Recaps

After filming his final scene as Zuo Lengchan, Zhang Xuezhou learned that actor Ning Que had cultivated the Sunflower Manual and developed True Qi. Zhang confirmed Ning Que had reached Realm Entry and offered him pills and a chance to pursue cultivation, while warning that joining their world would take hardship and adaptation.

• After Wen Yishan called cut, Zhang Xuezhou finished filming his death scene as Zuo Lengchan and praised Ning Que’s sword fighting.
• Ning Que asked whether supreme martial arts existed and revealed that practicing the Sunflower Manual had given him a stream of True Qi.
• Zhang Xuezhou examined Ning Que’s pulse and sensed Law Power, confirming that Ning Que had reached Realm Entry through his own efforts.
• Ning Que asked whether Genetic Martial Arts existed, and Zhang Xuezhou decided not to dismiss his questions.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Ning Que to keep practicing the Sunflower Manual and Nine Swords of Dugu, and offered him Origin-Nurturing Pill paste to help him continue cultivating.

After finishing his roles in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Zhang Xuezhou arranged X432 treatments to help his parents advance their Mental Strengthening. He explained the treatment’s safety and urged them to study quickly, while anticipating that other powerful Households would soon seek the same opportunities and drive up costs.

• Zhang Xuezhou finished filming Hou Renying and middle-aged Zuo Lengchan and earned a substantial acting fee.
• Song Fengying ended her livestream after a month of filming and prepared to take a short break.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian persuaded Song Fengying and Zhang Weimeng to undergo X432 treatment and study the Mental Strengthening Chapter.
• Zhang Xuezhou reassured his parents that the first four chapters were safe and explained that the treatment would help them reach the fourth chapter.
• Zhang Manqian warned her parents that they would need to study more to reduce the treatment costs, while Song Fengying worried about the family’s rapidly disappearing money.
• Zhang Xuezhou predicted that the Changkong, Luo, and Song Households would soon pursue Mental Strengthening and X432 treatment, potentially raising prices in Western Capital City.

Zhang Xuezhou visited Ren Yisheng, who explained how Changkong Luo and other influential figures could advance Mental Strengthening and urged Zhang to handle their negotiations. Zhang then offered Ren a chance to attempt the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique, and Ren chose to try despite the risks.

• Zhang Xuezhou visited Ren Yisheng after arranging repairs for the X432 and discussed the situation of Changkong Luo, Song Bu'er, Luo Hui, and Zuo Lianguang.
• Ren Yisheng predicted that Changkong Luo and Luo Tianming would draw people in the Twilight Years Mansion into Mental Strengthening research.
• Ren Anran and Ren Yisheng asked Zhang Xuezhou to manage later dealings with the influential elders, and Zhang agreed to bring Ren the completed chapter for review.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Ren Yisheng that the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique could create an incarnation outside the body but normally required the Divine Ability Realm.
• Ren Yisheng decided to risk attempting the technique rather than wait for Zhang Xuezhou to reach a level where he could help him later.

At the Save the World Group's medical center, Zhang Xuezhou's soul vanished from his body, prompting Ren Yisheng to wonder where it had gone. Ren Anran recognized that Ren Yisheng's mind was deteriorating and began analyzing his flawed cultivation as she sought to strengthen his resolve and refine Mental Strengthening.

• Zhang Xuezhou went still after lying down, and Ren Yisheng sensed that his soul had left his body.
• Ren Yisheng asked Ren Anran where Zhang Xuezhou's spirit had gone, and she said that knowing would not help him reproduce the sinkhole's effects.
• Ren Yisheng confessed that losing his strength had weakened his confidence and that his confinement in the Soul Jade felt like a terrifying prison.
• Ren Anran judged that Ren Yisheng's mind was falling apart and explained how his cultivation had neglected mental purity and the strengthening of its source.
• Ren Anran drew a scene that suggested she had glimpsed a flaw in the fifth chapter of Mental Strengthening, then continued drawing a vision of an emperor and empress watching her from afar.

Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Hongku and gave him the Nine Treasures Wine, which Hongku had found but feared was poisoned. After they drank it together, Hongku’s symptoms eased, and he realized the wine might restore him if he could obtain enough.

• Hongku returned to his residence and found Zhang Xuezhou, who claimed he had come to the Sacred Mountain to fulfill his promise.
• Hongku admitted he had found the Nine Treasures Wine but had not dared to drink it because he suspected Zhang Xuezhou had tampered with it.
• Hongku insisted that Zhang Xuezhou drink the wine alongside him, and they divided it into jade bottles.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Hongku drank their shares, and Hongku began expelling spoiled wine as his symptoms eased.
• Hongku found that his fighting endurance had increased and regretted giving Zhang Xuezhou half the wine.

Hongku questioned Zhang Xuezhou about why the Nine Treasures Wine and a Jade Condensation Pill had no effect on him, then warned that people in the Sacred Land might target him because of his connection to Hongku and his imperial-family bounty. The chapter ended when a voice from within the Sacred Land requested battle, revealing what Hongku had been hinting at.

• Hongku suspected Zhang Xuezhou had watered down the Nine Treasures Wine after seeing that it barely affected him.
• Zhang Xuezhou claimed that heavenly treasures no longer worked on his body, then swallowed Hongku's Jade Condensation Pill without gaining any Law Power.
• Hongku questioned whether Zhang Xuezhou had abandoned his Realm Technique to become a martial artist, and Zhang Xuezhou said that was not far off.
• Hongku asked whether Zhang Xuezhou had found anything while staying in the secret place, and Zhang Xuezhou said he had slept for seven days and could ask the Dao Lord to confirm it.
• Hongku warned Zhang Xuezhou that people might attack him because they believed their master-disciple bond remained and because the Xiong State imperial family wanted him.
• Hongku hinted that Zhang Xuezhou could learn who might target him if he cooperated, just as a voice from within the Sacred Land requested battle.

After the three-year truce period, Mage Honghua challenged Venerable Hongku for his position, but Hongku defeated him by turning his poisonous creatures against him and using soul-bewitching incense. The victory left Zhang Xuezhou realizing he had little defense against Hongku’s technique.

• Mage Honghua challenged Venerable Hongku, and Dao Lord granted the contest while declaring a three-year truce for whoever remained or ascended as Venerable.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Hongku who supported Honghua, and Hongku suspected Venerable Yinghua.
• Honghua demanded that Hongku leave his formation, boasting that his poisonous creatures could counter Hongku’s techniques.
• Hongku used smoke from spirit incense to cast the Snake Head Incantation and trap Honghua with a venomous python.
• The soul-bewitching incense and Hongku’s higher cultivation frightened Honghua as his poisonous creatures turned on him, and Honghua died.
• Hongku explained his technique to Zhang Xuezhou, who realized he could scarcely resist it.

After Hongku defeated Dharma Master Honghua, he recruited Zhang Xuezhou to impersonate him while he impersonated Zhang Xuezhou, allowing them to handle threats and visitors in each other’s place. They began the exchange when Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone arrived to congratulate Hongku.

• Dharma Master Hongyi suspected Honghua had been encouraged to challenge Hongku and hoped his earlier support for Hongku would secure him a share of future gains.
• Hongku proposed that Zhang Xuezhou impersonate him while he went down the mountain disguised as Zhang Xuezhou.
• Hongku used makeup, wigs, and disguises to transform their appearances, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to the plan.
• Zhang Xuezhou practiced Hongku’s voice and manner, while Hongku coached him on handling the visitors.
• When Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone called from outside, Zhang Xuezhou scolded Hongku in character, and Hongku left the courtyard pretending to weep.

Zhang Xuezhou, disguised as Hongku, welcomed Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone and began teaching them an advanced method from the Supreme One's lecture. The lesson drew Venerable Yellow Sand into the courtyard, and the three venerables listened in astonishment as Zhang described a technique capable of producing an external incarnation.

• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone came to congratulate Hongku, then entered Black Stone Courtyard after he invited them in.
• Zhang Xuezhou, disguised as Hongku, asked the two venerables to examine a method he had encountered and offered to teach it in exchange for a reward.
• Zhang began recounting the Supreme One's teaching, hoping to understand its difficult principles through discussion and gain benefits from the gathering.
• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone were stunned when Zhang explained that Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation could manifest an external incarnation.
• Venerable Yellow Sand arrived to congratulate Hongku, heard the teaching after being beckoned inside, and sat down to listen.

At the Black Stone Courtyard, Zhang Xuezhou offered to teach the External Incarnation Technique only to those who proved qualified and had something suitable to exchange. The venerables agreed to discuss the teaching together, and Venerable Yellow Sand sent for others as Zhang Xuezhou prepared to continue.

• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone offered treasures to Venerable Hongku in exchange for the rest of the technique, while Venerable Yellow Sand asked to take part despite missing the beginning.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed discussing the technique openly so the listeners could demonstrate their aptitude before exchanging for it.
• Zhang Xuezhou invited more friends to listen and warned the others not to rely on secondhand teaching, since omissions could cause problems in cultivation.
• Venerable Yellow Sand questioned whether the technique was safe, and Zhang Xuezhou said they could examine it together and reject it if they found hidden dangers.
• Venerable Yellow Sand grew eager to learn the high-ranking universal technique and sent his messenger bird to summon others.

Zhang Xuezhou, posing as Venerable Hongku, taught the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique to cultivators at the Yedie River Holy Land and narrowed the group to those capable of discussing it. He began exchanging the complete method for gifts, while an apprentice offered a martial cultivation manual that caught his interest.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained that cultivators with divine sense could cultivate the technique within their bodies, though only those whose Yang Corporeal Soul could leave the body could manifest a Dharma Body.
• Dharma Master Hongyi suggested the technique might let its practitioners defeat cultivators above their realm, prompting the venerables to decide they needed to learn it too.
• After nearly an hour of discussion, Zhang Xuezhou kept four venerables, eight dharma masters, and two apprentices, then asked them to offer gifts for the complete method.
• Venerables Black Mountain, White Bone, Yellow Sand, and Weaver Emperor offered treasured stones, horses, a major technique, and heavenly silkworm cloth.
• Tutuerlan offered his tribe's military tally, while the other apprentice presented the Full Moon Scimitar manual, which interested Zhang Xuezhou.

After lecturing the Yedie River Holy Land on the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique, Zhang Xuezhou collected lavish gifts and escaped on Venerable White Bone’s bone horse while disguised as Hongku. The Dao Lord recognized the disguise from afar, failed to divine what would happen next, and then formed a faint shadow body outside himself.

• Zhang Xuezhou received valuable gifts from Tutuerlan, the Venerables, and the Dharma Masters before continuing his lecture on the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique.
• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone questioned the technique’s divergent paths, then the Venerables left without sharing their thoughts with the Dharma Masters.
• Zhang Xuezhou declined to explain more, and the Dharma Masters and apprentices departed without reaching a useful discussion.
• Zhang Xuezhou packed his belongings, refined Venerable White Bone’s bone horse, and rode away from the Black Stone Courtyard.
• The Dao Lord recognized Zhang Xuezhou beneath his Hongku disguise, considered who might be targeting Hongku, and failed to divine the answer.
• The Dao Lord stayed in the Dao Palace and formed a faint shadow body outside himself.

