Chapter Summaries

Jing Jiu’s bid to become Green Mountain’s Sect Master gained support from several peaks but fell short until White Ghost invoked the Guardians’ vote. The chapter ended with Yuan Qijing asking Origin Turtle to declare its position, and the ancient Guardian softly agreeing with Jing Jiu.

• Guo Nanshan, Zhuo Rusui, and Mochi opposed Bai Rujing’s claim to represent Heavenly Light Peak, and Yuan Qijing revealed that Bai had manipulated the sect register over Mochi’s seniority.
• Nan Wang and Cheng Youtian supported Jing Jiu, but Elder Cheng opposed him on behalf of Past Arrival Peak, leaving Jing Jiu short of the votes needed to become Sect Master.
• True Person Guangyuan nominated Yuan Qijing as the compromise candidate, but White Ghost emerged as a cat and exerted its Heaven-Connecting Realm pressure over the summit.
• Gu Qing pointed out that the sect rules gave the Guardians votes in the election, and White Ghost showed its support for Jing Jiu by settling in his lap and purring.
• Yuan Qijing asked Origin Turtle whether it supported Jing Jiu, and the turtle opened its eyes and softly agreed.

Jing Jiu was formally recognized as Green Mountain Sect Master and said the sect would follow established practice. When Bai Rujing challenged him on Heavenly Light Peak, Jing Jiu defeated him with a single strike, leaving the new Sect Master’s authority unmistakable.

• Yuan Qijing and the Peak Masters, elders, and disciples paid their respects to Jing Jiu as Sect Master, while swords across Green Mountain bowed in a Ten Thousand Swords Pay Homage.
• Jian Ruyun tried to kill himself, but Yuan Qijing stopped him and ordered him sent to the Sword Prison for inciting defiance of the final edict.
• Jing Jiu told the disciples to follow established practice, and the gathering began to disperse as Guo Nanshan reported on Heavenly Light Peak’s affairs.
• Bai Rujing snorted in frustration and argued with Jing Jiu; when he summoned his sword, Jing Jiu’s Universe Edge twice blocked his attempts to recall it.
• Jing Jiu broke through Bai Rujing’s Heaven-Bearing Sword Intent and sent him crashing into the cliff, then returned to his chair and motioned for Guo Nanshan to continue.

After defeating Bai Rujing, Jing Jiu revealed that he had entered the Sea-Breaking Realm and was confirmed as Green Mountain’s Sect Master. He left Heavenly Light Peak to live on Divine End Peak, where he reflected with Zhao Layue on how close he had come to leaving Green Mountain.

• Jing Jiu revealed that he had broken into the Sea-Breaking Realm, astonishing the assembled Green Mountain disciples and elders.
• Yuan Qijing sentenced Bai Rujing to three years in the Sword Prison for disrespecting the Sect Master, and Jing Jiu approved the punishment.
• Jing Jiu put Guo Nanshan in charge of Heavenly Light Peak, then returned to Divine End Peak with Zhao Layue and Gu Qing.
• Ping Yongjia realized Jing Jiu had become Sect Master, while Yuan Qu resolved to begin secluded cultivation so he would not disgrace him.
• Zhao Layue asked whether Jing Jiu had planned to win the position by a vote, and he admitted he would have left Green Mountain if the peaks had rejected him.
• Jing Jiu drew an Azure Bird from the Heaven-Bearing Sword Scabbard.

Qing'er recounted Liu Ci’s three-year journey across the Westwind Continent before revealing that she could return to the Azure Sky Mirror on her own. Meanwhile, Nan Wang pressed Big One for answers about Jing Jiu’s identity and ended by asking who Jingyang had a child with.

• Qing'er told Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu about Liu Ci’s travels to the Other Continent, where he met a Giant friend and killed those who threatened them.
• Qing'er and Jing Jiu fell silent as they remembered that Liu Ci had left on his final journey, then argued over the Azure Sky Mirror and Tong Yan’s promise to give it to Jing Jiu.
• Qing'er rejected Jing Jiu’s attempt to track the Azure Sky Mirror with Sword Sense and flew away, while Jing Jiu noticed Nan Wang was drinking neither wine nor sitting beneath the flowering tree.
• Nan Wang pinned Big One down and questioned him about Jing Jiu’s identity, his connection to Jingyang, and Liu Ci’s decision to make him Sect Master.
• Big One confirmed that Jing Jiu carried Jingyang’s scent, and Nan Wang asked who Jingyang had him with.

