Chapter Summaries

Patriarch Red Lotus intervened when Dugu White Cloud tried to take He Pingsheng, Lu Xiaoci, and Chi Zhongyue, then used the Blood-Transforming Heavenly Art to force him to retreat. She revealed that the technique left her with only a thousand years to live, and He Pingsheng and Lu Xiaoci were stunned by the cost.

• Patriarch Red Lotus praised He Pingsheng and Lu Xiaoci, then confronted Dugu White Cloud over his ambush and the deaths of three White Cloud Immortal Sect Heaven Immortals.
• He Pingsheng explained that Deputy City Lord Tianyin had given him the sword he used to kill the Heaven Immortals, and Lu Xiaoci clarified that He Pingsheng had killed them.
• Dugu White Cloud demanded that Patriarch Red Lotus hand over Lu Xiaoci and threatened to take the disciples by force, but she refused.
• Patriarch Red Lotus activated the Blood-Transforming Heavenly Art, severed her left arm, and invoked Shared Lifespan with Heaven and Earth to threaten mutual destruction.
• Dugu White Cloud withdrew and left after collecting the Storage Rings of two slain Heaven Immortals, while Patriarch Red Lotus returned to normal with her left arm missing.
• Patriarch Red Lotus told He Pingsheng and Lu Xiaoci that the technique left her with only a thousand years to live, and Lu Xiaoci became tearful.

Patriarch Red Lotus brought Chi Zhongyue back to Red Lotus Immortal Valley and sentenced her to lifelong reflection for leaking information, while He Pingsheng returned to Heavenly Law Court. After reuniting with his fellow disciples and giving them pills, He Pingsheng headed into seclusion, leaving Su Muyu suspicious about his relationship with Lu Xiaoci.

• Chi Zhongyue confessed that she had leaked the ship's route and information about He Pingsheng's sword, and Patriarch Red Lotus ordered her to remain beneath the Reflection Punishment Tower until Red Lotus died.
• Patriarch Red Lotus praised Lu Xiaoci and He Pingsheng before her Flying Boat landed at Red Lotus Immortal Valley two days later.
• He Pingsheng returned to Heavenly Law Court and learned that his master had challenged Mount Kunwu after believing He Pingsheng had died, then survived thanks to Patriarch Red Lotus's intervention.
• He Pingsheng gave Su Huang, Su Muyu, and Xu Zhishan supreme-grade Immortal Spirit Pills and told them about Heaven and Earth Immortal City and Lu Xiaoci's ranking.
• He Pingsheng announced that he would enter seclusion, but Su Muyu followed him and questioned whether he had visited Wind and Emerald Pavilion or become involved with Lu Xiaoci.

He Pingsheng cultivated in seclusion for eighty-eight years, advancing his Chaos Golden Scripture to the eighth layer and improving his other disciplines. After discovering his master and fellow disciples were still in seclusion, he collected his stipend and bought second-grade formation materials to prepare for a trip to Sky-Reaching Ridge.

• He Pingsheng checked the formations at his Daoist Grounds, then examined a Storage Ring left behind after Dugu White Cloud took two others.
• He Pingsheng used second-grade Two-Headed Mighty Eagle Essence Blood and other resources to cultivate, enduring severe pain as his Chaos Golden Scripture advanced.
• Over eighty-eight years, He Pingsheng raised all five Dantians to the fourth layer, his Chaos Golden Scripture to the eighth layer, and mastered the final chapter of the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula.
• He Pingsheng visited Su Nian, but found him, Su Huang, Su Muyu, and Xu Zhishan in seclusion, so he left without disturbing them.
• He Pingsheng collected his stipend and points, then bought second-grade formation materials from the Five Treasures Court for a planned trip to Sky-Reaching Ridge.

He Pingsheng finished learning the Thousand-Demon Heavenly Fragrance Formation before Su Muyu summoned him to hear that he and his senior disciples would enter the sect tournament. After Su Nian discovered He Pingsheng had reached the human immortal stage eighth layer, he explained the tournament’s path to a wish from the Star Emperor and gave each disciple a bound life tablet.

