Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu collected his court rewards and searched a catalogue of superior-grade martial arts for the Azure Dragon Seven Kill Spear. He learned that a potentially related work, the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture, was an unclassified martial art with only its latter half preserved.

• Liang Qu received one thousand taels of Treasure Silver and confirmed that his Great Merits had been recorded, leaving his martial art exchange unused.
• Assistant directors Si Tianye and Si Shenfu presented Liang Qu with a catalogue of superior-grade martial arts and offered to help him choose.
• Liang Qu asked the assistant directors about the Azure Dragon Seven Kill Spear, but Si Tianye could not find an art matching his description.
• Si Shenfu recalled the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture in Half-Scroll Pavilion, and Si Tianye confirmed it was a martial art omitted from the catalogue because its grade was disputed.
• Si Shenfu explained that only the work's latter half remained and that the Scripture Repository Palace had classified it as neither a True Art nor a superior-grade art.
• Liang Qu grew interested when he heard the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture might be a True Art.

Liang Qu learned how to use his superior-grade selection right and the Sacred Emperor’s Edict to exchange for the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture, then returned to camp and met with his companions. The exchange application was submitted, and Ren Yipeng revealed the Abyssal Wood Bow he and Lu Kaiyun had obtained for Liang Qu.

• Si Tianye and Si Shenfu explained True Arts and the Scripture Repository Palace’s cross-tier subsidies, including how Liang Qu’s Sacred Emperor’s Edict reduced the merit needed to exchange for a True Art fragment.
• Liang Qu chose the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture after Si Tianye confirmed the Scripture Repository Palace possessed its latter half, and he signed the application using his noble and official seals.
• Liang Qu hid the leather case beneath the boat’s floor, left Awei to guard it, and went to the grove where his companions were gathered.
• Lu Kaiyun and Ren Yipeng explained that they had been suspended until the next year rather than dismissed, and Lu Kaiyun told the group that he had brought gifts from Uncle Ran and would take a share from each cart.
• Ren Yipeng opened a rhinoceros-hide case and showed Liang Qu the Abyssal Wood Bow, which his father and Uncle Lu had bought from the Liu Family.

Liang Qu tried the living Abyssal Wood Bow, learned that it had grown from the Heavenly Abyss Soul Wood and strengthened by absorbing blood and Qi, and tested its power with a devastating shot. The bow was left in his hands to use and nurture, though he would have to return it if he stopped using it.

• Ke Wenbin and the others explained how they had once gotten the Abyssal Wood Bow from Uncle Liu by getting him drunk, then urged Liang Qu to try it first.
• Liang Qu fed blood and Qi into the bow, causing its blood threads to grow across the bow and weave themselves into a bowstring.
• Lu Kaiyun and the others explained that the living bow had grown from the Heavenly Abyss Soul Wood, could strengthen by absorbing blood and Qi, and needed its wielder to cultivate a relationship with it.
• Lu Kaiyun told Liang Qu that Uncle Liu had agreed to let him use the bow but expected him to return it if he stopped using it.
• Ren Yipeng provided arrows, and Liang Qu drew the Abyssal Wood Bow and fired a shot that tore through the forest, stripped branches from two giant trees, and sent leaves raining down.

During an inspection of the rebuilt Lord Qiu's Dyke, the envoy heard about Liang Qu’s labor-reform schedule for Lu Xinqing and confirmed that nearby riverbeds had deepened. Liang Qu then sought Treasure Plants to prepare for breakthroughs, but, short of one Great Merit, considered borrowing it in advance against his expected year-end evaluation.

