Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong captured A Tang and confronted Steward Sun, demanding the Sun Family’s entrusted treasures and information about his martial art. Steward Sun faced them cautiously, with the two demands still unresolved.

• Lü Zhong subdued A Tang and identified his martial art as a possible fragment of True Martial Temple’s Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill.
• Meng Zhao considered the skill’s value for strengthening his Crimson Dragon Heavenly Capital Secret Canon and decided to investigate it.
• Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong seized A Tang and moved openly through the estate as Lü Zhong knocked out the servants and guards they encountered.
• Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong entered Steward Sun’s room with A Tang held hostage, preventing Steward Sun from striking first.
• Meng Zhao demanded that Steward Sun surrender the Sun Family’s entrusted treasures and provide the complete text or origin of his martial art.

Meng Zhao forced Steward Sun to reveal his formidable martial arts and used Servant Boy A Tang as leverage to make him cooperate. Steward Sun agreed to all of Meng Zhao’s demands to spare the boy.

• Steward Sun pretended to be helpless and offered Meng Zhao the wealth in his estate.
• Meng Zhao hurled a wood splinter at Steward Sun, who revealed his powerful palm technique by stopping it.
• Meng Zhao threatened Steward Sun and warned him that resistance would bring death.
• Meng Zhao tore off Servant Boy A Tang’s pinky finger and threatened to keep hurting him.
• Steward Sun agreed to cooperate, and Meng Zhao returned the injured boy to Lü Zhong.

Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong followed Steward Sun through a secret passage to the Sun Family treasure vault, where they overcame its defenses and obtained the hidden items. Meng Zhao spared Steward Sun for the moment, but still wanted the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill.

• Steward Sun led Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong through the underground passage to the treasure vault while Lü Zhong kept the unconscious Servant Boy A Tang hostage.
• Meng Zhao stayed back from the vault table and ordered Steward Sun to retrieve the treasures himself.
• Steward Sun scattered a yellow talisman’s powder over himself and approached the table, calming the Blood-Eating Ghost Vines.
• Steward Sun bundled the wooden boxes in the red cloth and handed them to Meng Zhao, warning that he would fight back if Meng Zhao broke his promise.
• Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong checked the items and confirmed they were genuine, while Meng Zhao left Steward Sun alive and remained interested in the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill.

Meng Zhao reviewed the treasures he had taken from the Sun Residence and considered how to use them on his journey to Cloud Mist Mountain. After Steward Sun disposed of the Sun Family and left town, Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong returned to the prefectural city.

• Meng Zhao explained to Lü Zhong that they had spared Steward Sun to avoid provoking Qin Tao and Zheng Xie or causing trouble while leaving town quietly.
• Meng Zhao examined the Flood Dragon Scales, Dragon Blood Grass, Blood Soul Pill, amber insect, ancient copper coin, and pale blue liquid, and planned how some could aid his goals.
• Meng Zhao studied the fragment of the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill and gained new insights into the martial art.
• The Sun Family's Young Master died from his injuries, and Steward Sun punished Servant Boy A Tang by cutting off one of his fingers.
• Steward Sun sold the Sun Family's property and left Li Family Town with his household, while the remaining witnesses dispersed.
• Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong rested for a night and then set out for the prefectural city.

Meng Zhao refined his martial arts with insights from the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill while resisting its agitation and his attraction to Han Lu. He kept his resolve to preserve his virginity until reaching the innate realm, while growing closer to Han Lu through flirtation.

• Meng Zhao used the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill’s principles to refine his qi, then praised the art’s cultivation insights.
• Meng Zhao reflected on how the Python Toad Swallowing Moon Skill complemented his Arhat Young Monk Skill and regretted possessing only half of it.
• Han Lu approached Meng Zhao with a towel, and he flirted with her while keeping his resolve to wait until his Purple Origin Dragon Body awakened and he reached the innate realm.
• Two maids envied Han Lu’s favored position in the Meng Mansion, while Meng Zhao approved of her gentle conduct.

Meng Zhao promised to support Han Pu’s cultivation after Han Pu refused to pursue romance before reaching the Innate realm. Han Pu then reported what he had learned about Lou Qier, whose whereabouts remained unknown.

