Chapter Summaries

Zhang Ming used his new reputation as Temujin to explore the Azure Wolf Tribe and approached its shaman, hoping to learn Prairie Sorcery. The shaman listened to his passionate plea but ultimately rejected him, saying they had no fate together.

• Zhang Ming learned that Chaolumen had helped spread Temujin's name throughout the Azure Wolf Tribe.
• A tribesman assigned by the chief guided Zhang Ming around, but nervously claimed the tribe's foremost warrior was away when Zhang Ming asked to meet him.
• Zhang Ming asked to visit the shaman and entered the shaman's tent despite his guide's hesitation.
• Zhang Ming asked the shaman to teach him Prairie Sorcery and argued that he wanted to bring glory to the prairie.
• Zhang Ming knelt and kowtowed before the shaman, who told him that they had no fate together.

After the shaman refused to give him access to Prairie Sorcery, Zhang Ming poisoned and killed him, then took his books and a Vajra Bell. The Azure Wolf Tribe raised its highest alarm the next morning, and Bater announced the shaman's death.

• Zhang Ming decided to kill the shaman and secretly poisoned him with a sleep-inducing toxin.
• Zhang Ming entered the shaman's tent at night, killed the sleeping shaman and three Swift Eagles, and searched the tent for valuables.
• Zhang Ming took several books and a Vajra Bell, then began reading the books to learn Prairie Sorcery.
• The Azure Wolf Tribe sounded three alarm bells and gathered its key figures in the main camp.
• Bater announced that the shaman was dead.

After the shaman’s death, Zhang Ming talked Chief Bater out of arresting him and kept his plans in the Azure Wolf Tribe intact. He examined the shaman’s secret manuals and prepared to cultivate the Gathering Evil Art.

• Chaolumen told Zhang Ming that the shaman was dead, and Zhang Ming denied killing him.
• Chief Bater questioned Zhang Ming about visiting the shaman and demanded that he surrender for investigation.
• Zhang Ming threatened to fight the Azure Wolf Tribe leaders, but Bater backed down and claimed he had only been testing him.
• Zhang Ming suggested that someone opposed to the attack on Gaoyuan County Town had killed the shaman, and the leaders blamed people from the Central Plains.
• After the leaders left, Zhang Ming examined the Gathering Evil Art and Beast Taming Secret Method and recognized the former as an immortal cultivation method.
• Zhang Ming steadied himself and recalled the Gathering Evil Art’s instructions before beginning to cultivate.

Zhang Ming studied the Gathering Evil Art, quickly sensed and refined Killing Intent into Killing Intent Mana, and began cultivating in the Azure Wolf Tribe. Meanwhile, the tribe suppressed disorder after its shaman’s death and marched more than ten thousand warriors toward Gaoyuan County Town.

• Zhang Ming compared the Gathering Evil Art’s Condensing Evil and Controlling Evil realms with martial arts cultivation and set aside questions about its rank.
• Zhang Ming recited the method’s chant, sensed the Killing Intent around him, and refined a wisp into Killing Intent Mana on his first attempt.
• Zhang Ming realized that refining Killing Intent consumed Vital Energy, but his reserves let him cultivate far faster than an ordinary person.
• The Azure Wolf Tribe’s leaders blamed the shaman’s death on the Central Plains people and suppressed unrest to prepare for war.
• On the fifth day after Zhang Ming arrived, more than ten thousand Azure Wolf Tribe warriors set out to attack Gaoyuan County Town.

On the eve of the siege, Zhang Ming secured command of a hundred soldiers and reviewed his cultivation, growing strength, and prospects for gaining Luck by earning glory in battle. He looked ahead to the attack, eager but wary of the County Town's Azure Qi and the unfamiliar powers of Confucianism and the Daoist Sect.

• Zhang Ming volunteered for the first wave of the siege, and Bater approved him as a centurion with a hundred ordinary soldiers.
• Zhang Ming subdued the unit's ten squad leaders, won his soldiers' respect, and discussed the battle plans before returning to his tent.
• Zhang Ming checked his Attribute Panel and noted that his Body had declined while his Mind and Daily Luck had increased.
• Zhang Ming reasoned that the battlefield's dense Killing Intent could accelerate his Gathering Evil Art cultivation, though food and medicinal herbs still limited him.
• Zhang Ming considered that victory and recognition as the Vanguard might earn him enough Luck to enhance his cultivation method, then anticipated testing the County Town's Azure Qi in battle.

