Chapter Summaries

Ji Yuan gave the Earth God a treasured Dharma coin in exchange for help finding good ink and settled into the Land God Temple. He learned that the Word Spirits had awakened years earlier and had searched for him, leaving him to face a much livelier life with his animated scroll companions.

• Ji Yuan gave the Earth God a Dharma coin and asked him to find good ink while Ji Yuan stayed at the Land God Temple.
• Ji Yuan let the Word Spirits take the Ink Sticks, then collected them and the Sword Intent Scroll into his sleeve as they squabbled.
• The Earth God used Dream Imparting to tell the temple steward to prepare a quiet, clean room for Mister Ji.
• Ji Yuan settled into the temple and questioned the Sword Intent Scroll about when its characters had gained feelings and thoughts.
• The Sword character explained that the Word Spirits had awakened around ten years earlier, grown stronger by eating ink, and searched for Ji Yuan after he left the scroll with Yan.

Ji Yuan learned that the Sword Intent Scroll’s living characters had fled across the region and discovered that each possessed distinct qualities and could evade detection. He kept them with him, then joined Steward Liu and Madam Liu for a meal at the Land God Temple, where Steward Liu grew curious about him.

• Ji Yuan questioned the Sword Intent Scroll’s characters about their flight and learned they had reached Moyuan County after traveling twenty thousand li.
• The Heart character described how a cunning, dog-like demon had tracked the characters and searched for them while they hid.
• Ji Yuan praised the Heart character, recognized that individual characters possessed different abilities, and told them they could remain by his side rather than go to Yan Fei.
• Ji Yuan went with the temple steward to the kitchen for the noon meal and learned that Steward Liu had come to fulfill a vow after dreaming the Earth God had resolved a strange incident.
• The temple steward seated Ji Yuan with Steward Liu and Madam Liu and treated him with unusual attentiveness, prompting Steward Liu’s curiosity.

Ji Yuan shared a meal with Steward Liu and the temple steward, learned that Monk Huitong had become famous for his looks, and received fine ink from the Earth God. He prepared to brush the ink over the Little Characters on his Sword Intent Scroll to help their cultivation.

• Ji Yuan joined Steward Liu, Madam Liu, and the temple steward for a feast, where he sampled Moyuan Fragrant Wine and introduced himself as a Great Zhen Person.
• Ji Yuan asked about Daliang Temple, and Steward Liu and the temple steward recounted how Monk Huitong's handsome appearance attracted female pilgrims and even an Eldest Princess.
• Ji Yuan entertained the diners with stories, while Steward Liu ate a fish ball that the temple steward claimed had been tasted by the Earth God.
• The Earth God gave Ji Yuan a box of 163 top-grade Pine Smoke Ink sticks in thanks for his help.
• Ji Yuan took out the Sword Intent Scroll, soothed the eager Little Characters, and prepared to apply ink to them with a Wolf Hair Brush.

Ji Yuan cultivated the Sword Intent Scroll’s characters by rewriting it and gathering rare inks before leaving Lilong Village. He reached Daliang Temple in Tongqiu Prefecture, hoping to see Monk Huitong, as the temple came into view amid a crowd of pilgrims.

• Ji Yuan ground ink and rewrote the Sword Intent Scroll, instructing its characters to study the intent and nine script forms he would use to brush ink over them.
• Ji Yuan spent two days exploring Moyuan County and received several boxes of fine ink from the Earth God of Lilong Village.
• The Earth God presented Ji Yuan with rare Golden Fragrance Ink, and Ji Yuan thanked him and said he would soon leave.
• Ji Yuan departed the Land God Temple the next morning and traveled north toward Daliang Temple.
• After half a month of travel, Ji Yuan reached Tongqiu Prefecture and walked with pilgrims toward Daliang Temple, where he heard people discussing Master Huitong.

Ji Yuan visited Daliang Temple and sought out his old acquaintance, Master Huitong, while a woman in the inner courtyard tried to learn the Buddha Seal Scripture from the monk. Huitong recognized Ji Yuan’s name and was delighted by his timely arrival.

