Chapter Summaries

Chen Jing and Su Lingyi joined forces to kill Master Xuanyang, though the battle left them injured and trapped beneath the cavern’s rubble. After recovering and searching the ruins, they dug their way to the blocked entrance and crawled outside.

• Chen Jing gathered power for his Stunning Spear Strike while Su Lingyi unleashed her full strength to hold Master Xuanyang back.
• Su Lingyi intercepted Master Xuanyang’s palm strike and was thrown into the rocks with a wounded shoulder.
• Chen Jing drove his spear strike into Master Xuanyang’s palm, and their clash collapsed the cavern around them.
• Su Lingyi dug through the rubble, found Master Xuanyang dead, and uncovered Chen Jing, who could not move.
• Chen Jing and Su Lingyi recovered for a day and a night, searched Master Xuanyang’s body, and continued through the collapsed cavern.
• Chen Jing and Su Lingyi dug through the blocked entrance and crawled outside after confirming no one was nearby.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing and Su Lingyi emerge into the night to find a valley littered with bodies. Su explains that Granny Gu-Heart had been left to guard the cavern’s exit, but withdrew after the Grand Commandant’s Residence overwhelmed the Gu-Puppets with five thousand Black-Armored Elite Cavalry.
• The treasure hunt has ended in disaster for nearly everyone: Qu Feiguang’s “secret treasure” was a trap, the cavern collapsed, and the survivors fled empty-handed. Chen Jing is likely the only person to escape with a substantial haul.
• Chen questions two hidden cavalrymen, then kills them when they have nothing more to offer. Su Lingyi says the Underworld Mansion has dispersed and must report back to Lord Wuchang. She and Chen part on friendly terms, promising to meet again in the martial world.
• In a secluded place, Chen inspects his gains. Combat has increased his martial-skill proficiency, especially his Stunning Spear Strike, which gained 4,000 points from Master Xuanyang’s death. More importantly, he has recovered two books: Cold Moon Chilling Light Saber Technique and Great Desert Lone Moon Scripture.
• The scripture reveals Qu Feiguang’s history. Orphaned and raised at Moon Wheel Temple, he survived the Fire-Worship Sect’s destruction of the temple, became a mounted bandit, and developed his abilities until he reached Acquired Perfection.
• Seeking revenge, Qu Feiguang ambushed a Fire-Worship Sect convoy and captured a Holy Son. From him, he obtained the sect’s supreme inheritance, then reshaped it—combining it with Moon Wheel Temple’s teachings—to create the opposing Great Desert Lone Moon Scripture. Its spirit-training method visualizes the moon, while its qi-training method cultivates Taiyin Xiantian True Qi. This concealment let Qu Feiguang rise to the Xiantian realm without drawing the sect’s attention.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing comes away from the ordeal with wealth, combat experience, and a potentially transformative cultivation inheritance. He recognizes that the scripture, rather than his valuables or increased proficiency, may be his most important reward.
• Su Lingyi shares a moment of mutual recognition with Chen over their escape from the underground cavern. Though she must return to the Underworld Mansion, their farewell is warm and respectful.
• Qu Feiguang emerges through his memoir as a gifted, calculating, and defiant figure, driven by revenge but careful enough to hide his growing power. His legacy shaped the entire treasure hunt.
• Chen’s intimidating presence frightens the cavalrymen into revealing what happened; his final exchange with Su closes their immediate partnership on cordial terms.

Significant themes

• Deception and irony: The supposed treasure was designed to deceive the powerful factions that destroyed Flying Sand Fortress, leaving them with nothing.
• Revenge and legacy: Qu Feiguang’s vendetta against the Fire-Worship Sect shaped his rise and culminated in the inheritance Chen now holds.
• Freedom and survival: Chen’s relief at breathing open air underscores the ordeal’s physical and emotional cost, while the scattered survivors show how quickly alliances dissolve after danger passes.
• Opposition and transformation: Qu Feiguang did not simply inherit martial teachings; he reworked them into their apparent opposite, turning an enemy’s power into a concealed path of his own.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing finishes reading Qu Feiguang’s account. Qu’s arrogance, rapid rise, and theft of Fire-Worship Sect teachings drew Grand Commandant Zhang and other factions against him. Their alliance besieged Flying Sand Fortress, ending Qu’s reign and eventually his life.
• Chen Jing speculates that Qu’s ambush may have let a Fire-Worship Sect figure escape with the Great Sun Visualization Diagram to Clear Wind Stronghold, but the truth is lost.
• Studying Qu’s techniques, Chen Jing discovers that the Great Desert Lone Moon Scripture unites mental cultivation and Qi Refining, and that it includes the original Great Sun Demon-Sweeping Scripture.
• Using the System Panel, he fuses both scriptures with the Azurefire Frost-Ice Technique. The result is two new methods: the Yin-Yang Spirit Refining Method and Yin-Yang Demon-Sweeping True Exposition.
• After three days of intense work, Chen Jing finds that the new methods let him cultivate mind and True Qi together, greatly accelerating his progress. He expects to refine his existing Icefire True Qi into lunar and solar True Qi in about three more days.

Character developments

• Qu Feiguang is presented as a brilliant but arrogant leader whose ambition and enemies ultimately bring about his downfall.
• Chen Jing grows from a reader of inherited techniques into a creator of his own. Though he doubts he matches the original masters’ genius, he uses his foundation and the System Panel to combine their insights successfully.
• Chen Jing’s confidence rises: in the quality of his techniques, he now considers himself on par with the prodigies of major martial sects.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and downfall: Qu’s achievements cannot protect him from the enemies his pride creates.
• Inheritance and innovation: Chen Jing builds on the work of earlier masters rather than simply copying it.
• Balance and synthesis: His Ice-Fire foundation enables him to unite sun and moon, yin and yang, and mental and physical cultivation.
• Cultivation advantages: Superior techniques and resources give great sects’ disciples a major edge over ordinary practitioners.

