Chapter Summaries

Wuleng and Xinru won their matches before Zhou Wuji faced Xinkong at the Dharma assembly. Zhou Wuji defeated Xinkong in a single exchange and called Xinru onto the platform for the next fight.

• Wuleng defeated two opponents in a row, while Xinru beat Zhang Wuhong after they exchanged dozens of moves.
• Zhou Wuji faced Xinkong, who attacked with the full force of his Dragon Elephant, Vajra, and Divine Movement incantations.
• Zhou Wuji blocked Xinkong’s staff, used the Five Spirit Pouch to trap it, then struck Xinkong’s throat and vital points until the monk staggered back.
• Zhou Wuji declared Xinkong defeated, and the crowd cheered as Xinkong left the platform.
• Zhou Wuji challenged Xinru, and Puren warned Xinru to counter Zhou Wuji’s techniques with force.
• Xinru ascended the platform using Lotus Blossoms with Every Step, drawing cheers from the spectators.

Zhou Wuji outdebated Xinru, then defeated him in a fierce staff-and-sword duel at the Dharma assembly. After Xinru conceded, Zhou Wuji recited a poem mocking him, leaving Dragon Elephant Temple humiliated.

• Xinru praised Zhou Wuji’s teaching method but criticized Daoism, and Zhou Wuji answered with a broad defense of Daoist principles that left Xinru unable to respond.
• Zhou Wuji used True Qi to suppress Xinru’s prepared argument, forcing Xinru to attack with the Vajra Demon-Subduing Staff.
• Xinru and Zhou Wuji fought with considerable restraint until Xinru recited a Buddhist verse and unleashed a golden-lotus staff technique.
• Zhou Wuji countered Xinru’s golden lotus with his sword, shattered Xinru’s staff, and struck him hard enough to make him retreat and spit blood.
• Xinru admitted defeat and thanked Zhou Wuji for showing mercy, while Zhou Wuji recited a poem that left Dragon Elephant Temple’s monks disgruntled.

After Zhou Wuji defeated Xinru and won the Jingyang Dharma Assembly, he earned recognition, rewards, and promotion at Jingyang Upper Court. He entered the Heavenly Authority Hall Secret Realm, where he opened six more heavens, but advancing into Form Heaven proved far slower than he had expected.

• Zhou Wuji defeated Xinru, won first place at the Dharma Assembly, and earned praise from the Daoist sects while Dragon Elephant Temple struggled with the humiliation.
• Zhou Wuji proposed copying and standardizing the Water Mirror Technique, and True Person Zhihua said his idea and his victory could earn him two major merits and a place as a True Disciple Candidate.
• True Person Zhiyun rewarded Zhou Wuji with ten Five-Transmutation Purple Gold Pills, sixty days in the Heavenly Authority Hall Secret Realm, and the chief seat of Heavenly Pivot Hall.
• Zhou Wuji inspected Heavenly Pivot Hall's Secret Methods, then entered the secret realm to cultivate without setting himself specific goals.
• Zhou Wuji opened six heavens in several dozen days, reaching sixteen, but learned that tempering each acupoint in Form Heaven required at least twenty days.

Zhou Wuji emerged from seclusion, learned that Pei Zhengxiu had come to challenge him, and agreed to a sword duel after True Person Zhihua explained Pei’s background and assured him the sect would accept the outcome. He also learned he would become a True Disciple Candidate after completing Fourth Rank ordination and would join Xie Lingyun’s Fire Phoenix Army against the barbarians; the chapter ended with Pei accepting Zhou Wuji’s proposed duel on the night of the full moon atop Zhengyang.

• Zhou Wuji left the secret realm and learned that Pei Zhengxiu of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect had been waiting to challenge him.
• True Person Zhihua explained that Pei Zhengxiu was a combative direct descendant of the Pei Household and told Zhou Wuji to fight without holding back.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the sect master had awarded him two major merits and accepted him as a True Disciple Candidate once he completed Fourth Rank ordination.
• True Person Zhihua said Zhou Wuji would join Xie Lingyun’s Fire Phoenix Army to oppose the barbarians gathering near Yue Ridge, and Zhou Wuji agreed.
• Zhou Wuji scolded Yang Tie Ying for boasting, then sent him with a note challenging Pei Zhengxiu to a duel on the night of the full moon atop Zhengyang.
• Pei Zhengxiu read Zhou Wuji’s note and agreed to the duel on the proposed terms.

