Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu investigated the Dragonfolk’s bloodline limits and proposed that Pingjiang and Ping He might be able to overcome them through cultivation. He left the clan seeking proof, while the chapter ended with him visiting Old Toad at the hot spring.

• Liang Qu questioned Long Binglin about how the Dragon Lord created Dragonfolk and learned how bloodlines weakened across generations.
• Liang Qu theorized that the Dragonfolk’s slow advancement came from flaws in their bloodlines, and Long E Ying and Long Binglin wondered whether Pingjiang and Ping He could overcome them.
• Liang Qu told Long Yanrui to cultivate diligently and asked him to help verify the theory by producing a Great Grandmaster from the Dragon Man Tribe.
• Long Binglin returned to the clan, urging Long Pingjiang to pursue a Hunting Tiger breakthrough and Long Yanrui to guard the path.
• Liang Qu sent letters and a copy of the Two Consciousness Method to the Ning River, then visited Xu Shi and received a new Xu Family product.
• Liang Qu found Old Toad enjoying the new hot spring bathhouse and praised the Frog Duke’s service to the River Conservancy Office.

Liang Qu persuaded Old Toad to help obstruct the Flood Dragon’s allies in exchange for a share of the Dragon Palace’s treasures, while the court considered his proposed terms. Long Pingjiang then successfully broke through, bringing hope to the Dragon Man Tribe.

• Liang Qu asked Old Toad to ignore the Flood Dragon’s orders and delay Northern Fish Demon King and Iron Head Fish King when the court acted.
• Old Toad bargained for a greater share of the Dragon Palace’s treasures, and Su Guishan agreed to ask the court to consider his proposal.
• Long Pingjiang prepared to break through as the Dragon Man Tribe’s elders and Liang Qu watched over him.
• Long Pingjiang’s aura surged, and Long Pinghe cheered when his breakthrough succeeded.

Long Pingjiang completed his breakthrough under Liang Qu’s guidance and confirmed that his Bloodline Shackles were gone, strengthening the Dragonfolk’s hopes for their clan. After the elders celebrated with Liang Qu over dinner, Su Guishan offered to fund Liang Qu’s betrothal gifts through public accounts if he won Long E Ying and secured an alliance with the Dragon Man Tribe.

• Liang Qu guided Long Pingjiang through a breakthrough while the Dragonfolk elders waited anxiously.
• Long Pingjiang awoke with surging strength and confirmed that he felt no Bloodline Shackles.
• Long Zongyin examined Long Pingjiang and praised Liang Qu for strengthening the brothers’ bloodline.
• Liang Qu invited the Dragonfolk elders to dinner, where Su Guishan joined them.
• Su Guishan offered to pay Liang Qu’s betrothal gifts through River Conservancy Office public accounts if he won Long E Ying and drew the Dragon Man Tribe to his side.

Liang Qu helped formalize Old Toad’s Treasure Fish grading system and secured the court’s agreement to the toad clan’s proposed exchange. After two months passed, Liang Qu, Long E Ying, and Long Binglin found the Immortal Palace empty, then heard that an enormous fleet had arrived at the wharf.

• Old Toad gave Liang Qu a board listing the toad clan’s proposed exchange and explained his grades for High, Medium, and Low Grade Treasure Fish.
• Liang Qu brought the proposal to Su Guishan and Xu Wenzhu, who approved the division after learning the imperial court would receive two additional portions.
• Liang Qu asked Li Shoufu to refine and promote Old Toad’s Treasure Fish grading method throughout the Pingyang Prefecture River Conservancy Office.
• Two months passed as the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild’s auction and the Yi Xing Town River God Sacrifice were postponed, while the Toad King and Turtle Great King agreed to help hold back the Iron Head Fish King.
• Liang Qu, Long E Ying, and Long Binglin entered the reopened Immortal Palace but found it filled with mist and were expelled without seeing anything.
• Liang Qu learned from villagers that a fleet of enormous ships had arrived at the wharf.

