Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou arranged for his parents to cultivate so they could safely benefit from life-extending elixirs, then discussed how to build and profit from an imperial mausoleum with Rong Tianding. He was surprised to learn that Zhufu Yan had become a high official and connected Zhufu Yan’s fighting technique to the new emperor’s recent prowess.

• Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong complained about Zhang Xuezhou’s family matters, and he persuaded them to cultivate and attend Confucian lectures so they could remain healthy enough to take life-extending elixirs.
• Rong Tianding asked how Zhang Xuezhou would build the mausoleum on the waterlogged Mao Mausoleum site, and Zhang Xuezhou proposed building aboveground and burying the structure beneath earth.
• Zhang Xuezhou planned to inspect the terrain and imitate a Mountains and Rivers Great Array, hoping to use leftover materials or draw on the array’s power.
• Rong Tianding said Zhufu Yan had become a high official and had ignored him in the Imperial City District.
• Zhang Xuezhou linked Zhufu Yan’s rise and the new emperor’s combat skills to Huo Qubing, who had shown the emperor the practical use of Zhufu Yan’s Eighteen Strikes on Contact with Clothing.

After taking charge of Mao Mausoleum, Zhang Xuezhou rejected the costly plan to build a vast underground dike and prepared to raise the tomb aboveground instead. Zhufu Yan then arrived with an imperial summons for Zhang Xuezhou to return to Chang'an after someone stole the Red Empyrean Sword from his residence.

• Zhang Xuezhou reflected on his new court appointment and remained wary of Zhufu Yan, who had gained office by presenting a technique to the emperor.
• Zhang Xuezhou surveyed Mao Mausoleum with Rong Tianding and the construction officials, who described the rivers, groundwater, and enormous labor required for their original plans.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided to build aboveground and raise a mountain over the structure rather than construct a hundred-li underground dike, and he asked Rong Tianding to help prevent interference.
• Zhufu Yan galloped up and told Zhang Xuezhou that someone had stolen a sword from his residence and that the emperor had ordered him back to Chang'an at once.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized the stolen sword was the Red Empyrean Sword and wondered how news of it had spread so quickly.

After his residence was robbed and the Red Empyrean Sword stolen, Zhang Xuezhou hurried back to Chang'an City with Zhufu Yan. Their talk revealed Zhufu Yan’s ruthless ambition and caution about being implicated, while Zhang Xuezhou considered whether they might still make a temporary alliance.

• Zhang Xuezhou borrowed a horse and rode back toward Chang'an City, while Zhufu Yan boasted about the yellow horse he had bought.
• Zhufu Yan defended his corruption as a way to make up for years of failure and pursue greater power, and Zhang Xuezhou advised him to be cautious.
• Zhufu Yan said he sought an extreme, utilitarian Only Me mindset to reach the Sole Self Realm, and Zhang Xuezhou acknowledged that he understood his ambition.
• Zhufu Yan accused Zhang Xuezhou of fearing that his corruption would implicate him, and Zhang Xuezhou invited him to join forces if he was not afraid of being implicated in return.
• Zhufu Yan declined to ally with Zhang Xuezhou immediately and put distance between their horses, wary that the stolen Red Empyrean Sword could bring trouble.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized Zhufu Yan’s practical value and considered seeking an opportunity for them to help and protect each other temporarily.

After the Red Empyrean Sword was stolen from Zhang Xuezhou’s residence, Governor Zheng Dangshi realized that investigating the theft could ruin his career whichever way it went. Zhang Xuezhou urged him to search powerful neighboring households and even implicated the King of Huainan’s Household and Chancellor Tian Fen, leaving Zheng trapped by the costly investigation.

• Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence and found Zheng Dangshi and Jingzhao constables waiting outside after the theft.
• Zhang Xuezhou confirmed that the stolen item was the Red Empyrean Sword entrusted to him by His Majesty, and Zheng Dangshi understood how serious the case was.
• Zhang Xuezhou speculated that the thief had hidden in or come from a nearby powerful household, while Zheng Dangshi recognized that every likely suspect was difficult to investigate.
• Zhang Xuezhou named his martial uncle Jin Chang and the King of Huainan’s Household as possible suspects, but Zheng Dangshi tried to dissuade him.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed focusing on officials with many retainers, pointing toward Chancellor Tian Fen, while Zheng Dangshi feared that every investigation could bring disaster.

After the Red Empyrean Sword was stolen, the new emperor forced Zheng Dangshi to take responsibility for finding it and threatened to execute suspects. Zheng Dangshi faced wary officials who demanded fair searches and left with no clear way to protect himself from the investigation.

• The new emperor raged over the theft of the Red Empyrean Sword and ordered Zheng Dangshi to find it, threatening to behead suspects if necessary.
• Zhang Xuezhou praised the emperor and let Zheng Dangshi shoulder responsibility for the search.
• After the emperor dismissed him, Zheng Dangshi met Li Guang and Li Cai, who demanded that any investigation be conducted fairly and without planted evidence.
• Zhuang Qingdi arrived and likewise told Zheng Dangshi he would accept a fair search of his residence.
• Zheng Dangshi realized that the neighboring households had guarded themselves against blame while he had no way to protect himself.

The new emperor used the Red Empyrean Sword theft to pressure officials while keeping the real sword safe, then ordered Zhang Xuezhou to remain in the palace. Zhang Xuezhou accompanied him to visit Wei Zifu and her daughter, where talk of the sword reminded the emperor that Tian Fen was moving to clear himself of suspicion.

• The new emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou whether the real Red Empyrean Sword had been stolen, and Zhang confirmed it was still safe.
• The new emperor and Zhang discussed possible culprits and used the fake sword theft to draw suspicion toward powerful officials, including Tian Fen's retainers.
• The new emperor told Zhang to stay in Weiyang Palace and postpone work at Mao Mausoleum until the investigation was resolved.
• The new emperor and Zhang went to the Shu Chamber, where Wei Zifu's daughter asked Zhang about the world beyond the palace.
• The new emperor spotted the empress dowager with Tian Fen and grumbled that Tian Fen had come to declare his loyalty and escape suspicion.

The new emperor used the theft of the Red Empyrean Sword to assert his authority and make clear that even Tian Fen would face an investigation. Tian Fen recognized that he could not protect himself from scrutiny and decided he needed a scapegoat.

• Tian Fen worried that an investigation into the Red Empyrean Sword would expose the corruption and uncontrolled retainers in his residence.
• The empress dowager suggested that the new emperor might sense the sword, but he denied it and said the Jingzhao authorities should recover it.
• The empress dowager questioned Zhang Xuezhou over his failure to protect the sword, and he said its return would depend on the deadline she set.
• Tian Fen denied stealing the sword and objected to a search of his residence, but the new emperor pointed out that even the imperial palace was open to investigation.
• The new emperor warned Tian Fen against opposing his authority, and Tian Fen declared his loyalty while realizing the empress dowager could not help him.
• Tian Fen concluded that he could not survive the investigation and decided to find someone else to take the blame.

While confined to the palace during the Red Empyrean Sword investigation, Zhang Xuezhou practiced the Nurturing Method on the Innate Spirit Wood Staff. He connected with the staff’s spirit and discovered that it amplified his mental strength enough to destroy physical objects.

• Grand Princess Dou invited the new emperor to a banquet, while Zhang Xuezhou returned to his palace quarters and waited for the Red Empyrean Sword investigation to end.
• Zhang Xuezhou chose the Innate Spirit Wood Staff for cultivation because it suited his deterrence abilities and began refining it with Mengtesi Badun’s Nurturing Method.
• Zhang Xuezhou encountered the staff’s green spirit and used his mental strength, along with Sect Master Zhunti’s lotus-leaf restraints, to subdue it.
• When Zhang Xuezhou’s thoughts and the spirit’s actions synchronized, he sensed that the staff had amplified his mental strength.
• Zhang Xuezhou directed the Innate Spirit Wood Staff at furniture in his quarters, and it crumbled into dust.