Zhou Wuji met with Xie Lingyun, who warned him about Pei Zhengxiu’s swordsmanship and the danger surrounding their duel. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Pei Zhengxiu arrived at Upright Yang Peak and opened the match with a swift attack that left the watching crowd alarmed.

• Xie Lingyun told Zhou Wuji that Pei Zhengxiu likely specialized in the Wind Character Sword and cautioned him that someone was stirring up publicity around the duel.
• Zhou Wuji considered killing Zhang Dingyang but decided to wait until after the duel, wary that he would be blamed for the murder.
• Zhang Qingning, Zhang Dingyang, Huo Dongling, and other spectators gathered at the Heavenly Pivot Hall while Zhou Wuji waited in the square.
• Pei Zhengxiu entered the square, drew the Flowing Wind Sword, and launched a lightning-fast Gale Sword thrust at Zhou Wuji.

Zhou Wuji defeated Pei Zhengxiu in a swift sword duel, then used a healing technique and a precious pill to save his life. The spectators left impressed by Zhou Wuji’s skill and conduct, while Zhang Dingyang remained fearful about what Zhou Wuji might do next.

• Zhou Wuji analyzed Pei Zhengxiu’s swordsmanship and chose to meet his attack with the Water Moon Sword.
• Pei Zhengxiu thrust straight at Zhou Wuji, but Zhou Wuji’s White Rainbow Sword deflected his blade and cut deeply into his chest.
• Pei Zhengxiu admitted defeat and collapsed, while Yang Tie Ying cheered for Zhou Wuji’s victory.
• Zhou Wuji sealed Pei Zhengxiu’s wound with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique and gave him a Five-Transmutation Purple Gold Pill, asking him to repay its cost later.
• True Person Zhihua had Pei Zhengxiu carried to a side room, and Huo Dongling warned Zhang Qingning and Zhang Dingyang to befriend Zhou Wuji.
• Huo Dongling feared Zhou Wuji could defeat anyone below Third Rank, while Zhang Dingyang silently worried that Zhou Wuji would not spare him.

After Xie Lingyun and Zhou Wuji brought the Fire Phoenix Army to Golden Sands Fort, Xie Lingyun resented being assigned to the rear while Zhou Wuji studied the army’s battle formation. Wang Mingzhen arrived claiming authority to inspect the camp and challenged Zhou Wuji over his failure to salute.

• Xie Lingyun praised Zhou Wuji’s swordsmanship, and the two prepared for their campaign to Yue Ridge with pills bought using Xie Lingyun’s funds.
• Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun reached Jade River County, joined the Fire Phoenix Army, and waited for orders while Xie Lingyun managed the camp.
• Wang Zhenyuan ordered Xie Lingyun’s elite troops to remain at Golden Sands Fort as a surprise force, angering Xie Lingyun.
• At Golden Sands Fort, Xie Lingyun formed a battle formation, and Zhou Wuji observed how its gathered Qi and Blood suppressed outsiders and spells.
• Wang Mingzhen arrived with riders to inspect the camp, argued with Xie Lingyun about her authority, and demanded that Zhou Wuji salute her.

Wang Mingzhen arrived at Golden Sands Fort and provoked Xie Lingyun, while Zhou Wuji identified the unusual status of her companion, Princess Taihe Yin Le. Xie Lingyun and Zhou Wuji later suspected Wang Mingzhen had tried to bait him into offending the princess, leaving Xie relieved that Zhou had warned him.

• Wang Mingzhen berated Zhou Wuji, and Xie Lingyun defended him by explaining that he was a court-appointed Fourth Rank Dharma Master Hongde.
• Wang Mingzhen used the commanding general’s gold token to demand lodging at Golden Sands Fort, and Xie Lingyun ordered Wang Xing to arrange it.
• Wang Mingzhen explained to Yin Le that she had brought the princess along to curb Xie Lingyun’s arrogance and discussed the Fire Phoenix Army’s ties to the Northern Pole Sect.
• Wang Mingzhen said Zhou Wuji looked bewitching and suspicious, while Yin Le cautioned her against judging the court-appointed Daoist carelessly.
• Zhou Wuji warned Xie Lingyun that Yin Le’s attendants included two Fifth Rank guards, and they concluded Wang Mingzhen may have been trying to bait him into offending someone of higher status.