Liang Qu joined Pingyang Prefecture’s officials to receive King Su and the King of Bohai, whose immense fleet had arrived under unexplained circumstances. After the Three Saints swiftly arranged preparations for maritime trade, Liang Qu received a jade token from the King of Yue, who warned him not to rely on it against Grandmasters.

• Li LiBo told Liang Qu that Xu Tiling had ordered Pingyang Prefecture’s officials to welcome King Su and the King of Bohai.
• Liang Qu and the other officials watched the fleet’s drums disperse the rain clouds and boarded its lead Treasure Ship.
• The officials met King Su, the King of Bohai, and the King of Yue, while several Grandmasters called Wei Lin, Xu Yuelong, and Liang Qu forward.
• King Su said the fleet had come for maritime trade, and Jian Zhongyi accepted the shipyard keys and promised to manage the arrangements.
• After working until midday, Liang Qu received a jade token from the King of Yue, who warned him that it might not protect him from a Grandmaster’s attack.

Liang Qu learned that the Martial Saints had departed to confront the Flood Dragon King, while King Yue cautioned him against relying too easily on his talent and charged him forty-eight thousand taels for a jade token. That night, the Toad King and other forces clashed in a storm, and fishermen fleeing the waves believed the River God had worked a miracle.

• King Yue explained why Liang Qu should not expect special treatment and charged him forty-eight thousand taels for the Heaven Mountain Kun Jade.
• Liang Qu asked whether a fleet would accompany the Martial Saints, but King Yue said it would not and told him to wait for his share of the coming events.
• After the Martial Saints departed, the Toad King headed toward the northern waters, and Liang Qu warned Long Yanrui that Da Shun's backing mattered as much as the three Martial Saints.
• A sudden storm drove fishermen back to shore, where they discussed the postponed River God Sacrifice and Liang Qu's supposed injury.
• Huge waves flooded the shore as a fish, a turtle, and a frog fought in the river, and the frightened fishermen cried that the River God had worked a miracle.

As a storm from the Demon Kings’ fight battered Pingyang Prefecture, Liang Qu reassured Chen Zhaoan and decided to hold the River God Sacrifice the next day. After the storm passed, the fishermen prepared offerings, while the Flood Dragon’s serpents selected treasures and avoided giving any water-aspected ones to White Ape.

• The Demon Kings’ battle sent towering waves through Jianghuai, frightening the Merfolk and the Leng Clan and flooding Yi Xing Town’s wharf.
• Liang Qu told Chen Zhaoan that the River God Sacrifice would take place the next day, saying the fishermen should soothe the angry River God.
• The fishermen salvaged their boats at Shang Rao Wharf and eagerly helped Chen Tongmin move the big drum for the sacrifice.
• The Azure Serpent stopped the Blood-Red Serpent from choosing a Treasure Lotus because the Flood Dragon did not want White Ape to receive water-aspected treasures.
• The Azure Serpent and Blood-Red Serpent continued selecting treasures for the exchange with the other Demon Kings.

During Yixing Town’s River God Sacrifice, the Flood Dragon unleashed a brief, immense surge of power that villagers mistook for divine approval of Liang Qu. Later, Liang Qu chose Blood Bodhi from the Creation Great Medicines, hoping it would help the Adamantine Bright King advance.

• Liang Qu delayed the sacrifice until noon while waiting for the Martial Saint’s return, then ordered mung bean soup for the people waiting in the heat.
• King of Bohai and King Su discussed the Dragon Palace’s Creation Great Medicines, and King of Yue identified Blood Bodhi as a treasure someone might need.
• As Liang Qu performed the sacrifice, the Flood Dragon’s power sent a towering pillar of water into the sky and stirred up waves across the Great Marsh.
• The villagers interpreted the Flood Dragon’s display as the River God answering their prayers and praised Liang Qu before dividing the sacrificial meat.
• King of Yue offered Liang Qu five portions of Creation Great Medicine and recommended Blood Bodhi to help the Adamantine Bright King approach the threshold.

