Chapter Summaries

Jiang Bei defeated Xue Long after Xue Long attacked him in the Ren-Rank Camp, and Xu Qi rebuked Xue Long while warning Jiang Bei to follow military regulations. The next morning, Jiang Bei decided to visit the Merit Hall to exchange military merit for a Qi and Blood Method so he could grow stronger before Xie Kaiyue retaliated.

• Xue Long attacked Jiang Bei with strikes aimed at vital points, but Jiang Bei dodged and used Xing Tian Gong to break Xue Long's arm and crush his throat.
• Xu Qi arrived, blamed Xue Long for provoking Jiang Bei, and warned Jiang Bei not to fight without authorization in the military camp.
• Xu Qi ordered soldiers to carry Xue Long away and privately recognized that Jiang Bei's strength had reached the Eighth Rank and placed him among the Ren-Rank Camp's strongest.
• Jiang Bei returned to the barracks, reassured Yu Rou, and spent the night with her.
• The next morning, Jiang Bei decided to visit the Merit Hall and use his military merit to seek a Qi and Blood Method, fearing Xie Kaiyue's retaliation.

Jiang Bei learned he needed twelve more military merits to obtain a Qi and Blood Method, then accepted a dangerous mission to lead reinforcements to East Camp City. Before he departed, Xu Qi gave him the Mystic Cloud Saber and warned him to return alive.

• Jiang Bei visited the Merit Hall and learned he had eighteen military merits, twelve short of the thirty needed for a Qi and Blood Method.
• Yang Ming asked Xu Qi to send an elite squad to East Camp City, where Ironwood Flying and the Heavenly Wolf Gang were ravaging the city.
• Xu Qi summoned Jiang Bei and asked him to lead two Second Company squads on the dangerous reinforcement mission; Jiang Bei agreed.
• Jiang Bei asked to bring Guo Xiu Yong, and Xu Qi approved the request.
• Xu Qi gave Jiang Bei his Mystic Cloud Saber, and Jiang Bei accepted it before leaving to prepare for the mission.

Jiang Bei led a Second Battalion force to reinforce East Camp City, while Xu Qi learned that Xie Kaiyue might be pursuing Jiang Bei and rushed to intercept him. Jiang Bei arrived in the battered city and was welcomed by chief constable Fan Jie, who invited the group to a banquet to discuss the situation.

• Jiang Bei said goodbye to Yu Rou, then departed with his squad and Guo Xiu Yong alongside Lei Tao and Shen Changyang to reinforce East Camp City.
• Ma Yun reported that Tiger Camp's Fourth Battalion, commanded by Xie Kaiyue, was also heading to East Camp City, and the Third Battalion learned Xie Kaiyue might be targeting Jiang Bei over an old grudge.
• Xu Qi feared Xie Kaiyue would endanger Jiang Bei, so he left for East Camp City with most of the Third Battalion.
• Jiang Bei and the others entered East Camp City and saw that the streets had been emptied by the Barbarians and the Heavenly Wolf Gang.
• Fan Jie welcomed Jiang Bei, Lei Tao, and Shen Changyang on behalf of the local authorities and led them toward a banquet where they could discuss the city's situation.

Jiang Bei exposed an impostor posing as Fan Jie and discovered that East Camp City’s authorities had fallen under the control of the Barbarians and Heavenly Wolf Gang. After both sides launched an ambush, Jiang Bei led the Second Squad into battle, eager to earn Merit Points.

• At Hundred Fragrance Tower, Jiang Bei refused the food and wine, recognizing that the man posing as Fan Jie was an impostor.
• Jiang Bei severed the impostor’s arm and knocked him through the tavern wall, revealing his disguise as a scarred middle-aged man.
• Jiang Bei, Lei Tao, and Shen Changyang left the tower and were surrounded by more than a hundred Barbarians and Heavenly Wolf Gang members led by Ironwood Flying, Tie Mule, and Qi Hong.
• Qi Hong revealed that the real Fan Jie and the chief constable had been killed and that the authorities had fallen under enemy control.
• Lei Tao and Shen Changyang led their squads into the fight, while Jiang Bei warned Guo Xiu Yong and charged with the Second Squad, cutting down enemies as his Merit Points increased.

