Chapter Summaries

After the government army’s assault on the city collapsed, Zhang Qing led fifty thousand rebels out of the gates and attacked the disordered government camp. The rebels broke into the camp and fought at close quarters while their cavalry hunted fleeing soldiers outside.

• Shen Jingchuan watched the government troops break and flee after nearly half their force became casualties.
• Zhang Qing opened the city gate and sent cavalry, crossbowmen, and spearmen out in ordered ranks.
• Zhang Qing advanced carefully, using cavalry to prevent the retreating government troops from regrouping.
• Zhang Qing’s crossbowmen suppressed the camp gate while his spearmen charged through it.
• The rebels fought the government soldiers inside the camp, while the cavalry pursued fugitives around its perimeter.

After the rebels defeated the government forces, Hu Tieniu asked Shen Jingchuan how to handle the 120,000 prisoners. Shen Jingchuan proposed offering them a choice between joining the rebel army and returning home with travel grain, leaving the story with Hu Tieniu and Lin Yue considering the plan.

• Government troops surrendered or fled after their commander died, and Lin Shan, Lin Yue, and Zhou Tong led attacks from the other city gates to finish the fighting.
• Hu Tieniu tallied the battle’s losses and spoils, including 120,000 prisoners, 75,000 shi of grain and fodder, and 30,000 warhorses.
• Lin Shan warned Hu Tieniu that the prisoners were a pressing problem, so Hu Tieniu and Lin Yue rode to the Azure Cloud Stronghold to consult Shen Jingchuan.
• Shen Jingchuan proposed explaining the rebels’ goals to the prisoners and offering them a chance to join the army or return home with travel provisions.
• Lin Yue and Hu Tieniu understood that well-treated prisoners might refuse to fight the rebels again, and Shen Jingchuan specified that they should receive grain rather than silver.

After defeating the court’s army, Shen Jingchuan arranged for most of the captives to return to Chang'an Prefecture while recruiting others and protecting refugees along the way. During a lull in the fighting, he continued gathering supplies and cultivating, eventually breaking through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

• Shen Jingchuan ordered that the captives surrender their weapons and receive only enough grain to reach Chang'an Prefecture, and Lin Yue explained how this would weaken the court’s forces and spare commoners from conscription.
• Hu Tieniu and Lin Yue returned to Yuxi Prefecture, where Hu Tieniu had soldiers speak with the captives and recruited more than 12,000 men into the rebel army.
• Hu Tieniu sent nearly 110,000 remaining captives south with ten jin of grain each, while Lin Yue led 3,000 cavalrymen to escort them and aid refugees on the road.
• Shen Jingchuan told Xiao Mingshu that the court’s 210,000-strong army and the Duke of Jing had fallen, and Xiao Mingshu withdrew to cultivate without confronting him.
• Shen Jingchuan gathered supplies, cultivated during the lull, and broke through from the peak of the Seventh Layer to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

Shen Jingchuan reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, visited Xiao Mingshu at Spirit Creek Market, and told her of the destruction of the army at Yuxi Prefecture. After making purchases for his upcoming wedding on Earth and parting from Huan'er, he installed a Spirit-Nurturing Formation around the villa at West Mountain Separate Garden and confirmed it worked.

• Shen Jingchuan advanced to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining and flew to Spirit Creek Market to visit Xiao Mingshu and Huan'er.
• Shen Jingchuan told Xiao Mingshu that the 210,000-strong army had been wiped out, the Duke of Jing had died, and he and Little Black had slain two Eighth Layer cultivators; Xiao Mingshu withdrew to cultivate.
• Shen Jingchuan sold goods and pills at the market, bought a Spirit-Nurturing Formation and more than 120 Life-Extending Pills, and placed them in the sphere of light in his ring to upgrade.
• Shen Jingchuan gave Huan'er pills and Spirit Stones before leaving, and she kissed him on the cheek and wished him a safe journey.
• Shen Jingchuan returned to Earth and activated the Spirit-Nurturing Formation around the villa, testing its barrier and jade-token passage.

Shen Jingchuan showed Meng Ke the Spirit-Nurturing Formation he had set up around their courtyard and gave her the jade token that let her pass through it. As they discussed their upcoming wedding and New Year plans, Meng Ke revealed that she had invited her father, hoping the wedding might help her parents reconcile.

• Shen Jingchuan used the formation to stop Meng Ke's car at the garage entrance, then explained the Spirit-Nurturing Formation and gave her its jade token.
• Meng Ke imprinted the token with her Divine Sense and tested that the formation let her leave and re-enter while keeping the courtyard comfortable.
• Meng Ke praised the formation as a perfect place for their wedding, and Shen Jingchuan said it could withstand severe weather and likely ordinary bullets.
• Meng Ke invited Shen Jingchuan to spend New Year's Eve with her, but he said he had already made plans and reassured her that they would soon be together as husband and wife.
• Meng Ke told Shen Jingchuan that she had invited her father to the wedding and hoped her parents could mend their relationship.

