Recaps

Zhang Xiaohua shared a profound internal-force technique with Valley Master Nie and asked to use Hui Chun Valley’s pill formulas for practice. Valley Master Nie agreed under conditions, and Zhang Xiaohua prepared to begin refining pills in a nearby pill room.

• Zhang Xiaohua offered Valley Master Nie a copied technique for using internal force to imitate true qi, and Nie Qianyu copied the relevant pages from his manual.
• Valley Master Nie recognized the technique’s difficulty, learned it could seal acupoints, and agreed to keep it within Hui Chun Valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked to refine pills in a separate pill room, and Valley Master Nie arranged one for him.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked to study every pill formula in Hui Chun Valley, and Valley Master Nie agreed on the conditions that he keep them secret and leave half the pills he made in the valley.

Zhang Xiaohua moved into a small pill room to gain privacy and practiced the Artifact Refining Gate’s Fire Control Art. He began refining a piece of jade with earth fire, forming it into a green nugget.

• Zhang Xiaohua asked to live in the pill room, and Valley Master Nie and Nie Qianyu agreed while encouraging him to discuss pill refinement with her.
• After Valley Master Nie and Nie Qianyu left, Zhang Xiaohua inspected the room and found nothing unusual; Xiao Juzi then moved in his belongings and mistakenly assumed he would return to Hui Chun Valley to see Nie Qianyu.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced controlling the earth fire with the Fire Control Art from the Artifact Refining Compendium.
• Zhang Xiaohua melted a fragment from a jade-green coffin lid, added a formation to the liquid jade, and shaped it into a green nugget.

Zhang Xiaohua refined a gold-ingot-shaped jade talisman, studied alchemy and realized pill formulas followed medicinal principles such as Five Elements and ruler and minister. Nie Qianyu gave him Hui Chun Valley’s basic pill formulas and showed him where to gather Solomon’s Seal for Grain Abstinence Pills.

• Zhang Xiaohua refined an emerald-green jade talisman using artifact-refining methods and found its formation more powerful and restrained than those in his earlier talismans.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried copying an alchemy jade slip but stopped after his divine sense was rapidly depleted, then studied the Grain Abstinence Pill formula.
• Zhang Xiaohua connected the supporting herbs in pill formulas to medicinal principles of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and ruler and minister.
• Nie Qianyu brought Zhang Xiaohua a booklet of Hui Chun Valley’s basic pill formulas and invited him to walk through the inner valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua found Hui Chun Valley’s Grain Abstinence Pill formula used Solomon’s Seal and five commonly available herbs, and Nie Qianyu showed him the fields where he could gather younger Solomon’s Seal.

Zhang Xiaohua gathered herbs with Nie Qianyu and proposed that pill ingredients might follow the Five Elements, though neither she nor Fei He could explain why pill-refining texts did not mention the theory. After hearing Fei He's reasoning, Zhang Xiaohua remained convinced the Heavenly Dao contained the Five Elements and resolved to pursue what earlier generations had not done.

• Nie Qianyu led Zhang Xiaohua to gather Solomon's Seal, and he explained that pill fire could remove impurities without washing the roots.
• As they walked toward the outer valley, Zhang Xiaohua asked Nie Qianyu about the Grain Abstinence Pill's ingredients and whether Solomon's Seal alone could make one.
• Zhang Xiaohua suggested that pill ingredients might correspond to the Five Elements, and Nie Qianyu wondered why ancient pill-refining arts had never described such a method.
• Nie Qianyu introduced Zhang Xiaohua to Fei He, who said the Five Elements applied to ordinary medicinal herbs but perhaps not to immortal herbs used in pill refining.
• Zhang Xiaohua doubted Fei He's explanation, sensed that the Five Elements existed throughout the Heavenly Dao, and resolved to achieve what his predecessors had not.

Zhang Xiaohua refined jade boxes and Grain Abstinence Pills, discovering that pills formed through immortal-path techniques retained their primordial energy far better. After practicing his fist art the next morning, he wondered whether Monk Chang Geng would still teach him Dharma Swordplay now that the Misty Sect had been destroyed.

