Recaps

Su Fei lured the jianghu fighters into the Beast Taming Sect's trapped great hall, then sealed them inside after the mechanisms and poisonous smoke struck. Outside, he tried to persuade the Four Heroes of Qingzhou to help him claim the sect's hidden treasures.

• The jianghu fighters crowded around the secret vault entrance, ignoring Su Fei as they tried to force it open.
• The Yellow Dragon Island Lord pushed into the crowd, while the Four Heroes of Qingzhou stayed back and planned to steal from whoever found the treasures.
• When Su Fei reached the hall's threshold, a mechanism fired crossbow bolts and released poisonous smoke into the room.
• Su Fei shut the great hall's doors, leaving the trapped fighters to weaken from the Soft Tendon Powder and the smoke.
• Su Fei called on the Four Heroes of Qingzhou to help seal the hall and claim the treasures, and said they could blame the imperial court for the deaths.

Su Fei and the Four Heroes of Qingzhou killed the poisoned and wounded martial heroes outside the great shrine before Jin Chang and his companions confronted them. Zhang Xuezhou revealed they had the secret vault key, and Su Fei opened the shrine so they could search for the key-holder and enter the vault.

• Su Fei, his hunting dogs, and the Four Heroes of Qingzhou killed the Yellow Dragon Island Lord and other survivors who had escaped the great shrine.
• Jin Chang, Zhang Xuezhou, and their companions revealed themselves, and Su Fei agreed to cooperate in opening the secret vault.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Su Fei that their group had the vault key, and Su Fei agreed not to use the shrine's mechanisms against them.
• Su Fei removed the iron bars and reopened the great shrine's doors as Zhang Xuezhou called for Ruan Qigong.
• Jin Chang entered the smoke-filled shrine and found the crossbow-wounded Zhang Cigong.

Su Fei opened the Beast Taming Sect’s secret vault, and the group descended through a deep passage toward the treasures. A hidden falling-rock mechanism then struck as they moved through a narrow corridor, forcing them to retreat.

• Zhang Xuezhou left the injured Zhang Cigong in Rong Tianding’s care and followed Jin Chang as Su Fei opened the vault with the dragon-shaped jade key.
• Su Fei led the group down a deep, well-ventilated passage, while Zhang Xuezhou and Jin Chang exchanged complaints and kept wary of each other.
• Jin Chang urged everyone to stay close as Su Fei led them farther down a narrow passage toward the treasure vault.
• Wenren Dong triggered a hidden mechanism, and falling rocks struck him and Wenren Xi.
• Lei Bei called for a retreat and backed through the cramped passage, aggravating Jin Chang’s injuries as Zhang Xuezhou hurried behind them.

Zhang Xuezhou survived the passage’s traps alongside Lei Bei, Jin Chang, and the apparently dead Li Shaojun, then reached the Beast Taming Sect’s underground refuge. There, the sect’s giant ape spirit beast seized Lei Bei in the pool while Jin Chang attacked Su Fei.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the Stone Transformation Technique to survive falling rocks, and Lei Bei’s sword attack drove Su Fei fleeing through the passage.
• Jin Chang pursued Su Fei while Lei Bei and Zhang Xuezhou continued onward, leaving Li Shaojun’s body behind until his resurrection interval passed.
• Zhang Xuezhou reached a ventilated cavern containing storage chambers and the Jade Water Pool, where Su Fei faced Jin Chang with an empty crossbow.
• A giant water hand struck Lei Bei, and a water ring dragged him into the pool after Jin Chang warned him not to let the water touch him.
• Su Fei celebrated the return of the Beast Taming Sect’s Great Sage, a chained giant ape, but Jin Chang stabbed him through the body with transparent threads.
• The giant ape stopped fighting as Jin Chang’s attack revealed that he, not Lei Bei, controlled the situation.

Jin Chang tried to bargain with Great Sage Water Ape while holding Su Fei hostage, but Great Sage Water Ape captured him with the water of the Jade Water Pool. Great Sage Water Ape recognized the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s feather Zhang Xuezhou carried and invited him back, leaving Zhang Xuezhou relieved that the token had earned the water god’s courtesy.