Liang Qu traded for a Blood Bodhi and gave it to the Old Monk, who recognized it as possibly connected to the Buddhist scripture he possessed and entered seclusion to pursue a breakthrough. Afterward, Liang Qu learned that the Sea Merchants had reached the Frog Clan and that the Toad King had sent him a Red Mane Lion Fish.

• Liang Qu accepted the King of Yue’s Blood Bodhi, agreeing to owe a debt because King Su’s Buddhist friend had also wanted it.
• Liang Qu presented the Blood Bodhi to the Old Monk, who connected it to the Completion of Consciousness-Only Treatise Conclusion and accepted it for cultivation.
• The Old Monk entered seclusion, and Liang Qu told Su Guishan that the Blood Bodhi might help him break through.
• Fat Catfish received a Red Mane Lion Fish from the Toad King, reducing the distance to its sixth evolution by more than eight thousand.
• Liang Qu learned from Fat Catfish that the Sea Merchants had already arrived at the Frog Clan.

Little Mirage Dragon escorted Lu Jia to Liang Qu, who learned that Lu Jia’s fleet had collected Rainfall Sweet Dew from Weishan Lake. Liang Qu later searched the site and discovered enough Heaven and Earth Spiritual Charm to make a Seed of Creation possible.

• Little Mirage Dragon bought food at a stall and met Lu Jia, who had come to visit Liang Qu in Pingyang.
• Little Mirage Dragon brought Lu Jia to Liang Qu’s home, where Long E Ying quieted him because Liang Qu was in seclusion.
• Lu Jia told Liang Qu that his fleet had collected Rainfall Sweet Dew and Heaven and Earth Long Qi at Weishan Lake on June fifteenth.
• Liang Qu invited Lu Jia to dinner, then traveled to Weishan Lake at midnight to search the place where the fleet had harvested Rainfall Sweet Dew.
• Liang Qu’s Ze Cauldron detected Heaven and Earth Spiritual Charm and revealed that three thousand Marsh Essence could be consumed to condense a Seed of Creation.

Liang Qu used Marsh Essence to create a Seed of Creation and realized it could provide another way to grant gifts and divine powers. When Sea Market Master arrived with the expanded sea merchant party, he presented three strands of Heaven and Earth Long Qi to Liang Qu’s gathered delegation.

• Liang Qu turned three thousand Marsh Essence into a Seed of Creation and learned that twelve or sixteen seeds could substitute for one strand of Heaven and Earth Long Qi.
• Liang Qu promised to evolve Fat Catfish once it saved sixty thousand essence and Awei once it saved fifty thousand, then recognized that Seeds of Creation could let him grant gifts to others.
• On June twentieth, Xu Wenzhu, Su Guishan, Yang Dongxiong, and Weng Lijun gathered at the Prefectural Office as Sea Market Master approached with a fleet carrying twenty times the usual goods.
• Liang Qu greeted Sea Market Master on shore, where the merchant presented three strands of Heaven and Earth Long Qi: Cold Marrow, Xuanming, and Wishful.

The Sea Market Master presented three rare strands of Heaven and Earth Long Qi, including Frost Marrow, Xuanming, and Wish-Fulfilling, and the officials negotiated a major trade. The strands were set for auction at the Sky Shipping Auction, while the Sea Market Master gave Liang Qu a Great Red Mane.

• The Sea Market Master showed the officials three strands of Long Qi and explained that Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi could alter size, weight, and length within a limited range while slightly improving fortune.
• Liang Qu examined the strands and considered their uses, but admitted he could not afford to buy any Long Qi.
• The Sea Market Master began trading with the officials and brought more Water Beasts and goods ashore as clerks organized the exchanges.
• Su Guishan and Director Lu agreed to trade seven high-quality great medicines and a Hundred-Beast Great Pill for the three strands of Long Qi, which would be auctioned at the Sky Shipping Auction on August eighteenth.
• The Sea Market Master visited Liang Qu and gave him a Great Red Mane.

