Recaps

Xu Taiping fought the Tiger Wraith and his three Demon Wolves, using his techniques to overpower them and force the Tiger Wraith into a prepared pit. The Tiger Wraith fell into the ten-foot trap, leaving Xu Taiping’s plan at its decisive moment.

• Xu Taiping hung jars of strong liquor above a pit in the courtyard, preparing his final trap for the Tiger Wraith.
• The Tiger Wraith sent three Demon Wolves crashing through the Green Bamboo Abode’s weakened barrier, and Xu Taiping froze one with an Ice Arrow and crippled another with his saber.
• Xu Taiping charged the Tiger Wraith, endured his Sword Qi, and knocked him off his Demon Wolf with a punch.
• Xu Taiping used Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain and then Charging Ox Breaks the Formation to batter and freeze the Tiger Wraith, despite his own true qi running low.
• When Xu Taiping’s punches slowed, the ground gave way beneath the Tiger Wraith, dropping him into the pit Xu Taiping had prepared.

Xu Taiping used the Tiger Wraith’s weakness to liquor to trap and destroy him, then learned the Tiger Demon was wounded and would take three months to recover. The Tiger Demon appeared in the flames and revealed that his injuries would heal in three months at most, realizing too late that Xu Taiping had tricked him into confirming it.

• Xu Taiping dropped jars of strong liquor into the pit, and the fumes weakened the Tiger Wraith’s yin soul.
• Xu Taiping learned that only the Tiger Wraith knew where the spring feeding the Green Bamboo Abode’s water vein was, and that the Tiger Demon had been severely wounded by Seven Peaks disciples.
• Xu Taiping forced the Tiger Wraith to reveal that the Tiger Demon would need at least three months to recover, then scattered liquor into the pit and burned the wraith.
• The Tiger Demon appeared in the flames and angrily confronted Xu Taiping for killing his wraith servant.
• Xu Taiping asked about the Tiger Demon’s wounds, and the Tiger Demon blurted out that they would heal in three months before realizing he had been tricked.

Xu Taiping recovered from the Tiger King’s threat, repaired the spring on Sheep Deer Mountain, and welcomed White Rainbow and his companion Old Nine to dinner. The chapter left Xu Taiping cooking for Old Nine without realizing the old man’s importance.

• Xu Taiping watched the Tiger King’s spectral form vanish, then left the Merit Coins and two mysterious objects in the pitfall for later inspection.
• On Sheep Deer Mountain, Old Nine praised Xu Taiping’s courage and resourcefulness, then flew off on a bronze longsword to deal with the West Wind Pavilion’s negligence.
• After several days, Xu Taiping repaired the blocked spring, restored its concealment formation, and hunted a Yellow Sheep.
• White Rainbow arrived at the Green Bamboo Abode with Old Nine, and Xu Taiping agreed to cook for them after charging Old Nine seven Merit Coins.
• Xu Taiping, White Rainbow, and Old Nine prepared dinner together while Old Nine jokingly tried to bargain down the price.

Xu Taiping hosted White Rainbow and Old Nine for a feast, and White Rainbow brought Liu Songshan, Pavilion Master of West Wind Pavilion, to join them. Old Nine intimidated Liu Songshan into paying for dinner and then asked him to summon Raging Wind Hall’s Hall Master, Xu Youzhi.

• Xu Taiping served a feast of yellow sheep dishes, and Old Nine and White Rainbow praised his cooking.
• White Rainbow brought Liu Songshan to the meal, where Liu Songshan recognized Old Nine and became frightened.
• Liu Songshan rebuked Xu Taiping, but Old Nine reprimanded him and White Rainbow explained that Xu Taiping had cooked the food.
• Old Nine and Xu Taiping demanded seven Merit Coins from Liu Songshan before he could eat.
• Old Nine asked who led Raging Wind Hall, then told Liu Songshan to invite Xu Youzhi to the meal.

