Chapter Summaries

At Xiao Qiushui’s banquet, Ye Zhengqi challenged her over her feud with Jiang Ning, but Li Sixiang intervened and defeated Ye Zhengqi in a clash of grandmasters. Ye Zhengqi escaped with Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling into Reflecting Moon Lake, where they hid while he recovered.

• Ye Zhengqi congratulated Xiao Qiushui on reaching the Third Grade, then demanded that she end her grudge with Jiang Ning, but she refused and reaffirmed her intent to kill him.
• Ye Zhengqi’s Sword Intent suppressed Xiao Qiushui until Li Sixiang stepped in to defend her and challenged Ye Zhengqi.
• Li Sixiang struck Ye Zhengqi down in their first exchange, shocking the banquet guests with the gap between a Second Rank Great Grandmaster and a Six Harmonies Heavenly Human.
• Ye Zhengqi rose from the pit, trapped Li Sixiang in a sword cage, and escaped with Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling using an unseen technique.
• Li Sixiang chose not to pursue them, while Zhong Yue stayed at the ruined banquet and Xiao Qiushui watched in anger.
• In Reflecting Moon Lake, Jiang Ning helped Zhong Ling breathe and watched Ye Zhengqi take an elixir to heal; Ye Zhengqi then recognized Zhong Yue’s plan might come true.

Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to learn that Li Sixiang had left Water Moon Sword Palace, then brought Zhong Ling ashore and reunited her with Zhong Yue. The chapter ended with Zhong Yue and the Old Beggar discussing Li Sixiang’s strength and greeting Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling.

• Jiang Ning revealed his Heavenly Eye to see that Li Sixiang had left Water Moon Sword Palace and that Xiao Qiushui and Xiao Emei had returned to the island.
• Xiao Qiushui told Xiao Emei to keep the palace lord’s sword with her at all times before they went back to Lake Heart Island.
• Jiang Ning took Zhong Ling ashore, dried their clothes with his power, and told her he would bring her to Zhong Yue.
• Zhong Yue and the Old Beggar discussed Li Sixiang’s formidable Martial Dao True Intent as Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling approached.
• Zhong Ling hid behind Jiang Ning when she saw Zhong Yue, and Jiang Ning respectfully greeted Zhong Yue and the Old Beggar.

Jiang Ning returned Zhong Ling to Zhong Yue, trained while waiting for night, and then infiltrated Water Moon Sword Palace to reach Xiao Qiushui. He entered her bedchamber as she meditated, while Xiao Emei discovered a letter hidden in the palace lord’s sword.

• Jiang Ning returned Zhong Ling safely to Zhong Yue and left to settle his grudge with Xiao Qiushui.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist and discovered that each round now yielded three experience points.
• Ye Zhengqi told Zhao Yulong that Li Sixiang had become a Second Rank Great Grandmaster, prompting them to return with the news.
• Jiang Ning cultivated under the midday sun, then used his Heavenly Eye to confirm Xiao Qiushui remained inside Water Moon Sword Palace.
• Jiang Ning crossed Reflecting Moon Lake at night and entered Xiao Qiushui’s palace, while Xiao Emei found a letter hidden in the silver sword.
• Jiang Ning arrived in Xiao Qiushui’s bedchamber and saw her meditating.

Jiang Ning infiltrated Water Moon Sword Palace and killed Xiao Qiushui after overpowering her with his physical strength. He looted her hidden treasury and set her body alight before leaving, concealing his role in her death.

• Jiang Ning entered Xiao Qiushui's sleeping palace and revealed a golden aura as he unleashed strength beyond her ability to match.
• Jiang Ning deflected Xiao Qiushui's small silver sword, caught her as she tried to fly away, and repeatedly smashed her into the ground.
• Jiang Ning killed Xiao Qiushui with a strike to the head and retrieved the silver sword.
• Jiang Ning opened the tunnel beneath the white jade statue, broke through the stone vault door, and looted Water Moon Sword Palace's treasured vault.
• Jiang Ning returned to the hall, covered Xiao Qiushui's body with a curtain, set it on fire, and disappeared.

