Chapter Summaries

Princess Taiping told Lu Changfeng that the Visualization Diagram he sought was with Jiang Li, then proposed a wager of Go in which he could win an alternative diagram or owe her extra time and massages. Lu Changfeng accepted, while Taiping privately decided that simply keeping him at the board meant she had already won.

• Lu Changfeng emerged from the Ten Directions Secret Prison and joined Princess Taiping at the Golden Scale Pool Pavilion.
• Princess Taiping explained that [Shennong Tastes the Hundred Herbs] had been lent to Jiang Li, who had left to seek herbs and had not returned.
• Princess Taiping proposed Wager Chess: Lu Changfeng could win a valuable Visualization Diagram, while a loss would require him to spend extra time with her and serve as her massage physician.
• Lu Changfeng accepted the wager because he needed a Visualization Diagram to advance his cultivation.
• Princess Taiping privately resolved to keep playing and offering him valuable stakes until he grew accustomed to staying with her.

Lu Changfeng and Taiping tested each other’s skill in Go while discussing the threats surrounding her and the children. Lu Changfeng won by turning Taiping’s distraction against her, and she rewarded him with a painting to aid his cultivation.

• Taiping distracted Lu Changfeng by telling him that Anle, Shangguan Zhaorong, and Luo Qingge had sent invitations, and Lu Changfeng denied having romantic ties to them.
• Lu Changfeng and Taiping discussed the man in black’s accomplice and agreed that the conspirators were likely waiting for the Buddha-Bathing Festival to turn the conflict between Taiping and Wu Sansi to their advantage.
• Lu Changfeng reasoned that Taiping should remain patient, then used the Crown Prince’s involvement to distract her and break the eye of her great dragon on the Go board.
• Taiping acknowledged Lu Changfeng’s victory and gave him the Snowfield Mysterious Crane Painting to help him temper his divine sense and develop martial intents and a Dharma Form.

Lu Changfeng received a visualization painting from Taiping and decided to pursue a grandmaster breakthrough through Threefold Origin-Returning Qi. Meanwhile, Chen Jing'an stayed home with severe hives until a mysterious cloaked visitor found him and asked for a favor.

• Lu Changfeng accepted Taiping's visualization painting, and Taiping looked forward to winning their next match.
• Taiping welcomed news that Prince An Guo Xiang had come to visit.
• Lu Changfeng reflected on martial intent and chose Threefold Origin-Returning Qi as his path toward the grandmaster realm.
• Shen Jingwan told Lu Changfeng that Chen Jing'an had requested three days of leave because of severe hives, and Lu Changfeng approved it.
• A cloaked stranger arrived at Chen Jing'an's home with his official details and portrait, confirmed his identity, and asked him for a favor.

Lu Changfeng treated Jiang Mingwei’s tidal meridian erosion and earned the Flame Charm Art, then learned that Gao Jian’s former subordinates were probing the Spirit Pivot Institute. The chapter ended with Lu Changfeng choosing to stay vigilant rather than ask Princess Taiping to investigate.

• Lu Changfeng diagnosed Jiang Mingwei’s tidal meridian erosion and explained three possible treatments.
• Lu Changfeng used acupuncture and qi circulation to repair Jiang Mingwei’s meridians, curing his chronic illness and receiving the Flame Charm Art.
• Lu Changfeng gave Jiang Mingwei a prescription and instructed him to avoid strenuous qi circulation while he recovered.
• Jiang Mingwei warned Lu Changfeng that Gao Jian’s former subordinates were making unusual moves and had questioned him about Lu Changfeng and the Spirit Pivot Institute.
• Qing Dai offered to report Gao Jian to Princess Taiping, but Lu Changfeng declined and said they should stay vigilant themselves.

Lu Changfeng studied the Snowfield Mysterious Crane Painting and used its martial intent to refine his divine sense and Threefold Origin-Returning Qi, bringing him close to a grandmaster breakthrough. The next morning, he was summoned to the Spirit Pivot Institute after eight people, including Chen Jing'an, were poisoned, leaving him unsure who was behind the attack.

