Recaps

The Gongshu Brothers stopped Xie Yingyuan’s forces from killing Chen Heng, and Mi Jingshi freed Chen Heng to choose his next path. Chen Heng chose to go to Xiyi Mountain and struck the Kui Ox Drum to request an audience with Jun Yao.

• Gongshu Yu and Gongshu Long told Mi Jingshi that they had captured the stewards and Mountain-Moving Strongmen sent to kill Chen Heng.
• The Gongshu Brothers fought Elder Sun and Xie Yingyuan’s divine statue while Mi Jingshi freed Chen Heng and urged him to seek Jun Yao at Xiyi Mountain.
• Mi Jingshi revealed that Xie Yingyuan blamed Chen Jade Pivot for turning his four children into human puppets.
• Chen Heng rejected the prospect of fleeing to Qiaoming Gorge and asked the World-Escaping Shuttle to take him to Xiyi Mountain.
• Gongshu Yu’s spell pinned Xie Yingyuan and others in place as the World-Escaping Shuttle carried Chen Heng to the Kui Ox Drum.
• Chen Heng struck the Kui Ox Drum and requested an audience with True Person Jun Yao.

After advancing to the second level of Foundation Establishment, Chen Heng met Dao Scion Jun Yao, who offered him a place in the Jade Dawn School’s Four Great Lower Courts. Chen Heng chose to sever ties with Chen Jade Pivot, and Jun Yao gave him a valuable Daoist tome before the chapter ended.

• Chen Heng completed his cultivation breakthrough, gaining the ability to alter his size and greatly increasing his True Qi.
• Steward Feng told Chen Heng that Jun Yao wished to see him, and Chen Heng followed him to the Qianyuan Grand Hall.
• Chen Heng arrived while Jun Yao and Elder Xun discussed Jun Yao’s plans to deal with Xie Yingyuan of Shouyang Mountain before Jun Yao’s lifespan ended.
• Jun Yao offered to enroll Chen Heng as a Lower Court disciple, warning that joining the Jade Dawn School meant breaking with Chen Jade Pivot.
• Chen Heng rejected Chen Jade Pivot and declared his resolve to pursue the Dao, after which Jun Yao gave him a heavy tome made of gold and jade.

Jun Yao gave Chen Heng the Doushu Heavenly King Divine Sect Jade Book and sent him to await formal registration with the Jade Dawn School, while urging him to pursue the school’s own Golden Core Great Dao. Jun Yao’s master then arrived and revealed that his request for a Ginseng Fruit from Elder Tai Su had received an answer.

• Jun Yao gave Chen Heng the Doushu Heavenly King Divine Sect Jade Book, which contained cultivation methods through the Cavern Mystery realm, and explained that he withheld its later scriptures so Chen Heng would focus on Jade Dawn’s Golden Core Great Dao.
• Jun Yao told Chen Heng to stay on Xiyi Mountain until his name was entered in the golden register, and advised him to contact Xun Bing if trouble arose after Jun Yao’s death.
• Jun Yao sent Chen Heng back to his quiet chamber, where Chen Heng reflected on finally reaching the Jade Dawn School.
• Jun Yao’s master descended into the Qianyuan Grand Hall through a talisman plaque, scolded him for persisting with an Arcane Art tied to Chen Yan, and asked about his recent dealings with Chen Heng and Xie Yingyuan.
• Jun Yao explained that he had given Chen Heng only the incomplete Jade Book and no cultivation resources, believing Chen Heng should rely on his own strength.
• Jun Yao’s master told him that his request for a Ginseng Fruit from Elder Tai Su had yielded a result.

Jun Yao’s teacher revealed that Mei Gongxing had a risky method that might preserve Jun Yao’s life, while warning him that the Gongshu brothers’ help for Chen Heng could point to the Twelve Great Clans’ growing ambitions. Two days later, Chen Heng learned that his name had been entered into the Golden Register and that an envoy had come to escort him to the Lower Court.

