Chapter Summaries

Ming Qitian soothed Pei Ye’s grief with her flute and urged him to accept his failures without abandoning his choices, while he asked for a moment of quiet before learning swordsmanship. At Kongtong, Gan Zifeng confronted Xiao Changong’s inadequate reinforcements as the crisis continued to worsen.

• Ming Qitian played the flute until Pei Ye’s sobbing stopped and his grief eased, then asked whether he wanted to learn swordsmanship.
• Pei Ye blamed himself for endangering Ming Qitian and failing to protect the Soul-Seizing Pearl, but Ming Qitian praised his courage and reminded him that he had always chosen to shoulder responsibility for others.
• Ming Qitian urged Pei Ye to face Gushe Heavenly Heart and their pursuers according to their own choices, even if they failed; Pei Ye asked for a little quiet before beginning swordsmanship.
• Ming Qitian said she was hungry, and Pei Ye stood to look for food as Sima and Yi Duanzhi could reach their cave at any moment.
• Xiao Changong arrived at Kongtong with over fifty people, including elite prefectural troops and Immortal Platform Inspectors, but Gan Zifeng objected that the reinforcements were insufficient and asked why Platform Master Zhang had not come.
• Xiao Changong said Platform Master Zhang had other important business and told Gan Zifeng to find someone else to handle the handover if he could not explain the situation.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian sheltered in a cliff cave, where Pei Ye found fruit and cold-spring fish, and their quiet meal helped him understand the kind of person he wanted to become. As Sima and Yi Duanzhi neared them and Ming Qitian’s next Heavenly Circuit approached, Pei Ye thanked her for guiding him toward clarity.

• Ji Changyun told Xiao Changong that Lord Sui had fought the villain and might not have survived, while Gan Zifeng ordered the investigation of the peaks and Xiao Changong went to the Law Enforcement Hall.
• Pei Ye found vine peaches and a clear spring pool deep in the cave, caught a rare white fish, and brought the food back to Ming Qitian.
• Ming Qitian washed and shared the raw fish with Pei Ye, who reflected on her calmness and his own desire to keep pursuing victory.
• Pei Ye saw himself clearly in Mountain Feather’s blade and realized that, though he would never be as composed as Ming Qitian, he could face life and death without being bewildered by them.
• Pei Ye thanked Ming Qitian for helping him care for his mind and spirit as Sima and Yi Duanzhi reached Long Creek and Ming Qitian’s next Heavenly Circuit drew near.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian hid in a cliff cave while she completed another circulation of her Ice and Snow Body, but Sima and Yi Duanzhi tracked them down. They escaped to a rain-soaked perch as their pursuers closed in, leaving them with only a few breaths before discovery.

• Ji Changyun learned that Sui Zaihua had not left Kongtong and resolved to keep the Immortal Platform from reaching Ming Qitian until he could ensure her death.
• Sima and Yi Duanzhi followed Pei Ye and Ming Qitian's tracks to a cave, where they found only two dying fish and evidence the fugitives had escaped.
• Pei Ye carried Ming Qitian to a concealed perch beneath the trees, spending the last of his recovered true qi as she continued her Ice and Snow Body circulation.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian heard the force of their pursuers' attack nearby, and Sima quickly identified their direction.
• Sima and Yi Duanzhi raced toward the fugitives as a streak of fire appeared beyond the cliff and headed straight for them.

Pei Ye returned with Ming Yun to face Gushe again, hoping to use the sword insight he had gained to help secure victory. As Ming Yun fell into an increasingly dire disadvantage without creating an opening for him, Pei Ye struggled to recover the insight and decide whether to strike.

• Pei Ye woke beside the pool with Ming Yun after the previous battle, and she invited him to visit Godman Peak again even if this proved to be his last time there.
• Pei Ye and Ming Yun climbed the peak and watched Ming Yun begin another sword fight against Gushe, while Pei Ye waited for a chance to intervene with [Clouded Sky Obscures Eyes, Lost Feathers].
• Gushe refused to let Ming Yun steer the fight toward Pei Ye, and the two fighters exchanged injuries as Ming Yun lost ground.
• Pei Ye hesitated over whether to draw his sword and found that he could no longer grasp the mindscape behind his strike.
• Ming Yun yielded further wounds and freed her sword arm, but she still failed to create space for Pei Ye to attack as her disadvantage reached its limit.

