Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing travels west from Liang Prefecture to Hanxi Town, a rugged frontier settlement near Jingrong Pass.
• He meets Six Gates agent Wang Qun, who explains that the border army has deep influence over the town through its officers, families, businesses, and defenses.
• Chen Jing asks about the Ghost Market, where Western Rong people who cross the border are secretly sold as slaves. Wang Qun identifies Golden Source Trading House—owned by General Wei Cen’s nephew, Wei Mingjiao—as a place involved in that trade.
• At dusk, Wang Qun takes Chen Jing to the Ghost Market, where visitors must carry lanterns, hide their faces, and trade in silence. The border army enforces the market’s rules.
• Chen Jing pays a steep entry fee to enter Golden Source Trading House’s bamboo hall. Among its rare weapons, metals, gemstones, and other goods, he detects the scent of a rare natural treasure.

Character developments

• Chen Jing arrives alert and purposeful, quickly gathering intelligence rather than acting openly. His familiarity with ghost masks and his practiced caution suggest prior experience in covert settings.
• Wang Qun proves a useful, respectful local contact. Though a Six Gates agent, he publicly works as a hunter selling pelts and knows the town’s underworld.
• Wei Mingjiao is introduced as a wealthy but undisciplined heir whose position rests on his uncle General Wei Cen’s protection.

Character interactions

• Chen Jing establishes his authority with Wang Qun by showing his Bronze Badge, then relies on him for local knowledge and access to the Ghost Market.
• Wang Qun explains the connections between the border army, Hanxi’s businesses, and the hidden slave trade.
• Chen Jing and Wang Qun enter the Ghost Market together, but Chen proceeds alone into Golden Source Trading House after paying the fee.

Significant themes

• Power and corruption: The border army’s control of Hanxi extends into commerce and illicit trade.
• Hidden worlds and secrecy: The Ghost Market operates under strict rules, concealing identities and keeping transactions out of public view.
• Frontier hardship: Hanxi’s war-worn atmosphere sharply contrasts with the luxury Chen Jing has left behind.
• Privilege and responsibility: Wei Mingjiao’s life of indulgence reflects how family connections can shield the privileged from consequences.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Jing visits the Goldsource Firm’s Ghost Market and buys a nearly hundred-year-old snow ginseng for eight thousand taels, then spends another five thousand on precious ganoderma.
• He asks about Western Rong slaves, using an exaggeratedly lecherous act to inspect the women for hidden martial skill. None prove to be experts.
• The firm’s steward says more desirable slaves are kept elsewhere and would require Chen Jing to reveal his identity and destination. Chen Jing leaves rather than expose himself.
• Suspecting the firm is involved in something illicit, Chen Jing hides nearby and follows the steward through a circuitous route to a secluded manor in a mountain hollow.
• The steward reports to his master about the suspicious customer. The master orders him to keep watching strangers and to establish their identities next time. He wonders whether someone has come from the prefectural city.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing shows both practical judgment and confidence: he buys rare medicines, uses his martial energy to test the women, and turns his odd behavior into a way to provoke the firm’s people into revealing themselves. He follows the steward without being detected.
• Steward Wang is attentive to his master’s instructions but cautious and deferential. After failing to identify Chen Jing, he receives a mild reprimand and is told to do better next time.
• The master appears powerful and comfortably in control, reclining while a woman massages his shoulders. He is alert to possible threats despite his confidence in his local influence.
• The woman serving the master remains guarded, answering that she does not know whether an outsider has arrived, but reassures him that his standing in Hanxi Town makes him difficult to challenge.

Significant themes

• Slavery and dehumanization: The women are displayed and examined as commodities, unsettling Chen Jing and emphasizing the brutality of the trade.
• Cunning and surveillance: Chen Jing’s performance draws out information, while the firm’s network watches for suspicious strangers.
• Power and complacency: The master’s confidence in his influence contrasts with the possibility that an outsider may disrupt his plans.
• Wealth and scarcity: Chen Jing quickly spends most of his money on rare medicines, underscoring both their value and the difficulty of sustaining wealth.

