Chapter Summaries

The Chen Clan offered the Clear Sky Sect a lucrative deal in exchange for abandoning its bid to absorb the Yellow Emperor Tang Family and yielding Lankai Commandery. Tang Yue weighed the loss of the sect’s strategic foothold against the risks of war, then sent Tang Potian to report the proposals and witnesses’ positions to the Elders Council while ordering Tang Aotian to monitor the Chen Clan.

• Yang Jingxue urged the Chen Clan and Clear Sky Sect to avoid open warfare, while Ximen Wenlan’s silence signaled her agreement.
• Tang Potian complained that the witnesses favored the Chen Clan, and Tang Aotian explained that their positions revealed the families’ true alignments.
• Tang Aotian argued that accepting the Chen Clan’s terms would sacrifice Lankai Commandery and undermine the Clear Sky Sect’s strategic position and Heaven and Earth Hammer Plan.
• Tang Yue ordered Tang Potian to report the negotiations and the Ximen and Yang families’ attitudes to the Elders Council, then told Tang Aotian to watch the Chen Clan.

Chen Hong warned the Ximen and Yang families that the Clear Sky Sect’s interest in the Yellow Emperor Lineage threatened their shared power in the Northern Region. Meanwhile, Ye Sirong returned to the Chen Duke’s Mansion with Dou Congtong and reunited with her family, where she learned Zhang Yin Tie had lost an arm defending the mansion.

• Chen Hong discussed the Tang Family’s unexpected hesitation and the Clear Sky Sect’s ambitions with Chen Zhang, Chen Xiaojun, Yang Jingxue, and Ximen Wenlan.
• Chen Hong asked Yang Jingxue and Ximen Wenlan to send warnings to their family elders and maintain the three families’ united stance against the Clear Sky Sect.
• Ye Sirong and Dou Congtong arrived discreetly at the Chen Duke’s Mansion, and Mu Jingming escorted them to the entrance.
• Gu Yuanchao welcomed Ye Sirong home and told her that the Chen Clan had been overjoyed to learn she was alive.
• Ye Sirong reunited with Zhang Yin Tie and discovered that he had lost his left arm fighting the Crimson Church’s attack on the mansion.

Ye Sirong returned to the Chen Clan with Dou Congtong and received a warm welcome from Chen Hong. Zhang Yin Tie learned that his older brother, Zhang Bitie, would replace him as Black Scale Guards Guard Leader while he recovered from losing his arm.

• Zhang Yin Tie accepted that his missing arm meant he would leave the front lines and learned that Zhang Bitie would take over his post.
• Gu Yuanchao explained that Heaven Dou City had become the clan's Northern Region headquarters and needed a Soul Saint Rank Assistant Commander to oversee the Black Scale Guards.
• Zhang Yin Tie accepted the handover to his brother and proposed a welcome drink for him with Gu Yuanchao and Ye Sirong.
• Chen Hong, Yang Jingxue, Ximen Wenlan, Chen Zhang, and Chen Xiaojun arrived at the mansion, where Ye Sirong and Dou Congtong paid their respects.
• Chen Hong welcomed Ye Sirong back and asked Chen Zhang to arrange for her, while Chen Xiaojun reassured her with a knowing look.

Ye Sirong reunited with Xia Yun, Zhu Shiyuan, and Xia Shuyao, then learned that her family had grown stronger while she was away. The chapter left her surprised to hear that her father was Deputy Minister of the Family Medical Department.

• Chen Zhang told Ye Sirong that He Song had died protecting the younger disciples and that word of her return had been sent to her parents.
• Xia Yun and Zhu Shiyuan welcomed Ye Sirong back and praised her advancement to Soul Saint.
• Xia Shuyao introduced herself to Ye Sirong and warmly befriended Dou Congtong.
• Xia Yun told Ye Sirong that her father Ye Zhengxin, her brother Cong Rong, and her clan uncle Ye Zhengyi had all reached the Soul Saint realm.
• Xia Yun revealed that Ye Zhengxin was Deputy Minister of the Family Medical Department, leaving Ye Sirong astonished.

