Recaps

Li Ping'an was publicly introduced as Elder Qingfeng's future disciple and went to the Merit Pavilion to choose a dangerous task. He accepted a red task slip without learning what it involved, leaving the disciples astonished.

• Li Ping'an heard rumors that he would become Elder Qingfeng's disciple and visit the third floor of the Merit Pavilion.
• Elder Qingfeng announced Li Ping'an's impending discipleship to a crowd on Main Peak, embarrassing Li Ping'an by presenting him as his future disciple.
• Qingfeng was summoned by the sect leader, and Qin Sheng escorted Li Ping'an to the Merit Pavilion using Qingfeng's privileges.
• Liu Er Dog offered to explain the tasks, but Li Ping'an pulled down a Red Task Slip and accepted it because he liked the color.
• Li Ping'an left the pavilion, and Qin Sheng was impressed by his boldness.

After more than a month away from Shushan, Li Ping'an killed a charging tiger in the snowy northeastern frontier and asked Fugui to guide him to a logging camp. Back at Shushan, Qin Sheng and the other disciples bet on whether Li Ping'an would survive his mission, while Qingfeng watched the wagers and hoped his disciple would return safely.

• Qin Sheng heard that Li Ping'an had taken a mission from the third floor of the Merit Pavilion and bet fifty Spirit Stones that he would fail.
• Shushan disciples discussed the wagers, and one reported that Li Ping'an was not a cultivator.
• Qingfeng checked the betting ledger and worried about how Li Ping'an was progressing after more than a month away.
• In the snowy frontier, Li Ping'an leaped in and killed a tiger that was about to attack Fugui.
• Li Ping'an loaded the tiger onto Old Ox, helped Fugui recover his missing ox, and asked him to lead the way to a logging camp.

Li Ping'an reached Fugui's logging camp and learned that a white-headed, red-footed ape-like monster had taken Fugui's grandson two years earlier. He agreed to investigate the creature, identified as the fierce beast Zhu Yan, and stayed at the camp for the night.

• Fugui brought Li Ping'an to the logging camp, where they shared a meal and liquor as snow fell outside.
• Fugui told Li Ping'an that a monster had taken his grandson, and that his son and wife had later died while Fugui waited at the camp for the child to return.
• Li Ping'an recognized Fugui's description of the ape-like creature as Zhu Yan, the target of his mission.
• The loggers arrived and doubted Fugui's story, but they marveled at the tiger Li Ping'an had killed.
• Li Ping'an said he would investigate the monster and might stay at the camp for a while, then slept on the warm kang.

Li Ping'an found and killed the monster beneath the mountain after the logging camp drove him away, then helped Fugui learn that his grandson had been reincarnated. Fugui died after his grief and obsession were finally put to rest, while Li Ping'an and Old Ox continued down the mountain.

• The logging camp workers decided Li Ping'an was taking advantage of Fugui and told him to leave, and Li Ping'an departed without arguing.
• Fugui begged Li Ping'an to tell him whether he had found the monster, but Li Ping'an left without answering.
• Old Ox led Li Ping'an to the monster, and Li Ping'an used Fine Rain to kill the underground Zhu Yan despite the Mountain God's warning that the creature had powerful backing.
• The next day, the workers found an enormous monster's hand outside Fugui's home and realized Li Ping'an had killed the creature.
• The Mountain God appeared to Fugui in a dream and told him his grandson had been reincarnated; Fugui died at the family graveyard after his obsession was resolved.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox walked down the mountain together as Li Ping'an sang.

After Li Ping'an returned with Zhu Yan's corpse, he declined a celebration and went to eat, while Qin Sheng grew increasingly fixated on him. Qin Sheng challenged Li Ping'an in the dining hall, and the chapter ended with Li Ping'an picking up Run Tu and preparing to fight back.

• Qingfeng praised Li Ping'an for bringing back Zhu Yan's corpse and took him to the Merit Pavilion to redeem his bellyband.
• Li Ping'an declined Liu Er Dog's offer to hold a celebration, leaving Qin Sheng intrigued by his reaction.
• Li Ping'an ate lunch at Servant Peak's dining hall while other disciples discussed his upcoming challenge to an inner disciple.
• Qin Sheng confronted Li Ping'an and challenged him, but Li Ping'an refused because Qingfeng had already arranged an opponent for him.
• Qin Sheng blocked Li Ping'an's way and admitted he had come to pick a fight, so Li Ping'an picked up Run Tu and said, "Here's a Chah for you!"

