Chapter Summaries

Holy Mother Wudang asked Zhang Xuezhou to find out why Yao Yuanguang had come, and Zhang agreed in exchange for a favor he could claim later. As Holy Mother Wudang warned him to plan for longevity, Zhang reflected that his short life left him little time beyond making his path shine brightly.

• Pilan told Holy Mother Wudang that Ao Li sought the Red Empyrean Sword, and Holy Mother Wudang warned that it might be a new Emperor Sword and could kill more than dragons.
• Pilan said she wanted to steal the sword and kill Zhu Shiyin, and Holy Mother Wudang warned her that Zhang Xuezhou's Great Han position could make him a suspect if the sword went missing.
• Holy Mother Wudang asked Zhang Xuezhou about his connection to Yao Yuanguang, and Zhang explained that Yao had unexpectedly called him his martial nephew.
• Holy Mother Wudang asked Zhang Xuezhou to sound out Yao Yuanguang about his purpose, and Zhang agreed in return for a favor she would owe him.
• Holy Mother Wudang advised Zhang Xuezhou to seek longevity, and Zhang reflected that he had to make the most of his short life.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to the outskirts of Chang'an City and found Xu Yuan and Xu Ji teaching farmers how to cultivate the land for the people of Zhang Household Village. After giving Xu Yuan money to buy grain, Zhang Xuezhou set out to retrieve his large reward from Jiangdu.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the outskirts of Chang'an City and found Xu Ji and Xu Yuan teaching farming skills to local farmers and people from Zhang Household Village.
• Xu Yuan told Zhang Xuezhou that Rong Tianding had ridden to Huainan and that Zhang Cigong had gone to return the horses to the King of Huainan's Household in hopes of securing relief.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave Xu Yuan loose gold and silver to buy grain while explaining that he would try to bring the hundred strings of coins from Jiangdu back to Chang'an City.
• After learning that Zhang Zhong was out hunting, Zhang Xuezhou left without waiting and began his journey to retrieve the money.

Holy Mother Wudang sent Pilan to press Yao Yuanguang for a new reading about Zhu Shiyin, while she suspected Zhang Xuezhou’s visit had involved more than Pilan knew. After finding the secret land’s Spiritual Qi depleted, she realized Zhang Xuezhou had likely taken it and resented that he expected her to owe him a favor.

• Holy Mother Wudang told Pilan to return to Yao Yuanguang and demand a proper reading to find Zhu Shiyin.
• Holy Mother Wudang watched Zhang Xuezhou fly toward Jiangxia and suspected he had hurried to meet Yao Yuanguang about the emperor’s Red Empyrean Sword gathering.
• Holy Mother Wudang returned to her underground palace, wondered whether her vigil would lead to transcendence, and received no answer when she called for Emperor Qin.
• Holy Mother Wudang began cultivating and noticed that the Spiritual Qi vent had been drained.
• Holy Mother Wudang recalled Zhang Xuezhou’s earlier visit and concluded that he had taken the Spiritual Qi, then complained that he should owe her a favor instead.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that the King of Jiangdu was taking a tribute mission to Chang'an City, giving him a safe way to transport his hundred thousand gold. Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong discussed how to use the mission to advance their return to Chang'an, while Zhang Xuezhou warned them not to provoke Ao Li.

• Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Dong Zhongshu, Lady Yourong, and Zhang Changgong at Xuanhua Tower and learned the King of Jiangdu would lead eight hundred men to Chang'an City to pay tribute.
• Dong Zhongshu proposed that Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong travel with the king's convoy, so they could safely escort Zhang Xuezhou's reward to Chang'an City.
• Gongsun Hong explained that the King of Jiangdu had failed to find a dragon at the water manor and was searching for another tribute gift.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong that Ao Li was the Great Dragon God of Rain and advised them not to get further involved.
• Gongsun Hong accepted Zhang Xuezhou's explanation that Ao Li had helped him while he was ill, and praised the dragon for lending him the Eastern Sea Dragon Pearl.
• Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong agreed to use the tribute mission to help Dong Zhongshu return to Chang'an and eventually bring Gongsun Hong back as well.

