Chapter Summaries

Abbess Qingleng explained the Incense-Passing Cult’s expectations for the revival of the immortal Dao and warned the disciples to keep the sect’s secrets. At Dianchi Lake, Zhang Xiaohua learned about the other halls’ recruits and sensed vital-energy fluctuations over the lake as everyone prepared to leave.

• Abbess Qingleng speculated that Peacock had encountered a formation and told the disciples that signs of the immortal Dao’s revival had appeared within the sect and martial world.
• Abbess Qingleng warned the disciples not to reveal the Incense-Passing Cult’s secrets, then sent them back to oversee their caravans.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Steward Yang about the boys recruited by the Pill-Refining and Artifact Refining Halls, and Steward Yang said Dianchi Lake was not the Incense-Passing Cult itself.
• Peacock recovered from her injuries and gained several years of cultivation after circulating her qi overnight.
• Qiankun Hall disciples told everyone to pack, and Zhang Xiaohua sensed vital-energy fluctuations over Dianchi Lake.

Zhang Xiaohua witnessed enormous wooden ships emerge from Dianchi Lake’s moonlit reflection and learned that the Incense-Passing Cult used Immortal Path methods to travel. He boarded with the others, concealing his identity as a Qi Practitioner, but his divine sense detected something alarming as the ship departed.

• As the full moon reached the center of the sky, the lake vanished from Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense, and enormous wooden ships appeared in its reflection.
• Zhang Xiaohua recognized the ships’ arrival as an Immortal Path method and resolved to hide that he was a Qi Practitioner.
• Abbess Xuezhen greeted Abbess Qingleng, and the disciples, carriages, horses, and Zhang Xiaohua’s group boarded the ships.
• Abbess Qingleng warned Abbess Xuezhen that the year had brought mishaps, but the ships departed without anything unusual happening around Dianchi Lake.
• The fleet entered the moon’s reflection, and Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense aboard the unusually smooth-traveling ship; his expression suddenly changed.

Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the Incense-Passing Cult and learned that its grounds restricted his divine sense, forcing him to reconsider how he would find Second Brother. While he slept at the shore before the morning journey, Qiangshi secretly buried two small balls as part of a mission for Lord Jingzhe and considered using Zhang Xiaohua for his own purposes.

• Zhang Xiaohua left the Dharma Vessel and discovered that the Incense-Passing Cult limited his divine sense to a short distance.
• Zhang Xiaohua and the other medicine boys found Steward Yang, who told them they would camp by the shore and go to the mountain at dawn.
• Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep in the tent as mysterious starlight gathered around him, while Qiangshi secretly mocked him.
• Qiangshi listened for anyone outside, buried a small ball in the ground, and said he had completed half his mission for Lord Jingzhe.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke at sunrise unaware of Qiangshi’s schemes or the secret activity during the night.

Zhang Xiaohua explored the woods near the Incense-Passing Cult camp and found a rare Dragon Scale Fruit, then watched a mountain-patrolling disciple falsely claim and dig it up. He returned to the busy campsite, where Qiangshi told him Steward Yang had been looking for him.

• Zhang Xiaohua reflected on the suppression of his divine sense, practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist, and wandered deeper into the forest.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered a young Dragon Scale Fruit, a rare herb recorded in the jade slip but absent from the martial world.
• A green-robed Wuming Hall patrol disciple claimed the plant was his Lotus Leaf Grass and threatened to report Zhang Xiaohua if he touched it.
• After Zhang Xiaohua walked away, the disciple dug up the Dragon Scale Fruit and hurried off with it.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to the campsite, where Qiangshi said Steward Yang had come looking for him and seemed angry.

Ren Xiaoyao traveled with Steward Yang’s convoy into the Incense-Passing Cult and learned how its nineteen peaks were divided among the cult’s halls. The convoy climbed Baiyue Peak toward the Pill-Refining Hall, while Ren Xiaoyao quietly considered Jinghai Lake as a possible route out.

