Recaps

Xu Taiping entered the Life-and-Death Arena to fight Fan Qi and found his fist intent taking shape as he watched earlier challengers face him. He began suppressing Fan Qi with Green Ox Fist and brute strength, leaving the fight still raging.

• Xu Taiping's aura grew sharper and more solid as he recognized the resolve behind the challengers' punches.
• Fan Ye announced Xu Taiping as the ninth challenger, and Xu Taiping told Fan Qi he had come to take his head.
• Xu Taiping and Fan Qi exchanged rapid punches after thunder shook the arena.
• Xu Taiping dodged Fan Qi's heavy blow and struck him with Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain, knocking him into the air.
• Xu Taiping met Fan Qi's charging shoulder strike with Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain, then followed with a barrage of alternating punches using Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.

Xu Taiping defeated Fan Qi with a powerful Green Ox Fist strike, then both fighters removed their ship-ballast iron and prepared to continue the duel. Fan Qi and Xu Taiping each saw the other as a chance to advance, while Huang Que recognized the sharp aura of Xu Taiping’s martial potential.

• Xu Taiping broke through Fan Qi’s defenses and blasted him out of the arena with Charging Ox Breaks the Formation.
• The Sixth Princess cheered and cried with relief, while General Chu and Cao Qianhu reacted with restrained excitement.
• Fan Qi returned to the arena, removed his ship-ballast iron, and challenged Xu Taiping to fight without the weights.
• Xu Taiping also removed his ship-ballast iron, drawing Huang Que’s admiration for his self-discipline.
• Fan Qi unleashed his killing intent and vowed to use Xu Taiping as a stepping stone, and Xu Taiping took his stance as Huang Que recognized his cutting aura.

Xu Taiping fought Fan Qi, whose rage fist intent repeatedly shattered his attacks and drove him to the edge of the arena. Remembering the wandering heroes who had died for their convictions, Xu Taiping forged his mortal backbone into fist intent and faced Fan Qi with newly strengthened resolve.

• Fan Qi infused his punches with rage and killing intent, overwhelming Xu Taiping and nearly knocking him out of the arena.
• Xu Taiping dodged Fan Qi's relentless attacks but could not find an opening, and the Sixth Princess and the others watched with alarm.
• As Fan Qi's blows battered him, Xu Taiping remembered Fan Zhong, Qi Yan, Ran Yong, and Huang Que's words about mortal bones and loyalty.
• Xu Taiping realized the heroes had chosen to die rather than abandon righteousness, and his shattered fist force gathered again.
• Xu Taiping vowed to preserve the backbone of his mortal bones and use it to guard his Dao Heart, solidifying his fist intent.
• Xu Taiping's fist force surged as he struck toward Fan Qi's incoming punch once more.

Xu Taiping and Fan Qi fought a brutal contest of fist intent, with Xu Taiping’s unyielding conviction overcoming Fan Qi’s fury and killing intent. As Xu Taiping gathered the final punch of Charging Ox Breaks the Formation, Fan Qi struggled to his feet and called Xu Taiping’s fist intent dazzling.

• Xu Taiping fused his fist intent and drove Fan Qi backward, but Fan Qi rallied by concentrating his fury and killing intent into a powerful punch.
• Xu Taiping and Fan Qi repeatedly traded blows, and Xu Taiping’s pure, tenacious fist intent eventually overpowered Fan Qi’s furious fist intent.
• Xu Taiping shattered Fan Qi’s fist force and struck him in the abdomen, then continued trading punches with him as both men became drenched in blood.
• Fan Qi vomited blood and his fist force collapsed, while Xu Taiping’s fist intent burned brighter and his Charging Ox Breaks the Formation reached its final punch.
• Fan Qi struggled to his feet and watched Xu Taiping gather momentum, describing his blazing fist intent as dazzling.

Fan Qi overcame his anger and fought Xu Taiping with his true fist intent, but his exhausted body failed him and he died after asking how his final punch had seemed. The Sixth Princess took Fan Qi’s head and opened her mother’s last brocade pouch, only to find a letter telling her to die for the White Tree Kingdom.

