Chapter Summaries

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian learned that rumors from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Banquet had cast Pei Ye as arrogant and rude, and Ming Qitian reassured him that Yunlang held no hostility toward him. After sharing breakfast, they went to find Yunlang’s lodging in the Divine Capital and discovered it was abandoned and uninhabitable.

• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian ate breakfast while nearby swordswomen discussed rumors that Pei Ye had offended Yunlang at the Heavenly Mountain Sword Banquet.
• Pei Ye explained to Ming Qitian that he had demonstrated swordplay with Zhang Jingbi because he felt Zhang Jingbi should not face the crowd’s hostility alone.
• Ming Qitian offered to defend Pei Ye at another sword banquet, then clarified that Yunlang had no unified attitude toward him and apologized for not explaining him to the sect.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian agreed not to concern themselves with the rumors, and they ate buns together in the busy restaurant.
• Ming Qitian said Yunlang might have lodging in the Divine Capital, so Pei Ye drove her there in his carriage.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian found the courtyard neglected, damaged, and unfit to live in.

Pei Ye arranged a temporary residence for Ming Qitian through Li Xizhou, then settled her into the quiet riverside house. Ming Qitian assessed Pei Ye’s sword studies and planned how they would help him deepen his understanding of Nether Immortal and Thunder Zither before the Qilin Blood Test.

• Pei Ye contacted Li Xizhou through [Knowing Intent] and obtained the keys to a confiscated residence in Guangde Ward for Ming Qitian to use until June.
• Li Xianfang delivered the keys, and Ming Qitian sent a letter of thanks to Li Xizhou before Pei Ye brought her to the riverside residence.
• Pei Ye prepared the house for Ming Qitian, who questioned him about his sword training and recommended further practice and reading.
• Ming Qitian judged that Pei Ye had grasped most of Nether Immortal’s artistic conception but lacked real experience, so she proposed visiting the Mount Tai Medicine Lodge to seek fungi.
• Ming Qitian explained the differences between Clumsy Swords, Intent Swords, Heart Swords, and Dao Swords, then advised Pei Ye to learn the zither to better understand Thunder Zither.

Ming Qitian examined Pei Ye’s swordsmanship and taught him how to connect his scattered Spring Sword arts through his sword ladder. Pei Ye then showed her his newly learned Unbound, leaving her impressed but unable to guide him in the move.

• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian to assess his swordsmanship, and she identified his weak foundations and disconnected sword forms.
• Ming Qitian sparred with Pei Ye and taught him how to use his completed Spring Sword ladder to link ordinary sword arts.
• After hours of practice, Pei Ye began finding new variations in his swordplay, and Ming Qitian offered to train with him regularly.
• Pei Ye demonstrated Unbound, a sword strike so fast that Ming Qitian could only barely stop it from reaching her neck.
• Ming Qitian recognized Unbound as Yue Muzhou’s sword and asked whether Pei Ye could use it only under certain conditions.

Pei Ye prepared to face Yong Ji with the Summer Sword, and Ming Qitian began teaching him the art. She also taught him the zither piece “Guangling,” which helped him understand the spirit behind Thunder Sword, before they stopped late at night.

• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian he wanted to use a Third Step Sword Ladder strike against Yong Ji, and she said he must meet Yong Ji head-on rather than rely on an assassin’s methods.
• Ming Qitian offered to teach Pei Ye Summer Sword and finish the remaining six disciplines before his Martial Examination, and Pei Ye agreed.
• Ming Qitian tuned a zither and taught Pei Ye its strings before playing “Guangling” for him.
• Pei Ye struggled through the piece as Ming Qitian patiently corrected his fingering and pitch until he could play a halting but recognizable rendition.
• Ming Qitian explained how “Guangling” conveyed the spirit of Thunder Sword, and Pei Ye said he understood why learning the music first helped him grasp the sword piece.
• Pei Ye realized he was hungry, and he and Ming Qitian planned to get steamed buns the next morning.

