Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing returned safely to Nine Li Village and reunited with his master and the worried villagers. He revealed that he had avenged his parents by destroying Happy Life Stronghold, then warned everyone to keep quiet in case the Black Wolf Gang investigated.

• Wang Da'an announced Lu Qing's return, and the villagers gathered at the Ancestral Hall to welcome him.
• Grandpa Zhang told Lu Qing that Xiao Yan had cried for him and was now asleep in Old Doctor Chen's arms.
• Lu Qing apologized to Old Doctor Chen for worrying him and said the trouble had been settled for now.
• Lu Qing explained that Happy Life Stronghold had framed his father, driven his parents to their deaths, and was now destroyed by his hand.
• Lu Qing warned the villagers not to discuss the stronghold outside the village, and Grandpa Zhang ordered them to avoid going out for the time being.

After Lu Qing destroyed Happy Life Stronghold, Ma Gu sent word to the Wei Residence about the Black Wolf Gang’s crimes and Lu Qing’s strength. The Wei Family chose to warn the gang rather than destroy it, and its Silver Armor Guards confronted Black Wolf at Spring Moon Pavilion.

• Ma Gu arranged for the rescued girls to work in Da Ji or at the Cloth Shop, then kept two martial arts manuals recovered from Happy Life Stronghold for Lu Qing.
• Ma Gu had Xiao Tian carry a letter to the Wei Residence, reporting the Black Wolf Gang’s crimes and Lu Qing’s defeat of Heart-Picking Wolf.
• The Wei Family head ordered the Black Wolf Gang to be warned, deciding to leave it as a challenge for Lu Qing.
• The Wei Family Grand Steward dispatched Silver Armor Guards toward West City, drawing the attention of the city’s spies and factions.
• The Silver Armor Guards stopped outside Spring Moon Pavilion and demanded that Black Wolf come out.
• Black Wolf, unsure why the Wei Residence had summoned him, agreed to face the guards after his Second Leader suggested there might still be room to negotiate.

The Silver Moon Guards punished Black Wolf Gang for its abuses and warned that the Wei Clan still ruled Cang County. Unaware of the commotion, Xiao Tian returned to Da Ji with the Wei Residence’s reply, and Ma Gu prepared to go to Nine Li Village.

• The leading Silver Moon Guard struck Black Wolf and the other Black Wolf Gang chiefs, severely injuring them outside Spring Moon Pavilion.
• The Silver Moon Guard accused the gang of abusing women and warned them not to offend the Wei Clan again.
• Factions across Cang County began investigating Happy Life Stronghold, while the County Magistrate ordered an inquiry of his own.
• Xiao Tian returned to Da Ji and delivered the Wei Residence’s letter to Ma Gu.
• Ma Gu read the letter, showed delight, and ordered preparations to leave for Nine Li Village.

After Ma Gu reported that the Wei Clan had helped shield Lu Qing from the Black Wolf Gang, Grandpa Zhang visited and returned the gang’s Silver Notes and a promissory note. Lu Qing kept one hundred taels and gave the rest to the villagers in gratitude for protecting Xiao Yan, leaving Grandpa Zhang to accept the gift on their behalf.

• Lu Qing learned that Ma Gu had cleared and burned Happy Life Stronghold and that the Wei Clan had intervened to keep the Black Wolf Gang from retaliating.
• Grandpa Zhang visited Lu Qing and praised his friendship with Ma Gu from Da Ji.
• Grandpa Zhang returned the three Silver Notes and Xiao Yan’s father’s promissory note that Han Wu had brought as a gift.
• Lu Qing refused most of the silver and said he wanted to thank the villagers for helping protect him and Xiao Yan.
• After Grandpa Zhang reminded him of the villagers’ debt to Lu Qing’s grandfather, Lu Qing kept one Silver Note and gave the remaining two to the village.

Lu Qing exchanged the Silver Notes taken from the villains for silver and entrusted Grandpa Zhang with dividing it equally among the village households. As the villagers gathered at the Ancestral Hall to receive the money, Lu Qing left for the Half-Mountain Courtyard.

• Lu Qing agreed to exchange the two hundred taels in Silver Notes and gave Grandpa Zhang forty five-tael silver ingots to distribute.
• Grandpa Zhang's family was astonished when Lu Qing brought the silver, and Grandpa Zhang sent his sons to gather the villagers at the Ancestral Hall.
• Lu Qing declined to attend the division and left to visit his master at the Half-Mountain Courtyard.
• Grandpa Zhang announced that the two hundred taels would be divided equally among the village's thirty-seven households, excluding Lu Qing's family.
• Lu Qing heard the villagers' excited commotion from the mountainside and smiled as he continued toward the Half-Mountain Courtyard.

