Recaps

The Nine Profound Cave Master betrayed Shushan, killed Zhong Wenchang, and led his disciples through Horn Prison’s defenses. Their assault reached the prison, where they killed two disciples as Old Zhou tried to warn the others.

• Zhong Wenchang learned that the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable and a dozen seventh-rank cultivators were attacking Shushan.
• The Nine Profound Cave Master secretly struck Zhong Wenchang and sent his disciples to attack the sword towers.
• Zhong Wenchang used his soul’s destruction to send a warning to Main Peak, exposing the Nine Profound Cave Master’s betrayal.
• The Nine Profound Cave Master’s group breached the prison’s final defense and entered the prison.
• Old Zhou sensed the intruders’ killing intent, but they killed two prison disciples before he could stop them.

Li Ping'an defended the A-Class Prison Zone after intruders breached the sword tower and overran the other prison zones, using poison traps and formations to stop their advance. Zhang Xu headed toward A-Class after losing contact with his forces, while Old Zhou and the others waited in the safe zone, fearing Li Ping'an was facing the enemy alone.

• Old Zhou ordered the prison disciples to retreat to the A-Class Prison Zone on Li Ping'an's instructions as intruders seized the B, C, and D zones.
• Li Ping'an's poison formation incapacitated three intruders approaching A-Class.
• Li Ping'an used traps and formations to destroy enemy groups coming through the C- and B-Class zones, with Run Tu activating a composite formation.
• Li Yanluo praised Run Tu's formation skills, and Run Tu explained that he and his brothers had developed the composite formation.
• After the auras of his men vanished, Zhang Xu set out for the A-Class Prison Zone.
• Old Zhou and the other disciples hid in the A-Class Safe Zone and worried that Li Ping'an was holding off the enemy alone.

Li Ping'an and Run Tu used poison and illusion formations to slow Zhang Xu, who broke through them and nearly overwhelmed Run Tu. Li Ping'an then killed Zhang Xu with a rapid saber attack and prepared for more opponents.

• Old Zhou and the others admitted they could only rely on Li Ping'an to protect them.
• Zhang Xu entered the formations, where Run Tu controlled poison weapons and an Eight Trigrams formation to confound him.
• Zhang Xu forced his way through several formations as Run Tu broke through during the battle, then collapsed from the strain.
• Li Ping'an used silver needles to stabilize Run Tu while Old Ox caught him.
• Zhang Xu charged at Li Ping'an, but Li Ping'an struck him with a rapid series of saber blows that pierced his defenses and killed him.

Li Ping'an held cell block A against the prisoners who had escaped from the other blocks, killing the first group that charged him. He then used his sword to suppress Song Zhongzhi, who challenged him, leaving Song Zhongzhi badly wounded on the ground.

• Prisoners broke out of cell blocks B, C, and D and moved toward cell block A, while Old Zhou and the other disciples feared they would be overwhelmed.
• Li Ping'an counted twenty-seven approaching prisoners, prepared his saber, and ignored Li Yanluo's repeated warnings to flee.
• Li Ping'an killed more than twenty prisoners with his saber and magical weapons, causing the survivors to retreat.
• Song Zhongzhi stepped forward to challenge Li Ping'an after striking down a prisoner who had refused to fight.
• Li Ping'an summoned his sword and suppressed Song Zhongzhi's qi until Song Zhongzhi spat blood and collapsed.

Li Ping'an killed Song Zhongzhi and helped keep Jia Prison District from being overrun, while the Nine Profound Cave Master withdrew after sensing Shushan's reinforcements. Elder Zhang arrived to find the surviving jailers and Li Ping'an alive amid the aftermath.

• Li Ping'an defeated and killed Song Zhongzhi with his sword, then revealed he was the Chief Senior Disciple of Shushan's Heaven-Reaching Peak.
• The Nine Profound Cave Master realized his two disciples were dead and sensed Shushan's reinforcements, so Li Ping'an was relieved when he left.
• Elder Zhang arrived with reinforcements and found Jia Prison District largely intact, with escaped inmates but many dead prisoners, jailers, and Nine Profound Grotto disciples.
• Old Zhou told Elder Zhang that Junior Brother Li Ping'an had been responsible for their survival.
• Li Yanluo brooded in his cell as Li Ping'an ate with Old Ox and Run Tu, and Li Ping'an advised them to rest.
• Elder Zhang found Li Ping'an sitting between Old Ox and Run Tu amid the bodies, and Li Ping'an politely greeted him.