Pei Ye trusted Ming Yun with Heart-Slaying Glaze, allowing her to defeat Gushe and bring Heavenly Heart under control. Outside Kongtong, Zhang Xiaozhu and Sui Zaihua learned Wu Hejian was dead and set out to stop the unfolding crisis, while Ming Yun warned Pei Ye their victory was only a first step.

• Pei Ye accepted Heart-Slaying Glaze from Ming Yun and faced Gushe, using its power to break her swordlight and pierce her chest.
• Ming Yun struck Gushe with Mountain Feather and pinned her against the circular wall, winning the sword contest as Pei Ye was badly wounded.
• Zhang Xiaozhu met Sui Zaihua outside Kongtong, learned Wu Hejian was confirmed dead, and agreed they could only move ahead to stop everything.
• Ming Yun told Pei Ye that Heavenly Heart was under control but would repeat the confrontation if they pulled out the sword before finding its place within Bright Heart.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Yun whether humiliating the defeated Gushe might help them master Heavenly Heart.

Pei Ye restored [Quail Head] by letting Ming Qitian cleanse his Mindscape, then invoked the Dragon Immortal Secret Edict against Sima and transformed into a Dragon Body. The wounded Sima paused as Pei Ye’s body rapidly healed and drew in Profound Qi.

• Pei Ye chose to sacrifice himself so Ming Qitian would not have to surrender what she had gained, and she joined their bloodied hands around Glaze.
• Ming Qitian pressed her forehead to Pei Ye’s and used [Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection] to purge the Edict Diagram and corruption from his Mindscape.
• With [Quail Head] restored, Pei Ye rose before Sima and the Green-Clad Servant and spoke the Dragon Immortal Secret Edict.
• Sima struck Pei Ye with a powerful sword blow, shredding his chest and hurling him away.
• Pei Ye’s blood and flesh transformed into dark blue scales, and his Dragon Body survived Sima’s attack and regenerated.
• Sima watched the Dragon Body absorb Profound Qi and hesitate to attack as Pei Ye’s golden-eyed form continued to strengthen.

The Immortal Lord overwhelmed Sima and Yi Duanzhi in Cang Mountain, reclaiming his power and leaving both men gravely wounded. Before he could finish them, Pei Ye’s prepared Mindscape Realm trapped him, and the Immortal Lord turned his attention inward.

• Sima attacked the Immortal Lord while Yi Duanzhi resisted his control, but the Immortal Lord revealed new authorities and reclaimed Yi Duanzhi’s power.
• Yi Duanzhi charged with his spear and Vermilion Lotus Flame, but the Immortal Lord’s hidden Chi Flame pierced him and stripped away his Dragon Body.
• The Immortal Lord defeated Yi Duanzhi and Sima, leaving Yi pinned to a rock and both men near death.
• Dragon Tongue stopped short of its victims when the Immortal Lord discovered that Pei Ye’s Mindscape Realm still contained him.
• The Immortal Lord looked into the Mindscape Realm and fixed his golden eyes on the small figure below.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian survived the Immortal Lord’s descent after Pei Ye trapped him in his Mindscape Realm and Ming Qitian used Heart-Slaying. Though the Immortal Lord left, the Edict Diagram continued merging with Pei Ye’s Mindscape, and a sudden wind roared beyond the mountain.

• Pei Ye confronted the Immortal Lord in his Mindscape Realm and threatened to destroy them both with Heart-Slaying if the god tried to escape.
• Ming Qitian sensed Pei Ye was still alive, then used Heart-Slaying; the Immortal Lord abandoned the body and returned to the heavens through the Edict Diagram.
• Ming Qitian caught the gravely wounded Pei Ye, and the two confirmed that the Immortal Lord had left.
• Ming Qitian withdrew Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection, helping Pei Ye’s Mindscape settle while leaving the wounds and burdens in their proper places.
• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian that the Edict Diagram was merging with his Mindscape and might eventually let the Immortal Lord take his body completely; Ming Qitian reassured him that the Immortal Lord was no more than that.
• Pei Ye nudged his shoes beneath Ming Qitian’s skirt, then turned as a fierce wind howled beyond the mountain.

