Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuanqing spent a spring morning at his grandparents’ home, teasing his aunt and failing to join her blind date. A mysterious parcel from Lei Yibing arrived, leaving Zhang Yuanqing with a strange black card and an ominous-sounding gift.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medication was losing its effectiveness, then got up when his grandmother threatened to splash him awake.
• At breakfast, Jiang Yu'er tried to recruit Zhang Yuanqing to help derail her blind date, but his grandmother stopped him from leaving.
• Zhang Yuanqing messaged Jiang Yu'er that she would have to handle the blind date herself, despite her pleading.
• A courier delivered Zhang Yuanqing an unexpected parcel from Hangcheng containing a black metal card and a letter from Lei Yibing.
• Lei Yibing wrote that he had found something interesting he could not control and was giving it to Zhang Yuanqing as a gift.

After reflecting on his recent fight with Daoist A-Meng, Hou Niao assessed his cultivation, sword consciousness, and the limits of his combat skills. He settled on a training order and prepared to visit another place before continuing his cultivation.

• Hou Niao recognized that his close-combat skills were insufficient against versatile opponents and that he needed to improve his long-range abilities.
• Hou Niao reviewed his advance to bridge linking, the orchid in his purple mansion, and the first faint mutual awareness he had formed with the Lone Sword.
• Hou Niao considered the costs and risks of developing sword consciousness and refining his sword alongside pursuing profound connection.
• Hou Niao recalled how Jincheng's restrictions had deprived him of guidance, while Daoist Chongling and Yu Zhengxing had helped him.
• After several days of reflection, Hou Niao decided to prioritize cultivation, then sword consciousness, then combat skills, and identified another place he needed to go.

Zhang Yuanqing spent the morning at his grandparents’ home, where his grandmother kept him from accompanying Jiang Yu'er on her blind date. A mysterious parcel from Lei Yibing arrived, containing a strange black card and a letter saying Yuanqing should be able to control it.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medicine was losing effectiveness, then got up when his grandmother threatened to splash him awake.
• At breakfast, Jiang Yu'er tried to enlist Zhang Yuanqing to disrupt her blind date, but their grandmother forbade them from going together.
• Jiang Yu'er left for her blind date, while Zhang Yuanqing obeyed his grandmother and stayed home.
• Zhang Yuanqing received an unmarked parcel from Hangcheng containing a metal-like black card marked with a Black Moon and a letter from Lei Yibing.
• Lei Yibing wrote that the card was something interesting he could not control and gave it to Zhang Yuanqing as a gift.

Zhang Yuanqing woke after a worsening episode and spent the morning at home with his family, while his younger maternal aunt Jiang Yu'er went on a blind date without him. A mysterious package from Lei Yibing arrived, containing a strange Black Card and a letter that said Yuanqing should be able to master it.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medication was losing its effectiveness after another episode and got up when Maternal Grandmother threatened to throw water on him.
• At breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing learned that Jiang Yu'er planned to bring him along to sabotage her blind date, but Maternal Grandmother stopped him from leaving.
• Jiang Yu'er went out alone on her blind date, while Zhang Yuanqing messaged her that Maternal Grandmother had barred him from joining her.
• Zhang Yuanqing received an unexpected package addressed from Hangcheng and opened it in his room.
• Zhang Yuanqing found a metal Black Card marked with a Black Moon and a letter from Lei Yibing, who called it a gift and said Yuanqing should be able to master it.

Zhang Yuanqing spent the morning at his grandparents’ home, where his grandmother kept him from accompanying Jiang Yu'er on her blind date. A mysterious parcel from Lei Yibing arrived, leaving Zhang Yuanqing with a black card and a letter hinting that he could master something life-changing.

• Zhang Yuanqing worried that his medication was losing its effectiveness, then got up after his grandmother threatened to splash him awake.
• At breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing learned that Jiang Yu'er planned to take him along to disrupt her blind date, but his grandmother ordered her to go alone.
• Zhang Yuanqing tried to leave for the blind date too, but his grandmother stopped him, and Jiang Yu'er pleaded with him to come help.
• A courier delivered Zhang Yuanqing an unexpected parcel from Hangcheng containing a metal black card and a letter from Lei Yibing.
• Lei Yibing wrote that he had found something potentially life-changing but believed Zhang Yuanqing could master it.

Zhang Yuanqing woke after a disturbing episode and spent the morning at home with his family, where his aunt tried to enlist him in her blind date and his grandmother kept him from going. A mysterious parcel from Lei Yibing arrived, leaving Zhang Yuanqing with a strange black card and a letter calling it a gift between brothers.

