Chapter Summaries

Chen Qing guarded a waterway on Nine Waves Island, collected tolls from escaping raiders, and concealed how he had obtained his new Treasure Ship and wealth. Elsewhere, Zuo Feng rescued the wounded Zheng Hui by killing Xiao Ruizhe, Lin Wei, and the other Lihuo Institute disciples pursuing him, then fled with him.

• Chen Qing watched a married couple rob and kill a group of retainers before Tian Ban'an attacked them and another gang pursued their valuables.
• Chen Qing stopped Liu Hou and his two companions at the waterway, demanded half their loot, and let them pass after they paid.
• Shen Xiuyong examined Chen Qing's new Treasure Ship and haul, then reminded him to repay the debt for three Thunderclap Fire Seeds.
• Song Ming searched the bodies of his fallen companions and gathered valuables to fund a Meridian-Breaking Pill.
• Xiao Ruizhe and Lin Wei cornered the wounded Zheng Hui, but the disguised Zuo Feng killed them and the other Lihuo Institute disciples before escaping with Zheng Hui.

Chen Qing blocked Liu Han’s Treasure Ship for inspection until Shen Xiuyong negotiated thirty percent of its haul in exchange for passage. Afterward, Chen Qing recognized Zuo Feng and Zheng Hui disguised as wounded Lihuo Institute disciples, then baited them into pursuing Liu Han and secretly followed them.

• Chen Qing stopped Liu Han’s ship and subdued the steward who attacked him, but Liu Han’s strength and hidden armor made a direct fight risky.
• Shen Xiuyong arrived, secured thirty percent of Liu Han’s treasure, and let the Liu Family ship pass.
• Chen Qing divided the haul with Shen Xiuyong, who warned him that Liu Han was powerful and would likely hold a grudge.
• Zuo Feng and Zheng Hui arrived disguised as Xiao Ruizhe and Junior Brother Wang, and Chen Qing noticed that their auras did not match their appearances.
• Chen Qing told the disguised pair that Liu Han carried valuable treasures and had just departed, prompting them to pursue him.
• Chen Qing concealed his Treasure Ship and aura, then followed Zuo Feng and Zheng Hui.

Chen Qing witnessed Zuo Feng attack the Liu Family Treasure Ship, then secretly found the mortally wounded Liu Han, killed him, and took his Azure Flood Dragon Armor. The next morning, Xuanjia Gate Elder Du Lingchuan arrived and recognized the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear style Chen Qing was practicing.

• Chen Qing followed the Liu Family Treasure Ship underwater as Zuo Feng revealed himself, killed two guards and Uncle Fu, and severely wounded Liu Han.
• Liu Han escaped overboard into a whirlpool, while Zuo Feng and Zheng Hui seized the ship and fled; Chen Qing searched the reefs for Liu Han.
• Chen Qing found Liu Han alive in a reef crevice, killed him with Qingmu True Qi, took the Azure Flood Dragon Armor, and concealed Liu Han's body in the river.
• Chen Qing examined and wore the armor, then practiced the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear the following morning.
• Du Lingchuan arrived aboard an Xuanjia Gate tower ship, saw Chen Qing's spear practice, and suspected he was Peng Zhen's new Closed-Door Disciple.

Chen Qing returned from the Nine Waves Island campaign, learned that Xiao Ruizhe and Lin Wei had died, and resumed overseeing the fishery. He entered seclusion and broke through to the middle stage of Embracing Dan Strength.

• Du Lingchuan praised Chen Qing's mastery of the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear and arranged to take the injured Wu Feng safely to the Wu Family.
• Shen Xiuyong told Chen Qing that Xiao Ruizhe, Lin Wei, and other Lihuo Institute disciples had died, likely at Zuo Feng's hands, while Liu Han had gone missing.
• Chen Qing returned to Nanze No. 7 Fishery, rewarded the workers for the successful winter hunt, and comforted Wu Yuanhua as he mourned Xiao Ruizhe and Lin Wei.
• Chen Qing read reports on the Nine Waves Island aftermath, ordered the fishery staff to manage things during his absence, and entered seclusion.
• After a month and a half, Chen Qing opened his fourth primary meridian and advanced to the middle stage of Embracing Dan Strength.

