Recaps

Sun Xiangzong killed Ning Changqun and reclaimed his prestige, while Chen Sanshi advanced his cultivation and excelled in the Vanguard Selection’s battlefield test. The chapter ended as Chen Sanshi spotted a martial artist with an unusual blackish-red qi resembling that of a poisonous beast.

• Sun Xiangzong killed Ning Changqun with a single strike, then intimidated Governor Liu before letting him go and restoring the soldiers’ confidence in him.
• Fang Qingyun told Sun Buqi that Sun Xiangzong had acted to reclaim authority without provoking an open war with the imperial court, while Chen Sanshi returned home and reflected on the Governor’s power.
• Chen Sanshi broke through to minor accomplishment in Viscera Tempering and gained the Kirin Heart, which let him decipher an opponent’s fighting patterns after thirty exchanges.
• Commander Li announced that the Vanguard Selection’s third test was to kill rebels breaking out of Dongyi City, and Chen Sanshi used his great bow to kill enemies at the western gate.
• Chen Sanshi reached the Grade A target of four hundred kills, then noticed an unusual blackish-red qi among the fighters that resembled poisonous-beast qi.

Chen Sanshi discovered that black-red qi had driven Zhang Haimin into a temporary breakthrough before Lu Ji killed him, then learned the Witch God Cult had slaughtered the Jade Maiden Pavilion and evaded a citywide search. After his wife Gu Xinlan revealed she was pregnant, Chen advanced through the Vanguard martial contest until he faced Wen Qiushi, whose mouth and tongue Chen smashed before he could surrender.

• Chen Sanshi saw black-red qi surge through Zhang Haimin and watched him break through to the Mystic Elephant Realm, but Lu Ji defeated and killed him; Chen suspected the qi burned away its host’s life.
• The Jade Maiden Pavilion’s sect master and more than a hundred inner disciples were killed, prompting a three-day lockdown that yielded no arrests, and the Vanguard assessment was postponed.
• Gu Xinlan confirmed she was pregnant, and Sun Li urged Chen Sanshi to keep aiming for first place in the final martial contest.
• Chen Sanshi won his first three matches, while Wen Qiushi crippled Tang Yingke after Tang conceded, enraging Chen.
• Chen Sanshi overwhelmed Wen Qiushi with the Unity Spear Technique and smashed his mouth and tongue before he could call out his surrender.

Chen Sanshi killed Wen Qiushi in the Selection Vanguard examination after Wen Qiushi could not make his surrender understood. Wen Zhi was prevented from retaliating and left with his son’s body after Fang Qingyun warned him that any attack on Chen Sanshi or his household would be investigated.

• Wen Zhi and Shao Yujing watched Chen Sanshi overwhelm Wen Qiushi and worried that Wen Qiushi could not call out his surrender because his mouth was badly injured.
• Wen Zhi shouted that his son conceded, but the examination guards did not intervene until they realized Wen Qiushi could not speak.
• Chen Sanshi cut Wen Qiushi’s wrists and pierced his heart before the examining general could stop him, and the general ruled that Chen Sanshi had not broken the rules.
• Wen Zhi tried to reach Chen Sanshi, but Lu Ji and the others stopped him and insisted the fight had followed the examination rules.
• Wen Zhi left with Wen Qiushi’s body, and Fang Qingyun warned him that retaliation against Chen Sanshi or his family would trigger an investigation.

Chen Sanshi advanced to the Vanguard Selection final after killing Wen Qiushi, while Cao Fan prepared to face him. As the senior disciples worried about Cao Fan claiming the championship and becoming Sun Xiangzong’s True Disciple, the final match approached with Chen Sanshi still the underdog.