Ye Sirong considered the Chen Clan’s proposal to transfer Dou Congtong to Five Mountains Academy, where she could develop safely and receive specialized training. Chen Xiaojun urged the clan to prepare her for the Gaoying Tournament Grand Finals, and Ye Sirong agreed to use the resources Dou Jing had left for their daughter.

• Xia Yun and Zhu Shiyuan described Five Mountains Academy’s development and invited Dou Congtong to transfer there for better training and protection.
• Xia Shuyao enthusiastically offered to partner with Dou Congtong and look after her at the academy.
• Ye Sirong asked the clan to inform Dou Jing and consider his opinion, and Xia Yun assured her they would contact him.
• Chen Xiaojun said Dou Congtong could represent Five Mountains Academy in the Gaoying Tournament Grand Finals after a month of intensive training.
• Ye Sirong agreed that it was time to use the things Dou Jing had left for Dou Congtong.

Chen Zhang assigned Ye Sirong to guard and assist Ye Xiuxin, trusting her with an important role in the clan. Ye Sirong accepted and was set to accompany Ye Xiuxin to Iron Jaw Fortress, where she could also see Dou Jing.

• Chen Zhang explained that Ye Xiuxin needed protection while treating wounded people in the dangerous Underground City and asked Ye Sirong to serve as her attendant and guard.
• Ye Sirong was surprised by the responsibility, then recognized Chen Zhang’s trust and accepted the assignment.
• Chen Xiaojun understood that the appointment would help Ye Sirong return to the clan, use her medical and protective skills, and put pressure on Dou Jing.
• Ye Sirong vowed to keep Ye Xiuxin safe and assist her with medical work.
• Chen Zhang told Ye Sirong to accompany Ye Xiuxin to Iron Jaw Fortress the next day, where she would also see Dou Jing.

Chen Cong and a group of Chang'an Academy personnel arrived at the Duke’s Mansion to help with the Northern Region Headquarters upgrade, bringing old comrades and family together. Zhu Wuneng then rushed in and reacted with surprise when he spotted Conduct problem among the newcomers.

• Four Golden-Crowned Giant Eagles landed in the courtyard carrying Chen Cong and a sizable group from Chang'an.
• Chen Xiaojun and Chen Zhang welcomed Chen Cong, who joked with them about arriving in time for the Academy’s thank-you banquet.
• Zhang Bitie told Zhang Yin Tie to hand most of his Black Scale Guard duties to Sun Miaoyi, who was reunited with her son Gu Zijian.
• Gu Yuanchao reunited with Gu Yuanli as other relatives and former North Gate comrades gathered at the Duke’s Mansion.
• Zhu Wuneng entered the courtyard, saw Conduct problem among the newcomers, and shouted in surprise.

Chen Xiaojun welcomed several young visitors to the Duke’s Mansion, where Yan Xiaolai formally became Chen Zhang’s disciple. After the ceremony, Su Ningxia learned that Su Henhan had requested a transfer to the dangerous Transport Team and began to understand why.

• Chen Xiaojun greeted Zuo Feng Wen, Su Ninglan, and the other youths who had arrived at the Duke’s Mansion.
• Yan Xiaolai performed the formal kneelings and kowtows to become Chen Zhang’s disciple as his friends and family watched.
• Gao Ying explained to Yan Jinzhong that he had come to assess the situation after Chen Xin Yi’s rise to the top of the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking and to support Gao Cuilan’s connection to her.
• Su Ninglan delivered Third Uncle Su Henhan’s letter to Su Ningxia and told her that Su Henhan had applied to transfer to the dangerous Transport Team.
• Su Ningxia was shocked by Su Henhan’s decision, then began to grasp his reason.

