Chapter Summaries

Chi Yu joined Xie Xiyi’s Hongbao Trial team and persuaded him to share a sword manual and give private lessons. He began sword training while keeping his cultivation and the Forbidden Curse in mind.

• Lecturer Hong announced that the Hongbao Trial would take place in three months, and Lianchi explained its purpose and rewards to Chi Yu.
• Xie Xiyi refused Qingxuan’s request to join his team and said he would team up with Chi Yu, who was to bring Xiaoqiu along.
• Chi Yu chose sword cultivation, and Xie Xiyi gave him a sword manual after Chi Yu asked for one.
• Chi Yu brought Xie Xiyi homemade dried melon and asked him to explain the manual, securing private lessons despite Xie Xiyi’s attempts to send him away.
• Chi Yu bought a mid-grade spirit sword and began practicing two hours a day; he also wondered whether the Forbidden Curse was still active and what triggered its deadly form.

Chi Yu received Xie Xiyi’s Breath-Concealment Method and gave him a spirit-treasure guqin in return, then teamed up with him for the Hongbao Trial. The chapter ended with Qingxuan visiting Chi Yu and revealing that he had teamed up with his senior brother from the Bitter Truth Chan Abode.

• Xie Xiyi warned Chi Yu to conceal his cultivation habits and gave him a Breath-Concealment Method after frightening him with the danger of being refined into pills.
• Chi Yu tried to use his system to obtain a guitar, received underwear instead, and bought a spirit-treasure guqin for Xie Xiyi.
• Xie Xiyi accepted Chi Yu’s guqin and gave Xiaoqiu Top-Grade Spirit Stones to buy a musical instrument of his own.
• Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi joined Group D for the Hongbao Trial, and Chi Yu gave Xie Xiyi one of the Jade Tokens for messaging.
• Chi Yu teased Xie Xiyi by offering to call him Dad and asking about his fragrance, then fled with a tea cake after Xie Xiyi threw it at him.
• Qingxuan visited Chi Yu and said he had teamed up with his senior brother from the Bitter Truth Chan Abode.

Chi Yu described his speculative ideas for mass-producing talismans and pills, then faced Qingxuan’s troublesome senior brother Mingxin and received a warning from Xie Xiyi to train harder. The chapter ended with Chi Yu calling Xiaoqiu his best friend while Xie Xiyi walked away.

• Chi Yu told Qingxuan that cultivation, talismans, and pills might be explained through chemical reactions and contracts, prompting Qingxuan to leave in a hurry.
• After more than half a month without Qingxuan visiting, Mingxin demanded that Chi Yu show him respect, and Chi Yu retreated behind his dormitory’s restrictions.
• Xie Xiyi confronted Mingxin for trying to break through the restrictions, and Qingxuan took Mingxin away after warning him to stop causing trouble.
• Xie Xiyi told Chi Yu to cultivate twenty hours a day and warned that he would not always protect him.
• Chi Yu declared Xiaoqiu his best friend, and Xie Xiyi left as Xiaoqiu happily embraced him.

Chi Yu continued cultivating and helping Zhiguan with his stutter while preparing for the Hongbao Trial. After Xie Xiyi criticized his swordsmanship for lacking real combat experience, Chi Yu tried to slaughter a rabbit but ultimately let it go, leaving his first kill unresolved.

• Chi Yu reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining in divine sense training, improved his swordsmanship, and sent Xie Xiyi gifts through Xiaoqiu.
• Xie Xiyi accepted Chi Yu's gifts and later entered seclusion, while Chi Yu kept practicing speech with Zhiguan and encouraged Suoluo and Qiye to help.
• Xie Xiyi emerged from seclusion before the Hongbao Trial, and Chi Yu showed him his swordsmanship.
• Xie Xiyi pointed out that Chi Yu had never killed anything and told Xiaoqiu to protect him during the trial.
• Chi Yu tried to slaughter a wild rabbit that night but released it, claiming rabbit did not taste good.

Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi collected their Hongbao Trial mission, then waited while Xiaoqiu failed his mind certification for the sixth time. As they set off, Chi Yu used his tracking map to catch Xie Xiyi playing hide-and-seek and had him buy ingredients at West Hua Market.

• Chi Yu drew a Group D mission requiring the team to kill 300 demons, demonic beasts, or demonic cultivators at the eighth layer of Qi Refining or higher.
• Xiaoqiu entered an ordinary-life illusion but failed to earn a Jade Token, and Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi encouraged him to try again after the trial.
• Chi Yu and Xiaoqiu gathered spiritual plants while Xie Xiyi walked ahead and concealed his presence.
• Chi Yu tracked Xie Xiyi through his system map and sent him a message asking him to buy spirit rice and other ingredients at West Hua Market.
• Xie Xiyi bought the requested ingredients and silently appeared behind Chi Yu.

Chi Yu, Xie Xiyi, and Xiaoqiu traveled toward the Wasteland, where Chi Yu’s curiosity about Xie Xiyi’s hair and fragrance led him to use the same scented balm. The chapter left them aboard the Flying Boat at night, with Chi Yu still unaware that Xie Xiyi regretted sharing it.

• Chi Yu rejected Wangxian Continent because many students had gone there, and the group chose the Wasteland instead.
• Chi Yu piloted the flying artifact and improved his control over his spiritual power while traveling with Xie Xiyi and Xiaoqiu.
• At a meal stop, Chi Yu tied Xie Xiyi’s hair with the gift he had given him and noticed its familiar fragrance.
• Xie Xiyi gave Chi Yu a bottle of scented balm, and Chi Yu used it to bathe, making his scent resemble Xie Xiyi’s.
• Xie Xiyi tried to scare Chi Yu by claiming the balm came from a demonic beast, but Chi Yu responded without being frightened.

Chi Yu fought and killed a yaomo, then reflected on his discomfort with killing and continued traveling with Xie Xiyi and Xiaoqiu. As they searched for stronger yaomo, Chi Yu showed Xie Xiyi a stick that made him happy, and Xie Xiyi listened to his thoughts on happiness.

• Xie Xiyi left Chi Yu to fight a fifth-level Qi Refining yaomo while he and Xiaoqiu watched.
• Chi Yu used Explosive Talismans to defeat the yaomo and, unable to strike it with his sword, killed it by detonating a talisman on its head.
• Xie Xiyi praised Chi Yu, who cheerfully accepted the compliment and later talked through his feelings about killing.
• Chi Yu began seeking stronger yaomo, and Xie Xiyi explained that the more powerful ones were cunning and harder to find.
• Chi Yu showed Xie Xiyi a smooth, straight stick and said that happiness was an advanced emotion with high demands.

Chi Yu, Xie Xiyi, and Xiaoqiu stayed in a village plagued by a tiger demon and agreed to kill it the next day. While they rested that night, Xie Xiyi teased Chi Yu for being afraid and offered him an embrace.

• Chi Yu led Xie Xiyi and Xiaoqiu to a village, where the village chief welcomed them and offered lodging.
• The village chief told Chi Yu that a tiger demon on Lotus Seedpod Mountain had been eating three young villagers each month and was near Foundation Establishment.
• Chi Yu promised to kill the demon the next day and gave the village chief five hundred low-grade spirit stones for the information and lodging.
• Chi Yu and Xiaoqiu ate melon seeds while Xie Xiyi went outside, and Xie Xiyi overheard Chi Yu secretly compare him to a cat.
• After dinner, Chi Yu asked Xie Xiyi about his golden eyes, and Xie Xiyi told him he was afraid before offering him an embrace.

Chi Yu asked Xie Xiyi about the forbidden curses on him, and Xie Xiyi examined the seal hidden beneath his tongue. Xie Xiyi explained that the curses were dangerous and revealed that the seal protected, located, tracked, and controlled Chi Yu.

