Chapter Summaries

Li Ping'an and Old Ox crossed the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, hunting wolves and enduring the difficult journey toward the Vast Sea. After Li Ping'an swallowed the Flood Dragon's gallbladder by a river near a village, a wary boy appeared from the forest.

• A village chief paid black-clad riders their annual tribute, and the riders demanded an even larger payment before leaving.
• A short boy urged the villagers to fight back, but the village chief sent everyone home and the villagers ignored him.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox traveled through the rain-soaked forest, and Old Ox chased off three wolves before they ate wolf meat.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox reached a river beside a large village, where Li Ping'an swallowed the Flood Dragon's gallbladder from his Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
• A boy emerged from the forest and watched Li Ping'an warily as he prepared to fish.

Li Ping'an reached a mountain village, enjoyed its peaceful scenery, and met the boy Yiha, who showed him the way there. As he wondered where to stay, he unexpectedly reunited with Monk Changqing on a bridge.

• Li Ping'an caught several fish and offered one to Yiha in exchange for directions to the village.
• Yiha told Li Ping'an that bandits had forced his family to give away their ox, and then led him to the village.
• Yiha introduced himself before leaving, while Li Ping'an wandered through the village and paid for wine with cloth after discovering its currency was unfamiliar.
• Li Ping'an climbed the village paths, reflected on his plans to stabilize the Mud Pellet, and encountered Monk Changqing on a bridge.
• Monk Changqing greeted Li Ping'an with a Buddhist saying.

Li Ping'an reunited with Monk Changqing and traveled with him through a village in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. After the pair settled beneath a bridge for the night, Li Ping'an rescued Yiha from a fall.

• Li Ping'an met Monk Changqing, learned he had been traveling and collecting alms, and agreed to accompany him.
• Li Ping'an played Erhu to help Changqing collect money, and they ate noodles in the village.
• Changqing told Li Ping'an the story of Blessed Protection Bridge, but revealed they would sleep beneath it.
• As Li Ping'an practiced opening his Mud Pellet, Yiha tried to stop children from bullying another child and fell from the bridge.
• Li Ping'an caught Yiha by the legs, and Yiha recognized him.

Li Ping'an learned about the Black Cavalry Gang's oppression of the stockades and met Yiha, who planned to fight the bandits. After seeing the gang's brutality and encountering its second-in-command Bai Yu, Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing continued their travels without conflict.

• Yiha brought Li Ping'an to his poor home after Li Ping'an helped him, then explained that the Black Cavalry Gang extorted the stockades and that only he and Le Huan remained in his father's patrol force.
• Yiha said he planned to use his bow against the bandits, and Li Ping'an praised his ambition.
• The Black Cavalry Gang massacred people in Shangyao Stockade, and its leader gave the residents three days to deliver everything demanded or face slaughter.
• Li Ping'an practiced the Turtle Breath Technique the next morning, then joined Monk Changqing and Old Ox on a walk to a waterfall outside the stockade.
• Bai Yu, the Black Cavalry Gang's second-in-command, apologized after his subordinate tried to drive Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing away, and the two parties parted without a fight.

Yiha tried to persuade the elders of his stockade to fight the Black Cavalry Gang, but they chose to flee to Shangfu instead. As the villagers packed to leave, Bai Yu and the gang prepared an ambush, while Li Ping'an had promised to help Yiha drive the bandits off if Yiha dared to fight.

• Bai Yu killed two men who ambushed him on the mountain and continued down the trail with his subordinates.
• The elders debated the Black Cavalry Gang’s threat to slaughter their stockade unless they handed over grain, and Yiha urged them to block the mountain roads and fight.
• The elders threw Yiha out, and he sought help from the villagers with Le Huan, but they refused to join him.
• Yiha’s grandfather beat him for defying the elders, and Li Ping'an offered to help drive off the gang if Yiha had the courage to fight.
• Two days later, most villagers prepared to flee to Shangfu, while Bai Yu and the gang chief planned a surprise attack.

As the Stronghold fled the Black Cavalry Gang, Yiha stayed behind to divert the river and buy time, but Le Huan stumbled into the gang’s path. Yiha revealed himself to protect Le Huan and faced the riders, leaving their confrontation unresolved as arrows flew toward them.

