Chapter Summaries

Yang Ling bluffed Jiang Li into retreating, but Jiang Li discovered Little White was an insect and turned back to attack. Yang Ling struck Jiang Li with his Heavenly Will Divine Saber and left him riddled with wounds.

• Jiang Li introduced himself as a Mingling Sect elder and asked Yang Ling whether he had seen Yang Ling, the man Jiang Li was pursuing.
• Yang Ling claimed Xie Jinjia had asked him to meet Yang Ling and threatened to kill Jiang Li if he continued.
• Jiang Li asked Yang Ling to help recover Jiang Zhuo, but left when Yang Ling gave him three breaths to decide.
• Jiang Li returned after recognizing Little White's insect aura and challenged Yang Ling's claim that Little White was a Fire Qilin.
• Yang Ling attacked Jiang Li with his lightning-wreathed Heavenly Will Divine Saber, and Little White circled him as Yang Ling struck him repeatedly.

Yang Ling fought Jiang Li and discovered that Demon-Quelling countered the evil buddha domain, but Jiang Li fused with his Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle and gained a major boost in power. Yang Ling realized Human-Pet Unity might offer him a way to advance beyond Spirit Pet Venerable, then sent his White Bone General to battle Jiang Li at range.

• Yang Ling bombarded Jiang Li with more than a thousand Heavenly Will Divine Saber strikes, then switched to close combat with his Wind God Vajra Leg and Demon-Quelling Saber.
• Yang Ling found that Demon-Quelling cleared the evil buddha domain's influence on him and tried to freeze Jiang Li's mangled body for capture.
• Jiang Li's flesh merged into the Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle, transforming him into a humanoid monster with greatly increased strength and agility.
• Yang Ling recognized Jiang Li's Spirit Armor Master profession and Human-Pet Unity skill as a potential path for merging with Little White.
• Jiang Li crushed Yang Ling's Quenching Gold Armor Piercing Flying Dagger, so Yang Ling summoned the White Bone General to fight him from Little White's back.

Yang Ling fought Jiang Li at sea before reaching a deserted island, where he launched a sustained assault to outlast Jiang Li’s pet fusion. Jiang Li’s fusion ended, and Yang Ling continued attacking him and the Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle despite Jiang Li’s plea to listen.

• Jiang Li and the White Bone General fought Yang Ling at sea, while Jiang Li tried to persuade Yang Ling to join the Rong Tribe.
• Yang Ling escaped toward a deserted island with the White Bone General covering him, then fed Little White the Five-Thousand-Year Bee Royal Jelly.
• On the island, Yang Ling used his skills and the White Bone General’s attacks to wear Jiang Li down, while Heavenly Will Body helped him evade many of Jiang Li’s blows.
• After thousands of exchanges, Jiang Li’s fusion with the Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle ended, sending them both to the ground.
• Yang Ling attacked Jiang Li and ordered the White Bone General to beat the Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle as Jiang Li pleaded for him to listen.

Yang Ling learned how Spirit Pet bonds could grant Beast Tamers divine abilities and discovered that Spirit Pet Venerable was an exceptional Fourth-Rank ability. As Little White neared advancement, Yang Ling realized it might grant him another divine ability.

• Yang Ling stopped the White Bone General from beating Jiang Li’s Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle and demanded an explanation of Spirit Armor Masters.
• Jiang Li explained that a Spirit Pet raised from the Beast Tamer’s blood essence could grant a divine ability at Fourth Rank, while the Black-Armored Sacred Insect Skill made Spirit Armor Master especially likely.
• Yang Ling recalled that Little White met the bond requirements, summoned him through a portal, and saw his attributes rising rapidly after consuming Five-Thousand-Year Bee Royal Jelly.
• Jiang Li identified Yang Ling as a Spirit Pet Venerable and said it was the best divine ability granted by a Fourth-Rank Spirit Pet, surpassing Spirit Armor Master.
• Jiang Li confirmed that each Spirit Pet could grant one divine ability upon reaching Fourth Rank, and Yang Ling anticipated gaining another when Little White advanced.

Jiang Li tried to bargain for his life by offering the Mingling Sect’s secret art for evolving Great Mother Red Gold Mantises, but Yang Ling was focused on Little White’s breakthrough. When Little White’s transformation left him desperately hungry, Yang Ling fed him Jiang Zhuo’s Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor and kept Jiang Li under control.

