Recaps

Li Junzi accepted a brush associated with the Second Sage and wrote advice for students before deciding to travel the world. As she prepared to leave, Lin Luoyu and Yuyang Daozi gave her protective gifts, while Chu Xingchen hinted that he wanted another favor from Yuyang Daozi.

• Li Junzi took the battered brush, sensed the Second Sage’s scholarly energy, and wrote “read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles” on a sheet of paper.
• Chen Wenqian admired Li Junzi as she left the Scholarly Debate without claiming Junzi Mountain’s treasured brush.
• Li Junzi told Lin Luoyu that she intended to travel wherever the road took her, and Lin Luoyu fastened a protective jade bracelet around her wrist.
• Yuyang Daozi reflected on his pleasant stay, while Chu Xingchen persuaded him to provide Li Junzi with another protective treasure.
• Yuyang Daozi passed Chu Xingchen a wooden box, and Chu Xingchen asked whether he had heard of a Face Token.

Chu Xingchen borrowed Yuyang Daozi’s personal token as a convincing calling card, then returned to Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge with his disciples and gifts for Li Yingling. Li Yingling welcomed him back and quickly softened her complaints about managing the sect.

• Chu Xingchen explained that he wanted a token to help establish his identity, and Yuyang Daozi gave him a jade token bearing his name.
• Li Yingling asked Zhang Miaoyu for news from her master and received a letter from Junzi Mountain.
• Chu Xingchen arrived at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge with his disciples and praised Li Yingling for managing the sect.
• Chu Xingchen gave Li Yingling expensive jewelry, and she stopped complaining about his absence.
• Chen Baiqing watched the exchange and thought that Master really had the touch, while Cui Hao rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Chu Xingchen toured the developing sect with his disciples and discovered that Cui Hao had designed a house with a retractable mechanical roof for Sandong. The demonstration left everyone bewildered, and Chu Xingchen praised Cui Hao’s talent as the tour ended.

• Chu Xingchen enjoyed seeing Li Yingling pleased with the gifts he had given her and decided to inspect the sect she had been managing.
• Li Yingling led Chu Xingchen and the others around the construction site, showing them the developing buildings and the flower garden.
• Li Yingling credited Cui Hao with designing distinctive buildings and pointed out Sandong’s unusual house.
• Sandong demonstrated how its jade token made the house’s mechanical roof open and close, leaving Chu Xingchen and the others stunned.
• Chu Xingchen patted Cui Hao on the shoulder and told him he had real talent.

Cui Hao’s design for Sandong’s house won the group’s applause, and Chu Xingchen later reunited with Li Xingtian while visiting the unfinished sect at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge. At the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, Chu Xingchen arrived as Bai Xuanling teased Xie Lingyu about having a sweetheart, leaving Xie Lingyu and Chu Xingchen greeting each other warmly.

• Chu Xingchen, Li Yingling, Chen Baiqing, and Sandong applauded Cui Hao’s design, while Lin Luoyu and Yuyang Daozi stayed quiet.
• Sandong remained behind to decorate its new house, and Yuyang Daozi questioned Chu Xingchen about the sparse Spiritual Power at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge.
• Chu Xingchen met Li Xingtian near the Main Hall, and Li Xingtian assured him that everything in the sect was going smoothly.
• At the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, Xie Lingyu visited Bai Xuanling, who teased her about having a sweetheart while Yan Yun listened.
• Chu Xingchen entered and greeted Xie Lingyu, who stood and replied warmly as Bai Xuanling and Yan Yun watched.

Chu Xingchen reunited with Xie Lingyu at the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, where they spoke about ordinary matters and the house he had arranged for her at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge. Lü Xuan still believed Yan Yun needed to prepare seriously for the upcoming match, while Xie Lingyu agreed to inspect her new house when she had time.