Xu Taiping watched Ninth Uncle arrange protection for Green Bamboo Abode while hosting a cramped meal with Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi. He realized White Rainbow had brought Ninth Uncle to help him, but Ninth Uncle claimed the credit and persuaded Xu Taiping to hand over a Sound Transmission Talisman.

• Ninth Uncle invited another guest to the meal, and Xu Taiping agreed after confirming the guest would pay.
• Xu Youzhi joined the crowded table and refused Xu Taiping’s offer to move the meal outside.
• Ninth Uncle asked Xu Youzhi to have Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu patrol Green Bamboo Abode more closely, and Xu Youzhi agreed.
• Xu Taiping realized White Rainbow had brought Ninth Uncle to help him and thanked White Rainbow, prompting Ninth Uncle to decide to make his own role clear.
• Ninth Uncle asked Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi to summon Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu, then offered Xu Taiping twice the price for his Message Talisman.
• Xu Taiping handed over the talisman, and Xu Youzhi recognized it as a Raging Wind Hall Sound Transmission Talisman.

Xu Taiping used the Message Talisman from Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu to expose their extortion scheme to Uncle Nine, who made Liu Songshan pay him Merit Coins and summon the two men. The pair arrived expecting to intimidate Xu Taiping, but found themselves forced to sit through a meal under Uncle Nine’s authority.

• Xu Taiping told Uncle Nine that Zuo Ju had given him the Message Talisman, and Uncle Nine ordered Liu Songshan to pay him Merit Coins.
• Uncle Nine directed Liu Songshan to use the talisman to summon Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu for a meal.
• Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu swaggered up to the courtyard, then faltered when Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi opened the gate.
• Xu Youzhi kicked Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu into addressing their host as Uncle Nine, and Uncle Nine ordered them to squeeze in and eat.
• Xu Taiping wondered who Uncle Nine was but stayed out of the others’ conflict and kept eating until the meal ended in the evening.

Uncle Nine praised Xu Taiping and offered to make him his Personal Disciple if he reached the Gate Opening Realm within two years, then set out with White Rainbow to destroy a demon lotus in Greedy Wolf Country. Meanwhile, Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi plotted to seize control of the Western Mountain while White Rainbow was away.

• Uncle Nine and White Rainbow thanked Xu Taiping for the meal, and Uncle Nine chased Liu Songshan and his companions away from the courtyard.
• Uncle Nine told White Rainbow that Xu Taiping's temperament impressed him and promised to teach him all his swordsmanship if he reached the Gate Opening Realm within two years.
• Uncle Nine revealed that he was heading to Greedy Wolf Country to destroy a demon lotus, and White Rainbow vowed to accompany him despite the danger.
• Xu Youzhi beat Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu for provoking Xu Taiping, while Liu Songshan concluded that White Rainbow had used Uncle Nine's authority to intimidate them.
• Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi planned to undermine Night Sparrow and take control of the Western Mountain while White Rainbow was away.

Xu Taiping recounted killing the Tiger Wraith to Fairy Lingyue, who praised him and promised she could handle the Tiger Demon’s future revenge. She examined the Wraith’s belongings and helped Xu Taiping discover that its short sword was a limited-use flying-sword magic artifact.

• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping it was time for him to break through to the Gate Opening Realm.
• Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue how he had killed the Tiger Wraith and showed her the items it had left behind.
• Fairy Lingyue praised Xu Taiping, assured him she had ways to deal with the injured Tiger Demon, and asked him to call her Sister Lingyue.
• Fairy Lingyue explained how magic artifacts differed from treasures and identified the short sword as a magic artifact that low-level ghost cultivators could not use.
• Xu Taiping channeled spiritual energy into the sword, made it fly around the room, and discovered it had only two uses left and consumed much of his Crimson Dawn True Qi.

Xu Taiping prepared to refine Qi-Gathering Pills with Fairy Lingyue, his last hope of reaching the Gate Opening Realm before the sect’s deadline. He and Fairy Lingyue completed the careful refining process without error, while she silently considered making him her disciple but decided against it for his safety.

