Chapter Summaries

Smile explained that the Blood Essence Stone could produce immortal blood to push people beyond human limits, and revealed that the Immortal Palace Project recruited Imperial Academy students to supply it with vitality and spiritual energy. He laid out a recruitment-based hierarchy that promised members immortal blood and eventual immortality, leaving the newcomers poised to recruit others.

• Smile explained that immortality required body and spirit to surpass human limits, which the Blood Essence Stone could achieve by producing immortal blood from stored vitality and spiritual energy.
• Smile said young, ambitious, well-fed, combat-trained students provided especially valuable energy, making the Imperial Academy the best place to recruit for the Immortal Palace Project.
• Black Face questioned why Smile would not cooperate with the imperial court, and Smile said the court would seize the Blood Essence Stone; Li Ying realized reporting him would cost her the chance to become immortal.
• Gray Wolf, Li Ying, and Black Face agreed to join the project.
• Smile explained that members kept three portions of their energy, gave two to their superiors, and contributed five to the Blood Essence Stone, while recruiting subordinates helped them rise through the ranks and earn immortal blood.
• Smile urged the newcomers to recruit more members, promising that the project would let everyone pursue immortality.

Smile persuaded Li Ying and three other newcomers to join the Immortal Palace Project, then drained their Vitality and Spiritual Energy through the Blood Essence Stone. After the gathering ended, Smile sent members away one at a time, and the Gray Wolf asked whether Smile would leave last.

• The three newcomers agreed to join the Immortal Palace Project after Smile explained its benefits and gave them Spirit Condensing Pills to recruit others.
• Smile had the members place their hands on the Blood Essence Stone and offer up their Vitality and Spiritual Energy.
• Li Ying endured the draining and recovered with a Spirit Condensing Pill, then secretly picked up a yellow-covered novel that fell nearby.
• Smile scheduled the next gathering for three days later and made the Blood Essence Stone disappear.
• Smile ordered the members to leave at one-minute intervals, and the Gray Wolf asked whether Smile would be the last to go.

Li Ying escaped the Imperial Academy but was ambushed by her teacher Ying Sheng, who planned to kill her for joining the Immortal Palace and siding with Shuiyun Palace. As Ying Sheng and Su Qian cornered her, Li Ying summoned Po Houlong, who caught Ying Sheng and slammed him into a wall.

• Li Ying left the Imperial Academy, discarded her disguise, and encountered Ying Sheng while walking toward Vermillion Bird Alley.
• Ying Sheng attacked Li Ying, but she recognized the danger and fought back with her hand cannon.
• Ying Sheng revealed that he intended to kill Li Ying because she could expose the Immortal Palace Project to Shuiyun Palace.
• Su Qian appeared at the alley’s other end, leaving Li Ying trapped between the two teachers.
• Li Ying called out to Po Houlong, who arrived and seized Ying Sheng by the neck before smashing him against a wall.

Qin Leyin fought Su Qian and Ying Sheng outside the Imperial Academy, killing Ying Sheng and mortally wounding Su Qian while rescuing Li Ying from being taken hostage. He escaped back into the Academy with Li Ying, leaving the Su family and the Yulin Imperial Guards furious and threatening retaliation.

• Ying Sheng and Su Qian ambushed Qin Leyin, but he resisted their attacks and used the Dark Silence Method to turn the fight in his favor.
• Su Qian unleashed Sheath Sword Light in the dark wine cellar, but Qin Leyin used Ying Sheng as a shield, then killed Ying Sheng with the Soul-Cleansing Demonic Sword.
• Su Qian seized Li Ying as a hostage while trying to escape, and Qin Leyin struck through both of them, fatally wounding Su Qian and injuring Li Ying.
• The Feathered Forest Commander and Yulin Imperial Guards arrived, but Qin Leyin carried Li Ying back into the Imperial Academy and escaped their pursuit.
• Qin Leyin healed Li Ying with the Saint's Relic, then woke her with a slap; she joked that he was dead too before noticing the wound in her abdomen.

