Chapter Summaries

After the battle at Heaven Pillar Peak reshaped Cangfeng City’s power balance, the Lin Family seized control of two vacant Demon Slaying Headquarters posts before Jiang Qinghe and Chen Lingxue returned. Lin Ye offered them lesser positions at the Prison Headquarters, and Jiang Qinghe remained largely unmoved by the disguised demotion.

• More than two months after the Heaven Pillar Peak battle, Cangfeng City’s upper circles spread rumors about the losses and speculated over what had happened.
• The deaths of over seventy Innate Martial Venerables left major posts vacant, prompting the city’s families to compete for influence and appointments.
• The Lin Family installed Lin Chongshan as Grand Commander and Lin Yuewan as Vice Grand Commander of the Northern District Demon Slaying Headquarters.
• Jiang Qinghe and Chen Lingxue returned to Cangfeng City two days after the appointments were issued.
• Lin Ye declined to restore their old posts and offered them Grand Commander and Vice Grand Commander positions at the Northern District Prison Headquarters instead.
• Jiang Qinghe heard of the proposed transfer the next morning and felt only slight anger, regarding official rank as little more than an ornament.

Jiang Qinghe explored the Chen Family treasury and selected three Earth Tier Top Grade martial skills suited to different Artistic Conceptions. He thanked Chen Shouyi for opening the treasury to him and promised to return the manuals after reading them.

• Jiang Qinghe reflected on the Lin Family's actions and resolved to focus on quietly building his strength.
• Jiang Qinghe passed over the treasury's pills and Spirit Materials and examined the martial skills and records on the third floor.
• Jiang Qinghe chose Flowing Wind Returning Snow, Purple Lightning Green Frost, and Mysterious Yellow Body Cover Art, each requiring a corresponding Artistic Conception at the utmost limit of its first step.
• Chen Shouyi approached Jiang Qinghe and asked whether the three manuals met his standards.
• Jiang Qinghe praised the Chen Family treasury, put away the manuals, and promised to return them intact after reading them.

Chen Shouyi gave Jiang Qinghe two top-grade treasures, Void Cutter and Thousand-Forged Dragon Tendon Chainmail, in return for the spirit milk that was healing the Chen Family ancestor. With the ancestor nearing recovery, Jiang Qinghe agreed to Chen Shouyi’s plan to recommend him for a vacant Supervision Department Lieutenant post.

• Chen Shouyi led Jiang Qinghe into a secret chamber and showed him the Chen Family’s reserved treasures.
• Jiang Qinghe tested Void Cutter and found it exceptionally sharp and compatible with his mysterious light.
• Jiang Qinghe put on the Thousand-Forged Dragon Tendon Chainmail, which offered strong protection with little loss of power or restriction of movement.
• Jiang Qinghe thanked Chen Shouyi and learned that the spirit milk was gradually healing the Chen Family ancestor’s injuries.
• Chen Shouyi proposed recommending Jiang Qinghe for the vacant Supervision Department Lieutenant post and said Ling Xue would first serve in the East District’s Demon Slaying Division.
• Jiang Qinghe accepted Chen Shouyi’s arrangements, and Chen Shouyi said he would handle the recommendation.

After losses among the Xiao and Chen Families left key Cangfeng City posts vacant, both families recommended candidates for an Inner City Supervision Department Lieutenant position. Head of Department Weng Yi noticed that Jiang Qinghe’s claimed cultivation rank contradicted official records and ordered personal tests of him and Xiao Yizhan.

• The Zheng and Lin Families expanded their influence as the Xiao and Chen Families struggled to fill vacancies left by losses at Heaven Pillar Peak.
• The Xiao Family recommended Xiao Yizhan, an Innate Ninth Rank elder, to become a Department Lieutenant.
• The Chen Family recommended Jiang Qinghe as an Innate Ninth Rank candidate, though Supervision Department records listed him at Innate Fifth Rank.
• Weng Yi considered whether Jiang Qinghe had advanced rapidly or concealed his cultivation, and decided to test both candidates personally.
• Weng Yi ordered Zhou Liangru to summon Xiao Yizhan and Jiang Qinghe to the Supervision Department the next morning so he could compare their suitability.