• Jin Chang threatened Su Fei and tried to negotiate with Great Sage Water Ape, who gave him ten breaths to release the hostage.
• Jin Chang fled through the shadows, but Great Sage Water Ape flooded the underground space, dragged him into the Jade Water Pool, and knocked him unconscious.
• Great Sage Water Ape noticed Zhang Xuezhou retreating through the passage and invited him in after recognizing the Golden Crow Great Emperor’s feather.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the Jade Water Pool and recognized Great Sage Water Ape, who asked after Golden Crow Great Emperor and politely identified himself as the water god of the Huai River.

Zhang Xuezhou learned about Great Sage Water Ape’s long, isolated life and promised to ask the Heavenly Court about transferring him. He then considered how to keep Jin Chang alive while obtaining the Nine People Sect’s technique without making him an enemy.

• Great Sage Water Ape recounted how he learned of the world’s changes decades late and spent centuries wandering before settling with the Beast Taming Sect.
• Zhang Xuezhou shared what little he knew of the Heavenly Court, leaving Great Sage Water Ape shocked by how much time had passed and how its gods had declined.
• Great Sage Water Ape explained that water sustained his unusual longevity, but his inability to leave it and ignorance of the world had made his long life empty.
• Zhang Xuezhou promised to ask the Heavenly Court about Great Sage Water Ape’s transfer and then asked whether Jin Chang and Lei Bei were dead.
• Great Sage Water Ape offered to kill Jin Chang, but Zhang Xuezhou refused because he wanted Jin Chang’s Nine People Sect technique and weighed the risk of making him an enemy.

Great Sage Water Ape tortured Jin Chang and Zhang Xuezhou to force them to reveal their cultivation secrets. Jin Chang began sharing the Yin-Yang School’s Realm Technique and agreed that he and Zhang Xuezhou would cooperate, hoping they would both be released.

• Jin Chang woke to find Great Sage Water Ape threatening Zhang Xuezhou for the Yin-Yang School’s cultivation secrets.
• Great Sage Water Ape alternated between drowning Jin Chang and Zhang Xuezhou to pressure them into talking.
• Jin Chang began reciting the Yin Yang Nine People Sect’s Realm Technique while Zhang Xuezhou was held underwater.
• Great Sage Water Ape threatened to drown Jin Chang instead when he hesitated, and Zhang Xuezhou protested on his behalf.
• Jin Chang realized Zhang Xuezhou might know advanced cultivation teachings and offered to cooperate with him in revealing everything.

Li Shaojun was captured by the Great Sage Water Ape, who held the intruders in the Beast Taming Sect’s secret vault while Zhang Xuezhou and Jin Chang negotiated over the Yin-Yang School’s Realm Technique. After Jin Chang and Lei Bei were sent away, Senior Brother Rulai arrived and demanded the complete Yin Yang Nine People Great Joy Incantation, leaving Zhang Xuezhou facing another threat.

• Li Shaojun retreated from the secret vault but was dragged into the Jade Water Pool by the Great Sage Water Ape.
• The Great Sage Water Ape kept Zhang Xuezhou in the pool while Jin Chang recited the Yin-Yang School’s Realm Technique and Lei Bei remained unconscious.
• Su Fei stayed in the inner chamber and recognized that he had gained the Beast Taming Sect’s remaining inheritance and a chance to advance.
• The Great Sage Water Ape dismissed Jin Chang and Lei Bei, and Jin Chang warned that a Sacred Land’s Seven Birds Five Fires Fan could threaten him.
• The Great Sage Water Ape flooded Li Shaojun’s openings and stuffed him into the pool, then warned Zhang Xuezhou to beware of Jin Chang’s Realm Technique.
• Senior Brother Rulai called from the passage and demanded that Zhang Xuezhou hand over the complete Yin Yang Nine People Great Joy Incantation.

Jin Chang fled toward Great Sage Water Ape while Senior Brother Rulai pursued them, seeking the Yin-Yang School's Realm Techniques. Great Sage Water Ape fought Rulai, but the confrontation paused when Rulai recognized Zhang Xuezhou, who was still being held hostage.

