Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu kills a Giant Crocodile and retrieves a Sixth Rank Beast Core and his poison needles.
• He dives into the Deep Pool, finding a giant clam with a Frost Jade Pearl inside.
• After retrieving the pearl, he leaves the pool and continues hunting Exotic Beasts.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his determination and persistence in killing the Giant Crocodile despite the damage to his blade.
• He shows adaptability and resourcefulness in navigating the Deep Pool and retrieving the Frost Jade Pearl.

Significant Themes

• Persistence: Jiang Liu's relentless pursuit of the Giant Crocodile and his determination to retrieve the Frost Jade Pearl despite challenges.
• Adaptability: Jiang Liu's ability to adjust his strategies and methods based on the environment and circumstances.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the Giant Crocodile, demonstrating his combat skills and resolve.
• There are no human interactions in this chapter.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu leaves the West Mountain Range after three months and three days without finding mid-rank exotic beasts.
• He encounters a small hunter village, changes clothes, and receives directions to Prefecture City.
• Jiang Liu arrives at Zengjue Temple, seeking lodging for the night. He is given a room and a vegetarian meal.
• Unbeknownst to the temple, Jiang Liu is aware of their attempt to knock him out and decides to investigate their secrets.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his ability to adapt and problem-solve in new environments, such as navigating the wilderness and dealing with the hunter village.
• He shows caution and awareness by detecting the temple's attempt to drug him and deciding to investigate their activities.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation and survival in new environments.
• Caution and awareness of potential threats.
• The contrast between appearances and reality (the temple's true intentions versus its facade).

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the hunter village woman, who helps him change clothes and provides directions.
• He meets a young monk at Zengjue Temple, who shows him to his room and delivers his meal.
• Jiang Liu's interaction with the temple is limited, but his awareness of their attempt to drug him sets the stage for potential future interactions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu secretly follows a young monk to a hidden room in the temple's backyard.
• He discovers a secret entrance leading to an underground passage.
• Jiang Liu confronts and defeats the temple's monks, seeking information about the temple's secret activities.
• He learns that the temple serves "special guests" with unusual preferences and decides to explore the underground passage.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his powerful Primal Qi pressure, easily defeating the temple's monks, revealing his formidable strength.
• The temple's monks show fear and submission in the face of Jiang Liu's power, indicating their lack of combat prowess despite their cultivation ranks.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and hypocrisy: The temple, meant for spiritual cultivation and enlightenment, is secretly involved in illicit activities.
• Power dynamics: Jiang Liu's strength allows him to dominate the situation, exposing the temple's secrets and forcing its inhabitants to comply with his demands.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu and the temple's monks: Jiang Liu intimidates and defeats the monks, extracting information about the temple's secret activities.
• The young monk and the fat monk: Their interaction hints at the temple's secretive and potentially nefarious activities.
• Jiang Liu and the Third Rank monk: The monk leads Jiang Liu to the secret entrance, attempting to ingratiate himself with the powerful outsider.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu and six other monks enter a secret passage in Zengjue Temple, leading to a circular hall with four rooms.
• Each room reveals a different scene of debauchery, abuse, and exploitation involving monks and wealthy individuals.
• Jiang Liu discovers and rescues women being held captive and abused in the fourth room.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: Shows compassion and anger towards the abused women, using his skills to heal and save them.
• Third Rank Monk: Guides Jiang Liu through the secret chambers, revealing his knowledge of the temple's dark secrets but not initially intervening.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and hypocrisy within the temple, contrasting with its supposed spiritual purpose.
• Exploitation and abuse of power, targeting vulnerable individuals (women from nearby villages and counties).
• Jiang Liu's moral compass and his willingness to intervene against injustice.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with various monks, wealthy men, and abused women, revealing his disgust towards the temple's activities and his desire to help the victims.
• The Third Rank Monk guides Jiang Liu but does not actively participate in the revelations or interventions, suggesting a conflicted or fearful stance.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu confronts the Fourth Rank monk and a Fifth Rank Martial Practitioner, killing them and all other hundred-plus people in the secret chamber.
• He discovers a large hollowed-out area beneath the temple, used for secret activities.
• Jiang Liu gathers everyone in the Great Hero Hall, killing those who disobey him and sparing five novice monks.
• The women from the secret chamber are freed, and one of the novice monks is identified as a violator.
• Jiang Liu decides to help the women and plans to arrange their future.
• A woman tries to escape, but Jiang Liu catches and kills her.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his power and ruthlessness, showing no mercy to those who deserve to die.
• He displays his strong sense of justice and kindness, deciding to help the freed women despite the trouble it may bring.
• The women show fear and gratitude towards Jiang Liu.
• The novice monks display fear and obedience, with one showing remorse for his actions.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: Jiang Liu's power allows him to exact justice but also brings trouble and responsibility.
• Kindness and its costs: Jiang Liu's decision to help the women shows his kindness but also creates a burden.
• The corrupting influence of power: The temple's abuse of power and the families involved in its activities highlight the theme of corruption.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the Fourth Rank monk and the Fifth Rank Martial Practisoner, killing them without hesitation.
• He interacts with the women from the secret chamber, showing them kindness and giving them a chance at a new life.
• Jiang Liu interacts with the five novice monks, questioning them and deciding their fates.
• The woman who tries to escape interacts with Jiang Liu, leading to her death.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu wakes up to find over a hundred women who had been held captive in the temple, causing a commotion.
• He tasks five literate women to register everyone's information and selects three novice monks to assist in cleaning and burying the bodies.
• Jiang Liu divides the women into groups, appoints group leaders, and allows those who wish to leave to do so, providing travel expenses.
• He discovers that the temple's Buddha statue is not gold but gold-plated.
• Jiang Liu decides to stay temporarily and teaches the women and novice monks martial arts from the temple's manuals.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his leadership and care for the rescued women, ensuring their safety and providing them with means to defend themselves.
• The three novice monks show fear and obedience to Jiang Liu but also display a willingness to learn and improve.
• The women show gratitude, cooperation, and eagerness to learn martial arts for self-defense.