Pei Ye realized why Ji Changyun had attacked Ming Qitian and understood that Ji and Bai Tianqu had allowed the Joy-in-Death Tower to take control of Kongtong to preserve the Sword Treatise’s twenty-four integrated sword disciplines. Ming Qitian offered Ji a chance to surrender and spare Kongtong, but Sima revealed the Sword Dragon Heart Mirror, tempting Ji to complete the plan instead.

• Ji Changyun arrived above the valley with killing intent after pursuing Pei Ye and Ming Qitian.
• Ming Qitian urged Ji to turn back and promised Cloud Lang Mountain would hold Kongtong accountable without destroying it.
• Pei Ye recalled Bai Tianqu’s letter and realized Ji’s attack had been a desperate attempt to preserve Kongtong’s long-term plan for the Sword Treatise.
• Ji wavered at Ming Qitian’s offer, recognizing that surrender could save Kongtong’s standing as a righteous sect.
• Sima revealed the Sword Dragon Heart Mirror, and Ji’s expression changed as he considered using it to complete the Sword Repository plan.
• Pei Ye moved to shield Ming Qitian as Ji’s blood surged and he appeared close to acting.

After Pei Ye and Ming Qitian’s group defeated Ji Changyun and stopped Sima’s escape, Pei Ye collapsed and was treated at Kongtong’s Medicine Hall. While he remained unconscious, Ming Qitian received letters for him from Jade Feather Li Piaoqing.

• Sui Zaihua and Zhang Xiaozhu helped defeat Ji Changyun, while Sima activated the Other Shore Treasure Raft before Sui Zaihua struck him down and prevented his complete escape.
• Zhang Xiaozhu carried the crippled Ji Changyun to the group, and Pei Ye collapsed from his injuries.
• Divine Physician Qu treated Pei Ye, and Xiao Changong told him that the Immortal Platform and Prefectural Office had secured Kongtong before he lost consciousness again.
• Ming Qitian and Black Cat discussed Pei Ye’s damaged foundations and the corruption threatening him as he recovered at the Medicine Hall.
• Kong Lanting delivered letters addressed to Pei Ye, and Ming Qitian opened the first letter from Jade Feather Li Piaoqing.

Pei Ye woke from his near-fatal injuries as the Immortal Platform dismantled the Joy-in-Death Tower’s operations across Shaolong, though Shadow-Faced Sima escaped with the Heart of the Western Court. Sui Zaihua praised Pei Ye’s role in the victory and told him that honors awaited him, then began explaining how he uncovered Ji Changyun’s betrayal.

• Ming Qitian deciphered a crossed-out line in Pei Ye’s old letter telling him that his life mattered more than hatred.
• Li Weiru explained how Pei Ye’s Newly-Hatched Corpse sword stroke combined Treading Water, Plucking Scales with Soil-Breaking, while Li Piaoqing stayed beside him despite his worsening condition.
• Li Piaoqing learned that the secret chamber beneath Qu Zhu’s former residence had been abandoned and that the Joy-in-Death Tower’s plot at Kongtong had been exposed.
• The Immortal Platform seized Kongtong and dismantled the Joy-in-Death Tower’s network, but Shadow-Faced Sima escaped with the Heart of the Western Court.
• Pei Ye awoke after receiving treatment, and Sui Zaihua gave him Crane Inspector Wu’s sword, Jade Tiger, and praised his achievements.
• Sui Zaihua told Pei Ye that the Immortal Platform would reward him for helping defeat the Joy-in-Death Tower, then said he had investigated Bai Tianqu rather than Ji Changyun.

After explaining Bai Tianqu and Ji Changyun’s reconciliation, Sui Zaihua told Pei Ye he would become Governor-General of Shaolong and urged him to come to the prefecture to claim recognition and honors. Pei Ye agreed to consider the opportunity while still planning to go to the Divine Capital, then met Qu Xin for acupuncture.