• Zhang Yuanqing remembered that medication had controlled his unexplained condition, but it was becoming less effective.
• Zhang Yuanqing ate breakfast with Jiang Yu'er and his grandmother, who stopped Jiang Yu'er from taking him along to her blind date.
• After Jiang Yu'er left, Zhang Yuanqing tried to follow but returned to his room when his grandmother threatened him.
• Zhang Yuanqing received a parcel from Hangcheng containing a black card marked with a Black Moon and a letter from Lei Yibing.

Zhang Yuanqing woke after a disturbing episode and worried that his medicine was losing effectiveness, then spent the morning at home with his grandmother and younger aunt, Jiang Yu'er. After his grandmother stopped him from joining Jiang Yu'er's blind date, a mysterious parcel arrived containing a black card and a letter from Lei Yibing.

• Zhang Yuanqing remembered that his unexplained condition had been controlled by special medicine from abroad, but he suspected it was becoming less effective.
• Zhang Yuanqing got up at his grandmother's insistence and ate breakfast with her and Jiang Yu'er, who planned to go on a blind date.
• Zhang Yuanqing offered to join Jiang Yu'er on the date, but his grandmother threatened to stop him, so he stayed home.
• Jiang Yu'er asked Zhang Yuanqing to come help her by message, but he told her his grandmother had forbidden him to leave.
• Zhang Yuanqing accepted a parcel from Hangcheng and found a black card and a letter from Lei Yibing saying he believed Zhang Yuanqing could master it.

Hou Niao discovered that sharpening the Lone Sword with his Sword Consciousness in the Soul Realm changed its material, allowing him to pursue the meteorite without suffering the fate of a legendary cultivator. After half a month of practice, he continued to outclass Luo Linwang in swordplay, and Luo Linwang warned him about the dangers of real combat against spell users.

• Hou Niao tested several materials as whetstones, but the Lone Sword reacted only to the meteorite.
• Hou Niao brought the Lone Sword's Sword Consciousness into his Soul Realm and sharpened it there against the meteorite, sensing a faint change in the sword.
• Luo Linwang recalled that a Quanzhen Sect genius had ruined his cultivation by spending fifty years trying to sharpen a sword on the meteorite.
• Hou Niao realized the senior's sword might have been the Lone Sword and thanked Luo Linwang's advice for helping him find another approach.
• After half a month, Hou Niao kept practicing and repeatedly defeated Luo Linwang in swordplay.
• Luo Linwang warned Hou Niao that real combat involved tactics, traps, and spell users who would keep their distance.

As the provincial disciples gathered for the contest of Dao, Hou Niao learned that three Jincheng disciples were challenging his assigned place on the Great Wind Plains team. The Commandant Prefecture arranged an arbitration match, leaving Hou Niao ready to fight without holding back.

• Disciples from across the provinces gathered at the Sword Manor, where the contest would help assess the strength of the Quanzhen Sect and Wu Sect.
• The Jade Capital disciples arrived, bringing the region regarded as the strongest source of Quanzhen's low-ranking disciples.
• Hou Niao kept to himself while he and Luo Linwang represented the Great Wind Plains.
• Daoist Wang told Hou Niao that three Jincheng disciples had questioned his assigned place after the Jade Capital group arrived.
• Daoist Wang explained that the Commandant Prefecture would arbitrate the challenge with Rao Zongzhi observing, and relayed Commandant Li's instruction that Hou Niao should not hold back.
• Hou Niao accepted the challenge and recognized that the dispute reflected political struggles among Jincheng's prefectures.

Hou Niao defeated Zhou Duo with a precise sword technique, then overcame Duan Kunshan’s lightning sword by using a body-cultivation grappling move. The visiting disciples saw that Hou Niao was more skilled than his plain methods suggested, though his next challenge remained unresolved.

• Hou Niao faced Zhou Duo and cut off his topknot after forcing his strength into empty space with a push and sudden release.
• Daoist Wang stopped Zhou Duo from continuing, and Rao Zongzhi recognized the skill behind Hou Niao’s unremarkable-looking swordsmanship.
• Duan Kunshan attacked Hou Niao with the Thunder-Crushing Sword Art and drove his longsword out of Hou Niao’s hands.
• Hou Niao dropped to his knees and slid into Duan Kunshan, then caught and flung him aside before he could bring his sword back.

After defeating two senior cultivators, Hou Niao learned that his trip to the Anhe Divine Capital also involved secretly watching Yan Xisheng. Daoist Wang clarified that the task was limited to observing Yan Xisheng for signs of unusual activity or collusion with the Wu Sect.

