Chapter Summaries

At Tianmu Peak’s wager match, Wu Zhouxu introduced Ren Xiaoyao and gave him five bottles of pills, including a failed Jade Return Pill, to settle the previous day’s dispute. Wu Zhouxu announced that contestants’ stakes would now be at least fifty taels of gold, then began explaining the match rules.

• The disciples cheered as performers opened the wager match, and Zhang Xiaohua remembered the old pill formula Qu Zhigao had given him.
• Wu Zhouxu introduced Ren Xiaoyao as the Herb Department’s new fighter and recounted his bout with Cheng Shi.
• Wu Zhouxu presented four ordinary pill bottles and a failed Jade Return Pill as payment for the fifty taels of gold Zhang Xiaohua had demanded.
• Zhang Xiaohua accepted all five bottles and said the previous dispute was settled, but Wu Zhouxu told him the match had only just begun.
• Wu Zhouxu announced that every contestant’s wager had to be worth at least fifty taels of gold, then started outlining the rules.

Zhang Xiaohua learned how the betting match’s wagers and rankings worked while the divisions prepared to compete. The first pairing was announced as Yao Ping of the Alchemy Division against Liu Quan of the Herb Division, shocking the crowd.

• Wu Zhouxu and Chen Fengxiao finished their speeches, then handed their stakes to the Venerables for safekeeping.
• Chen Fengxiao explained the betting rules to Zhang Xiaohua as disciples collected wagers on either division.
• Qiu Weicheng explained the martial rankings and privileges of the Vajras and Arhats, and Zhang Xiaohua said he would not contend for an Arhat title.
• Venerable Lei drew Yao Ping as the Alchemy Division’s first fighter and announced Liu Quan as the Herb Division’s opponent.
• The divisions erupted in surprise at Liu Quan’s selection as the weakest of the Six Great Arhats.

Chen Fengxiao delayed Zhang Xiaohua’s appearance and used the match order to disrupt the Pill Department’s plans. After the Pill Department won the first match, Si Huinan narrowly defeated Xu Andong in the second, giving the Herb Department a win.

• Chen Fengxiao defended his decision to schedule Zhang Xiaohua for later matches, and Venerable Lei confirmed the arrangement followed the rules.
• Zhang Xiaohua learned that the ten match results determined how much of the total stakes the Herb Department could claim.
• Yao Ping defeated Liu Quan in the first match, earning a win for the Pill Department.
• Venerable Lei drew Si Huinan and Xu Andong as the contestants for the second match, unsettling Wu Zhouxu.
• Si Huinan narrowly defeated Xu Andong after a fierce fight, giving the Herb Department the second match.

Chen Fengxiao led the Herb Division to win several wagered matches, while Zhang Xiaohua stayed out of the fights and prepared for his three matches the next day. After studying his winnings and memorizing a Bone Condensing Pill formula, Zhang Xiaohua sensed two people whispering outside the bamboo grove at night.

• Chen Fengxiao defeated Zou Shuming, and the Herb Division and Pill Division each won one of the next two matches.
• Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu sealed the afternoon's records, then argued over the remaining matches and invited the disciples to drink.
• Zhang Xiaohua declined the invitation, citing his age and the pressure of his matches the next day, and returned to his courtyard.
• Zhang Xiaohua examined the pills he had won, stored the gold leaves Nie Qianyu had given him, and reviewed Qu Zhigao's Bone Condensing Pill formula.
• Zhang Xiaohua memorized the formula and cultivated until he sensed two people whispering outside the bamboo grove.

Chen Fengxiao explained why he had held Zhang Xiaohua back from revealing his full strength and asked him to make tomorrow’s betting matches look close while still winning. Zhang Xiaohua agreed to keep participating in future matches, declined the title of Second Boss, and Chen Fengxiao began to raise another important matter.

• Zhang Xiaohua saw Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu talking privately near the bamboo grove before Chen came to visit him.
• Chen Fengxiao explained that he had used the day’s matches to disrupt Wu Dalang’s plans and preserve Zhang Xiaohua’s advantage in future contests.
• Chen Fengxiao urged Zhang Xiaohua to win tomorrow’s three matches without making his superiority obvious, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed.
• Chen Fengxiao asked whether Zhang Xiaohua would take part in future betting matches, and Zhang Xiaohua said he would.
• Chen Fengxiao offered Zhang Xiaohua the title of Second Boss, but Zhang Xiaohua declined and suggested Qiu Weicheng instead.
• Chen Fengxiao said he had one more important matter to discuss with Zhang Xiaohua.

Chen Fengxiao asked Zhang Xiaohua to transfer the Jade Return Pill, and they negotiated an exchange after discussing why Wu Dalang had given it up. Zhang Xiaohua agreed to keep the pill for Chen Fengxiao while the leader searched for older herbs to offer in trade.

• Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua he wanted to acquire the Jade Return Pill, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed to consider transferring it.
• Chen Fengxiao explained that Wu Dalang had used the pill as bait in the wager and had tried to win it back, but lost it to the herb division.
• Chen Fengxiao offered fifteen bottles of pills worth forty taels of gold in exchange for the Jade Return Pill, but Zhang Xiaohua asked for herbs instead.
• Chen Fengxiao said the herb division had few rare plants, though he might find herbs fifty or sixty years old.
• Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua to keep the Jade Return Pill safe and promised to return the next morning with herbs.

Zhang Xiaohua gave Chen Fengxiao the Jade Return Pill, then turned away Venerable Feng and realized the pill was highly sought after. The next morning, Chen Fengxiao brought him herbs and a Blood Replenishing Pill, and Zhang Xiaohua questioned why jade pill bottles seemed so valuable when gold leaves caused such a fuss.

• Chen Fengxiao took the Jade Return Pill from Zhang Xiaohua and promised to bring him potent herbs the next morning.
• Venerable Feng and Bai Huan visited to ask for the Jade Return Pill, but Zhang Xiaohua told them Chen Fengxiao had already taken it.
• After the visitors left, Zhang Xiaohua decided to trade pills for herbs and cultivated the Carefree Heart Sutra.
• The next morning, Chen Fengxiao brought Zhang Xiaohua Iron Bone Grass and several other herbs, along with a Blood Replenishing Pill.
• Zhang Xiaohua accepted the gifts and asked Chen Fengxiao why jade pill bottles were given away so freely when gold leaves were so prized.

Zhang Xiaohua learned why jade was common in the Incense-Passing Cult, traded pills for herbs with Liu Quan and Si Huinan, and prepared for the second day of wagered matches. The first match paired him with Cheng Shi, who challenged him to fight with weapons, but Zhang Xiaohua said he would remain empty-handed.

• Chen Fengxiao explained that the Incense-Passing Cult mined abundant jade at Mount Jiuhua, making it nearly worthless there.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Chen Fengxiao about Venerable Feng's visit, and Qiu Weicheng said Chen had announced he possessed the Jade Return Pill to keep people from disturbing him.
• At breakfast, Liu Quan asked Zhang Xiaohua to trade him a Lesser Bone Condensing Pill for herbs, and Si Huinan later traded a forty-year-old Lingmu Fruit for a Blood Coagulating Pill.
• Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the crowded wagered-match arena, where Venerable Lei announced that he would face Cheng Shi in the first match.
• Cheng Shi entered with an eyebrow-height staff and challenged Zhang Xiaohua to fight with weapons, but Zhang Xiaohua said he would fight empty-handed.

Zhang Xiaohua feigned weakness while evading Cheng Shi’s staff attacks and maneuvered him toward the edge of the ring. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiaohua releasing the staff and kicking Cheng Shi forward, leaving the match’s outcome unresolved.

• Cheng Shi chose to fight Zhang Xiaohua with his Qi Mei Staff, while Zhang Xiaohua entered the match barehanded.
• Zhang Xiaohua dodged Cheng Shi’s attacks and pretended that the staff had hurt him, encouraging Cheng Shi to press forward.
• Cheng Shi pursued Zhang Xiaohua with increasingly forceful staff strikes as Zhang Xiaohua retreated toward the ring’s boundary.
• Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng moved the Grass Department disciples back to clear space near the ring.
• Zhang Xiaohua seized Cheng Shi’s staff, released it, and kicked Cheng Shi forward near the boundary.

Zhang Xiaohua won his match against Cheng Shi by tricking him into stepping beyond the arena boundary, and the Herb Division continued its winning streak. As the eighth match ended in Qian Zibi’s victory, Zhang Xiaohua prepared for his final two fights, while Chen Fengxiao warned him about the stakes and Wu Zhouxu’s reaction.

• Zhang Xiaohua let Cheng Shi’s staff strike the ground, then staggered beyond the arena boundary, giving Venerable Lei grounds to declare him the winner.
• Zhang Xiaohua kept the gambling stakes and persuaded Cheng Shi to challenge him again, while Cheng Shi left believing he could win them back.
• Erdu Mu defeated Zheng Xu in the seventh match, bringing the Herb Division’s record to five wins against the Alchemy Division’s two.
• Qian Zibi quickly defeated Yue Yi in the eighth match by seizing his acupoint and throwing him down.
• Chen Fengxiao told Zhang Xiaohua he did not need to bear the burden of the final matches, and Zhang Xiaohua said he understood why they had been arranged together.

Zhang Xiaohua fought Ye Liaocheng in the fifth betting match and appeared to knock them both unconscious with an accidental-looking collision. The match’s outcome remained unclear until Zhang Xiaohua sat up, leaving the officials and spectators to decide what had happened.