• Jin Chang dragged the unconscious Lei Bei toward Great Sage Water Ape, hoping to escape Senior Brother Rulai and Great Sage Water Ape's pursuit.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Great Sage Water Ape that Rulai was a powerful Sole Self Realm cultivator who could resist weapons and techniques.
• Jin Chang revealed that Great Sage Water Ape also knew the Yin-Yang School's Realm Techniques, drawing Rulai's attention to him.
• Senior Brother Rulai entered the pool chamber and declared that he would capture Great Sage Water Ape as a guardian spirit beast.
• Great Sage Water Ape attacked Rulai with waves and heavy water, but Rulai's golden light stopped the attacks, and he caught a massive stone the Water Ape hurled at him.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Rulai that he and the others were hostages, and Rulai recognized him and asked how he had ended up in Great Sage Water Ape's hands.

Zhang Xuezhou led the group to flee through an underground river as Rulai and Great Sage Water Ape fought above them. Su Fei guided Zhang Xuezhou through the passage, while Li Shaojun, Jin Chang, and Lei Bei struggled to survive the current and lack of air.

• A surge from Jade Water Pool swept Zhang Xuezhou into a stone chamber, where he disarmed Su Fei and urged him to flee the battle between Rulai and Great Sage Water Ape.
• Su Fei revealed an underground river beneath the pool, swallowed a pill, and leaped in with Zhang Xuezhou; Jin Chang carried Lei Bei into the water.
• Li Shaojun followed them into the underground river but could not hold his breath and let the current carry him onward after he began to suffocate.
• Jin Chang entered turtle breathing to preserve himself as the group was battered through the passage, while Zhang Xuezhou used the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather to follow Su Fei.
• Su Fei admitted he could not shake Zhang Xuezhou and agreed to lead him through the underground river.

Zhang Xuezhou and the others escaped the Beast Taming Sect's hidden vault without treasure, then rescued their companions while Wu Chao caught up with them. Zhang Xuezhou told Wu Chao how to use the Great Han Dynasty's help to escape Senior Brother Rulai, leaving Wu Chao hopeful of freedom.

• Zhang Xuezhou chased Su Fei out of the water and threatened him into helping rescue the others.
• Zhang Xuezhou pulled Jin Chang, Lei Bei, and Li Shaojun ashore, then broke Jin Chang's breastbone while trying to revive him.
• Wu Chao arrived and told Jin Chang not to save him, but asked Zhang Xuezhou whether Senior Brother Rulai was still alive.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Senior Brother Rulai was fighting Great Sage Water Ape and whispered a plan to help Wu Chao escape his control.
• Wu Chao realized he could cooperate with Zhang Qian and use his tracking techniques to avoid Senior Brother Rulai, and he celebrated his coming freedom.

Wu Chao negotiated with Jin Chang and Zhang Xuezhou for cultivation techniques and a chance to regain control of his life within the Western Sect. Su Fei watched their tangled arrangements unfold, then chose to stay out of their affairs.

• Wu Chao told Jin Chang he wanted to avoid becoming a monk or dying in the Western Sect, and Jin Chang offered to teach him the Nine People Sect's Divine Ability Realm technique in exchange for Zhang Xuezhou's Nine Heavens Sect technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned that giving up his technique could put him at risk, and Wu Chao agreed to return to the Western Sect and help him in return for the Following Like a Shadow Technique.
• Jin Chang accepted Wu Chao's terms and received treatment with the Supreme Purity True Technique.
• Su Fei struggled to understand the relationships among Wu Chao, Zhang Xuezhou, and Jin Chang while treating Lei Bei.
• Su Fei decided not to interfere, noting that the others no longer treated him as an enemy who had to be killed.

Zhang Xuezhou, Jin Chang, and Wu Chao formed a temporary alliance, and Su Fei joined them by handing over the Beast Taming Sect's inheritance jade. The group headed for Shouchun City to escape Senior Brother Rulai, while Li Shaojun recovered after being left behind.

• Jin Chang demanded that Su Fei hand over the Beast Taming Sect's inheritance so they could seek permission to enter the A-class room, and Su Fei agreed to join them.
• Jin Chang gave the inheritance jade to Zhang Xuezhou to memorize and copy, promising that they would return the jade to Su Fei afterward.
• Jin Chang urged the group to hurry back to Shouchun City before Senior Brother Rulai could reach them.
• Jin Chang promised Wu Chao the Yin Yang Great Joy Nine People Incantation methods and the Following Like a Shadow Technique, and Wu Chao agreed to let the group go.
• After Zhang Xuezhou and the others left, Wu Chao noticed Li Shaojun had been left behind, and Li Shaojun spat out water and cursed.

