Chapter Summaries

After the Spring Festival, Liang Qu advised Chen Qingjiang to turn his newly purchased farmland into a trial of three-dimensional farming with rice, Dark Spotted Frogs, and Golden Thread Leeches. The chapter left the plan awaiting discussion with Shopkeeper Chen and herb merchants the next day.

• Fan Zixuan visited Liang Qu with two flying dragons, and Liang Qu revealed he had been raising the bird Fan Zixuan gave him the previous year.
• Liang Qu returned home after the Lantern Festival and learned Chen Qingjiang had bought fifteen mu of land to save toward Shunzi's education and martial arts training.
• Liang Qu urged Chen Qingjiang to farm the land himself and raise Dark Spotted Frogs and Golden Thread Leeches alongside rice.
• Liang Qu said Li Bo and Jie Chang would meet Shopkeeper Chen and two herb merchants the next day to discuss the experiment and its financing.
• Chen Qingjiang agreed to try Liang Qu's farming plan.

Liang Qu learned that a Snake Demon had appeared near Huaiyin Prefecture and invited Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe to stay by his pond. He then presented local merchants with a plan for raising medicinal animals alongside rice, which left them absorbed in its details.

• The little beavers and river otters copied the villagers by whirling straw bundles around the pond, while Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe arrived with news for Liang Qu.
• Long Pingjiang warned Liang Qu about a Snake Demon near Huaiyin Prefecture, and Liang Qu wondered whether it was connected to a great snake he had killed in summer.
• Liang Qu offered Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe rooms at his home, but they agreed instead to have Great Beaver build them small cabins beside the pond.
• Liang Qu gathered Young Shopkeeper Chen, two medicinal-material merchants, Chen Qingjiang, Li LiBo, and Chen Jiechang to review his plan for raising Dark Spotted Frogs and Golden Thread Leeches alongside rice.
• The merchants studied Liang Qu's farming proposal, and he believed their interest meant they would pursue the plan.

Liang Qu agreed to a profit-sharing partnership to test rice-frog and rice-leech cultivation, then received the complete Azure Dragon martial arts manuals and two Treasure Plants from Yang Xu. After beginning secluded study, he dealt with Old Toad’s anger over the Dragonfolk moving into the pond and learned that mastering the manuals would require considerable effort.

• Liang Qu and the medicinal herb merchants agreed to test rice-frog and rice-leech cultivation, with the merchants covering costs and sharing half the additional profits with him.
• Zhao Ji served as guarantor for their agreement, and the merchants began preparing Chen Qingjiang's fifteen mu of fields for frog and rice cultivation.
• Liang Qu received the complete Azure Dragon Kill Scripture and Azure Dragon Seven Kill Spear from Yang Xu, along with half a Blood Ginseng and three Cockscomb Fruits.
• Liang Qu began secluded cultivation, while Old Toad protested that Liang Qu had let the Dragonfolk move into the pond without telling him; Fat Catfish and Old Giant Clam persuaded Old Toad to accept it.
• Liang Qu learned that both manuals cultivated Grand Purity Dragon Aura and that he needed to master the final two spear forms before he could begin cultivating true aura.

Liang Qu exchanged merits for Divine Thought Pills and learned that Shallow Water Area missions would soon be replaced by Treasure Fish missions. He also received delayed rewards for his performance and Treasure Lotus Root, then used a pill to resume comprehending a martial art.

• Liang Qu exchanged forty-five minor merits for three bottles of Divine Thought Pills, and Huang Pingchang explained that his spending had nearly matched his income.
• Huang Pingchang told Liang Qu that most Shallow Water Area Spirit Monster missions would end in April and give way to missions to catch Treasure Fish.
• Huang Pingchang gave Liang Qu his remaining performance reward of three hundred taels and informed him that the Treasure Lotus Root he had submitted had earned another seven hundred taels.
• Liang Qu returned home with the silver and pills, entered the Quiet Room, and swallowed a Divine Thought Pill.
• Liang Qu felt his mind grow muddled, but azure light began shifting over his martial art as he focused on it.