• Fan Qi remembered his great-grandfather’s words about protecting the Fan family and White Tree Kingdom, gathered his fist intent, and exchanged a final, evenly matched punch with Xu Taiping.
• Fan Qi’s body rapidly aged as his essence vitality drained away, and he died after Xu Taiping told him that his last punch had shone with boundless radiance.
• The Sixth Princess wept for the White Tree Kingdom’s dead, then resolved to use her mother’s last brocade pouch to persuade Wujiao Country’s emperor to withdraw his troops.
• Xu Taiping gave Spring Tiger to the Sixth Princess, who took Fan Qi’s head and fulfilled their agreement.
• At the inn, Xu Taiping prepared to meditate while Fairy Lingyue watched the Sixth Princess open her mother’s final brocade pouch.
• The Sixth Princess read the first line of her mother’s letter: “Li Yu, my child, please go to your death for the White Tree Kingdom.”

Fairy Lingyue explained that the Sixth Princess had been groomed as a pawn in a plan to assassinate Wujiao Country's emperor, but Xu Taiping suspected the plot concealed a conflict among cultivators. She revealed that the true struggle might be Dao Strife, a contest over Exiled Immortals' Dao Seals and their chance to regain their former lives.

• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that the Sixth Princess's mother had arranged her daughter's mission, Fan Qi's betrayal and massacre, and the creation of Infant's Cry to enable an assassination.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue concluded that the Sixth Princess was being driven toward a likely death, and Xu questioned why her mother would sacrifice so many lives just to kill the emperor.
• Fairy Lingyue agreed that Xu's suspicion of a hidden motive was right and suggested the plan involved a contest within the Cultivation World.
• Xu Taiping asked about Exiled Immortals, and Fairy Lingyue explained how they used Liberation by Violence to extend their lives and could leave Dao Seals to awaken memories of their previous lives.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that enemies could sabotage an Exiled Immortal's lingering obsession by breaking their Dao Seal, preventing them from returning to cultivation; this conflict was known as Dao Strife.

Xu Taiping received a letter Fan Qi had left behind, revealing the Imperial Consort’s role in the conflict and her plan to use the Sixth Princess against the Emperor of Wujiao Country. He examined a strange script copied from the Imperial Consort’s secret letter, hoping it would help him break the deadlock.

• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping that saving the Sixth Princess would be nearly impossible without learning which figures were Exiled Immortals and identifying their Dao Seals.
• Xu Taiping resolved to keep trying to save the Sixth Princess, and Fan Ye arrived with a letter from his great-grandfather, Fan Qi.
• Fan Ye explained that Fan Qi had instructed him to deliver the letter if Xu Taiping defeated him fairly, and said Fan Qi had accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.
• Xu Taiping read that Fan Qi had served the Imperial Consort’s scheme and later discovered she intended to use the Sixth Princess to destroy the Emperor of Wujiao Country’s Dao Seal.
• Fan Qi’s letter revealed that he had copied the strange writing on a secret letter kept by the Imperial Consort, and Xu Taiping asked Fairy Lingyue if she could recognize it.

Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue identified a poem in Dragon Script that might awaken an Exiled Immortal, and planned to test it when the Sixth Princess met Wujiao Country’s emperor. As the princess entered the imperial city, Xu Taiping prepared to use a clone and Huang Que’s surveillance to conceal his own movements.

• Fairy Lingyue translated the Dragon Script poem and explained that a poem could serve as a Dao Seal, though it would need to be recited at a crucial moment.
• Xu Taiping proposed testing the poem when the Sixth Princess met Wujiao Country’s emperor, and he created a clone to help evade suspicion without shaking off Huang Que.
• A month later, the Sixth Princess gave Xu Taiping her half of the Jade Bracelet and entered Wujiao Country’s imperial city with General Chu and Cao Qianhu.
• Huang Que appeared and escorted Xu Taiping to a tavern, warning him not to cause trouble in the capital.
• Xu Taiping asked Huang Que about the Sixth Princess’s peace mission and invited him to play Go the next morning while they waited for her to emerge.