Chen Qing welcomed Lin Xue to Nanze No. 7 Fishery, sold his Nine Waves Island spoils, and exchanged the Yellow Springs saber for the Cloud-Coiling Spear. At Qingmu Institute, he revealed that he had reached the middle stage of Embracing Dan Strength, unsettling the contest between Luo Xinya and Xu Qi for Chief Disciple as he declined Xu Qi’s invitation.

• Chen Qing accepted Lin Xue as a patrol guard and told Old Zhao to guide and protect her because she was inexperienced and Lin Wei’s younger sister.
• Chen Qing sold his Nine Waves Island spoils to Liu Chengzong for sixty-eight thousand taels, exchanged the Yellow Springs saber for the Cloud-Coiling Spear, and asked to be notified if bone-improving treasures appeared.
• Chen Qing bought exotic beast Essence Blood before going to Qingmu Institute for Li Baichuan’s assessment.
• Chen Qing demonstrated middle-stage Embracing Dan Strength, shocking the disciples and drawing Li Baichuan’s praise for his stable foundation and refined true qi.
• Luo Xinya and Xu Qi congratulated Chen Qing, whose breakthrough complicated their competition for Chief Disciple.
• Xu Qi invited Chen Qing to a gathering and offered help with institute affairs, but Chen Qing declined the invitation and avoided joining the rivalry.

Chen Qing repaid his debt, learned about Langya Pavilion’s cultivation benefits, and used its Earth Core Milk to stabilize his middle-stage Embracing Dan Strength before breaking through to the Golden Body realm. After reckoning with the high cost of cultivation, he returned to the fishery, where a letter from Wu Tieshan invited him to meet about treasures that could improve innate talent.

• Chen Qing repaid Shen Xiuyong 31,500 taels for the Thunderclap Fire Seeds, and Shen Xiuyong explained the privileges of becoming Qingmu Institute’s Chief Disciple, including access to Langya Pavilion.
• Chen Qing paid to cultivate in a Langya Pavilion Quiet Room and found that its Earth Core Milk mist accelerated his cultivation fivefold.
• Over more than twenty days, Chen Qing frequently cultivated at Langya Pavilion while Old Zhao and the others managed the fishery and Lin Xue settled in.
• Chen Qing stabilized his middle-stage Embracing Dan Strength with five primary meridians open, then tempered his body with Ironclad Rhinoceros and Mountain-Splitting Bear Essence Blood until he reached the Golden Body realm.
• Chen Qing calculated that his cultivation expenses had totaled 26,500 taels in a month and returned his attention to the fishery as the Wutai Sect celebration approached.
• Wu Tieshan’s steward delivered a letter inviting Chen Qing to meet and discuss information about treasures that could improve innate talent.

Chen Qing learned that obtaining a Bone Transformation Pill would require rare ingredients and a risky, costly refinement, while Jiang Bohong warned that the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp had grown far more dangerous. At the Wutai Sect, He Yuzhou ordered Peng Zhen to make Qingmu Institute choose a Chief Disciple before the grand celebration.

• Wu Tieshan introduced Chen Qing to Jiang Bohong, who offered to refine Bone Transformation Pills for half the yield and a five-thousand-tael fee if Chen Qing supplied the rare ingredients.
• Jiang Bohong described the three required spirit herbs and revealed that the pill had only about a thirty percent chance of success, so Chen Qing decided to consider the matter further.
• Jiang Bohong warned Wu Tieshan and Chen Qing that a mysterious fiendish creature and rioting poisonous insects had made the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp exceptionally dangerous, then shared what little he knew of Haisha Sect steward Li Yuan.
• Lin Xue brought Chen Qing Silver Thread Fish soup, and Chen Qing praised her cooking while reflecting that he saw her chiefly as his responsibility and the younger sister of his fallen fellow disciple Lin Wei.
• He Yuzhou and Peng Zhen discussed the Demonic Sect threat, the loss of Xiao Ruizhe, and the unresolved Chief Disciple position at Qingmu Institute.
• He Yuzhou ordered Peng Zhen to tell Uncle Li to choose Qingmu Institute's Chief Disciple promptly, and Peng Zhen set out to deliver the message.