• Zhang Xiaohua studied Hui Chun Valley's Grain Abstinence Pill prescription and recorded his insights about its herbs and the Five Elements.
• Zhang Xiaohua refined jade boxes from the green jade slab and sealed one with a restriction taught by Fire Dragon True Person.
• Zhang Xiaohua refined Grain Abstinence Powder according to Hui Chun Valley's prescription, then used a formation to protect the pill room while refining pills with immortal techniques.
• Zhang Xiaohua produced four unusually round pills and found that their primordial energy leaked far less than that of the pill he had refined earlier.
• Zhang Xiaohua stored the remaining pills, cultivated through the night, and practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist the next morning.
• Zhang Xiaohua recalled Monk Chang Geng's promise to teach him Dharma Swordplay and wondered whether he would honor it after the Misty Sect's destruction.

Zhang Xiaohua studied the rabbit talisman before helping Nie Qianyu refine several kinds of pills at Hui Chun Valley. He finished the day's work with surprising speed, and Nie Qianyu asked what he planned to do next.

• Zhang Xiaohua decided not to confront Monk Chang Geng at Great Forest Temple until he had more confidence, then returned to the pill chamber to study the rabbit talisman.
• Nie Qianyu arrived without herbs of her own because Valley Master Nie had sent disciples to gather them, and she explained that refined pills needed prompt storage in porcelain bottles.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Nie Qianyu began refining the Hundred Detoxification Pill, New Snow Pill, Heavenly Grass Pill, Plum Tongue Pill, and Righteous Dew Pill.
• Zhang Xiaohua refined the pills quickly and let Hui Chun Valley's disciples store most of the results, while keeping some herbs aside to work on later.
• After Zhang Xiaohua finished all the prepared pills before midday, Nie Qianyu asked what he planned to do with the extra time.

Zhang Xiaohua reviewed his alchemy while Nie Qianyu reported his flawless pill-making to Valley Master Nie. They wondered whether Ren Xiaoyao wanted Hui Chun Valley’s pill formulas, and Valley Master Nie decided to let him refine them all.

• Zhang Xiaohua declined Nie Qianyu’s invitation to gather herbs and returned to the pill room to practice alchemy.
• Nie Qianyu told Valley Master Nie that Ren Xiaoyao had perfectly refined every pill she brought and had left the pills for Hui Chun Valley.
• Valley Master Nie inspected the pills and found their potency far greater than Hui Chun Valley’s own pills.
• Nie Qianyu and Valley Master Nie discussed Ren Xiaoyao’s character, the gold she had found, and whether he had sought Hui Chun Valley’s formulas.
• Valley Master Nie decided to give Ren Xiaoyao all of Hui Chun Valley’s pill formulas, but Nie Qianyu objected.

Valley Master Nie explained why he trusted Zhang Xiaohua with Hui Chun Valley’s ancient pill formulas, and Zhang Xiaohua refined the pills while studying their flaws and searching the inner valley for herbs. The chapter left Zhang Xiaohua collecting Shade-Eating Grass that could support his efforts to learn Hui Chun Valley’s pill-refining methods.

• Nie Qianyu warned Valley Master Nie that sharing Hui Chun Valley’s treasured formulas could expose the valley to danger, but he explained why he believed the risk was acceptable and necessary.
• Zhang Xiaohua refined the remaining pills and found that some formulas produced pills with flaws, which he recorded in his jade slip.
• Zhang Xiaohua considered Hui Chun Valley’s traditional use of external fire and decided to explore the inner valley for herbs and possible Immortal Path inheritances.
• Zhang Xiaohua found a cultivated plot of Shade-Eating Grass whose uses differed between the jade slip and Hui Chun Valley’s records.
• Zhang Xiaohua gathered several stalks of Shade-Eating Grass and sealed them in a jade case.

Zhang Xiaohua found a Sun Grass in the wilds of Hui Chun Valley and fought off the great white wolf guarding it. As he prepared to kill the wolf, its sorrowful eyes reminded him of the cat that had died outside Pingyang City.

