Chapter Summaries

After two months of focused cultivation, Jiang Qinghe used 400 Potential Points to break through to the Golden Body Realm. He resolved to keep tempering his foundation before pursuing the Innate Realm.

• Jiang Qinghe spent two months cultivating, advancing his martial skills and reaching 999/1000 in Earth Splitting Three Transformations.
• Jiang Qinghe invested all 400 Potential Points into the Marrow Cleansing Guidance Chapter and broke through its bottleneck.
• Jiang Qinghe reached the Marrow Cleansing Golden Body Realm, gaining 250,000 jin of strength and recovering the lifespan he had previously burned.
• Jiang Qinghe considered the Golden Body Realm's role in preparing for the Innate Realm and vowed to temper his foundation further.

After reaching the Golden Body, Jiang Qinghe perfected Earth Splitting Three Transformations and comprehended the Earthen Intent Artistic Conception. He realized it gave him power comparable to a newly entered Innate Martial Venerable, though he still had much to learn before reaching the realm’s true heights.

• Jiang Qinghe practiced Earth Splitting Three Transformations until its progress reached perfection and awakened the Earthen Intent Artistic Conception.
• Jiang Qinghe tested his new power with a hand-blade, carving a deep slash into the ground using an invisible Energy Blast.
• Jiang Qinghe recognized that artistic conception let him invoke Heaven and Earth’s power and use techniques with the reach and force of Innate attacks.
• Jiang Qinghe compared his abilities with Innate Martial Venerables and concluded he could contend with those who had opened one meridian, but remained far below seasoned experts such as Chen Lingxue.

Xiao Haoze decided to have Jiang Qinghe eliminated after Jiang repeatedly refused his attempts to recruit him and drew Chen Lingxue’s attention. Unaware of the plot, Jiang Qinghe continued cultivating and concluded that he needed to find another way to obtain Purple Crystal Stones to advance toward the Innate Realm.

• Xiao Haoze resented Jiang Qinghe’s rejections and decided to destroy him before he could become a threat.
• Xiao Haoze instructed a middle-aged subordinate to set events in motion while concealing his own involvement.
• Jiang Qinghe considered the danger posed by his conflicts with Xiao Mengrong and Xiao Haoze, and resolved to rely on his own strength.
• Jiang Qinghe studied the Nine Revolutions True Understanding, a cultivation method he had found in Yin Hong’s residence.
• Jiang Qinghe realized that he lacked enough Purple Crystal Stones to reach the Innate Realm and decided to seek another way to obtain them.

Shi Hongyu escaped the Prison Department after secretly preserving his Cultivation Level, killing more than a dozen guards and exposing the department’s corruption. Commander Lin Hanfei blamed his staff and suspected Liu Feng had helped enable the escape, but prioritized recapturing Shi Hongyu and suppressing the scandal.

• Shi Hongyu broke out of the Prison Department and killed more than a dozen guards as he fled.
• Lin Hanfei erupted at his subordinates over the massacre and the humiliation it brought to the Prison Department.
• Lin Hanfei realized Shi Hongyu had concealed his Cultivation Level for four years and was now powerful enough to defeat the department’s guards.
• The chapter revealed that Liu Feng had accepted bribes and neglected security around Shi Hongyu’s cell, possibly tampering with its lock.
• Lin Hanfei suspected Liu Feng was involved but set aside a full reckoning to focus on capturing Shi Hongyu and containing the incident.

After Shi Hongyu escaped from prison, Lin Hanfei called on the Demon Slaying Division to pursue him, and Yi Mingrui assigned Jiang Qinghe to lead the hunt. Shi Hongyu learned who was coming after him and dismissed Jiang Qinghe as a threat, despite having secretly cultivated to the limit of the Golden Body Realm.

• Lin Hanfei ordered an urgent dispatch asking the Demon Slaying Division to take the lead in capturing Shi Hongyu.
• After refining a Crimson Gold Pill, Jiang Qinghe was summoned by Yi Mingrui and learned that Shi Hongyu had escaped.
• Yi Mingrui explained that he had captured Shi Hongyu four years earlier and tasked Jiang Qinghe with bringing him in.
• Jiang Qinghe reviewed Shi Hongyu's records and organized experienced members into reconnaissance and operation groups.
• Shi Hongyu learned that Jiang Qinghe would lead the pursuit and mocked his reputation as a Flawless Realm cultivator who had killed across realms.
• Shi Hongyu revealed that he had secretly advanced to the limit of the Golden Body Realm and begun drawing in spiritual qi.

Shi Hongyu planned to ambush Jiang Qinghe after learning the new Deputy Commander was hunting him. Meanwhile, Jiang Qinghe traced evidence of corruption and suspicious dealings linked to Liu Feng, Hundred Refinements Hall, and possibly Xiao Haoze, then received a new clue about the hall buying supplies to replenish qi and blood.