Zhang Xuezhou fled the Yedie River Holy Land on Venerable White Bone’s white Technique Method horse and discovered that his Grain Avoidance Technique had improved enough to sustain his strength without food. A feather-arrow assassin pursued him, and he recognized the attacker as Demon King Jiu Feng, who demanded to know his relationship with the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

• Zhang Xuezhou rode away from the Yedie River Holy Land and realized that disguise powder and a wig prevented him from changing his appearance.
• Zhang Xuezhou discovered that he could go without food for seven days without losing his strength and suspected his Grain Avoidance Technique had advanced.
• Zhang Xuezhou sensed an attack and dodged feather arrows fired by a pursuer from the night sky.
• Zhang Xuezhou claimed ties to Lord Feiyu, Yangli, Huli, and Demon King Luli, then mentioned meeting the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.
• Demon King Jiu Feng descended on a golden eagle, and Zhang Xuezhou recognized him before Jiu Feng demanded proof of his relationship with their big brother.

Zhang Xuezhou tried to convince Demon King Jiu Feng that he was not Hongku and had ties to the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, but Jiu Feng rejected every explanation. The chapter ended with Jiu Feng deciding that Zhang Xuezhou should die either way.

• Zhang Xuezhou stopped his horse and told Demon King Jiu Feng that he was friends with the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed Jiu Feng the golden lion hair, but Jiu Feng suspected he had cursed the Nine Spirits Primal Sage and stolen it.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Hongku had disguised him and attached the hair to his scalp, then realized he was drawing danger away from Hongku.
• Demon King Jiu Feng grew wary of Zhang Xuezhou's claims and questioned whether he was Hongku or a powerful ally.
• Zhang Xuezhou insisted he was a weak, peace-loving cultivator, but Jiu Feng refused to believe him and resolved to kill him for the reward.

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Demon King Jiu Feng that he was not Hongku and that killing him would violate Jiu Feng’s professional ethics. Jiu Feng accepted the Yang-Stabilizing Stones as proof of task completion and turned to Zhang Xuezhou for help with his injuries.

• Zhang Xuezhou questioned Demon King Jiu Feng about who had hired him and learned that the Exalted One’s black ginseng was offered as payment.
• Zhang Xuezhou revealed his knowledge of the black ginseng, Demon King Feiyu, and Jiu Feng’s injuries, making Jiu Feng believe he might truly be a physiognomist.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the target was Hongku, not him, and offered six Yang-Stabilizing Stones so Jiu Feng could claim the task was complete.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed Jiu Feng his young body, convincing him that he was not Hongku.
• Demon King Jiu Feng accepted that killing the wrong person would violate his professional ethics and became a seeker of Zhang Xuezhou’s guidance.

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Demon King Jiu Feng to abandon his attempt to kill him and instead help him escape Xiong State, while arranging healing pills in exchange for a future assassination. The Dao Lord observed the journey and noticed a Body Control incantation targeting the false Hongku, now aimed at Zhang Xuezhou.

• Zhang Xuezhou offered Demon King Jiu Feng three old ginseng roots and a commission to kill the person who had hired him.
• Zhang Xuezhou sent Demon King Jiu Feng to find Zou Bugui at the Xieluosi River Holy Land for healing pills and demanded an escort toward Yanmen Pass.
• Zhang Xuezhou rode his black bone horse south with Demon King Jiu Feng on his golden eagle.
• The Dao Lord watched Zhang Xuezhou and considered the growing conflict at the Yedie River Holy Land and Hongku’s plans.
• The Dao Lord detected a Body Control incantation aimed at Hongku and flew to see how Zhang Xuezhou would handle the attack.

Zhang Xuezhou rode toward Chang'an while suspecting that the treasures and mounts from the Yedie River Holy Land might contain hidden dangers. Jiu Feng attacked him under apparent control by an incantation master, and the chapter ended with Jiu Feng losing control of his demon body.

• Zhang Xuezhou considered the possible traps hidden in the gifts from the Yedie River Holy Land and decided to trade away dangerous treasures rather than carry them.
• Zhang Xuezhou sensed a feather attack, dodged it, and saw Jiu Feng’s golden eagle dive at him.
• Zhang Xuezhou called out to Venerable White Bone and shouted that someone had taken control of Jiu Feng and his eagle.
• Jiu Feng said the golden eagle would not obey him and accused an unseen incantation master of tampering with him.
• Jiu Feng threw down the six Yang-Stabilizing Stones, transformed into his demon body, and pinned the golden eagle to the ground.
• Jiu Feng felt an incantation master gradually take control of his body until he could barely move or speak.

