Recaps

Zhou Wuji learned about the Fire Phoenix Army and met Abbot Zhi'en and Hall Master Yiming after arriving in Yunze. Yizhen then brought Zhou Wuji, Wuleng, and Wuming to guard the Yaoguang node of a formation sealing the wetlands.

• Yizhen explained that the Xie Household controlled the Fire Phoenix Army and advised Zhou Wuji to build a relationship with Abbot Zhi'en while behaving carefully around Yiming.
• Zhou Wuji told Yizhen that he had reached the Sixth Rank, impressing him with how quickly he had advanced.
• Zhou Wuji and Wuleng met Abbot Zhi'en, who praised their cultivation and urged them to survive before risking their lives to kill demons.
• Hall Master Yiming ordered Zhou Wuji and Wuleng to obey discipline and follow orders, then assigned Yizhen to arrange their duties.
• Yizhen led Zhou Wuji, Wuleng, and Wuming into Yunze and explained how to defend the Yaoguang formation node and signal for help.
• Zhou Wuji and Wuming exchanged an intimate whisper at the node, drawing complicated looks from the other Daoists on duty.

Xie Wujin challenged Zhou Wuji’s group to spar, but Yang Tie Ying and Wuleng defeated his nephew and then Xie Wujin himself. Zhou Wuji later slew a Sixth-Rank black deer with one sword strike, leaving Xie Wujin and the others stunned.

• Xie Wujin challenged Zhou Wuji to a swordsmanship exchange, and Yang Tie Ying defeated Xie Shangjin in a fist fight.
• Wuleng sparred with Xie Wujin and disarmed him in fewer than ten exchanges with her Yaoguang Sword.
• Zhou Wuji guided Wuming’s cultivation and provided tents from his Five Yin Pouch, further astonishing Xie Wujin and his companions.
• Zhou Wuji spotted a black deer approaching the group and judged it to be a Sixth-Rank demonic creature.
• Zhou Wuji evaded the deer and killed it with a single sword strike, while Yang Tie Ying boasted about his master's skill.

Zhou Wuji killed a Sixth-Rank demon and settled into his new role as a deacon at Cloud Marsh Lower Court, while the Xie brothers tried to befriend him. After months of guarding the formation and studying Cloud Marsh, he entered the marsh alone to hunt demons.

• Zhou Wuji killed a Sixth-Rank black deer with one sword stroke, and Xie Wujin explained how the lower court registered and sold Demon Beasts and rewarded cultivators with merit.
• Zhou Wuji was promoted to deacon, and news of his feat spread through the lower court, changing the attitudes of people who had resented him.
• Xie Wujin urged Xie Wuying to befriend Zhou Wuji, but Zhou Wuji declined their invitation to attend Yunze City's Water Origin Festival.
• Over September and October, Zhou Wuji killed more demons, strengthened his body, and used the Northern Dipper to observe Cloud Marsh and Dream Marsh.
• On November 16, Zhou Wuji entered Cloud Marsh alone, planning to hunt demons after studying the area for more than two months.

Zhou Wuji hunted a sixth-rank giant snake in Yunze, then ambushed a strange white crow that could speak like a human. After capturing the crow, he asked who its master was, and it threatened him with its master's power.

• Zhou Wuji killed a sixth-rank giant snake with one sword strike and took its valuable gallbladder.
• He killed four crocodiles drawn to the snake's corpse and hid in a fir tree as more creatures gathered.
• A white crow arrived to feed on the carcass, and Zhou Wuji struck it twice with Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder.
• The scorched white crow begged Zhou Wuji to spare it, then cursed him when he struck again.
• After the white crow awoke, Zhou Wuji asked who its master was, and the crow threatened that its master would kill his whole family.

Zhou Wuji killed a white crow messenger connected to Lord Cloud Dream and suspected it linked the Xie Household to the demons, so he secretly sent Wuleng to carry a warning to True Person Zhihua. Wuleng reached Yunyang City, steadied her mind while waiting, and finally delivered Zhou Wuji’s letter, which amused True Person Zhihua.

• Zhou Wuji killed the white crow and giant serpent, then erased their remains and suspected the crow had been carrying messages between Lord Cloud Dream and the Xie Household.
• Zhou Wuji killed several pig demons, returned to the formation, and told the others he had killed a Sixth-Rank pig demon while scouting Yunze.
• After returning to the lower court, Zhou Wuji feared the Xie Household might silence him and secretly asked Wuleng to deliver a letter to True Person Zhihua.
• Wuleng left the lower court in disguise and rode day and night, reaching Yunyang City after five days of travel.
• Wuleng waited for True Person Zhihua, calmed her mind, and made progress in understanding stillness.
• True Person Zhihua arrived and read Zhou Wuji’s letter, which contained only the words “True Person, save me,” and remarked that he underestimated the Northern Pole Sect.

