Chapter Summaries

After Wang Yi'an defeated Wang Haoran and the Wang Household settled its division of property, Ren Yisheng urged Ren Wuyang and Ren Anran to learn cultivation realms and Techniques from Zhang Xuezhou. Ren Anran confirmed that Zhang Xuezhou was the sickly person she had once investigated, while Ren Yisheng considered the many patients his institute might need to treat.

• Wang Li described how Wang Yi'an used more than a hundred hidden weapons to overwhelm Wang Haoran, whose defeat left him crippled and weakened his position in the household.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Wang Li left the sixth floor, while Ren Anran stayed with Ren Wuyang and Ren Yisheng to observe the Wang Household's negotiations.
• Ren Yisheng told Ren Wuyang and Ren Anran to spend time with Zhang Xuezhou, learn his cultivation methods, and study his Techniques because they might help advance the Mental Strengthening Chapter and address its drawbacks.
• Ren Yisheng explained the higher cultivation realms and said Ren Wuyang could advance quickly while Ren Anran could begin with Origin-Nurturing Pills and his guidance.
• Ren Anran asked whether Zhang Xuezhou was the sickly person she had monitored in Sudong City, and Ren Yisheng confirmed that he was often ill.

After arranging matters with Wang Li, Zhang Xuezhou rode with Ren Wuyang and Ren Anran, who planned to stay at his place and keep close to him while pursuing Realm Entry. Ren Anran frightened Wang Li with a controlled combat technique, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to consider advancing his Mental Strengthening Chapter.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Wang Li to arrange testing and combat techniques for his parents, and Wang Li promised to handle the tasks.
• Ren Wuyang and Ren Anran invited Zhang Xuezhou to ride back to Xuanshi Building, explaining that their home had burned down and they would stay at his place.
• Wang Li tried to join them for a ride, but Ren Anran used the Dragon Elephant Combat Technique to frighten him, and he refused to get in.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked whether Ren Anran had used a combat technique on Wang Li, and she explained that the fifth chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter let her keep unwanted men away.
• Ren Anran's words made Zhang Xuezhou consider completing the fourth chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter after enough time had passed since his last dose of Nine Treasures Wine.

Ren Wuyang tried to demonstrate his cultivation to Ren Anran but cut himself badly, so Zhang Xuezhou used the Supreme Purity True Technique to stop the bleeding. Watching Zhang Xuezhou cast it gave Ren Anran a clearer view of this new path of cultivation.

• Ren Anran continued practicing her Mental Strengthening abilities and argued with Ren Wuyang about her ambitions and the Ren Household's cultivation funds.
• Ren Wuyang demonstrated his techniques to Ren Anran, then cut his hand while trying to show the Supreme Purity True Technique.
• Ren Anran found Zhang Xuezhou pleased about having ten million in his account and asked him to help Ren Wuyang.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Ren Wuyang against practicing on himself and cast the Supreme Purity True Technique to stop the bleeding and heal the cut.
• Ren Anran sensed Zhang Xuezhou's casting and reconsidered relying on blood agents to advance her combat technique.

Zhang Xuezhou distracted Ren Anran from spying on his cultivation by asking her to teach him pseudopsychology, while Ren Anran helped Zhang Weimeng recover from another bout of lost memories. The chapter ended with Ren Wuyang studying Zhang Weimeng’s Sunflower Manual and considering its extreme requirement for cultivation.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Ren Anran to teach him palmistry, bone reading, and graphology to keep her occupied and discourage her from scrutinizing his cultivation.
• Ren Wuyang realized Ren Anran could no longer focus on perceiving Zhang Xuezhou, but he kept Ren Yisheng’s suspicions to himself.
• Zhang Weimeng emerged from writing with temporary memory loss, and Ren Anran used her Dragon Elephant Combat Technique to help restore his memories.
• Ren Anran and Ren Wuyang explained how Sequencer Grand Gathering winners could request combat-technique developments, including the practical limits imposed by genes and blood serum.
• Zhang Weimeng showed Ren Wuyang his handwritten Sunflower Manual, and Ren Wuyang memorized its contents despite its castration requirement.

