Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yi returned to Wavelooking Peak with his refined Black Sha Pagoda Lock and went to register the Law Artifact at the Qigong Court. There, he reunited with Xiao Tongquan, whose failed attempt to open his Origin Gate had cost him his standing, while Xu Yan’s intervention secured Jiang Yi’s registration and revealed his impending Inner Peaks promotion.

• Jiang Yi rode a Yin Horse summoned from the Black Sha Pagoda Lock to Wavelooking Peak, where Yuan Ran advised him to register his Law Artifact.
• At the Qigong Court, the middle-aged Daoist refused to help Jiang Yi and treated Xiao Tongquan dismissively.
• Xiao Tongquan told Jiang Yi that he had injured his brain after failing to open his Origin Gate and had spent days recovering.
• Xu Yan recognized Jiang Yi, learned he had come to register a Law Artifact, and ordered the duty Daoist to stop obstructing him.
• Xu Yan announced that Jiang Yi had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining and would likely enter the Inner Peaks in spring, prompting Xiao Tongquan to congratulate him as Senior Brother Jiang.

Jiang Yi learned that Xiao Tongquan’s failed attempt to open his Origin Gate may have resulted from a Gu-refining method secretly imposed on him by the True Gu Sect. The revelation left Jiang Yi fearing for Xiao’s fate and the power of higher cultivators.

• Jiang Yi warned the Qigong Court Daoist not to mistreat Xiao Tongquan, then invited Xiao to join him and Li Ruohan at Heshui Cave.
• Xiao Tongquan declined the invitation, lamented his damaged Brain Spirit, and wished Jiang Yi success in entering the Inner Peaks.
• Jiang Yi met Li Ruohan, told her he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining and opened his Origin Gate, and asked about Xiao Tongquan.
• Li Ruohan explained that Xiao descended from the former Sheng imperial clan, whose descendants the True Gu Sect had used in attempts to refine Fortune Gu.
• Li Ruohan revealed that Xiao’s old servant had supplied him with the True Gu Sect’s Fish-Dragon Hundred Transformations Spirit-Seed Method, a Gu-refining technique that may have caused his failure.
• Jiang Yi learned that Xiao was expected to take a post in the Market Ward next year and feared that the post would lead to his death.

Jiang Yi discussed his prospects in the Inner Peaks with Li Ruohan and used the Seven Emotions Incantation to influence her thoughts. He left Li Ruohan eager to receive his cultivation guidance, while she asked to bathe and change first.

• Li Ruohan said Jiang Yi's breakthrough to the fifth level of Qi Refining and Elder Sui's backing made an Inner Peaks place likely.
• Li Ruohan told Jiang Yi she planned to attempt a breakthrough to the fourth level in ten days, and he offered to help with her cultivation difficulties.
• Jiang Yi used the Seven Emotions Incantation and Ding Fire to influence Li Ruohan, then urged her to cultivate diligently and reach the fourth level.
• Jiang Yi asked Li Ruohan about spiritual objects that could aid cultivation, and she explained that Inner Peaks elders might trade Spirit Chance for a Hanyuan Pill.
• Jiang Yi invited Li Ruohan to discuss cultivation, and she asked him to wait while she bathed and changed clothes.

Jiang Yi advised Li Ruohan on cultivation, then persuaded Profound Mystery True Person that demonic cultivators should learn from the Immortal Dao rather than cling to ruthless methods. As Jiang Yi continued cultivating toward a breakthrough, Xu Yan decided to recruit him and ordered Zhou Can to invite him to a banquet, leaving Zhou Can envious and uneasy about Jiang Yi’s connection to Luo Qian'er.

• Jiang Yi gave Li Ruohan cultivation guidance until she was exhausted, then told her to stabilize her foundation before seeking further instruction.
• Profound Mystery True Person urged Jiang Yi to be more treacherous and shameless, but Jiang Yi argued that demonic cultivators should learn from the flourishing Immortal Dao and build alliances.
• Jiang Yi checked his progress with the Heavenly Book and found himself at ninety-nine percent of the fifth level of Qi Refining, with the Seven Emotions Incantation at minor accomplishment.
• Xu Yan praised Jiang Yi’s cultivation and ordered Zhou Can to deliver him Essence-Nourishing Pills and invite him to a banquet.
• Zhou Can agreed to Xu Yan’s orders but worried that Jiang Yi was the same person connected to Luo Qian'er, then grew envious of Xu Yan’s favor toward him.