After Su Ningxia learned that Su Henhan would take a dangerous assignment to prove the Su Family’s loyalty to Xiao Yi, Chen Xiaojun visited the recovering Xiao Yi and was turned away. Back in his room, he assessed the gains from his recent opportunity and discovered his soul power had reached level 59 and his physique had grown stronger.

• Su Ningxia realized the Su Family needed to prove its merit and hoped Heaven would protect Su Henhan as he volunteered for the Transport Team’s dangerous front line.
• The Duke’s Mansion held a welcoming feast for Chen Cong’s party, where Xia Shuyao introduced Dou Congtong to the assembled guests.
• Chen Xiaojun visited Xiao Yi at Moonshadow Residence, but she hid beneath her quilt and Tao Ruyin sent him away so she could rest.
• After returning to his room, Chen Xiaojun examined the gains from “Yin-Yang Evolution of the Dao, Lotus Blooming on the Spiritual Terrace.”
• Chen Xiaojun found that his soul power had reached level 59 and that his physique had advanced through the effects of the immortal herbs and divine power.

After assimilating the immortal herb and Lesser Siming’s power, Chen Xiaojun strengthened his sword conceptions, mental power, and Soul Nest, leaving him able to unleash his full combat strength without restraint. He emerged to find his friends gathered, learned Xiao Yi was resting, and heard that his mother had been promoted for curing four Titled Douluos.

• Chen Xiaojun reviewed how his Yin-Yang attributes had advanced and comprehended the core conception of nobility, completing his understanding of all six divine swords.
• He found that Lesser Siming’s strike had covered the Heavenly Scar in his Sea of Consciousness, removing his restraint on consecutive ultimate attacks and raising his mental power to roughly level 78.
• Chen Xiaojun left his quiet room and joined Zhu Wuneng, Dugu Fu, Ma Liang, Xia Shuyao, Dou Congtong, Gao Cuilan, and Su Ningxia in the pavilion, where they discussed martial skill legacies for Dou Congtong.
• Gao Cuilan told Chen Xiaojun that Xiao Yi was resting, and Dou Congtong said Ye Xiuxin had gone with Ye Sirong to the Heaven Dou Royal Hospital to examine the recovering Titled Douluos.
• Chen Xiaojun learned that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had promoted Ye Xiuxin from third-rank to first-rank Enshrined Elder after she cured the four Titled Douluos’ blood curses.

Chen Xiaojun agreed to cook for the manor’s thank-you banquet and dragged Zhu Wuneng along to help, threatening to make braised pig’s head. Meanwhile, Barton escaped Chen Zhang and Zhu Yanfeng through a hidden tunnel, and the pursuers discovered another concealed passage at a nearby courtyard.

• Chen Xiaojun agreed to cook for the thank-you banquet after Zhu Wuneng urged him to show off his skills.
• Chen Xiaojun hauled Zhu Wuneng toward the kitchen and told him he would prepare braised pig’s head.
• Barton disguised himself with a Secret Art and fled back into his room after spotting Chen Zhang and Zhu Yanfeng outside.
• Zhu Yanfeng smashed into the room, found a hollow space beneath the bed, and uncovered Barton’s tunnel.
• Chen Zhang and Zhu Yanfeng searched a nearby courtyard and saw a concealed passage open behind a kitchen wall.

Barton was caught by three Chen Clan experts after fleeing to one of his secret safe houses. At the appreciation banquet, Chen Clan representatives welcomed guests as the chapter detailed the clan’s control over Five Mountains Academy and Wushan Prefecture.

• Barton escaped through a hidden wall but found Chen Zhang and Zhu Yanfeng guarding the safe house entrance.
• Barton ran into the backyard, where an imposing elder and a middle-aged woman blocked his path, while another woman watched from the kitchen roof.
• The elder addressed Barton, and Barton recognized that all three Excellencies of the Three Great Families had come to apprehend him.
• At the Duke's Mansion Residence, Zhu Yanfeng, Lin Jingshu, and Zhu Shiyuan welcomed guests to the appreciation banquet.
• The chapter explained how the Chen Clan had taken control of Five Mountains Academy and secured influence over Wushan Prefecture through Qin Xizhao's rise to Commandery Governor.

