Chapter Summaries

In July 1182, Zhang Rongfang rejected the money his elder sister had saved by becoming a wealthy man's plaything, and she wept as he left. In February 1183, the transmigrated Zhang Rongfang investigated his game-like attribute ability at Qinghe Temple, then received a letter from Xiaolong Residence, a Goulan.

• Zhang Rongfang's elder sister offered him money and a long-desired item before leaving for the Great Capital, but he struck the packet into the rain and disowned her.
• Zhang Rongfang's elder sister gathered the ruined money and item from the mud, crying as she tried to excuse her younger brother's anger.
• At Qinghe Temple, Zhang Rongfang attended morning scripture lessons and reviewed the attribute data he could see above other Daoists.
• Zhang Rongfang recalled that eating nutritious food earned Attribute Points, and that he had used one point to raise his Life rating to 8-9.
• Zhang Rongfang collected a letter and a hundred-copper banknote from Senior Brother Xu and saw that the sender was Xiaolong Residence, a Goulan.

Zhang Rongfang worried that Qinghe Temple would dismiss him as a Servant Disciple, so he decided to use his savings to secure a place in the Daoist Registry. After two Daoists tried to rob him, Xiao Qingying intervened, and Zhang Rongfang was left with his money and his plan still ahead of him.

• Zhang Rongfang heard Daoists discussing how Servant Disciples could be expelled from Qinghe Temple and realized his own position was at risk.
• Zhang Rongfang resolved to leave the Servant Disciples and decided to offer his savings to Zhang Chunsheng, the greedy Daoist managing the Daoist Registry.
• Zhang Rongfang went to the Daoist Registry Management Room, learned Zhang Chunsheng would be there that evening, and headed toward his assigned work at the Laundry Room.
• Two Daoists followed Zhang Rongfang into an alley and tried to rob him by accusing him of stealing their money.
• Xiao Qingying and Quan Qing arrived, causing the two Daoists to flee, and Zhang Rongfang thanked Xiao Qingying as she left without acknowledging him.

Zhang Rongfang struggled with the exhausting life of a Servant Disciple while his Attribute Points remained at zero. After overhearing a plot to drug Xiao Qingying during a supply trip, he warned her father, Xiao Rong, and the chapter ended with Xiao Rong taking the accusation seriously.

• Zhang Rongfang spent his days doing laundry and obeying temple rules, and he paid the Daoist Registry to avoid being sent down the mountain.
• As another half month passed, Zhang Rongfang saw that his Attribute Points had not increased and realized he needed to change his situation.
• While carrying laundry through the Back Mountain, Zhang Rongfang overheard two people planning to put something in Xiao Qingying’s gourd during a trip to town.
• Zhang Rongfang waited until evening and told Xiao Rong, Xiao Qingying’s father, what he had heard.
• Xiao Rong questioned Zhang Rongfang’s certainty and warned him of the punishment for a false accusation, while Zhang Rongfang insisted he was telling the truth.

After verifying Zhang Rongfang’s background, Xiao Rong accepted him as a Lesser Master disciple, ending his life as a Servant Disciple. Zhang Rongfang began learning about the Daoist paths available to him, though Xiao Rong warned him about their limits and told him to follow his daughter, Xiao Ying.

• Xiao Rong regretted learning that Zhang Rongfang came from the Man People and a Confucian Household, then sent him away while he secretly verified Zhang Rongfang’s background.
• After the Cultivation Disciple assessment period passed, Xiao Rong summoned Zhang Rongfang to the Back Mountain and accepted him as an ordinary disciple.
• Xiao Rong told Zhang Rongfang to follow Xiao Ying and instructed him to cultivate the Guanxu Skill because his qi and blood were insufficient.
• Zhang Rongfang asked about martial arts and Daoist cultivation, and Xiao Rong explained the limits of martial skill and the benefits of cultivating an Inner Core.
• Xiao Rong recounted how the Four Seasons Daoist died after being tortured for a rapid method of attaining longevity.

