Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing killed the Seven Killings Hall assassin Dark Shadow and decided to build his strength before confronting the sect. He began refining his Heavenly Meteorite Iron blade embryo and strengthening his Divine Soul Power, then reunited with Ma Gu, who learned that Lu Qing had forged the Thousand-Refined Grade sword he had given him.

• Lu Qing confirmed Dark Shadow was dead, searched his belongings, and buried his corpse before returning home with Xiao Li.
• Lu Qing shared Red Moon Carp with the Old Doctor Chen and Xiao Yan, then resolved to keep cultivating instead of attacking Seven Killings Hall prematurely.
• Lu Qing sacrificially refined the Heavenly Meteorite Iron blade embryo and cultivated the Furnace Contemplation Method, waking with increased Divine Soul Power.
• Ma Gu returned to Da Ji and visited Lu Qing, explaining that his clan had little for him to do while he maintained ties with Wei Zi'an and Lu Qing.
• Ma Gu offered to return the Thousand-Refined Grade sword, but Lu Qing explained that he had forged it himself, so Ma Gu accepted it.
• Lu Qing invited Ma Gu to join the family for breakfast, and Ma Gu admitted he had come hungry to enjoy Lu Qing's cooking.

After two years of cultivation, Lu Qing entered the Jade Cave Chamber to complete the Divine Soul Rune in his glabella aperture. The rune became whole and released a ripple that transformed the aperture, sweeping Lu Qing into a strange state.

• Lu Qing and Xiao Li returned to the Strange Valley, where he prepared supplies for Xiao Li and asked her to guard him during his closed-door cultivation.
• Lu Qing entered the secret chamber and examined the nearly complete Divine Soul Rune in his glabella aperture.
• Lu Qing condensed the final missing rune and guided it to the talisman, where it fitted into the gap and completed the Divine Soul Rune.
• The completed talisman released an invisible ripple that violently changed Lu Qing's glabella aperture and drew his mind into a strange state.

Lu Qing completed the transformation of his glabella aperture and condensed a Divine Soul Rune, greatly increasing his Divine Soul Power and unlocking methods of the Runic Path. He decided to delay entering the Innate Realm, seek information in Central Province, and leave the cave with Xiao Li after three days of seclusion.

• Lu Qing discovered that his expanded glabella aperture and newly formed Divine Soul Rune had increased his Divine Soul Power more than tenfold and continued refining it.
• Lu Qing condensed a tiny rune at his fingertip and realized he could now use methods of the Runic Path.
• Lu Qing chose to postpone his Innate Realm breakthrough and planned to cultivate Runic Path methods while seeking information in Central Province.
• Lu Qing woke Xiao Li, learned he had spent three days in seclusion, and agreed to head back with her.

After two years of seclusion, Lu Qing returned to Nine Li Village with greatly enhanced senses and a thousand-year-old ginseng that had developed instinctive intelligence. He reunited with his master, Xiao Yan, and Wei Shanhai, who urged him to preserve the rare medicinal treasure for future use.

• Lu Qing sensed a ginseng plant trying to burrow underground, captured it, and discovered it was more than eighteen hundred years old and had developed a trace of intelligence.
• Lu Qing found and dug up a four-hundred-year-old ginseng for his master, then returned to Nine Li Village with Xiao Li.
• Lu Qing saw how the Wei Clan had helped the village prosper by improving roads and homes and building a free school for local children.
• Lu Qing reunited with Xiao Yan, the Old Doctor, and Wei Shanhai, who was astonished that his senses could not detect Lu Qing's return.
• Xiao Yan taught Wei Shanhai the rules of Lu Qing's Beast Chess while Xiao Li played against her.
• Lu Qing showed the Old Doctor the intelligent ginseng, and the Old Doctor told him to tend it carefully because it would be useful in the future.

