Recaps

Xu Tong and the others broke into the sealed chamber beneath the Confucius Temple, expecting to find the Corpse Ancestor, but instead disturbed a powerful cultivator. The figure emerged from the underground dust and was identified as Lü Yan, leaving the intruders stunned and demanding to know why he was there.

• He Tianqi, Xu Tong, Wei Jili, Huangfu Qi, and Zhao De reached the Confucius Temple to search for the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum after learning of a secret beneath it.
• Wei Jili and Xu Tong moved the statue of the Most Sagely Former Master, revealing a sealed Bronze Gate, and Xu Tong shattered it with his sword.
• Zhao De mocked the others for finding no Corpse Ancestor, but footsteps sounded from underground and terrified the group into thinking Ye Sheng had returned.
• An old man emerged from the dust and challenged the intruders for disturbing his secluded cultivation.
• Xu Tong recognized the old man as Lü Yan and demanded to know why he was beneath the Confucius Temple.

Lü Yan guarded the Confucius Temple and trapped Xu Tong, He Tianqi, and their companions inside his Eight-Gate Burning Array. Just as the fight escalated, a white-robed figure arrived with the Zhenglun Sword and pinned the ghost cultivator to the temple roof.

• Lü Yan explained that Qixia Old Devil had assigned him to guard the Confucius Temple and stop anyone trying to reach the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum.
• Xu Tong and the others realized Lü Yan had been lying in wait for them, while Lü Yan resolved to capture them and earn merit.
• Lü Yan raised eight towering walls of fire around the temple, trapping the group; Huangfu Qi crashed through the flames and was badly burned, while Zhao De was driven back.
• Xu Tong and Wei Jili attacked Lü Yan, but he used fire techniques to repel them and sent a blazing signal into the sky.
• A figure rushed in from the Capital City, and the Zhenglun Sword pierced the ghost cultivator and pinned him to the temple roof.
• A white-robed figure landed on the Confucius Temple and directed a terrifying pressure at the five people inside the burning array.

Xie Jinhuan and Lü Yan defeated the Demon Path attackers at the Confucius Temple, while Xu Tong’s ghostly soul was destroyed and He Tianqi was captured. After learning that Lu Wuzhen had gone missing near Dai Prefecture while pursuing Wei Wuyi, Xie Jinhuan set out to investigate.

• Xie Jinhuan fought Xu Tong, Wei Jili, and He Tianqi at the Confucius Temple, mortally wounding Xu Tong and Wei Jili and pinning He Tianqi with the Zhenglun Sword.
• Xu Tong’s soul fled in a bird, and Lü Yan pursued and burned it to ash near the Huai River.
• Xie Jinhuan recaptured He Tianqi, while Lü Yan blocked him from entering the Confucius Temple and kept its secrets from him.
• Mu Yunling and Nangong Ye reported that Lu Wuzhen had pursued Wei Wuyi toward Dai Prefecture, but they had lost track of them.
• Xie Jinhuan left the Academy to search for Lu Wuzhen and assess the situation.

Wei Wuyi faced Lu Wuzhen at Snow Eagle Ridge after revealing that he had lured him away from the Capital City, and the two began a battle that turned the mountains into a field of heavenly punishment. Monk Wuxin watched from afar and concluded that Lu Wuzhen was drawing out the hidden Demon Path forces, though no one had yet appeared.

• Lu Wuzhen confronted Wei Wuyi at the northern border and explained why he had to stop him from escaping with King Xiang's Order.
• Lu Wuzhen revealed three of the Five Directions' Divine Gifts and challenged Wei Wuyi, while Wei Wuyi transformed into his enormous half-demon body.
• Wei Wuyi and Lu Wuzhen clashed at Snow Eagle Ridge, and Lu Wuzhen used the Yin-Yang Ruler, Blazing True Fire, Extreme Yang Divine Thunder, and earthen walls to trap the battlefield.
• Monk Wuxin and Mingxin watched from a distant peak as Monk Wuxin recounted how he had traced the conspiracy against Duan Yuechou's granddaughter to Wei Wuyi and returned to investigate.
• Monk Wuxin reasoned that Lu Wuzhen was feigning weakness to draw out the Demon Path mastermind, but no hidden forces had yet appeared.

Xie Jinhuan reached the mountain battlefield and found Lu Wuzhen locked in a desperate fight with Wei Wuyi. Just as Wei Wuyi prepared to finish Lu Wuzhen, a figure resembling Ye Sheng appeared on a distant ridge, and everyone mistook the display for the legendary swordsman’s intervention.