At Golden Sands Fort, Yin Le became fascinated by Zhou Wuji’s Slender Gold Script after he wrote her a poem, and she recognized him as a calligraphy grandmaster. She asked Wang Mingzhen to invite him over so she could discuss calligraphy with him, while Zhou Wuji learned that Wang Mingzhen’s friend was a princess and glimpsed a treasure sword in her cabin.

• Yin Le practiced calligraphy in her cabin as Wang Mingzhen told her about Zhou Wuji and his Slender Gold Script.
• Yin Le sent Zhou Wuji jade-plate paper and asked him to write a piece for her.
• Zhou Wuji spent a three-tael fate to perfect his Slender Gold Script, then wrote a poem on the paper.
• Wang Mingzhen brought Zhou Wuji’s poem to Yin Le, who praised its calligraphy and verse as grandmaster-level.
• Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper Star Eye to discover that Wang Mingzhen’s friend was a princess and noticed a high-grade treasure sword in her cabin.
• Yin Le asked Wang Mingzhen to invite Zhou Wuji over so she could ask him about calligraphy.

Zhou Wuji met Yin Le, a learned woman from the imperial family, and taught her calligraphy and poetry while Wang Mingzhen worried about the risks of her status. On their next meeting, Yin Le showed Zhou Wuji her third-rank Sky Silk Sword, which he examined before returning it to its case.

• Zhou Wuji greeted Yin Le and taught her the brush techniques behind his Slender Gold script while she ground ink for him.
• Wang Mingzhen warned Zhou Wuji not to reveal that Yin Le had served him, and Xie Lingyun feared the consequences if she was Princess Taihe.
• Wang Mingzhen invited Zhou Wuji to meet Yin Le again the next morning, and they discussed calligraphy, poetry, and the history of writing.
• Yin Le showed Zhou Wuji the Sky Silk Sword, a third-rank treasured sword bestowed on her by her father.
• Zhou Wuji examined the Sky Silk Sword and returned it to its case after the guards noticed his strength.

Zhou Wuji discovered that over a thousand barbarians were approaching Golden Sands Fort and helped Xie Lingyun prepare the Fire Phoenix Army to defend it. He stayed rather than flee with Princess Taihe, then borrowed her Sky Silk Sword to face the barbarian experts.

• Zhou Wuji spotted the barbarians attacking a nearby stockade and woke Yang Tie Ying before warning Xie Lingyun that the enemy was only twenty li away.
• Xie Lingyun ordered the Fire Phoenix Army to arm and assemble, while Zhou Wuji urged him to stand and fight rather than retreat.
• Zhou Wuji refused Wang Mingzhen's demand to evacuate Princess Taihe and subdued her with his Sword Intent.
• Zhou Wuji told Yin Le about the approaching barbarians and asked to borrow the Sky Silk Sword.
• Yin Le handed Zhou Wuji the Sky Silk Sword and expressed hope that he would not need to use it.

Cui Yuancheng led a thousand barbarians to attack Golden Sands Fort, where Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun’s Fire Phoenix Army had prepared an ambush. Witchcraft countered the army’s battle formation, and the fighting turned fierce as Zhou Wuji advanced under a conspicuous divine incantation.

• Cui Yuancheng guided Tie Ying and the barbarian army to Golden Sands Fort and warned Tie Ying that killing the commander could break the Fire Phoenix Army’s formation.
• Tie Ying sent Tie Chui and Tie Shan to charge the fort, where the Fire Phoenix Army’s arrows and battle formation killed and slowed many barbarians.
• Tie Ying struck Cui Yuancheng and used the Four Aspects Wooden Staff’s Horse Incantation to connect and strengthen the barbarians, overcoming the formation’s suppression.
• Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun retreated to the fort’s central square as the barbarians broke through the gate and attacked at close quarters.
• Zhou Wuji improved his Heavenly Puppet Technique, applied the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation to himself, and charged toward the front, drawing Wang Mingzhen’s notice.