• The Stronghold’s people left under the old stronghold chief, and Le Huan searched for his missing boss.
• Yiha tried to divert the river alone, then hid when he heard the Black Cavalry Gang approaching.
• Le Huan ran into the riders and refused to back down, but they prepared to shoot him.
• Yiha emerged and declared himself the new commander of the Patrol Team, challenging the Black Cavalry Gang to reach the Stronghold only over his dead body.
• Le Huan urged Yiha to fight alongside him, and Yiha shoved him aside as arrows flew toward them and a blade flashed.

Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing saved Yiha and Le Huan by defeating the Black Cavalry Gang, then set off again after escorting the children down the mountain. Before parting, Li Ping'an told Yiha that life’s first hurdle was the hardest, leaving Changqing pondering his words.

• Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing appeared beside Yiha and confronted the Black Cavalry Gang.
• Li Ping'an cut down the charging gang members with a devastating saber strike, while Monk Changqing defeated those who attacked him.
• Bai Yu used a fan to unleash a fierce gale, then tried to escape on horseback with a swift-travel talisman, but Li Ping'an’s Hiltless Flying Sword struck him down.
• Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing walked Yiha and Le Huan down the mountain and declined Yiha’s invitation to stay.
• Li Ping'an told Yiha that the first hurdle in life was the hardest, tapped him between the brows, and said they might meet again if fate allowed.
• Monk Changqing silently repeated Li Ping'an’s words and looked at him in surprise.

Li Ping'an, Monk Changqing, and Old Ox traveled through the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where Li Ping'an advanced his cultivation and the companions climbed a sheer peak. Zhang Song crossed the mountains on his own and was unexpectedly drenched by Monk Changqing's piss.

• Li Ping'an meditated in the mountains and advanced his Turtle Breath Technique from 93% to 94%.
• Monk Changqing praised Li Ping'an's insight while Old Ox stopped him from stealing flatbread.
• Li Ping'an, Monk Changqing, and Old Ox sheltered from the rain in a cave and shared tea as Li Ping'an posed Changqing an impossible choice.
• Li Ping'an carried Old Ox up a sheer cliff, and the three watched the sunset from the summit.
• Monk Changqing demonstrated how to piss farther, spraying Zhang Song, who was crossing the mountain below and realized what had happened.

Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing stopped at a mysterious mountain inn, where they shared a meal with a penniless man waiting to kill someone. Zhang Song and an arrogant brocade-clad young master arrived, and the young master ordered Zhang Song to leave.

• Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing entered There Is an Inn and paid for food with the remaining cloth they had received from Scarface.
• Li Ping'an invited a purple-faced man to share their table after learning he had run out of money, and the man said he had come to kill someone.
• Zhang Song arrived and ordered the inn's best wine and dishes.
• A brocade-clad young master drove the other guests away by insulting and intimidating them, then threw the proprietress high-grade spirit stones as compensation.
• The brocade-clad young master walked up to Zhang Song and coldly ordered him to leave, but Zhang Song appeared unafraid.

Li Ping'an witnessed a powerful Martial Warrior kill Li Ziao, making him confront how weak he was and resolve to cultivate quietly. Before he and Changqing could leave, the inn's proprietress summoned Changqing, and Li Ping'an found him under her influence, embracing and kissing a stool.

• Zhang Song obeyed Li Ziao's order to leave the inn's table, while Li Ping'an stayed to eat.
• The purple-faced man challenged Li Ziao and killed him with two punches, leaving the distant mountain peak battered by their battle.
• Li Ping'an lay awake reflecting on his weakness, then cultivated through the night and decided to avoid unnecessary confrontations.
• The proprietress summoned Changqing alone, and he went to meet her despite Li Ping'an's suspicions.
• The proprietress tried to seduce Changqing, but a golden manifestation of an old monk intervened and challenged her to spare his disciple.
• Li Ping'an entered the room and found Changqing hugging and kissing a stool, promising to take responsibility for it.

Li Ping'an, Monk Changqing, and Old Ox reached the Vast Sea but struggled to find a ship to Cloud Province. After half a month of waiting, Li Ping'an found a newspaper notice seeking companions for the journey, and he and Old Ox went to meet its author.

• Li Ping'an and Monk Changqing ate loach noodles in Shayu County, then learned about the Sea Sacrifice Festival and watched fishing boats head out to sea.
• Li Ping'an and Changqing searched for a ship to Cloud Province for several days, but found none, and Changqing grew restless while Li Ping'an remained calm.
• Changqing told Li Ping'an that his composure made him realize his own cultivation still fell short.
• Li Ping'an bought a tabloid and had Old Ox read it aloud, discovering a notice from someone seeking companions to travel to Cloud Province.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox left to find the person who had placed the notice, while the vendor realized that the ox could read.