• Jiang Li explained that the Mingling Sect could transform Great Mother Red Gold Mantises into Gold Tempering Mantis Kings and offered Yang Ling an egg and the secret art in exchange for mercy.
• Yang Ling realized Little White’s own evolution path differed from the one Jiang Li described, and he anticipated that Little White’s Fourth-Rank advancement could make him a powerful Spirit Armor Master.
• As Little White’s attributes rose and his body began transforming, Yang Ling sensed his overwhelming hunger and feared he had not prepared enough nourishment.
• Little White approached Jiang Li’s wounded Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle but did not attack it, then communicated his hunger to Yang Ling.
• Jiang Li suggested feeding Little White Divine Weapons, so Yang Ling gave him Jiang Zhuo’s Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor, which Little White devoured.
• After Little White ate, Yang Ling chopped Jiang Li several hundred more times as Jiang Li accepted the loss of the armor without protest.

Yang Ling fed Little White increasingly valuable Divine Weapons and armor as it underwent its fourth transformation, but the Spirit Pet remained hungry. The chapter left Yang Ling with few possessions remaining and Little White still not fully advanced to Fourth Rank.

• Little White devoured Jiang Li's Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor, so Yang Ling took Jiang Li's Spirit Rhinoceros Insect Bone Dagger and fed it to the Spirit Pet.
• As Little White's strength and agility rose past 1300, Jiang Li explained that it had undergone three transformations before this one, two more than an ordinary Great Mother Red Gold Mantis.
• Little White finished the dagger but stayed hungry, prompting Yang Ling to remove his Heavenly Wolf Divine Weapon Armor and give it to the Spirit Pet.
• Little White ate the armor and reached 1400 in both attributes, but it remained hungry, leaving Yang Ling urging it to break through on its own.

Yang Ling fed Little White a succession of Divine Weapons to help it complete its breakthrough, sacrificing even the Heaven Swallowing Divine Blade and the Giant Hundred Refined Qilin Crane-Mouth Hoe. Little White advanced to Level 250 and revealed that it had inherited the weapons’ skills, leaving Yang Ling thrilled by the power of his Spirit Pet.

• Little White remained hungry during its breakthrough, and Yang Ling accused Jiang Li of gloating over its danger.
• Yang Ling fed Little White his Quenching Gold Armor Piercing Flying Daggers and then the giant daggers, but Little White was still hungry.
• Yang Ling reluctantly fed Little White the Heaven Swallowing Divine Blade and the Giant Hundred Refined Qilin Crane-Mouth Hoe.
• Little White returned to its Fire Qilin Lord form after the final weapon, with its Strength and Agility reaching 1,500 and its level rising from 150 to 250.
• Yang Ling discovered that Little White had inherited the skills from the Divine Weapons it had eaten, including Instant Slash and Mad Demon Hundred Consecutive Chisels.

Yang Ling used Human-Pet Unity with Little White to test the Spirit Armor Master ability, gaining powerful attribute and perception boosts as well as access to Little White’s inherited skills. He flew in his new armor and began testing its remaining attacks on Jiang Li, who grew alarmed by Yang Ling’s potential.

• Yang Ling activated Spirit Armor Master and donned crimson qilin-shaped armor formed from Little White, gaining 800 points each in strength and agility and extending his perception to a radius of two hundred li.
• Yang Ling transformed his armor into a saber and crane-mouth hoe, testing Instant Slash and Mad Demon Hundred Consecutive Chisels on Jiang Li’s regenerating body.
• Yang Ling used Giantification and formed a flying dagger from the armor, then hurled it at Jiang Li and recalled it with Object Control.
• Yang Ling unfurled Little White’s Insect Wings and flew, while Jiang Li considered him a threat to the Rong State and Zhao State.
• Yang Ling tested Little White’s Fire Flood Dragon Breath on Jiang Li, who cried out for him to stop.

Yang Ling tested his techniques on Jiang Li, discovering that Poison Devouring Burst suppressed the grandmaster’s Flesh Regeneration Power, then brought Jiang Li’s head and body back to the boats. Xu Wenjun and the others mistook the approaching Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle for an enemy until they recognized Yang Ling and Jiang Li.

