Chapter Summaries

Shi Xuan visited Madam Fang at Bodhisattva Pudu’s temple and asked her to take the Incense and Fire Prayer Power clinging to him. Before they could decide how to transfer it, Madam Fang sensed that a flood had broken the embankment, and Shi Xuan carried her toward the disaster to help save people.

• Shi Xuan found Bodhisattva Pudu’s temple and used his Spiritual Sense to ask Madam Fang to meet him in a quiet room.
• Madam Fang appeared and explained that she had moved to a riverside temple to aid sick believers and protect them from the rising waters; she also described her and the children’s progress.
• Shi Xuan revealed the prayer power surrounding him and asked Madam Fang to transfer it and its source to herself.
• Madam Fang suddenly sensed that the flood had washed away the embankment, and Shi Xuan carried her toward the city outskirts on the Myriad Forms Shadowless Sword.
• Madam Fang asked Shi Xuan to provide something that could save the waters.

Shi Xuan and Madam Fang stopped a devastating flood in Yangzhou, and Shi Xuan reflected on the value of strength and the joy of saving others. Months later, Madam Fang learned to receive his Incense and Fire Prayer Power and gained the Divine Name Celestial Profound Immortal before they parted ways.

• Shi Xuan lent Madam Fang the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle so she could absorb the floodwaters threatening Yangzhou.
• Madam Fang appeared as Bodhisattva Pudu and used the bottle to drain the flood, saving the stranded commoners; Shi Xuan cleared the storm clouds with the Taiji Diagram.
• Shi Xuan reflected that cultivation required both a state of mind suited to longevity and strength to protect oneself, and that he preferred seeing people saved and joyful to seeing them suffer.
• Shi Xuan returned to Yangzhou while Madam Fang treated the injured, and Xu Jinyi arrived too late to witness the rescue.
• More than three months later, Madam Fang succeeded in receiving Shi Xuan's Incense and Fire Prayer Power and gained the Divine Name Celestial Profound Immortal.
• Shi Xuan and Madam Fang parted after she promised that, if she later refined a secret treasure from prayer power, it might prove useful to him.

Shi Xuan arrived at Jianya seeking Yan Jujian, only to learn that his former student had died five years earlier. After paying respects at Yan Jujian’s grave, Shi Xuan left with renewed resolve to cherish his time and continue pursuing the Dao.

• Xu Ping guarded Jianya’s mountain gate during the Sword Debate Tournament when Shi Xuan asked him to find Yan Jujian.
• Xu Ping told Shi Xuan that Yan Jujian had died five years earlier and led him to the Buried Sword Pavilion under Shi Xuan’s spell.
• Shi Xuan and Xu Ping crossed the tournament grounds, where Shi Xuan sent Zuo Xingqi flying after Zuo blocked his path.
• At Yan Jujian’s grave, Shi Xuan read his final words lamenting his missed chance to glimpse the Great Dao.
• Shi Xuan offered incense, reflected on Yan Jujian’s regrets, and departed as Gu Juejian arrived.

Shi Xuan met Chen Yanbo on the road to the Divine Capital and attended Ding Mingde’s lecture at Jingshen Temple. After Shi Xuan disappeared from the crowd, Ding Mingde returned to his room and found the young Daoist waiting for him.

• Shi Xuan learned from Chen Yanbo that Ding Mingde had come to the Divine Capital to lecture and accepted an invitation to attend.
• Shi Xuan stayed with the Chen family and accompanied them to Jingshen Temple the next day.
• Ding Mingde lectured on entering and proving the Dao through Confucianism, while Shi Xuan recognized that his teachings offered no genuine method of Confucian cultivation.
• Ding Mingde ended the lecture and vanished from the platform, and Chen Yanbo discovered that Shi Xuan had disappeared from the crowd.
• Ding Mingde returned to his room and found Shi Xuan seated inside, looking almost unchanged from twenty years earlier.

Shi Xuan visited Ding Mingde to ask whether he would return to the mountains to cultivate, then traveled to Chu Wan'er and invited her to join the Penglai Sect overseas. Chu Wan'er eagerly agreed, and Shi Xuan prepared to take her to Huilong Temple before continuing his own travels.