• Qing Dai tried to explain Jiang Mingwei's feelings, but Lu Changfeng dismissed the matter and turned his attention to the Snowfield Mysterious Crane Painting.
• Lu Changfeng entered the painting's harsh snowfield in spirit and gained insight into how wind, clouds, frost, and snow corresponded to his Three Supreme Arts.
• After two hours of tempering his divine sense and true qi, Lu Changfeng felt his path to the grandmaster realm had become clear and estimated he would break through within days.
• The next morning, Liu Mingyan reported that eight people, including Chen Jing'an, had developed identical strange gray markings and that Medical Supervisor Shen could not treat them.
• Lu Changfeng hurried toward the Spirit Pivot Institute and considered whether the Great Vehicle Sect, Wu Sansi's faction, or another enemy had targeted him.

Lu Changfeng diagnosed eight Spirit Pivot Institute patients with the Marrow-Drying Curse Seal and learned that a purple-robed man with a snake-headed staff had attacked them. He recognized the treatment as a trap aimed at exhausting him, but publicly vowed to save them and began moving the patients into the Quiet Chamber.

• Lu Changfeng arrived at the Spirit Pivot Institute and identified the spreading gray markings on the patients as the Marrow-Drying Curse Seal.
• Lu Changfeng protected Chen Jing'an's organs and questioned him, while Chen Jing'an, Cui Huan, and the other patients described being attacked by a purple-robed old man carrying a snake-headed staff.
• Year Baleful identified the suspected attacker as Yin Xuanhe, the Great Vehicle Sect's Netherworld Doctor, and warned Lu Changfeng that treating all eight patients could severely damage his foundations.
• Lu Changfeng realized the mass curse attack was designed to force him to choose between losing public trust and exhausting himself, but decided to play along.
• Lu Changfeng vowed to treat the patients regardless of the cost and ordered Qing Dai and Medical Supervisor Shen to move them into the Quiet Chamber.

Yin Xuanhe and Gao Jian planned to exhaust Lu Changfeng with eight poisoned patients before assassinating him. At Yao Light Hall, Princess Taiping realized that Lu Changfeng had not sought her help because he did not trust her, and she feared her past and reputation had put an insurmountable barrier between them.

• Yin Xuanhe told Gao Jian that the Marrow-Drying Curse Seal would drain Lu Changfeng’s strength as he treated eight patients, leaving him vulnerable to multiple assassins.
• Gao Jian watched toward the Princess’s Residence and anticipated Lu Changfeng’s death.
• After hearing that eight poisoned patients had besieged the Spirit Pivot Institute, Taiping questioned Jinghong about why Lu Changfeng had not informed her of the danger.
• Taiping accused Jinghong of hiding the truth, then concluded that Lu Changfeng did not trust her to help or handle the matter fairly.
• Taiping wondered whether Lu Changfeng saw her only as Princess Taiping Who Guards the Nation, and feared her past had prevented him from seeing Li Lingyue as a woman he could love.

Princess Taiping ordered an investigation into the Spirit Pivot Institute and resolved to pursue a closer relationship with Lu Changfeng. After secretly treating eight curse victims, Lu Changfeng exposed their hidden mind-control curse and countered their attack, then confronted the unseen mastermind.

• Princess Taiping ordered Jinghong to investigate the Spirit Pivot Institute, deliver Millennium Snow Jade Ginseng to Lu Changfeng, and prepare her private study for his visits.
• Lu Changfeng secretly removed the Marrow-Drying Curse Seals from eight patients while pretending the effort had nearly exhausted him.
• An unseen voice triggered a second curse that controlled the eight patients and sent them attacking Lu Changfeng.
• Lu Changfeng revealed he had been waiting for the ambush and blocked the attacks with his Threefold Origin-Returning Qi barrier.
• Lu Changfeng used Wind God Leg to pass the attackers and strike toward Zhao Zheng, demanding that the hidden mastermind reveal himself.