Jiang Qinghe cultivated through the early morning, then accompanied Chen Shouyi to the Supervision Department. After arriving, he resisted the Martial Path True Intent carved into its gate stele as Chen Shouyi explained its power and recalled his own years serving there.

• Jiang Qinghe practiced several newly acquired martial skills and inspected his cultivation panel after finishing his morning cultivation.
• Chen Shouyi met Jiang Qinghe after breakfast, and they rode together by carriage to the Supervision Department.
• Jiang Qinghe noticed the sealed, windowless Lingyun Tower near the City Lord's Mansion and wondered what it contained.
• Jiang Qinghe felt the Supervision Department's gate inscription attack his mind with the City Lord's Martial Path True Intent, but resisted it with his Frost Soul Ice Heart Art.
• Chen Shouyi led Jiang Qinghe into the compound and told him he had once served there as a Department Lieutenant.

Jiang Qinghe accompanied Chen Shouyi into the Supervision Department’s Hall of Justice for the Head of Department’s unusual personal assessment of his appointment as Department Lieutenant. His Innate Ninth Rank cultivation at twenty-one shocked the gathered officials, and he recognized both hostile former subordinate Zhang Qizhi and the department’s powerful clan-backed lieutenants.

• Chen Shouyi told Jiang Qinghe how the Supervision Department had changed from a small, battle-hardened force into a document-heavy office.
• Chen Shouyi brought Jiang Qinghe through the department’s inner courtyard to the Hall of Justice, where nearly a hundred officials had gathered for his assessment by Weng Yi.
• Jiang Qinghe entered with his Innate Ninth Rank aura visible, and the officials were astonished that he had reached that level at twenty-one.
• Jiang Qinghe surveyed the Department Lieutenants and Department Executives, noting their ranks and the Four Great Clans’ influence.
• Jiang Qinghe spotted Zhang Qizhi, who avoided his gaze and showed signs of panic after his efforts to retain his post following Xiao Yonghao’s death.

As the Chen and Xiao families’ feud threatened to engulf the Supervision Department, Jiang Qinghe assessed Xiao Yichuan’s formidable strength and reflected on the limits of his own recent rise. The chapter left him awaiting the contest for Department Lieutenant, confident he could escape Xiao Yichuan but aware of how much further he had to advance.

• Zhang Qizhi feared that Jiang Qinghe would settle old scores if the Chen Family gained power in the Supervision Department, and he hoped Xiao Yizhan would win the Department Lieutenant position.
• Xiao Yichuan confronted Chen Shouyi and Jiang Qinghe with undisguised killing intent over the Xiao Family’s losses at East Mountain.
• Jiang Qinghe judged Xiao Yichuan to be far stronger and more experienced than Big Beard and concluded he would struggle to defeat him in a direct fight.
• Jiang Qinghe considered how the great families’ later generations had weaker cultivation than their founding ancestors and wondered what opportunity he would need to reach the Primordial Sea Realm.
• The hall fell silent as the contest for Department Lieutenant was about to begin.

Weng Yi personally presided over the Department Lieutenant assessment and tested Jiang Qinghe and Xiao Yizhan’s character by asking whether they would pursue a case that could threaten the city’s defenses. Jiang Qinghe’s insistence on upholding the law won Weng Yi’s approval, leaving him ahead after the first test.

• Weng Yi arrived at the Hall of Justice with three Department Inspectors and announced that he would personally assess Jiang Qinghe and Xiao Yizhan for the Department Lieutenant post.
• Weng Yi asked whether the candidates would pursue a case whose investigation could destabilize the city’s defenses.
• Xiao Yizhan argued that such an investigation should be suspended temporarily to protect the city’s people and defenses.
• Jiang Qinghe declared that the Supervision Department must pursue justice despite the risks and rebuked Xiao Yizhan for compromising with wrongdoing.
• Weng Yi praised Xiao Yizhan’s prudence but said he lacked the Supervision Department’s upright spirit, giving Jiang Qinghe the clear advantage in the character assessment.