• Yang Ling burned and slashed Jiang Li, whose Flesh Regeneration Power endured the attacks and whose shock grew when the wolves revealed the Black Iron Sky Wolf Armor’s spirituality.
• Jiang Li warned that Poison Devouring Burst would leave lasting poison across the island, but Yang Ling tested it and found that it suppressed Flesh Regeneration Power.
• Yang Ling failed to freeze Jiang Li completely with Ice Blade, then carried Jiang Li’s head and body to the Spirit Rhinoceros Sacred Beetle and ordered it to serve as his mount.
• The thirteen boats fled toward Zhao State, and Xu Wenjun, Zhao Yingying, and the others feared the approaching beetle belonged to a Mingling Sect expert.
• Yang Ling landed on a boat carrying Jiang Li’s head and corpse, and Xu Wenjun asked him to treat the prisoner well before Jiang Li vowed revenge against Zhao State.

Yang Ling returned with Jiang Li’s head after killing the Mingling Sect Grandmaster, and his companions realized he might earn a royal title for the feat. As they approached the capital, a fleet from the Sea-Calming Department intercepted them.

• Yang Ling revealed his face and confirmed that he had killed Jiang Li, a lower third-rank Grandmaster who had pursued him over Jiang Zhuo.
• Zhao Yingying, Xu Wenjun, Qin Kunlun, and the others bowed to Yang Ling and praised his martial prowess.
• Yang Ling asked Xu Wenjun about the rewards for capturing Jiang Zhuo and killing Jiang Li, and Xu Wenjun explained that the feat could earn him a royal title.
• The group congratulated Yang Ling, while he wondered what receiving a royal title would mean for his standing.
• Dozens of fast boats approached, and Xu Zhiyuan of the Sea-Calming Department called out to ask who they were.

Yang Ling encountered Xu Zhiyuan, a third-rank official from the unfamiliar Sea-Calming Department, and learned that the Imperial College was a powerful institution tied to Zhao State’s civil officials. Xu Zhiyuan said someone had sent him to protect Yang Ling’s hard-won merit, just as a formidable fleet arrived.

• Xu Wenjun greeted Xu Zhiyuan and explained to Yang Ling that the Imperial College stood above Star Gazing Academy and held influence through its Libationer, the Grand Secretary.
• Yang Ling tried to imitate Xu Wenjun’s qi-and-blood whisper but blasted Xu Wenjun’s ears with an uncontrolled voice, then apologized and asked about the Imperial College.
• Xu Zhiyuan confronted Yang Ling over his remark about the Imperial College and recognized Jiang Li’s severed head, revealing that he already knew about Yang Ling’s victory.
• Xu Zhiyuan insisted Yang Ling observe rank etiquette, then said someone had sent him to meet Yang Ling and prevent others from stealing his merit.
• A huge fleet approached, and Xu Zhiyuan announced that they had arrived.

Yang Ling weighed whether to surrender his sea-battle credit to the Crown Prince, then realized the Iron Clothes Department answered to the emperor rather than the Crown Prince and chose to keep it. As the fleet arrived, a powerful Directorate of Ceremonial official invited him aboard to speak with the Crown Prince.

• Xu Zhiyuan told Yang Ling that the Crown Prince was aboard the approaching fleet and asked whether he would surrender his credit.
• Yang Ling asked Xu Wenjun about the Iron Clothes Department's ties to the Crown Prince and initially considered giving up the credit for benefits.
• Yang Ling realized the Department obeyed the emperor's orders, not the Crown Prince's, and declared that he would keep the credit he had earned.
• Xu Zhiyuan approved Yang Ling's decision and told him to speak firmly to the Crown Prince, leaving the rest to Xu Zhiyuan.
• A powerful Directorate of Ceremonial official landed on the fast boat and invited Yang Ling to meet the Crown Prince.

Yang Ling and Xu Zhiyuan met the Crown Prince of Zhao State aboard his ship, where the Crown Prince tried to award Jiang Li’s head to Qi Baiyan instead of Yang Ling. Yang Ling realized the Crown Prince was taking his credit to promote a powerful subordinate, and the chapter ended with the Crown Prince ordering him to leave the head and body behind.

