Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning read Wang Shouyi’s letter asking him to marry Wang Qingtan and help her avoid an arranged match with the Second Son of Prince Huai'an. Although Wang Qingtan agreed to marry him, Jiang Ning asked for three years to consider it, and she accepted.

• Wang Lu and Sun Mingcheng delivered Wang Qingtan to Jiang Ning and then left them alone.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning her father’s letter, which revealed Wang Shouyi wanted Jiang Ning to marry her and help her reject Bai He Song’s planned match with the Second Son of Prince Huai'an.
• After reading the letter, Wang Qingtan proposed marrying Jiang Ning, and he discovered a prompt about her Divinity Points and the shattered Authority of the Lord of Myriad Fires when she took his hand.
• Wang Qingtan said she was willing to follow her father’s arrangement, but Jiang Ning hesitated because of his martial path and his agreement with Ji Mingyue.
• Jiang Ning asked Wang Qingtan to give him three years, promising to marry her if she still wanted to then, and she agreed.

Jiang Ning practiced while Wang Qingtan gave him the Glass Treasure Flame as an advance part of her dowry, cleansing and strengthening his body. She also offered him five thousand taels of gold to support his Martial Path, and the two went out to eat after Jiang Ning accepted her proposal.

• Jiang Ning practiced the Indestructible Vajra Body as he prepared for the powerful enemies he might face while helping Wang Qingtan.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning the Glass Treasure Flame, explaining its effects on his body and martial cultivation.
• Jiang Ning swallowed the flame, which tempered his bones, expelled impurities, and began transforming his body.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning five thousand taels of gold from her dowry to support his cultivation, and he accepted her offer of marriage.
• Jiang Ning invited Wang Qingtan out to eat, and she changed into a remarkable moonlit dress before joining him.

After the Glass Treasure Flame’s effects drove Jiang Ning’s Source Energy past fifty thousand, he considered using the points to break through Literacy. Wang Qingtan stayed with him in Guangning City, while her memories of a previous life continued to awaken and frighten her.

• Jiang Ning hosted Wang Qingtan at Nine Heavens Pavilion, where she told him she trusted him to help with her troubles involving Prince Huai'an.
• Lu Junyi visited Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan, learned that she was staying with Jiang Ning, and left after deciding Jiang Ning had powerful allies in the Patrol Office.
• Wang Qingtan held Jiang Ning’s hand on the walk home, then secretly wrote and sealed a letter as she worried that her past-life memories might eventually overwhelm her identity.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Indestructible Vajra Body through the night, and Wang Qingtan watched him from her window before closing it with a mysterious smile.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning found that his Source Energy had risen to 55,431, then considered using it to break through Literacy while the Ice Coffin remained beside his bed.

Jiang Ning completed Literacy’s Twelfth Limit Break and awakened a powerful Heavenly Eye, which let him see the Ice Coffin Woman trapped in a realm of darkness. By opening a path back to the Ten Domains, he helped her escape and received the Ice Coffin and a secret art before she vanished.

• Jiang Ning spent 50,000 Source Energy Points to break through Literacy’s Twelfth Limit Break and discovered his enhanced sight could perceive hidden energies and distant details.
• Jiang Ning opened his Heavenly Eye and saw the Ice Coffin Woman within a dark, empty realm, where she awakened and rushed toward the light he had revealed.
• Jiang Ning discovered the woman had vanished from the Ice Coffin and saw her floating nearby after using his Heavenly Eye to peer through layers of space.
• The woman identified herself as a disciple of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Lord, gave Jiang Ning the Ice Coffin and a secret art, and said he had helped her survive the Great Tribulation and return from the Land of Return to Emptiness.
• The woman departed through deeper layers of space as thunder gathered overhead, leaving Jiang Ning with the refined Ice Coffin and questions about the Holds the Law and the Ten Domains.

Jiang Ning tested the Ice Coffin and learned more about the mysterious woman's return from the Land of Return to Emptiness before recommitting himself to the Martial Path. Later, Luyi could not wake Wang Qingtan, and Jiang Ning roused her, but she said she had only suffered a nightmare.

