Chapter Summaries

Yang Ling discovered that he alone could see and mine the blood essence ore, despite the illusions that fooled two Third-Rank Grandmasters. After he produced valuable ore, Xie Jinjia ordered the mine closed temporarily while the Mine Gang arranged protection against further illusions.

• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist and Zhao Zheng warned Yang Ling that the blood essence ore he saw was an illusion, but Yang insisted it was real and approached it with his mining tool.
• Yang Ling repeatedly chiseled at the ore, gaining experience and realizing that his Suppress Evil skill let him see it and prevent it from escaping.
• A piece of blood essence ore came free, and the others saw it as a blood bead; a Mine Gang veteran sealed it in a jade box and confirmed its value.
• Xie Jinjia and the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist wondered why Yang Ling could see the ore, while a Mine Gang veteran concluded that Yang was ideally suited to mining it.
• Xie Jinjia ordered the mine closed temporarily, requested pills that counter illusions, and told everyone to leave Yang Ling undisturbed except for a few Mine Gang experts.

Yang Ling mined blood essence ore alone for days, gaining a level and then announcing that his martial way kindling had formed a furnace. He revealed his Fourth-Rank cultivation to the Mine Gang members who rushed to witness the breakthrough.

• Xie Jinjia ordered the Mine Gang to register the miners killed by the blood essence ore and prepare to begin mining within three months.
• Lin Caiyi and the other players learned that blood essence ore could kill even powerful martial artists and discussed safer ways to level up.
• Yang Ling mined blood essence ore for three days, producing three catties and reaching level 201.
• After more days of mining, Yang Ling told the veterans that his martial way kindling was about to form a furnace, and they rushed to alert Xie Jinjia.
• Yang Ling revealed his Divine Qilin Martial Way Furnace and claimed he had advanced to Fourth Rank, leaving Li Zhong, Hua Jinsong, and the others stunned.

Yang Ling broke through to the Fourth Rank in the Mine Shaft, shocking the officials, princes, and sect Grandmasters who had gathered there. Li Zhong considered promoting him and sending him on a dangerous assignment, while the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist and Xie Jinjia arrived to ask who had witnessed his breakthrough.

• Hua Jinsong and Li Zhong recognized Yang Ling's powerful aura as that of a Fourth-Rank Grandmaster and suspected a Human Immortal had guided him.
• Li Zhong proposed giving Yang Ling a post in the Command Department's Third Branch and suggested the Department Master might send him to a dangerous place.
• Lu Yunshuang, Master Yunmu, and two other Grandmasters from First-rate Sects arrived and learned that Yang Ling had advanced to the Fourth Rank.
• Zhao Zheng, Zhao Qi, and Zhao Yuan arrived, and Li Zhong confirmed Yang Ling's breakthrough, delighting Zhao Zheng and stirring envy in the other princes.
• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist and Xie Jinjia arrived and asked who had seen Yang Ling break through, but no one could answer.

Yang Ling revealed that he had advanced to Lower Fourth Rank, attributing the breakthrough to treasures he had eaten in the ruins. Zhao State announced his new rank and gathered Grandmasters from the Rong Tribe and Star Sea Fishing Alliance to spar with him, leaving them wary of being used to hone the Iron Clothes Department's rising talent.

• Yang Ling displayed his Lower Fourth-Rank cultivation and claimed that treasures from the ruins had caused his transformation.
• Xie Jinjia stopped questioning Yang Ling after he refused to disclose what he had eaten, and the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist ordered his new rank reported to the Capital.
• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist told Yang Ling to pause work at the Blood Essence Ore mine and train against Fourth-Rank Grandmasters.
• Zhao State, Rong Tribe, and Star Sea Fishing Alliance Martial Artists gathered at the Crimson-Refined Fire Flood Dragon Sect's Martial Arts Arena to see whether Yang Ling had truly reached Fourth Rank.
• The Heavenly Wolf Guard Wei Lord and Chen Quan speculated that a powerful figure had supported Yang Ling's cultivation, while Chen Quan suggested Yang Ling might possess Upper-Grade Mystic Fire.
• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist asked the Rong Tribe and Star Sea Fishing Alliance Grandmasters to serve as Yang Ling's whetstones, angering them.

