Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou brought medicine and supplies to Ren Anran, discussed her cultivation and his experiments with controlling crossings, and sought advice on dealing with Dao Lord. The chapter left him considering that Dao Lord’s real aim might be to challenge the Three Pure Ones’ Jade Emperor, making immediate revenge against Zhang Xuezhou less likely.

• Zhang Xuezhou brought X864 Gene Medicine for everyone and Heavenly God General Medicine for Ren Yisheng, while warning that life-and-death stimulation was no shortcut to the Ninth Sequence.
• Ren Anran and her incarnations asked Zhang Xuezhou for medicinal herbs, and Ren Anran decided to shift her research toward Technique Methods.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that he was testing whether he could control the timing and duration of his crossings by adjusting the tree chair and contacting Mallard.
• Zhang Xuezhou discussed Dao Lord with Ren Anran and her incarnations, who advised him to understand Dao Lord’s true pursuits before setting a trap.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that Dao Lord might ultimately want to fight the Three Pure Ones’ Jade Emperor and might therefore avoid risking himself to seek revenge in Chang'an City.

After delaying his crossing to the limit, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his younger body and found that his injuries had largely healed. The new emperor needed him to help produce more high-grade medicine for the empress dowager, and the chapter ended with an imperial physician baffled by Zhang Xuezhou’s near-pulseless condition.

• Zhang Xuezhou delayed his crossing until the connection with Mallard nearly snapped, then swapped places after ten days in the small world.
• Zhang Xuezhou found that the Four Directions Body-Locking Technique had broken and used a Fortune Pill to restore his Law Power.
• The new emperor told Zhang Xuezhou that the empress dowager had taken a second Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill and that several others were recovering from the Dao Lord’s attack.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the new emperor that he had two high-grade and more than twenty mid-grade pills, and the new emperor stressed the need to find more precious medicinal ingredients.
• Fang Zhan examined Zhang Xuezhou and struggled to explain how he could be lively and warm despite having almost no detectable pulse.

Zhang Xuezhou welcomed Yi Zong, Yi Shuo’s long-lost brother, to his residence and learned that Zhang Cigong had sent him to Chang’an on a mission involving the Red Empyrean Sword. Zhang Xuezhou offered Yi Zong Beast Taming techniques and a path toward an official post, then planned to test whether Yi Zong’s night owls could aid the residence’s nighttime surveillance.

• Zhang Xuezhou returned to his heavily guarded residence and met Yi Zong, whom Yi Shuo introduced as her long-lost brother.
• Yi Zong explained that Zhang Cigong had recruited him for a mission to gather information about the treasured sword at Dongfang Shuo’s residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized Yi Zong’s strong mental power and told him that his beast-taming abilities were better than Yi Shuo believed.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave Yi Zong Beast Taming technique methods and offered to help him pursue an official post, persuading him to stay rather than return to the King of Huainan’s Household.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Yi Zong to demonstrate his night owls after dark, hoping they could strengthen surveillance against Dao Lord and Zhu Jiuyin.

Zhang Xuezhou attempted to brew a Life-Creating Fortune Pill while Gongsun Hong worried about the threats facing their group. Hongku arrived to negotiate renewed cooperation, and Zhang Xuezhou demanded a large order of Fortune Pills.

• Zhang Xuezhou cooked a cauldron of medicinal broth with poisons, but the mixture showed no sign of forming a Life-Creating Fortune Pill.
• Gongsun Hong considered the danger from Yedie River Holy Land cultivators and weighed the risks of staying with Zhang Xuezhou against his hopes for a court post.
• Hongku appeared at the residence and asked whether Zhang Xuezhou would return to the Sacred Land or continue their cooperation.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Hongku that his position in the Sacred Land was precarious and demanded an order of at least five hundred pills.
• Hongku agreed that the Sacred Land could provide materials, while Zhang Xuezhou guaranteed only a thirty percent yield and left high-quality pills for a separate negotiation.

Zhang Xuezhou resisted Hongku’s attempt to bargain for Fortune Pills, while Hongku struggled to secure the pills Dao Lord had ordered him to obtain. The new emperor arrived and made clear that the Marquis of Pingyang would not risk dealing with a foreign power without a huge benefit.

• Hongku warned Zhang Xuezhou that he would face consequences if he failed to obtain pills, but Zhang Xuezhou pressed him about the danger of being implicated.
• Hongku offered Dao Lord’s pill as an antidote for Zhang Xuezhou’s head pain, but Zhang Xuezhou suspected it was meant to control him and refused to be pressured.
• Zhang Xuezhou called for the Marquis of Pingyang, leaving Hongku to consider how risky secret trade had become amid rising tensions between the Great Han Dynasty and the Great Xiong Dynasty.
• The new emperor arrived alone and questioned Hongku’s presence, then learned from Zhang Xuezhou that he wanted to discuss pills.
• The new emperor told Hongku that selling pills during the conflict required a huge benefit, leaving the negotiations at a standstill.

