Recaps

Zhang Xuezhou fled the Northern Border with Zhufu Yan’s help, while Ning Cheng tracked him using a Technique Method mark. Zhufu Yan struck Ning Cheng with a gopher but was captured by the pursuing officers and tried to bargain for his freedom by offering information about Zhang Xuezhou.

• Zhang Xuezhou paid Zhufu Yan to distract the soldiers pursuing him, and Zhufu Yan knocked several riders from their horses with a gopher.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Zhufu Yan that Ning Cheng could track him and offered a string of cash if Zhufu Yan hit the scholar in a blue robe with a gopher.
• Zhufu Yan ambushed the pursuers and knocked Ning Cheng off his horse, delaying the pursuit while Zhang Xuezhou rode farther away.
• Ning Cheng tracked Zhufu Yan to his hiding place, and the officer surnamed Lu attacked him while Ning Cheng trapped his feet with a Technique Method.
• Zhufu Yan admitted that Zhang Xuezhou had ordered the attack and offered to reveal important information in exchange for being released.

Zhang Xuezhou escaped his pursuers by plunging into an icy river, then emerged downstream and continued toward Hibiscus City. Meanwhile, Zhufu Yan offered information about routes through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and the group renewed its pursuit of Zhang.

• Zhang Xuezhou abandoned his yellow horse and dove into the river to evade the two riders chasing him.
• The two riders searched the freezing river but failed to find Zhang and retreated to the bank to warm themselves.
• Zhang swam two li downstream, used the Golden Crow feather to warm himself, and planned to keep moving toward Hibiscus City.
• Ning Cheng and the others regrouped with Zhufu Yan, who offered information about navigating the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in exchange for his release and the yellow horse.
• Cheng Bushi and the others agreed to mark Zhufu Yan with a Technique Method and decided they had to keep tracking Zhang wherever he went.

Zhang Xuezhou rushed south after telling Rong Tianding that he had run into trouble, leaving his cousin to wait at the Daoist temple. When Flying Feather Army officers arrived in pursuit, Rong Tianding delayed them by selling them food at inflated prices and taking their valuables as collateral, then decided he wanted to join Zhang Xuezhou on the road.

• Zhang Xuezhou borrowed Rong Tianding’s horse and rode south, saying he would return after handling a little trouble.
• Rong Tianding stayed at the temple, practiced his incantations, and wondered what techniques Zhang Xuezhou’s expert acquaintance might teach him.
• Four Flying Feather Army officers arrived and asked Rong Tianding to sell them fodder and food for their hungry horses and themselves.
• Rong Tianding charged the officers exorbitant prices for pork pies and accepted their heavy sword, Law Artifact, sword, and robe as collateral.
• After the officers rode away, Rong Tianding realized they were pursuing Zhang Xuezhou and resolved to follow his cousin into the jianghu.

Zhang Xuezhou escaped his pursuers and rode through the Yan Lands to Suiyang City, hoping Sima Xiangru would shelter him while he waited out his limited vitality. He arrived safely, while Ning Cheng and the others fell far behind, and learned that Sima Xiangru was famous throughout the city for his qin playing.

• Zhang Xuezhou rested briefly after escaping, then decided to seek shelter with Sima Xiangru in Suiyang City before his seven days of vitality ran out.
• Ning Cheng and his three companions continued their pursuit, but their horses gave out and they stopped to sleep as Zhang Xuezhou widened the gap.
• Zhang Xuezhou rode through the night, crossed from the Yan Lands into the Liang Lands, and reached Suiyang City.
• The city guards inspected Zhang Xuezhou's travel credential and praised Suiyang City as a prosperous center for jewelry and trade.
• Zhang Xuezhou entered the city and asked where Sima Xiangru lived, discovering that many residents knew him for his unmatched qin playing.

Zhang Xuezhou went to Liang Garden in Suiyang to find Sima Xiangru and seek free lodging, but the guard directed him to interview at the Prince of Liang's Residence. After his ordinary skills failed to impress the interviewers, Zhang used a Technique to carve a flattering message into the marble, leaving them surprised by his control and audacity.