Liang Qu used the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture’s divine charm and the Mirage Worm’s dream training to master the Azure Dragon Seven Kill Spear and understand the Grand Purity Dragon Aura. After eating three Treasure Fish, he gained enough Water and Marsh Essence to attempt a complete breakthrough.

• Liang Qu entered the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture’s illusion and witnessed a golden figure unleash a devastating Azure Dragon spear strike.
• Liang Qu used the Mirage Worm to slow the illusion and study the spear technique more closely.
• Over more than a month, Liang Qu comprehended the divine charm of three manuals, mastered the Azure Dragon Seven Kill Spear, and grasped the Grand Purity Dragon Aura.
• Fist prepared three Treasure Fish, and Ta Ta Kai grilled them for Liang Qu.
• Liang Qu absorbed the fish’s Water and Marsh Essence, bringing his total to 51,202, and resolved to break through everything at once.

Liang Qu consumed the Treasure Fish’s blood Qi to condense the Thrusting Meridian and establish True Aura, then fused the Marsh Ape with the Azure Dragon to form the Great Ape Riding Dragon Gang Elephant and become a Wolf Smoke Expert. After emerging from seclusion, he received an urgent report from Fragrant Township County and was startled by its contents.

• Liang Qu condensed the embryonic Thrusting Meridian and began cultivating Grand Purity Dragon Aura from the Azure Dragon Kill Scripture.
• Li Shoufu arrived with urgent news from Fragrant Township County, and Ta Ta Kai told him to wait while Liang Qu remained in seclusion.
• Liang Qu spent forty-eight thousand points of Marsh Essence, causing the Marsh Ape phantom to seize and overpower the Azure Dragon as his second True Aura formed.
• Liang Qu completed the Marsh Ape’s fusion, gained the Innate Skill Spirit Transformation, and formed the Great Ape Riding Dragon Gang Elephant.
• Liang Qu emerged as a Wolf Smoke Expert, and Li Shoufu handed him an urgent report from Fragrant Township County that left him startled.

Liang Qu learned that a Snake Demon had trapped Fragrant Township County in a three-month standoff after the Zhang Clan killed its offspring. With spring bringing fishermen’s anger and officials reluctant to intervene, Liang Qu offered to try resolving the crisis.

• Liang Qu compared Li Shoufu’s report with what Dragonfolk had said and learned that the Zhang Clan and Li Family had killed one Snake Monster and captured another.
• The Snake Demon demanded its surviving offspring, but the Zhang Clan killed the offspring and challenged it to come to Shang An, so the Snake Demon blockaded the county’s waters.
• The Zhang Clan paid fishermen ten copper coins per boat each day to keep them ashore, but refused to raise the payment as spring catches improved.
• County Magistrate Liu Shiqin sought help from the River Conservancy Office because growing resentment threatened to spark unrest, while Huaiyin Prefecture declined to intervene.
• Liang Qu concluded that the Snake Demon would be dangerous to confront underwater and that the standoff was difficult to resolve, then told Li Shoufu that he might be able to try.

After breaking through to Wolf Smoke, Liang Qu insisted he could handle the Snake Demon threatening production north of Huaiyin Prefecture. Xu Yuelong remained doubtful but let Liang Qu proceed after demanding that he accept responsibility in writing.

• Liang Qu consolidated his breakthrough by practicing Ape Fist while the Old Monk watched and explained that stabilizing his cultivation would take several days.
• Liang Qu ordered an eight-hundred-tael Quiet Room from the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild, then reported to Xu Yuelong at the River Conservancy Office.
• Xu Yuelong questioned Liang Qu about facing a Snake Demon, whose strength matched a Hunting Tiger Great Martial Master.
• Liang Qu refused to reveal his method and promised to bear the consequences if his plan failed.
• Xu Yuelong tore off a blank sheet of paper and told Liang Qu to put his promise in writing.

Liang Qu tested the new abilities he gained from fully fusing with Marsh Ape and discovered that Spirit Transformation turned him into a powerful white ape with control over the underground rivers of Yi Xing Town. After the transformation exhausted him, Old Monk advised him to become familiar with his destructive urges rather than fear them.

