Chapter Summaries

Su Jiu and Su Mianmian learned that Liu Xing'er had claimed a flower bed on sect grounds and confronted her over it. Liu Xing'er recognized Su Jiu as a young Personal Disciple with remarkable cultivation and left wondering why Chu Mojin had not taken her into Ice Veil Peak sooner.

• Su Mianmian told Su Jiu that Personal Disciples could enter the Outer Gate Grand Competition from the mid Qi Refining stage, and vowed to defeat Jin Chen.
• Su Jiu questioned a Laborer Disciple and learned that Liu Xing'er had forbidden Outer Gate Disciples from using the flower-bed platform.
• Su Jiu and Su Mianmian learned Liu Xing'er was a True Disciple of Golden Guard Peak who had lost a prospective Personal Disciple position to Jin Chen.
• Su Mianmian challenged Liu Xing'er for treating sect property as her own and told her to remove her flowers and herbs.
• Liu Xing'er learned Su Jiu had an ice spiritual root and had reached the eighth Qi Refining layer before turning nine, and wondered why Chu Mojin had not taken her into Ice Veil Peak.

After joining Ice Veil Peak, Su Jiu prepared for the grand tournament by entering a year and a half of secluded cultivation. Chu Luohen pushed her swordsmanship to a new level and then began instructing her in Arts.

• Jin Chen sent Su Jiu a message promising they would fight again at the grand tournament, and Su Jiu told Mo Yan and the others she would be cultivating until then.
• Su Jiu visited Xiang Li’s shop, left him a thousand supreme-grade and a thousand superior-grade talismans to sell, and said she would return after a year and a half.
• Su Jiu spent the next half year training in swordplay under Chu Luohen, who repeatedly disarmed her and corrected her technique.
• Su Jiu improved her Glazed Moon Sword Art and learned that Chu Luohen also excelled at Arts.
• Chu Luohen called Su Jiu’s Arts terrible and announced that he would begin instructing her in them the next day.

Su Jiu spent over a year training under Chu Luohen, refining her spellcasting and learning to shape spiritual energy, then impressed Chu Mojin with her progress shortly before the tournament. The chapter ended with news of events elsewhere in the sect and rumors about Ice Veil Peak’s new disciple.

• Chu Luohen drilled Su Jiu in Ice Spike and Ice Arrow for a year and taught her to control spiritual energy directly.
• Chu Mojin returned and watched Su Jiu accurately launch ten ice spikes, then combine spells, movement, and swordplay to graze Chu Luohen.
• Chu Mojin praised Su Jiu’s progress and said he had registered her for the tournament with a cultivation level lower than her actual ninth Qi Refining layer.
• Su Jiu thanked Chu Luohen for guiding her, and Chu Mojin remarked on how familiar the two had become.
• News spread that disciples from Blazing Flame Peak and Golden Guard Peak kept fighting, Lu Tianqi’s engagement to Jin Xi had ended, and a Bai-surnamed outer gate cultivator had found a third love.
• A rumor claimed Ice Veil Peak had accepted a new disciple, though few people believed it.

Su Jiu returned to the Steward Hall and rejected Xia Meng’s invitation to join a mission after sensing that Xia Meng was trying to influence how others saw her. She later updated her registered cultivation level and crossed paths with former acquaintances, leaving those relationships distant and unresolved.

• Su Jiu met Xia Meng and Mu Zihan at the Steward Hall, where Xia Meng invited her to join a team mission and implied Su Jiu had changed.
• Su Jiu refused the invitation and left, while Xia Meng remarked that Su Jiu had changed within earshot of nearby cultivators.
• Mu Zihan reflected on how her and Xia Meng’s missions had gone poorly and how Bai Su had grown distant from them.
• Four years later, Su Jiu met Li Yaran at the Mission Office, changed her registered cultivation from the eighth to the ninth qi refining layer, and learned he was nearing foundation establishment.
• Su Jiu encountered Han Jia and Sun Wei on her way back, exchanged greetings, and continued on as Sun Wei concluded their connection had likely ended.