Lu Qing searched the mountains with Xiao Li for wild ginseng to make stronger pills and found a perfectly preserved plant more than two hundred years old. He wondered whether the forest held even older ginseng.

• Lu Qing entered the mountains with Xiao Li to gather ginseng and strengthen his Blood Qi Power.
• He found several ginseng plants, but none of them were more than eighty years old.
• Lu Qing discovered a ginseng plant more than two hundred years old and carefully tied it with Red Rope before digging it up intact.
• He placed the Old Mountain Ginseng in his Medicine Basket and wondered whether the forest contained even older plants.

Lu Qing gathered rare medicinal herbs in the mountains and realized their unusual abundance might have a hidden cause. Guided by Xiao Li, he entered a strange valley and a cave behind its waterfall, where they reached a glowing chamber and found something that drew them both onward.

• Lu Qing gathered several century-old ginseng plants and rare herbs, including Tianqi Ginseng, and noticed that the two kinds of ginseng were growing in the same area despite their different needs.
• Lu Qing asked Xiao Li about unusual places nearby, and she led him to a valley where he felt unusually relaxed and clear-headed.
• Xiao Li pointed out a cave behind the valley's waterfall, and Lu Qing carried her through the water curtain while protecting her from getting wet.
• Lu Qing and Xiao Li followed a dry, glowing passage deeper into the cave as the strange pull and clarity grew stronger.
• The passage opened into a chamber, and Lu Qing was stunned by what he saw.

Lu Qing and Xiao Li discovered a jade chamber containing Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, a rare treasure with extraordinary effects. After finding a hidden door, Lu Qing pushed it open, revealing that the chamber held more secrets.

• Lu Qing and Xiao Li entered the jade chamber after Xiao Li tore through its protective screen.
• Lu Qing inspected the jade liquid and identified it as Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, a treasure that could enhance aptitude and prolong life.
• Lu Qing realized the chamber had been constructed by someone with magical power and wondered how high cultivation could reach.
• Lu Qing searched the chamber, found a hidden jade door, and pushed it open.

Lu Qing discovered an unknown Innate Realm expert’s skeleton in the cave chamber and found an inheritance jade slip hidden among its bones. He downloaded its contents, chose to learn the information and simulate the cultivation technique, and received a vast amount of knowledge.

• Lu Qing searched the empty chambers behind the stone door, then examined the jade-like skeleton and learned through his supernatural ability that it belonged to a deceased Innate Realm expert.
• Lu Qing decided to bury the skeleton and bowed three times before moving it.
• A jade slip fell from the skeleton, and Lu Qing recognized its carved patterns as similar to those on the cave walls.
• Lu Qing used his supernatural ability to download the jade slip’s contents and discovered it held a cultivation technique inheritance.
• Lu Qing chose to learn the information and simulate the technique, then absorbed the knowledge that surged into his mind.

Lu Qing learned from Li Weitian’s Inheritance Jade Slip how the famed Innate expert discovered the Jade Cave Chamber and failed to break through before his lifespan ran out. He understood that Li Weitian had cleared the chamber’s defenses and left behind a warning about wasting time competing for fame.

• Lu Qing read that the jade slip had been made by Li Weitian, a renowned Innate expert who had died after failing to break through to a higher realm.
• Li Weitian’s final message urged later cultivators to prioritize cultivation instead of spending their lives fighting for fame and profit.
• Lu Qing reflected on Li Weitian’s regret and wondered whether his competitive nature had both driven his success and hastened his downfall.
• Lu Qing learned that Li Weitian had found the chamber through clues in an ancient book and broken its weakened defensive formations, clearing the way for Lu Qing and Xiao Li.
• Li Weitian had discovered the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid and mysterious runes, but the liquid could not overcome the lifespan limit imposed on an Innate Realm Completion expert.
• Li Weitian drank the accumulated Spirit Liquid and cultivated in hopes of breaking through, but his essence, energy, and spirit burned away before he could reach the realm beyond Innate.

Lu Qing learned Li Weitian’s Innate Realm techniques and discovered that the cave’s mysterious runes held a complete Rune Dao inheritance. After downloading it with his Supernatural Ability, he prepared to learn the inheritance.