• Zhang Xuezhou reached Liang Garden and asked guard Lai Xiao'er to call Sima Xiangru, but Lai Xiao'er explained that Sima rarely came out and suggested submitting a letter of introduction at the Prince of Liang's Residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou entered the interview line as Dongfang Shuo, a manager of the Ping'an Merchant Company from Shu Commandery, and waited to be called.
• The interviewers showed little interest when Zhang claimed he could hold his breath, go three days without food or drink, and refine grain-avoidance powders and Origin-Nurturing Pills.
• Zhang announced that he could use a Technique and carved four characters into the marble with controlled strokes.
• The interviewers read the carved message, “I love the Prince of Liang,” and were impressed by Zhang's skill and audacity.

After winning admission to Liang Garden by demonstrating his shameless writing talent, Zhang Xuezhou settled into his new quarters and learned about the estate. He approached Sima Xiangru, who appeared not to recognize him.

• The interviewers debated whether Zhang Xuezhou's ability was enough to admit him, then accepted him as a Liang Garden guest.
• Zhang Xuezhou received the Liang Garden Token and returned to the garden, where Lai Xiao'er showed him to room two hundred and seventy-three.
• After resting, Zhang Xuezhou learned from Lai Xiao'er about Liang Garden's vast grounds and abundant medicinal herbs.
• Lai Xiao'er pointed out Sima Xiangru and his wife Wenjun as they came out, and the guests teased Sima Xiangru about having an admirer.
• Sima Xiangru greeted Zhang Xuezhou as though they had never met, and Zhang Xuezhou recalled that Dong Zhongshu had said Sima Xiangru was blind.

Zhang Xuezhou amused Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun, drawing the King of Liang’s attention and earning a summons to the palace. The ailing king brooded over his brother’s kindness and the succession, then questioned Zhang and had a sudden insight about the performative loyalty surrounding him.

• Zhang Xuezhou joked that he admired both Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun, and Zhuo Wenjun’s reply left Sima Xiangru speechless.
• The King of Liang saw the trace of Zhang’s Stone Transformation Technique and considered how its user could be useful.
• The King of Liang reflected on Emperor Jing’s assurances, his own failing health, and the possibility of taking the throne to extend his life.
• The King of Liang ordered his attendants to bring Zhang Xuezhou to him, hoping the guest retainer would entertain him and offer something novel.
• Zhang Xuezhou addressed the King of Liang as a sagacious ruler and questioned an attendant about loving him, prompting the king’s sons and officials to declare their loyalty.
• The King of Liang dismissed their declarations as insincere, said he would not drag them down when he died, and suddenly seemed to understand something.

The King of Liang reflected on how Emperor Jing’s promise of the throne had trapped him and left him near death, then traveled toward Fengxi Marsh with Zhang Xuezhou. Zhang’s jokes made him laugh at first, but their wordplay reminded him that Emperor Jing had misled him with ambiguous promises.

• The King of Liang concluded that Emperor Jing had promised him the throne but had instead kept Liu Che as crown prince, leaving the King’s plans and lifespan in ruins.
• The King of Liang ordered a journey to Fengxi Marsh and insisted that Zhang Xuezhou accompany him in a cloud sedan.
• The King of Liang asked Zhang Xuezhou to tell cheerful stories, and Zhang made him laugh with jokes about Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun.
• As they neared Fengxi Marsh, the King of Liang lost his smile and realized that Emperor Jing’s ambiguous words had led him to misunderstand the promise of succession.

Zhang Xuezhou accompanied the Prince of Liang to a tomb at Fengxi Marsh, where the prince used Scarlet Bird Flags to confront Emperor Jing over the life and throne he had been promised. The encounter ended with the prince’s attendants and soldiers dying as Yellow Springs water poured from their mouths.

• The Prince of Liang brought Zhang Xuezhou into a vast stone tomb carved to resemble his palace and sat in its main hall.
• The prince placed a ring on the stone seat, listened to Zhang Xuezhou’s story about Sima Xiangru, and became enraged as he imagined Emperor Jing calling him a fool.
• The prince arranged five Scarlet Bird Flags and began a ritual, while Zhang Xuezhou was prevented from leaving the hall.
• The prince and Emperor Jing argued through the formation about the emperor’s prolonged life, the prince’s promised succession, and whether either brother was driving the other to his death.
• The attendants who sent out their Yang Corporeal Souls fell dead, and Yellow Springs water poured from the soldiers’ mouths until their bodies withered and collapsed.