Jiang Yi broke through to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining and completed the Nourishment stage, while Zhou Can abandoned his resentment and urged Luo Qian'er to reconcile with him. After reciting a poem, Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book whether his Dao Wisdom and comprehension had increased.

• Jiang Yi used the Essence-Nourishing Pill and moonlight Cold Qi to overcome the Body Pass and break through to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining.
• Zhou Can reconsidered his feud with Jiang Yi, deciding to avoid making an enemy of him and to let Luo Qian'er approach him.
• Zhou Can promised Luo Qian'er he would forgive her debts if she helped resolve his misunderstanding with Jiang Yi, and she eagerly agreed.
• Profound Mystery True Person watched Jiang Yi remain still through several days of the Nourishment stage and judged his aptitude above average.
• Jiang Yi emerged with powerful True Qi, melted much of the courtyard snow, recited a poem, and asked the Heavenly Book whether his Dao Wisdom and comprehension had improved.

After reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, Jiang Yi attended Elder Xu’s lecture and learned about the Five Qi and the rivalry between [Blood] and [Pure]. He joined Han Li’s gathering at Heshui Cave, where he encountered Lu Yun and Wang Heng.

• Jiang Yi used Supplicating the Heavenly Book to confirm that reciting poetry could aid cultivation, then decided to visit Wavelooking Peak for Xu Yan’s gathering and a lecture.
• Luo Qian'er arrived at Jiang Yi’s residence too late and hurried to the Forging Room to seek a Flying Crane to the Inner Peaks.
• At Elder Xu’s lecture, Jiang Yi learned about the Five Qi, including the Demonic Dao patriarch’s [Blood] and the Immortal Dao’s [Pure], which had replaced blood oaths as the means of gaining heaven-and-earth responses.
• Han Li introduced himself to Jiang Yi after the lecture and invited him to Heshui Cave to discuss the Dao.
• At Heshui Cave, Jiang Yi met Lu Yun and Wang Heng, and Han Li invited them to join the gathering.

At an Inner Peaks gathering in Heshui Cave, Jiang Yi learned that disciples could win Yang-Harmony Qi by testing their True Qi against heavy copper oxen and iron tigers. After Junior Brother Li uprooted six oxen, Jiang Yi accepted the challenge and claimed he could uproot nine oxen and two tigers at once.

• Han Li welcomed Jiang Yi to his table and asked about his cultivation, and Jiang Yi revealed that he had recently reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.
• Han Li explained that Elder Xu had arranged a strength contest at Heshui Cave, offering Yang-Harmony Qi to anyone who uprooted nine oxen.
• Han Li promised a Cloud-Riding and Flame-Driving Technique as an additional prize, and Junior Brother Li stepped forward to compete.
• Junior Brother Li uprooted six copper oxen with his True Qi, earning cheers from the Inner Peaks disciples.
• Jiang Yi judged that he could surpass Junior Brother Li, accepted Han Li's invitation to compete, and asked Steward Xu to activate nine oxen and two tigers together.

Jiang Yi demonstrated his cultivation at Heshui Cave by lifting nine Copper Bulls and two Iron Tigers at once, earning the Inner Peaks disciples’ recognition as first rank. The display ended with Jiang Yi wondering whose favor his achievement would earn, as the Heavenly Book had foretold.

• Steward Xu and Han Li warned Jiang Yi that lifting nine Copper Bulls and two Iron Tigers would be dangerous, but Jiang Yi confidently began the test.
• Jiang Yi used his Divine Sense and True Qi to lift the Copper Bulls one by one, keeping each suspended as he raised the next.
• Jiang Yi released the full depth of his cultivation, formed a colossal hand of crimson cloud, and lifted all nine Copper Bulls and two Iron Tigers together.
• Jiang Yi burst the crimson hand into radiant clouds that spread across Wavelooking Peak, leaving the watching disciples stunned.
• Steward Xu and the Inner Peaks disciples declared Jiang Yi worthy of first rank, and Jiang Yi wondered whose favor his achievement would earn.

Luo Qian'er entered the Inner Peaks hoping to reunite with Jiang Yi, but Li Ruohan told her that she was unworthy of him and should abandon her hopes. At Heshui Cave, Jiang Yi received a cultivation technique from Han Li before Sect Master Liu returned at the twelfth level of Qi Refining and uprooted Sewing Peak with a giant palm.