Liang Qu received generous gifts from Sea Market Master and brought a large Treasure Fish home, where his companions learned that Xu Yuelong was seeking funds to bid on rare Long Qi. As the auction drew powerful clans and new officials to Pingyang, Sea Market Master gave Liang Qu a Blood Lion and showed him her annual merchant route map.

• Ke Wenbin and Bai Yinbin accused Liang Qu of taking kickbacks and neglecting his duties, but Xu Yuelong dismissed their complaints as Sea Market Master shared Diamond Squid eggs with everyone.
• Liang Qu gave the others two Treasure Fish fins, tossed them to A Fei when they demanded more, and carried the fish home to stew.
• Over lunch, Liang Qu learned that Xu Yuelong was writing home for funds to bid on Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi and that Wei Lin had gone to seek help from his Grandmaster uncle.
• The Celestial Ship Merchant Guild's promotion of three strands of Long Qi drew powerful clans and Grandmasters toward Pingyang, while Zhu Zongwang and Huo Hongyuan joined the River Conservancy Office as new officials.
• Sea Market Master gave Liang Qu a Blood Lion and showed him the merchant route map she followed each year.

Liang Qu studied and copied the Sea Market Master's trade map, then tried to recruit General Yuan as a trading partner for the sea merchants. General Yuan rejected the proposal outright and accused Liang Qu of seeking a cut of the profits.

• Liang Qu examined the Sea Market Master's map, learned about the trade routes and Demon Kings, and discovered that the Octopus Great King had a second wife who handled sea trade.
• Liang Qu copied the map onto beast-hide paper and earned the Sea Market Master's thanks for introducing her to other Demon Kings.
• On June 27th, the court's large trade with the sea merchants was nearly complete, while visiting Grandmasters helped retail trade flourish.
• Liang Qu and Old Toad visited General Yuan at Pengze, where the general had cleaned himself up and shed his algae and rocky dead skin.
• Liang Qu explained the sea merchants' trade to General Yuan and asked him to participate, but General Yuan refused and accused Liang Qu of expecting kickbacks.

Liang Qu persuaded General Yuan to lease Shou Mountain land to the Sea Merchant as a time-accelerated greenhouse for Treasure Plants. He then evolved the Verdant Horned Crocodile into an Azure Wood Horned Crocodile, whose transformation filled the marsh with rampant growth and revealed a majestic verdant dragon.

• Liang Qu tried to convince General Yuan to cooperate with the Sea Merchant, but General Yuan objected that his small supply of Longevity Treasures would not make a worthwhile trade.
• Liang Qu proposed leasing Shou Mountain land to cultivate Treasure Plants, using General Yuan's time acceleration and the planting ability of "Cannot Move" to produce repeated harvests.
• General Yuan agreed to let Liang Qu show him the Demon Beast at noon the next day.
• Liang Qu returned to Pingyang and sent "Cannot Move" into the Great Marsh that night.
• Liang Qu spent 69,500 Marsh Essence to evolve the Verdant Horned Crocodile into an Azure Wood Horned Crocodile, which emerged from its golden cocoon amid rapidly growing water plants.

Liang Qu discovered that Cannot Move’s transformation into a demon had given it powerful plant and life-force abilities, then brought it to Shou Mountain to establish an Azure Wood Grand Formation. The formation made the mountain’s plants flourish and rejuvenated Old Turtle, which agreed to let Liang Qu keep the benefits of the arrangement for now.

• Liang Qu summoned Little Mirage Dragon to see Cannot Move’s new dragonlike body and long horns, then examined its five talents.
• Cannot Move condensed a Vine Soldier from a vine seed, showing that it could create enduring soldiers by gathering and releasing life force.
• Liang Qu brought Cannot Move to Pengze, where General Yuan admired its appearance and Old Turtle hoped its abilities could help Shou Mountain.
• Cannot Move marked Shou Mountain with Azure Wood nodes from noon until midnight, while Old Turtle guided it and supplied Longevity Treasures.
• The completed Azure Wood Grand Formation filled Shou Mountain with life, ripened watermelons, and revived Old Turtle, which let Liang Qu keep the kickback for now.