Zhang Xuezhou’s soul was pulled from his body while Emperor Jing, the King of Liang, and the King of Huainan fought through the five banners. As Emperor Jing and the King of Liang clashed in dragon forms, the King of Huainan began a hidden spell and an unfamiliar banner sounded behind Zhang Xuezhou.

• Zhang Xuezhou recited the Tomb Scripture while Emperor Jing, the King of Liang, and the King of Huainan argued over the Han Dynasty’s fortune and their lives.
• A strange fragrance grew stronger, and Zhang Xuezhou’s three souls and seven spirits left his body before he could use the Return to the Aperture Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw Emperor Jing as a golden dragon, the King of Liang as a white dragon, and the King of Huainan as a flood dragon beneath a starry sky.
• The King of Huainan refused to choose a side, then slipped behind the golden dragon as Emperor Jing and the King of Liang exchanged accusations and attacks.
• As the two dragons grappled, the King of Huainan muttered that he had been forced to act and began reciting a spell.
• Zhang Xuezhou heard an unfamiliar banner fluttering alongside the crackling of the five great banners.

Zhang Xuezhou was trapped in a strange mental confrontation as Emperor Jing, the King of Liang, and the King of Huainan fought in dragon forms. The King of Huainan turned against both sides and began absorbing Emperor Jing’s power, leaving the King of Liang alarmed that he might become a new emperor.

• Zhang Xuezhou found himself unable to use his strength while Emperor Jing and the King of Liang battled through the Water of the Yellow Springs and nameless fire.
• The King of Huainan restrained Emperor Jing so the King of Liang could attack, then released him and seized the King of Liang’s tail instead.
• Zhang Xuezhou’s formless presence took the shape of a large fish, and he stayed out of the fight.
• The King of Huainan switched sides again, claiming Emperor Jing would drain him to death, while Emperor Jing accused the King of Liang of planning to do the same.
• Emperor Jing used flames to drain the King of Huainan’s life and fortune, but the King of Liang and the King of Huainan joined forces against him.
• The King of Huainan swallowed Emperor Jing’s golden power and began developing golden markings, a fifth claw, and longer horns, making the King of Liang fear he was becoming Emperor Jing’s replacement.

The King of Huainan turned from devouring Emperor Jing to attacking the King of Liang, whose white-dragon form carried a dangerous power tied to Fengxi Marsh. As Emperor Jing recited the Tomb Scripture, Zhang Xuezhou followed a different version and sensed a sword, drawing Emperor Jing's attention.

• Emperor Jing tried to turn the King of Huainan against the King of Liang, but the King of Huainan kept devouring him until Emperor Jing's threat diminished.
• The King of Huainan and the King of Liang discussed Emperor Jing's proposal to keep him alive as provisions, then the King of Huainan charged at the King of Liang.
• The King of Liang revealed that his white-dragon form drew power from a tomb he had built in Fengxi Marsh, and the King of Huainan struggled against its corrupting flesh and Yellow Springs water.
• Emperor Jing began reciting the Tomb Scripture, and Zhang Xuezhou joined in, correcting his recitation to match Emperor Jing's version.
• Zhang Xuezhou sensed a sword as his fish body grew more substantial, and Emperor Jing noticed his presence amid the struggle.

Emperor Jing’s Tomb Scripture wish summoned Crimson Firmament and killed the King of Liang’s fortune body, leaving Zhang Xuezhou trapped with the defeated king in the tomb hall. The King of Liang admitted the formation could not be opened from within and offered Zhang Xuezhou the empress’s tomb as he crawled toward his coffin.

• Emperor Jing and Zhang Xuezhou chanted the Tomb Scripture, and Emperor Jing’s wish called down a red sword that burned the King of Liang’s white dragon head to nothing.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to his body in the tomb hall, where the wounded King of Liang accused him of using the wish to kill his fortune body.
• Zhang Xuezhou threatened the King of Liang with a stone bowl and struck him with it and a stone cup when he refused to release him.
• The King of Liang explained that his grand formation could not be broken from inside and offered Zhang Xuezhou the empress’s tomb.
• The King of Liang crawled toward a coffin behind the imperial throne, asking to die with dignity.