Su Jiu encountered Qin Ming and Liu Zhiyan at the Azure Tide Sect market as they struggled to raise money for an auction, then stepped in when Huang Feng and his men attacked them. The Patrolling Enforcement Team arrived just as a lackey hurled a Fire Talisman at Su Jiu.

• Su Jiu sold her talismans to Xiang Li and suspected he was the Fourth Elder's eldest disciple, but kept her guess to herself.
• Qin Ming and Liu Zhiyan discussed their shortage of more than fifty thousand spirit stones and resolved not to ask the Azure Tide Sect for help.
• Huang Feng confronted Qin Ming and Liu Zhiyan, then challenged Qin Ming while his two lackeys attacked Liu Zhiyan.
• Su Jiu intervened when Liu Zhiyan was about to be struck and fought one of Huang Feng's lackeys while Qin Ming battled Huang Feng.
• Su Jiu's Ice Spikes injured the lackey, who threw a Fire Talisman at her, but a stream of water extinguished its flames as the Patrolling Enforcement Team arrived.

Su Jiu helped Qin Ming and Liu Zhiyan avoid being handed over to the Jade Sword Sect, earning Qin Ming’s promise of a favor. Later, she reviewed a booklet of likely Grand Tournament contenders and found her own sparse entry among them.

• Shi Ya recognized Su Jiu as her martial aunt and asked how to deal with the fighters; Su Jiu left the decision to her, and Shi Ya said they would wait for the offenders’ elders.
• Liu Zhiyan asked Su Jiu to help prove they had not started the fight, and Su Jiu testified that the three men attacked first.
• Shi Ya released Qin Ming and Liu Zhiyan, and Qin Ming thanked Su Jiu and promised her a favor.
• Shu Bai gave Su Jiu a booklet of likely Grand Tournament contenders, and Zhou Xing explained why Mo Yan had been listed.
• Su Jiu found Bai Su’s entry and then read her own, which described her as a ten-year-old eighth-layer qi refiner skilled in ice techniques who could kill a Ya Beast alone.

Su Jiu drew her lot for the Outer Gate Grand Competition and began her first match as Ice Veil Peak’s Personal Disciple. The spectators marveled at her expensive equipment as she faced Outer Gate disciple Zhang Qiang on the platform.

• Su Jiu read the competition rules and drew token 1187, while Su Mianmian and Jin Chen argued over their match records.
• Su Jiu noticed growing resentment among Outer Gate disciples toward Inner Gate disciples and worried that a recorded riot might happen sooner than expected.
• The competition began with more than twenty thousand participants across a hundred platforms, and Su Jiu learned her first match was scheduled for the second day.
• Su Jiu studied Shu Bai’s booklet and discovered that her opponent used a brick as a magical artifact.
• Su Jiu faced Zhang Qiang on Platform Three, and the crowd reacted with surprise when the referee identified her as Ice Veil Peak’s Personal Disciple.
• Moneybags estimated the value of Su Jiu’s equipment as spectators discussed her wealth, while several people quietly left the crowd.

Su Jiu won her arena match against Zhang Qiang without drawing her sword, then confronted a man stirring resentment against the Personal Disciples. Her words turned the gathered cultivators against him, and he fled.

• Su Jiu dodged Zhang Qiang’s attacks, then used Lightfoot Step to kick him off the arena platform and win their match.
• Su Jiu went to watch Su Mianmian’s fight and heard cultivators complain about Personal Disciples’ advantages.
• Shu Bai and Zhang Qiang recognized the dark, scrawny man as someone who had been spreading claims of unfair treatment.
• Su Jiu argued that Personal Disciples received resources because of their aptitude and their masters’ support, and challenged the man to leave if he found the sect unfair.
• The surrounding cultivators began suspecting the man of deliberately stirring them up, and he ran away after threatening Su Jiu.