After Su Qian’s death at Qin Leyin’s hands, Ming Shuiyun’s allies worried about the consequences, but she insisted Qin had planned for the situation. The group went to visit Li Ying and overheard her asking Qin to stab her again.

• News spread that Su Qian had been killed by Qin Leyin, and the Imperial Academy students argued over whether Qin had been justified.
• Ming Shuiyun reassured her supporters that Qin had acted with confidence, though she admitted she knew little about what had happened to Li Ying.
• Qian Yuya and Lin Xue explained that neither Ming Shuiyun nor the Sword Bearer could protect Qin from the consequences of killing a noble’s son.
• Ming Shuiyun and the others skipped class to visit Li Ying in the School Medical Officer Department.
• At Li Ying’s ward, the group heard her weakly ask Qin Leyin to stab her again because it had felt comfortable the previous night.

Le Yu left the Medical Officer Department after reassuring Ming Shuiyun and the others, then faced a Ministry of Justice inquiry over the deaths of Su Qian and Ying Sheng. Cha Huan dismissed him as Acting Principal only to appoint him Vice Principal Qin Leyin, leaving Le Yu to confront Minister Zhong Shujun.

• Le Yu visited Li Ying in the Medical Officer Department, where Ming Shuiyun and the others learned that Li Ying was recovering and would soon be discharged.
• Ming Shuiyun asked Le Yu if he was all right, and he reassured her before leaving for a meeting with Cha Huan, Crane Tear, and Zhong Shujun.
• Le Yu admitted that he had killed Ying Sheng and Su Qian after they attacked Li Ying, while Zhong Shujun argued that the Ministry of Justice should investigate him.
• Crane Tear pressured Cha Huan to punish Le Yu, citing the Su family's influence and the need to preserve order in Flame Capital.
• Cha Huan declared that Le Yu was no longer Acting Principal, then appointed him Vice Principal Qin Leyin as he dragged Crane Tear from the room.
• Le Yu took Cha Huan's seat and told Zhong Shujun that the killings had been self-defense and that Qin Leyin should be declared innocent.

Crane Tear and Zhong Shujun left the Imperial Academy after Cha Huan refused to yield, and Zhong Shujun concluded that Qin Leyin was unnervingly confident despite the danger. At the Platinum Tower, Le Yu discussed his plans with Cha Huan and warned that the National Salvation and Relief Society was preparing another move.

• Crane Tear complained that Cha Huan had humiliated him, while Zhong Shujun explained why Earl Yanxia would not retaliate immediately.
• Zhong Shujun said his interrogation revealed that Qin Leyin felt no fear and seemed eager to overturn the situation if pushed.
• Le Yu visited Cha Huan on the Platinum Tower's seventh floor and joked that Cha Huan owed him for appointing him vice principal.
• Le Yu told Cha Huan that his trump card could resolve any trouble, but refused to reveal what it was.
• Cha Huan let Le Yu handle the immortal blood and the Immortal Palace Project as long as he did not harm Imperial Academy students.
• Le Yu warned Cha Huan that the National Salvation and Relief Society's next move was already approaching.

Lan Yan defeated the forces assembled against him in Pearl Prefecture, took control of the city, and arranged a new alliance with Lin Linlin. After accepting a lucrative commission, he named Yanjing as the target of their next operation.

• Lan Yan killed Zhou Shiwei, Xu Kang, and the Curse Hunter, while Keda Ya took his own life in terror.
• Lan Yan revealed that Lin Linlin had been hired to help him, and Lin Linlin knocked out Gao Jin while Lu Heng learned that his rebellion had been manipulated.
• Lan Yan left Lu Heng to be blamed for a White Night Demon assassination and ordered the Coastal Army to occupy Pearl Prefecture and purge its rebel forces.
• A merchant offered Lan Yan and Lin Linlin a commission backed by carts of Gold Coins, and they accepted.
• Lan Yan ordered Xia Lingo to prepare troops and supplies for the operation against Yanjing.

