Chapter Summaries

Le Ling passed Ge Long’s Illusion Space test but refused his offer to let her into the military department in exchange for following him, so he sent her to Xiongshen Village for another test. When Le Ling, Ling Yuan, and Mu Hua reached the village, they found it piled with corpses.

• Ge Long questioned Le Ling about her maid and cloaked friend, and Le Ling defended her answers by invoking the Crown Prince, Ning Fengzhi, and Chen Xin.
• Ge Long offered Le Ling an easy way into the military department if she agreed to follow him, but she rejected him and demanded to take the official tests.
• Ge Long gave Le Ling five days to complete the next test and ordered Mu Hua to take her to Xiongshen Village.
• Le Ling told Ling Yuan not to use any Soul Power or help her, since she was supposed to be an ordinary maid.
• Mu Hua brought Le Ling and Ling Yuan to a remote hill near Xiongshen Village, where Ling Yuan saw the village below covered in corpses.

Le Ling investigated Xiongshen Village, where a group of powerful Soul Masters had massacred civilians and defeated a hundred soldiers. She accepted the mission as a test for joining the military department and headed to Duke Silvis’s Mansion, while suspecting that Mu Hua was also probing Ling Yuan’s identity.

• Ling Yuan pretended to retch at the sight and stench of Xiongshen Village, and Le Ling gave her a bottle of medicine to ease her discomfort.
• Mu Hua explained that Meng Shun and seven other Soul Masters had terrorized the village, then killed the Duke’s hundred soldiers after Meng Li abducted the Duke’s daughter.
• Le Ling reasoned that the eight men must have hidden strength or abilities, and accepted the mission as her military department test.
• Mu Hua said Le Ling could borrow soldiers from Duke Silvis but could not command troops from the military department, so she asked him to take her to the Duke’s Mansion.
• On the way into Silvis City, Le Ling suspected Mu Hua was investigating Ling Yuan, and Ling Yuan asked to be allowed to kill him when Le Ling made her move.

Le Ling and Ling Yuan watched as the vicious Meng Li terrorized a restaurant, then Le Ling drew his attention away from a woman he was assaulting. Meng Li accepted Le Ling’s apparent invitation, while Ling Yuan worried that the Great Offering would hear about the seduction ploy.

• Le Ling and Ling Yuan observed Meng Li enter the restaurant with a terrified woman, while the staff and customers hid from him.
• Meng Li kicked a child, threatened to kill the child, and tore at the woman’s clothes when she pleaded for the child’s safety.
• Le Ling threw a teacup at Meng Li’s head, stopping him from assaulting the woman.
• Meng Li approached Le Ling after noticing her, and she gave him her name and flirted with him.
• Meng Li sat beside Le Ling, put his arm around her, and asked her to go home with him.

Le Ling used her beauty to lure Meng Li, hoping to enter Xiongshen Village, uncover the group’s secret strength, and save the Duke’s daughter. She agreed to go with Meng Li to a nearby inn, while he dragged the Duke’s daughter along.

• Le Ling recognized Meng Li in the restaurant and decided to use a beauty trap to investigate Xiongshen Village before leading troops there.
• Ling Yuan objected because she feared for Le Ling’s safety, but Le Ling confidently persuaded her to cooperate.
• Le Ling demanded that Meng Li stop treating the Duke’s daughter as a rival, and Meng Li admitted the woman was still useful to him.
• When Le Ling threatened to leave, Meng Li grabbed her arm, then quickly apologized after she acted frightened and hurt.
• Le Ling agreed to go to the inn with Meng Li so she could save the Duke’s daughter and learn his plans, and Meng Li dragged the Duke’s daughter with them.

Le Ling lured Meng Li away from the restaurant and used her Innate Skill, Phantom, to control him. Ling Yuan learned that Meng Li’s companions were fighting the city guards at the gate and ran to report it, while Le Ling freed the Duke’s daughter from the bathing chamber.

• After Meng Li left the restaurant, Ling Yuan checked that the child was safe, and the owner explained that Meng Li’s group had wiped out General Wu Yuan and his hundred soldiers.
• The owner told Ling Yuan that Meng Li’s companions were fighting the city guards at the city gate, so she hurried to tell Madam.
• Mu Hua recognized that Le Ling had deliberately lured Meng Li away and followed Ling Yuan after she left.
• Meng Li took Le Ling and the Duke’s daughter to a hotel room, then locked the Duke’s daughter in the bathing chamber.
• Le Ling used Phantom to control Meng Li and told the Duke’s daughter she could come out.