A half-human, half-snake monster emerged from Zhao Zheng's belt and tried to assassinate Lu Changfeng. Lu Changfeng subdued and captured it, leaving Zhao Lanjun and the others astonished by his strength.

• A half-human, half-snake monster burst from beneath Zhao Zheng's belt and attacked Lu Changfeng.
• Lu Changfeng evaded the monster's tail and fangs, then unleashed Threefold Origin-Returning Qi to smash it to the floor and badly wound it.
• The monster tried to escape through a broken window, but Lu Changfeng's Wind-Raising Sword pinned it to the wall.
• Lu Changfeng froze the monster's head with Heavenly Frost Fist and used Shennong Qi to neutralize the poison it had bitten into.
• Zhao Lanjun and the others watched in silence as Lu Changfeng subdued the monster without their help.

Lu Changfeng used the Flame Charm Art to uncover the plot behind the assassination attempt at the Spirit Pivot Institute, but insisted on corroborating his findings through proper procedures. Though Princess Taiping gave him full authority and sent him a rare ginseng, he remained wary of her intentions.

• Lu Changfeng used the Flame Charm Art to read the monster’s memories and learned that Yin Xuanhe and Gao Jian had arranged to kill him after his strength was spent.
• Lu Changfeng asked Qing Dai to summon the Inner Guard’s spellcraft experts and have Medical Supervisor Shen document the evidence.
• Zhao Lanjun arrived with Princess Taiping’s order granting Lu Changfeng authority to handle the case and directing the Plum Blossom Guards to help punish anyone implicated once the facts were verified.
• Lu Changfeng refused to rely on his own reading of the monster’s memories and insisted that other experts examine them before he named the mastermind.
• Zhao Lanjun gave Lu Changfeng the Millennium Snow Jade Ginseng and urged him to reconsider his assumptions about Princess Taiping, but he accepted the gift without responding to her hint.

After the Three Hibernation-Waking Signs confirmed Lu Changfeng’s evidence against Gao Jian and Yin Xuanhe, Lu led Zhao Lanjun and the Inner Guard to raid the Gao Residence. Yin Xuanhe and Gao Jian broke out of their underground chamber but were surrounded, and Yin took Gao hostage as Zhao’s forces refused to yield.

• The Three Hibernation-Waking Signs used mind-reading arts to confirm that Gao Jian and Yin Xuanhe had conspired to trap Lu Changfeng.
• Lu Changfeng ordered Zhao Lanjun, the Three Baleful Skeletons, and the Plum Blossom Guards to raid the Gao Residence.
• In the secret chamber, Yin Xuanhe and Gao Jian discussed their plans and waited for news of Lu’s death.
• A freezing attack struck the chamber, and Yin Xuanhe used Five Elements Rotation to break through the ceiling and escape with Gao Jian.
• Lu Changfeng’s forces surrounded Yin Xuanhe and Gao Jian in the courtyard, and Yin seized Gao as a hostage.
• Zhao Lanjun told Yin to kill Gao if he wished, leaving Gao stunned and demanding to see Princess Taiping.

Zhao Lanjun used heaven-and-human resonance to defeat Yin Xuanhe, while Lu Changfeng arranged to keep him alive for information about the Serpent Bone Arcane Art. After Zhao Lanjun executed Gao Jian, news of the battle reached Yang Kaitian, who reacted to Lu Changfeng’s name with murderous intent.

• Yin Xuanhe used the Serpent Bone Arcane Art to transform and flee, but Zhao Lanjun commanded the surrounding cold to freeze him in midair.
• At Lu Changfeng’s request, Zhao Lanjun spared Yin Xuanhe’s life but destroyed his dantian so he could be questioned about the Serpent Bone Arcane Art.
• Zhao Lanjun killed Gao Jian when he pleaded to see Her Highness, then ordered his death recorded as the result of resisting arrest.
• A breakfast-shop informant saw Lu Changfeng leave with Yin Xuanhe and sent a message by pigeon to Clear-Cool Mountain.
• Yang Kaitian read that the Netherworld Doctor had been defeated and narrowed his eyes at Lu Changfeng’s name as the Dragon-Soaring Sword hummed.