Gongsun Hong, Dong Zhongshu, and Zhang Xuezhou struggled to find a tribute that would please the new emperor, involve Dong Zhongshu, and remain affordable for the King of Jiangdu. They settled on presenting Dong Zhongshu’s Confucian writings, and he began drafting them under a deliberately ordinary title.

• Gongsun Hong proposed sending talented people from Jiangdu to Chang'an, but Dong Zhongshu explained that he lacked enough suitable students and the King of Jiangdu could not easily provide scholars.
• The group considered money, treasures, and other gifts, but their options were limited because they had no dragon treasure to offer.
• Gongsun Hong suggested that Dong Zhongshu compile essential Confucian teachings for the court, and Dong Zhongshu agreed to prepare the work with Gongsun Hong and Zhang Xuezhou’s help.
• Dong Zhongshu began drafting a chapter on resonance between heaven and humanity, but Gongsun Hong warned that an ambitious title could attract unwanted attention.
• Dong Zhongshu discarded the first bamboo slip and retitled the work “Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals.”

Dong Zhongshu revealed the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter, an adaptable method that could strengthen techniques and assist with cultivation breakthroughs, though entering its state took time and was difficult. Zhang Xuezhou realized the method could greatly benefit his own approach to cultivation, while Dong Zhongshu hoped to use the Fortune Technique to improve his chances of reaching the True Self Realm.

• Zhang Xuezhou observed Dong Zhongshu demonstrate the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter and understood why Dong Zhongshu planned to advance his Fortune Technique through the King of Jiangdu.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized the chapter as an all-around enhancement, but noted that achieving resonance was difficult and required time to adjust.
• Gongsun Hong asked whether resonance could help with realm breakthroughs, and Dong Zhongshu confirmed that it could offer support but could not guarantee success.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that mastery would need to become nearly instantaneous to reliably aid sudden breakthroughs, and Dong Zhongshu admitted his method remained elementary.
• Zhang Xuezhou understood that Dong Zhongshu intended to use improved fortune to enter resonance during a breakthrough and possibly reach the True Self Realm.
• Gongsun Hong considered how resonance could strengthen techniques with longer preparation times, and Zhang Xuezhou saw that the chapter suited his own tactics and abilities.

Dong Zhongshu completed the first draft of the Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, a Confucian cultivation system meant to unite many disciplines and guide governance. Gongsun Hong praised its promise, while Zhang Xuezhou planned to try its methods cautiously as Dong Zhongshu warned them not to risk their lives pursuing a breakthrough in battle.

• Dong Zhongshu spent three days and two nights writing the Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, with Gongsun Hong watching and offering corrections.
• After reading the draft, Gongsun Hong concluded that Dong Zhongshu’s inclusive system could unify diverse cultivation methods and potentially guide the imperial court.
• Dong Zhongshu acknowledged that his theory still needed proof and hoped the work would gain the new emperor’s attention as a gift from the King of Jiangdu.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he would adjust his technique practice to test Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity, and Dong Zhongshu cautioned him against attempting a breakthrough while fighting.
• Gongsun Hong also promised not to act recklessly, while recognizing that success with Dong Zhongshu’s teachings could raise him among the foremost Confucian scholars.

Zhang Xuezhou studied Dong Zhongshu’s Confucian Literary Classic, hoping to use it to advance his cultivation, but he struggled to sense Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity. Gongsun Hong advised him to seek a deeper mastery of Vast Righteous Qi, and Zhang Xuezhou prepared to help the Jiangdu delegation before its journey to Chang'an City.

• Zhang Xuezhou focused on studying the Confucian Literary Classic, especially the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter, but could not sense a connection after three days at Xuanhua Tower.
• Gongsun Hong advised Zhang Xuezhou to find the point of alignment behind Vast Righteous Qi, while Dong Zhongshu encouraged him to keep practicing.
• Zhang Xuezhou silently recited the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter, but Gongsun Hong urged him to set aside its words and draw Vast Righteous Qi naturally.
• Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong discussed whether Gongsun Hong’s demanding cultivation standard suited Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided to go for a walk as the King of Jiangdu prepared a convoy to Chang'an City, where Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong would travel with the delegation.

