Chapter Summaries

Chen Cheng’s identity as the Chen Family’s Young Family Head was revealed when he presented his Supreme Calamity Origin Token to the Black Armor Guards. As the guards continued checking the teahouse patrons, they reached Feng Ruoxue, who appeared panicked.

• The Black Armor Guards arrived at the teahouse to investigate a report, and the shopkeeper explained that the argument had already ended.
• The guards asked everyone to present their Identity Tokens, while the crowd noticed Yan Lingji’s beauty and paused in awe.
• Chen Cheng showed the Black Armor Commander a token bearing the Chen name, prompting the commander and his soldiers to kneel and address him as the Young Family Head.
• Chen Cheng told the guards to continue their inspection according to procedure, and the commander ordered the shopkeeper to serve him respectfully.
• The Black Armor Guards resumed checking identities and reached Feng Ruoxue, whose face showed panic.

Feng Ruoxue was detained by the City Guard for lacking an identity mark, despite Han Jingya’s attempt to protect her. Chen Cheng secretly ordered the guards to release Feng Ruoxue, but Chen Zihang intercepted them and demanded that they hand her over.

• Feng Ruoxue claimed she had lost her identity mark, and the City Guard prepared to take her in for questioning.
• Han Jingya tried to use her connection to Commander Gao Zhuang to shield Feng Ruoxue, but the Black Armor Commander insisted on enforcing the rules.
• Feng Ruoxue stopped Han Jingya from interfering and agreed to go with the guards, while Hong Luan was also detained after trying to defend her.
• Chen Cheng privately told Xue Ning to release Feng Ruoxue on the way without revealing his involvement, and the guards escorted her from the tea house.
• Chen Zihang stopped the guards, claimed Feng Ruoxue was connected to him, and ordered them to hand her over, leaving Xue Ning unsure whose order to follow.

Chen Zihang took Feng Ruoxue from the City Guard and brought her to his Qing Xing Courtyard after recognizing her identity as a princess of the Izumo Empire. He left her there under his protection while Xue Ning's messenger failed to find Chen Cheng, who continued wandering the streets.

• Xue Ning told Chen Zihang that Chen Cheng had ordered Feng Ruoxue's capture, but Chen Zihang still insisted on taking her.
• Chen Zihang led Feng Ruoxue past the relay station and brought her into the Chen Family, then revealed that he knew her identity and told her to stay in Qing Xing Courtyard.
• Feng Ruoxue thanked Chen Zihang and went to find a room, while he watched her leave and reflected that he had saved her because of her connection to Chen Cheng.
• A Black Armor Guard returned to Qinglan Teahouse looking for Chen Cheng, but the shopkeeper said he had already left.
• Chen Cheng wandered the streets at leisure, unconcerned about Feng Ruoxue because he believed the Black Armored Soldiers would follow his orders.

After learning that Chen Zihang had taken Feng Ruoxue, Chen Cheng confronted him at Qing Xing Courtyard and tried to take her back by force. The confrontation was interrupted by Yan Sheng, a Five-Star Dou Ling, whose appearance left Chen Cheng and Jiang Yu Yan on guard.

• A Black Armored Soldier informed Chen Cheng that Chen Zihang had taken Feng Ruoxue.
• Chen Cheng brought Yan Lingji, Red Serpent, Huang Yaoshi, and Jiang Yu Yan to Qing Xing Courtyard to retrieve Feng Ruoxue.
• Chen Zihang denied taking Feng Ruoxue and taunted Chen Cheng, who decided to use force rather than expose the matter.
• Jiang Yu Yan attacked Chen Zihang, but a hidden attacker struck her with a powerful energy blast and sent her flying back.
• Yan Sheng emerged from behind a tree, and Chen Cheng used the Copy System to learn that he was a Five-Star Dou Ling.

Chen Cheng withdrew after Chen Zihang’s forces overwhelmed him, postponing his attempt to rescue Feng Ruoxue until he could summon reinforcements. After midnight, the Summoning System granted him a new opportunity and summoned Tian Yan.

• Yan Sheng arrived to protect Chen Zihang, and Chen Cheng discovered that Chen Zihang had two Dou Lings and seven Great Dou Shi at his side.
• Chen Cheng judged that his own forces could not safely defeat Chen Zihang’s group, threatened Chen Zihang to protect Feng Ruoxue, and left with his subordinates.
• Chen Zihang concealed the real reason for Chen Cheng’s visit, warned his followers not to speak disrespectfully of Chen Cheng, and ordered them to keep the incident secret.
• After midnight, Chen Cheng used his new summoning opportunity, and the Summoning System summoned Tian Yan.