The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou devised a collateral-backed trade to persuade Hongku to exchange urgently needed Fortune Pills for medicinal herbs and other valuables. Hongku returned to negotiate, and Zhang Xuezhou concluded that the other side would likely accept the deal despite planning to reclaim the goods later.

• The new emperor weighed the risks of Hongku's request and decided to negotiate for the greatest possible profit, while worrying that the antidote might be a trap.
• After Hongku withdrew to consult others, Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor discussed using loans and collateral to make the exchange more attractive.
• The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou considered the pill quantities required, the shortage of medicinal herbs, and ways the other side might use Fortune Pills to advance its cultivation.
• Hongku returned, unable to meet their original demands, and Zhang Xuezhou took over negotiations after the new emperor berated him.
• Hongku agreed to take the urgently needed pills first, and Zhang Xuezhou told the new emperor that the trade was likely to proceed even though the other side intended to seize the goods back later.

The new emperor enlisted Gongsun Hong to test Southern Brightness Fire against the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique, and Yi Zong led them to search for Hongku. After they left, Wei Shao'er asked Liu Xuan how she could improve and learned of a risky way to attempt a breakthrough.

• The new emperor discussed testing Southern Brightness Fire and asked Zhang Xuezhou whether Yi Zong's owls had tracked Hongku.
• Yi Zong reported that one of his twelve owls had stopped to watch, and the new emperor decided to investigate with Gongsun Hong's help.
• Gongsun Hong agreed to accompany the group, and Yi Zong led the way while Wei Shao'er stayed behind.
• Wei Shao'er lamented her limited strength, and Liu Xuan encouraged her and suggested she could cultivate further.
• Liu Xuan told Wei Shao'er that an old altar in Xianyang might help her break through if she offered twelve pigs and sheep, but warned that the method carried risks.

Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor used Yi Zong to provoke Hongku’s watching incantation master into sending out his Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation. Gongsun Hong struck the incarnation with a weak flame, and the ensuing cry from Hongku’s room sent everyone scattering.

• Zhang Xuezhou, the new emperor, Yi Zong, and Gongsun Hong entered Tian Fen’s residence using a retainer’s token and located Hongku’s room.
• Zhang Xuezhou sent Yi Zong to pick fights with Hongku and the incantation master watching him, hoping to provoke a response.
• Yi Zong returned with two retainers and caused more trouble until the incantation master sent out his Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor watched as Gongsun Hong prepared a small flame and moved into the melee.
• Gongsun Hong struck the incarnation with the flame, which burst into a ring of fire, and a cry of agony came from Hongku’s room as everyone fled.

The new emperor learned that Southern Brightness Fire could destroy a Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation and injure its original body, but that the technique was difficult to land against a prepared opponent. He decided to develop its use at court, while Gongsun Hong saw a chance to secure an important position by mastering it.

• The new emperor escaped through the west gate and reflected on how Southern Brightness Fire had destroyed a Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation and injured its cultivator.
• Gongsun Hong warned the new emperor that Southern Brightness Fire was easy to learn but hard to use effectively, since an opponent could block it with an object.
• Zhang Xuezhou admitted that he had only called the basics easy to learn, and Gongsun Hong cautioned that the backlash depended on the target's strength and mastery.
• The new emperor decided to train elite practitioners and require Confucian School cultivators entering the court to learn Southern Brightness Fire.
• Gongsun Hong realized that his experience with the technique could make him valuable at court and considered abandoning his Water Technique to cultivate it further.

After Feng Fan went mad at Tian Fen’s residence, Shen Chong quickly ruled the incident a case of cultivation gone awry, and an official calmed the gathered crowd. The new emperor recognized Zhang Tang’s talent for managing public opinion, while Zhang Xuezhou negotiated a guessing bet for a gentle-fire Pill Furnace, leaving the emperor to seek one from the empress or Grand Princess Dou.

• Zhang Xuezhou and the others returned to Tian Fen’s residence and heard that Feng Fan had gone mad, while Shen Chong had already closed the case.
• An official from the chancellor’s residence urged the retainers to be patient about future appointments, and the new emperor praised his skill at calming the crowd.
• The new emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou to identify the official, and Zhang Xuezhou named him as Zhang Tang before they made a guessing bet.
• Gongsun Hong visited Zhang Tang to seek an official post, but Feng Fan recognized him, shouted that he had been killed, and disrupted the visit.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked the new emperor for a small, usable gentle-fire Pill Furnace, so the emperor decided to seek one from the empress or Grand Princess Dou.