• Jun Yao recalled Elder Tai Su’s history and doubted that the elder would offer Ginseng Fruit without seeking something from Jade Dawn.
• Jun Yao’s teacher explained that Mei Gongxing had interrupted the proposed Ginseng Fruit trade and offered a method with a thirty percent chance of temporarily saving Jun Yao, though the cost would involve him personally.
• Jun Yao decided to consult the patriarchs about the method, while his teacher vowed to save him regardless of fate.
• Jun Yao’s teacher raised suspicions about the Gongshu brothers’ protection of Chen Heng and the Twelve Great Clans’ growing disloyalty; Jun Yao agreed that the clans might need to be checked.
• Two days later, Steward Feng told Chen Heng that his name had been entered into the Golden Register and that an envoy was waiting to take him to the Lower Court.

Chen Heng learned that he had been assigned to Changying Court, where powerful clan ties could make his cultivation difficult, but he accepted the challenge and flew to the Lower Court. Dao Lord Tong Xuan then revealed why he had imprisoned Chen Yuanji: he wanted Chen Heng to join Jade Dawn School and face the dangers of Changying Court, leaving Chen Yuanji silent and departing after handing Tong Xuan something.

• Steward Feng warned Chen Heng that Changying Court’s superintendent Qiao Yu and initiation master Xie Yu had ties to the Changyou Xie Clan, unlike Baishang Court’s impartial superintendent Wu Sheng.
• Chen Heng took Jun Yao’s words, “No dragon dwells in stagnant water,” as a challenge to carve his own path, bowed toward Xiyi Mountain, and flew to the waiting vessel.
• Jun Yao watched Chen Heng depart and said he would give him the Killing Sword if he could stir up the Lower Court without losing resolve; a sword rang out with fierce killing intent.
• Dao Lord Tong Xuan released Chen Yuanji from his Inner Landscape world and explained that he had imprisoned him to stop him from taking Chen Heng to Yuluo Immortal Mansion.
• Chen Yuanji accused Tong Xuan of intending to use Chen Heng as a blade against the great clans, but Tong Xuan argued that Chen Heng should choose whether to pursue the Great Dao.
• Chen Yuanji fell silent, tossed an object from his sleeve to Tong Xuan, and left without a word.

Chen Yuanji entrusted Chen Ying’s cultivation to Dao Lord Tong Xuan, while Chen Ying used the Huzhao Sect’s Magnetic Essence Golden Light Ball to reach the Wusheng Sword Sect’s Immortal Treasures. The Formless Sword revealed that the Wusheng Treasure Mirror had left Xudu Heaven, gave Chen Ying a Spell Talisman, and Chen Heng’s vessel neared its destination days later.

• Chen Yuanji gave Dao Lord Tong Xuan a Yuluo Immortal Mansion Talisman Edict for Chen Ying and left after discussing Chen Ying’s prospects and his own future.
• Chen Ying watched the Magnetic Essence Golden Light Ball unleash devastation across the Earth Abyss while Huzhao Sect elders protected the area and prepared for his incantation.
• The Magnetic Essence Golden Light Ball transformed into a man and attacked an unseen intruder, but the Formless Sword appeared and stopped his punch.
• The Formless Sword told Chen Ying that the Wusheng Treasure Mirror had departed for Hongmeng Outer Space, then offered him a reward for his karmic connection to the Wusheng Sword Sect.
• Chen Ying requested aid, received a Spell Talisman from the Formless Sword, and passed it to the Huzhao Sect elders under their Oath Pact.
• Several days later, Chen Heng stopped cultivating aboard the Flying Vessel as it rocked, expecting that it had nearly arrived.

Chen Heng arrived at Changying Court on Golden Court Mountain, where Xie Yu and other members of the Xie Clan considered how to deal with him. The cloister overseer Qiao Yu rejected pressure to target Chen Heng and chose to watch how events unfolded.