• Xie Jinhuan approached the battlefield cautiously and spotted Coal Ball, then saw the immense destruction left by Lu Wuzhen and Wei Wuyi’s fight.
• Wei Wuyi taunted Lu Wuzhen and prepared to kill him, while Lu Wuzhen considered escaping as his strength waned.
• A figure appeared on a snowy ridge with words carved into the slope, and Lu Wuzhen, Wei Wuyi, and the hidden Monk Wuxin believed Ye Sheng had arrived.
• Wei Wuyi dropped his sabers and interpreted the message as a plea to abandon his obsession and return to the Righteous Path.
• Lu Wuzhen realized the display might have been unnecessary because he had been trying to lure Wei Wuyi into a trap, while Monk Wuxin questioned whether Wei Wuyi could be trusted even if he turned back.

Xie Jinhuan disguised himself as Ye Sheng to stop Wei Wuyi, but his ruse failed and a hidden Unorthodox Dao ambush erupted. As Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin confronted a Sixth Realm attacker, Xie Jinhuan defeated Yang Qing and began interrogating him.

• Wei Wuyi charged Ye Sheng with his strongest saber strike, but Xie Jinhuan, disguised as Ye Sheng, fled instead.
• Wei Wuyi realized Xie Jinhuan had tricked him and chased him, while an Unorthodox Dao flying sword attacked Xie Jinhuan.
• Monk Wuxin blocked the flying sword with a golden manifestation, and Lu Wuzhen restrained Wei Wuyi before rushing to confront the attacker.
• Two hidden fighters fled when Xie Jinhuan called them out, and he pursued the bamboo-hatted saber wielder.
• Xie Jinhuan struck down the saber wielder and identified him as Yang Qing, who claimed Wei Wuyi had forced him into the ambush.
• Xie Jinhuan rejected Yang Qing's excuses and began draining his blood qi while demanding information.

Wei Wuyi struggled to escape Lu Wuzhen’s Yin-Yang Ruler and found Xie Jinhuan undergoing a terrifying transformation into a dragon-like creature. As thunderclouds gathered over the mountains, Qixia True Person arrived and told Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin to leave the creature to him.

• Wei Wuyi realized that Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin had hidden power beyond his own and pushed toward the edge of Lu Wuzhen’s domain, determined to kill Xie Jinhuan.
• Wei Wuyi found Yang Qing dead and Xie Jinhuan standing nearby, then saw Xie begin transforming as his bloodline awakened and heavenly thunder gathered.
• A dragon’s roar shook the mountains, dispersing the distant thunderclouds and Buddhist light as Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin discussed Daoist Kongkong’s attack and disappearance.
• Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin returned to the Yin-Yang Ruler and saw an enormous creature moving beneath storm clouds, while Wei Wuyi urged them to destroy it.
• Qixia True Person arrived beneath the Red Umbrella, suppressed the storm’s power, and sent Lu Wuzhen and Monk Wuxin away to face the creature alone.

Xie Jinhuan relived fragments of his forgotten days with Ghost Wife in the South Sea before waking after Qixia True Person suppressed his demonic cultivation frenzy. He remembered the dream and began asking Qixia about it, but she put him back to sleep before he could learn more.

• Xie Jinhuan floated through a memory of himself and Coal Ball returning from a raid and asking Ghost Wife for a weapon or cultivation technique.
• Ghost Wife invited Xie Jinhuan to the temple, where he and Coal Ball entertained her with poetry and tricks as their days together passed.
• Xie Jinhuan investigated the chains he heard at sunrise and sunset and found a huge black stele linked to five chains in the abyss.
• The dream broke apart as the White-Haired Immortal called Xie Jinhuan back to consciousness in a mountain hollow.
• Qixia True Person told Xie Jinhuan she had stopped his demonic technique from driving him mad, and he said he remembered her as his eldest senior sister in the South Sea.
• Qixia pressed a finger to Xie Jinhuan's brow and put him back to sleep before he could ask more.

Qixia True Person tried to seal Xie Jinhuan’s memories again but succumbed to her Demonic Nature, while in Luojing the Imperial Physicians argued over how to treat the emperor’s Body-Devouring Gu. Bu Yuehua sensed a dragon’s roar and Ye Hongshang noticed something amiss with Xie Jinhuan, leaving the reason for their reactions unclear.

