Chapter Summaries

Hou Niao confronted Bamboo Madam about her plan to form a core and warned the disciples that Bamboo Island might soon be destroyed. As the bamboo forest began to die and renew itself, he weighed whether to follow his intuition toward the Natural Realm, then made his decision as new life stirred beneath the soil.

• Hou Niao questioned Bamboo Madam about the deaths she had caused, and she admitted responsibility for her schemes and explained that the formation would either endure for three hundred years if she advanced or collapse catastrophically if she failed.
• Bamboo Madam asked Hou Niao to look after her disciples if she failed, but he refused to take responsibility for her duties and left the crater.
• Hou Niao told the gathered disciples that their master was preparing to form her core and advised them to prepare to evacuate permanently.
• Hou Niao studied the bamboo forest's natural cycle while considering whether to follow his intuition toward the Natural Realm or advance more cautiously through Perceiving the Divine.
• After a month, the bamboo forest began dying in great swathes, and Hou Niao sensed a bamboo shoot about to emerge and made his decision.

Daoist Wang worried that Commandant Ouyang Mi’s demanding assessment would force him out of his post in the Commandant Prefecture. Hou Niao visited him after ten years apart, and their conversation left Hou Niao reflecting on how little he cared about Jincheng’s affairs.

• Daoist Wang recalled how Ouyang Mi’s increasingly difficult missions had driven away many of the Commandant Prefecture’s old personnel and feared his own assignment would end his career there.
• Daoist Wang’s servant announced a visitor from Yinling, and Daoist Wang hurried to welcome Hou Niao to his study.
• Daoist Wang and Hou Niao compared their cultivation, and Daoist Wang admitted that his Profound Connection realm had been built up with resources and offered little hope of further advancement.
• Daoist Wang told Hou Niao about the people and events of Jincheng and the Great Wind Plains over the past decade.
• Hou Niao realized that he remained unfamiliar with Jincheng and had little interest in its disputes after his experiences on the Lizhi Sea.

Hou Niao learned that Daoist Wang had been assigned to oversee a Baishen Sect purge of the lawless Qiu Nan Grand Canyon, a dangerous post that could threaten him. After hearing the details, Hou Niao offered to go in Daoist Wang’s place.

• Hou Niao noticed Daoist Wang’s unease and urged him to explain what was troubling him.
• Daoist Wang said Ouyang Commandant had assigned him to oversee the Baishen Sect’s operation at Qiu Nan Grand Canyon as an assessment for his position.
• Daoist Wang explained that the canyon was a lawless border region filled with demon creatures and brigands, and that the Baishen Sect sought Quanzhen observers to prevent misconduct during its purge.
• Hou Niao judged that Daoist Wang was ill-suited to the dangerous assignment and asked when he had received the order.
• Daoist Wang said he had to reach the canyon within five days and suspected Golden Core cultivators would lead the operation.
• Hou Niao offered to make the trip in Daoist Wang’s place.

Hou Niao negotiated with Commandant Ouyang Mi to take Wang Shouzhong’s place in a Great Canyon purge under Wang’s identity. He agreed to join a large operation against the canyon’s cultivation forces, leaving for Qiunan as one of the judicial officers representing Jincheng.

• Daoist Wang refused to let Hou Niao impersonate him, warning that discovery would bring trouble to them both.
• Hou Niao returned to the Commandant Prefecture and told Ouyang Mi he wanted to supervise the assignment in Wang Shouzhong’s place.
• Ouyang Mi explained that Jincheng had been ordered to send someone and that Wang Shouzhong lacked the ability to represent the prefecture.
• Ouyang Mi proposed that Hou Niao use Wang Shouzhong’s identity, and Hou Niao agreed to consider the role despite never having done such work.
• Ouyang Mi told Hou Niao that over a hundred officers would join the purge in the Great Canyon, including two Golden Core cultivators from the Baishen Sect.

Hou Niao traveled to Shama Town to join the operation at the Qiu Nan Grand Canyon, where Li Chuping assigned him to supervise a squad of Baishen Sect cultivators. The force planned to act in two days, and Hou Niao began preparing for his role among the factionalized team.

• Hou Niao told Daoist Wang to stay hidden in the residence while the Great Canyon operation was underway, then set out to join it.
• Hou Niao flew across the Shan Kingdom and reached Shama Town, where cultivators were gathering under a travel restriction.
• Hou Niao met Li Chuping, who questioned why he had come and warned him to behave himself.
• Li Chuping gave Hou Niao a terrain map and explained that red marks showed possible attack targets in the Great Canyon.
• Li Chuping told Hou Niao to supervise one squad of Baishen Sect cultivators, record misconduct, and avoid making tactical decisions for them.

