Chapter Summaries

Princess fought Wang Di in the Eastern Palace while Little Fatty Crown Prince watched from inside his room. After their weapons clashed in a final attack, Princess realized Wang Di had rushed past her toward the Crown Prince’s doorway.

• Wang Di demanded that Princess kill Little Fatty Crown Prince and surrender his head, but she summoned her spear and challenged him.
• Wang Di attacked with his domain and Nine Heavens Slash, while Princess countered with Force Dissipation and River Chronicle.
• The two fighters exchanged blows until the courtyard was shattered, and Little Fatty Crown Prince quietly urged Princess to win.
• Wang Di announced he would stake everything on one final strike, and Princess met his flying sword with her spear.
• Princess survived the clash, but Wang Di darted past her toward Little Fatty Crown Prince’s room.

Wang Di’s attack on the Crown Prince was stopped, while Fourth Prince’s assault on the imperial family met resistance from Zeng Shilin and Wu Qianfeng. Duke Ning Li Jian broke into the Grand Palace intending to kill Emperor Jianhong, but found the emperor calmly playing chess with Quanfu.

• Wang Di reached for the Crown Prince, but Xiang Wangxian severed his wrist and moved to capture him alive on Princess’s order.
• Fourth Prince threatened Ning An and ordered a Shadow Cavalryman to torture her, but an arrow killed the soldier before he could strike.
• Zeng Shilin and Wu Qianfeng arrived with the Mandarin Duck Army to rescue the throne, and Wu Qianfeng led the attack against the Shadow Cavalry.
• Duke Ning Li Jian killed the eunuch at the Grand Palace gates, forced his way inside, and fought through the palace guards.
• Duke Ning entered the main hall and found Emperor Jianhong and Quanfu leisurely playing chess.

Duke Ning Li Jian attacked Emperor Jianhong and Zeng Anmin, but Wang Dong returned to stop him. Li Jian summoned a powerful Daoist Evil Corpse and fled as Si Zhongxiao blocked his escape, while Wang Dong drew a sword against the corpse.

• Zeng Anmin and Emperor Jianhong played chess while Duke Ning Li Jian grew angry at being ignored.
• Bai Ziqing appeared and revealed that Master Xu had warned Wang Dong about Li Jian’s scheme, prompting Wang Dong to return to the capital.
• Li Jian tried to kill Emperor Jianhong and Zeng Anmin, but Wang Dong appeared and challenged him as a Second Rank Ancestor.
• Li Jian summoned a Daoist Evil Corpse with a snow-white lotus root and ordered it to attack while he retreated.
• Si Zhongxiao blocked Li Jian at the palace entrance, and Wang Dong summoned a short sword to attack the Daoist Evil Corpse.

Wang Dong destroyed the Daoist Evil Corpse and praised Zeng Anmin for seeing through Li Jian’s scheme. Outside the palace, Si Zhongxiao defeated Li Jian, who tore out his own heart and died after Si Zhongxiao crushed it.

• Wang Dong’s short sword cut through the Daoist Evil Corpse, erasing her, and he questioned Zeng Anmin about uncovering Li Jian’s plan.
• Zeng Anmin explained that Li Jian had counted on Wang Dong pursuing the Bamboo Hat Assassin, and Wang Dong praised his cleverness to Emperor Jianhong.
• Si Zhongxiao and Li Jian’s battle left the courtyard in ruins, with both men wounded and their weapons shattered.
• Li Jian blamed his failed plan on Heaven’s Mandate, tore out his own heart, and asked Si Zhongxiao if he was reassured.
• Si Zhongxiao crushed Li Jian’s heart with Martial Arts True Qi, and Li Jian’s corpse fell to the ground.

After Duke Ning died, Zeng Anmin arranged for troops to enter the palace and secured Emperor Jianhong’s approval by admitting to the unauthorized mobilization. The Fourth Prince was brought before the emperor and blamed Li Jian for coercing him, while the Empress and Crown Prince pleaded for his life, leaving Zeng Anmin poised to speak against him.