• Xie Lingyu told Chu Xingchen she had gone into seclusion after a flash of inspiration, while Bai Xuanling mocked her and left the courtyard.
• Yan Yun joined Bai Xuanling outside, and Lü Xuan arrived asking whether Chu Xingchen had returned.
• Lü Xuan went inside to see Chu Xingchen but soon came back out, claiming he had left because Chu Xingchen had flattered him too much.
• Lü Xuan urged Yan Yun to show her strength in the approaching match, without telling her that the arrangements had changed after Chu Xingchen's victory.
• Chu Xingchen told Xie Lingyu he had arranged a house for her at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge, and she said she would go take a look when she had time.

Yan Yun attacked Xu Jin with full force in their sparring match, forcing him to respond in kind. Meanwhile, Li Moze rejected Luo Yue’s request to honor the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect’s ancient promise, leaving the frail fairy with no apparent recourse.

• Xu Jin expected a perfunctory match, but Yan Yun rushed him with a star-powered killing strike as soon as the bell rang.
• Xu Jin was driven backward by Yan Yun’s opening attack and raised his Spirit Treasure longsword to meet her continued assault.
• Lü Xuan and the others continued negotiations in the council hall while Luo Yue reflected on how others had acted on its behalf.
• Li Moze told Luo Yue that the sect’s records contained no proof of its promised fallback arrangement and said the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect could not grant its request.
• Luo Yue accepted the rejection with dejection, aware that its weakness left it unable to fight for its people’s homeland.

Chu Xingchen proposed a system for the Fairies’ Homeland that balanced Fairy self-government with human access and support from the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect and the Heavenly Derivation Sect. The leaders considered his plan, but the chapter ended before they responded.

• Li Moze offered the Fairies a homeland under their autonomous jurisdiction, protected by the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, the Heavenly Derivation Sect, and other Immortal Sects, while reserving human passage and oversight of legal enforcement.
• Luo Yue challenged the proposal, demanding safeguards against humans capturing or deceiving Fairies and objecting that the two sects would retain too much control.
• As Li Moze pressed Luo Yue to accept or end negotiations, Chu Xingchen rose and asked to present a proposal.
• Chu Xingchen proposed restricted entry through tokens, Fairy-issued passage permits, compensation by the sects that issued tokens, early trade support, and recognition of the Fairies’ right to govern themselves.
• Li Moze lowered his eyes and considered Chu Xingchen’s proposal as silence fell over the hall.

Chu Xingchen’s negotiations with Li Moze and Luo Yue ended in an agreement to cooperate on trade and the release of spirit veins at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge. The group reached Wuxu Arena, where Yan Yun and Xu Jin were locked in a fierce sparring match, and Xu Jin suddenly unleashed a stronger azure power.

• Li Moze considered Chu Xingchen’s proposal, and Luo Yue agreed to the plan after they discussed its terms.
• Luo Yue left the ship with Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu as the sect leaders headed to Wuxu Arena to watch their disciples spar.
• The group saw Yan Yun emerge from a crater with multiple wounds, while Xu Jin was also bleeding after their clash.
• Lü Xuan and Li Moze returned to their seats after confirming that Xu Jin had suffered the worse injuries so far.
• Xu Jin’s power surged with an azure aura, and he transformed his spirit treasure into vapor before slashing at the charging Yan Yun.

After the tournament, the sect leaders celebrated aboard the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle while Yan Yun came to terms with her loss and Chu Xingchen apologized for his harsh words. At Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge, Li Yingling finished her duties and planned to resume cultivation and take her junior brother traveling.

• Lü Xuan celebrated the Heavenly Derivation Sect’s gains and planned to use its success to rein in troublesome elders.
• Yan Yun felt guilty over losing to Xu Jin, but Lü Xuan reassured her and Chu Xingchen later apologized after Xie Lingyu quietly encouraged them to reconcile.
• Bai Xuanling urged Chu Xingchen to pursue what he wanted while he was young, then reflected on her own youth.
• Li Yingling handled sect business while Zhang Miaoyu and others taught Zhou Ping, whose painfully slow progress tested their patience.
• Li Yingling finished her work early and decided to cultivate more and take her junior brother traveling with her.