Jiang Bei killed Qi Hong, then overpowered and slew the Ironwood brothers, turning the battle in East Camp City into a rout. With all four Eighth Rank Minor Training leaders dead, the Ren-Rank Camp squads wiped out the remaining Barbarians and Heavenly Wolf Gang members.

• Jiang Bei killed Qi Hong with a single saber strike, shocking the Heavenly Wolf Gang and the fighters around him.
• Ironwood Flying and Tie Mule rallied the Barbarians and forced Lei Tao and Shen Changyang onto the defensive.
• Jiang Bei broke through the Barbarian encirclement and sent Ironwood Flying and Tie Mule flying with one head-on strike.
• Ironwood Flying and Tie Mule recognized Jiang Bei as an Eighth Rank Great Training expert and fled, but Jiang Bei caught and killed them both.
• The three ten-man squads routed and killed the remaining Barbarians and Heavenly Wolf Gang members as Jiang Bei fought alongside them.

After Jiang Bei led his squads to victory in East Camp City, he gained 230 Merit Points and prepared to return to camp. Xie Kaiyue arrived with Fourth Battalion of Dingzi Camp to kill him, and their clash began as Jiang Bei met his attack head-on.

• Jiang Bei's squads wiped out the Barbarians with few casualties, and Lei Tao and Shen Changyang praised him for leading them to victory.
• Jiang Bei saw that the battle had earned him 230 Merit Points, enough to upgrade his martial arts and potentially advance his realm.
• As the squads prepared to leave, Xie Kaiyue shot Jiang Bei's horse and arrived with several dozen soldiers from Fourth Battalion of Dingzi Camp.
• Xie Kaiyue declared that Jiang Bei had killed his younger brother, Lin Jie, and accused him of deceiving him about his strength and killing Liu Kui.
• Lei Tao and Shen Changyang tried to intervene, but Xie Kaiyue's Squad Leaders blocked them, and one of them kicked Guo Xiu Yong aside.
• Xie Kaiyue attacked Jiang Bei with a spear, and Jiang Bei countered with his Mystic Cloud Saber, sending a shock through the street.

Jiang Bei used his Merit Points to strengthen his saber technique and footwork, then overwhelmed Xie Kaiyue in battle. As Jiang Bei moved to kill the defeated commander, a voice from afar ordered him to stay his blade.

• Jiang Bei and Xie Kaiyue fought evenly in the street, trading more than twenty blows as nearby soldiers watched in shock.
• Jiang Bei spent 140 Merit Points to raise Blood Wolf Saber Technique to the fourth level and Cloud Shadow Steps to the second level.
• Jiang Bei broke through Xie Kaiyue’s spear defense, cut his palm, and drove back the Squad Leaders who tried to protect him.
• Jiang Bei wounded Xie Kaiyue, severed one of his arms, and kicked him dozens of meters across the street.
• Jiang Bei approached the battered Xie Kaiyue to finish him, but a thunderous voice ordered him to stay his blade.

Jiang Bei refused to let Qin Yang take the gravely wounded Xie Kaiyue away, insisting that military law required his death. As Qin Yang charged toward Xie Kaiyue, a powerful voice intervened, ordering him to stop.

• Qin Yang arrived with Tiger Camp riders, reprimanded the Fourth Battalion, and apologized to Jiang Bei for Xie Kaiyue's attack.
• Jiang Bei rejected Qin Yang's demand to take Xie Kaiyue away and insisted that Xie Kaiyue must die in Dongyang City.
• Xu Qi arrived, learned what had happened, and tried to persuade Jiang Bei to yield to Qin Yang.
• Jiang Bei cited Article Thirty-Two of military law and demanded that Qin Yang execute Xie Kaiyue on the spot.
• Qin Yang erupted in anger and charged toward Xie Kaiyue, but an unseen speaker shouted, "Qin Yang! Try touching him!!"

