Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu killed two Great Demons responsible for attacking Sea Merchants and earned twenty-five Great Merit, bringing him closer to opening the Vortex Palace before his secret journey to Great Snow Mountain. In the Pufferfish Tribe, Spiky Head mourned Spiky’s death and began investigating the human force behind the attack.

• Liang Qu told Su Guishan that he had apprehended the culprits behind the Sea Merchant attacks and explained how killing one Pufferfish and one Doghead Fish would keep the rival tribes fighting.
• Su Guishan awarded Liang Qu twenty-five Great Merit and told him to keep some Pufferfish flesh for a banquet, hand the rest to the court, and keep the Doghead Fish remains.
• Su Guishan asked how Liang Qu would travel to Great Snow Mountain while serving in Pingyang, and Liang Qu said the White Ape could carry travelers a thousand li through the Huai River.
• Liang Qu asked Su Guishan to settle his Great Merit before the new year, and Su Guishan told him to grind the ink.
• Spiky Head mourned Spiky’s death with the Pufferfish Tribe, while the Fat Catfish joined the grieving and concealed what it knew about the attack.
• Spiky Head questioned how humans had gained such underwater strength, and Tie Jun suggested the Pacifying Huai Army.

Fat Catfish warned the Pufferfish Tribe that the Pacifying Huai Army, led by Great General Divine Ape, was behind the recent deaths, though Tie Jun doubted many of his details. After hearing Tie Jun’s report, the Iron Head Fish King approved a plan to form the Great Huai Army and seek funding from the Dragon Palace, leaving Tie Jun to negotiate.

• Fat Catfish identified Great General Divine Ape as the leader of the Pacifying Huai Army and described its ministers, alarming the pufferfish with the claim that the White Ape hunted fish for soup.
• Tie Jun questioned Fat Catfish’s elaborate account but recorded its useful details and reassured Spiky Thorns that compensation for the Pufferfish Tribe would be arranged.
• Tie Jun returned to the Fish King's Palace and reported what he had learned, judging the army’s existence plausible and the rest of Fat Catfish’s claims likely fabricated.
• A Big Fish proposed forming the Great Huai Army to search for the White Ape, recruit members from the Pufferfish Tribe, and secure regular benefits from King Flood Dragon.
• The Iron Head Fish King approved the plan and ordered Tie Jun to take it to the Dragon Palace and have it cover Spiky Thorns's compensation.

Liang Qu returned to Yang Martial Hall and learned it had relocated to Sturgeon Cave while he was in seclusion. He arrived at the new hall, where the apprentices eagerly gathered to see him, and Hu Qi sensed that Liang Qu had reached sudden enlightenment.

• Liang Qu found the old Yang Martial Hall empty and learned from Liu Yan that it had moved to Sturgeon Cave two months earlier.
• Liang Qu asked whether the old martial hall would be sold, and Liu Yan said Madam intended to keep it as a memento.
• Liang Qu rode Red Mountain upstream to the new Yang Martial Hall and saw the apprentices training on stakes in the lake.
• Li LiBo disciplined Chen Yunze for knocking another apprentice into the water, then told the apprentices that Liang Qu had arrived.
• Hu Qi stopped instructing the apprentices and recognized Liang Qu's state as sudden enlightenment.

Liang Qu arrived at Huaiyin Academy and entered Sudden Enlightenment before the gathered apprentices. His state unexpectedly carried Du Hanwen into a rare resonant Sudden Enlightenment as well.

• The apprentices gathered to welcome Liang Qu, whose arrival at Huaiyin Academy was confirmed by Fan Xinglai.
• Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong held back the excited crowd while Liang Qu sat meditating on Red Mountain in Sudden Enlightenment.
• The apprentices watched Liang Qu's breathing and movements, marveling at the legendary state they had only heard about.
• Du Hanwen was swept up in Liang Qu's state and attained Sudden Enlightenment himself.
• Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong isolated Du Hanwen to protect him from disturbance, while the apprentices exclaimed that Huaiyin Academy was the place to learn martial arts.