• Zeng Anmin asked to handle Duke Ning’s corpse and proposed raiding his manor, and Emperor Jianhong agreed.
• Zeng Shilin entered the Grand Palace with Princess Ning'an, Wu Qianfeng, and the Fourth Prince after mobilizing troops to rescue Emperor Jianhong.
• Zeng Anmin confessed that he had asked his father to mobilize troops without permission, and Emperor Jianhong forgave him.
• Princess Ning'an accused the Fourth Prince of trying to kill her, and Wang Yuanhao claimed Li Jian had coerced him into joining the plot.
• Emperor Jianhong kicked Wang Yuanhao after rejecting his claim that he had been coerced.
• The Empress and Crown Prince pleaded for Wang Yuanhao’s life, and Zeng Anmin stepped forward to address Emperor Jianhong.

Zeng Anmin exposed that the Fourth Prince was Consort Xi’s son, not Empress Bai’s, and the investigation confirmed the real Fourth Prince was the monk Yingchen. After Duke Ning’s rebellion was crushed and the court rewarded Zeng Anmin with the title County Baron of Feng County, he planned to travel to Jiangnan before the spring examinations and went to confiscate Duke Ning’s manor.

• Zeng Anmin accused the Fourth Prince, Wang Yuanhao, of being switched at birth and explained how clues from the Ren Weizhi case implicated Consort Xi and Duke Ning.
• Emperor Jianhong sent Zeng Anmin to conduct a Heart Inquiry on Consort Xi, confirming that Wang Yuanhao was her son and that the real Fourth Prince was Yingchen at Fa'an Temple.
• Emperor Jianhong ordered Consort Xi’s death; Wang Yuanhao then killed himself, and Emperor Jianhong asked Zeng Anmin to play chess with him.
• The court punished Duke Ning’s household and rewarded Zeng Shilin and Zeng Anmin, granting Zeng Anmin the title County Baron of Feng County and a fief of five thousand households.
• Zeng Anmin told Zeng Shilin he intended to travel to Jiangnan to address the Bizarre Qi and pursue cultivation breakthroughs before returning for the spring examinations.
• After learning that the Imperial City Department was confiscating Duke Ning’s manor, Zeng Anmin went there and found Bai Ziqing in armor.

After failing to find evidence of Duke Ning’s ties to Jiang Kingdom spies, Zeng Anmin met Wuxin, the Daoist known online as Dao. Wuxin mistook Zeng Anmin’s recitation of Daoist classics for peerless wisdom, resolved to stay in the capital and recruit him into the Heavenly Dao Alliance, while Empress Gu Xiangnan lamented that Great Jiang lacked such talent.

• Zeng Anmin ordered the Imperial City Department agents to search Duke Ning’s manor again after they found no evidence of his dealings with Jiang Kingdom spies.
• Wuxin visited Zeng Anmin, reported that Martial Aunt Huiying was well, and asked to stay at his residence for two days.
• Zeng Anmin recited passages from the Dao De Jing, leaving Wuxin convinced that he might be the reincarnation of the Dao Ancestor.
• Wuxin told the Heavenly Dao Alliance chat group that Zeng Anmin’s wisdom rivaled Heavenly Dao and decided to remain in the capital to recruit him.
• Empress Gu Xiangnan read the Phoenix Strategy Diagram and lamented that Great Jiang Dynasty had no talent like Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin brought Wuxin to Duke Ning's manor to search for hidden evidence, while Wuxin and Bai Ziqing immediately bonded over their grand speeches. Using his Primordial Spirit, Wuxin found an intricate pattern atop a pavilion, but the search left him weakened and he sensed a powerful presence watching from the Profound Formation Division.

• Wuxin visited Zeng Anmin's family for breakfast and presented a jade pendant that reassured Zeng Shilin he had come on Roujie'er's behalf.
• Wuxin followed Zeng Anmin to Duke Ning's manor, where the retainers had found no evidence of the Duke's crimes.
• Wuxin and Bai Ziqing introduced themselves with lofty verses and enthusiastically struck up a friendship.
• Zeng Anmin asked Wuxin to use his Primordial Spirit to search the manor for hidden mechanisms, and Wuxin summoned the Glazed Lamp to protect it.
• Wuxin discovered an intricate pattern at the top of a pavilion, then staggered from the strain and reported sensing a powerful gaze from the Profound Formation Division.