Xu Taiping arranged help from the Beggar Gang to rescue the Sixth Princess from the Imperial City, while setting up a go match to keep Huang Que occupied. He entered the fog under concealment as Fairy Lingyue took over his game, leaving the rescue plan underway.

• Two Beggar Gang members disguised as beggars passed Xu Taiping a note with instructions to meet at the Sweet Soup Shop the next afternoon.
• Xu Taiping learned the Beggar Gang had gathered useful information and coordinated support for rescuing the Sixth Princess and escaping the capital.
• Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping to create a thick fog over the Imperial City, and he used a Qi-Gathering Pill to prepare.
• At the Great Fortune Restaurant, Xu Taiping challenged Huang Que to a go match for his Nine Prefectures' No Taboos Talisman, then used a clone to keep Huang Que occupied.
• Xu Taiping put on a Human-Skin Mask, took Concealment Grass, and vanished into the fog while Fairy Lingyue played Huang Que in his place.

The Sixth Princess, Li Yu, used the Infant-Crying Sword to attack the emperor of Wujiao Country after Fan Qi’s head transformed into the sword, but the emperor survived and Ren Chong cornered her. Xu Taiping appeared in time to save her, then faced the emperor and hoped his Dao Seal would work.

• The emperor of Wujiao Country demanded that Ren Chong verify Fan Qi’s head and ignored Li Yu’s White Tree Kingdom armistice document.
• Fan Qi’s head opened its eyes, released a blood sword, and transformed into the Infant-Crying Sword in Li Yu’s hand.
• Li Yu unleashed the sword against the emperor, killing his guards and overpowering Ren Chong, but the emperor stopped her attack with a golden palm shadow and dodged.
• Ren Chong struck Li Yu down as she prepared to die, but Xu Taiping appeared and blocked his saber with a wind wall.
• Xu Taiping looked toward the emperor and wondered whether his Dao Seal would work.

Xu Taiping’s poem awakened the Sixth Princess, Li Yu, and the Emperor of Wujiao Country, revealing that both were Exiled Immortals named Haitang and her husband. After the Emperor killed Ren Chong, Xu Taiping prepared to return before his clone’s game with Huang Que exposed him.

• Xu Taiping recited the opening line of a poem to the Emperor of Wujiao Country, who recognized it from his dreams and demanded the next line.
• Ren Chong’s aura surged, and he broke through Xu Taiping’s Wind Wall to attack him.
• Li Yu recited the rest of the poem, caught Ren Chong’s saber, and broke it with one hand.
• Ren Chong drew a Bone Blade and attacked Li Yu, but the Emperor struck him into a cloud of blood mist.
• Li Yu identified herself as Haitang and thanked Xu Taiping for helping unseal her and her husband.
• Xu Taiping told Li Yu he needed to return because his clone was playing a game with Huang Que.

Xu Taiping’s intervention helped the peace talks between Wujiao Country and White Tree Kingdom succeed, while Huang Que remained unaware that Xiang Nantian and Qi Haitang had awakened. At the palace banquet, Huang Que discovered the truth and endured Xiang Nantian’s teasing, while Xu Taiping asked Haitang what her journey to Wujiao Country had been about.

• Xu Taiping returned to the Great Fortune Restaurant, where he and Huang Que resumed their Go game as Xu Taiping asked Fairy Lingyue about her past.
• Tiger Guards arrived to announce that the peace talks had succeeded and invited Xu Taiping and Huang Que to a palace banquet.
• Huang Que went with Xu Taiping to the palace, wondering whether the Emperor of Wujiao Country and the Sixth Princess had awakened their past-life memories.
• Huang Que recognized Xiang Nantian at the banquet and nervously drank three cups as penance after Xiang Nantian teased him with a series of slaps.
• Xu Taiping asked Qi Haitang what her trip to Wujiao Country had been about.

Qi Haitang told Xu Taiping how Qi Luoyu and several powers of the Nine Prefectures had trapped her and Xiang Nantian across seven reincarnations to seize Third Watch Observatory’s legacy. After the couple planned their revenge and urged Xu Taiping to return to the Azure Profound Sect, Xiang Nantian offered him the half Teleportation Token in his Treasury.