Jiang Ning escaped Water Moon Sword Palace after killing Xiao Qiushui, then refined the ancient Sword Pellet and consumed some of the treasures he had looted. He increased his Source Energy Points to 7,863 and filled his Five Animal Frolics Fist experience, but still lacked the points needed for its next limit break.

• Xiao Emei arrived at Xiao Qiushui's palace and was told that the burning corpse was believed to be Xiao Qiushui, leaving her suspecting Jiang Ning might have been involved.
• Jiang Ning left Reflecting Moon Lake, examined Xiao Qiushui's Silver Small Sword, and used his Divine Sense to refine it as a five-restriction Sword Pellet containing ancient Sword Intent.
• Jiang Ning swallowed three Seven Orifices Enlightenment Pills and refined a bottle of Thousand Spirits Blood, increasing his Source Energy Points.
• Jiang Ning practiced fist art through the night to digest the blood's effects and raise his Five Animal Frolics Fist experience to 7,000/7,000.
• Jiang Ning saw that he had 7,863 Source Energy Points, still short of the 10,000 needed for the next limit break, and decided to keep digesting his looted resources.

Jiang Ning stayed in the forest to digest the Water Moon Sword Palace’s spirit blood, practicing the Five Animal Frolics Fist and Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill while considering the dangers posed by powerful forces and higher martial realms. By dawn, his Source Energy had reached 14877, and the Five Animal Frolics Fist was ready to break through again.

• Jiang Ning reflected on the growing threats in Guangning Prefecture and resolved to build his strength step by step.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist and swallowed Hundred Spirits Blood and Thousand Spirits Blood to replenish and strengthen his body.
• Jiang Ning absorbed the noon Great Sun Essence Qi, raising his Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill to 8811/10000 toward the Perfected Realm.
• Jiang Ning opened the jade box holding thirteen drops of Ten Thousand Spirits Blood, consumed them, and practiced his fist art through the night to digest their energy.
• Jiang Ning saw that the Five Animal Frolics Fist had maxed out its experience and that his Source Energy had risen to 14877, enough to meet its breakthrough requirement.

Jiang Ning considered which Skill to improve for his coming Third Grade blood exchanges, then examined treasures plundered from the Water Moon Sword Palace and began absorbing Hundred-Year Spirit Milk. After reviewing two top-tier cultivation methods, he found only three items left in his Summoning Ring, including one whose unusual qualities had caught his eye.

• Jiang Ning chose to prioritize the Firewood Chopping Blade Technique for a future limit break, planning to digest more treasures first and raise his Source Energy Points.
• Jiang Ning identified a palm-sized Blood Jade and two unusual Long Swords, then put them away to sell or give away.
• Jiang Ning drank most of the Hundred-Year Spirit Milk, felt its energy settle into his body, and decided to save a few drops for Jiang Yuanyuan and Liu Wanwan.
• Jiang Ning read the Azure Wave Sword Art and Desire Severing Heart Sutra, but decided not to cultivate either one.
• Jiang Ning searched the Summoning Ring and found three remaining items, one of which interested him because of what he had seen with the Heavenly Eye.

Jiang Ning uncovered the Weapon Refining Art hidden in a white bone and used it to refine the evil dragon spirit in his saber, binding the weapon to himself. After replenishing his blood with the thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng and cultivating through noon, he woke the next day to find 35,433 Source Energy, with half the ginseng and one Water Moon Sword Palace treasure still unused.

• Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to read the white bone’s hidden Weapon Refining Art, gaining more than seven thousand Literacy Experience Points.
• Jiang Ning blood-refined his Spirit Weapon saber, subdued and erased the evil dragon spirit within it, then shrank the saber and tied it to his hair to carry close to his body.
• Jiang Ning ate pieces of the thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng to restore the blood he had lost, then absorbed Great Sun Essence Qi and advanced his Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill toward the Perfected Realm.
• Jiang Ning rested overnight and recovered to his peak with the Blood Ginseng’s aid.
• Jiang Ning discovered that his Source Energy had risen to 35,433, while half the Blood Ginseng and the final Water Moon Sword Palace treasure remained unused.