Yan Yi warned Le Yu that Cha Huan might be binding him to the Imperial Academy through benefits, ideals, and conscience, while the others dismissed Le Yu’s talk of dying as a joke. Yan Yi then offered to help him investigate the Immortal Palace Project, and Le Yu opened an envelope containing a poster and a rare blue card.

• Le Yu explained that his vice principal title was honorary, while Yan Yi and Lin Xue pointed out that Cha Huan had never given the title to anyone else in decades.
• Yan Yi described how Cha Huan used benefits, ideals, and conscience to earn the loyalty of the academy’s teachers and students, and warned that he might use the same methods to make Le Yu succeed him.
• Le Yu said he would have to live until Cha Huan retired, but Qin Yueshi, Ming Shuiyun, and Lin Xue treated his remark as a familiar joke about his death.
• Yan Yi offered to cooperate with Le Yu to resolve the Immortal Palace Project, which she believed targeted students.
• Qin Yueshi handed Le Yu an unopened kraft-paper envelope, and he opened it to find a poster and a rare blue card.

Le Yu explained why the Immortal Palace Project’s recruitment scheme was dangerous and proposed testing the immortal blood before letting the others join. As they discussed the plan, Lin Xue noticed that the portrait on the wall seemed more unsettling than she remembered.

• The second Peerless Ranking release featured Chen Fengbao and ranked Zhou Shiwei and Xu Kang by comparing their prowess to Lan Yan’s.
• Le Yu said Smiley’s intangibility and likely ties to the National Salvation and Relief Society made stealing the Blood Essence Stone too dangerous.
• Le Yu argued that the Immortal Palace Project benefited from recruitment and urgency, and said he would test the immortal blood before the others joined as his recruits.
• Le Yu and Yan Yi realized that the project’s exposure could provoke the imperial court to investigate the Imperial Academy and drive a wedge between the court and Cha Huan.
• Li Ying and Kui Nianruo whispered to Lin Xue, who looked at the portrait on the wall and felt unnerved by the woman turning around.

Le Yu lectured academy students on Yin Minghong’s supposed undercover scheme, then spoke with Mietangya about the Blood Essence Stone and prepared to attend a gathering hosted by its owner. At the abandoned teaching building, he encountered several masked figures who seemed to recognize one another, and a short newcomer arrived as the chapter ended.

• Le Yu taught that Yin Minghong had used “Killing by Order” to drive Profound Candle Prefecture toward conflict and help White Night seize power.
• Mietangya approached Le Yu in disguise as a polished, coquettish youth, asked what Le Yu knew about the Blood Essence Stone, and offered him lip balm as compensation for information.
• Le Yu told “Yin” that he planned to attend a gathering hosted by the Blood Essence Stone’s owner, then left the teachers’ dormitory in disguise.
• Le Yu and Nieruo pretended that neither was investigating the Blood Essence Stone before splitting up and heading in different directions.
• Le Yu reached the abandoned teaching building and found two masked figures searching for the entrance; another short masked figure arrived and was recognized by the others.

Ming Shuangli joined the Immortal Palace meeting and argued that the Immortal Palace should ally with Twin Carp Palace, positioning herself to gain control of its influence. The gathering was interrupted by the arrival of a conspicuously dressed newcomer whose identity the attendees recognized.

• Ming Shuangli arrived at the basement with Nieruo, touched the Blood Essence Stone projection, and questioned Smile about the Immortal Palace Project.
• Yan Yi and Ning Xinyuan joined Le Yu at the meeting, and Smile explained the project to the assembled members.
• Ming Shuangli raised eighteen questions about the project, then proposed an alliance between the Immortal Palace and one of the seven Palace Masters.
• Ming Shuangli argued that Twin Carp Palace was the best ally because the Immortal Palace could strengthen her position and gain her trust.
• A black-robed newcomer arrived in multicolored black clothing, and the attendees recognized him despite his disguise.

