Recaps

Fang Zelin toured Falling Stream Mountain with Song Zheli and sensed an ancient sword strike that had cleaved the mountain in two. He later helped the Bearing the Heavens Sword absorb sword force from the opposite cliff and began teaching it to restrain its sharpness.

• Fang Zelin sensed the lingering sword strike at Falling Stream Mountain, but it vanished after he experienced it.
• Song Zheli led Fang Zelin and the others to Twin Moon Pool, where they ate together before heading back.
• Fang Zelin bid the group farewell and went to the opposite cliff to help Bearing the Heavens absorb its remaining sword force.
• Bearing the Heavens absorbed the sword force, but its uncontrolled sharpness made it dangerous to anyone nearby.
• Fang Zelin connected with Bearing the Heavens through Supreme Sensitivity and taught it to conceal and refine its sword force.

Fang Zelin returned to Seeking Dao Mountain and discussed cultivation with the old fisherman Zhou, who affirmed Fang Zelin’s unusual understanding of the Dao. Back before Falling Stream Mountain, Fang Zelin resumed guiding Bearing the Heavens Sword to control its sword force.

• The elders at Seeking Dao Mountain recognized Fang Zelin’s repeated return and watched him arrive again.
• Fang Zelin asked the old fisherman Zhou whether entering the mountain meant his cultivation had advanced, and Zhou agreed with his interpretation.
• Fang Zelin eagerly asked Zhou more questions about cultivating the Dao while nearby elders listened.
• After Fang Zelin sensed he was about to leave, he took his leave of Zhou and reappeared before Falling Stream Mountain.
• Fang Zelin checked his condition, found his cultivation unchanged, and continued teaching Bearing the Heavens Sword to draw in its sword force.

After more than five months of training on Falling Stream Mountain, Fang Zelin helped Bearing the Heavens contain its sword presence and returned to Qinlan City. At Jade Void Mountain, Qingyun and Qingcheng worried that Great Jin’s approaching destruction would bring another calamity for cultivators.

• Fang Zelin praised Bearing the Heavens for containing its sword presence and said it was time to leave Falling Stream Mountain.
• Fang Zelin washed up by a stream, returned to Qinlan City, ate at a restaurant, and tipped the waiter.
• Fang Zelin went to a tailor’s shop to replace his tattered clothes.
• Qingcheng noted that the gentleman had not visited Jade Void Mountain in half a year, and Qingyun agreed he might not value their gift.
• Qingyun warned Qingcheng that Great Jin was nearing destruction and demons would likely seek to steal the Human Race’s fortune.

Fang Zelin traveled from Qinlan City toward Riverside Mountain and heard that grain prices had risen because people were buying and storing grain in Yuanqing Prefecture. He recognized the operation as Blazing Summer’s work and learned from martial-world members that its plans to develop the prefecture were progressing smoothly.

• Fang Zelin set out toward Riverside Mountain after reflecting that his journey and cultivation could continue without seeking out other cultivators.
• Fang Zelin saw flourishing rice fields he had watered with the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique and heard farmers expecting a bumper harvest.
• Fang Zelin took shelter from a sudden storm and overheard old men discussing rising grain prices and large-scale grain purchases in Yuanqing Prefecture.
• Fang Zelin heard martial-world members confirm that Blazing Summer was buying grain and expanding farmland in Yuanqing Prefecture.
• The martial-world members said Blazing Summer was also establishing livestock farming and developing the overlooked prefecture without major trouble.

Fang Zelin traveled to Beiqu County after hearing that Blazing Summer had secured Qingyuan Prefecture, then learned that a local child’s mother and father had been killed after Squire Wu abused his power. He paid for the child’s meal while the waiter warned him not to speak openly about the injustice.

• Fang Zelin left the martial artists after hearing that Qingyuan Prefecture was safe and learned they were worried about Blazing Summer’s plan to build a city near Black Bear Ridge.
• Fang Zelin admired the sunset from Riverside Mountain, then headed to Beiqu County to find a place to stay.
• Fang Zelin passed the Night-roaming God on patrol and went to an inn, where he ordered a room and food.
• Fang Zelin asked the waiter about a crying child, and the waiter explained that Squire Wu had killed the child’s mother and father after the county magistrate protected him.
• Fang Zelin told the waiter to ask the child what he wanted to eat and add it to his bill.