Chen Qing was unexpectedly named Qingmu Institute’s chief disciple, gaining substantial cultivation privileges and new responsibilities. After collecting his token and monthly pills, he received a stream of congratulations and gifts, including a visit from Lihuo Institute’s new chief disciple, Li Wang, who proposed that they support one another.

• Li Baichuan appointed Chen Qing chief disciple, shocking Luo Xinya, Xu Qi, and the other disciples.
• Chen Qing visited Sang Yanping at the Internal Affairs Hall and received his identity token, cultivation benefits, and access to the Tingchao Martial Library’s fourth floor.
• Sang Yanping told Chen Qing he would remain Fishery Steward until after the grand celebration, and Chen Qing collected his premium pill allocation.
• Wu Yuanhua, Song Ming, and nearby fishery stewards visited Chen Qing with gifts and congratulations.
• Li Wang congratulated Chen Qing, described his own shaky position at Lihuo Institute, and proposed that they keep one another informed and offer mutual support.

After Chen Qing was named Chief Disciple of the Qingmu Institute, news of his rise stirred regret, excitement, and resentment across Yunlin Prefecture. Back at the institute, he faced Luo Xinya’s challenge and decisively defeated her, leaving Xu Qi shaken by the extent of his strength.

• Chu Jinyun learned that Chen Qing had reached the middle stage of Embracing Dan Strength and become Chief Disciple, and Nie Shanshan urged her to accept that his path might have differed in the Guishui Institute.
• Wu Manqing, Gu Ruohua, and Li Wan heard that Chen Qing had become Chief Disciple; Li Wan and Gu Ruohua asked Wu Manqing to arrange introductions, but Wu Manqing said she would first sound him out.
• Xu Qi told Zhao Mingyuan that Chen Qing had been appointed Chief Disciple, rejected Zhao Mingyuan’s suggestion to arrange an accident, and resolved not to risk the Xu Family’s standing.
• Chen Qing returned to the Qingmu Institute, where new disciple Yu Bao'er greeted him and Luo Xinya challenged him to spar.
• Chen Qing used the Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Hand to deflect Luo Xinya’s attacks, then met her Raging Vajra punch head-on and forced her to concede defeat.
• Xu Qi watched Chen Qing overpower Luo Xinya and was left chilled and sweating at the strength the new Chief Disciple had displayed.

Chen Qing entered the Tingchao Martial Library’s restricted Fourth Floor and chose the Blood Burning Art after learning the Dragon Elephant Marrow Refining Art was incomplete and dangerously difficult. As the Wutai Sect Grand Celebration approached, he learned Li Baichuan had chosen him as chief disciple for financial reasons and delegated the institute’s disciple admissions to Luo Xinya.

• Chen Qing defeated Luo Xinya through sheer Internal Force, then went to the Tingchao Martial Library to use his new chief disciple privilege.
• Elder Ma escorted Chen Qing to the Fourth Floor, where he found the incomplete Dragon Elephant Marrow Refining Art and the dangerous Blood Burning Art, but no records on merging the five-element cultivation arts.
• After Elder Ma warned him about the Dragon Elephant Marrow Refining Art’s risks and missing materials, Chen Qing chose to make an imprint of the Blood Burning Art instead.
• At the Wuji Demonic Sect Yunlin Branch stronghold, Zuo Feng brought the shattered Zheng Hui to Blood Rakshasa Hu Mei and learned that the branch master was away; Zuo Feng urged an attack on the Wutai Sect celebration, but Hu Mei rejected the plan.
• Chen Qing spent ten days cultivating at Langya Pavilion, perfected Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Hand, and met Li Baichuan on the eve of the Grand Celebration.
• Li Baichuan admitted he chose Chen Qing because he expected him to bring in more tribute, instructed him to favor wealthy applicants, and Chen Qing assigned Luo Xinya to oversee admissions.