Jiang Qingfeng arrived in East Camp City and confronted Qin Yang to protect Jiang Bei, who executed Xie Kaiyue despite Qin Yang’s threat. After Qin Yang withdrew, Jiang Bei discovered a letter identifying the person who had leaked his whereabouts, and Jiang Qingfeng authorized him to deal with the traitor.

• Jiang Qingfeng arrived with Ren-Rank Camp soldiers and challenged Qin Yang over Xie Kaiyue’s attempt to kill Jiang Bei.
• Jiang Qingfeng ordered Jiang Bei to execute Xie Kaiyue, and Jiang Bei beheaded him as Qin Yang watched.
• Qin Yang withdrew with the Dingzi Camp soldiers, then ordered his men to monitor Jiang Qingfeng and Jiang Bei.
• Jiang Bei found a letter on Xie Kaiyue that revealed who had betrayed his whereabouts.
• Jiang Qingfeng praised Jiang Bei and told him to purge the traitor if they were a parasite.

Jiang Bei returned to Ren-Rank Camp after killing Xie Kaiyue and exposed Yang Ming’s betrayal, then killed him in the camp. He headed to the Merit Hall to exchange his Merit Points for the Qi and Blood Method and prepare to reach the seventh rank before confronting Qin Yang.

• Jiang Qingfeng returned to the Eight Desolations Mountain Range while Xu Qi and Jiang Bei headed back to Ren-Rank Camp with their men.
• Yang Ming dismissed the possibility that Jiang Bei could defeat Xie Kaiyue and waited for news of Jiang Bei’s death and his reward.
• Jiang Bei entered Yang Ming’s tent, revealed Xie Kaiyue’s severed head, and accused Yang Ming of betraying and framing him.
• Jiang Bei tore off Yang Ming’s arm and beat him before killing him with a blow to the head.
• News of Jiang Bei’s killings spread through Ren-Rank Camp, and the soldiers who had mocked him hid from him.
• Jiang Bei went to the Merit Hall to register his military merits and planned to exchange them for the Qi and Blood Method so he could reach the seventh rank and kill Qin Yang.

Jiang Bei exchanged his military merits for the Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill and received the Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body from Xu Qi. After learning how dire the Ren-Rank Camp’s situation was, he upgraded the Qi and Blood Method and broke through to Seventh Rank Lesser Training.

• Jiang Bei registered his achievements from East Camp City, exchanged fifty military merits for the Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill, and met Xu Qi at the Merit Hall.
• Xu Qi gave Jiang Bei the Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body and explained that his wife and son had been killed by the Barbarians.
• Xu Qi told Jiang Bei that all six of the Ren-Rank Camp’s Eighth Rank Great Training martial artists were deployed and that Five Sect Mountain had allied with the Barbarians and was sacrificing kidnapped civilians.
• Jiang Bei returned to Yu Rou, reassured her, and entered seclusion to improve his strength.
• Jiang Bei spent 120 Merit Points to upgrade the Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill, causing his blood qi to surge and break through to Seventh Rank Lesser Training.

After strengthening his body and taking charge of Ren-Rank Camp, Jiang Bei investigated the disappearance of two squads near Pingyang Prefectural City. He rescued the missing soldiers from a merchant caravan and learned that the prefect had ordered their capture for delivery to Five Factions Mountain, so he led his men to storm the Prefectural Office.

• Jiang Bei broke through to Seventh Rank Lesser Training and upgraded his Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body until his limbs gained golden, metal-like defense.
• After Xu Qi and the other Battalion Commanders left on missions, Jiang Bei stayed in Ren-Rank Camp and received reports of worsening fighting at Yellow Wind Ridge, Iron Phoenix City, Tiger Leap Valley, and the Eight Desolations Mountain Range.
• Liu Shan reported that two squads had vanished in Pingyang Prefectural City, and Jiang Bei led a dozen soldiers there to investigate.
• Jiang Bei spotted blood in a merchant caravan, uncovered unconscious soldiers hidden inside silk bundles, and captured the caravan’s men.
• Jiang Bei forced Fatty to reveal that the prefect had ordered the soldiers taken to Five Factions Mountain, then ordered his men to storm the Prefectural Office.