• Chen Heng learned that the Flying Vessel was nearing Changying Court and reached Golden Court Mountain, where he resolved to pursue the Dao.
• Xie Yu asked Xie Tang and Xie Huizhai what they thought of Chen Heng, but Xie Huizhai argued that other clans should bear the risks of opposing him.
• Xie Huizhai warned Xie Tang that the Xie Clan's involvement in Xie Yingyuan's grudges could bring disaster, then walked away.
• Xie Yu found that Qiao Yu was refusing visitors and learned that the cloister overseer had received many letters concerning Chen Heng.
• Qiao Yu dismissed Old Pang for urging him to cut off Chen Heng's resources and, prompted by his disciple, decided to quietly watch how events developed.

Chen Heng used the dan mother sand bestowed by Changying Court to cultivate three breaths of Sun-Aspect Qi and planned to find a way to obtain more before Jun Yao's death left him exposed to his enemies. He went to Qinwang Peak to study the sect rules, while tension gathered elsewhere in Changying Court.

• Chen Heng finished absorbing his dan mother sand and reviewed the steps needed to reach the third stage of Foundation Establishment.
• Chen Heng resolved to advance his cultivation and standing before Jun Yao died, then left his lodge for Qinwang Peak.
• Chen Heng learned that Mi Hui had visited and instructed Steward Hong to send him a message if Mi Hui returned.
• Steward Hong struck a young attendant for speaking disrespectfully about Chen Heng and his situation.
• Chen Heng arrived at the scripture pavilion and asked to read the Sect Rules and Regulations again.
• Tension built on another peak in Changying Court while Chen Heng read.

Wei Yang and Jiang Tongyuan gathered Changying Court’s great-clan disciples to plan how to damage Chen Heng’s reputation and arranged to challenge him at a public teaching assembly. After Mi Hui warned him of the scheme, Chen Heng sent word that he would challenge the great-clan disciples to a fight to the death on White Stone Peak after the assembly.

• Wei Yang and Jiang Tongyuan waited for Xie Tang and Xie Huizhai, then discussed the clans’ hostility toward Chen Heng and the difficulty of attacking him openly.
• Jiang Tongyuan proposed challenging Chen Heng to a spell duel on White Stone Peak and spreading his refusal if he declined; Wei Yang warned that Chen Heng might accept and that the disciples could not secretly cripple him without consequences.
• Jiang Tongyuan revealed that Jiang Daolian and Wang Dian had entered Changying Court, then announced he would challenge Chen Heng at Shen Yuanzhi’s teaching assembly on Zhenghe Peak ten days later.
• Mi Hui returned to Chen Heng’s residence and warned him that Jiang Tongyuan and Wei Yang planned to target him at the assembly.
• Chen Heng asked Mi Hui to send message Spell Talismans to the great-clan disciples, inner disciples, masters, and Grand Stewards, declaring that he would challenge the great-clan people to a fight to the death on White Stone Peak after the assembly.

Chen Heng resolved to challenge the Jiang Clan’s Foundation Establishment talents at Changying Court, hoping to win fame before Jun Yao’s death and attract the Jade Dawn School’s protection. After learning about Jiang Daolian and Wang Dian and asking Mi Hui to announce the challenge, Chen Heng planned to refine pills with Shen Yuanzhi’s help, while the World-Escaping Shuttle questioned his chances of winning.

• Chen Heng showed Mi Hui the powerful Innate Great Sun Divine Light and said he would seize the initiative by challenging the great clans’ people.
• Mi Hui explained Jiang Daolian’s and Wang Dian’s backgrounds, their comparable strength, and the possibility that Jiang Daolian might refuse to fight because she opposed her clan’s marriage plans for her.
• Chen Heng asked Mi Hui to send magical messages announcing the challenge so he could draw attention and earn renown before Jun Yao passed away.
• Mi Hui asked how Chen Heng would spend the ten days before the contest, and Chen Heng said he intended to refine pills with Shen Yuanzhi.
• The World-Escaping Shuttle stopped Chen Heng and asked how confident he was of defeating the great-clan opponents.