• Shi Xuan asked Ding Mingde to return to the mountains and cultivate, but Ding Mingde declined because he could not give up his worldly status and comforts.
• Shi Xuan left the Divine Capital for the mountain gorge where Chu Wan'er lived and learned that she had taken a pill to remain youthful and that Chu Yuyan had died thirteen years earlier.
• Chu Wan'er told Shi Xuan that she had continued cultivating in seclusion and had reached Soul Departure Peak, and Shi Xuan corrected her cultivation knowledge.
• Shi Xuan asked Chu Wan'er to follow him overseas and join the Penglai Sect, and she agreed without hesitation.
• Shi Xuan told Chu Wan'er he would take her to Huilong Temple and then Tidal Market, while warning her to build a solid foundation without relying on pills.

Shi Xuan brought Chu Wan'er to Huilong Temple, where Granny Yu took Chu Wan'er as her successor and sent Shi Xuan away. After cultivating for half a year beside the sea, Shi Xuan entered the Storm Sea and broke through to Qi Induction Perfection, leaving fishermen to witness his ascent.

• Shi Xuan gave Chu Wan'er the Cold Light Daggers and took her to Huilong Temple to arrange her teleportation to the Three Islands Sea Region.
• Granny Yu welcomed Shi Xuan and Chu Wan'er, answered Shi Xuan's cultivation questions, and asked to take Chu Wan'er as her successor.
• Granny Yu declared that she would send Chu Wan'er to the Penglai Sect in a few years, then swept Shi Xuan away to the seashore.
• Daoquanzi and the Great Black Bear wondered why Granny Yu had driven them out of Huilong Temple.
• After half a year of secluded cultivation, Shi Xuan entered the Storm Sea and broke through to Qi Induction Perfection as fishermen watched him rise into the air.

Shi Xuan joined the Fan Family Fleet under a false identity to cross the North Sea safely and reach the Arctic, where he planned to visit Guanghan Sect about the Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul Heart. As the fleet prepared to sail, he mingled with fellow passengers while concealing his cultivation.

• Shi Xuan spent a year and a half traveling through the northern overseas nations, stabilized his cultivation, and refined the Myriad Forms Shadowless Sword to the completion of the Fifth Heaven.
• Shi Xuan joined the Fan Family Fleet as a descendant of a destitute lineage seeking relatives, hiding his cultivation because Old Ancestor Blood River had noticed him.
• Shi Xuan explained that Nanke Country's phantom workers had been scattered by the wind, while He Ji and Cao Yuanze accepted his excuse.
• Zhou Chen traveled with his children, Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying, hoping they could enter Guanghan Sect because they had talent for ice-cold cultivation arts.
• A Fan Family steward announced that the fleet would board and set sail in half an hour.

Shi Xuan continued his journey aboard the Fan Family fleet, living like an ordinary person while weighing the dangers of crossing the North Sea against the chance to find an opportunity to break through. As the ships entered the region, two Blood Demon Sect cultivators arrived, and Shi Xuan learned they would travel with the fleet.

• Shi Xuan taught Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying to read and explained why he had chosen to cross the North Sea rather than take a teleportation array.
• Shi Xuan reflected on the ways he concealed his cultivation and on how living plainly had made his mind feel clear and light.
• He Ji told Shi Xuan and Zhou Chen that Blood Demon Sect cultivators would accompany the ships, frightening Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying with his description of them.
• Two blood-robed Blood Demon Sect cultivators arrived at the largest ship and ordered Fan Han to provide demon beast corpses and several beauties.
• He Ji urged Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying to become true cultivators, and the children protested that they did not want to look like the monsters he had described.

Shi Xuan hid his cultivation while Blood Demon Sect disciples searched the ship for infiltrators. After Luo Bu exposed himself as a Carrot Spirit and escaped, Shi Xuan passed inspection unnoticed, while other hidden cultivators fled and Feng Ming remained aboard.

• Shi Xuan sensed the Blood Demon Sect disciples searching the ship but concealed his cultivation and acted like an ordinary passenger.
• A Blood Demon Sect disciple ordered the passengers onto the deck and made them pass before him in groups.
• When ordered to remove his hat, Luo Bu attacked the Blood Demon Sect disciple and fled, revealing himself as a Carrot Spirit; two disciples pursued him but returned without catching him.
• Shi Xuan pretended to be cold and frightened as he passed inspection, while Feng Ming also passed without being exposed.
• After the disciples killed another hidden cultivator, several cultivators fled the fleet, but Feng Ming returned to his room and Shi Xuan stayed aboard.
• Shi Xuan gave Zhou Chen his outer robe to cover the children and later carried Zhou Yi back toward their room.

