Chapter Summaries

Before the armies clashed, Wang Wenshan warned the allied governors that the New Dynasty possessed a Three Realm Cultivator, dispelling their confidence. Across the field, Zhang Ming judged the six-province army too weak to challenge the New Dynasty’s National Fortune and expected his War Cavalry to make their name in battle.

• The Governor of Bing Province and the other commanders mocked the New Dynasty for choosing to fight in the open, while Wang Wenshan urged them not to underestimate Temujin.
• Wang Wenshan revealed that a Three Realm Cultivator served the New Dynasty and said he had experienced the cultivator’s power firsthand.
• The governors became wary, and Wang Wenshan privately imagined their defeat before ordering everyone to prepare for battle.
• Zhang Ming surveyed the allied army and concluded that its Confucian cultivators and Azure Qi could not overcome the New Dynasty’s National Fortune.
• Zhang Ming looked over his thousand War Cavalry and anticipated that they would trample the enemy and become famous after the battle.

The New Dynasty and the six-province coalition began a fierce battle, with Zhang Ming’s forces gaining an edge through superior weapons and supernatural enhancements. Zhang Ming then sent a thousand enormous War Cavalry charging into the coalition’s formation, leaving its front lines in chaos.

• Both armies’ commanders rallied their troops, and the six-province coalition and New Dynasty began the battle with supernatural enhancements.
• The armies exchanged arrow volleys and cavalry and infantry attacks, but the fighting remained deadlocked.
• Governor Han observed that the New Dynasty had superior weapons, armor, and battlefield blessings, though the coalition had more reserve troops.
• Zhang Ming’s War Cavalry emerged from a blackish-red mist and charged into the coalition’s center.
• The giant cavalry crushed and scattered the coalition’s soldiers, carving bloody furrows through its front lines.

Zhang Ming captured the allied army’s Confucianism cultivators and leaders, helping the New Dynasty defeat its four-hundred-thousand-strong force and take all of Yan Yun. After deciding to postpone further conquests, Zhang Ming said he would personally handle the captured governors and cultivators.

• As the Giant War Cavalry threw the allied army into chaos, Zhang Ming slipped through its ranks and captured Confucianism cultivators and other important figures.
• The governors of the six states joined their Righteous Qi, Official Qi, and army’s qi to trap Zhang Ming, but he shattered their attack and continued taking captives.
• Zhang Ming knocked Wang Wenshan unconscious, and the allied army’s defeat was secured as its Confucianism cultivators and governors were captured.
• After the victory, Zhang Ming sent troops to occupy Yan Yun’s ten remaining counties and personally led the capture of the Provincial Government.
• Zhang Ming abandoned his plan to conquer two states for now and told a general he would personally deal with the captured governors and Confucianism cultivators.

In the Provincial Government prison, Wang Wenshan argued that the New Dynasty’s victory meant the six northern provinces could no longer resist and urged the captives to consider surrender. Zhang Ming arrived and asked Wang directly if he would submit; Wang knelt and accepted, while the other prisoners remained silent.

• Wang Wenshan ate roast chicken and mocked the Governor of Bing Province and the other captives for their talk of Heaven’s Mandate and righteousness.
• Wang Wenshan explained that the New Dynasty’s victory over the much larger coalition showed it could conquer the six northern provinces, and said he would surrender to earn merit.
• Zhang Ming appeared in the prison and addressed Wang Wenshan as an old friend.
• Zhang Ming asked Wang Wenshan to surrender, and Wang knelt and declared his allegiance to the New Dynasty.
• Zhang Ming entered the cell and faced the hundred captives, who lowered their eyes under his imposing presence.

Wang Wenshan surrendered to Zhang Ming and broke through to the third realm after recognizing his true nature. Zhang Ming then asked the imprisoned leaders to surrender, and Wu Tian stepped forward before denouncing the family that had mistreated him.

• Wang Wenshan surrendered to Zhang Ming, regained the flow of his Righteous Qi, and broke through to the third realm.
• Zhang Ming told Wang Wenshan he was free to leave, and Wang Wenshan left promising to show what he would do.
• Zhang Ming asked the prisoners who wished to surrender, but the crowd stayed silent until Wu Tian timidly stepped forward.
• The other prisoners insulted Wu Tian for surrendering, and he condemned his family for the neglect and contempt he and his mother had endured.

Zhang Ming used his new Soul Control and Fate Severing Curse to subdue the captured cultivators, intending to use them to govern the six northern provinces in secret. He then offered six surrendering cultivators superior curse sigils that would put them in charge of controlling the others.