• Ji Yuan admired Daliang Temple and met Tiefeng, a man from the Tingliang capital, who showed him around.
• Ji Yuan parted from Tiefeng at Ming King Hall and headed for the temple’s rear courtyard to meet Huitong.
• Ji Yuan asked two monks to tell Huitong that he had come, and one monk went to report the visit.
• Huitong continued teaching the Buddha Seal Scripture to a woman in peach-red clothing while a female official blocked the reporting monk from approaching.
• The female official told the woman that Ji Yuan had come to see Huitong, and Huitong recognized his name with delight.

Ji Yuan reunited with Monk Huitong at Daliang Temple and learned that Tianbao Kingdom was weakening amid internal and external troubles. Ji Yuan also sensed that Daliang Temple’s Buddha Seal Ming King statue might soon give rise to an incarnation, potentially making the temple a Buddhist sacred ground.

• The Eldest Princess left Huitong’s quarters, and Ji Yuan passed her and her female official without stopping before meeting Huitong in a secluded monk hall.
• Ji Yuan and Huitong discussed Tianbao Kingdom’s declining condition, Huitong’s late master Fudu, and a letter that Ji Yuan had never received.
• Huitong complained that the Eldest Princess was pursuing him and that the emperor had ordered him to teach her scriptures alone.
• Ji Yuan asked whether Huitong had guided Zhao Long, whose Dharma name was Jueming, but Huitong did not remember doing so.
• Ji Yuan used Dharma Eye Observation to examine the Buddha Seal Ming King Hall and told Huitong that the temple’s statue showed signs of producing a Ming King Incarnation.

Ji Yuan confirmed that Daliang Temple’s Ming King Golden Body was nearing completion as he stayed with Huitong. Ten days later, a chanting elder arrived, and Huitong went to welcome him while Ji Yuan recognized him as the Ming King True Body.

• Ji Yuan told Huitong that Buddhist power and prayer power were shaping Daliang Temple’s Ming King Golden Body.
• The Eldest Princess repeatedly visited Daliang Temple, but Huitong remained with Ji Yuan and did not meet her.
• On the tenth day, the Eldest Princess came to confront Huitong, who explained that a revered Buddhist elder was arriving.
• Ji Yuan and Huitong went to the temple gate as an old monk approached, chanting sutras that most people could not hear.
• The old monk greeted Huitong and continued into Daliang Temple, while Ji Yuan watched and wondered if he had seen the Ming King True Body.

Ji Yuan watched Old Monk Foyin manifest a golden Buddha incarnation at Daliang Temple, turning it into a Buddhist Dharma Site. Afterward, Foyin invited Ji Yuan to speak beneath a tree, where Ji Yuan asked about Jade Fox Cave Heaven and mentioned that a fox had tried to steal his Green Vine Sword.

• Ji Yuan explained to the Eldest Princess and Official Lu that the temple’s pilgrims overlooked the monks because they were detached from ordinary perception.
• Old Monk Foyin manifested a golden incarnation that entered the Buddha statue, drawing in the temple’s prayer power and filling the sky with colored clouds.
• The Eldest Princess and Official Lu worshipped, then departed after Ji Yuan advised them to give Huitong some space.
• Foyin approached Ji Yuan and invited him to speak in the rear courtyard, where Huitong told the abbot that Ji Yuan was an old friend and a Master of the Immortal Path.
• Ji Yuan asked Foyin about Jade Fox Cave Heaven and said that one of its foxes had tried to take the Green Vine Sword.

Ji Yuan learned how to seek the Jade Fox Cave Heaven from Old Monk Foyin, then joined him in a profound discussion of the Dao at Daliang Temple. Their discussion produced spreading Anomalous Phenomena, prompting the temple to clear its grounds and market so they would not be disturbed.