Ren Wuyang copied the contents of Zhang Weimeng’s One Yang Finger manual and went to share them with Ren Yisheng, while Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran continued discussing bone physiognomy. When Zhang Xuezhou abruptly fell asleep, Ren Anran was drawn into a strange golden light and lost track of the entire night.

• Ren Wuyang recognized that Zhang Weimeng’s One Yang Finger manual contained the second and third levels of the Supreme Purity True Technique, memorized much of it, and wrote it down to take to Ren Yisheng.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to keep Ren Anran from discussing cultivation and continued their lesson in bone physiognomy, while she wondered why he seemed afraid of her.
• Ren Anran recalled fragments of her breakthrough and suspected she had behaved badly toward Zhang Xuezhou, but could not remember what had happened.
• Zhang Xuezhou suddenly fell asleep, and Ren Anran saw firelight and heard unfamiliar words coming from his eyes.
• Ren Anran’s mental power was pulled into a golden light, where an unfamiliar voice complained about borrowing a passage; she awoke at the living-room window after an entire night had passed.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that the Emperor and Empress had rescued and reshaped his wings after his reckless cultivation of the Technique Within the Clouds. They urged him to cultivate the Lightning Avoidance Instruction while privately focusing on what they had glimpsed of another world through his strengthened Divine Sense.

• Zhang Xuezhou woke hanging upside down with bronze wings, and the Emperor turned him right side up and explained that he and the Empress had repaired the damage caused by his unguided cultivation.
• The Emperor and Empress warned Zhang Xuezhou that advancing the Technique Within the Clouds was dangerous, and the Emperor advised him to cultivate the Lightning Avoidance Instruction.
• The Emperor and Empress recalled seeing another world while summoning Zhang Xuezhou’s souls and spirits, and they planned to study Divine Sense strengthening through further cultivation instructions.
• The Golden Crow Great Emperor suspected Zhang Xuezhou was hiding an important secret, but he fell silent after the Empress gave him a warning look.
• The Golden Crow Great Emperor beat Sha Li in the lotus pond, and Sha Li mistakenly believed the beating had taught him a powerful martial art.

Zhang Xuezhou rapidly cultivated the Lightning Avoidance Instruction, opening 6,326 apertures and impressing the sovereign. After Zhang Xuezhou left to eat, the sovereign and empress discussed how his progress would affect their research and celebrated what they had glimpsed of the new world.

• Zhang Xuezhou cultivated the Lightning Avoidance Instruction and opened 6,326 apertures, far surpassing the progress he had made with the Grain Avoidance Instruction.
• Zhang Xuezhou connected his rapid progress to the X446 Body Repair Technology and planned to use it to improve his cultivation in the real world.
• The sovereign praised Zhang Xuezhou, told him to eat at Golden Crow, and invited him to resume cultivating once his Law Power recovered.
• After Zhang Xuezhou flew away, the empress worried that his knowledge of the apertures would help him cultivate other formulas faster, but the sovereign argued that later progress would be difficult.
• The sovereign and empress discussed Zhang Xuezhou's long-term cultivation and delighted in the glimpse they had received of the new world.

Zhang Xuezhou trained under the Emperor and Empress, who supplied green carp to replenish his Law Power and pushed him to practice multiple avoidance arts. The Emperor revealed that he had trapped the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon with Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve, a technique Zhang Xuezhou could not learn until the Ninth Realm, leaving him unable to return to reality and cultivate for now.

• The Golden Crow Great Emperor explained that green carp restored Law Power and sent Zhang Xuezhou back to the Wondrous Dharma Palace after he ate.
• The Golden Crow Great Emperor noticed Sha Li imitating his Golden Crow Thirteen Forms and began teaching him the Great Sun Golden Crow Fire, the Heavenly Gang Transformation Technique, and the Fusang Staff Technique.
• The Emperor and Empress found Zhang Xuezhou's Fire Avoidance Instruction practice more typical and urged him to cultivate all nine avoidance arts.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that he had been cultivating for ten hours, including four unconscious hours spent on the Technique Within the Clouds, while the Emperor protected his three souls and seven spirits.
• The Emperor told Zhang Xuezhou that he had trapped the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon with Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve, a technique Zhang could learn only upon reaching the Ninth Realm.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that he could not take the Nine Treasures Wine back to reality to cultivate the Mental Strengthening Chapter.

