Chapter Summaries

Song Changming helped the authorities defeat the Dinghai Water Gang, and the new Commandant captured A Liu before the gang was nearly wiped out. After the officials argued over the seized spoils and restored control of the port, Song Changming visited the fish market, where he noticed a valuable Silver Horn Fish.

• A Liu fell behind Song Changming in their fight and tried to flee, but Chen Yan pierced him with a spear and pinned him down.
• Chen Yan and Zhuang Ren defeated the remaining Dinghai Water Gang leaders, and the gang's forces were mostly killed, captured, or scattered.
• Zhuang Ren and Chen Yan argued over the spoils before agreeing to manage them jointly and inventory them under supervision.
• Song Changming walked through the busy fish market, where merchants and fishermen had resumed trading under official control.
• Song Changming saw a stall owner display a twenty-nine-jin Silver Horn Fish as a merchant offered two hundred copper coins per jin.

Song Changming explored the harbor fish market, confirmed that Exotic Blood Seafood aided Body Refinement, and discovered that Jade Marrow could directly increase his Spirit Monkey Art experience. He ended the chapter intrigued by the possibility of finding higher-quality marrow.

• Song Changming paid eight silver for a Silver Horn Fish and had it delivered to Liang Zhaolong at the dockyard.
• Song Changming cooked several Exotic Blood Seafoods and found that eating them gave him a warm rush and helped his cultivation.
• Song Changming reviewed the spoils inventory, which exceeded eleven thousand silver coins, and handed the account to Zhuang Ren.
• Song Changming visited the busy evening fish market, where fishermen explained how merchants could bet on the Jade Marrow inside White Jade Clams.
• Song Changming bought a piece of yellow-tinted Jade Marrow, ate it, and saw his Spirit Monkey Art Martial Arts Experience Points increase by one.

Song Changming confirmed that graded jade marrow increased his Spirit Monkey Art experience before returning to the Prefecture City as unrest spread across the Great Han Dynasty. After Xiao Jingchuan's defeat and death destroyed the Xiao Family's power, more than a year passed, and Song Changming learned that martial artists were gathering for Liu Dingsheng's retirement ceremony just as trouble broke out in the market district.

• Song Changming ate higher-quality graded jade marrow and confirmed that it increased his Spirit Monkey Art experience.
• Song Changming returned to the Prefecture City with a reward after the patrol mission, while the Dinghai Water Gang continued to trouble the port and regional unrest spread.
• News arrived that Xiao Jingchuan had died after his rebellion was crushed, leaving most of the Xiao Family dead or captured.
• Xiao Shuyun vowed to restore the Xiao Family's glory, while Gu Wenhui and Lu Zheng traveled toward the imperial capital.
• More than a year later, Song Changming learned from Liang Zhaolong that martial artists had gathered for Liu Dingsheng's retirement ceremony, then a patrol guard reported trouble in the market district.

Song Changming intervened in a street fight involving the Xu Family’s young master and two women from Wangyue Pavilion, then decisively defeated Du Ling when he challenged him. After the Patrol Guards took everyone away, Song Changming revealed that he had reached the Sixth Realm and remained focused on becoming stronger.

• Song Changming arrived at the street stall and found the Xu Family’s young master injured after harassing the women from Wangyue Pavilion and fighting with Du Ling and his companions.
• Du Ling kicked the young master again, but Song Changming stopped him and ordered Liang Zhaolong and the Patrol Guard Team to take everyone to the government office.
• The veiled woman recognized Song Changming as the Dragon Blade, while Du Ling dismissed him and challenged him to a saber fight.
• Song Changming defeated Du Ling with one strike of his Side Saber, disarmed him, and ordered the Patrol Guards to take the street-fight participants away.
• Liang Zhaolong praised Song Changming’s improved strength, and Song Changming revealed that he had reached the Sixth Realm.