The Chen Clan hosted an appreciation banquet for the tournament’s participants and guests, promoting its two academies and drawing attention to the newly risen Five Mountains Academy. Chen Xiaojun ended the chapter surrounded by admiring girls and smoothly flattering Chen Yanwu after she teased him about attending.

• Zhu Yanfeng, Zhuo Qianren, and Xia Yun opened the banquet with speeches, followed by coach representatives Yan Nanfei and Zhu Shiyuan promoting their academies.
• Zhu Wuneng feasted at the banquet and urged Dugu Fu to encourage his siblings to attend Five Mountains Academy, receiving only a brief reply.
• Chen Xiaojun and Xia Shuyao represented their teams onstage, sharing their tournament experiences and thanking their supporters.
• Zhu Wuxin pulled Chen Xiaojun over to the Moonlight Team’s table, where he was surrounded by girls and Bai Yanshan enthusiastically praised the food.
• Chen Shurui, Chen Bin, and Chen Mu joked about Chen Xiaojun’s survival instincts, and Chen Yanwu teased him for not wanting to attend.
• Chen Xiaojun praised Chen Yanwu with elaborate flattery, making her laugh despite recognizing how insincere his compliments sounded.

Chen Xiaojun composed verses for Yue Qingsi and Yun Yingluo, delighting both women and the Moonlight Team. He promised Chen Yanwu he would find her a new zither piece for the academy’s thank-you banquet.

• Zhu Wuxin asked Chen Xiaojun to compose a verse for Yue Qingsi, and Chen Yanwu urged him to capture her character.
• Chen Xiaojun recited “Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, at ease I glimpse South Mountain,” and Yue Qingsi thanked him warmly.
• Yun Yingluo asked Chen Xiaojun for a verse about herself, and he composed a line about the south wind carrying her dreams to the Eastern Continent.
• Chen Yanwu asked Chen Xiaojun to provide a fresh zither piece for her performance at the next day’s thank-you banquet, and he promised to find one.

At the Chen Clan’s victory banquet, Chen Xiaojun delighted the guests by composing a poem praising Chen Yanwu, then escaped the Moonlight Team’s teasing. Xiao Yi arrived looking frail and reunited with Chen Yanwu as the feast began.

• Zhu Wuxin urged Chen Xiaojun to compose a poem for Chen Yanwu, and he recited verses praising her beauty and swordsmanship.
• Yun Yingluo and the other guests admired the poem, while Chen Yanwu savored its imagery.
• Chen Mu teased Chen Xiaojun, who excused himself and hurried back to the Chen Clan youngsters.
• Xiao Yi arrived with Su Ningxia and softly greeted Chen Yanwu, who supported her and sheltered her from the crowd.
• The Chen Clan began serving the banquet’s eighteen hot dishes, many featuring Heaven Dou City’s freshwater ingredients.

At the Chen Clan’s banquet, guests praised the private cuisine, especially Chen Xiaojun’s newly created Chen White Fish Balls. The gathering also displayed the clan’s influence through its four-tier network of retainers, branches, governors, and allied houses.

• Bai Yanshan and Hua Xiyan enjoyed the Chen Clan’s dishes, and Hua Xiyan praised their private cuisine to Lu Zihan.
• Zhu Wuneng devoured a white fish ball and boasted that he had helped pound the fish, while Dugu Fu teased him and embarrassed Gao Cuilan.
• Chen Shurui asked about the dish, and Chen Xiaojun confirmed that he had invented Chen White Fish Balls from a recipe remembered from his previous life.
• Chen Zhang and leaders of four Chang'an Great Houses sat with other allied figures at the banquet’s central table, demonstrating the Chen Clan’s reach in Heaven Dou City.
• The chapter described Chen Xun’s four-tier system: near retainers, ranked branches, governors, and earls, which organized the clan’s expansion and alliances.