After mastering the basics of the nine major evasion techniques, Zhang Xuezhou waited anxiously in the Wondrous Dharma Palace for a chance to return to reality. The Emperor asked him for more of the Divine Sense Strengthening Incantation, and Zhang Xuezhou readily explained everything he knew.

• Zhang Xuezhou spent four days learning the basics of all nine major evasion techniques, while the Emperor and Empress successfully cultivated the Divine Sense Strengthening Incantation.
• The Empress urged the Emperor to ask Zhang Xuezhou for more of the incantation rather than risk advancing on their own.
• Zhang Xuezhou worried about being trapped in the palace and explained how he could improve the techniques later through cultivation and X446 Body Repair Technology.
• The Emperor told Zhang Xuezhou he had undone Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve and hoped the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon would soon pull him back to reality.
• The Emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou to explain the Divine Sense Strengthening Incantation, and Zhang Xuezhou freely told him everything he knew.

Zhang Xuezhou gave the Emperor the first four chapters of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, hoping the Emperor could help develop the cultivation method further. The Golden Toad Dharma King arrived seeking Zhang Xuezhou, but the Emperor disapproved of their godfather-godson relationship and left the toad demon facing a threat to his life.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained the Mental Strengthening Chapter to the Emperor for two hours and handed over the four chapters he possessed.
• The Golden Crow Great Emperor brought in the Golden Toad Dharma King, who said he had come from Zhu Jiuyin’s side to find his son.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King recognized Zhang Xuezhou and declared that he was his godson, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to confirm their relationship to the Emperor.
• The Emperor questioned Tolkien’s qualifications to be Zhang Xuezhou’s godfather and silently threatened him, while the Golden Crow Great Emperor hinted that he could arrange an accident.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King pleaded for his life and swore to Heaven that he and Zhang Xuezhou would sever their godfather-godson bond, but the Emperor remained unmoved.

The Golden Toad Dharma King tried to save himself by revealing that the Venerable One’s Great Wilderness Creation Scripture gave him leverage over Zhang Xuezhou’s life. The Imperial Lord learned the scripture had also been created to guard against his suppression and flew into a rage, while the Golden Toad Dharma King gained a chance of survival.

• The Golden Toad Dharma King disavowed Zhang Xuezhou and begged the Imperial Lord for mercy, fearing the Imperial Lord meant to kill him.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King claimed Zhang Xuezhou’s life was at risk and said the Venerable One had ordered him to take Zhang Xuezhou from Kunlun to Chang'an City.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King explained that the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture let Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao evade cultivation suppression but also allowed the Venerable One to control Zhang Xuezhou’s life.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King revealed that the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture was designed to guard against the Imperial Lord’s suppression.
• The Imperial Lord flew into a rage over the revelation, and the Golden Toad Dharma King felt his chances of survival improve.

Zhang Xuezhou told the Emperor and Empress about the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture and explained that His Eminence had sent him to investigate Emperor Jing. After learning that Emperor Jing had executed Zhou Yafu, the Emperor suspected he was using the execution to strengthen his rule and deter threats.

• Zhang Xuezhou recounted the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture and explained his history with Wu Chao to the Emperor and Empress.
• The Emperor asked what Zhang Xuezhou was going to Chang'an City to investigate, and Zhang Xuezhou said His Eminence wanted to learn Emperor Jing's true circumstances and strength.
• The Emperor and Empress discussed Emperor Jing's power, and Zhang Xuezhou recalled that he had met the crown prince and might still be owed a reward.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King revealed that Emperor Jing had recently executed Zhou Yafu, prompting His Eminence to fear retaliation and rush the investigation.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained Zhou Yafu's former positions, and the Emperor inferred that Emperor Jing might have executed him to remove a threat and intimidate others.