Pei Ye told Ming Qitian how his experiences had changed him and asked whether she still saw him as the same person. Ming Qitian reassured him that he had simply grown up, and their conversation ended with Pei Ye wondering what made him unique to her.

• Pei Ye recalled their last parting and described how learning that Lord Sui was Shadow-Faced Sima had shaken his simple view of right and wrong.
• Pei Ye recounted the people he had fought and the events he had faced in the Divine Capital and Eight Waters, then admitted he feared he had become unfamiliar to Ming Qitian.
• Ming Qitian said Pei Ye had grown up rather than changed, and explained that she still regarded him as the same person.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian what she cared about and what made him different from anyone else, and she said she was willing to trust him and speak with him as the unique person he was.
• Pei Ye asked whether Ming Qitian also had worldly desires and emotions, and she replied that she was human too.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed his desires and the possibility of forming a second Sword State, then Qi Zhaohua delivered invitations from her Benefactor. The story shifted to the Divine Capital’s preparations for Yong Ji’s wedding to Li Youlong.

• Pei Ye confessed to Ming Qitian that his growing physical desires had left him unsure how affection and desire fit together, and she reassured him that they could coexist.
• Pei Ye used his [White Water] Immortal Authority to catch a white fish from the courtyard pond, and he and Ming Qitian shared it while discussing his sword.
• Ming Qitian explained that [Sleeve Tiger] reflected Pei Ye’s anger at the world and proposed that he could condense a second, contrasting Sword State.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed the foundations of another Sword State through the night until Qi Zhaohua arrived with an invitation to Yong Ji and Li Youlong’s wedding banquet.
• Qi Zhaohua told Pei Ye that he was also expected to enter the palace for the Qilin Blood Test seven days after the wedding.
• The narrative turned to the King of Yan’s Residence and the Northern Frontier’s enduring power as guests gathered for Yong Ji’s wedding.

Li Youlong left the Imperial City to marry Yong Ji, while Pei Ye and his companions gathered with Jianghu guests to watch the wedding procession. The procession reached the main residence, where the guests went out to welcome it.

• Shang Lang and Zhu Gaoyang questioned Pei Ye about how rumors of Zhu Gaoyang using another man's name had spread, then met him at the wedding gathering.
• Pei Ye joined Zhu Gaoyang, Shang Lang, and southern Jianghu figures in the garden, where Wang Shousi and Ning Shuhong asked him to pass their greetings to the Glaze Sword Master.
• Li Xizhou comforted Li Youlong as she prepared to leave the Imperial City and marry Yong Ji in the North.
• Li Youlong boarded her wedding carriage, and the procession departed Chengtian Gate amid cheering crowds.
• Pei Ye and the other guests went to the front courtyard to watch the procession arrive at the main residence.

At Yong Ji’s wedding feast, Pei Ye watched Meng'er and reflected on his desire to help her pursue her wish. Yongbei urged the Jianghu heroes to head north for rewards and invited them to compete in the Divine Capital Martial Exam, while Pei Ye revealed himself as an enemy of Yongbei and Yong Ji.

• Pei Ye watched Meng'er from afar as she rode behind Yong Ji and Li Youlong’s wedding procession, and he reflected on how much he wanted to help her.
• Yuan Zhichao used his [Knowing Torch] Pupil to gauge Prince Yan's Heir and declared him stronger than all the young talents gathered together.
• Yongbei arrived at the feast, honored the guests, and recounted the enormous death toll of the Northern Frontier wars.
• Yongbei invited Jianghu fighters to join the coming northern war, promising wealth and rank, and announced rewards for the top ten in the Divine Capital Martial Exam.
• Zhu Gaoyang told the guests that Pei Ye had a life-and-death feud with Yongbei and Yong Ji.
• Pei Ye introduced himself as Pei Ye of Fenghuai, drank with the guests, and left early.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian searched Zhongnan Mountain for the fungus behind the Nether Immortal sword technique. After finding Ground Aconite growing through grass without harming it, Pei Ye understood its quiet, all-encompassing nature, but still wondered what made it immortal.