• Gu Honggang summoned Yang Ling to the Crown Prince’s ship, and Xu Zhiyuan insisted on going with him after learning the Crown Prince would see only Yang Ling.
• Xu Zhiyuan and Yang Ling boarded the enormous ship and met the Crown Prince of Zhao State, whose cultivation Yang Ling judged to be at least upper third rank.
• The Crown Prince recognized Jiang Li and summoned Qi Baiyan, declaring that Jiang Li’s head would be presented as Qi Baiyan’s achievement.
• Yang Ling inspected Qi Baiyan and found that he was an upper fourth-rank Grandmaster of the Nine Immortal Dao Palace.
• The Crown Prince casually ordered Yang Ling to leave Jiang Li’s head and body behind, and Yang Ling grew angry at the attempt to take his credit.

Yang Ling refused the Crown Prince of Zhao State’s attempts to take credit for capturing Jiang Li, with Xu Zhiyuan backing him. They left the ship with Jiang Li, while the Crown Prince accepted that he could not stop them and resolved to seek another opportunity.

• Gu Honggang demanded Jiang Li’s head and body, but Yang Ling refused, and Xu Zhiyuan warned the Crown Prince of Zhao State that he would impeach him if he broke the rules.
• The Crown Prince of Zhao State asked Yang Ling to give Qi Baiyan the credit for capturing Jiang Li, while Jiang Li mocked Yang Ling and was beaten for interrupting.
• The Crown Prince argued that only a third-rank grandmaster could have captured Jiang Li alive and pressed Xu Zhiyuan and Yang Ling to hand over the credit.
• Yang Ling rejected the Crown Prince’s offer to give him prospects in exchange for the credit and serving him, declaring that Jiang Li could not stay.
• The Crown Prince let Xu Zhiyuan and Yang Ling leave, then told Gu Honggang not to detain them because it could be considered rebellion.

Yang Ling sailed to the Capital with Xu Zhiyuan to report to the Zhao Emperor, learning more about Qi Baiyan’s powerful connections while planning how to protect his secrets. As the group reached the harbor, a curse suddenly covered Yang Ling’s body in black lines, and Xu Zhiyuan recognized the attack.

• Xu Zhiyuan told Yang Ling that the Zhao Emperor knew of his deeds and that the palace audience would also address inconsistencies in his origins.
• Yang Ling showed Xu Zhiyuan the frozen Jiang Zhuo and learned that Qi Baiyan was the Crown Prince’s cousin and an immortal’s personal disciple.
• Yang Ling discovered that the Grandmaster Network had connected, considered its cost and escape potential, and decided to wait before entering.
• Yang Ling told Xu Zhiyuan that he did not regret offending the Crown Prince and trusted Zhao State to back him against Qi Baiyan.
• The thirteen ships reached the Capital’s harbor, where eunuchs waited to escort Xu Zhiyuan, Yang Ling, Xu Wenjun, and the valuables to the palace.
• As Yang Ling prepared to disembark, a silent force covered him in black lines, and Xu Zhiyuan identified it as a curse technique.

Yang Ling discovered how the Deep Sea Curse worked and defied warnings to break it with his Divine Qilin Martial Way Furnace. The curse rebounded onto Qi Baiyan, whom Yang Ling seized before he could escape into the sea.

• Sealholding Eunuch Zhang explained that Yang Ling's Deep Sea Curse made him turn into a fish if he stayed ashore, and that it would fade if he remained at sea for about a month.
• Yang Ling repeatedly tested the curse by stepping ashore and returning to the boat, discovering that he could sense and refine away its power once it appeared.
• Xu Zhiyuan and Sealholding Eunuch Zhang warned Yang Ling that forcibly breaking the curse could damage his Martial Way Furnace.
• Qi Baiyan arrived and denied casting the curse, while Yang Ling chose to come ashore and declared that he would break it.
• Yang Ling used his Divine Qilin Martial Way Furnace to refine away the curse, causing it to take effect on Qi Baiyan instead.
• Yang Ling grabbed the transforming Qi Baiyan by the neck as he tried to flee back into the sea.

Yang Ling let the Deep Sea Curse run its course on Qi Baiyan while beating him, despite warnings about the powerful people backing him. Qi Baiyan transformed completely into a black fish, and another eunuch arrived and ordered Yang Ling seized.

