Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu investigated a mountain collapse in Wilderness Mountain and discovered a massive piece of Flame Jade, where Zhang Heng and He Guangzong’s group confronted him. The chapter left Zhang Heng dead after Chen Mu effortlessly caught his spear and turned it against him.

• Chen Mu heard a distant boom while patrolling and saw part of Wilderness Mountain collapse.
• He Guangzong, He Mingzhen, Zhang Heng, and their companions rushed to the damaged mountain in search of treasures.
• He Guangzong’s group found a huge piece of high-quality Flame Jade and encountered Chen Mu examining it.
• Zhang Heng attacked Chen Mu, believing him to be an easy target.
• Chen Mu caught Zhang Heng’s spear between two fingers, twisted it, and drove the shaft through Zhang Heng’s chest, killing him.

Chen Mu slaughtered He Guangzong, He Mingzhen, and the other He Family fighters in the mountain's belly, then took the superior-grade Flame Jade. He collapsed the mountain to bury the corpses and left with the Flame Jade.

• Chen Mu killed Zhang Heng and He Guangzong, then cut down the He Family guards and Saber Masters who attacked him.
• He Mingzhen pursued Chen Mu and challenged him, but Chen Mu killed him with a single saber strike.
• Chen Mu searched the corpses, found nothing of value, and cut the enormous superior-grade Flame Jade free from the Rock Jade.
• Chen Mu carried the Flame Jade out of the mountain's belly and kicked a weakened section of rock to trigger another collapse, burying the cavern and the bodies.
• Chen Mu looked back at the collapsed mountain and walked away into the mountain range.

Xu Hongyu led the East Hong Township forces against a huge, seemingly endless swarm of frenzied demon creatures. As the battle threatened to overwhelm them, Chen Mu arrived, and Xu Hongyu ordered her forces to keep fighting.

• Xu Hongyu killed a Black-Patterned Demon Leopard that had broken through the encirclement, then learned that an earth tremor had collapsed a ridge on Wilderness Mountain.
• After a three-whistle emergency signal, Xu Hongyu gathered the township's fighters and headed south, where messengers reported a large gathering of demon creatures.
• Xu Hongyu led her forces into battle and used concentrated attacks to kill scores of demon creatures, but more continued to arrive from every direction.
• As her exhausted forces faced mounting danger, Ding He urged Xu Hongyu to withdraw, but Chen Mu arrived at the battle line.
• Seeing Chen Mu, Xu Hongyu told Ding He there was no need to panic and charged back into battle.

Chen Mu reached the East Hong Township battle and used Trigram Wind Power of Intent to kill more than a hundred demon creatures, stabilize the battle line, and drive the horde into retreat. Yu Jun learned of Chen Mu’s strength while rushing to support Xu Hongyu and reconsidered whether the two were a suitable match.

• Ding He and the guards watched Chen Mu kill third-tier demon creatures in single strikes, and they realized he had grasped Power of Intent.
• Chen Mu fought along the battle line, killing more than a hundred demon creatures and giving the exhausted defenders time to recover.
• As the demon creatures retreated, Xu Hongyu suffered a slight internal shock, and Chen Mu offered to escort her back to the township.
• In South Gou Township, Yu Jun judged the upheaval abnormal and hurried toward East Hong after hearing that Xu Hongyu was still there.
• A Courtyard Swordsman told Yu Jun that Chen Mu had routed the East Hong horde with Trigram Wind Power of Intent, leaving Yu Jun astonished.
• Yu Jun accepted that Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu were a suitable pair and decided to mention the matter to Yu Zuyi.

After Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu arranged to hide the Flame Jade, news of Chen Mu’s strength and the sects’ coming struggle unsettled Jade Commandery’s families. Chen Yue learned that her brother had reached Artistic Conception, while the He and Xue Families prepared for the upheaval ahead.

