Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan defeated Zhao Tianci’s two Fourth-Rank guards with a single saber strike and forced Zhao Tianci to leave. He departed the private room, while the gathered prodigies reflected on the widening gap between him and themselves.

• Zhao Tianci demanded to know who Fang Yuan was as the two black-clad guards prepared to attack him.
• The two Fourth-Rank guards lunged at Fang Yuan, who used the second form of the Wave-Breaking Saber Art to cripple them with one strike.
• Fang Yuan ordered Zhao Tianci to get out, and Zhao Tianci left after seeing his guards defeated.
• Fang Yuan nodded to Su Wan and left the private room, with Qian Duoduo hurrying after him.
• Murong Qing remarked that the gap between Fang Yuan and the other prodigies would keep growing.

Fang Yuan learned that Zhao Tianci, the prefect’s son, was entangled with a Black Calamity, and he advised Qian Duoduo to wait for the prefect to seek help. The chapter left Zhao Tianci’s danger unresolved as Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo weighed their next move.

• The crowd compared Fang Yuan’s strength and position with Gu Changqing’s, leaving Gu Changqing feeling helpless as he departed.
• Qian Duoduo told Fang Yuan that the man they had encountered was Zhao Tianci, the prefect’s son, and Fang Yuan said he would not fear him.
• Qian Duoduo showed Fang Yuan a compass that pointed toward Zhao Tianci, revealing that Zhao Tianci was entangled with a Black Calamity.
• Fang Yuan suggested they wait for the prefect to report the matter to the Imperial City Security Department rather than approach him and risk alerting the Black Calamity.

Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo agreed not to approach Prefect Zhao about the Black Calamity, while Zhao Tianci fled Zui Xian Lou in terror. As Fang Yuan returned to Cao Mansion, he considered what he had learned about how Black Calamities behaved.

• Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo decided to wait for Prefect Zhao to seek their help rather than investigate Zhao Tianci’s problem for free.
• Zhao Tianci escaped Zui Xian Lou after the blue-robed Fang Yuan crippled his two fourth-rank guards, and he feared the unseen presence that had been watching him for days.
• Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo parted at the Outer City gate, and Qian Duoduo suspected Fang Yuan possessed the Yin-Yang Force from the Capital City.
• Fang Yuan reflected that Black Calamities lurked in stories and old objects, spread through fear and memories, and attacked when threatened.

After surviving the Black Calamity at Chen Manor, Fang Yuan returned to Cao Mansion, where Han Bao explained that Eunuch Cao had been worried about him. Meanwhile, Foolish Egg and Third Brother were still undergoing harsh training at the Imperial City Security Department.

• Fang Yuan considered what he had learned about Black Calamities and worried that Qian Duoduo had noticed his unusual talent.
• Han Bao waited at Cao Mansion and told Fang Yuan that Eunuch Cao had searched for him and was waiting in the Main Hall.
• Fang Yuan asked Han Bao when Foolish Egg and Third Brother would return, and Han Bao assured him that they were safe but still training.
• After Fang Yuan entered Cao Mansion, Han Bao remarked that he seemed to be changing rapidly.
• Foolish Egg struggled to fold his bedding in a crowded training barracks while Third Brother watched him.

Foolish Egg and Third Brother told their fellow trainees that they served Master Fang, prompting the others to compare their masters’ abilities. Foolish Egg defended Fang Yuan by claiming he was an immortal god and began recounting a frightening sight from winter.

• Third Brother explained that he and Foolish Egg served Master Fang and had been sent to train so they could help him later.
• Trainees boasted about their masters’ rank, strength, and appetite, and Foolish Egg insisted that Master Fang was the most powerful.
• Pressed to explain, Foolish Egg checked the doors and windows, had someone put out the lamp, and declared that Master Fang was not human but an immortal god.
• Foolish Egg claimed the government office had recorded the truth and described seeing Master Fang stand three zhang tall, with a branch that left a huge slash across a wall.

Foolish Egg and Third Brother convinced the other martial artists that a bizarre tale about Master Fang was documented in the yamen, and the rumor began to spread. After returning home, Fang Yuan examined the shadow in his mind and realized that knowledge about martial talents was hidden from him and monopolized by those above.

