Recaps

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.

Zeng Anmin deduced that Meiyu Tower wanted to cooperate with him and set out to meet its messenger in Capital City. After realizing Prince Nan’s death would cause trouble for the delegation, he transformed into Prince Nan and invented a story that blamed Wu Wei for the death.

• Zeng Anmin explained to Bai Ziqing why Meiyu Tower likely wanted to cooperate with him and decided to meet the youth traveling to Capital City.
• Zeng Anmin and Bai Ziqing planned to tell Duke Cao that Huang had killed Prince Nan, while Bai Ziqing had fought Huang in an effort to save him.
• Bai Ziqing worried that Prince Nan’s death would disrupt the Empress’s plans, and Zeng Anmin jokingly suggested he become her male concubine.
• Zeng Anmin realized they could claim that he and Bai Ziqing had rescued Prince Nan from Wu Wei, but that he had died in the ensuing fight.
• Zeng Anmin transformed into Prince Nan and bowed to Bai Ziqing, who praised the plan as genius.

Zeng Anmin disguised himself as Prince Nan so he and Bai Ziqing could return to the envoy party without exposing Prince Nan’s death. After Bai Ziqing explained the supposed recapture to Duke Cao, Zeng Anmin was sent back to Prince Nan’s carriage, where he brooded over what had happened.

• Zeng Anmin put on Prince Nan’s clothes and practiced his mannerisms with Bai Ziqing, who insisted on slapping him to make the disguise convincing.
• Bai Ziqing froze and shattered the two corpses with his Martial Arts Aura before taking Zeng Anmin back to the envoy party.
• Duke Cao welcomed Bai Ziqing and questioned him about how Prince Nan had been recaptured, while Zeng Anmin silently followed them.
• Bai Ziqing told Duke Cao that an attacker had abducted Prince Nan, then had two Imperial City Department Investigators escort Zeng Anmin to the carriage.
• Zeng Anmin sat alone in Prince Nan’s carriage and looked deep in thought.

Zeng Anmin weighed how to exploit his disguise as Prince Nan before the diplomatic mission reached Jiang Kingdom’s capital. After the Eastern Cult tested him with a demon mirror, he faced a question about whether he had been humiliated on the journey.

• Zeng Anmin considered using Prince Nan’s identity to gain support and cultivation benefits, but worried he lacked time to build influence in Jiang Kingdom.
• Duke Cao led the Jiang Kingdom contingent and the Great Sage Dynasty diplomatic mission into the capital, where officials and Eastern Cult members awaited Prince Nan.
• Zeng Anmin presented himself as Prince Nan, acknowledged his defeat at Guangnan Prefecture, and asked Minister Zhou Dun to take him to see the Empress.
• The Eastern Cult used a pearl and a bronze demon mirror to verify Zeng Anmin’s appearance, then asked whether he had been humiliated during the journey.
• Zeng Anmin began to shake his head, then abruptly stopped himself.

Zeng Anmin passed the Eastern Cult’s test and entered the Jiang Kingdom palace with Bai Ziqing to meet Empress Gu Xiangnan. The chapter ended with Gu Xiangnan greeting him as her Imperial Uncle.

• Zeng Anmin answered Bai Ziqing’s questions about their earlier fight, convincing the Eastern Cult that he was Prince Nan.
• Wang Lingyun introduced himself and withdrew after Zeng Anmin feigned anger at being questioned by a divine ability.
• Zhou Dun led Zeng Anmin and Bai Ziqing toward the main hall for an audience with the Empress.
• Zeng Anmin admired the grandeur of Jiang Kingdom’s palace as he walked through it.
• Zeng Anmin met Empress Gu Xiangnan, who welcomed him as her Imperial Uncle and asked whether his journey had been arduous.

Zeng Anmin returned to the Jiang capital and watched the Empress agree to Minister Ji Hongli's demand that he live outside the Imperial City and leave for his fief after the Northern Sacred Envoy departed. After Ji offered him protection and support, Zeng Anmin devised a plan and contacted Nan, offering to make Prince Nan disappear in exchange for payment.

• Bai Ziqing and Wang Anli greeted the Empress, while Zeng Anmin was struck by her beauty and privately wondered about marrying her.
• The Empress arranged a welcoming banquet and ordered Zeng Anmin to stay at Jian'an Palace, but Ji Hongli and other officials argued that Prince Nan should live outside the palace and soon leave for his fief.
• The Empress accepted Ji Hongli's proposal, and Ji later told Zeng Anmin that he had acted to protect him and pledged his forces and assistance.
• Zeng Anmin judged Ji's political faction to be driven by selfish aims and considered the heavily guarded Jianjun Prefecture.
• Zeng Anmin messaged Nan through the Dragon Survey Map, revealing that he knew Nan's identity and offering to make Prince Nan vanish in exchange for a deal.