As the Azure Wolf Tribe attacked Gaoyuan County Town, County Magistrate Guo Si used the town’s dwindling azure qi to empower its defenders, while County Lieutenant Gao Ping took command of the defense. The chapter ended as the fortified soldiers prepared to face the nomads climbing the walls.

• The Azure Wolf Tribe sent more than a thousand warriors with scaling ladders to assault Gaoyuan County Town, which had fewer than three thousand poorly trained defenders.
• Guo Si urged Gao Ping to surrender or abandon the city, and Gao Ping chose to defend it despite his doubts and fears of disgrace.
• Guo Si revealed that the town had less than two feet of azure qi and used its official seal to empower the defending soldiers for less than three shichen.
• Gao Ping rallied the soldiers by promising rewards and advancement for killing enemies and holding back the attack.
• The empowered defenders watched as Azure Wolf Tribe warriors climbed the scaling ladders toward the walls.

The Azure Wolf Tribe’s shaman apprentices attacked Gaoyuan County Town’s Azure Qi, stirring residents’ negative emotions and weakening the city’s defenses. Magistrate Guo Si judged the tribe’s supernatural power while Zhang Ming prepared to begin his assault on the walls.

• Bater ordered the Azure Wolf Tribe’s shaman apprentices to attack Gaoyuan County Town with gray-black energy.
• The attack stirred residents’ bitterness, fear, resentment, and desires, causing the town’s Azure Qi and its soldiers’ enhancements to decline.
• County Lieutenant Gao Ping reassured the defending soldiers, while Guo Si assessed the attack and considered changing his plans if the tribe proved unimpressive.
• Zhang Ming recognized the shamans’ use of Killing Intent to weaken Azure Qi and waited near the wall for his moment to act.
• Zhang Ming called for Vanguard and prepared to fight on the city wall while concealing most of his true strength.

Zhang Ming led the Azure Wolf Tribe’s assault on Gaoyuan County Town, helping them defeat its defenders and capture the city. As the nomads looted and killed, he ordered his men to spare civilians and began thinking that Bater should die soon.

• Zhang Ming climbed a Cloud Ladder, reached the wall, and fought through the defenders with his shield and great saber as nomadic reinforcements joined him.
• Guo Si praised the Azure Wolf Tribe’s strength, while Bater identified Temujin as a dangerous threat and resolved that he could not be allowed to live.
• The nomads breached Gaoyuan County Town’s gates, and Bater stood before the county office as Guo Si waited for him.
• After nightfall, nomadic soldiers looted the captured city and attacked its people, while Zhang Ming ordered them not to kill anyone and personally intervened to save civilians.
• Zhang Ming watched the destruction and inwardly decided that he could no longer wait for Bater to die.

At a victory banquet, Guo Si urged Bater to stabilize Gaoyuan County Town and build a Central Plains legion, while Zhang Ming backed his proposal. Bater resisted the plan and confronted Zhang Ming after he asked when order would be restored.

• Bater praised Zhang Ming’s service in the campaign and distributed rewards, though Zhang Ming did not receive the largest share.
• Bater asked Guo Si for advice on the tribe’s next steps, and Guo Si recommended securing Gaoyuan County Town, gathering resources, and forming a Central Plains legion.
• Guo Si advised Bater to restrain his soldiers and end the disorder and plundering in the county town.
• Zhang Ming supported Guo Si’s proposal, comparing the town’s people to young livestock that needed protection for the tribe’s future.
• Bater challenged Zhang Ming’s comparison, and Zhang Ming bluntly asked when he would restore order, prompting Bater to slam the table and accuse him of questioning his authority.

Zhang Ming killed Bater and Barut, then demanded the chieftainship of the Azure Wolf Tribe. With no one willing to challenge him and the shamans refusing to interfere, he was accepted as the new chieftain.

• Zhang Ming killed Bater with a thrust through the chest and killed Barut with a single slap.
• Zhang Ming dismissed the Second Chieftain's objections and challenged anyone who doubted his right to rule.
• Zhang Ming leaped from the platform, shattering the hall's stone floor and frightening the gathered leaders into silence.
• The shamans declined to interfere in the tribe's affairs, and Zhang Ming promised to recognize them officially.
• Batumen, the Second Chieftain and Chaolumen's father, was the first to acknowledge Zhang Ming as chieftain.

After becoming leader of the Azure Wolf Tribe, Zhang Ming secured the support of Batumen and Chaolumen, then revealed his shaman abilities to the six Shaman Apprentices and accepted them as students. He began guiding their cultivation as he organized the tribe and Gaoyuan County for future development.

