Chapter Summaries

After years of failing to advance in martial arts, Lianshan Xin decided to pursue immortality through the imperial court or seek a Qi Condensation Pill by entering the White Deer Grotto Academy. His parents doubted his chances, but a scholar arrived with an admission letter for him.

• Lianshan Xin told He Miaojun he planned to join the imperial court to seek immortal cultivation, but she firmly refused to let him become an official.
• Lianshan Xin explained to Lianshan Jingcheng that he could take the imperial examinations after entering the White Deer Grotto Academy, where becoming chief disciple could earn him a Qi Condensation Pill.
• Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun privately agreed that Lianshan Xin was overconfident and hoped rejection from the academy would persuade him to inherit Spring Revival Hall.
• A scholar in blue robes arrived at Spring Revival Hall and said he had come on his teacher's orders to deliver Lianshan Xin an admission letter to the White Deer Grotto Academy.

Kong Ningyuan delivered Lianshan Xin’s recommended admission to the White Deer Grotto Academy and thanked him for helping him earn a recommendation to the court. Lianshan Xin’s parents worried about the risks of the academy, but he revealed that his admission could protect Lianshan Jingcheng from the powerful Qu family and help him support his family.

• Kong Ningyuan presented Lianshan Xin with a recommended admission letter and exchanged respectful greetings with Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun.
• Kong Ningyuan thanked Lianshan Xin for advising him on the story of yielding pears, which helped him win a recommendation to the court, and promised to support him at the academy.
• Kong Ningyuan asked for virility pills for a supposedly troubled friend, and Lianshan Xin pretended not to understand the implication.
• Kong Ningyuan told his attendant that feigning weakness would help him build a useful friendship with Lianshan Xin despite their differences in status.
• He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng warned Lianshan Xin that the academy was dangerous and urged him to learn medicine instead.
• Lianshan Xin explained that President Qu had retaliated against Lianshan Jingcheng for failing to save Qu’s brother-in-law, and said his academy admission could deter further bullying and let him share the burden of supporting the family.

Lianshan Xin used his connection to Kong Ningyuan and the White Deer Grotto Academy to force Chairman Qu to make amends for mistreating the Lianshan family. With the Qu Family brought under his influence, Xin resolved to use the academy as a path to greater authority and opportunity.

• Chairman Qu visited Lianshan Jingcheng with gifts and learned that Kong Ningyuan had recommended Lianshan Xin to the White Deer Grotto Academy.
• Chairman Qu apologized and offered compensation, but Lianshan Jingcheng said the matter depended on whether Xin would pursue it.
• Lianshan Xin confronted Chairman Qu and demanded that he drink three jars of liquor to settle the families' dispute.
• After Chairman Qu vomited blood, Lianshan Xin had Lianshan Jingcheng treat him and promised that Chairman Qu's son could pass the academy entrance exam.
• Chairman Qu pledged the merchant association's support for the Spring Revival Hall, and Xin resolved to use the White Deer Grotto Academy to gain authority and reach new circles.

Lianshan Xin chose to enter White Deer Grotto Academy despite a purge triggered by the deputy headmaster’s exposure as a Demon Cult elder, hoping to meet the Heavenly Sword and seize an opportunity. As he left with Kong Ningyuan, he realized Chairman Qu was concealing something and suspected his neighbor was a Demon Cult member.

• Lianshan Jingcheng secretly gave Lianshan Xin gold leaves and warned him not to rely solely on Kong Ningyuan or underestimate the world.
• Kong Ningyuan arrived to escort Lianshan Xin to the academy, where Lianshan Xin explained that his parents were afraid for his safety.
• Kong Ningyuan revealed that the deputy headmaster had been exposed as a Demon Cult elder, escaped the Heavenly Sword, and triggered a purge at White Deer Grotto Academy.
• Kong Ningyuan said recommendations had been suspended and urged Lianshan Xin to wait, but Lianshan Xin insisted on entering and asked for a chance to meet the Heavenly Sword.
• Kong Ningyuan agreed to introduce Lianshan Xin to the Heavenly Sword and warned him not to provoke the man.
• Lianshan Xin passed Chairman Qu’s residence, noticed his eager expression, and suspected that Chairman Qu was a Demon Cult fiend.

