Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua prepared for the You Lan Mu Lian by packing useful items, leaving the Prajna Heavy Sword behind, and meeting Zou Shuming, who escorted him down Tianmu Peak. He arrived at the Herb Division courtyard as Chen Fengxiao prepared to address the departing disciples.

• Zhang Xiaohua collected empty jade cases, a small pill furnace, and his bundle, but left the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace and Prajna Heavy Sword in the pill chamber.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed Zou Shuming watching the cave, then practiced the Riding the Wind Technique through the night.
• Bai Huan waited for Zhang Xiaohua the next morning, and Zou Shuming arrived to escort him down the mountain on Wu Dalang's orders.
• Zhang Xiaohua, Bai Huan, and Zou Shuming reached the Herb Division courtyard, where more than fifty carriages and the departing disciples had assembled.
• Chen Fengxiao stepped beneath the farewell banner and began speaking to the disciples bound for the You Lan Mu Lian.

Chen Fengxiao urged the Herb Department disciples to unite for their dangerous trip into You Lan Grand Canyon and named Ren Xiaoyao as a source of protection. Ren Xiaoyao agreed to join Lu Chaoxian’s group, while Lu remained its leader, and learned that leaders received a portion of their followers’ rewards.

• Chen Fengxiao encouraged the ninety-six Herb Department disciples to value their lives and work together in You Lan Grand Canyon.
• Chen Fengxiao singled out Ren Xiaoyao, prompting disciples to gather around him and seek his help.
• Lu Chaoxian introduced himself and tried to persuade Ren Xiaoyao to lead his group into the canyon.
• Ren Xiaoyao agreed to join Lu Chaoxian’s group and protect him, but declined to take the leadership role.
• Chen Fengxiao told Lu Chaoxian to lead the group and explained that Ren Xiaoyao could assist when needed.
• Lu Chaoxian explained that a group leader received a portion of the followers’ rewards, and Ren Xiaoyao realized the role was compensated.

Zhang Xiaohua joined the Tianmu Peak disciples traveling to You Lan Grand Canyon for the You Lan Twilight Trial, while learning that the trial entrants had to gather and enter in a strict order. After waiting at Baiyue Peak, he asked Lu Chaoxian to show him around, but Lu hesitated because they were not free to wander there.

• Zhang Xiaohua accepted a share of the gathered profits and promised to protect the disciples traveling with him.
• Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu saw off the Tianmu Peak convoy, and Zou Shuming privately reported something to Wu Zhouxu, who said it would be easy to handle.
• Zhang Xiaohua traveled with Lu Chaoxian to Baiyue Peak and learned about the You Lan Twilight Trial along the way.
• The Tianmu Peak disciples stayed at Baiyue Peak for three days as groups from other peaks arrived and the larger trial gathering assembled.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Lu Chaoxian to take him sightseeing, but Lu said they should first ask which places they were allowed to visit.

Zhang Xiaohua explored Baiyue Peak despite Lu Chaoxian’s warning and discovered a hidden dungeon beneath guarded houses on the summit. After finding torture implements and a dead prisoner in a submerged cage, he decided the corpse was probably unrelated to the Misty Sect and left.

• Lu Chaoxian warned Zhang Xiaohua that the Incense-Passing Cult enforced harsh rules, especially against male disciples and ordinary-hall disciples.
• Zhang Xiaohua slipped away from the trial disciples’ courtyard, burrowed underground, and used the Riding the Wind Technique to reach Baiyue Peak’s summit.
• Zhang Xiaohua found guarded houses and bypassed a restriction to enter a dark underground chamber.
• Zhang Xiaohua discovered torture equipment, bloodstains, a corpse in a submerged cage, and bones in the pool, then recognized the chamber as the Pill-Refining Hall’s dungeon.
• Zhang Xiaohua concluded that the long-dead prisoner was probably unrelated to the Misty Sect and left the dungeon, his mood spoiled.

Zhang Xiaohua returned from exploring Baiyue Peak and was hurried by Lu Chaoxian to Deputy Hall Master Xu’s briefing for the You Lan Mu Lian. Xu singled them out for arriving late and began demanding an explanation, leaving Zhang Xiaohua puzzled about what had happened.

• After seeing the dungeon on Baiyue Peak, Zhang Xiaohua traveled back toward the courtyard and slipped underground when he encountered more disciples.
• Zhang Xiaohua found the courtyard empty, but Lu Chaoxian arrived and hurried him toward Deputy Hall Master Xu’s gathering.
• Yang Yao recognized Zhang Xiaohua and objected to his selection for the You Lan Mu Lian, then backed down after realizing Xu had personally chosen him.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian entered the crowded courtyard just as Xu criticized some disciples for breaking discipline by arriving late.
• Xu called Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian forward and asked why they had come late, while Zhang Xiaohua wondered what was going on.