• Zhang Xiaohua realized Chen Fengxiao had scheduled his bouts to prevent him from winning the final match.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Ye Liaocheng exchanged blows for a long time, with Ye refusing to chase Zhang beyond the arena’s center.
• Zhang Xiaohua rushed into Ye Liaocheng and struck his Tanzhong acupoint with his head, leaving them both unconscious.
• The officials hesitated to enter the arena because the rules did not explain how to judge a match when both fighters fainted.
• Zhang Xiaohua suddenly sat up and rubbed his head as everyone watched.

Zhang Xiaohua won his match against Ye Liaocheng by dragging the unconscious opponent across the arena boundary, then prepared to bet on himself against Qi Yuntian. He left the chapter wagering two Blood Replenishing Pills despite Chen Fengxiao’s surprise.

• Zhang Xiaohua woke first, dragged Ye Liaocheng across the arena boundary, and won the ninth betting match for the Grass Department.
• Ye Liaocheng regained consciousness outside the boundary and realized Zhang Xiaohua had dragged him out, while Venerable Lei announced the next match against Qi Yuntian.
• Chen Fengxiao, Qiu Weicheng, and Zhang Xiaohua joked about the win and the fruit peel that had helped cause it.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Chen Fengxiao to place a bet for him, since participating disciples could not wager for themselves.
• Zhang Xiaohua chose to bet first one Blood Replenishing Pill, then two, on his victory over Qi Yuntian.

Chen Fengxiao arranged for Qiu Weicheng and Bai Huan to place a small bet on Zhang Xiaohua, who then entered the arena as Ren Xiaoyao to face Qi Yuntian. Qi Yuntian tried to stay near the arena’s center and wear Zhang Xiaohua down with lightness skill, but Zhang Xiaohua pretended to tire and waited for Qi Yuntian’s stamina to fade.

• Chen Fengxiao pressed Qiu Weicheng to arrange a bet on Zhang Xiaohua, and Qiu Weicheng obtained two pills from Bai Huan.
• Qiu Weicheng explained that the disciples’ bets also counted toward records that could earn future benefits.
• Venerable Lei called Ren Xiaoyao and Qi Yuntian into the arena, where Qi Yuntian cleared away debris and insisted on fighting near the center.
• Zhang Xiaohua struggled to draw Qi Yuntian from the center as they traded moves to a stalemate.
• Qi Yuntian shifted to evasive lightness skill to wear Zhang Xiaohua down, while Zhang Xiaohua pretended to tire and let the battle drag on.
• Qi Yuntian gradually slowed as his stamina and internal force began to run low.

Zhang Xiaohua outlasted Qi Yuntian and won the final match, securing the Grass Division’s victory in the betting tournament. The betting records showed Bai Huan was the only person who had wagered on Zhang Xiaohua, and Chen Fengxiao began to tell him how much he had won.

• Zhang Xiaohua endured Qi Yuntian’s attacks until Qi ran out of strength and admitted defeat, after which Zhang Xiaohua collapsed as if exhausted.
• The crowd accused the final match of being rigged, so Venerable Lei announced the Grass Division’s 8–2 victory and ordered an investigation of the betting records.
• The judges found that Bai Huan alone had wagered on Zhang Xiaohua’s victory, placing two Blood Replenishing Pills on his behalf with Qiu Weicheng supplying them.
• Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu confirmed the records were genuine, while the crowd turned suspicious and hostile toward Bai Huan.
• Qi Yuntian congratulated Zhang Xiaohua and left after Zhang thanked him for yielding; Chen Fengxiao then asked Zhang how much he wanted to know about his winnings.

Ren Xiaoyao redirected the Pill-Refining Hall disciples’ anger by inviting them to challenge him for a chance to erase their betting debts, while the Herb Division secured a large payout from the wagered duels. He returned to the small courtyard with Bai Huan and began arranging pill exchanges for herbs.

• Ren Xiaoyao told the disciples he had placed the two pills as bets on himself, then invited them to challenge him over the next three days to cancel their losses.
• Chen Fengxiao supported the weakened Ren Xiaoyao and sent Bai Huan to help him return to the small courtyard and organize the bettors’ records.
• Venerable Lei gave Chen Fengxiao the settlement showing that the Pill Division owed the Herb Division three hundred taels of gold, and Chen signed it while Wu Zhouxu accepted the debt.
• Ren Xiaoyao gave Bai Huan Blood Replenishing Pills to share with Bai Huan and Qiu, then asked him to let Herb Division disciples exchange herbs for pills.

Zhang Xiaohua planned to trade his winnings for rare herbs while continuing his cultivation, and Zou Shuming secretly checked whether he was exhausted. The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua noticed something unusual about the Azure Water Sword’s scabbard.