Zhang Xuezhou realized that strong mental power could let him counter domains without relying on one of his own, and he saw the Innate Spirit Wood Staff as a practical weapon against Donghua. After nurturing the staff to the seventh level, he decided that cultivating it offered a more attainable path to power than pursuing the True Self Realm or the Prajna Heart Sutra.

• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that mental attacks could bypass the physical contact required by domains and give him a chance to counter Donghua.
• Zhang Xuezhou negotiated with the Innate Spirit Wood Staff, combining threats with promises to secure its cooperation.
• Zhang Xuezhou began nurturing the staff with mental power and found the process unusually smooth.
• A child's voice from outside the side hall interrupted Zhang Xuezhou after he had depleted his mental power and raised the staff to the seventh level.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that nurturing the staff was a simpler route toward ultimate power in the Sole Self Realm.

After seven days of cultivation, Zhang Xuezhou spoke with Wei Zifu about the emperor’s absence and her precarious position in the palace. He then discovered a Snake Head Incantation spying on Wei Zifu, though its caster escaped before he could identify them.

• Zhang Xuezhou emerged from seven days of cultivation and greeted Wei Zifu and the little princess.
• Wei Zifu asked about the emperor’s absence, and Zhang Xuezhou explained that the emperor’s position and priorities had changed.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Wei Zifu that she would have to find a way through her predicament herself, even if others could help her temporarily.
• Zhang Xuezhou spotted a black snake incantation near Wei Zifu and destroyed it before he could locate its caster.
• Zhang Xuezhou identified the technique as a Snake Head Incantation and found a strand of fine black hair where it had vanished.

After a Snake Head Incantation threatened Wei Zifu, Zhang Xuezhou reassured her but refused to become closely involved in her troubles. Wei Zifu decided to seek the Empress Dowager’s guidance to strengthen her own position and cultivation.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained that a cultivator skilled in the Snake Head Incantation might help identify its caster if he came to Chang'an City.
• Wei Zifu invited Zhang Xuezhou to visit the Shu Chamber more often and offered to help his cultivation through her music, but he doubted her ability to reach the Divine Ability Realm and benefit him.
• After Zhang Xuezhou left, Wei Zifu asked Chen Zhang why he kept her at a distance, and Chen Zhang suggested that this was simply his nature and might stem from his past injury.
• Wei Zifu concluded that she needed to make herself valuable through genuine mutual benefit and resolved to seek the Empress Dowager’s guidance.
• Wei Zifu asked Chen Zhang to lead her to the Palace of Eternal Faith so she could request an audience with the Empress Dowager.

Zhang Xuezhou waited outside Weiyang Palace's main hall as Guan Fu was arrested over the Red Empyrean Sword, then joined the new emperor to inspect the recovered weapon. He discovered that its scabbard was genuine but the sword was another fake, leaving the court with an even less convincing replacement.

• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Guan Fu had caused a disturbance at Chancellor Tian Fen's wedding and was accused of stealing the Red Empyrean Sword.
• Imperial guards carried the beaten Guan Fu from the hall in shackles, and he insisted to Zhang Xuezhou that he had not stolen the sword.
• Li Guang congratulated Zhang Xuezhou on the sword's return, while the new emperor stopped a court official from impeaching him and said he would punish him himself.
• The new emperor showed Zhang Xuezhou the recovered Red Empyrean Sword after the court officials had left.
• Zhang Xuezhou identified the scabbard as genuine but the sword as a fake, unlike the fake sword they had originally lost.