After Shushan survived an attack from within and without, Li Ping'an returned to Heaven-Reaching Peak and visited the imprisoned Lin Xue. Lin Xue later died in prison, and Li Ping'an buried her on the peak before carrying on with Old Ox and Run Tu.

• Shushan defeated its external enemies and quelled the internal unrest, then held a funeral for the disciples who had died.
• Liu Zongcheng reported that Li Ping'an had warned him of trouble, earning Li Ping'an another commendation and unwanted fame.
• After Qingfeng returned, Li Ping'an left his jailer post and went back to Heaven-Reaching Peak with Old Ox and Run Tu.
• Li Ping'an visited Lin Xue in Neck Prison, shared food with her, and told her about events outside Shushan.
• Two months later, Lin Xue died in prison, and Li Ping'an buried her on Heaven-Reaching Peak with Old Ox and Run Tu.

Li Ping'an spent a leisurely stretch at Heaven-Reaching Peak until returning disciples revealed the war’s horrific casualties and Shushan’s troop rotation. He learned his name was on the third combat roster, while Situ Lei fainted after seeing his own name there.

• Li Ping'an relaxed at Heaven-Reaching Peak, leaving his rebuilding plan mostly unwritten and telling Run Tu they would travel again after the fighting settled.
• Li Ping'an welcomed the returning disciples, but learned Liu Er Dog had remained at the front because of his battlefield performance.
• The returning disciples described devastating casualties, including the Battle of Six Yang Horses, and one traumatized disciple was taken away by duty disciples.
• Shushan sent its largest group of disciples north as another group returned, and Li Ping'an realized the rotations were training cultivators through combat.
• Li Ping'an found his name on the third combat roster, and Situ Lei collapsed after discovering his own name was listed too.
• Situ Lei awoke in a pavilion and asked whether the news had been a dream, but Li Ping'an told him it was real.

Li Ping'an left Shushan with Old Ox to travel instead of joining the northern campaign, then arrived in drought-stricken Yuanxi Town and decided to seek the City God’s help in bringing rain. After he politely offered incense at the City God Temple, the sleeping City God suddenly spat blood.

• Qingfeng ordered Run Tu to stay at Shushan and told Li Ping'an to travel rather than go to war, so Li Ping'an left with Old Ox after the third group of disciples departed north.
• In Yuanxi Town, Li Ping'an saw villagers sun-drying the Dragon King to pray for rain but initially chose not to interfere with the drought.
• A little girl gave Li Ping'an a copper coin, prompting him to decide to take on the challenge of helping the town.
• Li Ping'an used Aura Lock to find a Soul-Reaping Ghost and asked for an introduction to the City God, but the envoy refused and left with a soul.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox went to the City God Temple, where Li Ping'an offered incense and requested an audience with the City God.
• In the Underworld, the sleeping City God suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Li Ping'an met City God Lu Youjie to ask about the drought afflicting Yuanxi Town and learned that a Drought Demon was devastating the region. He asked the City God to fill out and stamp a merit form before they had even found the demon, leaving the City God bewildered and conflicted.

• The injured City God Lu Youjie rushed out to meet Li Ping'an, who had been waiting outside the temple with Old Ox.
• Li Ping'an introduced himself as a Shushan disciple and asked Lu Youjie about the drought in Yuanxi Town.
• Lu Youjie explained that a Drought Demon had caused drought across the region and was difficult to locate, while many cultivators were away at war.
• Li Ping'an said they should find the Drought Demon and handed Lu Youjie a form to record and assess his supposed meritorious service.
• Lu Youjie realized Li Ping'an only wanted paperwork claiming credit for helping apprehend the demon and struggled with whether to comply.

Li Ping'an obtained the City God's stamped training report, then found and defeated the Drought Demon before leaving Yuanxi Town with Old Ox. After three days of rain, they were swept up in an army marching north, unsure where the road would take them.

