Chapter Summaries

Lu Feng used the Two Stars in a Row arrow technique to break Jiang Feng’s shield and wound him, then left with Jiang Ruoyun for Azure Mushroom Mountain. As they began hunting in the mountain, Jiang Feng returned to Jiang Ruoyun’s empty courtyard, furious that they had fooled him.

• Lu Feng fired three arrows in succession, piercing Jiang Feng’s shield and striking his shoulder, then tricked him into believing the arrow was poisoned.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun returned to the courtyard, where he prepared an array while Jiang Ruoyun told Xiao Rou to visit her father.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun set off for Azure Mushroom Mountain, and Jiang Ruoyun explained Azure Dragon Town’s history and ruling factions along the way.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun entered the mountain’s outer perimeter cautiously, with Jiang Ruoyun clearing the path and Lu Feng guarding them with his bow.
• Jiang Feng and Jiang Caiyun arrived at Jiang Ruoyun’s residence, found it empty, and Jiang Feng raged over Lu Feng’s trick.

Jiang Feng, Jiang Caiyun, and Jiang Ren wrecked Jiang Ruoyun’s courtyard, only to be trapped by Lu Feng’s arrays and overwhelmed by Autumn Poison Bees. Meanwhile, Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun searched Azure Mushroom Mountain, where Lu Feng sensed something approaching as they rested.

• Jiang Feng led Jiang Caiyun and Jiang Ren into Jiang Ruoyun’s courtyard and ordered them to destroy it, while Jiang Ren urged them to smash the plants.
• Jiang Feng and the others triggered a series of arrays that trapped them, obscured their vision, and attacked them with stones and vines.
• Butterfly Attracting Powder drew a swarm of Autumn Poison Bees, which stung the three unconscious before Jiang Manor’s servants drove the bees away.
• Jiang Batian found the wrecked courtyard and demanded to know what had happened, while Jiang Juetian ordered the three children treated for bee venom.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun avoided a group of Hungry Tooth Rabbits and continued searching Azure Mushroom Mountain for dangerous spirit beasts.
• As Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun rested, Lu Feng sensed something approaching and warned her to get up.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun hunted a Painted-Face Mountain Monkey, working together to kill it and treat Jiang Ruoyun’s injury. As they continued through the forest, three masked Soul Masters appeared and forced them to flee deeper into the mountains.

• Lu Feng pulled Jiang Ruoyun out of the way of a stone thrown by a Painted-Face Mountain Monkey, then worked with her to bring the beast down using arrows and her whip.
• Lu Feng stored the mountain monkey’s corpse and used spiritual energy to ease the bruise on Jiang Ruoyun’s hand as they talked about killing spirit beasts.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun continued their hunt as evening approached, but Lu Feng sensed that someone was watching them.
• Three masked Soul Masters appeared, and their leader threatened Jiang Ruoyun before Lu Feng fired an arrow at him.
• Lu Feng recognized the leader as a Five-Souls Realm expert and led Jiang Ruoyun deeper into the forest to escape the three men.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun lured the Black-Clad Men and a Violent Bear into Lu Feng’s Entrapment Array, where the bear turned on the pursuers. When the fight threatened to favor the Black-Clad Men, Lu Feng sent a Mosquito Spirit Bee hive into the array to aid the bear.

• Lu Feng identified a Violent Bear in a nearby cave and set up an Entrapment Array, asking Jiang Ruoyun to lure the Black-Clad Men toward it.
• Jiang Ruoyun drew the three Black-Clad Men into the array while Lu Feng provoked the bear and led it after him.
• Lu Feng escaped the array as a Black-Clad Man struck the bear, provoking it to attack the men.
• The leading Black-Clad Man held off the bear while the other two tried to break the array, and Lu Feng spotted a Mosquito Spirit Bee hive.
• Lu Feng used four arrows and a garment to knock the intact hive into the Entrapment Array.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun rested beside a stream after escaping danger, where their care for each other grew as they shared food and talked. Practicing archery led Lu Feng to understand the nature of strength, and he opened the Strength Soul Formation within his life soul.

• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun left Azure Mushroom Mountain’s inner area and stopped by a stream to rest, clean Jiang Ruoyun’s wound, and find food.
• Lu Feng gathered wild fruit and caught fish, and Jiang Ruoyun grew touched by his kindness despite the fruit’s sour taste.
• Jiang Ruoyun thanked Lu Feng for staying with her through danger and told him she had broken through to the Three Soul Realm.
• Lu Feng practiced archery while Jiang Ruoyun threw stones at him, but he still could not control the Strength Soul Formation.
• Lu Feng grasped how strength flowed through the world, fired nine arrows in a linked chain, and opened the Strength Soul Formation.

After Lu Feng recovered to the Two Soul Realm, Jiang Ruoyun asked him to help harmonize their spiritual energy so she could safely advance, and they agreed to try another day. When they returned to Jiang Manor, they learned that Qiao Xue'er had been arrested for Yan He's murder and hurried to the Prison Manor, where a prison disciple stopped them at the entrance.

• Lu Feng broke through to the Two Soul Realm and offered to help Jiang Ruoyun harmonize her spiritual energy, but they postponed it until their realms stabilized.
• Lu Feng kept watch while Jiang Ruoyun slept, then sorted and inscribed his array materials through the night.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun returned to the Side Courtyard and learned that Jiang Feng had been seriously injured by Lu Feng's defensive inscriptions.
• Xiao Rou told Jiang Ruoyun that Qiao Xue'er had been arrested after Yan He's body was found in an Abandoned Temple with Qiao holding a bloodied dagger.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun rushed to the Prison Manor, where a prison disciple barred them from entering without notification.

Jiang Ruoyun visited Qiao Xue'er in prison to learn why she had confessed to killing Yan He, while Lu Feng used his Prison Warden Token to secure access. Qiao Xue'er remained guarded until Jiang Ruoyun told her that Tang Yuan had saved her, leaving Qiao Xue'er shocked and asking if it was true.

• Jiang Ruoyun asked the prison official for permission to visit Qiao Xue'er, and he agreed despite the evidence against her.
• The prison official barred Lu Feng from entering the cells, but Lu Feng revealed his Prison Warden Token and made the official submit to him.
• Lu Feng ordered the prison official to keep his identity secret, asked for Azure Dragon Town's Year Chronicle, and went to the cells.
• The prison official left Jiang Ruoyun and Qiao Xue'er alone so they could speak privately.
• Jiang Ruoyun questioned Qiao Xue'er about her confession and mentioned that Tang Yuan had saved her on Azure Mushroom Mountain.
• Qiao Xue'er reacted with surprise and asked Jiang Ruoyun whether Tang Yuan's rescue was true.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun investigated Yan He's death after learning Qiao Xue'er had been framed, but the coroner's notes offered no clues. Their attempt to examine Yan He's body at Yan Manor failed when Old Master Yan drove them out with his overwhelming strength, and they left to find Tang Yuan.

• Qiao Xue'er told Jiang Ruoyun and Lu Feng how she found Yan He dying at the Abandoned Temple and had taken the blame because she believed Tang Yuan killed him.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun examined the coroner's notes, found no useful clues, and received Yue An's help in visiting Yan Manor.
• Lu Feng asked Old Master Yan to let them examine Yan He's body, but Old Master Yan attacked them with a wave of qi and ordered them to leave.
• Lu Feng recognized Old Master Yan as a peak Spirit Gathering Realm expert, and the group abandoned their attempt to open Yan He's coffin.
• Jiang Ruoyun suggested that she and Lu Feng find Tang Yuan before he learned Qiao Xue'er was in trouble and acted rashly.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun searched Azure Mushroom Mountain for Tang Yuan, but instead discovered a concealed paradise inside Tyrant Bear Cave. They named it Wind Cloud Secret Realm and found that its pool was fruit wine with powerful cultivation benefits.

• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun reached Tyrant Bear Cave and left a message asking Tang Yuan to come because Xue Er was in trouble.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun found the cave empty, then Lu Feng sensed a hollow space behind one wall and uncovered a hidden paradise.
• Jiang Ruoyun named the place Wind Cloud Secret Realm, and she and Lu Feng carved the characters for Wind and Cloud into its wall.
• Lu Feng discovered that the clear pool was naturally fermented fruit wine and shared it with Jiang Ruoyun.
• Jiang Ruoyun's cultivation stabilized at the Three Soul Realm and moved closer to the Four Soul Realm, while Lu Feng became hazy and drunk.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun shared fruit brew in the cave, and their drunken closeness left Jiang Ruoyun feeling shy around him after she woke. When they heard Tang Yuan fighting outside, they found him battling a fourth-rank Azure-Faced Ape Lion, which gained the upper hand after its face turned blue.

• Jiang Ruoyun drank too much fruit brew, mistook Lu Feng for the parents who had abandoned her, and fell asleep on his chest after he poured out the remaining drink.
• Jiang Ruoyun woke sprawled across Lu Feng, studied his contrasting wild and refined manner, and fell asleep against him again before he gently woke her.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun washed up and ate spiritual fruit, then Jiang Ruoyun filled her containers with fruit brew to take back for Sister Qiao.
• After hearing Tang Yuan's eagle cry, Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun found him fighting an Azure-Faced Ape Lion, a fourth-rank spiritual beast.
• The ape lion's face turned blue and its speed and strength surged; it struck Tang Yuan, sent him flying, and left three bloody gashes across his chest.

Tang Yuan defeated the Ape-Lion but revealed that his right arm had been transformed by a dangerous cultivation technique. After learning that Qiao Xue'er had been framed and imprisoned, he explained how his Beast Origin Art went awry, and Lu Feng claimed he could restore the arm.

• Lu Feng lowered his bow when Tang Yuan refused outside interference, and Tang Yuan used agile footwork and an eagle cry to wound the Ape-Lion.
• Tang Yuan endured repeated blows, reset his dislocated arm, and fought until the Ape-Lion fled.
• Jiang Ruoyun told Tang Yuan that Qiao Xue'er had been framed and imprisoned, and he revealed his beast-like right arm.
• Lu Feng showed Tang Yuan the contract mark linking him to Jiang Ruoyun, and Tang Yuan asked who had framed Qiao Xue'er.
• Tang Yuan explained that an attack during cultivation had disrupted his Beast Origin Art and left his arm permanently beastified.
• Lu Feng said that Tang Yuan's arm could still be restored.

Lu Feng told Tang Yuan that a Four Spirits beast core might replace the chaotic Beast Power causing his arm to become beastified, and Tang Yuan revealed a possible Dragon Tomb in Azure Dragon Town. The three planned a nighttime operation to retrieve Yan He's corpse, while Lu Feng offered to temporarily suppress Tang Yuan’s beastification if they found rare beast cores.

• Lu Feng explained that Tang Yuan could remove his Beast Power or seek a Transformation Pill, then described the Four Spirits of Beasts as a possible source of a suitable core.
• Lu Feng said a true dragon was one of the Four Spirits and might have appeared in Azure Dragon Town, and Tang Yuan recalled hearing about a Dragon Tomb there.
• Tang Yuan warned that Old Master Yan would expect them to target Yan He's corpse, so Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun planned a feint and divided their nighttime operation into three groups.
• Lu Feng offered to use a Spirit Suppression Array to make Tang Yuan look normal temporarily, but said he needed three rare beast cores and Swallowtail Glaze blood.
• Tang Yuan produced many beast cores, and Lu Feng named the specific rare materials he needed before learning that Tang Yuan had reached the Spirit Gathering Three Soul Realm.

Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun carried out a coordinated attack on Yan Manor, using a fire as a distraction while Lu Feng abducted Yan Jingjing and Tang Yuan attacked Yan Zhengchi. Tang Yuan gained the upper hand, while Lu Feng and Yan Jingjing remained hidden near the artificial mountain.

• Lu Feng and Tang Yuan infiltrated Yan Manor after gathering the beast cores, while Jiang Ruoyun started a fire in the Side Courtyard with flaming torches.
• As servants rushed to fight the blaze, Lu Feng hid above Yan Jingjing's bath and abducted her after she discovered him.
• Old Master Yan searched Yan Manor for Yan Jingjing, while Lu Feng hid with her inside a rock carving in the Side Courtyard.
• After learning Yan Jingjing had been abducted, Tang Yuan attacked Yan Zhengchi in the main hall with his beastified arm and Dragon Radiance Nine Heavens.
• Tang Yuan overwhelmed Yan Zhengchi with a rapid series of attacks, while Lu Feng and the furious Yan Jingjing stayed hidden near the artificial mountain.

Lu Feng escaped Yan Manor with Yan Jingjing after Tang Yuan failed to retrieve Yan He's body, and the three reunited at the Abandoned Temple. When an assassin attacked Yan Jingjing, Lu Feng protected her and cut the poisoned flesh from his own arm.

• Lu Feng overheard servants reveal that Old Master Yan had switched Yan He's coffin, then carried the restrained Yan Jingjing toward the main hall as a bargaining chip.
• Tang Yuan realized Old Master Yan and Yan Zhengchi were stalling him, used their attack to escape Yan Manor, and signaled Lu Feng with an eagle cry.
• Lu Feng carried Yan Jingjing over the rear wall and met Jiang Ruoyun and Tang Yuan at the Abandoned Temple, where Jiang Ruoyun helped Yan Jingjing dress.
• A shadow attacked Yan Jingjing with a poisoned silver needle, and Lu Feng shielded her before cutting the poisoned wound from his arm.

Yan Jingjing revealed that Yan He's fatal wound came from a Blood Bat, but Lu Feng found evidence that the Abandoned Temple was not a Blood Bat habitat, suggesting someone had arranged his death. The group connected the mysterious black shadow to earlier attacks and disappearances in Azure Dragon Town, leaving them to suspect a wider plot.

• Yan Jingjing stabbed Lu Feng's shoulder with a hairpin, then learned he had injured himself to save her from the black shadow's attack.
• Yan Jingjing told Lu Feng that Yan He had died from a blow to the back of his head, which her grandfather attributed to a Blood Bat.
• Lu Feng found Blood Bat waste but no nest in the Abandoned Temple and pointed out that people often stayed there, making the supposed accident suspicious.
• Yan Jingjing began to suspect the black shadow had killed her brother, while Tang Yuan and Jiang Ruoyun linked its aura to previous attackers.
• Tang Yuan revealed that Cheng Zhishu of Cheng Manor and Ma Haofeng of Ma Manor had also disappeared, possibly after similar incidents.

After uncovering signs that a hidden force was targeting the Eight Manors, Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun accompanied Yan Jingjing back to Yan Manor to seek help rescuing Qiao Xue'er. The manor’s leaders acknowledged the threat but met the group with suspicion, and Old Master Yan demanded to know why they had come.

• Lu Feng and Tang Yuan concluded that a hidden force had caused misfortunes among the heirs of the Eight Manors and warned Yan Jingjing that the attacks could continue.
• Tang Yuan urged Yan Jingjing to help rescue Qiao Xue'er, and she agreed to return to Yan Manor and consult her grandfather first.
• Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun escorted Yan Jingjing back, where Uncle Yan questioned Tang Yuan about his earlier confrontation at the manor.
• Yan Jingjing told Old Master Yan and the manor’s leaders what had happened at the Abandoned Temple, prompting them to acknowledge that the Eight Manors were being targeted.
• Old Master Yan went to the side hall with Yan Zhengchi and other core figures, then demanded to know why Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun had come.