Chen Heng prepared to challenge Changying Court’s clan disciples, relying most on his eighth-layer Tai Su Jade Body, and completed a high-quality elixir while the court reacted to his challenge. He arrived at Scripture Master Shen Yuanzhi’s lecture, confronted Wei Yang over the clans’ reserved seats, and watched Shen begin expounding the Purple Mansion Great Dao.

• The World-Escaping Shuttle estimated that Chen Heng had a strong chance against ordinary clan disciples but warned him not to underestimate Jiang Daolian and Wang Dian.
• Chen Heng explained that he planned to seek Shen Yuanzhi’s protection and continued refining pills and honing his killing arts as news of his challenge spread through Changying Court.
• Chen Heng completed a high-quality Red Lead Great Lead Elixir, then set out for Shen Yuanzhi’s lecture when the ritual bells sounded.
• At Zhenghe Peak, Chen Heng joined Mi Hui and said that the seats near the jade dais should no longer belong only to clan disciples.
• Chen Heng exchanged pointed remarks with Wei Yang and asked after Jiang before Shen Yuanzhi appeared and began her lecture on the Purple Mansion Great Dao.

During Shen Yuanzhi’s Dharma lecture, Jiang Tongyuan was publicly criticized for his elixir and tried to intimidate Chen Heng, who remained unmoved. After Chen Heng won Shen Yuanzhi’s praise for his own elixir, he and Jiang Tongyuan led opposing groups toward White Stone Peak for their confrontation.

• Jiang Tongyuan presented Shen Yuanzhi with a Spirit-Clarity Elixir, and she first praised it before criticizing his excessive heat and wasteful use of ingredients.
• Jiang Tongyuan tried to pressure Chen Heng with his aura, but Chen Heng remained composed, making Jiang Tongyuan wary of him.
• After Shen Yuanzhi finished her lecture, Jiang Tongyuan and Chen Heng gathered opposing groups of disciples to go to White Stone Peak, where a Grand Steward was waiting to mediate.
• Chen Heng presented Shen Yuanzhi with a Red Lead Great Return Elixir, and she praised his work and invited him to seek her alchemy instruction again.
• Chen Heng flew toward White Stone Peak, followed by Jiang Tongyuan, Wei Yang, and the gathered inner disciples.

Chen Heng arrived at White Stone Peak to challenge Changying Court’s great-clan disciples before a crowd drawn from all four courts. After Qiao Yu took over as adjudicator, Chen Heng defeated Liu Quan in one strike and claimed his wager, then faced Sima Shaozheng.

• Chen Heng arrived at White Stone Peak and saw that spectators from Azure Yang, White Shang, and Mysterious Brilliance had come to watch his challenge.
• Xie Lu began to preside over the contest, but Qiao Yu manifested his power and ordered Xie Lu to withdraw, taking over as adjudicator.
• Chen Heng invited an opponent to fight first, and Liu Quan rushed onto the platform and wagered his academy allotment of Dan Mother Sand.
• Chen Heng struck apart Liu Quan’s forming spell with a sweep of True Qi, knocked him off the platform, and kept the Dan Mother Sand.
• Sima Shaozheng of the Hall of the Courtyard’s Sima Clan stepped forward, and Chen Heng asked whether he had prepared Dan Mother Sand to wager.

Chen Heng continued defeating the great clans’ challengers on the ritual platform, first with True Qi and swordsmanship, then with overwhelming divine techniques. After no one else dared answer his challenge, he singled out Wang Dian, who finally agreed to fight him.

• Chen Heng defeated the Tianchi Jiang Clan cultivator, whose Great Grotto Jade Truth and Mountain-River Small Seal could not withstand Primordial Beginning True Origin.
• Wang Dian offered to fight Chen Heng, but Jiang Tongyuan urged him to wait while Wei Yang sent Wei Zhuo onto the platform.
• Chen Heng defeated Wei Zhuo in a sword duel, then used Innate Great Sun Divine Light and lurid red water to swiftly overwhelm a series of challengers.
• After Chen Heng called for another opponent several times without response, he fixed his gaze on Wang Dian, who accepted the challenge despite Wei Yang’s signals.
• Huang Dalun began to praise Wang Dian, but several clansmen stopped him before he could finish.