• Ji Yuan told Old Monk Foyin that the fox had escaped after tricking him, and Foyin explained that the Jade Fox Cave Heaven could be sought through Shallow Azure Mountain at the proper autumn times on three peaks.
• Old Monk Foyin and Ji Yuan exchanged insights on the Dao, cultivation, and the Inner World beneath a tree in Daliang Temple.
• Their discussion grew so profound that Anomalous Phenomena spread through the temple, overwhelming Monk Huitong and the Abbot.
• Monk Huitong warned the Abbot that the visions and sounds might disturb the discussion if worshippers remained nearby.
• The Abbot ordered the monks to close Daliang Temple early and clear out worshippers and market vendors, offering merchants compensation for their losses.

Daliang Temple closed to visitors as Daoist sounds and visions spread from the rear courtyard, testing the minds of everyone nearby. Three martial artists sneaked inside, succumbed to the illusions, and were rescued by an Old Monk before fleeing.

• Daliang Temple sealed its gates and posted a notice refusing worshippers as strange Daoist sounds and visions spread through the temple.
• Three martial artists hid outside, discussed the sudden closure, and decided to sneak inside after nightfall.
• The three entered Daliang Temple and found monks meditating or unconscious around the edge of an area filled with strange phenomena.
• Illusions of golden lotuses, strange beasts, and immortals overwhelmed the intruders and stirred their desires.
• The young man surnamed Tang lost control, and an Old Monk subdued all three and warned them to leave.
• The three martial artists regained their senses and hurried out of Daliang Temple.

Ji Yuan and Old Monk Foyin concluded their long discourse on the Dao at Daliang Temple, where its lingering power had kept the temple closed for weeks. As the morning bell rang and the strange mist began to fade, the temple prepared to reopen to worshippers.

• Three investigators fled Daliang Temple after its illusions and strange sounds overwhelmed them, then reported what they had seen to Sixth Master in Tongqiu Prefecture.
• Sixth Master sent a letter after hearing their report, while the Eldest Princess wondered what was happening inside Daliang Temple.
• Daliang Temple stayed closed from early October until early November, and its monks kept away from the discourse's range to recover and avoid being overwhelmed.
• Ji Yuan and Old Monk Foyin ended their discourse, exchanged greetings, and acknowledged how much they had gained from it.
• Old Monk Foyin rang Daliang Temple's morning bell, and its sound spread through the temple and nearby settlements as the strange mist began to disperse.
• The monks awoke, and news soon spread that Daliang Temple would receive worshippers again the next day.

Ji Yuan wrote the first and most important section of the Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method at Daliang Temple, while Chu Ruyan arrived to visit the reopened temple. As the final character was written, dark clouds, thunder, and fierce winds gathered over the temple.

• Old Monk Foyin told Ji Yuan that the towering tree was called a banyan mulberry, and Ji Yuan explained that Bodhi meant enlightenment and wisdom.
• Chu Ruyan learned that Daliang Temple would reopen the next day and hurried to visit it with her attendants.
• Monk Huitong welcomed Chu Ruyan and told her that Ji Yuan was writing in a courtyard where no one was allowed to disturb him.
• Huitong led Chu Ruyan and Official Lu to a distant point from which they could see the courtyard beneath the great tree.
• Ji Yuan completed the Heaven and Earth Transformation, the first and most important section of the Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method.
• Thunder, dark clouds, and fierce winds gathered over Daliang Temple as the method was completed.

Ji Yuan fled Daliang Temple with Heaven and Earth Transformation to keep its lightning tribulation from endangering the monks, then faced a series of increasingly powerful strikes on a desolate mountain. He split the third strike with the Green Vine Sword but remained caught in the lightning while protecting the scroll.