• Zhang Xiaohua ventured deeper into Hui Chun Valley and gathered valuable herbs from its untended wilderness.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered a Sun Grass growing among bare stones and confirmed it was rich in Primordial Qi.
• A great white wolf rushed toward Zhang Xiaohua and attacked him beside the Sun Grass.
• Zhang Xiaohua dodged the wolf's pounces and threw it aside, but it kept attacking.
• Zhang Xiaohua seized the wolf by the throat, then recognized the sorrow in its eyes as the same expression he had seen in the cat crushed outside Pingyang City.

Zhang Xiaohua encountered an old Hui Chun Valley herb gatherer while trying to take the Crimson Flame Grass, and the man mistook him for a trespasser and Nie Qianyu’s future husband. The old man refused to let Zhang Xiaohua leave, while Valley Master Nie hurried toward them.

• Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly threw Da Bai away, but the White Wolf kept attacking him to protect the Sun Grass.
• An old man arrived, threw a coin dart at Zhang Xiaohua, and identified the plant as Crimson Flame Grass.
• The old man questioned Zhang Xiaohua about entering Hui Chun Valley, and Zhang Xiaohua explained that Nie Qianyu had invited him.
• Zhang Xiaohua offered to leave, but the old man refused and said Valley Master Nie was on his way.
• The old man called Zhang Xiaohua Nie Qianyu’s future husband, and Zhang Xiaohua denied it in frustration.

Zhang Xiaohua was confronted by Elder Zhang while exploring Hui Chun Valley, but Valley Master Nie arrived and cleared up the misunderstanding. After Elder Zhang learned of Zhang Xiaohua’s pill-refining skills and his knowledge of Sun Grass, they returned toward the Outer Valley, leaving Zhang Xiaohua considering whether the hundred-year-old herb could be used to refine a pill.

• Elder Zhang signaled White Wolf to summon Valley Master Nie and the others, who arrived and stopped the confrontation with Zhang Xiaohua.
• Valley Master Nie explained Zhang Xiaohua’s background and pill-refining work, prompting Elder Zhang to apologize for attacking him.
• Elder Zhang and Zhang Xiaohua struggled over the apology until Valley Master Nie suggested they spar in the martial arena instead.
• Valley Master Nie inspected the Crimson Flame Grass, and Elder Zhang said he had gathered all the ingredients for the Crimson Flame Pill but lacked confidence in refining it.
• Elder Zhang questioned Zhang Xiaohua about the herb’s name, and Zhang Xiaohua identified it as Sun Grass while claiming his knowledge came from an old booklet.
• Elder Zhang packed his belongings and left White Wolf guarding the herb as he agreed to return to the Outer Valley with Valley Master Nie and Zhang Xiaohua; Zhang Xiaohua wondered whether the pill could be refined now.

Elder Zhang explained how ancient herb knowledge had been lost and showed Zhang Xiaohua his records of herbs and pill formulas. Zhang Xiaohua realized that Elder Zhang's Crimson Flame Pill was the Meridian Nourishing Pill under a different name, with an altered refinement method.

• Valley Master Nie left Elder Zhang's residence to fetch something while disciples cleaned the bamboo room.
• Elder Zhang asked Zhang Xiaohua about the old booklet that had taught him the name Sun Grass, and explained how ancient herb and alchemy knowledge had disappeared or changed.
• Elder Zhang revealed his handwritten herb book, which recorded ancient and modern herb names, including Sun Grass as the ancient name for Crimson Flame Grass.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed a jade slip tucked into the herb book and examined it with his divine sense.
• Elder Zhang showed Zhang Xiaohua a booklet containing the Crimson Flame Pill formula, and Zhang Xiaohua recognized that its ingredients matched the Meridian Nourishing Pill, though its refinement method differed.

Zhang Xiaohua obtained Elder Zhang’s jade slip and promised to search for an old book that might contain ancient herbs, while Elder Zhang examined Zhang Xiaohua’s ancient-method Blood Replenishing Pill. Impressed by the pill, Elder Zhang urged Valley Master Nie to marry Nie Qian to Zhang Xiaohua, then praised the pill’s taste and Hui Chun Valley’s packaging.