Green Snake reflected on its construction work and received tea from Chen Baiqing while she, Cui Hao, Lin Luoyu, and Sandong gathered by the pool. Chu Xingchen returned with Xie Lingyu, leaving Chen Baiqing happily reunited with her master.

• Green Snake headed for the cultivation rooms after finishing its work on the Sect, but stopped when it saw Chen Baiqing brewing tea by the pool.
• Chen Baiqing poured Green Snake a cup and thanked it for its hard work on the Sect's construction.
• Cui Hao asked whether Chu Xingchen would soon return, and Chen Baiqing said no one knew how busy he was.
• Chu Xingchen arrived with Xie Lingyu and told her that Chen Baiqing could show her around.
• Xie Lingyu greeted the group, and Chu Xingchen patted Chen Baiqing as she welcomed him back.

After Chu Xingchen returned, he took charge of the sect’s affairs while Chen Baiqing and Xie Lingyu helped him. With Luo Yue back and the Spirit Vein passage ready to be released, Bai Xuanling arrived to oversee the preparations for Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge’s grand array.

• Chu Xingchen took over the sect’s construction work from Li Yingling, while Li Xingtian spent his time off cultivating and Chen Baiqing continued serving as his secretary.
• Xie Lingyu joined Chu Xingchen in the administrative hall, and they spent their days chatting, strolling around Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge, and joining Li Yingling’s activities.
• Luo Yue returned with the Spirit Vein passage it guarded ready to be released, and Bai Xuanling came to Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge to begin work on the grand array.
• Bai Xuanling surveyed the sect and confirmed Chu Xingchen had prepared the materials she had requested, despite their cost having emptied the sect’s savings.
• Bai Xuanling told Chu Xingchen to accompany Luo Yue while she handled her own business, and instructed him to contact her if problems arose.

Chu Xingchen accompanied Luo Yue to her true body, a dying tree that had been blocking a Spirit Vein. After the tree transformed into a tiny sapling and the Secret Realm began to collapse, Luo Yue kept the sapling from Chu Xingchen and led him out to receive the Spiritual Power.

• Chu Xingchen and Luo Yue entered the tomb and found Luo Yue’s nearly withered true body, a towering tree.
• Luo Yue explained that she had used her true body to block the Spirit Vein and prevent it from being discovered, limiting the Spiritual Power she received.
• Chu Xingchen asked whether Luo Yue could return to her true body and joked about moving the tree to his Sect for Ning Qianqian to care for.
• Luo Yue touched the tree, which dissolved into streams of spiritual light and condensed into a small sapling in her hand.
• The Secret Realm began to collapse, and Luo Yue put away the sapling, refused to give it to Chu Xingchen, and led him outside to receive the Spiritual Power.

Chu Xingchen's sect established itself in Central Province after the Spirit Vein flowed into Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge, and the disciples prepared to celebrate. Bai Xuanling returned to the Heavenly Derivation Sect, where she received a Jade Slip about a dangerous matter and led its Elders and peak masters to investigate.

• Bai Xuanling quelled the shock wave from the collapsing Secret Realm and directed the formation work as the Spirit Vein's power spread through Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge.
• Chu Xingchen completed the system side quest and received the Shattered Spirit Disc Jade, while Bai Xuanling and Luo Yue departed for the Heavenly Derivation Sect.
• Luo Yue left its sapling and a trace of its origin with the sect, and Chu Xingchen entrusted Sandong with planting it.
• Chu Xingchen ordered the disciples to prepare a banquet, with Li Yingling arranging the entertainment and Zhang Miaoyu looking forward to joining in.
• At the Heavenly Derivation Sect, Lü Xuan gave Bai Xuanling a Jade Slip and warned her to be careful; Bai Xuanling then led four Elders and six peak masters out on the mission.