• Chen Mu showed Xu Hongyu the enormous Flame Jade, and she proposed storing it in a safe place in An Yu County until it could be moved into Jade City.
• Chen Mu asked Xu Hongyu to use her merits to exchange for Duan Gu Pills, while she warned that the He, Xue, and Xie Families would now pay attention to him.
• He Zhengya ordered the He Family to suspend its conflict with the Yu Family after revealing that four sects had defeated Seven Mysteries Sect’s True Disciples and gained permission to establish themselves in Jade Province.
• He Guangxun reported that He Guangzong and the others had gone missing after an earthquake and mountain collapse near Wilderness Mountain, and He Zhengya ordered an investigation.
• Xue Huaikong learned of Chen Mu’s accomplishments and resolved to watch how Seven Mysteries Sect and the four sects changed Jade Commandery’s power structure.
• Chen Yue defeated Yu Yun in a sword match, then learned that Chen Mu had reached Artistic Conception, leaving Yu Yun and Yu Ru stunned.

Chen Mu witnessed the Great Drought end, and Xu Hongyu comprehended the third Sword Force of her Floating Water Sword after reflecting on his words about water. As Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu returned to An Yu County, Yu Jun warned them that four powerful sects were moving into Jade Commandery after defeating Seven Mysteries Sect in four challenges.

• Chen Mu watched the Lin An River begin flowing again, and Xu Hongyu comprehended the third Sword Force of her Floating Water Sword.
• Chen Mu kissed Xu Hongyu, and Xiao He interrupted them with Yu Jun's summons.
• Yu Jun told Chen Mu that his demon-riot merits totaled 67,500 and that he would likely remain a White Robe Guard for now.
• Yu Jun warned Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu to set aside their conflict with the He Family and act cautiously upon returning to Jade Commandery.
• Yu Jun revealed that the True Disciples of four neighboring sects had defeated Seven Mysteries Sect in four battles and that their forces would enter Jade Commandery.

Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu considered how the four great sects’ arrival would reshape Jade Commandery, then returned to An Yu County and prepared to go back to the commandery city. The chapter ended with Xu Hongyu accepting her growing closeness to Chen Mu, while Xiao He quietly rejoiced that he treated her mistress well.

• Chen Mu told Xu Hongyu that they would watch how the four sects’ arrival changed Jade Commandery, and he suspected the Seven Mysteries Sect might be using them against the Heavenly Corpse Sect remnants.
• Yu Rong welcomed Chen Mu back and reported that burned household records and years of disasters had made it difficult to find information about Chen Mu’s mother, Liu Ping.
• Chen Mu declined Yu Rong’s celebratory banquet, asked him to continue investigating Liu Ping, and told Xu Hongyu they would return the next day.
• Chen Mu discussed their plans with Xu Hongyu, while Xiao He reflected that he had treated Xu Hongyu with care and left her room without pressing her further.
• Xiao He washed Xu Hongyu’s feet and told her that Chen Mu treated her well; Xu Hongyu agreed and recognized that she could not bring herself to refuse him.

Chen Mu visited his parents’ graves with Xu Hongyu, returned to the Yu Family Residence, and learned that Yu Zuyi approved of his marriage to Xu Hongyu. Yu Zuyi explained the family’s intent diagrams and the difficulty of mastering the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth, while Chen Mu chose to focus on advancing his Zhen Lei Power of Intent.

• Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu paid their respects at his parents’ graves and left them undisturbed.
• Chen Mu returned to the Yu Family Residence, reunited with Chen Yue, and learned she had reached the Flesh Tempering Realm.
• Xiao He brought Chen Mu to meet Yu Zuyi, who approved his marriage to Xu Hongyu and said the wedding would be kept modest because of the coming arrival of the four sects.
• Yu Zuyi offered Chen Mu access to the Yu Family’s intent diagrams, but Chen Mu chose to focus on advancing one Power of Intent to the second step.
• Yu Zuyi explained that mastering the complete Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth was exceptionally difficult, and Chen Mu considered how its ultimate power had once supported Great Xuan’s rise.