• Foolish Egg claimed that the yamen records verified his story about a three-chi-tall shadow, and Third Brother backed him up.
• Foolish Egg and Third Brother swore by their heads that the records existed, leaving the men around them convinced and the legend about Master Fang taking root.
• Fang Yuan returned to Cao Mansion, saw that Little Bean Sprout was asleep and Chen Yin was reading, then went to his own courtyard.
• Fang Yuan examined the motionless black shadow in his Sea of Consciousness and concluded that someone had sealed away knowledge about his awakened talent.
• Fang Yuan recalled that Eunuch Cao had not understood his questions about talents, and he concluded that even Eunuch Cao did not know about them.

Fang Yuan unlocked the talent Godhood from Collective Delusion, and his panel updated to reflect his Fourth-Rank Yin-Yang Force. As the talent’s shadow transformed into a towering, willow-like figure, Fang Yuan tested his saber techniques in the Training Ground.

• Fang Yuan saw his panel update with one hundred percent compatibility for Yin-Yang Force and the newly unlocked talent Godhood from Collective Delusion.
• Fang Yuan questioned whether talents separated true Fourth-Ranks from those without talents, then examined the meaning of Collective Delusion.
• Fang Yuan watched the black figure in his mind grow to three zhang tall and its blade transform into a willow-like branch.
• Fang Yuan confirmed the figure had stopped changing, then went to the Training Ground and practiced Undercurrent, Giant Wave, and Imperial Guard with his Ghost Head Saber.

Fang Yuan discovered that his saber talent let him move instantly up to thirty meters, an ability that resembled the Black Calamity’s movement. At the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion, Zhao Tianci and his mother blamed Fang Yuan and Su Wan for the clash, and Prefect Zhao heard that Fang Yuan had killed two of the mansion’s guards.

• Fang Yuan used his activated talent to unite with his saber and found that he could teleport short distances without using a movement technique.
• Fang Yuan tested the ability and learned that each jump was limited to about thirty meters, while wondering whether it shared a source with the Black Calamity’s power.
• Zhao Tianci told Prefect Zhao that Fang Yuan had attacked him and killed two guards after Zhao Tianci questioned him at a restaurant.
• Zhao Tianci’s mother supported his account, blamed Su Wan for making false accusations, and argued that Fang Yuan had insulted the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion.

Prefect Zhao’s mother insisted that he confront Fang Yuan over Zhao Tianci’s beating, and Prefect Zhao agreed to send men to the Imperial City Security Department. Fang Yuan returned to his duties and confirmed that Grade A Case No. 17 had been sealed away.

• Prefect Zhao ordered Zhao Tianci to stay in the residence and heard his wife claim that nothing unusual had happened there.
• Prefect Zhao’s wife urged him to demand an explanation from the Imperial City Security Department, but he warned that Fang Yuan had Eunuch Cao’s backing.
• Old Madam arrived, scolded Prefect Zhao, and ordered him to send men to see Fang Yuan the next day; Prefect Zhao agreed.
• Fang Yuan woke, considered improving his Health Cultivation Method, and left Cao Mansion for the Imperial City Security Department.
• Fang Yuan asked Wang De whether Grade A Case No. 17 had been sealed, and Wang De confirmed that Old Hei had ordered it sealed the day before.

Fang Yuan investigated the willow tree in his mind by reading the Wushui Commandery Gazetteer, but an old madam from the Prefecture Governor's Mansion arrived at the Imperial City Security Department seeking him. He chose to let her make trouble at the gate while he continued his research.

• Fang Yuan watched Wang De leave and considered whether Chen Li's notes had affected him, then checked that the willow tree in his mind had not changed.
• Fang Yuan read the Wushui Commandery Gazetteer to find trees resembling the willow and learned about the Iron-Thread Willow and the Shadow Willow, also called the Ghost Willow.
• Wang De told Fang Yuan that the old madam from the Prefecture Governor's Mansion had come to see him, and Fang Yuan told him to let her make trouble for a while.
• The old madam tried to force her way through the Imperial City Security Department's gate as the guards held her back and a crowd gathered to identify her as Old Madam Zhao, the prefect's mother.

