Chapter Summaries

Zhang Qing advanced to the second tier of the Glimmering Realm and strengthened his Cultivation Techniques before receiving rewards and a new assignment from the Chuan Family. He gained enough Attribute Points to reach the third tier but decided to wait so his progress would remain believable.

• Zhang Qing advanced to the second tier of the Glimmering Realm, spent his remaining Attribute Points on constitution and Cultivation Techniques, and assessed his growing combat strength.
• After briefly logging off in Suzhou-Hangzhou, Zhang Qing returned to the Dark Realm and was visited by Chuan Chao, who knew about his Razor token and recent breakthrough.
• Chuan Chao gave Zhang Qing three Chuan Family spirit pills and said the family would arrange Specters for him to kill during his next patrol.
• Zhang Qing professed loyalty to the Chuan Family until Chuan Chao left, then consumed the three pills and gained nine Attribute Points.
• Zhang Qing chose not to advance to the third tier yet, deciding he needed a steady source of Attribute Points before presenting himself as a cultivation prodigy.

Zhang Qing joined Guan Yutian’s squad to guard the city gate, where he spotted and exposed a Specter hiding among the people seeking entry. The Bewitching Ghoul transformed after Zhang Qing struck it, leaving the squad ready to fight.

• Zhang Qing arrived at Razor Hall, and Guan Yutian praised his progress to Glimmer Level Two before assigning the squad to guard the city gate.
• Guan Yutian opened the gate and announced the entry rules, while Pusan drove the refugees away and the squad collected money from arriving groups.
• Zhang Qing inspected the people approaching the city and noticed a full-health figure with no Candlelight Realm aura among them.
• Zhang Qing cut down the suspicious figure, and Guan Yutian ordered the squad to draw their blades.
• The figure transformed into a Bewitching Ghoul with 1755 health.

Zhang Qing and Razor's team fought a Bewitching Ghoul while four Specters tried to infiltrate the city, and Zhang Qing seized the kills for himself. The battle ended with the five Specters dead, Yuan Qi killed, and the team left exhausted.

• Guan Yutian warned the team about the Bewitching Ghoul, and Zhang Qing joined the others in attacking it despite its mind-based crowd control.
• Zhang Qing spotted four Specters disguised among the refugees and killed them before they could slip into the city.
• The four Specters and the Bewitching Ghoul attacked Yuan Qi, and Zhang Qing's intervention failed to prevent Yuan Qi's death.
• Zhang Qing killed the Bewitching Ghoul and gained two attribute points.
• Zhang Qing helped kill the four remaining Specters and claimed an attribute point for each, leaving the team exhausted after Yuan Qi's death.

Zhang Qing earned Military Merit and spirit pills after the Razor Squad killed five Specters, then learned that Chuan Jia wanted to recruit him as an outer clansman of the Chuan Family. He agreed to infiltrate Ghoul Blood Hall and become a squad leader within a month, while Chuan Jia secretly hoped he could help bring down Yang Man.

• Guan Yutian reprimanded Zhang Qing for trying to save people during battle, while Zhang Qing privately planned to keep doing it to gain Attribute Points.
• The Razor Squad exchanged its Military Merit for rewards, and Zhang Qing used two spirit pills to gain six Attribute Points and received one gold coin.
• Chuan Chao brought Zhang Qing to meet Chuan Jia at First-grade Hall, where Chuan Jia offered him a place as an outer clansman of the Chuan Family.
• Chuan Jia promised Zhang Qing pills and tasked him with joining Ghoul Blood Hall and becoming a squad leader within a month; Zhang Qing agreed.
• After Zhang Qing left, Chuan Jia resolved to keep sending people after Yang Man, hoping Zhang Qing would succeed where the others had failed.

Zhang Qing used spirit pills and Attribute Points to break through to the third tier of the Glimmering Realm and perfect his Cultivation Techniques before beginning another day of patrol with Guan Yutian. At the Ghoul Blood Hall, Yu An decided Zhang Qing might serve as the Heart of Kindness that Yang Man needed as a medicinal catalyst.