• Shi Hongyu learned that Jiang Qinghe had spent merit points on pills and vowed to kill him and take his wealth.
• Shi Hongyu ordered his informant to watch the Guangming Ward Demon Slaying Division and report Jiang Qinghe’s departure and route.
• Jiang Qinghe investigated Liu Feng and uncovered evidence of suspected bribery and a secret meeting with a guard from Hundred Refinements Hall.
• Jiang Qinghe traced Hundred Refinements Hall’s dealings to connections with Vice Grand Commander Xiao Haoze, but lacked evidence to act against him.
• Zhou Yi reported that a Hundred Refinements Hall clerk had bought extra qi-and-blood-restoring pills and medicinal ingredients, sharpening Jiang Qinghe’s suspicions.

Jiang Qinghe led a secret operation to capture Shi Hongyu, but discovered Shi had been tipped off and was waiting to ambush him. After their fight, Shi fled through Guangming Ward, with Jiang Qinghe pursuing him closely.

• Jiang Qinghe ordered the Demon Slaying Division team to assemble and stealthily surround Hundred Refinements Hall.
• Jiang Qinghe sensed a hidden assassin, suspected a high-ranking mole, and confronted Shi Hongyu as he burst from Chen's Cloth Shop.
• Shi Hongyu attacked with overwhelming strength, but Jiang Qinghe evaded his blows and countered with his refined saber technique.
• Shi Hongyu realized Jiang Qinghe was stalling for reinforcements, feinted, and fled down the street.
• Jiang Qinghe pursued Shi Hongyu through the streets, alleys, and rooftops of Guangming Ward, keeping pace despite Shi's attempts to escape.

Jiang Qinghe killed Shi Hongyu after revealing his Innate strength, then discovered that Shi Hongyu had been carrying three Purple Crystal Stones. He left the cleanup and seizure of Hundred Refinements Hall to Zhou Yi and returned to the Demon Slaying Division.

• Jiang Qinghe ambushed Shi Hongyu in a deserted place after unleashing his suppressed strength.
• Jiang Qinghe used an invisible Energy Blast to cut Shi Hongyu's throat, revealing that he was an Innate expert.
• Jiang Qinghe killed Shi Hongyu and searched his body for the unusual qi he had sensed.
• Jiang Qinghe found three Purple Crystal Stones in a hidden pocket, one partly depleted and two apparently unused.
• Jiang Qinghe ordered Zhou Yi to secure the scene, search for accomplices and clues, and take control of Hundred Refinements Hall before returning to the Demon Slaying Division.

Jiang Qinghe exposed Prison Inspector Liu Feng’s role in arranging Shi Hongyu’s prison break and had him arrested. Liu Feng and Lei Biao were convicted and imprisoned, while the masked mastermind’s identity remained unknown.

• Jiang Qinghe learned from Lei Biao and his followers that a masked man had recruited Hundred Refinements Hall to help Shi Hongyu escape, revealing that another high-ranking mole might remain in the Demon Slaying Division.
• Jiang Qinghe presented the evidence against Liu Feng to Yi Mingrui, received approval for the arrest, and went with Zhou Yi and other City Guards to the Prison Department.
• Liu Feng denied involvement until Dai Xuerei accused him of arranging access to Shi Hongyu’s cell and presented a ledger recording Liu Feng’s bribes.
• Jiang Qinghe arrested Liu Feng, who later confessed to taking bribes from Hundred Refinements Hall and enabling Shi Hongyu’s escape, but could not identify the masked man’s backer.
• Liu Feng and Lei Biao had their cultivation abolished and were imprisoned, while Hundred Refinements Hall was shut down and its assets confiscated.

Jiang Qinghe suspected Vice Grand Commander Xiao Haoze had orchestrated the plot against him and reported his findings to Grand Commander Chen Lingxue. Chen confronted Xiao and warned him that she would personally come for him if anything happened to Jiang Qinghe, while Xiao decided to postpone targeting Jiang.

• Jiang Qinghe reviewed Shi Hongyu’s escape and ambush, concluding that Xiao Haoze was likely behind the scheme and the obstruction of his investigation.
• Jiang Qinghe sent Chen Lingxue a confidential report detailing the suspicious evidence and its possible connection to Xiao Haoze.
• Chen Lingxue stormed into Xiao Haoze’s office and smashed his desk when he challenged her authority.
• Chen Lingxue warned Xiao that she would personally interrogate him if anything happened to Jiang Qinghe, then left.
• Xiao Haoze seethed at Chen’s threat but decided to let Jiang Qinghe live for now while he focused on the Xiao Family’s plan against the Chen Family.

Jiang Qinghe spent two months strengthening his body and opening the Qi Sea Meridian, bringing himself close to the Innate Realm. By using Potential Points to complete Snow Treading Without Trace, he comprehended the Gale Wind Artistic Conception and began to perceive the wind as living veins of the world.

