Chapter Summaries

Xing Yan celebrated Mid-Autumn at Thousand Birds Cliff with Qiong Rong, Ju Ying, and Kou Xueyi, and Ling Yier used a Dragon Palace spell to join them. Their moonlit gathering became a magical performance of music and dance, but two streaks of sword light suddenly approached from the eastern sky.

• Xing Yan concluded that the Heavenly Way meant excelling at winning and fell asleep satisfied.
• Xing Yan and Qiong Rong bought supplies for the festival, and Qiong Rong told him she had cried alone during past Mid-Autumn celebrations.
• Xing Yan, Qiong Rong, Ju Ying, and Kou Xueyi worshipped the moon, and Ling Yier appeared through the White Jade Lotus using a Dragon Palace spell.
• Ling Yier and Kou Xueyi danced to Xing Yan's flute as Ju Ying and Ling Yier sang, while fireflies gathered and the Yao Guang Divine Sword joined the performance.
• Two dazzling streaks of sword light appeared in the eastern sky and hurtled toward Thousand Birds Cliff.

During a moonlit feast on Thousand Birds Cliff, Lingyi covered for Xing Yan when Qingming questioned Kou Xueyi’s ability to fly, and the gathering continued with poetry, wine, and crabs. Lingyi’s borrowed form vanished when her magic ran out, and after days of cultivation Xing Yan learned to fly and performed his first Moonlit Flowing-Light Slash.

• Ling Xu and Qingming arrived at Thousand Birds Cliff, and Lingyi explained that she had arranged for Kou Xueyi to join the Four Seas Hall and watch over Xing Yan.
• The group shared poems and a moonlit feast, but Lingyi’s Mirror-Shadow Soul-Separation Art failed, causing her borrowed form to disappear before she could eat or drink.
• Xing Yan and the others drank through the night and woke tangled together on the stone terrace the next morning.
• After continuing his cultivation, Xing Yan broke through a barrier in his Great Splendor Dao Power and discovered he could float above the ground.
• Xing Yan guided golden power through the Yao Guang Divine Sword and successfully performed his first Moonlit Flowing-Light Slash.

Xing Yan attempted sword-riding flight, lost control in the clouds, and was rescued by a great black roc before he swore off flying for now. Later, worried by Qiong Rong’s repeated trips into the mountains and unexplained bruises, he followed her and discovered her transforming into her original form.

• Xing Yan practiced sword-riding flight, panicked after seeing the ground far below, and fell from the clouds when Yao Guang’s light dimmed.
• A great black roc caught the falling Xing Yan and brought him back to Qiong Rong and Xueyi, and Ju Ying later soothed him with a spell.
• Xing Yan gave up practicing flight for the time being and noticed Qiong Rong returning from the mountains dusty and bruised.
• Xing Yan secretly followed Qiong Rong to a secluded hollow, where animals gathered around her and she transformed into her original form.

Qiong Rong secretly practiced flying because she wanted to protect Xing Yan, but after she fell, he reassured her and resolved to become strong enough to protect her and Xueyi. With Qingming’s guidance, Xing Yan learned Sword Flight at Cloudgathering Valley and improved his control, while the Origin Celebration at Shangqing Palace drew near.

• Qiong Rong revealed she had been practicing flying in secret because she felt helpless when Xing Yan fell, and Xing Yan comforted her and promised to stay by her side.
• Xing Yan decided to resume Sword Flight practice so he could protect Qiong Rong and Xueyi, then took Qiong Rong to find Master Qingming.
• Qingming explained the safety rules and formation at Cloudgathering Valley, where the old Daoist Feiyang collected a small entry fee.
• With Qingming’s instruction, Xing Yan practiced in Cloudgathering Valley and learned more about Sword Flight, including the states of absolute stillness and absolute motion.
• Xing Yan became proficient enough to fly between Thousand Birds Cliff and other nearby places, though he could no longer reach the heights of his first attempt.
• As autumn passed, Xing Yan learned that the Origin Celebration would be held at Shangqing Palace in just over ten days.

As Shangqing Palace prepared to host the Origin Celebration, Nangong Qiuyu encountered a mysterious, beautiful woman in the morning mist and failed to find her again. Xing Yan practiced swordsmanship, thanked Kou Xueyi for gathering herbs for Qiong Rong, and promised to teach Ju Ying before the grand ceremony opened five days later.

