Recaps

Jiang Ning learned Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis and continued cultivating the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique, bringing it close to perfection. With his advancement to the third rank expected the next day, he took Lü Yi to Nine Heavens Tower to try its famous Jade Blossom Dew.

• Jiang Ning studied Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis, learned that it focused on anchoring the True Spirit through inward self-understanding, and memorized the method before the golden sheet vanished.
• Jiang Ning chose Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis and spent his Class-D merit on it; Shen Wenyuan accepted his choice, while Jiang Ning also remembered Seven-Star Fate Binding.
• Jiang Ning declined to drink with Bai Luoyu and Zhao Yulong, returned to his residence, and practiced the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique until its experience reached 9967 out of 10000.
• Jiang Ning reviewed the blood-exchange methods and concluded that Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis required no external conditions, then invited Lü Yi to Nine Heavens Tower.
• Jiang Ning and Lü Yi arrived at the bustling Nine Heavens Tower, where an attendant led them toward the third floor.

At Nine Heavens Tower, Jiang Ning learned that Wang Qingtan’s nominal master planned to marry her to King Huai’an’s second son and resolved to stop the match. He decided he could handle her master himself after reaching the third rank, then set aside his worries and enjoyed a meal with Lü Yi.

• Jiang Ning met Lu Junyi at Nine Heavens Tower, where Lu Junyi asked about the Princess Consort of Qi and raised the prospect of Wang Qingtan’s marriage.
• Jiang Ning urged Lu Junyi to abandon the marriage idea, and Lu Junyi revealed that his master wanted to marry Wang Qingtan to King Huai’an’s second son.
• Lu Junyi explained that he had told Jiang Ning to test how much influence he had with Ye Zhengqi and left the tower with his sword-bearing guard.
• Jiang Ning decided he had to help Wang Qingtan because she had treated him well and did not want to marry.
• Jiang Ning reasoned that he could ask Wang Qingtan’s master to stop the match after becoming a Heaven-Man Grandmaster, then called for his food and ate with Lü Yi.

Jiang Ning fully mastered Unity of Man and Heaven, then perfected the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and condensed an inner elixir. He discovered that its gang force greatly increased his endurance and that its elixir qi would continuously nourish his body.

• Jiang Ning accepted Zhao Yulong’s invitation to a private banquet, where fine wine gave him several hundred Source Energy points.
• After resting in the bamboo grove, Jiang Ning realized the prolonged drought across Great Xia seemed unnatural and possibly man-made.
• Jiang Ning completely merged with heaven and earth, mastering Unity of Man and Heaven and becoming ready to pursue the third rank.
• At noon, Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique until his true essence compressed into a golden inner elixir.
• Jiang Ning tested his new gang force and sensed the inner elixir nourishing his body and clearing away hidden ailments.

Jiang Ning traveled to a secluded forest and completed his first blood replacement, using his inner pill to store spiritual essence and survive the near-death process. He emerged as a Third-Rank Heaven-Man Grandmaster, while the gate to spiritual essence closed behind him.

• Jiang Ning left Guangning City and chose an open clearing in a mountain forest to attempt blood replacement.
• He released his inner pill into the air, where it absorbed and stored spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
• Jiang Ning let his blood and vitality run nearly dry until he found the True Spirit, then returned the inner pill to his dantian and used its stored spiritual essence to regenerate his blood.
• As the stored spiritual essence ran out, Heaven-Human Communion opened a gate that let Jiang Ning draw in more essence and continue producing new blood.
• Jiang Ning completed his recovery and entered the Third Rank as a Heaven-Man Grandmaster, while the gate to spiritual essence closed.

Jiang Ning entered the third rank and became a Heaven-Man Grandmaster, then tested his new abilities and celebrated with Lü Yi in Guangning City. After discovering ordinary food could not restore the energy consumed by his blood renewal, he headed to the Myriad Splendor Tower to seek potent medicinal ingredients, while the White Horned Dragon returned to the Luo River seeking prey.