Chen Heng and Wang Dian began their decisive duel, with Chen Heng’s Innate Great Sun Divine Light badly injuring Wang Dian despite his formidable physique. Wang Dian then used the Numinous Communication Dharma Pearl to pierce Chen Heng’s divine light, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Wang Dian arrived on the ritual platform and challenged Chen Heng, who restored his true qi before accepting the fight.
• Chen Heng’s flying sword barely wounded Wang Dian, whose body had been strengthened by red rosy cloud from the North Sea.
• Chen Heng struck Wang Dian with his middle-completion Innate Great Sun Divine Light, tearing his clothes and bloodying his chest and arms.
• Wang Dian recovered, then sent three refined treasures at Chen Heng; Chen Heng’s divine light trapped the Paulownia Wood Great Ruler and Yang Demon Small Banner.
• Wang Dian’s Numinous Communication Dharma Pearl passed through Chen Heng’s divine light and hurtled toward him.

Chen Heng defeated Wang Dian in the contest by destroying his weapons, countering his Dao arts, and outwitting his Southern Bright Separation Fire with concealed form. Qiao Yu declared Chen Heng the complete victor, and Chen Heng left the mountain while Jiang Tongyuan and Wei Yang accepted their defeat.

• Chen Heng destroyed Wang Dian's Numinous Communication Dharma Pearl and two talisman artifacts with yin-eroding red water, then drove him into a desperate defense with the Innate Great Sun Divine Light.
• Jiang Tongyuan and Wei Yang argued over Wang Dian's faltering performance as the spectators watched him struggle against Chen Heng.
• Wang Dian unleashed Southern Bright Separation Fire, burned away Chen Heng's red mist, and believed he had defeated him, but Chen Heng revealed he had concealed himself and made Wang Dian waste his final burst of fire.
• Chen Heng challenged the crowd, and Jiang Daolian conceded; Wang Dian collapsed unconscious while Jiang Tongyuan berated the remaining aristocratic disciples.
• Qiao Yu confirmed Chen Heng's complete victory, and Chen Heng departed as Jiang Tongyuan raged and Wei Yang led him away.

After the Jade Dawn School rewarded Chen Heng for defeating the great clans’ disciples, Changying Court’s leaders gathered to discuss the reward and the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven. Five days later, Chen Heng stopped meditating with a look of delight, though the chapter did not reveal why.

• Xie Yu and Wei Zha'ao discussed Chen Heng’s victory on White Stone Peak and worried that the upper sect’s attention made it harder to target him.
• Shen Yuanzhi arrived at Yuanying Heavenly Palace, followed by Superintendent Qiao Yu, who explained that Zhang Pu had brought the school’s reward for Chen Heng.
• Qiao Yu assigned Shen Yuanzhi to deliver Chen Heng’s reward and announced that the Jade Dawn School had won the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven from the Vermilion Luminescence Sect.
• Five days later, Chen Heng stopped practicing his Mystery Art and examined himself with a faint look of delight.

Chen Heng completed the tortoise-and-snake stage of Foundation Establishment, reaching its third stage, and received word that Tu Shan Ge and the other foxes were coming to Golden Court Mountain. After Scripture Master Shen summoned him, she praised his prospects but told him she could not teach him or become his teacher.

• Chen Heng formed a tortoise manifestation in his Upper Mystery Acupoint and began cultivating Moon-Store Essence in his Taiyuan Acupoint.
• After five more days of cultivation, Chen Heng formed the snake manifestation and reached the third stage of Foundation Establishment, gaining increased True Qi and lifespan.
• Chen Heng emerged from seclusion, read his letters, and learned that Tu Shan Ge and the other foxes would soon arrive at Golden Court Mountain.
• A maidservant brought Chen Heng to Green Conch Peak to meet Scripture Master Shen, who had summoned him after hearing that his cultivation had advanced.
• Shen Yuanzhi praised Chen Heng's aptitude and temperament but said she could not teach him or become his teacher.