• Wu Tian denounced the Wu Family for abusing him and killing his father, then joined Zhang Ming, followed by five other cultivators.
• Zhang Ming revealed curse sigils that made their targets endure soul-deep agony and forced them to obey.
• Zhang Ming cursed the remaining cultivators in the prison, leaving them kneeling and pleading before him.
• Zhang Ming explained that the curse made its victims his lifelong slaves and that he planned to use them to govern the six northern provinces.
• Zhang Ming gave the six who had surrendered superior curse sigils and ordered them to supervise and control the other captives.

After the New Dynasty’s victory sparked an arms race among Great Yu’s factions, the Heavenly Mystery Lineage reassessed the dynasty and prepared to advance its plans. In Gaoyuan City, Zhang Ming learned that the lineage was divided between factions that plundered or sustained the realm, leaving him suspicious of its motives and of Confucianism.

• Great Yu’s factions began forming elite legions after the Giant War Cavalry’s victory made its reputation spread across the realm.
• Elders of the Heavenly Mystery Lineage revoked the New Dynasty’s Lower B assessment, provisionally raised it to Lower A, and ordered a reassessment.
• The elders decided to send young members of the Yang Sect down the mountain to support Hidden Dragons and speed the realm’s reunification.
• Old Daoist Sun told Zhang Ming that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage was divided into the Plunder Faction and the Sustain Faction, with the stronger Plunder Faction leading its conflicts.
• Zhang Ming connected Great Yu’s decline to the Plunder Faction’s influence and questioned whether Confucianism might also exploit the realm as a parasite.

Zhang Ming learned that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage’s Sustain Faction could use supernatural methods to support state affairs, but he remained wary of their intentions. He arranged to visit the Talisman Cultivator Lineage’s Ancestral Land under the alias Li Qing and left Gaoyuan City in Guo Si and Wang Wenshan’s care.

• Old Daoist Sun explained that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage’s Sustain Faction would likely come to Gao Yuan and offer supernatural aid in areas such as agriculture, military affairs, and trade.
• Zhang Ming considered how the Heavenly Mystery Lineage might judge factions and decided not to rely on them until he understood their intentions.
• Old Daoist Sun warned Zhang Ming to keep his cultivation secret, and Zhang Ming agreed to visit the Talisman Cultivator Lineage’s Ancestral Land as Li Qing, a First Realm genius.
• Zhang Ming ordered Guo Si and Wang Wenshan to protect Gaoyuan City while he was away and told them to say he had gone north to the grasslands if Daoist Sect cultivators came looking for him.

Before traveling to the Talisman Cultivator lineage’s ancestral land, Zhang Ming spent national fortune to deduce and improve a trump card for emergencies. He arrived disguised as Li Qing with Old Daoist Sun and met Niu Mang, an old friend of his master, at the talisman city.

• Zhang Ming used national fortune points to accelerate his thoughts and began deducing a powerful trump card for his journey into the Central Plains.
• Zhang Ming and Old Daoist Sun traveled through the war-torn Central Plains and reached the ancestral land of the Talisman Cultivator lineage.
• Zhang Ming recognized that the city was covered in talisman arrays and that its central tower served as the hub of a city-sized talisman artifact.
• Niu Mang greeted Old Daoist Sun warmly, and the two old friends exchanged jokes before Old Daoist Sun introduced Zhang Ming as his disciple, Li Qing.
• Zhang Ming maintained his cover as a genius Talisman Cultivator and Third Realm shaman, hoping to gain recognition and access to the lineage’s upper ranks.

Zhang Ming entered Talisman City with Old Daoist Sun and Niu Mang, then went to the Talisman Tower’s top floor to meet the lineage’s elders. There, he recognized that the three illusory Daoists had used talismans to empower their bodies, leaving him eager to understand the technique.

• Niu Mang tried to grab Zhang Ming but discovered that Zhang Ming’s strength surpassed his own, and Old Daoist Sun explained that Zhang Ming had come to seek him as a master with cultivation already in hand.
• Zhang Ming, Old Daoist Sun, and Niu Mang entered Talisman City, where Old Daoist Sun explained that most residents were ordinary workers supporting the Talisman Cultivators.
• The three entered the Talisman Tower, and Zhang Ming marveled at its talisman-covered structure and the knowledge and power within.
• Following the Patriarch’s instructions, the three took a special talismanic elevator to the top floor, where three illusory elderly Daoists opened their eyes and released immense pressure.
• Zhang Ming used Mana to shield Old Daoist Sun and Niu Mang from the pressure, then recognized that the three Daoists had used talismans to draw power throughout their bodies.