• The City God signed Li Ping'an's training report, stamped it with his Dharma Seal, and accepted a mouthful of wine from Li Ping'an.
• Li Ping'an used his Dharma Eye to locate the Drought Demon underground and drew it out near Yuanxi Town.
• Li Ping'an attacked the Drought Demon with sword techniques and a Fusang Saber strike, driving it back before collecting his report and departing with Old Ox.
• The City God thanked Li Ping'an, then realized Li Ping'an had earlier tried to reach him through the soul-reaping ghost.
• Heavy rain fell across Yuanxi Town and nearby counties for three days, while the City God watched the townspeople celebrate in disguise.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox joined a procession of displaced people heading north after an army swept them up along the roadside.

Li Ping'an traveled with the troops, gained insight into opening the heavenly drum, and protected Datou from Old Wolf. As the army approached the front, Li Ping'an felt his breakthrough was near.

• Li Ping'an traveled with the troops for over a month, keeping records and gaining a junior commander's position while seeking insight.
• Old Wolf bullied Datou and took the keepsake his mother had left him, so Li Ping'an told Old Wolf to return it.
• Old Wolf challenged Li Ping'an to fight with real weapons, but Li Ping'an disarmed him and struck his ankle with a bamboo pole.
• Old Wolf returned Datou's keepsake and stopped troubling him and Li Ping'an.
• Li Ping'an continued seeking insight and felt that opening the heavenly drum was close, while Old Ox said the troops were a little over a month from the front.

After half a month of secluded cultivation buried underground, Li Ping'an returned to camp and took charge of the growing work of burying battlefield dead. As he settled back into army life, a distant explosion suggested cultivators had joined the battle.

• Li Ping'an cultivated underground for half a month and raised his Heavenly Drum progress to 10%.
• Old Ox and Li Ping'an returned to camp, where Datou was surprised to find Li Ping'an alive.
• As the fighting intensified, Li Ping'an organized several soldiers to collect and bury the growing number of corpses.
• Li Ping'an earned the soldiers' respect by keeping their work orderly and cooking meals with meat and seasonings from Old Ox's pocket.
• Datou asked Li Ping'an what the Jianghu was, and Li Ping'an offered a reflection before returning to his notebook.
• A rumble sounded from the distant battlefield, and Li Ping'an suspected cultivators had joined the fighting.

Li Ping'an learned campcraft and kept his ragtag army entertained while the fighting intensified around Wildman Slope. When winter came, his army joined two others in an ambush on an enemy supply route, and Li Ping'an charged into his first battle with Datou beside him.

• Li Ping'an watched reinforcements arrive and learned how to set up and defend a camp at Wildman Slope.
• Li Ping'an cooked flavorful meals and found games to entertain his fellow soldiers as the fighting grew more intense.
• Li Ping'an ran out of tea as winter arrived, then received orders to join a surprise attack on the enemy supply route.
• Li Ping'an reassured Datou and led Old Ox on the five-day march to the ambush site alongside two other armies.
• Li Ping'an told Datou to stay close as the enemy force arrived, and their rank charged into battle amid cannon fire and hail.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox survived a disastrous Great Sui ambush by killing the Great Yu cavalry commander and looting his belongings. Back in a cave, Li Ping'an learned that poison he had planted on the commander’s severed head might have struck another target.

• Great Yu’s Black-Armored Cavalry charged the scattered Great Sui troops and slaughtered many of them.
• Li Ping'an slipped through the battlefield and beheaded the tall cavalry commander, then escaped with Old Ox, who carried away the corpse.
• The battered Great Sui survivors regrouped in a cave, where Li Ping'an brewed tea from cakes looted from the dead commander and shared it with them.
• One-Eye examined his younger brother’s corpse, realized the blood on it was poisoned, and called for help.
• Li Ping'an wondered whether the poison had taken effect, and Old Ox praised his sneaky plan.

Li Ping'an sent Datou and the other soldiers toward camp while staying behind at a ruined temple to face One-Eye and his four companions. He revealed his strength by clashing with One-Eye, and their fight continued.