Liang Qu entered Sudden Enlightenment while cultivating, expanding his Qi Sea and clarifying his Dragon Court Immortal Island, while Du Hanwen broke through the Flesh Barrier after witnessing him. Liang Qu reunited with Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong at the greatly expanded Huaiyin Martial Academy and brought materials to make weapons for them.

• Liang Qu cultivated through Sudden Enlightenment, expanding his Qi Sea beyond the limits most first-realm Grandmasters reached and developing the Dragon Court Immortal Island.
• Du Hanwen entered Sudden Enlightenment while watching Liang Qu and broke through the Flesh Barrier, then thanked Earl Xingyi, Hu Qi, and Xiang ChangSong.
• Coachmen waiting outside the academy learned that Earl Xingyi's Sudden Enlightenment had kept the apprentices there and that Du Hanwen had experienced one too.
• Xiang ChangSong ended the gathering and sent the apprentices to eat as Liang Qu finished cultivating and opened his eyes.
• Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong told Liang Qu that the former martial hall had become the Huaiyin Martial Academy, with more than thirteen hundred apprentices enrolled.
• Liang Qu explained that memories of the old, nearly empty hall had sparked his Sudden Enlightenment and showed Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong materials he had gathered to make weapons for them.

Liang Qu toured the expanded Martial Academy with Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong, learning how it had grown into a large institution with extensive facilities, staff, and martial arts training. Inspired by its development, he asked them to document its model so he could propose that the court establish large Martial Academies.

• Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong welcomed Liang Qu and showed him around the Martial Academy, where he promised the apprentices he would stay for three days.
• Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong described the academy’s stables, training fields, student housing, cafeteria, latrines, and pharmacy, as well as the work involved in managing its many students.
• Liang Qu learned that the academy taught seven introductory fist styles, underwater cultivation, and a wide range of martial arts, and that Senior Brother Xu, Senior Sister Zhuo, and Senior Brother Cao helped run it.
• Liang Qu asked Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong to write a booklet about the academy’s development so he could report the model to the court.
• When Xiang ChangSong questioned whether the court could fund and staff Martial Academies, Liang Qu said they should establish large ones rather than small ones.

Liang Qu proposed tying prefectural martial academies to official graduation certificates and household records, then suggested Huaiyin Martial Academy test the system. After an awkward public demonstration by the apprentices, he met their parents and learned that he was supposedly fond of Mermaid Tear, one of the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai.

• Liang Qu explained to Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong that official certificates recorded in household registries could attract students and extend the imperial court's influence through martial academies.
• Liang Qu suggested making Huaiyin Martial Academy an official trial institution and dividing academies into ranks based on the certificates they could offer.
• Liang Qu watched one hundred apprentices demonstrate their skills before a crowd of parents, but their nerves made the performances falter, so he sent them to rest and continue the next day.
• Du Gaocen thanked Liang Qu for helping Du Hanwen achieve Sudden Enlightenment and offered him a genuine Mermaid Tear, which Liang Qu declined.
• Liang Qu asked what the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai were, and Du Gaocen was astonished that he did not know.

Liang Qu and Long E Ying discussed the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai and wondered whether the newly popular list signaled the appearance of rare Treasure Fish. At a winter feast, villagers and honored guests celebrated A Shui while the Pufferfish Tribe learned the Great Huai Army’s commanders had been chosen.

• Liang Qu told Long E Ying that the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai included Phoenix Fairy Fish, Dream White Fire, Mystic Tortoise Shell, Mermaid Tear, two plants, Dragon Girl, and the Immortal Palace and Dragon Palace.
• Long E Ying explained that Phoenix Fairy Fish were exceptionally rare and beautiful, while Dream White Fire could grant Sudden Enlightenment to nearby observers before burning away.
• Liang Qu and Long E Ying speculated that the list had recently become popular because someone was arranging to raise the value of Mermaid Tears and other wonders.
• Villagers ate a communal winter feast while guests at Sky Vessel Tower celebrated A Shui with Pufferfish Great Demon dishes.
• Spiky Head told the Pufferfish Tribe that Lord Lin would command the Great Huai Army and Lord Iron Cannon would serve as deputy commander, both as peak Great Demons.