Chu Xingchen reflected on the disciples’ cultivation and welcomed a quiet winter tea gathering at Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge. The chapter ended with Qinghe arriving through the snow and greeting him.

• Chu Xingchen noted the disciples’ cultivation progress, including Lin Luoyu nearing Golden Core, Li Yingling and Li Xingtian advancing toward Nascent Soul, and Cui Hao struggling to reach Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Li Yingling rejected Chu Xingchen’s pills, while Li Xingtian agreed to try them, prompting Li Yingling to praise her Junior Brother before leaving.
• Green Snake broke through to Foundation Establishment, and Xie Lingyu reported that Bai Xuanling remained away on a confidential sect mission but had sent letters.
• Chen Baiqing offered Chu Xingchen winter tea, and he asked her to invite Cui Hao, Luo Yu, Miao Yu, and anyone else available to join them in the corridor.
• Chu Xingchen reflected on the unresponsive Shattered Lingyu Butterfly and his uneasy sense that something was about to happen.
• Qinghe ran through the snow and greeted Chu Xingchen, saying, "Black-Hearted Brat, long time no see!"

Qinghe delivered Chu Xingchen a sealed message and the Sealed Ancient Calamity Records from Bai Xuanling. The warning said Chu Xingchen might have to face an ancient calamity, leaving him to prepare while Qinghe stayed for tea and grilled food.

• Chu Xingchen asked Qinghe why she had come alone, and she explained that Bai Xuanling had sent her with a top-secret message.
• Chu Xingchen unlocked the jade slip and watched Bai Xuanling and ten Heavenly Derivation Sect cultivators kill a monstrous beast on an island.
• Bai Xuanling warned that a calamity might fall to Chu Xingchen and ordered him to study the Sealed Ancient Calamity Records, prepare, and keep the matter secret.
• Chu Xingchen destroyed the jade slip and joked that Bai Xuanling wanted him to break off Qinghe's horns to forge a divine weapon.
• Qinghe handed Chu Xingchen the old book, and he invited her to stay for tea and grilled food; she agreed to have a little.

Chu Xingchen read a historical record of the Great Calamity and its demons, then told his disciples he was going to the Heavenly Derivation Sect to study further records. The system issued him a main quest titled “The Great Calamity approaches.”

• Chu Xingchen read the ancient book’s concise history of the Great Calamity, which recorded the demons’ rise, the Divine Dragon’s defeat, and the human race’s eventual victory at enormous cost.
• Chu Xingchen examined detailed demon descriptions and weaknesses before deciding what information was suitable for his disciples to see.
• After the winter gathering, Chu Xingchen told his disciples to inform his eldest senior sister and second senior brother that he had gone to the Heavenly Derivation Sect, and he left talismans so he could summon them.
• Chen Baiqing asked to accompany Chu Xingchen, but he reminded her that the sect needed her while the other senior disciples remained in seclusion, so she agreed to stay.
• After finishing the book, Chu Xingchen received a system main quest: “The Great Calamity approaches.”

In Western Ox-He Continent, three soil-born figures discussed the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect’s investigation and planned to throw humanity into chaos now that Heaven’s ordained order had collapsed. Chu Xingchen crossed the Muddy River into the continent, where the blood bubbling behind his ferryboat suggested he had killed a river demon, and the river stayed quiet for years afterward.

• A woman called Chili, a young man, and an old man formed from the soil in Three Waters Echo and discussed the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect’s pursuit of them.
• The old man revealed a crystal containing pure white light and declared that Heaven’s ordained order had collapsed, leaving unclaimed fortune and no protection for the Human Race.
• The old man ordered the others to throw humanity into chaos, then he and the young man dispersed back into soil.
• Chu Xingchen crossed the Muddy River by ferry and listened as the ferryman warned him about Western Ox-He Continent’s dangers and its people.
• Chu Xingchen paid the ferryman generously and stepped ashore as a transparent embroidery needle returned to his hand.
• Blood bubbles rose in the river after the ferryman rowed away, and the river remained quiet for many years.