• Jiang Ning entered the Ice Coffin's sealed hall, tested its ability to isolate him from the outside world, and returned it to his body after confirming its life-preserving use.
• Jiang Ning reflected on the mysterious woman's return, the Heavenly Eye, and the Great Tribulation, then concluded that he should focus on advancing along the Martial Path.
• Jiang Ning resumed training the Indestructible Vajra Body and accumulated Experience Points.
• Luyi called Jiang Ning when she could not wake Wang Qingtan, whose breathing remained steady despite her stillness.
• Jiang Ning pressed Wang Qingtan's philtrum, waking her; she clutched his sleeve and said she had suffered a nightmare.

Wang Qingtan struggled with resurfacing memories from her previous life while growing closer to Jiang Ning. When Bai He Song came to pressure Jiang Ning over Wang Qingtan, Jiang Ning displayed his control of the Heaven and Earth Force, and Bai He Song backed down and promised to apologize.

• Wang Qingtan feared that her previous-life memories would overwhelm her identity, then joined Jiang Ning for breakfast and later wrote a letter to her father.
• Jiang Ning trained his Indestructible Vajra Body while Wang Qingtan watched him and read a romantic novel.
• Bai He Song gathered disciples, including his Grandmaster eldest disciple, and went to Jiang Ning's home to deal with the situation around Wang Qingtan.
• Jiang Ning sensed Bai He Song's group approaching and invited them into the courtyard, where he confronted Bai He Song over whether he meant to oppose him.
• After sensing Jiang Ning's power over the Heaven and Earth Force, Bai He Song lowered his head, drank the offered wine, and left with his group, promising to bring gifts and apologize.
• Wang Qingtan teased Jiang Ning over his quick handling of her former master, then drank from his wine cup and challenged him when he wiped away her lip print.

Bai He Song and Liang Yong learned that Jiang Ning was a Third Grade Heavenly Human Grandmaster and chose to apologize rather than antagonize him. After they delivered gifts, Jiang Ning resumed cultivating, and Wang Qingtan saw him absorb Fire Essence carrying the aura of the Golden Crow Divine Fire.

• Liang Yong told Bai He Song and the other disciples that Jiang Ning was a Third Grade Heavenly Human Grandmaster, and Bai He Song ordered Liang Yong to accompany him in delivering gifts and an apology.
• Bai He Song admitted that Jiang Ning’s presence complicated his plans to match Wang Qingtan with the Second Son of Prince Huai'an, while Ye Zhengqi worried about the prince’s temperament and considered asking the Marquis for help.
• Bai He Song and Liang Yong visited Jiang Ning, apologized, and left him two gift boxes; Liang Yong praised Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan as a well-suited pair.
• Wang Qingtan opened the gifts, finding gold notes worth three hundred taels in total and ten Blood Strengthening Pills, which Jiang Ning consumed before practicing.
• Jiang Ning breathed in the Great Sun Essence Qi to cultivate the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill, and Wang Qingtan saw Fire Essence with the aura of the Golden Crow Divine Fire enter his body.

Jiang Ning absorbed the Glass Treasure Flame with Wang Qingtan’s help, gaining fragmented authority over all flames and forming a Glass Treasure Body. After refining Great Sun Essence Qi, he condensed the Glass Divine Fire and considered reforging his Blade Embryo.

• Jiang Ning’s Great Sun Essence Qi clashed with the Glass Treasure Flame, so Wang Qingtan transferred part of her Lord of Myriad Fires authority to him with a kiss.
• The authority calmed the conflicting energies and let Jiang Ning fully absorb the Glass Treasure Flame, while Wang Qingtan cleared nearby vegetation to contain its spreading heat.
• Jiang Ning continued refining Great Sun Essence Qi until noon ended, then thanked Wang Qingtan and saw the fragmented Lord of Myriad Fires authority on his Panel.
• Jiang Ning washed away the impurities expelled by the flame and found that his bones had reached Flawless Glass, forming a Glass Treasure Body.
• Jiang Ning condensed blue-green Glass Divine Fire in his eyes and palm, then considered using it to reforge his Blade Embryo with rare ores.