Shen Yuanzhi declined to take Chen Heng as her disciple but delivered two rewards from the Yuchen Upper Sect and warned him about the dangers of entering the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven. Chen Heng chose to enter anyway, determined to seize the cultivation opportunity despite the threat from aristocratic clan disciples.

• Shen Yuanzhi considered Chen Heng’s talent and his likely desire to challenge the aristocratic clans, but she did not take him as her disciple.
• Shen Yuanzhi gave Chen Heng the Violet Maitreya Treasure Garment and Mountain-Sinking Seal as rewards for his deeds on White Stone Peak.
• Shen Yuanzhi told Chen Heng that the Yuchen Upper Sect had won the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven and that the four courts would send disciples inside.
• Shen Yuanzhi warned Chen Heng that powerful Cavern Mystery disciples, potentially including members of great clans, might target him in the unstable grotto-heaven.
• Chen Heng thanked Shen Yuanzhi but chose to enter the grotto-heaven, saying he wanted to seize each day and hour.

Chen Heng left Shen Yuanzhi without becoming her disciple but gained permission to seek her guidance, while Xie Huizhai and Xie Tang debated the clans’ plans for him in the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven. Wang Dian trained for a future confrontation with Chen Heng, determined to defeat him when the grotto-heaven returned in half a year.

• Shen Yuanzhi told Chen Heng she could not take him as a disciple but offered to answer his cultivation questions and teach him alchemy.
• Xie Huizhai and Xie Tang discussed using clan members and other disciples to target Chen Heng inside the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven.
• Xie Huizhai persuaded Xie Tang to let him warn Chen Heng about Xie Lian and Xie Huaiyu at a gathering for fellow disciples.
• Xie Tang said Chen Heng’s admirers might fear his descent from Chen Jade Pivot and the Human-Rearing Scripture.
• Wang Dian defeated several Yegu Demons with the Southern Bright Separation Fire as Jiang Beizhuang praised him and disparaged Chen Heng.
• Wang Dian vowed to burn Chen Heng alive if he entered the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven.

Chen Heng mastered several higher-vehicle Dao arts in the One True Dharma Realm, including the Thunderclap Flying Lightning Escape Art, and welcomed Tu Shan Ge to Golden Court Mountain. After learning that Jiang Daolian had sent him a letter, Chen Heng made his own plans and flew out into the night the next day.

• Chen Heng practiced the Thunderclap Flying Lightning Escape Art and reviewed the new arts and sword scripture he had acquired through the Golden Cicada.
• Tu Shan Ge visited Chen Heng, reported that a maid sent by Jiang Daolian had come to see him, and revealed that he had made progress in his new Immortal Dao cultivation.
• Chen Heng reassured Tu Shan Ge that he would remain cautious, offered him dan mother sand for his future Foundation Establishment, and went to meet Jiang Daolian's maid.
• Jiang Daolian's maid delivered her letter to Chen Heng, who read it and said he understood.
• The following night, Chen Heng formed a Spell Formula, became a streak of rainbow light, and flew away.

Chen Heng met Jiang Daolian at Flowing Scenery Peak, where Granny Tao tested him and warned Jiang about his possible ties to the Human-Rearing Scripture. Jiang explained her family’s feud with the clans and offered to help Chen Heng, but he left their proposed deal aside to ask about Wang Dian’s North Sea encounter with divine fire.