Jing Jiu accepted the Green Mountain Sect Master position after Yuan Qijing challenged his willingness, though he remained intent on keeping the Heaven-Bearing Sword scabbard. When elders brought him sect business, Jing Jiu immediately told Gu Qing to handle it, leaving Gu Qing burdened with the responsibilities.

• Nan Wang threw Big One back to Divine End Peak, where it landed in a crater and angrily confronted Jing Jiu over his fight with Bai Rujing and Nan Wang's treatment of it.
• Yuan Qijing visited Jing Jiu and asked whether he truly wanted to be Sect Master; Jing Jiu recalled Liu Ci's repeated requests and said he would take the position.
• Yuan Qijing told Jing Jiu to perform the succession properly and arrange a grand ceremony, but Jing Jiu left the planning to him.
• The next morning, elders from various peaks arrived to report accumulated sect matters, and Gu Qing received them while Jing Jiu's other disciples helped host them.
• After Gu Qing relayed the elders' requests, Jing Jiu told him to handle such matters himself, and Gu Qing complained that he was not a brush-holding eunuch.

After Jing Jiu became Green Mountain’s sect master, he left Gu Qing to handle the sect’s affairs while he considered urgent disputes and reports. The chapter ended with Jing Jiu correcting Guo Nanshan’s report about the returning Profound Yin Cult Master, identifying him as Su Ziye rather than Wang Xiaoming.

• Jing Jiu delegated the elders’ reports to Gu Qing, who reviewed the sect’s decisions and struggled to get Ping Yongjia and Yuan Qu to help.
• Envoys sent congratulations and gifts after news of Jing Jiu’s appointment spread, and Jing Jiu examined a bamboo chair sent by One-Thatch Studio.
• Gu Qing finished processing three years of accumulated business, then sought Jing Jiu’s guidance about Jian Ruyun and rebellious disciples; Jing Jiu said the disciples should be expelled or killed if they persisted.
• Guo Nanshan reported that the Profound Yin Cult Master had resurfaced and was gathering followers, and Jing Jiu said the man was Su Ziye, not Wang Xiaoming.

Jing Jiu defended his ban on Twofold Forgetting Peak disciples leaving the mountains, then visited Yuan Qijing, Snow Ji, Fang Jingtian, and Tong Yan. He told Tong Yan that Su Ziye was impersonating Wang Xiaoming and tasked him with devising a strategy against the Profound Yin Sect and the Zhongzhou Sect.

• Jing Jiu told Guo Nanshan that Wang Xiaoming was dead and ordered Twofold Forgetting Peak disciples to remain in the mountains until they reached the Sea-Breaking Realm.
• Guo Nanshan returned to Twofold Forgetting Peak and relayed Jing Jiu's order, prompting anger among You Siluo, Gu Han, and the other disciples.
• Jing Jiu explained his concerns about Twofold Forgetting Peak to Yuan Qijing, then descended into the Sword Prison and offered Snow Ji a new bamboo chair in exchange for hers; she refused.
• Jing Jiu visited Fang Jingtian in Hidden Peak, spent the day calculating with sand, and left after reaching a result he found acceptable.
• Jing Jiu told Tong Yan that Su Ziye was impersonating Wang Xiaoming and sought to revive the Profound Yin Sect, then ordered Tong Yan to devise a strategy for dealing with the Zhongzhou Sect.

Jing Jiu used Tong Yan’s Go game and story to assess the Zhongzhou Sect’s moves in Yizhou, then spent years cultivating amid thunder while remaining in seclusion. As Guo Nanshan pressed Green Mountain to respond to the growing danger in Yizhou and sought mercy for two punished lineages, Jing Jiu finally emerged from his cave.

• Tong Yan explained that the Zhongzhou Sect was probing Green Mountain through Su Ziye’s actions in Yizhou and advised Jing Jiu to wait before striking back.
• Jing Jiu repeated Tong Yan’s story to Zhao Layue, Yuan Qu, and Gu Qing, and they discussed who could be sent to Yizhou without provoking the Zhongzhou Sect.
• Jing Jiu used the thunder at Jade Lake Peak to temper himself with lightning, while Big One watched over the Thunder Soulwood and his robe.
• Guo Nanshan urged Gu Qing to send someone to investigate Yizhou and asked him to spare the Jian Lineage and Ma Household, but Gu Qing said Zhao Layue had ordered their punishment and would not interfere.
• Gu Qing found Zhuo Rusui relaxing on the summit, and Jing Jiu emerged from his cave abode as Gu Qing hurried to greet him.