Chen Mu waited in Xu Hongyu’s courtyard, where she gave him sixty Bone Tempering Pills and he shared his concern that their marriage would not receive a grand celebration. Xu Hongyu rejected his offer to delay their wedding and smiled at him.

• Chen Mu entered Xu Hongyu’s courtyard with Xiao He and reflected on Xu Hongyu’s loneliness and the care she needed.
• Xu Hongyu returned and told Chen Mu that He Guangyi had questioned her about the missing He Family members, but she had ignored him and left.
• Xu Hongyu gave Chen Mu sixty Bone Tempering Pills, explaining that she would spend the next few months consolidating her qi and blood.
• Chen Mu told Xu Hongyu he wanted to kiss her, making her blush and lose her composure.
• Chen Mu offered to wait two years and give Xu Hongyu a grand wedding, but she smiled and said she did not want that.

Chen Mu moved into a larger courtyard in the Yu Family Residence and began training with the costly Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method. The chapter ended with him applying the scorching bone-tempering medicine in his secluded training room.

• Steward Yu told Chen Mu that the Yu Family had arranged a spacious eastern courtyard for him, and Chen Mu accepted it.
• Chen Mu settled into the new residence with Chen Yue and told her his marriage to Xu Hongyu was settled; Chen Yue worried about how Yu Ru would feel.
• Chen Mu prepared the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method’s medicinal decoction and studied its costs, stages, and the challenge of cultivating Jade Bone.
• Chen Mu entered his training room, swallowed a Duan Gu Pill, and covered his body with the steaming silver-gray medicinal plaster.

Chen Mu began tempering his bones and used the System Panel to reach one percent progress, then spent nearly a month cultivating as Jade City received a Surveillance Department and branches of the four sects. The chapter leaves him discussing Joyful Union Sect’s cultivation method with Xu Hongyu and Xiao He.

• Chen Mu took a Duan Gu Pill, applied medicinal paste, and practiced the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Fist as the medicine tempered his bones.
• Chen Mu spent ten experience points to raise Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method to one percent and dented an iron plate with his finger bone.
• Over nearly a month, a fourth-rank Surveillance Envoy arrived from the Province Capital and established the Surveillance Department in Jade City.
• Blood Shadow Tower, Heaven Sword Sect, Profound Mystery Pavilion, and Joyful Union Sect established their presence in or near Jade City.
• Chen Mu and Xiao He discussed the sects’ influence, and Xu Hongyu spoke about Joyful Union Sect’s dual-cultivation method, prompting awkward looks from Chen Mu and Xiao He.

Chen Mu took Xu Hongyu and Xiao He for a walk through Jade City's Inner City, where he encountered a Heaven Sword Sect True Disciple and resisted the disciple's Heart Sword probe. After the disciples left, a shabby Daoist appeared and offered to tell their fortunes.

• Chen Mu, Xiao He, and Xu Hongyu discussed the Four Great Sects, the Seven Mysteries Sect's new recruitment practices, and Xu Hongyu's difficulty comprehending the Kan Water Diagram.
• Chen Mu accompanied Xu Hongyu and Xiao He on a walk through the Inner City and noticed a group of Heaven Sword Sect disciples approaching.
• Gu Hong sensed something unusual about Chen Mu and probed him with the Heart Sword, then continued on after Chen Mu resisted the faint attack with wind and lightning aspects.
• Xiao He identified Gu Hong as a Heaven Sword Sect True Disciple, and Chen Mu inferred that he was a Five Viscera Realm martial artist.
• A shabby old Daoist appeared beside Chen Mu, Xu Hongyu, and Xiao He and offered to tell their fortunes.

Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu encountered an unruly fortune-teller in the Inner City, then learned he was apparently an impostor from the Profound Mystery Pavilion. That evening, He Guangxun hired the Blood Shadow Tower to assassinate Chen Mu, but balked at its price of nine hundred thousand taels.