Plot and key events

• Chen Jing interrupts Wei Mingjiao and a woman in a private room, arresting Wei before he can react. The woman proves to be a powerful Xiantian fighter and attacks Chen.
• Chen Jing defeats her after an intense exchange, injuring her dantian and sealing her meridians. He identifies her as Alemi, a Western Rong princess.
• As guards converge, Chen Jing escapes with both captives. He collects Wang Qun and his belongings, and they flee Hanxi Town into the mountains.
• Once Wei and Alemi regain consciousness, Chen interrogates them. Wei admits he is conspiring with the Western Rong to help his uncle, General Wei Cen, seize power. In return, the Western Rong would gain control of Hanzhong.
• Wei boasts that Chen will not escape after attacking him—failing to notice that Chen has already taken him far beyond Hanxi Town.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing acts decisively, prioritizing capture over gathering evidence. His skill and composure let him subdue two Xiantian-level opponents and escape with them.
• Wei Mingjiao shifts from helpless captive to defiant conspirator, openly supporting his uncle’s claim to the throne and insulting his own failed steward.
• Alemi is revealed not as Wei’s maid but as a Western Rong princess and formidable martial artist. She frames the alliance as a way to secure a peaceful homeland for her people.
• Chen’s exchanges with the captives expose their political ambitions; his dry humor contrasts with Wei’s arrogance and Alemi’s earnest explanation.

Significant themes

• Personal ambition and rebellion: Wei Cen’s possible bid for the throne is tied to the wider collapse of imperial authority.
• Political compromise: The Western Rong offer military support in exchange for territory, showing how regional survival and conquest overlap.
• Power and control: Chen’s physical victory turns a secret conspiracy into an interrogation, while the captives’ competing ambitions hint at the larger struggle ahead.

Key plot points

• After Chen Jing captures Wei Mingjiao and Alemi, he has Wei Mingjiao beaten for his arrogance and gives Alemi his robe. He orders Wang Qun to alert Liang Prefecture, warning that Wei Cen may be plotting with the Western Rong.
• Chen’s group flees Hanxi Town and hides in the mountains while awaiting reinforcements. Wei Cen’s troops rapidly search the town, nearby settlements, and then the mountains, forcing the fugitives to keep moving.
• After three exhausting days, Chen and Wang Qun evade their pursuers and meet reinforcements led by Li Muyuan, with Ding Qingyan and a force of constables and city guards.
• Because their force is far smaller than the Jingrong Pass garrison, they decide against open battle. Some troops will draw away the border soldiers, while Chen, Li, Ding, and fifty elite fighters infiltrate the pass to arrest Wei Cen and disrupt the troops’ momentum.
• At night, the assault force sets out for Jingrong Pass.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing takes command, recognizes the danger of confronting Wei Cen’s large garrison directly, and adapts his plan. He remains physically capable through the pursuit, carrying both captives, though he is quick to punish Wei Mingjiao when he provokes him.
• Wang Qun proves his value as a local guide and scout, using his knowledge of the mountains and a trained falcon to help the group evade pursuit and contact the reinforcements. The journey leaves him exhausted.
• Wei Mingjiao recovers consciousness but remains defiant, threatening Chen with his uncle’s retaliation; Chen responds by beating him again.
• Alemi stays silent and appears vulnerable after Chen gives her clothing.
• Li Muyuan and Ding Qingyan join Chen as powerful allies, while Song Chenxing directs the broader strategy through orders.

Significant themes

• Strategy over brute force: The small force avoids a direct clash with Wei Cen’s much larger army and instead relies on diversion and infiltration.
• Loyalty, treason, and accountability: Wei Mingjiao’s connection to a Western Rong expert strengthens suspicion against Wei Cen, though the chapter frames his guilt as an accusation still to be acted upon.
• Endurance and cooperation: Survival depends on Chen’s strength, Wang Qun’s terrain knowledge, and coordinated efforts among the reinforcements.