Li Ping'an brewed snow tea while Qin Sheng watched from the shadows, then left to face Zhang Xiaojing in a staged combat-platform match arranged by Qingfeng. The fight reached its agreed limit, but Zhang Xiaojing called an intermission and asked Qingfeng for more money before taking a fall.

• Li Ping'an brewed tea from the snow, left a cup for the person on the rafters, and departed with Old Ox and Run Tu for his challenge.
• Qin Sheng drank the tea and discovered Li Ping'an's note addressing the cup to the gentleman on the rafters.
• Qingfeng told Li Ping'an that Zhang Xiaojing would pretend to lose after thirty exchanges.
• Li Ping'an and Zhang Xiaojing fought a carefully staged match as Qingfeng led the crowd's cheers.
• After thirty exchanges, Zhang Xiaojing called an intermission and asked Qingfeng to raise his payment.

Zhang Xiaojing demanded extra payment from Qingfeng and intensified his attacks on Li Ping'an, but Li Ping'an defeated him and won the match. Afterward, Li Ping'an ignored questions about Heaven-Reaching Peak and settled in for hot pot and rest.

• Zhang Xiaojing raised his price, then resumed the match with stronger, increasingly fierce attacks on Li Ping'an.
• Zhang Xiaojing counted down while attacking, warning Qingfeng that Li Ping'an would be knocked down unless Qingfeng paid extra.
• Li Ping'an grew angry, struck Zhang Xiaojing unconscious, and won the match.
• Qingfeng celebrated Li Ping'an's victory and kicked the unconscious Zhang Xiaojing, while the spectators dispersed.
• During a snowy evening hot pot meal, Qingfeng asked about Li Ping'an's plans for Heaven-Reaching Peak, and Li Ping'an replied that he planned to eat and sleep.

Li Ping'an expanded his farming operation on Heaven-Reaching Peak while Qingfeng antagonized Zhang Xiaojing at a tavern. Qin Sheng continued to challenge Li Ping'an, who kept finding excuses to put him off, and the chapter ended with Li Ping'an setting out to sell fruit and buy seeds.

• Li Ping'an spent his free time tending fields and marked out eighteen areas for large-scale planting, while Qingfeng praised him and went back to sleep.
• Qingfeng confronted Zhang Xiaojing at a tavern over stepping through the door with his left foot, and Li Ping'an watched in disbelief.
• Li Ping'an used his Field Cultivation Technique to grow a thriving vegetable garden in Heaven-Reaching Peak's Medicine Valley.
• Qin Sheng repeatedly challenged Li Ping'an, who kept making excuses to avoid fighting him.
• Li Ping'an headed to Servant Peak with Run Tu and a load of fruit to sell, hoping to earn money for spirit medicine and herb seeds, when Qin Sheng appeared in a dramatic challenge.

Li Ping'an tricked Qin Sheng into treating him and the others to an expensive meal, then redirected Qin Sheng’s demands for a duel into contests of skill. Qin Sheng kept returning to Heaven-Reaching Peak to challenge Li Ping'an and ultimately devoted himself to mastering embroidery so he could beat him.

• Li Ping'an, Qingfeng, Old Ox, and Run Tu used planted spirit stones to lure Qin Sheng into paying for a lavish meal, then admitted they had stolen the stones from his wallet.
• Qin Sheng confronted Li Ping'an, who persuaded him to prove his superiority through contests beyond fighting, and Qin Sheng challenged him to chess.
• Qin Sheng left after losing the chess contest and vowed to return, then repeatedly raced to Heaven-Reaching Peak to compete with Li Ping'an at fishing, chess, and other skills.
• Li Ping'an convinced Qin Sheng to take up embroidery, and Qin Sheng studied it for two months until he mastered it.
• Qin Sheng told his master that he needed to work harder at cultivation, then swore to the moon that he would defeat Li Ping'an as he continued stitching.

Li Ping'an encouraged Qin Sheng after repeatedly outperforming him, then learned that the Minor Cold Realm would open but chose to stay behind because his corn was nearly ripe. Two months later, the disciples returned without Qin Sheng, and Li Ping'an mourned at his grave.

• Qin Sheng brought Li Ping'an his embroidery, then admitted that repeated defeats in farming, cooking, and medicine had left him feeling he could never catch up.
• Li Ping'an urged Qin Sheng to believe in himself, and Qin Sheng returned to training with renewed determination.
• After hearing the Minor Cold Realm would open in three days, Li Ping'an declined to go, choosing to stay and wait for his corn to ripen.
• The disciples left for the Minor Cold Realm, and Qin Sheng told Li Ping'an that he had mastered his cooking before departing.
• Two months later, the disciples returned, and Li Ping'an poured wine at Qin Sheng's grave and wished him a peaceful journey onward.