Significant Themes

• Survival and Self-Reliance: Jiang Liu emphasizes the importance of strength for survival in this world.
• Redemption and New Beginnings: The rescued women and novice monks are given a chance to start anew and improve their lives.
• Trust and Leadership: Jiang Liu earns the trust of the women and novice monks, inspiring them to follow his guidance.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the women and novice monks, providing guidance, teaching martial arts, and ensuring their well-being.
• The women interact with each other, supporting one another and working together to adapt to their new circumstances.
• The three novice monks interact with Jiang Liu, showing fear and obedience but also a willingness to learn and improve.

Chapter Summary: “Seventh Grade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu spends seven peaceful days meditating and cultivating while the women train under other instructors. The three young monk servants make little progress and remain largely limited to household chores.
• Visitors continue searching for the monk, but Jiang Liu consistently turns them away.
• Fearing that his breakthrough might injure everyone nearby, Jiang Liu leaves the courtyard and finds an isolated place to advance to the Seventh Grade.
• The breakthrough requires compressing his gaseous Primal Qi into liquid. Because Jiang Liu cultivates nine attributes, the process should normally be extremely difficult, but his system assists him.
• His Primal Qi condenses into a sphere, eventually producing the first drop of liquid Essence Particles. The resulting pressure destroys the surrounding area and sends dust into the air.
• After successfully advancing, Jiang Liu’s physical burden lessens, his consciousness expands to roughly 150 meters, and his Wind Walk technique becomes significantly faster.
• He initially expects to be able to fly but is disappointed when he discovers that Seventh Grade practitioners cannot normally fly. He reasons that he may need a better technique or must wait until reaching the Grandmaster realm.
• Jiang Liu returns to the courtyard, continues refining his liquid Primal Qi, and checks his auxiliary system. He confirms that he is now a Seventh Grade Martial Practitioner.
• He concludes that he is likely safe from any threat in Cloud Sun City, but also recognizes that the small city cannot support his future growth. He resolves to continue pursuing greater strength and freedom.