The three Talisman Cultivator Ancestors tested Zhang Ming, then questioned his identity after sensing his extraordinary Mana and Vital Energy. Zhang Ming asked to learn about the Heavenly Mystery Lineage and study the talisman path, and he revealed that he had independently transformed four Talisman Treasures, astonishing the Ancestors.

• The three Ancestors praised Zhang Ming after explaining that they had tested his strength, character, vision, and thirst for knowledge.
• The three Ancestors confronted Zhang Ming about his unusual Mana and Vital Energy, but he argued that entering Talisman City and the core Talisman Tower proved his sincerity.
• Zhang Ming told the Ancestors that he had come to learn about the Heavenly Mystery Lineage and study the Talisman Cultivator path.
• Zhang Ming displayed his Spirit Fire, Heating, Energy Gathering, and Soul Breaking Talisman Treasures and activated them to reveal a strange white flame.
• The three Ancestors realized Zhang Ming had independently modified and evolved the four Talisman Treasures into unique talismans unlike those recorded in Talisman City.

Zhang Ming explained how he had improved four talismans and was accepted by the three patriarchs as a True Disciple of the Talisman Cultivator Lineage. After receiving their gifts, he prepared to learn how the Heavenly Mystery Lineage harvested living beings and gathered resources.

• Zhang Ming explained his talisman improvements to the three patriarchs, and their questions helped him see how he could further strengthen the Spirit Fire Talisman.
• The three patriarchs accepted Zhang Ming as a True Disciple and became his First Teacher, Second Teacher, and Third Teacher.
• First Teacher gave Zhang Ming the [Compendium of Talismans], Second Teacher gave him the [Talisman Engraving Technique], and Third Teacher gave him one hundred jin of [Outer-Heaven Talisman Gold].
• Zhang Ming realized that the engraving technique and talisman gold could let him create traditional talismans, and wondered whether Talisman City's core was made from that gold.
• First Teacher began explaining how the Heavenly Mystery Lineage harvested living beings and obtained resources.

Three Yang Sect cultivators judged the New Dynasty doomed and left Gao Yuan, while scholars at Qiushui Academy debated whether to support it. The academy head was left awaiting the group’s decision about aiding the New Dynasty.

• Three Yang Sect cultivators criticized the New Dynasty’s strict laws and interpreted its national fortune as a sign of hidden opposition.
• The three decided to abandon their mission to assist the Hidden Dragon and return to their sect.
• At Qiushui Academy, scholars discussed the Yang Sect’s departure and condemned its ties to the Yin Sect.
• The academy head asked whether Confucianism should help the New Dynasty seize the dragon, and the scholars disagreed over the risks and rewards.
• The scholars fell silent and looked to the dignified old man at the head of the pavilion for a decision.

A dignified old man and other elders wagered on whether the New Dynasty could succeed despite its hostility toward aristocratic families. In Gao Yuan, Confucian Academy disciples inspected the dynasty, argued over its rules, and reluctantly agreed to serve it, while Feng Weiqi showed interest in its examination system.

• A dignified old man declared that he was willing to wager on the New Dynasty, and the other elders followed his lead.
• Xiang Zhengqi told the Confucian Academy disciples that Gao Yuan prospered but criticized the New Dynasty’s reliance on grassland armies and harsh treatment of aristocratic families.
• Feng Weiqi defended the New Dynasty’s equal treatment of ordinary people and distributed books about its examination system.
• The disciples condemned the required examination and the book The Way of Investigating Things for neglecting the words of sages.
• Xiang Zhengqi told the disciples they could stay or return, and they chose to endure their service rather than go home empty-handed.

First Teacher revealed that Confucianism had split from the Yang Sect of the Heavenly Mystery Lineage, and Second Teacher began explaining how the Yin Sect harvested living beings. Three months later, Confucian cultivators failed the New Dynasty examination in Gaoyuan City, and Xiang Zhengqi's anger threatened the people around him.

• First Teacher explained that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage divided into Yin and Yang sects, and that Confucianism had emerged from the Yang Sect.
• Zhang Ming asked how the Yin Sect harvested living beings, and Second Teacher began sharing the teachers' rough conjecture.
• Three months later, Xiang Zhengqi and other Confucian cultivators waited for the New Dynasty examination results in Gaoyuan City.
• Xiang Zhengqi dismissed Feng Weiqi's concerns about the examination questions and claimed the cow dispute could be settled by buying Wang Wu another cow.
• The examination results showed that Xiang Zhengqi and the other Confucian cultivators had failed, and Xiang Zhengqi's anger spread pressure that hurt people nearby.