After mourning Qin Sheng, Li Ping'an grew more cautious, harvested and stored his crops, and prepared to advance his cultivation. His breakthrough began amid a storm that brought tribulation lightning.

• Li Ping'an visited Qin Sheng's grave with Old Ox and Run Tu, offered food and wine, and played music to send him off.
• Li Ping'an stayed on Heaven-Reaching Peak, cultivated carefully, and tended his fields with Old Ox and Run Tu.
• Li Ping'an harvested and stored grain for winter, reflecting on the importance of preserving what he had gained.
• Li Ping'an prepared to break through the mud pellet after spending his earnings and drawing on Shushan's spiritual resources.
• Run Tu rang the warning bell as dark clouds gathered, rain poured down, and tribulation lightning began; Li Ping'an opened his pale eyes.

Li Ping'an delayed his tribulation until he could afford proper lightning defenses, then spent ten years building his farming and medicine business to save for it. After deciding to brew wine for Qingfeng, he went to Wild Boar Forest for raisins and sensed that someone had locked onto him with divine sense.

• Li Ping'an tested his tribulation preparations, then postponed the attempt and planned to build metal-element defenses and buy Lightning-Attracting Needles.
• Li Ping'an sold Bamboo Tube Rice and homegrown produce at Servant Peak, where he spoke with Situ Lei about his failing cultivation and his family.
• Over the next ten years, Li Ping'an expanded his farming, animal husbandry, and medicine-making, saving enough to begin rebuilding a Medicine Valley but not enough for his ideal tribulation defenses.
• Li Ping'an decided he could save money by brewing wine for Qingfeng and sent Old Ox and Run Tu to gather supplies.
• Li Ping'an searched Wild Boar Forest for raisins to cultivate natural yeast, then realized a strand of divine sense had locked onto him.

Li Ping'an brewed wine and used it to lure Qingfeng into drinking, then stole his money while Qingfeng was drunk. Qingfeng asked Li Ping'an to investigate the theft, and Yun Shu arrived to brief them on new regulations from the Discipline Elder.

• Li Ping'an befriended a guard dog with pork bones, gathered raisins, and spent weeks brewing and storing liquor.
• Qingfeng followed the smell of grilled lamb to Li Ping'an's feast and drank heavily after tasting the food and liquor.
• Li Ping'an, an ox, and a Chah celebrated their successful plan to capture Qingfeng, and Li Ping'an took Qingfeng's money.
• Qingfeng woke to find his money missing and spent hours asking Li Ping'an to catch the thief, while Li Ping'an agreed to investigate.
• Yun Shu arrived and told Qingfeng that the Discipline Elder had sent her to explain the latest regulations.

Li Ping'an prepared an elaborate setup to survive his tribulation, combining Gold Brick Stones, Lightning-Attracting Needles, and a silver-thread kasaya. The elders watched as he entered the shelter and wrapped himself up, leaving everyone stunned by his precautions.

• Yun Shu reported the regulations to Qingfeng, who ignored her while Li Ping'an reviewed the rules from the peak master's seat.
• Li Ping'an bought Gold Brick Stones from several marketplaces to build a house for protection during his tribulation.
• Three elders watched over Heaven-Reaching Peak as Old Ox and Run Tu installed Lightning-Attracting Needles around Li Ping'an's new shelter.
• Li Ping'an performed protective rituals, entered the Gold Brick Stone house, and put on his silver-thread kasaya.
• Li Ping'an wrapped himself tightly and sat with his feet together, astonishing Yun Shu and the elders with his elaborate preparations.

Li Ping'an endured a powerful tribulation lightning strike and used his reserve of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to complete the mud pellet, one of the Six Mysteries of the Human Body. The tribulation ended, and he emerged with a newly completed foundation and flowing origin qi.

• Li Ping'an faced the first bolt of tribulation lightning as the Lightning-Attracting Needles and gold brick stone house weakened its force.
• The second bolt destroyed the house and battered Li Ping'an, while the onlookers realized the tribulation was unusually powerful.
• Old Ox activated a hidden mechanism that revealed Li Ping'an's stash of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Li Ping'an drew on the stones to form the gate of eternal life within his mud pellet as Old Ox and Run Tu cheered him on.
• The tribulation clouds vanished, and Li Ping'an completed the mud pellet as its expansion reached 100%.