Shi Xuan helped Zhou Chen recover while the voyage continued, and the travelers mourned an old passenger who died after catching a chill. Half a year later, the fleet reached an island in Blood Demon Sect territory, where Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying continued growing and training as the group prepared for the long journey north.

• He Ji and Cao Yuanze visited the ill Zhou Chen, and Shi Xuan reflected on why he preferred facing hardship over risking a flawed advancement with pills.
• Cao Yuanze reported that old man Zhang had died after catching a chill, and Shi Xuan recalled that the old man's lifespan had nearly run out.
• After Zhou Chen recovered, Shi Xuan taught Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying to read while the travelers later watched old man Zhang's body being cremated.
• Six months later, the Fan Family Fleet reached an island near Blood Demon Sect territory to unload goods and trade, while Shi Xuan guided Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying through basic Body Tempering forms.
• Zhou Chen watched his children grow and lamented that he was growing old, while He Ji explained that icy seas and storms would stretch the remaining voyage to nearly two years.

After a year at sea, Shi Xuan parted from Zhou Chen and the children in Ice Crystal City and set out for Night City. A blood-red pursuer who had been searching for him intercepted him outside the city, revealing that the Old Ancestor had predicted his arrival in the Arctic.

• Shi Xuan traveled north with the Fan Family fleet while Zhou Yi and Zhou Ying grew taller and trained, and He Ji described life in the Arctic cities.
• During a blizzard, Shi Xuan shared hot pot with Zhou Chen, the children, He Ji, and Cao Yuanze as he reflected on his cultivation and his growing tranquility.
• At Ice Crystal City, Shi Xuan revealed that he was a cultivator and said he had strengthened their health with Divine Rain before bidding them farewell.
• Shi Xuan left for Night City on foot and flight rather than using the teleportation array, restoring his original appearance once he was outside Ice Crystal City.
• A blood-red streak pursued Shi Xuan, and a young Taoist explained that the Old Ancestor had predicted Shi Xuan would come to the Arctic and that he had waited years to find him.

Shi Xuan fought Duan Wuqing of the Blood Demon Sect in the Arctic Great Earth, initially using the Other Shore Golden Bridge to interrupt the Asura Blood Blade and land several sword strikes. Duan Wuqing regained the advantage with his Blood River Demonic Lotus and Blood Shadow Divine Skill, leaving Shi Xuan searching for a way to overcome his blade and regenerative power.

• Duan Wuqing revealed his Asura Blood Blade and warned Shi Xuan that stronger Blood Demon Sect disciples were waiting in Night City and Daylight City.
• Shi Xuan and Duan Wuqing struck at the same time, but the Other Shore Golden Bridge slowed Duan Wuqing's blade long enough for Shi Xuan's Myriad Forms Shadowless Sword to pierce him.
• Shi Xuan battered Duan Wuqing with repeated sword attacks, but the low-restriction sword inflicted only minor injuries.
• Duan Wuqing used the Blood River Demonic Lotus to hold back the Golden Bridge, broke free, and slashed through Shi Xuan's Qianyang True Fire Net and Soul-Bewildering Banner defenses.
• Shi Xuan recalled the Golden Bridge to protect himself as Duan Wuqing launched a relentless assault with the Ghost Slaying God Slaying Blade Technique.
• Shi Xuan recognized that Duan Wuqing's Blood Shadow Divine Skill healed his wounds and considered the limited ways he could kill or restrain him.

Shi Xuan struggled to withstand Duan Wuqing’s increasingly savage blade techniques and used the Jade Shattering Art to empower his Yin-Yang Two Qi. He managed to sweep away half of Duan Wuqing’s body, but Duan Wuqing stunned him with a piercing cry and brought down the Asura Blood Blade.