Key events

• Chen Jing’s strike team reaches Jingrong Pass without encountering major resistance. They scale the walls and silently subdue the guards, taking care not to kill them.
• Led by Li Muyuan, the group crosses the orderly military encampment and approaches the General’s Residence.
• Inside, General Wei Cen learns that his nephew, Wei Mingjiao, is still missing. He questions Deputy General Zou Yan, who claims to know nothing.
• Chen Jing’s group reveals itself. Wei Cen recognizes Li Muyuan of the Six Gates and accuses the group of abducting his nephew.
• Chen Jing identifies himself and says Wei Mingjiao was arrested for colluding with the Western Rong and plotting rebellion in Wei Cen’s name.
• Wei Cen realizes that Zou Yan was concealing the plot. He understands that his nephew and the conspirators intended to force him into rebellion before he was ready.
• Chen Jing urges Wei Cen to come peacefully so the Six Gates can investigate and judge the evidence. Zou Yan instead denounces the visitors as impostors and leads an attack against Chen Jing and the other leaders. Wei Cen does not intervene.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing demonstrates restraint by incapacitating rather than killing the guards. Facing Wei Cen’s overwhelming presence, he counters it with saber intent and speaks to the general directly and firmly. He positions himself as an investigator seeking to prevent an unjust rebellion, not merely as an arresting officer.
• Wei Cen is shown to be a formidable, experienced commander whose intimidating aura nearly unsettles the strike team. Despite his rough exterior, he is politically perceptive: once confronted with the facts, he quickly sees that his nephew and subordinates meant to trap him into a rebellion. He hesitates over Chen Jing’s offer but remains watchful.
• Zou Yan shifts from feigned ignorance to open hostility. His attempt to seize the visitors suggests he is protecting the conspiracy and trying to prevent Wei Cen from cooperating.
• Li Muyuan guides the team through the pass and confirms Wei Cen’s reputation as a dangerous opponent.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus ambition: Wei Cen’s long service to the court contrasts with the conspirators’ attempt to use his position for their own political ends.
• Manipulation and forced rebellion: The plotters intend to make rebellion seem inevitable by presenting Wei Cen with a fait accompli.
• Restraint and justice: Chen Jing’s nonlethal handling of the guards and his appeal to investigate the truth contrast with the conspirators’ escalating violence.
• The power of resolve: Wei Cen’s commanding presence and Chen Jing’s focused saber intent show how mental force can shape a confrontation before weapons are even exchanged.

Key plot points and events

• Wei Cen’s three generals attack Chen Jing’s group. Li Muyuan and Ding Qingyan repel two, while Chen Jing defeats Zou Yan with a single slash.
• Wei Cen proves far stronger than expected: he knocks Ding Qingyan aside with his heavy spear and faces the group as armed guards surround the courtyard.
• Rather than fight through the troops, Wei Cen offers a deal: release Wei Mingjiao, and he will send evidence of Wei Mingjiao’s illicit dealings and Western Rong spy contacts to Liang Prefecture, then let the visitors leave.
• Chen Jing proposes settling the dispute with one exchange of moves against Wei Cen. If Wei Cen wins, Chen’s group will accept his terms; if Chen wins, Wei Cen and Wei Mingjiao must accompany them to the Six Gates. Wei Cen accepts.
• Chen Jing chooses a spear, gathers and compresses his essence, qi, and spirit, then launches his technique, Spear Like a Dragon, while pushing his power to an extraordinary level. The chapter ends as his thrust begins.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing demonstrates calm confidence and formidable skill, first with his saber and then by challenging Wei Cen on equal terms. His unassuming stance conceals a frighteningly concentrated attack.
• Wei Cen is a powerful, proud military commander who prefers resolving matters through force. Yet his hesitation about rebellion reveals a deeper loyalty to his sovereign and country; that conflict leads him to accept the duel despite having the advantage of numbers.
• Li Muyuan recognizes the danger of continuing the confrontation and considers accepting Wei Cen’s offer, but Chen Jing takes the initiative.
• Ding Qingyan and Zou Yan are both decisively beaten, establishing the gulf between Wei Cen and the other fighters. Zou Yan worries that accepting a duel is reckless, but Wei Cen’s authority silences him.

Significant themes

• Strength and judgment: Martial power determines the immediate balance, but Chen Jing’s challenge offers a way to settle the standoff without a costly battle.
• Honor and restraint: Wei Cen keeps his word and will not strike Chen while he gathers his attack, even after sensing danger.
• Duty versus suspicion: Wei Cen’s reluctance to rebel complicates his apparent antagonism and suggests that loyalty, not ambition, motivates him.