Zeng Anmin and Wuxin discovered a hidden teleportation array beneath Duke Ning’s manor and found secret letters and seven talismans linked to the Daoist Talisman Sect. Zeng Anmin brought the talismans to Xu Mingxin, who identified one as Earth-grade and began explaining its importance.

• Wuxin identified a teleportation array on Lingbo Pavilion’s roof, and he and Zeng Anmin used it to reach an airless underground complex.
• Zeng Anmin found a chest of blank secret letters and stored it in his Preparation Space.
• Wuxin tried to take seven talismans from a secret chamber, but Zeng Anmin claimed them as evidence and stored them himself.
• Zeng Anmin and Wuxin returned to the pavilion, and Zeng Anmin concealed their discovery from Bai Ziqing before leaving for the Profound Formation Division.
• Zeng Anmin showed the talismans to Xu Mingxin, who identified one as Earth-grade and explained that talismans had four grades.

Zeng Anmin learned the talismans’ functions, burned Duke Ning Li Jian’s corpse, and prepared to travel to Jiangnan. As he struggled to uncover the secret of the letters, his Mysterious Necklace suddenly grew hot and sent warmth toward his brow.

• Xu Mingxin explained that the Earth-tier purple talisman could conceal and alter its wearer’s appearance, and described the other talismans’ effects.
• Zeng Anmin took all seven talismans and watched Li Jian’s corpse burn to ash in the Profound Formation Division’s array fire.
• Zeng Anmin told Sai Chuxue he planned to travel to Jiangnan and asked her to look after his father.
• Sai Chuxue offered Zeng Anmin a compass that could withstand one strike from an ordinary Fourth Rank Martial Artist, then fled on Fire Phoenix.
• At the Minister’s Residence, Zeng Anmin’s attempts to reveal the secret letters failed, but his Mysterious Necklace grew hot and sent warmth toward his brow.

Zeng Anmin uncovered Li Jian’s secret letters and took control of the forces and wealth they revealed. After disguising himself as his former-life self, he traveled to Bei Prefecture Commandery to pursue a breakthrough to Martial Arts Fifth Rank and investigate the necklace, the Heavenly Lotus, and his own love life.

• Zeng Anmin used Fiery Golden Eyes to read secret letters linking Li Jian to Huang Yuangao’s death and revealing that Zeng Anmin’s necklace was the Great Ancestor’s Relic.
• Zeng Anmin discovered that Li Jian had secretly recruited Consort Meiyu and other allies, then stored the letters and their intelligence in his Preparation Space.
• Zeng Anmin used a purple talisman to change his appearance into the face from his previous life.
• In Bei Prefecture Commandery, Zeng Anmin circulated his divine sense through his body as he prepared to break through Martial Arts Fifth Rank.
• Zeng Anmin set out to find the Heavenly Lotus, uncover the necklace’s secret, and lose his virginity.

Zeng Anmin cautiously arranged for Meiyu Tower to retrieve the Heavenly Lotus, while secretly watching for interference from Nan. After securing the lotus and discovering it could suppress the Bizarre Qi, he set out for the Great Sage Dynasty, but froze at the Jiang Kingdom border after spotting something ahead.

• Zeng Anmin followed an old beggar who carried a secret message to a secluded courtyard, confirming how Li Jian's network delivered orders.
• Zeng Anmin reached Shouyun Mountain and hid near the Heavenly Lotus, where he watched a Meiyu Tower man retrieve it as a concealed expert emerged from the pool.
• The hidden expert marked the Meiyu Tower man with a dim blue light, and Zeng Anmin waited until she left before collecting the lotus from Border Pass Inn.
• Zeng Anmin found that the lotus's fragrance stopped the Bizarre Qi's red light from spreading, stored it in the Preparation Space, and decided to return to the Great Sage Dynasty to pursue the Princess.
• Zeng Anmin rode toward the Great Sage Dynasty and froze at the Jiang Kingdom border pass as he was about to leave.

