Chapter Summaries

Gu Wenhui used the Fifth Prince’s birthday banquet to seize control of Nanyang County City and the Seven Commanderies. He beheaded Chu Hong and prepared to challenge the Great Han Dynasty’s imperial authority.

• Gu Wenhui ordered his deathsworn to begin their plan as the Imperial Feather Army left Nanyang County City under Su Muxin’s command.
• Gu Wenhui attended the Fifth Prince’s birthday banquet while the officials and guests drank wine and ate food that had been drugged.
• Gu Wenhui’s deathsworn stormed the palace, subdued the guests, and captured the Fifth Prince despite his guards’ attempt to escape.
• Gu Wenhui revealed that he had used the Fifth Prince’s rule to take the Seven Commanderies and admitted he had chosen him for his incompetence.
• Gu Wenhui beheaded Chu Hong and declared that he would deal with the Fifth Prince’s brothers next.

After Gu Wenhui seized power in Nanyang, he kept the surviving officials under guard and turned to the challenges ahead. Meanwhile, Li Yan’s visit to Chu Huai’s residence concealed a planned attack, and Xiong Dangshan discovered that a group of powerful Jianghu fighters had come to kill the Young Prince.

• Gu Wenhui had officials who opposed him executed, then gave the remaining officials a day to choose whether to serve him and ordered their families watched.
• Gu Wenhui explained to Lu Zheng that he needed the officials to govern the Seven Commanderies and left the Blood Palace.
• Chu Huai inspected abducted commoner girls at his residence until Xiong Dangshan announced that Prefect Li had arrived with news from Nanyang.
• Li Yan failed to get Xiong Dangshan to leave Chu Huai alone, then a battle broke out outside the estate and Li admitted he knew what was happening.
• Li Yan’s guards forced their way into the courtyard, where Monk Houguang and Shen Linsheng fought Xiong Dangshan as Chu Huai’s defenders tried to protect him.
• Xiong Dangshan recognized the attackers as powerful Jianghu experts and demanded to know who had arranged the attempt on Chu Huai’s life.

Song Changming fought through the Royal Guards and reached Chu Huai, but Chu Huai escaped his strike and Xiong Dangshan intervened. Song Changming and Xiong Dangshan ended the chapter locked in an even clash of strength.

• A martial world expert rushed toward the inner room but was driven back wounded by the Royal Guards.
• Song Changming killed one Royal Guard and defeated the guards assigned to him, then advanced toward Chu Huai's room.
• Song Changming broke into the room as Chu Huai panicked and ordered the women to be quiet.
• Song Changming struck at Chu Huai, but Chu Huai rolled beneath the bed and evaded the attack.
• Xiong Dangshan charged Song Changming, and their sabers clashed in a contest of strength that ended evenly.

Song Changming fought the Extreme Realm warrior Xiong Dangshan while the Royal Guards rescued Chu Huai, then pursued and killed the young prince. After Xiong Dangshan attacked him in fury, Song Changming activated his Blood Burst Secret Technique and defeated him, leaving the courtyard battle decided.

• Song Changming exchanged dozens of powerful saber strikes with Xiong Dangshan, while the collapsing house forced them into the courtyard.
• Song Changming broke through the Royal Guards and chased Chu Huai, who begged for his life before Song Changming killed him with one strike.
• Xiong Dangshan saw Chu Huai's death and charged Song Changming, and the two fought through hundreds of saber strikes without either gaining a clear advantage.
• Song Changming activated the Blood Burst Secret Technique, greatly increasing his speed and strength, and drove Xiong Dangshan into a desperate defense.
• Song Changming disarmed Xiong Dangshan with successive strikes and pierced his chest, killing him.

Song Changming killed Chu Huai and Xiong Dangshan, enabling Li Yan to retake control of Donglai Commandery. After bringing his parents back to the city, Song Changming heard from Song Ping'an how dire the refugee crisis had become outside it.

• Song Changming withdrew from his Blood Explosion state, and Shen Linsheng and the other surviving assassins arrived to find Chu Huai and Xiong Dangshan dead.
• Liu Fengnian thanked Song Changming, while Li Yan and Zhuang Ren's Patrol Guard Team arrested the Young Prince's remaining confidants and restored control of the Prefecture City.
• Song Changming declined Li Yan's banquet invitation and returned to his empty residence, where he waited for the city to stabilize before bringing his family home.
• Gu Wenhui concealed his takeover of the Fifth Prince's power and continued acting under the dead prince's banner to limit unrest across the Seven Commanderies.
• Song Changming brought his parents back after his father recovered from a fever, and Song Ping'an described the refugees, corpses, and disorder outside the city.