Yang Ling’s Fourth-Rank advancement was revealed at a gathering where the Iron Clothes Department Master invited Grandmasters to serve as his whetstones. After the Grandmasters objected to being used, the Department Master offered a Dragon Blood Bodhi as a reward, and they eagerly volunteered to fight Yang Ling.

• Qin Mo and the other Players celebrated Yang Ling’s advancement, while the Iron Clothes Department branch heads and Yun Ruo reacted with shock.
• Old Tu objected to the foreign Grandmasters being used as whetstones, and Yang Ling rebuked him, provoking anger among the gathered Grandmasters.
• Lu Yunshuang said Zhao State’s own Fourth-Rank Grandmasters should serve as whetstones instead.
• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist offered a Dragon Blood Bodhi to any Grandmaster who would serve as Yang Ling’s whetstone.
• Yang Ling asked for the sacred medicine instead, but the Grandmasters scolded him and rushed to volunteer.

Yang Ling agreed to let grandmasters challenge him for the Dragon Blood Bodhi, which he wanted to claim for himself. He chose Old Tu as his first whetstone and quickly overwhelmed him, but Old Tu refused to beg for mercy and the fight continued brutally.

• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist announced that each grandmaster could fight Yang Ling for half a quarter-hour, and whoever made him beg for mercy would win the Dragon Blood Bodhi.
• Yang Ling said he wanted the Dragon Blood Bodhi and chose Old Tu, the Rong Tribe's Lone Wolf General, as his first opponent.
• Yang Ling seized Old Tu and slammed him into the ground hundreds of times within moments, leaving the grandmasters stunned.
• Yang Ling asked Old Tu to kneel and beg for mercy, but Old Tu remembered he was serving as the whetstone and cursed instead.
• Yang Ling resumed slamming Old Tu into the ground until one of Old Tu's arms was torn off and landed at the grandmasters' feet.

Yang Ling defeated Old Tu so thoroughly that the other factions’ grandmasters feared his strength, then accepted Old Tu’s plea for mercy after realizing he had misunderstood the Department Master’s order about kneeling. After Chen Quan’s group departed, Yang Ling swallowed the Dragon Blood Bodhi and began gaining levels, leaving his allies wondering how powerful he had become.

• Li Zhong, Hua Jinsong, and Master Yunmu recognized Yang Ling as a formidable future force for the Iron Clothes Department after seeing him overpower Old Tu.
• Xie Jinjia questioned the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist about the Department’s planned confrontation with the Rong Tribe, while Yang Ling continued beating Old Tu.
• Old Tu begged Yang Ling for mercy, and the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist clarified that he had asked Old Tu to seek mercy but had not ordered him to kneel.
• Yang Ling apologized to Old Tu for misunderstanding, received the Dragon Blood Bodhi from the Middle-aged Lay Buddhist, and watched Old Tu regenerate his severed arms.
• Xie Jinjia negotiated with Chen Quan, who left with his people, while Li Ting congratulated Yang Ling and departed with his grandmasters.
• Yang Ling swallowed the Dragon Blood Bodhi and rapidly rose from level 202 to 207 as Zhao Zheng and the others speculated about his power and backing.

After absorbing the Dragon Blood Bodhi, Yang Ling gained ten levels and major increases to his attributes, health, and cultivation. The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist appointed him to a vacant Third Branch Command Department post and sent him to the capital, where Zhao Yingying and Qin Kunlun apologized to him during the voyage.

• Yang Ling absorbed the Dragon Blood Bodhi, reached Level 212, gained 60 attribute points, and raised his agility to 2,981.
• The players checked the Divine Realm Rank List, where Lin Caiyi and Jiang Tian'ai eyed each other as they competed for second place.
• The Middle-aged Lay Buddhist appointed Yang Ling to the vacant Third Branch position in the Iron Clothes Department's Command Department and told him to report to the capital.
• Yang Ling boarded a Cao Gang ship for the capital, while Zhao Yingying and Qin Kunlun thanked him and apologized for their past misunderstandings.
• Xu Wenjun draped an expensive crane cloak over Yang Ling's shoulders as Xu Qingnian stood behind them in silence.