Zhang Xuezhou arranged for Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong to travel safely to Chang'an City with Jiangdu’s tribute delegation, then went to the Gaoyou Water Mansion to cultivate. After struggling to trigger Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity, he found that reciting only the opening words of the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter restored his Law Power, suggesting he was gaining the Sovereign’s ability to make his words law.

• Zhang Xuezhou instructed Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong to take his letter to the Zhang Household and gave them advice for avoiding trouble at checkpoints.
• The King of Jiangdu departed for Chang'an City with his tribute delegation after asking Zhang Xuezhou to find him another water mansion with a dragon.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered the harm the King of Jiangdu’s coin production caused ordinary people and hoped Dong Zhongshu might bring change.
• Unable to make progress cultivating Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity, Zhang Xuezhou went to the cliff near the Gaoyou Water Mansion to try his luck.
• After hours of failure, Zhang Xuezhou recited the opening words of the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter and quickly felt Heaven and Earth restore his Law Power.

Zhang Xuezhou asked Gongsun Hong how to extend Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity from the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter to other techniques. Gongsun Hong accidentally achieved resonance himself, giving Zhang Xuezhou a chance to compare their experiences and improve his Flying Leap Technique.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Gongsun Hong how to find resonance for techniques beyond the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter.
• Gongsun Hong explained that all techniques shared Law Power and suggested using the power from Vast Righteous Qi to transform it toward another technique’s effects.
• Gongsun Hong recited the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter, drew upon Vast Righteous Qi, and regretted not seeking Dong Zhongshu’s instruction sooner.
• Zhang Xuezhou compared Gongsun Hong’s resonance with his own and found a way to resonate with the Flying Leap Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou reduced the technique’s Law Power consumption and rose into the air with greater ease.

Zhang Xuezhou considered how Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity could enhance his techniques while Gongsun Hong practiced drawing Vast Righteous Qi. Gongsun Hong proposed using dragon-saliva incense to create a temporary false recovery in Zhang Xuezhou’s damaged Heaven and Earth Bridges, leaving Zhang Xuezhou hopeful about attempting a breakthrough.

• Zhang Xuezhou practiced his Cloud Soaring Technique while Gongsun Hong repeatedly tried to draw in Vast Righteous Qi near Gaoyou Water Mansion.
• Gongsun Hong warned Zhang Xuezhou to befriend Ao Li and suggested dragon saliva mixed with agarwood could treat ailments of the head.
• Gongsun Hong conjectured that dragon-saliva incense might temporarily restore Zhang Xuezhou’s Heaven and Earth Bridges enough for him to attempt a realm breakthrough.
• Zhang Xuezhou welcomed the plan and thought he could obtain Ao Li’s saliva and buy the agarwood needed for the treatment.

Zhang Xuezhou considered Gongsun Hong’s proposal to treat him with dragon-saliva incense, while Dong Zhongshu began practicing the Fortune Technique to claim Jiangdu’s national fortune. Dong Zhongshu stirred the fortune but saw it swallowed by an unseen presence near the royal palace.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Dong Zhongshu about Gongsun Hong’s dragon-saliva incense proposal, and Dong Zhongshu cautioned him to keep the Gaoyou Water Mansion secret.
• Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu discussed whether dragon-saliva incense combined with Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity might help Zhang Xuezhou recover.
• Dong Zhongshu resolved to practice the Fortune Technique and searched Guangling City for a place to tap into Jiangdu’s national fortune.
• Dong Zhongshu used his bloodied willow-branch arrow beneath an ancient willow to stir the kingdom’s fortune, but it would not enter his body.
• Dong Zhongshu watched the golden fortune gather and vanish into an unseen black-and-white presence near the palace.

