Chapter Summaries

After his master and two martial uncles died, Zhang Qingyuan persuaded his six senior brothers to appoint him sect master and promised a plan to revive the declining Tianyang Sect. As he left the meeting, the Sect Prosperity System activated and announced rewards for raising the sect's level.

• Zhang Qingyuan reflected on the Tianyang Sect's decline and the threat posed by factions seeking its land, buildings, and martial arts manuals.
• Zhao Guangqi told the disciples that the White Dragon Gang wanted the sect's property and the East Sea Sect wanted to absorb the Tianyang Sect.
• Zhang Qingyuan argued that he should become sect master and outlined his senior brothers' strengths and weaknesses.
• Zhao Guangqi and the other five disciples agreed to Zhang Qingyuan's appointment, and he scheduled the succession ceremony for the next morning.
• The Sect Prosperity System activated for Zhang Qingyuan and promised rewards as he raised the sect's level.

After taking over as sect master, Zhang Qingyuan appointed his six senior brothers to run the Tianyang Sect’s departments and began preparing to revive the sect through a new approach. The chapter ended with him ordering the brothers to meet him individually for their specific assignments.

• Zhang Qingyuan collected the system’s rewards, including pills and martial arts manuals, and stored the manuals in the library.
• He spent the night writing a secret proposal to modernize the Tianyang Sect, then burned it after the succession ceremony.
• Zhang Qingyuan appointed Zhao Guangqi director of Logistics and told him to prepare for a large influx of disciples.
• He appointed Zheng Jianxin director of Security and Bian Zhenxuan director of Finance and deputy sect master.
• He appointed Bai Shuyan director of Publicity and Foreign Affairs, Li Moran minister of Personnel, and Sun Xiaotian secretary to the sect leaders.
• Zhang Qingyuan told the senior brothers to meet him one by one for their specific duties, while they eyed Sun Xiaotian as a much-needed helper.

Zhang Qingyuan assigned his senior brothers jobs to rebuild the Tianyang Sect, then used pills to advance to the sixth rank. He began discussing a new business idea with Bian Zhenxuan, asking whether he knew what media was.

• Zhang Qingyuan gave Zhao Guangqi the sect’s remaining funds and a shopping list, then persuaded him to accept two pills to improve his cultivation.
• Zhang Qingyuan ordered Zheng Jianxin to wipe out nearby bandits, spread his name, and gave him three sword manuals and two pills.
• Zhang Qingyuan took the pills himself, cleansed his body of impurities, and advanced from the seventh rank to the sixth rank.
• Zhang Qingyuan summoned Bian Zhenxuan to manage the sect’s finances and teased a new business venture by asking whether he knew what media was.

Zhang Qingyuan persuaded Bian Zhenxuan to partner with the Tianyang Sect on a newspaper that could earn money and promote the sect. He assigned his senior brothers preparations for recruiting teachers and a diplomatic mission, then went to the library while the others set about their tasks.

• Zhang Qingyuan explained his newspaper plan to Bian Zhenxuan, who agreed to seek his family's partnership and split the profits with the Tianyang Sect.
• Zhang Qingyuan gave Bian Zhenxuan a Creation Pill and a Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and they discussed using the newspaper to raise the sect's profile and recruit disciples.
• Zhang Qingyuan told Bai Shuyan that he would travel with him and Fifth Senior Brother in a few days, then gave him two pills disguised as aphrodisiacs.
• Zhang Qingyuan tasked Li Moran and Bai Shuyan with compiling a list of local experts to recruit as teachers, and gave Li Moran two pills.
• Zhang Qingyuan gave Sun Xiaotian two pills and sent him to see whether the other senior brothers needed help.
• The senior brothers dispersed to their assignments, and Old Zhang excitedly greeted Bian Zhenxuan when he returned to the Bian family residence.

Zhao Guangqi used the pills Zhang Qingyuan gave him to rise to peak fifth rank while struggling to organize the Tianyang Sect’s repairs and supplies. Zheng Jianxin began making a name for himself as the self-styled Tianyang Sword Immortal, while Bian Zhenxuan returned to his wealthy family and reunited with his father.

