Chapter Summaries

Gu Yuanqing sheltered Li Shi'an after their fight with Zuo Qiu, and Li Shi'an explained that the thousand-year trials brought Fire Dao Realm cultivators from the Outer Heavens. He revealed that the Lingxu Sect held a path to the Outer Heavens, leaving Gu Yuanqing thinking of Li Miaoxuan.

• Gu Yuanqing took Li Shi'an to his courtyard, confident that North Spring Mountain's array could keep Zuo Qiu at bay.
• Li Shi'an told Gu Yuanqing that trial people from the Outer Heavens arrived every thousand years and that Zuo Qiu had joined the Crimson Dragon Cult.
• Li Shi'an revealed that he belonged to Great Qian's Imperial Family and explained that the trials might involve the Demon Realm Seals and a difference in the passage of time.
• Li Shi'an said people had left this world but none had returned, then revealed that the Lingxu Sect had a path to the Outer Heavens.
• Gu Yuanqing thought of Li Miaoxuan when he learned the Lingxu Sect's secret.

Gu Yuanqing learned from Li Shi'an about the Heaven Ascending Path and the limits of the Fire Dao Realm, while Zuo Qiu attacked North Spring Mountain's protective formation. After Gu Yuanqing stopped the damage and Li Shi'an left to warn the royal capital, Gu Yuanqing confronted Zuo Qiu at the mountain's front.

• Li Shi'an told Gu Yuanqing about the Heaven Ascending Path and offered to recommend him, mentioning that Li Miaoxuan might join him.
• Zuo Qiu searched for a way up North Spring Mountain, then struck it with his palm and wrecked part of the forest.
• Gu Yuanqing used Object Control to stop Zuo Qiu's attacks from damaging the mountain further.
• Li Shi'an decided to leave for the royal capital to warn against Zuo Qiu, and Gu Yuanqing arranged to keep Zuo Qiu occupied while he departed.
• Gu Yuanqing found Zuo Qiu studying the formation and invited him to sit and talk.

Gu Yuanqing resisted Zuo Qiu’s attempts to threaten and ensnare him, then tested the power of the Yao Blade while Zuo Qiu watched from below North Spring Mountain. Li Shi'an reached the royal capital and went to the Imperial Palace to meet Li Haotian and Prince Qing.

• Gu Yuanqing resisted Zuo Qiu’s blood-eye technique with the protection of North Spring Mountain, causing Zuo Qiu’s spell to backfire and injure his eyes.
• Gu Yuanqing returned to the summit, reassured Aunt Feng that the mountain had enough food and supplies, and warned her not to go downhill.
• Gu Yuanqing released the Yao Blade’s suppression and found that its Blood Tiger aura nearly overwhelmed him, while the blade easily sliced through a stone.
• Gu Yuanqing noticed Zuo Qiu approaching the mountain boundary, ignored him, and began practicing control of the Yao Blade.
• Li Shi'an returned to the royal capital and went to the Imperial Palace, where he found Li Haotian and Prince Qing.

Li Shi'an returned to the Imperial Palace and told Li Haotian and Prince Qing Li Cunguo about Zuo Qiu, the world beyond their own, and Li Miaoxuan’s coming journey on the Heaven Ascending Path. Meanwhile, Zuo Qiu infiltrated North Spring Mountain, where Gu Yuanqing sensed him and prepared an ambush.

• Xu Lianying delivered a report that Gu Yuanqing had killed the Crimson Dragon Cult Leader with a single sword stroke.
• Li Shi'an arrived at the Imperial Study and admitted that he was no match for Zuo Qiu.
• Li Shi'an explained Zuo Qiu’s origins, the world beyond their own, and the Heaven Ascending Path that Li Miaoxuan would take in a little over a year.
• Li Shi'an asked why Gu Yuanqing had been imprisoned on North Spring Mountain, but Li Haotian and Prince Qing Li Cunguo avoided answering directly.
• Zuo Qiu secretly returned to North Spring Mountain and slipped past its boundary while using the Hibernating Dragon Technique.
• As Zuo Qiu climbed the mountain, Gu Yuanqing sensed him and raised the Yao Blade, Kunwu Sword, and blue-glimmering needles, prompting Zuo Qiu to flee downhill.