The new emperor questioned Zhang Xuezhou about the plot involving the fake Red Empyrean Sword and the possible culprits. He then asked for advice on Zhufu Yan’s plan to divide vassal states among multiple heirs, and Zhang urged him to let Zhufu Yan handle it while avoiding entanglement in a civil conflict.

• The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou concluded that the fake Red Empyrean Sword had been forged well in advance, suggesting someone had long planned to steal the real sword.
• The new emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou who was behind the theft, and Zhang named possible rivals without accusing the King of Yan outright.
• The new emperor told Zhang that the speaking tube had been removed and described the benefits he had gained, including Long Gate Garden and the recovery of the Demon-Revealing Mirror.
• The new emperor raised Zhufu Yan’s proposal to divide vassal territories among the eldest, second, and third sons, and Zhang noted that the plan would threaten the vassal kings’ power.
• Zhang advised the new emperor to let Zhufu Yan carry out the proposal himself and warned him to avoid getting caught up in the resulting trouble.

After recovering the Red Empyrean Sword, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence and considered how the Demon-Revealing Mirror could help him against the great demons from Kunlun. The sword theft brought heightened security and political scrutiny, and Sima Tan watched as influential visitors arrived at Zhang Xuezhou’s home.

• Zhang Xuezhou carried the fake Red Empyrean Sword back from the palace while court officials watched and murmured about the theft.
• Zhang Xuezhou praised Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi for spotting the thief, and they began patrolling his residence more carefully.
• Sima Tan questioned why Zhang Xuezhou had been chosen to guard the sword, and Zhang Xuezhou explained that his residence was well situated.
• Zhang Xuezhou hung the Red Empyrean Sword conspicuously in the main hall, while Sima Tan realized the heightened patrols made its location safer.
• Sima Tan spotted Gongsun Hong and Zhufu Yan heading to Zhang Xuezhou’s residence and suspected they might be connected to the sword affair.

Gongsun Hong visited Zhang Xuezhou in Chang'an, seeking a place to stay and bringing Dong Zhongshu’s methods to study. Zhufu Yan then arrived to congratulate Zhang Xuezhou on recovering the Red Empyrean Sword, leaving the two visitors gathered at his residence.

• Gongsun Hong complained about the strict security before Zhang Xuezhou welcomed him into the residence.
• Gongsun Hong told Zhang Xuezhou that Dong Zhongshu had helped stabilize his cultivation and that he planned to seek a court post in Chang'an.
• Gongsun Hong asked to stay with Zhang Xuezhou and offered to study Dong Zhongshu’s methods with him.
• A voice from outside warned that another visitor had come, and Zhang Xuezhou recognized it as Zhufu Yan.
• Zhang Xuezhou welcomed Zhufu Yan, who praised him for recovering the Red Empyrean Sword and regretted missing the chance to join the affair.

After learning why Zhang Xuezhou’s residence was under heavy guard, Gongsun Hong considered the danger of the missing Red Empyrean Sword while Zhufu Yan sought Zhang’s favor. Zhang introduced Zhufu to Gongsun, their exchange turned hostile, and Zhang began discussing the Yang Corporeal Soul Technique with Gongsun.

• Gongsun Hong learned from Zhufu Yan that Zhang Xuezhou had been involved in the loss of the Red Empyrean Sword and weighed the danger it posed to everyone connected to the residence.
• Zhufu Yan brought Zhang Xuezhou a pot of wine and hinted that he wanted to help Zhang in exchange for a modest reward.
• Zhang introduced Zhufu Yan to Gongsun Hong as a prominent Confucian scholar, and Zhufu insulted the Confucian School, prompting Gongsun to tell him to leave.
• Zhang stopped their argument, seated Zhufu aside with wine, and invited Gongsun to discuss the Dao.
• Zhang asked Gongsun about taboos surrounding the Yang Corporeal Soul Technique, and Gongsun said Dong Zhongshu had approved its wider study.