• Zhao Guangqi bought food, arranged repairs to the training grounds, and sorted the sect’s old furnishings while worrying that the available funds would not cover the work.
• Zhao Guangqi took the Creation Pill and Minor Rejuvenation Pill, improving his True Qi and reaching peak fifth rank.
• Zheng Jianxin studied three sword manuals, killed the bandits who mocked him, and carved the name “The Tianyang Sword Immortal, Zheng Jianxin” into a cliff.
• Bian Zhenxuan visited his family’s home, where Old Bian greeted his long-absent son with mock anger before the two reunited.

Bian Zhenxuan persuaded Old Bian to fund bunk beds and a newspaper enterprise for the Tianyang Sect before returning to the mountain. After three days of preparations, Zhang Qingyuan set out with Fourth Brother to recruit martial artists as teachers, leaving the sect’s next plan about to begin.

• Bian Zhenxuan explained Zhang Qingyuan’s bunk-bed design and newspaper plan to Old Bian, who agreed to provide five thousand beds and split the newspaper proceeds evenly with the Tianyang Sect.
• Bian Zhenxuan urged Old Bian to establish the editorial department within ten days, then returned to the mountain to oversee the sect’s finances.
• The eldest brother supervised renovations while the second brother defeated three bandit strongholds, and Bian Zhenxuan monitored progress between the city and the mountain.
• Bai Shuyan and Li Moran waited with lists of martial artists as they wondered what Zhang Qingyuan was planning.
• Zhang Qingyuan reviewed the lists, asked whether any candidates could defeat opponents of higher realms, and ordered Fourth Brother to prepare while Fifth Brother found a carriage.
• Zhang Qingyuan told Fourth Brother they were going to invite teachers.

Zhang Qingyuan recruited Lu Guying to teach foundational martial arts at the Tianyang Sect, persuading the hesitant swordsman with praise, pay, and a ten-year contract. Lu Guying agreed to sign, while Zhang Qingyuan kept his broader plans for the sect secret from his senior brothers.

• Zhang Qingyuan refused to reveal his plan to Fourth and Fifth, saying they would understand in another month.
• Zhang Qingyuan, Fourth, and Fifth visited Lu Guying, an Eighth-Rank swordsman who lived with his wife and son outside Ripple Water City.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained his new year-level teaching model and invited Lu Guying to teach first-year disciples their martial arts foundations.
• Zhang Qingyuan and Fifth praised Lu Guying for defeating a Sixth-Rank expert through skill, and Lu Guying explained his belief in mastering martial techniques over relying on True Qi.
• Zhang Qingyuan offered Lu Guying pay, benefits, and a ten-year contract with no obligation to fight for the sect, and Lu Guying agreed to sign.

Zhang Qingyuan organized recruitment and staffing for Tianyang Sect while overseeing its preparations for a new school, then visited the newly assembled editorial department in Phoenix Cry City. He left the department ready to begin work, with scholars persuaded to take part in the unfamiliar newspaper venture.

• Zhang Qingyuan assigned Fifth Brother to recruit staff for the sect and its departments, and told Fourth Brother to help recruit before returning to learn publicity and diplomacy.
• Zhang Qingyuan returned to Tianyang Sect and heard that Zheng Jianxin had defeated Qin Shuang and the Five Tigers of East Mountain, bringing the sect fame and fifteen thousand taels in loot.
• Eldest Brother reported that training grounds and dormitories were being prepared, grain had been stockpiled, and the sect planned to raise livestock and grow vegetables to reduce costs.
• Bian Zhenxuan told Zhang Qingyuan that the editorial and printing departments had been staffed, a printing workshop acquired, and paper ordered.
• Zhang Qingyuan and Bian Zhenxuan visited the Tianyang Editorial Department, where the scholars and printers awaited instructions; the scholars agreed to work after Bian Zhenxuan offered higher pay.