Cha Huan joined the Immortal Palace Project as Youth, while Li Ying revealed that she had recruited six other students and claimed the immortal blood. Li Ying reached for the Blood Essence Stone, determined to gain power and control her own fate rather than depend on others.

• Cha Huan introduced himself as Youth, praised the Immortal Palace Project, and declared his support for its goals.
• Smile confirmed that Li Ying had recruited ten newcomers and qualified for promotion to Fourth-level Disciple.
• Le Yu realized Li Ying had acted without consulting him and felt his trust in her diminish.
• Li Ying asked Smile for immortal blood and walked toward the Blood Essence Stone despite Le Yu's concern.
• Li Ying resolved to take the risk because she refused to remain ordinary or rely on anyone else.

Smile demonstrated that the Blood Essence Stone could grant Li Ying an invisible attack, then explained the Immortal Palace Project's offering system and promised path to immortality. As Cha Huan made his offering, Le Yu's relic revealed that the Blood Essence Stone marked contributors with trackable soul imprints, and Le Yu realized the offerings were a trap—but Cha Huan had already been drained.

• Smile activated the Blood Essence Stone for Li Ying, who tested her new invisible attack by slashing marks into the ceiling.
• Smile explained the ranks, offerings, and quantities of immortal blood needed for disciples to advance toward becoming immortals.
• Le Yu offered Vitality and Spiritual Energy to the Blood Essence Stone; his Saint's Relic began transforming, while Yan Yi and Ning Xinyuan also returned weakened.
• Cha Huan approached the Blood Essence Stone as the others watched warily, and Le Yu's relic transformed into a ruby bracelet.
• Le Yu read the relic's information about recovery and soul-imprint tracking, realized the offerings let the National Salvation and Relief Society track contributors, and saw that Cha Huan had already been drained.

After the Blood Essence Stone drained the gathering, Cha Huan and Le Yu left together and discussed the stone’s effects and the danger of Cha Huan’s stolen soul mark. Cha Huan remained confident that he could face the National Salvation and Relief Society, even if they targeted him first.

• Smiling opened new exits from the basement and warned that no one there could withstand one move from him.
• Cha Huan left with Le Yu, while Yan Yi was told to stay behind and rest with Ning Xinyuan.
• Outside, Cha Huan admitted that the Blood Essence Stone had badly weakened him and complained about Le Yu recognizing him despite his disguise.
• Le Yu told Cha Huan that the Blood Essence Stone had taken his soul mark and that the National Salvation and Relief Society might use it against him.
• Cha Huan said he would ask Yulian about a possible soul-protecting divine weapon but refused to worry about the threat.
• Cha Huan said he welcomed the Society targeting him first rather than targeting Le Yu and the others.

Cha Huan revealed that the plot involving the Blood Essence Stone was aimed at him, then headed to the imperial court despite his weakened state. Le Yu warned Li Ying that their soul imprints were trapped in the stone, but reassured her that he and Cha Huan would protect her.

• Cha Huan explained that the enemy had targeted him and that he had entered the trap to protect Le Yu and the others.
• Cha Huan left for the imperial court, and Le Yu returned toward the teachers' dormitory.
• Li Ying apologized to Le Yu for acting on her own, and he told her that her soul imprint was trapped in the Blood Essence Stone along with several others.
• Li Ying feared the danger, and Le Yu comforted her by promising that he and Cha Huan would protect her.

Ming Dailan panicked over a rat in the dormitory while the girls joked about bathing with their scabbards. Underground, Wuzhiqi, Fenglü, and the smiling man discussed their plan and the soul marks, but the smiling man stopped Wuzhiqi’s outburst when Fenglü began suffering under an unseen force.