After Xiao Rong assigned Zhang Rongfang to protect Xiao Qingying, Zhao Dacong began teaching him the Guanxu Skill and explained the limits of martial arts in Great Ling. Meanwhile, a handsome man plotted another attempt to abduct Xiao Qingying and planned to eliminate Zhang Rongfang.

• Xiao Rong told Zhang Rongfang to follow Xiao Qingying and stop or report any trouble, then assigned Zhao Dacong to teach him.
• A handsome man and a young Daoist discussed a failed scheme against Xiao Qingying and planned to drug her, stage a rescue, and make Zhang Rongfang fall off a cliff.
• Zhao Dacong tested Zhang Rongfang's stamina and began teaching him the Guanxu Skill at Shangde Garden.
• Zhao Dacong explained that martial arts took years to master and that soldiers with weapons could overwhelm even skilled fighters, while the Great Dao Sect focused on health and longevity.
• Zhang Rongfang learned that Zhao Dacong was a Second Grade fighter and saw her attributes after their lesson.

Zhang Rongfang followed Xiao Qingying as her Follower, recovered his strength, and considered how martial arts could protect him amid Great Ling’s rigid social hierarchy. At a gathering for newly promoted Cultivation Disciples, he learned how advancement worked and discovered that he had gained an Attribute Point, which he chose to save until he was alone.

• Zhang Rongfang began following Xiao Qingying, practiced the Guanxu Skill in his spare time, and decided that learning martial arts was his best way to protect himself.
• After more than ten days of improved meals and regular rest, Zhang Rongfang recovered his health and felt the warm current that accumulated Attribute Points return.
• Pang Pangzi, Li Suanmei, and Si Tunan met Zhang Rongfang at the dining hall, where Si Tunan invited him to a gathering of recently promoted Cultivation Disciples.
• On the way to Shangde Garden, Si Tunan explained that Cultivation Disciples were chiefly promoted according to their martial arts cultivation, while Zhang Rongfang questioned the role of martial arts in Great Ling.
• As Zhang Rongfang entered the red pavilion with Si Tunan, his Attribute Panel showed one available Attribute Point, and he suppressed the urge to use it in front of others.

At a gathering of newly promoted Cultivation Disciples, Zhang Rongfang was sidelined because of his background while Si Tunan began drifting toward a more influential circle. Back at his room, Zhang Rongfang used an Attribute Point to advance the Guanxu Skill, then watched his Life Attribute rise as he waited to begin martial cultivation.

• Zhang Rongfang met the newly promoted disciples, and Zhang Xintai befriended him before leaving for Profound Heart Hall.
• Si Tunan listened as Zhou Ze, Liu Meng, and Tao Mengjie urged her to distance herself from Zhang Rongfang, who had already left the gathering.
• Zhang Rongfang spent an Attribute Point to raise the Guanxu Skill to First Layer Essence Aperture and felt a Warm Current flow through his body.
• Si Tunan joined Zhou Ze, Liu Meng, and Tao Mengjie's circle and stopped speaking with Zhang Rongfang beyond brief greetings.
• By July, Zhang Rongfang's Life Attribute had risen to 9-10, and he recorded the change for observation.

Zhang Rongfang suspected Chen Wuyou had arranged an ambush for Xiao Qingying, so he lured her away from the attackers and sent up a signal flare for help. Xiao Qingying ignored Zhang Rongfang’s warning and ran toward Chen Wuyou’s voice, leaving her safety uncertain.

• During the outing, Zhang Rongfang grew suspicious of Chen Wuyou, who disappeared into the woods after a squirrel.
• Chen Wuyou met four black-clad men and hired them to attack Xiao Qingying and the other Daoist priests.
• Zhang Rongfang tricked Xiao Qingying into returning along the trail, then hid her in a tree hollow after Zhang Ke screamed and attackers searched nearby.
• Zhang Rongfang fired a signal flare, and two waiting rescuers rushed toward it as the attackers split up to search for Xiao Qingying.
• When Chen Wuyou called for Xiao Qingying, she remembered Zhang Rongfang’s warning but ran out of hiding to answer him.

