Chapter Summaries

As Gaolin County grew more dangerous, Zhou Liang arranged safer futures for his family and disciples, including a possible move to the Haisha Sect for Zhou Yu and work at the Sihai Escort Agency for his students. Zhou Yu reacted uncertainly to her father’s suggestion that she marry Chen Qing, while Chen Qing asked for time to consider leaving Gaolin County.

• At dinner, Zhou Liang agreed to send Zhou Yu to the Haisha Sect through her maternal uncle, and Zhou Yu expressed both excitement and worry about leaving her parents.
• Zhou Liang asked Zhou Yu what she thought of Chen Qing as a possible husband and companion at the sect, but she felt no romantic attraction to him.
• At Zhou Academy, Zhou Yu acted flustered around Chen Qing and brought him and Sun Shun to meet Zhou Liang.
• Zhou Liang offered Chen Qing and Sun Shun positions at the Sihai Escort Agency in Shuangye County because Zhou Academy faced growing pressure.
• Sun Shun accepted the offer, while Chen Qing asked for several days to consider it because he wanted to pursue Internal Cultivation methods and strengthen himself first.

Chen Qing rejected Huang Mingxuan’s offer to join the Huang Family and completed Toad Catching Strength’s Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing, reaching Transformation Perfection. As Pang Qinghai prepared a raid for the next day, Chen Qing ambushed Shi Wenshan in a snowy alley and revealed himself.

• Huang Mingxuan apologized for Xu Xiuhua’s offense, offered Chen Qing lavish rewards and protection from Shi Wenshan, and urged him to leave Zhou Academy; Chen Qing said he would consider it.
• Chen Qing returned home, took a Blood Vitality Pill, and completed Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing through Toad Catching Strength.
• Pang Qinghai assembled evidence against several powerful families and organizations and ordered his forces to raid them the next day at the hour of the Ox.
• Shi Wenshan, Yu Ze, and Meng Tieshou agreed to attack Zhou Academy and kill Chen Qing the next day, with Shi promising them rewards.
• Shi Wenshan traveled alone through a snowy alley, where Chen Qing ambushed him, broke his left elbow, and revealed his identity.

Chen Qing killed Shi Wenshan in a fierce alley fight, then fled as Pang Qinghai arrived and began pursuing him. Seeing the Inner City ablaze, Chen Qing was attacked by a thrown Dark Iron Spear and turned to face an approaching figure.

• Chen Qing ambushed Shi Wenshan and killed him with a decisive Tongbei Fist strike.
• Chen Qing took banknotes, pills, and a booklet from Shi Wenshan before escaping onto the rooftops.
• Pang Qinghai and Pang Jiu arrived, inspected Shi Wenshan's corpse, and Pang Qinghai pursued Chen Qing.
• Chen Qing saw fires and fighting erupting in Gaolin County's Inner City as he raced across the rooftops.
• An attacker hurled a Dark Iron Spear at Chen Qing, and he turned to confront the figure approaching through the snow.

After Pang Qinghai exposed his false injury and crushed the Huang and Zhu Families’ rebellion, Chen Qing gained a recommendation to seek entry into the Wutai Sect’s Inner Sect. Chen Qing accepted and prepared to travel north in three days, while Pang Qinghai agreed to investigate what happened to Chen Qing’s missing father.

• Pang Qinghai questioned Chen Qing about Shi Wenshan’s death, then invited him to join the Wutai Sect as fighting erupted across Gaolin County.
• Chen Qing discovered the Eight Extremes Vajra Body among Shi Wenshan’s possessions and began studying the superior hard gong.
• Pang Qinghai led county soldiers in a raid on the Huang and Zhu Families, Renhe Pharmacy, Wangyuan Escort Agency, and Songfeng Martial Arts School, exposing his supposed injury as a ruse.
• Pang Jiu summoned Chen Qing, and Chen Qing secured Xu Fang’s possible release after recognizing her among the arrested prisoners.
• Pang Qinghai gave Chen Qing a general Letter of Recommendation for direct review by a Wutai Sect Inner Sect academy and arranged his departure from Niangniang Temple Wharf in three days.
• Chen Qing asked Pang Qinghai to investigate his father Chen Wu’s disappearance during corvée labor, and Pang Qinghai agreed to make inquiries.