Tang Yuan and his companions faced punishment for breaking into Yan Manor, while Tang Yuan agreed to find Yan He's killer so Qiao Xue'er could eventually be cleared. After Tang Yuan endured Yan Mingchi's first palm and Lu Feng grasped a clue from his technique, Lu Feng volunteered to take the remaining two palms.

• Old Master Yan refused to forgive Tang Yuan's group immediately, promised to clear Qiao Xue'er's name once Yan He's true murderer was found, and said she would remain in Prison Manor for now.
• Old Master Yan ordered Yan Mingchi to strike Lu Feng, Tang Yuan, and Jiang Ruoyun once each to settle the damage they had caused at Yan Manor.
• Tang Yuan offered to take all three palms, but Old Master Yan warned that Yan Mingchi's Stacked Palm grew stronger when its strikes were layered.
• Yan Mingchi struck Tang Yuan in the chest, and Tang Yuan used his body-tempering art to shake Yan Mingchi backward as they both suppressed their pain.
• Lu Feng studied the subtle path of Yan Mingchi's palm and experienced Sudden Enlightenment, then volunteered to take the remaining two palms.

Lu Feng volunteered to take Yan Mingchi’s two stacked palm strikes, using the danger to master the second level of Exquisite Steps. He survived by borrowing the first strike’s force to evade the second, then unexpectedly opened the Heroic Soul.

• Lu Feng revealed his contract-slave mark and insisted on taking Yan Mingchi’s remaining two palm strikes despite Jiang Ruoyun and Yan Jingjing trying to stop him.
• Yan Mingchi struck Lu Feng with his Stacked Palm, sending him flying, but the second palm missed and Lu Feng rose with little visible harm.
• Jiang Ruoyun rushed to Lu Feng and brushed the dust from his clothes, while the onlookers assumed their contract was a private amusement between a couple.
• Yan Zhengchi explained that Lu Feng had retreated with the first palm’s force and used his footwork to evade the second strike.
• Lu Feng realized he had mastered Shadowy Evasive Steps and opened the Heroic Soul, gaining much greater control over his body.

After resolving the immediate conflict at Yan Manor, Lu Feng set out to investigate the attacks and prepare a new business deal involving Blood Return Powder. He gathered Azure Dragon Town’s Lotus Insect Grass and left a sample and letter at Shi Manor, then went to commission special arrows.

• Old Master Yan agreed to let the night’s grievances rest while Yan Mingchi joined Lu Feng’s search for He’er’s killer, and Lu Feng gave Yan Jingjing a cultivation manual.
• Lu Feng split the investigation among his companions and asked Jiang Ruoyun for money before preparing a Blood Return Powder prescription.
• Lu Feng bought all the Lotus Insect Grass available in Azure Dragon Town’s pharmacies.
• Lu Feng delivered a letter and the remaining Blood Return Powder to Shi Manor, expecting its master to seek him out.
• Lu Feng headed to a weapon shop to commission special arrows.

Lu Feng commissioned custom arrows and accompanied Jiang Ruoyun to a Jiang Manor gathering, where she negotiated a 100,000 Copper Soul Coin sale of a prescription to Old Man Shi. When Jiang Aotian demanded to know how she had obtained something so valuable, Jiang Ruoyun faced the threat of expulsion and referral to Prison Manor.

• Lu Feng commissioned a hundred arrows of each design and left his treasured jade pendant as collateral until the order was finished.
• Lu Feng found Jiang Ruoyun in the inner hall, where Jiang Batian and the gathered Jiang Manor relatives had left her without a seat.
• Old Man Shi sought the prescription, and Lu Feng guided Jiang Ruoyun as she set its price at 100,000 Copper Soul Coins; Old Man Shi agreed to the deal.
• Jiang Ruoyun refused to explain the private transaction to Jiang Batian and prepared to leave with Lu Feng.
• Jiang Aotian blocked their departure and threatened to expel Jiang Ruoyun and report her to Prison Manor unless she explained the money's origin.