Zhou Wuji entered seclusion at Heavenly Authority Hall and used the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment to cultivate the Army-Breaking Sword to the Transformation Realm, reshaping and strengthening his foundation. After spending more than ten days adapting the technique into the Xiaoxiang Sword, he heard someone greet him in the courtyard.

• Zhou Wuji told Hall Master Yiming that he had gained an insight and obtained permission to enter seclusion at Heavenly Authority Hall.
• Zhou Wuji spent twenty years cultivating in the purple-light world, raising the Army-Breaking Sword to the Transformation Realm and reshaping his body with the technique.
• Zhou Wuji healed the damage caused by the transformation with origin mystic essence, increasing his physical strength, True Qi, Divine Sense, and lifespan.
• Zhou Wuji practiced the Five Tigers Fist and Army-Breaking Sword over the bamboo grove, then considered how to incorporate the technique into the Xiaoxiang Sword.
• Zhou Wuji studied the sword variations for more than ten days, then heard an unseen person greet him as Sword Lord.

True Person Zhihua investigated why the Xie Household might target Zhou Wuji, then tested his Army-Breaking Sword and praised his talent and judgment. She offered him a chance to pursue the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel, a supreme method reserved for the sect leader’s True Disciples, and asked whether he would accept the difficult path.

• True Person Zhihua arrived, and Zhou Wuji explained his encounter with the talking white crow and his suspicions about the Xie Household.
• True Person Zhihua explained Xie Shidao’s position and ruled out an alliance with the Lord of Yunmeng, while suggesting there could be a traitor or Devil Cultivators involved.
• True Person Zhihua tested Zhou Wuji’s sword skills, and he used the Army-Breaking Sword to disperse her fly-whisk attack.
• True Person Zhihua recognized Zhou Wuji’s rapid progress and praised his talent, capacity, and cautious approach to danger.
• True Person Zhihua explained that the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel could unite many methods, but only the sect leader’s True Disciples could cultivate it, then asked Zhou Wuji if he was willing to try.

Zhou Wuji agreed to join True Person Zhihua on the Fire Phoenix Army’s expedition to Dream Marsh, hoping to build the credentials needed to become the sect leader’s True Disciple. After Abbot Zhi'en announced that the lower court would send forty-nine people, he unexpectedly placed Zhou Wuji in command of the contingent.

• True Person Zhihua offered to help Zhou Wuji pursue the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel and asked him to promise three future favors; Zhou Wuji accepted and drank Fire Dragon wine with her.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the Fire Phoenix Army would enter Dream Marsh in December to kill the Lord of Yunmeng, and explained that joining the expedition could strengthen his standing in the sect.
• Zhou Wuji agreed to accompany True Person Zhihua, then returned to the Demon-Expelling Hall and rewarded his disciple Yang Tie Ying for protecting Wuming.
• Zhou Wuji told Daoist Yizhen about the expedition and urged him to send Wuming to Yunze City; Daoist Yizhen arranged for her to leave the lower court safely.
• In early December, Abbot Zhi'en announced that forty-nine people from the Demon-Expelling Hall and Tianxuan Hall would accompany the army into Dream Marsh.
• Abbot Zhi'en gave Zhou Wuji his Heavenly Pivot Token and placed the expedition contingent under his command, surprising the lower court.

Zhou Wuji assembled and disciplined the cultivators assigned to support the expedition into Dream Marsh, then led them out with the Fire Phoenix Army. As the army advanced toward its campaign against the Lord of Yunmeng, Zhou Wuji wondered whether he might get a chance to strike the great demon himself.

• Zhou Wuji called the roll, warned the cultivators to obey orders, and reassured Li Ruyi that he would look after her during the dangerous expedition.
• Yang Tie Ying insisted on joining Zhou Wuji, and Zhou Wuji agreed to take him along.
• At the mountain gate, Zhou Wuji organized the cultivators into groups and placed Xie Wujin and Xie Wuying in charge.
• The three-thousand-strong Fire Phoenix Army arrived, and its powerful collective Qi and Blood awed the lower court's cultivators.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji to follow the army and pointed out commander Xie Shidao and his son Xie Lingyun.
• Seeing the army's strength, Zhou Wuji considered whether it could slay the Lord of Yunmeng and give him an opportunity to land a sword strike.