Jiang Ning spent Source Energy to break through the Five Animal Frolics Fist, gaining Fist Intent and new insights, then learned that Wang Qingtan was troubled by nightmares and the regional situation was worsening. Bai Luoyu departed for Dongling City amid the rise of the Heaven Response Alliance and renewed activity by rival sects, leaving Jiang Ning to prepare for the Martial Examination and a return to Dongling afterward.

• Jiang Ning used ten thousand Source Energy to advance the Five Animal Frolics Fist, improving Five Viscera Storing Essence and comprehending Fist Intent, Five Animals Integration, and Five Elements Integration.
• Jiang Ning found Wang Qingtan unconscious after another nightmare, woke her with his Divine Sense, and promised to help if she needed anything.
• Bai Luoyu told Jiang Ning that Zhao Yulong had summoned him back to Dongling City because the Heaven Response Alliance had gained powerful sect members and the God Worshipping Sect and Yellow Sky Sect were active in Shishan County.
• Jiang Ning promised to return to Dongling City after the Martial Examination Provincial Exam and wished Bai Luoyu a safe journey.
• After Bai Luoyu left, Jiang Ning reflected on the growing unrest, the disasters, and several mysterious figures he had encountered.

Jiang Ning discovered that his Glass Treasure Body accelerated his Indestructible Vajra Body training as he prepared for rising dangers in Dongling County. Meanwhile, Prince Huai'an’s son Lu Zhao arrived in Guangning City, drawing the attention of Bai He Song, Lu Junyi, and Ye Zhengqi.

• Jiang Ning found that a round of his perfected Five Animal Frolics Fist now added fifty strands of Blood Qi and resolved to strengthen his body before attempting a Third Blood Exchange.
• After unusually rapid progress raised his Indestructible Vajra Body experience by three thousand points, Jiang Ning suspected and confirmed that his Glass Treasure Body had increased his training efficiency.
• Lu Zhao arrived in Guangning City with the Black Armor Cavalry, recalled an assassination attempt, and asked Wang Jiu to bring Liu A'San and Bai He Song to him.
• Bai He Song learned that Lu Zhao had arrived and sent for Jiang Ning, while Lu Junyi wondered how Jiang Ning would handle the prince’s son.
• Ye Zhengqi ordered his subordinate to watch Lu Zhao and Jiang Ning closely and report any disturbance.

Jiang Ning continued cultivating while Lu Zhao learned that Wang Qingtan was with him and went to confront him. Lu Zhao left after Luyi said Jiang Ning was training, but Wang Qingtan recognized him as a serious threat as Jiang Ning continued cultivating.

• Jiang Ning trained the Indestructible Vajra Body, and Wang Qingtan watched him from inside.
• Lu Zhao learned that Wang Qingtan was with Jiang Ning and struck Bai He Song after Bai He Song urged him to drop the matter.
• Bai He Song and Liang Yong left Lu Zhao’s residence, and Bai He Song later said he would watch how Jiang Ning handled the Little Prince.
• Lu Zhao went to Spring Breeze Pavilion with Wang Jiu and Liu A'San, but Luyi told him Jiang Ning would not receive visitors while cultivating.
• Lu Zhao left to eat and said he would return later, while Wang Qingtan recognized him as a major threat and Jiang Ning continued tempering his organs with Great Sun Essence Qi.

Jiang Ning met Lu Zhao, who clarified that he had no interest in Wang Qingtan and wanted to avoid becoming Jiang Ning’s enemy. As July approached, Jiang Ning prepared to pursue the Martial Examination Provincial Exam, while the chapter ended with his Indestructible Vajra Body reaching its first breakthrough limit.

• Wang Qingtan recognized that Jiang Ning’s Internal Strengthening Method surpassed ordinary superior-grade martial arts, and Jiang Ning learned that Lu Zhao had visited while he cultivated.
• Lu Zhao returned to meet Jiang Ning, explained that he had no interest in Wang Qingtan, and offered friendship rather than risking enmity with a future powerhouse.
• After Lu Zhao left, Wang Qingtan thanked Jiang Ning for resolving the trouble and playfully offered herself as repayment.
• Lu Zhao told Wang Jiu that Jiang Ning’s potential made him unlike the younger prodigies he had previously offended, while Ye Zhengqi and Wang Hesong separately reflected on the day’s events.
• Jiang Ning stayed in Guangning City to prepare for the Martial Examination Provincial Exam, abandoned the Civil Examination path, and saw his Indestructible Vajra Body reach 20000/20000 at its first breakthrough.