Xiang Zhengqi and the other unlisted Confucian cultivators were driven away from the government office, while Feng Weiqi passed the assessment and entered three months of training before he could receive a deputy post. Resentful over the New Dynasty’s strict process, Xiang Zhengqi and the others secretly gathered to plan their response.

• The government office steward used the New Dynasty’s national fortune to suppress Xiang Zhengqi and ordered the unlisted Confucian cultivators to leave.
• The steward led the successful candidates, including Feng Weiqi, to the Government Affairs School and announced three months of study followed by further evaluation and deputy assignments.
• Feng Weiqi returned to the inn and told Xiang Zhengqi and the others that passing the assessment only qualified him for training, leaving them resentful.
• The next day, Xiang Zhengqi met secretly with the other Confucian cultivators and said he had devised a plan against the New Dynasty.

After mastering Talisman City's 642 basic talismans in three months, Zhang Ming left despite his teachers' warnings that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage might target him. Outside the city, he ambushed a group of Heavenly Mystery Lineage cultivators who had been waiting to kill him, leaving their fate uncertain after his devastating arrival.

• Zhang Ming told the three ancestors he had learned enough in Talisman City and needed to return, and they reluctantly allowed him to leave.
• Third Teacher warned Zhang Ming that the Heavenly Mystery Lineage might know his identity and urged him to stay cautious outside the city.
• A group of Heavenly Mystery Lineage cultivators waited near Talisman City to kill Zhang Ming, following the Lineage Master's deduction that his rise had strengthened the Talisman Cultivator Lineage.
• When Zhang Ming emerged, the old man sensed him approach at impossible speed and warned the group to be careful.
• Zhang Ming descended in a giant form and struck the ground with enough force to devastate the surrounding landscape, overwhelming the waiting cultivators.

Zhang Ming used his Heaven and Earth Manifestation to destroy a Heavenly Mystery Lineage squad, then captured their souls to learn more about the lineage. He fled to an unnamed island, intent on uncovering information about the enemy he believed threatened civilization.

• Zhang Ming dispelled his hundred-meter form after crushing the Heavenly Mystery Lineage squad and captured their souls with Soul Capture.
• The three Talisman City Ancestors arrived at the battlefield, recognized the dead as members of the Heavenly Mystery Lineage, and considered whether Li Qing had killed them.
• The First Ancestor defended Talisman City's decision to trust Zhang Ming with its foundational inheritance and said he could become the lineage's new ancestor if he surpassed them.
• Zhang Ming avoided returning to Gao Yuan because he feared the Heavenly Mystery Lineage could track him, and traveled to an unnamed island in the eastern sea of Great Yu.
• Zhang Ming prepared to examine the captured souls and vowed to destroy the Heavenly Mystery Lineage, which he regarded as a great enemy.

After returning to Gao Yuan, Zhang Ming learned that Confucian cultivators had entered the New Dynasty’s official examinations and were secretly plotting. He gave Wang Wenshan newly acquired talisman books to study and teach, leaving him puzzled by their unusual titles.

• Zhang Ming returned to Gao Yuan and felt the New Dynasty’s national fortune strengthen his confidence in the city as a stronghold.
• Guo Si and Wang Wenshan reported that the New Dynasty had remained peaceful, but Confucian cultivators had taken part in the examinations.
• Guo Si revealed that only one of sixteen Confucian cultivators had passed, and Zhang Ming sensed the others secretly plotting at an inn.
• Zhang Ming gave Wang Wenshan books on agricultural, construction, industrial, and medical support talismans and ordered him to teach their methods to New Dynasty cultivators.

Zhang Ming ordered the Ministry of Works to expand its factories and train more craftsmen so the New Dynasty could produce stronger talisman tools and weapons. He later sought Feng Weiqi’s views on Gao Yuan, and Feng Weiqi began sharing suggestions for improving the New Dynasty’s systems.

• Zhang Ming told Wang Wenshan he would teach him auxiliary talismans and ordered Guo Si to expand the Ministry of Works, prioritize industry, and train more craftsmen.
• Zhang Ming explained that skilled cultivators and better materials would allow the New Dynasty to make durable talisman tools and weapons and strengthen national fortune.
• At Government Affairs School, Feng Weiqi reflected on whether Confucian teachings and aristocratic distinctions could remain unchanged as the times shifted.
• Zhang Ming approached Feng Weiqi in a pavilion and asked about his experience in Gao Yuan and what he thought the New Dynasty should improve.
• Feng Weiqi praised the New Dynasty’s laws and support for agriculture, commerce, and industry, then raised concerns about the lack of a system for supervising officials.