Character Development

• Jiang Liu becomes more powerful and confident after reaching the Seventh Grade. His increased consciousness, greater speed, and liquid Primal Qi mark a major step toward becoming a Grandmaster.
• His cautious and responsible side is shown when he deliberately isolates himself so his breakthrough will not harm the women or servants.
• His ambitions grow beyond simple safety. Although he believes he could now dominate Cloud Sun City, he understands that remaining there would limit his development.
• His reaction to being unable to fly adds humor and reveals his tendency to overestimate or eagerly imagine the abilities granted by each new realm.
• The servants’ continued failure to memorize their training reinforces their lack of martial aptitude, while the women continue progressing under outside guidance.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and transcendence: Advancement transforms ordinary humans into beings with longer lifespans and increasingly supernatural abilities.
• The value of a strong foundation: Jiang Liu deliberately cultivates carefully rather than pursuing reckless shortcuts, believing this will allow him to reach higher realms later.
• Advantage through unconventional methods: His cultivation of multiple attributes would be impractical for most people, but the system makes it possible and gives him an exceptional advantage.
• Ambition and freedom: Power is presented not merely as a means of survival but as the path to independence and freedom from limitation.
• The limitations of one’s environment: Cloud Sun City once seemed important, but Jiang Liu now sees it as too small to support his future ambitions.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu maintains distance from the women’s training, directing them to seek instruction from more knowledgeable people rather than personally overseeing every detail.
• He repeatedly rejects visitors searching for the monk, protecting the peace of the courtyard and keeping unwanted attention away.
• His concern for the women and servants motivates him to leave before breaking through, demonstrating responsibility despite his otherwise self-focused cultivation.
• His thoughts about Qian Luoying’s downfall remind him that even powerful figures in Cloud Sun City can be eliminated easily, strengthening his determination to grow stronger.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu continues to cultivate and plans to brew medicinal soup for the family's women to aid their cultivation.
• Meanwhile, in Anyang County, the Hai Family is concerned about their family head's prolonged absence. They discover he went to Zengjue Temple instead of accompanying his daughter-in-law home. A search party is sent but fails to return, raising alarm.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: Shows responsibility and care for the family's women, aiming to help them cultivate faster. He also plans to improve his own strength, targeting a flying movement technique.
• Hai Family's First Elder: Exhibits concern and impatience regarding the family head's absence, ultimately deciding to lead a search party.
• Hai Family's wife (Xiao Wan): Reveals her resentment towards her husband and desire for his absence or death, hinting at infidelity.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and duty (Jiang Liu's dedication to helping the family)
• Power dynamics and corruption (Hai Family's internal struggles and the family head's questionable behavior)
• Infidelity and its consequences (Hai Family's wife's resentment and affair)

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu observes the family's women cultivating, planning to help them without interfering immediately.
• Hai Family's elders discuss and decide to search for the family head together, showing unity in crisis.
• Hai Family's wife and her lover (Hai Renhui) secretly meet, revealing their affair and her disdain for her husband.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hai Family, led by Hai Renhui, visits Zengjue Temple, now the Jiang Estate, seeking their family head.
• Jiang Liu, having brewed over seventy portions of medicinal soups, confronts the Hai Family.
• Jiang Liu kills the Hai Family's Great Elder with a single palm strike.
• Jiang Liu demands compensation for trespassing, threatening the Hai Family members with the same fate as their Great Elder.
• Jiang Liu allows the Hai Family to return and discuss, scheduling a collection for the next day.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: Displayed immense strength, killing a Fifth Rank Martial Practitioner with ease, and showed cunning in negotiating with the Hai Family.
• Hai Renhui: Maintained a submissive and flattering demeanor despite the situation, attempting to appease Jiang Liu.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics: Jiang Liu's strength and position in the Jiang Estate contrast with the Hai Family's initial arrogance and subsequent submissiveness.
• Wealth and resources: The Hai Family's wealth and strength are acknowledged by Jiang Liu, who sees them as a potential source of gain.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu and the Hai Family: Jiang Liu's cold and threatening demeanor contrasts with Hai Renhui's flattering and submissive attitude, highlighting the power imbalance between them.
• Hai Family members: The Hai Family members exhibit fear and tension in response to Jiang Liu's threats, with the Second Elder attempting to negotiate on their behalf.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu demands the Hai family prepare for his visit the next day, implying severe consequences if he's not satisfied.
• Hai Renhui, the Hai family's steward, visits Jiang Liu with a plan to control the Hai family.
• Jiang Liu travels to the Hai family estate in a carriage sent by Hai Renhui.
• Jiang Liu demands compensation from the Hai family, threatening their lives when they offer ten thousand taels.
• Jiang Liu kills the Third Elder Hai to intimidate the others.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: Demonstrates his power and ruthlessness, using threats and violence to control the Hai family.
• Hai Renhui: Shows initiative and cunning by approaching Jiang Liu with a plan to control his family.
• Hai Family Elders: Display fear and desperation, struggling to maintain control while facing Jiang Liu's threats.