• Chen Sanshi rested after winning his semifinal, resolved to kill Wen Qiushi, and raised his Unity Spear Technique proficiency through the day’s fighting.
• Cao Fan learned that Chen Sanshi had killed Wen Qiushi and questioned Yin Hanwen about Chen’s unfamiliar spear technique before agreeing to fight cautiously.
• Sun Xiangzong proposed awarding two Grade As if Chen Sanshi defeated Cao Fan across realms, and Pei Tiannan and Eunuch Hou accepted the idea while expecting Cao Fan to win.
• As the final match drew near, Sun Buqi asked his senior brothers and sisters for help against Cao Fan, but they saw little chance for Chen Sanshi to overcome the realm gap.

Chen Sanshi faced Cao Fan in the Select Vanguard championship match, enduring the heir apparent’s Blood Raging attacks while studying his saber technique. The chapter ended with Chen still holding his ground, as Pei Tiannan recognized his extraordinary reserves of blood and qi.

• Meng Guangxin offered to teach Chen Sanshi his staff technique, but Ye Fengxiu explained that Cao Fan’s Golden Crow Heavenly Dragon Saber Technique left them unable to provide useful guidance.
• Yan Changqing warned Chen Sanshi that Cao Fan might try to kill him, but Chen refused to forfeit and entered the arena for the final match.
• Sun Li worried that Cao Fan would harm Chen Sanshi, and Rong Yanqiu promised to watch over him.
• Cao Fan demanded that Chen Sanshi cripple himself, then attacked as soon as the gong rang and entered the Blood Raging state after Chen’s opening strikes failed.
• Chen Sanshi used the Unity Spear Technique to withstand Cao Fan’s fierce saber attacks while the Kirin Heart helped him understand the technique with each exchange.
• Pei Tiannan doubted that Chen Sanshi was nearing defeat and noted that he had maintained his footing despite Cao Fan’s overwhelming pressure.

Chen Sanshi endured Cao Fan’s assault, adapted to his saber technique, and defeated him in the Selection of the Vanguard. Bone testing revealed Chen Sanshi had an Ethereal Body Shifting Physique, confirming him as champion and chief True Disciple, with the Apprenticeship Ceremony set for seven days later.

• Chen Sanshi withstood Cao Fan’s attacks through thirty exchanges, then cracked the Golden Crow Heavenly Dragon Saber Technique and counterattacked.
• Cao Fan’s Blood Raging state ended after forty-nine exchanges, and he conceded before Chen Sanshi’s spear could reach his throat.
• Sun Xiangzong and the officials disputed whether Chen Sanshi could be champion, while Cao Fan received five Grade As and Chen Sanshi was announced with six.
• Pei Tiannan and Eunuch Hou examined Chen Sanshi and discovered his Adamantine Body and Ethereal Body Shifting Physique, an Innate Martial Saint Physique.
• Commander Li confirmed Chen Sanshi as champion and chief True Disciple, and the Apprenticeship Ceremony was scheduled for seven days later.

After winning the Vanguard Selection, Chen Sanshi faced a nighttime intruder linked to Immortal Seeking Tower and brought her to the Governor’s Mansion, then visited Ciyun Temple with Gu Xinlan. There, he discovered worshippers’ purple aura flowing into an incense burner instead of the deity statue.

• Pei Tiannan accused Chen Sanshi of concealing his physique, but Fang Qingyun explained that the Ethereal Body Shifting Physique emerged gradually, and Sun Xiangzong confirmed Chen Sanshi would become his True Disciple.
• Chen Sanshi declined officials’ invitations, planned to strengthen himself and investigate the Witch God Cult, and returned home to care for pregnant Gu Xinlan.
• After a black-clad intruder entered Chen Sanshi’s courtyard, Wen Zhi captured her, and Chen Sanshi found a trace of Azure Profound Qi on her before learning she belonged to Immortal Seeking Tower.
• Chen Sanshi delivered the injured woman to Fang Qingyun at the Governor’s Mansion, where Fang said Immortal Seeking Tower would not trouble him again for now.
• Chen Sanshi visited Ciyun Temple with Gu Xinlan, drank Spirit Nurturing Soup, and persuaded Qiu Mingzi to give him a mystic-iron cauldron for a donation.
• Chen Sanshi saw purple qi rise from worshippers and flow into the incense burner before the offering table.