After waking from twelve days in the X432 medical device, Zhang Xuezhou reflected on Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity and asked Ren Wuyang to help him study the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter. He left the chapter planning to rely on Ren Wuyang’s exceptional ability to learn and sense Vast Righteous Qi.

• Zhang Xuezhou spent his recovery organizing his thoughts on Dong Zhongshu’s work and trying to apply Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity to medical treatment.
• Zhang Xuezhou called for Ren Wuyang, and Song Sijia summoned him by implying Zhang had last words to share.
• Zhang Xuezhou assured Song Sijia he would leave the review matters to her and planned to return to North Rehe after discharge.
• Song Sijia told Zhang Xuezhou that her father would give him a Song model 366 gun.
• Ren Wuyang arrived, and Zhang Xuezhou asked him to recite the Vast Righteous Qi Chapter so he could learn from his strong aptitude.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Ren Wuyang had entered Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity, but his limited cultivation and technique skills made the ability seem nearly useless. When Song Sijia asked to learn the Realm Technique, Zhang Xuezhou agreed and suggested she combine it with the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter to seek Realm Entry.

• Ren Wuyang said his Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity had not improved his Yin Entity Tracking Technique, and Zhang Xuezhou realized he had applied it to a technique that barely benefited from it.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity could greatly strengthen familiar or mastered techniques, but Ren Wuyang lacked the cultivation and technique foundation to use it effectively.
• Ren Wuyang told Song Sijia that learning the Realm Technique was difficult and warned her that several professors had struggled or become trapped in their own thoughts.
• Song Sijia said she would follow Zhang Xuezhou even if learning the Realm Technique meant giving up the Gene Fighting Technique, after seeing him affect Professor Luo Hui.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to let Song Sijia try the Realm Technique and advised her to use the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter to seek Realm Entry.

After helping Song Sijia achieve Realm Entry, Zhang Xuezhou studied the signs of Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity and hoped to use her cultivation as a model for his own. Once discharged, he received an invitation from Changkong Luo to visit the Twilight Years Mansion and discuss the Mental Strengthening Chapter.

• Song Sijia struggled with the unfamiliar Realm Technique but achieved Realm Entry quickly, and Zhang Xuezhou sensed Law Power emerging during her breakthrough.
• Zhang Xuezhou encouraged Song Sijia and Ren Wuyang to keep cultivating and demonstrate Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity so he could study it.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered how Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity might help him enter the Divine Ability Realm and benefit his other-world self.
• After Zhang Xuezhou was discharged from the Little Tangshan Recuperation Center, Changkong Luo called him.
• Changkong Luo invited Zhang Xuezhou to the Twilight Years Mansion to compare and discuss their Mental Strengthening Chapters, which had left the elderly cultivators anxious and without clear guidance.

After X432 treatment barely affected him, Zhang Xuezhou arranged to visit Twilight Years Mansion and join its Sixth Sequence Holders in studying the Mental Strengthening Chapter. Ren Yisheng judged that Zhang Xuezhou could gain more than he lost there, while Ren Wuyang remained behind to hear about Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity and fell victim to Ren Yisheng’s Realm Suppression.

• X432 treatment had little effect on Zhang Xuezhou, who translated the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter for Song Sijia and sensed her reach Realm Entry.
• Zhang Xuezhou arranged with Changkong Luo to visit Twilight Years Mansion and meet the group studying the Mental Strengthening Chapter.
• Ren Wuyang returned to Ren Yisheng and questioned why Zhang Xuezhou could visit Twilight Years Mansion when Ren Wuyang could not.
• Ren Yisheng explained that Zhang Xuezhou could handle the older Sequence Holders and might gain more from them than they gained from him.
• Ren Wuyang described the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity Chapter to Ren Yisheng, who used Realm Suppression to overwhelm him.