• Daoists from across the realm gathered on Mount Luofu for the triennial Origin Celebration hosted by Shangqing Palace.
• Nangong Qiuyu met a beautiful woman carrying a bamboo basket on a misty mountain path and chased after her with the Cloud-Treading Step, but lost her trail.
• Xing Yan practiced swordsmanship at Thousand Birds Cliff while Ju Ying watched.
• Kou Xueyi brought herbs for Qiong Rong's split lip, and Xing Yan thanked and praised her.
• Xing Yan offered to teach Ju Ying methods for nourishing qi and calming the spirit, and asked her to keep Qiong Rong from wandering off.
• Five days after Nangong Qiuyu's encounter, the Origin Celebration opened on Mount Luofu.

Zhang Xingyan led the Birthday Celebration Rite with his flute, drawing spirit birds to circle the platform, then reunited with Qinghe during the scripture lectures. The chapter ended as the Contest of Daoist Arts began, with Lin Xu and Zhao Wuchen preparing to face each other.

• Zhang Xingyan met Lin Xu, Zhang Yuner, and Sheng Hengtang, who explained that Celestial Master Zhang had ordered them to get acquainted with him.
• During the Birthday Celebration Rite, Zhang Xingyan played Wine of Long Life and guided spirit birds to circle both him and True Person Jade Mystic.
• Zhang Xingyan reunited with Qinghe, who had been helping Sect Master Lingxu prepare the Origin Celebration, and Qinghe dragged him off to drink.
• Nangong Qiuyu glimpsed the immortal maiden he had seen before but failed to find her in the crowd.
• The Contest of Daoist Arts began, and Zhang Xingyan hurried to watch Lin Xu face Zhao Wuchen.

The opening spell-duel ended with Lin Xu defeating Zhao Wuchen through a clever talisman, while Tian Renbao unexpectedly advanced to the Origin Celebration final against Zhuo Bihua. As the final began, Tian crossed the maze with ease, but Qiong Rong briefly appeared on the platform before Xing Yan carried her away, leaving the spectators curious about the strange interruption.

• Lin Xu waited out the opening duel and defeated Zhao Wuchen with a traceless Immobility Talisman, taking advantage of Zhao's weakened condition and anxious suspicions.
• Tian Renbao unexpectedly reached the final after defeating Nangong Qiuyu, prompting Ling Ting to recognize his command of Daoist principles.
• Xing Yan watched Tian Renbao cross the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Maze Formation smoothly and realized he was more familiar with it than expected.
• Qiong Rong slipped onto the platform and challenged Tian Renbao, but Xing Yan retrieved her and admitted that he had forgotten to register the girls.
• Zhuo Bihua crossed the maze and joined Tian Renbao on the platform as the spectators wondered about the mysterious young Daoist who had ridden the wind.

Zhuo Bihua overwhelmed Tian Renbao with Snow Dance Across a Thousand Mountains, but he turned the blizzard against her and won the match. As Qiong Rong chased Tian Renbao across the platform, Xueyi revealed the Sacred Azure Jade Spirit Staff, leaving Ling Xu Zi startled.

• Zhuo Bihua unleashed Snow Dance Across a Thousand Mountains and wounded Tian Renbao as he dodged her ice blades.
• Tian Renbao reversed the fading blizzard with a strange gesture, knocked Zhuo Bihua from the platform, and claimed victory.
• Nangong Qiuyu caught the badly injured Zhuo Bihua and accused Tian Renbao of using an evil art.
• Qiong Rong ran onto the platform and chased Tian Renbao, while Xueyi flew up to retrieve her.
• Xueyi transformed her Greenwood Hairpin into the Sacred Azure Jade Spirit Staff, which Ling Xu Zi recognized.

At the Origin Celebration, Zhang Xingyan exposed and destroyed the Nine-Infant God possessing Tian Renbao, then explained the demon-slaying technique as an orthodox Shangqing art. The contest concluded with Zhuo Bihua declared the winner, while Tian Renbao remained unconscious and the gathered Daoists gained renewed respect for the Shangqing Palace.