• Jiang Ning sensed how his new blood was nourishing his organs and flesh, then soared above the clouds and concluded that the land below might be flat or an enormous sphere.
• Jiang Ning tested his aerial speed and found it reached only seventy or eighty percent of the speed Shen Wenyuan had shown.
• Jiang Ning returned to Guangning City, told Lü Yi he had succeeded in entering the third rank, and took her to the Nine Heavens Tower to celebrate.
• Jiang Ning found that the meal and ordinary White Dragon Fish barely replenished his depleted energy, but the wine steeped with a Lunar Yin Stone gave his body some relief.
• The White Horned Dragon emerged from the Luo River and eyed a fishing village with greed.
• Jiang Ning went to the Myriad Splendor Tower with Lü Yi, hoping to find potent medicinal ingredients.

Jiang Ning visited Myriad Splendor Tower to sell treasures and bought an invitation to its upcoming Summer Auction, where several rare items caught his interest. He was reunited with Shen Congyun, who was delighted to see how far his former protégé had risen.

• Jiang Ning learned that Myriad Splendor Tower would hold its Summer Auction in three days and bought an invitation so he could consign unwanted treasures.
• Jiang Ning showed Elder Qian a Blood Jade, two books, two swords, and a piece of bone for appraisal, and Elder Qian summoned a managing steward.
• Jiang Ning read the auction list and became interested in a Mustard-Seed Leaf, Heavenly Goldstone, a bronze fragment, and three drops of Demon God Blood.
• Shen Congyun entered the reception room, and Jiang Ning recognized him as the tower's steward and greeted his former benefactor.
• Shen Congyun was surprised and pleased to meet Jiang Ning in Guangning City, having followed his rise from afar.

Jiang Ning met Shen Congyun at Myriad Splendor Tower and consigned several valuable treasures for auction while purchasing blood ginseng. He received a VIP invitation and bidding tokens, leaving him prepared to bid at the auction.

• Jiang Ning reunited with Shen Congyun, who had become Myriad Splendor Tower’s chief steward, and explained that he had been promoted to inspector of Dongling Commandery.
• Elder Qian appraised Jiang Ning’s Blood Jade, Purple-Green Twin Swords, tiger bone, Jade-Wave Sword Formula, and Desire-Cutting Heart Sutra, setting starting prices for the treasures.
• Jiang Ning demonstrated the tiger bone’s fierce-tiger technique, and Shen Congyun recognized the two cultivation books as Water-Moon Sword Palace’s supreme methods.
• Jiang Ning gave Shen Congyun one thousand gold to buy blood ginseng, and Shen returned with three roots, including two that were five hundred years old.
• Shen Congyun gave Jiang Ning a purple-gold VIP auction invitation and four purple blade coins, each representing a bidding limit of one thousand gold.

After his first blood replacement, Jiang Ning replenished his depleted body with Blood Ginseng and strengthened his saber technique. He realized his new saber intent gave him the foundation to attempt a third blood exchange, bringing him closer to being able to confront Li Sixiang.

• Jiang Ning and Lü Yi sampled the bustling night market before returning to Bamboo Listening Pavilion.
• Jiang Ning ate a three-hundred-year and a five-hundred-year Blood Ginseng to restore the weakness caused by his blood replacement.
• After resting overnight, Jiang Ning found that new blood had replenished his body and increased his strength.
• Jiang Ning spent twenty thousand source energy points to break through the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique's tenth limit.
• Jiang Ning's saber intent reached a level that linked heaven and man, giving him the qualification and foundation for a third blood exchange.

Jiang Ning gained the Summit of the Mountain trait, then visited Ye Zhengqi with Bai Luoyu. Ye Zhengqi shared news of a demon attack that killed 123 villagers and prepared to take them to see Marquis Wenyuan.

• Jiang Ning gained the Summit of the Mountain trait, which made his saber talent and comprehension unmatched in the present age.
• Jiang Ning learned that Bai Luoyu had sought him out, ate, and went with Lü Yi to visit him.
• Bai Luoyu invited Jiang Ning to visit Ye Zhengqi, and the two went to Ye Residence.
• Ye Zhengqi asked whether Jiang Ning had gained insight into the unity of heaven and man, then said he believed Jiang Ning had killed Xiao Qiushui.
• Ye Zhengqi showed them a report that a Luo River demon had killed all 123 villagers in Three-Wave Village, and he said there was a seventy percent chance the culprit was the White Horned Dragon.
• Ye Zhengqi invited Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu to go with him to see Marquis Wenyuan.