Zhang Xiaohua was singled out by Deputy Hall Master Xu for arriving late and was ordered to find a hundred-year Ice Soul Grass in You Lan Grand Canyon to avoid punishment. His fellow disciples feared the rare herb would be impossible to find, though Zhang Xiaohua took heart from the story of Lu Lihong finding old ginseng beyond the safe zone.

• Zhang Xiaohua told Deputy Hall Master Xu that Lu Chaoxian had arrived on time and returned only to look for him, so Xu excused Lu Chaoxian.
• Zhang Xiaohua admitted he had been wandering in a grove, and Deputy Hall Master Xu threatened him with hard labor, eighty lashes, or severed leg tendons.
• Deputy Hall Master Xu offered to waive Zhang Xiaohua's punishment if he brought back a hundred-year Ice Soul Grass from You Lan Grand Canyon.
• Zhang Xiaohua accepted the condition, and Deputy Hall Master Xu dismissed the disciples after the lecture.
• Lu Chaoxian blamed himself, while the other disciples warned Zhang Xiaohua that old herbs were scarce because the canyon was harvested every five years.
• A disciple explained that Lu Lihong had found several-hundred-year-old ginseng by venturing beyond the safe zone, where other disciples had later been injured or killed by fierce beasts.

Zhang Xiaohua and the Pill-Refining Hall disciples set out for You Lan Grand Canyon and reached Dragon Head Peak, where Wuming Hall’s trial escorts joined the convoy. As the Outer Sect disciples were assigned to the carts, one recognized Zhang Xiaohua and greeted him.

• Zhang Xiaohua learned that the harvesting area had no hundred-year-old spirit herbs, but he suspected such herbs might exist elsewhere in You Lan Grand Canyon.
• Lu Chaoxian told Zhang Xiaohua that the disciples were departing, and Zhang Xiaohua promised to do his best to keep Lu Chaoxian and their companions safe.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian waited for the crowded courtyard gate to clear before joining the convoy as it officially set out.
• After traveling for more than a day, the convoy reached Xuanmu Peak, and Lu Chaoxian explained that Wuming Hall was based on Dragon Head Peak and would provide trial escorts.
• Dozens of Outer Sect disciples rode down from Dragon Head Peak and began taking positions along the convoy; one approached Zhang Xiaohua’s cart and greeted him as an old acquaintance.

Lu Lihong joined the Pill-Refining Hall convoy as an escort while Chen Chen led her junior sisters into the You Lan Grand Canyon. After the convoy reached the forest, Zhang Xiaohua questioned why they had waited to enter, and Lu Chaoxian began to explain the trial’s name.

• Zhang Xiaohua greeted Lu Lihong, who had joined the convoy to guard its rear, and the Herb Division disciples took heart from his presence.
• The convoy resumed its journey in silence, with Zhang Xiaohua cultivating in his carriage beside Lu Chaoxian.
• Chen Chen warned her junior sisters to leave the You Lan Grand Canyon before its restriction closed, then sent them down the ridge.
• A junior sister lost control of her inner breath while leaping from the ridge, and Chen Chen caught her before she hit the rocks.
• Chen Chen asked whether she should call the rescued junior sister Meng or Zixia.
• After several more days of travel, the convoy reached a vast forest, where Zhang Xiaohua asked Lu Chaoxian why they had waited to enter the canyon; Lu Chaoxian began explaining the trial’s name.

Zhang Xiaohua learned that You Lan Mu Lian entrants could enter the canyon only at dusk, when a temporary passage appeared through the forest formation. As the convoy traveled along it, Zhang Xiaohua sensed danger and realized the forest had no birds or insects.

• Lu Chaoxian explained that disciples could enter You Lan Grand Canyon only during the dusk opening, and that the forest entrance would become visible when its mist cleared.
• At sunset, the mist vanished and a five-colored passage appeared through the forest, prompting the convoy to move quickly before it closed.
• Zhang Xiaohua let the four carriages behind him go ahead, then brought up the rear with Lu Chaoxian.
• As the convoy traveled along the narrow path, Zhang Xiaohua sensed an oppressive danger that his divine sense could not identify.
• When a carriage jolted and creaked in the silent woods, Zhang Xiaohua realized there were no birds or insects in the forest.

The Pill-Refining Hall convoy crossed a strange forest where a formation began to activate, forcing the disciples to race toward the exit. Zhang Xiaohua rescued Lu Chaoxian from their runaway carriage, and they escaped the forest aboard another carriage as an angry leader demanded to know who had ordered the convoy to rush.