Lianshan Xin discovered that President Qu was secretly tied to the Demon Cult, then learned from Kong Ningyuan that the Heavenly Sword’s failure had opened the way for the Nine Heavens to intervene in White Deer Grotto Academy. As Jiangzhou faced growing conflict, Lianshan Xin saw the chaos as a chance to rise.

• Lianshan Xin recognized President Qu as a Demon Cult accomplice after seeing him receive White Deer Grotto Academy’s deputy head and other wounded people.
• Lianshan Xin hid his discovery, strengthened President Qu’s trust by presenting himself as close to Kong Ningyuan, and left for the academy with Kong.
• President Qu kept up his harmless act before Lianshan Xin and Kong, then told Qu Junjie to remain cautious and remember the Holy Cult’s plan.
• Kong Ningyuan explained that the Demon Cult and Overseas Island Nations Alliance had joined forces, while the Heavenly Sword’s failure had weakened the Nine Heavens.
• Lianshan Xin and Kong discussed the court’s crackdown and the political resistance to the Nine Heavens taking control of White Deer Grotto Academy.
• Kong warned that Jiangzhou would face upheaval, while Lianshan Xin concluded that the turmoil could give an ambitious outsider like him a chance to advance.

Lianshan Xin accompanied Kong Ningyuan to seek Heaven Sword’s favor and enter the White Deer Grotto Academy, where recommended candidates were being rejected amid political upheaval. After exposing Lin Xiangwen’s hidden affection for Heaven Sword, Lianshan Xin provoked the room, and Heaven Sword ordered him to leave.

• Kong Ningyuan warned Lianshan Xin that joining the Nine Heavens would make him a target, but Lianshan Xin argued that the connection could benefit the Kong Family and they reaffirmed their alliance.
• Kong Ningyuan told Lianshan Xin that Heaven Sword had suspended recommendations and that he himself was under suspicion of demonic-cult ties.
• At the Imperial Library, Lianshan Xin and Kong Ningyuan learned that Heaven Sword had rejected the provincial governor’s son and another recommended candidate.
• Lianshan Xin met Heaven Sword, Qi Shiyun, and Lin Xiangwen, who insulted him for relying on Kong Ningyuan’s recommendation.
• Lianshan Xin accused Lin Xiangwen of pursuing the Nine Heavens to get close to Qi Shiyun, then revealed that Lin Xiangwen’s true love was Heaven Sword.
• Heaven Sword ordered Lianshan Xin to leave as Lin Xiangwen threatened him and Qi Shiyun reacted in shock.

Lianshan Xin persuaded the Heavenly Sword that he sincerely wanted to join the Nine Heavens in hopes of obtaining a Qi Condensation Pill and advancing in martial arts. He offered to help capture a Demon Cult fiend, but the Heavenly Sword remained wary of a possible trap.

• The Heavenly Sword believed Lianshan Xin's accusation against Lin Xiangwen and ordered Lin to leave the Imperial Library.
• The Heavenly Sword praised Lianshan Xin's observations and explained to Qi Shiyun why they showed promise.
• Lianshan Xin said he wanted to join the Nine Heavens because his blocked meridians made a Qi Condensation Pill vital to his advancement.
• The Heavenly Sword examined Lianshan Xin and confirmed his congenital deficiency, then said merely exposing Lin Xiangwen would not earn him a pill.
• Lianshan Xin offered to help capture a Demon Cult fiend in exchange for joining the Heavenly Sword's service, while Qi Shiyun cautioned him about the danger.
• The Heavenly Sword suspected the offer might be a trap, and Lianshan Xin insisted he sought practical rewards rather than rebellion.

Lianshan Xin told “Heavenly Sword” and Qi Shiyun what he had discovered about demonic cult fiends hiding in the Qu Family and agreed to help investigate. After Qi Shiyun called him the next Chosen One Son of Heaven, she revealed that he was the ninety-first person she had given that title.