Song Changming continued building his strength and rejected another challenge, while the Xu Family’s dispute reached the General Directorate. Summoned by Zhuang Ren, he arrived to find the Xu Family patriarch confronting a group of sword-bearing martial world visitors.

• Song Changming focused on improving his Flying Swallow Style and reviewed his progress in Body Refinement, light-body techniques, and innate talent.
• Liang Zhaolong brought Song Changming a challenge letter from a Sword Star Sect disciple, and Song Changming refused it.
• Liang Zhaolong told Song Changming that the Xu Family patriarch had confronted the General Directorate, and they speculated about the family’s influence and the challengers’ backgrounds.
• A personal guard summoned Song Changming to Zhuang Ren’s main hall.
• Song Changming entered the hall and saw the Xu Family patriarch facing a tense group of martial world men and women carrying longswords.

Song Changming gave his account of the street altercation at the General Security Department, where Liu Dingsheng learned that his granddaughter Liu Yan'er had been caught up in it. The Xu Family left angry, while Le Fenglin's challenge to Song Changming was refused, and Teng Shanhua warned his disciples to act with greater care.

• Zhuang Ren asked Song Changming to recount what he had witnessed, and Song Changming confirmed that Young Master Xu had provoked the street fight.
• Liu Dingsheng arrived and asked after his granddaughter, Liu Yan'er, who thanked Du Ling and the others for defending her.
• Du Ling admitted beating Young Master Xu, and Liu Dingsheng vowed to address the grievance while Patriarch Xu left with his injured son.
• Le Fenglin invited Song Changming to exchange pointers, but Song Changming refused because he was an official with duties.
• Teng Shanhua rebuked Du Ling and the other Sword Star Sect disciples for acting rashly and warned them to consider the consequences.

After Xu Family members tried to attack Liu Dingsheng, he and his associates made the entire family disappear overnight, leaving their wealth for the government. Song Changming received hush money and reflected on how costly his martial training had become.

• Zhuang Ren explained that he would not oppose Liu Dingsheng because of Liu’s strength and deep connections.
• Masked men from the Xu Family tried to infiltrate the Liu Residence, but Liu Dingsheng’s fighters captured them and learned their identity.
• Liu Dingsheng’s associates attacked the Xu Family, and the next morning Song Changming found the residence deserted, with signs of fighting and a faint smell of blood.
• Zhuang Ren identified Liu Dingsheng as responsible and said the untouched Xu Family wealth was a benefit left for the government.
• Song Changming and the Patrol Guards inventoried the residence’s possessions, then received orders to keep quiet and were paid hush money.
• Song Changming received five hundred silver and considered how his four Body Refining Techniques required expensive medicinal herbs.

Zhuang Ren and Song Changming attended Liu Dingsheng’s Golden Basin Ceremony, where enemies interrupted the retirement rites and a chaotic battle broke out. When an Outer Domain Evil Cult unleashed a swarm of deadly insects, Zhuang Ren recognized the threat to the Great Han Dynasty and summoned the authorities.

• Zhuang Ren and Song Changming arrived at the crowded Liu Residence to attend Liu Dingsheng’s retirement ceremony.
• Liu Dingsheng completed the Golden Basin ritual, but a young enemy accused him of trying to wash away his blood debts and launched an attack with allies.
• Guests, including Teng Shanhua and disciples of the Sword Star Sect, fought alongside Liu Dingsheng’s supporters and gradually subdued the attackers.
• The young enemy called for more help, and a strange swarm of poisonous insects poured into the courtyard, devouring a wounded man and causing panic.
• Zhuang Ren identified the insects’ controllers as an Outer Domain Evil Cult and threw Signal Smoke into the sky to summon the authorities.

Song Changming and the martial artists fought an invasion by red-robed Outer Domain Evil Cult members, who unleashed a pack of Mist Beasts using Mist Gold. The battle grew more desperate as the beasts proved able to absorb human blood and grow stronger.