Zhang Xuezhou fled Demon King Jiu Feng, who was being controlled by a hidden curse master, and used deception and a transformation to escape. The pursuer’s identity remained unknown, while Hongku regretted that Zhang Xuezhou had not fought long enough to expose him.

• Zhang Xuezhou galloped away from Demon King Jiu Feng and suspected that someone was controlling him, while the Dao Lord followed and examined the lingering Law Power.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Jiu Feng to seek help from His Reverence and threw him a jade bottle after Jiu Feng claimed Sever Dust Powder could remove the curse.
• The curse master used the bottle to strengthen his control over Jiu Feng, revealed that he had accomplices, and accelerated toward Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou transformed his arms into wings, dismissed the black bone horse, and flew out of Jiu Feng’s reach.
• Hongku told Zhang Xuezhou that he should have used some Law Power to exchange blows and reveal the pursuer’s identity.

Zhang Xuezhou was forced by Hongku to dive toward Demon King Jiu Feng, allowing Hongku to ensnare the demon king and identify the hidden Incantation master as Dharma Master Hongyuan. Hongyuan realized Hongku had likely split into two bodies, leaving him exposed to retaliation from both holy lands.

• Zhang Xuezhou argued with Hongku about the disguise and Snake Head Incantation while flying away from Demon King Jiu Feng.
• Hongku threatened to use the Incantation against Zhang Xuezhou unless he approached Jiu Feng, so Zhang Xuezhou folded his wings and dived.
• Zhang Xuezhou crashed into Jiu Feng, and Hongku's huge green python coiled around the demon king.
• Hongku recognized Jiu Feng's controller as Dharma Master Hongyuan and warned that neither Hongyuan nor his accomplice would escape.
• Hongyuan realized Hongku had likely split into two bodies and feared that the Yedie River and Nine Spirits Holy Lands would turn against him.

Zhang Xuezhou survived the battle with Hongku’s help, received a golden insect that could strengthen his Drowsiness Technique, and healed himself before riding toward Yanmen Pass. The Dao Lord watched him escape danger and decided to seek opinions at the Sacred Land about the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique.

• The Dao Lord watched Hongyuan and Honghua die as Hongku and Zhang Xuezhou defeated their scheme, while Demon King Jiu Feng threatened to seek justice from the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.
• Hongku gave Zhang Xuezhou the golden insect Hongyuan had used to control Jiu Feng, explaining that it could help him cast Incantations across realms.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Supreme Purity True Technique and old ginseng to recover, then wrote a message on a bamboo slip for Jiu Feng.
• Demon King Jiu Feng took the bamboo slip and left, while Zhang Xuezhou rode toward Yanmen Pass on his black horse.
• The Dao Lord followed Zhang Xuezhou for more than two hundred li, confirmed he was safe, and resolved to discuss the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique at the Sacred Land.

Zhang Xuezhou tamed Dharma Master Hongyuan’s golden bug into a medium for his Drowsiness Technique and continued toward Yanmen Pass. In the Yedie River Holy Land, the Dao Lord addressed the rules that had fueled conflict between Dharma masters and venerables, leaving Hongku to reconsider who was truly responsible for his grievances.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the Incantation Avoidance Formula while removing Hongyuan’s imprint and refining the golden bug.
• By dawn, Zhang Xuezhou had tamed the bug, named it, and recognized it as an excellent medium for his Drowsiness Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou estimated that Yanmen Pass was still a day and a night away and expected no one in the Holy Land to pursue him.
• Hongku knelt before the Dao Palace as Venerable Black Mountain, Venerable White Bone, Venerable Yellow Sand, and Venerable Weaver Emperor stood nearby.
• The Dao Lord promised to explain the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique and said the Sacred Land’s rules had turned healthy competition into a conservative alliance.
• The Dao Lord kept Hongku’s three-year term and declared that passing tests from three of the nine venerables would remove the limit on their number, prompting Hongku to question whether the rules and the Dao Lord were the source of his misfortune.