• He Pingsheng learned that the next Jiachen year was forty years away and spent three years studying formations until he could set up the Thousand-Demon Heavenly Fragrance Formation.
• Su Muyu summoned He Pingsheng to Su Nian, who announced that he had entered all four disciples in the sect tournament six months away.
• He Pingsheng removed his Bronze Mask and revealed his human immortal stage eighth-layer cultivation, explaining that body refining had raised his apparent cultivation beyond his dantian’s fourth layer.
• Su Nian explained that the sect’s top ten would advance to Heaven and Earth Immortal City, and the Emperor Yu Star Sword Trial champion could make a wish of the Star Emperor.
• Su Nian relayed Patriarch Red Lotus’s warning that He Pingsheng must not use his sword intent in the tournament, then handed each disciple a bound life tablet.

Su Nian brought He Pingsheng to meet Patriarch Red Lotus, where they learned that Lu Xiaoci had broken through to Earth Immortal. After seeing He Pingsheng’s eighth-layer cultivation, Red Lotus gave him a Fourth-Grade Buddhist Path Relic to aid his body cultivation.

• Su Nian took He Pingsheng to see Patriarch Red Lotus, but a breakthrough’s energy forced them back from the great hall.
• Red Lotus told Su Nian and He Pingsheng that Lu Xiaoci had advanced to Earth Immortal and was stabilizing her cultivation.
• Su Nian had He Pingsheng remove his mask, and Red Lotus was astonished to see that he had reached the eighth layer.
• Su Nian asked Red Lotus for body-refining resources for He Pingsheng and promised that his Heavenly Law Court would forgo sect resource distributions for a thousand years.
• Red Lotus gave He Pingsheng a Fourth-Grade Buddhist Path Relic, which he accepted with gratitude but regretted he could not enhance with the Immortal Treasure-Gathering Basin.

He Pingsheng used a golden relic to advance to the ninth layer of the Human Immortal Stage and learned the rules for the sect tournament. After discovering that his fellow disciples had all refused to compete, he went alone to the Heavenly Martial Court to draw lots.

• He Pingsheng absorbed the golden relic for half a year and advanced from the eighth to the ninth layer of the Human Immortal Stage while consuming less than one percent of it.
• He Pingsheng read the tournament rules and learned that contestants would fight in single-elimination matches, with the top ten representing Red Lotus Immortal Valley.
• He Pingsheng found Su Nian, Su Huang, Su Muyu, and Xu Zhishan playing tiles, and Xu Zhishan borrowed two hundred low-grade immortal crystals from him.
• Su Huang, Su Muyu, and Xu Zhishan each refused to enter the tournament, while Su Nian urged He Pingsheng to compete alone and at least last two rounds.
• He Pingsheng flew to the Heavenly Martial Court to draw lots, where an elder asked why he had come alone when four people from the Heavenly Law Court had registered.

He Pingsheng drew four competition numbers on behalf of his three senior brothers and sisters, who remained in seclusion, then attended the tournament alone. When his first match was called against a top-five Heavenly Martial Court disciple, he withdrew rather than attract attention by winning.

• He Pingsheng drew numbers seventeen, thirty-one, one hundred and thirty-three, and one hundred and ninety-eight for his absent senior brothers and sisters.
• After three days, He Pingsheng went alone to the tournament venue, where Thunderclap recognized him and said he hoped they would not meet.
• Lu Xiaoci presided over the tournament in place of the Patriarch and announced its rules before declaring it begun.
• The Elder called numbers seventeen and eighteen to the ninth arena, but only number eighteen appeared.
• He Pingsheng stood and told the Elder that number seventeen withdrew from the competition.

He Pingsheng avoided another tournament match and spoke with Lu Xiaoci, who gave him the Spirit Stones he was owed and a Bodhi Fruit. Lu Xiaoci also explained that using treasures to break through bottlenecks would not harm his Daoist Law before he reached the Golden Immortal realm.