• Song Changming and the others used fire to drive back the Gu worms before three red-robed figures summoned cats and dogs with a jade flute.
• A red-robed figure activated Mist Gold, transforming the summoned animals into a pack of powerful Mist Beasts and ordering them to attack.
• Zhuang Ren and Song Changming joined the fight to keep the Mist Beasts from reaching the rest of the city, and Song Changming killed a Sixth Realm martial artist with one strike.
• Zhuang Ren struggled against a high-level Mist Beast while other martial artists fought the pack, and some weaker fighters were torn apart.
• Song Changming saw the Mist Beasts absorb the dead martial artists' blood and grow stronger.

Song Changming rescued Du Ling and used his saber skills to cripple a high-level Mist Beast, but a red-robed man infused it with Scorching Mist and began restoring its injuries. The Mist Beast regrew its severed hind leg as Song Changming and Teng Shanhua faced a renewed threat.

• Du Ling recklessly charged the Mist Beast, was struck down, and nearly died before Song Changming kicked him out of its path.
• Song Changming blocked the Mist Beast's pounce and drove it to the ground with a powerful saber strike, astonishing Du Ling and Le Fenglin.
• Song Changming and Teng Shanhua fought the Mist Beast, but its regenerative abilities limited the damage their attacks caused.
• Song Changming used the Flying Swallow Style to repeatedly strike the Mist Beast's hind leg and eventually cut it off.
• A red-robed man used Scorching Mist from Mist Gold to heal the Mist Beast, whose wounds closed and severed leg began to regrow.

Liu Dingsheng ended his failed retirement ceremony by killing the young man who attacked him, then pursued the red-robed men who had stirred up the attack. Song Changming distinguished himself against the Mist Beasts, but a wounded beast revived inside the hall and threatened Liu Yan'er and the others as Le Fenglin called for his help.

• Liu Dingsheng emerged from the hall carrying a high-level Mist Beast's head and killed the young man who charged at him.
• The three red-robed men abandoned the dead man they had come to assist and fled over the courtyard wall, and Liu Dingsheng went after them.
• Song Changming and Teng Shanhua killed the wounded high-level Mist Beast, while Song Changming also slew three mid-level Mist Beasts and earned praise from senior experts.
• Teng Shanhua urged Song Changming to seek advancement in the imperial capital, but Song Changming preferred to remain in Donglai Commandery and avoid the capital's political turmoil.
• A wounded Mist Beast revived in the ruined hall, killed two Martial Artists, and attacked Liu Yan'er and another woman; Le Fenglin struggled to defend them and called Song Changming for help.

Song Changming killed the Mist Beast and rescued Liu Yan'er after the main hall collapsed, while the County Governor’s forces helped defeat the remaining beasts. Liu Dingsheng returned with the three dead men in red, gave Zhuang Ren the Mist Gold, and thanked Song Changming, leaving his retirement—and the trouble his renewed visibility could bring—behind him.

• Song Changming wounded and killed the mid-level Mist Beast, then the main hall collapsed and buried him and the others.
• Song Changming dug Liu Yan'er and another woman out of the rubble and moved them to safety as patrol guards and County Governor’s forces arrived to fight the Mist Beasts.
• Zhuang Ren told Commandant Chen Yan that the Outsiders had brought the Mist Beasts, and they ordered the area sealed and the city searched.
• Liu Dingsheng returned carrying the three dead men in red and handed the Mist Gold to Zhuang Ren, saying it was no use to him.
• Liu Dingsheng checked that Liu Yan'er was safe, thanked Song Changming with a promise of future help, and the martial-world guests departed.

After helping defeat the attackers and Mist Beasts at Liu Residence, Song Changming considered how to use Liu Dingsheng’s favor and learned the attackers’ motive. Back home, Song Changming received his annual evaluation and had to choose a reward.