Yang Ling discovered that the ship carrying him and his companions had been diverted into Rong Tribe territory by a spy posing as its captain. The Heavenly Wolf General and armed Heavenly Wolf Guards surrounded them, leaving Yang Ling facing a formidable threat before he had even received his Official Seal.

• Xu Wenjun explained the duties of the Command Department's Third Branch Master, and Yang Ling reassured him that he would not resent Yang Ling taking the position.
• Xu Wenjun slapped Xu Qingnian for showing resentment toward Yang Ling's appointment and scolded him for his poor conduct.
• Zhao Yingying told Yang Ling that the ship's route and a nearby port did not match the nautical chart, and Xu Wenjun identified the port as Rong Tribe territory.
• Yang Ling seized the captain after discovering he had tried to leave the ship early, and the captain revealed that he was a Rong Tribe spy who had led them into enemy territory.
• The captain warned that the Heavenly Wolf General was waiting for them, and Xu Wenjun identified the approaching armored figure as a suspected Upper Fourth-Rank Grandmaster wearing Black Steel Sky Wolf Armor.

Jiang Zhuo revealed that the Heavenly Wolf Guard had targeted Yang Ling, then attacked him with the Demon-Quelling Saber. Yang Ling overwhelmed Jiang Zhuo with his attributes and struck him down, leaving the Rong Tribe forces and his companions horrified.

• Yang Ling examined Jiang Zhuo's Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor and assessed his attributes, martial arts, and likely combat strength.
• Jiang Zhuo told Yang Ling that the Heavenly Wolf Guard had targeted him, while Zhao Yingying and Xu Wenjun were additional potential captures and prizes.
• Jiang Zhuo explained that Yang Ling had drawn their attention after defeating the Lone Wolf General and declared that Yang Ling's path as a grandmaster would end there.
• Jiang Zhuo attacked from above with the Demon-Quelling Saber, whose mental assault left Xu Wenjun and the others unable to fight back.
• Yang Ling donned the Heavenly Wolf Divine Weapon Armor, met Jiang Zhuo's attack with his Heaven Swallowing Divine Blade, and knocked him unconscious with the saber's mental damage.
• Yang Ling caught Jiang Zhuo and returned to the boat as the Rong Tribe forces and his companions stared at him in horror.

Yang Ling captured Jiang Zhuo, the Rong Tribe’s Heavenly Wolf General, and discovered that the Demon-Quelling Saber’s damage to Mental Power was temporary. Rather than return to the Zhao State immediately, he proposed attacking the harbor with their small force and earning a second achievement.

• Yang Ling saw that Jiang Zhuo’s Mental Power had fallen by 580 points, confirmed it was recovering, and decided to keep him alive.
• Yang Ling stripped Jiang Zhuo of his Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor and stored it in the Green Dragon Ring, astonishing Xu Wenjun, Zhao Yingying, Qin Kunlun, and the others.
• Yang Ling reassured the group, revealed his original appearance, and claimed Jiang Zhuo’s capture as a great achievement.
• Xu Wenjun, Xu Qingnian, Qin Kunlun, and Zhao Yingying grew excited at the prospect of their names entering Zhao State’s annals.
• When Zhao Yingying urged the boat captain to return to the Zhao State, Yang Ling pointed toward the harbor and suggested their hundred or so people could earn another achievement there.

Yang Ling captured Jiang Zhuo and the Rong Tribe forces after defeating them, then headed for Black Fish Island to seize its harbor and investigate its Treasure Fish. As the island fell into chaos, Yang Ling recruited Qin Kunlun into the Iron Clothes Department, while Jiang Zhuo warned him that the consequences could be grave.

• Yang Ling ordered the boat captain and ten suspected Grain Transport Workers bound, then killed Jiang Zhuo and stored his frozen body in the Green Dragon Ring.
• Yang Ling used Demon-Quelling to knock out the Heavenly Wolf Guards, and Xu Wenjun warned that a Third-Rank Grandmaster could arrive within a day.
• Yang Ling ordered the boats toward Black Fish Island to investigate its Treasure Fish, and Qin Kunlun joined the Iron Clothes Department as a Ninth-Rank Iron Clothes.
• Jiang Zhuo challenged Yang Ling about the consequences of his actions, and Yang Ling joked that he might earn a promotion and noble title.
• Black Fish Island's harbor descended into chaos as its leaders debated whether to flee or stay, while a white-haired old man cursed Jiang Zhuo for losing the ambush.