Gu Yuanqing trapped Zuo Qiu on North Spring Mountain and attacked him with controlled weapons while the mountain suppressed Zuo Qiu’s cultivation. Just as Gu Yuanqing’s blade struck, Zuo Qiu vanished, leaving behind a Wooden Puppet and a burst of blood-red light.

• Zuo Qiu’s cultivation was sealed by the mountain’s pressure, so he fled downhill using only his Physical Body.
• Gu Yuanqing attacked Zuo Qiu with a Dao Coin, the Kunwu Sword, needles, and the Blood Tiger Yao Blade as Zuo Qiu fought back while retreating.
• Zuo Qiu’s injuries worsened as the Blood Tiger Yao Blade drained his blood and strength, but he continued trying to reach the mountain’s edge.
• Gu Yuanqing increased the Blood Tiger Yao Blade’s power, and it broke Zuo Qiu’s short Dao Coin before striking his chest.
• Zuo Qiu swore revenge as the blade struck him, then vanished and left a Wooden Puppet that burst with blood-red light.

Gu Yuanqing drove Zuo Qiu off North Spring Mountain but could not kill him, and found Zuo Qiu’s Heir Apparent Storage Bag after the escape. He inspected its contents, then returned to cultivating as he anticipated the Profound Martial Secret Treasure’s Transformation.

• Gu Yuanqing suppressed Zuo Qiu’s attempt to escape underground, and the Blood Tiger Yao Blade battered him until he finally crossed North Spring Mountain’s boundary.
• Gu Yuanqing warned Zuo Qiu not to enter the mountain again, and Zuo Qiu fled without discovering the mountain’s true defenses.
• Gu Yuanqing found Zuo Qiu’s bloodstained Heir Apparent Storage Bag and discovered pills, a statue, and a Silk Book that might describe a Fire Dao Body Tempering Secret.
• Zuo Qiu realized his Cosmic Bag was missing and chose to heal rather than risk returning to North Spring Mountain.
• Gu Yuanqing reviewed the battle, kept the damaged Kunwu Sword as a memento, and focused on cultivating as the Profound Martial Secret Treasure’s Transformation drew near.

While the court weighed how to respond to the wounded Zuo Qiu, Gu Yuanqing completed the transformation of his Profound Martial Secret Treasure into a Saint Martial Secret Treasure. His breakthrough toward the grandmaster realm began as his Secret Treasure rose from the crimson palace.

• Li Haotian told Li Shi'an and Prince Qing that Zuo Qiu had suffered severe injuries and vanished into the mountain forests.
• Li Shi'an advised Li Haotian not to send an army after Zuo Qiu and said he had summoned fellow Daoists to confront him.
• Gu Yuanqing continued cultivating at North Spring Mountain and refined more than a thousand acupoints through the Heavenly Cycle Great Formation.
• Gu Yuanqing's Profound Martial Secret Treasure transformed, its outer membrane turning seven-colored as its inner world expanded and stabilized.
• Gu Yuanqing entered a state of enlightenment, realized he could break through to the grandmaster realm, and began lifting his Secret Treasure upward from the crimson palace.

Gu Yuanqing completed his breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm after three days of cultivation. Gu Wenqi then tried to exploit the Grandmaster’s Hundred-Day Transformation Weakness Period to force Gu Yuanqing to teach him the method of becoming a Grandmaster.

• Gu Yuanqing merged his Profound Martial Secret Treasure, spirit, and intent to form a Dao Embryo, restoring his heartbeat as his body and consciousness synchronized with its pulses.
• Feng Tao and Aunt Feng avoided disturbing Gu Yuanqing while he cultivated, and the animals on North Spring Mountain grew hostile toward outsiders.
• After three days, Gu Yuanqing emerged from his courtyard as a Grandmaster and experienced the mountain and its creatures with renewed clarity.
• Gu Wenqi brought Gu Yuanqing dinner and congratulated him on his breakthrough, then asked him to teach the method of becoming a Grandmaster so he could avenge his blood debt.
• Gu Yuanqing identified incense in the food box as Gu Wenqi’s attempt to drug him, but Gu Wenqi revealed he was relying on the Grandmaster’s Hundred-Day Transformation Weakness Period to threaten him.