• Chen Heng arrived at Flowing Scenery Peak to meet Jiang Daolian, and the World-Escaping Shuttle teased him about the rendezvous.
• Granny Tao attacked Chen Heng with a gale to test him, but his Primordial Beginning True Origin protected him until Jiang Daolian stopped her.
• Granny Tao gave Jiang Daolian a Qionghua Heart-Guarding Lamp and warned her to guard against Chen Heng and the Human-Rearing Scripture.
• Jiang Daolian explained how the One Qi Profound Strategy Divine Talisman could warn against the Human-Rearing Scripture and recounted Chen Bai’s betrayal of the sect.
• Jiang Daolian revealed that her father had opposed the Jiang Clan’s patriarch and offered to help Chen Heng in exchange for future assistance.
• Chen Heng asked Jiang Daolian what had really happened when Wang Dian drank red rosy cloud in the North Sea and obtained divine fire.

Chen Heng learned that Wang Dian’s Southern Bright Separation Fire came from Grandmaster Zula’s legacy and decided he could cultivate the art without exposing himself. He signed a pact with Jiang Daolian for her support, then fought her in a staged duel before leaving Flowing Scenery Peak.

• Chen Heng asked Jiang Daolian about Wang Dian’s Southern Bright Separation Fire, and she explained that Wang Dian had found one of Grandmaster Zula’s Sixteen Hidden Mansions and inherited the art from his remnant thought.
• Jiang Daolian revealed that Wang Dian had barely begun mastering the fire, and Chen Heng concluded that he could cultivate it while claiming its origin came from one of Zula’s hidden mansions.
• Jiang Daolian offered Chen Heng cultivation resources in exchange for his future help killing the Jiang Clan’s current clan head and placing the clan’s power in her hands.
• Chen Heng agreed after Jiang Daolian promised to remain loyal to her identity as a Jadechen disciple and reject opposition to the Eight Sects and Six Schools; he then listed materials he needed.
• Jiang Daolian asked Chen Heng to duel her to maintain their pretext for meeting, and their fight left her injured and her hair partly charred as Chen Heng flew away.

After restoring his Yin-Eroding Red Water and learning to refine Watercloud Pills from Shen Yuanzhi, Chen Heng learned that the Wine Vessel Assembly might carry political significance for the sect and the great clans. He traveled to meet Jiang Daolian, but her maid told him that Qiao Rui had arrived and that Jiang Daolian was receiving her.

• Chen Heng restored all eighty-one drops of Yin-Eroding Red Water with the blood baleful intent mud Jiang Daolian had sent him.
• Tu Shan Ge told Chen Heng that Jiang Daolian wanted him to list all the materials he needed at once, and Chen Heng sent her a long letter.
• Shen Yuanzhi taught Chen Heng how to refine Watercloud Pills and discussed Xie Huizhai's Wine Vessel Assembly, which might help ease tensions between the sect and the great clans.
• Chen Heng considered attending the assembly because his absence could be interpreted as a political slight, then learned Jiang Daolian had summoned him for an important conversation.
• Chen Heng used the Shifting-Square Seal Diagram to travel to Jiang Daolian's residence, where her maid told him that Qiao Rui was visiting and that he should wait so she would not discover his connection to Jiang Daolian.

Chen Heng met Jiang Daolian, discussed his difficult effort to attain the Purple Mansion before the Flowing Fire Grand Transformation Grotto-Heaven arrived, and received resources from her in exchange for future help. Five days later, Xie Huizhai's Wine Vessel Assembly began at Stone Drum Peak, where an attendee questioned the influence of aristocratic clans.

• Chen Heng reflected on the arduous Purple Mansion cultivation required to improve his chances of surviving the coming grotto-heaven.
• Jiang Daolian told Chen Heng that influential Yuchen Upper Sect elders had supported his rise as a Crown of the Four Courts, and she confided how Qiao Rui had reminded her of her carefree childhood.
• Chen Heng received a treasure pouch from Jiang Daolian and promised to repay her favor, while she warned him not to leave Golden Court Mountain recklessly.
• Five days later, guests gathered in spectacular numbers for Xie Huizhai's Wine Vessel Assembly at Stone Drum Peak.
• A long-faced Daoist remarked to his companion that Xie Huizhai's aristocratic background had drawn unusual support to the assembly.