• Jiang Qinghe repeatedly drew spiritual qi from a Purple Crystal Stone to open the Qi Sea Meridian, advancing the pathway nearly seventy to eighty percent over two months.
• Jiang Qinghe refined all his Crimson Gold Pills and reached the Golden Body pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, with physical strength estimated at three hundred thousand jin.
• Jiang Qinghe used three Potential Points to advance Snow Treading Without Trace to completion.
• Jiang Qinghe entered a state of profound perception and glimpsed the vast network of wind threads connecting heaven and earth.
• Jiang Qinghe walked into the courtyard and perceived the breeze as living veins, comprehending the rhythm of the Gale Wind Artistic Conception.

Jiang Qinghe tested the breakthroughs in his martial skills, discovered the formidable defense of Primordial Chaos Armor, and opened his Qi Sea Meridian to enter the Innate Realm. He assessed his new strength against the Demon Slaying Division’s other martial experts and resolved to keep cultivating.

• Jiang Qinghe used Breath Concealment Technique to hide his presence and tested Primordial Chaos Armor, which resisted attacks formed from two fused artistic conceptions.
• Jiang Qinghe found that his improved defense and precise control let him strike his Qi Sea acupoint more than a hundred times each day.
• After ten days, Jiang Qinghe opened the Qi Sea Meridian, formed Innate True Qi, and reached the Innate First Rank.
• Jiang Qinghe’s panel showed that his lifespan had risen to 95 years and his daily potential-point limit had increased.
• Jiang Qinghe judged that he could defeat Innate First Ranks such as Yi Mingrui, Lian Shuheng, and Zhang Mingyu, but would only be confident of escaping Xiao Haoze.
• Jiang Qinghe left his courtyard at dawn, determined to continue cultivating.

Miners Li Shuanzi and Zhao Sanggu discovered a mysterious Purple Crystal Stone in the White Jade Stone Mine, then accidentally unleashed a gigantic monster from behind the rock wall. The creature slaughtered the miners before retreating into Mine Tunnel No. 3, while Zhao Sanggu fled after betraying Li Shuanzi.

• Li Shuanzi found a warm, purple crystal while digging, and Zhao Sanggu recognized it as a valuable treasure they could hide and sell.
• Zhao Sanggu secretly pocketed the Purple Crystal Stone, and he and Li Shuanzi resumed digging at the rock wall.
• An explosion shattered the wall, revealing a massive black monster, and Zhao Sanggu shoved Li Shuanzi toward it before fleeing.
• The monster killed Li Shuanzi and slaughtered the miners throughout the White Jade Stone mining area.
• After clearing the area of living people, the monster returned to Mine Tunnel No. 3.

After an Earth Dragon attacked the White Jade Stone mining area near Lin'an County, Jiang Qinghe joined a force of elite fighters assembled to hunt it down. As they rode north, hidden watchers observed the group, and Jiang Qinghe briefly sensed their gaze without identifying them.

• Yi Mingrui told Jiang Qinghe that an Earth Dragon had killed miners at the White Jade Stone mining area but had not entered Lin'an County.
• Chen Lingxue and Xiao Haoze arranged a joint expedition led by Zhang Mingyu, Zou Lihui, and Qiu Tianhao, with Jiang Qinghe and other fighters accompanying them.
• Jiang Qinghe concealed his true Innate cultivation and joined the force as they assembled outside the Grand Commander's gates.
• The expedition rode north toward Lin'an County after Jiang Qinghe learned that Wanping Martial Academy and Yongxing Escort Agency had suffered no casualties.
• Hidden watchers tracked the riders from a thicket, and Jiang Qinghe faintly sensed their presence before the feeling vanished.

Jiang Qinghe returned to Lin'an County with Zhang Mingyu and the Demon Slaying Division, drawing attention as he led the party through familiar streets to the Magistrate's Manor. There, Zhang Mingyu began questioning Magistrate Zhang Degang about the Spirit Monster earth dragon.

• Jiang Qinghe and the others reached Lin'an County near sunset, and the gate guards let the imposing party enter.
• Zhang Mingyu ordered Jiang Qinghe to lead the group to the Magistrate's Manor because he knew the county.
• Zhang Degang recognized Jiang Qinghe as the newly appointed Deputy Commander and regretted not having invested in him earlier.
• Zhang Degang welcomed the group and escorted them into the Magistrate's Manor, where they gathered in the Main Hall.
• Zhang Mingyu asked Zhang Degang whether the Spirit Monster earth dragon had moved again or remained in the mining area.

Zhao Sanggu’s concealed Purple Crystal Stone was discovered during an investigation into the Earth Dragon attack, raising the possibility of an undiscovered mine in Lin'an County. Zhang Mingyu postponed the hunt until dawn, while Jiang Qinghe left the Magistrate’s Manor after the others went to a banquet.