• The envoy inspected Lord Qiu's Dyke, questioned Xu Yuelong about Lu Xinqing’s penal labor, and laughed at Liang Qu’s demanding reflection-writing rules.
• Officials reported that the Black Water River and Great Serpent Mouth riverbeds had deepened, while Liang Qu and his companions’ powerful archery drew attention.
• Liang Qu asked Li Shoufu to list Treasure Plants for cultivation and mental training, then explained that he had only four Great Merits available.
• Li Shoufu recommended the Morning Dew Worm and Withered Wind Narcissus, but Liang Qu lacked the five Great Merits needed to exchange for both.
• Li Shoufu suggested Liang Qu borrow a Great Merit in advance, since his achievements made another Merit in the year-end evaluation likely.

Liang Qu sought to borrow a Great Merit in advance to obtain cultivation materials, then prepared to leave Hua Zhu County after the disaster-relief mission ended. As his houseboat departed, the river beasts gathered around him, anticipating another evolution.

• Liang Qu asked Xu Yuelong to submit an application for an advance Great Merit, and Xu Yuelong agreed to try to obtain the Morning Dew Worm and Withered Wind Narcissus for him.
• Si Tianye and Si Shenfu promised to deliver the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture before the end of the next month, while Liang Qu promised to mention them if he completed the True Art.
• Xu Yuelong decided which personnel would remain in Hua Zhu County, and Liang Qu loaded his belongings onto his houseboat before declining Xiang Fangsu's invitation to travel by horse.
• Liang Qu reduced Lu Xinqing's daily written reflection requirement from five hundred characters to three hundred, then boarded his houseboat and departed.
• Awei flew to the prow as river beasts surfaced and gathered around Liang Qu, signaling that a new round of evolution was beginning.

Liang Qu evolved Cannot Move into a powerful support beast and Fat Catfish into a vortex-controlling Ink Mist beast. He then began drawing on Marsh Essence to evolve Round Head and Fist.

• Liang Qu chose Revival for Cannot Move, which grew to about twelve meters and gained the ability to restore stamina and vitality in an area.
• Liang Qu tested Cannot Move's Revival, which replenished his stamina after he exhausted himself controlling the Black Water River.
• Liang Qu chose Vortex for Fat Catfish, which evolved into a massive beast able to become Ink Mist and create a colossal whirlpool.
• Liang Qu praised his two protectors for their support and control abilities, then used Marsh Essence to bring Round Head and Fist's evolution requirements to completion.
• Six streams of gleaming light emerged from the Ze Cauldron as Round Head and Fist's evolutions began.

Liang Qu chose Leader and Burrowing for Round Head and Fist, evolving them into powerful new forms. He tested Round Head’s Tribe Resonance before continuing upriver, wondering what had happened at home during his month and a half away.

• Liang Qu evolved Round Head with Leader and Fist with Burrowing, prioritizing their potential over the other available traits.
• Round Head gathered the River Dolphins and activated Tribe Resonance, combining their auras and strength into the perception of one enormous beast.
• Liang Qu watched the resonant River Dolphins charge for a hundred zhang and blast the riverbank with a Water Gun, but the tribe exhausted itself after a quarter of an hour.
• Liang Qu reflected on how his Water Beasts formed a capable group of frontline fighters and support, then stopped at a riverside wharf to eat.
• Three days later, Liang Qu led his Water Beasts back to Yi Xing Town.

Liang Qu returned to Yi Xing Town after two months away and learned that his growing status had changed how people treated the town’s residents. After reaching home, he heard that Master Yang wanted to see him and sensed something might have happened while he was gone.

• Liang Qu arrived at Shang Rao Wharf, where townspeople welcomed him and offered him food and fish.
• Lin Songbao met Liang Qu at the wharf and explained that he had broken through to the Breaking Skin Realm and was helping oversee its expansion.
• Lin Songbao told Liang Qu that local wealthy households had lowered grain-loan interest because they feared his disapproval and that residents credited him for the town’s improved conditions.
• Liang Qu learned that the new tower on the hill was the Confucian Temple’s Kui Pavilion, then returned to the Liang Residence with Red Mountain and Lin Songbao.
• Oolong greeted Liang Qu at the residence, and Fan Xinglai told him that Master Yang had sent for him and that he was unsure whether anything had happened at home.

