Chapter Summaries

Cao Zhen briefed the Profound Truth Sect’s disciples on the Demon Cult’s hidden forces and distributed intelligence to prepare them for a campaign across Jintai Prefecture. As the three-month deadline approached, Lingxi Peak organized its preparations and Duck Mountain Island’s disciples reacted in different ways to the coming danger.

• Cao Zhen warned that more than two hundred confirmed Demon Cult warriors were hiding in Jintai Prefecture and ordered the disciples to study their classifications, abilities, and records.
• Yang Jing read the intelligence, learned how dangerous Demon Cult warriors were even when their cultivation appeared weaker, and studied detailed files on individual cultists.
• Cao Zhen ordered the disciples to memorize the intelligence over the next three months, promised rewards for merit, and declared that their conduct would affect their standing within the sect.
• Bai Bing summoned Lingxi Peak’s disciples, elders, and stewards and announced that they would leave Duck Mountain Island in three months to search for cultists and cooperate with the righteous forces.
• As autumn passed and the deadline neared, Duck Mountain Island’s disciples trained and prepared, displaying fear, ambition, fighting spirit, or calm determination.

After training, Yang Jing accepted Si Jiawen’s challenge for Lingxi Peak’s Senior Brother seat after learning the winner could enter the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool. Their duel was set for the next morning, and news of it spread throughout the Profound Truth Sect as Yang Jing prepared to win.

• Yang Jing trained in the Mountain-Splitting Seal for four hours and saw that his progress was slowing despite his resources.
• Si Jiawen emerged from her training room and told Yang Jing that defeating her would earn him the Senior Brother seat and entry to the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool.
• Yang Jing accepted Si Jiawen’s challenge, and she arranged for the Peak Master and a Main Peak elder to witness the duel the next morning.
• Disciples overheard the challenge, and word of Yang Jing’s upcoming duel with Si Jiawen spread throughout the Profound Truth Sect.
• Yang Jing returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, focused on winning the duel and gaining access to the jade pool.

Yang Jing prepared to challenge Si Jiawen for Lingxi Peak's Senior Brother position, hoping to strengthen himself before the sect sent its disciples to hunt the Demon Cult. The match drew the whole sect's attention, and the chapter ended with Yang Jing and Si Jiawen meeting with Bai Bing just before it began.

• Yang Jing told Sun Ningxiang that he was challenging Si Jiawen to gain access to the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool and improve his chances of surviving the coming Demon Cult expedition.
• Yang Jing trained, ate a hearty breakfast, and climbed Lingxi Peak as disciples from across the sect gathered to watch his challenge.
• Yang Jing met with Peak Master Bai Bing, who praised his progress and explained the responsibilities he would bear if he won.
• Si Jiawen arrived at Lingxi Hall and told Bai Bing that she was fully prepared for the match.

Yang Jing and Si Jiawen prepared to duel for the position of Lingxi Peak Senior Brother, but their contest drew an extraordinary gathering of the Profound Truth Sect’s leaders. With the Sect Master and Peak Masters seated, Bai Bing gave the two disciples permission to begin.

• Bai Bing led Yang Jing and Si Jiawen out of Lingxi Hall and toward the arena at Lingxi Square.
• Qin Gang arrived with Zhao Wenju to watch the duel, surprising the spectators and prompting Bai Bing to arrange him a seat.
• Zhou Yunyi, Huang Zhen, Li Zhihai, and Lei Lie arrived together, drawing further astonishment from the crowd.
• Cao Zhen arrived with Ouyang Jingxuan, and the sect leaders took their seats in the front row.
• Bai Bing told Yang Jing and Si Jiawen to begin the duel.

Yang Jing challenged Si Jiawen for Lingxi Peak's foremost disciple position and overwhelmed her with the combined strength of his Three True Arts. Si Jiawen conceded, leaving Yang Jing as Lingxi Peak's new Senior Brother.

• Yang Jing and Si Jiawen entered the sparring ground before the sect's assembled leaders and disciples to contest the Senior Brother position.
• Si Jiawen launched a full-power palm strike, but Yang Jing met it head-on with a fist and matched her strength.
• Yang Jing used the Mountain-Splitting Seal, Indestructible True Art, and Crossing the River to gain control of their prolonged fight and steadily suppress Si Jiawen.
• Yang Jing's final blow drove Si Jiawen back and left blood at the corner of her mouth, so he stopped attacking to check on her.
• Si Jiawen called a halt, conceded that Yang Jing was stronger, and acknowledged him as Lingxi Peak's Senior Brother.