Shen Jingchuan wrestled with whether to tell Meng Ke about the women he had married in another world before their wedding. He confessed that the ring took him to another world and that he had married there, leaving Meng Ke to confront the revelation.

• After returning to the modern world, Shen Jingchuan agonized over whether Meng Ke could enter the ring and whether to reveal his other family before their wedding.
• Shen Jingchuan decided he had to tell Meng Ke the truth, accepting that she might end the relationship and cancel the wedding.
• Shen Jingchuan called Meng Ke and asked her to come to West Mountain Separate Garden before their wedding the next day.
• Shen Jingchuan showed Meng Ke his ring and explained that it could take him to another world; Meng Ke believed him and said she had suspected he had gained a fortuitous encounter.
• Shen Jingchuan told Meng Ke that he had married in the other world, where customs allowed more than one wife.

Meng Ke learned from Shen Jingchuan that he already had another woman, and she fled to her mother's home in despair. Mother Meng comforted her and learned what had happened as Meng Ke broke down over the betrayal.

• Meng Ke demanded that Shen Jingchuan repeat his confession, and he confirmed that he had another woman.
• Meng Ke rejected Shen Jingchuan's attempt to comfort her, told him she hated him, and rushed out of the West Mountain Separate Garden.
• Meng Ke drove to Mother Meng's home and collapsed into her arms, sobbing.
• Mother Meng comforted Meng Ke and asked whether something had happened to Shen Jingchuan.
• Meng Ke told Mother Meng that Shen Jingchuan already had another woman.

After learning that Shen Jingchuan had married women in another world, Meng Ke canceled their wedding. Shen Jingchuan faced calls from concerned elders, relatives, and friends, taking the blame while keeping the truth from them.

• Meng Ke told her mother that Shen Jingchuan had confessed to traveling to another world and marrying several women there.
• Meng Ke rejected her mother's attempt to understand his reasons and asked her to notify everyone that the wedding was canceled.
• Meng Ke's mother sent cancellation messages to the wedding guests, including Elder Yang and Elder Li.
• Elder Yang called Shen Jingchuan to ask what had happened, but Shen Jingchuan said the breakup was a private relationship matter.
• Shen Jingchuan's uncle and other relatives and friends called to question him, and he gave vague explanations while taking the blame.
• After answering calls for more than half an hour, Shen Jingchuan slumped on the sofa, overwhelmed by the canceled wedding.

Shen Jingchuan returned to the space in the ring, where Bai Ruoli and Yue'er noticed his distress and comforted him as he struggled with his feelings about Meng Ke and his responsibility to Bai Ruoli. The household celebrated its cultivation advances, and the chapter ended when Elder Yang called Shen Jingchuan after he left the space.

• Shen Jingchuan returned to the ring's space after spending a day alone, and Yue'er and Bai Ruoli comforted him and arranged a meal.
• Bai Ruoli told Shen Jingchuan that she had reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and that Yue'er, Qingshu, Qinghua, and Lin Qingyao had each reached the Qi Refining Third Layer.
• Shen Jingchuan held Bai Ruoli as he reflected on Meng Ke and his duty to the woman who had followed him, then fell asleep beside her.
• At breakfast, Lin Qingyao, Bai Ruoli, Yue'er, Qingshu, and Qinghua teased one another to lift Shen Jingchuan's spirits.
• Shen Jingchuan left the space and received a phone call from Elder Yang.

Elder Yang invited Shen Jingchuan to meet the younger generation of the Yang, Li, and Wang families, hoping they could help him manage affairs on Earth. Shen Jingchuan accepted and met Yang Siqi, Yang Wei, Li Zhixing, Wang Hongyi, and Wang Lezhi at Elder Yang's home.

• Elder Yang invited Shen Jingchuan to dinner and suggested he get acquainted with the families' young people, and Shen Jingchuan agreed to come that evening.
• Shen Jingchuan flew to Elder Yang's courtyard on Big Black, whose arrival astonished the gathered youngsters.
• Yang Siqi approached Big Black to inspect him, but Shen Jingchuan warned her that the flying horse was fierce.
• Elder Yang introduced Yang Siqi and Yang Wei, Elder Li introduced Li Zhixing, and Elder Wang introduced Wang Hongyi and Wang Lezhi.
• Wang Lezhi approached Shen Jingchuan, introduced herself, and shook his hand.