• Chuan Chao delivered spirit pills, and Zhang Qing consumed them to gain nine Attribute Points.
• Zhang Qing spent eight Attribute Points to advance to the third tier of the Glimmering Realm, then used four more to bring all four of his Cultivation Techniques to Great Perfection.
• Zhang Qing logged out to eat and shower, returned to the Dark Realm, and went to work on patrol with Guan Yutian the next day.
• Guan Yutian noticed Zhang Qing had advanced again and wondered if he was a one-in-ten-thousand genius.
• Yang Man told Yu An that she needed a Heart of Kindness as a medicinal catalyst, and Yu An decided Zhang Qing might fit the description.

Zhang Qing was transferred to Ghoul Blood Hall, where Yang Man discovered he was immune to spirit pill erosion. She offered him authority and spirit pills in exchange for finding special Specters and collecting their heart's blood, leaving Zhang Qing to weigh cooperation while continuing to pursue his own growth.

• Zhang Qing learned from Guan Yutian that Ghoul Blood Hall refined spirit pills and collected Specter blood.
• After lunch, Guan Yutian told Zhang Qing that the higher-ups had transferred him to Ghoul Blood Hall, and Yu Deng escorted him there.
• Yang Man examined Zhang Qing and discovered that he had no spirit pill residue despite having swallowed spirit pills.
• Yang Man revealed that Yu An had assigned Zhang Qing to her and said the Chuan Family had likely given him a similar task.
• Yang Man offered Zhang Qing captain's authority and spirit pills if he found special Specters and collected their heart's blood.
• Zhang Qing agreed to consider working with Yang Man while planning to grow stronger and benefit from both sides.

Zhang Qing became a captain under Yang Man and received support from Yu An and the Chuan Family as he sought the Pagoda Tree Ghoul’s heart’s blood. With new authority, subsidies, and the freedom to establish a home near Razor, he began building strength while trying to keep the competing factions’ attention from becoming dangerous.

• Yang Man released Zhang Qing, promoted him to captain, and ordered him to report each morning and find the Pagoda Tree Ghoul’s heart’s blood.
• Guan Yutian brought Zhang Qing to Yu An, who offered daily Military Merit and gold and promised Razor’s help with his assignment.
• Zhang Qing returned to the Chuan Family and told Chuan Jia he had joined Ghoul Blood Hall, prompting Chuan Jia to grant him daily gold and spirit pills.
• Zhang Qing realized the Chuan Family was interested in Yang Man and accepted permission to live elsewhere, with a subsidy available when he reported in person.
• Zhang Qing left Chuan Prefecture and planned to buy a large house near Razor.

Zhang Qing advanced to the fourth tier of the Glimmering Realm and joined a night patrol, where he uncovered three Specters feeding on refugees. He teamed up with a Razor elite squad to fight them, and the group began by overwhelming the Blade-Tooth Ghoul.

• Zhang Qing spent nine Attribute Points to break through to the fourth tier of the Glimmering Realm and gained one Constitution.
• Zhang Qing patrolled Zi City and found a courtyard where three disguised Specters were feeding on Li Qi and Gana.
• Zhang Qing fled from the three powerful Specters and shouted for help, drawing a Razor squad led by Tie Du.
• Zhang Qing showed Tie Du his Ghoul Blood Hall token, and the Razor squad attacked the Specters, forcing them to transform.
• Tie Du, Tie Ku, Bai Ta, and Zhang Qing attacked the Blade-Tooth Ghoul while Dala and Teya held off the other two.

Zhang Qing and Tie Du's squad fought the Specters, losing Teya and Dala before killing the Blade-Tooth Ghoul and Red-Tail Ghoul. The survivors surrounded the last Vine Ghoul, which was beginning to weaken under their attacks.