Liang Qu returned after the flood was contained and found that the Old Monk had pacified a rival group of River Otters by reciting the Great Compassion Mantra and teaching them Arhat Claw. After Liang Qu described the strange circumstances behind the dike collapse, the Old Monk suspected the Snow Mountain Cult may have been involved in gathering Calamity Qi, though he had no proof.

• Fan Xinglai told Liang Qu that two groups of River Otters had fought in the pond and that the Old Monk had settled the conflict.
• Liang Qu saw Scarface and eleven other River Otters finish listening to scriptures and file out of the West Wing in an orderly line.
• The Old Monk explained that he had recited the Great Compassion Mantra to the River Otters, and Scarface had since led its kin to listen and learn Arhat Claw.
• Liang Qu told the Old Monk how the flood had been contained and described Cheng Chong's confession and the evidence of deliberate damage to the dike.
• The Old Monk said the circumstances reminded him of the Heretical Monk and suspected the Snow Mountain Cult had used the dike collapse to gather Calamity Qi, while stressing that he lacked proof.

Liang Qu learned from the Old Monk how Qi enables Grandmasters to build their supernatural abilities and extend their lives, and about the difficulties of collecting and using it. The Old Monk explained Calamity Qi and Disaster Qi before revealing new progress on the Yogacara Method.

• Liang Qu asked the Old Monk about Calamity Qi and Disaster Qi, and the Old Monk explained that Grandmasters gained longevity by eating Qi to build their divine abilities.
• The Old Monk described the four difficulties of eating Qi and argued that inferior Qi did not make becoming a Martial Saint inherently harder, though it made competition more difficult.
• The Old Monk said Great Snow Mountain Grandmasters commonly cultivated Calamity Qi and Disaster Qi, and explained that these Qi could steer events toward the worst outcomes for an opponent.
• The Old Monk told Liang Qu that the heretical monk Grandmaster had carried Disaster Qi in a gold-rimmed skullcap bowl, which the Old Monk had destroyed.
• Liang Qu reflected that the Ze Cauldron could collect different kinds of Qi, then asked about the Yogacara Method.
• The Old Monk showed Liang Qu manuscripts for the Eye Consciousness Method and Nose Consciousness Method.

Liang Qu returned home with two newly deciphered sections of the Yogacara Method and offered Lin Songbao a job at the River Conservancy Office. At his expanded pond, he found the River Otter family back and saw a chance to train them in boxing for revenge.

• Liang Qu thanked the Old Monk for deciphering two sections of the Yogacara Method, then sent Fan Xinglai to care for Red Mountain.
• Liang Qu offered Lin Songbao a river official position, and Lin Songbao agreed to register at the River Conservancy Office in a few days.
• Lin Songbao agreed to reserve large crabs for Liang Qu, who planned to collect them in two or three days.
• Liang Qu inspected the enlarged pond and learned from the Old Giant Clam that the Old Toad had brought the boulder in the water.
• The River Otter family returned to the pond and mourned their defeat, while the Great Beaver comforted them.
• Liang Qu asked the Old Giant Clam to find out whether the River Otters wanted revenge and offered to teach them boxing.

Liang Qu prepared the Great River Otters to serve as crew for his new fortune ship and studied the Eye Consciousness and Nose Consciousness methods. He learned that Old Monk planned to leave on an investigation, then visited his martial arts school, where he gave Hu Qi a powerful bow and invited his senior brothers to a banquet.

• Liang Qu completed the Great River Otter, named it Ta Ta Kai, and ordered the otter family to learn Ape Fist so they could serve as ship crew.
• Liang Qu copied and compared the Eye Consciousness Method and Nose Consciousness Method with the Ear Consciousness Method, recognizing how the three could help him detect threats and deception.
• Old Monk told Liang Qu he would investigate Hua Zhu County and neighboring counties, and Liang Qu invited him to stay for a meal before departing.
• Liang Qu visited Ping Yang County and gave Hu Qi his Black Iron Great Bow, which Hu Qi struggled to draw.
• Xiang ChangSong teased Liang Qu about giving Hu Qi a weapon, and Liang Qu invited his senior brothers to a banquet to celebrate his imperial commendation and first-place performance assessment.