Zhou Wuji accompanied the Fire Phoenix Army into Dream Marsh, where the army fought off waves of demonic creatures. He saved a gravely wounded soldier with his perfected Rejuvenation Technique, earning the army’s gratitude and leaving True Person Zhihua convinced their chances of success had improved.

• True Person Zhihua supplied the army’s camp equipment, and Zhou Wuji befriended Xie Lingyun, who later told Xie Shidao that Zhou Wuji was capable and worth befriending.
• After four days of marching, the Fire Phoenix Army entered Dream Marsh, where its scouts and battle formations helped it withstand the mist and attacks from demonic creatures.
• The army killed successive waves of giant apes, crocodiles, snakes, and eagles with heavy crossbows and its battle formation, while Tianxuan Hall cultivators treated the wounded.
• Zhou Wuji used Sword Intent, the Rejuvenation Technique, and an Origin Restoration Pill to save Xiao Jiu, whose injuries had seemed fatal.
• Zhou Wuji helped treat dozens of wounded soldiers, and Xie Lingyun thanked him and promised to seek a commendation for him.
• True Person Zhihua praised Zhou Wuji’s medical skills and said they had increased the army’s chances of success by another two-tenths.

Zhou Wuji accompanied the Fire Phoenix Army into Dream Marsh, treating its wounded and witnessing how morale strengthened the army’s power of Qi and Blood. After Xie Shidao led the main force into the dangerous Cangwu Tree Palace, Zhou Wuji stayed behind to guard the wounded and, on the third night, detected powerful creatures near the camp.

• Zhou Wuji observed that the Fire Phoenix Army’s morale had strengthened its gathered power of Qi and Blood despite the secret realm’s suppression.
• As casualties mounted, Xie Shidao decided to leave the wounded and Zhou Wuji’s cultivators behind with two hundred-man companies, and True Person Zhihua agreed.
• True Person Zhihua explained that the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s law domain could drain the army’s strength, warned Zhou Wuji to retreat if the battle went badly, and said she had her own means of escape.
• After the army departed, Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing helped establish a fortified camp while Zhou Wuji organized the cultivators and kept watch.
• On the third night after the army entered the Cangwu Tree Palace, Zhou Wuji detected clusters of spiritual light from powerful living creatures near the camp.

Zhou Wuji detected a rebel cavalry raid and secretly prepared the camp’s defenders to meet it. The attackers broke through the fence under Xie Yunfeng’s command, and the chapter ended with the two sides locked in a dangerous battle.

• Zhou Wuji spotted a large force of armed riders on black deer approaching the camp and warned Yang Tie Ying, Xie Yunjing, and Wang Xing to prepare quietly.
• Xie Yunjing organized the Fire Phoenix Army into battle formation and positioned archers and crossbowmen to ambush the approaching riders.
• Zhou Wuji announced the riders’ arrival, and the defenders waited until the black deer smashed through the camp’s fence.
• Zhou Wuji cast the Fire Bell Incantation to illuminate the charge, and Xie Yunjing ordered the soldiers to fire crossbows into the leading riders.
• Xie Yunfeng revealed himself as the leader of the rebels, threatened anyone who retreated, and urged the surviving cavalry to keep charging.

The rebels’ black deer broke through the Fire Phoenix Army’s formation, while Xie Sanqiang’s strength forced Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing into a desperate fight. Zhou Wuji entered the battle to help Wang Xing and killed Xie Sanqiang with his sword, as Xie Yunfeng pressed his attack on Xie Yunjing.

• The rebels charged the Fire Phoenix Army on black deer, broke through the shield line, and drove Xie Yunjing to confront Xie Sanqiang.
• Wang Xing killed two black deer and fought to defend the formation, while Xie Sanqiang swept aside the shield bearers and resisted Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing together.
• Zhou Wuji told Yang Tie Ying, Xie Wujin, and the others to retreat into groups of seven, then killed a rebel who attacked him inside the camp.
• Xie Yunfeng charged into the camp to attack Xie Yunjing, and Xie Sanqiang rallied and wounded a soldier as Wang Xing struggled against him.
• Zhou Wuji intervened when Xie Sanqiang threatened Wang Xing, seized the rebel’s spear, and cut him into three pieces with the Dusk Snow Sword.