• Ming Dailan screamed after spotting a rat in the bathroom, and the dormitory girls teased her about being afraid of it.
• Ming Yueyan suggested a clothing-optional water fight with the scabbards, while Ming Shuiyun said she wanted Qin Leyin to herself.
• The rat followed a strange fragrance through the sewers, where a gray-cloaked figure crushed it and continued to an underground chamber.
• Wuzhiqi met the smiling man and Fenglü, and the smiling man said he had obtained Cha Huan’s soul mark and likely those of the other scabbards.
• Fenglü confirmed that Cha Huan, Qin Leyin, Cai Nü, Nieruo, and Mietangya had arrived, and Wuzhiqi prepared to contact the National Salvation and Relief Society.
• The smiling man sent Wuzhiqi flying when he grew excited about taking revenge, and Fenglü collapsed in agony until the smiling man warned Wuzhiqi that he would die if he continued.

Smiling explained that the Holy Sword Huiyao’s imprint had mentally corrupted Feng Lü despite his Low Health Constitution, and reaffirmed their plan to help Feng Lü’s Sword Master claim the throne. Feng Lü returned to his hideout and reflected on his dependence on the tribe’s revival and the imprint, leaving his future uncertain.

• Smiling told Feng Lü that the Holy Sword Huiyao’s imprint could overcome even ancient bloodline inheritances, while Feng Lü said no physique could fully resist it.
• Feng Lü accepted the cost of the imprint as a sacrifice for his tribe’s revival, and Smiling sent him away.
• After Feng Lü left, Smiling and the gray-robed man discussed their fragile conspiracy and their readiness to use force if it was exposed.
• Wuzhiqi called Smiling the Behemoth Master, but Smiling told him to use his name instead.
• Feng Lü returned to his hideout, fed and petted the rare beasts, and told Yao that he wished he could live simply as a beast.

Le Yu and the others tested Yan Yi’s improved Heart-Linked Seals and discussed Radiant Stone Alchemy while arranging guards for Cha Huan at the Platinum Tower. After the others left, Kui Nianruo asked Li Ying about celestial blood, then noticed Li Ying had developed an odd habit of licking the back of her hand.

• Li Ying and Lin Xue tested the Heart-Linked Seals, and Yan Yi explained that Meteorite Shard Ore could respond to thoughts and produce desired effects.
• Ming Shuiyun gave Le Yu a Heart-Linked Seal, and Le Yu warned her not to contact him while he might be investigating as a secret investigator.
• Le Yu said he planned to tell Zhu Yan about the Blood Essence Stone, while Kui Nianruo and Li Ying volunteered to stay at the Platinum Tower that afternoon.
• After the others left, Kui Nianruo asked Li Ying whether celestial blood could make someone stronger, and Li Ying described her fight with Le Yu and his assessment of her potential.
• Kui Nianruo noticed Li Ying repeatedly licking the back of her hand and wondered if she had an invisible tail.

Le Yu asked Zhu Yan to keep Cha Huan safe after the enemy obtained Cha Huan’s soul imprint and might possess a divine weapon that could manipulate souls. Zhu Yan agreed to watch over Cha Huan but refused to persuade him to hide or skip the Immortal Palace gathering, leaving Le Yu to accept the old teacher’s faith in Cha Huan.

• Le Yu found Zhu Yan burning spirit money for Li Shijie on the student’s birthday, and Zhu Yan recalled Li Shijie’s life and the Blazing Sun Medal he had won.
• Zhu Yan showed Le Yu his notebook of students’ death anniversaries and explained that he remembered every student he had taught.
• Le Yu told Zhu Yan that the National Salvation and Relief Society had the Blood Essence Stone and Cha Huan’s soul imprint, and urged Zhu Yan to keep Cha Huan hidden and away from the Immortal Palace gathering.
• Zhu Yan agreed to stay at the Imperial Academy and watch over Cha Huan, but said he would not persuade him because his presence protected the other teachers and students.
• Zhu Yan challenged Le Yu to trust Cha Huan to resolve the danger himself, then asked Le Yu to leave so he could smoke.