• Elder Zhang proposed reconstructing an ancient pill formula, but Zhang Xiaohua declined to help and accepted the jade slip after Elder Zhang offered it.
• Zhang Xiaohua claimed he had seen the herb name Sun Grass in a large book at his old home and promised to send the book to Hui Chun Valley if he found it.
• Valley Master Nie returned with pills Zhang Xiaohua had refined, and Elder Zhang scolded him after seeing how small the Blood Replenishing Pill was.
• Elder Zhang tasted the pill and was astonished by its quality, then urged Valley Master Nie to arrange for Zhang Xiaohua to marry Nie Qian.
• Elder Zhang declared the pill melted in the mouth and praised its taste and appearance, as well as Hui Chun Valley’s porcelain bottles.

Zhang Xiaohua discussed the improved Blood Replenishing Pill with Valley Master Nie and Elder Zhang, then learned Elder Zhang wanted him to refine a rare Crimson Flame Pill. Zhang Xiaohua said he lacked confidence for now and proposed practicing by refining Hui Chun Valley’s other pills first.

• Elder Zhang said Zhang Xiaohua’s Blood Replenishing Pill had roughly twice the effect of Hui Chun Valley’s old pills, allowing the valley to make four times as many from the same herbs.
• Valley Master Nie explained that Zhang Xiaohua had asked to inspect Hui Chun Valley’s pill formulas and help refine them, prompting Elder Zhang to praise him and enthusiastically call him Great Hero Ren.
• Zhang Xiaohua mistakenly assumed Elder Zhang wanted him to teach pill-refinement techniques, but Elder Zhang clarified that he only wanted help refining a Crimson Flame Pill.
• Elder Zhang revealed that Hui Chun Valley had only one Crimson Flame Grass, and Zhang Xiaohua said he had a forty percent chance of ruining it.
• Zhang Xiaohua proposed refining Hui Chun Valley’s other pills to gain experience before attempting the Crimson Flame Pill.

Zhang Xiaohua demonstrated his pill-refining method to Valley Master Nie and Elder Zhang, then borrowed an ancient pill furnace from Hui Chun Valley. Back in his pill room, he examined Elder Zhang’s jade slip and discovered it contained a vast Compendium of Herbs.

• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to demonstrate pill refining after Elder Zhang asked to see the ancient method, and Elder Zhang gave him his herb tome.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed that Elder Zhang’s unused small cauldron matched the Immortal Dao furnace he owned and asked to borrow it.
• Zhang Xiaohua refined the White Casting Pill’s medicinal powder, convincing Elder Zhang that his pill-refining method worked.
• Zhang Xiaohua warned Valley Master Nie and Elder Zhang to keep the method secret, then arranged to take the small cauldron to his pill room.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to his room and discovered that Elder Zhang’s jade slip contained illustrations and information about countless herbs.

Zhang Xiaohua studied orthodox Immortal Path alchemy and warned Nie Qianyu to keep the cultivation method secret, while she proposed that he refine only representative pill formulas. After refining pills with a second alchemy method, he recorded his insights and the formulas in his jade slip.

• Zhang Xiaohua studied the Compendium of Herbs to learn the identities of ancient medicinal herbs.
• Zhang Xiaohua warned Nie Qianyu not to reveal the cultivation method, especially to her married sisters, and she recognized the risk of its origin becoming known.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Nie Qianyu agreed that he should practice representative pill formulas rather than refine every formula for Hui Chun Valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua tested the pill furnace and successfully refined more than a dozen kinds of pills using the second alchemy method.
• Zhang Xiaohua recorded his alchemy insights, the pills' Five Elements deficiencies, and more pill formulas in his jade slip.

While studying a mnemonic to conceal his cultivation and divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua gained insight into the Heavenly Dao and advanced his cultivation through a night of focused practice. He woke at the peak of the sixth layer, with the seventh-layer bottleneck in sight, and realized that his cultivation had changed in some way.

• Zhang Xiaohua recorded his pill formula and insights on a jade slip, then practiced the Spirit Guiding Technique to replenish and strengthen his divine sense.
• Concerned that the Incense-Passing Cult might discover his cultivation, Zhang Xiaohua studied the obscure mnemonic for concealing his cultivation and divine sense.
• After reflecting on cultivation and his ties to the people around him, Zhang Xiaohua grasped something about the Heavenly Dao and began cultivating the Carefree Heart Sutra during the day.
• Zhang Xiaohua's changed cultivation drew Primordial Qi from the Wo Niu Stone, while starlight flowed into his meridians, bones, and Dan Heart.
• After cultivating until dawn, Zhang Xiaohua found that he had advanced from the early stage of the sixth layer to its peak, with the seventh-layer bottleneck faintly visible.
• Zhang Xiaohua checked himself for problems, found everything normal, and then realized where the difference in his cultivation lay.