After Su Mianmian won her match, Su Jiu learned that someone had been urging disciples to attack the Personal Disciples, and she warned Chu Mojin about the unrest. The sect leaders identified Bai Su as the instigator and decided to purge the Outer Gate after the tournament.

• Hong Ling secretly watched Su Mianmian's match and used an eavesdropping insect after noticing trouble among the Outer Gate disciples.
• Su Jiu checked Su Mianmian after her victory, and Zhang Qiang and Su Mianmian's former opponent described how a man had urged them to attack Personal Disciples; the young woman revealed he had given her a Flame Talisman.
• Su Jiu returned to Ice Veil Peak and told Chu Mojin that disciples were stirring up hostility against Personal Disciples near the arenas.
• At Heavenly Origin Hall, Hong Ling and the other leaders learned that Bai Su was behind the unrest and discussed her Mustard Seed Space.
• Ning Hai decided the sect would purge a batch of Outer Gate disciples after the tournament.

During the second elimination round, Su Jiu witnessed Luo Xi torture an Outer Gate disciple to death and saw Xia Jue bar him from future sect Grand Tournaments. Bai Su intervened on Luo Xi’s behalf, while Xia Jue reported the incident to the Sect Leader.

• Ten days after the first round, Su Jiu, Su Mianmian, and Jin Chen all advanced through the second elimination round on its first day.
• Su Jiu saw Luo Xi use a Silencing Treasure to prevent an injured Outer Gate disciple from surrendering, then shatter his dantian; the disciple later died from his injuries.
• Xia Jue reviewed the match recording and had Luo Xi brought to the Enforcement Hall.
• Bai Su entered the hall and defended Luo Xi, claiming he had been falsely accused.
• Xia Jue released Luo Xi but barred him from future sect Grand Tournaments, then sent the Sect Leader a Message Talisman about the incident.

Bai Su won her tournament match using a steady supply of magical treasures and pills, while Su Mianmian told Su Jiu and Jin Chen how Bai Su had driven Yi Zheng away with her unwanted gifts. Mo Yan faced Tan Li, a seasoned Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and the chapter ended with him wounded as she launched a desperate attack.

• Bai Su replenished her spiritual energy with a pill and defeated her opponent after he ran out of spiritual power.
• Su Mianmian told Su Jiu that Bai Su had repeatedly pursued Yi Zheng with gifts until he left to gain experience and stayed away.
• Jin Chen criticized Lu Tianqi for favoring Bai Su, and the disciples avoided discussing Lu Tianqi's broken engagement with Jin Xi in front of him.
• Mo Yan fought Tan Li, a seventy-year-old Great Perfection of Qi Refining cultivator known for her Ghost Moon Scimitar, and gradually began counterattacking.
• Tan Li switched to a fierce attack without defending and cut Mo Yan's arm deeply, alarming his companions.

Mo Yan defeated Tan Li but suffered injuries that ended his remaining matches, leaving Su Jiu to carry on. In the ninth round, Su Jiu defeated Jin Chen while concealing how thoroughly she controlled the fight, impressing the sect leaders and elders.

• Mo Yan endured Tan Li's attacks, overcame her faltering composure, and won after a four-hour battle.
• Tan Li apologized before leaving, and the referee explained that she had been fighting for a Foundation Establishment Pill; Mo Yan later learned his injuries would keep him from competing again.
• Su Jiu rushed to check on Mo Yan and gave him Blood-Coagulating Pills after confirming his meridians and dantian were unharmed.
• In the ninth round, Su Jiu fought Jin Chen and defeated him after roughly thirty exchanges, while making the match look even to the spectators.
• The Sect Leader and elders praised Su Jiu's skill and judgment, while Chu Mojin boasted about Ice Veil Peak and the Grand Elder resented losing her as a disciple.