Song Changming received a five-hundred-year-old ginseng and the Ninth Grade Wind Dragon Divine Saber Art from Gu Wenhui as a reward for the assassination mission. He suspected Gu Wenhui meant to recruit the martial talents who received manuals, but planned to rely on his own experience panel and use the ginseng to speed his cultivation.

• Song Changming warned that war made travel outside the Prefecture City dangerous, then received Gu Wenhui's reward from Liu Fengnian.
• Liu Fengnian cautioned Song Changming to hide the rare manual and explained that Gu Wenhui could provide guidance if he struggled to cultivate it.
• Song Changming suspected Gu Wenhui had distributed manuals to draw talented Martial Artists into his service, but believed his experience panel would let him progress without Gu's help.
• Song Changming studied the manual, memorized its ancient scripture, and found that he could not yet properly cultivate it.
• Song Changming turned to the five-hundred-year-old ginseng, hoping its medicinal power would shorten the years needed to advance his Great Strength Bull Demon Art.

Song Changming drank a potent five-hundred-year-old wild ginseng decoction and used its effects to accelerate his martial training. At his annual evaluation, he chose the new Robust Physique Trait, which slightly increased his strength but still needed time to develop.

• Song Changming shared diluted ginseng soup with his parents and Song Ping'an, then drank the rest and trained through the day as its medicinal power surged through him.
• Song Changming gained nearly a quarter of the experience needed to advance his Ox Demon Art, while his other Body Refining Techniques also improved.
• Song Changming reviewed his annual evaluation, which praised his progress, his victory over Xiong Dangshan, his assassination of Chu Huai, and his growing ties with Gu Wenhui and Li Yan.
• Song Changming chose the Robust Physique Trait at the cost of a thousand days of lifespan and found that it had slightly increased his strength.

After Gu Wenhui’s declaration as king, the fractured Great Han entered an era of widespread conflict, while Song Changming watched a northern prodigy challenge local martial artists in Donglai. At home, Song Changming completed his final bone tempering and reached the Ninth Realm of his Great Strength Bull Demon Art.

• Gu Wenhui proclaimed himself king of the Seven Commanderies, and over the next two years war and rebellion spread across the Great Han Dynasty.
• Li Pu of Wind Snow Mountain Villa defeated a martial artist on Donglai’s Martial Proving Stage and disparaged the local fighters.
• Liu Ziwen told Song Changming about Li Pu’s powerful family and suggested Song Changming could meet him in a match, but Song declined.
• Song Changming returned home and used a Century-old Ginseng to fill his experience, advancing his Great Strength Bull Demon Art to the Ninth Realm.
• Song Changming endured the painful final bone tempering and officially gained Nine Ox Strength.

At the Liu Family estate, Song Changming showed that he had reached the Bone Forging Extreme Realm and asked Liu Dingsheng why he could not practice his Martial Art Manual. Liu Dingsheng explained that he first needed to open the Nether Sea, condense his spirit, and gain Internal Vision before beginning Qi Refining.

• Song Changming defeated Liu Ziwen and five high-level martial artists in a sparring session, revealing his completed Bone Forging.
• Liu Dingsheng praised Song Changming's breakthrough and discussed how his humble background had limited his progress.
• While they played chess, Song Changming asked Liu Dingsheng why the Wind Dragon Divine Saber Art had not appeared on his martial arts panel.
• Liu Dingsheng explained that Martial Art Manuals relied on intent and Qi Refining, unlike ordinary martial arts, which trained the body and its momentum.
• Liu Dingsheng told Song Changming that he needed to open the Nether Sea, condense his spirit, and attain Internal Vision before he could refine Qi or comprehend a Martial Art Manual.

Song Changming learned that he needed a rare mystical item to open his Nether Sea and considered competing in the Peach Banquet at Jade Void Cave if he had not found one by next year. He declined Li Pu’s duel challenge, while Li Pu prepared to leave Donglai Commandery and visit the Luolong River.