• Luo Qian'er struggled to find Qigong Court and was turned away because she had arrived after the registration hour.
• Luo Qian'er asked Li Ruohan for help obtaining an access talisman so she could wait for Jiang Yi, then explained her past connection to him.
• Li Ruohan told Luo Qian'er that Jiang Yi would need a match from a powerful clan and urged her to give up her hopes.
• Han Li gave Jiang Yi the Cloud-Riding and Flame-Driving Technique, which he had redeemed for three hundred minor merits.
• Sect Master Liu's return brought rain and rolling clouds, and Sui Liushu and Han Li recognized that he had reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining.
• Sect Master Liu ordered the Outer Sect restrictions released, then used a giant palm to uproot Sewing Peak and lift it into the air.

Sect Leader Liu Huan uprooted Sewing Peak and finalized its transfer to the Acacia Sect, overruling Sui Liushu and ordering him to remove it from the Talisman Edict. Sui Liushu then urged Xu Yan to salvage his investment by convincing Zhou Can that the transfer was part of a coming sect promotion, and Zhou Can eagerly began seeking money for what he believed was a great Fortuitous Encounter.

• Liu Huan moved Sewing Peak beyond the Qianji Sect grounds while Jiang Yi watched and fed Profound Mystery True Person.
• Liu Huan told Sui Liushu that he had agreed to exchange Sewing Peak with the Acacia Sect and ordered him to transfer its records, the Hundred-Shadow Dharma Robe method, and its sales channels.
• Xu Yan complained to Sui Liushu about losing Sewing Peak, and Sui Liushu revealed that the deal had been planned through the Acacia Sect’s bulk purchases.
• Sui Liushu told Xu Yan to persuade Zhou Can that Sewing Peak’s removal was part of expanding the sect and advancing its Dharma Lineage, while warning him not to withhold the junior disciples’ wages.
• Zhou Can believed a great Fortuitous Encounter was coming, resolved to borrow Talisman Money from the Outer Sect stewards, and dreamed of founding a clan.

Jiang Yi shared a farewell meal with the Mortal Laborers from the Large Compound as they considered leaving Crimson Flame Peak after their contracts ended. Old Li and his wife planned to go down the mountain, and He Laohun departed for Three Harmonies Ward, leaving Jiang Yi with promises to meet again.

• He Laohun and Widow Qin urged Old Li and his wife not to renew their contract after Old Li lost an arm in a mine collapse, but Old Li explained he wanted to save money for their child's cultivation.
• Jiang Yi advised Old Li to take his wife down the mountain for now and said he could help him return to work at the Qianji Sect later.
• Jiang Yi and the others toasted their years together, and Widow Qin and He Laohun encouraged Jiang Yi to keep advancing in his cultivation.
• He Laohun told Jiang Yi that Zhang Chao had died after being kept alive and made to suffer by the Mortal Laborers he had once bullied.
• Jiang Yi offered He Laohun easier work as an Inspection Officer, but He Laohun declined and said he was returning to Three Harmonies Ward to find his sweetheart.

Jiang Yi reviewed his cultivation prospects, learned about the four waters and three ridges from Cat Master, and began studying the Cloud-Riding and Flame-Driving Technique. Meanwhile, Zhou Can’s desperate attempt to reach Xu Yan ended in tragedy, and elders from the Yin Puppet Sect and Acacia Sect arrived to move Sewing Peak.

• Jiang Yi asked Yang Xun to arrange for Li Ruohan to transfer from Sewing Peak to Crimson Flame Peak’s Quenching Room.
• Cat Master rated the Cloud-Riding and Flame-Driving Technique around eighth grade, and Heaven estimated Jiang Yi would need twenty-two years to reach the twelfth level of Qi Refining.
• Cat Master described the four waters and three ridges and recommended the book All the Worlds to Jiang Yi.
• Zhou Can begged to see Xu Yan at Elder Sui’s residence, was turned away, and fell from Fate-Watching Peak to his death.
• Jiang Yi watched Yin Puppet Sect elders use earth-and-wood techniques and golden-armored strongmen to carry Sewing Peak away.

Jiang Yi learned about the Yin Puppet Sect’s wealth and the rivalry between the Sect Master and Elder Sui as he prepared to enter the Inner Peaks. After bidding farewell to his life as a Mortal Laborer, he ascended Wavelooking Peak on a cloud of flame, declaring that he would cast off his mortal form.