Chen Qing prepared to leave for the Prefecture City and said farewell to Zhou Liang, who gave him a treasured Returning Sun Grass to help him on his path. As Zhou Yu departed for the Haisha Sect, Chen Qing refused Old Master Chen’s invitation to a family meal, leaving the family’s reconciliation unresolved.

• Chen Qing told Madam Han he would leave for the Prefecture City in three days and asked her to seek help from Cheng Ming or Zhou Liang if trouble arose.
• Li Yuan arrived at Zhou Academy and announced that he would take Zhou Yu to the Haisha Sect, while Zhou Liang unsuccessfully asked him to bring Chen Qing into the sect as well.
• Zhou Yu said goodbye to her family and Chen Qing, then left with Li Yuan in a black carriage.
• Chen Qing told Zhou Liang he had a Wutai Sect Letter of Recommendation and token, and Zhou Liang gave him a treasured Returning Sun Grass for the journey.
• Yang Huiniang brought travel provisions from Chen Jinhua and passed on Old Master Chen’s invitation to a family meal, but Chen Qing declined until his father returned.

Chen Qing traveled to Yunlin Prefecture with Wu Manqing, learned about its major powers, and arrived at the Wutai Sect to begin the admissions process. After Chen Qing checked into Anping Residence and resumed his cultivation, Gengjin Institute Head Tan Yang reviewed his Four-Form Bone Structure and judged him unlikely to rise far.

• Chen Qing left Gaolin County aboard the Wu Family merchant ship, and Wu Manqing explained the major powers of Yunlin Prefecture during the journey.
• Chen Qing reached the Prefecture City, then traveled with Wu Manqing to the Wutai Sect and received a Four-Form Bone Structure rating during the initial screening.
• Chen Qing checked into Anping Residence to await the sect's review and continued tempering his Eight Extremes Vajra Body.
• Tan Yang reviewed the applicants' rosters, considered Chen Qing's Four-Form Bone Structure a serious limitation, and set aside candidates with Six-Form Bone Structures.

After missing the first rounds of Wutai Sect’s selection, Chen Qing offered a precious herb and paid five hundred taels to enter Qingmu Institute as a Registered Disciple. He received introductory manuals and learned that the institute expected disciples to cultivate largely on their own.

• At Yuelai Inn, Chen Qing and Yang Zhicheng discussed their dwindling chances of joining Wutai Sect as the Cross Review progressed.
• Chu Jinyun considered Chen Qing for Guishui Institute but chose Zhang Rui instead to repay an old debt to his family.
• After Yang Zhicheng left to seek a place with the Liu Family, Chen Qing decided to try Qingmu Institute and took his twelve-year-old Returning Sun Grass there.
• Li Baichuan accepted Chen Qing as a Registered Disciple, claiming a favorable divination and charging him five hundred taels for the reading.
• Luo Xinya showed Chen Qing around, gave him introductory cultivation and reference manuals, and explained Qingmu Institute’s rules and self-directed training.

Chen Qing cultivated Qingmu Evergreen Art and Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Hand, took a night-watch assignment at North Marsh No. 3 Fishery, and steadily advanced his skills. The chapter left him leading a patrol after Ye Rong'er slapped Liu Cheng for staring at her.

• Chen Qing rented a secluded courtyard, began cultivating Qingmu Evergreen Art, and learned that Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Hand was the Qingmu Institute's core martial art.
• Bai Ming and Zheng Xiuhong visited Chen Qing, while Wu Manqing considered him as a possible expert to help protect the Wu Family's trade routes despite her friends' doubts about his prospects.
• Chen Qing bought flying needles and Gold Coin Darts, practiced them for forty days, and advanced Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Hand to Minor Accomplishment and Eight Extremes Vajra Body to Steel Bone.
• Chen Qing accepted a night-watch assignment at North Marsh No. 3 Fishery and began patrolling under the strict supervision of Ye Rong'er.
• Jiang Wu and Liu Cheng discussed treasure in the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp before Chen Qing ordered them to prepare for patrol.
• Ye Rong'er slapped Liu Cheng three times for looking at her and ordered Chen Qing to patrol Fish Ponds Seven and Eight with the others.