Hou Niao joined the Fifth Team as Quanzhen’s observer for a Baishen Sect operation, where the cultivators met him with distrust. As the operation’s leaders assigned simultaneous attacks on five sites in the Great Canyon, Lin Zhengyuan warned the team leaders that defying the observers would bring severe consequences.

• Lin Zhengyuan introduced Wang Shouzhong, also known as Hou Niao, as the Fifth Team’s observer and stated that the team had to obey him under the Elder Council’s orders.
• Cao Dean and Lü Zhaolin offered Hou Niao formal greetings, while the other Baishen Sect cultivators kept their distance after Lin Zhengyuan left.
• Hou Niao reflected that the Baishen Sect’s Elder Faction was testing an oversight system, while Quanzhen aimed to suppress disorder along the Shan Kingdom’s border.
• Lin Zhengyuan and Li Zongyuan assigned the five teams to attack Red Moon Fort, Twin Peaks Mound, Dark River Dock, Stone Gate, and Little Wave Bottom simultaneously.
• Lin Zhengyuan said he and Li Zongyuan would deal with the two Golden Core rogue cultivators, with Li Biejia providing support, and warned that anyone who defied or obstructed the observers would face punishment.

Unit Wu entered the grand canyon to attack the renegade cultivators at Xiaolangdi, but the surprise assault failed and a battle began. Hou Niao observed the fight and recognized that the Baishen Sect intended to scatter the renegades rather than wipe them out, until a distant flash of sword light caught his attention.

• Cao De'an and Lü Zhaolin led Unit Wu through a passage into the grand canyon, avoiding the warning formations around its edges.
• Unit Wu reached Xiaolangdi and found nearly thirty renegade cultivators ready for battle.
• Hou Niao stayed back as an observer while the two sides fought to a standstill, then the Baishen Sect began gaining the upper hand.
• The renegades changed tactics and attempted to break out, leading Hou Niao to conclude that the Baishen Sect meant to disperse them rather than annihilate them.
• Hou Niao noticed a flash of sword light in the distance.

Hou Niao observed the Baishen Sect’s battle against the rogue cultivators, then intervened after Cao Dean pursued and fought the skilled Sword Cultivator. Cao Dean accused Hou Niao of stealing the victory and tried to leave to report him, but Hou Niao stopped him.

• The rogue cultivators retreated in order, and the Sword Cultivator helped them break out of the great canyon while Hou Niao stayed out of the fight.
• Cao Dean and two junior brothers pursued the Sword Cultivator, who killed both junior brothers in a bloody fight before being left too wounded to continue.
• Hou Niao found the wounded Sword Cultivator and held him when Cao Dean arrived, accusing Hou Niao of claiming the result after the Baishen Sect lost two men.
• Cao Dean decided to take the dispute to their superiors, but Hou Niao sent a keen force after him and asked whether he thought he could leave.

Hou Niao killed Cao Dean, then let the wounded Shi Le go after learning that he was not a Shanmen Quanzhen cultivator but belonged to the Shi Clan of the Northern Grasslands. After the battle at Little Wave Bottom, Hou Niao concealed his involvement and allowed the surviving Baishen cultivators to search the settlement for loot under limits, leaving the deeper conflict between factions unresolved.

• Hou Niao learned that Shi Le was not from Shanmen Quanzhen and let him leave after Shi Le named the Shi Clan of the Northern Grasslands and offered to guide him there.
• Hou Niao erased traces of the encounter and left the area while other interceptions were still underway.
• The battle at Little Wave Bottom ended with six of the Wu Division dead and fifteen rogue cultivators killed or captured, while Cao Dean and his companions remained officially missing.
• Hou Niao told Lü Zhaolin that he had no information about Cao Dean's fate and promised to report Shi Le to Li Biejia.
• Hou Niao allowed the surviving Baishen cultivators half an hour to search Little Wave Bottom, instructing them to avoid bloodshed.

At Red Moon Fort, Li Chuping reprimanded Hou Niao for the Wu Division’s poor results before asking about the deaths of three cultivators. Hou Niao explained that he had killed Cao Dean and learned that the other fighter belonged to the Shi Clan, while Li Chuping agreed to record the matter without causing trouble.

• The divisions gathered at Red Moon Fort, where the Wu Division was judged to have suffered the worst losses and achieved the least.
• Li Chuping criticized Hou Niao’s restrained performance but recognized that he had kept a low profile to avoid drawing suspicion toward Wang Shouzhong.
• Li Chuping asked how the three Wu Division cultivators had died, and Hou Niao admitted that the Shi Clan Sword Cultivator killed two while Hou Niao killed Cao Dean.
• Hou Niao explained that he had suspected the Sword Cultivator was a renegade Quanzhen cultivator and had handled the matter to keep the Baishen Sect from taking him.
• Li Chuping described the Shi Clan’s close-range swordsmanship and northern origins, then agreed to record Hou Niao’s actions at the Minister of Justice Prefecture.