Gu Wenqi tried to exploit Gu Yuanqing’s vulnerable breakthrough into the Grandmaster Realm, but Gu Yuanqing overpowered him and spared his life after Li Shi'an intervened. Gu Yuanqing reduced Gu Wenqi’s cultivation and then questioned Li Shi'an about why he had protected him.

• Gu Wenqi confronted Gu Yuanqing during his Grandmaster transformation, threatening him and demanding the North Spring Sword Sect’s inheritance.
• Gu Yuanqing offered Gu Wenqi a cultivation method leading to the Grandmaster Realm and challenged him to take it by force or leave.
• Gu Wenqi attacked with the Firewood Saber but held back, and Gu Yuanqing easily threw him down and restrained him.
• Li Shi'an emerged and asked Gu Yuanqing to spare Gu Wenqi because he was the last remaining member of the North Spring Sword Sect.
• Gu Yuanqing spared Gu Wenqi but struck his crimson palace, reducing his cultivation from the true martial eighth layer to the True Martial Seventh Layer.
• After Gu Wenqi left North Spring Mountain, Gu Yuanqing asked Li Shi'an why he had intervened on Gu Wenqi’s behalf.

Gu Yuanqing kept the Blood Tiger Yao Blade and agreed that Zuo Qiu would not reclaim it, while Li Shi'an and his allies prepared to track the outsider. After learning that Taiwu Mountain's defenders had been massacred and another outsider might have appeared in Great Zhou, Gu Yuanqing resumed cultivation and turned his attention to the Secret Sword.

• Li Shi'an confirmed that Gu Yuanqing still held the Blood Tiger Yao Blade, and the Hemp Robe old man revealed that he had marked Gu Wenqi so they could sense if Zuo Qiu captured him.
• A Heavenly Policy Mansion messenger reported that Zuo Qiu had killed the forces guarding Taiwu Mountain but left its Demon Realm Seal intact.
• The Hemp Robe old man told Li Shi'an that another expert, possibly from the Outer Heavens, had appeared in the Great Zhou Kingdom.
• Gu Yuanqing told Feng Tao that Gu Wenqi had left North Spring Mountain and explained that he had stayed for the mountain's secret treasure.
• Gu Yuanqing assessed his progress toward becoming a true Dao Embryo Realm Cultivator, then sent the Blood Tiger Yao Blade toward the cliffs to investigate the Secret Sword.

Gu Yuanqing unearthed the Secret Sword and discovered that it grew larger and heavier when infused with true qi, but he found no hidden mysteries in it. In Shuofang City, Gong Xin confronted Zuo Qiu about what had happened on North Spring Mountain and asked whether he wanted his Dao Coin back.

• Gu Yuanqing used the Blood Tiger Yao Dao Coin to break through into the secret chamber and retrieve the three-inch Secret Sword.
• Gu Yuanqing infused the Secret Sword with true qi and found that it grew larger and heavier, then used Mountain Observation on it without uncovering its secrets.
• Gu Yuanqing reflected on his evolving Dao Embryo and concluded that its growing world and laws would increase its power.
• Gong Xin arrived at a roadside stall in Shuofang City and sat down opposite Zuo Qiu, who had lost his Blood Tiger Yao Blade.
• Gong Xin asked Zuo Qiu what he had encountered on North Spring Mountain and whether he wanted his Dao Coin back.

Great Zhou invaded Great Qian through Taiwu Mountain, forcing the Imperial Court to respond while Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu waited for the kingdom’s defenses to weaken. At North Spring Mountain, Gu Yuanqing completed his Dao Embryo and entered the Grandmaster Realm.