Chen Qing killed Mo Laosan of the Seven Fiends of Yinsha after recognizing that he had infiltrated the Ma Family’s convoy, and the search of his body revealed signs of a rare Silver Thread Carp. Ye Rong'er, Ma Hongyuan, and Yin Chenfeng rushed into the Reed Marsh with Chen Qing, where they found a twelve-year-old female carp amid a whirlpool and human corpses used as bait, just as a sudden change began.

• Chen Qing stopped the Ma Family convoy, identified its unfamiliar driver as suspicious, and killed him with a surprise punch.
• Chen Qing ordered Jiang Wu and Liu Cheng to alert the authorities and secure the scene, while the constables identified the corpse as Mo Laosan in disguise.
• Yin Chenfeng found a Silver Thread Carp scale and Snake Saliva Grass on Mo Laosan, prompting Ye Rong'er, Ma Hongyuan, and Yin Chenfeng to pursue the fish despite Chen Qing’s warning.
• The group found a whirlpool in the Reed Marsh, with mangled corpses serving as bait and a twelve-year-old female Silver Thread Carp surrounded by oversized Treasure Fish.
• Ye Rong'er urged the group to act before the carp escaped, but a sudden change interrupted her.

Chen Qing escaped the Bone Crocodile’s lair after Tu Gang and the Seven Fiends of Yinsha ambushed the survivors and seized control of the marsh. Chen Qing killed Seventh Brother and fled Tu Gang, while the Silver Thread Carp vanished and Tu Gang withdrew before Wutai Sect experts arrived.

• Chen Qing, Ma Hongyuan, Ye Rong'er, Yin Chenfeng, and the others killed the Bone Crocodile, losing two Ma Family experts and one constable in the fight.
• Tu Gang revealed his mid-stage Embracing Dan Strength and killed Ma Hongyuan, scattering the survivors as the Seven Fiends attacked.
• Chen Qing fled when Ye Rong'er called for help, while Tu Gang severed her arm; she used a Thunderclap Fire Seed to escape his immediate attack.
• Chen Qing killed Seventh Brother underwater with a concealed needle and a Tongbei Fist strike, then escaped Tu Gang's furious pursuit into dangerous waters.
• Tu Gang learned the Silver Thread Carp had vanished and retreated with his remaining brothers before Wutai Sect experts could arrive.

After killing the wounded Ye Rong'er and hiding her belongings, Chen Qing gave the Wutai Sect’s Enforcement Hall a carefully edited account of the battle. The investigation accepted his story, rewarded him for killing two of the Seven Fiends of Yinsha, and dismissed him to recover, while the Ye Family suspected his survival was suspicious.

• Chen Qing found the gravely wounded Ye Rong'er in the Reed Marsh, pretended to reassure her, then killed her and took her valuables and the first three layers of the Nine Revolutions Golden Art.
• Chen Qing threw Ye Rong'er's body into the river, hid her valuables near his home, and went to the Enforcement Hall.
• Ye Zhenshan learned that Ye Rong'er was missing and blamed the Wuji Demonic Sect, then questioned why Chen Qing had survived and ordered an inquiry into him.
• Chen Qing told the Enforcement Hall a trimmed version of the events, and the hall compared his testimony with Yin Chenfeng's account and the evidence at the scene.
• An Enforcement Hall steward accepted Chen Qing's account, credited him for killing the third and Seventh Brother of the Seven Fiends of Yinsha, gave him Qi-Boosting Pills, and dismissed him.

Chen Qing ignited his fire seed, reached Transformation Perfection, and discovered he could begin cultivating the Gengjin Institute’s Nine Revolutions Golden Art in secret. At the Tingchao Martial Library, he obtained the first-layer method of the Qingmu Everlasting Spring Art and learned about the Wuji Demonic Sect’s qi-devouring cultivation method.