Character interactions

• Grand Commandant Zhang turns the Fire-Worship Sect and the desert merchant lineages against Qu Feiguang, exploiting suspicion about the sect’s stolen teachings.
• Chen Jing engages with Qu through his written account and techniques, studying them and adapting them to his own cultivation.
• Chen Jing has no direct exchange with the other characters in the chapter; his main interaction is with the System Panel, which enables the fusion of the three techniques.

Plot and events

• Chen Jing refines the techniques he gained in the Great Desert, combining his yin-yang cultivation, sun-and-moon visualization, and martial arts into a more unified whole.
• He rebuilds the Yin-Yang Wuji Seal, increasing its power, and fuses the Golden Crow Seven-Kill Saber with the Cold Moon Chilling Light Saber Technique to create the Dark-Bright Saber Codex, which balances blazing yang and chilling yin.
• After seven days of cultivation, Chen Jing leaves the cavern. He finds that Sha Lifeng has taken their hidden silver—and apparently their horses—so Chen Jing travels back to Yueya Town on foot, using the journey to train his Qinggong.
• At their rented courtyard, Chen Jing surprises Sha Lifeng, who had believed him dead and was awaiting his next dose of Heartbreak Powder. Chen Jing gives him the antidote and half the recovered silver, then announces they must part.
• Chen Jing rides to Quicksand Bazaar and returns to the Yellow Sheep Inn. Zhou Qing’an welcomes him and, when offered compensation, asks for only a hundred taels.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing emerges from the Great Desert with improved cultivation and a more integrated fighting style. He is ready to return to the Central Plains and keeps the dangerous secret of the Red Gold Main Hall from Sha Lifeng.
• Sha Lifeng, initially overjoyed to find Chen Jing alive, receives his freedom from Heartbreak Powder. Having grown wary of the martial world, he decides to retire to Red Sand Town and reunite with his First Madam.
• Chen Jing and Sha Lifeng part on friendly but bittersweet terms: Chen Jing gives him the antidote and an equal share of their silver, while warning that further curiosity could put him in danger.
• Zhou Qing’an remains modest and unruffled, asking for just a hundred taels despite Chen Jing’s offer to repay what the court owes him.

Significant themes

• Growth through synthesis: Chen Jing’s strength comes not merely from increasing power, but from bringing spirit, qi, and technique into harmony.
• The cost of curiosity and ambition: Sha Lifeng recognizes that greed and inquisitiveness drew him into danger, prompting him to choose a quieter life.
• Parting and letting go: Chen Jing and Sha Lifeng separate after sharing the rewards of their journey; each moves toward a different future.
• Contentment and restraint: Zhou Qing’an’s small request contrasts with the treasure and ambition surrounding the larger adventure.

Chen Jing returned to Liang Prefecture after selling his treasure and buying three hundred Blood-Qi Pills, while the White-Browed Master prepared to pursue the thief who had learned the Fire-Worship Sect's teachings. Zhang Yunxi asked him to avenge her father.

• Chen Jing sneaked into Ye City, sold his treasure through the Shuobao Pavilion, and exchanged his silver for banknotes, bringing his wealth to one hundred thousand taels.
• Chen Jing bought Blood-Qi Pills in Ye City and other cities on his route, acquiring three hundred pills for thirty thousand taels before continuing toward Liang Prefecture.
• Chen Jing returned to Liang Prefecture after more than ten days of travel, ready to face the intrigues along the Hanshui again.
• The White-Browed Master learned that Xuanyang had been killed by a powerful inner force and decided to go to the Central Land to find the thief who had learned the Fire-Worship Sect's teachings.
• The White-Browed Master asked Zhang Yunxi to accompany him, and Zhang Yunxi pledged herself to the sacred fire in exchange for revenge against her father.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing returns to the Six Gates Yamen in Liang Prefecture after his mission in the Western Regions. Fang Yuanyi immediately accuses him of neglecting his duties and achieving nothing.
• Chen Jing counters that he sent reports describing the Great Desert’s dangers and his suspicion that the Grand Commandant’s Residence planned to rebel. Zhou Jiyao points out that the final case file came from Youzhou, leaving Liang Prefecture absent from the official account.
• Li Muyuan intervenes, arguing that Chen Jing survived a dangerous struggle involving the Grand Commandant’s Residence, the Fire-Worship Sect, and the Underworld Mansion. He offers to explain the circumstances to General Headquarters, making clear that blaming Chen Jing could expose Fang’s poor judgment.
• Fang drops the reprimand for the moment and sends Chen Jing to rest. After Chen leaves, Zhou urges Fang to recognize Chen’s talent, while Fang doubts whether the court has time to wait for the young inspector to mature.
• In private, Li congratulates Chen on reaching the Xiantian realm and warns him that the dynasty is increasingly unstable: the Youzhou Rebel Army remains undefeated, a new rebellion has arisen in Yangzhou, and Hanzhong may also be vulnerable to unrest under the influential commander Wei Cen.
• Li cautions that Wei Cen might be pushed into rebellion by those around him. He also warns Chen that someone who targeted him after the Yang Family’s destruction may still pose a threat. Chen leaves apparently eager for whatever danger comes next.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing returns stronger and more self-assured. Rather than meekly accept blame, he calmly defends his actions, though he has no answer to the criticism about how the case was officially reported.
• Fang Yuanyi treats Chen harshly and seems more concerned with institutional blame than with the dangers Chen faced. His anger is checked by Li’s defense, but his remark about the court’s uncertain future reveals broader pessimism.
• Zhou Jiyao challenges Chen’s record but later shows sympathy, noting the hardships he endured and recommending that Fang cultivate his exceptional ability.
• Li Muyuan acts as Chen’s advocate and mentor. He protects him from Fang’s reprimand, then gives him a candid assessment of the realm’s political dangers.
• The exchange between Fang and Li is a clash over responsibility and recognition: Fang emphasizes the missing official credit, while Li stresses the mission’s risks and the consequences of unfairly treating subordinates.