• The old Daoist pressured Chen Mu into letting him divine Xu Hongyu's fate, and the crowd mocked him when he declared she was nobility beyond words.
• When Profound Mystery Pavilion members arrived, the old Daoist fled into an alley, and one of them pursued him; Chen Mu later heard he had been impersonating the sect.
• Chen Mu, Xu Hongyu, and Xiao He returned to the Yu Family Residence as night fell.
• He Guangxun entered the Blood Shadow Tower and named Chen Mu as his target, blaming him for the He Family's losses and fearing his future threat to the Yu Family.
• The Blood Shadow Tower quoted He Guangxun nine hundred thousand taels to kill Chen Mu, and He Guangxun objected that the price was too high.

After months of secluded training, Chen Mu faced a Blood Shadow Tower assassin in his bedroom and drove the attacker away with his Wind-Thunder Artistic Conception. He suspected the He Family had hired the assassin, while Chen Yue worried that Chen Mu had been placed on the sect’s assassination list.

• Chen Mu advanced his Tiger Demon Bone Forging Method and continued studying the Trigram Thunder Diagram, hoping to reach the Second Step of Power of Intent.
• A Blood Shadow Tower assassin silently thrust a sword through Chen Mu’s bedroom wall, but Chen Mu deflected the attack with his Sword Finger and Wind-Thunder Artistic Conception.
• Chen Mu drew his saber and struck the assassin through the shattered wall, forcing the masked attacker to flee into the night.
• Chen Mu told the awakened servants he had lost control while practicing, then explained to Chen Yue that the attacker was a Blood Shadow Tower assassin.
• Chen Mu said the assassin’s contract would be canceled after the failed attempt and suspected the He Family had arranged it.

After surviving the Blood Shadow Tower assassin’s attack, Chen Mu studied the Trigram Thunder Diagram through the night and used the System Panel to attempt another derivation. He touched the fundamental essence of thunder and entered the Second Step of Power of Intent Realm.

• Chen Yue worried over Chen Mu’s dangerous life, and he reassured her before sending her to rest.
• Chen Mu had Wang Ni bring a new oil lamp and studied the Trigram Thunder Diagram through the night to gain System Panel experience.
• At dawn, Chen Mu spent his accumulated experience on a derivation, witnessing thunder bring life into a barren world and suppress evil spirits.
• Chen Mu realized that the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth encompassed the principles of generation and restraint, which explained how Trigram Thunder had broken the assassin’s baleful Power of Intent.
• Chen Mu reached toward a thread of thunderous light and touched the fundamental essence of thunder, entering the Second Step of Power of Intent Realm.

Chen Mu comprehended the second step of Trigram Thunder Power of Intent and weighed his chances against Five Viscera Realm experts before deciding to study the Yu Family's Power of Intent diagram. At the He Family residence, He Guangxun received Blood Shadow Tower's notice that Chen Mu's assassination had been suspended unless he paid an additional 29.1 million taels.

• Chen Mu realized that the second step of Trigram Thunder Power of Intent drew nearly inexhaustible power from heaven and earth, making Bone Tempering Realm opponents no threat while leaving his chances against the Five Viscera Realm uncertain.
• Chen Mu found that the Trigram Thunder Diagram still yielded System Panel experience but was too inefficient to pursue the third step, so he planned to examine the Yu Family's Power of Intent diagram and give Xu Hongyu the remaining Duan Gu Pills.
• Chen Mu burned the wreckage in his room and summoned servants to clean the courtyard and arrange repairs.
• He Guangxun grew irritated that Blood Shadow Tower had not killed Chen Mu after a month and a half, though he dared not pressure the assassination sect.
• He Guangxun discovered a black package on his windowsill and found a note stating that the mission was suspended because of an intelligence mismatch, or would require another 29.1 million taels in silver notes.

Chen Mu discussed Blood Shadow Tower’s failed assassination with Xiao He and revealed that the He Family would need enormous funds to target him again. Xiao He reported Chen Mu’s hidden strength to Yu Zuyi, who realized that Chen Mu had secretly reshaped the balance between the Yu and He Families.