Key events

• Chen Jing defeats General Wei Cen with a fully charged Stunning Spear Strike. The collision destroys both spears and hurls Wei into a crater, unconscious and with one arm shattered.
• Li Muyuan orders the Six Gates constables to arrest Wei Cen and his deputy generals. Outside the General’s Residence, Deputy General Xu Jie and a mass of Border Army troops block their escape.
• Li persuades Xu to stand down, warning that obstructing an imperial investigation could be treated as rebellion and insisting that the court has further forces ready to intervene. The party leaves Jingrong Pass without a fight.
• Chen urges the group to seize the Goldsource Firm’s assets before returning to Liang Prefecture. They confiscate valuables and rare medicines in Hanxi Town; the Western Rong agents have already fled.
• On the journey back, Chen consumes four Precious Medicines, advancing his internal cultivation and moving closer to condensing the Greater Celestial Circuit.
• Reviewing the case, Chen realizes that it went suspiciously smoothly. The person who first intercepted him remains unidentified, and Wei Mingjiao and Wei Cen seem unlikely to have organized the whole conspiracy alone. He abruptly announces that he is returning to Jingrong Pass.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing demonstrates overwhelming combat growth, confidence under pressure, and sharp investigative instincts. Though others focus on escaping safely, he insists on securing the firm’s assets; later, he recognizes a hidden hand behind the case.
• Li Muyuan shows political skill by calming Xu Jie and protecting the party’s exit. Grateful for Chen’s decisive contribution, he overlooks Chen secretly consuming seized medicines and plans to reward him with martial resources.
• Xu Jie hesitates between loyalty to Wei Cen and obedience to the investigation, but ultimately lowers his spear and clears the way.
• Wei Cen is captured after his defeat, while his nephew’s apparent rebellion is exposed. His lack of apparent knowledge about the wider plot deepens Chen’s suspicions.

Significant themes

• Power and preparation: Wei Cen’s defeat stems partly from underestimating Chen and allowing him to build up his attack.
• Law versus military loyalty: Li must persuade the Border Army not to turn the arrest into an armed confrontation.
• Conspiracy beneath apparent success: The investigation’s unusually smooth progress suggests that important players and motives remain hidden.

Plot points and events

• After the Six Gates arrest Wei Cen and uncover Wei Mingjiao’s collusion with Western Rong, Chen Jing decides to return to Jingrong Pass alone to investigate the person who previously intercepted him. Li Muyuan urges caution, but Chen slips away at night.
• Security at the pass has tightened, yet Chen enters undetected and spends three days watching Deputy General Xu Jie. Xu’s orderly routine initially gives Chen no reason to act.
• At midnight, Xu leaves in disguise. Chen follows him beyond the pass into the mountains, where Xu meets a Confucian scholar, Zhuo Chengyin.
• Their conversation reveals a conspiracy: Xu is working to bring Jingrong Pass under his control, while Zhuo and his allies intend to join forces with Western Rong and seize Hanzhong. Zhuo admits he poisoned his former teacher because the teacher would have opposed their plan. They also expect Wei Cen to be killed once he reaches the Six Gates’ prison.
• Xu and Zhuo’s exchange about a woman named Wanrou reveals a personal rivalry: she is now the Western Rong King’s woman, though both men claim to love her and hope to reclaim her.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing shows initiative, patience, and confidence in his abilities. His investigation confirms that his suspicion of Xu Jie was justified, though the meeting’s romantic drama leaves him baffled.
• Li Muyuan acts as the cautious voice of reason, but ultimately accepts Chen’s decision.
• Xu Jie is exposed as a traitor despite his respectable routine and apparent loyalty to Wei Cen. He is ruthless enough to betray the man who once saved him.
• Zhuo Chengyin is revealed as the Xiantian expert who previously intercepted Chen, as well as the poisoner of his teacher and a principal conspirator.
• Xu and Zhuo cooperate politically but trade bitter insults over Wanrou, exposing jealousy and unresolved competition beneath their alliance.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and ambition: Xu Jie and Zhuo Chengyin betray those who trusted or raised them to pursue power.
• Political instability: The conspiracy and Western Rong’s growing influence suggest the Yu Dynasty’s hold over the frontier is weakening.
• Duty versus caution: Chen risks acting alone because he believes the threat demands immediate investigation.
• Personal motives within political plots: The men’s grand plans are tangled with jealousy and romantic rivalry, adding an absurdly melodramatic turn to Chen’s discovery.