Yang Ling seized Black Fish Island after defeating its defenders and ordered the island lord to show him the Ironblood Saberfish. When he learned that five-year-old fish could permanently increase strength, he sent five White Bone Warriors into the pond to catch them.

• Yang Ling forced Jiang Zhuo to order Black Fish Island's defenders to surrender, then killed the Rong Tribe officials who fired crossbows at him.
• Yang Ling landed with his followers, declared Black Fish Island captured, and demanded that the island lord take him to the Treasure Fish.
• The island lord explained that the pond held Ironblood Saberfish, which were difficult to catch and had to be stored frozen to preserve their effects.
• Zhao Yingying and Jiang Zhuo described the fish's value, while Yang Ling learned that a five-year-old Ironblood Saberfish increased strength by three points.
• After a fisherman hauled up a five-year-old Ironblood Saberfish, Yang Ling sent five White Bone Warriors into the pond.

Yang Ling used his White Bone Warriors to catch Ironblood Saberfish and ate enough to raise his strength to 2,883 points. When the fish became scarce, the warriors discovered an enormous blood clam beneath the pond and brought it toward the surface.

• Yang Ling sent his five White Bone Warriors underwater to catch Ironblood Saberfish, and their swift, strange movements shocked Jiang Zhuo and the others.
• Yang Ling ate the fish the warriors brought back, while Xu Qingnian and Zhao Yingying also gained strength from eating them; Qin Kunlun returned his fish because he had reached a bottleneck.
• Yang Ling continued eating as the White Bone Warriors caught more fish, eventually consuming two hundred and raising his strength by 600 points to 2,883.
• When the warriors could no longer find five-year-old Ironblood Saberfish, Yang Ling ordered them to search once more.
• A giant blood clam opened beneath the pond and sucked in nearby fish, so Yang Ling ordered the White Bone Warriors to lift it toward the surface.

Yang Ling discovered that the Giant Blood Toad on Black Fish Island was an Ancient Demon Toad raised for a Second Rank Human Immortal, but he ignored Jiang Zhuo's warnings and opened it. As its mental attack struck people across the island, Yang Ling ate a piece and gained one point of mental power.

• Jiang Zhuo and the island master warned Yang Ling to leave as a Giant Blood Toad surfaced, and Yang Ling identified it as their hidden treasure.
• Yang Ling saw that the Ancient Demon Toad could increase mental power by 300 points, while Jiang Zhuo revealed that a Second Rank Human Immortal had placed it there to be raised.
• Yang Ling refused to return the toad, donned the Heavenly Wolf Divine Weapon Armor, and forced it open with the Heaven Swallowing Divine Blade.
• The Ancient Demon Toad released a mental attack that struck Xu Qingnian, Jiang Zhuo, the island's leaders, and people as far as ten li away.
• Yang Ling used Demon-Quelling, ate a piece of the toad's flesh, and gained one point of mental power.

Yang Ling devoured the Ancient Demon Toad, gaining 600 strength and 300 Mental Power, then defeated Jiang Zhuo’s accusations and left Black Fish Island with Xu Qingnian and the others. The island’s lord offered to defect to Zhao State and help uncover the Rong Tribe’s secrets, and Yang Ling ordered them to depart in four hours.

• Yang Ling refined and ate the Ancient Demon Toad, raising his Mental Power from 2,780 to 3,080 and gaining 900 attribute points in total.
• Jiang Zhuo and the others recovered from the Ancient Demon Toad’s mental assault and found it completely eaten.
• Yang Ling claimed he had slain the creature to save them, but Jiang Zhuo accused him of eating it, so Yang Ling beat him until he could no longer speak.
• Xu Qingnian defended Yang Ling, and Yang Ling left with Xu Qingnian, Qin Kunlun, and Zhao Yingying as the Black Fish Island officials followed in despair.
• The lord of Black Fish Island offered to defect to Zhao State and reveal Rong Tribe secrets, explaining that he had no close family in the tribe and considered the move a return to his roots.
• Yang Ling accepted the offer and ordered the group to leave for Zhao State in four hours.