Zhou Wuji used the Sky Silk Sword to cut through the barbarian ranks and kill their strongest fighters, turning the battle at Golden Sands Fort. His assault broke the thousand-strong barbarian army’s formation and morale, and the Fire Phoenix Army charged as the barbarians fled.

• Wang Mingzhen urged Yin Le to escape, but Yin Le stayed and ordered the Black Tortoise Secret Guards to help the Fire Phoenix Army.
• Zhou Wuji killed a fourth-rank barbarian wielding a melon-shaped hammer, then used the Water Moon Sword to slay more than a dozen barbarian experts.
• Xie Lingyun intercepted a fourth-rank barbarian while Zhou Wuji fought through the surrounding spearmen and rejoined him.
• Zhou Wuji killed Tie Shan despite Tie Shan activating the Monkey Incantation, then cut a path through the barbarian guards.
• Xie Lingyun rallied the Fire Phoenix Army to charge, and Zhou Wuji’s slaughter drove the barbarians into retreat.

Zhou Wuji fought through the barbarian army to kill Priest Tie Ying, whose shamanic incantation had strengthened the troops and restored their resolve. With Tie Ying dead, the barbarians' courage collapsed and the army fled, while Yin Le praised Zhou Wuji's victory.

• Tie Ying cast the Ox Incantation, strengthening the barbarians and suppressing Zhou Wuji's Divine Sense and True Qi.
• Zhou Wuji identified Tie Ying as the source of the incantation and decided to kill him before the barbarians could regroup.
• Zhou Wuji replenished his strength and charged through the army, while Xie Lingyun could not keep pace and Yin Le recognized his target.
• Tie Ying concealed himself with the Rat Incantation, but Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper Star Eye to locate him and cut through the guards protecting him.
• Zhou Wuji's sword wheels killed Tie Ying, Cui Yuancheng, and several guards, causing the barbarian army to lose heart and scatter.

Zhou Wuji helped the Fire Phoenix Army defeat the barbarians, pursued the fleeing forces, and healed its gravely wounded soldiers. After Wang Mingzhen tried to persuade him and Xie Lingyun to conceal Princess Taihe’s presence, Xie Lingyun arrested her and planned to report her actions; Zhou Wuji prepared to escort the princess to Jingyang.

• Zhou Wuji gave the Fire Phoenix Army's officers Six Yang Spirit Eyes, pursued the fleeing barbarians, and helped the army take more than seven hundred heads by daybreak.
• Zhou Wuji treated the gravely wounded soldiers, saving them with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique and medicines.
• Wang Mingzhen urged Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun to hide Princess Taihe’s unauthorized visit, but Xie Lingyun accused her of proposing the crime of deceiving the sovereign.
• When Wang Mingzhen’s guards drew their swords against Xie Lingyun, he killed them, forced Wang Mingzhen to write and sign a confession, and confined her.
• Xie Lingyun said he would report Wang Zhenyuan to the Ministry of War, while Zhou Wuji suggested escorting Princess Taihe away; Xie Lingyun arranged fifty cavalrymen to accompany them to Jingyang.

After defeating the barbarians at Golden Sands Fort, Zhou Wuji escorted Princess Taihe, Yin Le, safely to Jingyang and used the fates he had gained to advance several Daoist arts. He left the story at the prefect’s residence, where Li Duan asked him about the princess and the battle.

• Xie Lingyun told Zhou Wuji that Princess Taihe had accepted the arrangement concerning Wang Mingzhen, and Zhou Wuji guided the departed souls to the afterlife.
• Zhou Wuji returned the Sky Silk Sword to Yin Le and agreed to escort her from Golden Sands Fort to Jingyang.
• Zhou Wuji’s party reached Jade River County, where he examined the fates gained from killing more than a hundred barbarians and advanced several Daoist arts.
• Zhou Wuji escorted Yin Le into Jingyang four days later, and Li Duan welcomed her before privately questioning Zhou Wuji about her and the battle at Golden Sands Fort.