• Ji Yuan realized completing Heaven and Earth Transformation had summoned a lightning tribulation and flew away from Daliang Temple, reassuring the monks that it was targeting him.
• The storm followed Ji Yuan to a remote mountain ridge, where he prepared to endure the tribulation rather than abandon the scroll.
• Ji Yuan blocked the first lightning strike with a Golden Armored Strongman, then used two more Golden Armored Strongmen against a stronger, purple-tinged strike.
• Ji Yuan sent up his thunder talisman to withstand the next strike, recalled it when it began to crack, and drew the Green Vine Sword.
• Ji Yuan split the heavenly lightning and thundercloud with his sword, but lightning continued down the hilt as he protected Heaven and Earth Transformation.

Ji Yuan endured the final Heavenly Tribulation Thunder and confirmed that Heaven and Earth Transformation had survived with its writing intact. After returning to Daliang Temple, he reassured the monks and prepared to leave, but Official Lu asked whether becoming an immortal required special qualifications.

• Ji Yuan used the Imperial Decree Thunder Spell, the Immortal Sword, and his own magic to endure the tribulation while shielding the Little Paper Crane and the scroll.
• Ji Yuan unrolled Heaven and Earth Transformation and found its writing intact, though the paper had turned yellow and its edges were scorched.
• At Daliang Temple, Huitong and Chu Ruyan watched the storm weaken and saw sunlight break through the clouds; Huitong recognized the opening left by the sword strike.
• Ji Yuan returned to Daliang Temple, reassured the Abbot that the tribulation was over, and told Huitong the temple could continue without him.
• Official Lu asked Ji Yuan whether cultivating spells and becoming an immortal had requirements, and Ji Yuan replied that he did not accept disciples.

Ji Yuan rejected Lu Qianyan’s request to become his disciple, then visited Old Dragon at the Tongtian River Water Mansion to collect the wine debt he was owed. After receiving Dragon Saliva Incense that eased the pain from his tribulation injuries, he invited Old Dragon to accompany him to Cloud Mountain Temple, where great changes were coming.

• Ji Yuan refused to teach Lu Qianyan immortal arts and joked with Monk Huitong before leaving Daliang Temple.
• Ji Yuan traveled to the Tongtian River to collect the wager debt from Old Dragon.
• Old Dragon gave Ji Yuan a wine pot containing Dragon Saliva Incense and another containing wine prepared by Feng'er.
• Ji Yuan accepted the gifts and persuaded Old Dragon to accompany him to Cloud Mountain Temple.
• A Yaksha brought Ji Yuan three large bighead carp, and Ji Yuan set out with Old Dragon toward Bingzhou.
• Ji Yuan drank Dragon Saliva Incense while traveling and found that it eased the pain in his left arm and hand.

Ji Yuan told Old Dragon how the completed Heaven and Earth Transformation had drawn a dangerous lightning tribulation, then showed him the marvelous method. Ji Yuan and Old Dragon arrived at Cloud Mountain Temple, where Ji Yuan confirmed he would make the method the temple’s foundation for cultivation.

• Ji Yuan revealed the residual lightning-tribulation aura on his injured hand and explained that heavenly lightning had struck when he completed Heaven and Earth Transformation.
• Old Dragon read the scroll, witnessed its wondrous transformations, and praised the method’s extraordinary contents.
• Ji Yuan told Old Dragon he had decided to make Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method the foundation of Cloud Mountain Temple’s cultivation, and Old Dragon wondered whether Ji Yuan was playing a grand game of chess.
• Qin Zizhou welcomed Ji Yuan and Old Dragon at Misty Peak, and the three descended together toward Cloud Mountain Temple.
• Qi Xuan and Qi Wen welcomed the visitors, then carried three enormous bighead carp Ji Yuan had brought to the kitchen’s water vat.
• Two little martens rushed into the kitchen and watched the fish from the rim of the vat.

Ji Yuan shared the first half of his Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method with the people of Cloud Mountain Temple after a feast of giant fish heads. Qi Xuan and Qi Wen read Heaven and Earth Transformation and were stunned by its profundity, while Old Dragon revealed that Heaven had once tried to take the method away.