At a Department Lieutenant selection in Cangfeng City, Jiang Qinghe impressed Weng Yi by proposing to reinforce a threatened wall section alone rather than risk weakening his own defenses. After challenging Xiao Yizhan’s claims that he lacked experience, Jiang Qinghe provoked him into demanding a fight to decide who would get the post.

• Weng Yi asked Jiang Qinghe and Xiao Yizhan how they would respond to a threatened city wall section, and Xiao Yizhan proposed sending fifty Martial Venerables as reinforcements.
• Jiang Qinghe said he would go alone, arguing that this would preserve his own hundred defenders while letting him try to save the adjacent section himself.
• Weng Yi praised Jiang Qinghe’s judgment and courage, making Xiao Yizhan feel humiliated.
• Xiao Yizhan questioned Jiang Qinghe’s youth and experience, but Jiang Qinghe argued that his battles and strength qualified him to supervise lawbreakers.
• Xiao Yizhan unleashed his peak Innate Ninth Rank aura and challenged Jiang Qinghe to fight for the Department Lieutenant post, while Jiang Qinghe smiled, satisfied that his provocation had worked.

Jiang Qinghe challenged Xiao Yizhan to a life-and-death duel over the Department Lieutenant position, declaring that the Chen Family would not yield. As the Hall of Justice watched, Xiao Yizhan was left with little room to refuse, while Chen Shouyi realized Jiang Qinghe had deliberately trapped him.

• Jiang Qinghe drew Jinghong and declared that his fight with Xiao Yizhan would decide between life and death.
• Jiang Qinghe challenged Xiao Yizhan to accept a duel for the Department Lieutenant position, drawing alarmed reactions from the officials in the hall.
• Xiao Yichuan worried that Xiao Yizhan's death would further weaken the Xiao Family, but believed he could intervene if necessary.
• Chen Shouyi realized Jiang Qinghe had provoked Xiao Yizhan into a public challenge and believed Jiang Qinghe could kill him despite his apparent cultivation level.

Jiang Qinghe forced Xiao Yizhan to choose between accepting a life-or-death duel and losing face, and Xiao accepted. Weng Yi authorized the fight in the Hall of Justice, leaving the two men to battle until one died or both agreed to stop.

• Jiang Qinghe challenged Xiao Yizhan to settle their dispute in a life-or-death battle, and Xiao accepted rather than risk damaging his reputation.
• Jiang Qinghe asked Weng Yi to authorize the duel in the Hall of Justice.
• Weng Yi agreed to oversee the battle and ruled that the victor would take the position while the families could not retaliate over the outcome.
• Weng Yi declared that the fight would continue until one side died or both agreed to end it, then ordered the duel to begin.

Xiao Yizhan and Jiang Qinghe faced off in the Hall of Justice, each concealing their full power and preparing to fight. Xiao Yizhan attacked first, but Jiang Qinghe intercepted his spear strike with a precise saber move, leaving the two evenly matched and the spectators astonished by Jiang Qinghe’s mastery of Artistic Conceptions.

• Xiao Yizhan summoned his Pear Blossom Rain Spear and gathered three pinnacle Artistic Conceptions around it.
• Jiang Qinghe concealed his Profound Light Seed, replenished his true qi, and took his stance opposite Xiao Yizhan.
• Xiao Yizhan decided Jiang Qinghe could not be allowed to live and launched a killing spear technique at him.
• Jiang Qinghe used the Void Speed Star Mark—Shadow Intercepting Style to strike the true spear tip among its illusions.
• The collision sent both men several meters back, and the spectators recognized Jiang Qinghe’s three Artistic Conceptions, two of which had neared the Second Step.