After Flood Dragon King established the Great Huai Army to hunt White Ape, Liang Qu arranged for Fat Catfish to use Treasure Plants to secure a place among the Pufferfish Tribe’s recruits. Spiky appointed five Demon Beasts to join the army, leaving Spiky Hero to prepare for a possible breakthrough to Great Demon.

• Spiky Head reported that the Pufferfish Tribe had received five Great Huai Army quotas, monthly provisions, and compensation for its former leader.
• Fat Catfish told Liang Qu about the army and considered seeking a quota, while Liang Qu rejected stealing the compensation and sent two Treasure Plants for Fat Catfish to offer Spiky Hero.
• Fat Catfish presented the Treasure Plants and argued that recruiting outsiders like Black Pig could help the Pufferfish Tribe reclaim territory from the Dogfish Tribe.
• Spiky accepted Spiky Hero’s reasoning and told him to prepare for seclusion once the compensation arrived, hoping he would break through to Great Demon.
• Spiky selected Spiky Head, Spiky Guard, Black Pig, and two other Demon Beasts for the five quotas, then sent the team off under Spiky Head’s lead.

Liang Qu learned that Old Toad had discovered a lucrative but dangerous opportunity in the Eastern Water Domain, possibly connected to Dream White Fire and Phoenix Fairy Fish. Old Toad warned him to keep the same form throughout the journey, leaving Liang Qu to consider a venture into the Snake Clan’s lair.

• Da Pang and Er Pang directed the Frog Clan as it tended the Heaven-Piercing Great King lotus fields, and Old Toad ordered Er Pang to take it to the waterway entrance.
• Liang Qu reviewed Senior Brother Hu’s notes on the martial academy and drafted plans for certification, assessments, funding, and local control.
• Old Toad proposed a risky business opportunity east of the Great Marsh, and Liang Qu realized it involved the Eastern Water Domain.
• Liang Qu connected Old Toad’s clues to Dream White Fire and Phoenix Fairy Fish, suspecting someone had promoted the Eight Beauties of Jianghuai to raise interest in the Treasure Fish.
• Old Toad told Liang Qu there would be no major movement for several months and warned him not to switch forms while in the Eastern Region.

The Fat Catfish entered the Dragon Palace with the Great Huai Army, while Liang Qu used its position to gather intelligence about the army’s powerful commanders. Liang Qu also sent controlled White Sturgeon to search the Eastern Region for the opportunity Old Toad had revealed, leaving the search underway.

• Spiky Head led the Fat Catfish and the other fish through the Dragon Palace, where they saw the Fire Tree Silver Flower and were assigned quarters.
• A gray-green great serpent summoned the Great Huai Army, and the Fat Catfish hurried to assemble after hearing that the selected fish would receive pay.
• At Dragon King Square, the Fat Catfish reported the transformed forms of the Azure Serpent and Iron Head Fish to Liang Qu through the Mental Link.
• Liang Qu asked the Fat Catfish to learn the Great Huai Army commander’s Divine Powers and promised it 100,000 Marsh Essence for useful intelligence.
• Liang Qu used Golden Eye to control fish and Little Spirit Monsters, then sent White Sturgeon toward the marked area to search for Old Toad’s opportunity.

Liang Qu strengthened Fist and advanced his cultivation while preparing to explore the Eastern Water Domain. The chapter ended with his second Dragon Court foundation complete and the Little Mirage Dragon absorbing Jia Wood Mirage Deer Qi.