• Liu Dingsheng explained that mystical items could open a blocked Nether Sea and that powerful sects and the Imperial Court controlled nearly all known sources.
• Liu Dingsheng told Song Changming about the Peach Banquet, a martial arts tournament held every three years at Jade Void Cave, and offered to take him there next year.
• Song Changming said he would attend the Peach Banquet if he had not opened his Nether Sea by then.
• Liu Ziwen delivered Li Pu’s challenge letter, but Song Changming politely declined the duel.
• Li Pu dismissed Song Changming’s refusal and decided to leave Donglai Commandery after visiting the Luolong River.

Song Changming investigated the Luolong River’s worsening disturbances after visiting the Gang Town appraisal fair, where he arranged to bid on rare Crimson Jade Marrow. The river erupted into chaos, and Song Changming retreated as fish surged onto the surface and ships were smashed apart.

• Song Changming agreed to have Song Ping'an watch the auction for Crimson Jade Marrow, which could advance his Marrow Cleansing Body Refining Technique.
• Song Changming saw the Luolong River’s unusual currents, heat, and mist and worried that a natural disaster might be approaching.
• Song Changming recognized the Three Dragons of Dongcang among people arriving with the Dinghai Water Gang, but chose not to interfere with them.
• Song Changming and Song Ping'an walked along the shore as dead fish surfaced and a Black Sword Exotic Blood Fish smashed a pier.
• A giant fish rammed a cargo ship apart, then a thunderous blast shook the river and schools of fish erupted from the riverbed, prompting people to flee and move their ships.

Song Changming watched the violent upheaval in the Luolong River through the night while Luo Haolin arrived to settle an old grudge and was killed. At daybreak, a dragon’s roar sounded from the river, leaving the cause of the upheaval unresolved.

• Song Changming watched the Luolong River tremble as ships sank and soldiers, patrolmen, martial artists, and wanderers gathered along its banks.
• Luo Haolin approached Song Changming and Song Ping'an, intending to kill Song Changming over their old grudge.
• Song Changming sent Song Ping'an away, stopped Luo Haolin’s sword with three fingers, and broke his leg with a kick.
• Luo Haolin unleashed Flying Bell Elegy, but Song Changming countered with the same technique and pierced his chest.
• Song Changming told Song Ping'an to bury Luo Haolin’s body, then returned to watching the river until a dragon’s roar sounded at daybreak.

A flood dragon emerged from the Luolong River and endured the Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation, while Song Changming recognized the chance to seek the Dragon Transformation Beads. After the flood dragon became a true dragon and shattered Cloud Mountain’s summit, Song Changming hurried Song Ping'an to pursue the falling treasures.

• A colossal roar and violent flooding struck Gang Town as a dragon-shaped shadow burst from the Luolong River into the storm clouds.
• Song Changming recognized the spectacle as a flood dragon undergoing its Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation, while Li Pu and other martial artists anticipated treasures from the creature.
• Golden lightning struck the flood dragon, and glowing Dragon Transformation Beads fell toward the mountains below.
• The flood dragon survived, transformed into a true dragon, and shattered the summit of Cloud Mountain as it flew away.
• Song Changming grabbed Song Ping'an and urged him to get the horses so they could race for the Dragon Transformation Beads.

Song Changming and Song Ping'an entered Cloud Mountain after surviving the flood and found a Dragon Transformation Bead that attracted mutated Fierce Beasts. After Song Changming defeated the beasts guarding it, he swallowed the bead, leaving its effects unknown.

• Song Changming waited for the floodwaters to recede before setting off with Song Ping'an toward Cloud Mountain.
• A golden Dragon Transformation Bead drew a wild boar, an emerald python, and other Fierce Beasts into a fight over it.
• Song Changming killed the victorious wild boar and found the Dragon Transformation Bead among the fallen beasts.
• Song Changming chose to swallow the bead while Song Ping'an stood guard nearby.

Song Changming swallowed the Dragon Transformation Bead and endured a day-long transformation that strengthened his spiritual power and may have opened his Nether Sea. His personal panel revealed greatly increased Spirit and Root attributes and a new blue-grade Flood Dragon Body trait, leaving him eager to discover its full effects.

• Song Changming swallowed the Dragon Transformation Bead and endured a painful transformation as a dragon shadow battered his consciousness before dissolving into spiritual energy.
• Song Changming sensed his spiritual form and inspected his body's inner structures, leading him to suspect that he had opened his Nether Sea.
• Song Changming awoke with heightened perception and learned from Song Ping'an that a full day and night had passed.
• Song Ping'an gave Song Changming roasted wild-boar ribs, and Song Changming ate while checking his personal panel.
• Song Changming discovered that his Spirit had risen to 35, his Root to 50, and he had gained the blue-grade Flood Dragon Body trait.