• Kou Xueyi revealed her Sacred Azure Jade Spirit Staff as she and Qiong Rong attacked the strangely unharmed Tian Renbao, and Zhang Xingyan went up to investigate.
• Zhang Xingyan identified Tian Renbao as possessed by a counterfeit Dao soul, and the Nine-Infant God revealed itself and threatened to devour the gathered souls.
• Zhang Xingyan drew the demon into waiting, unleashed his Golden Flame Divine Prison Soul-Suppressing Light, and destroyed the Nine-Infant God while saving Tian Renbao’s body.
• Ling Xu examined Tian Renbao and said his souls were faint and he would not awaken for a year or two; Ling Ting then warned the Daoists against seeking the Immortal Road through shortcuts.
• Ling Xu announced Zhuo Bihua as the spell contest’s winner, and Nangong Qiuyu accepted the Nine-Turn Snow Spirit Pill on her behalf.
• Feiyang and Qinghe discussed Xing Yan’s technique while drinking in seclusion, and Qinghe insisted it was called the Golden Flame Divine Prison Soul-Suppressing Light.

After the Origin Celebration, Xing Yan welcomed visiting disciples to Thousand Birds Cliff while Ju Ying continued her Daoist studies. A disguised enemy lured Ju Ying away and knocked her unconscious, then left Xing Yan a message demanding he come alone to Black Pine Valley.

• Zhuo Bihua and other disciples visited Thousand Birds Cliff to discuss Daoist arts with Xing Yan, and Nangong Qiuyu revealed that Nangong Wuyang was his nephew.
• Xing Yan grew comfortable with Nangong Qiuyu and encouraged him to spend time with Kou Xueyi, then went to fetch provisions from the Dharma Propagation Hall.
• Ju Ying left her studies with Ling Zhen Zi, eager to learn arts for defeating monsters so she could protect Xing Yan.
• A Daoist disciple told Ju Ying that Qiong Rong had broken her leg and led her to a secluded mountain path, where he knocked her unconscious and vowed revenge on Zhang Xingyan.
• Xing Yan returned to Thousand Birds Cliff and found a blood-red message ordering him to come alone to Black Pine Valley.

Xing Yan found Ju Ying’s torn skirt and hurried to Black Pine Valley, where Zhao Wuchen had abducted her to torment him. Ju Ying escaped Zhao Wuchen’s assault with her Protective Jade Belt, but after Xing Yan reached her, an unseen attacker struck him down.

• Xing Yan discovered Ju Ying’s bloodied skirt scrap and left Qiong Rong with the provisions before rushing away.
• Ju Ying awoke bound to a pine tree in Black Pine Valley, where Zhao Wuchen revealed that he had abducted her to hurt Xing Yan.
• Ju Ying tricked Zhao Wuchen into triggering her Protective Jade Belt, which blasted away half his palm, and a Golden-Eyed White Tiger carried him off.
• Xing Yan arrived and cautiously approached Ju Ying after she lowered the belt’s protective pillars of light.
• As Xing Yan asked whether Zhao Wuchen had abducted her, he stumbled and was struck by an unseen attacker, spraying blood across Ju Ying’s white skirt.

Xing Yan and Ju Ying were trapped inside Zhao Wuchen’s Ice Tower formation, where drifting snow steadily weakened them. As they huddled by a fire made from Xing Yan’s robe, Ju Ying shyly asked him to help remove her clothing, leaving him stunned.

• Xing Yan freed Ju Ying from her ropes, triggering the talismans and drawing them both into a snow-filled Ice Tower.
• Xing Yan failed to find an exit or contact Yao Guang, while the white tiger and Yao Guang separately encountered the tower outside.
• As the cold worsened, Xing Yan and Ju Ying comforted each other and discussed their shared blame for falling into Zhao Wuchen’s trap.
• Xing Yan used his fire striker to burn his robe for warmth, but the fire soon died and left him nearly naked.
• Ju Ying gestured toward herself and the extinguished fire, then bashfully told Xing Yan she did not want to undress herself.

Xing Yan and Ju Ying escaped the Ice-Snow Spirit-Locking Formation, and the sect punished Zhao Wuchen for nearly killing them. Ju Ying later left to spend the New Year with her family, while Xing Yan sent her off with a moonlit flute song and a quiet declaration of longing.