The Golden Toad Dharma King explained the Sovereign’s former authority and the history of the Heavenly Court, Immortal Court, and imperial dynasties to Zhang Xuezhou. Zhang Xuezhou agreed to avoid dangerous titles and learned he had only three days to reach Chang’an City and gather intelligence on Emperor Jing.

• The Golden Toad Dharma King begged Zhang Xuezhou to stop calling him godfather and explained that the Sovereign had once ruled the Celestial Dynasty, with power rivaling the Human Emperor.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King described how the Immortal Court arose and how Emperor Qin’s dynasty rejected both it and the Heavenly Court, shaping the Han Dynasty’s political order.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned the Golden Toad Dharma King not to call him the Kunlun Holy Son, and they agreed not to use titles that could endanger them.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King told Zhang Xuezhou to go to Chang’an City and gather intelligence on Emperor Jing as soon as possible.
• The Golden Toad Dharma King revealed that Left Envoy Feiyu would wait only three days before reporting the failed rescue mission, leaving Zhang Xuezhou worried that the Venerable One might abandon or kill him.

Zhang Xuezhou explained that the venerable one was pressuring him to go to Chang'an City, and the sovereign agreed to let him leave the secret realm. The Golden Toad Dharma King was spared execution but confined to the Wondrous Dharma Palace, while the sovereign gave Zhang Xuezhou a story to tell Zhu Jiuyin’s side.

• The Golden Crow Great Emperor brought Zhang Xuezhou and the Golden Toad Dharma King fish, and Zhang told him that he needed the sovereign’s permission to leave and investigate Emperor Jing in Chang'an City.
• The Golden Crow Great Emperor went to find the sovereign after cursing Zhu Jiuyin for threatening Zhang Xuezhou with the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture.
• The sovereign decided to let Zhang Xuezhou go down the mountain, recognizing that refusing could leave him cursed to death by the venerable one.
• The sovereign spared the Golden Toad Dharma King and ordered him to stay at the Wondrous Dharma Palace and help look after it.
• The sovereign told Zhang Xuezhou to say that Golden Crow had imprisoned Feiyu for a hundred years, so Zhu Jiuyin would see that the Heavenly Court would still resist a direct challenge.

Zhang Xuezhou left the secret realm after gaining treasures and cultivation guidance, while the emperor and empress planned to bring him back after he spied on Emperor Jing. The couple celebrated their progress with the Nine Treasures Wine and immortality peaches, then considered targeting Zhu Jiuyin and seeking Wu Chao to learn more of the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture.

• The emperor carried Zhang Xuezhou out of the secret realm, and the empress regretted losing the chance to study his cultivation arts longer.
• The emperor said Zhang Xuezhou had to fulfill Zhu Jiuyin's assignment to spy on Emperor Jing before they could bring him back, and the empress planned to send Holy Lady Ma to check on him.
• The emperor reassured the empress that Zhang Xuezhou could survive the danger in Chang'an City and invited her to try his improved Nine Treasures Wine.
• The emperor and empress discussed using the wine and the empress's immortality peaches to help the gods outlast their rivals.
• The empress revealed that dragon blood had improved her peach trees, prompting the emperor to consider targeting Zhu Jiuyin for his body and Great Wilderness Creation Scripture.
• The emperor decided to find Wu Chao and seek more of the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture to weaken Zhu Jiuyin's defenses.

Zhang Xuezhou was thrown out of Kunlun Sacred Land and reunited with Feiyu, who learned that the Golden Crow Great Emperor had detained Zhang Xuezhou’s adoptive father. Feiyu carried Zhang toward Chang'an to gather intelligence on Emperor Jing, but lightning pursued them through the clouds.