Zhang Rongfang helped expose an attack on Xiao Qingying and led Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong to her, where they fought off the Black-Clad Men. The next morning, Sun Yuanfeng explained that a Martial Cultivator’s rank reflected past strength, not necessarily their current ability.

• Chen Wuyou found Xiao Qingying, learned Zhang Rongfang had gone toward the Message Tube, and secretly sent someone after him.
• Zhang Rongfang tricked a Masked Black-Clad Man into fleeing, then met Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong and led them to Xiao Qingying’s hiding place.
• Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong tracked Xiao Qingying’s footprints, rescued her, defeated one Black-Clad Man, and drove another away.
• Zhang Rongfang told Xiao Rong he suspected Chen Wuyou, and Qinghe Temple disciples arrived to search the area.
• The next morning, Zhang Rongfang asked Sun Yuanfeng about the difference in strength between Martial Cultivator ranks, and Sun Yuanfeng explained that age, illness, and combat experience affected a ranked expert’s current strength.

Zhang Rongfang was blamed by Xiao Rong for hiding Xiao Qingying, despite believing he had protected her from danger. Zhao Dacong began teaching him the Yue Type Talisman, and he spent the following months training while watching for changes in the Attribute Panel.

• Sun Yuanfeng explained to Zhang Rongfang why martial arts mattered and why fights between martial cultivators were dangerous.
• Zhang Rongfang saw Xiao Qingying leave with Chen Wuyou, then Xiao Rong blamed him for delaying their escape and docked two months of his stipend.
• Zhao Dacong told Zhang Rongfang that Xiao Rong suspected him and asked what he thought about the deadly fight with the Black-Clad Men.
• Zhao Dacong began teaching Zhang Rongfang the Yue Type Talisman and repeatedly knocked him down with the move Unintentional Willow Break.
• Zhang Rongfang trained the Yue Type Talisman every day through July, August, and into September.

Zhang Rongfang mastered the Yue Type Talisman after two months of training and learned how Martial Cultivators progressed toward official posts. He spent his lone Attribute Point to raise the skill to Mastered, dramatically improving his body and martial ability.

• Zhao Dacong told Zhang Rongfang that the Yue Type Talisman was mastered and explained the stages of Blood Nourishing, Tendon Forging, and Entering the Ranks.
• Zhao Dacong and Zhang Rongfang sparred and trained, while he continued keeping watch over Xiao Qingying and Chen Wuyou.
• That night, Zhang Rongfang used his Attribute Point to raise the Yue Type Talisman from Beginner to Mastered.
• The improvement increased Zhang Rongfang's Life upper limit from 10 to 11 and strengthened his physique, leaving him drenched in sweat.
• Zhang Rongfang practiced the upgraded Yue Type Talisman and realized that one Attribute Point had granted him progress comparable to years of training.

Chen Wuyou and his father plotted to use Qinghe Temple’s patrols to compromise Xiao Qingying and deal with Zhang Rongfang. As Zhang trained with fellow Martial Cultivators, he learned that Man People faced severe restrictions on holding office and considered how to escape his current position.

• Lord Zheng told Chen Heqiu that rebel remnants had become mountain bandits in Huaxin County, and Chen Heqiu agreed to help patrol the area.
• Chen Wuyou’s father explained that the Palace Master’s patrol decree gave them a chance to engineer an opportunity with Xiao Qingying, and Chen Wuyou decided to target Zhang Rongfang first.
• Zhang Rongfang joined Dong Dafang, Xu Mingyu, and Li Fuhua at the training ground and considered whether better food and medicine could speed his cultivation.
• Dong Dafang told Zhang Rongfang that Fourth Class Man People could not hold military posts and that even the special authorization route required reaching Second Grade.
• Zhang Rongfang learned that Man People could serve as retainers or pursue a difficult, lower-ranking route through the Assembled Sages Institute, and he looked for a way to escape his current status.

