Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan accepted Jia Lie Bi’s challenge and revealed that he had become a One-Star Da Dou Shi. He overwhelmed the Three-Star Da Dou Shi, forcing Jia Lie Qing to intervene before the Jia Lie family conceded and left.

• Jia Lie Bi challenged Zhang Yuan to endure ten moves, while Xiao Zhan stepped aside and let them fight.
• Jia Lie Bi attacked Zhang Yuan with the Jia Lie family’s Gale Palm, but Zhang Yuan blocked it with his Dou Qi Armor and revealed his Da Dou Shi cultivation.
• Zhang Yuan countered with Raging Thunder Strike and chased Jia Lie Bi down with Divine Step Chasing Lightning, breaking his armor and beating him until Jia Lie Qing intervened.
• Zhang Yuan mocked Jia Lie Bi for stopping before completing ten moves, and Jia Lie Qing admitted the Jia Lie family was outmatched and took his people away.
• Ao Ba Pa led his people away, while the Xiao Clan celebrated Zhang Yuan’s strength and his victory over a Three-Star Da Dou Shi.

Zhang Yuan turned down Ya Fei’s attempts to charm him, teased her about Mu Zhan, and reassured Xiao Zhan that family ties mattered more than thanks. The chapter ended with Xiao Zhan asking why Zhang Yuan had deliberately provoked the Jia Lie family.

• Lin Zhengqing congratulated Xiao Zhan and invited Zhang Yuan to visit the City Lord’s Manor.
• Zhang Yuan left Ya Fei to negotiate with Xiao Zhan and the Great Elder, then took Xun Er to the rear courtyard.
• Ya Fei teased Zhang Yuan about her sacrifice, and Zhang Yuan promised to beat up Mu Zhan and tell him to stop pursuing her.
• Xun Er warned Zhang Yuan not to recklessly take attacks head-on, and Zhang Yuan agreed to be more careful.
• Xiao Zhan tried to thank Zhang Yuan for helping Xiao Yan, but Zhang Yuan stopped him and affirmed they were family.
• Xiao Zhan asked Zhang Yuan about deliberately provoking the Jia Lie family, and Zhang Yuan was surprised that he had noticed.

Zhang Yuan explained to Xiao Zhan that he wanted the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families to try to kill him, while the two family leaders secretly plotted an ambush. He left Xiao Zhan wondering what larger game Zhang Yuan intended to play in Wutan City.

• Xiao Zhan told Zhang Yuan he had guessed that Zhang Yuan was drawing attention to himself, and Zhang Yuan invited him and Xun Er to speak privately.
• Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa agreed to arrange Zhang Yuan's death on the road before he returned to the army.
• Xiao Zhan said Jia Lie Bi had targeted Zhang Yuan because he feared his talent and potential.
• Zhang Yuan revealed that he wanted the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families to notice him and attempt to kill him.
• Zhang Yuan asked Xiao Zhan whether Wutan City was too small for the Xiao Clan, leaving his deeper intentions unexplained.

Zhang Yuan set a trap to provoke the Jia Lie family and Ao Ba Clan into colluding with the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits and attacking him on the road to Qingyun Town. As Zhang Yuan prepared to depart with his guards, Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa arrived and called for him to wait.

• Zhang Yuan told Xiao Zhan that he planned to use his journey through Misty Mountain to expose the Jia Lie family and Ao Ba Clan's suspected dealings with the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits.
• Zhang Yuan explained that the families would likely attack him because his military service and growing influence threatened their position in Wutan City.
• Zhang Yuan met with City Lord Lin Zhengqing, and news spread that Lin Zhengqing favored him and might recommend him for command of a Black Armored Guard unit.
• The Mittel Auction House announced a joint merchant caravan with the Xiao Clan, prompting Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa to decide to eliminate Zhang Yuan.
• Three days later, Zhang Yuan prepared to leave Wutan City with his guards, including Xiao Boyuan, while the Xiao Clan, Ya Fei, Gu Ni, and Lin Zhengqing saw him off.
• Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa hurried to the city gates and called for Zhang Yuan to wait.

Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa tried to disguise their plans against Zhang Yuan by offering agreements and a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, but Zhang Yuan discovered the pill was baited and used it anyway. He left for Qingyun Town and broke through to become a Five-Star Great Dou Shi.

• Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa presented written agreements to return the Xiao Clan's assets, and Xiao Zhan signed them before Lin Zhengqing witnessed them.
• Jia Lie Qing gave Zhang Yuan a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, and Old Yao detected Thousand-Mile Orchid pollen on it that would attract Three-Needle Tiger-Head Bees.
• Zhang Yuan accepted the agreements and pill, then rode away with his men while Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa planned to conceal their link to the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits.
• After hosting Lin Zhengqing, Gu Ni, Ya Fei, and Xiao Zhan, Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa discussed their plan to have Zhang Yuan killed and hide their involvement.
• On the road, Zhang Yuan swallowed the pill and suppressed its breakthrough energy with the Heavenly Thunder Art and Three Dragon Thunder Guard, reaching Five-Star Great Dou Shi.

Zhang Yuan stabilized his Five-Star Great Dou Shi cultivation by training beneath a thunderstorm, then led the Black Armored Guard to Two-Dragon Pass. At the pass, he encountered a caravan with Qing Yanjing and recognized her as Mu Chen’s mother, though the timeline seemed far too early.

• Zhang Yuan refined the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill and cultivated through the night in a thunderstorm, using the Three Dragon Thunder Gang Fire and Heavenly Thunder Art to stabilize his Five-Star Great Dou Shi cultivation.
• Zhang Yuan led his men into Two-Dragon Pass, where a disguised watcher left a note identifying the Black Armored Guard as a target and secretly observed them overnight.
• At dawn, Zhang Yuan’s group prepared to leave with several merchant caravans, including the Myriad Books Pavilion caravan.
• Qing Yanjing noticed Zhang Yuan and sent a steward to approach him, but a handsome man objected to outsiders joining their party.
• Zhang Yuan recognized Qing Yanjing as Mu Chen’s mother and wondered how she could appear so early in the timeline.

Zhang Yuan declined Qing Yanjing’s invitation to travel together, then left the city after his guards helped recapture a runaway Azure Flame Purple Cloud Eagle. A suspicious man followed a concealed trail out of the city, unaware that a black-robed figure was tracking him.

• Qing Yanjing argued with Meng Xing and Qin Hai about inviting Zhang Yuan’s Black Armored Guard to join their caravan, but Zhang Yuan declined because he had to reach Qingyun Town within three days.
• An Azure Flame Purple Cloud Eagle escaped its cage and fled toward the city gate, so Ye Ya and Xiao Boyuan restrained it while Qin Hai returned it to the cage.
• Zhang Yuan and his riders left through the southern city gate, while Qing Yanjing watched them go and regretted that they could not travel together.
• A man hiding in an alley said Zhang Yuan’s departure had saved a target from escaping, then left the city and followed a concealed trail through the mist.
• A black-robed figure appeared at the trail entrance after the man had left and said Zhang Yuan had been right.

Zhang Yuan’s deductions helped the black-robed man avoid alerting the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits while taking the official road to catch up with him. As Zhang Yuan’s group prepared to cross a dangerous stretch of road, the Nine Bandits ambushed them with arrows, and Zhang Yuan confronted their hidden attackers.

• The black-robed man decided to follow the official road with the gray-robed man rather than pursue the suspected bandit and risk being detected.
• Zhang Yuan’s group rode more than a thousand li without stopping, then paused by the river to take Green Spirit Pills before crossing the final straight stretch.
• Zhang Yuan detected arrows in the mist, leaped away from his horse, and used Suction Palm to pull in and incinerate all nine arrows.
• The Black Armored Guard formed a defensive formation as Zhang Yuan challenged the hidden Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits.