Jiang Ning returned to Dongling City, learned that Shen Wenyuan had taken office and his Class D Great Merit had been issued, and requested a Grandmaster cultivation method. He also learned that the martial examinations had moved to an annual schedule, while Ye Zhengqi investigated Xiao Qiushui’s death and wondered whether Jiang Ning had been involved.

• Jiang Ning returned home, reunited with Liu Wanwan, and learned that Shen Wenyuan had taken office and the Patrol Office had summoned him.
• Jiang Ning visited Zhao Yulong, confirmed his Class D Great Merit had been issued, and requested a Dharma Gate for becoming a Heavenly Human Grandmaster.
• Zhao Yulong told Jiang Ning that the martial examinations would now be held annually and urged him to compete in the July exam and October Metropolitan Examination.
• Ye Zhengqi learned that Xiao Qiushui was dead and that rumors blamed him for her death.
• Ye Zhengqi heard that Xiao Emei had become Water Moon Sword Palace’s Palace Master and considered whether Jiang Ning had played a part in Xiao Qiushui’s death, then dismissed the possibility.

Jiang Ning gave Xiao Doubao Hundred-Year Spirit Milk for her and Liu Wanwan’s health, then prepared to leave for Guangning to take the Martial Examination Provincial Exam and seek a Grandmaster method. Before departing, he discovered a mysterious woman inside an ice coffin and threw it into the Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range; the chapter ended with him receiving a handmade birthday robe from Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan.

• Jiang Ning gave Xiao Doubao Tanghulu and fed her a little Hundred-Year Spirit Milk, then entrusted the remaining spirit milk to Jiang Li for Liu Wanwan and Xiao Doubao.
• Jiang Ning told Jiang Li he would leave Dongling County for Guangning to take the Martial Examination Provincial Exam and bring back a Martial Graduate title.
• Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to see a sleeping woman inside the ice coffin, then hurled it toward the depths of the Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range without noticing her eyelids tremble.
• Jiang Ning refined the remaining Millennial Blood Ginseng, bringing his Source Energy to 46,177, and decided to save the points until he obtained a Grandmaster method.
• Jiang Ning promised Xiao Doubao a treat when he returned and pinky-swore with her before preparing to leave.
• Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan gave Jiang Ning a handmade black brocade robe for his upcoming birthday, and Jiang Ning took it to his room to try on.

Jiang Ning prepared to leave Dongling City for Guangning Prefecture City and visited Wang Qingtan to give her a gift before departing. Wang Qingtan accepted the Ice Silk soft armor and gave him one thousand taels in Gold Notes to support his journey.

• Jiang Ning put on the fine clothes supplied by the Liu Family and said goodbye to Jiang Li, Liu Wanwan, and the children before setting out.
• Jiang Ning visited Wang Qingtan at the Prefect Residence and waited while she washed and dressed.
• Jiang Ning gave Wang Qingtan a piece of Ice Silk soft armor, which she accepted after teasing him about its intimate nature.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan he was going to Guangning Prefecture City to report for duty, exchange items, and take the Martial Examination Provincial Exam.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning one thousand taels in Gold Notes and joked that he should marry her after he accepted her dowry.

Jiang Ning traveled by carriage toward Guangning Prefecture City with Bai Luoyu, Zhao Yulong, and Luyi, using the journey to improve his Literacy and Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill. After filling his Literacy Experience Points, he discovered that the Ice Coffin he had thrown into the Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range had mysteriously reappeared in his carriage.

• Jiang Ning told Bai Luoyu and Zhao Yulong that he planned to find the Seventeenth Princess, Ji Mingyue, and chose to travel with them by carriage to Guangning Prefecture City.
• Jiang Ning read the Daoist Canon during the journey and filled Literacy's Experience Points, while Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu speculated that he was seeking to comprehend Heaven and Man as One.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill at noon as the carriages traveled, and Luyi caught and roasted fish for him during a rest stop.
• Jiang Ning saw that the Ice Coffin he had thrown into the Eastern Mausoleum Mountain Range had appeared inside his carriage, and Luyi said she did not know when it had arrived.