• He Pingsheng forfeited his first match, and Zhang Zi Xian advanced; the first round then continued across the tournament platforms.
• He Pingsheng declined to claim token number thirty-one when he saw Daoist Heavenly Saber waiting at platform six, so Heavenly Saber advanced by default.
• Lu Xiaoci joined He Pingsheng and asked about his cultivation, his forfeiture, and his concealed cultivation during their trip to Heaven and Earth Immortal City.
• Lu Xiaoci returned He Pingsheng's hundred thousand Spirit Stones and gave him a second-grade Bodhi Fruit for a future bottleneck.
• Lu Xiaoci told He Pingsheng that relying on treasures to overcome bottlenecks could injure his Dao Root after he reached Golden Immortal, but would not affect his Daoist Law before then.

He Pingsheng faced Thunderclap in the next round of the competition and revealed that his cultivation had reached the Human Immortal Stage Ninth Layer. He killed Thunderclap with a single punch before Thunderclap could finish surrendering.

• He Pingsheng explained to the Heavenly Martial Court Elder that his token was valid because the earlier forfeit had belonged to his Senior Sister.
• The Elder confirmed that He Pingsheng was eligible, and He Pingsheng removed his Bronze Mask to reveal his cultivation.
• Thunderclap decided to surrender after exchanging a move or two with He Pingsheng.
• He Pingsheng charged at Thunderclap as soon as the match began and shattered his fist and arm with a punch.
• He Pingsheng struck Thunderclap in the chest before he could finish surrendering, killing him instantly.

He Pingsheng killed Thunderclap with one punch, then drew Daoist Heavenly Saber as his opponent in the second round. He refused Heavenly Saber's demand to surrender, taunting him about his endurance as their match began.

• He Pingsheng used his full strength to kill Thunderclap with one punch, then dismissed the complaints of Thunderclap's senior sister.
• The first round ended, and He Pingsheng drew number 88 for the second round.
• The Heavenly Martial Court elder began the second round without a rest period, and He Pingsheng entered the fourth arena when his match was called.
• He Pingsheng recognized his opponent as Daoist Heavenly Saber, who claimed his thirteenth-place ranking made him unbeatable and urged He Pingsheng to surrender.
• He Pingsheng refused to surrender and told Heavenly Saber that he did not last long.

He Pingsheng prolonged his match against Heavenly Saber, carefully matching his attacks while hiding his true strength. After the other matches ended and Heavenly Saber began to tire, He Pingsheng provoked him again as he launched a weakened Heavenly Saber Fury.

• Heavenly Saber nearly struck He Pingsheng with his forbidden golden saber, but remembered the rules and put it away, injuring himself by pulling back his Immortal Essence.
• Heavenly Saber attacked with Hu Liu's Heaven-Opening Fist and Golden Serpent Frenzied Dance, while He Pingsheng dodged and countered without revealing his full strength.
• The two fought for hours without a clear winner as the other matches finished, and spectators compared He Pingsheng's performance to Lu Xiaoci's.
• Heavenly Saber complained that He Pingsheng was impossible to tire, and He Pingsheng urged him to admit defeat.
• Heavenly Saber unleashed a five-hundred-foot Heavenly Saber Fury, and He Pingsheng taunted him for being too exhausted to form his usual thousand-foot saber phantom.

He Pingsheng defeated Heavenly Saber, advanced through the sect tournament by a mix of luck, surrenders, and a later victory, and finished tenth. After receiving his reward and a place in the Heaven and Earth Immortal City contest, he told Patriarch Red Lotus that his master was in seclusion, leaving the patriarch to suspect he was being excluded by his fellow disciples.

• He Pingsheng wore Heavenly Saber down with punches until Heavenly Saber surrendered, then restored his strength with a supreme-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill.
• He Pingsheng drew number fifty-five and received a bye into the top twenty-eight, then advanced into the top fourteen after Mu Ran conceded to him.
• He Pingsheng surrendered to Zhang Zi Xian, later won a match in the losers' group, and finished tenth in the tournament rankings.
• Patriarch Red Lotus awarded He Pingsheng five hundred low-grade immortal crystals and asked why his master and fellow disciples were absent.
• He Pingsheng said his master was in seclusion and privately acknowledged that the others did not let him join them.