Significant themes

• Political instability: Rebellions in multiple regions suggest the dynasty is weakening and that conflict over the realm may be approaching.
• Merit versus bureaucracy: Chen’s survival and accomplishments are overshadowed by which authority submitted the official report, exposing tensions between actual service and institutional recognition.
• Loyalty under pressure: Wei Cen’s situation raises the question of whether a leader can resist rebellion when supporters and circumstances push him toward it.
• Ambition and danger: Chen’s new strength gives him confidence, but his unresolved enemies and the worsening political climate mean greater power may bring greater risks.

Key plot points and events

• Back in his assigned courtyard, Chen Jing settles in and takes stock of his possessions. He plans a demanding daily training schedule, combining Blood-Qi Pills, internal cultivation, visualization, and external martial arts practice around his official duties.
• While refining the last of his pills at night, he is ambushed by five masked women armed with flexible swords. Four are Six-Meridian experts; their leader is a Xiantian Expert.
• Chen Jing senses the attack before it begins and dispatches the first four almost effortlessly. He catches their blades with his fingers and uses the sun-and-moon visions of his mental techniques to paralyze two of them.
• The leader launches a surprise attack from the roof, revealing her Xiantian True Qi. Chen Jing overpowers her, breaks her arm, disables her internal power, and pins her to the wall with a sword through her Dantian. He knocks out the remaining attackers.
• After confirming there are no other enemies nearby, Chen Jing examines the women and wakes them. He threatens one with his saber and demands to know who they are and who sent them.

Character developments

• Chen Jing shows confidence in his strength and control: his heightened senses let him detect the ambush, and he defeats all five attackers in moments. His surprise at how easily he wins suggests he is still gauging the extent of his growing power.
• The leader proves capable of concealment and deception, disguising her strength until she attacks, but she is decisively outmatched.
• The other attackers’ courage collapses when they witness Chen Jing’s strength, leaving them unable to mount an effective defense.

Significant themes

• Power and self-assessment: Chen Jing’s victory raises the question of how much stronger he has become—and how his current opponents compare with past threats.
• Preparation and discipline: His carefully structured training plan reflects his determination to turn time, resources, and heightened abilities into steady progress.
• Deception versus overwhelming force: The leader’s disguise and surprise attack cannot overcome the immense gap between her strength and Chen Jing’s.
• Uncertainty and hidden motives: The attackers’ identities and sponsor remain unknown, setting up the next confrontation.

Character interactions

• Chen Jing’s encounter with the four initial intruders is brief and one-sided: he disarms or incapacitates them before they can coordinate.
• The Xiantian leader tests him with a concealed attack, but he turns her own sword against her and neutralizes her.
• The chapter ends with Chen Jing interrogating the prisoners, using one woman’s life as leverage to force the leader to answer.

After five Western Rong women tried to kill themselves rather than be captured, Chen Jing traced them to Liang Prefecture’s Wonderful Sound House, backed by the Fang Family. With Li Muyuan’s support, he began an investigation and led the Six Gates into the house.

• The five women bit through their tongues to kill themselves, and Chen Jing killed the surviving Xiantian Expert after threatening to uncover their allies.
• Chen Jing cultivated through the night, then summoned the Six Gates to take the five bodies to Li Muyuan’s Garrison Office.
• Li Muyuan recognized the women as likely dancers from the Wonderful Sound House and revealed that the Fang Family held its largest share.
• Chen Jing declared the house suspect in colluding with Western Rong and attempting to murder an imperial official, and Li Muyuan offered him several men for support.
• Chen Jing and the Six Gates kicked open the Wonderful Sound House’s doors and ordered uninvolved guests to leave.

Plot points and events

• Six Gates officers abruptly storm Wonderful Sound House and block its entrance. The group is led by Purple-Clad Officers Wang Xiong and Zhao You, with the young Bronze Badge officer Chen Jing behind them.
• Acting on Lord Chen’s orders, Chen declares that the establishment is suspected of colluding with the Western Rong and plotting to assassinate an imperial official. He orders the venue sealed and its staff arrested.
• Manager Fang protests that Wonderful Sound House belongs to the Fang Family and argues that its Western Rong dancers were legally purchased slaves. Chen reveals that five dancers disappeared that morning because they had attacked his residence the previous night; he killed them in self-defense.
• The venue’s martial instructor, Zhong Ping, challenges Chen’s authority and demands a warrant from the head of Six Gates, Fang Yuanyi. He tries to delay matters until Fang arrives, while the venue’s guards confront the officers.
• Chen knocks Zhong unconscious with a single blow, then orders Wang and Zhao to proceed. When guests try to flee, Chen blocks the doors with a bench and orders everyone back to their seats for identification checks.