• Lianshan Xin asked for the court bounty and other rewards, then shared his discoveries about the Qu Family with “Heavenly Sword” and Qi Shiyun.
• Lianshan Xin insisted that the Nine Heavens protect his parents before they investigated the Qu Family, and “Heavenly Sword” promised they would be safe.
• Qi Shiyun introduced herself as Third-Place Qi and a disciple of Chosen of Heaven, then declared Lianshan Xin the next Chosen One Son of Heaven.
• Qi Shiyun sent Lianshan Xin outside to deal with Kong Ningyuan and prepared to investigate the Qu Family.
• Qi Shiyun wrote Lianshan Xin into her notebook as the ninety-first Chosen One Son of Heaven, leaving “Heavenly Sword” dismayed by how common the title had become.

Qi Shiyun explained the risks and strategy behind the Chosen of Heaven Lineage to the Heavenly Sword, who offered Lianshan Xin a chance to join his lineage if he proved useful and showed sword talent. Lianshan Xin remained under the Heavenly Sword’s consideration, while Kong Ningyuan warned him about the dangers of entering the Four Great Academies through the regular examination route.

• Qi Shiyun told the Heavenly Sword she had selected ninety-one chosen children of heaven to spread the risks of her lineage’s succession struggle.
• Qi Shiyun explained that the Chosen of Heaven Lineage’s hidden legacy involved backing a contender for the throne, and that losing could bring death to the contender’s kin.
• The Heavenly Sword said he would give Lianshan Xin a chance to join the Heavenly Sword lineage if Lianshan Xin proved useful and had sword talent.
• Lianshan Xin told Kong Ningyuan that the Heavenly Sword had not ruled him out and still wanted to test him further.
• Kong Ningyuan warned Lianshan Xin that the Four Great Academies’ scholarly division required martial strength and that regular students faced harsher assessments than recommended students.
• Lianshan Xin thanked Kong Ningyuan, resolved to pursue the Heavenly Sword’s test first, and urged him to leave the academy for official service.

Lianshan Xin persuaded Kong Ningyuan to reconcile with his father and avoid the troubled White Deer Grotto Academy, then accompanied Qi Shiyun to investigate the Qu family. During their flight, Qi Shiyun revealed that she cultivated immortality and offered to teach Lianshan Xin if he worked for her.

• Lianshan Xin advised Kong Ningyuan to seek his father's support and accept a recommendation, and Kong Ningyuan agreed.
• Qi Shiyun arrived, but Kong Ningyuan recognized her and hurried away after saying he had chosen the recommendation route.
• Qi Shiyun took Lianshan Xin to the Qu family, explaining that Lord Heavenly Sword and others would act if they found evidence of the Qu family's ties to the Demon Cult.
• Qi Shiyun flew with Lianshan Xin and explained that she cultivated immortality rather than merely practicing martial arts.
• Lianshan Xin eagerly agreed to work for Qi Shiyun in exchange for the chance to learn immortal cultivation, despite the danger.

Qi Shiyun told Lianshan Xin that he had the aptitude to cultivate immortality and brought him to the Qu residence, where she detected the hidden Demon Cult elder Fu Xinghuai. Lianshan Xin entered the residence with Qu Junjie after claiming the young man had earned credit for revealing Fu Xinghuai’s whereabouts.

• Qi Shiyun explained that Lianshan Xin had talent for immortal cultivation and described her lineage’s ability to sense hidden talent.
• At the Qu residence, President Qu and Qu Junjie checked on the wounded Fu Xinghuai, who decided to have Doctor Lianshan summoned.
• Fu Xinghuai said he wanted Doctor Lianshan brought into the cult, and President Qu left with Qu Junjie to find him.
• President Qu and Qu Junjie encountered Lianshan Xin and Qi Shiyun outside the residence, where Qi Shiyun’s bell revealed Fu Xinghuai’s location.
• Lianshan Xin told Qu Junjie he had earned credit for exposing a Demon Cult fiend, then escorted him into the Qu residence.

Lianshan Xin questioned Qu Junjie and Steward Qu after Qi Shiyun’s group raided the Qu Family estate. He turned Steward Qu’s knowledge of the family’s wealth into a chance for Qi Wenbin to earn merit, and Qi Wenbin quickly agreed to follow his lead.