Jing Jiu gathered Divine End Peak for hotpot, then went to Sword Peak to choose a sword for Yuan Qu and reflected on his failed ascension, Bairen, and the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation. He left Sword Peak at dawn, needing to investigate the formation before he could consider ascending again.

• Jing Jiu dismissed Gu Qing’s requests for a ceremony date, called for hotpot, and gathered Zhao Layue, Yuan Qu, Ping Yongjia, and Zhuo Rusui to eat.
• Zhuo Rusui asked Zhao Layue about cultivating the acquired formless sword body, while Ping Yongjia and Yuan Qu asked Jing Jiu for swords and Gu Qing raised the coming Plum Gathering.
• Jing Jiu flew Universe Edge to Sword Peak and selected a flying sword for Yuan Qu, leaving Ping Yongjia without one for now.
• Jing Jiu sat alone on Sword Peak and concluded that his senior brother had taught him a flawed Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation, preventing him from severing worldly ties during ascension.
• Jing Jiu considered why Bairen had ambushed him, what the Zhongzhou Sect might do with the remaining Immortal Registers, and the need to investigate the formation before ascending again.
• After spending the night in the cave, Jing Jiu left for Shiyue Peak at sunrise.

Jing Jiu investigated the origins of an old cultivation text linked to the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation, tracing its author Yan Zhenlu to the Mirror Sect. He visited the sect with Zhao Layue, where Que Niang arranged a search of its records and began a game of Go with him.

• Jing Jiu visited Shiyue Peak, found a booklet about the Self-Observation Method, and ordered the elders to trace its origins to the very beginning.
• Shiyue Peak's search identified Yan Zhenlu as the likely author and concluded that he had probably been expelled from the Mirror Sect.
• Jing Jiu named Guangyuan to lead Green Mountain's Plum Gathering group after Nan Wang chose to enter seclusion, and learned that Yuan Qu had won the Green Mountain Sword Trial.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue visited the Mirror Sect in secret, and Que Niang asked her seniors to investigate Yan Zhenlu's history.
• Jing Jiu invited Que Niang to play Go, and she addressed him as her master before placing the first black stone.

Jing Jiu discovered that his senior brother had altered the Mirror-Splitting Technique, potentially causing a hidden flaw in the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation, while Green Mountain faced pressure from the Zhongzhou Sect over cultivation resources. At One-Thatch Studio, Liu S sui learned that Little Lotus had helped True Person Taiping reach Flood Dragon Pond and chose to inform Jing Jiu.

• Jing Jiu concluded that his senior brother had rearranged the Seventh-Level Mirror Splitting, creating a hidden flaw in the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation, and resolved to find another way to ascend if he could not repair it.
• True Person Guangyuan told Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue that the Zhongzhou Sect had demanded a reduction in Green Mountain's cultivation resources, and that the dispute would resume at Fruitful Accomplishment Temple in autumn.
• Yuan Qu told Jing Jiu that Liu S sui had won the Plum Gathering Dao Battle on behalf of One-Thatch Studio.
• Little Lotus confessed to Liu S sui that True Person Taiping had visited during the previous spring rain and that she had guided him to Flood Dragon Pond using Liu S sui's token.
• Liu S sui decided not to report Little Lotus to the Studio Master and began writing a letter to Jing Jiu about what had happened.

Liu S sui's letter warned Jing Jiu that Yin San had taken a lotus flower, prompting Jing Jiu to gather rare materials while he considered how to ascend. As summer arrived, Yin San pursued the means to achieve feathering in the Northern Sea, and Jing Jiu emerged from seclusion and decided to visit Fruitful Accomplishment Temple in autumn.

• Liu S sui sent Jing Jiu a protected letter saying that Yin San had taken lotus flowers from One-Thatch Studio, and Jing Jiu ordered Gu Qing, Yuan Qu, and Ping Yongjia to collect rare materials from Green Mountain's peaks.
• Deliveries of rare materials and supplies reached Divine End Peak, where Jing Jiu shut himself inside his cave abode until summer.
• Yin San and Profound Yin Ancestor sailed north aboard a treasure ship, and Yin San sought the Blazing Sun Banner fragments from Su Ziye to power his feathering refinements.
• Jing Jiu emerged from his cave, absorbed heavenly thunder at Jade Lake Peak, and told Yuan Qijing he planned to modify the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation but might need another method.
• Jing Jiu told Yuan Qijing he would go to Fruitful Accomplishment Temple in autumn, then visited Corpse Dog and looked toward Snow Ji's prison cell.