He Pingsheng’s Grandmaster Red Lotus discovered that Su Nian had skipped He Pingsheng’s competition to play tiles and had neglected to teach him immortal arts. Red Lotus gave He Pingsheng her lifespan-consuming technique, which he enhanced into a method that could raise his cultivation by one major realm.

• Patriarch Red Lotus took He Pingsheng to Su Nian’s hall and caught Su Nian playing tiles instead of attending He Pingsheng’s competition.
• Red Lotus learned that Su Nian had barely taught He Pingsheng anything and offered to teach him an immortal art and immortal techniques.
• He Pingsheng asked for Red Lotus’s Shared Lifespan with Heaven and Earth technique, and she gave him its cultivation method on a red jade slip.
• He Pingsheng used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to enhance the jade slip, turning the technique into the Heaven's Pinnacle Lifespan Conversion Method, which traded one-tenth of his lifespan for a one-major-realm cultivation increase lasting two hours.

He Pingsheng agreed to Daoist Heavenly Saber's demand for another fight and revealed overwhelming strength, destroying Heavenly Saber's arm while sparing his life. He warned Heavenly Saber to keep the encounter secret and told him to wait six months before advancing to the Earth Immortal Stage.

• He Pingsheng learned that the Heaven's Pinnacle Lifespan Conversion Method let him temporarily rise one cultivation stage at the cost of one-tenth of his stage's allotted lifespan.
• Daoist Heavenly Saber confronted He Pingsheng, insisting his earlier defeat had been unfair and demanding a rematch before advancing to the Earth Immortal Stage.
• He Pingsheng initially refused but agreed to fight after Heavenly Saber attacked, then led him far beyond the sect to a barren hilltop.
• He Pingsheng's punch shattered Heavenly Saber's fist and arm, but he redirected the remaining force and spared Heavenly Saber from death.
• He Pingsheng made Heavenly Saber promise to keep the fight secret and told him to recover before attempting his breakthrough in six months.

After defeating Heavenly Saber, He Pingsheng returned to cultivation, but was soon called to travel with Red Lotus Immortal Valley’s selected disciples to Heaven and Earth City. Suo Lin led the group without a heaven immortal escort, and He Pingsheng learned why the sect considered the journey safe enough.

• Heavenly Saber regrew his destroyed arm with a golden pill and realized He Pingsheng had been strong enough to kill him, delaying his breakthrough by six months.
• He Pingsheng returned to the Daoist Grounds, examined the advanced Primordial Purple Gold Staff, failed to enhance it with the Treasure-Gathering Basin, and resumed cultivation.
• Su Muyu tearfully warned He Pingsheng about the trip and urged him to surrender if necessary.
• He Pingsheng met Suo Lin at the Red Lotus Immortal Valley Outer Sect, and she reflected on how he had advanced to the ninth layer in 440 years.
• Suo Lin led ten disciples aboard a flying boat toward Heaven and Earth Immortal City, explaining that the sect had no spare heaven immortal to escort them and that rival sects were unlikely to attack during the tournament.

He Pingsheng arrived at Heaven and Earth Immortal City for its tournament and met Chu Sheng, who offered him a direct-entry token for the Emperor Yu Star Sword Trial Tournament. Chu Sheng asked to follow He Pingsheng, and He agreed to help him.

• He Pingsheng and the Red Lotus Immortal Valley group arrived in the crowded Heaven and Earth Immortal City, where the tournament was due to begin in a month.
• At the City Lord's Manor, He Pingsheng met Chu Sheng, whose grandfather, Senior Tianyin, had died after offering his remaining skills and abilities to Lord Star Emperor.
• Chu Sheng offered He Pingsheng a Black Token granting direct entry to the Emperor Yu Star Sword Trial Tournament, explaining that local deputy city lords coveted it.
• He Pingsheng accepted the token and promised to help Chu Sheng if he could.
• Chu Sheng asked to follow He Pingsheng, and He agreed after Chu Sheng clarified that he meant becoming his companion and benefiting from his future success.