Li Ping'an tested the strength he gained by opening his Mud Pellet, then spent a lazy winter on Heaven-Reaching Peak while Run Tu got into trouble. News arrived that Shushan was selecting outstanding disciples for training ahead of the Demon-Slaying Assembly, where Li Ping'an expected to reunite with many old friends.

• Elder Qingfeng tested Li Ping'an with an astral-force attack, and Li Ping'an absorbed it before demonstrating a devastating strike of his own.
• Li Ping'an settled into a quiet winter routine, while Old Ox and Run Tu fought over the last sheets of paper on Heaven-Reaching Peak.
• Three disciples beat Run Tu for injuring their junior sister with the Thousand Years of Death move, and Li Ping'an left them to continue after learning Old Ox had taught it.
• Shushan announced an Outstanding Disciple Cultivation Program led by Grandmaster elders ahead of the Demon-Slaying Assembly.
• Li Ping'an received letters from Jing Yu, Changqing, Aliya, Wang Yi, and other old friends who planned to attend the assembly.

Yun Shu and the other selected Shushan disciples gathered for special training, but Li Ping'an arrived late after sleeping on a mountaintop. Elder Zhang confronted Li Ping'an and Qingfeng, then stormed off, while Li Ping'an resigned himself to attending class for the meals and Spirit Stones.

• Yun Shu set off for Main Peak, where selected disciples from Shushan’s fourteen peaks gathered for special training and lamented the absence of Lin Xue and Qin Sheng.
• Li Ping'an wandered through the mountain scenery, climbed to a summit, and fell asleep in a pavilion until nightfall.
• Elder Zhang scolded Li Ping'an for arriving late, then found Qingfeng asleep and heard him claim he had slept only twenty-six hours that day.
• Elder Zhang condemned Qingfeng and Li Ping'an as alike and left Heaven-Reaching Peak in anger.
• Li Ping'an attended special training for its meals and Spirit Stone allowance while Run Tu made friends and took notes.

After recovering from his breakthrough and tiring of life in Shushan, Li Ping'an decided to travel for a year before attending the Demon-Slaying Assembly. He left with Old Ox, while Qingfeng and the special-training disciples remained behind.

• Li Ping'an enjoyed an unusually generous dinner, declined Yun Shu's invitation to spar, and spent the evening drinking tea, playing Go with Run Tu, and resting.
• Li Ping'an explained that he needed to consolidate his breakthrough, recover from the tribulation, and live without spending money.
• Li Ping'an decided to leave Shushan for a year and told Qingfeng, who clung to his leg and cried until Li Ping'an promised to return early and leave Run Tu to watch over him.
• Li Ping'an packed his belongings and told the special-training disciples, including Yun Shu, that he was going out to see the world.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox departed, leaving Yun Shu staring after them before she returned to seated meditation.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox traveled through the mortal world before he improved a town’s braised carp and watched Monk Changqing undergo a Heavenly Tribulation. After the storm passed, Li Ping'an sensed a mass of demonic aura approaching, leaving Changqing in danger.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox wandered for four months, helping people and visiting a plague-stricken village along the way.
• In a small town, Li Ping'an criticized the local braised carp, caught a fresh fish, and taught the cook how to prepare it properly.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox ate by a river until thunder signaled a nearby tribulation, and they flew toward it on Fine Rain.
• They found Monk Changqing enduring lightning strikes and dug a grave while waiting for the Heavenly Tribulation to end.
• At dawn, Li Ping'an and Old Ox found Changqing alive in the pit, but Li Ping'an sensed a dense mass of demonic aura approaching.

Li Ping'an killed an ox demon before it could attack a town, and Changqing burned its corpse and performed a rite to destroy its soul. Changqing collapsed after learning the demon had killed countless people, leaving Li Ping'an with instructions to scatter its ashes in several places.

• Li Ping'an fled with Changqing and Old Ox, then used Aura Lock to spot an ox demon heading toward a town.
• Li Ping'an stopped the ox demon with White Jade Capital and killed it with a single saber strike.
• Changqing warned that the corpse could cause trouble if left intact, then burned it and destroyed its soul.
• Changqing performed a rite to deliver the dead and learned from the ox demon's memories that it had slaughtered countless lives.
• Changqing passed out while telling Li Ping'an to scatter the demon's ashes in eight places, then grabbed his ankle to continue giving instructions.