Le Ling questioned the duke’s daughter, Di An'an, and learned that the eight people of Xiongshen Village were likely refining Soul Masters to steal their Soul Power. After deciding she needed Duke Silvis’s soldiers to confront them, she learned that the prince had disappeared.

• Le Ling let Di An'an leave the bathroom but stayed to question Meng Li, who remained trapped in her control soul skill.
• Di An'an described seeing seven villagers devour something from a human-shaped object, and Le Ling concluded they were refining a Soul Master for Soul Power.
• Di An'an told Le Ling that General Wu Yuan and about a hundred soldiers had failed to defeat the eight villagers, and that Meng Li had brought her to extort money and women from her father.
• Le Ling explained that she needed Duke Silvis to lend her soldiers to surround Xiongshen Village, and Di An'an offered to help.
• Ling Yuan rushed in and told Le Ling that the prince had disappeared.

Le Ling learned that seven bloodthirsty men were waiting outside the city and promised Di An'an she would kill them to avenge the soldiers and villagers they had murdered. Le Ling, Di An'an, and Ling Yuan headed to the Duke's Mansion to warn the Duke, while Meng Li remained trapped under Phantom until his death.

• Le Ling explained that Meng Li was controlled by Phantom, and Di An'an agreed that he should die under the soul skill.
• Ling Yuan relayed that seven men were waiting outside the city, and Di An'an explained that they had killed soldiers and villagers and would not be swayed by Meng Li's capture.
• Di An'an begged Le Ling to avenge the victims, and Le Ling promised to kill all eight men.
• Le Ling concluded that Mu Hua had fled after realizing the seven men could threaten him, and Ling Yuan called him a coward.
• Le Ling, Di An'an, and Ling Yuan left for the Duke's Mansion to deal with the danger outside the city, leaving Meng Li under Phantom control.

Di An'an returned to Duke Silvis's Mansion with Le Ling and Ling Yuan, reuniting with her family and telling them that Le Ling had subdued Meng Li. After revealing her role as Xue Qinghe's military advisor, Le Ling asked Duke Des for troops to kill the seven people still outside the city.

• Di An'an brought Le Ling and Ling Yuan to the mansion, where the guards welcomed her home.
• Di An'an reunited with Duke Des, her brothers, and the ailing Duchess, and apologized for sneaking out before she was captured.
• Di An'an introduced Le Ling and Ling Yuan, explaining that Le Ling had subdued Meng Li and helped her escape.
• Le Ling showed Duke Des Xue Qinghe's token and identified herself as the Crown Prince's military advisor.
• Le Ling asked Duke Des to lend her troops so she could kill the seven people outside the city.

Le Ling could not borrow Silvis Kingdom troops because she lacked a Heaven Dou Military Department deployment order, and she realized Mu Hua had disappeared to sabotage her test. She set out with Ling Yuan to kill the seven men outside the city, while Duke Des secured Silvis City and the confrontation began at its eastern gate.

• Duke Des refused to lend Le Ling troops without a deployment order or military identification, and Le Ling told him that Mu Hua had deliberately disappeared.
• Le Ling decided that she and Ling Yuan would handle the seven men themselves, and Ling Yuan planned to draw Mu Hua out by attacking.
• Duke Des agreed to help Le Ling after the matter and ordered all four gates closed, the guards reinforced, and his sons stationed at the eastern main gate.
• Meng Shun led his six companions toward Silvis City's eastern gate after they learned the gates had been shut.
• Ling Yuan arrived above the gate on a flaming crimson bird, and Meng Shun recognized the danger and ordered his brothers to summon their martial souls and attack.

Meng Shun and his six brothers fought Le Ling and Ling Yuan outside Silvis City, while Le Ling recognized Bai Qi’s voice coming from Meng Shun and suspected he was a puppet. The battle intensified as Ling Yuan gathered power to kill Meng Shun and the brothers attacked both women.

• Meng Shun and the other six activated their Martial Souls, and Le Ling and Duke Des suspected their strength came from evil cultivation that consumed other Soul Masters’ power.
• Le Ling sent Ling Yuan to fight Meng Shun while she used her clones to engage the other six.
• Bai Qi’s voice reached Le Ling from Meng Shun, and she realized her Imperial Uncle might be controlling him as a puppet.
• After the six brothers defeated Le Ling’s clones, Second Brother and the others surrounded her and threatened to capture her.
• Le Ling ordered Ling Yuan to kill Meng Shun, and Ling Yuan unleashed her Eighth Spirit Skill while Meng Shun directed his brothers to attack both women.

Chen Xin rescued Le Ling and Silvis City from the attack, killing the seven members of Xiongshen Village and the Yin Spirit possessing Meng Shun. Le Ling confirmed that her Imperial Uncle was behind the possession, then joined Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi on their way to the Duke's Mansion as the Duke ordered searches for survivors and Meng Li.