Zhang Qingyuan organized the Tianyang Daily’s editorial department, assigning Li Xiuwen as editor-in-chief and outlining the newspaper’s sections, reporting network, and publication schedule. He left the editors preparing the first issue, which would cover the autumn examination and include a serialized version of Journey to the West.

• Zhang Qingyuan guided the editors in brainstorming fresh, attention-grabbing front-page stories and appointed Li Xiuwen editor-in-chief with authority to review submissions and reward writers.
• Zhang Qingyuan told Li Xiuwen to recruit literate reporters to gather news across the Eastern Realm and invite the public to sell information.
• Zhang Qingyuan outlined sections for current affairs, prices, unusual stories, and interviews with prominent figures, while the editors discussed how interviews could attract fame and benefits.
• Zhang Qingyuan gave the editors his Journey to the West outline and directed them to serialize two thousand characters of vernacular fiction in each issue.
• Zhang Qingyuan ordered the editors to prepare autumn examination coverage within ten days and publish the first Tianyang Daily issue then, followed by an issue every five days.

Zhang Qingyuan launched the Tianyang Daily in three cities, where its mix of examination predictions, martial-arts news, market prices, strange tales, and serialized fiction captivated readers. The first installment of Journey to the West ended on a cliffhanger, leaving readers eager for the next issue.

• Zhang Qingyuan and Li Xiuwen prepared the first newspaper issue while Li recruited five reporters to cover nearby cities.
• Newspaper children and newsstands sold the Tianyang Daily in Phoenix Cry City, Donglin City, and Ripple Water City.
• Readers debated the paper’s predictions about the autumn examination talents and its report on Zheng Jianxin defeating the Three Fiends of Mobei.
• The newspaper covered local prices and rumors of ghosts at Zhao Family Village, prompting readers to discuss the stories.
• Readers followed the opening of Journey to the West until the story stopped after the stone monkey became the Handsome Monkey King.

The Tianyang Daily made Zheng Jianxin famous among ordinary people, disrupting the East Sea Sect’s plans to absorb the weakened Tianyang Sect. The East Sea Sect’s leaders decided to secretly arrange Zheng Jianxin’s death so they could later seize the sect under the pretext of avenging it.

• Bian Zhenxuan reported that the first issue of the Tianyang Daily had sold out in all three cities, and Zhang Qingyuan planned to reward the editors and expand circulation.
• He Zhen panicked over Zheng Jianxin’s rise and feared the Tianyang Sword Immortal would come after him.
• Gao Yulong and the East Sea Sect elders debated whether to seize the Tianyang Sect, while Gao Yukai warned that an unjustified attack would invite retaliation from rival sects.
• Ma Zhengyuan proposed killing Zheng Jianxin so the Tianyang Sect would lose its strongest defender, and the elders agreed to use the resulting turmoil to claim its inheritances.
• Gao Yukai urged the East Sea Sect to hire assassins and incite swordsmen to challenge Zheng Jianxin, and Gao Yulong ordered Fifth Brother to take ten thousand taels of silver to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion.

Zhang Qingyuan took Bai Shuyan on a tour of businesses to arrange jobs for Tianyang Sect graduates, then traveled to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion to negotiate employment for disciples there. The pavilion master agreed to hire graduates with certificates, and Zhang Qingyuan invited the pavilion to recruit directly from the sect.

• Old Fourth and Bai Shuyan returned to the Tianyang Sect after recruiting enough first-year teachers, and Zhang Qingyuan met Bai Shuyan for breakfast.
• Zhang Qingyuan and Bai Shuyan discussed the sect's growth and the dangers drawing attention to the Tianyang Sect and its newly famous Tianyang Sword Immortal.
• Zhang Qingyuan spent three days arranging for businesses in Phoenix Cry City to hire future Tianyang Sect graduates.
• Zhang Qingyuan and Bai Shuyan traveled to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion, where Zhang Qingyuan argued that assassination was a profession like any other.
• The pavilion master agreed to let graduates with certificates take jobs as assassins and welcomed Zhang Qingyuan's offer to recruit directly at the Tianyang Sect.