Lu Changfeng cured the eight people in the Quiet Chamber and confronted Yin Xuanhe in the Ten Directions Secret Prison to obtain the Serpent Bone Arcane Art. Yin Xuanhe finally began reciting its formulas under the torment of Blazing Wind.

• Lu Changfeng removed the Mind-Scrambling Curse Seals from the eight patients, who thanked him as he warned them to rest and recover.
• Lu Changfeng asked Shen Jingwan to oversee the Spirit Pivot Institute while he went to the Ten Directions Secret Prison.
• Lu Changfeng found Yin Xuanhe suffering from the activated Blazing Wind Gu and demanded the complete Serpent Bone Arcane Art.
• Yin Xuanhe pleaded for a quick death, but Lu Changfeng refused to bargain and insisted that he disclose the art.
• Yin Xuanhe's resistance broke, and he began reciting the Serpent Bone Arcane Art's cultivation method and formulas.

Lu Changfeng learned the Serpent Bone Arcane Art from Yin Xuanhe, cured him of the Blazing Wind Gu, and received the Heaven and Earth Great Shift. After leaving the secret prison, Lu Changfeng met Princess Taiping and tried to restore their relationship to a formal transaction by recommending lawful judgment for Gao Jian’s remaining followers and asking permission to seek medicinal ingredients.

• Yin Xuanhe divulged the Serpent Bone Arcane Art, and Lu Changfeng used the Crimson Flame Wyrm to remove the gu larvae from him.
• Lu Changfeng successfully treated Yin Xuanhe and gained the Heaven and Earth Great Shift, which strengthened him and sharpened his sensitivity to external forces.
• Yin Xuanhe asked how Lu Changfeng had survived the assassination plot, and Lu Changfeng said he had enough strength to stop Snake Slave even after facing twenty-eight attackers.
• Fu Rong escorted Lu Changfeng to Princess Taiping, where he passed Gao Jian’s bound confidants awaiting judgment.
• Princess Taiping asked Lu Changfeng how the prisoners should be dealt with, and he recommended investigating and punishing them according to law.
• Lu Changfeng asked Princess Taiping for permission to leave and gather medicinal ingredients for refining pills.

Princess Taiping turned Lu Changfeng’s attempt to leave into an official appointment that tied him to her residence, and he accepted the post. After he departed, she ordered harsh punishments for prisoners who had framed or attacked him.

• Princess Taiping questioned Lu Changfeng about wanting to leave, and he explained that he felt ashamed to accept rewards without merit.
• Taiping promoted Lu Changfeng to Pavilion Commander of the Plum Blossom Guards and Military Affairs Advisor, while requiring him to surrender seventy percent of the pills he produced.
• Lu Changfeng accepted the appointment and agreed to accompany Taiping to Famen Temple the next day to meet Master Sengjia.
• After Lu Changfeng left, Taiping ordered Fu Rong to sentence the prisoners according to law and increase the punishment for anyone who had framed or attacked him.

Lu Changfeng received an invitation from Luo Qingge to examine a hidden legacy at the Moon-Gathering Tower and went there with Qing Dai. Luo Qingge recognized him by the scent of her Rouge Balm and greeted him outside the tower.

• Lu Changfeng worked on adapting the Serpent Bone Arcane Art for the Blood Ape while Qing Dai cultivated the Ice Skin, Jade Bones Art.
• A clever myna named Ink Jade delivered Luo Qingge’s letter inviting Lu Changfeng to the Moon-Gathering Tower to explore a hidden legacy.
• Lu Changfeng decided to visit the Northern Quarter, and Qing Dai persuaded him to let her accompany him.
• Lu Changfeng and Qing Dai disguised themselves and traveled to the Moon-Gathering Tower.
• Luo Qingge, dressed as a young gentleman, recognized Lu Changfeng by the lingering scent of her Rouge Balm.

