuanzhi took Chen Jindong’s body to the Yellow Millet Sect, while Zhong Pinglan said he would report the case and arrange public notices about recurring dreams.
• Zheng Zhuxi asked Ding Songyan whether he had experienced anything, and he smiled and said he had gained a great deal.

After Chen Jindong’s crimes were exposed and he died, Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan informed Lü Huaijin of the truth and discussed how Ding could adapt dream techniques into his Dream Sword. After a month of practice, Ding completed a preliminary refinement and invited Zheng to test it.

• Divine Physician Zeng praised Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan for their supposed heroic warning to Chen Jindong, while Zhong Pinglan thanked them and went to report the case.
• Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan told Lü Huaijin that Chen Jindong had caused her father’s death through repeated dreams, and that the authorities would compensate the victims with his possessions.
• Ding Songyan explained the true Three Thousand Years of Great Dreaming and described his plan to adapt Transforming the Self into a Nightmare using a target’s memories.
• Zheng Zhuxi sparred with martial artists and toured Qisong Prefecture with Ding Songyan, while he worked on improving his Dream Sword.
• After a month of refinement, Ding Songyan drew Cold Shadow at the Dipper Martial Training Ground and asked Zheng Zhuxi to test his latest Dream Sword.

Ding Songyan completed the initial form of the Dream Sword by immersing Zheng Zhuxi in an imagined history of the Xiaoming Sect, then discussed its limits and her upcoming cultivation. He visited the recovering Wan Guhong, encouraged him to spend the New Year at home, and left with the steamed buns he had brought.

• Ding Songyan used the Dream Sword to make Zheng Zhuxi experience moving imagined past lives connected to the Xiaoming Sect, and she confirmed that the technique's initial form was complete.
• Ding Songyan explained that he had shaped the visions from Zheng Zhuxi's memories and discussed how the Heavenly Heart Imprint could help him fight multiple opponents.
• Zheng Zhuxi told Ding Songyan that Wan Guhong was recovering from organ dressing with the Black Tortoise and that she would soon undergo organ dressing with the Vermilion Bird.
• Ding Songyan brought steamed buns to Wan Guhong, who explained that he would rest before returning to the martial world and hoped to get through the New Year festivities first.
• Ding Songyan encouraged Wan Guhong to stay in Jiangping County as long as he wanted, then left with the buns before Wan Guhong could share them with his servants.

Ding Songyan derived seven improvements to the Illuminating the Long Night Scripture’s Opening Orifices and Organ Dressing methods and presented them to the Xiaoming Sect elders. As Zheng Zhuxi began Organ Dressing with the revised method, Ding Songyan conceived a simplified cultivation method he called the Lesser Limitless Method.

• Ding Songyan practiced the Illuminating the Long Night Scripture’s Great Expansion Chapters, formed its prescribed organs and apertures, and identified seven errors in its methods for Opening Orifices and Organ Dressing.
• Ding Songyan gave his findings to Hu Chengzong, who reported them to Tao Wenshu, Wang Zhou, and Yan Jingxian.
• Tao Wenshu proposed that Zheng Zhuxi test the revised Organ Dressing method, and Hu Chengzong warned that it needed verification.
• When Zheng Zhuxi entered the Organ Dressing area, Ding Songyan reassured her and waited anxiously outside.
• While waiting, Ding Songyan considered a focused, simplified version of deriving Dao and De for Zheng Zhuxi and named it the Lesser Limitless Method.

After Zheng Zhuxi underwent Vermilion Bird Organ Dressing, Ding Songyan developed a Lesser Limitless Method to give her another path toward the Celestial-Human Realm. He brought her the method and New Year treats as snow began falling over the Xiaoming Sect.

• Zheng Zhuxi recovered from Organ Dressing and repeatedly circulated her Illuminating Candle True Qi to stabilize the Vermilion Bird organs.
• Ding Songyan used the Heavenly Mind Formula and Hundun power to devise and refine the Lesser Limitless Method over the following days.
• Wan Guhong watched Ding Songyan practice the Seven Night-Illuminating Swords and was astonished by his flawless technique.
• Ding Songyan gave Zheng Zhuxi the Lesser Limitless Method, explaining that it could serve as a safeguard against hidden dangers in her current scripture.
• Ding Songyan brought Zheng Zhuxi ice cream and lamb white sausage from Flat Lake Town and described the town’s New Year preparations.
• Zheng Zhuxi and Ding Songyan watched heavy snow fall outside her window.