• Chen Xin arrived in time to shield Le Ling and Silvis City from Black-haired Gorilla Second Brother's attack, while Ling Yuan went after Mu Hua.
• Chen Xin killed the seven attackers from Xiongshen Village and the Yin Spirit possessing Meng Shun with his fifth soul skill.
• Le Ling found traces of the Yin Spirit on Meng Shun's neck and confirmed that her traitorous Imperial Uncle had controlled it.
• Ning Fengzhi explained that he and Chen Xin had come to Silvis City on Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect business, and the Duke invited them to a welcome banquet.
• Le Ling asked the Duke to search Xiongshen Village for survivors and check whether Meng Li was alive at Xiyue Hotel, and he dispatched soldiers to both locations.

On the way to the Duke's Mansion, Le Ling bluffed to Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin about her plans for entering the Heaven Dou Military Department, concealing her real mission. Ning Fengzhi decided they would discuss her fate after leaving Silvis City and left Chen Xin to watch her.

• In the carriage, Ning Fengzhi questioned Le Ling about her powerful maid and the black-cloaked figures, and she first denied knowing them.
• After Chen Xin asked directly, Le Ling admitted that two worshippers and one elder had accompanied her, then claimed she had seduced the Crown Prince to enter the palace.
• Le Ling said she intended to turn the military commander Ge Long against the empire, hiding that she was actually investigating the military department's location for Xiao Xue.
• Le Ling dared Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin to arrest or report her, but Ning Fengzhi postponed the decision until they left Silvis City and assigned Chen Xin to watch her.
• The carriage reached the Duke's Mansion, where Ning Fengzhi teased Chen Xin before stepping out with Le Ling and Chen Xin.

After Silvis City celebrated Le Ling and her companions’ victory, Le Ling met Ling Yuan secretly and learned that a prisoner had revealed an address that might lead to something important. When Chen Xin joined her in the garden, she stumbled into his arms, leaving them both frozen.

• Di An'an thanked Le Ling for avenging her and promised to be more careful, while the Duke asked Le Ling to stay in touch with his daughter.
• The Duke hosted a banquet to thank Le Ling, Chen Xin, and Ning Fengzhi for saving Di An'an and Silvis City.
• Le Ling slipped away from the banquet and met Ling Yuan, who reported that she had tortured a prisoner into revealing an address.
• Le Ling ordered Ling Yuan to tell Xiao Xue the details and have her verify the address before Le Ling investigated it herself.
• After Ling Yuan left, Chen Xin brought Le Ling a cloak and accompanied her to a pavilion, where she tripped and fell into his arms.

Le Ling rejected Chen Xin’s attempt to turn their friendship into romance, asking him to give her time to think. She agreed to stay with Ning Fengzhi’s group for two more days and leaned into her role as a carefree freeloader, leaving the question of her feelings unresolved.

• Chen Xin held Le Ling and asked her to give him a chance, but she told him her fondness for him was only friendship and asked him not to force her.
• Ning Fengzhi comforted Chen Xin and said Le Ling would choose for herself if she knew whom she loved.
• After getting lost, Le Ling was brought to the guest courtyard by Di An'an, where Ning Fengzhi said she would travel with them and stay for two more days.
• Le Ling agreed to stay and joked that she would mooch food and drinks from the wealthy Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Di An'an asked Le Ling to go shopping with her, and Le Ling asked Ning Fengzhi whether she could go and warned him that she was an expensive shopper.

Le Ling teased Ning Fengzhi about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect while he tried to learn her purpose in Heaven Dou City. At breakfast the next morning, Chen Xin claimed he and Le Ling were married to discourage Di Gaoren, and the group then set out shopping.

• Ning Fengzhi agreed to accompany Le Ling and Di An'an shopping and pay for their purchases, while Le Ling continued to call him Ning the Great Financier.
• Le Ling asked whether the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would take her in, and Ning Fengzhi questioned her motives and authority in Spirit Hall.
• Di An'an woke Le Ling early, and they joined Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin for breakfast at the Duke's Mansion.
• Di Gaoren asked whether Le Ling was married, and Chen Xin said she was his wife and that he had put a ring on her finger.
• Ning Fengzhi backed Chen Xin's claim, and Duke Des told Di Gaoren to stop pursuing Le Ling.
• Di An'an linked arms with Le Ling and led her out shopping, followed by Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin.