• A carriage axle broke, and its frightened horses dragged the wreck into the woods, where it shattered against a tree.
• Lu Chaoxian warned Zhang Xiaohua not to discuss the forest, while Zhang Xiaohua sensed a strange formation stirring within it.
• As mist closed in and the road's light faded, the convoy raced toward the forest exit.
• The horse pulling Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian's carriage bolted into the woods, so Zhang Xiaohua carried Lu Chaoxian to the carriage ahead using his Riding the Wind Technique.
• The disciples outside the forest realized Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian had survived, and an angry voice demanded to know who had ordered the convoy to rush out.

Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian reached You Lan Grand Canyon with the Pill-Refining Hall convoy after surviving a dangerous passage through the mysterious forest. They entered the You Lan Great Grassland, learned that their herb-gathering grounds lay several days away in Qi Hua Forest, and settled in caves for the night.

• Martial Uncle Zhang scolded a Wuming Hall disciple for galloping through the forest, then learned that two Pill-Refining Hall carriages had been lost but no disciples were missing.
• Zhang Xiaohua shared a carriage with Lu Chaoxian, who thanked him for saving his life, and Lu explained that other disciples could provide jade cases for gathering herbs.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian reached the vast canyon entrance and crossed into the You Lan Great Grassland.
• Lu Chaoxian explained that Pill-Refining Hall's herb-gathering grounds were in Qi Hua Forest, several days' travel to the west.
• The Pill-Refining Hall convoy camped in caves at the foot of the western ridge after its leading disciple declared the first trial passed.

Zhang Xiaohua settled into a cave at You Lan Great Grassland and overheard a Wuming Hall master reprimanding his disciple for the caravan’s losses, while discussing Lu Lihong’s influence and the outer sect assessment. The caravan then entered You Lan Grand Canyon, where the disciples used flags to communicate quietly as they traveled toward Qi Hua Forest.

• Zhang Xiaohua chose a cave among the Pill-Refining Hall disciples and found it stocked with jade cases of medicinal herbs.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced contemplating his rabbit talisman, then overheard a Wuming Hall master criticize his disciple’s decision to lead the caravan out of the forest on horseback.
• The Wuming Hall disciple told his master that Lu Lihong had advised him to leave on horseback, and the master urged him to earn enough trial points to qualify for the outer sect assessment.
• The Pill-Refining Hall caravan set out the next morning with Zhang Xiaohua and Lu Chaoxian sharing a replacement carriage.
• After the caravan entered You Lan Grand Canyon, Lu Chaoxian explained that the route toward Qi Hua Forest avoided fierce beasts and that black and white flags conveyed messages without loud speech.

Zhang Xiaohua’s convoy crossed into Jiang Zhu territory, where Outer Gate disciples killed a charging beast and continued west. Lu Lihong explained that the next stretch through Pi Yang and elk territory was usually peaceful, but warned that fierce predators sometimes hunted near its borders.

• Lu Lihong warned Zhang Xiaohua that the convoy was entering Jiang Zhu territory and told him to stay quiet.
• A Jiang Zhu charged the convoy, and Outer Gate disciples surrounded it and killed it after blinding both eyes.
• The disciple who fought the Jiang Zhu collected its tail as his ten-point prize, and the convoy resumed its journey.
• Lu Lihong explained that the route had avoided jackal and wolf territory and was now passing through gentler Pi Yang and elk territory.
• Lu Lihong warned that fierce beasts sometimes hunted near the territory’s borders, then trailed off before finishing his thought.

Zhang Xiaohua and the convoy reached a stone-walled campsite, where the disciples relied on him and Lu Chaoxian for protection. After noticing the rift between the three Arhats, Zhang Xiaohua meditated and discovered that his divine sense could perceive the emotions of those around him.

• Lu Lihong warned Zhang Xiaohua that powerful ferocious beasts could enter the center of Pi Yang territory and recalled a deadly encounter with cheetahs.
• The convoy traveled safely through the grassland and reached a circular campsite made of enormous stones.
• The eight disciples following Zhang Xiaohua set up one large shared tent and brought food and water for him and Lu Chaoxian, hoping to sleep safely near them.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed that the three Arhats were separated from one another and understood that disputes over tribute had strained their relationships.
• Zhang Xiaohua meditated in the tent and found that his divine sense could sense the emotions of nearby disciples, deepening his understanding of cultivation.

Zhang Xiaohua left the campsite at night and wondered why he had been sent on the You Lan Mu Lian, while thinking about the people he had left behind. Elsewhere, Chen Chen questioned Zixia about her past and her feelings, then asked about her goose-yellow clothes and lone beaded hairpin.

• Zhang Xiaohua’s fellow disciples entered his tent, praised his martial arts, and agreed to sleep farther away so he could practice.
• Lu Chaoxian explained that the disciples avoided bonfires because fires could attract savage beasts during the You Lan Mu Lian.
• Zhang Xiaohua slipped out of the campsite and lay beneath the stars, pondering Deputy Hall Master Xu’s possible role in sending him into the valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua thought about Zhang Xiaohu, Little Fish, his family, Xiao Meng, and Nie Qianyu.
• In an underground cavern, Chen Chen asked Zixia whether she had ever met someone who suited her heart, and Zixia said she had not.
• Chen Chen asked Zixia why she wore goose-yellow clothes despite her name and why she wore only one beaded hairpin.