• Li Ping'an led a small group of Great Sui soldiers through the blizzard to a secluded ruined temple, where they warmed themselves and rested.
• One-Eye and four Red Swords tracked Li Ping'an to the temple, while Li Ping'an sensed their approach.
• Li Ping'an woke Datou and the others, gave them Old Ox's map and food, and told them to escape while he stayed behind.
• One-Eye and his companions let the soldiers flee, then entered the temple and confronted Li Ping'an.
• Li Ping'an struck One-Eye with a thunderous punch, and the two exchanged blows without either yielding.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox escaped One-Eye's forces, only to become lost behind enemy lines in Great Yu and repeatedly stumble into military camps. Their misadventures led Great Yu to believe a contingent of Great Sui Ambush Troops was operating in the area.

• Li Ping'an used the White Jade Capital to smash through One-Eye and four swordsmen, then fled with Old Ox as reinforcements arrived.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox hid in a cave on Great Yu territory, where they met a black bear who was Xiong Da's younger brother and shared his food.
• Li Ping'an cultivated overnight while Old Ox studied a map, and they set out west to escape.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox returned after accidentally reaching an enemy base, then tried another route through a Great Yu camp's formation and triggered its alarm.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox kept fleeing through Great Yu camps, and reports spread that Great Sui Ambush Troops were active behind enemy lines.

As enemies searched the mountains, Li Ping'an and Old Ox fled and ambushed two pursuers on a snowy night. They escaped the reinforcements, but a magic treasure reached Li Ping'an as Old Ox carried him into the forest.

• Black Bear studied the Nirvana Sutra that Li Ping'an had taught him while Li Ping'an remembered how Changqing's instruction had helped him suppress the Sharira's energy.
• Li Ping'an sensed enemy spiritual perceptions searching the mountains and hurried out with Old Ox, leaving Black Bear behind.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox ambushed two men on the mountainside, killing the tall, thin man and severely wounding the old man.
• Old Ox warned Li Ping'an that reinforcements were coming, and Li Ping'an escaped with him down the mountain as enemies pursued them.
• An enemy hurled a magic treasure at Li Ping'an, and two round beads reached within inches of his face.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox escaped a massive search and stumbled into an enemy Spirit Stone mine, where they tried to infiltrate it. Jing Yu also entered the mine on a mission and was exposed after Li Ping'an gave him a bogus password.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox fled through a day of fighting, rested in an abandoned village, and healed and ate while a search force expanded to twenty thousand people.
• Liu Yun learned that Great Yu was searching the mountains and sent Jing Yu and Huailu Academy disciples to destroy an enemy Spirit Stone mine.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox emerged near the Xieshan Spirit Mine, confirmed they were in Great Sui territory, and decided to infiltrate the mine.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox broke through the mine's formation, knocked out a Great Yu soldier, and took his uniform so Li Ping'an could gather information.
• Jing Yu approached disguised Li Ping'an and demanded the password, and Li Ping'an gave a ridiculous phrase that Jing Yu mistakenly accepted as correct.
• A patrol challenged Jing Yu, who repeated Li Ping'an's phrase and was declared a spy, then stared at Li Ping'an in confusion.

Jing Yu’s attempt to scout the Xieshan Spirit Mine ended in injury after he was given a false password, and he learned someone else had already destroyed the mine. Three months later, Li Ping'an traveled through the forest with Old Ox, satisfied that his raid had contributed to his country.

• Jing Yu was exposed while scouting, fought his way out, and fled from a large force of cultivators and martial artists.
• Three days later, Aliya told the injured Jing Yu that an unknown attacker had destroyed the Xieshan Spirit Mine and completed his mission.
• Jing Yu blamed the person who gave him the false password and the person who stole his mission, then wrote Li Ping'an an angry letter.
• Three months later, Li Ping'an rode Old Ox through a distant forest and reflected that destroying the spirit mine had made his battlefield trip worthwhile.

Li Ping'an reached Great Yu’s Capital City by mistake and settled in to observe the city while cultivating. Years later, news of Great Sui’s victory at the Battle of Guihua prompted him to reflect that the skies were about to change, and he set out with Old Ox to meet someone.

• Li Ping'an cultivated on Old Ox’s bamboo raft until his Turtle Breath Technique reached a new realm.
• Li Ping'an learned that Old Ox had brought him to Great Yu’s Capital City, chased the ox with a stool, then decided to stay and explore.
• Li Ping'an lived in the Capital City for years and recorded his arrival in his travel notebook as an intentional infiltration of the enemy camp.
• Great Sui defeated Great Yu at the Battle of Guihua after a vast, seven-day battle commanded by Empress Liu Yun.
• Li Ping'an recalled Liu Yun’s words, said the skies were about to change, and left with Old Ox to meet someone.