• Batumen pledged to obey Zhang Ming, who issued orders to stabilize Gaoyuan County Town, discipline and station the army, open farmland, and establish weapon workshops.
• Zhang Ming learned that Batumen had taught Chaolumen legends of the Divine Son since childhood and urged Chaolumen to work toward the tribe’s prosperity.
• Zhang Ming told the six Shaman Apprentices that he was also a shaman and demonstrated his refined control of Killing Intent Mana.
• The six Shaman Apprentices recognized Zhang Ming’s mastery and accepted him as their teacher.
• Zhang Ming gave the six apprentices cultivation advice, strengthening their resolve to support him.

After the Azure Wolf Tribe’s siege of Gaoyuan County Town brought him a huge amount of Luck, Zhang Ming used it to advance the Gathering Evil Art to the second-layer Controlling Evil Realm. He reflected on his temporary control of the tribe and the Luck that recognition by its people and the town might bring, then noticed the possibility of a further upgrade.

• Zhang Ming checked his Attribute Panel and saw that the Gathering Evil Art had raised his Mind to 12.1.
• Zhang Ming realized that leading the assault on Gaoyuan County Town and becoming widely known had brought him a vast amount of Luck.
• Zhang Ming spent his Luck to advance the Gathering Evil Art to the second-layer Controlling Evil Realm, gaining control over his Killing Intent without increasing his Mana.
• Zhang Ming recalled how his knowledge of the art’s hidden pitfalls, along with Chaolumen’s help, had let him win over the shamans and temporarily take control of the Azure Wolf Tribe.
• Zhang Ming assessed the Daily Luck from his identities as village chief, chieftain, and shaman, and estimated that broader recognition could raise it further.
• Zhang Ming noticed another possible upgrade after the second layer and guessed that advancing it would require hundreds of thousands or even a million Luck.

Zhang Ming questioned Guo Si about surrendering Gaoyuan County Town and learned that resentment over his stalled career had driven him to seek revenge against Great Yu and its noble clans. Trusting Guo Si’s ambitions and judgment, Zhang Ming accepted his plans and sent him to negotiate with the Yan Yun Governor.

• Zhang Ming welcomed Guo Si and asked why he had surrendered before Gaoyuan County Town’s walls were breached.
• Guo Si confessed that frustration over being trapped in a low post despite his achievements had turned him against Great Yu and its powerful clans.
• Zhang Ming promised that he would work to overthrow Great Yu, and Guo Si agreed to help plan for the Azure Wolf Tribe.
• Guo Si advised Zhang Ming to stabilize Gaoyuan County Town, improve the army’s equipment, and prepare for drought.
• Guo Si said Yan Yun Governor Wang Wenshan would ignore the raid if they sent him gold and silver and avoided taking major cities.
• Zhang Ming trusted Guo Si to carry out the negotiation, and Guo Si accepted the assignment to leave the next day.

After Wang Wenshan refused to send troops to Gaoyuan, Guo Si forged a letter from Temujin offering him exclusive trade in exchange for recognizing the tribes’ occupation of county towns. Wang Wenshan considered the profitable trade proposal, while Guo Si wondered whether his deception would benefit Zhang Ming and whether the chieftain planned to cultivate Confucianism.

• The Red Tiger, Flying Eagle, and Snow Leopard Tribes learned that the Azure Wolf Tribe had captured Gaoyuan and ordered plans to seize border county towns.
• Wang Wenshan refused Guo Si’s repeated requests for troops, insisting that the Prefecture Army had to protect Yan Yun Prefecture City.
• Wang Wenshan received a letter supposedly from Temujin promising exclusive trade with the Wang Family if he accepted the tribes’ occupation of three county towns.
• Wang Wenshan dismissed the letter’s promises but considered the immense profits of trading in livestock and warhorses.
• Guo Si revealed in his thoughts that he had forged the letter and wondered whether Zhang Ming would approve, while recalling Zhang Ming’s request for more books.

Guo Si returned to Gaoyuan County Town and saw how Temujin had restored order, taken control of the county yamen, and begun distributing land to residents. At the military camp, Zhang Ming remained wary that the precedent he had set by seizing power could one day be used against him.

• Guo Si returned from the prefectural city and found Gaoyuan County Town peaceful, with the Azure Wolf Tribe's soldiers gone from the streets.
• Guo Si learned that the City Management Department handled garbage and that the Azure Wolf Tribe had put beggars, gang members, and street thugs to work repairing irrigation and reclaiming farmland.
• Guo Si saw the county yamen distributing landlords' land to residents and promising a forty-percent land rent without miscellaneous taxes.
• Guo Si went to the county yamen, learned Temujin was at the military camp outside the city, and rode there.
• Zhang Ming considered how his seizure of the chief's position could inspire future challengers and resolved to remain wary of Chaolumen, Batumen, the six Shaman Apprentices, and Guo Si.