Significant Themes

• Power and Control: Jiang Liu's actions emphasize his desire to control the Hai family and their resources.
• Loyalty and Betrayal: Hai Renhui's actions suggest a betrayal of the main Hai family, possibly driven by personal grudges or ambition.
• Wealth and Life: The elders prioritize their lives over wealth, highlighting the value they place on their own survival.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu and Hai Renhui: Jiang Liu listens to Hai Renhui's plan, considering him an interesting ally.
• Jiang Liu and the Hai Family Elders: Jiang Liu intimidates and threatens the elders, using violence to assert his dominance.
• Hai Family Elders among themselves: The elders argue and show internal conflict, struggling to maintain unity in the face of Jiang Liu's threats.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu visits the Hai Family Estate, accompanied by Hai Renhui.
• Hai Renhui reveals his plan to control the Hai Family through Madam Hai and her son, implying the son is his biological child.
• Jiang Liu agrees to support Hai Renhui's plan but warns him of the consequences of betrayal.
• Jiang Liu explores the Hai Family's Martial Arts Pavilion, defeating four guards and discovering valuable techniques.
• He finds an Earth Grade, Low Rank leg technique (Eight Steps of Trampling), an Earth Grade, Middle Rank cultivation method (Howling Wind Art), and a Primal Qi Flight Art.
• Jiang Liu instructs the Hai Family to prepare herbs for a hundred Body Refinement Martial Practitioners and to call Hai Renhui.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his power and influence, showing he can control the Hai Family regardless of Hai Renhui's plan.
• Hai Renhui reveals his ambition to control the Hai Family through Madam Hai and her son.
• Hai Dayi, a Hai Family elder, shows deference to Jiang Liu, indicating the family's submission.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and control within families and clans.
• The value of techniques and cultivation methods in the martial world.
• Betrayal and its consequences.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu and Hai Renhui discuss their plans and the stakes involved.
• Jiang Liu interacts with Hai Family elders, demonstrating his authority and issuing commands.
• Hai Dayi shows submission to Jiang Liu, reflecting the Hai Family's current status.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu inspects the Hai Family's manor and meets with Hai Renhui, who secures Madam Hai's cooperation in exchange for protection.
• Jiang Liu instructs Hai Renhui to gather the Hai Family for a meeting and prepare supplies.
• The Hai Family elders initially object to Hai Jie serving as the family head but later agree after considering the potential benefits of associating with Jiang Liu.
• Jiang Liu leaves the Hai Family manor, demonstrating his ability to fly, and returns to the Jiang Estate.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: Shows his power and influence, proving his worth as a Seventh Rank Martial Practitioner, and exhibits his desire to improve his strength.
• Hai Renhui: Becomes more cooperative and strategic, securing Madam Hai's support and persuading the Hai Family elders to accept Jiang Liu's terms.
• Hai Family elders: Initially resistant to Hai Jie's appointment as family head, they later change their minds after realizing the potential benefits of associating with Jiang Liu.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and influence: Jiang Liu's strength and status as a Seventh Rank Martial Practitioner allow him to dictate terms to the Hai Family.
• Opportunism: The Hai Family elders initially focus on their immediate losses but later shift their perspective to consider the long-term benefits of associating with Jiang Liu.
• Ambition: Jiang Liu's desire to improve his strength drives him to consider returning to the West Mountain Range to hunt Exotic Beasts.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu and Hai Renhui: They work together to secure Madam Hai's cooperation, with Jiang Liu providing protection and Hai Renhui acting as an intermediary.
• Hai Family elders and Hai Renhui: Hai Renhui persuades the elders to accept Jiang Liu's terms, shifting their focus from immediate losses to long-term benefits.
• Jiang Liu and the Hai Family: Jiang Liu demonstrates his power and influence, impressing the Hai Family members and convincing them to support his demands.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu stays at the Hai Estate for over a month, refining Primal Qi and cultivating techniques, while also guiding the women in their cultivation and teaching them medicine.
• The Hai Family supplies the estate with living supplies and cultivation resources, hoping to curry favor with Jiang Liu.
• Jiang Liu decides to leave for Prefecture City, leaving the women behind under the Hai Family's care. He promises to help the Hai Family return to Prefecture City when the time is right.
• Jiang Liu leaves behind cultivation manuals, medical books, and herbs for the women's use.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu: He has grown in strength, reaching the Seventh Rank high-level Martial Practitioner. He has also become more composed and less impulsive, showing a deceptive harmlessness despite his ruthless nature.
• The Hai Family: They have become more subservient to Jiang Liu, hoping to benefit from his future success. Hai Renhui has been promoted to an elder and taken Madam Hai as his wife.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and personal growth: Jiang Liu's dedication to refining Primal Qi and cultivating techniques reflects his commitment to improving his abilities.
• Dependence and independence: The women rely on Jiang Liu for protection and guidance, but he encourages their independence by leaving them with resources to continue their cultivation and teaching them medicine.
• Power dynamics: The Hai Family's change in attitude towards Jiang Liu illustrates the influence of power and status in their world.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the women, guiding them in their cultivation and teaching them medicine. He also interacts with the Hai Family, making arrangements for the women's care and promising to help them return to Prefecture City.
• The Hai Family interacts with Jiang Liu, providing him with supplies and hoping to benefit from his future success. They also interact with the women, treating them gently in hopes of currying favor with Jiang Liu.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu arrives at Wind City, the county seat of Feng County, after a half-month journey.
• He observes the city's rugged yet majestic appearance and the diverse crowd, including Ranked martial artists.
• Jiang Liu decides to stay at Youfu Inn for three days and plans to look for a house later.
• He learns that the coachman is to follow his arrangements and decides to send him back the next day.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his calm and observant nature, taking in the city's details and considering his next steps.
• The coachman shows loyalty and obedience to Jiang Liu's instructions.