Liang Qu returned from Hua Zhu County and told his senior brothers and Master about his flood-control mission and the Sacred Emperor’s words of encouragement. He asked Yang Dongxiong to write an Ink Treasure of the edict, but Yang Dongxiong directed him to Headmaster Zhao of Shanghu Academy instead.

• Liang Qu told Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong that the Sacred Emperor had urged him to “build bridges, dig canals” and “strive on.”
• Liang Qu left the Martial Arts School and visited Yang Dongxiong and Xu Shi at Yang Residence.
• Liang Qu recounted his flood-control mission in Hua Zhu County and apologized for not sending letters during his two-month absence.
• Liang Qu revealed that the Sacred Emperor had personally issued him an edict of encouragement and asked Yang Dongxiong to write it as an Ink Treasure.
• Yang Dongxiong declined to write it himself and advised Liang Qu to ask Headmaster Zhao of Shanghu Academy.

Liang Qu told Yang Dongxiong about the Old Monk’s suspicions concerning the breached dike and Great Snow Mountain Sect, then received the fourth and fifth forms of the Azure Dragon Spear Technique. He also entrusted Yang Dongxiong with three Dharma Gates for his senior brothers and sisters before returning home to cultivate as the Old Monk left to investigate Hua Zhu County.

• Yang Dongxiong encouraged Liang Qu to spend more time with Headmaster Zhao and maintain his scholarly connections.
• Liang Qu told Yang Dongxiong that the Old Monk suspected Calamity Qi and the Great Snow Mountain Sect were connected to the breached dike, and Yang Dongxiong agreed to report the information carefully.
• Liang Qu asked how close Yang Dongxiong was to grandmasterhood and learned that his master had not completed either of the first two steps.
• Yang Dongxiong gave Liang Qu the fourth and fifth forms of the Azure Dragon Spear Technique, and Liang Qu explained his theory that the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture was an overarching framework.
• Liang Qu gave Yang Dongxiong the Ear, Eye, and Nose Consciousness Methods and recommended that his senior brother prioritize them for survival.
• The Old Monk left with Liang Qu’s prepared pack, and Liang Qu began intensively cultivating his newly acquired Dharma Gates.

Fat Catfish monopolized a crab-rich stretch of the Great Marsh, but two hungry strangers knocked it out and stole its catch. After Round Head found Fat Catfish asleep beside an empty basket, Fat Catfish reported the ambush to Liang Qu.

• Fat Catfish chased away Round Head’s River Dolphins and filled its basket with large crabs at Wangjiang Wharf.
• Two strangers debated whether to rob Fat Catfish, then struck it unconscious and ate the crabs.
• Round Head’s River Dolphins found Fat Catfish asleep beside an empty basket and confronted it.
• Fat Catfish told Liang Qu that two people had ambushed it to steal its crabs.

After the Fat Catfish reported that enormous figures had stolen its crabs, Liang Qu learned from the Old Giant Clam that they might be Dragonfolk and decided to lure them with another basket. He then visited Shanghu Academy, where Zhao Ji gave him an inscription and painting for his main hall.

• The Fat Catfish described being ambushed underwater, and its account of the thieves’ immense size caught Liang Qu’s attention.
• The Old Giant Clam suggested the thieves might be Dragonfolk, and Liang Qu resolved to use crabs as bait to learn more.
• The Fat Catfish set out with two baskets of crabs while Liang Qu checked on Fist and prepared to visit Shanghu Academy.
• Liang Qu met Si Hengyi and Zhao Ji at the academy and asked Zhao Ji for an inscription.
• Zhao Ji gave Liang Qu a waterfall painting bearing an inscription and his seal.