After discovering that the East Sea Sect had ordered a hit on Zheng Jianxin, Zhang Qingyuan and Fourth resolved to destroy the sect. Meanwhile, Zheng Jianxin defeated a challenger, recruited him as a swordsmanship instructor, and survived an assassination attempt that exposed the East Sea Sect's involvement.

• Zhang Qingyuan interpreted the ink stain on the Listening to the Rain Pavilion master's warning as a clue pointing to the East Sea Sect, and he and Fourth vowed to make the sect disappear.
• Zheng Jianxin defeated Zhao Wuji in a duel, spared him, and recruited him with a Tianyang Sect Swordsmanship Instructor Employment Contract.
• An assassin attacked Zheng Jianxin with hidden weapons, but he blocked them and chased the attacker away.
• Zheng Jianxin found a bounty notice on the ground that offered eight hundred taels for his death and said the East Sea Sect would settle the balance.
• The Tianyang Daily reporters promised to publish the assassination attempt, while the crowd discussed the East Sea Sect's role.

Zhang Qingyuan used the Tianyang Daily to accuse the East Sea Sect of hiring an assassin and led the Tianyang Sect’s elders toward Donglin City to demand an explanation. The East Sea Sect elders decided to sacrifice their fifth elder to protect themselves, while Zhang Qingyuan revealed that he had staged the attack and expected Zheng Jianxin to handle the coming confrontation.

• The Tianyang Daily published a report claiming the East Sea Sect had hired an assassin to kill Zheng Jianxin, and Zhang Qingyuan said he was leading the Tianyang Sect to demand an explanation.
• The East Sea Sect elders worried about the public backlash and decided to blame their fifth elder, who had secretly visited the Listening to the Rain Pavilion.
• Zhang Qingyuan led the six other Tianyang Sect elders, Zhao Wuji, reporters, and martial artists toward Donglin City in a public procession.
• At an inn, Zhang Qingyuan admitted that the newspaper had fabricated Ning Jixiang’s interview and that he had arranged the assassination attempt on Zheng Jianxin.
• Zhang Qingyuan said the group would rely on Zheng Jianxin to deal with the East Sea Sect, and Zheng Jianxin responded with a proud snort.

Ning Jixiang recognized the political power of Zhang Qingyuan’s newspaper and ordered the Bright Moon Sect elders to meet. At the East Sea Sect, Zhang Qingyuan turned the staged confession and the fifth elder’s death into a public pretext for Zheng Jianxin to attack, leaving the two sects fighting.

• Ning Jixiang accepted that Zhang Qingyuan’s flattering newspaper could not be publicly challenged and ordered Di Yunjie to summon the Bright Moon Sect elders to discuss starting a newspaper.
• Gao Yulong presented the East Sea Sect’s fifth elder as the sole culprit behind Zheng Jianxin’s attempted assassination, while the fifth elder accepted the blame.
• Zhang Qingyuan appeared ready to forgive the fifth elder, despite Gao Yulong and Ma Zhengyuan urging him to execute him.
• The East Sea Sect’s third elder stabbed the fifth elder, and Zhang Qingyuan pretended Gao Yulong had struck him and claimed the fifth elder had identified the sect leaders as the real plotters.
• Zheng Jianxin charged the East Sea Sect, and its members drew their weapons as the gathered martial artists turned against them.

Zheng Jianxin fought the East Sea Sect’s leader and four elders, broke through to Third Rank, and discovered his own Dao of Showing Off. With the East Sea Sect defeated and disbanding, he stood acclaimed while Zhang Qingyuan and Bian Zhenxuan discussed arranging more chances for him to show off.