• Han Pu entered the training ground and saw Meng Zhao with Han Lu, then dismissed Meng Zhao’s offer to give him a maid, saying he would focus on martial arts until he reached the Innate Martial Dao.
• Meng Zhao praised Han Pu’s ambition and promised to fund his cultivation and find him a suitable wife when he advanced to the Innate realm.
• Han Pu reported that Lou Qier had earned a reputation as a knowledgeable adviser in Li Family Town, lived like a beggar despite his wealth, and was rumored to be a hidden expert.
• Han Pu told Meng Zhao that Lou Qier vanished after Meng Zhao left Li Family Town, and their people could not locate him.
• Meng Zhao ordered Han Pu to have their people watch for Lou Qier’s movements without continuing the investigation.

Meng Zhao learned that the search for an Earth Elemental Spirit Item had found only fakes, but he decided to proceed with his breakthrough preparations in five days whether or not the item was found. He left the story resolved to seize his peak condition and treat the dangerous breakthrough as a test of his Martial Dao.

• Han Pu told Meng Zhao that the Second Branch had found no genuine Earth Elemental Spirit Item despite offering rewards and investigating reports.
• Meng Zhao said the search could continue for five more days, after which they should give up if no item was found.
• Meng Zhao assessed that his inner breath would reach perfection in about five days, leaving his mind, will, breath, and body ready for a breakthrough.
• Meng Zhao planned to use the breakthrough to establish a perfect foundation, begin blood transformation, expel the Rouge Red Poison, awaken the Purple Origin Dragon Body, and cultivate the Crimson Dragon Heavenly Capital Secret Canon.
• Meng Zhao decided not to delay for the missing spirit item, reasoning that his peak condition and fighting resolve would fade and that danger could temper him.

After hearing that an attacker had raided the Sun Family and killed county soldiers, Meng Zhao concluded that the family was preparing to break out rather than face transfer to the provincial government. He expected the Meng Family to help the county government and Heavenly Punishment Hall repel the attack, with more than twenty Innate Masters potentially joining the defense.

• Meng Zhao reassured Han Pu and Han Lu that failing to find an Earth Elemental Spirit Item would not disrupt his plans.
• Lü Yue reported that an attacker had forced entry into the Sun Family residence, killed county soldiers, and fled after being driven back by a Heavenly Punishment Hall expert.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that the Sun Family was making a desperate attempt to rescue at least one direct descendant before its case reached the provincial government.
• Meng Zhao explained to Han Pu that powerful local families and sects could sometimes defy the Imperial Court by sheltering fugitives.
• Lü Yue said the Meng Family would likely help defend against the Sun Family and that more than twenty Innate Masters might join the county government's forces.

After six Innate Masters attacked the Sun Family, Meng Zhao learned that the family’s direct line had been wiped out and suspected the assassins were tied to the Meng Family’s political enemies in the provincial city. He feared becoming a target in the retaliation and resolved to stay within the Meng Family compound.

• Six Innate Masters attacked the Sun Family, killing and wounding experts before Wang Tianlei and Liu Qiankun led reinforcements.
• Cui Tan ordered a citywide search, while Meng Zhao slept through the attack because Han Lu kept the messenger from disturbing him.
• Lü Yue told Meng Zhao that the attackers had killed Old Master Sun and wiped out the family’s direct line, leaving only some women.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that the Sun Family’s enemies might have sent the assassins to silence them and disrupt the Meng Family’s scheme against provincial rivals.
• Meng Zhao feared that the six assassins might target him and decided he should remain inside the Meng Family compound.

Wang Tianlei told Meng Zhao that the Meng Family suspected the provincial-capital faction behind the Sun Family’s destruction was targeting them and planned to lure its six Innate experts into a trap. Meng Zhao recognized the family’s preparations for a violent reprisal and admired Meng Jizu’s resolve.

• Wang Tianlei arrived and asked Meng Zhao to dismiss his confidants before discussing confidential matters.
• Meng Zhao guessed that Meng Jizu had sent Wang Tianlei to warn him to stay inside the mansion after the Sun Family’s destruction.
• Meng Zhao explained that he suspected a provincial-capital power hostile to the Meng Family had sent the attackers to Nan'an for revenge.
• Wang Tianlei confirmed that Meng Jizu had sealed the mansion and stationed guards throughout it.
• Wang Tianlei revealed that Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao planned to lure the six Innate experts into the open and kill them.

Meng Zhao learned that Meng Wen would serve as bait to draw out the six Innate Masters and considered why the family head had chosen him. He decided not to volunteer and instead offered Wang Tianlei a lead about local families that might be aiding the enemies.