• Chen Mu told Xiao He about Blood Shadow Tower’s attempt on his life and asked her to estimate the cost of another assassination.
• Xiao He estimated that killing Chen Mu again could cost over ten million taels and advised him to stay in the Yu Family’s Ancient Courtyard.
• Chen Mu said he had reached a bottleneck in Trigram Thunder Power of Intent and agreed to consider other diagrams in the Ancient Courtyard.
• Xiao He told Yu Zuyi that Chen Mu had reached Bone Tempering, mastered Xun Wind and Trigram Thunder Power of Intent, and repelled the Blood Shadow Tower assassin.
• Yu Zuyi connected Chen Mu to the deaths of Tian Jifeng and He Mingxuan and concluded that Chen Mu had quietly erased the gap between the Yu and He Families.

After learning that Chen Mu had mastered wind and thunder intent and reached Bone Tempering, the He Family considered him a threat but could not afford Blood Shadow Tower’s price to kill him. Yu Jiujiang recognized Chen Mu as the Yu Family’s hope, while Surveillance Envoy Yan Jingqing learned of his talent and considered bringing him into the Demon Subduing Office or Surveillance Department lineage.

• He Guangxun told He Zhengya that Blood Shadow Tower’s intelligence revealed Chen Mu had mastered Trigram Thunder Power of Intent as well as Trigram Wind Power of Intent, and had entered Bone Tempering.
• He Zhengya and He Guangxun concluded that Chen Mu was likely responsible for He Mingxuan and He Mingzhen’s deaths, but could not afford Blood Shadow Tower’s demand of thirty million taels and decided to report the matter to the old gentleman.
• Yu Jiujiang learned of Chen Mu’s abilities and viewed him as the Yu Family’s hope, though he feared his own remaining two or three years might not be enough for Chen Mu to reach the Five Viscera Realm.
• Yan Jingqing learned about Chen Mu, noted his talent and ties to the Yu Family and Demon Subduing Office, and considered that he could serve the Demon Subduing Office or Surveillance Department despite being too old to enter the Seven Mysteries Sect as a disciple.

Chen Mu visited Xu Hongyu while she studied the Kan Water Diagram, gave her a Duan Gu Pill, and urged her to pursue further cultivation. He then borrowed the Yu Family’s Li Fire Diagram and began testing whether his Flame Jade Bed could aid his comprehension.

• Chen Mu watched Xu Hongyu and the others study the Kan Water Diagram and discovered that he comprehended it far more quickly than the Trigram Thunder Diagram.
• Xu Hongyu met Chen Mu outside, where he gave her a Duan Gu Pill and encouraged her to reach Bone Tempering and eventually the Five Viscera Realm.
• Chen Mu told Xu Hongyu about recent events, alarming her and deepening her wariness toward the He Family.
• Chen Mu found the Li Fire Diagram, exchanged the Trigram Thunder Diagram for it, and returned the Thunder diagram to the Yu Family.
• Chen Mu sat on the Flame Jade in his cultivation Quiet Room and placed the Li Fire Diagram before him to test his comprehension.

Chen Mu advanced his Li Fire Power of Intent while cultivating on the Flame Jade Bed, then received a summons from Inspector Yan Jingqing. As Chen Mu left to meet Yan, Yu Jiujiang revealed that he had intercepted a concealed attacker from the He Family who had tried to strike at him.

• Chen Mu comprehended the Li Fire Diagram on the Flame Jade Bed and gained 105 experience points toward the Li Fire Power of Intent.
• Chen Mu decided to focus on cultivating Li Fire and planned to move the Flame Jade Bed to the Ancient Courtyard.
• Xiao He told Chen Mu that Inspector Yan Jingqing wanted to see him, and Chen Mu agreed to go.
• Chen Mu left the Yu Family Residence in his White Robe Guard uniform to answer Yan Jingqing's summons.
• Yu Jiujiang confronted a concealed figure from the He Family who had tried to attack Chen Mu, then watched the attacker retreat.