Wutai Sect held a grand celebration for its seven-hundredth anniversary, drawing its five institutes and experts from three other powers. After the Sect Master opened a martial examination and disciples competed for rewards, Yan Yaoyang stepped onto the platform, setting up the next match.

• Sang Yanping welcomed the institute heads and chief disciples, while Chen Qing concealed the Gengjin and Guishui True Qi in his dantian before greeting the visiting experts.
• Du Lingchuan, He Yueting, Granny Ling Shuang, and Ye Qingyi arrived, and Li Wang warned Chen Qing that he might have to compete and that Yan Yaoyang could target him.
• He Yuzhou arrived, recalled dangers including the escaped Zuo Feng, missing Zheng Hui, and the hidden Heart Eater, then opened the martial examination after the ancestral rite.
• Liu Mang defeated Zhao Yan with his Vajra Armor-Piercing Fist and won pills and Langya Pavilion cultivation time.
• Zhou Peng defeated Xu Qi by evading his attacks and countering with his Thousand Layer Wave Sword Art, while Luo Xinya later won a match for Qingmu Institute.
• After watching the matches and considering how the five institutes' cultivation methods might be combined, Chen Qing saw Yan Yaoyang rise and walk onto the platform.

Yan Yaoyang defeated Li Wang in a public challenge, and Li Lei then challenged Chen Qing with the same Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear. Chen Qing overcame Li Lei’s mastered spear arts and left the celebration’s audience stunned by his perfection-level spear technique.

• Yan Yaoyang challenged Li Wang and defeated him after a prolonged exchange, knocking away his saber and leaving him injured.
• Li Wang admitted defeat, and Hong Yuandong reassured him that Yan Yaoyang’s strength made the loss nothing to be ashamed of.
• Li Lei challenged Chen Qing to a spear match, and Chen Qing used footwork and precise technique to withstand Li Lei’s attacks.
• Li Lei pressed Chen Qing with two mastered spear arts, but Chen Qing redirected his Rock-Splitting Cloud-Piercing Spear and counterattacked with Collapsing Mountain Piercing Rainbow.
• Chen Qing followed with Mountain Breaking Frontier Dividing, sent Li Lei crashing to the edge of the arena, and revealed the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear at perfection realm.

Chen Qing defeated Li Lei with a perfected Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear, earning acclaim before a sudden disturbance shook Lake Heart Island and He Yuzhou quelled a lake eruption. At the banquet, He Yuzhou privately ordered an investigation into a possibly unnatural disturbance, while Yan Yaoyang learned that the Prefecture Lord had invited him and other young talents to a gathering.

• Chen Qing defeated Li Lei, and the spectators recognized his extraordinary spear mastery as the Qingmu Institute's disciples celebrated their victory.
• Sang Yanping awarded Chen Qing ten-year Earth Core Milk and ten days in Langya Pavilion's Jia Character Quiet Room, and Li Baichuan told him to visit the rear courtyard after the celebration.
• A violent tremor shook Lake Heart Island, and He Yuzhou cut apart a towering water column before assuring the crowd that the disturbance came from a Water Vein.
• Chen Qing led the Qingmu Institute disciples to Tingtao Pavilion, where He Yuzhou privately told Sang Yanping that he had sensed a concealed aura and ordered him to investigate the disturbance discreetly.
• Nie Shanshan told Yan Yaoyang that the Prefecture Lord had invited them and several other young talents to the Yuntai Small Gathering at Yuntai Villa.

After Chen Qing drew attention at the Wutai Sect banquet, several factions tried to learn about or recruit him, while Hanyu Valley debated his potential and the disturbance at Lake Heart Island. The chapter ended with Li Baichuan revealing that he knew Chen Qing cultivated Guishui and Gengjin True Qi, leaving Chen Qing stunned and denying it.