Zhang Xuezhou confirmed the new emperor’s identity to Gongsun Hong, then spoke with Hongku about the Han-Xiong conflict and the Yedie River Holy Land. Hongku’s remarks revealed that Dao Lord was injured badly enough to have lost some of his ability to scrutinize others.

• Gongsun Hong asked whether Dongfang Shuo was the person from the palace, and Zhang Xuezhou confirmed that he was the new emperor.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Gongsun Hong that his conduct before the emperor had been good and joked about guessing the chancellor’s clerk’s name.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the residence and found Hongku waiting beneath a tree in the courtyard.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Hongku who would win the conflict between Han and Xiong, and Hongku warned that other powers would support Xiong State if it faltered.
• Hongku explained that Dao Lord would not investigate the past if Hongku’s contribution were real, and Zhang Xuezhou inferred that Dao Lord’s injury had weakened his ability to detect lies and observe details.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed the Dao Lord’s injury and the court’s affairs with Gongsun Hong, who chose to pursue the Southern Brightness Fire Technique for quicker gains. He then considered seeking the empress dowager’s guidance to help Huo Qubing advance and open a path for his own cultivation.

• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that he could not force his way into the Sacred Land to keep the injured Dao Lord occupied.
• After Hongku’s incarnation departed, Gongsun Hong asked whether the curse master was Zhang Xuezhou’s teacher, and Zhang described their painful history.
• Zhang Xuezhou declined to speculate about court appointments, while Gongsun Hong asked him to pass along any news.
• Gongsun Hong abandoned studying the Realm Technique and chose the Southern Brightness Fire Technique because he could not afford a long-term pursuit at his age.
• Gongsun Hong explained that Huo Qubing might need to reach a higher realm before Dong Zhongshu could adapt his method and clarify cultivation paths for Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou wondered whether he should approach the empress dowager, whose guidance had helped Tian Fen and Yi Shuo reach higher realms.

Zhang Xuezhou visited the Imperial Academy to find Huo Qubing and watched the boy turn an archery contest into a brawl before attempting to skip class. He took Huo Qubing away for an outing, and Huo Qubing eagerly asked to learn Zhang Xuezhou's swift movement skill.

• Zhang Xuezhou went to the Imperial Academy, where Li Gan and Huo Qubing argued over their archery skills and were both disqualified, leaving Cao Xiang the winner.
• Huo Qubing climbed over the wall to skip class, and Zhang Xuezhou startled him from behind.
• Huo Qubing complained about his punishments for skipping class, while Zhang Xuezhou recognized that the academic officials were tailoring his training to suit him.
• Zhang Xuezhou took Huo Qubing out for fun, and Huo Qubing asked to learn how to move as swiftly as Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou brought Huo Qubing to the Palace of Eternal Faith and proposed that the empress dowager combine Huo Qubing’s Realm Technique with the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique to escape the torment of her illness. The empress dowager took the idea seriously and had records brought in to investigate it further.

• Zhang Xuezhou persuaded the palace guards to let him bring Huo Qubing inside, and Zheng Dangshi escorted them after agreeing to seek the empress dowager’s permission.
• Huo Qubing admired the palace attendants and was summoned into the hall with Zhang Xuezhou.
• The empress dowager recognized Huo Qubing and listened as Zhang Xuezhou explained his Realm Technique and its potential combination with the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique.
• The empress dowager considered Zhang Xuezhou’s proposal, watched Huo Qubing demonstrate his technique, and ordered a palace maid to bring more than a hundred volumes of records.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed life and death with the Empress Dowager, who focused on escaping her soul pain rather than integrating the Realm Technique. Their conversation turned to pill production and court incentives, and his criticism of the bureaucracy caught her interest.

• The Empress Dowager explained that survival required balancing life and death, and warned Zhang Xuezhou that integrating the Realm Technique could be as difficult as cultivating anew.
• She told Zhang Xuezhou that her priority was freeing her Yang Corporeal Soul from her failing body and that medicine could only prolong their lives for so long.
• The Empress Dowager urged Zhang Xuezhou to refine Fortune Pills efficiently and keep a reasonable share of any output beyond the court's average.
• Zhang Xuezhou redirected her advice about taking extra pills into a critique of unfair rewards, arbitrary promotions, and officials who had little reason to serve the court wholeheartedly.
• The Empress Dowager compared Zhang Xuezhou's ideas with several schools of thought and decided that the new emperor ought to hear them.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed with the Empress Dowager how Great Han could create a system for officials and nobles to rise and fall. She considered publicizing his demanding standards for earning a marquis title, hoping they might attract talent and foster loyal ministers.