Lu Qing gave his master two rare Ginseng plants, and the Old Doctor used the Thousand-Year Ginseng to establish a small medicine field behind the Half-Mountain Courtyard. Lu Qing also asked Wei Shanhai to help gather materials for his own preparations, while the newly planted Ginseng began drawing Earth Qi to the courtyard.

• The Old Doctor explained that an intelligent Thousand-Year Ginseng could regulate Earth Qi and help cultivate a medicine field, so Lu Qing gave him the 1,800-year-old Ginseng and another several-hundred-year-old plant.
• Lu Qing asked Wei Shanhai to have the Wei Clan collect materials from a detailed list, and Wei Shanhai agreed to help.
• The Wei Clan gathered the Old Doctor's materials within a few days, and he prepared a small medicine field behind the Half-Mountain Courtyard.
• The Old Doctor planted the Thousand-Year Ginseng, which briefly burrowed underground before taking root where the Earth Qi was strongest.
• The Old Doctor said he had agreed with the Ginseng to tend the field in exchange for drops of medicinal liquid, and Lu Qing sensed Earth Qi gathering around the courtyard.

After condensing the Earth Movement Rune, Lu Qing used it to travel to a Seven Killings Hall stronghold far from Nine Li Village. He concealed his identity and prepared to infiltrate the compound to take revenge for the repeated assassination attempts.

• Lu Qing successfully condensed the Earth Movement Rune, which made travel over the ground much easier and reduced the strain on his body.
• With Xiao Yan and Xiao Li staying at Madam Wei’s manor, Lu Qing left Nine Li Village to pursue Seven Killings Hall.
• The Earth Movement Rune carried Lu Qing seven hundred li to a mountain stronghold near the provincial capital, though its power was nearly spent.
• Lu Qing put on soft armor and black clothes, then used the Muscle Tendon Changing and Bone Shifting Technique and his Divine Soul Rune to disguise himself and conceal his aura.
• Lu Qing quietly made his way up the mountain toward the Seven Killings Hall stronghold.

Lu Qing infiltrated Mandarin Duck Stronghold, a Seven Killings Hall outpost, and began killing its assassins. After the stronghold discovered him, he attacked the assembled leaders and guests, then repelled the Hall Master and several Inner Organs Realm fighters with his overwhelming aura.

• The Seven Killings Hall Master complained that headquarters wanted him to uncover Lu Qing’s strength and then dealt with a demand from Young Master Zheng.
• Lu Qing used his concealed aura and Divine Soul senses to infiltrate Mandarin Duck Stronghold and silently kill its guards and assassins.
• After the stronghold raised the alarm, Lu Qing identified the Seven Killings Hall members and attacked the people gathered atop its central building, nearly killing Young Master Zheng.
• Lu Qing confronted the Hall Master, declared that everyone there would die, and faced an ambush by the Hall Master and several Inner Organs Realm assassins.
• Lu Qing unleashed a tyrannical aura that sent the attackers flying, leaving the Zheng Family guard stunned.

Lu Qing annihilated the Seven Killings Hall members at Mandarin Duck Stronghold and killed Young Master Zheng and his guard after learning of their crimes against women. Reflecting on his growing indifference and the limits of his strength, he replenished his Earth Movement Rune and set off home again.

• Lu Qing defeated the Brocade-Clothed Man and the other Seven Killings Hall fighters, then killed the Brocade-Clothed Man with a stone.
• Lu Qing killed Young Master Zheng for torturing and murdering women, and killed the Zheng Family guard after recognizing his complicity.
• Lu Qing searched Mandarin Duck Stronghold, killed the remaining Seven Killings Hall members and other criminals, and looted its treasure vault.
• Lu Qing left the stronghold and reflected that his heart had grown colder because he lacked the strength to change the world.
• After his Earth Movement Rune ran out, Lu Qing refined another one and resumed his journey home.