Zhou Wuji upgraded the Heavenly Puppet Technique, then helped turn the battle by killing the Black Deer King and cutting down most of the rebel riders. Xie Yunfeng fled, but Zhou Wuji urged Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing to keep pursuing him, leaving them facing a potentially deadly fight.

• After Xie Sanqiang died, Xie Yunfeng ordered the Black Deer King to send the black deer rampaging through the camp.
• Zhou Wuji spent Xie Sanqiang's fate weight to raise the Heavenly Puppet Technique to minor accomplishment and strengthened his Heavenly Puppet.
• Zhou Wuji killed charging rebels and cut down the Black Deer King with a single strike as it threatened the lower academy cultivators.
• Zhou Wuji slaughtered most of the rebel riders, and the remaining rebels fled as Xie Yunfeng realized the battle was lost.
• Xie Yunfeng escaped while Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing hesitated to pursue, so Zhou Wuji urged them to keep chasing him for the sake of the soldiers watching.

Zhou Wuji helped Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing fight Xie Yunfeng by restoring their strength and using Yin Thunder to keep him from escaping across a pool. After Xie Yunfeng unleashed a desperate secret technique, Zhou Wuji fought him directly and killed him with the White Rainbow Sword.

• Zhou Wuji pursued Xie Yunfeng to a large pool with Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing, then restored the two commanders' strength with the Rejuvenation Technique so they could attack together.
• Xie Yunfeng swallowed Cangwu Wood Essence to restore his strength and tried to escape across the water, but Zhou Wuji struck him with Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder and the others surrounded him.
• As the fight moved into deeper water, Zhou Wuji restored Xie Yunjing and Wang Xing again and joined the battle by walking across the surface with the Tianji Step.
• Xie Yunfeng burned his Essence Blood with the Crimson Yang Blood Baleful Intent Transformation and used a thunderous shout to wound Wang Xing and stagger Xie Yunjing, but Zhou Wuji resisted the attack.
• Zhou Wuji pursued Xie Yunfeng across the water and fought him with the White Rainbow Sword; after a dazzling exchange of sword light, Xie Yunfeng bled from his wounds and fell into the water.

After Xie Yunfeng’s death, Zhou Wuji recovered from the battle and perfected the Army-Breaking Sword, strengthening his body and True Qi foundation. He watched the confrontation at the Cangwu Tree Palace through Big Dipper as Eyes, where True Person Zhihua used a jade dipper’s starlight to capture the Lord of Yunmeng after the army’s fight turned dire.

• Zhou Wuji confirmed Xie Yunfeng was dead, brought his body back to camp, and treated the wounded through the night.
• Zhou Wuji perfected the Army-Breaking Sword and used the origin mystic essence of nineteen black deer to reshape his body and acupoint foundation.
• Zhou Wuji observed the Cangwu Tree Palace and saw the Crimson Phoenix Army battling monsters while True Person Zhihua, Xie Shidao, and the Lord of Yunmeng faced off.
• The Lord of Yunmeng unleashed widespread lightning that shattered Xie Shidao’s protective Gang Qi and dispersed the army’s gathered vital essence.
• True Person Zhihua overturned a jade dipper, and its starlight dispelled the lightning and swallowed the Lord of Yunmeng in a vast net.

Zhou Wuji recovered from observing the battle between the Lord of Yunmeng and True Person Zhihua, perfected his Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation, and trained Yang Tie Ying while awaiting the Fire Phoenix Army’s return. True Person Zhihua later revealed that the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s tree heart remained undiscovered, and Zhou Wuji suspected he had seen it during the battle.

• Zhou Wuji healed the damage to his consciousness, concluded that True Person Zhihua and Xie Shidao had won, and realized the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s green core might be its tree heart.
• Zhou Wuji used an Origin Profound Spirit to perfect the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation and discovered it could form a powerful Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Hand.
• Zhou Wuji guided Yang Tie Ying’s cultivation with medicinal soup made from the Black Deer King’s penis, helping him grow stronger and approach Transforming Force.
• The Fire Phoenix Army returned four days after Xie Yunfeng’s night raid with just over twenty-one hundred soldiers, while Xie Lingyun had advanced to the fourth rank.
• Zhou Wuji arranged a tent for the weary True Person Zhihua and waited nearby until she emerged the next morning.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the Lord of Yunmeng had been slain and the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s foundations severed, but its valuable tree heart had not been found.