Character developments

• Chen Jing displays confidence, decisiveness, and a willingness to act first despite the political consequences. He uses force without hesitation but deliberately spares Zhong Ping’s life.
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You eagerly carry out Chen’s orders, their enthusiasm suggesting they enjoy both the spectacle and the chance to use their authority.
• Manager Fang shifts from attempted negotiation to fear as Chen’s accusations and strength make clear that he cannot easily control the situation.
• Zhong Ping, initially imposing and self-assured, is swiftly overpowered, undermining his authority at the venue.

Significant themes

• Authority versus procedure: Chen disregards the expected warrant and chooses to arrest first, leaving the legality and consequences for later.
• Power and intimidation: The clash between Chen and Zhong Ping shows how quickly physical strength can overturn a challenge based on rank or rules.
• Corruption and divided loyalties: The case implicates a venue owned by the powerful Fang Family, placing Chen in direct conflict with an influential institution within Six Gates.
• Collective suspicion: Chen’s actions extend beyond the staff to the guests, raising questions about the cost of aggressive investigations.

Character interactions

• Chen rejects Manager Fang’s appeals to the Fang Family’s status and confronts him with evidence about the missing dancers.
• Zhong Ping attempts to obstruct Chen through procedural arguments and intimidation, but Chen ends the confrontation with one blow.
• Chen commands Wang and Zhao to make arrests, then personally prevents the guests from escaping.

Chapter Summary: “Chen Jing! Are You Trying to Rebel?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jing takes control of Wonderful Sound House, blocking the exit and intimidating the wealthy guests into remaining compliant.
• Six Gates constables arrest everyone connected to the establishment, including performers, instructors, guards, Manager Fang, and servants—over a hundred people in total.
• Chen Jing examines several women who resemble the Western Rong assassins from the previous night but discovers that they possess no martial arts ability. He concludes that Wonderful Sound House may not provide the decisive lead he hoped for.
• The establishment is sealed, and Chen Jing leads the prisoners back toward Six Gates.
• On the way, Fang Yuanxin, the Fang family’s fourth master and the manager of Wonderful Sound House, confronts Chen Jing with servants and guards blocking the road.
• Chen Jing accuses Fang Yuanxin of obstructing an official investigation and possibly colluding with Western Rong to commit treason.
• Fang Yuanxin orders a scholar named Mr. Yuan to subdue Chen Jing. The scholar possesses deep internal cultivation and Righteous Qi, but has not reached the Xiantian realm.
• Chen Jing defeats him instantly with a single palm strike powered only by his immense physical strength and vitality. The scholar crashes into Fang Yuanxin, knocking both men into the surrounding guards.
• Chen Jing orders Wang Xiong and Zhao You to bring both men back to Six Gates “for tea and refreshments,” effectively arresting them while maintaining a mocking politeness.
• At the Six Gates yamen, Chen Jing uses his Bronze Badge to open the main gates and bring in the prisoners. His bold conduct impresses the constables, who contrast his decisiveness with the timid leadership of their former superior, Li Muyuan.
• The chapter ends with Fang Yuanyi, Chen Jing’s superior and Fang Yuanxin’s elder brother, waiting inside the yamen. Seeing his injured brother, he furiously shouts at Chen Jing: “Are you trying to rebel?!”

Character Developments

• Chen Jing: Demonstrates increasing confidence, authority, and fearlessness. He openly challenges the Fang family, acts decisively during the investigation, and defeats a powerful scholar without using true qi. His strength and commanding behavior earn the loyalty and admiration of the constables.
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You: Initially follow Chen Jing mainly for entertainment, but their attitude changes after witnessing his courage and overwhelming power. They become genuinely impressed and committed to serving him.
• Fang Yuanxin: Revealed as arrogant, impulsive, and dependent on his family’s influence. His attempt to intimidate Chen Jing fails, and he is reduced to being carried back to Six Gates.
• Mr. Yuan: A learned martial artist who cultivates Righteous Qi through scholarship. Despite his impressive presence and cultivation, he is decisively defeated by Chen Jing.
• Fang Yuanyi: Appears as a powerful and enraged authority figure. His anger is driven by family loyalty and by Chen Jing’s apparent attack on Fang family interests.

Significant Themes

• Authority versus entrenched power: Chen Jing challenges the Fang family’s social status and influence, asserting the authority of Six Gates and the law.
• Fearlessness and decisive leadership: Chen Jing’s refusal to back down inspires those under him and contrasts sharply with the cautious, indecisive leadership they experienced before.
• Strength over reputation: The Fang family relies on wealth, prestige, and numbers, but Chen Jing’s personal power renders those advantages meaningless.
• Righteousness and scholarship: Mr. Yuan’s Righteous Qi represents moral and scholarly cultivation, yet the chapter suggests that impressive ideals and presence are not enough without practical strength.
• Escalating conflict: What began as a raid on a pleasure house develops into a direct confrontation between Chen Jing and the influential Fang family.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jing dominates the wealthy guests and forces them to cooperate with the investigation.
• He questions the Western Rong connection among the performers but finds no immediate proof.
• Fang Yuanxin confronts and insults Chen Jing, while Chen Jing responds with a formal accusation of treason.
• Mr. Yuan attempts to reason with and then fight Chen Jing, but Chen Jing interrupts his speech and defeats him in one exchange.
• Chen Jing deliberately preserves Fang Yuanxin and Mr. Yuan’s lives, intending to interrogate the scholar and avoid completely alienating Fang Yuanyi.
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You shift from amused followers to enthusiastic supporters after witnessing Chen Jing’s strength.
• Fang Yuanyi’s arrival establishes the next major conflict: Chen Jing must now face his superior and the Fang family’s retaliation.