• The Empress Dowager reflected on how ministers had shifted their allegiance after Emperor Jing’s death and questioned whether the court’s system deserved loyalty.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed that court officials, princely kings, and marquises should all be able to rise and fall, provided those replacing them could control those who stepped down.
• When asked what achievements should earn a marquis title, Zhang Xuezhou proposed extraordinary military feats and major contributions to civil policy; the Empress Dowager initially called his standards absurd but accepted their logic.
• The Empress Dowager asked what wrongdoing should strip a marquis of his title, and Zhang Xuezhou recommended seeking advice from Zhufu Yan instead of answering.
• The Empress Dowager decided that publicizing Zhang Xuezhou’s proposed standards could do no harm and might encourage talented people to serve Great Han.

Zhang Xuezhou pushed Huo Qubing to study the Confucian classics as a prerequisite for learning his techniques, prompting Huo Qubing to vow to read for a hundred days. Meanwhile, Gongsun Hong reflected on his cultivation and the strange people gathered at Zhang Xuezhou’s residence.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained the committee system and scolded Huo Qubing for wanting to become a marquis without studying.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Huo Qubing to master the Six Classics before learning his techniques, and Huo Qubing agreed to study for a hundred days.
• Huo Qubing loudly declared his love for reading, surprising Wei Shao'er and Gongsun Hong.
• Gongsun Hong practiced Southern Brightness Fire and considered how serving the court could help him pursue the True Self Realm.
• Gongsun Hong greeted Zhang Xuezhou and judged the people in the residence, including Wei Shao'er, Liu Xuan, Dou Shisan, and Dou Shisi, to be abnormal.

Zhang Xuezhou tested the new Pill Furnace and coal, then began refining a Life-Creating Fortune Pill. While he waited for it to form, Jin Chang attacked with Puppet Thread, but Zhang Xuezhou resisted the pain and landed several heavy blows on him.

• Zhang Xuezhou focused on pill refining, hoping to advance his techniques with medicinal resources and improve his combat strength.
• He examined the coal left in the Pill Furnace and tested a combination of ingredients from the Imperial Medical Hall.
• On his second attempt, Zhang Xuezhou saw signs that a pill was forming, added flesh lingzhi, and began refining the Life-Creating Fortune Pill.
• Zhang Xuezhou tended the furnace through the night as several unseen observers watched him.
• When a rooster crowed, Zhang Xuezhou sensed an attack near the sword in the main hall and confronted Jin Chang, who used Puppet Thread against him.
• Zhang Xuezhou ignored the Puppet Thread's pain and forced Jin Chang out of the shadows with four punches and two kicks.

Zhang Xuezhou caught Jin Chang trying to inspect the Red Empyrean Sword and forced him to explain that the King of Huainan had sent him. Jin Chang revealed the king’s Yin-Yang Secret Pill had helped three retainers reach the True Self Realm, and he eventually sought a way to save himself as dawn broke.

• Zhang Xuezhou kept pace with Jin Chang through the shadows, beat him, and made him apologize before removing the Puppet Thread.
• Jin Chang admitted he had come on orders to look at the Red Empyrean Sword, though he claimed he had no intention of taking it.
• Jin Chang said the King of Huainan had promised him twelve high-grade Qi and Blood Fortune Pills and a Yin-Yang Secret Pill for helping him break through to the True Self Realm.
• Jin Chang revealed that Zuo Wu, Wu Bei, and Tian You had reached the True Self Realm with the secret pill, startling Zhang Xuezhou.
• Jin Chang speculated that consuming a Nine Heavens Sect cultivator might help him fuse his Realm Techniques, and Zhang Xuezhou jokingly threatened to follow that idea.
• As dawn came, Jin Chang spent the night pleading with Zhang Xuezhou and finally thought of a way to buy his life.

Zhang Xuezhou negotiated with Jin Chang, accepting his Puppet Thread as collateral and agreeing to hear where Long Star was in exchange for the Yin-Yang Secret Pill. He urged Jin Chang to pursue the pill for the good of their school, leaving Jin Chang reconsidering his narrow focus on survival.

• Jin Chang offered his Puppet Thread as collateral and revealed that he suspected the king's Yin-Yang Secret Pill was connected to Long Star.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to Jin Chang's proposal, and the two sealed their agreement with a slap of their palms.
• Jin Chang greeted Gongsun Hong, who was shaken by how casually they discussed pills he had spent his life seeking.
• Zhang Xuezhou reminded Jin Chang that his opportunities depended on their relationship and urged him to cooperate amicably as fellow members of the Yin-Yang School.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed that Jin Chang share the Yin-Yang Secret Pill for study and help bring its benefits to their school, prompting Jin Chang to recall his abandoned dreams of its revival.