• Qi Haitang explained that she and Xiang Nantian had left Third Watch Observatory, become Dao Companions, and been hunted after rumors spread that they held its true legacy.
• Qi Haitang said that she and Xiang Nantian had chosen Liberation by Violence to keep searching for their missing observatory master, but Qi Luoyu had joined forces with great sects to make them kill each other and surrender the legacy.
• Qi Haitang revealed that this was her seventh reincarnation and credited Xu Taiping with saving her Dao Heart and divine soul.
• Xiang Nantian joined Qi Haitang and said they would conceal their awakening for three to five days before seeking revenge on Qi Luoyu and her allies.
• Xiang Nantian told Xu Taiping that he had a half Teleportation Token in his Treasury and offered to give it to him.

Xu Taiping received the other half of the Teleportation Token and a promise that Haitang and Xiang Nantian would protect him once in the future. After arranging a message for the Azure Profound Sect and taking some treasury treasures, he returned to Lion Slope with Elder Yun Ye, leaving his mission’s outcome unexplained for now.

• Xiang Nantian gave Xu Taiping the other half of the Teleportation Token, and he and Haitang each bound themselves to protect Xu Taiping once if he faced trouble.
• Haitang and Xiang Nantian sent Xu Taiping a talisman for the Azure Profound Sect, advising him to conceal their awakening and the breaking of their Dao Seals.
• Xu Taiping told Haitang and Xiang Nantian that he respected their adherence to their Dao Hearts, and they recalled that Su Chan had once said the same thing.
• Haitang and Xiang Nantian let Xu Taiping take as much gold and silver from the treasury as he wanted.
• Elder Yun Ye arrived at Lion Slope and brought Xu Taiping back, assuming he had failed his assignment; Xu Taiping decided to explain the matter at the Merit Hall.

Xu Taiping brought his training token to Merit Hall, where Elder Lu accused him of lying about the Sixth Princess’s fate. Xu Taiping insisted she was alive and agreed to face the Inquiry of the Heart Mirror as the elders prepared to test him.

• Xu Taiping presented the jade bracelet token to Elder Sun and said the Sixth Princess of White Tree Kingdom had given it to him.
• Elder Lu arrived and questioned Xu Taiping about the bracelet, then accused him of taking it from the princess before she died.
• Elder Lu showed Xu Taiping the bronze mirror’s report that the princess had died during an assassination attempt in Wujiao Country and that his mission had failed.
• Xu Taiping suspected the sect’s upper ranks had concealed their involvement in the Dao Strife and chose not to reveal Haitang’s proof yet.
• Elder Lu challenged Xu Taiping to repeat his claim before the Inquiry of the Heart Mirror, and Xu Taiping agreed.

Xu Taiping faced accusations of falsely claiming merit, while Zhao Qian and Qingxiao defended him against Lu Zimu and Jin Yue. As Zhao Qian prepared to take him back to Seventh Peak despite the threat of disqualification, Xu Taiping decided to reveal that the Sixth Princess was still alive.

• Elder Sun warned Xu Taiping that a failed Inquiry of the Heart Mirror could lead to punishment for him and Seventh Peak, but Xu Taiping agreed to proceed and asked what redress Lu Zimu would offer if he was truthful.
• Zhao Qian and Qingxiao arrived at Merit Hall, and Zhao Qian demanded that Lu Zimu answer for slandering Xu Taiping before trying to take Xu Taiping back to Seventh Peak.
• Jin Yue arrived and accused Xu Taiping of lying about the White Tree Kingdom mission, then proposed summoning the Inquiry of the Heart Mirror.
• Zhao Qian refused the inquiry and said he would take Xu Taiping away, while Jin Yue threatened to remove Seventh Peak from the Seven Peaks Grand Competition.
• Xu Taiping decided to protect Seventh Peak's chance to compete and told Zhao Qian that the Sixth Princess was still alive.

Xu Taiping faced the Inquiry of the Heart Mirror in Merit Hall to prove his claims about rescuing the Sixth Princess of White Tree Kingdom. The mirror confirmed his answers, leaving Jin Yue and Lu Zimu unable to accuse him of violating either sect rules or the Nine Prefectures Statutes.