Zhang Xiaohua’s cultivation advanced after he comprehended the Heavenly Dao, and he made progress studying a concealment incantation while refining increasingly difficult pills for Nie Qianyu. The chapter left the Jade Standing Alliance’s leaders debating whether Zhang Xiaohua’s unclear origins made him a risk to Hui Chun Valley.

• Zhang Xiaohua realized his true qi flowed more naturally after his cultivation breakthrough and found new insight into the concealment incantation.
• Nie Qianyu brought Zhang Xiaohua increasingly complex pill formulas and more herbs, keeping him occupied in the alchemy room over the following days.
• Zhang Xiaohua improved his Martial Way alchemy and gained new insights into Immortal Dao alchemy through the difficult work.
• Valley Master Nie’s alliance brothers questioned his decision to trust Zhang Xiaohua, warning that a mistake could endanger Hui Chun Valley and the Jade Standing Alliance.
• Fourth Brother Zhen urged Valley Master Nie to investigate Zhang Xiaohua’s unknown origins and plan carefully.

Valley Master Nie explained Zhang Xiaohua’s alchemy talent and his journey to the Incense-Passing Cult to the Jade Standing Alliance, while his brothers mistook his motives for matchmaking. The alliance also discussed Dragon Soaring Sword Manor’s suspicious movements and learned that Tong Ba might challenge Zhang Xiaohua’s strength.

• Valley Master Nie showed his brothers a Blood Replenishing Pill refined by Zhang Xiaohua, and Ying Zhezhu found it unusually effective.
• Valley Master Nie recounted how Zhang Xiaohua had uncovered a lost alchemy method and demonstrated great talent, while hiding that Zhang Xiaohua had taught Hui Chun Valley how to use internal energy.
• The Jade Standing Alliance brothers assumed Valley Master Nie had sent Zhang Xiaohua to the Incense-Passing Cult to win favor for him and Xiao Yu, and Valley Master Nie decided not to correct them.
• Ma Fuhu reported that Dragon Soaring Sword Manor’s second young master had recently traveled north with carriages that were missing when he returned, and Eldest Brother Si ordered continued surveillance.
• Si Yakong revealed that his disciple Tong Ba wanted to challenge Zhang Xiaohua in strength, surprising the gathering.

Tong Ba challenged Zhang Xiaohua to a contest of strength and offered Weapon Forging Gate artifact-refining methods as the wager. Zhang Xiaohua agreed to attend without risking anything of his own, and the chapter left the contest about to begin at Hui Chun Valley.

• Tong Ba pressed Valley Master Nie to let him challenge Zhang Xiaohua and offered a booklet of Weapon Forging Gate methods as the wager.
• Valley Master Nie agreed to ask Zhang Xiaohua whether he would compete, while Si Yakong accepted the contest between the younger generation.
• Nie Qianyu told Zhang Xiaohua about the challenge and explained that Tong Ba was reputedly several hundred jin stronger than Lu Meng.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to go along with the contest, intending to risk no wager of his own and see what Tong Ba and the Weapon Forging Gate were planning.
• Nie Qianyu explained the Jade Standing Alliance’s history and relationships, then joined Zhang Xiaohua in refining pills.
• That evening, Hui Chun Valley prepared its western courtyard with tables, food, candles, and torches for the gathering.

At a banquet in Hui Chun Valley, Si Yakong proposed a strength contest between Zhang Xiaohua and Tong Ba, offering an artifact-refining manual as the prize. When Zhang Xiaohua brought out his unusually heavy long sword, Tong Ba failed to lift it, and it crashed onto the ground before the onlookers.