• Lu Qing completed the simulation of Li Weitian’s jade slip and learned that it contained only Innate Realm techniques.
• Lu Qing understood that reaching the Innate Realm required tempering Divine Soul Power, but he was not yet strong enough to cultivate the techniques.
• Lu Qing buried Li Weitian’s remains and returned to study the runes carved into the cave walls.
• Lu Qing’s Supernatural Ability revealed that the runes contained an inheritance of the Rune Dao and could harness Earth Qi.
• Lu Qing moved between the cave walls until he had downloaded the complete inheritance, then chose to learn it.

Lu Qing learned that the Rune Dao was a cultivation system distinct from martial cultivation and discovered its inheritance included a method for tempering Divine Soul Power with Earth Vein Spirit Liquid. He gave Xiao Li five drops of the liquid to improve her aptitude, and she fell asleep as the effects took hold.

• Lu Qing received the Talisman Gate inheritance and learned that the Rune Dao required comprehending runes in Heaven and Earth and all things.
• Lu Qing realized the Rune Dao's entry threshold was far higher than martial cultivation's and learned its secret art could temper Divine Soul Power using Earth Vein Spirit Liquid.
• Lu Qing found thirty or forty drops of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid on the stone platform and concluded that Li Weitian had lived at least seven or eight hundred years ago.
• Xiao Li asked Lu Qing for the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, and he agreed to give her some.
• Lu Qing poured five drops into Xiao Li's mouth, and she soon fell asleep while the liquid improved her aptitude and purified her bloodline.
• Lu Qing put Xiao Li in a nest made from his outer robe and waited for her to wake.

Lu Qing cultivated the Runic Path by studying patterns in a piece of silver while waiting for Xiao Li to awaken. After taking Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, Xiao Li awakened with a stronger aura and a new Innate Skill, which she demonstrated by vanishing before Lu Qing's eyes.

• Lu Qing used his Supernatural Ability to confirm Xiao Li was safe, then began studying the Talisman Gate inheritance.
• Lu Qing completed Mind Stabilization and Heart Cleansing and examined a piece of Broken Silver to compare its patterns with Metal Element Runes.
• Lu Qing realized that runic cultivation involved observing the patterns in all things and learning to communicate with them.
• Xiao Li awoke with darker fur, a more ethereal aura, and Supernatural Ability light tinged with gold.
• Lu Qing learned that Xiao Li had gained an Innate Skill, and Xiao Li made the light around her twist before disappearing.

Lu Qing and Xiao Li benefited from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid in the Jade Cave Chamber, with Xiao Li awakening a powerful stealth ability and Lu Qing greatly increasing his aptitude. After gathering enough ginseng to support his cultivation, Lu Qing returned to Nine Li Village on the third day, eager to see Master and Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Li demonstrated that it could remain invisible and conceal its aura indefinitely, and Lu Qing invited it to join him on future fishing trips.
• Lu Qing consumed three drops of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, completing a transformation that greatly raised his aptitude without changing his Qi Blood Realm cultivation level.
• Lu Qing decided he needed more medicinal herbs to support his improved cultivation and left the valley with Xiao Li.
• Using Xiao Li's senses, Lu Qing found several old ginsengs, including one exceeding five hundred years, and concluded he had gathered enough resources to reach Qi Blood Realm Completion.
• Lu Qing and Xiao Li traveled out of the mountains, and Uncle Hong told him that he had been gone for three days.
• Lu Qing hurried toward the Half-Mountain Courtyard, worried that Xiao Yan had been distressed by his absence.

Lu Qing returned to the Half-Mountain Courtyard with Xiao Li, whose new ability to turn invisible astonished Xiao Yan and Old Doctor Chen. He showed his master a haul of rare ginseng and herbs, then revealed he had also found Mystical Spirit Liquid in a mountain cave.

• Lu Qing reunited with Xiao Yan and told Old Doctor Chen that unexpected circumstances had delayed his return.
• Xiao Li dispelled her invisibility in front of Xiao Yan and Old Doctor Chen, then showed off her ability by appearing and vanishing as she played with Xiao Yan.
• Lu Qing took Old Doctor Chen inside and laid out numerous rare herbs, including a four- or five-hundred-year-old Treasure Ginseng and several other century-old ginseng plants.
• Lu Qing asked Old Doctor Chen to refine the ginseng into Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills, explaining that he had found another fortuitous opportunity in the mountains.
• Lu Qing took out a jade bottle and told Old Doctor Chen that it contained Mystical Spirit Liquid from a cave.

Lu Qing told the Old Doctor about the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid he had found and offered him five drops to repay his master’s care. The Old Doctor accepted the gift, examined it, and emerged from seclusion bewildered after drinking it.