Fang Zelin followed a grieving child to court and witnessed Magistrate collude with Wu Changlin to dismiss the child’s accusation over his father’s death. The dead man, Zhang Tiemu, pleaded with soul-reaping emissaries to avenge his family before they took him to the City God.

• Fang Zelin heard that a court hearing involving Squire Wu was beginning and followed the crowd to the government office.
• The child tried to accuse Wu Changlin of killing his father, but Magistrate intimidated him and demanded that he write a complaint.
• Wu Changlin argued that the child’s inability to write proved the accusation was false, and Magistrate dismissed the case without punishing him.
• As bailiffs carried Zhang Tiemu’s body out, his ghost tried to enter the government office but was driven back by its protective light.
• Zhang Tiemu begged two soul-reaping emissaries to avenge his family, but they said the Underworld Bureau could not interfere in the affairs of the living and took him to the City God.

Fang Zelin intervened when the county magistrate refused to help Zhang Shilin, and Heaven’s power destroyed the yamen plaque, sealing the magistrate’s fate. After Zhang Shilin left with the soul-reaping envoys, the City God explained the officials’ fates, while Fang Zelin helped an orphan find a possible home.

• Fang Zelin rebuked the county magistrate and paid for Zhang Shilin’s corpse to be buried after seeing black Qi on the magistrate’s forehead.
• Lightning struck and shattered the “A Bright Mirror Hung on High” plaque, and the soul-reaping envoys told Zhang Shilin that an immortal had avenged his injustice.
• Zhang Shilin bowed toward Fang Zelin’s departure and went with the soul-reaping envoys to the City God’s temple.
• The City God explained that the magistrate had been protected by dynasty fortune and that Wu Changlin would face investigation after the magistrate’s death.
• Fang Zelin asked the orphan what he would do, and a village woman suggested he live with Lame Wang as his son.

Fang Zelin learned that the Beiqu County magistrate had died and visited the Beiqu City God's temple to ask about Jade Void Mountain and other cultivators. The City God did not know Jade Void Mountain but told Fang Zelin about an accomplished master in White Stone County, giving him a possible lead.

• The Beiqu County magistrate dreamed that he was stripped of his office, sentenced to death, and dragged away by ghosts, then woke in fright.
• The people of Beiqu County discussed the magistrate's suspicious death and hoped his successor would treat them better.
• Fang Zelin heard that the magistrate had died and, after returning from the Qinlin River, visited the City God's temple in Beiqu County.
• The Beiqu City God recognized Fang Zelin as the cultivator who had rebuked the magistrate and asked what he wanted to know.
• Fang Zelin asked about Jade Void Mountain and other cultivators, but the City God did not know the mountain's location.
• The Beiqu City God told Fang Zelin about an accomplished master living in the mountains of White Stone County, and Fang Zelin thanked him for the lead.

On his way to White Stone County, Fang Zelin traveled by boat and agreed to pose for painter Ran Ziming, who spent a night capturing his ethereal bearing. Fang Zelin left Ran Ziming with a promise to grant one small request to his descendants if he ever saw the painting again, then walked across the river toward his destination.

• Fang Zelin boarded a ship bound for White Stone County and watched Ran Ziming paint the river scenery.
• Ran Ziming asked Fang Zelin to pose for a portrait, and Fang Zelin agreed.
• Ran Ziming struggled to paint Fang Zelin through the night, then found inspiration at sunrise and completed the portrait.
• Fang Zelin praised the painting and proposed that Ran Ziming pass it down through his family in exchange for one small future request.
• Ran Ziming told Fang Zelin where he lived, and Fang Zelin walked across the river and vanished into the morning mist.

Fang Zelin traveled toward White Stone Town and saw how disaster and land consolidation had left many fields abandoned and villagers impoverished. After learning he had taken the wrong road, he accepted a place to stay in Covered Walkway Village.

• Fang Zelin noticed that many rice fields had been left barren and asked an old farmer why they were not being cultivated.
• The farmer explained that villagers had sold their land after disasters, then abandoned it when failed harvests left them owing grain to the gentry.
• Fang Zelin considered whether his Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique could help, but continued onward because the rice had already ripened.
• Fang Zelin reached Covered Walkway Village and asked its elderly leader for a place to rest before continuing to White Stone Town.
• The elderly man told Fang Zelin he had missed the turn onto an overgrown path ten li back and invited him to stay in the village.

