The chapter opens with a description of the nine prison demons, the seven killer spears, the jade breaking hand, the zhuge sage, the sword, and the yue girl. The narrator tells us that these nine demons are all connected to the idea of dao, or enlightenment, and that dao can only be attained by cultivating one's own dao. He says that he wants to be able to realize his dao by cultivating his own strength and power, but that this isn't what he wants.