• Liang Qu used Vortex Waterway to confirm that it created an undercurrent tunnel like the one leading from Ping Yang County to Toad Cave.
• Liang Qu examined his Ze Cauldron abilities and learned that Spirit Transformation let him manifest Marsh Ape through a water vein.
• Liang Qu transformed into a white ape, gained immense strength, and sensed that he could control underground rivers across Yi Xing Town.
• Liang Qu suppressed the urge to pull the underground rivers from the earth, then weakened and returned to human form.
• Liang Qu learned that he appeared as himself to his commanded beasts but as a white ape to other water beasts.
• Liang Qu asked Old Monk how to handle his sudden destructive urges, and Old Monk advised him to release them and grow familiar with his power.

After breaking through, Liang Qu prepared to leave for Fragrant Township County to confront the Snake Demon, despite the Dragonfolk brothers’ warnings. He concluded that the Snake Demon’s arrival, along with Northern Fish and other Snake Monster Spirits, was part of the Flood Dragon’s moves against him—and that the Flood Dragon could not retaliate if he killed the demon under Da Shun’s authority.

• Liang Qu understood that his sudden destructive urges came from his breakthrough and decided to let the feeling pass naturally.
• The Old Monk gave Liang Qu two protective wooden tokens, and Liang Qu’s Water Beasts loaded provisions and departed ahead of him.
• Liang Qu asked Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe what they knew about the Snake Demon, but they had no recent information and warned him against provoking it.
• Liang Qu asked about the Demon Court Four Pillars and showed the brothers a drawing of the armored fish he had killed in Hua Zhu County; they identified it as Northern Fish.
• Liang Qu connected Northern Fish’s arrival, the Snake Monster Spirits in the Shallow Water Area, and the Snake Demon in Fragrant Township County to the Flood Dragon’s campaign against him.
• Liang Qu explained that he would strike first because the Snake Demon had caused the trouble and Da Shun’s involvement would prevent the Flood Dragon from retaliating openly.

Liang Qu departed by ship with the Dragonfolk and beaver family, leaving Old Giant Clam to guard his home. During the voyage, he cultivated and refined the True Auras he had gained after reaching the Wolf Smoke Realm, developing a second manifestation he called the Second Half True Aura.

• Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe asked to accompany Liang Qu, and he agreed; the beaver family also joined the voyage while Old Giant Clam stayed behind to guard the courtyard.
• Liang Qu left the harbor aboard the fortune ship and used his Water Control abilities to propel it with a self-driven current.
• Ta Ta Kai navigated the ship while the River Otters prepared breakfast, and Liang Qu withdrew to cultivate before their expected arrival in Fragrant Township County.
• Liang Qu reviewed his progress condensing the Thrusting Meridian and considered the remaining work of Meridian Condensation and Bridge Building.
• Liang Qu shaped his Azure Dragon and White Ape True Auras into a great ape wielding a Coiling Dragon Pillar, forming a Grand Purity Dragon Aura he called the Second Half True Aura.

Four days after breaking through, Liang Qu tested his new Water Gun technique and prepared to confront the Snake Demon that had disrupted trade in Fragrant Township County. After moving his crew and Water Beasts off the blessed ship and traveling overland, he reached the Zhang Family Stronghold, intending to meet Clan Chief Zhang and use the clan’s resources to help “Cannot Move” become a Great Monster Spirit.

• Liang Qu demonstrated that his Water Gun could pierce a thousand-pound Big Fish, then considered ways to strengthen it with Vortex Water, Yin Thunder Seal, Yellow Water Calamity Poison, and his Abyssal Wood Bow.
• Ta Ta Kai used a map to show that the blessed ship had entered Lianshui County, and Liang Qu planned to switch to land travel before reaching the Snake Demon’s territory in Fragrant Township County.
• Liang Qu moored the blessed ship at a dock, paid the dock keeper for information, and learned that the Snake Demon had blocked water traffic while the Zhang Clan and Li Family paid boat owners to keep their vessels ashore.
• Liang Qu left the dock with Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe, while the Water Beasts dispersed through the Great Marsh under Mental Link.
• At dawn, Long Pingjiang identified the nearby Zhang Family Stronghold, and Liang Qu set out to meet Clan Chief Zhang and secure help in advancing “Cannot Move” into a Great Monster Spirit.