Shen Wenyuan learned that Jiang Ning had broken through to the third-rank Heaven-Man Realm, then decided to hunt the great demon White Horned Dragon after hearing it had killed over thirteen hundred people. Jiang Ning, Bai Luoyu, and Ye Zhengqi accepted invitations to Myriad Splendor Tower’s upcoming auction as Shen Wenyuan headed for Luo Water Lake.

• Xie Yun invited Shen Wenyuan to Myriad Splendor Tower’s Summer Auction, but Shen Wenyuan said he might attend.
• Jiang Ning arrived with Ye Zhengqi and Bai Luoyu, and Shen Wenyuan sensed that Jiang Ning had broken through to the third-rank Heaven-Man Realm the previous day.
• Ye Zhengqi reported that the White Horned Dragon had killed over thirteen hundred people and that he could not defeat it, so Shen Wenyuan resolved to hunt it himself.
• Shen Wenyuan departed for Luo Water Lake, while Xie Yun gave black-gold auction invitations to Jiang Ning, Bai Luoyu, and Ye Zhengqi.

Jiang Ning used Ye Zhengqi’s token to explore Guangning Prefecture Academy, clearing the Martial Refinement Tower and spending two days studying its Library Pavilion. He recovered his strength and gained knowledge and Literacy experience, then left to prepare for the Myriad Splendor Tower auction with Bai Luoyu.

• Jiang Ning entered the academy with Ye Zhengqi’s token and cleared all nine floors of the Martial Refinement Tower, earning 780 credits and absorbing qi and blood power.
• Jiang Ning visited the Library Pavilion, where the elderly woman let him browse and borrow books on the first three floors but barred him from the fourth.
• Jiang Ning spent two days reading ancient texts, learning that history before Great Xia was full of contradictions and apparent gaps.
• Jiang Ning’s Literacy experience and source energy points increased, and the five-hundred-year Blood Ginseng helped restore his body to peak condition.
• Jiang Ning left the academy and hurried home to prepare for the Myriad Splendor Tower auction, hoping to use his Heavenly Eye to find hidden treasure.

Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu attended the Summer Auction at Myriad Splendor Tower, where their black-and-gold invitations earned them a private room. As Jiang Ning reviewed the 126 lots, he found several of his own items listed and wondered what the mysterious finale, starting at 5,000 gold, could be.

• Bai Luoyu reunited with Jiang Ning and brought his attendants Red Plum and Green Bamboo along to the auction.
• Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu arrived at Myriad Splendor Tower, where Judicial Commissioner Xu identified them as inspection commissioners of Dongling Commandery and praised Jiang Ning's prospects.
• The welcoming maid recognized both men's black-and-gold invitations, and Supervisor Shen Congyun greeted them before leading them to a private room.
• Lü Yi admired the private room's carpeting and handed Jiang Ning the catalog of 126 auction lots.
• Jiang Ning found his consigned items in the catalog and saw that the first lot had a blank description and a starting bid of 5,000 gold.

Jiang Ning watched the auction, profited when Xia Wanqin drove the bidding on his White Tiger Darksteel Bone up to two hundred and fifty gold, and bought a Heavenly Goldstone to improve his saber. The auction then reached the mysterious item numbered ninety-five, whose introduction left Jiang Ning intrigued by Xia Wanqin’s claim of its significance.

• Xia Wanqin opened the auction and sold the Turtle-Origin Embryonic Breath Technique for thirty gold.
• Xia Wanqin demonstrated the White Tiger Darksteel Bone, then bid against a bearded guest until he left and the item sold for two hundred and fifty gold.
• Jiang Ning bid one hundred and ten gold for the Heavenly Goldstone after Old Mo sought to claim it for forging a sword.
• Jiang Ning prepared to use the Heavenly Eye to examine the bronze fragment listed as item ninety-five.
• Xia Wanqin introduced item ninety-five with the phrase “the revered ninety-five,” prompting guests to question her sales pitch.