Jing Jiu prepared to leave Green Mountain after discussing the coming negotiations with Tong Yan, while Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui hunted the Profound Yin Sect’s survivors in Yizhou. After Zhuo Rusui confronted Su Ziye with Zhao Layue, Jing Jiu appeared and killed the elder Huayin, leaving Su Ziye facing him.

• Jing Jiu visited Tong Yan, told him about the events in Chaoge City and the autumn negotiations, and asked what White True Person would do.
• Zhuo Rusui and Zhao Layue killed the Profound Yin Sect remnants hiding in Yizhou’s underground river, though the disciples detonated their essence blood before they were wiped out.
• Zhuo Rusui tracked Su Ziye to a teahouse and confronted him with Zhao Layue, who carried the Unthought Sword.
• Su Ziye took a pill and raised the Four Desolations Bottle, while the Profound Yin Sect elder Huayin emerged to face the two Green Mountain cultivators.
• A white-clad figure cut Huayin in half, and Su Ziye recognized the newcomer as Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu destroyed the Profound Yin Sect’s remnants in Yizhou and persuaded Su Ziye to seek Green Mountain’s help in exchange for informing them about Profound Yin Child. He then sent Tong Yan into the Netherworld ahead of the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple gathering, leaving Tong Yan to rely on the Nether Master’s cooperation.

• Jing Jiu, Zhao Layue, and Zhuo Rusui confronted Su Ziye after Hua Yin Elder and the hidden Profound Yin Sect disciples were killed.
• Jing Jiu offered to help Su Ziye establish a new home and cure his pill poison if he reported contact from Profound Yin Child.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue traveled to the Heavenly Access Well, where Jing Jiu revealed Tong Yan hidden in a chest.
• Jing Jiu used Cold Cicada’s invisible mosquitoes to summon a ghost runner from the abyss.
• Tong Yan rode the ghost runner down into the Netherworld, uncertain whether the Nether Master would cooperate.

Jing Jiu visited Water-Moon Convent to check on Guo Dong and secure its support, then went to Fruitful Accomplishment Temple to meet the Zen Child. Their conversation confirmed Jing Jiu’s identity as the Zen Child’s old friend’s son, and the Zen Child returned from viewing the sea with a remark about Jing Jiu’s face.

• Jing Jiu sent Zhao Layue back to the Sword Boat and visited Water-Moon Convent, where he found Guo Dong still asleep after five years.
• Jing Jiu told the Water-Moon Convent Abbess that he intended to kill Jing Xin, and she agreed to overlook the incident at the Heavenly Access Well and support Green Mountain in autumn.
• Jing Jiu arrived at Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, where he and the Zen Child held their ground rather than bowing to each other.
• The Zen Child asked Jing Jiu to call him Uncle, then rode a lotus throne over the sea before returning to tell Jing Jiu he had chosen a rather nice face.

Jing Jiu told the Zen Child that unfinished matters had brought him back, and the two investigated the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation while studying lotus reincarnation. As their reading stirred a powerful wind through the Quiet Garden, Gu Qing began to break through.

• The Zen Child questioned Jing Jiu about his return and learned that True Person Taiping had taken Dragon Marrow and lotuses, possibly to pursue reincarnation.
• Jing Jiu used bronze mirrors and Heart-Clearing Bells to examine the Smoke and Clouds Disperse Formation with the Zen Child.
• Zhao Layue, Zhuo Rusui, and Gu Qing settled into familiar places in the restored Quiet Garden as monks brought scriptures to the Chan Room.
• Jing Jiu and the Zen Child rapidly read Buddhist texts and treatises, their spiritual force sending cool breezes through the garden and lulling Zhuo Rusui to sleep.
• A fierce wind burst from the Chan Room and hurled Zhuo Rusui out of the Quiet Garden, while Gu Qing remained seated beneath falling leaves.
• Zhuo Rusui noticed that Gu Qing's aura had changed and realized he was about to break through.

Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui left Quiet Garden to seek the insight needed for their next breakthroughs, revisiting places tied to Zhao Layue’s pursuit of True Person Taiping. At a stream below the cliffs, they sensed Green Mountain Sword Intent as Liu S sui confronted Kunlun Sect cultivators who wanted to seize Little Lotus.

• Zhuo Rusui watched Gu Qing’s Sword Intent develop and began cultivating beside him, while Zhao Layue observed with concern.
• As autumn came, Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui left Quiet Garden to seek a catalyst for reaching the Wandering the Wilds Upper Realm, and Zhuo Rusui admitted he hoped to become Green Mountain’s Sect Master someday.
• Zhao Layue revisited places connected to her pursuit of True Person Taiping and explained that fighting powerful opponents had provided the insight for her last breakthrough.
• Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui searched the abandoned vegetable garden for food, then flew toward the mountains and sensed sharp Green Mountain Sword Intent near a stream.
• Kunlun Sect elder Chen Wen accused Little Lotus of evil and demanded that Liu S sui stop protecting her; Liu S sui told Little Lotus to stand behind him and challenged Chen Wen to fight.

Liu S sui fought Chen Wen at the stream, using the Guan Cheng Brush and Nondual Sword to wound him before Master Huiyuan suddenly killed him. The Kunlun Sect blamed Liu S sui, and Bai Qianjun attacked him until Zhuo Rusui intervened; the confrontation ended with Zhuo Rusui facing Bai Qianjun.

• Liu S sui challenged Chen Wen and used the Guan Cheng Brush and Nondual Sword to injure him and destroy his flying sword.
• Master Huiyuan appeared to mediate, then detonated his prayer beads and killed Chen Wen before disappearing.
• Kunlun Sect disciples accused Liu S sui of killing Chen Wen, but Liu S sui suspected the Never-Old Forest had set a trap.
• Bai Qianjun descended from the Zhongzhou Sect's Cloud Boat and attacked Liu S sui, who had exhausted his true essence.
• Zhuo Rusui wounded Bai Qianjun with a concealed flying sword and confronted him, saying Bai Qianjun could not beat him even without an ambush.

Zhuo Rusui defeated Bai Qianjun, but the arrival of Zhongzhou Sect Elder Yue Qianmen turned the aftermath into a standoff over Liu S sui. After the group returned to Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, they suspected True Person Taiping was using the Never-Old Forest remnants to provoke conflict between the sects, and Zhuo Rusui declared they should fight.

• Zhuo Rusui defeated Bai Qianjun with Swallowing Boat as Zhao Layue, Liu S sui, and Little Lotus watched.
• Yue Qianmen arrived and demanded to take Liu S sui for questioning, but Zhao Layue refused with Lord White Ghost at her side.
• A bell signaled everyone to return, and Yue Qianmen withdrew with the Kunlun disciples while warning that Zhongzhou Sect would not let the matter rest.
• Liu S sui explained that Master Huiyuan had followed them from the Wind Corridor, and Gu Qing wondered why the Never-Old Forest remnants had acted now.
• The group considered whether True Person Taiping meant to provoke Green Mountain Sect into fighting Zhongzhou, Kunlun, and the other northern sects.
• As Zhongzhou Sect's Cloud Boat appeared in the sky, Zhuo Rusui said they should fight.

Jing Jiu met with Bai Zao as the Zhongzhou Sect prepared for conflict, then the story shifted to Tong Yan in the Netherworld, where the next Nether Emperor was introduced and the Twelfth Priest began ascending toward Chaotian Continent. Jing Jiu warned Bai Zao to be careful at a critical moment, while Tong Yan predicted that the Twelfth Priest would die.

• Jing Jiu told his disciples that True Person Taiping sought safety amid turmoil and that Green Mountain would fight the Zhongzhou Sect, but not yet.
• Liu S sui congratulated Jing Jiu, then returned to One-Thatch Studio, while Jing Jiu kept Little Lotus at Quiet Garden.
• Bai Zao visited Jing Jiu, shared a quiet moment with him, and asked about Tong Yan; Jing Jiu said Tong Yan was not at Green Mountain and warned her to be careful at critical moments.
• Tong Yan met the Nether Master's young successor, the next Nether Emperor, who asked whether Jing Jiu would like the child.
• The Nether Master pointed out the ascending Twelfth Priest, and Tong Yan predicted that he would die.