Key plot points and events

• Hidden in the valley, Chen Jing overhears Xu Jie and Zhuo Chengyin discussing their plans. They fear his growing strength and acknowledge that he defeated Zou Yan and Wei Cen.
• Zhuo admits that he once failed to kill Chen Jing and regrets following Zhou Jiyao’s advice to seek a “legitimate” justification for their campaign. He proposes letting Zhou handle Chen if Chen keeps pursuing them.
• Chen reveals himself, saying Xu Jie unknowingly led him to their gathering after Chen spent three days watching Jingrong Pass.
• Zhuo tries to flee, but Chen catches him and defeats him with a powerful saber strike. Chen deliberately stops short of killing him, intending to question him.
• Xu Jie attacks while Chen is occupied, but Chen calmly deflects his relentless sword assault. Once Xu runs out of strength, Chen knocks him back against a cliff, leaving him badly injured.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Jing shows how dramatically his abilities have advanced: he moves unseen by two Xiantian experts, dominates Zhuo in one strike, and patiently counters Xu Jie’s attacks. He also remains purposeful, sparing Zhuo for interrogation.
• Zhuo Chengyin shifts from confident schemer to terrified fugitive. His fear of Chen’s strength—and his attempt to escape—underscore how thoroughly the balance of power has changed.
• Xu Jie begins as part of the conspiracy, but his attempted ambush fails. His ferocious attack cannot overcome Chen’s composure and technique.
• Chen identifies Jiang Wanrou as the woman at the center of Xu Jie and Zhuo’s jealousy, and realizes Zhou Jiyao has been manipulating events. He also recognizes that he misjudged Fang Yuanyi, though he still sees Fang as gullible and prejudiced.

Significant themes

• Power and reversal: The men who plotted against Chen now face his overwhelming strength.
• Deception and manipulation: Zhou Jiyao appears to have used others as pawns, while Jiang Wanrou may be exerting influence over Xu Jie and Zhuo.
• Restraint and strategy: Chen’s goal is not simply revenge; he keeps Zhuo alive to uncover more of the conspiracy.
• Loyalty and ambition: The chapter exposes betrayals and competing motives behind the political conflict.

Chen Jing learned that Jiang Wanrou had tied together a plot involving Zhuo Chengyin, Xu Jie, Zhou Jiyao, and the Western Rong King, then raced to the Western Rong Camp to strike at its leader. His surprise attack failed to kill the Western Rong King, who emerged from the flames and launched a powerful counterattack.

• Chen Jing interrogated Zhuo Chengyin and Xu Jie, learning their motives and how Jiang Wanrou had drawn them into a rebellion plot with the Western Rong King and Zhou Jiyao.
• Chen Jing broke Zhuo Chengyin's and Xu Jie's limbs, hid them in a cave, and hurried toward the Western Rong Camp.
• Chen Jing slipped past the camp's defenses and reached the Central Army Tent, where he overheard Jiang Wanrou and the Western Rong King discussing their plans to use Zhuo Chengyin and then kill him.
• Chen Jing attacked the Western Rong King with Bone-Piercing Nails, a throwing knife, and Cold Moon, but the king's powerful body and qi stopped the weapons.
• The Western Rong King burst through Chen Jing's sea of flames and struck at his head with a bloodied fist.

Chen Jing infiltrated the Western Rong camp and clashed with the Western Rong King, but Jiang Wanrou’s seductive mental art let the king knock him away. Chen Jing recognized Jiang Wanrou as a member of Paradise Palace, and the enraged king charged him with a horse lance.