• Zhao Qian wagered that Xu Taiping’s merit would be doubled if the mirror proved him truthful, while Jin Yue and Lu Zimu promised to pay and apologize.
• Xu Taiping told the Inquiry of the Heart Mirror that he had not broken sect rules and that the Sixth Princess had personally given him half a jade bracelet.
• Xu Taiping affirmed that he had brought the Sixth Princess alive out of Wujiao Country’s imperial palace, and the mirror confirmed his answer.
• Jin Yue suggested Xu Taiping might have violated the Nine Prefectures Statutes, but Xu Taiping denied it and named Huang Que as his witness.
• The mirror showed no sign of deception, and Jin Yue and Lu Zimu looked exceedingly displeased.

Xu Taiping proved that Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian had broken their seals, forcing Jin Yue and Elder Lu to back down. After learning Liu Zijin had been imprisoned for nearly killing Lu Chen while avenging her sister, Xu Taiping asked Qingxiao to arrange a meeting with her.

• Xu Taiping revealed that the Sixth Princess and the Emperor of Wujiao Country had awakened their memories as Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian.
• Xu Taiping presented Qi Haitang’s Sound Transmission Talisman, whose warning and oppressive might convinced the Merit Hall that his account was true.
• Zhao Qian confronted Jin Yue and Elder Lu, and Elder Lu apologized to Xu Taiping for failing to investigate properly.
• Qingxiao told Xu Taiping that Liu Zijin had been imprisoned at Face-Wall Cliff for severely wounding Lu Chen while avenging her elder sister.
• Xu Taiping asked Qingxiao to arrange a meeting with Liu Zijin before she was expelled from Cloud Cottage Mountain.

Xu Taiping visited Liu Zijin at Repentance Cliff and urged her to keep living despite her shattered Qi Mansion and despair over failing to avenge Liu Qingmei. Liu Zijin began to consider his words, but her reaction to Xu Taiping left the conversation unfinished.

• Qingxiao let Xu Taiping visit Liu Zijin and warned him that she had been refusing food.
• Xu Taiping found Liu Zijin in a cave at Repentance Cliff and learned she had tried to torture Lu Chen after the Seven Discipline Hall's laws offered him only expulsion.
• Liu Zijin said her punishment of Lu Chen had not compared to what Liu Qingmei suffered, and Xu Taiping agreed.
• Xu Taiping challenged Liu Zijin not to die while Lu Chen remained alive and urged her to eat and wait for Heaven to deal with the wicked.
• Liu Zijin reacted nervously as if she had recognized something about Xu Taiping, but he interrupted her and offered her a bowl of rice.

Xu Taiping encouraged Liu Zijin to eat and decided he would kill Lu Chen so he could find peace. After learning where Lu Chen was staying, Xu Taiping prepared to pursue him while also agreeing to join the Seven Peaks Grand Competition sword formation contest.

• Xu Taiping reminded Liu Zijin that she had once helped save his life, and she agreed to eat despite her grief.
• Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue that he intended to slay Lu Chen, then learned from Qingxiao that Lu Chen was likely staying under the South Nether Pavilion's jurisdiction.
• Qingxiao invited Xu Taiping to join the sword formation contest, and Xu Taiping agreed despite not knowing swordsmanship.
• Bai Yu returned to Moon Perching Pavilion and revealed that Lu Chen was staying at Wind-Howling Mountain Villa on Crane Crossing Ridge.
• Bai Yu warned Xu Taiping that Lu Chen had two demonic beasts near demon king rank guarding him.

Xu Taiping successfully performed the Earth Fruit’s third Seed Burning transformation using his Red Crow Golden Flame, though the magic artifact Pill Furnace shattered in the process. He discovered the transformed fruit was bamboo rice, and Fairy Lingyue began explaining what its seeds could nurture.

• Xu Taiping and Bai Yu discussed the difficulty of dealing with Lu Chen, whose cultivation might not have been crippled and who had two King-Level Demon Beasts guarding him.
• Fairy Lingyue stopped Xu Taiping from leaving to cultivate and told him to perform Seed Burning on the Earth Fruit.
• Xu Taiping used his Red Crow Golden Flame to burn the gourd vine in the magic artifact Pill Furnace, successfully completing the third Seed Burning as the furnace broke apart.
• Xu Taiping found a nut-shaped grain in the ashes, and Fairy Lingyue identified it as bamboo rice.

Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue planted two bamboo rice grains in Moon Perching Pavilion’s central courtyard, then received a letter from the Seventh Peak’s Peak Lord arranging for Xu Taiping to study swordsmanship with Elder Sansan. The chapter ended with Xu Taiping wondering who the mysterious elder was.

• Xu Taiping refused to give Fairy Lingyue his share of the bamboo rice, honoring their agreement to divide the Earth Fruit’s harvest fairly.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue planted the two bamboo rice grains in the courtyard’s bamboo grove and discussed the weapons and other nourishment they would provide.
• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping that she would soon sleep inside the Earth Fruit, while he assured her he could rely on Taiping, Bai Yu, and his Seventh Peak senior brothers.
• An immortal crane delivered a letter from the Peak Lord instructing Xu Taiping to meet Elder Sansan at Moon-Fishing Pool at dawn for sword practice.
• Xu Taiping read that Elder Sansan’s swordsmanship rivaled Ninth Uncle’s and wondered why he had never heard of him.

Xu Taiping went to Moon-Fishing Pool to meet Elder Sansan, but found only a sign with instructions for practicing Sword Flight. He completed the day’s training, while Recluse Sansan later judged his effort insufficient and decided to return the next day.

• Xu Taiping arrived at Moon-Fishing Pool at dawn, but Elder Sansan did not appear.
• Xu Taiping found Recluse Sansan’s wooden sign, removed the rusty sword, and read the Sword Flight mind method.
• Xu Taiping practiced controlling the sword, repeatedly retrieving it from the pool whenever it fell, and completed three thousand and one strikes before nightfall.
• Recluse Sansan arrived after Xu Taiping left, counted the strikes, criticized his effort, and said he would return the next day.

Xu Taiping increased his daily sword strikes while Elder Sansan repeatedly missed him at Moon-Fishing Pool. When Xu Taiping skipped practice to answer an urgent summons, Elder Sansan found his note and angrily blamed Zhao Qian.

• Xu Taiping increased his sword strikes over several days, reaching 6,700 while leaving Moon-Fishing Pool earlier each day, and Elder Sansan failed to meet him.
• Elder Sansan arrived before dawn on the tenth day and waited at Moon-Fishing Pool, planning how to punish Xu Taiping for being late.
• Xu Taiping finished cultivating in Fan Tower after soaking in the Acupoint-Clearing and Aperture-Opening Decoction, and estimated he would reach minor completion in the Nether Gazing Realm within a month or two.
• Little Monkey Ping'an brought Xu Taiping an urgent letter, and Xu Taiping learned that the Peak Lord had summoned him to Hundred Herbs Hall on the Main Peak.
• Elder Sansan found Xu Taiping's note on the cliff explaining his absence, then shouted that Zhao Qian was asking for another beating.

Xu Taiping went to Hundred Herbs Hall after learning that Zhou Yidao had been badly wounded by a mysterious blade qi. The Seventh Peak's disciples gathered to hear what had happened, and Jiang Zhi began to ask whether they had heard rumors of the Red-Haired Blade Ghost.

• Little Monkey Ping'an delivered Xu Taiping a letter from the Seventh Peak Lord saying that Fourth Senior Brother had been slashed and summoning everyone not in seclusion to Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Xu Taiping left Bai Yu and Ping'an to guard the courtyard, then carved a message for Elder Sansan before heading to the hall.
• At Hundred Herbs Hall, Xu Taiping found Zhou Yidao unconscious with a chest wound whose blade qi was draining his true qi and blood qi.
• Qingxiao told the disciples that patrols had found Zhou Yidao gravely wounded on Purple Cloud Slope and that Doctor Liu and Zhao Qian had saved him.
• When the disciples wondered whether a demon had attacked Zhou Yidao, Jiang Zhi asked if they had heard rumors of the Red-Haired Blade Ghost.