Li Shaojun learned that Zhang Xuezhou belonged to the declining Yin Yang Nine Heavens Sect and headed back toward Ox Head Mountain. There, Senior Brother Rulai returned with Great Sage Water Ape captured, proudly revealing a Divine Ability that could shrink and confine its target, while mistaking the Beast Taming Sect for the Yin-Yang School.

• Li Shaojun connected Zhang Xuezhou’s sect and the Cauldron Technique to a possible conflict with Jin Chang, then set out for Ox Head Mountain.
• Wu Chao waited at the underground river outlet and watched Senior Brother Rulai emerge with the injured Great Sage Water Ape in his grasp.
• Senior Brother Rulai explained that his newly completed body cultivation had awakened a Divine Ability that suppressed, captured, and shrank Great Sage Water Ape.
• Senior Brother Rulai transferred the tiny, bound demon into his alms bowl and said the sect leader could control its soul and tame it.
• Senior Brother Rulai identified Great Sage Water Ape as the Yin-Yang School’s guardian spirit beast, while Wu Chao suspected he had mistaken the Beast Taming Sect for the Yin-Yang School.

Senior Brother Rulai captured Great Sage Water Ape and prepared to return to the Western Sect, while Wu Chao used a promise to Rong Tianding to find an excuse to continue toward Shouchun City. The group left the Beast Taming Sect, and Li Shaojun realized how formidable Senior Brother Rulai was.

• Senior Brother Rulai chose to take Great Sage Water Ape back to the sect instead of pursuing Jin Chang, and Wu Chao worried that this would disrupt his plan.
• Wu Chao told Senior Brother Rulai he had promised to help a passerby find his cousin, and Senior Brother Rulai agreed to let him search before they returned west.
• At the Beast Taming Sect, Wu Chao reminded Rong Tianding that he had agreed to help find his cousin, and Rong Tianding confirmed the request.
• Wu Chao planned to use the search for Zhang Xuezhou to return to Shouchun City, while warning Li Shaojun with a threatening smile to stay out of his way.
• Li Shaojun recognized Great Sage Water Ape inside Senior Brother Rulai's alms bowl and feared that Rulai could become one of the Three Realms' greatest powers.

Wu Chao stalled Zhang Cigong’s search for Zhang Xuezhou while Zhang Xuezhou and his companions fled through the night, pursued by Senior Brother Rulai. As they rode onward, Jin Chang reflected on the Yin-Yang School’s lost secret land and noticed Zhang Xuezhou had acquired an unusually obedient horse.

• Wu Chao told Zhang Cigong that Zhang Xuezhou might have fallen into the river and delayed him by claiming he needed to study the stars to find him.
• Rong Tianding suspected Wu Chao was stalling, while Senior Brother Rulai allowed Wu Chao to continue.
• Zhang Xuezhou, Jin Chang, Lei Bei, and Su Fei rode through the dark, leaving the hunting dogs behind as they escaped their pursuers.
• Jin Chang complained that the Western Sect had sent a powerful monk to help Wu Chao and recalled how the Yin-Yang School had lost its secret land to the Immortal Court.
• Jin Chang noticed Zhang Xuezhou’s horse was exceptionally obedient and envied his apparent good luck.

Zhang Xuezhou studied the Beast Taming Sect’s Soul-Upsetting Beast Control Technique and considered how it might be developed to affect humans, though its need for a hostile target left him with no one suitable to use it on. His conversation with Jin Chang ended with Jin Chang seriously considering wishing to become the best under heaven through the Tomb Scripture.

• Zhang Xuezhou examined the Soul-Upsetting Beast Control Technique and recognized its potential as a mental-control method, while noting that it required powerful mental strength and further development.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that the Technique reversed intense hostility into loyalty but failed on ordinary beasts or targets close to the caster, and he could not think of a suitable enemy.
• Jin Chang noticed Zhang Xuezhou grinning at the inheritance jade, and Zhang Xuezhou claimed he was memorizing it while joking about becoming second-best under heaven.
• Zhang Xuezhou flattered Jin Chang by saying the top spot belonged to him, making Jin Chang laugh and reconsider his abandoned ambition.
• Jin Chang reflected on his limitations and decided that wishing through the Tomb Scripture to become the best under heaven might be worth trying.