• Pei Ye met Ming Qitian outside Chang'an, and they left the city to search for unusual fungi using an illustrated book from the Mount Tai Medicine Lodge.
• As they climbed Zhongnan Mountain, Pei Ye and Ming Qitian discussed his sword practice and how the Xia Swords suited his Quiet Guard Sword State.
• Pei Ye found a small fungus attached to grass roots, and Ming Qitian compared it with the book's description of Ground Aconite.
• Ming Qitian explained that the fungus nourished the grass rather than destroying it, helping Pei Ye see the Nether Immortal as a subtle form of All-Is-Me rather than domination.
• Pei Ye wondered what the word immortal meant in the sword technique, and Ming Qitian led him onward to a bamboo grove rich in Ground Aconite.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian spent a rainy day on Zhongnan Mountain searching for ground aconite and seeking the meaning of the Nether Immortal Intent Sword. After camping beneath the moon, Pei Ye sensed a strange, web-like sound in his dream and awoke to find Ming Qitian still sitting awake.

• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian searched Zhongnan Mountain for medicinal fungi, gathered edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and discussed what made ground aconite an immortal thing.
• They climbed above the woods, admired the lights of Divine Capital City, and made camp beside a pool.
• Pei Ye fashioned a fishing hook from Ming Qitian’s hairpin, but they caught no fish and roasted the mushrooms and bamboo shoots instead.
• Pei Ye and Ming Qitian considered why fragile ground aconite grew so widely while sturdier, tastier mushrooms were rare.
• Pei Ye fell asleep on a rock and dreamed of faint, spreading strands that reminded him of the Golden Autumn Martial Contest.
• Near dawn, Pei Ye awoke after sensing a strange sound and saw Ming Qitian still awake beside the dim fire.

Pei Ye discovered that the earth aconites were one vast underground life and learned the first part of The Immortal in the Deep. As Ming Qitian helped him examine his feelings, he recognized that his drive to avenge Yue came from grief and love, and wondered what purpose he had without that revenge.

• Pei Ye traced the earth aconites’ filaments through the mountain and realized they were a single immortal life beneath the earth.
• Pei Ye understood the sword art’s meaning and learned “Hidden Life,” the first part of The Immortal in the Deep.
• Ming Qitian proposed that they try to draw out Pei Ye’s second sword state by changing his heart and asked for his help with the Gushe Heart Sutra.
• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian that seeing Yong Ji and Yongbei stirred his anger, and she questioned whether his feelings toward them were truly hatred.
• Ming Qitian explained that Pei Ye’s urge to avenge Yue came from grief and love; Pei Ye agreed and asked what remained for him if revenge was not his purpose.

Pei Ye entered Ming Yun’s mindscape to help her bring the Gushe Heavenly Heart under control as she prepared to ascend from [Ice and Snow] to [Nothingness]. The final clash began with Pei Ye facing Gushe and agreeing to take her first sword strike, though he had not yet found the new state of mind he needed.

• Ming Qitian told Pei Ye that resolve could endure emotional turmoil and reminded him that he had already proved his steadfastness before.
• At Ming Qitian’s request, Pei Ye used Glaze to enter Ming Yun’s mindscape, where Ming Yun said she was ready to ascend to [Nothingness].
• Ming Yun explained that she and the Gushe Heavenly Heart had to settle which would dominate, and that the heavenly heart could soon pull Glaze free.
• Ming Yun asked Pei Ye to defeat the Gushe Heavenly Heart again, warning him that she now wielded Heart-Slaying Glaze and had already seen his Heart Sword move.
• Pei Ye agreed to take Gushe’s first strike so Ming Yun could observe her technique, and Gushe enveloped the sword platform in a clear, translucent world.