• Xie Xiyi told Chi Yu he was hiding his fears from himself, and Chi Yu insisted they should still work together against the demon.
• Xie Xiyi tested Chi Yu’s grip and discovered that his Foundation Establishment cultivation was infused through a forbidden art.
• Chi Yu showed Xie Xiyi two cursed Top-Grade Spirit Stones and described the villain who had used forbidden curses to kill Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Xie Xiyi examined the curse beneath Chi Yu’s tongue and found four sets of incantations that would last about another year.
• Xie Xiyi warned Chi Yu that forbidden curses consumed their users and said Chi Yu’s tongue seal combined protection, location, tracking, and control.

Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi set out for Lotus Pod Mountain, where Xie Xiyi killed a powerful demon tiger that overwhelmed Chi Yu. After Chi Yu helped Xiaoqiu butcher the beast, he playfully smeared blood on Xie Xiyi, who restrained him as he called for help.

• Xie Xiyi kept Chi Yu’s Forbidden Curses and traded him a body-tempering manual, warning him not to use the curses.
• Chi Yu asked Xie Xiyi to inspect the Thousand Mountains Brew, and Xie Xiyi said it could restore spiritual power but would not improve innate aptitude.
• Chi Yu entered Lotus Pod Mountain to test the demon’s strength, but its roar injured him and he fled toward Xie Xiyi.
• Xie Xiyi killed the charging demon tiger with a single sword strike, and Xiaoqiu began salvaging its body for materials.
• After Chi Yu overcame his disgust and helped Xiaoqiu butcher the tiger, he smeared blood on Xie Xiyi, who bound his hands while Chi Yu pleaded for help.

After Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi made peace, they returned to the village and spent the night discussing the Forbidden Curse, Xie Xiyi’s future, and cultivation. The chapter left Chi Yu reflecting on his goal of returning home while learning that Xie Xiyi’s Chan cultivation required lifelong celibacy.

• Xie Xiyi forgave Chi Yu, removed the binding hair tie, and the group returned to the village after reporting that they had eliminated the demon.
• Chi Yu asked Xiaoqiu whether he had been afraid during the fight, and Xiaoqiu said experience would eventually make Chi Yu capable of killing people.
• Chi Yu joined Xie Xiyi on a rooftop and asked about the Forbidden Curse and why Xie Xiyi might defect, but Xie Xiyi refused to discuss his reasons.
• Chi Yu said his goal was to return home and apologized for trying to direct Xie Xiyi’s life after urging him to become the Buddha-son.
• Xie Xiyi criticized Chi Yu’s mistake in turning his back on the demon and explained that Chan cultivation required celibacy, while Chi Yu said he had no plans to seek a Dao companion.

Chi Yu, Xie Xiyi, and Xiaoqiu traveled west and entered the City of Ultimate Bliss, where they found a prosperous city filled with gambling houses. Xiaoqiu and Xie Xiyi went into one to gamble while Chi Yu watched warily.

• Chi Yu left cultivation supplies for the village chief, then set off with Xie Xiyi and Xiaoqiu and gave Xiaoqiu a Recording Stone filled with songs.
• Xiaoqiu replayed Chi Yu's music, and Xie Xiyi sealed Xiaoqiu's mouth when he teased that the Crown Prince liked listening to it.
• The group traveled west, defeated a few weak demons and monsters, and reached the City of Ultimate Bliss, where entry cost five high-grade spirit stones each.
• Xiaoqiu suggested visiting a gambling house, and Chi Yu warned him that gambling was addictive, but Xie Xiyi entered one and Xiaoqiu followed.
• Xiaoqiu played Mantouzi while Chi Yu watched without gambling, and Xie Xiyi surveyed the gambling house with an inscrutable smile.

Chi Yu, Xie Xiyi, and Xiaoqiu met Qingxuan at a gambling house, where Xie Xiyi challenged him to a high-stakes dice game and won. They then traveled together and discussed their demon-hunting assignments, ending with Xie Xiyi knocking Chi Yu on the head for talking too much.