Wu Chao stalled Senior Brother Rulai while Zhang Xuezhou’s group prepared their plans, and recruited Li Shaojun by promising him a share of any suitable benefits. Li Shaojun learned that Wu Chao himself was the target of the scheme and agreed to go to Shouchun City to check on Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

• Senior Brother Rulai left to search the secret passage and nearby rivers for Wu Chao’s cousin, while Wu Chao hoped Zhang Xuezhou had already reached Shouchun City.
• Wu Chao told Zhang Cigong that he was stalling for time so they could each obtain what they needed, including the Beast Taming Sect’s inheritance for Zhang Cigong.
• Li Shaojun offered to heal Zhang Cigong in exchange for a share of any suitable benefits, and Wu Chao accepted and swore an oath.
• Li Shaojun fed Zhang Cigong part of a pill, then learned that Zhang Xuezhou was in Shouchun City and that Wu Chao wanted him to make inquiries there.
• When Li Shaojun asked who was being targeted, Wu Chao pointed to himself and explained that the plan aimed to make him a worker for the Great Han Dynasty.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions reached Shouchun City and prepared to present the Beast Taming Canon to the King of Huainan’s Household. As Lei Bei led them toward the presentation, he warned Zhang Xuezhou that Tian Jiu would likely oppose them and try to prevent the canon from being judged first-grade.

• After traveling for four days, Zhang Xuezhou, Su Fei, Jin Chang, and Lei Bei entered Shouchun City using Lei Bei’s guest elder token.
• The group divided their tasks: Zhang Xuezhou transcribed the Beast Taming Canon, Jin Chang copied the material Wu Chao needed, and Lei Bei searched for Zhang Qian.
• Su Fei agreed to accompany Zhang Xuezhou as a witness when he presented the canon and considered seeking refuge in the King of Huainan’s Household.
• Zhang Xuezhou rapidly transcribed the entire canon onto five bamboo rolls, impressing Su Fei and Jin Chang with his memory and writing speed.
• Lei Bei found Zhang Qian and warned Zhang Xuezhou that Tian Jiu would likely oppose the canon’s first-grade evaluation.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the others followed Lei Bei to present the Beast Taming Canon.

Lei Bei returned to the King of Huainan’s court with Zhang Xuezhou and Su Fei, and Zhang presented the Beast Taming Canon in hopes of gaining access to Room A. The King of Huainan considered the offering, but Tian Jiu challenged its authenticity and demanded that they recite it.

• General Wu warned Lei Bei that the King of Huainan had summoned him repeatedly and that Tian Jiu might denounce him.
• Tian Jiu criticized Lei Bei for arriving late, but Lei Bei explained that he had gone to the Beast Taming Sect and had only just returned.
• The King of Huainan invited Lei Bei to contribute to a theory against realm suppression, and Zhang Xuezhou prompted him to mention meeting a friend.
• Zhang Xuezhou introduced himself as Dongfang Bubai and offered the Beast Taming Sect’s Beast Taming Canon, reminding the King that he had previously presented the Horizontal Sword Technique.
• Zhang and Su Fei confirmed that the bamboo slips contained the complete canon, but Tian Jiu demanded that they recite it to prove it was genuine.

Zhang Xuezhou and Lei Bei tried to convince the King of Huainan's Household that the transcribed Beast Taming Canon was genuine and complete. The King of Huainan accepted Su Fei and Zhang Cigong as witnesses who would cultivate its teachings, and nodded to their request for two hours in Room A.

• Officials and guest retainers debated whether Zhang Xuezhou's transcription was authentic and whether the household could accept an inheritance that might belong to the court.
• Several great cultivators, including Lei Bei and Tian Jiu, examined the Beast Taming Canon and judged its realm system and beast-taming techniques promising, though they could not confirm it was free of flaws.
• Zhang Xuezhou argued that the household could copy the inheritance for the court and said the group would have no reason to risk their lives by presenting a fake.
• When Tian Jiu questioned why they had approached the household instead of the court, Zhang Xuezhou offered Su Fei as a cultivator who could demonstrate the inheritance's later realms.
• Su Fei presented pills and pledged to serve the king's household, while Zhang Xuezhou recommended Zhang Cigong to demonstrate the earlier realms.
• With Lei Bei's support and both men pledged to cultivate the inheritance, the King of Huainan nodded to their request for access to Room A.