Jiang Ning won the bronze fragment after his Heavenly Eye revealed that it was part of a bell whose chime overwhelmed his mind, and he learned that auctioneer Xia Wanqin wore a Seamless Heavenly Garment. As bidding began on his consigned Purple-Green Twin Swords, he watched the price climb while preparing to compete for the Mustard-Seed Leaf next.

• Xia Wanqin presented a bronze fragment as a Primordial Era cauldron relic, and Jiang Ning's Heavenly Eye detected unusual properties in both the fragment and Xia Wanqin.
• The fragment's illusory bell chime left Jiang Ning unconscious until Lü Yi called him back to his senses, and Jiang Ning bid five hundred gold to win it.
• Jiang Ning realized the fragment came from a bell rather than a cauldron and speculated about the ancient powers behind it and Xia Wanqin's mysterious faction.
• Shen Congyun delivered Jiang Ning's purchases, including the bronze fragment and the Heavenly Goldstone, to his private room.
• The auction reached Jiang Ning's Purple-Green Twin Swords, and a man bid six hundred gold after Xia Wanqin suggested giving one sword to a beauty.

Jiang Ning won the One-Vein Mustard-Seed Leaf at auction after outbidding Duke Tuling, then used the Weapon Refining Technique to bind it and transfer his stored goods. Later, his consigned martial arts sold for nearly four thousand taels of gold, leaving him newly wealthy.

• Xia Wanqin auctioned the Mustard-Seed Leaf, and Jiang Ning outbid Duke Tuling to acquire it for 1,200 gold.
• Duke Tuling backed down after sensing Jiang Ning's power and apologizing for challenging him.
• Jiang Ning refined the Mustard-Seed Leaf, found that it contained a space about the size of a basketball court, and moved his belongings into it.
• The Desire-Cutting Heart Sutra sold for 1,100 taels of gold, and the Jade-Wave Sword Canon fetched 2,600 taels.
• Jiang Ning realized that selling the two martial arts had made him rich nearly overnight.

At Myriad Splendor Tower’s auction, Xia Wanqin killed two Grandmasters who tried to seize the Demon God Blood, while Jiang Ning recognized their foxlike tails and suspected they were half-demons. After the auction ended, Xia Wanqin visited Jiang Ning to settle his account, and the chapter ended with her teasing him about what he wanted instead of gold.

• A Longevity Fruit sold for ten thousand taels of gold, while the Soul-Nourishing Incense fetched ten thousand five hundred taels.
• Two women attacked the platform to steal the Demon God Blood, but Xia Wanqin killed them both with a single sword strike.
• Jiang Ning saw tails on the dead attackers and used his Heavenly Eye to confirm they had three foxlike tails, leading him to suspect they were half-demons.
• Xia Wanqin ended the auction and later visited Jiang Ning, where she waived his consignment fee and settled the gold owed for his sold and purchased items.
• When Jiang Ning declined both gold notes and physical gold, Xia Wanqing teased him by asking whether he wanted her instead.

Jiang Ning bought restorative medicines from Xia Wanqin, killed a man who had followed him from Myriad Splendor Tower, and found the incomplete Awakening of Insects saber technique on the corpse. Back at home, he used his exceptional saber talent to master the technique rapidly, reaching Proficient after two strikes.

• Xia Wanqin watched Jiang Ning leave Myriad Splendor Tower, annoyed that he had chosen medicines over her flirtatious offer.
• Jiang Ning bought a large supply of restorative medicines at a steep discount and realized that a man was following him with ill intent.
• Jiang Ning confronted the fourth-rank martial artist in an alley and killed him with Xiao Qiushui’s sword pellet.
• Jiang Ning searched the corpse and found the incomplete Awakening of Insects scroll, then returned home with Lü Yi.
• Jiang Ning studied the scroll and used his saber talent to reach Beginner in Awakening of Insects with one strike and Proficient with a second.

Jiang Ning reforged his spirit weapon saber with Heavenly Gold Radiance and rapidly mastered the Awakening of Insects Blade Art. After reaching perfection and comprehending its blade intent, he chose not to push the art beyond its limits, instead planning to collect all twenty-four solar terms.