Hou Niao traveled with Li Chuping toward the Jade Capital, where he hoped to study cultivation methods and gather resources while keeping his plans private. As they reached the capital, Li Chuping explained how Quanzhen’s martial founding traditions had shaped the city and warned that those traditions were fading.

• Hou Niao and Li Chuping left the Great Canyon together after the cleanup ended, while their companions returned to their provinces.
• Li Chuping questioned why Hou Niao wanted to visit the Jade Capital, and Hou Niao said he wanted to study, gather resources, and learn from him.
• Li Chuping warned Hou Niao that trouble in the Lizhi Sea, including the Canghai Pirates’ return, could keep him posted there; Hou Niao said he had a plan.
• During their journey, Hou Niao asked Li Chuping about cultivation difficulties, and Li Chuping gave him guidance.
• As they approached Jade Capital City, Li Chuping described Quanzhen’s founding rule of keeping swords and horses ready, and lamented that the city’s old fighting spirit was fading.

Hou Niao arrived in the Jade Capital and rented a residence so he could spend a year studying the Hidden Sword Tower and planning his cultivation. After settling on a Five Elements foundation supplemented by the Three-Night Thunder Method, he continued building a system suited to his future.

• Hou Niao and Li Chuping entered the Jade Capital on foot, and Li Chuping parted ways with Hou Niao, warning him not to cause trouble.
• Hou Niao chose to rent a residence rather than stay at the sword lodge, then arranged a one-year lease at Heavy Gate Residence.
• Hou Niao established a routine of cultivation and sword practice at home, with daily visits to the Hidden Sword Tower to study cultivation methods and techniques.
• Hou Niao selected the Five Elements Cultivation Method as the foundation of his cultivation and the Three-Night Thunder Method as a battle-focused supplement.

Hou Niao met E Huangshi, the owner of his residence, and continued searching the Hidden Sword Tower for an ancient Quanzhen Sect sword art resembling the Forward formula. He learned that the sealed Underground Repository held restricted methods and that access required recommendations from Golden Core cultivators, leaving him considering whether to seek help from Li Chuping.

• E Huangshi brought Hou Niao local food, praised his careful trimming of the garden, and accepted his reassurance that he was satisfied with the residence.
• Hou Niao searched the Hidden Sword Tower for another ancient sword formula but found nothing suitable in the swordsmanship section.
• Hou Niao asked an elderly cultivator managing the tower about hidden methods and explained that he sought discarded ancient sword arts from the Quanzhen Sect.
• The elderly cultivator told Hou Niao that restricted or flawed methods were sealed in the Underground Repository, which required recommendations from Golden Core cultivators to enter.
• The elderly cultivator added that sect merit and seniority could help Hou Niao obtain an official letter, but Hou Niao doubted he had earned any merit.

Hou Niao planned a clear swordsmanship system built around flying swords, sword-in-hand combat, and the Body Sword Technique. After nearly two months of study, he settled on an aggressive path that favored overwhelming attacks over defense.

• Hou Niao weighed whether to join Li Chuping’s commandant system but postponed deciding and focused on studying at the Hidden Sword Tower.
• He resolved to develop three complementary sword forms: flying sword, body sword, and sword in hand.
• Hou Niao planned to build his ranged sword arts around the five elements, starting with the Metal-Sharp Central-Punishment Sword after mastering earth.
• He chose offensive techniques to strengthen and support his flying sword, including Establish Two, Break Three, Soul-Shocking Thorn, and Make the Ground a Prison.
• Hou Niao rejected many other sword arts and settled on the Body Sword Technique, an approach Shanmen’s Sword Cultivators had abandoned, as his ultimate weapon.

Hou Niao committed himself to the body sword path and pondered how to obtain its incomplete manual, while officials in the Minister of Justice Prefecture reviewed the fallout from the Mirage Tower and Wu Sect incident. Li Chuping defended Hou Niao’s actions and proposed bringing him into the fold.

• Hou Niao settled on pursuing the body sword path and considered how to get the incomplete manual from the underground vault.
• At a regular meeting, True Person Xu judged the Mirage Tower City and Wu Sect conflict manageable but asked about a Wu Sect Golden Core’s death in Linhai.
• The officials looked to Li Chuping, who explained that Hou Niao had led the incident alongside many Lihai Sword Cultivators and argued it was a collective case.
• True Person Zong questioned why Hou Niao’s conduct had gone unpunished, and Li Chuping admitted he had delayed assigning the unruly cultivator a post.
• When pressed to punish Hou Niao, Li Chuping argued that the sect should bring him into the fold instead.