• Liang Qu evolved Fist into a Gold Rock Crab King, then discovered that Fat Catfish had misreported how much essence Fist received.
• Xu Shi, Long E Ying, and the others set out for Jiangchuan County to watch a Shadow Play while Liang Qu was still underwater.
• Liang Qu absorbed Marsh Essence and Jia Wood Mirage Deer Qi, which the Little Mirage Dragon swallowed to improve its illusion ability.
• Liang Qu cultivated with his Water King Ape fusion rate raised to 170‰ and completed the foundation of his second Dragon Court.
• The Little Mirage Dragon told Liang Qu that the Jia Wood Mirage Deer Qi had left him feeling too full.

Liang Qu returned to Jiangchuan County after gaining the second foundation and toured the newly built Jiangchuan Theater with his companions. The theater’s first screening began with a journey from Southern Zhili to Pingyang, leaving them about to discover what Quan Linghan’s troupe had prepared.

• Little Mirage Dragon finished swallowing five Mirage Beasts, but needed about a month to digest their mirage qi.
• Liang Qu arrived at the dock and told his master and senior brothers that he had laid the second foundation, shocking them with how quickly he had advanced.
• Liang Qu reached Jiangchuan County, where Quan Guangqin and Quan Yuxuan showed him the expanding settlement and its new theater.
• Liang Qu advised the Merfolk to offer tour boats at three price tiers, including a free option, to bring more visitors to the county.
• Liang Qu and his companions took their seats as the Jiangchuan Theater began a screening with solemn music and a carriage traveling from Southern Zhili toward Pingyang.

Quan Linghan’s new Dragon Spirit Silk Shadow Play captivated the audience with a vivid staging of Palace of Eternal Life, while Liang Qu reflected on the insecurity underlying his comfortable life. The performance ended in stunned silence, and the senior brothers realized Dragon Spirit Silk could become a valuable commodity as Jiangchuan County prepared for a surge of visitors.

• Quan Yuxuan and Quan Guangqin operated the Dragon Spirit Silk screen, displaying a realistic Shadow Play that drew the audience into its story.
• Long E Ying recognized Palace of Eternal Life, while Liang Qu watched and reflected on how fragile safety and peace remained despite his comfortable life.
• Long E Ying noticed Liang Qu’s unease, tugged him down beside her, and gently patted his back as the play continued.
• The first part of the play ended, leaving the audience silent until Xu Zishuai remarked that Dragon Spirit Silk would rise in price.
• Lu Gang revealed that he had acquired three pieces of Dragon Spirit Silk, and the group anticipated Jiangchuan County’s growth and crowds after the New Year Festival.

After receiving two jars of Profound Yellow Long Qi, Liang Qu evolved his Vortex Aperture into the Vortex Palace divine ability and tested its ability to house Water Beasts. When he selected one of Red Mountain’s talents, his Yang Spirit Seed began cracking rapidly.

• Su Guishan delivered Liang Qu two jars of Profound Yellow Long Qi and told him that Grandmaster Niu would stay for two nights.
• Liang Qu used the three strands of Long Qi and thirty thousand Marsh Essence to evolve his Vortex Aperture into the Vortex Palace divine ability.
• Liang Qu opened the water palace and summoned Ta Ta Kai and Great Beaver inside, where they could communicate with him through their Mental Link.
• Liang Qu went to the stable and swallowed Red Mountain into the water palace, then sensed and selected one of the horse’s talents.
• The Yang Spirit Seed split through its sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth cracks.

Liang Qu’s Vortex Palace and Red Mountain’s talent helped his Yang Spirit Seed mature into a fourth-stage Pure Yang peach blossom. Elated by the breakthrough, Liang Qu began testing the Vortex Palace’s Essence Water and summoned his water beasts inside it.

• Red Mountain’s Pure Yang Vigour pushed Liang Qu’s Yang Spirit Seed to its tenth crack, and the seed shattered into a twenty-five-petaled golden peach blossom.
• Liang Qu recorded the fourth-stage Yang Spirit Seed and, overjoyed, carried Long E Ying around before leaving to practice Ape Fist with the River Otters.
• Liang Qu returned to meditation and learned that the Vortex Palace could produce Essence Water from Vortex Water, at a rate of about five cubic meters each month.
• Liang Qu used Vortex Water to summon Round Head, Fist, Cannot Move, Awei, and the Little Mirage Dragon into the Vortex Palace, where the Little Mirage Dragon panicked before realizing the others were there too.

