Chapter Summaries

Gu Yuanqing remained confined to his courtyard while the Imperial Court restored North Spring Mountain, using the Spiritual Mountain Trial to rapidly improve his swordsmanship. Once the craftsmen left, he tried to coax the guards into talking and began singing to them, leaving the two Soldiers furious.

• Chen Chuanshan brought Soldiers to North Spring Mountain and ordered Gu Yuanqing to remain inside his courtyard under guard.
• Craftsmen and servants repaired buildings across North Spring Mountain while Gu Yuanqing secretly trained in the Spiritual Mountain Trial against increasingly skilled opponents.
• On the fourth day, Gu Yuanqing left his courtyard so workers could repair it, and a Soldier warned the craftsmen not to speculate about his identity.
• After nine days, most of North Spring Mountain had been restored, and on the tenth morning the craftsmen left.
• Gu Yuanqing sat at the courtyard gate, tried to get the two guards to answer questions, and sang to them until their faces turned livid.

Gu Yuanqing was moved to Repentance Cliff on North Spring Mountain as preparations gathered around the Demon Realm Seal. Prince Qing Li Cunguo arrived to oversee the mountain and summoned Gu Yuanqing, confronting him with the forceful presence of Great Qian's former War God.

• Chen Chuanshan told Gu Yuanqing he could move freely that day but had to relocate to the rear mountain the next morning, and Gu Yuanqing asked him to keep his courtyard unoccupied.
• Gu Yuanqing moved to Repentance Cliff with the two Old Servants and noticed that the strong Wind Dao swept across the cliff.
• Gu Yuanqing saw Prince Qing Li Cunguo arrive on North Spring Mountain and learned that he would be presiding over the gathering.
• Prince Qing asked Chen Chuanshan to bring Gu Yuanqing to him, and Gu Yuanqing went alone to Prince Qing's Courtyard.
• Prince Qing straightened, released a murderous aura, and asked Gu Yuanqing if he was Gu Yuanqing.

Prince Qing tested Gu Yuanqing with a potentially lethal attack, only to discover that Gu Yuanqing himself wielded North Spring Mountain’s power and could suppress him. After they reconciled, Gu Yuanqing asked about Princess Miaoxuan’s upcoming marriage, and Prince Qing clarified that the bride was not that Miaoxuan.

• Prince Qing confronted Gu Yuanqing and struck at him, while the Kunwu Sword rushed in to protect Gu Yuanqing.
• Gu Yuanqing realized that North Spring Mountain’s power had suppressed Prince Qing, then recalled the sword and revealed that no hidden Grandmaster had intervened.
• Prince Qing mistook Gu Yuanqing for a young Grandmaster, withdrew his threat, and invited him to sit for tea.
• Prince Qing spoke about Li Miaoxuan’s childhood, and Gu Yuanqing asked whether Princess Miaoxuan was to marry in a few days.
• Prince Qing said the Miaoxuan to be married was not that Miaoxuan, and privately blamed the emperor for withholding the explanation.

Gu Yuanqing left Prince Qing with the mistaken impression that a Grandmaster backed him, then used his mountain-observation ability to frighten an old man and knock Chen Chuanshan from the treetops. Chen Chuanshan reached Prince Qing’s courtyard, where Wang Qing guessed Gu Yuanqing had pranked him over being sent to the rear mountain.

• Gu Yuanqing asked Prince Qing to keep other people out of the courtyard on North Spring Mountain, and Prince Qing agreed.
• After Gu Yuanqing left, Prince Qing told Qin Hu to keep the day’s events secret and summon Chen Chuanshan.
• Back in his room, Gu Yuanqing used his aura to freeze the old man’s true qi, and the old man suspected a Grandmaster connected to the Gu Family was warning him.
• Gu Yuanqing’s thought pressured Chen Chuanshan as he flew over the treetops, causing him to crash through branches before Gu Yuanqing withdrew the pressure.
• Chen Chuanshan reached Prince Qing’s courtyard and said a senior had played a joke on him, and Wang Qing guessed Gu Yuanqing was annoyed about being sent to the rear mountain.