Yang Ling oversaw the loading of Black Fish Island’s wealth onto thirteen fast boats before discovering two men plotting to loot the island and identifying them as players. He confronted them as the fleet prepared to withdraw with thirty-nine million taels’ worth of treasure.

• Yang Ling told the lord of Black Fish Island to hurry as his group loaded valuables onto thirteen fast boats for a rapid retreat to Zhao State.
• Zhao Yingying, Qin Kunlun, and Xu Qingnian discussed the wealth and the Rong Tribe’s losses, while Jiang Zhuo argued with them and Yang Ling froze him and put him in the Green Dragon Ring.
• Xu Wenjun reported that the boats held at least thirty-nine million taels’ worth of valuables, and Yang Ling learned Xu Wenjun was preparing to condense his Martial Way Kindling.
• Yang Ling overheard two bald men discussing their plans to loot Black Fish Island after the fleet left and recognized that they were players.
• Yang Ling approached the two men and asked whether they were players, leaving them stunned and afraid.

Yang Ling uncovered Luo Yunsong and Ma Minlong’s crimes against other players and learned how prisoners and guards had ended up on Black Fish Island. He followed Luo Yunsong to Shantytown to confront Chen Haiyang and his associates, where he found players hauling corpses.

• Yang Ling used the Insight Technique to learn that Luo Yunsong had robbed and killed players and that Ma Minlong had tortured players to death.
• Ma Minlong tried to flee, but Xu Qingnian’s four Iron Clothes cut him down, while Luo Yunsong agreed to lead Yang Ling and explain what had happened.
• Luo Yunsong revealed that 987 inmates and 175 prison guards had arrived on Black Fish Island, where Chen Haiyang gathered criminals into a gang and attached himself to a powerful local figure.
• Yang Ling recognized one of Chen Haiyang’s associates among men moving valuables and ordered him to come along.
• Yang Ling reached Shantytown, saw players working in miserable conditions, and found a group of players hauling carts full of corpses.

Yang Ling exposed Chen Haiyang’s crimes on Black Fish Island and ordered his men captured. After Chen Haiyang died at the hands of a player seeking revenge, the prisoners attacked the other bound criminals while Yang Ling told Xu Qingnian to wait before intervening.

• Yang Ling questioned Police Officer Wu and learned that the players on Black Fish Island were imprisoned and forced into brutal labor under Chen Haiyang.
• Yang Ling used the Insight Technique on Chen Haiyang and discovered that he had caused thirty-seven players’ deaths within thirty days.
• Police Officer Wu identified Chen Haiyang as a death-row inmate, and Luo Yunsong revealed that Yang Ling had already killed Ma Minlong.
• Chen Haiyang’s men fired hidden crossbows at Guard Wang and Yang Ling, but Xu Qingnian caught both bolts before Yang Ling ordered the criminals restrained.
• A young man stabbed Chen Haiyang to death over the death of his girlfriend, and Yang Ling told the other prisoners they could vent their anger on the remaining criminals.
• As the prisoners surged toward the bound criminals, Xu Qingnian asked whether they should intervene, and Yang Ling told him to wait.

Yang Ling rescued the players abused on Black Fish Island and continued toward the Capital with the fleet. When a powerful presence pursued them, he rode Little White to meet it and confronted Jiang Li, a Mingling Sect expert, demanding that he kneel before the Fire Qilin.

• Yang Ling reflected on how new players could be exploited by other players and urged Ji Nian to protect newcomers through the Emergency Department.
• Three days after leaving Black Fish Island, Xu Wenjun said the fleet was nearing the Capital, but Yang Ling sensed something approaching and went to investigate.
• Yang Ling summoned Little White, shocking the fleet with the qilin-like Spirit Pet, then flew off after telling them to wait a quarter of an hour.
• Yang Ling met Jiang Li, a Third Rank Spirit Armor Master from the Mingling Sect, and judged that his own strength could match or surpass the pursuer's.
• Yang Ling ordered Jiang Li to kneel when speaking before the Fire Qilin or die.