• Ren Xiaoyao dismissed the other children’s attempts to curry favor and told Steward Yang that he had gone into the woods to practice his fists.
• The convoy entered a lush mountain region, where Ren Xiaoyao sensed that the Primordial Qi was far denser than in Hui Chun Valley.
• As the convoy passed several peaks and carriages split off toward different destinations, Ren Xiaoyao realized that each hall occupied its own mountain.
• Steward Yang explained that the Incense-Passing Cult had nineteen principal peaks, with Yi Xiang Peak at the center and Baiyue Peak serving as the Pill-Refining Hall’s base.
• Steward Yang identified Jinghai Lake and warned Ren Xiaoyao not to visit it without a reason; Ren Xiaoyao privately considered using it to find a way out.
• Steward Yang said Mount Kuanglu belonged to the Artifact Refining Hall and Xuanmu Peak and Dragon Head Peak housed Wuming Hall, where outer disciples cultivated, before Ren Xiaoyao asked about disciples doing menial work.

Zhang Xiaohua arrived at Pill-Refining Hall with Steward Yang and was introduced to the hall’s imposing grounds and its internal tensions. Deputy Hall Master Xu noticed that Zhang Xiaohua stood out among the medicine boys, and Yang Yao’s attempt to explain the situation ended with Xu accusing him of audacity.

• Steward Yang explained that the laboring disciples belonged to Qiankun Hall on Qionglong Peak, then brought Zhang Xiaohua to Pill-Refining Hall on Baiyue Peak.
• Zhang Xiaohua marveled at Pill-Refining Hall’s vast buildings and met Steward Zhu, who mentioned that Hall Master He had gone to Yi Xiang Peak and Deputy Hall Master Xu was in charge.
• Steward Yang led Zhang Xiaohua and the other medicine boys to Hundred Herbs Hall to meet Deputy Hall Master Xu.
• Deputy Hall Master Xu questioned Yang Yao about his trips to Hui Chun Valley and said he would inspect the medicine boys in the Hall Master’s absence.
• Deputy Hall Master Xu singled out the unusually tall Zhang Xiaohua, and Yang Yao tried to share inside information before Xu angrily rebuked him.

Yang Yao tried to appease Deputy Hall Master Xu over the medicine apprentice assignments by explaining Marshal Nie’s motives and offering gifts. Xu accepted the gifts and kept the apprentices in the Pill-Refining Hall, but ordered Zhang Xiaohua to go immediately to Tianmu Peak, leaving Yang Yao to warn him about Chen Fengxiao.

• Yang Yao explained why he had selected Ren Xiaoyao and offered Deputy Hall Master Xu a short sword and Forget Worry Grass from Marshal Nie.
• Deputy Hall Master Xu accepted the short sword, told Yang Yao to keep the Forget Worry Grass, and praised Cheng Qianshui as a promising disciple.
• Xu ordered Yang Yao to retain the medicine apprentices and send Zhang Xiaohua to Tianmu Peak to join the conflict between Wu Zhouxu and Chen Fengxiao.
• Yang Yao objected to sending Zhang Xiaohua immediately, but Xu insisted, so Yang Yao agreed to carry out the order.
• Yang Yao sent Qiangshi and the other apprentices away, then told Zhang Xiaohua to leave that day and be careful around Chen Fengxiao.

Yang Yao explained Tianmu Peak’s history and tensions between the Pill and Herb Divisions before sending Zhang Xiaohua there with a waist token. Zhang Xiaohua arrived after dark, where Bai Huan welcomed him and led him toward a rowdy courtyard for dinner.

• Yang Yao told Zhang Xiaohua that Chen Fengxiao managed Tianmu Peak’s herb fields and often clashed with Wu Zhouxu and the Pill Division.
• Yang Yao gave Zhang Xiaohua his Pill-Refining Hall waist token and arranged for a disciple to escort him to Tianmu Peak.
• The escort brought Zhang Xiaohua and Four Unlike to Tianmu Peak after dark, where a Pill Division disciple mocked the new arrival.
• Bai Huan checked Zhang Xiaohua’s waist token and told him to follow Tianmu Peak’s rules.
• Bai Huan led Zhang Xiaohua to a noisy courtyard, where Zhang Xiaohua frowned at the disorderly sounds.