Gu Yuanqing gained a deeper understanding of North Spring Mountain and refined his grasp of Mountain Observation and Object Control. As he continued his cultivation, the Green Luan Gate arrived at the mountain and immediately tested the soldiers’ patience.

• Prince Wang Qing told Chen Chuanshan to reserve a courtyard for Gu Yuanqing and prepare the soldiers for the Green Luan Gate’s arrival.
• Gu Yuanqing practiced Swordsmanship at Repentance Cliff, leaving the gaunt old man astonished by techniques designed to counter the North Spring Sword Sect’s style.
• Gu Yuanqing spent the night observing life and struggle on the mountain, then realized that Mountain Observation meant seeing the Dao and Object Control meant wielding its arts.
• Gu Yuanqing used Object Control to remove dust from himself, unfurl a blade of grass, and sweep dust from the house outside.
• Servants arrived at North Spring Mountain, followed by women of the Green Luan Gate, whose lively behavior exasperated Elder Guo and the receiving lieutenant.

Qing Wang received the Green Luan Gate and learned that its Grandmaster Secret Artifact would help repair the Demon Realm Seal. As sects gathered on North Spring Mountain and Gu Yuanqing cultivated, two young men from the Fine-Clothed Mansions arrived at his courtyard.

• Qin Hu explained that the Heavenly Policy Mansion was delayed by trouble in the capital, so Qing Wang arranged for the Green Luan Gate to be received while awaiting Li Beiyan.
• Elder Guo and Elder Qi brought the Green Luan Gate's Grandmaster Secret Artifact and confirmed that their disciples could use the Demon Refining Array to temper themselves after the seal was repaired.
• Gu Yuanqing observed the artifact and reasoned that the sects' Grandmaster Secret Artifacts would help supply vital energy for repairing the Demon Realm Seal.
• The Spirit Ape Sword Sect, Vast Sea Valley, Peerless Gate, Flying Feather Pavilion, and Profound Heaven Sect arrived, and Li Beiyan took over responsibility for dealing with the sects.
• Gu Yuanqing continued cultivating and observing the visiting disciples, then two young men from the Fine-Clothed Mansions stopped outside his courtyard and asked who lived there.

Prince Qing brought Li Changyan to meet Gu Yuanqing and asked him to help protect the Demon Realm Seal after a powerful Crimson Dragon Cult intruder attacked it. Gu Yuanqing hesitated over the dangerous mission, and Li Changyan accused him of being too weak to help.

• Li Changyan tried to claim the courtyard reserved by Prince Qing, but Prince Qing summoned him and Qi Zizhong instead.
• Prince Qing told Li Changyan he would take him to meet Gu Yuanqing, whom Li Changyan despised for his role in Li Miaoxuan's ordeal.
• Gu Yuanqing welcomed Prince Qing and Li Changyan, while Feng Tao served them tea and revealed that she could hear again.
• Prince Qing explained that a Peak Profound Martial Ninth Layer intruder had attacked the Demon Realm Seal and nearly damaged the Sky Mending Array before escaping.
• Prince Qing said Grandmasters were unavailable because Yang Zhen and Duanmu Xuanyue had gathered near the capital, and he asked Gu Yuanqing to act.
• Gu Yuanqing hesitated over the mission's risks, and Li Changyan angrily challenged his strength.

Gu Yuanqing accepted Prince Qing’s condition for confronting the Crimson Dragon Cult, then advanced to the true martial eighth layer while cultivating on North Spring Mountain. As the Imperial Court and sects guarded the Heaven-Mending Formation, Chen Chuanshan was suddenly attacked and began bleeding from his throat.

• Li Changyan challenged Gu Yuanqing’s strength and conduct, and Prince Qing struck him down before ordering him to kneel outside.
• Gu Yuanqing agreed to act against the Crimson Dragon Cult if its members were forced onto North Spring Mountain, and Prince Qing left with Li Changyan.
• Gu Yuanqing cultivated, broke through to the true martial eighth layer, and practiced until he adapted to his increased strength.
• Over five days, more wealthy youths arrived on North Spring Mountain to refine the qi of heavenly gang and earthly sha, filling its courtyards.
• The Imperial Court and sects maintained a guarded formation beneath North Spring Mountain while cultivators channeled demonic qi into mysterious stones.
• Chen Chuanshan suddenly clutched his throat and bled, prompting nearby soldiers to shout that the enemy had attacked.