Zhang Rongfang trained with his fellow disciples, learned from Zhang Xintai how martial arts mastery and combat experience shaped a fight, and joined Na Mushi’s patrol squad to Yellow Jade Village. The patrol passed uneventfully as the soldiers relaxed and Na Mushi gathered herbs, while Mountain Bandits watched from a distance and waited for a chance to isolate someone.

• Zhang Rongfang sparred with Dong Dafang and noticed his strength and perception had improved, though he concealed how much he had changed.
• Zhang Xintai explained the dangers of fighting ranked experts and demonstrated how flaws in Zhang Rongfang’s techniques could leave him vulnerable.
• Zhang Rongfang received an assignment to patrol Yellow Jade Village with Na Mushi, Xiao Qingying, and Chen Yuncai, alongside a squad of Da Ling Soldiers.
• Mountain Bandits observed the patrol and discussed a buyer’s plan to isolate someone, but withdrew when they saw the squad’s strength.
• During the patrol’s four days in Yellow Jade Village, the soldiers mostly relaxed and hunted while Na Mushi led the Daoists on rounds and collected medicinal herbs.

Zhang Rongfang followed Xiao Qingying into the woods, where a mountain bandit tried to ambush him and was caught in traps he had planted. After other bandits closed in, Zhang Rongfang faced an attacker and unleashed his full strength with a Yang Piercing Needle.

• Zhang Rongfang followed Xiao Qingying from the village and found her meeting Chen Wuyou in a forest clearing.
• A mountain bandit sneaked toward Zhang Rongfang but triggered two Animal Traps, and Zhang Rongfang killed him with stones before taking his pouch.
• Zhang Rongfang discovered Xiao Qingying and Chen Wuyou had disappeared, so he fired a Signal Flare to summon the soldiers.
• Several Mountain Bandits fled as soldiers approached, but one rushed at Zhang Rongfang with a Dagger.
• Zhang Rongfang overcame his fear, threw a bag of Animal Traps at the attacker, and drove a full-strength Yang Piercing Needle at him.

In the Great Capital, Zhang Rongyu learned that her younger brother Zhang Rongfang had been found and had entered Qinghe Dao Palace. Meanwhile, Zhang Rongfang killed a mountain bandit, concealed his role in the death, and joined the search for Xiao Qingying and Chen Wuyou as suspicion gathered around him.

• Baozi brought Zhang Rongyu a letter confirming that Zhang Rongfang had been found and entered Qinghe Dao Palace.
• Zhang Rongyu's husband promised to find a discreet way to support Zhang Rongfang without exposing him to danger.
• Zhang Rongfang killed a mountain bandit with the Yue Type Talisman, searched the corpse, and fled, fearing the bandit's accomplices would find him.
• Zhang Rongfang returned toward the village to look for Xiao Qingying and encountered Yang Xuanchao's reinforcements.
• Yang Xuanchao ordered Zhang Rongfang to join the search, and Zhang Rongfang suspected that someone had arranged to target him.
• Yang Xuanchao examined the dead bandits and sent the soldiers to search the area, while Zhang Rongfang joined Captain Na Mushi and the others.

After a mountain-bandit attack left Zhang Rongfang unharmed, he used the money he had taken from the bandits to buy blood-nourishing medicine in Huaxin County. He returned to Qinghe Temple and began testing whether the medicine could help him gain Attribute Points faster.

• Xiao Qingying reunited with Zhang Rongfang, expressed concern for him, and returned with the group to the village.
• Yang Xuanchao concluded that Zhang Rongfang had not killed the second dead bandit, then fought more mountain bandits and was wounded by a crossbow bolt.
• Zhang Rongfang bought five doses of Four Substances Decoction at Li Family Pharmacy using five taels taken from the bandits.
• On his way back, Zhang Rongfang saw officers announcing that Great Ling would send troops against Min Country and reflected on the dangers of military service.
• After returning to Qinghe Temple, Zhang Rongfang brewed the medicine in the Back Mountain and began drinking it to test whether it would accelerate his Attribute Points.