• Zhang Xiaohua met the Jade Standing Alliance leaders, accepted their thanks for rescuing Hui Chun Valley, and joined their banquet.
• Si Yakong announced that Tong Ba would challenge Zhang Xiaohua in strength and offered a Weapon Forging Gate artifact-refining manual if Zhang Xiaohua won.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to compete and retrieved his long sword from the pavilion in the peach grove.
• Tong Ba accepted the long sword from Zhang Xiaohua but could not hold its weight and let it fall onto the Martial Arts Demonstration Ground.

Tong Ba failed to lift Zhang Xiaohua’s extraordinarily heavy sword, prompting Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan to inspect it and identify its possible connection to the lost Fire Condensation Method. The contest resumed, and Tong Ba lifted the sword only as high as his chest before conceding defeat and offering Zhang Xiaohua the promised booklet.

• Tong Ba could not catch Zhang Xiaohua’s sword, so Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan entered the arena to examine it.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan that he had found the sword suspended over magma on a deserted island overseas.
• Si Yakong and Zhen Xuan suspected the sword had been made using the lost Fire Condensation Method, but admitted they could not identify its material or forge it.
• Si Yakong suggested the sword might be made from legendary Profound Gold, then returned with Zhen Xuan to the banquet without explaining further.
• Tong Ba lifted the sword to his chest but could not raise it overhead, admitted defeat, and offered Zhang Xiaohua the booklet containing Weapon Forging Gate secrets.

At a banquet, Si Yakong gave Zhang Xiaohua a Weapon Forging Gate booklet before revealing that he hoped to obtain the Big Dipper Sect’s Great Evolution Five Elements Formation. Zhang Xiaohua realized the formation was considered a treasure by others and left Si Yakong’s request open to consideration.

• Tong Ba gave Zhang Xiaohua the Weapon Forging Gate booklet after Si Yakong spoke, and Zhang Xiaohua suspected the gift came with a request.
• Si Yakong hesitated to make his unreasonable request, while Valley Master Nie and Nie Qianyu urged him to explain it.
• Si Yakong recalled Zhang Xiaohua’s arena fight and identified the opponents’ joint technique as the lost Great Evolution Five Elements Formation once held by the Weapon Forging Gate.
• Valley Master Nie said Zhang Xiaohua could not teach the formation without the Big Dipper Sect elders’ approval, and Si Yakong gave up hope of obtaining it.
• As the guests prepared to return to the banquet, Zhang Xiaohua said Si Yakong’s request was not entirely beyond consideration.

Zhang Xiaohua negotiated with Si Yakong over a fair exchange for the Great Evolution Five Elements Formation and inspected several possible offerings from the Weapon Forging Gate. The chapter ended when Si Yakong showed him a mysterious booklet that shocked him.

• Zhang Xiaohua rejected the idea of giving away the Great Evolution Five Elements Formation and agreed to make a fair trade with Si Yakong.
• Si Yakong offered Zhang Xiaohua the Azure Water Sword, and Zhang Xiaohua discovered that channeling his true qi made it shine and release faint sword light.
• Si Yakong poured out his brocade pouch, and Zhang Xiaohua asked about three black rods and requested old jade objects instead.
• Si Yakong remembered a strange item and dismissed the unrelated disciples before revealing a small booklet to Zhang Xiaohua.
• Zhang Xiaohua opened the booklet and was greatly shocked by what he saw.

Zhang Xiaohua accepted the Wordless Heavenly Book on behalf of the Big Dipper Sect for a twenty-year period, along with a few gifts from Si Yakong. Later, he tested the Azure Water Sword’s sword radiance and began thinking of names for his swords as Nie Qianyu came to mind.

• Si Yakong offered the Wordless Heavenly Book to the Big Dipper Sect and asked for a copy if its secrets were deciphered.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed that the book would be returned to the Weapon Forging Gate if the Big Dipper Sect could not decipher it within twenty years.
• Zhang Xiaohua accepted three flagpoles, a rare refinement material, and Si Yakong’s brocade pouch, but declined the other gifts.
• After the banquet, Zhang Xiaohua returned alone to the pill room and discovered that the Azure Water Sword formed a long, powerful sword radiance when infused with his true qi.
• Zhang Xiaohua tested the sword on a stone table, then considered names for his weapons and thought of Nie Qianyu.