Jiang Ning broke through Literacy to strengthen his Spirit Soul and Divine Sense, gaining the Dao Follows Nature trait and nearing Heaven and Man as One. The next morning, he practiced sensing heaven and earth, then invited Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu to celebrate his birthday.

• Jiang Ning threw the Ice Coffin out of his carriage again, then used 20,000 Source Energy to break through Literacy and strengthen his Spirit Soul and Divine Sense.
• Jiang Ning experienced a state of merging with and observing heaven and earth, realizing he had reached the threshold of Heaven and Man as One.
• Jiang Ning discovered that Literacy’s new Dao Follows Nature trait greatly improved his talent for sensing heaven and earth, then continued reading the Daoist Canon to gain experience.
• Zhao Yulong told Bai Luoyu that a powerful spiritual fluctuation had enveloped their surroundings, though he could no longer sense it.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning practiced sensing heaven and earth by the stream, and Bai Luoyu briefly wondered if he had witnessed something unusual.
• Jiang Ning told Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu that it was his birthday and invited them to drink instead of continuing to read.

Jiang Ning reached Guangning City with Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu, and settled into a courtyard before preparing to meet Shen Wenyuan the next day. The Ice Coffin returned once more, while Jiang Ning’s training continued to advance.

• Jiang Ning celebrated his birthday with Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu before their carriages continued toward Guangning City.
• The Ice Coffin reappeared beside Jiang Ning; he used his Heavenly Eye to confirm the woman was still inside, then kept the coffin in his carriage rather than throwing it away again.
• Jiang Ning, Zhao Yulong, and Bai Luoyu arrived in Guangning City and agreed to report to Shen Wenyuan the next day; Bai Luoyu offered to travel with Jiang Ning to the Royal Capital for the Martial Examination Metropolitan Examination.
• Jiang Ning and Luyi settled into Listening Bamboo Pavilion, where he reviewed his progress in Literacy and Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill and stored the Ice Coffin in a separate room.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist and gained experience by moving freely instead of following the manual step by step; afterward, he prepared to bathe before meeting Shen Wenyuan.

Jiang Ning met Shen Wenyuan at the Patrol Office and received two methods for reaching Heavenly Human Grandmaster, sent by Xiao Wuque. After studying Seven Stars Fate Determination, Jiang Ning began reading True Spirit Nine Transformations, the Ninth Blood Exchange method his strength had long required.

• Jiang Ning discovered that the Ice Coffin had silently moved beside his bed, then trained before setting out with Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu to meet Shen Wenyuan.
• Shen Wenyuan told Jiang Ning that Xiao Wuque had responded to his report and request by sending two Grandmaster methods.
• Jiang Ning opened the box and read Xiao Wuque's message, which offered Seven Stars Fate Determination and True Spirit Nine Transformations.
• Jiang Ning finished studying Seven Stars Fate Determination and learned that its seven blood exchanges could grant an extraordinary Divine Ability.
• Jiang Ning picked up True Spirit Nine Transformations, the Ninth Blood Exchange path once followed by the Martial Saint, and immersed himself in reading it.

Jiang Ning studied the True Spirit Nine Transformations, chose it as his Ninth Blood Exchange method, and trained his Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill until it neared perfection. With his advancement to Third Grade expected the next day, he took Luyi to Nine Heavens Pavilion to try its famous Jade Dew.

• Jiang Ning learned that True Spirit Nine Transformations focused on fixing the true spirit and seeking the True Self, without requiring special external environments.
• The Golden Thin Paper disintegrated after Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu viewed it, and Jiang Ning confirmed he had memorized the Dharma Gate.
• Jiang Ning chose True Spirit Nine Transformations, used his Class D Great Merit to obtain it, and left the Patrol Office while Bai Luoyu and Zhao Yulong went to drink at Nine Heavens Pavilion.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill at noon, raising it to 9967 of the 10000 Experience Points needed for the Perfected Realm.
• Jiang Ning expected to become a Heavenly Human Grandmaster the next day and invited Luyi to Nine Heavens Pavilion after completing his training.
• Jiang Ning and Luyi arrived at the crowded Nine Heavens Pavilion, and he asked an attendant to take them to the third floor.