Song Changming gained the blue-grade Flood Dragon Body, which replaced his Hydrophobia, and searched the mountains with Song Ping'an for more Dragon Transformation Beads. After finding one, he gave it to Song Ping'an to swallow and began testing his new Spiritual Power while guarding him.

• Song Changming recognized that the Flood Dragon Body had removed his Hydrophobia and given him a new affinity for water.
• Song Changming told Song Ping'an he would find him a Dragon Transformation Bead, then led him deeper into the Yunfeng Mountain Range.
• Song Changming found a slain martial artist and concluded that other martial artists were fighting over the Dragon Transformation Beads.
• Song Ping'an spotted a Dragon Transformation Bead lodged in a rock-wall crack, and Song Changming broke the rock open and gave it to him.
• Song Ping'an swallowed the bead and began transforming while Song Changming guarded him and explored his Spiritual Power's abilities.

After Song Ping'an completed his transformation and awakened his Spiritual Power, Song Changming sent him back to the city and continued searching the mountains for Dragon Transformation Beads. He found a third bead in a valley guarded by a gigantic Fierce Beast.

• Song Changming used Spiritual Power to study a Mountain Ape's fighting techniques, then killed the apes when their attack threatened Song Ping'an.
• Song Changming drove off a wolf pack and discouraged two arriving Martial Artists from approaching him and Song Ping'an.
• Song Ping'an completed his transformation, gained weak Spiritual Power, and saw his martial talent improve.
• Song Changming sent Song Ping'an back to the city and continued exploring the forest alone.
• Song Changming found a giant Fierce Beast guarding a Dragon Transformation Bead beneath a pool after it slaughtered a pack of mountain wolves.

Song Changming found the third Dragon Transformation Bead in a valley guarded by a powerful Elephant Bull, but Li Pu of Wind Snow Mountain Villa challenged him for it. Song Changming claimed the bead and escaped the beast, only for Li Pu to catch up and renew their unfinished fight.

• Song Changming discovered that a century-old Elephant Bull guarded the Dragon Transformation Bead and descended toward the pool as Li Pu approached from another direction.
• Song Changming and Li Pu fought hand to hand, matching each other until Song Changming's Mountain Splitting Leg forced Li Pu back.
• The Elephant Bull charged, and Song Changming dived into the pool; he reached the bottom first and took the Dragon Transformation Bead, while Li Pu followed.
• Song Changming and Li Pu fled the pool when the Elephant Bull plunged in, but the beast struck Song Changming with its trunk and attacked with jets of water.
• Song Changming escaped through the forest with the bead, but Li Pu caught up and threw his curved blade to stop him, demanding they continue their match.

Song Changming and Li Pu fought over the Dragon Transformation Bead, with two more offered as the wager, and their saber duel escalated when Li Pu used Martial Art Manual techniques. The chapter left Song Changming charging at Li Pu with his Blood Burst Secret Technique active and his strongest Flying Swallow Style move unleashed.

• Li Pu offered two Dragon Transformation Beads as a wager, and Song Changming accepted his challenge.
• Song Changming and Li Pu fought a fierce saber duel across the trees, ground, and stream, and Li Pu killed an Azure Python that attacked Song Changming.
• Li Pu activated his Spiritual Power and used the Ice Snow Saber Art’s Snow Frost Break to blast Song Changming backward and injure him.
• Song Changming activated his Blood Burst Secret Technique, dodged Li Pu’s next ranged attack, and rushed into close combat.
• Li Pu used Great Snow Mirror to deflect Song Changming’s Soul-Startling Saber Strike, but Song Changming attacked again with Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.

Song Changming defeated Li Pu in their duel, but Sun Lu intervened before the contest could end. After returning to the Prefecture City, Song Changming counted his Dragon Transformation Beads and considered what to do with them.

• Song Changming knocked Li Pu's saber away, but Sun Lu stepped between them and ended the duel to protect his young master.
• Li Pu accepted his defeat, gave Song Changming the two Dragon Transformation Beads, and promised to challenge him again.
• Song Changming passed through Gang Town, where rumors about the flood dragon and supposed dragon treasures drew crowds to the Luolong River.
• Song Changming returned safely to the Prefecture City, easing the worries of the two elders at home.
• Song Changming opened his shell and counted four Dragon Transformation Beads, then considered his plans for them.