Chapter Summaries

After Yang Sen's death was officially blamed on Liu Tang, Xu Qing was promoted to Hundred Household, but a powerful palace woman secretly approached him with an undisclosed task. She left after he deduced her noble origins, and Xu Qing considered whether her influence could help him rise further in the Brocade-Clad Guard.

• The Brocade-Clad Guard accepted the account of Yang Sen's death, officially credited Liu Tang with colluding with bandits, and promoted Xu Qing to Hundred Household.
• Xu Qing celebrated his promotion at the Imperial Brothel, where colleagues learned that he had reached the second rank of martial strength.
• A wounded woman fell onto Xu Qing near his home, then recovered and threatened him before ordering him to meet her secretly the next day.
• Xu Qing deduced that the woman came from the palace and was likely a prince's or duke's daughter, and she confirmed his guess before disappearing.
• Xu Qing found no sign that the Northern Garrison Office knew of the encounter, failed to gain access to the secret archive's sixth floor, and considered using the woman's power to advance his career.

Xu Qing cultivated a basic spiritual-energy method and traveled alone to Wang Family Gully after receiving a secret mission to retrieve a spirit cat. He found a calico cat near the Mountain God Temple, where it sensed something unusual nearby.

• Xu Qing met Lin Yu in the Brocade-Clad Guard Secret Vault and learned that he was the favored top scholar who studied its collections.
• A mysterious female cultivator ordered Xu Qing to find and raise a spirit cat at the Mountain God Temple near Wang Family Gully, then vanished without explaining what was special about it.
• Xu Qing practiced Huang Shen's basic cultivation formula for five days and reached the second level of Qi Refinement.
• Li Ya gave Xu Qing a sealed mission letter naming the Mountain God Temple, and Xu Qing left the capital alone in plain clothes.
• Xu Qing reached the temple, found no cat inside, and searched nearby with his heightened senses.
• Xu Qing spotted a calico cat catching a fish by a stream, but the cat froze and scanned its surroundings as if it had sensed something nearby.

By a stream, Xu Qing met Second Striped Nianniang, a talking Spirit Cat, and tried to persuade her to come with him rather than be captured by the Imperial Court. She tried to buy her freedom with a spirit stone, but Xu Qing refused, leaving her resigned and afraid.

• Xu Qing introduced himself to Second Striped Nianniang and said he had come to take her with him.
• Second Striped Nianniang rejected Xu Qing’s offers of food and city life, but grew worried when he warned that the Imperial Court would capture her.
• Second Striped Nianniang pretended to agree, then ran into the forest before returning with a spirit stone and offering it in exchange for her freedom.
• Xu Qing returned the stone and told Second Striped Nianniang that someone else would capture her if he let her go, and she lay down in despair.

Xu Qing brought Flower Cat to the capital, where it quickly settled into life alongside him. After Lin Yu returned to ask Xu Qing what the people and ruler were, Xu Qing’s answer earned him a secret manual, which he dismissed as useless to him.

• Xu Qing left Wang Family Gully with Flower Cat and rode toward the capital, while the villagers watched them go.
• Xu Qing told Lin Yu that filial care should not wait for fame and success, prompting Lin Yu to reflect on his parents and stay away from the Secret Vault for half a month.
• Flower Cat explored the capital and sometimes accompanied Xu Qing on duty, while Xu Qing continued practicing martial arts.
• Lin Yu visited Xu Qing and asked what the people and ruler were, offering a valuable item for an insightful answer.
• Xu Qing quoted the sayings that the people mattered most and could carry or overturn a ruler, and Lin Yu gave him the Taiyin Origin Stream manual before leaving.
• Xu Qing set the manual aside and went to check Flower Cat for fleas.

Xu Qing discovered that Second Striped Nianniang accelerated his cultivation and took her to investigate a spirit mine in the mountains. After overhearing two Golden Core cultivators mention Immortal Jade and a mission reward, he realized the mine could help him earn 30,000 Contribution Points.

• Xu Qing tested his cultivation with Second Striped Nianniang nearby and found that his cultivation speed doubled while she was present.
• At the Northern Garrison Office, Li Ya ordered Centurions to interrogate Young Master Liu, but Xu Qing avoided the assignment by claiming he was still occupied with an earlier task.
• Xu Qing took Second Striped Nianniang back to the mountains and followed her to a narrow cave she had found by sensing spirit stones.
• Second Striped Nianniang detected a human scent near the cave, and Xu Qing hid with her as two gray-robed Golden Core cultivators appeared.
• Xu Qing overheard the cultivators say they sought Top Grade Spirit Stones and that their elders were after Immortal Jade, which matched a mission offering 30,000 Contribution Points.