At the banquet, Lian Changzhi praised the former Canghui students for their tournament performances and their role in restoring the academy’s reputation. Ye Fei told Luo Qianxue she had decided to remain at Five Mountains Academy, while Luo still awaited her family’s guidance.

• Lian Changzhi toasted the former Canghui students and presented a letter thanking them for helping restore the academy’s reputation.
• After Lian Changzhi moved on, Luo Qianxue asked Ye Fei whether she planned to stay at Five Mountains Academy.
• Ye Fei said she would remain as an exchange student for two years and seek a position at the academy after graduating.
• Ye Fei explained that Five Mountains Academy better suited her plant-type martial soul and that staying would help her Ye Family build ties with the Xia and Chen Clans.
• Ye Fei told Luo Qianxue that her illusory fragrance flower and Shu Yao’s phantom cherry tree might eventually achieve a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

At the Chen Clan banquet, Chen Zhang toasted the Nine Heavens Academy and privately offered his uncle Zhang Xiaoding two exceptionally gifted young Chen Clan swordsmen. Zhang Xiaoding eagerly accepted them for the Nine Heavens Sect, delighted by their talent and mastery of sword intent.

• Chen Zhang toasted the Nine Heavens Academy after explaining its ties to the Chen Clan and the Nine Heavens Sect.
• Chen Zhang praised Zhang Xiaoding’s leadership, and Zhang Xiaoding lamented that his academy lacked top-tier students.
• Chen Zhang promised Zhang Xiaoding that the Nine Heavens Academy could recruit two Chen Clan youngsters and introduced Chen Zhouzhao and Chen Jieqi.
• Chen Zhouzhao revealed that he was twelve, had soul power level 35 and level nine innate soul power, and had comprehended lightning sword intent.
• Chen Jieqi revealed that he shared Chen Zhouzhao’s age, soul power level, and innate soul power, and had comprehended wind sword intent.
• Zhang Xiaoding eagerly agreed to recruit the two boys into the Nine Heavens Sect.

At the Chen Clan banquet, Chen Zhang arranged for Zhouzhao and Jie Qi to join the Nine Heavens Sect, while Chen Xiaojun and Xue Shiming found common ground after their teams’ tournament defeats. They began discussing cooperation and intelligence on their Continental Finals opponents, with Chen Yanwu joining them in a quiet room.

• Zhang Xiaoding agreed that the Nine Heavens Sect would accept Zhouzhao and Jie Qi, whose families practiced Wind and Thunder Sword.
• Xue Shiming, recovering from his injuries, spoke with Chen Xiaojun about the Heaven Dou Team’s losses and his disappointment in his tournament command.
• Chen Xiaojun encouraged Xue Shiming, saying the tournament had helped him develop as a leader despite the defeats.
• Xue Shiming proposed that they cooperate by sharing intelligence on Xuan Ye Academy, Plant Academy, and Star Luo Royal Academy.
• Chen Xiaojun invited Chen Yanwu to join their discussion, and the three moved to a quiet side room.

Xia Qingyun reunited with her sisters in Heaven Dou and invited Han Yiyu and Xuan Qingya to join the Three Great Families in expanding their underground network. She then proposed gathering their sisters at the Gaoying Tournament Grand Finals, and they began considering who could attend.

• Yang Jingxue and Han Yiyu teased Xia Qingyun about her absence, while Xia said she had kept the Ming King occupied.
• Xia Qingyun told Yang Jingxue that Chen Yu's Rakshasa Divine Power had been purged, but he still had not awakened.
• Xia Qingyun offered Han Yiyu and Xuan Qingya a chance to claim an underground city district beside the Three Great Families' district.
• Xia Qingyun asked whether their sisters would attend the Gaoying Tournament Grand Finals in a month, and Yang Jingxue and Xuan Qingya discussed who might come.
• Xia Qingyun decided they should send word to their sisters first.