Ding Songyan read Su Qingli’s letter, learning about the destruction of the Xiong, Qu, and Pan lineages, the danger posed by Qin Guanchan, and sects tied to the Netherworld. After deciding to answer her in spring, he welcomed Xie Fengchao and the others, and Xie said he had come to say farewell.

• Ding Songyan read Su Qingli’s account of her travels and the Three Bodies, Three Heads, and Quanrong tribes.
• Su Qingli explained that old monsters had slaughtered the Xiong, Qu, and Pan lineages seeking secrets that their martial manuals did not contain.
• Su Qingli warned Ding Songyan to avoid Qin Guanchan and described the Three Perils Sect and Impermanence Religion, prompting Ding to consider visiting their disciples.
• Su Qingli asked Ding Songyan to share more detailed stories of his adventures and said she had given up visiting south of the Great River because she would not see him.
• Ding Songyan decided to write back in spring, then greeted Xie Fengchao, Xing Chang, Pan Yunzhou, Yang Shiduo, and Xu Chang'an as they arrived.
• Xie Fengchao raised a wine jar and told Ding Songyan he had come to say farewell.

Xie Fengchao bid farewell to Ding Songyan and the others after sparring with Zheng Zhuxi, while Ding Songyan spent the evening teaching martial arts. On New Year’s Eve, as the sect emptied out, Zheng Zhuxi invited Ding Songyan to celebrate the New Year at her family’s home.

• Xie Fengchao announced he was returning to the Flame Capital, then challenged Zheng Zhuxi to a farewell spar and lost.
• Xie Fengchao left for the mountain gate with Xing Chang, while Yang Shiduo and Xu Chang'an stayed to receive martial arts guidance from Ding Songyan.
• Ding Songyan, Zheng Zhuxi, and Pan Yunzhou coached Xu Chang'an and Yang Shiduo as they practiced in the snow.
• A few days later, Xu Chang'an and Yang Shiduo left for their New Year visits, and Ding Songyan saw Wan Guhong heading home as the Xiaoming Sect grew quiet.
• Zheng Zhuxi approached Ding Songyan outside his courtyard and invited him to celebrate the New Year at her home because her father had arrived.

Ding Songyan visited Zheng Zhuxi’s family for New Year’s Eve and impressed Zheng Ziming with his manners and his interest in martial learning grounded in human knowledge. The family welcomed the new year together, leaving Ding and Zheng Ziming on warm, intellectually kindred terms.

• Ding Songyan accompanied Zheng Zhuxi to her family home and learned more about her father, Zheng Ziming, a high-ranking Menxia Chancellor and Martial Grandmaster.
• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi welcomed the God of Fortune and the Auspicious God at the Zheng family’s gates before joining Tao Wenshu and Zheng Ziming for dinner.
• Ding Songyan behaved with sincere respect and impeccable etiquette, impressing Zheng Ziming during their conversation at the table.
• Zheng Ziming taught Ding Songyan how the Zheng family’s Book of Utmost Sincerity combined the Perching Bird inheritance with the Way of Utmost Sincerity.
• Ding Songyan shared his insight that learning beyond martial arts could reveal the Dao and help create stronger martial techniques, and Zheng Ziming enthusiastically agreed.
• Ding Songyan, Zheng Zhuxi, Tao Wenshu, and Zheng Ziming listened to firecrackers and welcomed the new year together.

Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi celebrated the New Year together before paying homage to the Xiaoming Sect’s founding patriarchs. After returning to the Mountain Gate, Ding Songyan learned that Zheng Zhuxi would leave for half a month and that the sect had found leads about his origins, though none had yet panned out.

• Ding Songyan and Zheng Zhuxi set off firecrackers together, then Zheng Zhuxi showed him the New Year custom of illuminating the Void Waster and wished him good fortune.
• At dawn, Zheng Zhuxi greeted Ding Songyan in festive clothes before they went to pay homage to the founding patriarchs.
• Tao Wenshu told Zheng Ziming that her family should face no calamity in the next six months after he used the Way of Utmost Sincerity to seek foreknowledge.
• Tao Wenshu told Ding Songyan that Zheng Zhuxi had completed the White Tiger’s first unusual aperture and would travel with her and Zheng Ziming for about half a month.
• Tao Wenshu said the sect and the Martial Prohibition Bureau had verified Pan Yunzhou’s background and asked Ding Songyan to bring him over.
• Ding Songyan asked whether Tao Wenshu had found his relatives, and she said they had only discovered a few cold leads.