• Fairy Lingyue identified Xu Taiping’s copper furnace as a pill furnace and explained that his mortal bones made Qi-Gathering Pills necessary for his breakthrough.
• Over two months, Xu Taiping trained, saved Merit Coins, gathered the pill ingredients, and failed to break through using Purple Sun True Lord’s method.
• With only half a month before he risked expulsion or punishment, Xu Taiping summoned Fairy Lingyue on the agreed Full Moon Day to refine the pills.
• Xu Taiping enlarged the furnace and carefully controlled its heat and ingredient timing as Fairy Lingyue instructed him.
• Xu Taiping completed the refining process without a mistake, and Fairy Lingyue considered taking him as her disciple before deciding that doing so could endanger him.

Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue refined two Qi-Gathering Pills, and she explained how one could help him use the Ice Breath Art against the Tiger Demon. Xu Taiping began breaking through to the Gate Opening Realm, but the pain of cultivating with mortal bone shattered his first attempt before he immediately tried again.

• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue refined two Qi-Gathering Pills from the ingredients he had gathered.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that a Qi-Gathering Pill could let Xu Taiping use the Ice Breath Art to freeze a wide area and potentially stop the Tiger Demon.
• Fairy Lingyue promised to teach Xu Taiping the Ice Breath Art once he reached the Gate Opening Realm.
• Xu Taiping swallowed a Qi-Gathering Pill and used the Setting Sun Glow Art to open his apertures and gather true qi.
• Xu Taiping's first attempt to push open his Dantian caused unbearable pain, and his gathered true qi burst apart.
• Fairy Lingyue urged Xu Taiping not to yield, and he immediately began a second attempt.

After repeated failed attempts, Xu Taiping awakened an instinctive ability to draw in spiritual energy and began breaking through to the Gate Opening Realm. Chu Lingyue realized his illuminated Dao heart might attract an Otherworldly Heavenly Demon, and one appeared as she prepared to protect him.

• Xu Taiping failed to break through after six attempts but continued cultivating despite the pain.
• Voices from Xu Taiping's memories stirred his defiance, and his Crimson Dawn True Qi began drawing spiritual energy from the surrounding area.
• Chu Lingyue realized Xu Taiping might possess an illuminated Dao heart, which could attract an Otherworldly Heavenly Demon during his first breakthrough.
• Xu Taiping's breakthrough signs appeared, and Chu Lingyue prepared to use her Oblivion Karmic Flame Curse to protect him.
• An Otherworldly Heavenly Demon descended, silenced the storm, and reached a pitch-black hand through the window of the Green Bamboo Abode.

Xu Taiping broke through to the Gate Opening Realm while Chu Lingyue drove away an otherworldly heavenly demon and returned to the earth fruit branch to sleep. After reading her letter, Xu Taiping resolved to grow stronger, while the recovering Tiger Demon threatened Mo Jun and Xu Taiping.

• Chu Lingyue repelled the otherworldly heavenly demon until the Azure Profound Sect's dragon roared, then wrote Xu Taiping a letter and returned to the withered earth fruit branch to sleep.
• Xu Taiping broke through to the Gate Opening Realm and discovered his Qi Sea.
• Xu Taiping found Chu Lingyue's letter, learned that an otherworldly heavenly demon had attacked him, and resolved to rely less on her and cultivate harder.
• The Tiger Demon announced that his wounds would heal within a month and threatened Mo Jun with the Cloud-Devouring Pearl.
• The Tiger Demon vowed to turn the person from Green Bamboo Abode into a Tiger Wraith for hurting his Tiger Wraith.

A month after Fairy Lingyue fell asleep, Xu Taiping had strengthened his cultivation and prepared to face the demon tiger. Lu Chen of the Fifth Peak kicked into his courtyard with a young woman searching for someone, and Xu Taiping hinted that he had encountered her missing woman.