Jiang Qinghe and Xiao Yizhan fought a fierce life-and-death battle, with Xiao Yizhan’s decades of skill pushing Jiang Qinghe onto the defensive. The chapter ended as Xiao Yizhan unleashed Three Origins Returning Flow at Jiang Qinghe’s exposed centerline, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Jiang Qinghe and Xiao Yizhan each recognized the other’s strength after their opening clash, though neither gained a clear advantage.
• Xiao Yizhan unleashed his Pear Blossom Rain Spear, while Jiang Qinghe used the Startled Swan Blade to deflect the relentless attacks.
• As the battle dragged on, Xiao Yizhan spotted a brief delay in Jiang Qinghe’s returning blade and chose to risk overexerting himself.
• Xiao Yizhan used Three Origins Returning Flow to make his three artistic conceptions resonate, terrifying the spectators with the attack’s power.
• Xiao Yizhan drove his spear toward Jiang Qinghe’s exposed centerline as the onlookers feared he would be fatally struck.

Jiang Qinghe revealed that his Xun Wind artistic conception had reached Artistic Conception Fusion and killed Xiao Yizhan with the forbidden technique Absolute Mark. The battle ended with Weng Yi having blocked Xiao Yichuan’s attempt to intervene, while Jiang Qinghe kept other trump cards concealed.

• As Jiang Qinghe’s blade was about to reach him, Xiao Yizhan prepared to celebrate, but Jiang Qinghe unleashed a cyan strike at a speed beyond perception.
• Xiao Yichuan recognized Jiang Qinghe’s Artistic Conception Fusion and tried to intercept the blade with Profound Light, but Weng Yi’s purple-white lightning erased his attack.
• Jiang Qinghe’s Absolute Mark erased Xiao Yizhan’s three-colored spear radiance, pierced his defenses, and destroyed his heart.
• Xiao Yizhan fell dead in the Hall of Justice as Jiang Qinghe lowered his blade.
• Jiang Qinghe reflected that he had concealed his full strength to limit what others could learn and preserve his options against the Xiao Family.

Jiang Qinghe won the Supervision Department lieutenant position after defeating Xiao Yizhan, earning Weng Yi’s approval and congratulations from the gathered officials. News of the battle spread across Cangfeng City, where the major factions began assessing Jiang Qinghe and the worsening Chen–Xiao conflict.

• Pei Chenye praised Jiang Qinghe’s steadiness and skill, and Weng Yi confirmed him as the Supervision Department’s new department lieutenant.
• Jiang Qinghe accepted the appointment, and Weng Yi assigned Zhou Liangru to handle the office procedures.
• Chen Shouyi and other officials congratulated Jiang Qinghe, while Zhang Qizhi hid in the crowd, fearing Jiang Qinghe would retaliate against him.
• Xiao Yichuan left the Hall of Justice in disgrace with Xiao Yizhan’s corpse after vowing to remember Jiang Qinghe.
• Reports of Jiang Qinghe’s victory and Xiao Yizhan’s death spread to the Four Great Clans and other factions, prompting them to investigate or seek ties with him.

After becoming a Department Lieutenant, Jiang Qinghe visited the Demon Slaying Headquarters and interrupted its quarterly meeting, where his presence forced Lin Chongshan to reverse a planned resource cut to Guangming Ward. He caught up with Yi Mingrui and Zhou Yi, warned that he would face the Xiao Family if they came after him, and left them with mysterious porcelain bottles.

• Jiang Qinghe arrived at the Demon Slaying Headquarters during its quarterly meeting, and the officials were stunned to see him in his Supervision Department robes.
• Jiang Qinghe questioned Lin Chongshan about cutting Guangming Ward's resources, and Lin Chongshan restored the allocation and promised an increase.
• Jiang Qinghe sat with Yi Mingrui and Zhou Yi after the meeting, reassured Yi Mingrui that their bond was not defined by rank, and said he would face the Xiao Family without fear.
• Jiang Qinghe encouraged Zhou Yi to work hard in the Outer City and told both men to seek him out if they encountered difficulties.
• Jiang Qinghe departed, and Yi Mingrui and Zhou Yi discovered that each had a jade porcelain bottle in his arms.