• Qixia True Person reflected on her past, her teacher’s wishes, and Xie Jinhuan’s sealed memories as she crouched beside his unconscious body.
• Qixia True Person tried to cast the Soul-Locking Curse on Xie Jinhuan but stopped when her power stirred her Demonic Nature; she then wrote in the Diary and collapsed.
• In Luojing, Imperial Physicians and others debated using Immortal-Burning Gu and a Death-Seeking Pill to treat the emperor’s Body-Devouring Gu while they waited for Lu Wuzhen.
• Bu Yuehua heard a soul-shaking dragon roar that no one else seemed to notice and went to the window to look north.
• Ye Hongshang sensed something amiss with Xie Jinhuan, teased Lin Wanyi about keeping him close, and gave her pills she claimed would preserve her beauty.
• Bu Yuehua’s eyes briefly grew disoriented as she looked around, apparently unaware of the change.

Xie Jinhuan woke in a mountain hollow beside Jiang Xian, who had mysteriously been transported from the Northern Border Grasslands and ordered by her diary to take him to the capital. Nangong Ye arrived with Coal Ball and carried them toward Luojing as Xie Jinhuan discussed the attack and the suspects behind it.

• Xie Jinhuan woke beside Jiang Xian and was beaten after she caught him groping her while he tried to identify her.
• Jiang Xian discovered an instruction in her Xian'er Diary ordering her to take Xie Jinhuan to the capital, though she did not know how she had reached Great Qian.
• Jiang Xian helped the exhausted Xie Jinhuan leave the hollow, where they encountered Nangong Ye, who had come searching after Coal Ball fetched her.
• Nangong Ye supported Xie Jinhuan as he speculated that Daoist Kongkong and Wei Wuyi had attacked him and discussed possible involvement by Ancestor Sikong.
• Nangong Ye carried Xie Jinhuan and Jiang Xian toward Luojing, while Xie Jinhuan fell asleep and Coal Ball perched on his shoulder.

Nangong Ye brought the unconscious Xie Jinhuan back to the Danyang Marquis Household, where Jiang Xian tried to sleep beside him without triggering his unconscious habit of embracing anyone in bed. Meanwhile, leaders in Linde Hall discussed the Martial Dao’s leadership and Xie Jinhuan’s prospects, leaving Nangong Ye relieved that Lu Wuzhen’s remark about a sect leader’s flaws was only an example.

• Nangong Ye carried Xie Jinhuan to the Danyang Marquis Household and left Jiang Xian to rest while she went to check on the emperor.
• Jiang Xian lay on the edge of Xie Jinhuan’s bed, dodged his outstretched arm, fell to the floor, and eventually fell asleep without waking him again.
• Zhao Ling and Zhao De joined the leaders in Linde Hall as they discussed restoring order to the Martial Dao and whether Xie Jinhuan could become its sect master.
• Lu Wuzhen said Xie Jinhuan lacked the strength and a sect of his own to take the role, then explained that a sect master needed people under him to correct a leader’s misconduct.
• Nangong Ye arrived at Linde Hall and learned that Lu Wuzhen’s example about a sect leader with flaws in her personal virtue had not been aimed at her.

After recovering from his injuries, Xie Jinhuan learned that Bu Qingya’s soul and body had been altered and heard updates about the other victims. The chapter ended with him giving in to his desires and pulling Lin Wanyi and Bu Yuehua into an intimate encounter in the bath.

• Xie Jinhuan woke in his room, found Jiang Xian asleep beside him, and wrote down what he remembered about his lost time with A Piao.
• Xie Jinhuan heard Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi talking in the bathroom and was struck by Bu Yuehua’s water droplet when he tried to peek inside.
• Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi recognized Xie Jinhuan, helped him into the bath, and explained that Bu Qingya’s soul was incomplete and his body had been tampered with.
• A Piao described Bu Qingya’s altered eyes and body, while Bu Yuehua updated Xie Jinhuan on the conditions of the Emperor, Mister Fan, and Eunuch Cao.
• Xie Jinhuan suddenly regained his strength and kissed Lin Wanyi and Bu Yuehua, drawing both women into the bathwater with him.

After the Emperor and Empress recovered, Lu Wuzhen explained that cultivators should balance personal feelings with responsibility, prompting Nangong Ye to flee before his own secrets were exposed. At Xie Jinhuan’s residence, Nangong Ye stumbled upon an intimate scene and was caught eavesdropping by his newly awakened master, Qixia True Person.