Zhang Yuan revealed that Jia Lie Bi had joined the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits’ ambush, then triggered the silver-purple flames he had planted in Jia Lie Bi’s dantian. As the bandits fled and the explosion struck them, a bolt of lightning erupted in the mist.

• Sen Ma Rong and the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits surrounded Zhang Yuan’s group, while Zhang Yuan secretly signaled Xiao Boyuan to activate a stone.
• Zhang Yuan exposed Jia Lie Bi as the disguised man who had arranged the ambush, and Jia Lie Bi realized Zhang Yuan had deliberately lured him into it.
• The bandits’ woman spotted a Da Dou Shi and a Dou Ling approaching, prompting Sen Ma Rong to order an immediate retreat.
• Zhang Yuan drew his bow as the Three Dragon Thunder Gang Fire inside Jia Lie Bi’s dantian shattered his Dou Crystal and blasted nearby bandits.
• A silver-purple bolt of lightning lit the mist as the female Da Dou Shi sensed danger.

Zhang Yuan defeated the fleeing Jia Lie Bi faction, captured Sen Ma Rong, and discovered Sen Ma Rong was not from the Jia Ma Empire. After the battle, Zhang Yuan preserved Lan Juan’s poisonous blood as a future gift for Xiao Yi Xian.

• Zhang Yuan’s lightning-and-flame arrow pierced Lan Juan and paralyzed her, but she sacrificed herself to block his attack on Sen Ma Rong and died.
• Zhang Yuan refined Lan Juan’s poisonous blood with the Three Dragon Thunder Gang Fire, then captured several fleeing fighters while Sen Ma Rong escaped on a poisoned magical beast horse.
• Zhang Yuan joined Lin Zhengqing in battle against Sen Ma Rong and stopped Sen Ma Rong’s attempted self-destruction by suppressing his Dou Crystal with Heavenly Flame.
• Zhang Yuan sealed the refined poisonous blood in a jade bottle and told Lin Zhengqing that he had arrived just in time to help capture Sen Ma Rong.

Zhang Yuan explained how he had used Jia Lie Bi and the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits to earn military merit and secure evidence against the Jia Lie Clan and Ao Ba Clan. After interrogating Sen Ma Rong, he learned the bandits’ true identities and purpose, which revealed an even greater opportunity.

• Zhang Yuan told Lin Zhengqing and Master Gu Ni that Jia Lie Bi had colluded with the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits and that a Recording Stone had captured the meeting.
• Lin Zhengqing agreed to help punish the Jia Lie Clan and Ao Ba Clan, but Zhang Yuan suspected the bandits were from the Chuyun Empire and took Sen Ma Rong away to interrogate him.
• Zhang Yuan used the Three Dragon Thunder Gang Fire to torture Sen Ma Rong until he agreed to reveal everything.
• Sen Ma Rong disclosed the bandits’ identities and purpose, and Zhang Yuan realized the information could bring him a major achievement.

Zhang Yuan discovered that the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits were Dark Cloud Guards sent by the Chuyun Empire to spy on the Jia Ma Empire and prepare for a possible invasion. After interrogating the survivors, he learned that the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families had helped them and ordered Lin Zhengqing and Master Gu Ni to prepare for the fallout.

• Zhang Yuan learned how the nine Dark Cloud Guards used their formation and resistance to the mist to investigate the mountain range and conceal their identities.
• Zhang Yuan tortured Sen Ma Rong into agreeing to cooperate, then returned him to the ambush site, where Ye Ya reported that the other bandits' heads had been collected.
• Zhang Yuan subdued and interrogated another surviving Da Dou Shi, while Sen Ma Rong and the captive revealed that they served the Chuyun Empire and had been sent to gather intelligence and undermine the Jia Ma Empire's Northeast Province.
• The captives disclosed that the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families had supplied them and requested Zhang Yuan's assassination; Zhang Yuan ordered the prisoners taken to camp and secretly promised they would die on the way.
• Zhang Yuan told Master Gu Ni to notify his Uncle to hold position and asked Lin Zhengqing to accompany him to Qingyun Town.