Chu Xingchen traveled alone to the Western Ox-He Continent to investigate the traces of the [Demon] and the great calamity, using the Heavenly Patrol Bureau as a source of support. He reached Huangliang City and met a young woman at the Wealth Beckoning Tavern, where she greeted him with an unexpected curse.

• Chu Xingchen reviewed the Heavenly Derivation Sect's incomplete records of the great calamity, warned Lü Xuan, and left instructions and a Spiritual Power stone before setting out alone.
• He traveled to the Western Ox-He Continent, believing it held the most clues about the [Demon], and decided not to bring his still-green disciples into danger.
• Chu Xingchen planned to use the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, which the Eighteen Immortal Sects jointly administered, for information and assistance in his investigation.
• He surveyed the desolate landscape, then entered Huangliang City and was struck by its plain buildings, sparse population, and profane local speech.
• Chu Xingchen arrived at the Wealth Beckoning Tavern and found a dark-skinned young woman waiting in a room on the third floor.
• The young woman greeted Chu Xingchen with a curse, then abruptly realized she had said something wrong.

Lychee met Chu Xingchen after he had waited five days for his Heavenly Patrol Bureau liaison, then agreed to prepare records for his visit to several sites in the Western Ox-He Continent. At Heavenly Derivation Peak, Bai Xuanling read Chu Xingchen’s letter, warned Lü Xuan to prepare for the worst, and left when Yan Yun announced Chen Baiqing was looking for Chu Xingchen.

• Lychee worried that Chu Xingchen would report her for swearing, but he put her at ease and asked about recent reports of demons.
• Lychee told Chu Xingchen that reports of demons were over a thousand years old and warned him that some of the places he wanted to visit were now Buddhist Sect territory.
• Chu Xingchen said he only meant to inspect the places, and Lychee offered to study their records before guiding him.
• Bai Xuanling read a letter from Chu Xingchen and told Lü Xuan to prepare for the worst.
• Yan Yun announced that Chen Baiqing had arrived looking for Chu Xingchen, and Bai Xuanling left the hall without responding.

Chu Xingchen traveled with Lychee to Ten Thousand Buddhas City and investigated its Buddha statues, which were collecting Wish Power from people entering the city. He spotted Xu Jin of the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, and Lychee asked what he was looking at.

• Chu Xingchen gave Lychee a Spatial Ring, and they set off for Ten Thousand Buddhas City without taking the rented Spirit Beast carriage.
• Chu Xingchen told Lychee he had Nascent Soul cultivation as they arrived at the city, where a Buddha statue seemed to mark people in the queue.
• Chu Xingchen sent Lychee through the civilian entrance while he entered the city separately and waited by the gate.
• Chu Xingchen observed that Buddha statues throughout the city were absorbing Wish Power from the people around them.
• Chu Xingchen spotted Xu Jin of the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, and Lychee asked what he was looking at.

Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin shared intelligence about a possible alliance between demons and the Buddhist Sect on the Western Ox-He Continent, then agreed to investigate the Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly. Chu Xingchen left Xu Jin to track wish power and took Lychee to the Fortune-Bringing Tavern, while Lychee tried to make him guess her thoughts.

• Xu Jin told Chu Xingchen that the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect had leads linking the Buddhist Sect on the Western Ox-He Continent to demons and suspected the Central Province Buddhist Sect might also be involved.
• Xu Jin explained that Central Province had suppressed the Western Ox-He Continent's Spirit Veins and that the Buddhist Sect might use wish power to support its plans.
• Xu Jin said he was planting modified wish power in Buddha statues to trace its routes during the Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly in three days.
• Chu Xingchen told Xu Jin to meet him at the Fortune-Bringing Tavern and left him to continue his work, promising to make preparations of his own.
• Lychee wondered whether Nascent Soul Realm cultivators could read minds, and Chu Xingchen explained that her expression had revealed her thoughts.