• Zheng Jianxin deflected the East Sea Sect elders’ combined attack and wounded two of them with his swordsmanship.
• Zheng Jianxin used a fine thread of Sword Qi to sever Gao Yulong’s sword and grievously wound him, then killed the four remaining elders.
• Zheng Jianxin announced his breakthrough into Third Rank as a sword domain took shape around his Dao of Showing Off.
• Zheng Jianxin sent True Qi into Zhang Qingyuan, who woke and reassured him, while the East Sea Sect’s surviving disciples surrendered and prepared to disband.
• Bian Zhenxuan and Zhang Qingyuan recognized that Zheng Jianxin’s showing off had become his Dao and joked about arranging further spectacles for him.

Zhang Qingyuan explained his plan to turn the Tianyang Sect into a school that recruited students, charged affordable tuition, and arranged jobs for graduates. He assigned his brothers to publicize the enrollment drive, which would begin in half a month.

• Zhang Qingyuan gathered his six senior brothers and said the Tianyang Sect had become known in at least five cities in Yu Province but still had too few members.
• Zhang Qingyuan proposed a free trial year, affordable tuition, scholarships, and waivers for outstanding students.
• Zhang Qingyuan divided students into elementary and university levels based on martial ranks, with talented students able to become personal disciples and others graduating to pursue work.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained that the sect would guarantee job placements for graduates who reached at least seventh rank, with cooperating powers recruiting them.
• Zhang Qingyuan told his brothers to prepare flyers, banners, and advertisements announcing that enrollment would begin in half a month.

Zhang Qingyuan organized the Tianyang Sect’s teachers and prepared them to train new disciples at its Martial Dao Academy. After the sect advertised a free year of instruction across five cities, farmers and their families began considering the academy as a chance for their children to change their futures.

• Zhang Qingyuan met the ten first-grade teachers, praised their martial abilities, and asked them to compile their experience into teaching materials before enrollment began.
• Zhang Qingyuan introduced Zhao Wuji as a first-year university teacher and asked him to help guide the beginners while learning the academy’s teaching methods.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained the teachers’ contracts and urged them to work together to build a strong foundation for future disciples.
• Printing workshops produced advertisements announcing free food, lodging, and martial instruction for a year, with registration opening in ten days near Heavenly Sun Mountain.
• Villagers in Little Wang Village read the advertisement and discussed sending their children to the Tianyang Sect Martial Dao Academy, hoping they might gain skills and improve their prospects.

Zhang Qingyuan’s Tianyang Sect launched a citywide recruitment campaign promising free training, food and lodging, scholarships, and job placements, drawing strong interest from families and businesses. As enrollment day approached, Zhang planned to take two thousand students and hire licentiates to teach those who could not read.

• Liu Sandao and his son Liu Sidao found Phoenix Cry City covered in Tianyang Sect advertisements and read about its martial academy and employment partnerships.
• Liu Sidao asked to study at Tianyang Sect, and Liu Sandao agreed after weighing the academy’s benefits.
• Residents across the five cities considered enrolling their children, while merchants sought advertising space in Old Bian’s newspaper.
• Zhao Guangqi questioned Zhang Qingyuan about his plan, and Zhang explained that recruiting two thousand students each year would help uncover martial talent.
• After hearing that the campaign had sparked interest, Zhang Qingyuan asked Old Fourth to recruit twenty licentiates on one-year contracts so students who could not read could learn.

Zhang Qingyuan organized the Tianyang Sect’s departments and launched its first recruitment drive, which filled all two thousand places in a single day. As latecomer applicants were turned away and told to return next year, Di Yunjie rode toward the sect, surprised by the speed and scale of its recruitment.

• Zhang Qingyuan assigned his senior brothers to staff the sect’s security, logistics, finance, publicity, and personnel departments.
• Zhang Qingyuan and the Tianyang Sect staff prepared the mountain gate and welcomed applicants for the sect’s inaugural recruitment day.
• Zhang Qingyuan handed out numbered tokens and reassured parents and children about tuition, girls’ admission, and job prospects after graduation.
• The Tianyang Sect filled its two thousand places in one day, and Zhang Qingyuan told those who missed registration to apply the following year.
• Di Yunjie rode toward the Tianyang Sect with the Seven Stars Pill, wondering how its recruitment had filled so quickly.