• Zhang Degang reported that the Earth Dragon had remained in Mine Tunnel No. 3 and brought the sole survivor, Zhao Sanggu, before Zhang Mingyu.
• Zhao Sanggu described the Earth Dragon’s attack but denied seeing anything else, despite hiding a Purple Crystal Stone in his trouser leg.
• Zhang Mingyu struck Zhao Sanggu with an Energy Blast, and bailiffs found the Purple Crystal Stone when they searched him.
• Zhang Mingyu suspected that the Earth Dragon’s lair might connect to a valuable Purple Crystal Stone Mine and decided to investigate after the hunt.
• Zhang Mingyu ordered the group to hunt the Earth Dragon at dawn and told Zhang Degang to guard the mining area overnight.
• Jiang Qinghe declined Zhang Degang’s banquet invitation and left the Magistrate’s Manor.

Jiang Qinghe returned to Wanping Martial Academy and reunited with Ping Jiuxiao, Zhao Guangyi, and Gong Jie. Over dinner, they discussed the earth dragon at the White Jade Stone Mine, and Jiang Qinghe said the team would set out early the next morning to eliminate it.

• Jiang Qinghe arrived at Wanping Martial Academy, where Xiao Hei and Zhao Guangyi welcomed him back.
• Ping Jiuxiao greeted Jiang Qinghe warmly, and Jiang Qinghe congratulated Zhao Guangyi on reaching the Organ Refinement Realm.
• Gong Jie arrived, and he and Jiang Qinghe exchanged friendly punches before joining the others for a welcome feast.
• Zhao Guangyi and Gong Jie described the earth dragon's rampage at the White Jade Stone Mine and its retreat into Mine Tunnel No. 3.
• Jiang Qinghe told Ping Jiuxiao that the three Commanders and more than twenty elite fighters would set out early the next morning to lure out and suppress the earth dragon.

The Demon Slaying Division and the yamen forces lured an Earth Dragon from Mine Tunnel No. 3 and struggled to overcome its strength and agility. After arrows wounded and enraged it, the Earth Dragon spewed corrosive venom and charged toward the Great Martial Masters.

• Zhang Mingyu led the Demon Slaying Division into the mining grounds and provoked the Earth Dragon with Qi-infused stones.
• The Earth Dragon burst from underground, and Zhang Mingyu, Zou Lihui, and Qiu Tianhao attacked it together.
• Jiang Qinghe observed that the Earth Dragon's strength and instincts kept the three Innate Martial Venerables from gaining the upper hand.
• Zhang Mingyu ordered the Marrow Cleansing Great Martial Masters to fire Demon Slaying Arrows, but the Earth Dragon evaded most of them and its scales stopped most hits.
• Two arrows pierced gaps in the Earth Dragon's scales, enraging it; it sprayed corrosive slime that struck Zou Lihui and then charged toward the Great Martial Masters.

Qiu Tianhao lured the Earth Dragon into a trap, but it broke free after entering a berserk state and escaped into the mine. Zhang Mingyu and the others pursued it through hidden passages, discovering that the creature had connected the mine tunnels into a maze.

• Qiu Tianhao struck the Earth Dragon and drew it into a net of Mysterious Gold Chains, allowing the three Martial Venerables to wound it.
• The Earth Dragon entered a berserk state, shattered the chains, caught Zhang Mingyu's sword, and escaped into Mine Tunnel No. 3.
• Zhang Mingyu, Zou Lihui, Qiu Tianhao, Jiang Qinghe, and a few others chased the Earth Dragon into the dark tunnel while most of the Great Martial Masters held back.
• The Earth Dragon ambushed a Golden Body Great Martial Master through a rock wall, then escaped through a hidden passage.
• Zhang Mingyu and the others followed the passage to Mine Tunnel No. 2 and realized the Earth Dragon had made an underground maze linking the tunnels.

Jiang Qinghe and Zhang Mingyu found the wounded Earth Dragon, but it had feigned weakness and ambushed Zhang Mingyu, biting off his right arm before escaping. The Earth Dragon strengthened itself by consuming six hidden Purple Crystal Stones and set out to hunt the humans pursuing it.

• Zhang Mingyu and the others split up to search Mine Tunnel No. 2, while Jiang Qinghe followed a separate passage alone.
• Zhang Mingyu found the Earth Dragon in a cavern and attacked, but it revealed that it had been feigning weakness.
• The Earth Dragon sprayed corrosive mucus, made Zhang Mingyu lose his footing, and bit off his right arm before escaping through a smashed rock wall.
• Jiang Qinghe passed through a crack in the cavern and pursued the Earth Dragon.
• The Earth Dragon swallowed six Purple Crystal Stones hidden beneath its scales, grew stronger, and continued its hunt for the humans.