Episode Summary
Hong Ning undergoes a Spirit Root test, hoping to stay and find the Lemon Spirit. After failing twice, the Spirit Sword emits an unprecedented purple light, but Jin Xiu still deems her unqualified. A demon riot erupts in the dungeon, proclaiming the Demon King's arrival. During the chaos, Hong Ning is injured while interfering with Jin Xiu's attempt to eliminate an escaping Scorpion Demon. Elsewhere, Bai Ling secretly tends to an injured Lu Yao. Hong Ning mistakenly interprets Bai Ling's secretive behavior regarding Lu Yao as confirmation that he is hiding the Lemon Spirit. Later, Bai Ling briefly trains Hong Ning and Bai Bu Qu, while Jin Xiu finds Hong Ning's unique response during meditation peculiar.
Spoiler Alert
Alright, so the episode kicks off with Hong Ning smack dab in the middle of a test. She asks Bai Bu Qu what this is all about, and he explains it's the "Spirit Root" (Ling Gen) test. Apparently, everyone's got a potential elemental root – Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth – with Earth being the absolute bottom of the barrel. No root? No training here, pack your bags! Hong Ning isn't aiming high; she just wants any root, even the "worst" Earth one, so she can stick around and find that mysterious Lemon Spirit. Her determination gets a serious boost when she spots Bai Ling and realizes he's the one who nabbed the Lemon Spirit. Game on.
The testing begins! Poor Bai Bu Qu was hoping for a flashy Fire root but ends up with Earth. He's totally bummed, but Tian Nan Xing is like, "Dude, the Spirit Sword (Ling Jian) doesn't lie." Then, some other guy with clearly a lot of cultivation under his belt tests... and gets nothing. No root. He throws a fit, ready to argue, but shuts up real quick when the powerful Jin Xiu arrives. Guess he knows who's boss.
Now it's Hong Ning's turn. She's practically praying to the Spirit Sword, "Please, just give me an Earth root, anything!" But nope. First try, nothing. Second try, still nothing. Jin Xiu is ready to have her escorted out, but Hong Ning begs for one last chance. And BAM! The Spirit Sword lights up... purple? Tian Nan Xing is baffled, saying no one's ever had a purple light before. Hong Ning, quick on her feet, points out that Jin Xiu just said the sword needed to light up, any color counts! So, technically, she passed, right?
Jin Xiu isn't buying it, insisting she has no real root, and orders her sent down the mountain anyway. But hold that thought! Suddenly, chaos erupts from the dungeon. The imprisoned demons are going wild, shouting that the "Demon King" (Yao Wang) has appeared. Jin Xiu immediately heads over with his people. Naturally, Hong Ning and Bai Bu Qu decide this is way more interesting than getting kicked out and follow the action.
Down by the cells, the demons are hyped, convinced the Demon King's presence can boost their own powers. In the confusion, a Scorpion Demon (Xie Zi Jing) makes a break for it! Jin Xiu confronts him, pretty ticked off. He mentions he'd previously shown mercy, letting the Scorpion Demon stay and reflect because he had some potential for an "immortal fate" (Xian Yuan), but now, seeing him act out, Jin Xiu decides he has to destroy him completely – think "ashes to ashes." But just as Jin Xiu is about to deliver the final blow, Hong Ning senses something's off and jumps in front to block the attack (or maybe shield the demon? The text is a bit ambiguous, just says she "blocked"). She gets injured in the process. Jin Xiu immediately scoops her up and rushes her back for treatment.
Meanwhile, Bai Ling is playing nursemaid elsewhere. He brings food back for someone named Lu Yao and even sneakily "borrowed" some medicinal herbs from the pharmacy to treat her wounds. He tells Lu Yao firmly to stay put and not wander off.
Back with Hong Ning, she's awake but pulling the classic "pretending to be asleep" move. Bai Ling asks Jin Xiu how long they should wait. Jin Xiu, ever perceptive, dryly remarks, "You can never wake someone who's pretending to sleep." He then deliberately sits nearby and starts slurping down a bowl of noodles, talking about how amazing it smells. Hong Ning's stomach eventually betrays her. As soon as Jin Xiu leaves, she wolfs down the noodles.
Later, Bai Ling comes to check on Hong Ning. She cautiously asks him if he brought a demon back recently, obviously fishing for info about the Lemon Spirit. Bai Ling completely misunderstands and assumes she somehow found out about Lu Yao! He sternly warns Hong Ning to keep her mouth shut about it. Hong Ning readily agrees, now totally convinced the Lemon Spirit must be hidden somewhere nearby thanks to Bai Ling's reaction. Oh, the drama!
Trying to be helpful (or maybe just keep them busy), Bai Ling takes Hong Ning and Bai Bu Qu out for some basic cultivation 101 (Lian Qi). He gives them a few pointers on how to practice, but bolts the second it's mealtime, promising to teach them more later. Classic Bai Ling priorities!
Jin Xiu swings by to check on the disciples' progress and hears Bai Ling took Hong Ning and Bai Bu Qu. He finds them, and Hong Ning is practically nodding off during practice. Bai Bu Qu, ever the gossip, has been filling Hong Ning in on the local scuttlebutt. Hong Ning figures her best bet to retrieve the Lemon Spirit is definitely through Bai Ling. Jin Xiu takes over the training, asking them what they sense or "see" during meditation.
Bai Bu Qu reports seeing nothing but darkness. Jin Xiu then asks Hong Ning. Her answer? "I sensed... you, Jin Xiu." He dismisses it as nonsense, clearly a bit flustered or just finding her weird. He then tells another disciple to keep a close eye on Hong Ning and make sure she doesn't wander off, leaving that poor disciple utterly confused.