Chen Sanshi became Sun Xiangzong’s disciple, learned that spiritual energy was required to practice the Sword Qi Technique, and received a collection of martial arts manuals. The chapter left him celebrating with his senior brothers and sisters at Danggui Courtyard, where his Eldest Senior Brother arrived.

• Chen Sanshi discovered that Ciyun Temple’s incense burner gathered purple qi, worshipped the deity, and borrowed the Mysterious Weapon Furnace for five thousand taels.
• At the Apprenticeship Ceremony, Chen Sanshi became a Thousand Commander in the Reserve Camp, and Fang Qingyun announced that Grade A Bone Structure disciples could challenge True Disciples for their positions.
• Cao Fan resolved to train harder and seize military power in the Northern Frontier as he watched Chen Sanshi depart.
• Sun Xiangzong accepted Chen Sanshi as his disciple, gave him a mountain of martial arts manuals, and promised to guide him toward an Immortal Method after he reached Martial Saint within three years.
• Chen Sanshi read the Sword Qi Technique and learned it required spiritual energy, which he could not find in the world around him.
• Chen Sanshi joined his senior brothers and sisters at Danggui Courtyard, received gifts including Mysterious Iron Armor and the Five Tiger Soul Severing Spear, and saw his Eldest Senior Brother arrive.

Chen Sanshi discovered that Ciyun Temple’s Spirit Nurturing Soup contained an unknown Immortal Medicine, while he completed Viscera Refining and began investigating the temple and the person following him. After exposing Nie Yuan as the stalker and asking Eunuch Hou to find Shunzi, Chen Sanshi secretly carried the Mysterious Iron Cauldron into the Luotian Mountain Range to test it.

• Lu Ji and Nie Yuan brought Chen Sanshi an Iron-Tire Bow and arrows at his induction banquet, where several disciples argued with Lu Ji over his ties to the Cao family.
• Lu Ji questioned Chen Sanshi about the Immortal Method, but Chen Sanshi showed him ordinary martial arts manuals, and Lu Ji left without finding the secret.
• Chen Sanshi completed Viscera Refining, developed the Unity Spear Technique’s Blood Raging state, and began training in the Dragon Spear of the Nation’s Force Transformation method.
• At Ciyun Temple, Chen Sanshi noticed an unknown medicine in the Spirit Nurturing Soup and suspected it was Immortal Medicine; he also saw incense offerings gather in the temple’s burner.
• Chen Sanshi lured his stalker into a confrontation with Wen Zhi and Hou Bao, who wounded Nie Yuan, then asked Hou Bao to help find Shunzi.
• After several days without another pursuit, Chen Sanshi carried the Mysterious Iron Cauldron into the Luotian Mountain Range to test whether it could refine Spirit Rice.

Chen Sanshi refined Spirit Grain into ointment that accelerated his cultivation, then tested whether temple incense could power the Sword Qi Technique. He learned that incense could replace spiritual qi but could not take it from a god’s statue, and the chapter ended with Yu Song ordering him to lead troops against the Yuyang Sect.

• Chen Sanshi used exotic fire to refine Spirit Grain into ointment, tested it on animals, and consumed it to speed up his Force Transformation training.
• Chen Sanshi fed some ointment to Qianxun, who eagerly wanted more, then met Tang Yingke, who warned him about Cao Fan and political factions in the army before leaving for the capital.
• Chen Sanshi saw Cao Fan training himself to exhaustion with the Golden Crow Fierce Blade, while Cao Fan insisted that Chen was dangerous and Yin Hanwen proposed having him killed.
• Chen Sanshi collected two Mysterious Iron Cauldrons, visited temples and monasteries, and confirmed that incense power could fuel the Sword Qi Technique but could not be taken from a god’s statue.
• Zhao Kang told Chen Sanshi that Yu Song had ordered him to lead soldiers east of the city to suppress the Yuyang Sect.