• Xie Xiyi said he had no interest in gambling while Chi Yu and Xiaoqiu watched Xiaoqiu play Mantouzi.
• Qingxuan met Chi Yu and proposed traveling together, and Xie Xiyi agreed.
• Xie Xiyi challenged Qingxuan to a dice game for one top-grade spirit stone and won when his dice landed stacked.
• Qingxuan paid Xiaoqiu the spirit stone, and the group left the gambling house together without Qingxuan's senior brother Mingxin.
• Chi Yu learned that Qingxuan had killed six of the five hundred mid-stage Foundation Establishment demons in his assignment and told him their group had completed one of three hundred eighth-level Qi Refining demons.
• Xie Xiyi rapped Chi Yu on the head when Chi Yu began saying that he was holding the group back.

Chi Yu accompanied Qingxuan to investigate the City of Ultimate Bliss’s lavish Extreme Bliss Palace while the unseen Crown Prince followed nearby. The chapter ended as a beautiful woman entered their private room.

• Xie Xiyi left after striking Chi Yu, and Xiaoqiu ran after him while Chi Yu declined Qingxuan’s offer to join his team.
• Qingxuan warned Chi Yu that the city’s unnatural cleanliness suggested a powerful presence was lurking there, and Chi Yu learned Xuanji had wagered a top-grade spirit stone to draw attention.
• Chi Yu discovered that the Crown Prince’s coordinates overlapped with theirs, though he could not see him, and agreed to investigate the Extreme Bliss Palace with Qingxuan.
• Qingxuan took Chi Yu into the lavish palace, where Chi Yu realized it was a pleasure house and grew uncomfortable.
• A beautiful woman entered their private room after Qingxuan arranged for the best room.

Qingxuan awoke after Wanwan’s pipa illusion and killed the apparent female cultivator, revealing a male cultivator beneath the pixelation. He explained that the Extreme Bliss Palace used illusions to drain cultivators’ innate spiritual energy, while Xie Xiyi had arrived in time to protect Chi Yu.

• Qingxuan awoke to Chi Yu’s concern and killed the pipa player, whose body was revealed to be a male cultivator.
• The pipa music stopped, and Mingxin collapsed beside the table.
• Qingxuan asked Xie Xiyi when he had arrived, and Xie Xiyi said he had been there for a long time.
• Qingxuan realized that the Extreme Bliss Palace used illusions to extract cultivators’ innate spiritual energy and gradually drain them.

Xie Xiyi and Chi Yu fought the demon seeds in the Extreme Bliss Palace while Xie Xiyi used the battle to teach Chi Yu swordsmanship. Qingxuan could not persuade Xie Xiyi to help Mingxin, and the chapter ended with the red mist engulfing Mingxin.

• Xie Xiyi refused Qingxuan's suggestion to make a plan and led the group to confront the masked female cultivators.
• Mingxin fought the women, while Xie Xiyi blocked stray attacks from reaching Chi Yu and coached him through sword techniques.
• The palace's seductive sounds overwhelmed Mingxin, and Qingxuan tried unsuccessfully to wake him from the illusion.
• Xie Xiyi refused to help Qingxuan and Mingxin, instead continuing Chi Yu's sword lesson as demon seeds poured from the dome.
• When the red mist surged through the palace, Qingxuan fought while carrying Mingxin and eventually watched the mist engulf him.

Xie Xiyi used the Chan Sect’s Execution Method to destroy the Demon Seeds in the Extreme Bliss Palace, while Qingxuan rescued Mingxin from an illusion that had drained much of his spiritual energy. Afterward, Chi Yu promised to cultivate harder and called Xie Xiyi his best friend, despite Xie Xiyi’s warnings against forming close ties.