• Daoist Qing Song prepared his Secret Recipe Fish Head dish while Ji Yuan, Old Dragon, and Qin Zizhou discussed Cloud Mountain Temple and its cultivation method.
• Ji Yuan showed Qin Zizhou the completed first half of the Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method, and Qin Zizhou read it with a faint glow surrounding him.
• Ji Yuan, Ying Hong, Qin Zizhou, Daoist Qing Song, Daoist Qingyuan, Qi Xuan, and Qi Wen shared a meal of fish heads and wine at Cloud Mountain Temple.
• Ji Yuan entrusted Heaven and Earth Transformation to Daoist Qing Song as the foundation of Cloud Mountain Temple's cultivation.
• Qi Xuan and Qi Wen read the scroll and were drawn into contemplation for a quarter of an hour.
• Old Dragon told Qi Xuan and Qi Wen that Heaven had wanted to take Ji Yuan's method away when it first took shape.

Ji Yuan guided Daoist Qing Song through the perilous rite of claiming the Heaven and Earth Marvelous Method, and Qing Song survived Heaven’s retaliation to gain the scroll’s recognition. Two days later, Qing Xuan decided Cloud Mountain Temple’s inner disciples would honor Ji Yuan as the Great Master.

• Ji Yuan and the others prepared the Star Banner and the Heaven and Earth Transformation scroll, then Qing Song stood beneath them for the rite.
• Ji Yuan summoned the power of the stars through the banner and scroll, allowing Qing Song to grasp the Dharma Book as Heaven’s lightning gathered against him.
• Qing Song held on through the heavenly strike but lost his pulse; Ji Yuan revived him with pure qi, and the scroll merged into the Star Banner after recognizing him.
• Qing Song thanked Ji Yuan and the others, then they returned to tea and discussed Cloud Mountain Temple’s future and the Sword Intent Scroll.
• Two days later, Qing Xuan told Qi Wen that Cloud Mountain Temple’s inner disciples should call Ji Yuan the Great Master.

Ji Yuan, Old Dragon, and Qin Zizhou recruited the Maoqian Town Earth God and prepared protections around Cloud Mountain. They finished by combining their powers to bury measures across the mountain.

• Daoist Qing Song told Qi Wen to call Ji Yuan Great Master and urged her to cultivate diligently, while the two little martens ran off into the mountains.
• Ji Yuan explained that he had concealed Huang Xingye’s anomaly and arranged for the Maoqian Town Earth God to watch over him until his natural death.
• Ji Yuan, Old Dragon, and Qin Zizhou visited the Land God Temple and offered the Earth God a chance to serve under Qin Zizhou, which he eagerly accepted.
• Ji Yuan gave the Earth God golden dharma coins to strengthen his magic when needed, and Qin Zizhou told him to keep serving as usual until the time came.
• After visiting Huang Xingye at Huang Manor, the three circled Cloud Mountain and worked together to bury measures across it.

After helping Qin Zizhou establish a star-powered spirit river at Cloud Mountain Temple, Ji Yuan returned to Ning'an County after nearly ten years away. At Sun's Noodle Stall, Sun Fu recognized him as Mister Ji, while Ji Yuan discovered that Sun Yaya was Old Man Sun's granddaughter.

• Ji Yuan, Old Dragon, and Qin Zizhou completed the star-powered spirit river formation at Cloud Mountain Temple, and Qin Zizhou stayed there to cultivate.
• Ji Yuan and Old Dragon parted ways; Ji Yuan headed toward Yuhuai Mountain before considering a journey to Heng Continent for the Immortal Gathering Convention.
• Ji Yuan returned to Ning'an County after nearly ten years away and found that no one recognized him on the way to Tianniu Quarter.
• At Sun's Noodle Stall, Ji Yuan ordered noodles and offal from Sun Fu and learned that Sun Yaya was Sun Fu's granddaughter.
• After Ji Yuan remarked that Sun Fu's noodles tasted as they had before and mentioned eating his father's noodles, Sun Fu recognized him as Mister Ji.