The Xiao Family’s attempt to kill Chen Guantong failed when he repelled Xiao Helin’s raid, leaving the Xiao Family humiliated and Cangfeng City’s power balance in doubt. Meanwhile, Jiang Qinghe completed his Department Lieutenant procedures and used his accumulated Potential Points to begin advancing his Frost Soul Ice Heart Art.

• Xiao Helin infiltrated Chen Manor’s forbidden grounds and clashed with Chen Guantong, but failed to injure him and fled.
• News of Chen Guantong’s apparent health spread through Cangfeng City, deepening the Xiao Family’s shock over its failed attack and earlier losses.
• Jiang Qinghe completed the procedures to take office as a Department Lieutenant under Zhou Liangru’s arrangements.
• Jiang Qinghe reviewed his cultivation progress after three months of training with Earth Vein Spirit Liquid and recognized that he had enough accumulation to advance his technique.
• Jiang Qinghe poured his Potential Points into the Frost Soul Ice Heart Art to begin its breakthrough.

Jiang Qinghe used Potential Points to break through into the Profound Light Second Realm, causing his Frost Soul Profound Light Seed to take root and form a new circulatory system. He assessed his new strength and the threats facing Cangfeng City before deciding to stabilize his realm and keep cultivating.

• Jiang Qinghe's Frost Soul Profound Light Seed sprouted, connecting to his life source and meridians and greatly improving the circulation and purity of his Profound Light.
• Jiang Qinghe's breakthrough sharpened his Spiritual Sense and let him form a crystalline Profound Light Ice Armor alongside his other protective arts.
• Jiang Qinghe checked his updated cultivation panel and noted that his lifespan had risen to 177 years and his Potential Points limits had increased.
• Jiang Qinghe judged that he could defeat Profound Light First Realm elders and challenge several peak Second Realm clan heads, while the Escaping Immortal Shuttle's teleportation range had grown to six thousand meters.
• Jiang Qinghe considered Xiao Helin's likely return and the uncertain positions of the Lin and Zheng Families, then left the Quiet Room to stabilize his realm and accumulate strength.

Jiang Qinghe welcomed Chen Lingxue to his office, where they shared tea and pastries and discussed their work and the Xiao Family. Chen Lingxue then invited him to inspect the newly completed residence built for him.

• Jiang Qinghe finished reviewing a Garrison Defense Division weapons-rotation dossier and invited Chen Lingxue into his office.
• Chen Lingxue congratulated Jiang Qinghe on his promotion and brought pastries to celebrate his new position.
• Jiang Qinghe brewed Chen Lingxue her favorite tea, and they discussed the Demon Slaying Division and Chen Lingfeng's wish to learn from him.
• Chen Lingxue reported that the Xiao Family had stayed quiet after its losses, though her grandfather continued to monitor them.
• Chen Lingxue told Jiang Qinghe that his residence was complete and invited him to see it.

Chen Lingxue showed Jiang Qinghe the newly completed Jiang Manor, which she had arranged with great care and tailored to his preferences and Jiang Ziyue’s. The story left Jiang Qinghe receiving congratulations and gifts from the Chen, Lin, and Zheng Families and other powers for his new home and promotion to Department Lieutenant.

• Chen Lingxue led Jiang Qinghe to the grand new Jiang Manor, which was far larger than he had expected.
• Chen Lingxue showed Jiang Qinghe the manor’s courtyards, buildings, training ground, and cultivation Quiet Room, explaining how she had adapted the design to his old residence.
• Chen Lingxue showed Jiang Qinghe a side building prepared for Jiang Ziyue, and Jiang Qinghe told her he was more than satisfied with the manor.
• Chen Shouyi, Lin Jiyao, Zheng Wanyun, Zhou Liangru, and other guests gathered outside to congratulate Jiang Qinghe on his promotion and new residence.
• The guests presented a wide variety of gifts, which the Guards carried into Jiang Manor.