• The Golden Crow Great Emperor expelled Zhang Xuezhou from Kunlun Sacred Land, and Feiyu caught him as he fell.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Feiyu that the Golden Crow Great Emperor had kept his adoptive father as a guest, and that eating a golden fish had made Zhang look younger.
• Feiyu learned that Zhang was heading to Chang'an to gather intelligence for His Lord about Emperor Jing.
• Feiyu decided that Kong Ning should replace the detained Golden Toad Dharma King as the messenger and hurried toward the Sacred Land.
• Feiyu noticed that flying with Zhang felt easier than before, then saw lightning turn toward them despite his attempt to evade it.

Zhang Xuezhou endured a flight through thunderclouds with Feiyu and used the lightning to greatly advance his Lightning Avoidance Instruction. After Feiyu was badly injured and left to seek the Honored One, Zhang Xuezhou descended toward lights below in Han territory.

• Feiyu carried Zhang Xuezhou through dense thunderclouds while lightning repeatedly struck them.
• Zhang Xuezhou circulated the Lightning Avoidance Instruction and opened 17,967 acupoints before they escaped the clouds.
• Feiyu landed clumsily and discovered that lightning had shattered the upper parts of his legs.
• Feiyu told Zhang Xuezhou to seek directions to Chang'an City, then flew off to find the Honored One and save himself.
• Zhang Xuezhou watched Feiyu leave, spotted firelight several li below, and descended toward it.

Zhang Xuezhou arrived in a Bashu city and reunited with Dong Zhongshu, who was lecturing at Wen Weng’s newly founded academy. Their conversation about the value of studying prompted many would-be students to leave, leaving fewer than twenty listeners.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the city and followed a history lecture to Dong Zhongshu.
• Dong Zhongshu recognized Zhang Xuezhou and asked Zhongweng to continue the lecture while he greeted his old acquaintance.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu discussed their difficult lives and Dong Zhongshu explained that Emperor Jing had sent him to visit Wen Weng’s academy.
• Zhang Xuezhou repeated his aunt’s claim that studying kept three generations poor, and Dong Zhongshu began to correct him.
• More than a dozen would-be students seized on the conversation as a reason to leave, reducing the audience to fewer than twenty.

Dong Zhongshu regretted disrupting Wen Weng’s academy recruitment, then questioned Zhang Xuezhou about his journey to Bashu and the battle in Lingnan. Zhang Xuezhou was left as Dong’s only possible eyewitness to Emperor Jing’s clash with the giant serpent.

• Dong Zhongshu apologized to Wen Weng after prospective students left, but Wen Weng said he was untroubled and continued his lecture.
• Dong Zhongshu asked Zhang Xuezhou how he had reached Bashu, and Zhang said a bird demon had carried him there before being struck by lightning.
• Rain drove the prospective students into shelters while Wen Weng continued lecturing, and Dong explained that Wen Weng’s technique kept the rain from touching him.
• Dong Zhongshu asked Zhang about Emperor Jing’s battle with the giant serpent in Lingnan, explaining that he had been protecting Changqing and had not seen the clash.
• Dong Zhongshu concluded that Zhang was the only surviving eyewitness available to tell him what had happened, as he worried the Lingnan events were connected to trouble at court.

Zhang Xuezhou told Dong Zhongshu what he remembered about Emperor Jing’s battle with the Exalted One, confirming that Emperor Jing should have been injured. Dong Zhongshu concluded that the emperor in Chang’an might be an impostor and wondered where the real Emperor Jing had gone, and what his condition meant for the crown prince.

• Dong Zhongshu asked Zhang Xuezhou about the battle between Emperor Jing and the Exalted One, then privately explained his doubts about the emperor and his need to stay safe.
• Dong Zhongshu said Emperor Jing seemed unharmed in Chang’an despite the battle, and asked whether he had been injured in Lingnan.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Emperor Jing should have been hurt, since his weapon was destroyed and the Exalted One struck him while dying.
• Dong Zhongshu suspected the emperor in the palace was an impostor and wondered where the real Emperor Jing had gone.
• Dong Zhongshu speculated that Emperor Jing might be near death and began considering what that would mean for the crown prince.