• Great Zhou troops crossed Taiwu Mountain, and the beacon guards raised the alarm as the attackers advanced on Anping Province.
• The Minister of War told Li Haotian that Great Zhou had captured both prefectures and all twelve cities in five days, and that Han Bing had died fighting a Grandmaster.
• Gong Xin explained to Zuo Qiu that he had persuaded Great Zhou to invade with promises of a Longevity Pill and a cultivation method, and said they would exploit the resulting transfer of Great Qian’s experts.
• Daoist Xuanqing sensed two streams of killing intent near Dayu Mountain, and Qin Wuya suspected they came from Zuo Qiu and an outsider from the Outer Heavens.
• Gu Yuanqing completed the nurturing of his Dao Embryo, transformed his true qi into true essence, and perceived the world’s Dao and principles as he entered the Grandmaster Realm.

Gu Yuanqing tested his newly attained true essence and used it to control the Secret Sword before confronting Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin at North Spring Mountain. After Gu Yuanqing slaughtered many of Gong Xin’s poison bees, he mocked Zuo Qiu for bringing a friend to deliver gifts.

• Gu Yuanqing tested how true essence strengthened his attacks and movement techniques, then learned to control the Secret Sword with it.
• Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin arrived at North Spring Mountain, and Gong Xin used his Nether God Cave Heaven Eye to inspect its defenses.
• Gong Xin sent a swarm of Ghost Face Gold Devouring Bees into the mountain while Gu Yuanqing attacked them with the Blood Tiger Yao Blade and Secret Sword.
• Gu Yuanqing killed more than a hundred bees before Gong Xin recalled the swarm, and Gu Yuanqing taunted Zuo Qiu about bringing a friend with gifts.

Gu Yuanqing drove Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu away from North Spring Mountain, but they planned to return that night with a technique from the Netherworld Sect. As he prepared for their attack, Gu Yuanqing explored the Secret Sword and practiced Mountain-Viewing Object Control, waiting to see what they would try.

• Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu left after Gong Xin decided to test a Netherworld Sect technique on North Spring Mountain that night.
• Gu Yuanqing killed the surviving Poison Bees, buried them, and resolved to repay the damage they had caused to the mountain’s animals and trees.
• Gu Yuanqing tried to uncover the Secret Sword’s mysteries and glimpsed faint runelike lines by combining true essence with Mountain Observation.
• Gu Yuanqing warned Aunt Feng to stay inside or hide in the cellar that night, then resumed practicing Mountain-Viewing Object Control.
• Gu Yuanqing sensed a possible new layer of Object Control and awaited Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu’s return.

Gu Yuanqing secretly watched Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin unleash eerie Spell Arts against North Spring Mountain, and used Object Control to repel their phantoms, animals, and crawling bones. Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu left after surrounding the mountain with heaps of bones and corpses, while Gu Yuanqing realized the siege would make the coming months difficult.

• Gu Yuanqing concealed himself near the former Imperial Guard camp and watched Gong Xin summon an idol phantom with an Array Formation and Jade Flute.
• Gong Xin's flute summoned phantoms of the dead from North Spring Mountain, including Kong Shengbing, Shentu Hong, and Old Man Tianzhu, and Feng Tao was struck down in agony.
• Gu Yuanqing used Mountain Observation and Object Control to disperse the phantoms across the mountain, causing Gong Xin to suffer a backlash.
• Gong Xin resumed his Spell Arts and summoned White Bones, corpses, and animals toward North Spring Mountain, but Gu Yuanqing drove the animals away and made the bones collapse.
• Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu departed after the bones piled several zhang high around North Spring Mountain, and Gu Yuanqing watched them leave, expecting further attacks.

Gu Yuanqing used Object Control to clear North Spring Mountain’s air and honed his control while repelling another attack. Meanwhile, Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu planned another assault, and in the imperial city Yue Hong arrived to warn Ji Dai against intervening in the war between Great Qian and Zhou.

• Gu Yuanqing drove the stench away from North Spring Mountain and practiced maintaining a constant barrier against it.
• When corpses and living creatures attacked again, Gu Yuanqing defended the mountain from his courtyard and refined his Object Control through hours of pressure.
• Gong Xin told Zuo Qiu that he would attack North Spring Mountain again that night because he still lacked enough corpses.
• Li Shi'an asked Ji Dai to travel to Anping Province and confront the Visitor from Beyond, and Ji Dai agreed.
• Yue Hong appeared before Ji Dai and Li Shi'an and warned Ji Dai not to intervene in the conflict between Great Qian and Zhou.