At Nine Heavens Pavilion, Lu Junyi told Jiang Ning that Wang Qingtan’s Master planned to marry her to Prince Huai’an’s Second Son and urged Jiang Ning to intervene. Jiang Ning resolved to protect Wang Qingtan and believed his coming breakthrough would give him enough standing to stop the match, then settled in to enjoy a feast with Luyi.

• Jiang Ning ordered all twenty-four of Nine Heavens Pavilion’s signature dishes and a jin of Jade Dew.
• Lu Junyi arrived with his sword-carrying guard and asked Jiang Ning about Qi Consort, then raised the possibility of a marriage between Wang Qingtan and Prince Huai’an’s Second Son.
• Jiang Ning advised Lu Junyi to abandon the marriage idea, and Lu Junyi revealed that Wang Qingtan’s Master was arranging the match and suggested Jiang Ning seek Ye Zhengqi or Shen Wenyuan’s help.
• Lu Junyi explained to his guard that he had used Jiang Ning to test his standing with Ye Zhengqi while drawing him into the Wang Qingtan matter.
• Jiang Ning decided to help Wang Qingtan, expecting his imminent breakthrough to let him handle her Master without asking Ye Zhengqi for help.
• Jiang Ning tasted the food and Jade Dew, then invited Luyi to sit and eat with him.

Jiang Ning mastered Heaven and Man as One, then perfected the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill and condensed an inner core. The new core transformed his True Essence into powerful Gang Force and began nourishing his body.

• Jiang Ning accepted Zhao Yulong’s invitation to a private wine banquet and gained several hundred Source Energy Points from the fine wine.
• Jiang Ning completed his understanding of Heaven and Man as One, gaining the ability to merge his aura with heaven and earth.
• Jiang Ning cultivated the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill at noon until it reached the Perfected Realm and his True Essence condensed into an inner core.
• Jiang Ning tested the core’s Gang Force, found it far more powerful and enduring than his previous energy, and sensed its Elixir Qi healing and nourishing his body.

Jiang Ning underwent Blood Exchange in the mountains, drawing on the Inner Alchemy Pellet to store Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and revive his body after nearing death. He completed his breakthrough to Third Grade and became a Heavenly Human Grandmaster, though his body needed time and medicine to recover its consumed foundation.

• Jiang Ning went to a secluded mountain clearing and prepared to perform Blood Exchange.
• He released his Inner Alchemy Pellet, which absorbed and stored Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy before reaching its limit.
• Jiang Ning let his blood dry up and his body approach death until he found his True Spirit.
• He returned the Inner Alchemy Pellet to his Dantian, and its stored Spiritual Energy helped his marrow produce New Blood and revive his body.
• Jiang Ning drew in more Spiritual Energy through the opened gate until it closed, then realized his Inner Alchemy Pellet had enabled the crucial early stage of Blood Exchange.
• Jiang Ning recognized that he had become a Third Grade Heavenly Human Grandmaster and felt both weakness from his depleted foundation and new destructive power.

After completing his first Blood Exchange, Jiang Ning became a Third Grade Heavenly Human Grandmaster and tested his newfound ability to fly before celebrating with Luyi. He realized his body urgently needed powerful nourishment and headed to Myriad Blossom Pavilion to seek Great Medicine, while the White Chi returned to the fishing village at Luoshui.

• Jiang Ning sensed that New Blood was transforming and nourishing his body, then flew high above the mountains and considered whether the land below was flat or simply enormous.
• Jiang Ning tested his speed and found he could reach only seventy to eighty percent of Shen Wenyuan’s speed before landing in Guangning City.
• Jiang Ning told Luyi that his breakthrough had succeeded, and the two celebrated at Nine Heavens Pavilion while he struggled to replenish the energy his body had consumed.
• Jiang Ning drank the wine infused with a Taiyin Stone and felt its energy nourish his depleted body, while Luyi ate the White Dragon Fish head he had offered her.
• The White Chi returned to Luoshui and watched the fishing village with greed for human flesh.
• Jiang Ning brought Luyi to Myriad Blossom Pavilion, hoping to find Great Medicine, and wondered whether Shen Congyun might be there.