Plot points and events

• Chen Jing explains that, after returning from the Western Regions, he was attacked by Western Rong assassins who appeared to be connected to the Wonderful Sound House. He says he searched the establishment and took its people to the Six Gates for investigation.
• Fang Yuanyi objects that Chen Jing lacked an arrest warrant. Chen Jing counters that the Wonderful Sound House belongs to Fang’s family, making Fang’s involvement a conflict of interest.
• Li Muyuan and Zhou Jiyao back Chen Jing’s argument, warning Fang that interfering could make him appear to be protecting foreign conspirators. Fang reluctantly drops his procedural complaint but, angered by Chen’s challenge to his authority and the harm to his younger brother, demands to test Chen’s cultivation.
• Fang launches a full-force attack using the Heavenly Punishment Battle Strategy. Chen evades and counters, breaking Fang’s projected teal Lock Force and meeting his blows with formidable strength and fiery True Qi.
• Chen withstands Fang’s attempts to bind his limbs and taunts him that projected palm force alone is insufficient. Enraged, Fang escalates to the more lethal Heavenly Punishment Killing Force and charges. The fight remains unresolved at the chapter’s end.

Character developments

• Chen Jing is confident, composed, and firm in defending his actions. In combat, he demonstrates powerful Xiantian abilities, rapid movement, and a willingness to meet Fang’s full strength.
• Fang Yuanyi is shown to be driven less by impartial justice than by wounded pride, family loyalty, and the need to preserve his authority. His anger pushes him from a procedural challenge into a potentially dangerous duel.
• Li Muyuan actively supports Chen, using political pressure to restrain Fang while making clear that he considers himself impartial.
• Zhou Jiyao cautiously reinforces Li’s warning and stays alert to the danger of the confrontation.

Significant themes

• Law versus personal interest: Chen’s investigation may be procedurally questionable, but Fang’s family connection to the suspect business undermines his claim to judge the matter fairly.
• Power and authority: Fang resents Chen’s ability to act independently and sees the challenge as a threat to his position.
• Pride and escalation: Fang’s wounded dignity turns a dispute over procedure into a high-stakes fight.
• Contrasting martial styles: The clash highlights Chen’s forceful, close-range approach against Fang’s projected, binding techniques.

Character interactions

• Chen and Fang clash verbally over the legality of the search and Fang’s conflict of interest.
• Li and Zhou align with Chen, warning Fang that intervention could invite suspicion from General Headquarters.
• Fang redirects his frustration into a martial challenge; Chen accepts without backing down.
• During the fight, Chen’s taunts further inflame Fang, prompting his shift to the more dangerous Killing Force.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Yuanyi tests Chen Jing with the Heavenly Punishment Battle Strategy, using techniques designed either to bind and disable or to kill. Chen Jing meets him with the Yin-Yang Wuji Seal and quickly gains the upper hand.
• After dozens of exchanges, Chen Jing’s refined cultivation and powerful True Qi prove superior. Fang Yuanyi then uses Qi Burst to intensify his attack, but Chen Jing responds by driving his own power to 200% and striking with the Prairie-Fire Seal.
• Chen Jing sends Fang Yuanyi flying into a corridor wall, defeating him publicly. To prevent the humiliation from escalating, Chen apologizes and says he failed to control his strength, while Li Muyuan presents the fight as Fang’s test of a promising young officer.
• Li Muyuan proposes a reward for Chen’s Xiantian breakthrough and his capture and killing of Western Rong spies. Zhou Jiyao approves twenty Qi-Condensing Pills. Fang Yuanyi reluctantly agrees and leaves.
• Chen orders the prisoners taken to the Prison for questioning, then asks Li Muyuan to help him exchange his savings for cultivation resources.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing demonstrates how dramatically he has advanced: he can overpower Fang without using his full strength, and can defeat him outright by unleashing more. He is also politically perceptive, giving Fang a face-saving apology after winning.
• Fang Yuanyi shifts from confident aggressor to publicly defeated and resentful opponent. Though not seriously injured, he accepts the reward decision and retreats.
• Li Muyuan acts as mediator, smoothing over the duel, securing Chen’s reward, and warning him that his display will attract attention. He recognizes Chen’s argument that he was already being targeted.
• Zhou Jiyao is drawn into the awkward settlement and settles on twenty pills as a compromise.
• Fang Yuanxin, carried by Wang Xiong, faints at the sight of Fang Yuanyi’s defeat.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Chen’s strength overturns the expected hierarchy between a Bronze Badge and a senior Xiantian officer.
• Face-saving and political maneuvering: Chen’s apology and Li’s reframing allow Fang to withdraw without prolonging the conflict.
• Visibility as both protection and danger: Chen’s decisive show of force may deter future attacks, but it also makes him a more conspicuous target.
• The cost of advancement: Chen’s request for pills and rare treasures highlights how demanding cultivation becomes at higher levels.

Chen Jing stocked up on Qi-Condensing Pills with Li Muyuan’s help and investigated the Wonderful Sound House raid, but uncovered few solid leads. He learned that Lu Linxiu’s teacher, Mr. Guanshan, might be the Xiantian Expert who had once intercepted him, and arranged to meet the scholar at a gathering.

• Chen Jing paid Li Muyuan to arrange fifty Qi-Condensing Pills and asked for help examining the illicit goods seized from Wonderful Sound House.
• Chen Jing and Li Muyuan divided Wonderful Sound House’s monthly proceeds, leaving Chen Jing with enough silver to raise his reserve to 110 Qi-Condensing Pills.
• Chen Jing cultivated while questioning suspects, and Li Muyuan explained the martial sects that controlled access to Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
• Chen Jing traced the Western Rong assassins to Hanxi Town’s Black Market and suspected the Border Army at Jingrong Pass, but found no conclusive evidence.
• Chen Jing learned that Lu Linxiu’s teacher, Feng Mengsong—Mr. Guanshan—was a Xiantian Expert who might have intercepted him before.
• Li Muyuan offered to have his second son bring Chen Jing to a Spring Poetry Gathering where Mr. Guanshan would attend, and Chen Jing promised not to act recklessly.