Chen Sanshi led a squad into Yuyang Sect to seize its disciples and discovered that sect master Huang Tianrong was fleeing through a hidden escape route. After Sha Wenlong delayed sending help, Chen Sanshi defeated and killed Huang Tianrong, then confronted Sha with the severed head.

• Yu Song explained that the Reserve Camp planned to surround Yuyang Sect and capture Huang Tianrong over suspected ties to the Witch God Cult, while Sha Wenlong assigned Chen Sanshi and other commanders separate targets.
• Chen Sanshi found his assigned courtyard empty, discovered hidden valuables, and realized Huang Tianrong’s group might use it as an escape route.
• Huang Tianrong led his disciples through a tunnel toward the courtyard, intending to flee to Mingzhou and join King Liang of Meishan, but Chen Sanshi’s squad ambushed them.
• Chen Sanshi sent up Whistling arrows while fighting Huang Tianrong, but Sha Wenlong delayed responding to the signal as Chen realized he had likely been set up.
• Chen Sanshi gradually overpowered Huang Tianrong, broke his fish fork, and pierced his heart with the Silver Dragon spear.
• Sha Wenlong arrived to find Chen Sanshi sever Huang Tianrong’s head and throw it before him.

Chen Sanshi uncovered the Immortal Seeking Tower’s connection to immortal cultivation and obtained Spirit Sand from Ningxiang, while clues about baleful qi in the Luotian Mountain Range raised new concerns. After Sha Wenlong was transferred away, Yin Hanwen planned to have Chen Sanshi killed and frame the Witch God Cult.

• Chen Sanshi killed Huang Tianrong, whose faint black qi reminded him of Zhang Haimin, and the Reserve Camp searched the Yuyang Sect but found no further evidence against its disciples.
• Sha Wenlong awarded Chen Sanshi one Class B military merit and three thousand taels; Rong Yanqiu caught Nie Yuan following Chen Sanshi and demanded that Lu Ji remove or transfer Sha Wenlong.
• Chen Sanshi went to Crimson Sleeve Tower, where he met Ningxiang and Zhaozhao; Ningxiang offered him Spirit Sand in exchange for a future promise to take them along if he reached the true immortal realm.
• Ningxiang told Chen Sanshi that baleful qi was growing in the Luotian Mountain Range and might be connected to the Witch God Cult’s attacks; Chen Sanshi trained through the night and reclaimed the five thousand taels he had borrowed for admission.
• Chen Sanshi learned that Sha Wenlong had been transferred to another camp, while Yin Hanwen admitted arranging the Yuyang Sect ambush and then asked Old Guard Wei to kill Chen Sanshi and blame the Witch God Cult.

Chen Sanshi reached Force Transformation, mastered the Sword Qi Technique, and learned that Zhang Shun might have joined a massive rebellion in Danzhou. After discovering Yin Hanwen was preparing to have his family killed, Chen arranged protection for Gu Xinlan and confronted Yin on the road, where he demonstrated his new spell.

• Chen Sanshi broke through to beginner Force Transformation and continued cultivating the Sword Qi Technique while Eunuch Hou reported that Zhang Shun had disappeared during a Danzhou uprising and that the Red Brow Army controlled six cities in Mingzhou.
• Chen Sanshi intensified his soldiers' training, learned Yin Hanwen was leaving Liangzhou, and asked Rong Yanqiu to guard Gu Xinlan while he went into the mountains.
• Chen Sanshi reached entry level in the Sword Qi Technique, then hurried back as Yin Hanwen and his guards traveled away from the city.
• Yin Hanwen ordered Wei Gong to kill Chen Sanshi's family, but Chen ambushed the party on the road and killed the guards before confronting Yin.
• Wei Gong rescued Yin Hanwen and attacked Chen Sanshi, but a silver streak struck Wei Gong between the brows and left him dead.