As the Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly began, Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin decided to investigate the Buddhist Sect’s methods before tracing the wish power. Lychee offered to explain Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple’s history as they approached it, warning that any Buddhas inside would not be true Buddhas.

• Chu Xingchen watched the people of Ten Thousand Buddhas City chant and send wish power toward the Buddha statues, reflecting on Yuanjing’s sincere efforts before his death.
• Xu Jin told Chu Xingchen that the assembly began that night and that they could trace the wish power after it peaked the next day.
• Chu Xingchen proposed visiting Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple that night, and Xu Jin agreed to accompany him.
• Chu Xingchen gave Lychee a jade slip and protective necklace and instructed her to guard their base and alert them if the protection activated.
• Lychee offered to explain Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple’s origins, then accompanied Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin through the crowded streets toward the temple.
• Lychee warned that even if Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple contained Buddhas, they would not be true Buddhas.

Chu Xingchen, Xu Jin, and Lychee entered the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple to investigate its Buddhist practices after Lychee described the famine and deaths tied to its construction. Inside, Chu Xingchen noticed Lychee could not see the temple’s immense gathering of wish power.

• Lychee explained that the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple took fifty-four years to build and that famine and labor killed many people during its construction.
• Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin led Lychee past the devout worshippers and guards and walked directly into the temple.
• Chu Xingchen reassured Lychee that the temple’s cultivators had more reason to fear them, and Xu Jin joked that they would send them to meet the Buddha.
• Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin headed toward the main hall, where a vast mass of crude wish power had gathered.
• Chu Xingchen asked Lychee whether she could see the wish power, and Lychee replied that her cultivation seemed too low to see it.

Chu Xingchen led Lychee and Xu Jin into the Main Hall, where he used an illusion to conceal them from the monk Cilin while Xu Jin manipulated the wish power. Chu Xingchen pushed Lychee to intimidate Cilin, who mistook her for a powerful cultivator, and the chapter ended with Lychee insulting him.

• Chu Xingchen led Lychee and Xu Jin through the temple to the Main Hall, where they found the aged monk Cilin gathering wish power for the Buddha statues.
• Cilin questioned Chu Xingchen and unleashed an aura, but Chu Xingchen reassured Lychee that Cilin could not see or hear them because he had fallen under an illusion.
• Chu Xingchen told Xu Jin to mix infiltrator wish power into the hall, and Xu Jin began manipulating it while Cilin threatened to drive the intruders out.
• When the Buddha statue released a force, Xu Jin blocked it and warned Chu Xingchen that the wish power could not withstand further disturbance.
• Chu Xingchen pushed Lychee forward and told her to act like a Nascent Soul expert; Cilin mistook her for a terrifyingly powerful cultivator and asked what guidance she had brought.
• Lychee called Cilin a hairless, dumbass bald donkey.

Lychee confronted a monk at Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple and, following Chu Xingchen’s advice, invoked the Evil Spirit Cult to demand payment. Chu Xingchen then used Lychee’s voice to threaten exposure of the monk’s dealings with demons, but the monk denied knowing anything.

• Lychee recognized that the elderly monk feared her and boldly demanded he explain himself.
• Chu Xingchen prompted Lychee to claim she represented the Evil Spirit Cult and sought cooperation with Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple.
• Lychee demanded protection money, then insisted the monk pay with something other than Spirit Stones.
• The monk turned hostile when he suspected Lychee wanted the temple’s Wish Power, while Xu Jin finished his task and signaled Chu Xingchen.
• Chu Xingchen threatened to expose the monk’s dealings with demons, but the monk firmly denied the accusation.