The Crimson Dragon Cult attacked the Imperial Guards and the underground palace, while Xiahou Ming fought Prince Qing and Qin Hu on North Spring Mountain. Gu Yuanqing intervened with the Kunwu Sword, driving Xiahou Ming back as Prince Qing weakened and searched for the unseen swordsman.

• Crimson Dragon Cult attackers killed Chen Chuanshan and other officers, disrupting the Divine Eagle Great Formation as two experts entered the underground palace.
• The gaunt old man used Soul Devouring Gu and the Hibernating Dragon Secret Technique to kill a Profound Heaven Sect elder and young cultivators, but Li Changyan drew the Dragon-Phoenix Grandmaster Sword and revealed the hidden attackers.
• Xiahou Ming confronted Prince Qing on North Spring Mountain, and he and Qin Hu joined battle against the Crimson Dragon Cult leader.
• Xiahou Ming unleashed a secret technique, wounded Prince Qing and Qin Hu, and prepared to kill Qin Hu.
• Gu Yuanqing sent the Kunwu Sword flying into the fight, forcing Xiahou Ming back, while Prince Qing's Vital Essence rapidly dwindled.

Gu Yuanqing used Sword Control to help Prince Qing defeat Xiahou Ming, then assessed the limits of the Kunwu Sword and went to sleep as North Spring Mountain dealt with the Crimson Dragon Cult’s attack. The next morning, Prince Qing thanked Gu Yuanqing and reported the heavy casualties from the battle.

• Prince Qing doubted that a Grandmaster could control a sword from such a distance, while Xiahou Ming used his crimson dragon phenomenon to fend off the Kunwu Sword and flee.
• Gu Yuanqing forced Xiahou Ming’s projected true qi back into his body, leaving him vulnerable for the Kunwu Sword to pierce his skull.
• Prince Qing and Qin Hu found Xiahou Ming dead, and Prince Qing suspected that Gu Yuanqing’s power might come from a hidden force on North Spring Mountain.
• Gu Yuanqing examined the damaged Kunwu Sword, judged himself invincible below the Grandmaster realm on North Spring Mountain, and slept as the mountain’s wounded returned.
• Prince Qing visited Gu Yuanqing with Li Changyan, acknowledged his help, and explained that he carried a Grandmaster Secret Artifact from the emperor.
• Prince Qing reported that the Crimson Dragon Cult’s attack had killed sect experts and Imperial forces, including Chen Chuanshan, prompting Gu Yuanqing to question the scale of the losses.

After the battle, Qing Wang and Li Haotian considered Gu Yuanqing’s extraordinary strength while the Demon Realm Seal repairs continued. In the Spiritual Mountain Trial, Gu Yuanqing lost to Kong Shengbing but used the fight to transform his Swordsmanship before an onlooker applauded.

• Qing Wang told Gu Yuanqing he would return to the capital and declined to explain the princess’s wedding arrangements.
• Li Haotian and Xu Lianying discussed whether Gu Yuanqing had reached beyond Grandmaster and ordered Divine Eagle Guard Commander Zhang Ji summoned to the palace.
• As the Demon Realm Seal repairs neared completion, Gu Yuanqing withdrew from the somber mountain gathering to cultivate.
• Gu Yuanqing fought Kong Shengbing in the Spiritual Mountain Trial, but Kong defeated him with the Big Dipper Seven Swords and severed his head.
• Gu Yuanqing blended orthodox and unconventional Swordsmanship at the cliff until his sword intent began to transform, then turned toward the applauding onlooker.

Prince Qing warned Gu Yuanqing that rumors of his swordsmanship could attract cultivators seeking North Spring Mountain’s legendary secret sword, then departed with Li Changyan. Gu Yuanqing settled into a peaceful life on the mountain and grew stronger, while news of his sword control reached a sinister elder in Star Sea Valley.