Xu Qing and Second Striped Nianniang secretly followed two cultivators into a remote cave, where Xu Qing found evidence of past battles and a dangerous presence. After discovering cracked, talisman-sealed Porcelain Jars and slime leading deeper inside, Xu Qing stopped a strange infant-like creature with a sudden strike.

• Xu Qing and Second Striped Nianniang followed two cultivators up a cliff and into a cave filled with dense spiritual energy.
• Xu Qing explored the excavated tunnel, found spirit stones in the walls, and reached a chamber where the cultivators had left behind footprints and a carved insect pattern.
• Xu Qing examined a battle-damaged skeleton while Second Striped Nianniang sensed danger, so Xu Qing tucked the kitten inside his collar and continued onward.
• Xu Qing found rows of Porcelain Jars with cracked talismans and slime trails leading deeper into the cave.
• When an infant-like cry rang out, Xu Qing abruptly raised his hand and stopped it.

Xu Qing and Second Striped entered a spirit ore mine filled with black worms and discovered that the worms had killed two cultivators and many ancient people. After driving the swarm away, Xu Qing reached an altar with a pale arm and two silver worms that called for help, then continued into another cave.

• Xu Qing caught a black worm that had tried to ambush him, and Second Striped recognized that she had only explored the mine’s entrance.
• Xu Qing found ancient skeletons and realized that the black worms had likely killed them.
• A swarm of adult worms rushed toward Xu Qing, and he destroyed many with a punch before the rest fled deeper into the cave.
• Xu Qing found the two dead cultivators’ heads among the worms and hurried deeper into the mine.
• Xu Qing reached a black altar bearing a pale arm, two silver worms, and two golden spheres carrying the cultivators’ aura; the worms called for help as he continued into another cave.

Xu Qing and Second Striped Nianniang discovered the entrance to Immortal Yuan Yi’s tomb and entered its passage, lined with sealed jars. Meanwhile, three sect elders arrived to investigate the ancient burial ground and found signs that several unknown figures had entered ahead of them.

• Second Striped Nianniang read the stele’s inscription as “Yuan Yi. Immortal’s yin residence estate. Main residence,” and Xu Qing identified it as a tomb entrance.
• Xu Qing entered the dark tomb passage with Second Striped Nianniang and warned her not to touch the jars lining the walls.
• Fairy Cold Mountain, Zheng Qingshan, and Li Ziyang arrived at the mountain and entered the cave to investigate the burial ground.
• The three elders examined a Soul Devouring Insect mural and a collapsed skeleton, then Fairy Cold Mountain sent a talisman to contact her sect’s disciples but received no reply.
• Zheng Qingshan and Li Ziyang found footprints belonging to more than the two expected disciples, including tracks made by a barefoot figure walking along the ceiling.
• Fairy Cold Mountain and the other elders readied their defenses and continued deeper into the cave.

Xu Qing discovered that a mural in the Immortal Burial Ground could release objects into the real world and took a box containing powerful spirit stones and a silver bracelet. When he reached for the Golden Essence Record, the mural’s red bird burst out and attacked him.

• Xu Qing recognized the lines on the floor of an empty chamber as a map of the Great Xia World, marked with three mountain ranges and a location labeled “Immortal.”
• Xu Qing and Second Striped Nianniang passed through burial chambers filled with decayed funerary objects and reached a black coffin in the main chamber.
• Second Striped Nianniang pulled a red carp from a vivid mural, and Xu Qing retrieved the wooden box depicted inside its palace.
• Xu Qing found high-quality spirit stones and a powerful silver bracelet in the box, then reached toward the mural’s Golden Essence Record.
• A bright red bird flew out of the mural as a fiery projectile and shot toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing and Second Striped defeated a red bird with a silver bracelet, while Zheng Qingshan, Li Ziyang, and Cold Mountain Fairy tried to take two rare insects from an Ancient Immortal Altar. Their attempt cost Zheng Qingshan an arm and triggered a swarm of Soul Devouring Insects that rushed toward them.

• Xu Qing used the silver bracelet to knock the red bird down, and Second Striped caught and killed it.
• Zheng Qingshan, Li Ziyang, and Cold Mountain Fairy found an Ancient Immortal Altar holding a mysterious arm and two silver Soul Devouring Insects.
• Li Ziyang opened a spatial ring so Zheng Qingshan could seize the insects, but the altar's arm grabbed him and he sacrificed his right arm to escape.
• The mysterious arm vanished, while Zheng Qingshan's severed arm withered and the two insects died.
• Silver Soul Devouring Insects on four other altars began shrieking, and porcelain jars throughout Spirit Ore Mountain shattered as countless insects surged toward the group.