Pei Ye endured Gushe Heavenly Heart’s sword and found a conviction strong enough to withstand its judgment, then discussed his future with Ming Qitian, who invited him to be with her after he defeated the Immortal Lord. Ming Qitian said she had defeated Gushe and brought Pei Ye back into her mindscape, where he found her speaking with Gushe Heavenly Heart.

• Gushe Heavenly Heart struck Pei Ye with Heart Sword, exposing the shadows and painful emotions in his heart.
• Pei Ye held onto his resolve to slay the Supreme One True Dragon Immortal Lord and cut short the force of Gushe’s sword.
• Pei Ye awoke beside Ming Qitian and explained that his conviction could form a Sword State; Ming Qitian described her idea of protecting the heart as “Quiet Guard.”
• Ming Qitian asked Pei Ye to imagine a life together after his revenge was complete, and he admitted he already had Xi Zhou.
• Ming Qitian told Pei Ye she had defeated Gushe and invited him into [Nothingness], where he found Gushe standing quietly as Ming Yun held both swords.

Ming Yun chose to make Pei Ye’s aspiration of killing the Supreme One True Dragon Immortal Lord her own, allowing her to unite with Gushe and enter [Nothingness]. She explained the realm to Pei Ye, who wondered why her journey through the mortal world had involved so little hardship.

• Ming Yun told Pei Ye she would give Gushe a place in her heart by adopting an aspiration, and asked him to lend her his goal of killing the Supreme One True Dragon Immortal Lord.
• Pei Ye warned Ming Yun that the Immortal Lord was dangerous, but she treated the goal as a promise and joined their aspirations by touching her forehead to his.
• Ming Yun urged Pei Ye to taunt Gushe after defeating her, and he awkwardly told her that her [Reflecting Me] sword strike needed more practice.
• Ming Yun and Gushe merged, leaving Ming Qitian alone on the sword platform as she entered [Nothingness].
• Ming Qitian explained that reaching [Nothingness] required experiencing the mortal world while remaining unmoved, and Pei Ye asked whether she had truly undergone much tempering.

Li Xizhou was proclaimed Great Tang’s Crown Prince after the Qilin chose her, and Li Yao presented her to the people as his heir. Pei Ye left the ceremony to spend time with Li Wuyan, then reunited with Li Xizhou at Taiye Pool.

• Pei Ye watched Li Yao and Li Xizhou emerge from Purple Chen Hall before leaving with Li Wuyan.
• Li Yao named his eldest daughter Xizhou Crown Prince before the gathered officials and people at Vermilion Bird Gate.
• Pei Ye met Li Wuyan outside Daming Palace, and she told him their father had instructed the siblings to support Li Xizhou.
• Pei Ye took Li Wuyan fishing at Taiye Pool while Li Xizhou attended the investiture ceremonies.
• Li Xizhou found Pei Ye and Li Wuyan at the pool, and Pei Ye embraced her.

Li Xizhou invited the Divine Capital’s Jianghu to a Phantom Tower Banquet, requiring attendees to catch and release a scaled creature as their token. As the city’s martial artists struggled to fish, Shi Zanxue and Ji Jiuying discussed Pei Ye’s ties to the Eastern Palace and the upcoming banquet.

• Pei Ye and Li Xizhou left the palace together, and he reassured Li Wuyan that he would visit again.
• Li Xizhou showed Pei Ye half of the Imperial Seal and admitted she felt the weight of becoming Crown Prince; they postponed the Phantom Tower Banquet by a day.
• Li Xizhou sent invitations to the Divine Capital’s registered Jianghu, asking each guest to bring a scale from a fish caught and released in the city.
• On the second day of the fourth month, martial artists across the Divine Capital crowded its waters to fish for banquet entry tokens.
• Zheng Shufeng and Green Wax caught fish while Martial Uncle Xu failed, and they discussed Pei Ye’s place on the guest list.
• Shi Zanxue and Ji Jiuying fished unsuccessfully at Green Splendor Terrace, where Shi Zanxue connected the rule to Pei Ye and his relationship with the Eastern Palace.