Yang Jing defeated Si Jiawen and was officially named Lingxi Peak Senior Brother, earning the right to enter the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool. After three days of intensive training, he visited the Stewards' General Hall to request an audience with Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan, and the steward agreed to notify him.

• Si Jiawen conceded to Yang Jing, who won their match and was officially named Lingxi Peak Senior Brother by Bai Bing.
• Bai Bing told Yang Jing that his new position granted him one opportunity to enter the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool, which he could arrange through Ouyang Jingxuan.
• Yang Jing returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, where Sun Ningxiang congratulated him, and then resumed training to prepare for his eventual fight against the Demon Cult.
• Cao Zhen and Ouyang Jingxuan praised Yang Jing's strength and discussed his prospects, the upcoming demon-slaying mission, and his likely entry into the jade pool.
• Three days later, Yang Jing trained, recovered, and went to the Stewards' General Hall, where he requested an audience with Ouyang Jingxuan and the steward agreed to inform him.

Yang Jing entered the Profound Truth Sect’s Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool to undergo sinew-cleansing and marrow-washing. The chapter left him immersed in the jade marrow, cultivating as it began to transform his body and root bone.

• Ouyang Jingxuan escorted Yang Jing from the Stewards' General Hall to the hidden cave containing the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool.
• Ouyang Jingxuan explained that the pool held a thousand years of accumulated jade marrow and warned Yang Jing not to exceed what his body could withstand during his six-hour cultivation session.
• After Ouyang Jingxuan left and sealed the entrance, Yang Jing removed most of his clothes and stepped into the jade marrow liquid.
• Yang Jing felt the jade marrow cleanse his body, expand his meridians, and reshape his root bone as he sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Three True Arts.

Yang Jing completed six hours in the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool, advancing his root bone from sixth grade to fifth grade and strengthening his internal qi. Two months later, he left with Sun Ningxiang on the Profound Truth Sect’s mission to investigate the Demon Cult, and they set out for Yuhe County.

• Yang Jing cultivated in the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Pool, increasing his internal qi and breaking through to a fifth-grade root bone.
• Ouyang Jingxuan escorted Yang Jing from the pool and urged him to prepare for the coming mission against the Demon Cult.
• Two months later, Yang Jing left Azure No. 4 Courtyard as the sect sent its transforming-strength disciples and above to investigate the Demon Cult across Jintai Prefecture.
• Yang Jing met Sun Ningxiang at the gathering point, and they chose to return to their hometown of Yuhe County together.
• Yan Chenglong bid farewell to Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang at the docks, wishing them safety on their journey.
• Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang crossed to Hidden Dragon Town, obtained a carriage, and departed south for Yuhe County.

Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang traveled through a deadly blizzard to Yuhe County, where memories of their beginnings stirred as they returned to the Sun Clan Martial Arts School. Their arrival reunited them with Jiang Haoyang and Xu Hong, while other disciples gathered to greet them.

• Yang Jing drove Sun Ningxiang south through the blizzard and saw refugees and corpses suffering from the cold and hunger.
• After the snow stopped, Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang reached Yuhe County and traveled to the Sun Clan Martial Arts School.
• A gate attendant mistook Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang for newcomers seeking to join the school.
• Jiang Haoyang recognized Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang, ran to greet them, and drew the attention of the training disciples.
• Xu Hong welcomed Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang back as the other disciples hurried toward the entrance.

Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang returned to the Sun Clan Martial Arts School, where Sun Yong welcomed them warmly. Yang Jing recounted their achievements at the Profound Truth Sect, shocking Sun Yong, Xu Hong, and Zhao Wenzheng, before Sun Yong urged them to visit Yang Jing’s family and promised a welcome feast the next day.

• Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang returned to the Sun Clan Martial Arts School, delighting the disciples and reuniting with Xu Hong and Zhao Wenzheng.
• Sun Yong greeted Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang with joy, and Yang Jing respectfully thanked his master before they went into the Main Hall.
• Sun Ningxiang served tea and sat beside Yang Jing, while Sun Yong invited Xu Hong and Zhao Wenzheng to join their conversation.
• Yang Jing calmly described their time at the Profound Truth Sect, astonishing Sun Yong, Xu Hong, and Zhao Wenzheng with his achievements and Sun Ningxiang’s breakthrough to transforming strength.
• Sun Yong told Yang Jing to visit his family and planned a welcome feast for Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang the following day.