Chen Sanshi explored the Luotian Mountain Range, gathered rare materials, and learned that Liangzhou’s army would soon march on Mingzhou. Before the expedition, he helped expose Ciyun Temple’s suspicious Taoists, leaving them imprisoned while he prepared to leave for war.

• Chen Sanshi killed Wei Gong and Yin Hanwen with a spell, concealed evidence, then hunted through the mountains and found an Eared Mouse and a Purple Frost Flower.
• Chen Sanshi discovered a baleful-qi-tainted zheng near Eightfold Mountain, exchanged blows with it, and withdrew when it proved too powerful to kill safely.
• Chen Sanshi returned to Liangzhou, gave the Purple Frost Flower to Sun Li, and burned a Protective Talisman from Qiu Mingzi after detecting something suspicious in it.
• Chen Sanshi learned that Liangzhou would send forty thousand troops to suppress the Red Brow Army in Mingzhou and warned General Zhao about risks in the campaign plan, but Zhao kept the existing strategy.
• Chen Sanshi and Cao Fan led troops to search Ciyun Temple, where Lu Ji confirmed that Yuxu Zi had reached Meridian Opening and soldiers found a Vajra Pestle.
• Chen Sanshi secretly took in the purple qi from Ciyun Temple’s incense burner, then watched Yuxu Zi and the other Taoists get imprisoned for suspected Witch God Cult ties.

Chen Sanshi learned that the Red Brow Army’s Heavenly Book could greatly strengthen soldiers, then marched with the Liangzhou forces into Mingzhou. After finding Baigou County devastated, he uncovered that its officials and Li Changsheng had abandoned the city and ordered their execution.

• Chen Sanshi found that Ghost Vein Wood could retain inner force and considered using it for arrow shafts while searching for suitable arrowhead material.
• Ningxiang told Chen Sanshi that Liang Jinian’s Heavenly Book had enabled the Red Brow Army to defeat a Mystic Elephant Realm general, though its power might be running out; Chen agreed to share any intelligence he found.
• Chen Sanshi left for the Mingzhou campaign, received a Sea East Green and a Protective Talisman from Rong Yanqiu and Sun Li, and later studied the army’s plans and the Red Brow Army’s position.
• Chen Sanshi led his troops to Baigou County and found its people slaughtered after the defenders had withdrawn into Li Family Manor instead of defending the city.
• Chen Sanshi overheard Li Changsheng, the County Magistrate, and Inspector Hu Wen admitting they had let the Red Brow Army pass, so Zhao Kang ordered the soldiers to execute them.

Chen Sanshi uncovered Dong An’s betrayal too late to prevent the Liangzhou army’s devastating defeat, then argued that the survivors should cross the Hongze River and evade the rebels. Sha Wenlong split the defeated army, sending Chen and Yu Song east with three thousand men while leading the rest toward Yangchun Prefecture.

• Chen Sanshi’s forces defeated the Red Brow Army at Baigou County, and he discovered that its battle formation drew strength from a Heavenly Book blessing.
• Chen Sanshi and Xu Wencai suspected that Dong An would betray the court, and Chen sent their warning to the Liangzhou commanders.
• Chen Sanshi broke through to External Force while the Liangzhou army advanced toward a decisive battle against the Red Brow Army.
• Zhao Kang returned with news that Dong An and Western Qi troops had trapped the Liangzhou army, whose forces suffered catastrophic losses and retreated to Longyang County.
• After learning that reinforcements would take over a month to arrive, Chen urged the commanders to cross the Hongze River and escape south through the Great Wilderness.
• Sha Wenlong ordered Yu Song and Chen Sanshi to lead three thousand Reserve Camp soldiers east across the river, while he took the remaining eighteen thousand toward Yangchun Prefecture.

Chen Sanshi led the Reserve Camp through a second crossing of the Hongze River to evade the forces converging on Luotian Pass and threaten the enemy’s grain stores near Eagle Beak Mountain. Dong An and Liang Jinian recognized the danger and rushed troops to intercept them as the Reserve Camp rode toward Jinquan Prefecture.