• Zhao Ling and Zhao De confirmed that the Emperor was unharmed, while the Empress had returned to her chambers to rest.
• Lu Wuzhen discussed how Xie Jinhuan’s strong personal attachments could complicate his future responsibilities and urged Nangong Ye to guide him.
• Nangong Ye left the Imperial City and returned to Xie Jinhuan’s residence, where he heard Xie Jinhuan and Lin Wanyi in the bath with Bu Yuehua.
• Nangong Ye peeked into the bathroom and found himself unable to leave as sensations from Bu Yuehua’s Demon-Subduing connection affected him.
• Qixia True Person startled Nangong Ye from behind and demanded to know why he was standing outside the bathroom.

Xie Jinhuan’s wives and Nangong Ye were caught up in an awkward aftermath after Qixia True Person interrupted them, then Qixia secretly sealed away his memories again. Once she left, Xie Jinhuan learned Lü Yan had returned to Northern Zhou and persuaded Nangong Ye to stay with him, where she demanded that he treat Bu Yuehua the same way.

• Qixia True Person arrived while Xie Jinhuan was bathing with Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi, and she dismissed Nangong Ye after giving her advice about Xie Jinhuan’s killing intent.
• Qixia True Person secretly placed the Soul-Locking Curse on Xie Jinhuan, causing him to forget the encounter while the women watched her leave.
• Xie Jinhuan collapsed from exhaustion, and Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi left Nangong Ye to look after him.
• Xie Jinhuan asked where Lü Yan had gone, and Nangong Ye told him Lü Yan had returned to Northern Zhou and that His Majesty had awakened.
• Nangong Ye agreed to cuddle with Xie Jinhuan only after demanding that he treat Bu Yuehua the same way and make Bu Yuehua seem to be the first to endure it.

After Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi joined Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye in an intimate encounter, the household gathered the next morning. Nangong Ye asked Bu Yuehua how to undo the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse, and Bu Yuehua took her to meet her father, who might know a remedy.

• Bu Yuehua pulled Lin Wanyi into Nangong Ye and Xie Jinhuan’s bedroom, where the women joined Xie Jinhuan in an intimate encounter.
• The next morning, Lin Wanyi left to return home while Xie Jinhuan went to visit the ailing Emperor at the palace.
• Xie Jinhuan kissed Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye before escaping with Coal Ball and Lin Wanyi as Nangong Ye reached for her sword.
• Nangong Ye asked Bu Yuehua how to undo the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse and offered to help her establish a Witch Cult branch altar within the passes.
• Bu Yuehua said her father might know how to undo the curse, then led Nangong Ye to a Guest Courtyard in the Eastern Residence.

Bu Yuehua asked Bu Qingya to recreate the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse while Xie Jinhuan visited the recovering Zhao Xiao in the Imperial City. Zhao Xiao proposed that Zhao Ling marry Xie Jinhuan to help secure the succession, and Zhao Ling led him away to discuss it privately.

• Bu Yuehua explained that Bu Qingya could not act independently and asked him to recreate the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse from Nangong Ye's description.
• Xie Jinhuan entered the Imperial City and visited Zhao Xiao, who was recovering from the gu poisons and reflecting on his failings as emperor.
• Zhao Xiao praised Zhao De's ability to protect himself, prompting Zhao De to celebrate before Zhao Ling and Empress Xu beat him.
• Zhao Xiao told Zhao Ling that Xie Jinhuan was the best choice for her husband and a future emperor's adviser.
• Xie Jinhuan accepted Zhao Xiao's proposal in principle and thanked him, and Zhao Ling led Xie Jinhuan out to speak privately.

Zhao Ling told Xie Jinhuan about the Imperial Court’s decisions concerning Snow Eagle Ridge and his future rewards, while a spectral replay of her drunken antics embarrassed her into dropping her imposing manner. Xie Jinhuan returned with Lin Zisu to discuss his plans for establishing a sect, but he sensed something amiss near the Eldest Princess’s Residence.

• Zhao Ling reprimanded Xie Jinhuan for accepting the emperor’s favor, then Ye Hongshang made her witness a replay of her drunken behavior with Momo and Xie Jinhuan.
• Zhao Ling explained that Duan Yuechou would temporarily become Martial Dao Spokesperson, Snow Eagle Ridge would be disbanded, Wei Yin would serve ten years at the Martyrs’ Shrine, and Wei Lu could settle independently in Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Zhao Ling told Xie Jinhuan that Duoduo was returning from Northern Zhou, and he arrived at the Eldest Princess’s Residence with her.
• Xie Jinhuan met Lin Zisu and Linghu Qingmo after they returned from shopping, and Linghu Qingmo told him that Zisu had finished making his pill.
• Xie Jinhuan went with Lin Zisu toward the Lin Residence and considered how to use the Blood Rain Tower’s intelligence network and Zisu’s medicines to establish a sect.
• Xie Jinhuan frowned and looked back toward the Eldest Princess’s Residence after sensing something there.