The King of Huainan accepted the Beast Taming Canon for review and granted Zhang Xuezhou entry to the grade-A room, while Su Fang was placed under Lei Bei. The King of Huainan planned a visit to Chang'an City to meet the new emperor and prepare against a Fortune War.

• Tian Jiu recommended that Dong Zhongshu examine the Beast Taming Canon, and the King of Huainan ordered someone to invite him.
• The King of Huainan praised Lei Bei for recommending the presentation and promised him credit regardless of Dong Zhongshu's findings.
• The King of Huainan placed Zhang Xuezhou's recommended person under Lei Bei and granted Zhang Xuezhou access to the grade-A room.
• Su Fang thanked the King of Huainan for his support and for being assigned to Lei Bei.
• The King of Huainan considered visiting Chang'an City to meet the new emperor, assess the court, and prepare against a Fortune War.

Zhang Xuezhou presented the Beast Taming Canon to the King of Huainan, and Dong Zhongshu verified that the copied text was complete. After the King of Huainan offered the canon to the imperial court, Dong Zhongshu advised him on research into countering cultivators’ realm-based deterrence, leaving the King with potential scholars to consult.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Dong Zhongshu that Su Fei, the Beast Taming Sect’s heir, had led them to the canon in the sect’s treasury, and Zhang had copied it onto bamboo slips.
• Dong Zhongshu rapidly read the Beast Taming Canon, judged it complete, and congratulated the King of Huainan on acquiring a supreme legacy technique.
• The King of Huainan announced that he would present the canon to the imperial court, then rewarded Zhang Xuezhou and the others as Su Fei and Zhang Cigong were registered.
• The King of Huainan discussed his Study of Countering Deterrence with Dong Zhongshu, who recommended drawing on the Daoist, School of Diplomacy, Yin-Yang, and Beast Taming teachings.
• Dong Zhongshu suggested that Shen Pei could unify the different teachings, but the King of Huainan agreed without intending to seek Shen Pei’s help.

Zhang Xuezhou agreed to search Room A for texts that could help Dong Zhongshu, while Dong Zhongshu reconsidered the new emperor’s intentions and resolved to prepare for a conflict with him. Back at the inn, Jin Chang confronted Dong Zhongshu about whether the Tomb Scripture could truly change fate.

• Zhang Xuezhou refused to delay using his token for Jin Chang, but agreed to search Room A for works related to the classics in the secret archives.
• Dong Zhongshu considered how the new emperor’s mission to Xiong State and recruitment of Shen Pei might serve his political plans.
• Dong Zhongshu decided he needed to cultivate the Fortune Technique and find a way to resolve his conflict with His Majesty.
• Jin Chang visited Dong Zhongshu at the inn and asked whether the Tomb Scripture could really change fate.
• Dong Zhongshu said he had released information about the Tomb Scripture after visiting the court’s secret archives, then reminded Jin Chang of his spirit medium theory.

Zhang Xuezhou studied the Fortune Technique in the Grade-A room but concluded that the Han Dynasty’s divided rule and lack of victories made it difficult to practice. Believing Zhang had chosen the wrong path, the King of Huainan granted him another Grade-A token, leaving Zhang with a chance to study other Techniques later.

• Zhang Xuezhou read Huang-Lao texts and learned that raising fortune required a unified nation, while sacrificing to fortune through war demanded major victories.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that the Great Han Dynasty’s vassal kings and difficult military campaigns made both methods of practicing the Fortune Technique hard to pursue.
• Tian You reported that Zhang had browsed many classics and left the Grade-A room looking miserable.
• The King of Huainan decided Zhang had pursued the wrong cultivation path and ordered Tian You to give him another Grade-A token.
• Tian You agreed to set a time limit on the token, while the King of Huainan reflected on his own inability to turn back from his path.