• Chen Sanshi split from Sha Wenlong’s army and led Yu Song’s force east across the Hongze River, while Sha Wenlong and Cao Fan remained under siege at Yangchun Prefecture.
• Chen Sanshi’s men crossed the river on foot after Qianxun led their warhorses away, then seized several lightly defended counties and rested in Jiankou County.
• After learning that Luotian Pass was heavily guarded and pursuers were closing in, Chen Sanshi chose to cross the river again and head toward Jinquan Prefecture, leaving Xu Wencai, Bai Tingzhi, and Zhu Tong to deceive the enemy.
• Qianxun returned with the horses, and Chen Sanshi’s force rode away while Xu Wencai’s feint convinced the pursuers they were still advancing on Luotian Pass.
• Dong An realized Chen Sanshi had crossed the river again and ordered troops to rush toward Jinquan Prefecture to protect its year’s supply of provisions.
• Liang Jinian learned that the provisions were at risk and ordered ten thousand men from Meishan Prefecture to cross the river and intercept Chen Sanshi’s force.

Chen Sanshi’s force burned the grain route at Jinquan Prefecture and defeated its defenders, forcing Western Qi to withdraw and easing the siege at Yangchun Prefecture. After reaching Jinquan, Chen rejected plans to join Zhao Wuji or hold the city and ordered his exhausted troops to cross the Hongze River again.

• Lu Ji left Pei Tiannan and Eunuch Hou to guard Liangzhou, then revealed to Sun Buqi that Dong An had betrayed the nation and marched toward Mingzhou.
• Chen Sanshi’s force burned the grain supplies near Jinquan Prefecture, met Yan Changqing’s scattered men, and charged the city’s defenders before pursuers could surround them.
• Chen Sanshi killed Deputy General Xu Kai with a stored-force spear strike, while Yu Song killed the main general; the rebel army collapsed, and Chen’s troops took Jinquan Prefecture with few casualties.
• Sha Wenlong learned that Chen Sanshi had burned the grain route, while Dong An demanded Chen’s death and Zhong Wuxin ordered most Western Qi troops to withdraw and regroup.
• Emperor Longqing condemned Dong An’s betrayal and threatened to lead the expedition himself if Lu Ji and the others failed to pacify Mingzhou within three months.
• At Jinquan Prefecture, Chen Sanshi rejected plans to join Zhao Wuji or defend the city and ordered his troops to cross the Hongze River again.

Chen Sanshi led Yu Song’s remnant force through a third crossing of the Hongze River, evading Dong An’s traps and Sha Wenlong’s doomed breakout plan. After the force escaped, Chen Sanshi reached Minor Mastery in Force Transformation and marched south toward another uncertain battle.

• Chen Sanshi persuaded Yu Song to leave Jinquan Prefecture and cross the Hongze River again instead of joining Zhao Wuji or rescuing Yangchun Prefecture.
• Rong Yanqiu learned that Chen Sanshi had survived and destroyed Jinquan Prefecture’s grain depot, while Zhao Wuji realized the remnant force had not come to join him.
• Dong An’s pursuit found Jinquan Prefecture empty, and he mistook Chen Sanshi’s route for a plan to help Sha Wenlong break out of Yangchun Prefecture.
• Chen Sanshi rejected Sha Wenlong’s order to attack the rebel camp, sent Bai Tingzhi and Xu Wencai on a feint, and led the main force across the Hongze River for the third time.
• Sha Wenlong’s breakout failed, leaving only three thousand defenders in Yangchun Prefecture, while Dong An realized Chen Sanshi had escaped his forces again.
• After resting for three days, Chen Sanshi attained Minor Mastery in Force Transformation and led his soldiers south.