Trapped in the King of Liang’s tomb, Zhang Xuezhou learned how its formation and deadly Yellow Springs Water worked, then used a Ring of Method Control to survive the hazards. After the King of Liang died, Zhang searched for a way out and turned to the Fuxi Physiognomy School inheritance jade to learn the Acupoint-Fixing Technique.

• Zhang Xuezhou questioned the King of Liang about the Mountains and Rivers Ever-Secure formation and learned that its weakness lay in the earth veins, which could be located by formation experts or intercepted through physiognomy.
• The King of Liang explained that the Yellow Springs Water could erode souls and melt flesh, then revealed a Ring of Method Control that would let Zhang sense the formation and avoid the river.
• The King of Liang directed Zhang to the ring and a prepared coffin, then died while warning that the Fuxi Physiognomy School could break the formation and fix its acupoints.
• Zhang put on the Ring of Method Control, saw the Yellow Springs Water, and watched it move aside when he held out the ring.
• Zhang explored the tomb, avoided its traps and poison, and confirmed that its seamless walls left him no exit; his attempt to reverse the Stone Transformation Technique failed.
• Zhang took out the Fuxi Physiognomy School inheritance jade and used the Deer-Slaying Blade to activate the points of light recorded within it.

Ning Cheng and three companions pursued Zhang Xuezhou beyond Suiyang City, using Ning Cheng’s tracking mark to follow him. They reached a mountain where Ning Cheng suspected a dangerous tomb had been built, then located Zhang Xuezhou hiding underground beneath a tree.

• Ning Cheng and his companions waited outside Suiyang City because their official duties gave them no authority to enter, then set out after Ning Cheng sensed Zhang Xuezhou had left the city.
• Ning Cheng explained how Zhang Xuezhou could evade his tracking mark, but continued following the mark with the other three men.
• The four traveled 180 li to a mountain, where Ning Cheng noticed signs of recent construction and grew wary that the King of Liang might have built a tomb there.
• After failing to find Zhang Xuezhou on the mountain, the officer surnamed Lu urged Ning Cheng to track him again.
• Ning Cheng used his Technique to locate Zhang Xuezhou beneath a large tree and said they could dig him out.

Trapped in the King of Liang's tomb, Zhang Xuezhou contacted Hongku through the inheritance jade and asked for help learning the Acupoint-Fixing Technique. Their conversation revealed that Hongku was suffering from the effects of the Nine Treasures Wine, and Zhang Xuezhou offered him some of his remaining supply in exchange for help.

• Zhang Xuezhou discovered that Hongku had tampered with the inheritance jade and told him he was trapped in the King of Liang's tomb.
• Hongku offered to explain the Acupoint-Fixing Technique if Zhang Xuezhou begged, and Zhang Xuezhou pretended to kowtow using a skull.
• Zhang Xuezhou guessed that Hongku's lingering problems came from taking too much of the Nine Treasures Wine, and Hongku admitted he was dizzy, vomited, and could barely advance his cultivation.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered Hongku the remaining third of his bottle of Nine Treasures Wine to ease his symptoms.
• Hongku continued channeling Law Power into the spellcasting altar in the Ostentatious Palace, growing anxious about Zhang Xuezhou's safety.

Trapped in the Mountains and Rivers Everlasting Grand Formation, Zhang Xuezhou sought Hongku’s help to escape and began studying the Acupoint-Fixing Technique. After consulting the Dao Lord, Hongku gained permission to search for Fuxi’s Ancient Method to help him learn physiognomy.