• Duan Wuqing used Ghost God Blood Rain to wear down Shi Xuan’s Other Shore Golden Bridge, then attacked when it withdrew.
• Shi Xuan trapped the Asura Blood Blade and fired his True Fire of Virtual Reality at Duan Wuqing, but Duan Wuqing blocked it with a hidden blood-colored banner.
• Shi Xuan followed with Geng Metal Sword Qi, but Duan Wuqing countered with a concealed black shadow, and their attacks annihilated each other.
• Duan Wuqing unleashed God Devouring Ghost Swallowing, forcing Shi Xuan to empower the Yin-Yang Two Qi with the Jade Shattering Art.
• Shi Xuan’s Yin-Yang Two Qi erased Duan Wuqing’s Blood River Demonic Lotuses and swept away the right half of his body, but Duan Wuqing used God Suppressing Ghost Seizing to stun Shi Xuan and slash at him.

Shi Xuan overcame his fear of death, broke through to the Spirit Soul Stage, and killed Duan Wuqing with Sword Qi Thunder Sound. Xie Fangwei revealed that the Penglai Sect had been watching over him and stood guard while Shi Xuan began stabilizing his new cultivation.

• As Duan Wuqing's Asura Blood Blade closed in, Shi Xuan focused on his desire to live and achieved a breakthrough to the Spirit Soul Stage.
• Shi Xuan killed Duan Wuqing with the Myriad Forms Shadowless Sword, then used his Yin-Yang Fish to turn Duan Wuqing's body into Chaotic Origin Qi.
• Xie Fangwei arrived and explained that Mo Yuan had expected Shi Xuan to travel to the Arctic and had ordered him to intervene only if Shi Xuan faced certain death.
• Xie Fangwei congratulated Shi Xuan for mastering Sword Qi Thunder Sound and offered to guard him while he stabilized his cultivation.
• Shi Xuan began merging his Spiritual Senses with his soul according to the Treasure Record.

After stabilizing his Spirit Soul Stage cultivation, Shi Xuan killed the Ice Crystal City guard who had revealed his whereabouts and recovered Duan Wuqing’s possessions. As Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei headed back toward the city, Xie explained why they could kill only one more Blood Demon Sect true disciple and had to preserve the sect’s face.

• Shi Xuan stabilized his cultivation and controlled his flying sword from a hundred miles away to kill Bai Meng, the Ice Crystal City guard who had informed Duan Wuqing of his whereabouts.
• Shi Xuan retrieved Duan Wuqing’s ruined Asura Blood Blade and opened his storage bag with Xie Fangwei’s guidance, finding Spirit Stones, pills, and a Blood Flame Divine Needle.
• Xie Fangwei explained that the Blood and Flesh Regeneration Pills could heal severe injuries and regrow limbs, while the Blood Flame Divine Needle was best used for surprise attacks.
• Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei set out for Ice Crystal City, and Xie revealed that he had arranged for the sect to conceal Duan Wuqing’s death until the next day.
• Xie Fangwei explained that the Blood Demon Sect had sent only one true disciple to pursue Shi Xuan and that they had to limit further retaliation to avoid provoking a dangerous escalation between the sects.

Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei traveled to Night City to intercept Blood Hand Butcher Wang Qinian, with Xie Fangwei choosing to fight him while Shi Xuan watched. Their battle escalated as Wang Qinian unleashed his Blood Demon Pagoda and Blood God Great Hand Seal, and Xie Fangwei revealed his Eight Desolations Imperial Thunder Seal.

• Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei arrived in Crystal City and agreed to pursue Wang Qinian, with Xie Fangwei planning to face him alone.
• In Night City, Shi Xuan sensed Wang Qinian following them and left the gates to draw him into the open.
• Xie Fangwei intercepted Wang Qinian while Shi Xuan watched from a protected snow mound, ready to stop Wang Qinian if he fled.
• Wang Qinian summoned the Blood Demon Pagoda and attacked Xie Fangwei with its blood light and Twenty-Eight Demon Gods.
• Xie Fangwei revealed his Eight Desolations Imperial Thunder Seal after his other thunder artifacts met Wang Qinian's attacks.
• Wang Qinian unleashed the final seal of his Blood God Great Hand Seal as the Demon Gods charged, and Xie Fangwei transformed his seal into an enormous Ancient Thunder God.