Hongku realized Zhang Xuezhou had used his name to obtain treasures and had convinced the venerables that Hongku knew the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique. He planned to use the three-year opportunity to learn the technique and seek further help from Zhang Xuezhou.

• Venerable White Bone and the other venerables explained that they had not attacked Hongku or sabotaged him, though their gifts to him had contained hidden dangers.
• Hongku realized the venerables mistook him for an expert in the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique because of Zhang Xuezhou’s actions.
• Hongku resolved to listen to the Dao Lord’s lecture and use the next three years to master the technique, which could also let him cast without interference from the poison in his body.
• Hongku decided Zhang Xuezhou was likely one of the technique’s original sources and considered seeking him out for help.
• Hongku’s Snake Head Incantation returned to him through the Dao Lord’s Law Power, and he reflected that Zhang Xuezhou had outpaced his former student Wu Chao.

Zhang Xuezhou tested the golden insect’s Drowsiness Technique on the grassland, then reached Yanmen Pass disguised as Hongku and claimed to be a traveling merchant. As he waited for the guards to verify his connection to General Zhang Qian, he recognized Wu Chao among two monks seeking passage.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the golden insect to put wild animals to sleep, but struggled to find food it would eat.
• A pack of hyenas chased Zhang Xuezhou, and he escaped on the white horse before riding toward Yanmen Pass.
• At the pass, Zhang Xuezhou claimed to be Du Gou, a manager in Master Zhao’s caravan, and said he knew General Zhang Qian.
• A captain rode off to verify Zhang Xuezhou’s claim while Zhang Xuezhou waited outside the gate.
• Two monks arrived seeking passage, and Zhang Xuezhou recognized Wu Chao among them.

Zhang Xuezhou encountered Senior Brother Rulai and Wu Chao outside Yanmen Pass, where they struggled to persuade the guards to let them enter. Zhang Qian recognized Zhang Xuezhou, and their reunion left him reflecting on the terrible consequences of their past journey to Lingnan.

• The guards stopped Zhang Xuezhou, Senior Brother Rulai, and Wu Chao at Yanmen Pass because they lacked credentials.
• Senior Brother Rulai tried to reason with the guards while Wu Chao insulted them and accused his senior brother of plotting against him.
• Senior Brother Rulai recited Buddhist scriptures, briefly softening a guard's attitude, but the arrival of Zhang Qian interrupted his attempt to gain entry.
• The gate captain identified Zhang Xuezhou as Du Gou, and Zhang Xuezhou reminded Zhang Qian that they had once been jailed together and sent to Lingnan.
• Zhang Qian recognized Zhang Xuezhou and, seeing his aged appearance, asked whether being used as a medium for someone else's technique had caused it.
• Zhang Xuezhou vaguely confirmed it, and Zhang Qian regretted their past journey and suspected the troubles involved Emperor Jing and the crown prince.

Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Zhang Qian at Yanmen Pass and washed off his disguise. After Zhang Qian explained the Full Moon Scimitar manual’s use by Xiong State’s mounted warriors, he decided to recommend the manual to the Great Han army so they could prepare counters.

• Zhang Qian recognized Zhang Xuezhou beneath his disguise and led him into Yanmen Pass, where Zhang Xuezhou washed off the makeup and wig.
• Zhang Xuezhou thanked Zhang Qian for still serving at the pass, and Zhang Qian practiced the Subduing Tiger Fist while lamenting his lack of promotion.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed Zhang Qian the Full Moon Scimitar manual and asked him to explain the martial art.
• Zhang Qian explained that the manual taught a mounted scimitar style used by Xiong State’s elite nomadic cavalry, and Zhang Xuezhou was disappointed that it was not suited to ordinary combat.
• Zhang Qian decided to recommend the manual to the Great Han army so its soldiers could study the enemy’s technique and develop ways to counter it.