Jin Chen Xi Arc

**Jin Chen Xi Arc** (金晨曦篇) focuses on the love between Yang Mie and Cuiyu Mingluan and the encounters with the creatures that live beyond the border.

The season is named after one of the characters that lives beyond the circle: Jin Chenxi.

## Name

It is also known as Leech Arc (水蛭篇) or Border Arc (边境篇). The season title is also translated as "Golden Lining Arc" by Guodong Subs.

Jin Chen Xi means Golden Morning Sun Rays or Golden Dawn Rays.

Jin Chen Xi is one of the debuting characters in the season.

## Episode 112

Bai Yuechu finds himself in a strange daydream where Susu is calling out to him, but he begins disintegrating. He wakes up, having fallen asleep at a desk in front of Wang Fugui. Fugui shows Yuechu a hair dryer as an allegory to teach him about arcane tools / weapons. Similar to how a hair dryer requires electricity to operate and apply, so too do arcane tools require a power source to use their abilities.

Fugui goes on to explain that humans have discovered three principles of arcane power: the intensity of the power's flow ("Body"), the patterns of its use ("Art") and the control exercised ("Will"). One's overall proficiency or ability, can be determined by the sum total of these three principles. And these three principles form the foundation of martial arts in the Yi Qi Dao League. Fugui proceeds to then mock Yuechu's ignorance of these principles and holds a mock school (inviting Susu and Qingtong as fellow students and Meng Fei as a school discipline and himself as teacher).

The scene cuts to a boat flying through the clouds where Madame Quan, and the leaders of the Yi Qi Dao League have arrived and are greeted by Yang Mie who is in charge of the boat's defenses. Cuiyu Mingluan is being kept prisoner on the boat via numerous Daoist defenses. She is prisoner along with several unusual Beyond the Circle creatures who are being studied in a lab on the boat. Madame Quan explains that there are now 10 Quan Clan members capable of mastering the power of using more than two masks (like Yang Mie has accomplished). She explains they've been studying the creatures from Beyond the Circle, using Wangquan Baye's writings. As a result they've become more powerful and learned to use more than one mask at a time. Meanwhile, the young lady of the Quan clan has snuck into the holding cell for Cuiyu Mingluan and is asking her questions. She says she doesn't seem like the same person she knew before.

Wang Fugui continues teaching his mock school, demonstrates how a human's (arcane) spirit power compares with a spirit's spirit power, and explains how while humans and spirits have similar origins they are distinct. He explains that cultivation helps one intensify the power and amount of energy you can store. This amount determines your strength with "body". Spirits typically have an advantage when it comes to cultivation since they live much longer than humans. Fugui then explains how "art" refers to how a spirit power user applies their power through various skills or technique. He compares it to a video game character's techniques. These techniques are called Spirit Arts or "Abhijna" (神通 literally "power through god" or godly power). Bai Yuechu asks why he is lacking in art, and Fugui explains that there's a difference between knowing an art and mastering it, and how there are different masters of different spirit arts (e.g. no one can beat Huandu Qingtian at the art of poison). Susu is excited to see Honghong drawn on the blackboard beating all the other Spirit Kings with her repelling claw.

Fugui then explains the Spirit Power formula:

* Effective Spirit Power = "Body" x Proficiency of Spirit Power
* Abhijna Level = Effective Spirit Power x Proficiency in "Art"

Simplified:

* Total Power = (Body x Proficiency of Spirit Power) x Proficiency in Art

Fugui explains Bai Yuechu lacks proficiency in Art, and while he knows many techniques he has not mastered them and thus his overall Abhijna is lacking because he is only half applying himself ad does not have great proficiency in art, despite his very large effective spirit power. Yuechu questions how humans have survived at all compared to Spirits since they have so much more time to both cultivate spirit power, and become more proficient at using art than humans. He explains that Magic Weapons or Arcane Tools are what close the gap between human's and spirits. Human's are able to create tools that have their own "art" and "body" built in. While Spirits can use Magic Weapons, they are better at cultivating Body and lack talent with "Will" that human's must use to utilize and control Magic Weapons and it is thus less effective for a Spirit than a human to use. Conversely while human's have much weaker bodies and time to cultivate, they have much stronger Wills and thus can use magic weapons to close the gap. The lesson is then interrupted by one of Madame Quan's Daoists, they are being summoned. Bai Yuechu beats Fugui up for not finishing the lesson he started, and as a result no one can recognize Fugui later on the boat (including his own father) due to his swollen head.