• Li Wang told Chen Qing that He Yueting and Tan Yang were arranging a marriage alliance between Yan Yaoyang and He Lanxin, and Ye Qingyi questioned Chen Qing about his rapid progress before inviting him to Hanyu Valley's Ice Soul Coldpool.
• Du Lingchuan praised Chen Qing's spearwork and invited him to Xuanjia Gate to study the Mountain Splitting Thunder Spear, and Chen Qing said he would visit after settling his duties.
• Huang Dong urged Chen Qing to seek a place among Yunlin Prefecture's Five Heroes and Seven Beauties, but Chen Qing refused because he wanted to avoid fame and attention.
• Granny Ling Shuang and Ye Qingyi discussed Chen Qing's talent, the possible marriage alliance, and their suspicions that He Yuzhou was hiding something about the Lake Heart Island disturbance.
• Chen Qing visited Li Baichuan, who said he knew Chen Qing cultivated Guishui True Qi and Gengjin True Qi, and Chen Qing denied having cultivated either.

Chen Qing learned that the Wutai Sect’s five institute methods came from fragments of the Primordial Five Elements True Scripture, though its crucial general outline was lost. After settling into his new role as Qingmu Institute’s chief disciple and choosing a set of hidden weapons, he left the mystery of Li Baichuan’s knowledge unresolved, while Hanyu Valley’s Xiao Bieli gained permission to travel Yunlin Prefecture and challenge its outstanding peers.

• Li Baichuan told Chen Qing that the five institute methods descended from fragments of the Primordial Five Elements True Scripture and that its general outline, which governed the Five Elements True Qi, was missing.
• Chen Qing questioned whether Li Baichuan knew clues to the lost outline, but Li Baichuan denied possessing it, leaving Chen Qing suspicious after the elder paused at his final question.
• Chen Qing handed over his work and belongings at Nanze No. 7 Fishery, received dried fish from Lin Xue, and returned to Qingmu Institute as its Chief Disciple.
• Yu Bao'er told Chen Qing that Elder Sang had arranged a Treasure Pavilion reward, and Chen Qing and Li Wang each chose a treasure: Chen Qing took the Nine Luminaries Star-Glow Needles, while Li Wang selected a crimson saber.
• Leng Qianqiu returned from seclusion and heard Granny Ling Shuang report the suspicious events at Wutai Sect’s celebration and Dingbo Lake.
• Xiao Bieli asked to leave Hanyu Valley to challenge outstanding peers in Yunlin Prefecture, and Leng Qianqiu approved his journey and ordered secret protection; Ye Qingyi offered to accompany him.

After learning he could buy a Bone Transformation Pill for two hundred thousand taels, Chen Qing sought loans to cover the shortfall. His appeals reached sect elders and fellow disciples, who began sending him money, though the chapter left the total raised unresolved.

• Chen Qing received Jiang Bohong's offer to sell him a Bone Transformation Pill for two hundred thousand taels, but he had only a little over fifty thousand taels.
• Chen Qing asked Yu Bao'er to deliver letters requesting loans, and Shen Xiuyong lent him twenty thousand taels while Nie Shanshan agreed to lend him thirty thousand.
• Sang Yanping agreed with Elder Wang and Elder Li to lend Chen Qing ten thousand taels each, then privately ordered He Ping to send him thirty thousand more.
• Other Wutai Sect figures reacted to Chen Qing's requests, and Li Wang sent ten thousand taels while Li Lei sent eight thousand.

Chen Qing obtained a Bone Transformation Pill, had Li Baichuan verify it, and endured its painful effects to improve his bone structure to a Six-Form Bone Structure. Meanwhile, He Yuzhou secretly discussed the Demonic Sect, Heart Eater, and Leng Qianqiu’s return from seclusion, while guarding the secret of the Earth Core Milk Springhead.