• Wang Tianlei told Meng Zhao that the family head had chosen Meng Wen to lure out the six Innate Masters, with only one attempt planned.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Meng Jizu wanted to restore Meng Wen’s standing and keep Meng Zhao safe from the dangerous operation.
• Meng Zhao weighed the chance for fame against the risk of death and attracting powerful enemies, then decided to focus on his martial cultivation instead.
• Meng Zhao told Wang Tianlei that families once allied with the Sun Family and hostile to the Meng Family might be helping the hidden Innate Masters.
• Wang Tianlei understood the families’ possible motives and promised to report Meng Zhao’s suggestion to the family head.

Meng Wen was ordered by Meng Jizu to serve as bait for six Innate Masters and traveled through the prefectural city in a lavish, heavily guarded carriage. As the carriage stopped, Meng Wen prepared for the attackers, unsure what he was supposed to do.

• After the Sun Family’s destruction, the prefectural city’s families feared further upheaval while Meng Zhao continued his quiet routine at home.
• Meng Wen recalled receiving Meng Jizu’s order from Wang Tianlei and suspected his father might be trying to eliminate him, though he knew the idea was unlikely.
• Meng Wen rode through the northern streets toward a small family’s ancestral residence, believing the six Innate Masters might attack along the route.
• The carriage stopped suddenly, the Black Scale Horses roared, and Meng Wen drew his sword as the anticipated danger arrived.

Meng Wen watched six Innate Masters surround his carriage and threaten the Meng Family convoy, leaving him waiting for his family’s experts to arrive. He recognized two attackers as the Seven Freaks of Minshan, whose Soul Seizing Great Law was already weakening the riders’ courage.

• Meng Wen stepped out onto the carriage beam and saw the armored Meng Family Warriors encircled by fleeing townspeople.
• A burly Innate Master struck the street with his War Hammer, cracking the stones but failing to break the convoy’s formation.
• A Daoist, twin brothers, a whip-wielding woman, and a coarse man appeared around the carriage, bringing the number of attackers to six.
• The twins debated whether to kill Meng Wen or abduct him, using their voices to sap the riders’ courage.
• Meng Wen recognized the twins as members of the Seven Freaks of Minshan and identified their technique as a use of the Soul Seizing Great Law.

Meng Wen recognized the Six Monsters of Minshan and tried to bargain with them, but Daoist Priest of Plucking Flowers killed a Meng Family rider with a thread strike. The attackers continued probing for hidden Meng Family experts, and Meng Wen wondered whether his family’s masters were waiting for the Seven Freaks’ leader to appear.

• Meng Wen recalled the martial arts and reputations of the Six Monsters of Minshan and feared they could easily kill him.
• Meng Wen offered the Six Monsters a place in the Meng Family, but Daoist Priest of Plucking Flowers ignored him and attacked with a fine white thread.
• A Meng Family rider tried to block the thread, which twisted apart his spear and pierced his armor and body, killing him.
• Meng Wen offered the Six Monsters wealth, martial arts, weapons, and other rewards, but they remained at a distance and continued probing the convoy.
• Meng Wen realized the Six Monsters feared an ambush and wondered whether Meng Mansion's experts were waiting for the leader of the Seven Freaks to appear.

Meng Wen’s convoy was attacked by the Seven Freaks of Minshan, and Big Iron Hammer killed three riders before a hidden fighter stopped his charge. Meng Wen recognized the fighter as Wang Tianlei, whose appearance reassured him that the Meng Family had concealed reinforcements among the riders.

• Meng Wen hoped the Seven Freaks would hesitate until Meng Family reinforcements arrived, but Big Iron Hammer charged the convoy.
• Big Iron Hammer struck down three riders with his hammer, leaving Meng Wen convinced he was about to die.
• A hidden rider thrust his spear and sent Big Iron Hammer flying, then landed unharmed.
• Big Iron Hammer demanded to know the spearman’s identity, and Meng Wen recognized him as Wang Tianlei.
• Wang Tianlei revealed himself as one of the Meng Family’s Four Great Stewards, and Meng Wen realized other hidden masters might be among the riders.

Meng Wen’s hidden protectors revealed themselves as the Meng Family fought the Seven Freaks of Minshan in the streets of Nan'an. Meng Jizu joined the battle against the group’s leader, while an Old Beggar slipped away to check on a girl.