Tian Yan secretly entered Linjiang Courtyard to seek refuge with Chen Cheng, but Yan Lingji mistook her for a threat and fought her. Chen Cheng introduced Tian Yan to his subordinates, who welcomed her, and ordered the servants to repair the damage after the battle.

• Tian Yan and Yan Lingji exchanged powerful attacks in Linjiang Courtyard after Yan Lingji challenged the disguised intruder.
• Tian Yan said she had come to seek refuge with Chen Cheng, but Yan Lingji remained suspicious until Chen Cheng arrived and confirmed her identity.
• Chen Cheng introduced Tian Yan to Yan Lingji and the other gathered subordinates, and they welcomed her as one of their own.
• After the servants gathered to see the damage, Chen Cheng told them to clean up and restore the courtyard at daybreak.

Chen Zihang confided in Feng Ruoxue about his hopes for Chen Cheng to lead the Chen Family, while revealing that he might contest the Young Family Head position if Chen Cheng failed his test. He warned Feng Ruoxue that the Chen Family planned to destroy the Chu Yun Royal Family within six months, leaving her horrified.

• Chen Zihang told Feng Ruoxue that Chen Cheng had come looking for her and that he had driven him away.
• Chen Zihang admitted he would support Chen Cheng as Young Family Head if he proved capable, but might compete for the position if he did not.
• Chen Zihang explained that Chen Cheng’s talent and ability to cultivate the Source of Deadly Poison gave him the potential to surpass the Chen Family’s ancestor.
• Chen Zihang said he would judge Chen Cheng’s test in ten days and disclosed his hope that Chen Cheng could inherit the Calamity Poison Body.
• Chen Zihang warned Feng Ruoxue that the Chen Family would mobilize its hidden networks to destroy the Chu Yun Royal Family within six months.
• Feng Ruoxue stood up in alarm and demanded to know what Chen Zihang had said.

Chen Zihang confronted Murong Zhi in Anyang City and violently warned him not to scheme against Chen Cheng. After leaving Murong Zhi beaten and humiliated, Chen Zihang felt free to depart for Yan East County and take command of the army.

• Chen Zihang observed Chen Cheng diligently cultivating and decided to eliminate a hidden threat before leaving for Yan East County.
• Chen Zihang confronted Murong Zhi on a busy street and warned him not to plot against Chen Cheng.
• Murong Zhi accused Chen Zihang of being the one plotting against Chen Cheng, so Chen Zihang shattered his Dou Qi Armor and sent him crashing through a shop wall.
• Chen Zihang told the injured Murong Zhi to remember the lesson, then spared him because he was Chen Yuan's disciple.
• Chen Zihang left Murong Zhi behind, satisfied that he had dealt with the threat before taking command of the army in Yan East County.

Chen Cheng cultivated the Source of Deadly Poison and learned that the Chen Family was preparing to overthrow the Chu Yun Royal Family. The chapter left him realizing that his family had kept the coming war from him so he could focus on cultivation.

• After Chen Zihang left, Murong Zhi took a healing pill and departed the damaged shop with two women, while the shopkeeper worried over the cost of repairs.
• The City Guard arrived at the shop and demanded to know what had happened.
• Chen Cheng cultivated the Source of Deadly Poison in the Poisonous Calamity Pool and advanced to Six-Star Dou Practitioner after one day.
• Yan Lingji reported that Tian Yan had infiltrated Qing Xing Courtyard, gained Chen Zihang's initial trust, and learned he would leave Anyang City in seven days.
• Yan Lingji told Chen Cheng that his father had gone to take over three commanderies and that the Chen Family was mobilizing for war against the Chu Yun Royal Family.
• Chen Cheng realized his family had withheld news of the war because they expected him to focus on cultivation and eventually lead the family.

Chen Zihang welcomed Tian Yan as a Jia Nan Academy student and accepted her offer to join him, while she quietly memorized the layout of Qing Xing Courtyard. Chen Cheng advanced his fighting skill to LV3, learned Chen Ye’s expectations for his poison cultivation, and failed to copy any of Chen Ye’s abilities.

• Chen Zihang received Tian Yan, praised her talent, and accepted her allegiance after finding no disguise on her.
• Chen Zihang arranged a residence for Tian Yan and left to spend time with Fang Siyao before his departure in seven days.
• Tian Yan walked around Qing Xing Courtyard with a servant and memorized its entire layout.
• Chen Cheng cultivated in the poison pool, and his Low-Level Combat reached LV3, granting him a replication opportunity.
• Chen Ye explained the three stages and time limits of the Source of Deadly Poison, setting high expectations for Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng used his replication opportunity on Chen Ye, but the system reported that he gained no abilities.