Zeng Anmin recognized Bai Ziqing leading the Holy Dynasty’s envoy procession and followed him, hoping to protect him from the unknown threat pursuing the necklace and uncover the conspirator tied to Li Jian. After failing to arrange a meeting with Bai, Zeng Anmin continued his cultivation and found himself on the verge of a breakthrough to the Fifth Rank.

• Zeng Anmin saw Bai Ziqing leading the envoy procession and realized that Li Jian’s influence still reached people in court.
• Zeng Anmin decided to follow Bai Ziqing, protect him, and use the threat against him to find the person colluding with Li Jian.
• Zeng Anmin followed the procession toward Jiang’s capital while considering how to warn Bai Ziqing and investigate the necklace.
• Bai Ziqing noticed Zeng Anmin watching him and dismissed him as a disgusting bug.
• Zeng Anmin repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting with Bai Ziqing, but Bai refused to see a round-faced fat man.
• Two days later, Zeng Anmin discovered that his divine sense had merged with his entire body, bringing him close to a Fifth Rank breakthrough and Fourth Rank combat power.

Zeng Anmin revealed himself to Bai Ziqing and warned him that the necklace he had given Zeng Anmin was a supreme treasure coveted by the Eastern Cult. Bai Ziqing had entered the Jiang Kingdom under suspicion, and Zeng Anmin warned that people would approach him to learn where the necklace was.

• Zeng Anmin confronted Bai Ziqing in the forest and revealed his identity as Quanfu, then shed his disguised appearance.
• Bai Ziqing explained that His Majesty had sent him to escort the envoys and sign an agreement with the Jiang Kingdom.
• Zeng Anmin connected Bai Ziqing’s assignment to the Eastern Cult’s interest in him and reminded him of the necklace from the Jishui Weir incident.
• Zeng Anmin revealed that the necklace was a relic of Great Ancestor Jiang and had bound itself to him as a supreme treasure.
• Zeng Anmin warned Bai Ziqing that hidden watchers might target him and that people would likely approach him to probe for information about the necklace.

Zeng Anmin disguised himself as Zheng Nabeian and joined Bai Ziqing's envoy delegation while secretly discussing Capital City with the Heavenly Dao Alliance. An arrow suddenly pierced his tent, and the delegation erupted into chaos over an attack.

• Zeng Anmin transformed into a chubby Fifth Rank Martial Artist named Zheng Nabeian, and Bai Ziqing brought him into the envoy delegation as his subordinate.
• Zeng Anmin entered his Sea of Consciousness Space and exchanged messages with Nan, learning that Nan was in Capital City and that Wuxin Daoist also planned to visit.
• Huang told the Heavenly Dao Alliance that the Barbaric Mystery Realm had been delayed and that rumors blamed his father for angering the Barbaric Gods.
• An arrow shot through Zeng Anmin's tent, and he caught it as shouts announced an attack on the envoy delegation.

Zeng Anmin joined the battle as disciplined black-clad attackers cut through the Imperial City Department Investigators and advanced toward Prince Nan’s carriage. After Bai Ziqing asked him to protect the Investigators while guarding against a hidden foe, Zeng Anmin stepped in to face the black-clad leader, a fifth-rank martial artist.

• Several dozen black-clad men attacked the envoy delegation while hidden archers killed members of the escort, and Zeng Anmin realized the attackers were heading for Prince Nan’s carriage.
• Bai Ziqing formed the Investigators into a battle formation, but the powerful attackers pressed them hard and inflicted mounting casualties.
• Bai Ziqing told Zeng Anmin through voice transmission that a fighter as strong as himself was hiding nearby and asked him to prevent further Investigator deaths.
• Zeng Anmin set a spirit stone in his waist to make Bai Ziqing believe he was using Master Xu’s Array Imprinting, then charged into the fight using his Martial Arts Aura.
• Zeng Anmin saved an Eighth-rank Investigator from the black-clad leader and took the fifth-rank martial artist on himself.