The group eventually walks in on the young Miss Quan as she's interviewing Cuiyu Mingluan and she flees from the holding area, (since she's not supposed to be there). Cuiyu claims that Yang Mie is in love with her. Yang Mie opens the door and she glances at him, he flinches not sure what has overcome him as imagery of an aggressive Shadow Fox is shown snarling at him as this happens. The others ask Yang Mie what is wrong, and determine he needs rest so he leaves to guard the lab and recuperate.

Yuechu and Susu then begin interrogating Cuiyu, whom Madame Quan suspects is behaving the way she is due to foul play by the Shadow foxes. Cuiyu says they don't know the real Cuiyu and flirts with Yuechu, while telling him that he is mistaken and she took the Eye of the Water Spirit from Yang Mie (their Pledge Vessel), so that her beloved Mei's cultivation wouldn't be affected by interference with his Divine Eye. Meanwhile, Mie begins struggling in the laboratory with the trapped creatures from Beyond the Circle and a Shadow Fox appears inside of his Divine Eye.

## Episode 113

Wang Fugui's head is still swollen and the Quan Daoists and the young Miss Quan on board the boat have put him in an animal pen, thinking he is one of Wang Fugui's pets. Before her mother can spot her, Miss Quan uses an invisibility seal to disappear. Madame Quan has a discussion with Bai Yuechu asking if he can help fix the issue with Cuiyu Mingluan, and he asks for a raise since he sent for reinforcements for this particular issue.

Meanwhile, Yang Mie begins struggling in the lab where the Beyond the Circle creatures are kept locked up. He appears to be infected with a Shadow Fox, which momentarily takes over using his Divine Eye and lets the Beyond the Circle creatures free. He struggles along the hallway and has a flashback of plucking his own (Divine) eye out. He comes back to his senses, and finds himself in front of the sealing charm circle that was keeping Cuiyu imprisoned, however it is no longer functioning and has been unsealed. He wonders outloud who could have done this and then sees Cuiyu in the corner free of the circle who informs him that it was his own doing. He realizes she has a Shadow Fox and prepares to fight her, but she tells him he can't harm her without harming his beloved Cuiyu. She informs him that it was his own fault that Cuiyu was infected. As his eyes fill with Shadow he has a flashback to being infected with a Shadow Fox and Cuiyu trying to save him by absorbing the Shadow Fox into herself, and it in turn infects her instead. As Mie snaps out of it, he asks how a Shadow Fox was able to infect Cuiyu despite her being so skilled at combatting them. The Shadow Fox within Cuiyu informs him he doesn't understand the true Cuiyu and she will show it to him.

Bai Yuechu and Madame Quan sense something is wrong as the seals on the boat explodes behind them and Mie comes flying out of the detainment room. Madame Quan quickly cleanses him using a Needle Sword and Wind Shuttle technique. He comes back to his senses as Cuiyu emerges from the detainment room along with her "hometown brothers" (the Beyond the Circle creatures once imprisoned in the lab on the ship) and explains she's going to let them free. The creatures then scatter across the area attempting to escape so they can wreck havoc, but Madame Quan quickly summons a giant golden prison around the area trapping the creatures in the nearby area. The Wang clan leaders and Quan Daoist prepare to fight, saying that they just need to hold off for a day, but the Shadow Fox reminds them they are up against her and a day will be a lot longer and harder than they hope for. Bai Yuechu and Susu remind the Shadow Fox they are still there and she withdraws her aura and begins fighting Bai Yuechu suing Cuiyu's poison art.