Liang Qu furnished his residence and learned that Fan Xinglai planned to begin martial arts training at fifteen. A strange heat then spread through the courtyard, and Liang Qu discovered that the Flying Dragon had triggered an unexpected change in Fubo.

• Liang Qu oversaw the delivery of new furniture and replaced his bedroom’s square couch with a canopy bed.
• Aunt Zhang showed Liang Qu the Flying Dragon that Fan Zixuan had given him, and Liang Qu decided to have it stewed for dinner.
• Liang Qu and Fan Xinglai arranged porcelain and discussed Fan Xinglai’s plans to study martial arts at Master Yang’s school.
• An unusual warmth spread through the courtyard, and Liang Qu recognized the aura as that of a Crimson Fire Bird.
• Liang Qu found the Flying Dragon lying beneath his bedroom window and saw that Fubo was shining brilliantly on the weapon rack.

Liang Qu discovered that the Crimson Fire Bird’s last remnants of spirituality had been consumed by Fubo, restoring the spear completely while leaving the flying dragon a foolish chicken. After two days of training and preparations for a crab feast, Liang Qu found Scarface River Otter facing Ta Ta Kai in the pond.

• Liang Qu found Fubo brilliantly restored and the flying dragon lifeless, then took them to Lu Gang, who explained that Fubo had devoured the Crimson Fire Bird’s remaining spirituality as it tried to reincarnate.
• Liang Qu kept the foolish Hazel Grouse alive, then practiced Azure Dragon Seven Kill with the fully restored Fubo and improved his spear forms.
• Liang Qu spent two days cultivating and training while his returning subordinates inspected nearby towns and villages and checked whether Xiang Fangsu’s group had returned.
• Liang Qu arranged for Lang Yun Tower’s cooks and equipment to prepare crab dishes, then went to investigate a commotion at the pond.
• Ta Ta Kai challenged Scarface River Otter, who had attained Sudden Enlightenment, until the irritated otter tore off its yellow robe and let it drift onto a treetop.

Liang Qu watched Ta Ta Kai challenge Scarface River Otter, but Cannot Move’s aura could not overcome the opposing clan’s numbers, and Ta Ta Kai’s group lost again. After Fat Catfish failed to find the dragonfolk, Liang Qu planned to search other wharves and put the beavers to work sorting the crabs.

• Ta Ta Kai fought Scarface River Otter, using its improved physique and Cannot Move’s aura to gain an advantage in their duel.
• The two river otter clans broke into a larger brawl, and Scarface’s twelve otters defeated Ta Ta Kai’s six despite the aura’s boost.
• Scarface River Otter cleaned up, saluted Liang Qu, and led its clan away after Liang Qu told it the master would be absent for more than ten days.
• Fat Catfish returned without finding the dragonfolk, and Liang Qu decided they would search elsewhere the next day.
• Liang Qu unloaded Fat Catfish’s basket of large crabs and had the beavers bind and sort them, promising them extra ore and work on a new boat.

Liang Qu inspected the nearly completed fortune ship and learned that Lou Yingji had helped build it, likely to secure favor for his son, a River Chief under Liang Qu. Meanwhile, Fat Catfish failed to catch the Dragonfolk brothers again, so Liang Qu held a crab feast, which was interrupted by a frog emerging from the pond.

• Liu Quanfu told Liang Qu that the fortune ship was on schedule to be completed before early November and credited Lou Yingji with providing workers and guidance.
• Liang Qu realized Lou Yingji was probably the father of a young River Chief surnamed Lou and suspected he had arranged his son’s appointment to gain favor.
• Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe watched the Big Fish fishing for crabs and debated whether to rob it again.
• Fat Catfish returned from another failed attempt to catch the Dragonfolk, and Liang Qu comforted it with crab roe noodles at a feast attended by the beasts and Lang Yun Tower’s cooks.
• A frog pushed aside a Lotus Leaf, emerged from the pond, and asked what everyone was eating.