Luo Qingge showed Lu Changfeng the Heavenly Fowl Mysterious Music Casket, a legacy relic she had found with Mingxiao, and asked him to open it. When Lu Changfeng touched its markings, the casket revealed a complex, moving array whose mechanism depended on precise timing.

• Luo Qingge changed into her everyday appearance and teased Lu Changfeng about concealing his face, so he dispelled his disguise.
• Luo Qingge fed Ink Jade and told Lu Changfeng that the unusually intelligent bird was connected to a legacy she and Mingxiao found in the ghost market.
• Luo Qingge explained that the legacy included the Bird Observation and Feather Identification Art and a sealed box identified as the Heavenly Fowl Mysterious Music Casket.
• Luo Qingge asked Lu Changfeng to decipher the casket, which was said to contain the secret art Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens.
• Lu Changfeng touched a marking, causing the casket's symbols to shift into a complex array that he recognized would require exact timing to unlock.

Lu Changfeng and Luo Qingge opened the Heavenly Fowl Mysterious Music Casket and uncovered clues to the Bird-Speech Art on Mount Yangluo. Lu Changfeng said he could not leave Chang'an yet, while Luo Qingge vowed to wait for him, and Qing Dai listened outside with growing unease.

• Lu Changfeng used the Formation Disk’s rotations and the casket’s melody to open the box, revealing the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens cultivation method.
• Luo Qingge showed Lu Changfeng a second jade ring, and the two rings resonated to reveal a map of Mount Yangluo in Henei and clues to the Bird-Speech Art.
• Luo Qingge deduced that the Bird-Speech Art was an innate gift preserved in a mystic bone, and Lu Changfeng explained what mystic bones were.
• Luo Qingge asked to travel with Lu Changfeng to Mount Yangluo, but he said he could not leave Chang'an safely yet.
• Luo Qingge refused to go with Constable Yan and said she would wait for Lu Changfeng; outside the Cloud-Deep Pavilion, Qing Dai listened to them and grew uneasy.

Luo Qingge told Lu Changfeng how she acquired the jade ring and Heavenly Fowl Mysterious Music Casket, then asked him to guide her in Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens, and he agreed. After they spent two hours studying together, Lu Changfeng left Cloud-Deep Pavilion and found Qing Dai waiting outside, visibly hurt by how long he had stayed.

• Luo Qingge explained that she and Mingxiao found the treasures at Chang'an's Ghost Market after a group from Shanzhou uncovered an ancient tomb in unusual floods.
• Luo Qingge admitted that a Miao-clothed buyer had driven up the price, so she spent nearly all her money to secure the treasures.
• Lu Changfeng invited Luo Qingge to call him Changfeng, and he agreed to guide her in Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens when she asked.
• Lu Changfeng and Luo Qingge discussed the jade ring's musical martial arts for two hours and gained new insights from each other's knowledge.
• Lu Changfeng left because it was late, and Qing Dai turned to face him with a dark, agitated expression after waiting outside.

Luo Qingge resolved to master Bird-Speech Art and obtain the mystic bone in Henei Commandery so she could help Lu Changfeng escape the Princess of Zhen Guo's Residence. On the way back, Lu Changfeng overheard two Ultimate Bliss Cave disciples plotting to attack Luo Qingge and Yan Mingxiao, struck them down, and faced their counterattack.

• Luo Qingge watched Lu Changfeng leave and resolved to pursue Bird-Speech Art and the mystic bone in Henei Commandery without waiting for him.
• Qing Dai asked Lu Changfeng about Luo Qingge, but he stopped when he heard two men discussing their plan to abduct Luo Qingge and Yan Mingxiao and steal their box.
• Lu Changfeng recognized the men as disciples of Ultimate Bliss Cave and saw that they were carrying an Illusory Desire Immortal-Ensnaring Gu.
• Lu Changfeng ambushed the two disciples with Dark Clouds Blot Out the Sun, shattering their protective auras and knocking them down.
• The two disciples fought back with Ten Thousand Poisons Palm and a swarm of gu young directed at Lu Changfeng.