Empress Gu Xiangnan considered Bei’s offer to make Prince Nan disappear and learned that Bei was nearing the Fourth Rank, while Zeng Anmin negotiated for a treasure that could strengthen divine consciousness. The next morning, Zeng Anmin remained unaware that Gu Xiangnan was tracking Bei and focused on avoiding the unseen watcher in Jianjun Prefecture.

• Gu Xiangnan weighed Bei’s proposal, recognizing that Prince Nan’s disappearance could undermine Ji Hongli but doubting anyone could breach Jianjun Prefecture’s defenses.
• Zeng Anmin told Nan he wanted to know how to break through to Fourth Rank, and Gu Xiangnan explained the process of comprehending a domain.
• Gu Xiangnan offered Sorrow-Relief Grass as payment for Prince Nan’s death, but Zeng Anmin rejected it and demanded a treasure that nurtured divine consciousness.
• Zeng Anmin warned that Prince Nan’s disappearance could ruin Ji Hongli’s standing, prompting Gu Xiangnan to track Bei with a compass that pointed to Peacock Street and the Jiaofang Division.
• The next morning, Zeng Anmin dismissed two beauties and prepared to cultivate while sensing that an expert under Ji Hongli was watching him.

Zeng Anmin devised a way to escape Jianjun Prefecture and act against Prince Nan, then tricked Ji Hongli into dismissing Mr. Xin. The chapter ended with Zeng Anmin knocking Ji Hongli unconscious and taking his appearance.

• Zeng Anmin agreed to make Prince Nan disappear after learning he would receive the Moon God Jade Pendant, and he planned to escape by disguising himself as a servant.
• Ji Hongli assured Lord Liu that Jianjun Prefecture’s defenses would protect Prince Nan, then went to meet him after hearing he had a secret matter involving the Empress.
• Ji Hongli brought Mr. Xin, a Third Rank Martial Artist, to demonstrate the residence’s strength, and Zeng Anmin pretended to be frightened and reassured.
• Zeng Anmin insisted that Mr. Xin leave before he would reveal his secret, and Ji Hongli checked that Mr. Xin had gone far away.
• Zeng Anmin asked Ji Hongli about his strength, struck him unconscious, and transformed himself into Ji Hongli.

Zeng Anmin disguised himself as Ji Hongli and tried to leave Jianjun Prefecture, but Mr. Xin questioned him about a promised lifespan-extending foundation and Ji Hongli’s missing Jade Bone Fan. Zeng Anmin used Confucian Path Heart Inquiry to fool Mr. Xin and escaped toward Minister Ji Hongli’s Prefecture.

• Zeng Anmin left the room in Ji Hongli’s clothes and imitated his manner as he crossed Jianjun Prefecture.
• Mr. Xin asked Zeng Anmin about the foundation for extending one’s lifespan, and Zeng Anmin claimed he had already made arrangements.
• Mr. Xin questioned Zeng Anmin about Ji Hongli’s missing Jade Bone Fan, making Zeng Anmin fear his disguise had been exposed.
• Zeng Anmin slapped a servant and used Confucian Path Heart Inquiry to reveal the servant’s embezzlement, then claimed he had been disciplining the servants over confidential matters.
• Mr. Xin accepted Zeng Anmin’s explanation, and Zeng Anmin left Jianjun Prefecture by carriage for Minister Ji Hongli’s Prefecture.

Zeng Anmin used his ability to impersonate Ji Hongli and make Prince Nan disappear, then changed his face and went to the Jiaofang Division to test a young man from Meiyu Tower. Unbeknownst to him, two women watched from a carriage nearby and debated whether to enter.

• Mr. Xin found Ji Hongli unconscious and naked in the room, though he had just seen someone impersonating Ji Hongli leave with Prince Nan.
• Ji Hongli convinced Mr. Xin that he was the real Ji Hongli and learned that another Confucian Cultivator had impersonated him.
• Ji Hongli asked about ways to alter one’s appearance, and Mr. Xin mentioned a Heaven-tier Talisman from the Dao Sect’s talisman sect.
• Zeng Anmin changed his face and clothes, then followed a young man from Meiyu Tower into the Jiaofang Division to test his theory about him.
• Two women watched Zeng Anmin enter from a carriage, and one complained that the people there were crude.

Princess Wencheng accompanied the disguised Empress Gu Xiangnan to the Jiaofang Division, where Gu Xiangnan went to meet a friend. Zeng Anmin watched a suspicious young man he believed was connected to the Daoist Talisman Sect, then saw Gu Xiangnan enter the hall in men's clothing.

• Princess Wencheng urged Gu Xiangnan not to visit the Jiaofang Division, but Gu Xiangnan said she was going to see a friend and sent her back to the palace.
• Zeng Anmin visited the Jiaofang Division and brushed off Yuanyang's attempts to entertain him.
• Zeng Anmin watched a young man who appeared to be waiting for someone and suspected the meeting was connected to the Daoist Talisman Sect.
• Gu Xiangnan entered the main hall in men's clothing, and Zeng Anmin recognized the Empress.