After the Fire Phoenix Army defeated the Lord of Yunmeng, Zhou Wuji learned why the Northern Pole Sect supported the Xie Household and received praise and valuable rewards for his service. Back in Yunze City, he grew close to Xie Lingyun, who invited him to celebrate the New Year at Myriad Joy Tower.

• True Person Zhihua explained that the Northern Pole Sect supported the Xie Household to strengthen their ties and demonstrate the sect’s strength, then warned Zhou Wuji about Dream Marsh and urged him to advance his cultivation.
• After the Fire Phoenix Army rested and returned to Yunze City, Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun became close friends during the journey.
• The people of Yunze City cheered the victorious Fire Phoenix Army as it entered beneath its banners.
• Abbot Zhi'en praised Zhou Wuji and promised to teach him the Flying Star Armored Horse Technique, while Xie Shidao donated money to the Lower Court and gave Zhou Wuji valuable gifts.
• At New Year, Zhou Wuji joined the Northern Pole Sect’s blessing ceremony, and Xie Lingyun invited him to spend the following evening at Myriad Joy Tower.

Xie Lingyun brought Zhou Wuji to Myriad Joy Tower for a New Year’s banquet, where they watched the Hundred Flowers Pavilion perform and were joined by Peach Blossom and Pear Blossom. Xiao Yun identified Zhou Wuji as the Xiaoxiang Sword Lord and recorded his meeting with Xie Lingyun as possible evidence of ties between the Northern Pole Sect and the Fire Phoenix Army.

• Xie Lingyun welcomed Zhou Wuji to Myriad Joy Tower and showed him the crowded restaurant and its performances.
• Zhou Wuji watched the Hundred Flowers Pavilion dance and noticed that several of its performers were powerful martial artists.
• Xie Lingyun invited Peach Blossom and Pear Blossom to drink with them, seating Peach Blossom beside himself and Pear Blossom beside Zhou Wuji.
• Xiao Yun asked the manager about Zhou Wuji and concluded that he was the Xiaoxiang Sword Lord.
• Xiao Yun recorded Xie Lingyun and Zhou Wuji’s meeting and connected it to Zhihua and Xie Shidao’s alliance against the Lord of Yunmeng.

Zhou Wuji spent several days drinking with Xie Lingyun and the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, impressing Peach Blossom and Pear Blossom with his poems while Xiao Yun recorded her agents’ assessments. After leaving Yunze City, he tested his Flying Star Armored Horse Technique, and True Person Zhihua offered to take him to the Cangwu Tree Palace to try his luck.

• At a banquet, Zhou Wuji recited poems for Pear Blossom and Peach Blossom, and Xie Lingyun enjoyed their lively company.
• Xie Shidao warned Xie Lingyun not to get too involved with the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, then urged him to build a good friendship with Zhou Wuji.
• Xiao Yun questioned Peach Blossom and Pear Blossom and recorded their impressions of Xie Lingyun and Zhou Wuji, including Zhou Wuji’s literary talent and skill at charming women.
• Xie Lingyun brought Zhou Wuji to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for several days before Zhou Wuji left Yunze City under cover of night.
• Zhou Wuji summoned a white horse with the Flying Star Armored Horse Technique and considered visiting Dream Marsh before returning to the lower court.
• True Person Zhihua praised Zhou Wuji’s progress in Law Techniques and offered to take him to the Cangwu Tree Palace to try his luck.

Zhou Wuji and True Person Zhihua traveled through Dream Marsh to the Cangwu Tree Palace, where Zhou Wuji used the Northern Emperor’s blessing to locate the hidden Cangwu tree heart. When they found it buried deep beneath the roots, Zhou Wuji offered to use an unorthodox treasure to retrieve it, and True Person Zhihua told him to proceed as long as he kept righteous thoughts in his heart.

• Zhou Wuji and True Person Zhihua traveled through Yunze and rested near the Cangwu Tree Palace until nightfall.
• Zhou Wuji and True Person Zhihua entered the forest, where she protected them from monsters as they approached the Cangwu Ancient Tree.
• Zhou Wuji performed a ritual and used his marked spiritual intent to locate the Cangwu tree heart beneath the forest.
• Zhou Wuji told True Person Zhihua that the tree heart lay too deep to dig out and offered to use an unorthodox treasure to reach it.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji to use whatever methods he had, provided he kept righteous thoughts in his heart.

Zhou Wuji used the Heavenly Puppet to help True Person Zhihua seek the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s heart while probing her suspicions about the Northern Emperor’s Book of Heavenly Punishment. True Person Zhihua explained the sect’s history, trusted him with the Tianxuan Sword, and watched him master its basics as they waited for the earth dragon to return.