Bu Qingya demonstrated the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse, but it caused Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo to swap bodies. The curse could not be reversed immediately, leaving the pair to adjust to their new bodies while Xie Jinhuan and the others watched over them.

• Linghu Qingmo visited Nangong Ye and gave him and Bu Qingya erotic dharma artifacts, but Bu Yuehua called her father to demonstrate the curse before Nangong Ye accepted the gift.
• Bu Qingya cast the curse, and Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo collapsed after being caught in an illusion.
• Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo awoke in each other's bodies, and Ye Hongshang determined they were unharmed but would need to wait for Linghu Qingmo to recover before switching back.
• Xie Jinhuan warned Bu Yuehua not to cast the curse again because repeated body possession could damage Linghu Qingmo's soul.
• Linghu Qingmo struggled to control Nangong Ye's powerful body while Nangong Ye chased Bu Yuehua around the courtyard in Linghu Qingmo's body.
• Xie Jinhuan put an arm around Nangong Ye, and Linghu Qingmo instinctively shocked him with lightning, wrecking the Guest Room and leaving the onlookers laughing.

After Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo remained in each other’s bodies, Xie Jinhuan tried to persuade Qingmo to accept physical affection while Qingmo insisted he respect Nangong Ye’s body. Xie then teased Nangong Ye in Qingmo’s body, and the chapter ended with Nangong Ye attacking him in embarrassment.

• Linghu Qingmo examined Nangong Ye’s body and noticed an unfamiliar cultivation pathway and a red mark, but Xie Jinhuan warned him not to disturb it.
• Xie Jinhuan argued that touching Qingmo’s spirit in Nangong Ye’s body was different from touching Nangong Ye, but Qingmo refused to let him touch his master’s body.
• Xie Jinhuan found Nangong Ye searching for Bu Yuehua, carried him into a room, and asked about the Thousand Threads Soul-Tethering Curse.
• Nangong Ye reminded Xie Jinhuan of their agreement and arranged for the Demoness to attend him at night, while warning him not to reveal Nangong Ye’s involvement.
• Xie Jinhuan coaxed Nangong Ye into using the Purple Emblem Mountain Shadowless Hand, then touched his leg and compared his reaction to Qingmo’s.
• Nangong Ye called Xie Jinhuan a bastard, stopped helping him, knocked over the chair, and pounced on him with a flurry of blows.

Lin Zisu’s So Righteous It Seems Evil Pills purged the baleful energy from Xie Jinhuan and clarified his mind, but the medicine strengthened his original ambitions rather than making him virtuous. The chapter ended with him taking Lin Wanyi and Bu Yuehua to her bedroom and demanding their attention.

• Xie Jinhuan visited the Lin Household after appeasing Fairy Nangong, and Lin Zisu gave him a pill she had made to remove the baleful energy in his marrow.
• Xie Jinhuan swallowed the pill, and the Zhenglun Sword dispersed the dark energy it expelled from him.
• Xie Jinhuan realized the medicine had cleared away his distracting impulses while leaving his longstanding pursuit of women intact.
• Xie Jinhuan sent Lin Zisu and Coal Ball to the night market, then carried Lin Wanyi and Bu Yuehua to Wanyi’s bedroom.
• Xie Jinhuan ordered Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi to indulge him, and both women yielded.

Xie Jinhuan indulged his newly uninhibited behavior with Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi, then teased Ye Hongshang during a walk through the Capital City. He and Ye Hongshang headed toward the Eldest Princess's Residence together, still bickering.

• Zhao Ling watched Linghu Qingmo struggle to learn Wind Riding while Nangong Ye retreated to his room, overwhelmed by the soul-tethering feedback.
• Xie Jinhuan teased Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi, then had them help him bathe before leaving to attend to the body-switched pair.
• Xie Jinhuan walked through the Capital City with Ye Hongshang, who challenged his claim that his Dao Heart was unmoved by temptation.
• Ye Hongshang tested Xie Jinhuan with seductive illusions, but he shamelessly admitted defeat and then watched Chief Steward Hou's dance without looking away.
• Ye Hongshang showed Xie Jinhuan an illusion of Wei Lu's Heart Demon, and the two continued bickering as they walked toward the Eldest Princess's Residence.