Yang Jing returned to Yuhe County and reunited with his family before attending a welcome banquet, where he revealed that he and Sun Ningxiang had been sent to hunt the Demon Cult. He rejected the local elites’ requests for audiences and began planning the search as the righteous forces maintained pressure across Jintai Prefecture.

• Sun Yong sent Jiang Haoyang to escort Yang Jing to the grand Yang Residence, where Yang Jing reunited with Liu Cuiling, Yang Shouzhuo, Madam Qin, Madam Xue, and Yang An.
• Yuhe County’s powerful families heard of Yang Jing’s return and prepared gifts and visiting cards in hopes of gaining his favor and protection.
• Yang Jing attended Sun Yong’s welcome banquet at Fu Man Lou and told the Sun Clan Martial Arts School disciples that he and Sun Ningxiang had a sect mission to find the Demon Cult in Yuhe County.
• Yang Jing urged the disciples to report suspicious activity and not confront the Demon Cult on their own, then the banquet ended.
• Yang Jing declined requests for social visits and planned the search with Sun Ningxiang while the Five Great Schools and allied forces continued sweeping Jintai Prefecture for Demon Cult survivors.

Yang Jing searched Yuhe County for Demon Cult activity for several days without finding any traces, then reconsidered how to balance his investigation with cultivation. At a restaurant, he saw Zhao Yuman arrive to meet Young Master Hai, but he dismissed her as unimportant and returned to his plans.

• Yang Jing concluded that remote villages and forests were the likeliest places for Demon Cult activity and began searching the countryside around Yuhe County.
• Yang Jing investigated townships and villages for three days but found no signs of the Demon Cult, so he planned to divide his time between cultivation and targeted searches.
• Yang Jing noticed Zhao Yuman arriving at a restaurant and recalled that she had once rejected a proposed marriage arranged by Liu Maolin.
• Zhao Yuman followed a guard to a private room on the third floor, where Young Master Hai greeted her.

Zhao Yuman used her supposed connection to Yang Jing to demand an exorbitant price from Young Master Hai for the scarce White Jade Pill, then panicked when she spotted a figure who resembled Yang Jing. As Young Master Hai left after deciding to buy the pill, Yang Jing sensed a trace of Demon Cult aura coming from him.

• Zhao Yuman demanded thirty thousand taels for the White Jade Pill, and Young Master Hai swallowed his anger rather than risk provoking Yang Jing.
• Zhao Yuman saw a familiar figure on the restaurant's second floor, feared her false claims about Yang Jing would be exposed, and waited in her carriage to see who left.
• Young Master Hai's middle-aged guard urged him to attack the Zhao Family, but Young Master Hai refused because it could draw Yang Jing's attention and expose the Demon Cult.
• Young Master Hai decided to buy the White Jade Pill and left the private room after suppressing his sinister aura.
• Yang Jing detected a faint Demon Cult aura on Young Master Hai as he descended the stairs and fixed his gaze on him.

Yang Jing followed Young Master Hai to the Ironblood Gang and suspected the gang had been infiltrated by the Demon Cult. After learning about the gang from Liu Maolin, he prepared to investigate it under cover of night.

• Yang Jing concealed his presence, left the restaurant after Young Master Hai, and evaded Zhao Yuman by disguising himself with an Imitation Skin Mask before secretly following the pair.
• Yang Jing tracked Young Master Hai and the middle-aged guard through the Outer City to the Ironblood Gang, then decided to wait until nightfall before infiltrating it.
• Yang Jing visited Liu Maolin at the Liu Family Medical Hall and asked about the Ironblood Gang.
• Liu Maolin explained that Xu Tai founded the gang, vanished two years earlier, and was succeeded as acting Chief by the former guest retainer Hai Guangfu.
• Yang Jing connected Young Master Hai's Demon Cult aura with Hai Guangfu and planned to investigate their quarters and search for signs of the cult during his nighttime infiltration.

Yang Jing returned to the Yang Residence to prepare for infiltrating the Ironblood Gang, then trained until he broke through from the peak of the Qi-Nourishing Realm to the True Qi Realm. After stabilizing his new strength, he prepared to bathe before heading to the gang and waiting for nightfall.

• Yang Jing returned home, greeted Liu Cuiling, and retrieved two bamboo tubes and a cloth-wrapped parcel for his planned infiltration of the Ironblood Gang.
• Yang Jing practiced the Mountain-Splitting Seal in the courtyard and reached the peak of the Qi-Nourishing Realm.
• Yang Jing continued training and broke through to the True Qi Realm, transforming his internal qi and greatly increasing his strength.
• Yang Jing practiced for another quarter of an hour to familiarize himself with his new power, then decided to bathe before setting out for the Ironblood Gang.
• Liu Cuiling insisted on heating water for Yang Jing, and he took a comfortable hot bath while preparing to wait for nightfall.