• Xie Xiyi stopped Chi Yu from pleading for Mingxin and guided him through sword practice until he reached his limit.
• Xie Xiyi destroyed the Demon Seeds with the Execution Method, opening the palace doors and releasing the city’s concealed demonic energy.
• Qingxuan found Mingxin, used his Divine Sense to wake him, and learned that Mingxin’s cultivation had fallen to early Foundation Establishment.
• Qingxuan warned Mingxin to avoid Xie Xiyi and Long Junior Brother as demonic cultivators remained to be confronted.
• Chi Yu asked whether Xie Xiyi could save him from a Demon Seed, then promised to cultivate twenty hours a day.
• Xie Xiyi told Chi Yu not to form close ties with other cultivators, but Chi Yu declared that Xie Xiyi was his best friend.

Chi Yu reflected on why Xie Xiyi had become his one and only best friend, then followed him through the chaos in the City of Ultimate Bliss to find Xiaoqiu. As Xie Xiyi waited for the Wenxin Lotus’s owner, Chi Yu began to suspect that his senior brother might be connected to the future villain and asked Xiaoqiu about Xie Xiyi’s mortal-world name.

• Chi Yu told Xie Xiyi that he had only ever called him his best friend and meant it sincerely.
• Xie Xiyi pulled Chi Yu out of the path of a black flame, and Chi Yu jokingly offered himself as repayment.
• Xie Xiyi and Chi Yu flew to the tavern, where Xie Xiyi killed the cultivators attacking Xiaoqiu’s ward.
• Xie Xiyi explained that the Wenxin Lotus had driven the cultivators mad and waited for its owner, while Chi Yu noticed Xie Xiyi’s apparent pleasure in the hunt.
• Chi Yu wondered whether Xie Xiyi was the future villain and asked Xiaoqiu what name Xie Xiyi had used in the mortal world.
• Xiaoqiu revealed Chi Yu’s question to Xie Xiyi, who asked Chi Yu why he wanted to know.

Chi Yu watched the City of Ultimate Bliss collapse into chaos and struggled with Xie Xiyi’s harsh view of compassion and survival. Xie Xiyi offered him two chances to save people, and Chi Yu chose to keep them for later as they waited for the crisis to pass.

• Chi Yu learned that Xiaoqiu’s proposed Dharma name, Zhihai, had been chosen by Xie Xiyi as a joke about Xiaoqiu’s lack of wit.
• Chi Yu saw Golden Armored Cultivators trying to restrain people tainted by demonic qi and asked Xie Xiyi whether they should help.
• Xie Xiyi warned Chi Yu against showing indiscriminate compassion, while Xiaoqiu explained that Xie Xiyi’s ability let him see what people were truly like.
• Chi Yu reflected that he could not accept the cultivation world’s law of the jungle, though he lacked the power to intervene in the chaos.
• Xie Xiyi mistook Chi Yu’s troubled thoughts for sadness over his warning and offered to help him save one person, then agreed to help save two.
• Chi Yu declined to use either opportunity on the Golden Armored Cultivators and decided to save them for people who truly needed help.

Chi Yu watched Xie Xiyi confront the demonic cultivators draining the City of Ultimate Bliss, while Xie Xiyi taught him to face danger rather than flee. Xie Xiyi used the Cessation Dharma Gate to purify the city’s blood energy and fought several demonic cultivators; by the chapter’s end, two of them had fallen, but the battle was not yet over.

• Xie Xiyi explained that the infected cultivators were being used as a blood pool and warned Chi Yu that trying to save them would transfer the demonic energy to him.
• Mingxin attacked the demonic cultivator above the black clouds, and Xie Xiyi urged Chi Yu to fight rather than flee when facing stronger opponents.
• Xie Xiyi flew into battle, and Xiaoqiu told Chi Yu that surviving by any means was also a valid choice.
• Xie Xiyi used the Cessation Dharma Gate to return healthy blood energy to the infected cultivators and dispel the demonic energy.
• Chi Yu watched Xie Xiyi fight several demonic cultivators alone and resolved to cultivate harder so he would not need protection.
• Two demonic cultivators’ corpses fell from the sky as Xie Xiyi’s battle continued.