Jiang Bei stormed the Pingyang Prefectural Office to rescue missing Ren-Rank Camp soldiers and uncovered a human-trafficking scheme tied to Five Sects Mountain. He learned that hundreds had already been sent there for blood sacrifices, while the weakened Ren-Rank Camp lacked the strength to intervene.

• Tang Ren woke and warned Jiang Bei that an Eighth Rank Great Training guarded the Prefectural Office, but Jiang Bei rode there anyway to find the missing soldiers.
• Jiang Bei forced his way into the office, defeated Luo Zhenyu in one move, and knocked Prefect Li Sizheng aside when they tried to stop him.
• Jiang Bei found drugged soldiers and civilians packed into silk bundles in the rear courtyard, then killed the three men overseeing them.
• Tang Ren, Liu Shan, Zhao He, and the others joined Jiang Bei and confirmed that more than half the missing people were gone.
• Jiang Bei forced Li Sizheng to admit that the remaining captives had been sent to Five Sects Mountain for blood sacrifices and that four or five hundred people had been delivered over two or three days.
• Li Sizheng claimed Five Sects Mountain had threatened his family and explained that the weakened Ren-Rank Camp could not oppose its five Eighth Rank Great Training experts.

Jiang Bei left for Five Sect Mountain to stop its leaders from testing the Ren-Rank Camp by abducting civilians for a barbarian blood sacrifice. As Jiang Qingfeng sent Wang Meng to intercept him, Jiang Bei reached the mountain and charged toward the Fire Cloud Sect summit, intent on destroying the five sects and the barbarian tribe.

• Jiang Bei killed Ling Si after declaring that he would handle Five Sect Mountain, and Zhao He sent Liu Shan to report the crisis to Jiang Qingfeng.
• At the Eight Desolations Mountain Range, Jiang Qingfeng learned that Five Sect Mountain had abducted Ren-Rank Camp soldiers and civilians for a blood sacrifice, while Batu Feng threatened to break through to the Sixth Rank.
• Liu Shan revealed that Jiang Bei had gone alone to Five Sect Mountain, and Jiang Qingfeng ordered Wang Meng to ride after him and stop him.
• Wang Meng rode toward Five Sect Mountain as Jiang Bei arrived there a day later and killed two Barbarians who were heading to the blood sacrifice.
• Jiang Bei learned that the five sect leaders and the barbarian chieftain were at the Fire Cloud Sect grounds, then charged toward the summit.

Jiang Bei stormed Fire Cloud Peak and found the five sects and Tuoba Ye slaughtering commoners to make Human Pills. After killing True Man Huoyun, Jiang Bei faced an attack from the remaining four sect masters and Tuoba Ye.

• Tuoba Ye and the five sect leaders oversaw the slaughter of commoners and planned to seize more people from Pingyang Prefecture.
• Jiang Bei arrived at the square and saw the captives being killed and fed into pill furnaces.
• Chen Qi led Fire Cloud Sect disciples against Jiang Bei, but Jiang Bei slaughtered more than half of them with his saber.
• True Man Huoyun and Tuoba Ye attacked Jiang Bei, but Jiang Bei destroyed Huoyun's whisk and killed him with one punch.
• True Man Luoyun and the other three sect masters charged Jiang Bei alongside Tuoba Ye, and Jiang Bei prepared to fight all five.

Jiang Bei killed the five sect leaders of Five Sect Mountain and the Barbarian leader Tuoba Ye, then learned from Zhang Feng that Xu Qi was in trouble at Yellow Wind Ridge and set out to help. Wang Meng arrived at Five Sect Mountain afterward, unaware that Jiang Bei had already left and fearing he had been killed.