• Liu Dingsheng ordered his men to find him a new residence near the General Security Department and County Governor's Mansion, declaring that he would stay in Donglai Commandery and face any future enemies.
• Zhuang Ren advised Song Changming to use Liu Dingsheng’s favor to seek his guidance, and Song Changming considered the suggestion.
• Zhuang Ren reported the day’s events to the County Governor while Song Changming led patrols and helped interrogate the captured attackers.
• The prisoners revealed that their young leader had sought revenge because Liu Dingsheng had eliminated his corrupt family and returned its wealth to the people; the leader and his three Outsider allies were dead.
• Song Changming checked his panel and received his annual evaluation, which listed his martial progress, connections, and reputation before offering him three reward choices.

Song Changming reviewed his modest annual evaluation, spent two hundred years of lifespan to raise his Spirit attribute, and sought guidance from Liu Dingsheng. After testing Song Changming’s saber technique, Liu Dingsheng demonstrated the power of a perfected saber style and reminded him that the extreme of body refinement was not the endpoint.

• Song Changming reviewed his mixed annual evaluation, reflected on why he had not married, and spent two hundred years of lifespan to raise his Spirit attribute to ten.
• Zhuang Ren took Song Changming to visit Liu Dingsheng at his new residence, where Song Changming asked Liu Dingsheng for martial arts guidance.
• After Zhuang Ren left, Liu Dingsheng led Song Changming into the courtyard and asked him to exchange saber moves.
• Song Changming attacked with the Soul Severing Saber Technique, but Liu Dingsheng used his perfected Swaying Saber to scatter the attack and send him staggering back.
• Liu Dingsheng told Song Changming that he had learned the Swaying Saber from a former Extreme Realm saber wielder who later died in a duel, then urged Song Changming to come at him again.

Song Changming sparred with Liu Dingsheng, gaining martial arts experience and advice about his cultivation path. Liu Dingsheng welcomed future visits, while Liu Yan'er prepared to return to Wangyue Pavilion amid rumors of unrest in the imperial capital.

• Song Changming fought Liu Dingsheng for more than a hundred rounds, pushing himself to his limits and increasing his saber and Light Body Technique experience.
• Shen Xueyu praised Song Changming's saber mastery but judged his overall strength below the top young disciples of Wangyue Pavilion because of his lower Body Refinement cultivation.
• Liu Dingsheng assessed Song Changming's martial arts and warned that pursuing multiple Body Refining Techniques would slow his progress, though it could lead to greater strength if he reached Great Perfection.
• Song Changming thanked Liu Dingsheng for his guidance, and the two discussed martial arts until dusk; Liu Dingsheng invited him to return anytime.
• Liu Dingsheng joked that Liu Yan'er might like Song Changming and said he might teach him more, while Liu Yan'er told him Wangyue Pavilion had summoned its absent disciples to return.
• Liu Dingsheng urged Liu Yan'er to return early because rumors from the imperial capital suggested the realm might soon become unsettled.

The old emperor died after confronting Chancellor Wei, setting off a struggle for the throne as the six princes mobilized forces toward Yunling City. In Donglai Commandery, Song Changming learned that Zhuang Ren and the commandery governor served the Fifth Prince and questioned whether the Crown Prince could survive the succession conflict.

• The old emperor accused Chancellor Wei of secretly helping Jing'er, then died before the chancellor could respond.
• Chancellor Wei admitted that he had acted to protect himself from the Crown Prince, while news of the emperor's death remained inside the palace.
• The six princes learned of the emperor's death, and commandery governors began marching troops toward Yunling City.
• Liu Dingsheng told Song Changming that the imperial forces were mobilizing because the emperor had likely died and identified Zhuang Ren and Donglai Commandery's governors as the Fifth Prince's subordinates.
• Liu Dingsheng predicted that the Crown Prince was the likeliest successor, but Song Changming argued that the other princes would target him first.

Gu Wenhui and Lu Zheng watched the princes’ struggle for the throne unfold, then rescued the Fifth Prince and returned toward Donglai Commandery as the Third Prince became Crown Prince. In Donglai, Song Changming perfected his saber technique and impressed Liu Dingsheng, before being summoned to the General Security Department for an urgent matter.