Zhang Xuezhou visited the Twilight Years Mansion and joined a networked discussion with its elderly high-ranking Sequence Holders, who treated him as an equal because of his record and composure. Changkong Luo realized that Zhang could help the residents communicate with outsiders, while their hopes for longevity and stability remained tied to him.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the Twilight Years Mansion and considered how its imperial setting might help him advance his Fortune Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested that Changkong Luo use Flying Entertainment Livestream for group discussions, which could let people like Ren Yisheng participate remotely.
• Changkong Luo introduced Zhang to the committee members, who recognized him for defeating several Sixth Sequence Holders and helping spread Mental Strengthening.
• Zhang Xuezhou joked comfortably with the elderly committee members, impressing Changkong Luo with his confidence and bearing.
• Changkong Luo worried about instability among the younger generation and recognized that the residents' needs for Mental Strengthening and life-extending medicine depended on Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou used his mastery of the Mental Strengthening Chapter to earn the Twilight Years Mansion elders’ respect, while Changkong Luo tried to preserve their cooperative ties. The elders debated whether Ren Yisheng’s advanced Mental Strengthening had enabled him to return from the dead and whether they could reproduce that transformation.

• Zhang Xuezhou joined the elders’ discussion and used his sixth-chapter mastery to analyze their cultivation problems and advise them on advancement.
• Li Qi and Song Xianzhong urged Zhang Xuezhou to focus on Mental Strengthening because of his weak genes, while Changkong Luo cautioned the group against making their relationship awkward.
• Changkong Luo identified Ren Yisheng as the likely most advanced practitioner, and Zuo Lianguang, Li Qi, Zhu Bufan, and Zhong Rang argued that Ren’s ability might have reached the fifth or sixth chapter.
• Song Xianzhong rejected the idea that Mental Strengthening could create a new life, but Zhong Rang and Zuo Lianguang suggested it might explain Ren Yisheng’s return after being frozen for a year.
• Zhong Rang proposed proving that Ren Yisheng’s post-old-age transformation was stable so the elders could pursue a similar way to leave the Twilight Years Mansion.

Zhang Xuezhou agreed to help the Twilight Years Mansion communicate with Ren Yisheng about the Mental Strengthening chapters, while Changkong Luo revealed that Zhang and Luo Burang were researching a lifespan-extending medicine. The elderly committee members discussed pursuing both paths, though Luo Burang’s return from the British Alliance State seemed unlikely.

• The Twilight Years Mansion’s committee members sought Zhang Xuezhou’s help in contacting Ren Yisheng and discussing the Mental Strengthening chapters.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to use Flying Entertainment Livestream for discussions with Ren Yisheng and welcomed the prospect of bringing him into the open.
• After Zhang Xuezhou left, Changkong Luo told the committee members that another path involved developing Zhang Xuezhou’s lifespan-extending medicine with Luo Burang.
• Song Xianzhong, Zuo Lianguang, and Zhong Rang debated the medicine and the difficulty of bringing Luo Burang back from the British Alliance State.
• Changkong Luo urged the committee members to cooperate with Zhang Xuezhou and pursue both paths, restoring some hope among the elderly residents.

Zhang Xuezhou consulted Ren Yisheng about how to deal with the elderly high-sequence holders, and Ren Yisheng advised waiting them out while taking whatever benefits they offered. They discussed why Ren Wuyang and Song Sijia had achieved Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity more easily, and Ren Yisheng saw new possibilities for breaking through cultivation and mental-strength bottlenecks.

• Zhang Xuezhou reflected on the risks of the elderly high-sequence holders gaining influence through Mental Strengthening research and life-prolonging medicine.
• Zhang Xuezhou visited Ren Yisheng at Jishi Medical Center and asked for advice about Zhong Rang's invitation.
• Ren Yisheng told Zhang Xuezhou to wait for the elderly holders to die and take advantage of them in the meantime.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Ren Wuyang and Song Sijia had achieved Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity while he had failed to trigger it.
• Ren Yisheng reasoned that strong mental strength paired with a low Realm Technique level made Resonance easier to achieve, while more advanced practitioners would gain greater benefits.
• Ren Yisheng suggested Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity could help break sequence bottlenecks and offered him a new direction for Mental Strengthening.