After Bai Yuechu is hit, he realizes he can't use Pure Yang Flames anymore and retreats. The Shadow Fox then hits the cloudcover above with her poison art so that if it'll trap everyone using Cuiyu's "Venom Rain" art. Bai Yuechu reappears to congratulate the Shadow Fox applauding its plan/trickery, but explains he brought a friend to help counter her poison: Huandu Luolan, Master of Poison Arts.

## Episode 114

Huandu Luolan and the controlled Cuiyu Mingluan face off, with Luolan quickly taking the advantage. Cuiyu is tied up, and Bai Yuechu and Susu thank Luolan for coming, who in turn thanks them for helping her earlier in Southland. She apologizes for her past behavior and Bai Yuechu reminds her that it wasn't all her fault since the Shadow Foxes were involved. Madame Quan sends her troops off to round up the escaped Beyond the Circle creatures that are now trapped in the array. She explains to Yang Mie that he needs help from the Tushan matchmakers and she wanted to wait, but the current circumstances have forced her hand. In order to uproot the Shadow Fox in Cuiyu they decide to try and help Cuiyu and Mie recall their former memories of their past life and Mie starts to remember something from his past life as they begin to discuss this. Madame Quan's daughter, Xiao reappears and runs off. Mie decides it is time to let go of his secret crush on her, and fulfill the Pledge of Love his past self once made. He explains he is afraid, but is determined to go through with it. The Shadow Fox in Cuiyu tells him that love is a one way street and there will be no backing out once he falls in love (implying he will regret it for betraying his crush on Xiao and is a fool). He replies that he agrees, but that is why he cannot think of her anymore and embrace only the future with Cuiyu.

Bai Yuechu then hits Cuiyu and Mie with the Memory Mallets in an attempt to help them recall their past lives, and both he and Susu decide to dive into the couples memories using the Dream God technique since the Shadow Fox in Cuiyu has been proving to be very tricky. When they attempt to dive in though, they are repulsed by someone who looks like a golden Du Tongzi (most likely the Third Master of Aolai) who berates Bai for being too weak. Mie claims he has remembered something from his past life, but is too embarrassed to say it outloud. Madame Quan tells him to come whisper it to her her, but as he does so he attacks her with a strange golden substance revealing that he has been possessed by a Shadow Fox as well. Wang Fugui Yeye says that the golden substance is a Beyond the Circle creature and he suspects it is contagious and wonders how such a powerful Shadow Fox came to be inside of Yang Mie. The Shadow Fox inside Mie answers him explaining that it is no mere Shadow Fox, but a Queen and that getting them to start the Love Pledge ritual was all part of her plan. Bai tries to get Susu to grab her after she reveals her true form, but has to pull her back after its body becomes coated in more of the golden substance. He then tries to suck the Shadow Fox Queen into a bottle, but she bursts out of the bottle mocking him.

## Episode 115

The Shadow Fox controlling Cuiyu Mingluan explains that Bai Yuechu fell into their trap and now that they have control of Madame Quan they are trapped in the array she setup so he cannot call for more help as he did with Huandu Luolan. She explains that the Shadow Fox Queen controlling Yang Mie, is one of the Shadow Fox Empress's duplicants. The Shadow Fox Queen then uses the strange Golden power she seems to have gotten from one of Yang Mie's former lives memories, to absorb the other Shadow Fox and explains that she cannot allow the minor Shadow Fox to live since then S*he* would realize she was acting independently.

She explains that all Shadow Foxes used to be part of one being (The Empress), but that the duplicants are more closely related than other Shadow Foxes as they have her same appearance and much of her power. The Empress can apparently use these duplicates as puppets switching from one to the next. They have great power and have done many incredible, but terrible things, such as stealing half of the Void Tear from Dongfang Yuechu. The Shadow Queen duplicate, explains that despite their power when the Shadow Fox Empress was attacked by the Third Master of Aolai she could do nothing but escape at the last moment. As a result all thought of controlling this duplicate was forgotten and she was left behind on her own barely alive. Dying and too weak to be noticed by even the senior members of the League or Spirit Kings that passed by, the duplicate knew if Tushan showed up she would be found out.