Zheng Qingshan was possessed by the sealed Chaotic Immortal Li Han, who attacked Cold Mountain Fairy and Li Ziyang in the cave. After Zheng Qingshan briefly regained control and let Cold Mountain Fairy escape, Li Han destroyed the altar and continued deeper into the tomb, while Xu Qing read Immortal Yuan Yi’s records and learned about the treasures and sites in the Immortal Burial Ground.

• Zheng Qingshan revealed himself as Chaotic Immortal Li Han after taking over Zheng Qingshan’s body, and he crushed Cold Mountain Fairy’s heart.
• Cold Mountain Fairy wounded Li Han with her treasured sword and Netherworld Ice Marrow while Li Ziyang escaped through a black halo.
• Zheng Qingshan briefly regained control, freed Cold Mountain Fairy, and urged her to tell his master what happened before Li Han took over again.
• Li Han destroyed the altar and went deeper into the tomb after noting that Immortal Yuan Yi was gone but he was still alive.
• Xu Qing read the Golden Essence Record and learned about Yuan Yi’s One Qi Vajra Bracelet, Scarlet Serpent Bird, Great Xia World Map, and the recorded Immortal treasure sites and Path to Heaven.

Xu Qing explored Immortal Yuan Yi’s tomb, discovered a hidden passage, and met an injured woman fleeing an evil cultivator. Recognizing Xu Qing’s Great Xia Ancient Bloodline, she entrusted him with her sect’s inheritance and a pill, asking him to escape and warn others that the evil cultivator had escaped.

• Xu Qing read Immortal Yuan Yi’s account of sealing an Ancient Evil Cultivator and kept the indestructible book.
• Er Tiao found a cave hidden in a mural, and Xu Qing entered a side passage where a stele warned of the evil cultivator sealed beyond it.
• Xu Qing encountered an injured woman in blue fleeing an evil cultivator, and he led her through a mural into the main burial chamber.
• The woman identified Xu Qing’s Great Xia Ancient Bloodline and asked whether the Yellow Emperor had sent him, but Xu Qing said he knew nothing of it.
• The woman gave Xu Qing the Frost Immortal Technique inheritance and a Bone Exchange Spirit Pill, asking him to escape the spirit mine and spread news that the evil cultivator had escaped.

Xu Qing escaped the ruined spirit stone mine after the evil cultivator broke free, acquiring Yuan Yi’s seal and a storage bag along the way. He left with plans to pursue the inheritance at the Heavenly Saint Sect.

• The blue-robed female cultivator entered a turtle-breathing state, and Er Tiao warned Xu Qing that the Immortal Coffin was moving.
• Xu Qing fled the burial chamber, but a swarm of Soul Devouring Insects blocked his route and forced him back.
• Xu Qing found the burial chamber destroyed and took Yuan Yi’s energy-rich seal from the overturned coffin.
• The injured evil cultivator, appearing as "Zheng Qingshan," confronted Xu Qing, then gave him a storage bag and departed without fighting.
• Xu Qing escaped the mine, stored his belongings in the bag, and decided to seek the inheritance at the Heavenly Saint Sect before heading home.

Xu Qing heard an old woman’s petition about her son’s murder and discovered that Young Master Liu, now imprisoned by the Brocade-Clad Guard, was responsible. He returned to the capital and asked Zheng Guoan about the case, but Zheng warned him to stay out of it.

• Xu Qing stopped to hear an old woman’s plea for justice after her son was killed by a powerful culprit.
• The old woman told Xu Qing that Young Master Liu of the prime minister’s family had killed her son, an innocent bystander, and the Imperial Court had concealed the truth.
• Xu Qing promised to inquire about the case and asked the old woman where she lived so he could report back.
• After checking in at the Northern Garrison Office, Xu Qing visited Zheng Guoan and asked how the interrogation of Young Master Liu had gone.
• Zheng Guoan warned Xu Qing not to discuss or involve himself in Young Master Liu’s case.

Xu Qing learned that political power had shielded Young Master Liu, and he chose not to challenge the case, but arrived in Luoshan Village to find Old Lady Zhao dead. As he kept vigil in the Ancestral Hall, the Frost Immortal Technique began circulating on its own and his cultivation surged toward immortality.