• Teya suffered a critical chest wound from the Vine Ghoul, and Zhang Qing tried to shield him but could not prevent his death.
• Zhang Qing delivered the final blow to the Blade-Tooth Ghoul and gained 3 Attribute Points, while the Vine Ghoul killed Dala.
• Zhang Qing charged the remaining Specters, and the squad split up to fight the Red-Tail Ghoul and Vine Ghoul.
• Zhang Qing and Tie Du helped kill the Red-Tail Ghoul, earning Zhang Qing 3 Attribute Points.
• Zhang Qing and Tie Du joined Tie Ku and Bai Ta in attacking the Vine Ghoul, leaving it surrounded and weakening.

Zhang Qing helped kill the Vine Ghoul, but the Pagoda Tree Ghoul appeared and stole the final blow before escaping. After collecting his rewards and talking with Tie Du, Zhang Qing rested and prepared to visit Yang Man the next day.

• Zhang Qing took command of the fight and questioned the Vine Ghoul about the Pagoda Tree Ghoul while cutting it down.
• The Pagoda Tree Ghoul killed the Vine Ghoul and escaped, and Zhang Qing decided not to pursue a foe with over thirty thousand Blood Volume.
• Zhang Qing collected his rewards, introduced himself to Tie Du, and learned Tie Du belonged to the Tie Family.
• After Bai Ta arrived with Razor's cleanup crew, Zhang Qing left, patrolled alone, and returned home to rest.
• Zhang Qing planned to pretend to advance another minor realm before seeing Yang Man, then went offline briefly and logged back in the next day to visit the Ghoul Blood Hall.

Zhang Qing accepted Yang Man’s help at the Ghoul Blood Hall and used her pills to advance to Glimmering Realm Rank Five. After Yang Man asked him to find a Ghoul Blood Flower, he returned to Chuan Prefecture to seek out Chuan Jia.

• Zhang Qing met Yang Man at the Ghoul Blood Hall and asked for information about the Pagoda Tree Ghoul, but she said it was a genuine Great Ghoul and little was known about it.
• Yang Man gave Zhang Qing three pills and explained that his exceptional constitution let him avoid most pill residue while raising his rank.
• Zhang Qing consumed the pills, gained nine Attribute Points, and broke through to Glimmering Realm Rank Five.
• Zhang Qing added an Attribute Point to Intelligence to dispel his lightheadedness, then resolved to maintain a pace of one rank a day to protect his persona.
• Yang Man warned Zhang Qing against relying on pills, then asked him to find a Ghoul Blood Flower.
• Zhang Qing left the Ghoul Blood Hall, returned to Chuan Prefecture, and went to find Chuan Jia.

Zhang Qing spotted the Pagoda Tree Ghoul disguised as Tie Futu and followed Tie Du to the Tie Family’s auction. The auction opened with ten drops of Pagoda Tree Ghoul Heart Blood, leaving Zhang Qing stunned.

• Zhang Qing gained six attribute points after taking the spiritual pills he received from the Chuan Family.
• Zhang Qing recognized Tie Futu in the returning Tie Family caravan as the Pagoda Tree Ghoul, but decided to keep its identity secret.
• Tie Du invited Zhang Qing to an auction at Jubao Restaurant, where Zhang Qing met several important figures from Zi City’s major families.
• The Tie Family began the auction by presenting ten drops of Pagoda Tree Ghoul Heart Blood.

At the auction, Zhang Qing saw Chuan Fu buy the Pagoda Tree Ghoul's heartblood, then delivered it and a Ghoul Blood Flower to Yang Man. Yang Man made a Blood Transformation Pill for the Chuan Family's ancestor, but Zhang Qing ate it himself and gained 30 Attribute Points.