• Chen Qing ignited his fire seed, reached Transformation Perfection, and found that the Nine Revolutions Golden Art had begun cultivating in his fate after he read its first-layer mantra.
• Chen Qing memorized and destroyed the Nine Revolutions Golden Art booklet so no one would discover that he possessed the Gengjin Institute’s core method.
• Chen Qing told Luo Xinya he had reached Transformation Perfection, and she directed him to the Tingchao Martial Library to obtain the next Qingmu Everlasting Spring Art method.
• Chen Qing explored the Tingchao Martial Library, considered learning the Kuntu Institute’s Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear, and read records explaining the risks of the Wuji Demonic Sect’s qi-devouring art.
• Chen Qing encountered Zheng Xiuhong at the library, then registered and paid one thousand taels to copy the first-layer Qingmu Everlasting Spring Art method.

Chen Qing accepted Wu Manqing’s offer to serve as a Wu Family consecrated expert, used his stipend to acquire the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear, and advanced his cultivation over two months. The chapter ended with the Five Flood Dragons Stirring the River seizing a Wu Family cargo ship, killing Wu Zhong, and demanding a huge ransom as Chen Qing prepared to respond.

• Chen Qing used a Qi-Boosting Pill to cultivate the Qingmu Everlasting Spring Art, then accepted Wu Manqing’s offer of an annual stipend of ten thousand taels as a Wu Family consecrated expert.
• Chen Qing asked Wu Manqing to deliver a letter and five hundred taels to his family, then bought a copy of the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear and a Fine Iron Spear.
• Chen Qing trained in his arts for two months, and his presence kept the Wu Family’s trade routes peaceful until the Five Flood Dragons Stirring the River seized a cargo ship and killed Wu Zhong.
• Xiao Huan told Chen Qing that the bandits demanded one hundred thousand taels to release the ship and its crew, and Chen Qing promised to handle the matter.
• At the Wu Family residence, Gu Ruohua and Li Wan doubted Chen Qing could face the five bandit chieftains, while Wu Manqing waited for him to act.

Chen Qing attacked the river bandits at Black Flood Dragon Shoals and killed their leaders before searching their stronghold. He recovered the bandits’ hidden valuables and returned to the detained Wu Family ship.

• Jiang Baoqing and his brothers demanded ransom from the Wu Family ship and threatened its passengers.
• Chen Qing slipped into the water stockade, killed the sentry, and fought through the bandits with his spear and Gold Coin Darts.
• Chen Qing killed Lang Wei, Qian San, and Sun Biao, then pursued and killed Jiang Baoqing and the fleeing Fifth Chief.
• Chen Qing found Madam Liu in the stronghold and let her go after she showed him the hidden cellar.
• Chen Qing took the bandits’ valuables and returned to the Wu Family ship.

After Chen Qing annihilated the Five Flood Dragons Stirring the River and rescued the Wu Family’s ship, Wu Manqing celebrated his victory and planned to reward him. Chen Qing then caught and killed a Ye Family tracker, confirming the family’s hostility, before examining the bandits’ spoils and finding a mysterious stone.

• Wu Zhong's deputy reported that Chen Qing had killed the Five Flood Dragons Stirring the River, burned their stronghold, and rescued the Wu Family’s crew, ship, and cargo.
• Wu Manqing ordered a carriage to the docks and prepared fifteen thousand taels of silver notes and a generous gift for Chen Qing.
• Chen Qing ambushed a man who had followed him and forced him to write “Ye” before killing him.
• Chen Qing concluded that the Ye Family had sent the tracker because of Ye Rong'er and resolved to remove the family as a threat.
• Chen Qing opened the bandits’ stolen treasures and martial arts manuals, then set aside a plain gray stone that Jiang Baoqing had kept.

Chen Qing declined Huang Dong’s offer to publicize his deeds, accepted a Fine Rain Token and a newsletter, and learned that the Wuji Demonic Sect was growing active. He then went to Martial Performance Cliff with Zhao Shi and Li Danian to hear Headmaster Peng teach spear intent, where the gathered disciples awaited the headmaster’s arrival.

• Huang Dong visited Chen Qing on Yan Yu Lou’s behalf and offered to make his name famous, but Chen Qing refused and accepted a Fine Rain Token and the Jianghu Anecdotes Record newsletter.
• Chen Qing read reports of river bandits joining forces, strange deaths near Golden Light Peak, and the Wuji Demonic Sect’s activity, including the suspected death of Song Chen.
• Chen Qing gave Luo Xinya three thousand taels for Master Li and declined her invitation to drink with other disciples.
• Zhao Shi and Li Danian invited Chen Qing to hear Headmaster Peng lecture on spear intent, and Chen Qing agreed to go with them.
• At Martial Performance Cliff, Chen Qing saw Nie Shanshan and Yan Yaoyang among the elite disciples gathered to hear the lecture.
• A figure appeared silently on the bluestone platform, and the crowd fell quiet.