After Jin Chen and Su Mianmian were eliminated from the ninth round, Su Jiu confronted Bai Su and her companions for stirring up resentment against the Personal Disciples. The Sect Leader and elders watched the confrontation through the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror, and the Grand Elder called for a cleanup of the Outer Gate.

• Su Mianmian mocked Jin Chen for losing to Su Jiu, then Su Jiu stopped a dispute by warning an Outer Gate disciple not to point at Personal Disciples.
• Bai Su arrived with Lu Tianqi and others as her companions accused Personal Disciples of profiting from Outer Gate mission materials and demanded equal benefits.
• Su Jiu defended the sect's treatment of Outer Gate disciples, warned Bai Su to stop her schemes, and left with Su Mianmian and Jin Chen.
• An Outer Gate disciple accused Bai Su of spreading rumors to win support for increased benefits while seeking a good reputation for herself.
• The Grand Elder, having watched the scene through the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror, said the Outer Gate needed a cleanup.

Sect Leader Ning Hai addressed complaints about the Azure Tide Sect’s treatment of Outer Gate disciples and offered them a chance to leave without punishment. After the Enforcement Hall expelled rumor-spreaders, one disciple chose to leave in support of Bai Su’s views.

• Ning Hai explained that Personal Disciples were the sect’s future leaders and said dissatisfied Outer Gate disciples could leave with their cultivation and learned arts intact.
• Su Jiu worried that the sect’s arts would spread, and Chu Mojin explained that Outer Gate disciples could access only basic arts shared across the Azure Realm.
• Xia Jue and the Enforcement Hall invited disciples to register their names and surrender their Identity Wooden Tokens if they wished to leave.
• The Enforcement Hall forced captured rumor-spreaders to surrender their tokens and expelled them through the sect gates.
• A young girl declared that she agreed with Bai Su and left the Azure Tide Sect.

Bai Su and her allies were driven from the Azure Tide Sect after Su Jiu exposed their accusations, while Hong Ling punished Ran Chao for attacking Su Mianmian. The sect tightened its rules and the Grand Tournament resumed, where Su Jiu defeated Zhang Liang and offered to recommend him to Blazing Flame Peak.

• Bai Su, Lu Tianqi, Ran Chao, Luo Xi, and other disciples surrendered their tokens and left the Azure Tide Sect after Su Jiu showed a Recording Stone disproving Bai Su's accusation.
• Ran Chao tried to attack Su Mianmian, but Hong Ling burned away one of his hands and warned the disciples against targeting personal disciples.
• Bai Su's group chose to seek shelter at the rival Heavenly Dawn Sect, and Bai Su vowed not to forget her humiliation.
• The Azure Tide Sect continued its Grand Tournament and replaced three departed contestants with other disciples.
• Su Jiu defeated Zhang Liang on the seventh platform, then offered to recommend him to Blazing Flame Peak if he reached Foundation Establishment.

Su Jiu won the Outer Gate Grand Competition, defeating Li Yaran and earning the Spirit-Washing Pill. After the sect announced that its Secret Realm would open in three years, Su Jiu worried that Bai Su might find the Phoenix Egg there, then reunited with her friends as the tournament ended.

• Su Jiu defeated Li Yaran in the top-ten round robin, displaying Qi Condensation into Form, while the elders praised her and discussed Li Yaran’s talent.
• Su Jiu won all her remaining matches, Li Yaran placed among the top contestants, and the Sect Leader awarded Su Jiu a Spirit-Washing Pill refined by her master.
• Ning Hai announced that the Azure Tide Sect Secret Realm would open in three years and that selected qi refining disciples could enter.
• Su Jiu recalled Bai Su finding a Phoenix Egg in the Secret Realm in her previous life and worried that the Phoenix could threaten the sect again.
• Su Jiu gave Mo Yan the Spirit-Washing Pill box in exchange for spirit stones, then celebrated the tournament’s end with Mo Yan, Shu Bai, Su Mianmian, Jin Chen, and Li Yaran.