Significant Themes

• The vastness and hierarchy of the Great Qian Dynasty, with different provinces and counties having varying numbers of cities.
• The tension between Qian Province and Tian Province due to the imperial city's relocation.
• The presence of martial artists in Wind City, reflecting the city's importance and potential dangers.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts briefly with the inn's waiter, asking about accommodation and payment.
• He converses with the coachman about his return arrangements, showing consideration for the coachman's time.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu arrives at the Prefecture City and dines at the main hall of an inn.
• He overhears news about a gambling match between the Chen, Li, and Wang Families and the White Lotus Sect, as well as the arrival of the Sun Moon Sect's Holy Maiden.
• He learns about the Hundred Craft Hall's treasured saber and decides to visit it.
• Jiang Liu is targeted by street thugs but easily defeats them.
• He interrogates the thugs about the White Lotus Sect and learns about their gambling matches.
• Jiang Liu executes the remaining thugs after his interrogation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his strength and ruthlessness, showing that he is not to be underestimated.
• The street thugs display their cowardice and lack of power, highlighting the power dynamics in the Prefecture City's underworld.

Significant Themes

• Power and Strength: Jiang Liu's display of power over the street thugs emphasizes the importance of strength in the Prefecture City's underworld.
• Information and Knowledge: The news Jiang Liu overhears at the inn provides valuable information about the current state of the Prefecture City and its various factions.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the inn's staff and the street thugs, displaying his authority and dominance.
• The street thugs interact with each other, showing their fear and cowardice in the face of Jiang Liu's power.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu enters Ascension Tower, a grand building in the county town.
• He learns about the 'Ascension Rankings,' a list of the top ten Ninth Rank martial artists under 30 in the Great Qian Dynasty, updated annually.
• Jiang Liu decides to explore the second floor of the tower, which deals with local information.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his disdain for the listed martial artists, showing his confidence and arrogance.
• The female attendants at the tower are portrayed as professional and knowledgeable about the tower's services.