• Yu Bao'er counted 257,000 taels in contributions for Chen Qing, who rewarded her and considered the debts a way to build connections.
• Jiang Bohong refined three Bone Transformation Pills for Yue Shan and Liu Sanniang, then gave Chen Qing one in exchange for 200,000 taels.
• Chen Qing asked Li Baichuan to examine the pill, and Li Baichuan confirmed it was genuine and safe to take despite its crude refinement.
• Chen Qing refused servants sent by Elder Wang, swallowed the pill in seclusion, and transformed his bone structure into a Six-Form Bone Structure.
• He Yuzhou and a disguised man discussed the recent disturbance at the lake, Heart Eater’s expected return, and Leng Qianqiu’s emergence from seclusion.
• He Yuzhou warned the disguised man to keep his identity secret and stressed that the Earth Core Milk Springhead must remain protected.

Over four months, Chen Qing focused on cultivation and discovered that his unequal reserves of five-element true qi made fusion impractical for now. When Wutai Sect began distributing Century Earth Core Milk to its five Chief Disciples, Yan Yaoyang rejected an equal rotation and demanded that resources be allocated by strength, leaving the group facing a dispute over the treasure.

• Chen Qing advanced his cultivation, searched for a way to fuse true qi, and decided to balance his five types of true qi before attempting fusion again.
• Chen Qing heard that Xiao Bieli had defeated Fang Rui and later Shi Ziyi, and learned that Hanyu Valley was helping him cultivate two types of true qi with the prospect of fusion.
• Wu Manqing asked Chen Qing to guide Wu Feng, but Chen Qing declined because he belonged to another sect; he agreed to help Wu Feng if he encountered trouble and accepted the Wu Family's gift of exotic beast essence blood.
• At the Internal Affairs Hall, Nie Shanshan proposed that the five Chief Disciples take turns receiving an extra drop of Century Earth Core Milk, and Chen Qing, Li Wang, and Li Lei agreed.
• Yan Yaoyang opposed equal turns and argued that the treasure should be allocated according to strength and potential, while Sang Yanping watched the dispute.

Chen Qing gained a drop of Century Earth Core Milk, opened his seventh primary meridian, and killed Ye Zhenshan in a rain-soaked ambush. He escaped after burning the painted boat and returned with Ye Zhenshan’s Treasure Armor, leaving the Ye Family thorn behind him.

• Yan Yaoyang took two drops of Century Earth Core Milk, Nie Shanshan took two, and Chen Qing, Li Lei, and Li Wang each took one.
• Chen Qing explained to Li Wang that the sect had distributed the milk to prepare its disciples for Xiao Bieli’s expected challenge, and He Yuzhou learned that Yan Yaoyang might face him.
• Chen Qing consumed his drop of Century Earth Core Milk and opened his seventh primary meridian.
• Chen Qing went to the Moon-Embracing Painted Boat in disguise, killed Ye Zhenshan and Ye Zhong, and took Ye Zhenshan’s low-grade Treasure Armor inner vest and money.
• Chen Qing set the boat ablaze with Meng Huo You and Lihuo True Qi, escaped through the rain, and returned to his courtyard with the stolen goods.

Chen Qing investigated Ye Zhenshan’s murder, while Li Wang resolved a case involving stolen Lihuo Institute cultivation notes. After learning that Xiao Bieli had defeated Feng Shuhao, Wutai Sect prepared for Xiao Bieli’s challenge at its mountain gate.

• Yu Bao'er told Chen Qing that disciples ranked him third among the five institutes’ chief disciples, and Chen Qing urged her to focus on cultivation.
• Elder Tang Song sent Li Wang to investigate bandits in Linyang County and assigned Chen Qing to look into Ye Zhenshan’s murder.
• Chen Qing investigated the Ye Family case, accepted twenty thousand taels from Third Madam Ye, and promised to pursue the killer while allowing other families to conduct lawful business.
• Zhou Tong celebrated reaching Embracing Dan Strength, while the Transformation Force disciples worried about Master Li’s upcoming assessment.
• Li Wang returned and reported that he had killed the bandit who had copied fragments of the Chiyang Burning Heart Art; he also told Chen Qing that Xiao Bieli had defeated Feng Shuhao and was coming to Wutai Sect.
• Xiao Bieli arrived at Wutai Sect with Ye Qingyi and Mo Yun and called on the sect’s outstanding disciples to challenge him.