• Qi Shiyun restrained Chairman Qu and led him toward the Qu Family estate with a silent procession of battle-hardened followers.
• Lianshan Xin warned Steward Qu against speaking and persuaded Qi Shiyun to let him question Qu Junjie and the steward under the guard of Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin.
• Qu Junjie promptly admitted his connection to the Demon Cult, while Steward Qu insisted he knew nothing and begged Lianshan Xin for a chance to atone.
• Lianshan Xin learned that Qi Wenbin was close to breaking through to the True Intent Realm but could not afford the needed cultivation supplies.
• Lianshan Xin pointed out that the Qu Family had stockpiled cultivation supplies and that Steward Qu knew its affairs, prompting Qi Wenbin to call Lianshan Xin his leader and offer to take the blame if anything went wrong.

Lianshan Xin and his companions uncovered the Qu Family’s connection to the demonic cult, but the raid failed to capture its true target. Qi Shiyun revealed that the Thousand Faces Demon had used a stand-in to cover his escape, leaving Lianshan Xin impressed by the dangers still ahead.

• Lianshan Xin urged Steward Qu to help Qi Wenbin obtain a Qi Condensation Pill by searching the Qu Family storeroom, but Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin warned that seizing the family’s wealth could bring retaliation.
• Lianshan Xin decided to consult Qi Shiyun about the confiscated property, while Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin explained that she was known for acting honorably.
• Fighting broke out outside as Qi Shiyun and the Nine Heavens confronted demonic cult members, and Qi Wenbin told Lianshan Xin that some had escaped.
• Lianshan Xin found Qi Shiyun at the devastated Qu Family estate, where she explained that the family had sheltered a stand-in for the Thousand Faces Demon, who had escaped Lord Heavenly Sword.
• Qi Shiyun reassured Lianshan Xin that he still deserved credit for exposing the Qu Family’s demonic cult ties, and Lianshan Xin resolved to remain cautious around the world’s powerful figures.

Lianshan Xin and Qi Shiyun uncovered a Millennium Snow Lotus in the Qu Family’s storeroom, a treasure that could cure Lianshan Xin’s mother but was also sought by the Crown Prince. Lianshan Xin chose to take it for his mother, and Qi Shiyun accepted the risk, binding him to her Dragon Aiders Lineage and setting him against the Crown Prince.

• Qi Shiyun explained why Nine Heavens had to avoid drawing attention and took Lianshan Xin with her to inspect the Qu Family’s storeroom.
• Qi Shiyun found a Millennium Snow Lotus and revealed that the Crown Prince needed one to cure his congenital weakness.
• Lianshan Xin realized the lotus could heal his mother and asked Qi Shiyun to give it to him, pledging his life in return.
• Qi Shiyun warned that taking the lotus would make the Crown Prince Lianshan Xin’s enemy, then agreed and accepted him into her lineage.

Lianshan Xin and Qi Shiyun searched the Qu Family storehouse and found an enormous trove of treasures. Lianshan persuaded Qi Shiyun to let him manage the spoils and help fund her cultivation, leaving them with a plan to work together.

• Qi Shiyun offered to find a master physician to handle Lianshan Xin’s Millennium Snow Lotus, but he said his father could do it safely.
• Qi Shiyun identified the storehouse’s rare treasures and said it was among the richest places in Jiangzhou.
• Qi Shiyun explained that they could keep no more than one-tenth of the treasure, and Lianshan began pocketing banknotes while arguing that their allies and Lord Heavenly Sword needed money.
• Lianshan told Qi Shiyun he was taking the money for her and urged her to give him a list of cultivation materials and let him handle the Qu Family’s spoils.
• Qi Shiyun accepted Lianshan Xin’s offer and called him a man of talent.

Lianshan Xin arranged to distribute seized supplies and watched Qi Shiyun execute President Qu before she left to report to Lord Heavenly Sword. Meanwhile, a hidden Demon Cult master explained that Qi Shiyun belonged to the Nine Heavens’ impatient Young Faction, whose young warriors were eager to make their mark.