Xie Jinhuan surprised Zhao Ling with a lifelike portrait, then kissed her after teasing her into admitting she loved it. Linghu Qingmo arrived and found Xie Jinhuan had also painted a portrait of him, but an accidental kiss led to panic when Nangong Ye appeared.

• Zhao Ling learned Steward Hou had been found unconscious after claiming he had practiced standing upside down, and she went to investigate.
• Zhao Ling discovered Xie Jinhuan painting a lifelike portrait of her as a gift and eagerly praised it.
• Xie Jinhuan pressed Zhao Ling to admit how much she liked the portrait, then kissed her when she did.
• Linghu Qingmo arrived, saw Zhao Ling with Xie Jinhuan, and found that Xie Jinhuan had painted a portrait of him as well.
• Linghu Qingmo kissed Xie Jinhuan on the cheek, then panicked when Nangong Ye appeared and rushed away while punching Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan spent the evening drinking and teasing Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo before slipping into Nangong Ye’s room. Nangong Ye tried to set limits, but Xie Jinhuan’s advances left them alone together in a passionate encounter.

• Xie Jinhuan played pipa while Zhao Ling danced, and Linghu Qingmo scolded him over the earlier kiss made using Nangong Ye’s body.
• Zhao Ling sat in Xie Jinhuan’s lap and fed him wine, making Linghu Qingmo jealous before they played dice together.
• After the three became drunk, Xie Jinhuan took Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo to bed, then went to the guest room where Nangong Ye was sleeping.
• Nangong Ye tried to send Xie Jinhuan away, but Xie Jinhuan embraced and kissed him until Nangong Ye agreed to do only what Linghu Qingmo had already done.
• Xie Jinhuan continued teasing Nangong Ye, and the two ended their argument in a passionate encounter.

As Great Qian entered the Dingxi era, the court and Jianghu settled into new arrangements while Missing Moon Manor prospered and Xie Jinhuan spent his time mastering techniques and indulging his wives. A summons from the Directorate of Celestial Observation finally sent him out again, while Ye Hongshang promised to find a way to restore the women who had switched bodies.

• The court restored Lu Wuzhen as Chief Astronomer, established the Protector of the State Temple, and saw Duan Yuechou become the Southern Region's martial alliance leader and a Dragon Suddenness Realm martial artist.
• Lin Wanyi, Zisu, and Xie Jinhuan opened Nine Dragons Hall, which attracted disciples and partnered with Yang Sichen to expand its medicine business.
• Lu Wuzhen secretly questioned Wei Jili and He Tianqi about the Nether God Sect, but neither captive provided useful intelligence.
• Xie Jinhuan trained in several martial arts and cultivation techniques while spending his days with the women in his household, until the Directorate of Celestial Observation summoned him.
• Linghu Qingmo urged Xie Jinhuan to resume his cultivation and asked when she and her master could switch back; Ye Hongshang promised to look for a way to restore them.

Xie Jinhuan received the Jianbing Divine Gift and learned that the Azure Dragon Divine Gift might soon emerge at Dragonbone Shoal, so he planned to investigate the contest in disguise. He also took control of Blood Rain Tower as Wei Kun and ordered it to shift from underworld work to intelligence and cooperation with Missing Moon Manor.

• Lu Wuzhen explained the limits of divine gifts, warned that Earth of the Five Elements was no longer available at Qilin Cave, and gave Xie Jinhuan the Jianbing Divine Gift.
• Lu Wuzhen told Xie Jinhuan that Shang Lianbi had announced the Azure Dragon Divine Gift's emergence at Dragonbone Shoal; Xie Jinhuan decided to go in disguise and investigate the Gu Poison Sect's people in Misty-Wave City.
• Xie Jinhuan rode through the Eastern City with Zhao Ling, Duoduo, Nai Duo, and Coal Ball, where he teased Zhao Ling and kissed Nai Duo during their playful scuffle.
• Fan Hainie and a disciple lamented Blood Rain Tower's decline as Witch Cult poison masters sold medicine openly in Carefree Cave.
• Disguised as Wei Kun, Xie Jinhuan declared himself Blood Rain Tower's leader and directed the group to sell information, work with Missing Moon Manor, and investigate who would attend the Dragonbone Shoal contest.