Key plot points and events

• Ten days before the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering, Chen Jing continues cultivating despite a busy stretch of interrogations. Pills accelerate his progress, and he completes the heart-tempering stage of his blood-refining method.
• Although the usual Five Elements sequence would lead him to temper his spleen, Chen Jing chooses to train his kidneys first. His Water-Fire Primordial Unity foundation and yin-yang techniques make Kidney Water especially useful: it could let him combine water and fire forces with yin and yang in combat.
• His first attempt to draw in water qi is dangerous and painful. He takes in too much, suffering symptoms like freezing and drowning, but his Calamity-Crossing Physique helps him endure it.
• After defeating Fang Yuanyi, Chen Jing is given no duties by Lord Fang. To avoid appearing derelict, he reports to Li Muyuan’s Garrison Office instead. Li assigns him an office and puts Wang Xiong and Zhao You under him; the three quickly get along.
• Chen Jing waits for the people behind the earlier attacks to strike again, but none do. He suspects someone in the Six Gates betrayed information about his movements, though he has no evidence against Fang Yuanyi, Zhou Jiyao, or anyone else. He plans to investigate through Mr. Guanshan at the poetry gathering.
• Ten days pass. His blood-qi and internal arts improve substantially, and Kidney Water training lets him switch between explosive heat and bone-deep cold. He prepares to attend the gathering dressed as a scholar, leaving his weapons at home.

Character developments

• Chen Jing grows stronger and more versatile, adding water force to his existing fire-based blood-qi. His cultivation also reinforces his determination to uncover the conspiracy and turn the investigation into a source of resources.
• His experience shows how much his progress depends on access to pills and other resources, prompting him to compare himself with wealthier, better-equipped prodigies.
• Li Muyuan supports Chen Jing by arranging his assignment and approving his place in the Garrison Office.
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You become Chen Jing’s subordinates and appear well suited to his appetite for activity and troublemaking.
• Fang Yuanyi avoids Chen Jing after losing to him, while Lord Fang’s willingness to sign the assignment may reflect a desire to avoid another confrontation.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and resources: Talent and effort matter, but high-quality methods and plentiful supplies create a major advantage.
• Balance and versatility: Chen Jing’s decision to train water before earth reflects the importance of adapting orthodox methods to his own yin-yang cultivation and combat needs.
• The cost of power: Blood-qi training is exceptionally painful and risky, even for someone with unusual resilience.
• Suspicion and political intrigue: A likely leak within the Six Gates leaves Chen Jing uncertain whom to trust.
• Duty and ambition: Chen Jing maintains an official position while also pursuing personal goals, including catching the conspirators and gaining resources.

Character interactions

• Chen Jing and Li Muyuan cooperate over Chen’s reassignment; Li handles the approval through Fang Yuanyi.
• Chen Jing quickly establishes rapport with Wang Xiong and Zhao You, whose unruly tendencies suit his preference for stirring up activity.
• Chen Jing remains in an uneasy relationship with Fang Yuanyi and Lord Fang, who keep their distance after the defeat.
• Though absent from the scene, Mr. Guanshan becomes Chen Jing’s intended contact for pursuing the investigation at the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering.

Chen Jing attended the Peach Garden Poetry Gathering with Li Zhiyuan and identified Mr. Guanshan through a clash of minds. He confronted Feng Mengsong about his investigation into Western Rong spies, then agreed to meet him at Guanshan Courtyard the next day.

• Chen Jing arrived at the Peach Garden and met Li Zhiyuan, who offered to guide him as his tutor.
• Chen Jing sensed Mr. Guanshan approaching and exchanged a mental clash with him.
• Feng Mengsong recognized Chen Jing as the Six Gates' Bronze Badge and recalled his actions against the Wonderful Sound House and Fang Family.
• Chen Jing said he was investigating Western Rong spies and needed to question Feng Mengsong, prompting one of Feng's associates to challenge him.
• Feng Mengsong agreed to speak with Chen Jing at Guanshan Courtyard the next day, and Chen Jing left the gathering.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing leaves the Peach Garden after realizing Feng Mengsong’s mental cultivation is exceptionally advanced and that Feng may be connected to a powerful figure from Chen’s past.
• The next day, Chen visits Hanshui Academy at Feng’s invitation. Liu Guan escorts him to Guanshan Courtyard, where Feng sits waiting.
• Feng is already in a violently unstable state. He suddenly attacks Chen with overwhelming true qi, tearing up the courtyard.
• Chen counters with his Blade Force, then meets Feng’s powerful palm strike with the Wuji Seal. Feng is thrown into a wall, which collapses over him.
• Academy students and teachers arrive. Feng dies moments later in Liu Guan’s arms, and the crowd assumes Chen murdered him.
• Suspecting Feng was tampered with and that the encounter was engineered to frame him, Chen insists he did not kill Feng and demands the body for examination.
• Liu Guan and the scholars refuse, accuse Chen of murder, and surround him. Knowing he must clear his name, Chen blows his signal whistle and leaps toward Feng’s body as the enraged students rush him.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing grows more wary of the forces opposing him. Though he defeats Feng in the fight, he recognizes that the circumstances are suspicious and acts quickly to preserve evidence and protect himself from a politically damaging accusation.
• Feng Mengsong changes from a composed, formidable scholar into a seemingly mad and uncontrollable attacker. His abrupt condition and death suggest outside interference.
• Liu Guan, Feng’s student, responds with apparent grief and fierce hostility toward Chen, accusing him of killing his teacher and blocking access to the body.
• Chen’s earlier meeting with Feng’s associates gives him reason to recognize them when they later help turn the academy against him. The encounter becomes a clash not only of martial power but of competing claims over Feng’s death and body.