• Han Li explained that the Yin Puppet Sect prospered through its mountain-moving techniques and warned Jiang Yi that the Sect Master and Elder Sui competed for influence.
• Han Li told Jiang Yi that the Sect Master had returned stronger and urged him to choose carefully between Sun-Watching Peak and Fate-Watching Peak.
• Jiang Yi heard that Zhou Can had died, and Zhou Guang lamented the unpaid three hundred and fifty thousand Talisman Money Zhou Can owed him.
• Jiang Yi revisited the Workshop and Labor Affairs Courtyard, then declared that there would be no more Mortal Laborer Jiang Yi.
• Li Ruohan watched Jiang Yi leave and resolved to attempt the Fourth Level of Qi Refining.
• Two days later, Jiang Yi addressed the crowd at Wavelooking Peak and ascended toward its summit on a cloud of fiery mist.

Jiang Yi’s rise through the Azure Cloud Path drew the attention of both Fate-Watching Peak and Sun-Watching Peak, while their elders maneuvered to recruit him. He reached Wavelooking Peak by flying under his own power, with the choice between the two peaks still before him.

• Inner Peaks disciples Xu Yan and Han Li discussed Jiang Yi’s talent and the danger of choosing between Fate-Watching Peak and Sun-Watching Peak.
• Sui Liushu offered Yang Xun generous rewards and resources if Jiang Yi joined Fate-Watching Peak, and Yang Xun thanked him without making the choice for Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi climbed the Azure Cloud Path with Profound Mystery True Person in his arms and used the Cloud-Riding and Flame-Driving Technique to fly toward the summit.
• The gatekeeper and the Qigong Court registrar watched Jiang Yi rise into the sky as he neared the terrace atop Wavelooking Peak.
• As Jiang Yi prepared to land, the golden paper in his eyes trembled and revealed that both peaks wanted to see which one he would choose.

Jiang Yi reached the Inner Peaks and faced pressure to choose between the rival factions of Sun-Watching Peak and Fate-Watching Peak. He instead volunteered for the Merit Oversight Court, and the Sect Master's decree granted him a post, rewards, and one major merit.

• Jiang Yi arrived at Guanlan's summit, where Xu Yan, Han Li, and the other Inner Peaks disciples congratulated him on his promotion.
• Zhou Fan registered Jiang Yi's origins and explained the Inner Sect's peaks, courts, and academies as the disciples waited to learn where he would serve.
• Jiang Yi asked about the Merit Oversight Court and declared that he was willing to guard the Fire Cavern and Water Grotto and take up its duties.
• A tall woman arrived with the Sect Master's decree, gave Jiang Yi a jade command token, and announced his appointment to the Merit Oversight Court with a first-class monthly stipend, thirty Essence-Nourishing Pills, one Black Shadow Garment, and one major merit.
• Jiang Yi accepted the decree and tucked the jade command token into his robe.

Jiang Yi chose a post at the abandoned Merit Oversight Court, despite warnings that suppressing its Fire Cavern and Water Grotto could destroy his cultivation. Yang Xun explained the danger came from fiend lairs and the Zhongyi Sect’s violent legacy, leaving Jiang Yi to face the risks with more knowledge than he revealed.

• Jiang Yi registered for the Merit Oversight Court, and Xu Yan accepted his choice while Han Li warned him about the dangers of the Fire Cavern and Water Grotto.
• Jiang Yi asked Han Li about All the Worlds, and Han Li offered to lend him the five volumes held at the Transmission Academy.
• Yang Xun became furious when Jiang Yi told him about his assignment, then explained how the Dao Lord’s ascension shaped the Southern Continent and its Spirit Chance.
• Yang Xun said the Qianji Sect’s Dharma Lineage was established to suppress fiend lairs, and that the Fire Cavern and Water Grotto required cultivators of Gui Water and Ding Fire to contain them.
• Yang Xun linked the Merit Oversight Court’s abandonment to the Zhongyi Sect’s sword cultivators and their relentless cycles of vengeance.
• Yang Xun revealed that yin fiends had killed ten Inner Peaks disciples fifty years earlier, forcing the sect to seal the entrance and abandon the Merit Oversight Court.

Jiang Yi reassured Yang Xun about entering the Merit Oversight Court and gave him Essence-Nourishing Pills, while Yang Xun vowed to reach the tenth level of Qi Refining. After seeing visitors, Jiang Yi collected the valuable Black Shadow Garment bestowed by Sun-Watching Peak.