Jiang Ning completed the Indestructible Vajra Body’s Second Limit Break, gaining the Flawless Body trait and a major increase in strength and defense. As the Martial Examination date approached, he placed bets on himself to win, then asked Wang Qingtan whether she would return to Dongling County with him.

• Jiang Ning spent over twenty thousand Source Energy Points to break through the Indestructible Vajra Body, transforming his Skin Membrane and gaining the Flawless Body trait.
• Jiang Ning tested the Flawless Body and found that it prevented his essence and vitality from leaking, improved his ability to absorb medicines, and strengthened his body.
• Jiang Ning found Wang Qingtan awake, combed her hair, and drew her eyebrows while asking about her recurring episodes of sleep and fear; she said she did not know whether her problem was serious.
• As the Martial Examination was set for July 3, Jiang Ning had Luyi place bets totaling 1,187 taels of gold on him to win the Martial Champion title, with a potential return of 2,023 taels.
• Wang Qingtan praised Jiang Ning’s chances of winning, and when he asked whether she would return to Dongling County with him after the examination, she agreed.

Jiang Ning completed his Third Blood Exchange in the wilderness and replenished his weakened body with an Eight-Hundred-Year-Old Blood Ginseng and Seven Revolution Exquisite Ginseng. After recovering, he practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist while the Martial Examination results were posted, confident that he had won first place in the provincial exam.

• Jiang Ning absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and completed his Third Blood Exchange, becoming comparable to an established Grandmaster.
• Jiang Ning judged that his physical foundation gave him a ninety-five percent chance of completing the Fourth Blood Exchange without external assistance.
• Jiang Ning ate an Eight-Hundred-Year-Old Blood Ginseng and absorbed more than ninety-nine percent of its medicinal power before returning to his residence to recover.
• The Martial Examination results were posted on July 4, but Jiang Ning did not go to see them because he was certain he had taken first place.
• After recovering, Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist, bringing its experience points to 6327 and his Source Energy to 35477.

Jiang Ning received the Provincial Graduate Champion plaque, collected his winnings from the city’s casinos, and attended the Champion Banquet before preparing to return to Dongling County. As he practiced at home that night, Wang Qingtan resolved to act on her feelings before they left the next morning.

• Jiang Ning welcomed the procession announcing his first-place Martial Examination result and rewarded the onlookers who gathered outside his residence.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan and Luyi that they would return the next morning because the Patrol Envoy Office needed him amid trouble in Dongling and Shishan Counties.
• Jiang Ning collected 2,023 taels of gold from the casinos, which paid rather than risk punishment after another casino was sealed for trying to welch.
• Jiang Ning attended the Champion Banquet at Nine Heavens Pavilion and returned home with gifts of medicinal resources and elixirs.
• Jiang Ning refined the gifts and practiced the Five Animal Frolics Fist while Wang Qingtan bathed and then resolved not to leave her feelings unacted upon.

Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan spent the night together, and their relationship deepened before they prepared to return to Dongling City. As he considered the factions awaiting him, Jiang Ning resolved to target the God Worshipping Sect first and leave the Five Swords Sect and Divine Sword Villa for later.

• Wang Qingtan sneaked into Jiang Ning’s room, and the two spent the night together.
• Jiang Ning found Wang Qingtan resting the next morning and agreed to take her along to visit the Marquis and Lord Ye that afternoon.
• Wang Qingtan asked Luyi to call her Elder Sister, and Luyi’s martial strength was revealed to have reached the Sixth Rank through Jiang Ning’s blood’s effects.
• Jiang Ning considered the God Worshipping Sect’s renewed strength and the factions gathered in the Heaven Response Alliance as he prepared to return to Dongling County.
• Jiang Ning decided to deal with the God Worshipping Sect before confronting the Five Swords Sect and Divine Sword Villa, whose alliance had powerful backing.