Li Ping'an persuaded Zhou Youcai to accept him as a companion on his voyage by explaining that exploration was about the journey and the people and growth it brought. Zhou Youcai agreed to take Li Ping'an and Changqing across the sea to Cloud Province, though Changqing ended the night without the silver Zhou had offered him.

• Zhou Youcai rejected applicants who could not explain the meaning of exploration, while his steward turned Li Ping'an away because he was blind.
• Zhou Youcai offered to give Li Ping'an money and send him away, but Li Ping'an said he had traveled from Great Sui and asked to answer Zhou Youcai's question.
• Li Ping'an said exploration had no meaning in itself and spoke about adventure, courage, and moving forward, impressing Zhou Youcai.
• Zhou Youcai welcomed Li Ping'an into the expedition and drank with him.
• Li Ping'an introduced Zhou Youcai to Changqing and said Zhou could take them across the sea to Cloud Province.
• Zhou Youcai offered Changqing a chest of silver, but when Changqing hesitated, Zhou ordered the servant to take it away.

While staying with Zhou Youcai, Li Ping'an discovered that he could absorb Spirit Stones and turn their energy into strength, apparently nourishing his Mud Pellet. As Zhou Youcai prepared to travel to Cloud Province, Wen Tao and Zhang Song joined the group, leaving the journey set to begin with several familiar companions.

• Zhou Youcai explained that Spirit Stones sustained his health, and Li Ping'an absorbed one by touch despite not being a cultivator.
• Li Ping'an borrowed a bag of Spirit Stones from Zhou Youcai and discovered that he could absorb their energy into his Mud Pellet, then returned the drained stones.
• The next morning, Zhou Youcai took Li Ping'an and Changqing to see their ship, where they encountered Wen Tao seeking to join the trip to Cloud Province.
• Li Ping'an persuaded Zhou Youcai to let Wen Tao travel with them, and Wen Tao offered to repay the favors Li Ping'an had shown him.
• Zhang Song arrived and asked to join the journey, claiming he would protect the group.

Li Ping'an traveled by ship toward Demon-Suppressing Pass with Zhou Youcai, Zhang Song, and Wen Tao, passing a quiet half-month at sea. After the ship struck a fog-hidden island, the group went ashore, and Li Ping'an asked Wen Tao to spar so he could test his strength.

• Zhou Youcai bid farewell to his father as the great ship set sail, and Li Ping'an learned that he and Zhang Song were both bound for Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• Zhang Song explained that the wealthy Zhou Family descended from the renowned God of Wealth, while Zhou Youcai revealed he had thirty storage bags full of supplies.
• After half a month without incident, Zhang Song complained of boredom, and the ship struck an island hidden in thick fog.
• Zhou Youcai chose to stay on the island for a few days, while Zhang Song went off exploring and Wen Tao practiced the Sky-Supporting Fist.
• Li Ping'an declined Wen Tao's invitation to join the Shijun Sect and asked him to spar.

Li Ping'an sparred with Wen Tao and endured a fight that left him exhausted, then recovered overnight and explored the island with his companions. As the age of great contention unfolded across the Nine Provinces, Li Ping'an remained focused on their northward journey and wondered when the Vast Sea would end.

• Li Ping'an asked Wen Tao to suppress his strength to second rank, then fought him until Wen Tao raised his strength to third rank and defeated him.
• After resting overnight and recovering some strength, Li Ping'an asked Wen Tao to spar again.
• Li Ping'an, Wen Tao, Zhou Youcai, Changqing, and Old Ox explored the island, where Wen Tao killed a wild boar for dinner.
• Changqing drank soup made from wild vegetables and collapsed after poisoning himself, while Wen Tao said he would recover after sleeping.
• Li Ping'an reflected on the turmoil spreading across the Nine Provinces, then went to sleep and wondered when the Vast Sea would end.

Li Ping'an declined to enter a dangerous cave, then urged the desperate Lord of the Land to gamble on its treasure. After a divination showed grave misfortune, the Lord of the Land found Li Ping'an's coin had changed the reading and flew off to break the formation.