Qin Zhendong discussed the Mo Family and the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits with his son while waiting for Zhang Yuan to return. News arrived that Zhang Yuan had destroyed the bandits, leaving Qin Zhendong and the Xuan Character Camp stunned.

• Qin Zhendong and Qin Jingyan discussed the empire’s troubles and whether Zhang Yuan could advise them on the Mo Family’s influence in Salt City.
• Qin Jingyan reminded Qin Zhendong that Zhang Yuan was due back that day and suggested asking him about the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits.
• A guard reported that Zhang Yuan had led troops to wipe out the bandits and had returned to Qingyun Town.
• At the Xuan Character Camp, Meng Xu sought promotion to centurion and claimed he was now strong enough to defeat Shi Jiu.
• A messenger summoned Qin Zhenming to the commander’s residence and announced Zhang Yuan’s victory, shocking everyone present.

Zhang Yuan reported how he outmaneuvered and defeated the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits, revealing that they were Dark Cloud Guards from the Chuyun Empire. The commanders were astonished by his strength and proposed punishment for the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families, but Qin Zhenming and Ge Donglai objected.

• Shi Jiu praised Zhang Yuan for defeating the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits, while Meng Xu dismissed the feat as trickery and vowed to challenge him.
• Zhang Yuan explained his plan to Qin Zhendong, Qin Jingyan, and Wang Zhongli, then revealed that the bandits were Dark Cloud Guards from the Chuyun Empire.
• Mu Kun, Ao Benyu, Qin Zhenming, and Ge Donglai arrived, and Zhang Yuan recounted how he had defeated the bandits with help from Lin Zhengqing and Master Gu Ni.
• Zhang Yuan revealed his Five-Star Great Dou Shi cultivation, shocking the commanders and prompting Mu Kun to consider building ties with him.
• Zhang Yuan urged Qin Zhendong to send Black Armored Guards against the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families for colluding with the bandits, but Qin Zhenming and Ge Donglai objected.

Zhang Yuan revealed that the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits were the Chuyun Empire’s Dark Cloud Guard and presented evidence that the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans had aided them. The commanders agreed to punish the traitorous clans, and Zhang Yuan’s scroll gave Qin Zhenming a separate mission that delighted him.

• Zhang Yuan played a Recording Stone showing the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits working with Jia Lie Bi and presented letters linking them to the Chuyun Empire.
• Lin Zhengqing confirmed that he had witnessed the events, and Qin Zhendong read letters detailing the Dark Cloud Guard’s intelligence gathering and the clans’ supply of provisions.
• Lin Zhengqing explained that Sen Ma Rong and Liu Chuan had died after triggering poison inside their bodies, while Mu Kun and the other commanders requested permission to attack the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans.
• Zhang Yuan assigned Mu Kun and Ao Benyu to deal with one clan each, avoiding accusations that the Xuan Character Camp was pursuing private revenge.
• Zhang Yuan handed Qin Zhenming a scroll, and Qin Zhenming read it before declaring that he could forgo the mission of quelling rebellion.

Qin Zhendong ordered Mu Kun and Ao Benyu to arrest the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans, while Zhang Yuan was promoted to commandant and defeated Meng Xu in their challenge. Five days later, the Black Armored Guard arrived at the Jia Lie family to carry out the arrests.

• Qin Zhendong ordered Mu Kun and Ao Benyu to launch a surprise raid on Wutan City and arrest the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families.
• Lin Zhengqing returned to Wutan City, and Qin Zhendong promoted Zhang Yuan to commandant of the Xuan Character Camp’s left division.
• Meng Xu challenged Zhang Yuan over the promotion, and Zhang Yuan beat him in the training ground.
• The Jia Lie family elders worried about Jia Lie Bi’s disappearance and debated whether the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits had been defeated.
• A Dou Ling commander arrived at the Jia Lie family and announced that its crimes had been exposed and its members would be arrested.