Xie Fangwei defeated and killed Wang Qinian after Shi Xuan repeatedly prevented Wang from escaping. Afterward, Shi Xuan asked Xie Fangwei to escort him to the Guanghan Sect, and they decided to rest in Night City for ten days before setting out.

• Xie Fangwei and Wang Qinian fought to a standstill, but Wang exhausted many of his treasures while Xie relied mainly on the Eight Desolations Imperial Thunder Seal.
• Wang Qinian tried to escape with a Minor Teleportation Talisman, but Shi Xuan repeatedly sent sword light to block him and let Xie Fangwei catch up.
• Wang Qinian threatened to unleash Gui Water Yin Thunder, but Xie Fangwei trapped it in a net and sent it underground to explode.
• Xie Fangwei overwhelmed Wang Qinian with his thunder techniques and Dharma Artifacts, killing him.
• Xie Fangwei explained his tactics to Shi Xuan, then opened Wang Qinian's storage bag and lamented the cost of the battle.
• Shi Xuan asked Xie Fangwei to escort him to the Guanghan Sect, and they agreed to rest in Night City for ten days before leaving.

Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei visited Guanghan Sect to ask about exchanging for a Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul Heart. Gong Xujing brought them to the sect’s mountain gate, where Zhao Lina welcomed them and led them to meet the Sect Master.

• Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei met Gong Xujing at Guanghan Sect’s Night City residence and asked whether they could exchange for a Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul Heart.
• Gong Xujing said the sect had the item but needed the Sect Master’s approval, and invited them to accompany him to the mountain gate.
• Gong Xujing guided Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei through the Arctic Circle’s magnetic maze to the hidden snow mountains of Guanghan Sect.
• After Gong Xujing went inside to announce their arrival, Zhao Lina greeted Shi Xuan and Xie Fangwei and escorted them toward the Sect Master.

Shi Xuan sought to trade for Guanghan Sect’s Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul Heart, and Yan Qianying offered it in exchange for a heart-demon-suppressing Divine Path artifact from a cave abode in the Western Wilderness Land. Shi Xuan agreed to seek the cave’s inner residence after stabilizing his cultivation and gaining an External Core, then left for Night City with Xie Fangwei.

• Shi Xuan offered a Yin-Yang Jade Tablet, a Star Ironclad Beast Core, or a Blood and Flesh Regeneration Pill for the Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul Heart, but Yan Qianying said they were unsuitable for the exchange.
• Yan Qianying named a ten-thousand-year Snow Soul Bead or a high-grade Divine Path Dharma Artifact capable of suppressing heart demons as acceptable payment.
• Yan Qianying explained that a lost command token could open the inner residence of a Divine Path Cultivator’s cave abode in the Western Wilderness Land, and Shi Xuan realized he already possessed one.
• Shi Xuan worried that Golden Core Grandmasters might threaten him, so Yan Qianying advised him to wait until he had stabilized his cultivation and mastered more Daoist arts before exploring the cave.
• Yan Qianying suggested Shi Xuan refine the Star Ironclad Beast Core into an External Core and promised a method to improve his chances of surviving against a low-grade Golden Core.
• Shi Xuan agreed to seek the cave’s heart-demon-suppressing artifact, and he and Xie Fangwei returned to Night City.

Shi Xuan returned to the Penglai Sect after advancing to the Spirit Soul Stage and prepared to become a true disciple. After choosing the Divine Firmament True Law and completing the public ceremony, he followed Mo Yuan and Zhang Zhengyan toward the sect’s true initiation ceremony.

• Shi Xuan returned to the Penglai Sect, where the disciples at Guest Greeting Island realized he had advanced to the Spirit Soul Stage.
• Shi Xuan reported his experiences to Mo Yuan, who confirmed Granny Yu’s identity and told him to attend the true disciple ceremony in three days.
• Mo Yuan explained the three great true transmissions, and Shi Xuan chose the Divine Firmament True Law.
• Mo Yuan told Shi Xuan about the Daoist arts and rewards available to true disciples, including Merit Points for killing Duan Wuqing.
• Shi Xuan became the Penglai Sect’s tenth true disciple of his generation at the public ceremony.
• Zhang Zhengyan and Mo Yuan led Shi Xuan toward the true initiation ceremony to pay respects to Patriarch Jiang.