Fang Zelin stayed overnight in a mountain village, shared his flatbread with the local children, and then traveled to Cloud Creek City. At a restaurant, he overheard people discussing the expert in White Stone County and listened for more information.

• The old man asked a villager to lodge Fang Zelin, and the villager agreed to prepare his spare room.
• Fang Zelin shared his flatbread with the village children, who thanked him and took some home to their families.
• Fang Zelin left the next morning and followed the mountain path to Cloud Creek City.
• Fang Zelin entered a restaurant and ordered green essence rice and side dishes.
• Fang Zelin overheard diners discussing the expert in White Stone County and grew eager to learn where the expert was.

Fang Zelin traveled toward White Stone Town while hearing rumors about a mysterious master, and Ran Ziming returned to the capital and agreed to marry the Zhou Household's daughter. Fang Zelin finally reached the bustling town, where many people had gathered in search of the master.

• Fang Zelin overheard travelers discussing how people found the master in the mountains by chance, then decided to search for him himself when he arrived.
• Ran Ziming returned to the capital, where Grandmother Ran scolded him for neglecting his proposed marriage to the Zhou Household's daughter.
• Ran Ziming agreed to the marriage and resolved to preserve the portrait of the extraordinary man for his descendants.
• Fang Zelin traveled for several dozen days through dry countryside before reaching White Stone Town.
• Fang Zelin found White Stone Town crowded with people, many of them from Blazing Summer seeking the master's guidance.

Fang Zelin searched the mountains near White Stone Town for the hidden expert, but found no trace of them despite returning for more than ten days. He prepared to make one final search before deciding whether to leave.

• Fang Zelin followed the crowd from White Water Town into the mountains while other martial artists raced ahead using their lightness skills.
• Fang Zelin searched the forest until sunset but found no sign of the expert, and the other searchers descended disappointed.
• Fang Zelin returned to the mountains the next day and asked the City God about the expert, but the City God knew little.
• Fang Zelin searched the nearby small mountains for more than ten days without sensing Spiritual Qi or finding the expert, as many other searchers gradually left.
• Fang Zelin decided to search for one final day and entered the mountains, relaxed and familiar with the route.

Fang Zelin followed a trace of Law Power to a neglected mountain god shrine and, moved by its faint spiritual awareness, carved a couplet infused with his insight. The couplet drew an old man through the mist, and he recognized that an immortal had visited the shrine.

• Fang Zelin heard a child cry near a pool and saw the water carry the child safely to the bank.
• Fang Zelin followed the fading Law Power to a small, abandoned mountain god shrine and sensed its weak spiritual awareness.
• Fang Zelin reflected on his own solitary cultivation and gained a glimmer of understanding as a breeze swept leaves from the shrine.
• Fang Zelin carved a couplet into the shrine, infusing the words with his insight and giving the mountain god a chance to benefit.
• An old man sensed the couplet’s resonance, hurried to the shrine through the mist, and realized an immortal had visited.

An old demon who has cultivated for five hundred years seeks guidance from the immortal master he believes blessed the Mountain God, while Fang Zelin watches without revealing himself. After Fang Zelin leaves, the old man considers stealing the Mountain God’s calligraphy, but a strange shaft of moonlight suddenly pierces the mist and defeats his Law Technique.

• The old man questioned the Mountain God about the immortal master who had bestowed Dao resonance, then pleaded for guidance on his stalled cultivation.
• Fang Zelin discovered that the supposed expert was a spirit and realized the kneeling old man was also seeking immortal cultivators.
• Fang Zelin decided he could not guide someone who had cultivated for five hundred years and quietly left the mountain.
• The old man debated whether to steal the Mountain God’s calligraphy, fearing the immortal master might return and punish him.
• After sunset, a shaft of moonlight passed through the mist and fell before the Mountain God Temple, rendering the old man’s Law Technique ineffective.

The Dragon King of the Jing River discovered extraordinary calligraphy at the Mountain God Temple and warned an old tree demon not to take it. In White Stone County, rumors spread that someone had encountered the mysterious expert, while Fang Zelin reflected on his own cultivation.