Liang Qu hosted the children and Sea Market Master, gained Marsh Essence and a Seed of Creation, and watched the sea merchants depart before Bing Fire Day arrived. The cauldron produced Sunlight Long Qi and Moonlight Long Qi, and Quan Linghan arrived with one hundred Mermaid Tears from the Quan and Leng Clans.

• Liang Qu traded with Sea Market Master using the Old Tortoise’s shell fragment and received a large Blood Lion fish.
• Liang Qu gained Marsh Essence from feeding his Demon Beasts and condensed a second Seed of Creation.
• Sea Market Master departed for Pengze with the sea merchant convoy, and Bing Fire Day brought two suns to Pingyang.
• Liang Qu waited through Bing Fire Day until the cauldron formed one strand each of Sunlight Long Qi and Moonlight Long Qi.
• Quan Linghan arrived and presented Liang Qu with one hundred Mermaid Tears from the Quan Clan and Leng Clan.

Liang Qu received one hundred Mermaid Tears from the Quan Clan and the Leng Clan, and learned that more than two thousand six hundred Leng merfolk planned to move to Jiangchuan County. He arranged a fleet to escort them from Pengze, while the Mermaid Tears filled his Ze Cauldron with Marsh Essence and left him pondering the difference between Tai Yang Long Qi and Red Qi.

• Quan Linghan presented Liang Qu with one hundred Mermaid Tears, fifty from each clan, and explained that the Leng Clan was a separate river-merfolk tribe.
• Quan Linghan said the Leng Clan had delayed its move after the Demon King of Jiang Huai Great Marsh stirred and heavenly thunder rose, but the clan agreed to come after a peaceful Bing Fire period.
• Liang Qu promised to protect the incoming merfolk and ordered the River Conservancy Office to send a fleet from the wharf at dawn.
• Liang Qu examined the Mermaid Tears as their Marsh Essence surged into the Ze Cauldron, and he questioned how Tai Yang Long Qi differed from Red Qi.

After receiving a huge amount of Mermaid Tears and lotus seeds, Liang Qu tried to get Time Insect to weave Supreme Yin and Supreme Yang into something useful, but the qi overwhelmed the insect. Time Insect finally pointed toward the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild, where Liang Qu realized he might be able to fuse Life Creation with yang qi.

• Liang Qu discovered that the Mermaid Tears had added nearly 270,000 marsh essence and assigned Zhu Zongwang and Long Pingjiang to lead three ships outside the prefecture.
• Long E Ying gave Liang Qu 1,800 lotus seeds from the clan, including her own share, and he spent the night eating them while testing long qi on Time Insect.
• Time Insect collapsed after tasting Supreme Yin, then became wildly energized after tasting Supreme Yang, showing Liang Qu that neither qi worked well on its own.
• Time Insect pointed northwest of Pingyang Prefecture, and Liang Qu recognized the direction of the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild.
• Time Insect nodded when Liang Qu held Life Creation and yang qi together, suggesting that the two might be fused there.

Liang Qu discovered that Tai Yang and Tai Yin could transform into each other, then worried about obtaining more Long Qi for the upcoming auction. Cannot Move fused a tree seed into Liang Qu’s jujube tree, creating a powerful tree guardian, before Liang Qu sent it with Long Binglin to establish an Azure Wood Grand Formation at the Dragon Man Clan Grounds.

• Liang Qu had the Time Insect join Tai Yang and Tai Yin, and the two Long Qi transformed into each other before he stored them in the Ze Cauldron.
• Liang Qu considered how he might obtain Xuanming or Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi for the coming auction, but he lacked money and goods.
• Cannot Move returned to Liang Qu’s home and fused a tree seed into the courtyard jujube tree, transforming it into a Hunting Tiger-strength treant.
• Cannot Move created grass-headed Little Persons from two grass seeds, and Liang Qu decided to have a small Azure Wood Grand Formation set up at the Dragon Man Clan Grounds.
• Liang Qu ordered Long Binglin to take Cannot Move to the Dragon Man Clan Grounds and establish the formation near the Great King Lotuses.