He Pingsheng accepted Chu Sheng’s offer to give him a direct-entry spot in Star Emperor City’s Sword Trial Tournament and learned about the rewards for placing in its rankings. Chu Sheng brought him and Suo Lin to City Lord Azure Feather to register the spot, where Azure Feather questioned why Chu Sheng would give away one his grandfather had paid for with his life.

• Chu Sheng explained the tournament’s rankings, rewards, and the protection offered by a Star Emperor Token, and He Pingsheng considered but dismissed using one to protect Red Lotus Immortal Valley.
• After Suo Lin returned from registering He Pingsheng, he introduced her to Chu Sheng and said Chu Sheng had given him a direct-entry spot.
• Suo Lin doubted the claim but accompanied He Pingsheng and Chu Sheng to the City Lord’s Manor to register it.
• Chu Sheng gained an audience with City Lord Azure Feather, who was meeting with several powerful immortals.
• Azure Feather and the other immortals sensed He Pingsheng’s ninth-layer Human Immortal cultivation, and Azure Feather asked Chu Sheng why he was giving him a spot his grandfather had paid for with his life.

He Pingsheng accepted Chu Sheng’s direct-entry pass, but City Lord Azure Feather required him to pass Heaven and Earth Immortal City’s four basic trials before registering for the grand competition. The group went to stay at Chu Sheng’s residence and prepared for the trials, which would begin in a month.

• City Lord Azure Feather refused to register He Pingsheng for the grand competition unless he passed the four basic trials.
• Suo Lin explained that the trials tested attack power, speed, defense, and divine sense, and that each eliminated most participants.
• Chu Sheng told Suo Lin he had given He Pingsheng the direct-entry pass because he wanted to follow him, as his grandfather had advised.
• Chu Sheng invited the group to stay at his large residence instead of the Immortal Guest House.
• He Pingsheng said Chu Sheng might join Red Lotus Immortal Valley after the competition if the Patriarch agreed.
• Chu Sheng welcomed everyone to his residence and said the four basic trials would begin in a month.

He Pingsheng began cultivating in seclusion at Elder Tianyin’s former grounds, but Deputy City Lords Wu Zhanyun and Linglong soon came to negotiate for his direct-entry slot. He refused their offers because neither could provide an immortal divine refining technique immediately, and Wu Xiu challenged his ability to win the tournament.

• Chu Sheng showed He Pingsheng to Elder Tianyin’s former cultivation grounds, where He Pingsheng entered seclusion to practice the Heaven’s Pinnacle Lifespan Conversion Method.
• Chu Sheng interrupted He Pingsheng’s cultivation to bring in Deputy City Lord Wu Zhanyun, Deputy City Lord Linglong, and two young men.
• Wu Zhanyun and Linglong asked He Pingsheng to trade away his direct-entry slot and offered to find him a divine refining technique within a thousand years.
• He Pingsheng refused to trade without receiving a divine refining technique immediately.
• Wu Xiu criticized He Pingsheng’s demand and questioned whether he could win the Sword Trial Tournament, while Wu Zhanyun urged him to reconsider.

He Pingsheng refused to trade away his direct-entry spot before attempting the four basic trials, deciding that opposing Wu Zhanyun was safer than drawing the hostility of Wu Zhanyun, Mount Kunwu, and the White Cloud Immortal Sect. As He Pingsheng entered seclusion to master a cultivation method, Wu Zhanyun learned of his low ranking and expected him to fail the trials, while planning to get the token and deal with Linglong.

• He Pingsheng proposed taking the four basic trials before considering a trade, and Wu Zhanyun and Linglong agreed to wait.
• Chu Sheng warned He Pingsheng that Wu Zhanyun was a ruthless second-layer Profound Immortal, and He Pingsheng chose to risk offending him rather than trade away his spot.
• He Pingsheng sent Chu Sheng away and entered seclusion to comprehend Heaven's Pinnacle Lifespan Conversion Method.
• Wu Xiu told Wu Zhanyun that He Pingsheng had ranked tenth in Red Lotus Immortal Valley's internal competition, and Wu Zhanyun expected him to fail the basic trials.
• Wu Zhanyun told Wu Xiu to monitor He Pingsheng's trials and said he would find a way to make Linglong give up pursuing the token.