Chen Chen and Zixia discussed a misunderstood phrase before Chen Chen carried her through the cave to rest. Outside Wuming Hall, Zhang Xiaohua killed a Giant Wolf that had been stalking the patrols, then protected his companions’ tent and resumed cultivation.

• Chen Chen learned from Zixia that “having seen countless men” had a meaning different from what she had thought and vowed to confront the woman who misled her at Zui Xiang Lou.
• Chen Chen took Zixia by the hand and flew toward the cave ceiling to find a place to sleep.
• Zhang Xiaohua sensed a creature near the Wuming Hall patrols and found a Giant Wolf watching the stone wall.
• The Giant Wolf attacked Zhang Xiaohua, but he severed one of its claws with Bishui and killed it with a burst of sword radiance through its throat.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to the tent, placed jade talismans around it, raised a protective barrier, and cultivated with two essence stones.

Zhang Xiaohua watched as Lu Lihong and the Wuming Hall disciples discovered the dead Blood Wolf he had killed the previous night. Senior Brother Chen warned that the wolf might have been part of a pack and ordered the disciples to move quickly.

• Zhang Xiaohua practiced his fist and sword techniques before the convoy departed the campsite.
• Lu Lihong spotted the Blood Wolf's corpse and alerted the Wuming Hall disciples.
• Senior Brother Chen persuaded Lu Lihong to approach the apparently motionless wolf, and Lu Lihong confirmed it was dead.
• Senior Brother Chen examined the Blood Wolf's wounds and realized an inner disciple had killed it with a strike through its mouth.
• Lu Lihong struggled to cut off the Blood Wolf's tough tail and claimed the points for discovering it.
• Zhang Xiaohua recognized the danger of a Blood Wolf pack as Senior Brother Chen warned that more wolves might be nearby and urged everyone to mount up.

The convoy crossed You Lan Great Grassland and stopped to camp near You Lan Rainforest, where a Thunder Tiger suddenly attacked and killed an outer disciple. Senior Brother Chen ordered the disciples to stand guard as the tiger disappeared into the grass.

• Senior Brother Chen ordered the convoy to withdraw after discovering a blood wolf, and Lu Lihong returned with the wolf's tail after killing it.
• The convoy traveled through herds of Pi Yang and elk without encountering the blood wolf pack.
• The convoy stopped on the open grassland before entering You Lan Rainforest, where Zhang Xiaohua sensed something unusual to the south.
• A Thunder Tiger burst from the grass and bit an outer disciple in half before vanishing with his body.
• Senior Brother Chen rushed over and shouted for the disciples to stand guard.

After a Thunder Tiger killed an outer sect disciple, Zhang Xiaohua learned why the Pill-Refining Hall group feared being left vulnerable to its repeated attacks. He promised to protect his fellow disciples and went to consult three Arhats for a solution.

• Zhang Xiaohua failed to save the disciple the Thunder Tiger carried off and pulled the terrified Lu Chaoxian to his feet.
• Senior Brother Chen organized Wuming Hall guards while the Pill-Refining Hall disciples finished making camp and worried about the tiger’s return.
• Lu Chaoxian explained that their group was only gathering herbs and that Wuming Hall might not risk its escorts to protect them from the Thunder Tiger.
• Lu Chaoxian and the other disciples feared the Thunder Tiger would return and prey on them if it could not attack the guarded Wuming Hall disciples.
• Zhang Xiaohua promised to stand between the Thunder Tiger and his fellow disciples, then asked when it might strike again.
• A disciple recounted that a Thunder Tiger had pursued a caravan for three days and mentioned a nearby pool where beasts drank at night; Zhang Xiaohua left to consult three Arhats.

Zhang Xiaohua left camp to hunt the Thunder Tiger, but after finding an immortal-path belt at the pool, he encountered a female disciple being chased and fought the beast. The Thunder Tiger struck at Zhang Xiaohua from behind as he attacked its head.

• Zhang Xiaohua flew to the pool to kill the Thunder Tiger and discovered an immortal-path belt hidden among the rocks.
• After the beasts at the pool failed to include a Thunder Tiger, Zhang Xiaohua took the belt and hurried back toward camp.
• Zhang Xiaohua encountered a female disciple fleeing a Thunder Tiger and told her to run while he stayed to fight.
• Zhang Xiaohua wounded the Thunder Tiger with the Azure Water Sword, then put the sword away and knocked it down with the Big Dipper Divine Fist.
• As Zhang Xiaohua swung at the Thunder Tiger's head, a gust and tremendous force struck toward his waist from behind.