• Jiang Ning melted the spirit weapon into a saber blank and fused Heavenly Gold Radiance into it, preserving its sharpness while removing its spirituality.
• Jiang Ning practiced Awakening of Insects in the wilderness, advancing the blade art from Proficient to Minor Accomplishment, Major Mastery, and finally Perfection in one night.
• Jiang Ning fully comprehended the Awakening of Insects blade intent after reaching perfection.
• Jiang Ning decided against breaking the art’s limits and resolved to collect the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Blade Art to pursue the intent of the four seasons and time.
• Jiang Ning returned after recognizing the exceptional height of his blade talent.

Jiang Ning learned that Shen Wenyuan had been severely injured while confronting the White Horned Dragon, and visited him to ask about the attacker. Shen Wenyuan could not remember the attacker’s face and warned Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu to stay away from the demon, leaving the identity and motives of the hidden powerhouse unknown.

• Jiang Ning spent the days studying in the academy’s Library Pavilion, registered for the martial provincial examination, and saw Zhao Yulong return to Dongling Commandery.
• Bai Luoyu told Jiang Ning that a mysterious person had ambushed Shen Wenyuan while Shen was about to kill the White Horned Dragon.
• A black-haired young man in Daoist robes gave the wounded White Horned Dragon a bloodline pill and said Shen Wenyuan would be unable to pursue it for a while.
• Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu visited Shen Wenyuan, who appeared gravely weakened and said he could not recall the face of the person who attacked him.
• Shen Wenyuan warned Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu that someone powerful stood behind the White Horned Dragon and told them not to intervene.

After learning of Shen Wenyuan’s divine-soul injury and sensing trouble gathering around Luo River, Jiang Ning completed his first blood exchange transformation and began his second. He survived the blood-renewal ordeal, but his body remained weak and hungry as his second rebirth continued.

• Jiang Ning learned that Shen Wenyuan’s divine soul had been wounded while fighting White Horned Dragon and suspected a powerful hand was behind the demon’s appearance.
• Jiang Ning finished recovering from his first blood exchange, tested his increased strength, and practiced Five Animals Fist.
• Jiang Ning left the city and, worried that drought and coming turmoil would threaten Guangning Prefecture, prepared for his second blood exchange.
• Jiang Ning used his inner elixir to draw in heaven-and-earth spiritual essence, then dried out his blood and pursued his true spirit imprint through the darkness.
• Jiang Ning found his true spirit imprint, recovered memories from his past life, and used the stored spiritual essence to revive his body and create fresh blood.
• Jiang Ning completed his second blood exchange, but his body was weak and hungry as he waited for his second rebirth to finish.

After his second blood replacement left him severely hungry and depleted, Jiang Ning used Crimsonflame Blood Crystals to begin recovering and learned that a Yellow Heaven Cult Heavenly King would soon come to pray for rain. The next morning, he received a letter from Ji Mingyue and replied that he would visit the Royal Capital for the martial examinations in September.

• Jiang Ning ate five Crimsonflame Blood Crystals, easing his hunger, then took Lü Yi to Nine Heavens Tower for a feast.
• At Nine Heavens Tower, Jiang Ning heard that a Yellow Heaven Cult Heavenly King would come to Guangning Prefecture to pray for rain, and he saw the cult distributing healing talisman water.
• After resting overnight, Jiang Ning checked his increased source energy and ate five more Crimsonflame Blood Crystals before practicing his punches.
• A Red-Crested Letterbird delivered a letter from Ji Mingyue, who wrote about life at the palace and asked when Jiang Ning would visit the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning replied that he would attend the martial examinations in the Royal Capital in September, then sent the letterbird on its way.

Jiang Ning met Ye Zhengqi with Bai Luoyu to discuss the Yellow Heaven Cult’s spread through Guangning Prefecture and learned more about his Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis path. Ye Zhengqi then invited them to accompany him to the Marquis’s residence to challenge the agreement with the cult.