• Lianshan Xin told Qi Wenbin and Du Jiu to set aside supplies for Lord Heavenly Sword and Third-Place Qi, take what they wanted, and share the rest while leaving at least half behind.
• Qi Shiyun beheaded President Qu, explained her authority as heir to the Chosen of Heaven Lineage, and warned Lianshan Xin that the Millennium Snow Lotus’s secret might have leaked.
• Qi Shiyun left Lianshan Xin in charge of the Qu Family’s affairs and went to report to Lord Heavenly Sword.
• Lianshan Xin returned to the Qu residence and openly faced the crowd gathered outside.
• A woman asked a disguised middle-aged man whether Qi Shiyun’s failure to search the city was a trap, and he said she feared what she might do if she caught him.
• The middle-aged man described the Nine Heavens’ factions and identified Qi Shiyun as a leader of the Young Faction, whose young warriors no longer wanted to wait for glory.

Thousand Faces instructed his disciple to infiltrate the White Deer Grotto Academy and investigate Lianshan Xin, while warning her not to approach the Heavenly Sword. Lianshan Xin returned home with a Millennium Snow Lotus for his mother, and his father began preparing to treat her despite the danger of possessing it.

• Thousand Faces told his disciple to seek Qi Shiyun's trust, investigate Lianshan Xin, and contact him through the Eastern Grove Temple only if necessary.
• Lianshan Xin let Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin distribute the spoils and returned home to visit his sick mother.
• Lianshan Xin gave He Miaojun a Millennium Snow Lotus, and Lianshan Jingcheng confirmed it could cure her illness.
• He Miaojun warned that keeping the lotus could bring the emperor's punishment, but Lianshan Xin and Lianshan Jingcheng chose to use it for her treatment.
• Lianshan Jingcheng went to prepare the medicine, while Lianshan Xin promised He Miaojun that their family would stay together and share whatever consequences came.

Lianshan Xin woke to news that Dai Yueying had come to see him and decided to end any romantic misunderstanding between them. Dai Yueying tried to rekindle their supposed old romance, but Lianshan Xin rejected her claim that accepting her gifts meant he had accepted her.

• He Miaojun told Lianshan Xin that she had turned away marriage proposals and that Dai Yueying had come to visit him.
• Lianshan Xin explained that Dai Yueying had once pursued him, but he had never returned her feelings and had no desire to start a romance now.
• Lianshan Xin noticed that Dai Yueying looked more beautiful and carried herself differently when he met her in the courtyard.
• Dai Yueying mistook Lianshan Xin's lack of attraction to her Bewitching Art for iron devotion to the Dao and tried to rekindle their old romance.
• Lianshan Xin said that accepting Dai Yueying's gifts did not mean he had accepted her, and Dai Yueying angrily called him shameless.

Lianshan Xin rebuffed Dai Yueying’s attempt to rekindle their relationship, growing suspicious of how much she had changed. After she left, He Miaojun warned him that his sharp words could get him beaten by a stronger woman.

• Lianshan Xin mocked Dai Yueying’s claims of academic success and boasted that the Heavenly Sword had personally recommended him to White Deer Grotto Academy.
• Dai Yueying softened her manner and proposed that she and Lianshan Xin study together and become an immortal couple, but he rejected her and questioned her motives.
• Dai Yueying insisted she still cared for Lianshan Xin, but he told her to give up and sent her away, resolving to watch her closely.
• Dai Yueying left in a daze, and He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng emerged from Lianshan Xin’s room after watching the exchange.
• He Miaojun warned Lianshan Xin not to speak that way to a woman stronger than him because she could beat him to death.

Lianshan Xin told his parents about joining the Nine Heavens, his connection to the Heavenly Sword, and the Millennium Snow Lotus he had kept secret. The family faced the danger together, with Lianshan Xin determined to rise through the organization and secure their future.

• Lianshan Jingcheng recognized that Dai Yueying likely had an unawakened born bewitching physique, and Lianshan Xin teased his father for noticing her.
• Lianshan Xin told his parents he planned to join the Nine Heavens and explained that he wanted the organization’s protection despite its fearsome reputation.
• Lianshan Xin revealed that the Heavenly Sword favored him because he had exposed President Qu as a Demon Cult member.
• Lianshan Xin admitted he had secretly kept the Millennium Snow Lotus and warned his parents that the Crown Prince might retaliate if anyone learned of it.
• Lianshan Xin told his parents that Qi Shiyun intended to recommend him to the Chosen of Heaven Lineage and urged the family to face the risks together.