After reporting his victory at Golden Sands Fort, Zhou Wuji returned to the Upper Court, where True Person Zhihua warned him to avoid political entanglements and further danger. Meanwhile, Yin Le prepared to thank Zhou Wuji before Yin Que took her back to the Heavenly Capital.

• Prefect Li Duan praised Zhou Wuji for defeating the barbarians and protecting Princess Taihe, and promised to request recognition for his service.
• Zhou Wuji declined to return to Golden Sands Fort and told Princess Taihe’s guard that he would rest at the Upper Court, where the princess planned to visit him.
• True Person Zhihua warned Zhou Wuji not to underestimate Princess Taihe, become involved in the prince-consort issue, spend his major merits, or seek further confrontations with the barbarians.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that his victory had brought praise and donations to the Upper Court and that the main court would likely award him another major merit.
• Yin Que arrived at the prefectural residence and told Yin Le they would return to the Heavenly Capital, but Yin Le insisted on repaying Zhou Wuji for saving her.
• Yin Le asked to use Yin Que’s Azure Cloud Treasure Robe as a gift for Zhou Wuji, and Yin Que agreed.

Princess Taihe visited Jingyang Upper Court to offer thanks and gave Zhou Wuji an Azure Cloud Treasure Robe for saving her life. After returning to the capital, she told Emperor Tianhong that Zhou Wuji was an extraordinary swordsman, and the emperor considered rewarding him while worrying that his daughter might have fallen for the Daoist.

• Princess Taihe arrived at Upright Yang Peak, where True Person Zhihua and Zhou Wuji welcomed her before leading her up the mountain to worship.
• After offering incense, Yin Le thanked Zhou Wuji for saving her and gave him an Azure Cloud Treasure Robe, while donating gold and brocade to the Upper Court.
• True Person Zhihua examined the robe and explained its protective enchantments before teasing Zhou Wuji about it being a token of love.
• Yin Que carried Yin Le back to the Heavenly Capital, where Emperor Tianhong summoned his daughter to Funing Palace after her return.
• Yin Le described the barbarians as formidable and praised Zhou Wuji's swordsmanship, prompting Emperor Tianhong to consider rewarding him and privately worry that Yin Le had fallen for him.

Zhou Wuji accepted ten thousand taels of gold from Zhang Dingyang in exchange for letting their dispute go, then learned the court would reward him. The chapter ended as an imperial edict was presented before the upper academy, with Zhou Wuji waiting to hear what honor he would receive.

• Zhang Dingyang knelt before Zhou Wuji, begged for mercy, and offered ten thousand taels of gold for his protection.
• Zhou Wuji accepted the offering and told Yang Tie Ying that cultivators should be tolerant, while speculating Zhang Dingyang had heard news from the court.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the court had decided to reward him and warned him to remain inside until the imperial edict arrived.
• Yuan Zhifeng arrived with envoys from the Heavenly Master's Manor and requested a formal public ceremony for the imperial edict.
• Abbot True Person Zhiyun presided as the upper academy assembled, and Yuan Zhifeng took the edict from the incense table while Zhou Wuji awaited its contents.

Zhou Wuji received a sixth-rank Tianshu Sword and used his growing fame to organize Dharma assemblies that drew huge crowds and showcased his healing arts. After seven days of preaching, monks from Dragon Elephant Temple watched and debated his methods, while Xinru urged Xinkong to endure Zhou Wuji until he left for Chuyang.

• Quan Zhiguang presented Zhou Wuji with the Tianshu Sword, and Zhou Wuji thanked the court and built a warm relationship with the elder.
• Zhou Wuji healed dock laborers with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique, prompting them to spread stories of his miraculous powers.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji to clear the Yin Devils from the Nine Yin Underground Palace and supported his plan to hold Dharma assemblies.
• True Person Zhiyun approved Zhou Wuji's plan, and Zhou Wuji began preaching outside Jingyang City's north gate before crowds exceeding a hundred thousand.
• Over six days, Zhou Wuji used the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique to heal selected believers, drawing still larger crowds to the assemblies.
• Xinru, Xinkong, and other Dragon Elephant Temple monks watched Zhou Wuji's seventh assembly; Xinru defended the orthodox Daoist arts and told Xinkong that Zhou Wuji would soon leave for Chuyang.