Jiang Ning prepared to return to Dongling County after visiting Shen Wenyuan and Ye Zhengqi, while concealing that he had already completed his Third Blood Exchange. After spending the night with Wang Qingtan, he readied himself to leave, reflecting on how their relationship had changed his life.

• Jiang Ning told Shen Wenyuan he would return to Dongling County and learned that completing the Ninth Blood Exchange could let a martial artist touch the Shackles.
• Shen Wenyuan and Ye Zhengqi congratulated Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan and asked to be invited to their wedding and Jiang Ning's Grandmaster Banquet.
• Jiang Ning watched Ye Zhengqi practice swordsmanship and recognized that he had grasped methods connected to space and the Six Harmonies Heavenly Human Dharma Gate.
• Jiang Ning bought a Blood Jade Nine Aperture Lotus and Blood Ginseng, then practiced to strengthen his Fist Intent for the Fourth Blood Exchange.
• Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan spent the night together, and the following morning they prepared to leave for Dongling City.

Jiang Ning traveled with Wang Qingtan and Luyi from Guangning City toward Dongling City, testing a mysterious Bronze Fragment and continuing to cultivate on the road. After several days of traveling and growing closer to Wang Qingtan, he arrived back at Dongling City with gifts promised for Xiao Doubao.

• Shen Wenyuan and the Ye Mansion learned that Patrol Envoy Jiang had left Guangning City and ordered their people to withdraw from the City Gate.
• On the road, Jiang Ning tried to inspect the Bronze Fragment, but its bell toll knocked him unconscious and left his spirit drained.
• Jiang Ning recovered by reading Daoist and Buddhist texts while traveling, and he and Wang Qingtan spent their nights together as the carriages neared Dongling City.
• Jiang Ning checked his Skill progress and considered advancing Water Fire True Force, while Wang Qingtan teased him during the journey.
• Two days later, Jiang Ning, Wang Qingtan, and Luyi reached Dongling City, and Jiang Ning confirmed he had remembered the promised gifts for Xiao Doubao.

Jiang Ning returned to Dongling City, reunited with the Wang family and his household, and tested how his transformed blood affected his demonic companions. The experiment showed that Linglong gained more cultivation than Old Turtle, and Jiang Ning rewarded both for their work.

• Wang Qingtan returned to the County Governor's Mansion with Jiang Ning, where Wang Shouyi welcomed them and tried to bring the two closer.
• Wang Qingtan told Wang Qinghan to keep her relationship with Jiang Ning secret from outsiders and their father, while Wang Qinghan privately revealed her jealousy.
• Jiang Ning returned home with pastries for Xiao Doubao, learned that Jiang Li had taken temporary work as a Yamen Runner, and fulfilled his promise to Xiao Doubao.
• Jiang Ning gave Linglong a drop of his blood, and her cultivation increased by one year.
• Jiang Ning gave Old Turtle a drop of blood, and his cultivation increased by about nine months; he then gave Linglong and Old Turtle additional drops according to their labor.

Jiang Ning returned to Dongling City, reunited with Jiang Li, and learned from Zhao Yulong that the Heaven Response Alliance was consolidating power across Dongling County. After reviewing the commandery’s situation, he understood that the alliance’s expansion threatened to crush the remaining sects that refused to join.

• Jiang Ning showed Jiang Li the plaque commemorating his provincial martial examination victory, and Jiang Li hurried off to have it displayed.
• Jiang Ning learned that Bai Luoyu was stationed in Shishan County, then found Zhao Yulong at the Patrol Office.
• Zhao Yulong confirmed that Jiang Ning had become a Heaven and Man Grandmaster and gave him files detailing Dongling Commandery’s recent developments.
• Jiang Ning trained by absorbing Great Sun Essence Qi until after noon, then had lunch with Zhao Yulong and finished reviewing the case files.
• Jiang Ning learned that Divine Sword Villa, Five Swords Sect, and Mitian Sect had joined the Heaven Response Alliance, which was using conflicts to destroy sects that resisted it.