After the Grand Tournament, Su Jiu spent two months relaxing with Su Mianmian and Jin Chen while learning about events at the sect. Chu Luohen then brought her back to training, and a year later she reached the tenth level of qi refining but hit a bottleneck in her cultivation method.

• Su Mianmian told Su Jiu that the Heavenly Dawn Sect had paid compensation and taken Huang Feng away after the dispute.
• An Inner Gate Disciple discovered that Bai Su and other former Azure Tide Sect disciples were asking Huang Feng and his senior brother for protection, and they escorted the group to the Heavenly Dawn Sect.
• Su Mianmian revealed that Li Yaran was the Eighth Elder's grandson and had returned to cultivate in the Inner Gate.
• Chu Luohen fetched Su Jiu from her days of gossiping with Su Mianmian and told her to resume cultivating.
• Su Jiu trained with Chu Luohen's guidance for a year, reached the tenth level of qi refining, and encountered a bottleneck in her cultivation method.

Su Jiu prepared to enter the sect’s secret realm after three years of training under Chu Luohen and Chu Mojin, having reached the great perfection of Qi Refining. As she departed, Chu Luohen secretly watched her go, while Su Mianmian, Jin Chen, and Li Yaran also prepared to enter the realm.

• Chu Luohen told Su Jiu that her cultivation had lagged behind her rapid progress in the Jade Moisture, Ice Clarity art, then continued guiding her and taught her the Ice Soul sword art.
• Chu Mojin teased Chu Luohen about caring for Su Jiu, and Chu Luohen threw him out of the room.
• Three years passed, and Su Jiu reached the great perfection of Qi Refining after holding back her advancement for a year so she could enter the secret realm.
• Chu Mojin gave Su Jiu a Lily-of-the-Valley Warm Jade to conceal her appearance and two talismans carrying divine sense attacks from him and Chu Luohen.
• Su Jiu left for the secret realm believing Chu Luohen had stayed behind, while he watched her departure from a tree in the Pine and Bamboo Grove.
• Hong Ling advised Su Mianmian to stay near Su Jiu, and the Eighth Elder urged Li Yaran to travel with her; Li Yaran agreed.

Su Jiu reunited with her companions as the disciples entered the Secret Realm, while Bai Su escaped the Heavenly Dawn Sect with the Black Stone. The man monitoring Bai Su found her gone and suspected she possessed valuable treasures.

• Su Mianmian embraced Su Jiu, and Su Jiu noticed Jin Chen’s lingering gaze toward Mianmian.
• Li Yaran explained that he had helped Shu Bai, Lie Changfeng, and the others earn places in the Secret Realm, and the disciples formed groups before entering.
• Bai Su, watched by the Heavenly Dawn Sect’s higher-ups and nearly out of pills, urged the Black Stone to take her away.
• The Black Stone enveloped Bai Su in black mist and transported her away, leaving a nearby disciple to witness her disappearance.
• The man monitoring Bai Su questioned the witness and concluded that she must possess valuable treasures.

Su Jiu led her companions through a hidden path in the Azure Tide Sect's Secret Realm to search for the Phoenix Egg, then used her formation knowledge to guide them through a Mist Formation. After clearing the mist, she realized they remained inside a dangerous formation and was still searching for its concealed final node.

• At a fork, Su Jiu chose the dark right-hand path and parted ways with Mo Yan's group despite Shu Bai's doubts, while Li Yaran suspected she had a reason for choosing it.
• Su Mianmian sensed unusually active fire spiritual energy along the path, and Su Jiu continued onward in hopes of finding the Phoenix Egg.
• Su Jiu identified a Mist Formation, warned her companions to stay together, and destroyed its visible nodes as they crossed the bamboo grove.
• After the group looped back to the first node, Su Jiu struck a concealed spot and dispelled the mist, but stayed behind to investigate the formation further.
• Su Jiu spent another day and night calculating the hidden node of a second, attack-capable formation and narrowed its possible location to three spots.