• Prince Qing brought Gu Yuanqing books, warned him that rumors of his Sword-Riding Art could draw dangerous cultivators, and said goodbye before Li Changyan cautioned Gu not to wrong Li Miaoxuan.
• After the mountain emptied, Gu Yuanqing returned to his Front Mountain Courtyard and settled into a quiet routine of cultivation, practice, and reading.
• Gu Yuanqing reached the profound martial ninth layer, and North Spring Mountain grew more lush as its phantom manifestation became clearer.
• Gu Yuanqing slew Kong Shengbing in the Spiritual Mountain Trial and became nearly invincible beneath Grandmaster, but chose to remain on the mountain.
• News of sword control on North Spring Mountain reached an old man in Star Sea Valley, who had been drinking a child’s blood, and his grandson reported the news of the secret sword.

Rumors that Gu Yuanqing had obtained the North Spring Secret Sword spread throughout Great Qian, drawing the attention of powerful figures and provoking the Imperial Court. Gu Yuanqing realized someone was stirring up trouble and prepared to face whoever came to North Spring Mountain.

• A report about Gu Yuanqing and the suspected Secret Sword prompted an old man to write to the Heavenly Fiend Sect, and a short old man decided to visit North Spring Mountain.
• Li Haotian rebuked Yu Yijie for failing to notice the rumors and ordered him to identify who had spread them within three days.
• Qi Daojie gave an Eight Treasures Merchant Guild representative a Jade Pendant to arrange an introduction, then vowed that Gu Yuanqing would pay for his actions.
• Soldiers at North Spring Mountain discussed how rumors of the Secret Sword would draw cultivators to the forbidden ground.
• Gu Yuanqing concluded that someone was stirring up the rumors and, confident in his strength, welcomed the prospect of challengers coming to the mountain.

As rumors of a Secret Sword drew martial artists to North Spring Mountain, the Imperial Guard drove off those who approached while hidden factions waited for someone else to act. Gu Yuanqing kept watch over the mountain and refined his own cultivation art, but a stealthy intruder slipped past the defenses that night.

• Zhang Zhuo threatened the gathered martial artists with the Imperial Guard’s bows, and the crowd fled.
• Yuan Yingsong told Zhang Zhuo that the Eight Treasures Merchant Guild had been arrested by order of the Emperor and warned him to focus on his duty.
• Six men from Dragon Gallbladder Mountain watched North Spring Mountain and decided to wait for another faction to test the path.
• Gu Yuanqing noticed watchers across the mountain, warned Aunt Feng to hide if danger arose, and remained alert as more people gathered.
• Gu Yuanqing named his developing cultivation method the Heavenly Dao Heart Zen Art and continued refining it toward the Grandmaster Realm.
• During the third watch, an unknown figure slipped past the Imperial Guard defenses on the Front Mountain and disappeared into the woods.

Void Form, a notorious Black List fugitive, sneaked into Gu Yuanqing’s room to steal the North Spring Secret Sword but was caught by Gu Yuanqing’s overwhelming power. Gu Yuanqing questioned him about how he could earn his freedom, leaving Void Form to face the consequences of his failed theft.

• Void Form reached Gu Yuanqing’s courtyard and used Mist Smoke to put the young man to sleep.
• While searching the room, Void Form found the Secret Manuals for the Heart Zen Unity Art and tried to take it.
• Gu Yuanqing woke, stopped Void Form with the Kunwu Sword, and retrieved the manual.
• Void Form realized Gu Yuanqing was at least a Grandmaster and identified himself as the Black List fugitive Void Form.
• Gu Yuanqing said he might kill Void Form to protect his secret and asked what Void Form could do to earn his release.

Gu Yuanqing forced Void Form to reveal the powerful factions gathered at North Spring Mountain, then killed Ghost Butcher Shentu Hong with his Flying Sword from a distance. By morning, Shentu Hong’s head hung beside a warning sign at the mountain’s entrance, startling the martial artists who recognized him.

• Gu Yuanqing threatened Void Form, who knelt and listed the factions and experts gathering at North Spring Mountain.
• Gu Yuanqing sensed an attack at West Cliff and sent his Flying Sword to kill the intruding Shentu Hong, whose body fell from the cliff.
• Yuan Yingsong found Shentu Hong’s corpse and recognized him as the Ghost Butcher ranked fourth on the Black List.
• Soldiers displayed Shentu Hong’s head beside a warning that trespassers in the forbidden ground would be killed.
• Martial artists gathered at the mountain’s foot and identified the head as Shentu Hong’s, reacting with shock at his death.