Zeng Anmin cut down the black-clad leader and fought through the attackers until a mysterious figure wielding black aura entered the battle. Bai Ziqing protected Zeng Anmin and froze the shadow in place, advancing on him after declaring that he had been thoroughly enraged.

• Zeng Anmin used his spirit stone and red tattoo’s power to kill the Fifth Rank Martial Artist leader with one slash.
• Zeng Anmin fought the remaining black-clad men, but black aura briefly restrained him before Vast Righteous Qi restored his movement.
• A frail, black-mist-shrouded figure entered the battlefield and used black aura to wither an Imperial City Department Investigator into a husk.
• The figure sent black aura after Zeng Anmin, but Bai Ziqing blocked it with an ice barrier and descended from the carriage to confront him.
• Bai Ziqing attacked the figure with his sword, then used Glacier... ten thousand miles to freeze its feet and advanced on it.

Wu Wei used black qi to bind Bai Ziqing, Zeng Anmin, and the Imperial City Department Investigators, then helped Prince Nan escape. After slapping Bai Ziqing, Prince Nan approached Zeng Anmin and hinted that he intended to kill him.

• Bai Ziqing's sword strikes dispersed Wu Wei's black mist but failed to harm him, and Wu Wei bound Bai Ziqing and Zeng Anmin with chains of black qi.
• Wu Wei revealed himself and went to Prince Nan's carriage, where Prince Nan agreed to leave with him rather than enter the capital.
• Prince Nan walked back to Bai Ziqing, slapped him, and said he was sparing his life because he still needed the Northern Sage Emperor's help.
• Wu Wei and Prince Nan approached Zeng Anmin, who quietly prepared to use his Vast Righteous Qi to break free.
• Prince Nan stopped before Zeng Anmin and said that killing one of Bai Ziqing's newly acquired followers should be fine.

Zeng Anmin pursued Wu Wei and Prince Nan after Wu Wei murdered the investigator, then broke free of the black mist and killed Wu Wei while Bai Ziqing killed Prince Nan. Wu Wei’s confession revealed his ties to the Daoist Talisman Sect and Consort Meiyu, leaving Zeng Anmin shocked by the connection.

• An Imperial City Department Investigator tried to protect Zeng Anmin, but Wu Wei bound and beheaded him as Duke Cao’s arrival forced Wu Wei and Prince Nan to flee.
• Zeng Anmin secretly destroyed the black chains with Vast Righteous Qi and pursued the fugitives while Bai Ziqing followed behind.
• Zeng Anmin attacked Wu Wei with the Eternal Night Three Slashes, then used Vast Righteous Qi to erase the black mist and stab him.
• Bai Ziqing arrived and killed Prince Nan after Zeng Anmin pointed out that he had exposed his Vast Righteous Qi.
• Zeng Anmin used Confucian Heart Inquiry on Wu Wei, who revealed that he came from the Daoist Talisman Sect and had secretly slept with his master’s younger wife, Consort Meiyu.
• Zeng Anmin recognized Consort Meiyu as the woman from Meiyu Tower and demanded clarification.

After Wu Wei revealed that the Fu Sect Master lived in the north and called Consort Meiyu his little wife, his head exploded before Zeng Anmin could question him further. Zeng Anmin connected the clues to Li Jian and Consort Meiyu, but ended by rejecting the idea that their connections were mere coincidence.

• Wu Wei named the Fu Sect Master and began to say he lived in the north before his head suddenly exploded.
• Bai Ziqing suggested that Zeng Anmin investigate Consort Meiyu to find traces of the Fu Sect.
• Zeng Anmin considered how Li Jian, Consort Meiyu, and the Fu Sect might have been connected through Li Jian's identity as Qing.
• Zeng Anmin concluded that Consort Meiyu likely knew Qing's identity and questioned why she had obeyed his order to gather the Heavenly Lotus without suspicion.
• Zeng Anmin dismissed the possibility that the connections were all coincidences.