Liang Qu arrived at the Zhang Clan’s stronghold and told Zhang Wenhu he had a way to stop the Snake Demon, but needed several crucial items from the clan. Zhang Wenhu had mistaken Liang Qu’s strength and status, and the chapter ended with Liang Qu asking whether the Zhang Clan would provide what he needed.

• Zhang Wenhu and Zhang Wenbao watched the Zhang and Li families’ martial contest and discussed the Snake Demon’s costly attacks on their ships and trade routes.
• A servant reported that Liang Qu had arrived alone in River Conservancy Office uniform, and Zhang Wenbao recalled his reputation for containing a flood in Hua Zhu County.
• Zhang Wenhu ordered a banquet prepared and went to receive Liang Qu, hoping he might be connected to help from the River Conservancy Office.
• Liang Qu’s horse, Red Mountain, followed him to the stable and drove away another stallion before demanding spirit grass.
• Zhang Wenhu welcomed Liang Qu and offered him a meal, but Liang Qu said he had a way to stop the Snake Demon if the Zhang Clan would part with several crucial items.

Liang Qu negotiated with the Zhang Clan for water-related Treasure Plants and Treasure Fish to prepare for killing the Snake Demon, backing his promise with a military pledge. After consuming the clan’s offerings to strengthen himself, he used Marsh Essence on Cannot Move when a Giant Crocodile came ashore at midnight.

• Zhang Wenhu and Zhang Wenbao questioned whether Liang Qu could defeat the Snake Demon alone, and Liang Qu insisted he was capable of handling it.
• Liang Qu explained that the requested water-related treasures would make killing the Snake Demon foolproof, and he reassured the brothers by revealing he had established a military pledge.
• Zhang Wenhu agreed to provide the treasures, and Liang Qu received Secluded Water Flower, Jade Fruits, lotus seeds, Zhu Fruits, and a Tide-Born Fruit.
• Liang Qu consumed the offerings, raising his accumulated Marsh Essence to nearly twenty thousand points.
• At midnight, a Giant Crocodile crawled ashore, and Liang Qu poured a large amount of Marsh Essence into Cannot Move’s body.

Liang Qu evolved Cannot Move into a Great Monster Spirit with the healing ability Divine Wood Revival, then collected treasure, medicine, and other supplies from the Zhang Clan and Li Family for his planned fight against the Snake Demon. After announcing the operation and reassuring County Magistrate Liu Shiqin, Liang Qu declared he would make his move that day.

• Liang Qu chose Divine Wood Revival for Cannot Move, transforming the crocodile into a Great Monster Spirit whose healing could extend Spirit Transformation and whose strength reached mid Wolf Smoke realm.
• Liang Qu considered the Marsh Essence and River's Favor required for his Spirit Monsters' future evolutions, then decided the Li Family could supply what the Zhang Clan had not.
• Liang Qu visited the Li Family and received Treasure Plants and a Bloodstone Arm Guard that enhanced his power by fifteen percent.
• On April seventeenth, the River Conservancy Office posted notices announcing Liang Qu's mission to exterminate the Snake Demon, drawing crowds to the ports.
• Liang Qu told Liu Shiqin that someone other than himself would truly deal with the Snake Demon, then accepted the medicines and antidotes prepared jointly by the Zhang Clan and Li Family.
• Liang Qu confirmed his supplies were ready and announced that he would make his move that day.

Liang Qu lured the great snake into an underwater battle after the townspeople gathered to watch, and he used his Water Beasts and Exploding Spears to wound it. The Snake Demon survived the blasts and charged at Liang Qu, who met it with a strike from Fubo.

• Liu Shiqin's Daoist first divined an ominous result, then used Liang Qu's Mystic Tortoise Shell to foretell danger without disaster.
• Liang Qu entered the Great Marsh alone while Liu Shiqin, Zhang Wenhu, Li Xiaoheng, and the townspeople went to Kui Pavilion to watch.
• Liang Qu sent schools of small fish to search for the great snake as Long Pingjiang, Long Pinghe, and the Water Beasts fought two Great Monster Spirits.
• The great snake appeared beneath the waves, and Liang Qu attacked it with a barrage of Water Guns and an Exploding Spear.
• Liang Qu fired a second Exploding Spear, tearing away flesh from the great snake's waist, but it survived and charged at him.
• Liang Qu swept Fubo down in a cleaving strike at the enraged Snake Demon.