After Ghost Butcher's death and reports of a flying sword confirmed the danger on North Spring Mountain, Dragon Gallbladder Mountain's six brothers decided to wait and watch for a clash between Grandmasters. Gu Yuanqing kept Void Form captive and made him write cultivation methods, then accepted a mysterious fragmentary text as one Cultivation Technique.

• News of Ghost Butcher's death and a flying sword over North Spring Mountain spread, convincing the surrounding martial artists that a Grandmaster was there.
• Miao Wanlin persuaded Dragon Gallbladder Mountain's brothers to stay near the mountain and wait for a possible battle between Grandmasters.
• Gu Yuanqing had Void Form write cultivation methods and supreme arts in exchange for sparing his life, while studying the Vast Void Horizontal Technique and Vast Void Breath Concealment Technique.
• When Void Form ran out of methods he could remember, he offered a fragmentary cultivation text instead.
• Gu Yuanqing read the fragmentary text and accepted it as one Cultivation Technique.

Gu Yuanqing released Void Form after taking his martial arts methods and the original Remnant Scripture, binding him to bring valuable books each year. When Yuan Yingsong arrived to arrest the wanted thief, Gu Yuanqing said Void Form had already left and challenged Yuan's authority; Yuan then returned to a tent where a scholar asked where Void Form was.

• Gu Yuanqing made Void Form promise to bring him twenty valuable books every year, took the original Remnant Scripture, and let him leave after warning him to keep quiet.
• Void Form escaped North Spring Mountain, then fought off the Hemp Robe old man who pursued him and demanded a share of what he had found.
• Gu Yuanqing studied the Remnant Scripture through the night and concluded that its fragment had value comparable to Grandmaster cultivation methods.
• Yuan Yingsong arrived to take Void Form into custody, but Gu Yuanqing said the thief had already left and reprimanded Yuan for failing to guard the mountain.
• Yuan Yingsong returned to a military tent, where a scholar asked him where Void Form was.

An elder learned that Gu Yuanqing had released Void Form and ordered him captured alive, while Gu Yuanqing suspected a Grandmaster was watching North Spring Mountain. In the Spiritual Mountain Trial, Gu Yuanqing trained against Void Form and realized he could use the trial to safely test cultivation methods.

• The old man confirmed Void Form was no longer on North Spring Mountain and ordered Yuan Yingsong to have the Heavenly Policy Mansion issue a wanted notice for him, alive.
• Gu Yuanqing sensed he was being watched and worried that Grandmasters would come seeking the rumored Beyond Grandmaster on North Spring Mountain.
• Gu Yuanqing entered the Spiritual Mountain Trial and struggled against Void Form's speed, concealment, and poisoned hidden needles.
• Gu Yuanqing tempered the remaining acupoints for the Vast Void Horizontal Technique, then used repeated fights with Void Form to improve his mastery of it.
• After defeating Void Form, Gu Yuanqing realized he could use the Spiritual Mountain Trial to experiment with cultivation methods without risking injury in the real world.

Gu Yuanqing tested a revised cultivation technique in the Spiritual Mountain Trial Ground, destroying his body when the Profound Martial Grand Array collapsed. After defeating Ghost Butcher Shentu Hong in a trial battle, he sensed a watcher, while two Grandmasters prepared to approach North Spring Mountain.

• Gu Yuanqing experimented with routing his True Qi through a three hundred sixty-five-cycle array, but the Profound Martial Grand Array collapsed and his body exploded.
• Gu Yuanqing concluded that he needed to form a new Array Formation before the original collapsed and returned to the trial to fight Ghost Butcher Shentu Hong.
• Gu Yuanqing defeated Shentu Hong at the cost of shattering every bone in his left arm, then sensed that someone was watching him.
• Two old men on Hongyan Mountain Waterfall discussed the Sword Saint guarding Gu Yuanqing and the Imperial Court's interest in North Spring Mountain.
• The short old man agreed to approach North Spring Mountain with the hunchback, and the aura of a Grandmaster spread across the mountain.