• Sui Zaihua explained that Bai Tianqu had willingly died trusting Ji Changyun to fulfill their shared ideals, and that Ji Changyun’s grief had kept him from accepting the truth.
• Pei Ye learned that Crane Inspector Wu had left him the sword Jade Tiger and was told to honor Wu’s last wish.
• Sui Zaihua revealed his impending promotion to Governor-General of Shaolong and invited Pei Ye to attend the sword sect gathering in Shaolong Prefecture.
• Pei Ye raised his concern about the deity within him, and Sui Zaihua offered to seek help through the Immortal Platform while supporting Pei Ye’s plans to reach the Divine Capital.
• Qu Xin arrived to treat Pei Ye with acupuncture, and Pei Ye introduced himself before she instructed him to lower his trousers.

Pei Ye recovered enough to leave bed and visited Wu Dong’s body, where the Immortal Platform had found no clues to Qu Zhu’s whereabouts. He left mourning the Crane Inspector and regretting that he had failed to complete the victory Wu Dong had prepared for him.

• Qu Xin treated Pei Ye with the [Great Returning Origin Needle] and told him to take a [Sprouting Pill] to recover.
• Pei Ye learned that Qu Xin was also treating Miss Ming and that she had been summoned to help the injured peak masters.
• Pei Ye met Xiao Changong at the Law Enforcement Hall and asked to see Wu Dong’s remains.
• Xiao Changong showed Pei Ye the corpse and the Immortal Platform’s detailed analysis of Wu Dong’s battle with Qu Zhu, but they had uncovered no lead to Qu Zhu’s whereabouts.
• Pei Ye realized that Wu Dong had forced Qu Zhu into battle and weakened him for Pei Ye, but Pei Ye had failed to finish the victory Wu Dong had gambled on.

Pei Ye studied the Seeded Fire Register and inferred that Sima could use fire seeds to control the Play Ghosts’ lives and deaths. He raised the possibility that Qu Zhu had also been bound by an Immortal Fire Seed and might have carried the Heart of the Western Court away inside the Other Shore Treasure Raft.

• Pei Ye examined the Seeded Fire Register with Hong Liang and concluded that its listed Play Ghosts were under the Fire Master Sima’s absolute control.
• Black Cat demonstrated a fire seed’s destructive power, strengthening Pei Ye’s suspicion that Sima could activate the seeds in their hosts.
• Pei Ye asked Zhang Xiaozhu whether Qu Zhu might have had an Immortal Fire Seed planted in him and explained how that could mean Sima had kept the Heart of the Western Court.
• Zhang Xiaozhu revealed that he and Lord Sui had considered a similar possibility and said the Heart of the Western Court might have been carried away inside the shattered half of Qu Zhu’s body.

Pei Ye learned that the Immortal Platform would investigate whether Qu Zhu would try to reclaim the [Heart of the Western Court], then visited Ming Qitian and learned that they would part ways after reaching Shaolong. Ming Qitian planned to return to Yunlang to address Gushe and Pei Ye’s Mindscape Realm, while Pei Ye intended to continue toward the Divine Capital.

• Zhang Xiaozhu told Pei Ye that the Immortal Platform had found hidden triggers inside [Sima] and would pursue the possibility that Qu Zhu would return for the [Heart of the Western Court].
• Pei Ye decided to visit Miss Ming before leaving Kongtong for the Prefectural City of Shaolong the next morning.
• Pei Ye found Qu Xin tending to Ming Qitian and received a medicinal broth and a prescription.
• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian he planned to travel to Shaolong and then the Divine Capital, and she said she would part ways with him in Shaolong to return to Yunlang.
• Ming Qitian offered to reunite with Pei Ye after her journey, but he said he would probably leave for the Divine Capital before she returned.
• Ming Qitian said she would seek a solution to Pei Ye’s Mindscape Realm and gave him a Sword Manual page to study before they parted.

Pei Ye left Kongtong with Qu Xin and the others, studying sword theory as they traveled toward the Prefectural City and its Sword Selection Meet. At a roadside teahouse, the travelers discussed the coming competition before members of the Flying Swallow Sword Gate arrived.

• Qu Xin asked Pei Ye to take her along in the carriages, and Ming Qitian guided him through the Jadeite Sword Theory overnight.
• Pei Ye departed Kongtong with Qu Xin, Ming Qitian, the two peak masters, and the others, then learned that the gateway they passed was called [Know the Sword Heart].
• On the road, Zhang Jingbi and Guan Qianyan recognized Qu Ying of [Five Swords Blessed Land], who rode past with her party.
• During the journey, Ming Qitian speculated that the Nether Immortal Sword might connect to Flying Feather Immortal, while Pei Ye continued studying sword theory.
• At a teahouse near the Prefectural City, travelers debated likely contenders for the Sword Selection Meet and the rumored Sword Dao Register.
• A party from the Flying Swallow Sword Gate arrived at the teahouse, and one of its girls rebuked a traveler for calling the group fine fellows.