Significant themes

• A trap within a trap: Feng’s attack may have been deliberately provoked or manipulated, while Chen’s presence at the scene sets him up as the obvious culprit.
• Truth versus public perception: Despite Chen’s denial, the crowd quickly judges him guilty, and his official position offers little protection.
• Power and political risk: Feng’s stature means his death could destroy Chen’s career or even endanger his life.
• The need for evidence: Chen understands that securing the body and uncovering what happened are essential to proving his innocence.

Key plot points and events

• At Hanshui Academy, scholars attack Chen Jing while he tries to reach Feng Mengsong. Chen quickly incapacitates the students without killing them, then fights through the academy’s teachers and senior disciples, defeating them all.
• Liu Guan—who has learned Feng’s martial art—tries to stop Chen but is easily brushed aside.
• Chen catches Feng as he collapses and examines him. Feng’s blood, qi, and true qi have nearly vanished, and his body is badly damaged from pushing his power beyond its limits. Chen suspects poison may have triggered the collapse, but cannot confirm the cause without an autopsy.
• Constables Wang Xiong and Zhao You arrive. Chen announces that Feng, whom he calls “Mr. Guanshan,” was attacked and died, and says he is taking the body to the Six Gates for examination. The academy’s teachers accuse him of lawlessness and lead a protest to the prefectural yamen.
• Back at the Six Gates, Chen tells Li Muyuan that he did not kill Feng and describes Feng’s condition. Li Muyuan orders the body brought to his Garrison Office, where Li Zhiyuan has summoned a leading coroner. Wang and Zhao are instructed to secure the entrance.

Character developments

• Chen Jing shows overwhelming martial skill and restraint: he defeats a large group but takes care to protect the students from fatal injuries. He remains composed while the academy turns against him and focuses on establishing what happened to Feng.
• Li Zhiyuan responds practically to the crisis, seeking help from his father rather than trying to handle the academy alone, then arranging for a skilled coroner.
• Wang Xiong and Zhao You are wary of the trouble Chen tends to attract. Their earlier suspicion proves justified, and Feng’s death leaves them uneasy.
• The academy’s teachers and students shift from attacking Chen to demanding justice, convinced—or publicly claiming—that he is responsible.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: Chen’s account may be accurate, but his actions and the circumstances make him look guilty to outsiders.
• Violence and restraint: Chen uses immense force while deliberately avoiding unnecessary deaths.
• Power’s cost: Feng’s collapse illustrates the bodily consequences of exhausting one’s life force and martial energy.
• Law and public pressure: The academy immediately appeals to official authority, while Chen and the Six Gates must preserve evidence and control a rapidly escalating dispute.

Character interactions

• Chen’s clash with the academy turns a tense confrontation into a public accusation, especially after he defeats its defenders and removes Feng’s body.
• Liu Guan’s attempt to avenge or defend Feng fails quickly, reinforcing the gulf between his skill and Chen’s.
• At the Six Gates, Li Muyuan directly questions Chen’s responsibility; Chen denies it and gives his explanation. Li accepts the need for a proper examination and takes charge of securing the investigation.

Plot and key events

• Chen Jing, Li Muyuan, and Li Zhiyuan oversee the examination of Feng Mengsong’s body in the Garrison Office morgue. The coroner checks the body and begins preparing to open the abdomen.
• A large group arrives at the courtyard: Prefect Song Chenxing, Six Gates constables Fang Yuanyi and Zhou Jiyao, academy scholars, yamen staff, and city-defense soldiers. They demand that Chen Jing and Feng’s body be handed over.
• Li Muyuan explains that Feng was murdered and that Chen Jing took the body to preserve evidence. Academy scholar Liu Guan rejects this account and accuses Chen Jing of killing Mr. Guanshan and concealing the crime.
• Song orders the body transferred to the Yamen and bars Chen Jing—now a murder suspect—from handling the case. Chen Jing refuses to let anyone interrupt the coroner’s examination, insisting the results will establish the truth.
• Song uses his formidable mental power to suppress Chen Jing, then orders his guard Qingyan to seize him. Qingyan attacks with exceptionally fast swordplay, and Chen Jing counters with his saber and Taiyin Xiantian True Qi.
• As Chen Jing and Qingyan clash, Fang Yuanyi joins the fight, shouting that Chen Jing is resisting arrest and announcing, “Guard Ding, I’m here to help you!” The chapter ends as Fang sends his Heavenly Punishment Lock Force toward Chen Jing.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing remains composed and determined to protect the examination, even as officials accuse him of murder. His refusal to yield turns a dispute over evidence into a confrontation, and his impressive skill is revealed in his duel with Qingyan.
• Li Muyuan tries to explain Chen Jing’s actions and prevent the crisis from becoming violent. He follows Chen Jing outside, apparently fearing that a fight will make their situation worse.
• Song Chenxing asserts his authority, presenting his demand for the body as proper procedure. Yet he quickly resorts to force, suggesting he sees Chen Jing’s talent as a potential threat if it cannot be controlled.
• Fang Yuanyi is angry and politically anxious: Chen Jing’s actions may cost him his position. He first denounces Chen Jing, then attacks alongside Song’s side.
• Qingyan proves to be a powerful, exceptionally quick swordsman, matching Chen Jing in a tightly controlled duel.
• The academy scholars, especially Liu Guan, distrust Chen Jing and demand official justice, while the coroner and Li Zhiyuan remain inside with the body as the confrontation unfolds.