Chen Cheng's Poison Art improved after his first failed copy, letting him absorb poison ten times faster as Chen Ye watched over him. Meanwhile, Tian Yan tried to rescue Feng Ruoxue from Qing Xing Courtyard, but patrols caught up with them near Linjiang Courtyard and a Dou Wang wounded Tian Yan with an arrow.

• The Copy System failed to copy another person's ability, so it raised Chen Cheng's Poison Art by one level and gave him new knowledge of herbs and poisons.
• Chen Cheng used his improved Poison Art to absorb poisonous gas ten times faster, astonishing Chen Ye as he supervised his cultivation.
• Tian Yan entered Feng Ruoxue's room while Chen Zihang was away and told her she would take her to Chen Cheng.
• Tian Yan knocked Feng Ruoxue unconscious when she wanted to fetch her maid, then carried her out of Qing Xing Courtyard.
• A patrol discovered Tian Yan on the way to Linjiang Courtyard, and she fled at full speed with Feng Ruoxue.
• A Dou Qi-infused arrow pierced Tian Yan's arm near Linjiang Courtyard, and Feng Ruoxue woke to see a Dou Wang preparing a second shot.

Yan Lingji rescued Tian Yan and Feng Ruoxue and brought them back to Linjiang Courtyard, where Chen Cheng treated Tian Yan's wound and announced that he would make his engagement to Feng Ruoxue public. He brought Feng Ruoxue to his bedroom to treat her scrapes, and the chapter ended as she undressed for him.

• Yan Lingji showed Chen Cheng's Supreme Calamity Origin Token to the Dou Wang and took Tian Yan and Feng Ruoxue back to Linjiang Courtyard.
• Chen Cheng treated Tian Yan's injured arm and told Yan Lingji to fetch nourishing supplements for her the next morning.
• Chen Cheng told Feng Ruoxue that he would announce their relationship the next day, then brought her to his bedroom to treat her scrapes.
• Feng Ruoxue mistook Chen Cheng's request to undress as an invitation to intimacy, but he explained that he intended to apply medicinal liquid to her scrapes.
• Feng Ruoxue began removing her dress while Chen Cheng watched.

Chen Cheng completed the first stage of the Source of Deadly Poison, prepared to leave the Chen Family, and set out with four Dou Lings and Murong Zhi. After several days on the road, he awakened in an inn to a new summoning opportunity.

• Hong Luan accused Chen Zihang of taking Feng Ruoxue, and he slapped her before learning that Feng Ruoxue and Tian Yan had disappeared, likely rescued by Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng introduced Feng Ruoxue to Murong Yan, who reluctantly accepted her as his daughter-in-law after lunch.
• Chen Zihang left to become a commanding general as the Chen Family mobilized to prepare to overthrow the Izumo Empire, while Chen Cheng cultivated and grew closer to Feng Ruoxue and Yan Lingji.
• After nearly a month, Chen Cheng completed the first stage of the Source of Deadly Poison, reached the Dou Shi realm, and gained a summoning opportunity that he saved.
• Chen Cheng prepared to leave the Chen Family with four Dou Lings, including Yan Lingji, and received a jade token from Chen Ye that could unleash a poisonous full-strength strike.
• Several days into his journey, Chen Cheng awoke in an inn to a voice offering him a new summoning opportunity.

Chen Cheng welcomed Zhu WuShi into his group and continued his journey toward the Jia Ma Empire under the Murong Family's cover. The group reached a desolate town near Blackwind Fortress and decided to rest before crossing the border.

• Chen Cheng summoned Zhu WuShi, who arrived at the inn and pledged his service to him.
• The next morning, Chen Cheng introduced Zhu WuShi to the group, and Jiang Yu Yan sensed that Zhu WuShi's cultivation was exceptionally formidable.
• Murong Zhi arranged breakfast, and Chen Cheng's party resumed its journey in carriages bearing the Gold and Jade Workshop emblem.
• Chen Cheng and his companions encountered several groups of bandits on the road, but Murong Zhi, Xing Hun, and the others dealt with the threats.
• Murong Zhi told Chen Cheng that Blackwind Fortress was thirty li ahead, and Chen Cheng chose to rest for a day in the nearby town before continuing.

Chen Cheng reached Green Mountain Town and encountered Xiao Yi Xian, whose Calamity Poison Body suppressed his Poison Dou Qi. He tried to copy her ability but failed, while Xiao Yi Xian sensed a strange, enticing poison in his passing convoy and was left uneasy.