• Zheng Guoan warned Xu Qing that Minister Liu's influence made the case too dangerous to pursue, and Li Ya later ordered him to stay away from the Liu Family matter.
• Young Master Liu left the Imperial Prison unharmed and injured three passersby as he rode away, confirming Xu Qing's fears about the power of the nobility.
• Xu Qing went to Luoshan Village to apologize to Old Lady Zhao, but learned she had hanged herself; he helped arrange her funeral and paid the expenses.
• Second Striped Nianniang reported that three men in black had killed Old Lady Zhao, while Xu Qing realized her death had moved him deeply as he kept vigil in the Ancestral Hall.
• Xu Qing's Frost Immortal Technique began circulating without his effort, raising his cultivation from the Qi Refining Ninth Layer to the Thirteenth Layer as spiritual clouds gathered overhead.

Xu Qing survived a Heavenly Tribulation and reached Foundation Establishment, then began recruiting Li Ya to help gather evidence against the Liu Family. The next day, Xu Qing learned that Brocade-Clad Guard Commander Zhao Gou was coming to inspect the Northern Garrison Office.

• Xu Qing endured the Heavenly Tribulation, reached Foundation Establishment, and discovered he could fly.
• Xu Qing decided to collect evidence of Young Master Liu’s crimes and approached Li Ya in disguise, asking him to help bring down the Liu Family.
• Li Ya hesitated to accept Xu Qing’s offer, so Xu Qing gave him five days to decide before seeking someone else.
• Xu Qing returned to the Northern Garrison Office and learned that Commander Zhao Gou was coming to inspect it.

Xu Qing obtained Li Ya’s evidence against Young Master Liu and advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage while caring for Second Striped Nianniang. When Cold Mountain Fairy returned, she praised his care for the cat but refused to intervene against the Liu Family, leaving Xu Qing to handle the matter himself.

• Commander Zhao Gou praised Xu Qing during an inspection at the Northern Garrison Office.
• Xu Qing visited Li Ya three days after their agreed meeting and took the evidence against Young Master Liu.
• Xu Qing mastered the Frost Immortal Technique, reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and learned Cold Mountain’s identity and status.
• Cold Mountain arrived at Xu Qing’s courtyard and was surprised that Second Striped Nianniang lived peacefully with him.
• Xu Qing presented Li Ya’s evidence to Cold Mountain, but she refused to act, telling him to solve the matter himself.

Xu Qing tracked down a pair of First-Rate killers hired by the Liu Family and captured them with help from Er Tiao. He prepared to use them to carry out his plan against Young Master Liu that night.

• Xu Qing refused the mysterious woman’s Snow White Pill and decided to settle the Liu Family matter himself.
• Xu Qing explained that he would attach part of his divine soul to Er Tiao and asked her to help him carry out a spell.
• Four days later, Xu Qing found the two killers posing as a loving couple in Nonghua Alley.
• Xu Qing disguised himself as Wan San, killed the male killer, and subdued the woman.
• Er Tiao joined Xu Qing in the room, and they discussed why he had killed the man and when to act.

Xu Qing possessed the female assassin’s body and infiltrated the Liu Family Residence, where he killed the Liu family’s young master and then took his own life to free his soul. He returned to the meeting place but found Er Tiao missing, so he searched the Prime Minister’s Residence for the cat.

• Xu Qing split his soul and possessed the female assassin’s body, then traveled with Er Tiao to the Liu Family Residence.
• Xu Qing entered the western wing, evaded the guards, and killed the young master with the Vajra Bracelet.
• Xu Qing stabbed himself, left the borrowed body as a soul, and watched the residence erupt into chaos.
• Xu Qing reached the meeting place but could not find Er Tiao, so he searched the Prime Minister’s Residence for the cat.

Xu Qing rescued Er Tiao from a Liu Family cultivator, killed the pursuer, and disposed of his spiritual bracelet. He then answered an urgent mission by ordering the Brocade-Clad Guards to avoid helping the Liu Family Residence, while Er Tiao stayed home.

• Xu Qing found Er Tiao trapped in the Liu Family Residence and helped it escape with a jade pendant while a Qi Refinement cultivator pursued them.
• Xu Qing directed Er Tiao through the sewers and later ambushed the cultivator in his courtyard, killing him and destroying the Vajra Bracelet.
• Xu Qing warned Er Tiao to stay home, then left with Song Yi after the Northern Garrison Office summoned him for an urgent mission.
• Xu Qing told the Banner Captains to guard their assigned areas without engaging anyone, explaining that Lord Li wanted to avoid helping the Liu Family Residence.
• Er Tiao resisted the urge to follow Xu Qing and settled into his bed.