Significant themes

• Evidence versus authority: Chen Jing argues that examining the body is essential to uncovering the truth, while Song insists the case must pass to official control.
• Justice under suspicion: The competing accusations make it unclear whom the crowd will believe, even as the coroner’s findings could resolve the dispute.
• Talent and political power: Song admires Chen Jing’s strength but fears that an exceptional fighter outside the court’s control could become dangerous.
• Escalation and divided loyalties: A forensic investigation rapidly becomes a public standoff, with officials, law enforcers, and academy representatives taking opposing sides.

Plot points

• Chen Jing unleashes his full strength when Fang Yuanyi attacks, sending the swordsman reeling with one saber strike and shattering Fang’s Heavenly Punishment Lock Force. He then knocks Fang out of the courtyard with a palm strike.
• Prefect Song Chenxing orders Divine Machine Crossbows trained on Chen Jing, escalating the confrontation. The standoff pauses when Li Zhiyuan announces that the coroner has finished examining Feng Mengsong’s body.
• The coroner reports that Feng’s internal damage resembles a deadly release of uncontrolled true qi, but his liver shows signs of poisoning. Song realizes this supports Chen Jing’s account and largely clears him of the killing.
• Since Feng was a powerful, cautious man, the poison was likely administered by someone close to him. The short window for poisoning narrows suspicion to his inner circle.
• Song orders everyone from Hanshui Academy taken into custody for questioning and announces that a government coroner will repeat the examination. Liu Guan protests, but Song points out that Liu was Feng’s trusted disciple and the last person with him before Chen Jing arrived.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing reveals formidable power and refuses to be intimidated, yet remains composed and respectful toward Song. He allows the investigation to proceed once the autopsy is complete.
• Song Chenxing shifts from treating Chen Jing as a possible rebel and suspect to accepting that the evidence largely vindicates him. His brief grief over Feng gives way to the stern judgment required by his office.
• Li Muyuan advocates for Chen Jing’s right to be heard and is relieved when the poisoning evidence weakens the case against him.
• Liu Guan reacts with disbelief to the poisoning finding, but his close relationship with Feng makes him a prime suspect.
• The swordsman and Fang Yuanyi underestimate Chen Jing’s strength; both are quickly overcome.

Significant themes

• Evidence versus appearances: Chen Jing’s apparent involvement is challenged by the medical findings, showing why investigation must go beyond what witnesses think they saw.
• Loyalty and suspicion: Feng’s trust in his inner circle may have enabled his murder, while that same closeness now makes his associates suspects.
• Power and restraint: Chen Jing demonstrates overwhelming force but steps aside for the inquiry rather than continuing the fight.
• Justice and authority: Song must balance suspicion, procedure, and the court’s power as the case moves from confrontation toward investigation.

Plot and events

• Song Chenxing clears Chen Jing as a suspect in Feng Mengsong’s murder, but insists he find the real killer to counter public anger. He has the Hanshui Academy students detained and offers Chen Jing his support.
• Chen Jing suspects Feng’s murder was not merely an attempt to frame him: the killer may have silenced Feng because a conversation with Chen Jing could have exposed the culprit’s identity. The suspect may be one of Feng’s trusted disciples—or a disciple from before Feng arrived at the academy.
• Chen Jing warns Li Muyuan that the remaining people close to Feng may be targeted. Li arranges guards for the prisoners, while Chen Jing questions Lu Linxiu and later checks the accounts of Liu Guan, Feng’s other disciples, and academy acquaintances. Their testimony yields no new leads.
• With the investigation stalled, Hanxi Town becomes Chen Jing’s best lead: the Western Rong assassins he has been pursuing came from there. Pressure from Song Chenxing, the academy students, and Liang Prefecture’s powerful families eventually pushes Chen Jing to leave for Hanxi.
• During five days of investigations, Chen Jing continues training. He refines all eight extraordinary meridians, greatly improving his qi capacity and circulation, and advances to the Third Tower of the Xiantian Realm. The rapid progress consumes many Qi-Condensing Pills, prompting him to think about earning more money.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing remains determined to clear his name and catch the killer, while recognizing gaps in what he knows about Feng’s past. Though reluctant to leave the city for Hanxi, he accepts that the investigation requires it. His cultivation advances rapidly, but its cost becomes a concern.
• Song Chenxing treats Chen Jing as capable and no longer suspects him, yet refuses to protect him from public opinion without results. He also uses his authority to detain the academy group and make assistance available.
• Liu Guan, devastated by Song’s revelation, loses his will to oppose Chen Jing.
• Li Muyuan supports Chen Jing, helps secure the prisoners, and ultimately urges him to depart for Hanxi.
• Lu Linxiu is shocked and grief-stricken by Feng’s death but cannot provide useful information about Feng’s earlier life.

Significant themes

• Justice versus public opinion: Chen Jing is legally cleared but remains blamed by the public, so only finding the true culprit can restore his standing.
• Hidden pasts and silenced witnesses: Feng’s unknown history may hold the key to the murderer’s identity, and his death may have been intended to prevent that truth from emerging.
• Duty and personal reluctance: Chen Jing would rather stay in the city, but pressure and responsibility send him toward a dangerous border town.
• The cost of advancement: His cultivation brings real power, but rapid progress consumes scarce resources.