Zeng Anmin spotted Gu Xiangnan at the Jiaofang Division and realized that a treasure was likely hiding her identity from everyone else. Disguised as a man, Gu Xiangnan followed a compass to Bei and suspected he was preparing to meet someone who could make Prince Nan disappear.

• Zeng Anmin noticed that the other patrons treated Gu Xiangnan as an ordinary person and concluded that a treasure concealed her appearance from them.
• Gu Xiangnan arrived seeking Bei's trail, hired a servant to find her a seat, and called for a girl to avoid attracting suspicion.
• Zeng Anmin examined Gu Xiangnan closely and recognized her disguise from her beard and Adam's apple.
• Gu Xiangnan used a compass to locate Bei and suspected that he had come to meet someone connected to making Prince Nan disappear.
• When a woman tried to flirt with Gu Xiangnan, she blocked her with a folding fan and asked instead for a leg massage.

Zeng Anmin followed Gu Xiangnan after she left the Jiaofang Division and discovered her spying on Pan Shiba, who met with a mysterious, magically appearing black-robed figure. The figure vanished after giving Pan Shiba a porcelain bottle, leaving Zeng Anmin troubled by Pan Shiba calling him “Master.”

• Zeng Anmin chatted with Gu Xiangnan and the women at the Jiaofang Division until he noticed Pan Shiba had disappeared upstairs.
• Gu Xiangnan left the Jiaofang Division, and Zeng Anmin followed her through the dark streets.
• Gu Xiangnan hid near the second-floor window while Zeng Anmin watched from farther away as Pan Shiba opened it.
• A short black-robed figure appeared out of thin air, and Gu Xiangnan suspected he was connected to the Eastern Cult.
• Pan Shiba called the figure “Master,” received a porcelain bottle from him, and watched him vanish.
• Zeng Anmin wondered why a martial artist from the Great Sage Dynasty would call a suspected Eastern Cult figure his master.

Zeng Anmin helped Empress Gu Xiangnan flee the Black Guards after they caught him spying, and the two escaped to her courtyard. There, Gu Xiangnan disguised her identity and introduced herself as Gu Yin, while Zeng Anmin gave the false name Wu Yanzu.

• Black Guards spotted Zeng Anmin near the Empress, so he grabbed her and fled with her across the rooftops.
• A warning firework summoned Black Guard squads, and Gu Xiangnan revealed her martial skill by defeating five guards blocking their escape.
• Zeng Anmin and Gu Xiangnan reached a courtyard beside the imperial city, where Die'er greeted the Empress as her master.
• Zeng Anmin admired Die'er and introduced himself as Wu Yanzu, while Gu Xiangnan used the name Gu Yin.
• Die'er was confused when the supposed friends exchanged names for the first time.

Zeng Anmin met Empress Gu Xiangnan while pretending to be a man named Wu Yanzu and claimed he had come to observe the Blood Moon Ceremony. After Die'er quietly dealt with a Black-Clad Guard inspection, Zeng Anmin mistakenly concluded that Gu Xiangnan was the Empress's secretly kept male concubine.

• Zeng Anmin explained that he had followed Gu Xiangnan after leaving the Jiaofang Division and had encountered the Black-Clad Guard during curfew.
• Zeng Anmin told Gu Xiangnan that he had come with the Northern Sacred Envoy Mission and agreed that he was there to observe the Blood Moon Ceremony.
• Duke Cao and the Black-Clad Guard pounded on the courtyard gate to conduct a routine inspection.
• Zeng Anmin offered to hold off the guards, but Gu Xiangnan assured him that her court connections would handle the situation.
• Die'er went outside and returned after resolving the inspection without further commotion.
• Zeng Anmin guessed that Gu Xiangnan was the reigning Empress's secretly kept male concubine, and Gu Xiangnan spat tea at him.

Zeng Anmin and Empress Gu Xiangnan discussed Northern Sacred talents, while each concealed their identity in their secret alliance messages. The chapter ended when Bai Ziqing sent a broken plea for help and his jade pendant went silent.

• Gu Xiangnan praised Bai Ziqing, Sai Chuxue, Black Cat, and Zeng Anmin as remarkable talents, while Zeng Anmin dismissed the others and awkwardly rejected the praise of himself.
• Gu Xiangnan retired for the night, and Zeng Anmin wondered whether she had recognized him and admired him from afar.
• Zeng Anmin and Gu Xiangnan exchanged messages as Bei and Nan, and she confirmed that Prince Nan had disappeared and planned to watch Ji Hongli for signs of what happened.
• Gu Xiangnan asked about Bei's master, and Zeng Anmin gave a vague answer that made her suspect the master was a short black-robed figure.
• Bai Ziqing's jade pendant transmitted a broken plea for help before falling silent, and Zeng Anmin realized Bai Ziqing was in danger.