By sheer luck, Yang Mie was one of the first to arrive near what was left of the duplicate and had already been infected by another Shadow Fox, and because of his untold resentment and pent-up feelings for Madame Quan's daughter provided great a great opportunity. The duplicate took a risk and managed to slip into Yang Mie receiving nourishment and communing with the other Shadow Foxes. She then saw the memories of Cuiyu and Mie and was able to seize the knowledge to using the power of the Golden Beyond the Circle creature when Bai Yuechu tried to use the Memory Mallets to restore their memories. It then occurred to the duplicate that with her newfound power, she could be her own self and act independently of the Shadow Fox Empress and server herself instead of her once former master. She then attacks with the strange golden power/creature and Wang Fugui Yeye begins holding her off, while the others make their escape off the ship.

Bai Yuechu leads Wang Fugui, Susu, and Luolan to the edge of the barrier to try and find a weakness so they can call for help from Tushan. Back on the boat Wang Fugui's dad and grandfather are doing their best to defend themselves against the Shadow Fox Queen's golden power. The Shadow Fox Queen is impressed with their efforts, having thought them nothing more than blowhards without ambition. Grandpa Wang says he suspects the golden power is probably the demonic being born on the border of Northridge in the City of Mutian nearly 500 years ago, Golden Lining. Apparently it has the power to turn everything used against it into a cage, and it uses hope itself as fuel. Grandpa Wang realizes that since young upstart youth are a great source of nutrient for it, she must've let them go on purpose.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuechu and the group investigate one of the arrays border posts and realize it is also covered by the golden substance preventing them from breaking free. His chopsticks are reverted from their Infinite Rods back to their original form when touched by the golden stuff. Bai tries tunneling underground, but can't find a way out despite going very deep. Wang Fugui asks him why he didn't use his Void Tears earlier and we get a flashback to Tushan Rongrong putting Bai Yuechu in his place and defeating his Void Tear with Fox Reading Technique. She explains to Bai it would probably not be wise to fight a competent threat with the Void Tear since he cannot control it. She explains that to master it, he would need to learn to use the Will of Sorrow, but since he doesn't understand true sorrow that will not be possible until he does. Without that Will of control and experience, it might easily become a weapon to be used against him by a strong enough enemy as would other dangerous Arts he is not yet very experienced with (like Devour the World). Bai Yuechu then explains to Wang Fugui that because he's lost control of everything that the golden stuff touches, he doesn't dare use the Void Tears against this enemy since it would likely fall under the golden thing's control. He warns Wang Fugui since his Pure Will Blade is also based on Will, it could also suffer from the same problem.

The group notices a strange man approaching them and realize its one of the Daoists that went to chase after the Beyond the Circle creatures. He is acting very strange and activates his Mask power to attack the group. They quickly physically beat him up without resorting their Arts or techniques. However, each of them are shown to have been infected by the red Beyond the Circle creature that seems to have been controlling the Quan Clan disciple when they touched him.

## Episode 116

Back on the ground the Daoists are panicking after communication with the boat is cut off. Qingtong takes charge instructing them to avoid using arcane tools that could be infected by the golden power. Meanwhile, Wang Fugui, Bai Yuechu, and Huandu Luolan begin bragging about how their Spirit Arts are invincible after defeating the infected Quan Clan disciple. However, Luolan and Bai both realize something is wrong and feel the presence of another being inside them influencing them. The Daoist they had beaten up before stands up and informs them that their powers now belong to him and red tendrils appear attached to each of them. Wang Fugui dashes forward cutting off the red tendrils and attacks him. After being thrown back the possessed Daoist dares Fugui to attack again (which he does) and his Wangquan Spirit Blade disappears. Azure Dragon appears protecting Fugui at just the last moment, but he is tossed backwards, as Azure Dragon is unable to sustain enough energy from Fugui to stay manifested. The creature controlling the possessed Quan Clan Daoist explains that it has stolen Fugui's Spirt Power and introduces himself as Heaven's Pride, a creature from Beyond the Circle. The creature claims that Fugui will never be free of infection from him while he has pride.