• Zhang Xuezhou pressed Hongku for a way to break the formation, and Hongku told him to study the Acupoint-Fixing Technique while promising to contact him again in a day.
• Hongku ended the spell, suffered the aftereffects of his forced breakthrough, and searched the Ostentatious Palace for information.
• Hongku asked the Dao Lord how his friend could escape the newly built tomb, and the Dao Lord explained that obstructing an earth vein could briefly disrupt the formation.
• Hongku revealed that the trapped True Spirit Realm cultivator was Wu Jin, a student he had expelled, and the Dao Lord judged that the Physiognomy School’s techniques alone could not save him.
• Hongku pleaded for help teaching Zhang Xuezhou physiognomy, and the Dao Lord invited him to seek Fuxi’s Ancient Method in the Sacred Mountain.

Inside the King of Liang’s tomb, Zhang Xuezhou prepared to use the Acupoint-Fixing Technique to disrupt the tomb’s formation while avoiding the danger in its inheritance jade. Above ground, Ning Cheng and the others searched for the tomb entrance, unaware that Zhang Xuezhou was inside and suspecting he had been buried as a living sacrifice.

• Zhang Xuezhou recognized the dangers of the Acupoint-Fixing Technique inheritance jade and threw it into the King of Liang’s coffin, planning to memorize it and make a safer backup.
• Zhang Xuezhou practiced the Acupoint-Fixing Technique, hoping his True Spirit Realm cultivation would let him interrupt the Mountains and Rivers Everlasting Grand Formation for several minutes.
• Ning Cheng and the three pursuers found that the tracking mark led beneath a layer of bluish rock, so General Lang ordered them to search for a tomb entrance.
• The pursuers spotted horses belonging to the Prince of Liang’s Residence and followed their tracks toward the tomb.
• Ning Cheng found a mound of yellow earth sealing the tomb and suspected the King of Liang had sacrificed people alive; the military officer surnamed Lu wondered if Zhang Xuezhou had been one of them.

Hongku sensed Zhang Xuezhou trapped in the Tomb of the King of Liang, reconsidered the limits of the Dao Lord’s Incantation Techniques, and decided to leave the Yedie River Holy Land to find Zhang. His departure left Hongyi and Hongnong speculating that more venerables might die and open a path to promotion.

• Hongku sensed Zhang Xuezhou inside the Tomb of the King of Liang and warned him to escape, then lost contact when the incantation medium vanished.
• Hongku questioned the Dao Lord’s supremacy after sensing a powerful Incantation Technique, and considered how Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao might use the Fuxi Physiognomy School’s legacy.
• Hongku retrieved the Book of Changes, the final part of the Fuxi Physiognomy School’s legacy that he had withheld from Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao.
• Hongku decided to travel to the Southern Jambudvipa Continent to demand an antidote from Zhang Xuezhou or search his corpse if he was dead.
• Hongku descended the mountain, while Hongyi and Hongnong speculated that his departure might lead to the deaths of other venerables and make their positions easier to obtain.

Zhang Xuezhou searched the tomb for a way out and found the earth-vein mechanism powering the Mountains and Rivers Everlasting Grand Formation. After using the Acupoint-Fixing Technique to interrupt it, he tried to cut through the tomb’s stone wall, but the wall began repairing itself and he realized he had overlooked something.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the Technique of Feng Shui Site Surveying to locate the formation beneath the five Scarlet Bird Flags.
• He pulled up the flags, uncovered 108 golden half-liang coins, and dug up three clattering skulls before finding the Dragon-Subduing Wood beneath the floor.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided not to pull out the Dragon-Subduing Wood and used the Acupoint-Fixing Technique to temporarily interrupt the formation.
• He carried a Scarlet Bird Flag to the tomb entrance and used the Stone Transformation Technique and Deer-Slaying Blade to cut into the stone wall.
• When the wall began growing back, Zhang Xuezhou hurried toward the main hall to cast the Acupoint-Fixing Technique again, suspecting he had overlooked something.

Ning Cheng and three military officers searched Fengxi Marsh for the tomb entrance, following his Technique Method mark until they uncovered a dragon-sealing stone. They found Zhang Xuezhou trapped behind it and began helping him escape.