• Yang Ling’s attack forced Qi Baiyan’s Deep Sea Curse to rebound, while Xu Zhiyuan and Sealholding Eunuch Zhang realized Yang Ling had overcome the curse with an immensely powerful Martial Way Furnace.
• Xu Zhiyuan and Zhao Yingying refused to stop Yang Ling, and he rejected Qi Baiyan’s apology while continuing to beat him unconscious.
• Yang Ling told Xu Zhiyuan that Zhao State was his backer and that Qi Baiyan deserved the curse’s consequences.
• Qi Baiyan transformed into a large black fish, and Xu Zhiyuan and Sealholding Eunuch Zhang recognized that his foundations had suffered irreversible damage.
• A eunuch in a Crane Robe arrived, saw the black fish, and ordered his men to seize Yang Ling.

Yang Ling survived Qi Baiyan’s Deep Sea Curse, but the Empress’s intervention ended the confrontation before he could pursue justice. After the Emperor refused to meet him and granted him an official seal, Xu Wenjun learned that Xu Zhiyuan had escorted Yang Ling on the Eldest Princess’s orders, leaving the political implications unclear.

• Sealholding Eunuch Liu claimed that the Empress had ordered Qi Baiyan to test Yang Ling, and Yang Ling accepted the explanation before kicking Qi Baiyan into the sea.
• Xu Zhiyuan and Sealholding Eunuch Zhang escorted Yang Ling toward the palace, while Qi Baiyan recovered enough to declare that he and Yang Ling could not coexist.
• At the palace gates, Sealholding Eunuch Zhang told Yang Ling that the Emperor would not meet him, gave him the Official Seal for a Fourth Rank post, and ordered the goods and valuables delivered inside.
• Xu Zhiyuan revealed to Xu Wenjun that the Eldest Princess had ordered him to escort Yang Ling, prompting Xu Wenjun to react with alarm.
• Xu Wenjun told Xu Qingnian to remain on Fire Flood Dragon Island and agreed to return with Yang Ling to the Iron Clothes Department.

Yang Ling learned that the Palace might deny him credit for breaking the Deep Sea Curse, but the Eldest Princess explained the political maneuver and delivered his promised rewards. She left the question of credit for Jiang Li and Jiang Zhuo unresolved while Yang Ling accepted his appointment document and valuable items.

• Yang Ling and Xu Wenjun worried that the Crown Prince and the Palace might take the credit for Jiang Li and Jiang Zhuo, and Xu Wenjun advised Yang Ling to leave the Capital if trouble arose.
• Xu Wenjun told Xu Qingnian to return to Fire Flood Dragon Island with the Cao Gang, then Yang Ling returned to the Public Security Division First Branch.
• Yang Ling confirmed to Li Huaiyi, Lu Qian, and the other Iron Clothes that he had advanced to the Fourth-Rank Grandmaster realm.
• Yang Ling found the Eldest Princess waiting in his office, and she explained that the emperor had never intended to see him and that she had sent Xu Zhiyuan to ensure Yang Ling received his rewards.
• The Eldest Princess said the parties were still deciding who would receive the credit for Jiang Li and Jiang Zhuo, then gave Yang Ling his appointment document, Mystic Fire Qilin Armor, and Supreme-Grade Water Bodhi.

The Eldest Princess inspected Yang Ling’s spirit pet and new Spirit Armor Master ability before rewarding him with a fourth-rank post in the Capital Iron Clothes Department’s Command Department. Yang Ling’s Judge class then advanced to Soul-Seizing Judge, though its new judgment skill came with an unexplained progress bar.

• The Eldest Princess told Yang Ling that accepting the benefits meant he could no longer claim credit for capturing Jiang Zhuo and Jiang Li, then asked to see his spirit pet.
• Yang Ling summoned Little White, whose qilin-like appearance startled the Iron Clothes in the courtyard and delighted the Eldest Princess.
• Little White transformed into armor around Yang Ling, demonstrating his Spirit Armor Master ability to the Eldest Princess and the onlookers.
• The Eldest Princess appointed Yang Ling Third Branch Master of the Capital Iron Clothes Department’s Command Department, a fourth-rank office.
• Yang Ling’s Judge class advanced to Soul-Seizing Judge, granting an improved Insight Technique and Soul-Seizing Judgment, while a 0/300 progress bar appeared.