• Qiong Rong and Xueyi rescued Xing Yan and Ju Ying with Qiong Rong’s Vermilion Bird Blades, which transformed into two firebirds.
• Xing Yan and Ju Ying returned to Thousand Birds Cliff, where Xueyi blamed herself for the calamity and Qiong Rong offered Xing Yan and Ju Ying her blades.
• Ling Xu struck down Zhao Wuchen, and the elders explained that he had stolen the Ice-Snow Spirit-Locking Formation from Ling Ting’s quiet room.
• Ju Ying stayed at Four Seas Hall for a time, growing close to Xing Yan, Qiong Rong, and Xueyi, until the sect summoned her home to spend the New Year with her parents.
• Governor Duan arrived with a sedan to collect Ju Ying, and she tearfully left Thousand Birds Cliff.
• Xing Yan played “West Islet” and then an ancient song on his flute as Ju Ying’s procession departed, and she recognized his longing before returning to her sedan.

Xing Yan, Qiong Rong, and Xueyi left Thousand Birds Cliff to seek the missing Water Essence of Highest Clarity and gain experience in the mortal world. After wandering into a drought-stricken area, they fled a veiled woman who claimed Xing Yan had become her husband, then headed toward a village to find water.

• Sect Master Ling Xu sent Xing Yan down the mountain to search for the Water Essence of Highest Clarity, which had left Flying Cloud Summit six months earlier, and told him to return within three years if he wished.
• Xing Yan handed over his hall master's token and told Ling Xu that Qiong Rong and Xueyi would accompany him; both girls agreed, and the three left Thousand Birds Cliff on the third day of the third month.
• Xing Yan, Qiong Rong, and Xueyi traveled northwest at a leisurely pace, and by early April they were wandering through drought-stricken Shixing Commandery in search of drinking water.
• Xing Yan approached a veiled woman in a roadside pavilion to ask for water, but Qiong Rong lifted the woman's veil and the woman declared that Xing Yan was her husband.
• Xing Yan, Qiong Rong, and Xueyi ran away from the woman, and Xing Yan struggled to explain marriage to Qiong Rong before the three spotted a village and headed there for water.

Zhang Xingyan and his companions reached a drought-stricken village and watched a bride-winning contest in Square Pond Market Town. Zhang Xingyan defeated the contest’s host in the first round, resisted the veiled woman’s alluring gaze, and declared that he had entered to win the gathered silver and gold.

• Xing Yan paid an old villager thirty copper coins for water and learned that drought had devastated Willow Tree Village and dried its ponds.
• Xing Yan, Xueyi, and Qiong Rong reached Square Pond Market Town and found a contest where challengers paid silver to fight for a veiled young woman.
• After several challengers lost, Zhang Xingyan entered the contest and fought the yellow-faced host, who secretly used an uncanny art against him.
• Zhang Xingyan stayed on the platform while the host fell, winning the first round and prompting the woman to remove the cloth over her eyes.
• The host threatened Zhang Xingyan with his Tendon-Splitting Bone-Misplacing technique, while Qiong Rong cheered him on and the crowd offered to fund more challenges.
• Zhang Xingyan told Qiong Rong that he had entered to win the gold and silver on the ground, leaving the crowd and his companions dumbfounded.

Xing Yan challenged an arena pair who used a bewitching art, escaped their spell with help from Yao Guang’s sword cry, and watched them flee with the prize money. He left town with Qiong Rong and Xueyi, discovered Qiong Rong could conjure water only once, and reached the Zhen River on the way to Zhenyang.

• Xing Yan refused the arena woman’s advances and said he wanted only the prize money, prompting her to use her Love Nightmare spell on him.
• Yao Guang’s sword cry jolted Xing Yan awake, and his Great Light Shield restored his strength as the arena pair prepared to attack.
• Xing Yan provoked Giant-Toothed Wolf, but the man raised a cloud of dust and escaped with the woman and their money bag.
• Xing Yan fled town with Qiong Rong and Xueyi while the crowd cursed him for driving away the fox maiden.
• Xing Yan explained the woman’s bewitching art to Qiong Rong, who wondered why she could not use it herself.
• Qiong Rong conjured water once to refresh Xueyi but could not produce any more, and the three travelers reached the Zhen River.