Chen Sanshi’s Reserve Camp retook Jiankou County and killed Jia Youtian, while Red Brow commanders tried to contain the remaining troops. With Luotian Pass too well fortified to break through, Chen Sanshi proposed crossing the Hongze River a fourth time to strike Meishan and seize Liang Jinian’s Heavenly Book of Strategy.

• Sun Li and Sun Buqi worried that Chen Sanshi had vanished in Ming Province, while Gu Xinlan reassured them he would return.
• The Red Brow Army massacred civilians in Jiankou County, but the townspeople opened the gates for Chen Sanshi’s arriving Reserve Camp.
• Chen Sanshi killed Jia Youtian in battle, and his troops routed the Red Brow Army and freed Jiankou County.
• Dong An and Liang Jinian ordered reinforcements and tightened their plans to trap the Reserve Camp, while Dong An regarded Chen Sanshi as his fated rival.
• After reaching Xiaoluo County, Chen Sanshi explained that attacking Luotian Pass would take too long and leave his force surrounded.
• Chen Sanshi identified Liang Jinian’s Heavenly Book of Strategy as the key to the rebellion’s momentum and proposed crossing the Hongze River for a fourth time to attack Meishan.

Chen Sanshi agreed to lead the decisive attack on Meishan while Yu Song sacrificed himself to draw the Red Brow Army away from the city. Chen’s two thousand men reached Meishan, where Liang Jinian prepared to defend the Heavenly Book with a bestowed art.

• Chen Sanshi ordered Xu Wencai to lead Lu Shuhua and the others toward Meishan while he and Yu Song covered their advance, but Yu Song confronted Chen and persuaded him to leave the rear guard to him alone.
• Chen Sanshi promised to look after Yu Song’s sons, then led two thousand men to hide near the Hongze and Wushui Rivers as Yu Song staged an attack on Luotian Pass with a reduced force.
• Liang Jinian believed Yu Song and Chen Sanshi were at Luotian Pass and sent his western-bank troops to destroy them, while Chen’s concealed force waited for the mountain-fire signal.
• Yu Song’s remaining men were surrounded and killed after the signal drew Liang Jinian’s forces away; Chen then crossed the rivers and rode for Meishan with two thousand men.
• Dong An realized the missing troops had never attacked Luotian Pass, and Liang Jinian likewise recognized Chen’s deception when the cavalry appeared outside Meishan.
• Liang Jinian gave He Xianliang power from the Heavenly Book and sent him to fight Chen Sanshi’s approaching force.

Chen Sanshi defeated the Red Brow Army outside Meishan Prefecture, killed Liang Jinian, and obtained the Heavenly Book and a hidden qi-bearing bead. News of his victory reached both armies, prompting the Western Qi forces to retreat westward and Dong An to take his own life.

• Chen Sanshi led the Reserve Camp into battle against He Xianliang's Heavenly Book formation and killed He with the Sword Qi Technique, causing the Red Brow formation to collapse.
• Liang Jinian tried to flee Meishan Prefecture, but his soldiers betrayed him and surrendered him to Chen Sanshi; Gao Peiwen and Steward Wu died, and Chen executed Liang.
• Chen Sanshi examined the Heavenly Book, found it recorded formations, and planned to use Meishan Prefecture as a base to attack Luotian Pass alongside the Capital Army.
• Chen Sanshi secretly searched Liang Jinian's corpse and found a crystal-like bead containing the mysterious qi that had empowered the Red Brow Army.
• Lu Ji and Nie Yuan learned that Chen Sanshi had killed Liang Jinian and secured the Heavenly Book, while Zhong Wuxin ordered Dong An to retreat westward.
• After hearing of Liang Jinian's defeat and receiving Zhong Wuxin's retreat order, Dong An slit his own throat.

Chen Sanshi’s victory in Mingzhou ended the rebellion and earned him fame across Great Sheng, and he returned to Liangzhou with an orphan girl named Chen Yunxi just as his son was born. After reuniting with his family, he learned that two Ciyun Temple Taoists had died in prison and that another temple leader might soon arrive.