• Jiang Bei defeated and killed the five sect leaders and Tuoba Ye, six Eighth Rank Great Training experts in total.
• Jiang Bei helped the surviving civilians, who thanked him for saving them in the name of the Ren-Rank Camp.
• Zhang Feng arrived and learned that Jiang Bei had killed all six leaders alone.
• Zhang Feng explained that Xu Qi's forces faced a dangerous situation at Yellow Wind Ridge, so Jiang Bei and Zhang Feng hurried there to help.
• Wang Meng reached Five Sect Mountain after Jiang Bei had departed and followed the bloodstains toward the summit, fearing the worst.

Wang Meng discovered that Jiang Bei had apparently slaughtered the leaders of the five great sects at Five Sect Mountain, then rushed back to report to Lord Jiang. At Yellow Wind Ridge, Xu Qi and his battered soldiers faced annihilation until Jiang Bei burst into the Barbarian ranks and tore open their final assault.

• Wang Meng found the corpses of the five great sect leaders at Fire Cloud Peak and concluded that Jiang Bei had killed them.
• Wang Meng hurried back toward the Eight Desolations Mountain Range to report his discovery to Lord Jiang.
• Xu Qi and the remaining soldiers of Ren-Rank Camp's Third Battalion held Broken Spear Slope against Klie Yuan's encircling Barbarians despite their wounds and dwindling strength.
• Klie Yuan taunted Xu Qi and ordered his Barbarians to launch a final charge up the slope.
• Jiang Bei arrived in a blood-soaked attack, cutting into the Barbarian ranks and opening a huge gap in their charging force.

Jiang Bei arrived at Broken Spear Slope and found Xu Qi dying, then used his merit points to reach Seventh Rank Great Training. Enraged by Xu Qi’s death, he charged Klie Yuan and shattered the Barbarian leader’s axe, with his saber still closing in on Klie Yuan.

• Jiang Bei cut through the Barbarians surrounding the slope and reached the mortally wounded Xu Qi.
• Xu Qi died after asking Jiang Bei to bury him with the ashes of his wife and child, and Jiang Bei vowed to fulfill his request.
• Jiang Bei spent 240 Merit Points to upgrade Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill and broke through to Seventh Rank Great Training.
• Klie Yuan rallied the Barbarians to charge the slope again, and Jiang Bei plunged into their ranks to attack him.
• Jiang Bei met Klie Yuan’s axe with his Mystic Cloud Saber and shattered it, leaving Klie Yuan facing the incoming blade.

Jiang Bei killed Keliye and annihilated the Barbarians at Broken Spear Slope, then led the surviving Third Battalion back to Ren-Rank Camp. There, he learned that Tiger Camp had taken over under an order claiming Jiang Qingfeng was gravely injured, and a disturbance in a commander's tent drew him over.

• Jiang Bei cleaved Keliye in half, broke the Barbarians' courage, and killed every remaining attacker at Broken Spear Slope.
• The surviving soldiers praised Jiang Bei, who promised to bring Xu Qi home and ordered the battlefield cleared before leading the battalion back.
• Four Battalion Commanders from Tiger Camp arrived at Ren-Rank Camp with an order claiming Jiang Qingfeng had been gravely wounded and announcing their takeover.
• Song Hua told Jiang Bei about Tiger Camp's arrival, and Jiang Bei suspected Qin Yang was behind it.
• A shout came from a Battalion Commander's tent, and Jiang Bei went to investigate with Zhang Feng and the others.

Jiang Bei discovered that Tiger Camp’s commanders had trashed Xu Qi’s tent and scattered the ashes of Xu Qi’s wife and child, then killed them after learning Qin Yang had ordered them to intimidate him. He exposed their misuse of the decree and rode to Wanhe City to confront Qin Yang.

• Jiang Bei left the first ruined tent and found a Tiger Camp commander standing amid Xu Qi’s scattered belongings and ashes.
• Jiang Bei crushed the commander to death, then confronted the two commanders in another tent and killed one while demanding Qin Yang’s whereabouts.
• The hawk-nosed commander revealed Qin Yang was in Wanhe City and admitted the decree only authorized temporary assistance, while Qin Yang had ordered the intimidation.
• Jiang Bei killed the remaining Tiger Camp commanders, declared that they had violated military law, and rode out toward Wanhe City to pursue Qin Yang.