Yue Hong confronted Li Shi'an and Ji Dai over the Lingxu Sect’s prohibition against intervening, while Gu Yuanqing trained to command North Spring Mountain. Gong Xin’s burning array finally pushed Gu Yuanqing to awaken the mountain’s full presence, alarming Gong Xin and Zuo Qiu.

• Yue Hong refused to let Li Shi'an and Ji Dai act freely against the Zhou Dynasty and the celestial trial people, citing the Lingxu Sect’s prohibition, and Ji Dai challenged him.
• Gu Yuanqing practiced Mountain Observation and Object Control, trying to sense and command North Spring Mountain as a whole.
• Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin sent another wave of corpses and bones toward the mountain, while Gu Yuanqing used the attacks to advance his control.
• Gong Xin released Bone-devouring demonic Fire Dao and used the Earth Sha Spirit Burning Array to burn the spiritual vein beneath North Spring Mountain.
• Gu Yuanqing felt the mountain gather to his thought, and Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin sensed the awakened mountain watching them.

Gu Yuanqing united his heart with North Spring Mountain and used the mountain’s power to strike down Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin. Gong Xin escaped the attack but was killed by a mysterious White-Clad woman.

• Gu Yuanqing fully merged his will with North Spring Mountain and sent two immense sword strikes after Zuo Qiu and Gong Xin.
• Zuo Qiu’s defenses failed against the sword qi, and he vanished when his Nine-Layered Golden Pagoda shattered.
• Gong Xin tried to escape with decoys and protective treasures, but Gu Yuanqing’s sword qi tracked him underground and wounded him as he fled through the void.
• Gong Xin encountered a White-Clad woman who recognized his name and said she had come to kill him.
• The White-Clad woman beheaded Gong Xin and destroyed his dao embryo.

Gu Yuanqing destroyed the formation at North Spring Mountain but found that doing so had severely depleted the mountain’s Spiritual Qi. Meanwhile, Li Miaoxuan defended her decision to intervene in Great Qian’s affairs, struck Yue Hong, and headed for Anping Province to kill the Zhou People who had entered Great Qian.

• Gu Yuanqing swept away the White Bones and destroyed the formation, exhausting much of his True Essence and North Spring Mountain’s Spiritual Qi.
• Aunt Feng cautiously left her room, and Gu Yuanqing reassured her before considering whether she should leave the mountain.
• Li Miaoxuan told Gong Daoxian that she had intervened because she was Great Qian’s Eldest Princess, and her master warned her to conduct herself wisely.
• Li Miaoxuan visited the royal capital but turned away without entering, then encountered Yue Hong at the foot of the mountain.
• Li Miaoxuan struck Yue Hong in retaliation for his palm strike against her great-granduncle and declared that she was going to Anping Province to kill the Zhou People who had entered Great Qian.

After a mysterious woman broke the Zhou army’s invasion, Great Qian’s court learned that strange forces had besieged North Spring Mountain, where Gu Yuanqing cared for Aunt Feng and sensed the woman approaching. The chapter ended with their distant gazes meeting as Gu Yuanqing wondered whether she was the one who had saved Great Qian.

• Li Miaoxuan secretly killed the Zhou Army Commander and National Teacher Sikong Yan, causing the Zhou forces to flee from Anping Province.
• Li Haotian received reports that bones had risen to besiege North Spring Mountain and that two enormous swords had appeared there, while the trial participants’ fate remained unknown.
• Gu Yuanqing used North Spring Mountain’s power to carry water for Aunt Feng and offered to arrange for her to leave the dangerous mountain.
• Aunt Feng explained that she wanted to stay because Gu Yuanqing’s mental communication had let her experience what sound was, and he agreed not to send her away.
• Gu Yuanqing sensed a woman in white approaching North Spring Mountain, and their gazes met from more than a dozen li away.