Le Ling left Silvis City with Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi after asking the Duke to report Lieutenant General Mu’s sabotage to the emperor. During the carriage ride, she revealed Ge Long’s advances and teased Ning Fengzhi about taking over the military department; Ning Fengzhi refused to help her and said he was taking her to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

• Le Ling spent a day buying only expensive items while Ning Fengzhi paid the bills, then joined Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi on their business inspections outside the city.
• As they departed, Le Ling asked the Duke to mention Lieutenant General Mu’s actions in his report to the emperor, and the Duke agreed to seek punishment for him.
• In the carriage, Le Ling explained how Mu Hua had disappeared during her military test, and Ning Fengzhi questioned whether Xue Xing and Xue Beng had arranged the sabotage.
• Le Ling told Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin that Ge Long had made advances toward her before the mission, prompting Chen Xin to angrily strike the carriage board.
• Le Ling joked that she could have won Ge Long over and gained control of the military department, but Ning Fengzhi refused to help and told her to behave herself.
• Ning Fengzhi confirmed that he was taking Le Ling to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and she asked whether he planned to confine her there.

Le Ling urged Ning Fengzhi to consider cooperating with Spirit Hall as she traveled with him and Chen Xin to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. After Jiang Mo arrived with news that Spirit Hall had nearly located the Heaven Dou Military Department, Le Ling refused to return to Spirit City.

• Le Ling argued that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should consider cooperating with Spirit Hall, and Ning Fengzhi agreed to think over her proposal.
• During the three-day journey, Le Ling continued cultivating and reached the level sixty-nine bottleneck as she planned to obtain a ten-thousand-year soul beast for her next soul ring.
• Le Ling arrived in Seven Treasures City and entered the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where Ning Fengzhi said he would write to Qinghe that she was visiting.
• Chen Xin walked with Le Ling in the sect's back courtyard but did not press her to give him a chance.
• Jiang Mo found Le Ling in her guest room and told her that Spirit Hall had nearly identified the Heaven Dou Military Department's location and that Eldest Brother wanted her to return.
• Le Ling refused to go back to Spirit City and said she would go wherever she wanted now that the mission was nearly finished.

Jiang Mo failed to persuade Le Ling to return to Spirit City and reported her refusal to Xue Qinghe. Xue Qinghe decided to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect the next morning, while Mo Yin questioned why he should help.

• Jiang Mo begged Le Ling to return to Spirit City, but she refused and threatened to call Chen Xin and Gu Rong if he stayed.
• Jiang Mo left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and hurried back to Heaven Dou City without completing his mission.
• Jiang Mo climbed through the window into the Crown Prince's Palace and told Xue Qinghe and Ling Yuan that Le Ling had driven him away.
• Xue Qinghe decided to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect the next morning and try to persuade Le Ling to leave.
• Ling Yuan asked Mo Yin to join them, but Mo Yin asked what benefit he would get from helping.

Xue Qinghe traveled to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with Ling Yuan and Mo Yin to meet Military Advisor Le, while Jiang Mo stayed behind. The chapter ended as Xue Qinghe asked Ning Fengzhi to summon her so her friends could speak with her.

• Mo Yin offered to persuade the Princess to return to Spirit City in exchange for a night with Xue Qinghe, who refused and ordered preparations to travel to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Ling Yuan snapped at Jiang Mo after he teased her about Mo Yin’s interest in Xue Qinghe, then hurried away before Jiang Mo could retaliate.
• Xue Qinghe, Ling Yuan, Jiang Mo, and Mo Yin traveled to Seven Treasures City, where Xue Qinghe told Jiang Mo to stay outside the sect.
• Xue Qinghe and his companions waited in the sect’s main hall until Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin arrived.
• Xue Qinghe introduced Ling Yuan and Mo Yin as friends of Military Advisor Le and asked Ning Fengzhi to summon her.

Le Ling refused to meet Xue Qinghe, claiming they had quarreled, and asked instead to see Mo Yin. Xue Qinghe tried to recruit Mo Yin to persuade her to return to Spirit City, but Mo Yin rejected him and went to meet Le Ling.

• Ning Fengzhi told Le Ling that Xue Qinghe had arrived with two people who wanted to see her, and Le Ling guessed they were there to persuade her to return to Spirit City.
• Le Ling told Ning Fengzhi she would not leave the sect for now and refused to meet Xue Qinghe or Ling Yuan, asking to see the ink-haired Mo Yin instead.
• Ning Fengzhi returned to the hall and told Xue Qinghe that Le Ling had refused to see him because they had quarreled.
• Xue Qinghe asked to speak with Le Ling and then quietly asked Mo Yin to persuade her to return to the palace.
• Mo Yin refused Xue Qinghe’s request and followed a servant to Le Ling’s room.