• Zhou Wuji reasoned that obtaining the tree heart could strengthen his friendship with True Person Zhihua and decided to reveal the Heavenly Puppet to her.
• Zhou Wuji showed True Person Zhihua the Heavenly Puppet and offered to use it to control an earth dragon; she praised his resourcefulness and warned him to be discreet.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the sect suspected he had the Northern Emperor’s Book of Heavenly Punishment, but she had opposed seizing him and explained how the book had been lost with True Lord Mingjing.
• True Person Zhihua pulled a fifth-rank earth dragon from the soil, and Zhou Wuji used the Heavenly Puppet Spirit Pulling Technique to order it to retrieve the tree heart.
• While the earth dragon burrowed, Zhou Wuji killed demons and ghosts until True Person Zhihua taught him the Tianxuan Sword and explained its defensive and concealing techniques.
• Zhou Wuji used origin profound spirit to raise the Tianxuan Sword to minor attainment in a day, convincing True Person Zhihua of his extraordinary talent.

While waiting in the Cangwu Tree Palace, Zhou Wuji advanced his swordsmanship under True Person Zhihua’s guidance and strengthened their friendship by sharing a passage from Zhuangzi’s Free and Easy Wandering. The earth dragon finally returned with the tree heart, leaving Zhou Wuji pleased that his underground mission had succeeded.

• Zhou Wuji spent fate weights to raise the Tianxuan Sword to major accomplishment and blended its techniques with his other sword arts.
• True Person Zhihua praised Zhou Wuji’s sword talent and told him that reaching fourth rank and standing above his peers in Jingyang could make him a candidate to become the sect leader’s true disciple.
• True Person Zhihua described the formidable young cultivators in Jingyang, and Zhou Wuji declared that he welcomed the chance to compete with them.
• Zhou Wuji recited and copied a passage from Zhuangzi’s Free and Easy Wandering, impressing True Person Zhihua and shifting her view of him toward that of a friend and peer.
• On the thirty-seventh day, the earth dragon returned and spat out a fist-sized green pearl, delighting Zhou Wuji.

Zhou Wuji returned from Dream Marsh with the Cangwu Ancient Tree’s heart and received ten beads of Tree Heart Jade Liquid from True Person Zhihua. After reuniting with Yang Tie Ying and Wuming at Cloud Marsh Lower Court, he consumed one bead and underwent a profound physical and spiritual cleansing, then considered who should receive the remaining nine.

• Zhou Wuji gave the tree heart to True Person Zhihua, who divided its jade liquid among them and promised to have its central crystal refined into a Law Treasure for him.
• True Person Zhihua warned Zhou Wuji to keep the jade liquid secret because its life-extending power would attract dangerous attention.
• Zhou Wuji returned to Cloud Marsh Lower Court, reunited with Yang Tie Ying and Wuming, and visited the abbot, the hall master, and Daoist Yizhen.
• Zhou Wuji swallowed a bead of jade liquid and used the Mind Mirror to observe it cleanse and strengthen his body, consciousness, and upper Dantian acupoints.
• Zhou Wuji found that his lifespan had risen by fifty years and his Divine Sense and body had each reached seven hundred and twenty, then wondered who should receive the nine remaining beads.

Zhou Wuji chose people to receive his nine drops of jade liquid and gave them to Wuming and Daoist Yizhen, whose cultivation and vitality improved dramatically. As he prepared for his journey to the upper court, Daoist Yizhen warned him about powerful figures there, and an envoy from the Heavenly Master's Manor arrived.

• Zhou Wuji selected Wuming, his disciple, Daoist Yizhen, Zhiyuan, Wuzheng, Xie Lingyun, Wuleng, and Li Ruyi as recipients for the jade liquid, while deciding not to give a drop to Xie Shidao.
• Zhou Wuji gave Wuming a drop of jade liquid, and she advanced to seventh rank after opening all seven acupoints.
• Wuming agreed to keep the spiritual treasure secret, and Zhou Wuji told her he had saved a drop for her father, Martial Uncle Yiping, to help him break through to fifth rank.
• Zhou Wuji gave Daoist Yizhen a drop, and Daoist Yizhen advanced to fifth rank while gaining renewed vitality.
• Daoist Yizhen warned Zhou Wuji about the upper court's internal rivalries and the influential Lu Household, then planned to arrive several months after him.
• An envoy from the Heavenly Master's Manor arrived on the fifteenth day of the second month.