Elder Yang hosted Shen Jingchuan and the younger guests at a New Year dinner, where his boisterous granddaughter Yang Xiao arrived uninvited and took Yang Siqi’s seat beside Shen. The family settled down after their teasing and bickering, and Elder Yang raised a toast to begin the meal.

• Elder Yang seated Shen Jingchuan in the place of honor, with Yang Siqi and Wang Lezhi beside him.
• Yang Xiao arrived late, greeted Shen Jingchuan, and explained that she had come because she wanted to meet him.
• Yang Xiao pulled Yang Siqi from the seat beside Shen and sat there herself, prompting Yang Siqi to complain and move beside Yang Wei.
• Yang Xiao slapped Wang Lezhi for laughing, and Elder Wang scolded her before the two young women traded playful barbs.
• Elder Yang explained Yang Xiao’s military background and told her to stop talking, then invited everyone to raise a glass for the New Year.

At the New Year’s feast, Shen Jingchuan agreed to discuss the Life-Extending Pills openly after Yang Xiao objected to the elders taking him aside. After hearing how two pills had helped distinguished scientists, Shen left two more with the elders to allocate to people in urgent need, stunning the younger guests with his generosity.

• Elder Yang, Elder Li, and Elder Wang planned to speak privately with Shen Jingchuan about the Life-Extending Pill auction.
• Yang Xiao protested that the elders should not discuss business in private and said everyone already knew the pills were Shen Jingchuan’s.
• Shen Jingchuan said he was willing to discuss the pills in front of everyone, and Elder Yang told the younger guests to keep the conversation confidential.
• Elder Yang explained that the family had given two pills to an agricultural academician and an aerospace and military scientist, restoring their health and mental clarity.
• Shen Jingchuan placed two wooden boxes containing Life-Extending Pills before the elders and told them to use the pills for people who had made major contributions to the country and urgently needed help.
• The younger guests were stunned that Shen Jingchuan gave away the valuable pills without hesitation.

Shen Jingchuan learned that the Life-Extending Pills had sold for billions and planned future auctions for domestic and international buyers. As the gathering continued, Yang Xiao asked to become his disciple, and he considered accepting her.

• Elder Yang told Shen Jingchuan that the three Life-Extending Pills had sold for 2.1 billion, 2.2 billion, and 4.8 billion, and Shen asked him to send the proceeds to Meng Ke.
• Shen Jingchuan gave Elder Yang, Elder Wang, and Elder Li jade pendants and Spirit Stones as thanks for promoting the pills.
• Elder Wang and Elder Li told Shen Jingchuan that foreign officials wanted to join future auctions, and Shen proposed separate January domestic and July international auctions.
• Shen Jingchuan offered five more pills for the next auctions, with one to be given free to a person who had made a great contribution to humanity.
• Yang Xiao asked Shen Jingchuan to take her as his disciple, and he considered the advantages of accepting her.

Shen Jingchuan tested the young people’s Spirit Roots before deciding whether to accept them as disciples, while concealing that Yang Xiao had a Hidden Spirit Root. After everyone else tested negative, Yang Siqi hesitated to take her turn, saying she was not interested in cultivation.

• Yang Xiao became Shen Jingchuan’s would-be disciple, and Wang Lezhi and Li Zhixing asked to learn from him too.
• Shen Jingchuan explained that his Daoist Qi Refining required a Spirit Root and brought out a Spirit Testing Stone.
• Yang Xiao’s test showed no visible reaction, though Shen Jingchuan saw her Hidden Spirit Root and falsely told her she lacked the affinity.
• Wang Lezhi, Yang Wei, and the other young men tested the stone, but none showed a Spirit Root.
• Yang Siqi declined to test, saying she was not interested in cultivation and preferred scientific research.

Yang Siqi tested positive for a powerful Spirit Root, and Shen Jingchuan accepted her as his disciple after she sincerely kowtowed to him. He gave her a protective jade pendant and told her to meet him at the West Mountain Separate Garden the next day, while the Yang Household agreed to keep her new status quiet.

• Yang Xiao urged Yang Siqi to try the Spirit Testing Stone, which shone with brilliant five-colored light when she touched it.
• Yang Xiao pressed Yang Siqi to kneel, and Yang Siqi kowtowed three times before asking Shen Jingchuan to accept her as his disciple.
• Shen Jingchuan accepted Yang Siqi, eased her dizziness with Spiritual Power, and laid down three rules against betrayal, laziness, and harming innocent people.
• Yang Siqi promised to follow the rules, and Shen Jingchuan gave her a jade pendant and arranged to teach her at the West Mountain Separate Garden the next day.
• Shen Jingchuan asked the Yang Household to keep Yang Siqi's discipleship secret, then left on Big Black as Yang Siqi watched in astonishment.