Pei Ye and Guan Qianyan witnessed prominent sword sects gathering for the Sword Selection Meet and learned that the court-backed contest could reshape the Jianghu’s rankings. As Falling Blossoms Mountain’s Nan Guannu and Xiang Zongyuan arrived, they discussed Lord Sui’s influence and suspected he was about to become Prefect.

• Guan Qianyan and Pei Ye heard Elder Wei explain that the Sword Selection Meet and its Golden Register could reorder the Sword Gates by directing court resources toward high-ranking sword talents.
• Falling Blossoms Mountain arrived, and Elder Wei identified Nan Guannu and Xiang Zongyuan as formidable contenders for the top places.
• Guan Qianyan criticized Falling Blossoms Mountain’s disciples for serving their leaders, and Pei Ye defended the work and carried pear soup to Ming Qitian.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian whether she would stay for the Sword Selection Meet, but she said she would not delay her journey.
• Xiang Zongyuan told Nan Guannu that officials tied to Lord Sui had been shifted into powerful posts, leading them to suspect Lord Sui would take the Prefect’s seal.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian reached a pavilion outside the city, where Ming was due to part ways with him and continue her journey. Before leaving, she delayed her departure to finish teaching him the Jadeite Sword Theory, and Pei Ye told her he was glad they had faced danger together as equals.

• Xiang Zongyuan explained to Nan Guannu how the Sword Selection Golden Register would be compiled and said the number chosen from the Ten Directions Arena was forty-nine, not fifty.
• Pei Ye finished the Pear Soup meant for Ming Qitian, then learned their group would escort her to colleagues at the Immortal Platform rather than enter the city.
• Pei Ye realized his disappointment about not getting Ming more Pear Soup came from their imminent parting, and Ming asked him to buy her some before they continued their discussion.
• Ming Qitian finished teaching Pei Ye the Jadeite Sword Theory at dusk and apologized for having had little time to teach him during their journey.
• Pei Ye told Ming he was glad they had faced danger together because he did not want her to see him as someone who always needed protection, and Ming reassured him.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian said a formal farewell, exchanging poems and parting with a letter of introduction for the Divine Capital. After Ming Qitian left, Pei Ye read Li Piaoqing’s letters about Qu Zhu’s search for Heart Amber and continued questioning what Qu Zhu had pursued during his twenty years with Joy-in-Death Tower.

• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian to treat him as a friend, and she gave him another jade sword and promised to write him a letter of introduction for the Divine Capital’s Dao Initiation Assembly.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian exchanged farewell poems, and she said they might meet again at the Feather-Scale Trial next year.
• As Ming Qitian’s carriage departed, she returned Glaze to Pei Ye and gave him three letters from Li Piaoqing.
• Pei Ye learned that Li Piaoqing had traced Qu Zhu’s former posts and found evidence that he traded Snow-Collapsing for five taels of Heart Amber, which may have led to the Soul-Seizing Pearl.
• Pei Ye wondered what Qu Zhu had pursued during his twenty years with Joy-in-Death Tower and recalled the white-robed man at Lake Mountain.

Li Piaoqing rejected an invitation to the Sword Selection Meet and chose to continue investigating Qu Zhu, determined to avenge the Jade Feather Gate. After opening a sealed cellar, she examined a damaged Formation Tool and compared it with a letter.

• Shen Yao brought Li Piaoqing an invitation to the Sword Selection Meet, but Li Piaoqing asked her to decline it.
• Li Piaoqing told Shen Yao that Jade Feather would keep investigating Qu Zhu and said she wanted her master to see Qu Zhu's corpse before passing away.
• Li Piaoqing shattered the stone wall sealing the cellar and asked Shen Yao to leave with the disciples while she stayed alone.
• Li Piaoqing entered the tidy underground room and inspected a damaged Formation Tool built into the eastern wall.
• Li Piaoqing unfolded a letter and compared it with the Formation Tool.