• Chuan Fu won the Pagoda Tree Ghoul's heartblood at auction for 1,000 gold and left immediately with it.
• Chuan Chao told Zhang Qing that First-grade Hall had summoned him, and Chuan Jia sent him to deliver the heartblood and Ghoul Blood Flower to Yang Man.
• Yang Man said the flower suggested the Chuan Family raised Specters, then refined the ingredients into a Blood Transformation Pill intended to help the Chuan Family's ancestor break through the Morning Sun Realm's limit.
• Yang Man warned Zhang Qing to stay at Ghoul Blood Hall while Zi City faced turmoil from the coming ancestral rite.
• Zhang Qing ate the Blood Transformation Pill and gained 30 Attribute Points, bringing his total to 52.

Chuan Jia believed he had reconstructed the Blood Transformation Pill formula and prepared the Chuan Family ancestor rite, while Yu Huashui and the other families plotted against the Chuan Family. Zhang Qing spent his points and Military Merit rewards to break through to the Candleflame Realm, though his weak Cultivation Technique left his combat power below the Candlelight Realm.

• A Ghoul Blood Hall informant told Chuan Jia that a high-grade spirit pill omen had appeared, and Chuan Jia went to test his reconstructed Blood Transformation Pill formula.
• Yu An confirmed that Yang Man had revealed the formula to Chuan Jia, while Yu Huashui said the Yu and Tie Families would lure out the Chuan Family ancestor and kill him and the Pagoda Tree Ghoul.
• The Chuan Family began preparing a massive ancestor rite, buying supplies and building a towering altar as Zi City buzzed with activity.
• Zhang Qing exchanged his Military Merit for two spirit pills and two pieces of gold, then used his points to advance to the Candleflame Realm, First Stage.

Zhang Qing forced his advancement to the Candlelight Realm and watched the Chuan Family’s ancestral rite erupt into a war with the Tie Family. The Chuan patriarch briefly appeared to break through before his health bar returned to normal, as three powerful figures confronted him.

• Zhang Qing advanced to the Candlelight Realm despite his weak Cultivation Technique, and Yang Man gave him Ghoul Blood Hall clothes and a mask while concealing her plan to use him as an ally.
• Yang Man revealed that she had deliberately given Zhang Qing the Blood Transformation Pill to pressure him into advancing and limit his future potential.
• Zhang Qing surveyed Zi City, noticed the scarcity of Specters, then rested and later watched the Chuan Family’s ancestral rite from a tall building.
• The Tie Family attacked during the rite, starting a battle across Zi City, while Zhang Qing stayed back and watched from a distance.
• Yang Man gave Zhang Qing a telescope, letting him see Chuan Kuangxue’s health bar briefly rise above its limit before returning to normal.
• Yang Man said Chuan Kuangxue could not break through the Morning Sun Realm, while Tie Kuangsheng, Yu Jiyuan, and an Insect Spirit Ghoul confronted him.

Zhang Qing learned why the Yu and Tie Families had joined the Specters against the Chuan Family and waited for the Chuan Family patriarch to die. As Razor’s forces invaded the weakened family, Zhang Qing hunted wounded Specters and killed Chuan Ming for their rewards.

• Yang Man explained that the Specters had joined the attack to rescue a special Specter captured by the Chuan Family, and that the Yu and Tie Families would turn against the Specters after the patriarch died.
• The Chuan Family patriarch’s Blood Volume vanished, and the Yu and Tie Family patriarchs attacked the Insect Spirit Ghoul as Zhang Qing rushed toward the Chuan Family with Razor’s forces.
• Razor’s forces joined the Specters’ assault and overwhelmed the Chuan Family’s defenders, leaving many wounded members and Specters across the battlefield.
• Zhang Qing killed the wounded Kuta Ghoul with a Sky-Opening Slash, then used his bow to wound nearby Specters and claim a share of their rewards.
• Chuan Ming attacked Zhang Qing, but Zhang Qing endured the sword thrust, shattered Chuan Ming’s heart, and killed him to gain Health.