• Chen Jing blocked the Western Rong King’s powerful punch, but Jiang Wanrou’s mental influence interrupted his Tiger Roar and let the king blast him into a trench.
• The Western Rong King ordered his soldiers to hold back while Chen Jing climbed from the trench and faced him and Jiang Wanrou.
• Chen Jing recognized Jiang Wanrou and asked whether she belonged to Paradise Palace; she flirted with him and offered herself if he defeated the king.
• The Western Rong King grew furious at Jiang Wanrou’s advances toward Chen Jing, seized his Fine-Iron Horse Lance, and charged with a sweeping strike aimed at Chen Jing’s head.

Chen Jing killed Jiang Wanrou and the Western Rong King, escaped their camp, and returned to Liang Prefecture with their heads and two captives. He then learned Zhou Jiyao had taken leave and prepared to investigate the Zhou residence.

• Chen Jing used his Grand Threefold Union state to kill Jiang Wanrou and the Western Rong King in a sudden attack.
• Chen Jing escaped the Western Rong Camp with the two heads, then returned to his cave and knocked out Zhuo Chengyin and Xu Jie.
• Chen Jing carried the captives across Jingrong Pass and back to Liang Prefecture without drawing attention.
• Chen Jing secretly asked Li Muyuan about Zhou Jiyao and learned that Zhou had taken several days' leave, though the Zhou residence seemed normal.
• Chen Jing asked Li Muyuan to secretly surround the Zhou residence while he investigated it himself.

Chen Jing broke into Zhou Jiyao’s residence and confronted him about his conspiracy and Jiang Wanrou. He told Zhou that Jiang Wanrou had gone with the Western Rong King and mocked Zhou’s faith in her, leaving Zhou reeling.

• Chen Jing slipped into Zhou Jiyao’s residence while Zhou anxiously reconsidered the conspiracy he had planned with Zhuo Chengyin and feared Chen Jing’s pursuit.
• Zhou Jiyao wrote a verse about lovers sharing life and death, then opened his window as Chen Jing dropped down from the eaves.
• Chen Jing told Zhou Jiyao he had returned from Western Rong and had seen Xu Jie, Zhuo Chengyin, the Western Rong King, and Jiang Wanrou.
• Chen Jing claimed Jiang Wanrou had gone with the Western Rong King and was likely already dead, devastating Zhou Jiyao.
• Zhou Jiyao defended Jiang Wanrou and insisted she understood him, while Chen Jing said she had disparaged her lovers as worthless.

Chen Jing confronted Zhou Jiyao over his crimes, but Zhou used Origin-Burning Death Powder and the Limitless Qi Sea Art to launch a desperate attack. After surviving Zhou’s hidden Thunderclap Bombs, Chen Jing escaped the destroyed study with Zhou unconscious but alive.

• Chen Jing rejected Zhou Jiyao’s offer of tea and said he would face questioning in the Imperial Prison.
• Zhou Jiyao revealed that he had poisoned the tea with Origin-Burning Death Powder and unleashed Burst Seed to avenge Jiang Wanrou.
• Zhou Jiyao’s Limitless Qi Sea Art failed to overpower Chen Jing, whose Profound Yin Seal and Qi Burst-500% sent Zhou crashing into a wall.
• Zhou Jiyao smashed his desk and triggered the Thunderclap Bombs he had hidden throughout the study.
• Chen Jing rushed to Zhou Jiyao and dragged him alive from the explosion as the study collapsed in flames.

Chen Jing survived the explosion, saved Zhou Jiyao from the Origin-Burning Death Powder, and delivered the captured traitors and evidence for a joint trial. After the crisis in Hanzhong was resolved and his reputation restored, Chen Jing wrote to his allies and returned to quiet cultivation, while Lord Fang and the Fang Family were left out of the celebrations.

• Chen Jing shielded Zhou Jiyao from the explosion and used Taiyin frost chill force to suppress the Origin-Burning Death Powder, though Zhou Jiyao wanted to die.
• Chen Jing kept Zhou Jiyao alive through the night and later showed him Jiang Wanrou's remains, causing Zhou Jiyao to faint again.
• Chen Jing handed Zhuo Chengyin, Xu Jie, Zhou Jiyao, Jiang Wanrou, and the Western Rong King's remains over for a joint trial by the Six Gates and the prefect's Yamen.
• Song Chenxing cleared Chen Jing's name, arranged defenses for Jingrong Pass, and coordinated a search for Western Rong spies.
• Chen Jing accepted gifts from the gentry but declined their invitations, wrote four letters to his allies, and sent Instructor Wang money and Blood-Qi Pills for Butcher Zhang's grave.
• Li Muyuan gained favor with the great families, while Lord Fang and the Fang Family stood apart from the celebratory mood.