Liang Qu battled the great snake underwater, enduring its poison and attacks with protective tokens while preparing a counterstrike. He transformed into a giant white ape, hurled the snake from the Great Marsh, and killed it before dragging its body toward Shang An.

• Liang Qu wounded the great snake with Fubo and his spear, but the snake poisoned the water and knocked him into the riverbed.
• Liang Qu survived by breaking the Old Monk’s protective token, then resumed fighting under its Golden Body.
• Liang Qu taunted the snake about its dead sons, provoking it to rage before it switched to defending and healing its wounds.
• Liang Qu gathered power into a white sphere, transformed into a giant white ape, and hurled the great snake out of the water.
• The white ape smashed the great snake with a water pillar, killed it, and drove off the arriving Great Monster Spirit underlings.
• The people on shore hailed the white ape as the River God as two little giants dragged the dead snake toward Shang An.

After Liang Qu defeated the Snake Demon, Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe announced the victory in Shang An while Liang Qu recovered underwater and later claimed his share of the monster’s remains. The chapter ended with the Dragonfolk brothers questioning whether Liang Qu was truly the Dragon Lord Reincarnation, until Fat Catfish suggested they seek another wise master.

• Long Pingjiang told Liu Shiqin that the Snake Demon was dead and that boats could sail again, prompting celebrations in Shang An.
• Liang Qu recovered from the fight, collected his weapons, and came ashore to a banquet hosted by Liu Shiqin.
• Liang Qu told the gathered officials that the White Ape and the Dragonfolk were his underwater friends, then claimed the snake gall, bones, back scales, and one-third of the meat.
• Liu Shiqin lamented that Great Monster Spirits had appeared more often, while Liang Qu kept quiet about why they had come to the South Bank.
• Liang Qu received the Snake Demon’s gall and reflected on how much stronger he had become since the previous year.
• Long Pinghe and Long Pingjiang doubted that Liang Qu was the Dragon Lord Reincarnation, and Fat Catfish urged them to seek another wise master.

Fat Catfish persuaded Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe to remain with Liang Qu for a year while they waited for news of the Dragon Lord Reincarnation. Liang Qu then arranged with Li Xiaoheng to use an abandoned Bloodstone Mine vein, agreeing to share its proceeds equally.

• Fat Catfish explained to Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe that Liang Qu could enlighten the Dragonfolk even without the Dragon Lord.
• Long Pingjiang weighed the Dragonfolk's future against his faith and agreed to stay with Liang Qu for about a year before deciding what to do.
• Liang Qu asked Li Xiaoheng for access to an abandoned Bloodstone Mine vein and offered to split any profits fifty-fifty.
• Li Xiaoheng explained how exhausted mines were opened for Broken Silver mining and offered Liang Qu all the proceeds.
• Liang Qu insisted on an equal split to avoid greed and the resentment it could bring.

Liang Qu settled Fist into the Exhausted Mine and ordered small fish to search the Great Marsh for the Mermaid Ruins while the Fortune Ship sailed to Fragrant Township County. After receiving gifts from the Zhang Clan and Li Family, he waited as the Zhang Clan finished processing the Snake Demon's remains and a searching fish reported back.

• The Li Family cleared the hidden Exhausted Mine, and Liang Qu chose it for Fist to occupy and dig into the mountain.
• Liang Qu entered the Great Marsh, used Golden Eye to command small fish to search for the Mermaid Ruins, and sent Ta Ta Kai sailing the Fortune Ship to Fragrant Township County.
• Liang Qu fed the beasts Snake Demon meat, which made most of them sick, while Awei drank the poisoned snake blood and Liang Qu declined his share.
• The Zhang Clan sent Liang Qu water-element Treasure Plants and five thousand taels of silver, while the Li Family gave him ten thousand liang of silver.
• By noon on April twentieth, the Zhang Clan had finished processing the Snake Demon's remains, and one of Liang Qu's searching fish had sent back word.