• Yang Xun warned Jiang Yi that suppressing the Fire Cavern and Water Grotto could damage his cultivation, but Jiang Yi explained that he had chosen the post and would inspect the sites monthly.
• Jiang Yi encouraged Yang Xun to cultivate and gave him five Essence-Nourishing Pills; Yang Xun vowed to work hard and reach the tenth level of Qi Refining.
• Jiang Yi asked about Elder Sui's family and concluded that Sui Liushu's daughter, Sui Yuzhu, who cultivated at the Xiantian Sect, could strengthen his position.
• After Yang Xun left, Jiang Yi received Li Ruohan, Wang Heng, Lu Yun, and other visitors who brought gifts and offered their concern.
• Jiang Yi went to Qigong Court, where Zhou Fan presented him with the seventh-grade Black Shadow Garment, a rare robe worth roughly a million in Talisman Money.

Jiang Yi settled into the Thatched Cottage Hermitage in the Emerald Bamboo Grove after Zhou Fan registered it in his name. He discovered that its previous owner had left behind erotic paintings, and the chapter ended with Jiang Yi dispelling their magical display while covering the Profound Mystery True Person’s eyes.

• Zhou Fan led Jiang Yi to a quiet hermitage in the Emerald Bamboo Grove and registered the Thatched Cottage Hermitage in his name.
• Jiang Yi found exquisite tea and furnishings at the cottage, then drank the Cloudmist Spring Tea after Supplicating the Heavenly Book confirmed it was safe.
• Zhou Fu told Zhao Yue that the Sect Master had ordered him to give the hermitage to Jiang Yi, and she rebuked Zhao Yue for his Acacia Sect beauty paintings.
• Zhao Yue pleaded with Zhou Fu to let him retrieve seven or eight treasured erotic paintings from the cottage’s bedchamber.
• Jiang Yi opened the bedchamber door and triggered an array that made the erotic paintings appear as naked women; he covered the Profound Mystery True Person’s eyes and dispelled the display.

Jiang Yi learned from Profound Mystery True Person about a body-refining art that could form an Innate Fire Virtue Body, though its spiritual-material requirements seemed impossibly costly. Cat Master also revealed that a Buddhist World-Honored One had imposed the Slaughter Tribulation on Sword Dao, forcing its cultivators to fulfill the tribulation to advance.

• Jiang Yi reflected on how slowly his cultivation was progressing and concluded that reaching the Twelfth Level by age thirty-nine would still mark him as a talented cultivator.
• Jiang Yi asked Profound Mystery True Person about forming a Dao Body, and Cat Master explained the Nourishment Dao Embryo Nurturing and Essence-Hiding Art.
• Profound Mystery True Person said the art could refine Jiang Yi's body into a Dao Embryo that absorbed different kinds of Spirit Chance Qi in a carefully arranged sequence.
• Cat Master said forming an Innate Fire Virtue Body required Ding Fire, Bing Fire, and possibly ten mountains each of rare spiritual materials, leaving Jiang Yi dismayed.
• Profound Mystery True Person promised to take Jiang Yi to Zhaoyao Mountain after he reached the Twelfth Level, then explained that a World-Honored One had imposed the Slaughter Tribulation on Sword Dao.
• Jiang Yi realized that Sword Dao cultivators had to fulfill the Slaughter Tribulation to advance, making generations of them die under the tribulation.

Jiang Yi enjoyed a peaceful period in the Emerald Bamboo Grove, checked his cultivation and learned he ranked eleventh among the Inner Peaks disciples. After exchanging a Hanyuan Pill for a Fire Essence Jade Tablet, he traveled to Sun-Watching Peak to begin his assignment at the Merit Oversight Court, arriving at the sect’s imposing mountain seat.

• Jiang Yi refined his Black Shadow Robe and reflected on the comfortable provisions and peaceful cultivation available to Inner Peaks disciples.
• Jiang Yi consulted the Heavenly Book, confirmed his sixth-level Qi Refining progress, and learned that he ranked eleventh among the Inner Peaks disciples.
• Jiang Yi exchanged his Hanyuan Pill with Xu Yan for a Fire Essence Jade Tablet meant to unlock the Technique for Nourishing the Dao Embryo and Storing Primordial Essence.
• Jiang Yi registered at the Qigong Court on Wavelooking Peak before flying to Sun-Watching Peak to take up his post at the Merit Oversight Court.
• Jiang Yi arrived at Sun-Watching Peak and saw its grand halls and mountain scenery for the first time.