• Chen Sanshi marched from Meishan Prefecture toward Luotian Pass as Zhong Wuxin ordered the Western Qi Kingdom army to retreat after learning Dong An had killed himself over Liang Jinian’s defeat and the loss of the Heavenly Book.
• Lü Ji pursued Zhong Wuxin’s retreating army, while Cao Fan admitted that Chen Sanshi’s achievements had surpassed those of every other young commander.
• Chen Sanshi joined the Capital Army, helped secure Luotian Pass, and found Yu Song’s corpse, ordering his men to recover and bury their fallen comrades.
• Emperor Longqing and the court learned that Chen Sanshi had won the Mingzhou campaign through the Four Crossings of Hongze River and ordered his achievements recorded before planning to summon him to the capital.
• After Mingzhou was pacified and the army returned to Liangzhou, Chen Sanshi adopted the orphan Chen Yunxi, reunited with Sun Li and Sun Buqi, and met his newborn son and Gu Xinlan.
• Chen Sanshi learned from Commander Li that the two Ciyun Temple Taoists had died by suicide in prison and that a temple martial uncle was expected to return and take over.

Chen Sanshi stole Ciyun Temple’s incense offerings and burner, then learned about the Incense God Cult’s activities in Liangzhou and the capital while seeking ways to grow stronger and clear Yu Song’s name. The cult’s agents recovered the burner from Cao Fan’s residence without confronting him, leaving Chen Sanshi determined to advance his cultivation and pursue justice himself.

• Chen Sanshi discovered that his mystic pearl could absorb the incense offerings from Ciyun Temple’s burner, took the burner, and used it to make a large supply of Spirit Grain Ointment before hiding it in Cao Fan’s pond.
• The court promoted Chen Sanshi to third-rank General Huaiyuan and assistant commander, but refused to honor Yu Song because he had defied orders; Chen Sanshi gave Eunuch Hou the Heavenly Book and later visited Yu Song’s grieving family.
• Chen Sanshi obtained rare force-storing black iron from Ningxiang in exchange for searching for Intermittent Grass, and Ningxiang warned him that the Incense God Cult had a branch in Liangzhou and was sending incense offerings to the capital.
• Chen Sanshi watched Cao Fan’s residence and saw two Incense God Cult Daoists retrieve the burner, discover its offerings were gone, and leave without confronting Cao Fan.
• Chen Sanshi resolved to break through to great accomplishment in Force Transformation while continuing to cultivate the Sword Qi Technique and seeking a way to avenge Yu Song.

Chen Sanshi mastered True Dragon Force, began learning Strength-Tempered Medicine, and advanced his sword spell while preparing to enter the Meridian Opening Realm. As war spread east and the capital’s affairs grew urgent, he discovered Incense God Cult members and two suspicious Daoists were watching him, while Cao Fan abandoned his efforts to compete with him and planned to return to the capital.

• Chen Sanshi broke through to major mastery of Force Refinement, awakening True Dragon Force, and began cultivating toward the Meridian Opening Realm while practicing the Sword Qi Technique with incense power.
• Chen Yunxi told Chen Sanshi that a young teacher at the Governor’s Mansion had asked what she wanted to do when she grew up, and she had said she wanted to help her father.
• Chen Sanshi learned Strength-Tempered Medicine from Commander Jiang, quickly reached the standard of a second-rate alchemist, and brewed medicine to strengthen Zhao Kang and his other subordinates.
• After hearing that Eastern Qing Country had gone to war with Great Sheng, Chen Sanshi learned Cao Fan had collapsed upon hearing that Chen had reached at least minor mastery of Force-Transformation and decided to return to the capital.
• Chen Sanshi inspected Ciyun Temple with Commander Li, recognized Yunxiaozi and another Daoist as members of the Incense God Cult, and noticed two disguised young Daoists observing him.
• Chen Sanshi committed the Meridian Opening technique to memory and advanced the Sword Qi Technique to proficiency, gaining the ability to sever force and break gang.