After the Hanzhong crisis, Chen Jing spent a month cultivating, began refining his liver, and advanced into the Xiantian Greater Celestial Circuit. His training was interrupted when a Gold Badge Inspector arrived in Liang Prefecture, and Chen Jing went to meet the True Gang expert.

• Li Muyuan and Song Chenxing concluded that Fang Yuanyi and the Fang Family had not joined Zhou Jiyao's plot, though Fang Yuanyi bore responsibility for failing to oversee the Six Gates.
• While Liang Prefecture settled, rebellions spread across the Nine Provinces, and Chen Jing devoted himself to training.
• Chen Jing used earthly fiend wood qi to begin refining his liver after completing the tempering of his kidneys.
• Chen Jing finished refining all Twelve Standard Meridians with Xiantian True Qi and learned to project it, though doing so consumed his reserves rapidly.
• After a Green-Clad Officer reported the arrival of a Gold Badge Inspector from the Capital City, Chen Jing hurried to the Chief Command Hall, where Li Muyuan and Fang Yuanyi were waiting.

Chen Jing was promoted to Silver Badge Inspector and offered rewards after his success in Liang Prefecture. Zhu Jian then recruited him for the Dragon Valor Guard selection, and Chen Jing agreed after learning it offered abundant cultivation resources and access to an art for condensing Gang Qi.

• Zhu Jian promoted Chen Jing to fifth-rank Silver Badge Inspector and awarded him fifty Qi-Condensing Pills and a Xiantian cultivation art, which he could collect after reporting to Capital City and reaching Xiantian perfection.
• Zhu Jian told Chen Jing that the court planned to select thirteen warriors for the Dragon Valor Guard, an elite force serving His Majesty.
• Chen Jing asked about the benefits and learned that members would receive priority access to weapons, martial arts, Blood-Qi Pills, Qi-Condensing Pills, and a daily Spirit-Nourishing Pill.
• Zhu Jian explained that candidates needed to have condensed Gang Qi and that Chen Jing would need to earn more merit to secure the commander's nomination.
• Chen Jing learned that the Xiantian art's Gang Qi secrets were tied to pursuing the selection, so he firmly agreed to go to Capital City.

Chen Jing was assigned to investigate Great Wind Pass and the factions around it, then set out from Liang Prefecture for Hukou Town. After three days of travel, he reached Fengling Ferry and sought a boat across the Yellow River.

• Zhu Jian ordered Chen Jing to serve as military supervisor for the supply convoy and investigate Great Wind Pass for signs of rebellion, directing him to reach Hukou Town within five days.
• Zhu Jian appointed Li Muyuan acting head of the Six Gates in Liang Prefecture and demoted Fang Yuanyi to Purple-Clad Officer, assigning him first to accompany Zhu Jian to Jingchu.
• Chen Jing collected fifty Qi-Condensing Pills, packed supplies, wrote to the Lianshan Martial Arts Hall, and left Liang Prefecture using Qinggong.
• Chen Jing crossed into Guanzhong, observed the effects of the turmoil on villages and displaced people, and killed seven or eight highwaymen with one saber slash.
• Three days after leaving Liang Prefecture, Chen Jing arrived at Fengling Ferry and went to find a boatman to cross the Yellow River.

Chen Jing crossed the Yellow River after briefly seeing Su Lingyi at Fengling Ferry, then confronted the Yellow River Gang when its river fighters tried to extort the ferry passengers. He split three patrol boats with his blade aura and continued north to the bank.

• Chen Jing saw Su Lingyi aboard a boat heading east, listened as she played the flute, and boarded a small ferry bound north.
• The Yellow River Gang surrounded the ferries and demanded river dues from their passengers.
• Chen Jing kicked several gang members into the river when one confronted him on his ferry.
• Chen Jing used his saber to split three patrol boats, forcing the gang fighters to flee into the river.
• Chen Jing reached the north bank and used his Qinggong to disappear into the distance.