Half a month after Changqing failed to overcome his tribulation, Li Ping'an traveled with him and Old Ox while Run Tu grew lonely on Shushan and advanced his cultivation through contemplation. By winter, Li Ping'an had rowed a boat from Beyond the Pass into the lands within and was fishing on a snowy river.

• Changqing woke in a cave, accepted that he had failed his tribulation, and went with Li Ping'an and Old Ox to buy clothes, only to claim he had come seeking alms and anger the shopkeeper.
• After Li Ping'an left Shushan, Run Tu grew bored, took to fighting for amusement and cultivation, and was badly injured before the Turtle God Divine Doctor examined him.
• Run Tu waited for the Divine Doctor's medicine, spent several days contemplating the rain, and broke through a minor cultivation stage before setting off to work the fields.
• When winter arrived, Li Ping'an fished from a boat he had rowed from Beyond the Pass into the lands within, while Old Ox dozed beside him.

Li Ping'an took two scholars aboard his boat for a trip to Jiangdu Weir, while Monk Changqing continued recovering in the cabin. When Old Liu reacted with concern to the destination and tried to draw Li Ping'an aside, the reason for his warning remained unclear.

• Li Ping'an ran short of money, brought his boat to shore, and agreed to take Zhang Juhe and his companion to Jiangdu Weir.
• The scholars found Monk Changqing resting in the cabin, and Zhang Juhe worried about failing his examination.
• Li Ping'an made tea while his ox paddled the boat, astonishing the two scholars.
• Old Liu greeted Li Ping'an, reacted uneasily to the destination, and asked him to come aboard for the drunken crab.

Li Ping'an ignored warnings about the Spring Fish Gang and took Zhang Juhe and Geng Liancheng into Jiangdu Weir, where the gang’s supposed river god attacked their boat. As the scholars panicked, Li Ping'an calmly took out his Wine Gourd to negotiate with the water monster.

• Old Liu warned Li Ping'an that Jiangdu Weir belonged to the Spring Fish Gang, but Li Ping'an continued because he had already taken passengers.
• Li Ping'an shared Drunken Crab with Zhang Juhe and Geng Liancheng as Old Ox carried them swiftly toward Jiangdu Weir.
• Zhao San and the Spring Fish Gang stopped Li Ping'an’s boat, threatened him with a river god, and offered their boats for a fee.
• Li Ping'an refused the gang’s offer and entered Jiangdu Weir, where the current suddenly turned violent and a pale shape moved beneath the water.
• Li Ping'an reasoned that the Spring Fish Gang was using a water monster to threaten boatmen and took out his Wine Gourd to try to talk it into letting them go.

After water monsters capsized Li Ping'an’s boat, Zhang Juhe and Geng Liancheng woke safely on the riverbank with no memory of how they got there. Three months later, Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing arrived in Five Mausoleums, where they heard about the coming Demon-Slaying Assembly and its favored competitors.

• Li Ping'an hauled a water monster onto the boat, but a second monster emerged and snapped the boat in half, sending Zhang Juhe and Geng Liancheng into the river.
• Zhang Juhe and Geng Liancheng woke at Jiangdu Weir, dry and unharmed, and Zhang Juhe wondered whether the encounter had been a dream.
• Li Ping'an mourned his lost boat as he and Old Ox continued toward Five Mausoleums for the Demon-Slaying Assembly.
• Three months later, Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing entered a teahouse in Five Mausoleums and heard patrons discuss the assembly’s participants, prizes, and betting favorites.
• Li Ping'an reacted to hearing that Monk Changqing was the Buddhist Sect’s holy disciple, while Monk Changqing wondered whether it was time for a bath.

Li Ping'an watched cultivators and familiar faces gather outside Wuling Valley, including people whose paths he had helped shape. As more old companions arrived, he reflected on how much they had changed while he and Old Ox remained unnoticed in the crowd.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox arrived at Wuling Valley, where hundreds of cultivators had gathered outside its Mountain Gate.
• Master Zhong led Huailu Academy's party, including Jing Yu, Zhao Ling'er, Aliya, and Pang Jun, while Changqing joined the monks accompanying Master Fahui.
• The old Celestial Master of Dragon-Tiger Mountain arrived with Qin Shi, and Yan Shisan and Yan Jingyang came with their family.
• Old Mo arrived with his disciple Wang Yi, who looked forward to reuniting with Zhao Ling'er, Aliya, and Pang Jun.
• Li Ping'an listened to the crowd discuss his familiar companions and reflected on how they had grown before quietly stroking Old Ox's head.