Li Ping'an tried to exchange over three thousand unprocessed Spirit Stones from a government-run mine through a Black Market merchant, but the merchant panicked when he recognized the official markings and drove him away. Li Ping'an and Old Ox considered returning to Great Sui, then decided they might refine the stones themselves.

• Li Ping'an met a Black Market merchant in Great Yu's Capital City and offered to trade his unprocessed Spirit Stones under the name Jing Yu.
• The merchant examined the stones and noticed official markings showing they came from a government-run spirit mine.
• Li Ping'an revealed he had three thousand Spirit Stones, and the terrified merchant refused the deal and hurried him out.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox ate mutton and discussed how the merchant's refusal made it unlikely anyone else would buy the stones.
• Li Ping'an considered returning to Great Sui but decided they might refine the Spirit Stones themselves.

Li Ping'an helped a struggling lamb-soup stallholder, then spent half a year studying pill refinement to remove impurities from Spirit Stones. His first attempt exploded, leaving him with a ruined roof and no idea what had gone wrong.

• Li Ping'an listened as Wang Lao'er described his hardships, then secretly left him money and altered the medicine for his sick wife.
• Wang Lao'er’s wife recovered over the following days, and Li Ping'an received a Benevolent Healer reward.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox gathered old pill-refining books and studied behind closed doors for half a year.
• Li Ping'an tried refining a Spirit Stone in a secondhand furnace, but the furnace exploded and the stone became entirely impurities.
• Li Ping'an wondered where he had gone wrong as he heard a crack beneath him.

Li Ping'an sought a dependable way to learn pill refining and traveled through a blizzard to become Fengyangzi's disciple. Fengyangzi praised Li Ping'an as a great talent but offered him a job sweeping floors instead, leaving Li Ping'an speechless.

• Li Ping'an's house collapsed during an experiment, so he and Old Ox left to look for a more reliable method.
• Wang Yushu traveled through the snow to meet Fengyangzi and saw Li Ping'an catch and replant a tree blown over by the wind.
• Wang Yushu met Li Ping'an, who said he had also come to learn pill refining.
• Fengyangzi accepted Wang Yushu as a disciple after learning he was Prince Jing'an's son.
• Fengyangzi called Li Ping'an a great talent but said he was better suited to sweeping floors.

Over three months, Li Ping'an learned from Fengyangzi while their school grew and its disciples came and went. When Great Sui's army attacked Guxiao Pass, Fengyangzi and his disciples went to war, leaving Li Ping'an and Old Ox behind.

• Fengyangzi traded lessons in pill refining and spirit medicines for installments of Li Ping'an's writing, while Li Ping'an and Old Ox recorded his knowledge and taught the new disciples to cook.
• Wang Yushu asked Li Ping'an whether he planned to stay at the school forever, then left to enlist as Great Sui's army advanced on Guxiao Pass.
• Great Yu's disciples answered the call to defend the country, and many, including Wang Yushu, died in battle.
• Fengyangzi mourned his disciples, accepted Li Ping'an as a nominal disciple, and left for the battlefield, declaring, "If the nation falls, there is only death!!"
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox remained at the school and decided to refine pills and record their experience.

As Great Sui’s forces captured Great Yu’s Guxiao Pass, Li Ping'an and Old Ox stayed secluded to study alchemy and produced their first improved pills. With the capital growing dangerous and Fengyangzi away at the battlefield, Li Ping'an ended the chapter drinking with Old Ox and wondering whether Great Sui would win.

• Great Sui’s army captured Guxiao Pass after Wen Yuan, Wen Wu, and the defenders of its strongholds died resisting.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox studied alchemy together, and Old Ox helped him tend the Pill Fire as he refined medicine.
• After three days of work, Li Ping'an and Old Ox produced pills with fewer impurities than his previous attempts.
• A young man came seeking Fengyangzi as a master, and Li Ping'an told him Fengyangzi had gone to the battlefield and offered to pass along his address.
• As unrest and attacks spread through the capital, Li Ping'an and Old Ox drank wine and ate roasted meat while Li Ping'an asked whether Great Sui would win.