Bai Yuechu then hits the creature in the back of the neck knocking him to the ground and asks him if he really is from Beyond the Circle since he is so weak he reminds him of a Bad Luck Beast. Susu looks up the Bad Luck Beast in a book and reads the definition which defines it as a very weak creature. Bai and Luolan then attack the creature, who uses the Daoist's Wings of Air and Thunder, and Immovable Earth Buddha to try and defend himself but is quickly beaten and outmatched. Bai then demonstrates use of the Wandering Dream Technique to remove Heavens Pride's infections from him and Luolan's bodies. Heaven's Pride then quickly shoves one of its infectors down Luolan's throat who then becomes extremely weak and he is able to steal her power and Body of Numerous Venom technique for himself. He then mocks Bai for trying to use a technique that works on Bad Luck Beasts and let's out a blast of poison using Luolan's Body of Numerous Venom technique. Susu begins waving her hands around to grab the venom. Wang Fugui then avoids being hit by tunneling underground.

Bai then tries to rush the possessed Daoist with Pure Yang Flames, but finds he has only about half of his Spirit Power and is unable to make a headway as the two fight. Bai realizes as they fight that the Beyond Circle creature appears to only be using Luolan's power but not her techniques. He then tries out his theory confident that since the Beyond the Circle creatures likely use power as a carrier he can probably exhaust it to get it to shrivel up and die. Feeling confident he hears a voice in his head telling him that his victory is assured, but that to make sure he should try to eat up some of his opponent's Spirit Power. He realizes that it doesn't sound like his own inner voice and he must be getting manipulated, but feigns using Devour the World to suck up the Beyond the Circle creatures power and draw it out. The ground beneath him shatters and Wang Fugui reappears with the Wangquan Spirit Blade and stabs the Beyond the Circle creature Bai had drawn out. The creature is surprised unable to believe Fugui can still use his blade and begins trying to rage against him to escape. Unable to escape from the blade's point, the creature tries to reassemble its power from the infected Luolan, but Fugui summons a second Spirit Blade and stabs the second piece of it. Fugui then explains that the Blade was created by his family and ancestor Baye to hunt Beyond the Circle Creatures. The blade expands to an enormous size, the creature tries to reach into Fugui's heart in an attempt to survive. Confident that Fugui must have pride, it looks into his heart and emerges to find Fugui in a sea of tranquility. In his heart he is a humble kid, his pride and selfish desires stripped and cut off by mastering the blade's technique long ago. The Creature is then destroyed in a burst of golden light from the Wangquan Spirit Blade.

## Episode 117

With the creature cut in half, Bai Yuechu questions why Wang Fugui was able to use such a powerful Spirit Art without breaking into a fever and discovers that Black Tortoise, an earth yaougai, helped Fugui out in the fight. He wonders how he was able to hide his power so well. Madam Quan's daughter then shows up and hugs Fugui congratulating him and complimenting him. Susu and Yuechu then take a photo of them hugging planning to sell the photo to Qingtong. Susu and Yuechu notice ghostly apparitions ascending from out of the defeated Heaven's Pride's body. Xiao informs them that they are the consciousness/souls of both human and yaougai victims who were imprisoned by the Proxy Beast. She explains that Proxy Beasts are a type of Beyond the Circle Creatures, but doesn't know much else. The other (now freed) Daoist novices show up and provide them with pills to help purge the remnants of the Proxy Beast from their bodies. Yuechu declines the pill saying it is too weak to affect him, despite the other Daoist's warnings (since he is the 'greatest' matchmaker). They discuss the current situation on the ship and Yuechu comments that the Golden Lining substance/creature shouldn't exist as anything other than a memory. The other Daoist's inform him that Golden Lining is a genuine Beyond Circle Creature unlike the much weaker Heaven's Pride (which is not native to Beyond the Circle and more of an artificial creature) they just defeated.