After destroying a Seven Killings Hall stronghold, Lu Qing returned to Nine Li Village and reflected on the power of his talismans. Meanwhile, the Zheng Family discovered that Zheng Yu Er had been murdered, and the Old Ancestor vowed to find the killer.

• Lu Qing reviewed his raid on Mandarin Duck Stronghold and concluded that few Acquired Realm fighters could challenge him.
• Lu Qing marveled at the Earth Movement Rune’s ability to carry him more than a thousand li and looked forward to using Spirit Talismans.
• The Zheng Family Head questioned guards after two bodies were brought to the residence, including a headless corpse.
• The Zheng Family Old Ancestor arrived and ordered Lu Niang to identify the headless corpse.
• Lu Niang confirmed the corpse was Zheng Yu Er, and the Old Ancestor erupted in fury and demanded to know who had killed him.

The Zheng Family learned that Yu Er had been killed at Mandarin Duck Stronghold by a black-clothed man who had targeted a Seven Killings Hall outpost and sought justice for abused courtesans. The Old Ancestor killed Yu Er’s guards and ordered their families brought to the residence to be buried with him, while the Zheng Family Head reluctantly agreed to arrange it.

• The guards told the Old Ancestor that Yu Er and Yang Commander had died at Mandarin Duck Stronghold, where a powerful black-clothed man had slaughtered the outpost’s fighters.
• The guards revealed that the killer had spared some guests and identified Mandarin Duck Stronghold as a Seven Killings Hall outpost, alarming the Zheng Family Head and the Old Ancestor.
• A guard said the killer had slain Yu Er to avenge courtesans Yu Er had abused and tortured, and the Old Ancestor struck the guard dead with her Steel Dragon Head Crutch.
• The Old Ancestor accused the remaining guards of abandoning Yu Er and killed them by striking their heart meridians.
• The Old Ancestor ordered Yu Er’s finest coffin prepared and demanded that the guards’ families be brought to the residence to die and be buried with him.
• The Zheng Family Head warned that living sacrifices were forbidden, but the Old Ancestor threatened him until he agreed to make the arrangements.

After Zheng Yu was killed, the Zheng Family Old Ancestor ordered the killer found and condemned the guards’ families to a live sacrifice. Old Thing Lin arrived to stop her, but she challenged him to fight as the chapter ended.

• The Zheng Family Old Ancestor ordered the Zheng Family Head to find Zheng Yu’s killer before the first seven days had passed and vowed to kill him herself.
• The Refined Old Man learned that a Black-Clothed Martial Warrior had killed Zheng Yu while attacking a Pleasure Quarter believed to be a Seven Killings Hall stronghold.
• The Refined Old Man’s grandson reported that the Zheng Family Old Ancestor planned to sacrifice the guards’ families, and the Refined Old Man rushed to the Zheng Residence.
• The Zheng Family Old Ancestor had the guards’ families chained and ordered them taken away to be buried alive with Zheng Yu.
• The Refined Old Man confronted the Zheng Family Old Ancestor, who released her aura and threatened to fight anyone who tried to stop her.

The Zheng Family Old Woman drove away the Refined Old Man, then revealed that she planned to spread rumors of a Live Sacrifice to lure out the black-clad Martial Artist who killed Yu Er. She told the Zheng Family Head that she would not actually perform the sacrifice, though her sinister expression left her true intentions uncertain.

• The Refined Old Man withdrew from confronting the Zheng Family Old Woman, fearing a fight would endanger townspeople and violate the Holy Mountain Decree.
• The Refined Old Man met the Crane-Hair Youthful-Face Old Man and the Jade-Faced Man, who urged him to accept that he could not stop the old woman.
• Rumors spread through the prefectural city that the Zheng Family Old Woman intended to hold a Live Sacrifice.
• The Zheng Family Head told the old woman he had found no trace of the black-clad Martial Artist who killed Yu Er, and she ordered him to seek information from Seven Killings Hall.
• The Zheng Family Old Woman said she wanted the Live Sacrifice rumor to spread across Cang Province to draw out Yu Er’s killer, then claimed she would not actually carry it out.