Old Madam Zhao blocked the Imperial City Security Department’s gates to demand justice for her grandson after Fang Yuan’s guards crippled two Fourth-Rank guards. Shen Qianshan considered the confrontation and Fang Yuan’s rapid rise in strength, while Gu Changqing said Zhao’s guards had deserved what happened.

• Spectators at the gates praised Fang Yuan’s strength and claimed him as a Wushui Commandery genius, angering Old Madam Zhao.
• Old Madam Zhao refused to leave the gates until the Imperial City Security Department gave her an explanation.
• The Square-Faced Captain learned that Fang Yuan had only replied that he understood, leaving the captains unsure whether he would intervene.
• Shen Qianshan heard a report about the disturbance and suspected the Prefect was using his mother to stir up trouble.
• Gu Changqing told Shen Qianshan that the guards deserved their fate, and Shen reflected on Fang Yuan’s startling growth and the pressure over Superior Resource.

Gu Changqing learned that Wushui Commandery's Medium Resources had declined and offered him no suitable path to advance. Meanwhile, Fang Yuan dismissed the Prefect's mother's attempt to see him and studied the Delusion Willow, whose illusory branches were said to cut like blades.

• Gu Changqing examined the available Medium Resources and found only weak, poorly suited forces among them.
• Shen Qianshan explained that Wushui Commandery's allocations and other support from Jiangyang Dao had been reduced, leaving the commandery facing hard times.
• Wang De asked Fang Yuan how to respond to the people blocking the Imperial City Security Department's gate, and Fang Yuan told them to make an appointment for next month.
• Fang Yuan returned to the Geographical Records and read about the Delusion Willow, a legendary tree with unseen branches said to sever people's heads.

Fang Yuan studied the Delusion Willow and tested whether his talent could turn wishes into reality, then saw his inner willow strengthen and transform into an Iron-Thread Willow. Meanwhile, at the Imperial City Security Department’s Training Ground, a trainee asked Foolish Egg if government offices really had clerks.

• Fang Yuan considered whether the Delusion Willow and his Godhood from Collective Delusion talent were connected, then tried several wishes that had no effect.
• Fang Yuan decided to experiment with the Iron-Thread Willow rather than the dangerous Shadow Willow or Delusion Willow.
• Two points of light appeared on the willow in Fang Yuan’s mind, and he watched it grow stronger and become an Iron-Thread Willow.
• Fang Yuan stopped himself from leaving his duty room to experiment because Old Hei was nearby, and wondered what the two lights were.
• During a rest at the Training Ground, a man from a neighboring dormitory quietly asked Foolish Egg whether government offices really had clerks.

Foolish Egg and Third Brother’s invented tale about Fang Yuan spread among the Imperial City Security Department’s trainees while Fang Yuan investigated how points of light strengthened the black shadow in his consciousness. At the department’s crowded gate, Su Wan arrived to thank Fang Yuan, but Old Madam Zhao challenged her manners as the guards hesitated to admit her.

• Foolish Egg and Third Brother watched their fabricated story draw a growing crowd of trainees and worried that Master Fang would learn about it.
• Fang Yuan observed that two points of light steadily strengthened the black shadow, while later points vanished as soon as they touched it.
• Fang Yuan suspected that the points of light might act as mediums like those associated with the Black Calamity, and feared that revealing his talent could make Old Hei kill him.
• Old Madam Zhao demanded an appointment to see Fang Yuan, and Square-Faced Captain explained that Fang Yuan would not be available until next month.
• Su Wan asked Square-Faced Captain to announce her visit so she could thank Fang Yuan, but Old Madam Zhao accused her of having no manners.

Su Wan went to the Imperial City Security Department to thank Fang Yuan, while Old Madam Zhao disparaged her. Qin Wan arrived to see Fang Yuan, leaving Su Wan outside wondering about her relationship with him.

• Su Wan told Old Madam Zhao that she had come to thank Fang Yuan because he had saved her.
• Old Madam Zhao accused Su Wan of pursuing Fang Yuan and waited for her to be turned away.
• Su Wan asked the gate Captain to tell Fang Yuan that she had important information, and Fang Yuan initially refused the audience.
• Qin Wan arrived at the Department with Green Vine, and the gate staff welcomed her inside.
• Fang Yuan greeted Qin Wan and acknowledged that he had neglected her request to deal with Black Heart Tiger.