• Bai Luoyu told Jiang Ning that Ye Zhengqi wanted them to accompany him to the Marquis’s residence over the Yellow Heaven Cult.
• Ye Zhengqi explained that Shen Wenyuan had allowed the cult to preach in exchange for its Heavenly King praying for rain to relieve the drought.
• Ye Zhengqi said he wanted Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu to help persuade Shen Wenyuan that letting the cult recruit believers was dangerous.
• Jiang Ning asked why he had not sensed a Heaven-Man Grandmaster’s true intent or extraordinary methods after beginning his Blood Exchanges.
• After learning Jiang Ning cultivated the Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis, Ye Zhengqi explained that the method sought inward transformation and advised him to seek guidance from grandmasters in the Royal Capital.
• Ye Zhengqi rose and invited Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu to go with him to the Marquis’s residence.

Jiang Ning and his companions met Shen Wenyuan to discuss the Yellow Heaven Cult, drought, and the coming rain ritual, while learning that the aging Martial Saint still deterred the great powers from acting openly. After recovering from his second blood replacement, Jiang Ning experienced his body’s evolution and gained a deeper conviction that Martial Dao’s strength came from within rather than reliance on external forces.

• Shen Wenyuan told Ye Zhengqi, Jiang Ning, and Bai Luoyu that the drought threatened famine and that the Yellow Heaven Cult was suspicious, though its Yellow Heaven Daoist had not caused the drought.
• Shen Wenyuan assigned Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu to watch Guangning City when a Yellow Heaven Cult Heavenly King arrived in two days to pray for rain, while Ye Zhengqi promised to keep watch as well.
• Ye Zhengqi said the Martial Saint had grown old but was not finished, and that his eventual wrath still kept the great powers from openly joining the turmoil.
• Jiang Ning continued replenishing his body and cultivating the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique as his Source Energy accumulated.
• After two days, Jiang Ning had fully recovered from his second blood replacement and felt his body growing stronger through the ongoing transformation of its cells.
• Jiang Ning concluded that Martial Dao’s deeper value lay in evolving the body and returning great power to oneself, rather than depending on external forces or the environment.

Jiang Ning watched Heavenly King Li pray for rain, then secretly used his Cloud-Raising Rain-Bringing Divine Ability to strengthen the storm across Guangning City. After leaving the plaza, Jiang Ning received a letter from Dongling City.

• Jiang Ning and Lü Yi watched the crowd gather for Heavenly King Li’s rain-prayer ritual from the fifth floor of Four Directions Tower, where Jiang Ning met Bai Luoyu.
• Heavenly King Li performed the ritual, calling down lightning and gathering clouds, while Jiang Ning sensed his power and explained that he was using external objects to draw on heaven and earth.
• Jiang Ning used his divine ability to intensify the storm, helping the rain sweep across Guangning City and prompting the crowd to hail an immortal.
• Xia Wanqin learned from Aunt Bai that Martial Dao could surpass Immortal Dao, and that a Martial Saint had once suppressed the world for more than eight hundred years.
• Jiang Ning left with Bai Luoyu after observing the storm, then received a letter from Dongling City.

After learning that Wang Qingtan was being sent to Guangning City for a politically arranged marriage, Jiang Ning prepared to help her, while Ye Zhengqi arranged for his subordinates to welcome her. Wang Qingtan reached Jiang Ning’s residence and found him training shirtless, leaving her flustered but intrigued.

• Jiang Ning received Wang Qinghan’s letter explaining that Wang Qingtan was traveling to Guangning City under her master Bai Hesong’s orders, and he went to Ye Zhengqi to learn more.
• Ye Zhengqi decided to help Jiang Ning and ordered two subordinates to meet Wang Qingtan, reasoning that aiding Jiang Ning could earn his friendship.
• Two days later, Wang Qingtan arrived at Guangning City with Black-Armored Cavalry, and Ye Zhengqi’s men offered to guide her to Jiang Ning.
• Wang Qingtan dismissed the cavalry escort and followed the Commissioner Office men to Jiang Ning’s residence.
• Jiang Ning continued tempering his body with the Indestructible Vajra Body, then opened the gate and surprised Wang Qingtan by appearing bare-chested.