Zhang Qing harvested Attribute Points by tagging Specters during the attack on the Chuan Family, then narrowly survived the Insect Spirit Ghoul’s attack and fled. By the end of the battle, the Chuan Family had been destroyed, and Zhang Qing saw the frightened Chuan Hao among the survivors being driven out.

• Zhang Qing killed a weakened Tree Ghoul and gained three Attribute Points, then switched to shooting Specters to earn rewards for participating in their kills.
• As Zhang Qing moved through Chuan Prefecture, he saw Chuan Fa killed and continued tagging Specters while avoiding their pursuit.
• Zhang Qing found Chuan Jia fighting three Great Ghouls near a hidden door where he suspected the Chuan Family raised Specters.
• The Insect Spirit Ghoul arrived, struck Chuan Jia and Zhang Qing with a devastating sound wave, then killed Chuan Jia, broke through the hidden door, and flew away carrying a Specter.
• With the Chuan Family’s warriors wiped out, Razor members drove its remaining members from Chuan Prefecture, and Zhang Qing saw the terrified Chuan Hao.

Zhang Qing spent his Attribute Points to strengthen his Cultivation Techniques, then set out to use his Razor identity while pursuing the Secret Treasure in Zi City. He met Guan Yutian, whose squad had been assigned to hunt the Chuan Family's remnants.

• Zhang Qing spent forty-three Attribute Points, raising the Kaiyuan Art to Low-grade Candlelight Initiation, improving his other Cultivation Techniques, and increasing his Intelligence.
• Zhang Qing assessed his new combat strength and decided to investigate the Secret Treasure in Zi City so he could become a Sequence User.
• Yang Man asked Zhang Qing to find Blue Ghoul Blood and offered him a spiritual pill for each material he brought back; Zhang Qing agreed but chose not to search for it.
• Zhang Qing encountered Guan Yutian at a breakfast stall and saw that Guan Yutian had new squadmates, including two members of the Shui Family.
• Guan Yutian told Zhang Qing that his squad's mission was to wipe out the Chuan Family's remnants, though ordinary family members could be killed or spared.

Zhang Qing killed a nearly 4,000-Blood Flower-Skin Ghoul, gained four Attribute Points, and improved Ox-Barbarian Strength. After his wounds were healed, he followed another Specter into Exquisite Fabric Shop and was shaken by what he saw there.

• Zhang Qing left Guan Yutian to deal with the Chuan Family remnants and spotted Qigan, a beggar with nearly 4,000 Blood Volume.
• Zhang Qing beheaded Qigan, then kept attacking until it transformed into a Flower-Skin Ghoul.
• Zhang Qing fought the Flower-Skin Ghoul head-on and killed it, earning four Attribute Points.
• Zhang Qing spent the points to advance Ox-Barbarian Strength to Mid-grade Glimmer Mastery, and Yu Hu restored his health.
• Zhang Qing followed another Specter into Exquisite Fabric Shop and shuddered as he checked the health bars inside.

Zhang Qing was trapped in a fabric shop by four Specters disguised as women and fought them off by exploiting his speed and stamina. He killed the Flower-Skin Ghoul and prepared to allocate his Attribute Points before facing the three remaining Specters.

• Zhang Qing realized the fabric shop was filled with Specters, but Hong Xiu shut the iron door and revealed that they planned to keep him there.
• The four women transformed into Red-Face Ghoul, Makeup-Face Ghoul, Bone-Melting Ghoul, and Flower-Skin Ghoul, then attacked Zhang Qing.
• Zhang Qing used Chuan Shattering Steps to evade the Specters and repeatedly attacked the Flower-Skin Ghoul while relying on Kaiyuan Art to maintain his stamina.
• Zhang Qing killed the Flower-Skin Ghoul with Sky-Opening Slash and gained four Attribute Points.
• Zhang Qing decided to invest his points in Agility and Ox-Barbarian Strength before fighting the three remaining Specters.