The Divine Capital’s fishing contest led into the new Crown Prince’s Sword Banquet at the Phantom Tower, where guests returned their scales to the fish and marveled at the hidden tower. Pei Ye brought Ming Qitian to the banquet, where sects from across the realm gathered to meet the Crown Prince.

• Ji Jiuying, Shi Zanxue, Li Piaoqing, Qu Xin, He Yaoyao, and other guests fished for scales along West Pool, while the Sword Cultivation Academy’s Sword Talents easily caught fish in their own pond.
• At dawn, guests arrived at Xunfang Garden and returned their scales to the fish in Long Creek before entering the Phantom Tower.
• Chu Shuiting and the other guests were astonished by the tower’s magnificent interior, where the Cui Clan’s pearl welcomed them with wine.
• Pei Ye collected Ming Qitian by carriage and asked whether she would demonstrate her swordsmanship or discuss the sword at the banquet; she agreed and advised him to study any matches carefully.
• Pei Ye led Ming Qitian into the Vermilion Tower, where nearly a hundred guests from powerful sects gathered and awaited the Crown Prince.

At the Phantom Tower Banquet, Ming Qitian presented Pei Ye’s sword treatise on fate-sense reform, while Li Xizhou hosted the gathering. The chapter ended by revealing that Pei Ye had written the essay after Ming Qitian assigned it to him during their practice.

• Ming Qitian arrived at the banquet with Pei Ye, drawing the gathered swordsmen’s attention as they sat apart from Yunlang’s delegation.
• Pei Ye found Li Xizhou preparing for the banquet and helped her finish her makeup while they discussed the evening’s program.
• Li Xizhou took the host’s seat and invited Ming Qitian to open the proceedings with a discourse on the sword.
• Ming Qitian presented Pei Ye’s treatise, “Four Matters of Fate Sense Reform,” and explained that it grew from their discussions.
• After Ming Qitian’s half-hour discourse, the chapter revealed that Pei Ye had written the treatise over seven days at her request.

At the Phantom Tower banquet, Ming Qitian discussed swordsmanship and defeated Zhu Gaoyang’s challenge before the new Crane and Teal Registers were revealed. Pei Ye appeared seventh on the Teal List, and Cui Zhaoye proposed a Feather-Scale Trial so the gathered heroes could challenge the leading swordsmen.

• Ming Qitian finished her sword discussion, then defeated Zhu Gaoyang’s River Earl technique in three breaths and demonstrated the sword art with him.
• Pei Ye agreed to invite Ming Qitian to speak with Li Xizhou after the banquet.
• Cui Zhaoye brought the April Crane and Teal Registers, which placed Pei Ye seventh on the Teal List and Gao Ge twenty-second.
• Cui Zhaoye proposed a Feather-Scale Trial in which ten selected heroes would challenge the top twenty.

At the Phantom Tower Banquet, Shao Xiuyuan defeated Lu Zhiju and stood out among the challengers before Crown Prince Li Xizhou chose Pei Ye to face the top-ranked heroes. Pei Ye entered the arena and Shao Xiuyuan became his first opponent.

• Lu Zhiju challenged Shao Xiuyuan, who won with the Little Clear Lake technique Half Moon over the Calm Lake.
• The arena filled with challengers, and Shao Xiuyuan defeated several opponents while Gao Ge defeated each of his in three moves or fewer.
• Shao Xiuyuan offered to fight anyone Li Xizhou chose, and the other contenders agreed to face her selections.
• Li Xizhou named Pei Ye as the opponent she wanted the heroes to fight.
• Pei Ye carried the Jade Tiger onto the platform, introduced himself, and invited Shao Xiuyuan to fight first.
• Shao Xiuyuan drew his sword and saluted Pei Ye as they faced each other on the platform.