Zhang Ming survived a banquet assassination plot, killed the conspirators, and cowed the Azure Wolf Tribe into submission. His Daily Luck blessing rose to 900, and Guo Si returned with renewed respect for him.

• The Third Chieftain tried to kill Zhang Ming during a sword dance, but Zhang Ming stopped the blade, seized him, and snapped his neck.
• More than a dozen attackers charged into the tent, and Zhang Ming quickly defeated them with overwhelming force.
• Zhang Ming ordered Batumen to gather the soldiers, then publicly executed the traitors and their implicated relatives.
• The executions increased Zhang Ming's Daily Luck blessing to 900, and he decided to demonstrate his strength through a tribal fighting tournament.
• Guo Si returned to camp and expressed sincere admiration for Zhang Ming, who recognized him as a useful subordinate.

Zhang Ming delegated urgent work in the Azure Wolf Tribe and Gaoyuan County to Guo Si while focusing on cultivation and preparing a fighting tournament. He returned to Liu Family Village to support its people and establish a school, then left for Shansui County.

• Guo Si reported that Wang Wenshan had likely agreed to cooperate, and Zhang Ming praised him before assigning him responsibility for rebuilding and developing the region.
• Zhang Ming resolved to cultivate his Mana and improve his physical fitness while Guo Si temporarily managed affairs in the Azure Wolf Tribe and Gaoyuan County Town.
• The tribe announced a Fighting Tournament with rewards for the top competitors, and the finals were scheduled for a month later.
• Zhang Ming returned to Liu Family Village, settled its accumulated problems, gave the villagers supplies, and told them they could seek him at the county yamen.
• Zhang Ming gave Second Aunt books to study so she could help establish a village school, then left for Shansui County.

Zhang Ming absorbed the battlefield’s Killing Intent while the Red Tiger Tribe captured Shansui County, then cultivated until his Killing Intent Mana reached sixteen hundred strands. He planned to seek more by absorbing the Killing Intent from battles involving the Snow Leopard and Flying Eagle Tribes.

• As the Red Tiger Tribe attacked Shansui County, Zhang Ming secretly absorbed the battlefield’s Killing Intent from within the city.
• The Red Tiger Tribe’s shamans noticed the huge vortex of Killing Intent, but the Great Shaman told them not to disturb the powerful cultivator.
• After hours of fighting, the Red Tiger Tribe defeated Shansui County and stood before the magistrate’s office.
• Zhang Ming absorbed the remaining battlefield Killing Intent and restored his Vital Energy, reaching sixteen hundred strands of Killing Intent Mana.
• Zhang Ming decided to seek more Killing Intent from battles involving the Snow Leopard and Flying Eagle Tribes.

One month later, the fighting tournament finals in Gaoyuan County Town crowned their winners, and Zhang Ming’s appearance persuaded all ten finalists to join his Guard Team. After leaving the arena, Zhang Ming reflected that changing his original plan had produced an even better result.

• Guo Si opened the finals, where ten contestants competed in five bouts and the champion, runner-up, and third-place winner received awards.
• Zhang Ming stood before the crowd and announced that the top one hundred contestants could choose whether to join his Guard Team.
• After Zhang Ming left, all ten finalists said they wanted to join his Guard Team, while Guo Si worried that Zhang Ming’s growing strength and faction might bring danger.
• Zhang Ming returned to a quiet room in the county yamen and decided that his revised plan had worked better than his original idea to defeat all ten finalists himself.

After absorbing battlefield Killing Intent, Zhang Ming raised his mana to 6,600 strands and learned how powerfully it could weaken County Town's Azure Qi and strengthen soldiers. He ordered the army to march on Shansui County and target the Red Tiger Tribe.

• Zhang Ming explained that hiding his strength would keep his followers from fearing that their leader might die in battle.
• Zhang Ming revealed that he had absorbed Killing Intent from the Red Tiger, Snow Leopard, and Flying Eagle battlefields, reaching 6,600 strands of mana.
• Zhang Ming determined that his mana could negate County Town's Azure Qi below five zhang and significantly weaken it at ten zhang.
• Zhang Ming tested the Gathering Evil Art's Berserk Technique and developed a version that more than doubled soldiers' strength without driving them completely mad.
• Zhang Ming estimated that he could enhance three thousand soldiers and ordered the army to march on Shansui County against the Red Tiger Tribe.