• Lu Qing explained that Xiao Li had found a Strange Cave containing Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, which awakened her Invisibility Talent and improved his aptitude.
• The Old Doctor recognized the liquid from the Qing Nang Medical Classic and learned that Lu Qing had also found an inheritance.
• Lu Qing offered five drops of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid to the Old Doctor, who initially refused but accepted after Lu Qing explained that he had plenty.
• The Old Doctor studied the spirit liquid but could not discern its nature, then entered seclusion to consume it.
• Lu Qing guarded the quiet room, and half a day later the Old Doctor emerged with a bewildered look.

Lu Qing gave his master Chen Songqing an Innate Method after the Old Doctor reached Half-Step Innate but could not temper his Divine Soul. Chen Songqing began studying the method, which could let him pursue the Innate Realm, while Lu Qing promised him another cultivation method after his breakthrough.

• Chen Songqing discovered that the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid had brought him to Half-Step Innate, but he could not advance without an Innate Method.
• Lu Qing explained that Chen Songqing needed to temper Divine Soul Power before drawing Qi into his body and refining Innate True Qi.
• Lu Qing copied the Essence Tempering Divine Method from memory and gave it to Chen Songqing, who recognized its value for both cultivation and medicine.
• Chen Songqing estimated that tempering his Divine Soul would take six months to a year, and Lu Qing promised to give him another cultivation method after he reached the Innate Realm.
• Lu Qing explained that a mysterious expert had inscribed the inheritance into his mind, and Chen Songqing accepted the methods after hearing that the expert had left no restriction on passing them on.

After Xiao Yan drank Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, Lu Qing discovered that she had awakened the cultivation talent Ice Muscle Jade Bone and fully activated it with five drops. He decided to nurture her potential and began teaching her to read, with Xiao Li eagerly joining in.

• Lu Qing gave Xiao Yan a drop of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, then contemplated Runic Path patterns late into the night.
• The next morning, Lu Qing discovered that Xiao Yan’s appearance had improved and used his ability to reveal her partially activated Ice Muscle Jade Bone talent.
• Over the next two days, Lu Qing gave Xiao Yan four more drops of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, fully activating her talent.
• Lu Qing decided to support Xiao Yan’s cultivation and considered finding her a water- or cold-attribute inheritance in the future.
• Lu Qing persuaded Xiao Yan to learn to read by promising her more stories, and agreed to teach Xiao Li alongside her.

Lu Qing taught Xiao Yan and Xiao Li to read while refining pills and cultivating until he reached Qi Blood Realm Completion. He then turned to studying the mysterious patterns on a piece of Broken Silver and began to grasp their meaning.

• Lu Qing taught Xiao Yan and Xiao Li characters and writing, while Old Doctor Chen delivered the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills and warned Lu Qing to use them carefully.
• Lu Qing refined the pills through Body Nourishing Fist practice, steadily increasing his Blood Qi Power as he maintained his daily routine of cultivation, study, and teaching.
• On the seventh day of teaching, Lu Qing reached Qi Blood Realm Major Accomplishment, and on the fifteenth day he reached Qi Blood Realm Completion.
• Lu Qing considered challenging Ma Gu but decided to conceal his unusually powerful Blood Qi and keep a low profile until he grew stronger.
• Lu Qing entered the state of Mind Stabilization and Heart Cleansing to study the patterns on Broken Silver, and a flash of light appeared in his eyes as evening approached.

Lu Qing learned of the Wei Clan’s crisis and Ma Gu’s warning that the Black Wolf Gang might become active again, then gave Xiao Tian a Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pill to help him enter the Qi Blood Realm. When Xiao Tian failed to break through despite refining the pill’s power, Lu Qing suddenly drew his War Blade and attacked him.

• Lu Qing comprehended the patterns on the Broken Silver and returned home, where Xiao Tian delivered Ma Gu’s letter about the Wei Clan being besieged by powerful Martial Artists after its Innate Realm ancestor’s apparent death.
• Lu Qing worried that the Wei Clan might not withstand the attacks, noted Ma Gu’s warning about the Black Wolf Gang, and agreed to Xiao Tian’s offer to help manage Da Ji while Master Ma was away.
• Lu Qing gave Xiao Tian a Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pill and offered to protect him while he took it, hoping the pill would help him enter the Qi Blood Realm.
• Xiao Tian swallowed the pill and practiced his fist techniques, but he failed to make a breakthrough as the medicinal force threatened to overwhelm him.
• Lu Qing drew his War Blade, shouted for Xiao Tian to watch out, and slashed at him.