Yang Jing infiltrated the Ironblood Gang to investigate its suspected Demon Cult ties and found that acting Chief Hai Guangfu was missing. He tortured Hai Guangfu’s son, Young Master Hai, until he revealed a hidden passage to an underground palace where his father was likely cultivating.

• Yang Jing left the Yang Residence at night and watched the Ironblood Gang, sensing no Demon Cult aura among its guards or members.
• Yang Jing slipped over the compound wall and searched the gang’s courtyards but found no trace of Hai Guangfu.
• Yang Jing used Tracking Powder in the rooms of senior members and entered Young Master Hai’s room while he slept.
• Yang Jing restrained Young Master Hai, threatened to kill him, and demanded to know where Hai Guangfu was.
• Young Master Hai revealed that a hidden passage beneath his father’s room led to an underground palace where Hai Guangfu was likely cultivating.

Yang Jing forced Young Master Hai to lead him to the secret passage beneath Hai Guangfu's residence, while Hai Guangfu reported the Demon Cult's supplies to a powerful battle general in the underground palace. The chapter ended as Yang Jing approached the palace openly, alerting the Demon Cult followers.

• Yang Jing kept Young Master Hai captive and ordered him to lead the way to the underground palace.
• Yang Jing used the Crossing the River technique to evade Ironblood Gang guards and reach Hai Guangfu's residence with Young Master Hai.
• Hai Guangfu reported that the gang had collected pills and three jars of blood essence, blaming intensified searches by the Five Great Sects for the reduced supply.
• The black-robed battle general learned that Yang Jing was leading the search and threatened to kill him if an opportunity arose.
• Clear footsteps sounded in the secret passage, and the Demon Cult martial artists turned toward the approaching intruder.

Yang Jing entered the Demon Cult’s hidden base in the Underground Palace and revealed overwhelming strength against its fighters. He killed the cult leader after stopping his great cleaver with two fingers, while Young Master Hai escaped.

• Yang Jing brought Young Master Hai into the Underground Palace, where Hai Guangfu and the Demon Cult gathered to confront him.
• Yang Jing identified the Demon Cult’s connection to the Ironblood Gang, prompting the burly man in black robes to order five transforming strength experts to attack.
• Yang Jing killed all five attackers with five copper coins, including Hai Guangfu, and Young Master Hai fled the hall.
• The burly man in black robes revealed his peak qi-devouring realm strength and attacked Yang Jing with a Fine-Steel Great Cleaver.
• Yang Jing caught the cleaver between two fingers, snapped its blade, and killed the fleeing burly man with a fragment.

Yang Jing searched the Ironblood Gang’s underground palace, discovered evidence of the Demon Cult’s brutal practices, and left with supplies and clues. He tracked the fleeing Young Master Hai into the mountains, hoping to follow him to more Demon Cult forces.

• Yang Jing searched the corpses and found silver notes, cultivation pills, and three jars of human essence blood.
• Yang Jing sealed the jars, gathered his spoils, and left the underground palace, planning to report the Demon Cult stronghold to the Profound Truth Sect.
• Yang Jing found that Young Master Hai had fled and released a Tracking Black Beetle to follow his scent.
• Yang Jing tracked Young Master Hai beyond Yuhe County and into the mountains, then followed him unseen as he hurried toward an unknown destination.

Young Master Hai fled to a fortified Demon Cult stronghold and reported that Yang Jing had killed Hai Guangfu and the other experts at the Ironblood Gang. Recluse Zhu decided to investigate and kill the mysterious attacker, while Yang Jing watched the fortress from outside.

• Young Master Hai escaped through the woods and reached a heavily guarded fortress, with Yang Jing secretly following him.
• Inside the fortress, the White-Robed Middle-Aged Man brought Young Master Hai to meet Recluse Zhu.
• Young Master Hai told Recluse Zhu that a masked young man had killed Hai Guangfu and the other Demon Cult experts at the Underground Palace, concealing that Yang Jing had forced him to lead the way there.
• The White-Robed Middle-Aged Man suspected the attacker belonged to the Five Great Schools, and Recluse Zhu worried that Zheng Ba was in danger.
• Recluse Zhu vowed to investigate personally and kill the attacker, while Young Master Hai eagerly anticipated revenge against Yang Jing.