Fang Yuan learned that Black Heart Tiger had escaped from prison and agreed to handle the threat, while Qin Wan revealed that she was no longer Prefect Zhao’s wife. The chapter left Fang Yuan focused on finding Black Heart Tiger and obtaining the next stage of the Health Cultivation Method.

• Qin Wan told Fang Yuan that Black Heart Tiger had vanished from prison before her plan to kill him could be carried out.
• Fang Yuan suspected that someone inside or outside the prison had helped Black Heart Tiger escape, and Qin Wan warned him that the matter seemed suspicious.
• Fang Yuan agreed to deal with Black Heart Tiger to protect his household and repay Qin Wan’s favor.
• Qin Wan told Fang Yuan to stop calling her Madam Qin because she had divorced Prefect Zhao and now had only Green Vine as her maid.
• Fang Yuan considered asking Qin Wan about the next stage of the Health Cultivation Method, which had supported him until he reached Fourth Rank.

Fang Yuan negotiated with Qin Wan for the subsequent method of the Lesser Nourishing Origin Method and revealed he was about to break through, prompting her to promise an answer within three days. Su Wan was admitted to see Fang Yuan, where she noticed a lipstick mark on the teacup left by his previous guest.

• Fang Yuan asked Qin Wan to sell him the subsequent method, and she proposed trading it for a favor she would choose later.
• Fang Yuan told Qin Wan he was about to break through, and she promised to give him an answer within three days.
• Qin Wan left the Imperial City Security Department with Green Vine while Su Wan waited outside to see Fang Yuan.
• Old Madam Zhao mocked Su Wan for coming to find a man, but Square-Faced Captain invited Su Wan inside to meet Fang Yuan.
• Su Wan noticed a red lipstick mark on the rim of the teacup on Fang Yuan's desk.

Su Wan visited Fang Yuan to thank him for saving her from Zhao Tianci and warned that an expert from a religious sect was targeting him. She revealed that she belonged to Glorious Evolution and asked Fang Yuan to join.

• Su Wan thanked Fang Yuan for stopping Zhao Tianci from taking her away at Zui Xian Lou.
• Fang Yuan told Su Wan to invoke the Imperial City Security Department if Zhao Tianci harassed her again and tried to put the matter behind them.
• Su Wan warned Fang Yuan that an expert from a sect had set their sights on him.
• Fang Yuan realized Su Wan meant a religious sect, and she admitted she had let the secret slip.
• Su Wan asked Fang Yuan to join Glorious Evolution.

Su Wan tried to erase Fang Yuan’s memory with her innate talent, but the wave vanished against the Iron-Thread Willow in his mind. Fang Yuan realized her ability was real and pressured her into explaining it, leaving him curious about her talent and the cult.

• Su Wan performed her memory-erasing gesture, but Fang Yuan remembered their conversation and asked her to try again.
• Fang Yuan sensed an invisible wave enter his mind and disappear after the Iron-Thread Willow stirred.
• Su Wan mistakenly thought her ability had worked, then panicked when Fang Yuan revealed that he remembered everything.
• Fang Yuan offered to keep her cult membership secret if she answered his questions, and Su Wan reluctantly agreed.
• Su Wan explained that she could see and erase memory fragments, a talent she had possessed since childhood.

Fang Yuan learned that Su Wan belonged to the White Lotus Sect and had a talent that could erase memories, while a Black Hall expert was targeting him. Su Wan offered to ask Sister Li for help if Fang Yuan joined the sect.

• Fang Yuan realized Su Wan's memory-erasing talent could erase a person's identity and asked about Sister Li, who had recruited and trained her.
• Su Wan revealed that she belonged to the White Lotus Sect and insisted its true members taught people to do good.
• Su Wan warned Fang Yuan that an unknown fifth-rank expert from Black Hall was pursuing him.
• Fang Yuan connected Black Hall to the Guardian who had targeted him in Qinghe County and suspected the expert wanted his Health Cultivation Method.
• Su Wan invited Fang Yuan to join the White Lotus Sect and offered to ask Sister Li to protect him from Black Hall.