Zhang Xuezhou urged Zhufu Yan to learn the Yang Corporeal Soul Technique, claiming it could help cultivators enter the True Self Realm and reduce the resources needed at higher realms. The chapter ended with Gongsun Hong learning that Zhang Xuezhou had reached the Sole Self Realm and Zhufu Yan growing interested in the technique's potential to save cultivation resources.

• Zhufu Yan listened to Gongsun Hong lecture on the Yang Corporeal Soul Technique and envied Zhang Xuezhou's freedom to study.
• Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Zhufu Yan to join the lessons by saying the technique might reduce the medicinal treasures needed for cultivation.
• Gongsun Hong warned that the technique required years of effort and many pills, but Zhang Xuezhou said he was cultivating it to help enter the True Self Realm.
• Zhufu Yan revealed that Zhang Xuezhou had already reached the Sole Self Realm, surprising Gongsun Hong.
• Zhang Xuezhou described his Divine Abilities, including avoiding grain and rapidly digesting large quantities of pills, and Gongsun Hong recognized Grain Avoidance as one of them.
• Zhufu Yan considered learning the technique after realizing it might help him reduce his cultivation resource consumption.

Gongsun Hong taught Zhang Xuezhou and the others how to cultivate the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique and adapt it to their own realms. Huo Qubing learned a technique merely by listening and began merging it into his original cultivation, leaving Wei Shao'er alarmed and Liu Xuan astonished.

• Zhufu Yan eagerly agreed to learn the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique after hearing it could help him condense Qi into an Infant Core and save cultivation resources.
• Gongsun Hong explained Dong Zhongshu's teachings and precautions for adapting the technique, while Zhang Xuezhou warned Zhufu Yan not to interrupt.
• Huo Qubing and Liu Xuan recognized Gongsun Hong as a great Confucian scholar, and Wei Shao'er urged them to listen closely to his discourse.
• When Wei Shao'er moved to pat Huo Qubing, Gongsun Hong restrained her with water ropes and Zhang Xuezhou's cough briefly overwhelmed her senses.
• Liu Xuan realized Huo Qubing had learned a technique by listening and was merging it into his original cultivation, alarming Wei Shao'er.

Huo Qubing successfully transformed his cultivation by incorporating the Yang Corporeal Soul into the Realm Technique, surprising Zhang Xuezhou and the others. He reached the Body Control Realm while they watched, leaving them to wonder how he had found a way to merge the cultivation methods.

• Zhang Xuezhou realized Huo Qubing had learned only a small part of the method, yet had used it to adjust his cultivation.
• Liu Xuan observed that Huo Qubing appeared to have advanced through the Meridian Circulation Realm and considered how the transformed Yang Corporeal Soul could improve cultivation.
• Wei Shao'er asked whether Huo Qubing was safe, and Zhang Xuezhou told her they could only wait and watch.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered the unusual influences and treasures that had shaped Huo Qubing, while Gongsun Hong watched him as a potential teacher.
• Huo Qubing completed his transformation and entered the Body Control Realm, prompting Gongsun Hong to wish Dong Zhongshu had been there to observe it.

Huo Qubing casually advanced his cultivation through the Infant Transformation method, astonishing Gongsun Hong, Zhufu Yan, and Zhang Xuezhou. When Zhang asked him to demonstrate his Realm Technique, Wei Shao'er realized Huo's strength had grown to nearly match that of an adult cultivator in the same realm.

• Huo Qubing recovered from his daze, complained that his legs were numb, then ran off after Wei Shao'er slapped him.
• Gongsun Hong praised Huo Qubing for grasping Infant Transformation naturally, while Zhufu Yan asked Zhang Xuezhou whether it would save cultivation resources.
• Zhang Xuezhou called Huo back and urged Wei Shao'er to guide him without relying only on beatings; Wei Shao'er worried that Huo's early success might not last.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Huo Qubing to demonstrate the Confucian School's Realm Technique, and Wei Shao'er noticed that his strength had risen nearly to an adult cultivator's level.