• Min Shan Third Sister attacked Meng Wen with the Ghost Piercing Whip, but a disguised rider shattered her ghostly qi with the Meng Family’s Red Flag Order.
• Meng Wen recognized his Third Uncle, Meng Hongdao, who challenged Daoist Priest of Plucking Flowers and broke through his Profound Heavy Golden Gang.
• More disguised riders joined the fight against the remaining Seven Freaks of Minshan while others guarded Meng Wen.
• Meng Jizu arrived, ordered Meng Wen to stay put, and went to confront the leader of the Seven Freaks of Minshan.
• Meng Jizu’s battle with the leader began as crimson flames poured down against a rising azure blade radiance.
• An Old Beggar watched from hiding, judged that a girl was no match for Meng Jizu, and vanished to find her.

After the Meng Family defeated the Seven Freaks of Minshan, Meng Zhao spent several days resting while his body underwent a mysterious transformation linked to his Purple Origin Dragon Body. The chapter ended with Lü Yue reporting that someone had arrived and Meng Zhao agreeing to receive him.

• The Meng Family defeated the Seven Freaks of Minshan, who escaped with grievous injuries, and the family promised to compensate citizens for the damage to the street.
• Meng Zhao learned from Wang Tianlei that Meng Wen had been injured in the battle and reflected on the danger he had avoided by staying away.
• During the storm, Meng Zhao relaxed with Han Lu and two maidservants while Lü Yue worried that he had stopped practicing.
• Han Lu recalled that Meng Zhao had told her not to worry because his days of idleness would not last long.
• Meng Zhao's qi, blood, and inner breath continued changing as his Purple Origin Dragon Body underwent a mysterious transformation.
• Lü Yue told Meng Zhao that someone had arrived, and Meng Zhao agreed to see him.

Lou Qier visited Meng Zhao with an Earth Elemental Spirit Item, and Meng Zhao recognized him as the Old Beggar he had met in Li Family Town. The chapter ended with Meng Zhao examining the jade seal Lou Qier had dug from a tomb and confirming that it contained abundant Earth Elemental Essence.

• Lou Qier arrived at Meng Zhao's room carrying a large sack and claimed he could provide an Earth Elemental Spirit Item.
• Meng Zhao sent Han Lu, the maids, and Lü Yue out so he could speak privately with Lou Qier.
• Lou Qier revealed that he recognized Meng Zhao from their earlier meeting in Li Family Town, and Meng Zhao acknowledged their past encounter.
• Lou Qier said he had spent the night digging holes and robbing graves to find an earthen treasure for Meng Zhao.
• Lou Qier tossed Meng Zhao an Earth Yellow Jade Crystal Seal, and Meng Zhao confirmed that it contained a great quantity of Earth Elemental Essence.

Meng Zhao agreed to give the Old Beggar silver and, after awakening his Special Physique, some of his blood in exchange for the General's Seal. The Old Beggar handed over the seal and a mysterious sack as a gift, leaving Meng Zhao stunned by what he found inside.

• Meng Zhao accepted the Old Beggar's demand to receive the rewards as silver instead of cultivation resources or manuals.
• The Old Beggar revealed that he knew Meng Zhao possessed a Special Physique and demanded some of his blood after it awakened.
• Meng Zhao agreed to provide his blood, though he expected he might not awaken the physique until reaching the Innate realm.
• The Old Beggar gave Meng Zhao the General's Seal and pointed out a burlap sack he had prepared as a gift.
• Meng Zhao opened the sack and reacted with disbelief at its contents.

Meng Zhao learned that the unconscious beauty the Old Beggar had brought him was Min Shan Eldest Sister, a powerful leader of the Seven Freaks of Minshan. He rejected the Old Beggar’s suggestion to win her over through romance and considered how to recruit her and her six followers for his own purposes.

• Meng Zhao opened the sack, saw a stunning woman inside, and questioned the Old Beggar about why he had brought her.
• The Old Beggar explained that the woman had fought Meng Zhao’s Uncle, survived thirty exchanges despite her Nine Apertures Innate Realm cultivation, and was Min Shan Eldest Sister.
• The Old Beggar urged Meng Zhao to take advantage of her injuries, win her affection, and recruit her six followers, but Meng Zhao dismissed the plan as unrealistic.
• Meng Zhao decided not to kill or release her and considered using her martial strength and her followers to advance his plans.