• Ning Cheng directed the group to dig several pits, but they repeatedly struck thick bluestone and failed to find the tomb entrance.
• Following the mark, Ning Cheng led them to another spot, where they heard sounds beneath the earth and used rain to wash dirt from the gaps between the stones.
• The three officers and Ning Cheng forced the bluestone aside, exposing the tomb entrance as Evil Qi and a freezing chill poured out.
• Zhang Xuezhou appeared with his head wedged in the gap and begged them to move the dragon-sealing stone farther because stones were still falling behind him.
• As Zhang Xuezhou squeezed toward freedom, the chill surrounding the group rapidly receded.

Zhang Xuezhou escaped the collapsing Tomb of the King of Liang with help from Ning Cheng and the Northern Frontier Legion, then recognized General Li Jiao among his rescuers. Li Jiao confirmed that his old promise to give Zhang Xuezhou a scroll of the Supreme Purity True Technique still stood, while remaining unsure whether Zhang could guide him through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

• Zhang Xuezhou surrendered to Ning Cheng and the generals, who moved the Dragon-Sealing Stone far enough for him to squeeze out of the tomb.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the soldiers that the tomb belonged to Liu Wu, the King of Liang, and they agreed to keep their grave-robbery secret.
• The Dragon-Sealing Stone reset itself and sealed the tomb entrance after Zhang Xuezhou escaped.
• While answering questions, Zhang Xuezhou recognized Li Jiao and reminded him of his promise at the Nine-Foot Daoist Temple four years earlier.
• Li Jiao reaffirmed that Zhang Xuezhou could claim the Supreme Purity True Technique once his cultivation qualified, and Zhang explained that his threatening words in Shanggu Commandery City had been meant to find Li Jiao.

Li Jiao explained why he had been hiding from the Xieluosi River Holy Land’s execution order and asked Zhang Xuezhou to help the Northern Frontier Legion navigate the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Zhang Xuezhou agreed in exchange for Li Jiao teaching him the Supreme Purity True Technique, and the group set off for Fuping County to free his friends.

• Li Jiao told Zhang Xuezhou that the execution order had forced him to hide his face and take on logistics duties, making him nearly impossible to find.
• Li Jiao asked Zhang Xuezhou to guide the Northern Frontier Legion through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to share what he knew.
• Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Li Jiao to teach him the Supreme Purity True Technique, while the group agreed to head to Fuping County and free Zhang Xuezhou’s friends from jail.
• Ning Cheng removed the tracking mark from Zhang Xuezhou and warned him that learning tracking Techniques could bring dangerous enemies.
• Ning Cheng explained that the Formless School was outmatched by the Physiognomy School, and Zhang Xuezhou decided to rely on the skills he had already learned instead.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to Fuping County with Ning Cheng and confronted the officers who had imprisoned Dong Zhongshu’s merchant group. After Dong Zhongshu and the others were rescued, Zhang asked him for protection as he prepared to return to the real world.

• Zhang Xuezhou and the others reached the camp in Fuping County and questioned Colonel Bodang about the merchant group he had jailed.
• Wang Yanchong claimed the merchants had plotted to assassinate Governor Li, but Ning Cheng challenged him and ordered him to bring them from the jail.
• Wang Yanchong returned with Dong Zhongshu and the others alive, carried on stretchers after days in confinement.
• Dong Zhongshu told Zhang Xuezhou that Gongsun Ao had recognized him, but he had stayed in jail rather than reveal that he had left his jurisdiction without permission.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Dong Zhongshu to protect his body for seven days while he returned to the real world.

After returning from the ancient world, Zhang Xuezhou recorded the Techniques he had learned and learned that the Sequence Committee had prepared his Sequencing Grand Gathering prize. The Kunpeng Combat Technique document met his theoretical demands, but its enormous resource requirements made it impossible for him to cultivate in practice.

• Zhang Xuezhou returned to his home in Western Capital City, where Tuer Kalanduo watched him with awe.
• Zhang Xuezhou wrote down the Acupoint-Fixing, Person-Fixing, Soul-Summoning, and Return to the Aperture Techniques, while Tuer Kalanduo secretly photographed his notes.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Zhang Manqian had gone to collect the champion group's Sequencing Grand Gathering rewards, including his Kunpeng Combat Technique document.
• Zhang Manqian returned with the theoretical Kunpeng Combat Technique document, and Zhang Xuezhou found that its escalating genetic and blood serum requirements made it impractical to learn.