Zhang Xiaohua entered the Herb Division dining hall on Tianmu Peak, where the disciples tolerated open bullying by the Pill Division and their own seniors. When Brother Ma tried to force him to eat food he had fouled, Zhang Xiaohua overpowered him and slapped the plate into his face, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Bai Huan brought Zhang Xiaohua into the dining hall and served him food while the Pill Division mocked the Herb Division.
• Brother Ma approached Zhang Xiaohua, demanded his obedience, and fouled the dishes and chopsticks before ordering him to eat.
• Zhang Xiaohua refused, while Bai Huan and the other Herb Division disciples watched without helping.
• Brother Ma tried to slap the plate onto Zhang Xiaohua's face, but Zhang Xiaohua pinned his wrist and caught his other hand.
• Zhang Xiaohua slapped the plate into Brother Ma's face, smearing him with food and drawing blood from his nose.

Zhang Xiaohua forced Ma Xu to eat the food he had contaminated, then faced Brother Cheng, who tried to extort valuables from his bundle. After letting Brother Cheng take a handful of gold leaves, Zhang Xiaohua struck him across the face.

• Zhang Xiaohua restrained Ma Xu and made him eat the phlegm-stained dish while the Grass Division men watched from the sidelines.
• Ma Xu finished eating and returned to the Grass Division just as Brother Cheng entered carrying Zhang Xiaohua's bundle.
• Brother Cheng offered to protect Zhang Xiaohua in exchange for anything valuable in the bundle, and Zhang Xiaohua invited him to choose.
• Brother Cheng opened the bundle, saw its gold leaves, and took a handful worth fifty taels.
• Zhang Xiaohua mocked the extortion and slapped Brother Cheng across the face.

Ren Xiaoyao defeated Cheng Shi after Cheng Shi took his gold, and Chen Fengxiao arrived to manage the dispute between the Herb Division and the Pill Division. After Bai Huan explained what had happened, Chen Fengxiao learned Ren Xiaoyao’s background and noticed the gold leaves on the table.

• Ren Xiaoyao struck Cheng Shi, knocked out several of his teeth, and reclaimed the fifty taels of gold Cheng Shi had taken.
• Ren Xiaoyao kicked Cheng Shi toward the hall entrance, but Chen Fengxiao entered and broke his fall.
• Cheng Shi accused Ren Xiaoyao of bullying him and threatened to call Wu Zhouxu, while Chen Fengxiao weighed Ren Xiaoyao’s strength and possible effect on the Herb Division.
• Ma Xu clung to Chen Fengxiao and complained about being beaten, but Chen Fengxiao had him led away so he could address the dispute with the Pill Division.
• Ren Xiaoyao introduced himself as Ren Xiaoyao and asked Bai Huan to explain the events to Chen Fengxiao.
• Bai Huan recounted what had happened, and Chen Fengxiao’s attention turned to the gold leaves on the table.

Zhang Xiaohua settled his dispute with Ma Xu while Wu Dalang arrived to defend the Pill Department and bargain over Cheng Shi’s offense. Chen Fengxiao arranged a ten-round wager between the Herb Department and the Pill Department, with each round staked at fifty taels of gold or its equivalent.

• Chen Fengxiao persuaded Zhang Xiaohua to let Ma Xu’s grievance go, and Zhang Xiaohua made Ma Xu drink the wine he offered.
• Wu Dalang arrived, criticized Cheng Shi for taking only part of Zhang Xiaohua’s gold, and demanded a chance to defend his brothers.
• Zhang Xiaohua insisted that the Pill Department first acknowledge its debt of fifty taels of gold before discussing the next dispute.
• Wu Dalang agreed to let the Pill Department owe the gold, then negotiated with Chen Fengxiao after Zhang Xiaohua handed the matter over.
• Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua that the departments would hold a ten-round contest, with each round worth fifty taels of gold or equivalent goods.