The Black Armored Guard captured the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans after their leaders confessed to colluding with the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits to attack Zhang Yuan. In the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan dismissed the news as routine, then decided to find rivals for Xun Er.

• Mu Kun and the Black Armored Guard subdued Jia Lie Qing and captured the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans across Wutan City and its surrounding areas.
• Lin Zhengqing questioned Jia Lie Qing and Ao Ba Pa, who confessed to colluding with the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits to assassinate Zhang Yuan.
• Lin Zhengqing revealed that the bandits were Dark Cloud Guards of the Chuyun Empire and ordered the clans taken to the Imperial Capital for public execution.
• The city posted notices explaining Zhang Yuan's defeat of the bandits, and Wutan City's onlookers praised his strategy and strength.
• Xiao Yan called the clan's excitement excessive, and Xun Er teased him for praising Zhang Yuan before Xiao Yan resolved to find her rivals.

Xiao Yan teased Xun Er, then resolved to become strong enough to support Zhang Yuan, while Xiao Zhan and Ya Fei considered Zhang Yuan’s business plans. Ya Fei agreed to follow one of Zhang Yuan’s proposals after learning he had devised it.

• Xiao Yan teased Xun Er, whose unusual nature impressed Yao Chen, and then left after promising not to tease her again.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen he would become powerful so he could support Zhang Yuan if Xun Er’s family opposed their marriage.
• Xiao Zhan reviewed Zhang Yuan’s suggestions for reclaiming and expanding the Xiao Clan’s share of the properties left vacant by the Jia Lie and Ao Ba Clans.
• Ya Fei considered how to win Zhang Yuan’s affection and proposed opening an auction house in Qingyun Town.
• Gu Ni gave Ya Fei Zhang Yuan’s plan for making money alongside the Xiao Clan, and Ya Fei immediately agreed when she learned he had devised it.

Ya Fei pursued cooperation with the Xiao Clan as news of Zhang Yuan’s feats spread across the empire. Yun Yun disciplined Ge Ye and decided to recruit Zhang Yuan, while Princess Yaoye proposed making him her son-in-law.

• Ya Fei met Xun Er, took her encouragement as a challenge, and discussed cooperation with Xiao Zhan.
• News of Zhang Yuan’s destruction of the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families and the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits spread across the Jia Ma Empire.
• Yun Yun reprimanded Ge Ye for his conduct toward the Xiao Clan and ordered him to receive punishment.
• Yun Yun reviewed Zhang Yuan’s report and decided to visit Qingyun Town to nurture him.
• Princess Yaoye asked Jia Xingtian what he thought of taking Zhang Yuan as her son-in-law.

Princess Yaoye considered marrying Zhang Yuan for his talent and the royal family's future, but Jia Xingtian advised her to get to know him and seek an alliance instead of assuming he would marry into the royal family. As powerful families turned their attention to Zhang Yuan, he completed secluded cultivation and revealed a devastating lightning technique.

• Princess Yaoye explained why Zhang Yuan would make an ideal husband for the royal family, but Jia Xingtian warned that Zhang Yuan might have powerful backing or other prospects and urged her to learn more about him before deciding how to approach him.
• The Mu family head and the Mittel family head sent messages urging their relatives to build a good relationship with Zhang Yuan.
• Nalan Su told Nalan Yanran to openly pursue Zhang Yuan and said he would handle the compensation tied to her Three Year Agreement with Xiao Yan.
• After three more days of secluded cultivation, Zhang Yuan unleashed purple lightning that cleared the clouds around him and summoned nine massive bolts from the heavens.
• Ling Ying watched Zhang Yuan's attack and wondered when he had learned what appeared to be an Earth Tier Dou Technique.