Li Chuping agreed to bring Hou Niao into the Minister of Justice Prefecture, while the prefecture also assigned him to find an envoy for the Shanyin Ghost Festival. Hou Niao’s rest was interrupted when Young Master Duan confronted E Huangshi and threatened the Red Happiness Troupe to force her to sell it.

• True Person Xu and True Person Zong approved Li Chuping’s plan to take Hou Niao into the Minister of Justice Prefecture, with a warning that he must behave himself.
• True Person Xu asked Li Chuping to find a capable Heaven-Connecting cultivator to represent the prefecture at the Shanyin Ghost Festival.
• Li Chuping left the meeting frustrated by the burdensome tasks and the prefecture’s entrenched veterans.
• Hou Niao rested in his garden as E Huangshi and three women fled into it, pursued by Young Master Duan, his hired thugs, and an officer.
• Young Master Duan threatened to exploit the Red Happiness Troupe’s members and demanded that E Huangshi manage the troupe for him while he controlled its repertoire.

E Huangshi faced Young Master Duan’s coercion to surrender the Red Happiness Troupe, while his calculated abuse of the performers left her with no way to resist. Just as he appeared to have her cornered, a voice praised his handling of the law from the nearby artificial hill.

• E Huangshi recognized that Young Master Duan wanted the Red Happiness Troupe’s influence and asked him for more time.
• Young Master Duan rejected her delay and threatened to keep taking performers until she gave in.
• One performer offered to entertain Young Master Duan, but he slapped her and threatened to send the women to a brothel in the city’s west.
• When the performer threatened to report him to the Minister of Justice Prefecture, Young Master Duan broke her arm, then staged an apology and paid her ten taels of silver.
• E Huangshi felt powerless before Young Master Duan’s methods until a voice from the artificial hill praised his display of the law.

Hou Niao confronted Duan Jian over the Duan party’s intimidation of the Red Happiness Troupe, then used the law to humiliate Duan Jian while killing one of his retainers. He broke Duan Jian’s other arm and asked Wang Zuo how repeated lawbreaking should be punished.

• Hou Niao came down from the artificial hill and ordered Duan Jian’s party to leave the Red Happiness Troupe’s private residence.
• Duan Jian admitted the trespass but invoked his powerful family connections and refused to abandon his plans for the troupe.
• Hou Niao seized Duan Jian’s arm and killed a retainer when the man used law power to protect his master.
• Wang Zuo said the law required an apology, treatment costs, and compensation, so Hou Niao apologized and gave Duan Jian ten Spirit Stones.
• Hou Niao seized Duan Jian’s other arm and asked Wang Zuo how to punish someone who knowingly broke the law again.

Hou Niao broke all four of Duan Jian’s limbs before letting the Duan Residence party leave, then urged E Huangshi to use the Red Happiness Troupe to publicize the incident. He left to seek a powerful backer, while E Huangshi resolved to take the gamble and stage the play.

• Hou Niao repeatedly broke Duan Jian’s limbs, stopping only when Duan Jian agreed to spare the others and the Duan Residence party departed in anger.
• Hou Niao blamed himself for intervening too late and warned E Huangshi that she had to accept the consequences of her choices.
• E Huangshi said she still wanted to keep the Red Happiness Troupe, and Hou Niao told her to stage the confrontation as a play to draw public attention and protect the troupe.
• Hou Niao left to find a powerful backer, warning E Huangshi that he could not protect her indefinitely.
• E Huangshi watched Hou Niao leave and resolved to take the risk by putting on the play.

Hou Niao went to the Minister of Justice Prefecture to ask Li Chuping to take him in, hoping the prefecture’s influence would help settle his trouble with the Duan Household. Li Chuping accepted him, leaving Hou Niao poised to join the prefecture under his old acquaintance’s supervision.

• Hou Niao decided to approach Li Chuping and seek shelter from the fallout over the Duan Household’s young master.
• At the Minister of Justice Prefecture’s gate, Hou Niao told a Natural Realm cultivator he wanted to join and serve the prefecture.
• After being admitted, Hou Niao inspected Li Chuping’s office and joked about improving its furnishings.
• Hou Niao praised his loyalty and suitability for the oversight system, while Li Chuping mocked his claims and accused him of seeking shelter after stirring up trouble.
• Hou Niao plainly asked to join the Minister of Justice Prefecture, and Li Chuping agreed to accept him.