Lu Qing received the unusual materials he had requested and heard Wei Shanhai report that a demon in Ji Zhou was draining the blood and marrow of young martial arts prodigies. Wei Shanhai warned Lu Qing to be careful in case the demon fled to Cang Province, then began to tell him of another recent local event.

• Wei Shanhai gave Lu Qing the materials he had gathered, and Lu Qing accepted them after Wei Shanhai refused reimbursement.
• Lu Qing, Wei Shanhai, and Old Doctor Chen shared tea and discussed the transformed Plum Tree.
• Wei Shanhai reported that a demon in Ji Zhou had killed dozens of talented young Martial Artists by draining their blood, qi, and marrow.
• Wei Shanhai said his grandson Wei Zihao was safe in Central Province and explained that the Holy Mountain generally did not intervene in conflicts below the Innate Realm.
• Wei Shanhai and Old Doctor Chen warned Lu Qing to stay alert in case the demon escaped to Cang Province.
• Wei Shanhai began to describe another major event that had happened recently in Cang Province.

Lu Qing heard from Wei Shanhai that the Zheng Family Old Ancestor planned to use a forbidden Live Sacrifice to bury her dead grandson, though the reports remained unconfirmed. After Wei Shanhai left, Lu Qing returned home and quietly considered what he had heard.

• Wei Shanhai told Lu Qing and the Old Doctor that the Zheng Family's second young master had been killed when a Brothel Stockaded Village was slaughtered.
• Wei Shanhai explained that the Zheng Family Old Ancestor had imprisoned the dead young master's guards' families and threatened to bury them alive as Live Sacrifices.
• The Old Doctor and Wei Shanhai described the cruel, prohibited ritual and worried that children among the captives might suffer it.
• Wei Shanhai said the Zheng Family denied the rumors, but the provincial capital remained tense because it had not released the captives.
• Lu Qing suspected something after hearing the rumors, kept his thoughts to himself, and pondered them after returning home.

Lu Qing realized the Zheng Family Old Ancestor was using rumors about the Live Sacrifice as bait to draw out the person who killed Zheng Yu, but his anger still made him consider confronting her. He asked Wei Shanhai to spar, revealed that he had reached the Grandmaster Realm, and prepared to test his strength against an Innate expert.

• Lu Qing deduced that the Zheng Family Old Ancestor was spreading rumors to provoke him into revealing himself, and he considered whether he wanted to kill her despite recognizing the trap.
• Lu Qing visited the Wei Family Residence and asked Wei Shanhai to spar so he could overcome a cultivation bottleneck through pressure.
• Wei Shanhai questioned Lu Qing about his cultivation, and Lu Qing let some of his true aura show.
• Wei Shanhai recognized Lu Qing as an Acquired Realm completion Martial Dao Grandmaster, astonishing Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an.
• Wei Shanhai agreed to spar and asked Lu Qing where they should go.

Lu Qing sparred with Wei Shanhai in a mountain valley, first defeating the Innate Realm expert in blade technique and revealing his Complete Saber Intent. He then challenged Wei Shanhai to use his true Innate power, and the chapter ended as they clashed again with Lu Qing fighting at full strength.

• Lu Qing and Wei Shanhai agreed to spar in a secluded valley while Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an watched from a hillside.
• Lu Qing and Wei Shanhai traded rapid blade strikes, and Wei Shanhai retreated with torn clothes after Lu Qing's Complete Saber Intent overwhelmed him.
• Lu Qing asked to face Wei Shanhai's Innate power, and Wei Shanhai explained the force of Innate True Qi before releasing his Innate Pressure and crimson blade qi.
• Lu Qing resisted Wei Shanhai's pressure, shattered his blade qi with Perfect Burst, and charged into close combat.
• Wei Shanhai met Lu Qing's charge with Mountain-Splitting Strike, and Lu Qing answered with a forceful slash of his own.