• Bai Huan asked whether he could exchange an unidentified herb from You Lan Grand Canyon for a pill, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed to reserve one for him.
• Zhang Xiaohua celebrated his gambling winnings, considered seeking herbs in You Lan Grand Canyon, and returned to comprehending the Heavenly Dao.
• Zou Shuming secretly watched Zhang Xiaohua sleeping and concluded that he would be too exhausted to gamble the next day, while Zhang Xiaohua pretended to be asleep.
• Chen Fengxiao and Qiu Weicheng approached Zhang Xiaohua’s courtyard at night but turned back without entering.
• Zhang Xiaohua examined the Azure Water Sword and its scabbard the next morning, then noticed something with his divine sense that surprised him.

Zhang Xiaohua found a sword manual hidden in the Azure Water Sword’s sheath and traded herbs with Bai Huan for three Lesser Bone Condensing Pills. He then faced a challenge arranged by Tianmu Peak’s leaders, who made Zou Shuming represent the disciples whose stakes Zhang Xiaohua had won.

• Zhang Xiaohua discovered a concealed sword manual in the sheath and noticed its eighty-one moves seemed unusual.
• Bai Huan brought Zhang Xiaohua his betting records and traded several herbs, including Fragrant Soul Wood, for three Lesser Bone Condensing Pills.
• Zhang Xiaohua waited for disciples to challenge him, while Wu Zhouxu, Chen Fengxiao, and Zou Shuming arrived to explain that they had halted the planned challenges.
• Wu Zhouxu and Chen Fengxiao arranged for Zou Shuming to represent the other disciples, with their stakes increased by twenty percent if Zou lost and reduced by twenty percent if Zhang Xiaohua lost.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to the arrangement but insisted that Zou Shuming’s proposed challenge conditions must concern martial arts.

Zhang Xiaohua raced Zou Shuming up Tianmu Peak in a lightness-skill contest and rescued him when he fell from a cliff. Zou Shuming conceded defeat, and Zhang Xiaohua continued toward the summit with him following behind.

• Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu arranged a race to Tianmu Peak's summit, and Zhang Xiaohua and Zou Shuming set off together.
• Zhang Xiaohua kept pace with Zou Shuming, revealing that his lightness skill was far stronger than the onlookers expected.
• Zou Shuming left the mountain path to climb a steep cliff, hoping Zhang Xiaohua would fail to follow him.
• Zou Shuming's inner energy gave out, and Zhang Xiaohua caught him before he could fall to his death.
• Zou Shuming thanked Zhang Xiaohua and conceded the match, and Zhang Xiaohua headed for the summit with Zou Shuming following behind.

Zhang Xiaohua defeated Zou Shuming in a lightness-skill contest, confirming his victory in the wager and making the disciples accept their losses. He opened herb-for-pill exchanges to the Pill Department as well as the Herb Department, and by evening the courtyard was packed with herbs owed to him.

• Zou Shuming swore that he had competed fairly, and Venerable Lei declared Zhang Xiaohua the winner of the contest.
• Chen Fengxiao helped Zhang Xiaohua assure the Pill Department disciples that they could exchange herbs for medicinal pills on the same terms as the Herb Department.
• Zhang Xiaohua said the exchange ratio would be his decision and asked Bai Huan and Qiu Weicheng to help manage the trades.
• The disciples hurried to gather herbs, then lined up at Zhang Xiaohua's courtyard to exchange them for pills while Bai Huan and other disciples handled the records and distribution.
• By evening, Bai Huan sorted the collected jade boxes into piles of ten-year herbs, older herbs, and herbs of unknown names for Zhang Xiaohua to inspect.

Zhang Xiaohua secured a mountain of herbs and jade cases through the Pill Division’s wagers, while Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu bargained over how debts would be paid. The chapter ended with Elder Purple Ginseng discussing the Cult Master’s concerns about Shixin Peak before asking Yang Yao about his trip to Hui Chun Valley.

• Bai Huan gave Zhang Xiaohua the wager records, and Chen Fengxiao asked Wu Zhouxu to collect pills owed by the Vajras.
• Wu Zhouxu offered accumulated herbs, including unidentified ones, in place of pills, and Chen Fengxiao agreed to exchange them for Zhang Xiaohua.
• Zhang Xiaohua pretended he did not want the herbs or know how to refine pills, but Wu Zhouxu promised to deliver them the next morning.
• After Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu left, Zhang Xiaohua decided to leave the herbs and jade cases in his courtyard and later refine the herbs into pills.
• Elder Purple Ginseng told Yang Yao that the Cult Master blamed the Pill-Refining Hall over the Shixin Peak matter, then asked how Yang Yao’s trip to Hui Chun Valley had gone.