They explain that Proxy Beasts are the merged gathering of souls/conciousnesses of creatures that have died in Beyond the Circle. Each seems to represent or be the combined folly/weaknesses of yaaougai and human conciousnesses, such as pride. When enough hosts with similar follies share the same thoughts, they are able to influence and manipulate the hosts and their power/techniques. The leading Daoist explains that because Art and Body follow or are directed by the spirit art user's Will they are able to seize control because they contest their own combined concious Will against an opponent thus assimilating and controlling their power, art and conciousness. Yuechu explains this would cause a big problem for normal Daoists, untrained like Matchmakers in resisting other being's Wills. The Daoist explain this is why the Quan clan use the Mask system, as the Masks are interlinked and allow a more senior Daoist to help bolster more inexperienced users. The Masks are able to also protect the user's conciousness. They explain the previously possessed Quan member only was affected because he tried to use the mask of a Pride Lion, to combat Heaven's Pride thus giving it an easy advantage through pride.

The Daoist's want to return to the ship to help, but Yuechu argues that if even the Leaders of the Yi Chi Dao League and Madam Quan still haven't cracked through the Golden Lining they'll stand little chance of being much help. He explains that there must be more to the Shadow Fox's plan and they would be best off working together as they are experts on Beyond the Circle creatures and he and Susu are experts on the Black Foxes. The Daoists explain that while cooperating is fine, they're novices and don't know anything about the Golden Lining and can't give them info on the Beyond the Circle creatures because it is confidential information.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Fox Queen continues battling the Wang Fugui's grandpa and father. Grandpa Wang returns her taunts by pointing out that she must be stalling for a better opprotuntiy since they seem to be at a standstill. The Shadow Fox explains that while it would be one thing to take on the world with the Golden Lining it would be a completely different story if she were to take even greater power "beyond general knowledge". She explains that because she overheard how the Masks work, she has no need to go out into the world and aquire power for herself since she can just steal it using the Masks. Because all the Masks' are connected and subservient to the Main Mask, if the Main one is corrupted or taken over it can effect all the linked Masks. She is then able to infect and control all of the Quan Clan connected to Madame Quan's Main Mask. Back on the ground Yuechu and Fugui realize that the novice Daoists have all been infected/affected as all their Masks begin glowing with the golden color of the Golden Lining. The Shadow Fox Queen then explains that the Golden Lining has infected the Main Mask for a long time, but she only chose to strike out now because she needed the masked newbies to meet up with Bai Yuechu.

Bai Yuechu then strikes out with Pure Yang Flame and the Queen begins laughing at his foolishness as her power suddenly begins to increase. She explains to Grandpa Wang that Yuechu was being very cautious around her, and not releasing any high level techniques, but around the masked newbies he is not showing restraint. Yuechu realizes that his flames are doing nothing and the Spirit Power is merely just being absorbed by the Golden Lining. At a warning from Fugui he cuts off the Flames and then tries to use his remaining Spirit Power to attack with Void Tears. Meanwhile back on the boat, the Shadow Fox Queen explains Yuechu is now being very generous and sending her vast amounts of Spirit Power through the Golden Lining, and her goal is to absorb all of Tushan Honghong's Spirit Power while allowing Yuechu's attacks to also shape and form the Golden Lining. Back on the ground, the Golden Lining from the defeated Quan newbies begins to form into a strange humanoid-like torso shape and Yuechu then recalls Rongrong's advice not to use the Void Tears lest they be turned into a weapon against him. The strange Golden Lining shape then begins creating a swirling red vortex and the Mask reshapes onto the previously defeated Daoists face, and Huandu Luolan also becomes infected by the Golden Lining. The controlled Luolan then walks up behind Susu and grabs her. The Shadow Fox Queen smiles stating checkmate as Yuechu begins to freakout over Susu and releases massive amounts of Spirit Power in a rage.

## Trailers

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y52PRqUZlm8
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eoQOyJULYA

## Cast

* Cuiyu Mingluan（翠玉鸣鸾、水蛭）
* Yang Mie（杨蔑）
* Jin Chen Xi（金晨曦）
* Lady Heihu（黑狐小娘娘）