• Rao Zongzhi stopped another cultivator from challenging Hou Niao and accepted that the Great Wind Plains had chosen him.
• Daoist Wang praised Hou Niao for winning while preserving ties between fellow disciples, and Hou Niao answered respectfully.
• Daoist Wang told Hou Niao that Yan Xisheng was under suspicion because of his ancestor’s alleged connections with the Wu Sect.
• Daoist Wang explained that the Minister of Justice Prefecture had assigned the Great Wind Plains Commandant Prefecture to surveil Yan Xisheng through Hou Niao.
• Hou Niao objected that he had not been told what the assignment required and joked that killing Yan Xisheng would be simpler.
• Daoist Wang told Hou Niao not to harm Yan Xisheng and instructed him to watch for unusual activity or collusion during the Southwestern Dao Discussion.

Hou Niao worried that the Commandant Prefecture intended to draw him into intelligence work, then traveled with the Quanzhen Sect party toward Anhe. During the flight, Luo Linwang discussed Hou Niao’s ruthless fighting style and warned him against losing patience against Daoist Sect opponents.

• Daoist Wang reassured Hou Niao that the assignment to monitor Yan Xisheng carried no concrete demands, but Hou Niao suspected the Commandant Prefecture wanted to make him an operative.
• Zhu Jiuling led thirty-five disciples and three Upper Cultivators aboard a Flying Ship from the Sword Manor toward Anhe.
• Hou Niao and Luo Linwang stayed at the stern rather than compete for places at the bow, and they admired the scenery as the ship flew.
• Luo Linwang explained that Zhou Duo and Duan Kunshan had been upset about the selection process, not hostile toward Hou Niao.
• Hou Niao said he fought dangerously because he wanted to end battles quickly, and Luo Linwang warned that Daoist Sect opponents could exploit his impatience.

The Quanzhen Sect learned that the Southwest Dao Discussion would pit the Wu Sect against an alliance of the other southwestern traditions in a contest for thirteen banners. Zhu Jiuling set Quanzhen’s strategy: the five Jade Capital disciples would each lead a group against the Wu Sect’s banners, while the remaining disciples defended Quanzhen’s own.

• The Quanzhen Sect and Wu Sect arrived at Anhe Palace, where the delegations learned more about the political divisions among the southwestern kingdoms.
• Zhu Jiuling explained that the Dao Discussion would use thirteen banners, with victory decided by how many each side held after the participants were exhausted.
• Senior-Master Wang warned that the Wu Sect had prepared to challenge the other kingdoms despite being outnumbered, and Senior-Master Jia questioned Quanzhen’s selection of disciples.
• Uncle-Master Li argued that the Jade Capital disciples were not necessarily stronger than the provincial elites, and urged the elders to focus on their strategy.
• Zhu Jiuling ordered the five Jade Capital disciples to lead groups against the Wu Sect’s four banners while the other twenty-five disciples defended Quanzhen’s banner.

Hou Niao and Luo Linwang discussed the coming Dao Discussion and learned that the Wu Sect had recruited southeastern True Disciples and intended to capture all thirteen flags. The chapter ended when Rao Zongzhi invited them to join him in capturing flags.

• Hou Niao and Luo Linwang relaxed in a pavilion and discussed the importance of defending their flag against the Wu Sect.
• Luo Linwang explained that the five Jade Capital disciples would each choose a follower to help capture the Wu Sect's flags.
• Luo Linwang revealed that the Wu Sect sought a complete victory and had gained support from southeastern Daoist sects.
• Hou Niao and Luo Linwang considered whether their leaders would change their strategy in response to the Wu Sect's reinforcements.
• Rao Zongzhi found Hou Niao and Luo Linwang and asked whether they would join him in capturing flags.

Hou Niao reflected on his mistakes, cultivated while traveling, and adapted his strength and saber skills to life on the boat. After a month and a half, he reached the Qi Gathering Realm, and Daoist Zhan praised him and said they might meet in Liuyang City.

• Hou Niao concluded that he had acted rashly against the water demon and resolved to cultivate with greater awareness.
• He focused on qi gathering during the voyage, learning to absorb spiritual energy without forcing it and gradually having fewer dreams.
• Hou Niao began working the scull to exercise and practice his saber skills, soon rowing so efficiently that Old Qi and his son could rest.
• On the final night before Liuyang City, Hou Niao entered embryonic breathing and attained the Qi Gathering Realm.
• Daoist Zhan praised Hou Niao from the passenger ship and said they might meet in Liuyang City.

Third Master Bai led the Bai Clan members in a desperate flight from Liuyang City toward the Shan Kingdom after learning that the Wu Sect was pursuing them. With three Profound Connection cultivators closing in, he crashed their flying boat into White Poplar Forest and ordered everyone to scatter, leaving the Bai Clan’s survival uncertain.