• Murong Zhi told Chen Cheng that Green Mountain Town was three days away from Moyun Town, and Chen Cheng rested before continuing the journey.
• Chen Cheng arrived in Green Mountain Town, where residents admired his luxurious carriage and Murong Zhi's Wind Chasing Steed.
• Chen Cheng felt his Poison Dou Qi suppressed as he passed Xiao Yi Xian and used the Copy System to identify her as a One-Star Dou Zhe with a Calamity Poison Body.
• Chen Cheng tried to copy Xiao Yi Xian's ability, but the attempt failed and instead improved his Fire Control Art.
• Xiao Yi Xian detected an enticing poison scent from the convoy and told Xiao Lin that its presence seemed like a bad omen.

Chen Cheng bought a Three Spring Flower while strolling through Green Mountain Town with Yan Lingji, considering how to use it in a new poison. After mercenaries mocked him and lusted after Yan Lingji, Chen Cheng called their young commander a dog, leaving him cowering under a table.

• Murong Zhi booked an entire inn for Chen Cheng, who later wandered through town with Yan Lingji.
• Chen Cheng bought a Three Spring Flower from a street vendor for 20 Gold Coins and considered it an ingredient for his poison research.
• Wu Laoba and other mercenaries ogled Yan Lingji and urged their Young Commander to pursue her, while he worried that Chen Cheng was too powerful to provoke.
• The Young Commander redirected his subordinates when they mocked Chen Cheng’s age and white hair, then panicked when Chen Cheng looked toward their table.
• Chen Cheng pointed out the Young Commander and said he resembled a dog, and Yan Lingji laughed when she saw him hiding beneath the table.

Chen Cheng stopped Mu Li’s mercenaries from trying to seize Yan Lingji and injured one of them with ease. Mu Li apologized and Chen Cheng broke the offender’s arm, leaving the Wolf Head Mercenary Group’s young leader powerless to object.

• A mercenary threatened Chen Cheng and his companions, then tried to touch Yan Lingji while claiming Mu Li wanted her.
• Chen Cheng caught the mercenary’s arm and twisted it until Mu Li rushed over and ordered his other men to lower their swords.
• Mu Li apologized to Chen Cheng, while nearby mercenaries and Ling Er and Ka Gang watched and mocked him.
• Chen Cheng broke the offending mercenary’s arm and asked Mu Li whether he objected.

Chen Cheng punished Mu Li’s mercenaries after they harassed Yan Lingji, then forced Mu Li to swallow a poison pill before leaving with her. Mu Li collapsed in agony, and Old Wang rushed to help him.

• Chen Cheng broke one mercenary’s arm and challenged Mu Li to deal with the two who remained.
• The two mercenaries fled, but Chen Cheng’s Fallen Body Needle poisoned them and left them unable to escape.
• Mu Li caught and killed both mercenaries, then pleaded with Chen Cheng to let him go.
• Chen Cheng gave Mu Li a poison pill and left with Yan Lingji; Mu Li swallowed it while Chen Cheng sensed him doing so.
• Mu Li’s face turned purple-black and he writhed in pain as Old Wang rushed to his side.

Mu She learned that the people who poisoned Mu Li included a Dou Ling expert, making revenge impossible. Mu Li woke and begged his father to leave the attackers alone, then asked to be taken to Xiao Yi Xian for treatment.

• Old Wang warned Mu She that the people who poisoned Mu Li were too powerful to provoke, and identified them as members of a caravan that had recently arrived in Green Mountain Town.
• Mu She learned that one attacker was a Dou Ling expert and gave up his plans for revenge.
• Mu Li woke and urged Mu She not to seek revenge, and Mu She agreed.
• Mu Li's pain returned, so he asked Mu She to take him to Xiao Yi Xian for help.
• Mu She agreed to take Mu Li to Xiao Yi Xian despite knowing Mu Li had offended her.

Chen Cheng enlisted Red Serpent and Yan Lingji to create a controllable version of the poison Zhen Yu Qian Ye. After several days of gathering and refining ingredients, they completed a formula that could adjust the poison’s potency, and Chen Cheng began putting his plan into action.

• Chen Cheng asked Red Serpent to write a list of medicinal ingredients and had Murong Zhi purchase them.
• Chen Cheng explained that he wanted to neutralize Zhen Yu Qian Ye’s excessive toxicity with a custom antidote.
• Red Serpent worked out how to compound the antidote while Yan Lingji used her flames to refine the ingredients under Chen Cheng’s guidance.
• Yan Lingji spent a day refining the ingredients, burning many of them before completing the essences.
• Red Serpent finished the formulation over the next three days and fused it with Zhen Yu Qian Ye, allowing Chen Cheng to control its potency.
• Chen Cheng began putting his plan into action with the improved Zhen Yu Qian Ye.