• The Dragon King of the Jing River arrived at the Mountain God Temple, recognized the calligraphy as extraordinary, and questioned the old tree demon about who had left it.
• The old tree demon admitted he did not know who wrote the calligraphy, and the Dragon King warned him against taking it before flying away.
• The old tree demon withdrew the mist but stayed to watch the temple in hopes that the immortal master would return.
• Diners in White Stone County discussed the strange mist and speculated that someone had encountered the expert and received benefits.
• Fang Zelin listened quietly and thought that his cultivation was progressing without leading him astray.

Fang Zelin traveled to Jiangxing Prefecture and discovered an unusual Daoist while enjoying an expensive wine at an inn. He invited the man upstairs to talk, hoping he had found a fellow practitioner.

• Fang Zelin left White Stone Town and traveled for half a month before reaching Jiangxing Prefecture.
• Fang Zelin rented a superior room, bathed, and ordered the inn’s costly Passing the Spring Shade wine and a plate of beef.
• Fang Zelin tasted the wine and praised its flavor, drawing the attention of other diners.
• Fang Zelin noticed a Daoist whose embroidered pouch held a faint trace of Spiritual Power.
• Fang Zelin invited the Daoist upstairs for a chat.

The author explained how his upbringing shaped his tendency to favor countries and ordinary people in his fiction, and defended the protagonist’s decisions and early characterization. He announced that the book would go premium Friday at noon, with a mass release planned, and asked readers to subscribe.

• The author described growing up poor in the countryside and said his improved adult life reflected the country’s growing prosperity.
• The author explained that his childhood experiences led him to favor countries and ordinary people in his writing.
• The author defended the protagonist making the martial arts school's swordsmanship public, saying he would have done so after receiving relief money and suspecting the world was real.
• The author said the protagonist had only just begun immortal cultivation and was meant to develop gradually rather than begin as a sage.
• The author announced the book would go premium Friday at noon and said he would try to prepare as many chapters as possible for a mass release.
• The author asked readers who had followed pirated copies to support the book with subscriptions.

Fang Zelin met an old Daoist in a restaurant and learned more about cultivation from him. The old Daoist mistook Fang Zelin for a disciple of a powerful senior and agreed with his explanation of Seeking Dao Mountain, while Fang Zelin continued asking for guidance.

• Fang Zelin invited the old Daoist to share wine and asked whether he was an immortal cultivator.
• The old Daoist recognized Fang Zelin as a fellow Daoist and offered to answer his questions.
• Fang Zelin asked about cultivation realms, and the old Daoist said they were divided by Dao attainment.
• The old Daoist told Fang Zelin that the mountain reached through cultivation was called Seeking Dao Mountain.
• Fang Zelin explained that entering the mountain meant advancing in cultivation, and the old Daoist agreed, assuming the idea came from Fang Zelin's master.
• Fang Zelin asked about cultivation bottlenecks and spells the old Daoist could teach him.

Fang Zelin accompanied Yang Xiang to the Wang residence to learn how to deal with spirits, where Yang Xiang captured a newly formed evil presence. A more powerful female ghost then appeared, demanding her child, and Yang Xiang urged Fang Zelin to flee to the City God's temple.

• Yang Xiang introduced himself to Fang Zelin and invited him to the Wang residence to observe an evil presence.
• Yang Xiang warned Fang Zelin not to judge a spirit's cultivation by its age and explained that some spirits grew powerful by consuming human organs.
• Yang Xiang used boundless water, a willow branch, and a cinnabar-marked gourd to reveal and capture a newly formed evil presence while Fang Zelin watched.
• A sinister female ghost appeared outside holding someone and demanded that the two men return her child.
• Yang Xiang sensed that Yin Sha had entered the female ghost and told Fang Zelin to retreat to the City God's temple while he held her off.

Fang Zelin subdued a female ghost at the Wang residence and arranged for her grievance to be judged by the authorities. Afterward, he learned from Yang Xiang that the old Daoist had mistaken him for an experienced cultivator, and heard how immortal sects train and test their disciples.