• Third Master Bai learned that an old servant had given the Wu Sect information and led six Bai Clan members out of Liuyang City aboard a flying boat.
• Bai Susu asked Bai Qingqian what to do, and Bai Qingqian said their survival depended on strength rather than strategy.
• Three Wu Sect cultivators pursued the Bai Clan, and Third Master Bai decided they would scatter in White Poplar Forest instead of risking capture together.
• Third Master Bai told the younger clan members to flee toward different destinations and declared that the Bai Clan would never submit to the Wu Sect.
• The flying boat crashed through White Poplar Forest, and the six aboard fled in separate directions while puppets and spirit beasts laid false trails.

Hou Niao chose to wait for a month to receive an assignment to an offshore island, then explored Mirage City's cultivation markets but found them too risky for selling the Wu Sect goods he had stolen. He remained in the city, unsure how to dispose of the goods without being cheated or drawing the Wu Sect's revenge.

• Zhu Changwen offered Hou Niao a choice between a permanent resource-island posting and an assignment determined by the Lihai Military Governor's Office.
• Hou Niao chose to wait for the annual offshore reassignment and agreed to learn about the islands around Mirage City.
• Hou Niao rented a private courtyard and explored the city's markets, which thrived on marine resources and trade.
• After several days, Hou Niao still had not sold any stolen Wu Sect goods because he feared fraud and retaliation from the Wu Sect.

The Pastoral Marshal Prefecture lightly punished the disciples involved in the Jincheng incident, while Li Chuping questioned Hou Ying about killing two mortals and Xiang Zhiwen’s death. Hou Ying revealed the Ghost King Painted Skin’s role and proposed quietly having the Yinling Patrols hunt the leaderless ghosts of Ximang Mountain.

• The Pastoral Marshal Prefecture docked the disciples’ stipends and dismissed those who stirred up trouble, while Daoist Wang took Hou Ying to the Commandant Prefecture.
• Li Chuping challenged Hou Ying over the two deaths at the Yang Residence, and Hou Ying defended his actions as necessary to protect Xiang Zhiwen’s young daughter.
• Hou Ying asked Li Chuping to find a safe family for the child, and Li Chuping warned him to stay alert against killing mortals becoming a pattern.
• Li Chuping asked how Xiang Zhiwen died, and Hou Ying explained that Zheng Shibian had been replaced by Painted Skin, a Ghost King from Ximang Mountain.
• Hou Ying said Xiang Zhiwen had sacrificed himself to wound Painted Skin and that he had helped kill the Ghost King.
• Hou Ying proposed quietly training the Yinling Patrols to reduce the ghosts of Ximang Mountain, and Li Chuping offered no official deployment.

Hou Niao arrived at Yinling Town Office to report for duty, only to find its cultivators injured and bickering over treatment. After Qian Chong insulted him, Hou Niao knocked him unconscious while applying medicine and followed Yao He to help the other patients.

• The Red Scarf leader returned Hou Niao's Sword Talisman with disdain, and Hou Niao joked that Soul Ghosts and demons had swarmed him when he showed it to them.
• Hou Niao walked through Fang Family Fort to the Yinling Town Office and found the entrance deserted.
• Yao He mistook Hou Niao, who had come to report for duty, for an assistant and brought him to treat Qian Chong's bee-sting injuries.
• Qian Chong complained and threatened Hou Niao while he applied Ice Lip Balm, so Hou Niao slapped him unconscious and continued treating his back.
• Yao He introduced himself and led Hou Niao toward the other six injured cultivators needing care.

Bamboo Madam revealed how she transformed Bamboo Island, created the Canghai Pirates, and used Yu Daoguang’s Heavenly Bamboo Body to protect the island. After explaining how Hou Niao disrupted her plan to end the island’s affairs, she asked whether he had come to demand justice for the pirates’ victims.

• Hou Niao confronted Bamboo Madam about being Yu Daoguang and the Sea Retribution God’s mistress, and she recounted arriving on Bamboo Island 150 years earlier to cultivate rouge bamboo.
• Bamboo Madam described how a Golden Core Venerable Master stabilized the volcano with a formation, while she developed rouge bamboo cultivation and continued strengthening the formation against his advice.
• Bamboo Madam explained that a mutated stalk of rouge bamboo gave her the Heavenly Bamboo Body, which she used as Yu Daoguang to defend Bamboo Island from pirates, sects, and the Jiedu Prefecture.
• Bamboo Madam said she created the Canghai Pirates to protect the island and planned to end both the island’s affairs and the pirates as the formation weakened, but two tour groups’ changed itineraries disrupted her plan.
• Bamboo Madam told Hou Niao that he had helped simplify her plan to expose the pirates, then asked whether he had come to seek justice for the people they harmed.