Peng Zhen recognized Chen Qing’s unusual talent for spear arts and asked Li Baichuan to let him transfer to Kuntu Institute, but Li Baichuan demanded one million taels. Peng Zhen left without agreeing, while Li Baichuan made a decisive move in his Go game as thunder rolled outside.

• Peng Zhen taught the disciples about martial momentum, and Chen Qing imitated mountain momentum with a finger thrust that damaged an ironwood dummy.
• Peng Zhen learned that Chen Qing had killed the Five Flood Dragons Stirring the River and decided to recruit him for Kuntu Institute.
• Peng Zhen visited Li Baichuan and reported that the sects planned to purge the Wuji Demonic Sect’s hidden forces in Yunlin Prefecture, but Li Baichuan declined to get involved.
• Peng Zhen asked Li Baichuan to let Chen Qing transfer to Kuntu Institute, and Li Baichuan demanded one million taels of silver.
• Peng Zhen left, and Li Baichuan placed a black Go stone that captured three white stones as thunder sounded.

Chen Qing studied disguise and concealment techniques and discovered that Toad Catching Strength’s Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing had improved his innate physique. He declined Bai Ming’s invitation to search the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp, then watched the returning party celebrate its haul while he remained committed to cultivating safely.

• Yang Zhicheng sent Chen Qing a letter describing his success in the Liu Family and expressing a wish to meet again.
• Chen Qing copied the Hundred Transformations Thousand Faces Manual, the Turtle Breath Sleeping Dragon Technique, and the Golden Cicada Shedding Form Art from the Tingchao Martial Library.
• Chen Qing read that martial arts and rare treasures could improve innate physique, then realized Toad Catching Strength’s Thunder Sound Marrow Cleansing had already strengthened his own physique.
• Bai Ming invited Chen Qing to join an expedition to the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp, but Chen Qing declined because he did not want to risk his life for treasure.
• The expedition returned with herbs and exotic beast meat, leaving Bai Ming and Zheng Xiuhong pleased with their gains while Chen Qing continued his cultivation.

After eight months of cultivation, Chen Qing attended the Qingmu Institute’s assessment and passed without concern while several older disciples were told to leave. As Chen Qing went to Wanbao Pavilion to find a new spear, the Seven Fiends of Yinsha prepared an ambush for his return journey.

• Chen Qing reviewed his cultivation progress and went to the institute’s assessment, where Li Baichuan confirmed he had reached Transformation Perfection.
• Luo Xinya announced that several older disciples, including Wang Tao and Li Yuer, had been ordered to leave the Qingmu Institute.
• Wang Tao decided to join the Wutai Army, while Sun Li offered the departing disciples work at his uncle’s escort agency.
• Yang Zhicheng’s old servant told Chen Qing that Wanbao Pavilion had received a suitable long spear, and Chen Qing boarded a carriage to go there.
• Sun Kui, Li Xiao, Qian Tong, and Hu Sifang learned Chen Qing was traveling to Wanbao Pavilion and planned to ambush him on the road back to the Wutai Sect.

Chen Qing bought the Frost Chi treasure spear at Wanbao Pavilion and learned about poisonous insects before departing for Wutai Sect with Wu Tieshan. Their carriage entered an ambush, and Wu Tieshan and Chen Qing sensed danger just as Sun Kui ordered his men to attack.

• Chen Qing purchased the Frost Chi spear for thirty-two thousand taels and received A Brief Explanation of a Hundred Venomous Insects.
• Chen Qing gave Yang Zhicheng a thousand-tael banknote and agreed to share a carriage with Wu Tieshan toward Wutai Sect.
• Sun Kui, Li Xiao, Qian Tong, and Hu Sifang waited in the woods to ambush the carriage on the road.
• Wu Tieshan and Chen Qing sensed the danger as the carriage reached the narrow stretch of road, and Sun Kui shouted for his men to move.