• Xu Taiping reviewed his progress in the Gate Opening Realm, including his mastery of Ice Breath Technique, Green Ox Fist, and Seven-Kill Blade.
• A young woman from the Fifth Peak knocked at Green Bamboo Abode, but Lu Chen kicked the gate open and insulted Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping warned Lu Chen that trespassing violated Azure Profound Sect rules and threatened to report him with a Message Talisman.
• The young woman apologized for Lu Chen and asked Xu Taiping whether he had seen a woman resembling her.
• Xu Taiping said he had encountered a woman recently, and Lu Chen reached for his sword with murderous intent.

Xu Taiping confirmed that Lu Chen had harmed Liu Qingmei and learned that Liu Zijin was searching for her sister, but he avoided handing over the Dust-Seeking Incense while Lu Chen was present. As Liu Zijin and Lu Chen headed toward Green Peak Gorge, Bai Yu arrived with Xu Taiping’s supplies, and Xu Taiping seized a chance to ask him for help reaching the area.

• Xu Taiping told Liu Zijin that he had met a woman over forty, then learned her name and promised to pass along her message to Liu Qingmei.
• After Liu Zijin left with Lu Chen, Xu Taiping concluded that Lu Chen had harmed Liu Qingmei and considered bringing the Dust-Seeking Incense to Liu Zijin away from Lu Chen.
• Xu Taiping considered going to Green Peak Gorge before Liu Zijin and Lu Chen, despite the risk of encountering the Tiger Demon.
• Bai Yu delivered Xu Taiping’s supplies and asked whether he had roasted Yellow Sheep; Xu Taiping invited him to a feast.
• Bai Yu offered to catch a Yellow Sheep, and Xu Taiping asked him to take him along so he could choose the best one.

Xu Taiping hired Bai Yu to fly him to Green Peak Gorge, where Liu Zijin and Lu Chen joined Mo Jun’s group to ambush a tiger demon. From above, Xu Taiping asked Bai Yu to look for a girl in green among the disciples below, and Bai Yu spotted her.

• Xu Taiping agreed to pay Bai Yu ten Merit Coins for a ride to Green Peak Gorge to hunt yellow sheep.
• At Green Peak Gorge, Mo Jun gathered Lu Chen and Liu Zijin with Senior Sister Ziyan and Buyu to capture a tiger demon alive.
• Mo Jun instructed Lu Chen to lure the tiger demon to an ambush while Liu Zijin stayed behind to watch Buyu.
• Bai Yu flew Xu Taiping above the gorge and spotted a girl in green among the disciples, noting that the girl beside her seemed prettier.

Xu Taiping watched Liu Zijin and her companions hunt a Demon Tiger in Red Maple Forest while Bai Yu teased him about his feelings for her. As Lu Chen lured the Demon Tiger and two Tiger Wraiths into an ambush, he wounded the wraiths with Sword Qi, and the Demon Tiger launched a fierce attack.

• Xu Taiping asked Bai Yu to watch Liu Zijin, and Bai Yu teased him about liking her and asked him to report back after their first kiss.
• Bai Yu explained that he could not interfere in conflicts in the mountains without permission, but agreed to keep track of the hunt.
• Liu Zijin and Lin Buyu hid in a maple tree and watched Lu Chen draw the Demon Tiger and two Tiger Wraiths toward the agreed spot.
• Lu Chen wounded both Tiger Wraiths with Sword Qi, injuring their bodies and yin souls.
• The Demon Tiger sprang through the trees and struck at Lu Chen with Claw-Shadow Gang Wind.

Lu Chen, Mo Jun, and Fairy Ziyan attacked the Tiger Demon in the maple forest, but the demon revealed a pearl that trapped Mo Jun and Ziyan in a tornado. As Lin Buyu and Liu Zijin prepared to seek reinforcements, the wounded Lu Chen led the pursuing Tiger Demon toward them.