Zhang Rongfang attended Xiao Rong’s martial assessment, watched Chen Hui demonstrate her exceptional talent, and gained an Attribute Point from taking Four Substances Decoction. He used it to perfect the Yue Type Talisman, but the resulting transformation left him convulsing in agony as he tried to keep silent.

• Xiao Rong assessed his disciples, and Chen Hui impressed them by mastering the Yue Type Talisman in less than a month.
• Zhang Rongfang concealed his true skill during his demonstration and noticed that Four Substances Decoction had produced another Attribute Point.
• Xiao Rong warned Jiao Teng and Zhao Dacong to use Heart Nourishing Pills before Breaking Limits, while Zhang Rongfang observed the disciples’ social hierarchy and Si Tunan’s new circle.
• Zhang Rongfang spent his lunch break reflecting on Qinghe Temple and added his Attribute Point to the Yue Type Talisman, raising it to perfected.
• Zhang Rongfang convulsed in intense pain from the transformation but clenched his teeth to keep anyone from discovering what was happening.

After reaching mastery in the Yue Type Talisman, Zhang Rongfang discovered that his strength and Life Force had increased. When a package from Zhang Rongyu arrived with most of its money missing, he suspected the Letter Room manager and ambushed Zheng Zhonglin and his nephew on the road, taking their packages.

• Zhang Rongfang endured a painful transformation, gained two points of Life Force, and noticed his strength had increased.
• Zhang Rongfang received a package from Zhang Rongyu and suspected it had been tampered with when he saw its messy stitching.
• Zhang Rongfang found two fifty-tael Treasure Notes hidden in the box, while the rest of the money was gone.
• Zheng Zhonglin stole the seventy-tael stack from Zhang Rongfang's package and later prepared to take his stolen goods home.
• Zhang Rongfang attacked Zheng Zhonglin and Zhao Heigou on the mountain path and ran off with their packages.

Zhang Rongfang spent his savings on medicine, trained until he gained two Attribute Points, and pushed the Yue Type Talisman beyond its limit, reaching Entering the Ranks and gaining the Heavy Mountain skill. He sought out Zhao Dacong to test his combat ability, finding her already fighting a Yellow-haired Daoist.

• Zhang Rongfang worshipped the Wealth God, collected his leave from Xiao Rong, and bought blood-tonic prescriptions with his money.
• Zhang Rongfang tested several medicines, settled on Red Qi Soup, and trained for more than half a month as he accumulated Attribute Points.
• Zhang Rongfang used two Attribute Points to break the Yue Type Talisman’s limit, increasing his Life and learning the Heavy Mountain skill.
• Zhang Rongfang examined the changes to his body and decided he needed sparring to build real combat experience.
• Zhang Rongfang went to find Zhao Dacong and saw her exchanging blows with a Yellow-haired Daoist, then asked Li Fuhua who the opponent was.

Zhang Rongfang demonstrated his mastery of Yue Type Talisman before learning that Xiao Qingying’s Servant Disciple had disappeared, prompting Xiao Rong to order him to guard her constantly. Outside Huaxin County, Chen Wuyou revealed that he had hired bandits to kidnap Xiao Qingying and plotted with them to capture her, lure out Xiao Rong, and cripple him.

• Zhang Rongfang watched Zhao Dacong lose a sparring match to the Third Grade Yan Kun, who had broken through the third limit.
• Zhang Rongfang easily deflected Li Fuhua’s attacks, and Zhao Dacong recognized that he had mastered Yue Type Talisman.
• Sun Yuanfeng reported that Xiao Qingying’s Servant Disciple had disappeared, and Xiao Rong ordered Zhang Rongfang to stay with Xiao Qingying and tasked Jiao Teng with investigating.
• Chen Wuyou paid the bandits who had killed Xiao Qingying’s Servant Disciple, then hired them to capture Xiao Qingying and cripple Xiao Rong.
• Chen Wuyou revealed that Jiao Teng would secretly assist their plan, while the Scarred Strong Man demanded a chance to kill Zhang Rongfang.