After Shen Jingchuan left, the Yang Household discussed how to honor him and protect the Meng Household, and Yang Siqi proposed a simple, sincere disciple’s gift. The next morning, she and her family visited Shen Jingchuan, where they encountered his invisible formation and were astonished by the courtyard’s atmosphere.

• Elder Yang, Elder Wang, and Elder Li struggled to choose a disciple’s gift, since Shen Jingchuan seemed to need neither money nor official favors.
• Yang Siqi urged her family to show sincerity, protect Shen Jingchuan’s loved ones, and present the traditional bundle of dried meat; Elder Yang agreed.
• Yang Siqi said she would finish her research project before focusing on cultivation and would seek Shen Jingchuan’s consent before conducting research on it.
• The next morning, Yang Siqi, Elder Yang, Yang Xiao, and Wang Lezhi went to Shen Jingchuan’s courtyard with the disciple’s gift.
• An invisible formation stopped Yang Siqi from knocking, so Shen Jingchuan opened a gap and let the group enter.
• The visitors were stunned by the courtyard’s unusually fresh and clear atmosphere.

Shen Jingchuan welcomed Yang Siqi to his home and completed her apprenticeship ceremony, passing on a cultivation technique and gifts for her training. Yang Xiao and Wang Lezhi offered to protect Yang Siqi, and after Shen Jingchuan promised to teach them a body-tempering technique, they knelt and called him their master.

• Shen Jingchuan welcomed Yang Siqi, Elder Yang, Yang Xiao, and Wang Lezhi and demonstrated how to prepare spirit tea.
• Yang Siqi presented Shen Jingchuan with an apprenticeship gift, offered him tea, and completed the ceremony.
• Shen Jingchuan passed the Five Elements Qi Refining Instruction to Yang Siqi and gave her a Storage Ring and the key to the West Mountain Separate Garden.
• Yang Xiao and Wang Lezhi offered to protect Yang Siqi, and Shen Jingchuan agreed to hire them as her bodyguards.
• Shen Jingchuan offered to pass on the Body Tempering Instruction, and Yang Xiao and Wang Lezhi knelt and called him their master.

Shen Jingchuan taught Wang Lezhi and Yang Xiao the Body Tempering Instruction and arranged for them to protect Meng Ke before returning to Azure Cloud Stronghold. After learning that the rebel forces had expanded their territory and clashed with northern troops, he flew toward the northern front to inspect the battle.

• Shen Jingchuan passed the Body Tempering Instruction to Wang Lezhi and Yang Xiao, accepted them as Registered Disciples under his rules, and advised them in cultivation.
• Shen Jingchuan texted Yang Xiao about protecting Meng Ke and told her to contact him if they faced trouble.
• Shen Jingchuan returned to Azure Cloud Stronghold, visited his father-in-law, and then went to the city lord's manor in Yuxi Prefecture.
• Zhou Tong told Shen Jingchuan that the rebel forces held more than two prefectures, that the Lin brothers had marched east and west, and that their armies had clashed with northern troops.
• Shen Jingchuan left the manor and flew on Little Black toward the northern front to see how the fighting was going.

Shen Jingchuan watched Hu Tieniu’s rebel army fight the border army, whose vanguard was shattered by crossbows and machine guns before the armies settled into a standoff. When the rebels recognized Shen Jingchuan overhead, Hu Tieniu used his presence to rally the troops and send their morale soaring.

• Shen Jingchuan landed on a hill with Little Black and watched the rebel army face the much larger border army.
• Hu Tieniu’s rebels used arrows, crossbows, and three machine guns to break the border army’s advancing vanguard and inflict heavy casualties.
• The border army’s rear formations held firm, while rebel cavalry pursued fleeing soldiers before withdrawing under the border army’s arrows.
• Shen Jingchuan surveyed the battlefield with his Divine Sense and estimated that the border army had lost over ten thousand men while rebel casualties were negligible.
• The rebels recognized Shen Jingchuan in the sky, and Hu Tieniu declared that the Black Horse Immortal Venerable was watching over them, raising the army’s morale.

The rebel army shattered the frontier army with machine-gun fire, forcing the Marquis Who Pacifies the North to retreat as Hu Tieniu ordered a pursuit. Shen Jingchuan watched the marquis escape and considered whether to swoop down and capture him.

• The rebel army advanced under machine-gun and arrow fire, breaking the frontier army’s shield line and killing many soldiers.
• The Marquis Who Pacifies the North ordered his troops to charge, but their ranks collapsed under concentrated fire and the rout spread through the army.
• The rebel cavalry charged the fleeing soldiers, while Hu Tieniu ordered his army to pursue and urged the frontier troops to surrender.
• The marquis retreated with his personal guards, and Shen Jingchuan weighed capturing him from the air against letting him escape.