• Fang Zelin drew Bearing the Heavens and its sword presence frightened the female ghost into pleading for mercy.
• The female ghost accused the Wang Household of killing her after she became pregnant, while a woman from the household disputed her account.
• Fang Zelin ordered Master Wang to take the person responsible to the government office and had Yang Xiang capture the female ghost in his gourd.
• After they left the Wang residence, the old Daoist questioned Fang Zelin about pretending to be inexperienced, and Fang Zelin explained that he had cultivated alone and knew little about cultivation.
• The old Daoist explained that immortal sects sent disciples into the mortal world for thirty years of tempering, and said he had completed twenty-eight years and did not know whether he would pass.

Fang Zelin discussed the importance of virtue and careful judgment with the old Daoist, then took a female ghost and her unborn child to the City God's temple. After learning the old Daoist could lead him to his sect when his trial ended, Fang Zelin agreed to wait for him at the departure point.

• The old Daoist explained that disciples spent decades undergoing trials to temper their character and described a senior who had mistakenly killed a spirit without investigating its actions.
• Fang Zelin reflected that making the martial hall's swordsmanship public in Anzi County might have been a failing in virtue and resolved to repay the martial hall someday.
• Fang Zelin visited the City God's temple with the old Daoist and handed over the female ghost and her unborn child.
• Fang Zelin learned that the old Daoist could not see the City God because he had not yet entered the Dao.
• The old Daoist explained that trial disciples were not told their sect's location, then offered to take Fang Zelin there when his trial ended, and Fang Zelin agreed.

Fang Zelin traveled into Yuanqing Prefecture and found the roads, grain convoys, and farmland unusually well maintained. He took shelter in a ruined temple and unexpectedly reunited with Jiuchuan, an old friend who had been trying to reach him for over a year.

• Fang Zelin parted ways with the old Daoist and continued toward Yuanqing Prefecture, planning to reconnect after the Daoist finished his trials.
• Fang Zelin entered Yuanqing Prefecture and saw repaired roads, grain convoys, and harvested rice paddies.
• Fang Zelin realized he had run low on silver and traveled too far to reach an inn before nightfall.
• Fang Zelin followed firelight to a ruined temple, where Jiuchuan and his companions discussed scouting Cloud-Linking Mountain and building a city.
• Jiuchuan recognized Fang Zelin, hurried over, and complained that Fang Zelin had disappeared without replying to his messages for over a year.

Fang Zelin met Jiuchuan near Yuanqing Prefecture and learned that Blazing Summer was preparing to build cities in Cloud-Linking Mountain as people made plans for possibly moving into Seeking the Dao. Fang Zelin decided to seek the spirits’ cooperation, while Jiuchuan invited him to meet his wives the next day.

• Fang Zelin joined Jiuchuan and the others by the fire, where Jiuchuan explained that Blazing Summer was clearing land in Cloud-Linking Mountain to build cities.
• Jiuchuan told Fang Zelin that people on Earth suspected they might have to enter Seeking the Dao permanently, and Fang Zelin inferred why Blazing Summer was expanding in Yuanqing Prefecture.
• Fang Zelin proposed building City God and mountain god temples and planned to ask Cloud-Linking Mountain’s spirits for land rather than risk a direct conflict.
• Fang Zelin asked Jiuchuan about people from abroad, but Jiuchuan only knew that they were reportedly in other barbarian lands.
• Jiuchuan told Fang Zelin to meet him the next day, and the others revealed that Jiuchuan had married several wives.

After returning to Yuanqing Prefecture, Fang Zelin visited Jiuchuan’s residence and met his three wives. Jiuchuan welcomed him with food and wine, while explaining how he had saved a few bottles of Passing the Spring Shade.

• Jiuchuan teased Fang Zelin about his looks and advised him to marry a well-bred woman from the Great Jin Dynasty.
• After a quiet night, Fang Zelin and the others set out and returned safely to bustling Yuanqing Prefecture.
• Jiuchuan explained that Blazing Summer had stopped buying grain in some regions to avoid worsening shortages, then bought grain in Jiangnan after its bumper harvest lowered prices.
• Jiuchuan brought Fang Zelin to his residence, where Fang met his three wives, including a third wife who had reached the realm of a first-rate expert.
• Fang Zelin recognized the Passing the Spring Shade Jiuchuan served, and Jiuchuan said he had saved a few bottles brought by his wife’s family.