Lu Qing fought Wei Shanhai to a near draw, impressing the Innate Realm warrior despite having to retreat when his blade shattered. After returning home, Lu Qing reflected on the spar and his real goal: understanding the Innate Realm’s power to guide his next steps.

• Lu Qing and Wei Shanhai fought fiercely, with Wei Shanhai gaining only a slight advantage despite using Innate True Qi.
• Lu Qing’s war blade shattered under their repeated clashes, and he declined Wei Shanhai’s offer to continue after saying the spar had benefited him.
• Wei Shanhai revealed he had used nearly all his conventional strength and asked about Lu Qing’s secret art, which Lu Qing kept vague.
• Wei Zi'an and Ma Gu joined them, and Wei Shanhai and Lu Qing praised each other as they left the valley.
• Lu Qing returned home and reflected that he had sparred with Wei Shanhai to experience the Innate Realm’s power, not to overcome a cultivation bottleneck.

After sparring with Wei Shanhai, Lu Qing assessed his strength and decided to investigate the Zheng Family Old Ancestor for himself. He traveled overnight to the State Prefecture City, disguised his appearance and aura, and entered the city unnoticed.

• Lu Qing concluded that Perfect Burst let him face an ordinary Innate Initial Realm Peak martial artist, while his unrevealed trump cards gave him further advantages.
• Lu Qing decided to verify the Zheng Family Old Ancestor's rumored injuries and strength firsthand, then asked his master for two days' leave.
• Lu Qing left Nine Li Village at night and used the Earth Movement Rune to travel most of the way to the State Prefecture City.
• Lu Qing replenished the Earth Movement Rune outside the city and waited in a tree until dawn rather than trying to enter after the gates had closed.
• Lu Qing used Muscle Tendon Changing and Bone Shifting Technique with the Divine Soul Rune to disguise himself as an ordinary rural youth.
• Lu Qing blended in with farmers entering the city and passed through the unchecked gate, where the city's bustling prosperity caught his attention.

Lu Qing entered the Zheng Residence under a false identity to confirm the Zheng Family Old Woman’s strength and condition while she held a lavish funeral for Zheng Yu. After learning what his supernatural ability revealed about her, he left and positioned himself atop a tower overlooking the residence, readying a bow.

• Lu Qing learned that the Zheng Family was paying city residents to mourn Zheng Yu, then went to the residence and entered by claiming to be Lin An, a visiting martial artist.
• In the mourning hall, Lu Qing observed the Zheng Family Old Woman and used his supernatural ability to inspect her, deciding that she had to die.
• Chief Steward Wang arrived on behalf of the City Lord, paid his respects, and asked the old woman to speak elsewhere; Lu Qing used the opportunity to leave the hall and residence.
• Lu Qing climbed the tower facing the Zheng Residence, surveyed the grounds, and summoned a longbow as his gaze turned cold.

Lu Qing used a Treasure Bow to destroy Zheng Yu’s coffin and body from afar, thwarting the Zheng Family Old Woman’s plans for a live sacrifice. When she found him atop a tower, he taunted her, and she swore to kill him.

• Lu Qing recalled how Xiao Li had found Tong Canglang’s Treasure Bow and how he had mastered archery and Arrow Intent with it.
• Lu Qing concealed his aura, aimed a Thousand Refined Arrow at Zheng Residence, and blasted apart Zheng Yu’s coffin and corpse in the mourning hall.
• The Zheng Family Old Woman and Steward Wang arrived to find the mourning hall wrecked, while the Zheng Family Head identified a long arrow as the weapon used.
• The Zheng Family Old Woman traced the arrow’s white mist to Lu Qing, who taunted her about destroying Zheng Yu’s body and foiling her live-sacrifice plan.
• The Zheng Family Old Woman erupted in rage and vowed to kill Lu Qing.