Zhang Xiaohua rejected Chen Fengxiao’s offer of pills as wager stakes and proposed trading for rare herbs instead. After learning the Herb Department planned to face the Pill Department’s Ten Great Vajras, he let Chen make the arrangements and accepted a quiet place to stay.

• Chen Fengxiao explained how the Pill Department’s disciples secretly kept some of the pills they refined, but Zhang Xiaohua said he had no use for them.
• Zhang Xiaohua suggested trading pills for rare or long-grown herbs, and Chen Fengxiao realized Zhang might know how to refine pills.
• Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua that the Herb Department would face the Pill Department’s Ten Great Vajras, and Zhang agreed to follow Chen’s arrangements rather than fight alone.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked for a quiet room, and Chen Fengxiao offered him an empty, secluded courtyard on Tianmu Peak.

Zhang Xiaohua settled into a secluded courtyard on Tianmu Peak and examined the little ring, black jade slip, and mysterious bracelet. As the bracelet finally emitted a strange fluctuation, he was left poised to discover what it contained.

• Chen Fengxiao postponed Zhang Xiaohua’s opening gambling match until the following afternoon.
• Bai Huan led Zhang Xiaohua to a deserted courtyard, where Zhang Xiaohua decided to stay and escorted Bai Huan safely back through the darkness.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to the courtyard by earth travel, set up jade talismans and a restriction, and let Four Unlike graze in the weeds.
• Zhang Xiaohua found no way to understand the black jade slip or activate the fiery-red little ring.
• Zhang Xiaohua removed his bracelet and noticed its starry appearance and lack of vital-energy fluctuations, until it suddenly gave off a faint, unfamiliar pulse.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered that his bracelet returned to his arm during midnight cultivation and wore a small ring on his finger before exploring Tianmu Peak. After Chen Fengxiao introduced him to strategist Qiu Weicheng, Zhang Xiaohua asked to live and grow herbs near the summit, leaving both men surprised.

• At midnight, Zhang Xiaohua's bracelet vanished from the ground and reappeared on his arm while he cultivated without wearing it.
• The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua put the small ring on his left middle finger, practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist, and contemplated the Heavenly Dao.
• Chen Fengxiao arrived with Qiu Weicheng and introduced the Herb Division strategist to Zhang Xiaohua.
• Zhang Xiaohua said he would remain on Tianmu Peak but found the courtyard too far from the herb fields.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked whether he could live and plant herbs near the summit, and Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng exchanged awkward looks.

Zhang Xiaohua learned how Tianmu Peak’s Pill and Grass Divisions began their gambling matches and why the Grass Division struggled against the Pill Division. When Chen Fengxiao explained his hatred of Hui Chun Valley, he revealed that he had never seen his mother again after being deceived into leaving her for the Incense-Passing Cult.

• Qiu Weicheng explained that the Pill and Grass Divisions held gambling matches to vent their rivalry, and that the Grass Division was usually outmatched because its members had weaker martial arts foundations.
• Zhang Xiaohua said he could handle three opponents like Cheng Shi, prompting Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng to reconsider their plan for the upcoming matches.
• Qiu Weicheng asked why Zhang Xiaohua had become a medicine apprentice despite his martial arts skill, and Zhang asked Chen Fengxiao why he hated Hui Chun Valley.
• Chen Fengxiao cursed Valley Master Nie, and Zhang Xiaohua warned him not to insult Nie in his presence; Chen then accepted Zhang’s loyalty and agreed to explain his grievance.
• Chen Fengxiao recalled that Marshal Nie had persuaded him and his mother to leave their village by promising he could return, but the Incense-Passing Cult kept him from ever seeing her again.

Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua how Hui Chun Valley’s broken promise and his failed attempt to enter the outer gate led to his mother’s death. Zhang Xiaohua clarified that he would not join Chen’s grudge against Hui Chun Valley, and Chen agreed to help him as they prepared for the Grass Division’s gambling match against the Pill Division.

• Chen Fengxiao recounted how he had failed the outer gate assessment and later learned that his mother had died in sorrow and depression.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Chen Fengxiao that he was not truly Valley Master Nie’s prospective son-in-law and would not take sides in Chen’s grudge against Hui Chun Valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua explained that he hoped to study cultivation and pill refining, eventually pass the outer gate assessment, and leave the Incense-Passing Cult.
• Chen Fengxiao admitted he had considered setting traps for Zhang Xiaohua, then promised to help him with anything he needed.
• Qiu Weicheng explained that the Grass Division usually lost its gambling matches against the Pill Division because the sides had unequal strength.
• Chen Fengxiao said they would decide how to use Zhang Xiaohua in the upcoming match after assessing his martial arts, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed to follow their instructions.

Zhang Xiaohua learned that Chen Fengxiao had turned his challenge into a wager between the Herb Division and the Pill Division, with fifty taels of gold at stake in each match. Wu Zhouxu struggled to choose the first fighter among the Ten Great Vajras and arranged a drawing of lots, only to discover that Cheng Shi had prepared just ten lots.

• Chen Fengxiao explained his plan to Zhang Xiaohua, and Qiu Weicheng clarified how the challenge had become a wager between the divisions.
• The Ten Great Vajras gathered at Wu Zhouxu's hall, each eager to fight Zhang Xiaohua for the gold leaves.
• Wu Zhouxu rejected the brothers' competing claims and decided to draw lots for the first match.
• Wu Zhouxu warned the Ten Great Vajras that they had to provide stakes worth fifty taels of gold themselves, but none withdrew.
• Cheng Shi brought ten lots, and Wu Zhouxu questioned why there were only ten.

Zhang Xiaohua spoke with Chen Fengxiao about pill refinement and concealed his true abilities while Chen tried to recruit him for Tianmu Peak. Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng left believing they had caught a valuable connection to Hui Chun Valley, while Zhang Xiaohua remained on the peak.

• Wu Zhouxu insisted on taking one of the ten duel lots, prompting Cheng Shi to accuse him of competing with the disciples for profit.
• Qiu Weicheng left Zhang Xiaohua alone with Chen Fengxiao, who asked whether Zhang could refine pills and explained the Incense-Passing Cult’s pill-refining hierarchy.
• Chen Fengxiao tested Zhang Xiaohua’s skill by asking about his pill completion rate, and Zhang claimed it was only ten to twenty percent.
• Chen Fengxiao urged Zhang Xiaohua to keep his pill-refining ability secret and promised to accommodate him on Tianmu Peak; Zhang agreed while privately planning to use the peak as cover.
• Qiu Weicheng and Chen Fengxiao departed, then speculated that Zhang Xiaohua was connected to Nie and Hui Chun Valley and said they had caught a valuable target.

Zhang Xiaohua learned that Chen Fengxiao planned to test him in three wager matches, then was summoned to the field carrying the bundle of gold leaves. The five consecrated masters arrived as judges, and Chen Fengxiao announced that the wager match was beginning.

• Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng discussed testing Zhang Xiaohua's martial arts and arranging three wager matches, with bets on his first match.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to his courtyard, and Bai Huan later came to fetch him for the wager match.
• On the way, Zhang Xiaohua asked Bai Huan about pill success rates and learned that pill refining could fail for several reasons.
• Bai Huan led Zhang Xiaohua to the field, where the Grass Division's Six Great Arhats and the Pill Division's Ten Great Vajras had gathered.
• Chen Fengxiao, Qiu Weicheng, and Wu Zhouxu escorted five consecrated masters to the judging tables, and Chen Fengxiao declared the wager match officially begun.