• Lu Chen drew the Tiger Demon's attention while Mo Jun pinned its tail with No Edge and rushed to attack.
• Fairy Ziyan emerged from hiding and struck the Tiger Demon with her Burning Gold Finger, setting its body ablaze.
• Mo Jun attacked the burning Tiger Demon, but it revealed a crystal demonic pearl that shattered his sword strike and wounded him.
• The pearl unleashed a tornado that trapped Mo Jun and Fairy Ziyan, who told Lin Buyu and Liu Zijin to return to the sect for reinforcements.
• Lin Buyu started to take Liu Zijin away, but Lu Chen arrived wounded with the Tiger Demon pursuing him.

Lu Chen abandoned Liu Zijin to flee, leaving her and Lin Buyu to face the Tiger Demon in the maple grove. After Lin Buyu’s talismans wounded the beast, it trapped both women inside a barrier of raging wind and advanced on them.

• Liu Zijin saved Lu Chen from the Tiger Demon, but Lu Chen shoved her aside and escaped alone.
• Liu Zijin used a Golden Bell Talisman to withstand the Tiger Demon’s attack, while Lin Buyu struck it with a Five Thunder Talisman and helped her flee.
• The Tiger Demon caught up with Liu Zijin and Lin Buyu, revealed it was near the King-Tier realm, and threatened to eat them.
• Liu Zijin attacked the Tiger Demon, and Lin Buyu severed its tail with a golden Flying Sword formed from a talisman.
• The Tiger Demon used its Northwind Pearl to shatter Lin Buyu’s Flying Sword and enclose both women with itself inside a barrier of raging wind.

Xu Taiping descended into the maple grove and attacked the Tiger Demon, joining Liu Zijin and Lin Buyu in the fight. As the Tiger Demon cornered him and tried to swallow him, Xu Taiping began releasing a bone-chilling cold from his body.

• The Tiger Demon trapped Liu Zijin and Lin Buyu inside a wind barrier and knocked them down when they fought back.
• Xu Taiping descended from the sky and hammered the Tiger Demon's head with the Green Ox Fist, Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.
• Lin Buyu struck the Tiger Demon with Palms Like Rushing Thunder, giving Xu Taiping time to attack with his short sword and another fist technique.
• The Tiger Demon used the Northwind Pearl to trap Xu Taiping's flying sword, then cornered him inside the cramped wind barrier.
• As the Tiger Demon lunged to swallow Xu Taiping, he sensed deadly cold spreading from the boy's body.

Xu Taiping froze the Demon Tiger and nearly killed it, but the wounded beast escaped after burning its vital blood essence. He left Liu Zijin with a warning about Lu Chen and pursued the tiger, while the others chose to return to the sect rather than follow.

• Xu Taiping froze the Demon Tiger and slashed its neck, but the beast broke free by burning its vital blood essence and fled without the Northwind Pearl.
• Xu Taiping warned Liu Zijin to watch out for Lu Chen, then raced after the Demon Tiger; Lin Buyu recognized him as Xu Taiping.
• Lu Chen arrived with Raging Wind Hall disciples, and Liu Zijin and Lin Buyu confronted him over abandoning them during the danger.
• Fairy Ziyan and Mo Jun arrived, and Liu Zijin told them that Xu Taiping had saved her and Lin Buyu.
• Mo Jun decided not to pursue the wounded Demon Tiger, while Lin Buyu privately judged that neither Mo Jun nor Lu Chen could compare to Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping pursued the Demon Tiger for seven days and killed it in a final brutal fight, then arranged for Bai Yu to carry him back to the Green Bamboo Abode. Several days later, he showed the Tiger Demon’s head to Fairy Lingyue and eagerly recounted the battle.

• Xu Taiping cornered the wounded Demon Tiger in a valley after pursuing it for seven days and nights.
• Xu Taiping evaded the Tiger Demon’s counterattack, mounted its back, and battered it with the Green Ox Fist.
• Xu Taiping used a final headbutt to break the Tiger Demon’s neck, then decapitated it with his Fine Steel Saber.
• Bai Yu arrived, agreed that Xu Taiping could keep the Tiger Demon’s head and its stolen treasures, and carried him back to the Green Bamboo Abode.
• Several days later, Xu Taiping showed the Tiger Demon’s head to Fairy Lingyue and excitedly described how he had killed it.

Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue how he had pursued and slain the Demon Tiger, then sorted through the treasures it had hidden. They discovered a map to a three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Mushroom, which could nourish the Earth Fruit but was likely guarded by a dangerous Fire Python.

• Xu Taiping recounted chasing the Demon Tiger for seven days and nights before killing it, astonishing Fairy Lingyue.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Northwind Pearl was too baleful for Xu Taiping to use, but could nourish the Earth Fruit after its second transformation.
• Xu Taiping poured out the Tiger Demon's hidden treasures, and he and Fairy Lingyue planned to use the Merit Coins to buy a True Fire Talisman for Seed Burning.
• Fairy Lingyue and Xu Taiping inventoried the treasure and found a map marking a three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Mushroom.
• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping that the Fire Spirit Mushroom could nourish the Earth Fruit but was likely guarded by a dangerous Fire Python.

Xu Taiping used a True Fire Talisman to burn the Earth Treasury Fruit’s stalks and complete its second transformation. The pill furnace broke, but he found the transformed Gourd Fruit seed and remained determined to advance.

• Xu Taiping bought a True Fire Talisman from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and received it from Bai Yu at the Green Bamboo Abode.
• Fairy Lingyue confirmed the talisman could barely provide enough firstfold true fire for the first Seed Burning and guided Xu Taiping through preparations.
• Xu Taiping activated the True Fire Talisman in the pill furnace, burning the Earth Treasury Fruit’s stalks as Fairy Lingyue explained the power of true fire.
• The flames turned blue-green and then died out, signaling the Earth Treasury Fruit’s transformation, but the low-grade pill furnace cracked apart.
• Xu Taiping found a seed among the ashes, and Fairy Lingyue told him the Earth Treasury Fruit’s second transformation was the Gourd Fruit.

Xu Taiping learned that the Earth Treasury Fruit could nurture treasures based on the nourishment it absorbed, and decided to risk gathering a fire spirit mushroom to improve his cultivation. After waiting five days for the Fire-Patterned Python to leave Bamboo Creek Valley, he prepared to seize the mushroom.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Earth Treasury Fruit would produce three Gourd Fruits and that their treasures depended on their nourishment; Xu Taiping agreed to reserve one for her.
• Xu Taiping chose the three-hundred-year-old fire spirit mushroom as nourishment for a cultivation-boosting treasure, despite the risk of encountering the Fire-Patterned Python.
• Fairy Lingyue said the mushroom’s treasure could help Xu Taiping reach the peak of the Qi Refining stage before the Seven Peaks Selection, and he agreed to risk gathering it.
• Xu Taiping waited hidden near Bamboo Creek Valley for five days while the Fire-Patterned Python guarded the mushroom.
• The Fire-Patterned Python left the valley to hunt, and Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping to move in and take the mushroom.

Xu Taiping stole the fire spirit mushroom from Bamboo Creek Valley, then hid underwater when the Fire-Patterned Python arrived fighting a Mountain-Lifting Ape. After the python discovered the mushroom was gone, the burning ape attacked it again, and their battle continued.

• Xu Taiping used the Demon Tiger's hide to take the fire spirit mushroom and cut it free with his saber.
• Fairy Lingyue sensed two powerful beasts approaching, so Xu Taiping hid in a deep pool and concealed his aura.
• The Fire-Patterned Python swallowed a Mountain-Lifting Ape, driving its mate into a berserk attack that forced the python into the valley.
• The Fire-Patterned Python engulfed the Mountain-Lifting Ape in flames and fled toward the fire spirit mushroom to strengthen itself.
• The Fire-Patterned Python discovered the mushroom was missing and roared, prompting the burning Mountain-Lifting Ape to attack again.