Liang Qu tested the Vortex Palace’s abilities, discovered it could store controlled beasts and items carried by them, and began furnishing the space. He then secretly visited the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild, bought Fish Toad Garments, and left with Snow Pig Oil after an awkward exchange.

• Liang Qu used Fist's Gold Rock Crab King's ability and Little Mirage Dragon's abilities, finding that he could use only one Water Beast's main ability at a time.
• Liang Qu discovered that Cannot Move could carry Sea Butterflies into the Vortex Palace, though living creatures and objects needed a controlled beast to enter or exit.
• Liang Qu gave Ta Ta Kai and Great Beaver three thousand taels to buy water-resistant materials and build a house inside the Vortex Palace.
• Liang Qu visited the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild in secret and bought five boxes of Fish Toad Garments.
• The shopkeeper explained Snow Pig Oil's uses, and Liang Qu embarrassedly bought two boxes.

Liang Qu hosted Grandmaster Niu and arranged for Su Guishan to stay away from home for the night. He and Long E Ying spent the night together, while Long Yao and Long Li discovered what was happening and reminded them to lay down a white towel.

• Liang Qu welcomed Grandmaster Niu to a banquet at Lang Yun Tower, with Su Guishan accompanying them.
• Liang Qu had Ta Ta Kai prepare his bedroom and asked Su Guishan to spend the night at the Prefectural Office.
• Liang Qu joined Long E Ying in the steam room and carried her to the bedroom.
• Long Yao and Long Li saw Liang Qu carrying Long E Ying, and Long Li called through the window to remind them to lay down a white towel.
• Liang Qu and Long E Ying laughed together, then kissed and spent the night together.

After seven days together, Liang Qu and Long E Ying settled into their new intimacy, while Long Yao and Long Li teased them and cleaned their room. Their union strengthened Long E Ying's Yin Spirit Seed and helped Liang Qu advance his Immortal Island, leaving him on the verge of another step toward Great Grandmaster.

• Long Li and Long Yao counted the seven days Liang Qu and Long E Ying had spent in the bedroom and complained about their lack of privacy.
• Liang Qu left the bedroom, promised Long Yao and Long Li a raise, and went to cook clear broth noodles for Long E Ying.
• Long Yao and Long Li cleaned the bedroom as Long E Ying teased and kissed them, then Long E Ying went to bathe.
• Long E Ying sensed a golden peach blossom in her dantian, and Liang Qu used Inner Vision to observe his own growing power.
• Liang Qu absorbed the strength from their union, expanded his sea of qi, and formed a White Jade Pillar on his second Immortal Island.
• A mysterious aura surged from the pond, and Liang Qu recognized that the Sun Wheel might let him take another step toward the second realm of True Image, Great Grandmaster.

Long E Ying advanced to the second stage of the True Image Realm and awakened Startling Dragon Transformation, while Liang Qu discovered that their intimacy had permanently changed the nature of his Cloud Sea. The chapter ended with Long E Ying showing him her dragon horns and tail in the bath.

• Su Guishan sensed Long E Ying’s breakthrough and arranged a lavish meal, charging it to the Liang Residence.
• Long E Ying’s Cloud Sea surged as she advanced to the second stage of the True Image Realm and gained Startling Dragon Transformation.
• Liang Qu noticed that his Cloud Sea had turned silver and realized its solar nature had become lunar and remained changed.
• Long Li washed the couple’s bedding while Long Yao made handkerchiefs as Long E Ying completed her breakthrough.
• Liang Qu brought noodles to Long E Ying, who confirmed her new Divine Power and transformed to reveal her dragon tail and horns.