• Old Ox led Li Ping'an to a cave with a warning stele, but Li Ping'an left after his coin landed upright.
• The Lord of the Land told Li Ping'an that a fallen dynasty and vanished island had left him stranded without incense power, and he sought a chance to survive.
• Li Ping'an revealed that a treasure lay behind a Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation and challenged the Lord of the Land to risk his life for hope.
• The Lord of the Land cast his daily divination and saw grave misfortune, then noticed Li Ping'an's coin had transformed the reading into a chance to turn misfortune into good fortune.
• Liu Kan thanked Li Ping'an and flew off to break the formation.

Li Ping'an and his companions sailed on after leaving the island, where Liu Kan discovered that the Wolf Demon had been killed by a sword strike. As a storm battered Zhou Youcai's ship, Old Ox warned that it would explode, but the ship blew up before Li Ping'an could act.

• Zhang Song boasted that he had slain several Sword Cultivators, but Monk Changqing exposed his story as an exaggeration about a Demon Wolf.
• Two months after Li Ping'an and the others left, Liu Kan thanked Li Ping'an, then found the Wolf Demon's decapitated corpse and traces of Sword Qi.
• Zhang Song asked Li Ping'an to teach him the erhu, while Zhou Youcai challenged Li Ping'an to a game and overturned the board after losing.
• A violent storm battered Zhou Youcai's ship for two days as Changqing clung to Old Ox and the passengers struggled to stay upright.
• The steward planted gunpowder in the ship's bottom, and Old Ox warned Li Ping'an that the ship would explode, but it blew up moments later.

An explosion destroyed the ship and threw Li Ping'an, Old Ox, Zhou Youcai, and Wen Tao into a violent sea. Li Ping'an used his brush to calm the storm, and the survivors reached a small island, where they learned the ship had been deliberately blown up and most of the passengers were likely dead.

• An explosion sank the ship, and Li Ping'an surfaced with Old Ox while Zhou Youcai struggled in the waves and Wen Tao fought the storm with his fists.
• Li Ping'an used the Knight-Errant Brush and three characters reading “Halt” to unleash One Stroke Determines Heaven and Earth, stopping the wind and waves.
• Wen Tao carried Li Ping'an, Old Ox, and Zhou Youcai to a nearby island, where Li Ping'an recovered using the Turtle Breath Technique.
• Wen Tao returned with a chest of cured meat and reported finding one dead survivor, while the ship’s other passengers remained missing.
• Li Ping'an told Zhou Youcai that someone had blown up the ship to harm him, then urged him to focus on what they should do next.

Li Ping'an and his companions built a raft from three dugout canoes and set out across the Vast Sea toward Cloud Province. After meeting the old turtle Qiheng and sharing his wine, Li Ping'an gained a guide who pulled the boats toward their destination.

• Li Ping'an, Zhou Youcai, Wen Tao, and Old Ox gathered supplies and spent seven or eight days building and preparing three joined dugout canoes.
• The four companions set out across the Vast Sea, with Wen Tao sometimes pulling the boats while standing on the water.
• Old turtle Qiheng approached the boats, attracted by the wine, but fled when he saw Li Ping'an's Knight-Errant Brush.
• Li Ping'an shared wine with Qiheng, who introduced himself and grew familiar with the group.
• Qiheng fastened the boats' rope to himself and began towing them toward Cloud Province, making their journey several times faster.

Li Ping'an and his companions completed their sea journey to Cloud Province after days of cultivation and sparring. As they parted from the old turtle, Li Ping'an secretly left it a precious snake gallstone, and the grateful turtle wished they would meet again.

• Li Ping'an practiced controlling Fine Rain, which caught a large fish for their meal, while Wen Tao and Li Ping'an sparred on the sea.
• The group watched countless white-robed cultivators fly past on swords, and Zhou Youcai wondered when he would be like them.
• Li Ping'an spent the voyage cultivating and jokingly used his supposed ultimate techniques, Reverse Yin and Yang and Time Reversal, to undo Zhou Youcai's overturned game board.
• The old turtle brought the group to Cloud Province a day early, and Zhou Youcai celebrated their arrival after the difficult journey.
• Zhou Youcai offered the old turtle his bracelet, but the turtle refused; after Li Ping'an and the others left, it found the snake gallstone he had secretly left behind.
• Li Ping'an revealed that he had kept six of the nine snake gallstones taken from Flood Dragon Tong Zisheng.