Xing Yan crossed the drought-stricken Zhenshui River and reached Zhenyang, where he decided to investigate the drought and exorcise the Peng Residence. Runlan and her maid Xing'er tried to misdirect him, but he still arrived at their gate as Runlan's divinations foretold an auspicious marriage.

• Xing Yan saw Zhenyang's people praying for rain and learned that the county and the Peng Residence were seeking rainmakers and an exorcist; he suspected a supernatural cause and chose to visit the residence.
• A maid named Xing'er gave Xing Yan a deliberately nonsensical route to the Peng Residence, believing she had sent him astray.
• Runlan drew an ominous marriage lot, then received two auspicious lots from the fortune-teller Zheng Yigua, and left with Xing'er in better spirits.
• Xing Yan and his companions followed Xing'er's directions to the Peng Residence, leaving Runlan and Xing'er stunned when they arrived at its gate.

Xing Yan investigated the Peng Residence’s supernatural disturbance and discovered unusually strong water qi in the garden beside Magistrate Peng’s daughter’s chambers. He and his companions hid there that night, and the spring began to churn as something stirred in the darkness.

• Xing Yan arrived at the Peng Residence with Xueyi and Qiong Rong, but Magistrate Peng’s wife sent them to guest rooms to wait for her husband.
• While searching for Qiong Rong, Xing Yan found the lush waterside garden and caught her sneaking out of Magistrate Peng’s daughter’s chambers; she said she had followed the strong water qi.
• Xing Yan sensed that the water qi was concentrated around the garden and suspected the water spirit might appear there.
• Magistrate Peng Xiangpu told Xing Yan that the household had repeatedly fallen into a deathlike sleep while strange sounds and black mist appeared, though no valuables or people had gone missing.
• After dinner, Xing Yan, Xueyi, and Qiong Rong concealed themselves in the garden to watch for the disturbance.
• Near midnight, the spring beneath the rockery began to churn and scatter droplets, startling all three observers.

Zhang Xingyan and his companions watched for a water demon at the Peng Residence, but it never appeared, while Magistrate Peng decided he wanted Zhang to marry Runlan. At a banquet, Zhang reunited with Lang Cheng and Hu Erniang, who warned him not to meddle in the supernatural disturbances at the residence.

• Xing Yan, Kou Xueyi, and Qiong Rong waited through the night for a threatening presence at the spring, but no demon appeared.
• Peng Xiangpu told Madam Peng he wanted Runlan to marry Daoist Zhang, and the next morning he asked Xing Yan to remain at the residence to deter the demon.
• Madam Peng met Kou Xueyi and, seeing her do chores, grew more determined to prevent Runlan from marrying Xing Yan.
• At a banquet, Xing Yan recognized Lang Cheng and Hu Erniang as the couple he had met in Square Pond Town, and they reconciled over wine.
• When Xing Yan asked about the disturbances at the Peng Residence, Lang Cheng and Hu Erniang warned him to avoid standing beneath a tottering wall and let the matter follow its course.

Xing Yan faced Magistrate Peng’s unexpected attempt to marry him to Peng Runlan while continuing to guard the Peng Residence against its water spirit. After spending the night listening to Runlan’s qin music and realizing he could not accept the proposal, Xing Yan waited alone in the spring courtyard and finally caught the spirit in his spell, leaving it on the brink of death.

• Peng Xiangpu proposed marrying Peng Runlan to Xing Yan at a family banquet, but Runlan declared she would rather die than marry a Daoist and fled.
• Xing Yan wandered the residence with Qiong Rong and Xueyi, then listened as Runlan played the sorrowful qin piece “Secluded Orchid” in her courtyard.
• The next morning, Peng Xiangpu renewed his hopes for the match, while Madam Peng privately told Xueyi she would accept her as Xing Yan’s wife and Runlan as his concubine.
• Xing Yan decided he could not accept Peng Runlan’s proposal, but went alone to guard her courtyard again that night.
• A towering water spirit rose from the spring and spread dark smoke through the courtyard; Xing Yan dispelled the smoke, froze the spirit with “Iceheart Knot,” and sent two blades of light from the Ancient Sword toward it.