• Gu Wenhui told Lu Zheng that the Second and Third Princes could claim the throne, but revealed that he had secretly backed the Fifth Prince for reasons beyond gaining credit for supporting a new ruler.
• As the princes’ forces fought around Yunling City, Gu Wenhui ordered his people to rescue the endangered Fifth Prince and return to Donglai Commandery.
• The court announced that the Crown Prince had plotted rebellion and murdered his parents, and that the Third Prince would succeed him as Crown Prince while the other defeated princes fled.
• Song Changming used his perfected Flying Swallow Style, Flying Bell Elegy, to force Liu Dingsheng back during their sparring, then fought well enough to make Liu Dingsheng struggle to suppress him without using Eighth Realm strength.
• A patrol guard summoned Song Changming to the General Security Department, where he found the Patrol Guard Teams mobilizing and the other Patrol Captains greeting him with respect.

Song Changming witnessed the Fifth Prince’s arrival in Donglai Commandery and learned that the prince intended to use it as a base to reclaim the throne. As political conflict threatened the region, Song Changming resolved to prepare a way to protect himself and his family.

• Zhuang Ren led Song Changming and the Patrol Guard Team to welcome the Fifth Prince, whose enormous army entered the city without incident.
• The Fifth Prince ignored Li Yan’s greeting and settled into a residence built for his arrival, while his powerful guards secured the estate.
• Song Changming reunited with Lu Zheng at Flower Full Tower and heard how Lu Zheng’s dangerous experiences beyond Donglai Commandery had changed him.
• Lu Zheng explained that Gu Wenhui had expected the Third Prince to take the throne but had other plans, and that the Fifth Prince meant to make Donglai Commandery his foundation for a comeback.
• Song Changming recognized the danger the Fifth Prince’s arrival posed and decided to prepare an escape route rather than seek advancement by serving him.

The Fifth Prince and his three brothers rallied opposition against Chu Yan, whose rushed enthronement intensified rebellions and sparked war across the Great Han Dynasty. As the Fifth Prince’s forces expanded, Song Changming and the other Patrol Guard officials worried about disorder in Donglai Commandery and the return of the Dinghai Water Gang.

• The Fifth Prince accused Chu Yan of murdering the Crown Prince and plotting against his brothers, and the other three princes joined his denunciation.
• Chu Yan ordered a rapid enthronement, became the twenty-second emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, and faced stronger rebellions after the four princes rejected his legitimacy.
• The Fifth Prince seized six surrounding commanderies and moved to Nanyang County City, while the Imperial Court and the other princes launched campaigns against one another.
• At Spring Breeze Garden, Lu Gang, Song Changming, and Liang Chuanshan discussed the spreading war and the trouble caused by martial-world figures claiming to serve the Fifth Prince.
• Liang Chuanshan reported that the Fifth Prince had accepted the Dinghai Water Gang and allowed it to return to a Luolong River port, renewing conflict with the local government.

Song Changming learned that the authorities were ordering patrolmen to go easy on jianghu refugees, then consulted Liu Dingsheng about how to advance beyond his perfected saber techniques. Liu advised him to focus on Body Refinement Cultivation until he reached the extreme realm, which would qualify him to study Martial Art Manuals.

• Song Changming returned to the Song Residence, where Song Ping'an told him that jianghu folk had tried to force Father Song to sell his Azure Water Silkworms, and Song Changming decided to have the troublemakers arrested.
• Song Changming praised Song Ping'an's saber practice and encouraged him to keep training patiently.
• Zhuang Ren told Song Changming that orders from above required patrolmen to mediate with disruptive jianghu refugees rather than arrest them unless they committed murder.
• Song Changming discussed the order with Liu Dingsheng, who pointed out how official duties constrained him during the chaotic age.
• Song Changming asked Liu Dingsheng how to advance after perfecting both saber techniques, and Liu explained that he needed stronger Body Refinement Cultivation before he could approach Martial Art Manuals.