Significant Themes

• The Ascension Rankings highlight the theme of competition and hierarchy among martial artists.
• The tower's structure and services emphasize the importance of information and knowledge in the martial world.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with two female attendants, one at the counter on the first floor and one on the second floor. Both interactions are cordial and informative, with the attendants providing necessary information without being overly intrusive or judgmental.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu visits the Ascension Tower, a powerful and vast organization with branches in every prefecture.
• He learns about Ascension Tokens, which grant access to different floors and services, including secret manual auctions.
• Jiang Liu purchases a silver Ascension Token for 10,000 taels of silver, allowing him to access the third floor.
• On the third floor, he buys information about the top-tier forces in Wind City for 9,000 taels, leaving him with 1,000 taels.
• He overhears people mentioning 'Young Master Wei' from the Moonfall Sect.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his growing wealth and influence, spending large amounts of money without hesitation.
• He shows curiosity and determination to gather information about Wind City's major forces.

Significant Themes

• The vast and influential power of the Ascension Tower, which transcends individual cities and prefectures.
• The importance of information and knowledge in the martial world.
• The spending of wealth as a symbol of status and power.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with various attendants at the Ascension Tower, who are attentive and informative.
• He briefly encounters people on the street who mention 'Young Master Wei' from the Moonfall Sect, showing the interconnectedness of different factions in Wind City.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu visits the Hundred Craft Hall, a renowned weapons forge in Wind City.
• He learns about the White Lotus Sect's formidable strength, with over thirty martial artists at the Sixth Rank or higher.
• Jiang Liu inquires about a Ninth Rank treasured blade but is told they require customization.
• He witnesses Master Duan, the head smith, testing his newly forged treasured blade, which can cut through the defenses of an Exotic Beast King in one strike.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his interest in acquiring powerful weapons to face stronger opponents.
• Master Duan showcases his exceptional forging skills, earning respect from his disciples.

Significant Themes

• The importance of powerful weapons in the martial world.
• The value of skill and hard work, as seen in Master Duan's dedication to forging the treasured blade.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with the shop assistant, Liu An, who shows him around the Hundred Craft Hall.
• Master Duan interacts with his disciples, displaying his pride and satisfaction in his latest creation.
• Jiang Liu expresses his desire for a Ninth Rank treasured blade to Master Duan, hinting at potential future interactions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu visits a weapons shop and admires a special grade Ninth Rank saber.
• The shopkeeper, Master Duan, reveals he's not selling the saber but offers Jiang Liu a defaulted order of a Ninth Rank broadsword.
• Jiang Liu tests and buys the broadsword, then prepares to leave for the Ten Thousand Mountains.
• On his way, he's attacked by a gust of wind and chases the assailant out of the city.
• The assailant leads Jiang Liu to an ambush in a forest, where two more attackers appear.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates quick thinking, reflexes, and combat skills, using his saber and Ice Blade techniques effectively.
• Master Duan shows expertise in weapon crafting and appraisal.

Significant Themes

• The power and importance of special grade weapons.
• The danger of underestimating opponents and the value of caution.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with Master Duan, showing interest in the special grade saber and purchasing the broadsword.
• Jiang Liu confronts the initial assailant, who leads him into an ambush with two accomplices.
• Jiang Liu fights against the three attackers, showcasing his combat skills and strategy.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Liu engages in a fight with three assailants, ultimately defeating them using his Ice Blade technique.
• He loots their belongings and returns to the city to prepare for his journey into the Ten Thousand Mountains.
• Upon arrival at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Mountains, Jiang Liu encounters a shady individual who tries to swindle him. He exposes the man's intentions and beats him up, extracting information about the mountains before letting him go.

Character Developments

• Jiang Liu demonstrates his combat skills and strategic thinking, outsmarting and defeating his opponents.
• He shows a calm and collected demeanor, even when faced with potential danger, indicating his growth as a character.

Significant Themes

• Danger and Deception: The Ten Thousand Mountains are portrayed as a place filled with danger and deception, with human threats being as significant as those from Exotic Beasts.
• Trust and Caution: Jiang Liu learns to be cautious and not trust others easily, especially in such an environment.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Liu interacts with three unknown assailants, ultimately defeating them.
• He encounters a shady individual at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Mountains, exposing the man's intentions and beating him up to extract information.
• Jiang Liu's interactions with these characters highlight his growing combat skills and strategic thinking.