Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning discovered that a golden box held a statue of the God of Flesh, whose whispers nearly overwhelmed his mind, and he realized he needed to strengthen his spiritual power. He traded the transformed cultist’s corpse for extra contribution points and arranged to collect an Ascending Dragon Pill, while Liu Linmen began investigating the battle at Riverside Tower.

• Jiang Ning opened the golden box and nearly succumbed to the statue’s whispers before shutting it and recognizing it as an image of the God of Flesh.
• Jiang Ning brought the transformed God-Worship Cult member’s corpse to the elderly woman at the Inspection Office, who offered extra contribution points to keep it for research.
• Jiang Ning requested an Ascending Dragon Pill and learned it would arrive from the prefectural city in about three days.
• Liu Linmen heard that a battle had occurred at Riverside Tower and went to investigate whether it involved Altar Master Sun.
• Three days later, Jiang Ning prepared to collect his Ascending Dragon Pill after spending most of the intervening time reading.

Jiang Ning used an Ascending Dragon Pill and the Furnace-Refining Alchemy Secret Art to reach the Dragon Sinew level, then learned that Cao Rong was approaching Luoshui County with a hundred cavalrymen. Jiang Ning left the city to intercept him while the Cloud-Arrival Tower’s Valley Master and the Yellow Heaven Cult watched his move.

• Jiang Ning received an Ascending Dragon Pill from the elderly woman at the Inspection Office and used the Furnace-Refining Alchemy Secret Art to refine it.
• Jiang Ning spent a week tempering and recovering his major sinews, then achieved the Dragon Sinew level.
• Feng Ji told Jiang Ning that Cao Rong had reached the sixth rank and was leading a hundred cavalrymen toward Luoshui County to suppress the Black Mountain Army.
• Jiang Ning learned Cao Rong’s likely route along the official road and left Luoshui County several hours later.
• At Cloud-Arrival Tower, the Valley Master and Gongsun Yu discussed Jiang Ning’s departure and the chance that he would intercept Cao Rong.
• At the Yellow Heaven Cult stronghold, Liu Linmen learned Jiang Ning had left the city and feared that Cao Rong would die.

Jiang Ning waited for Liu Linmen, then intercepted Cao Rong on the road and killed him with two arrows. He escaped the valley and reflected on how easily he had defeated the man who had once threatened him.

• Jiang Ning waited outside Luoshui County for Liu Linmen, but Liu Linmen never appeared, so Jiang Ning headed toward the official road to find Cao Rong.
• An adjutant told the commandant that Cao Rong was less than a day from Luoshui County, while He Jinyun told Wang Jin that he had executed Auntie Sun as a suspected God-Worship Cult member.
• Cao Rong stopped his cavalry to rest near a valley, where Jiang Ning waited above the road with his bow.
• Jiang Ning shot Cao Rong once through the body and then killed him with a second arrow through the head.
• Jiang Ning escaped the valley, reflected on how easily he had killed Cao Rong, and checked his Source Energy and Literacy progress.

Jiang Ning’s fourth Literacy limit break expanded his spiritual field and granted Exceptional Comprehension, strengthening his Water Manipulation Art and accelerating his Five Animals Fist training. After returning to Luoshui County, he learned from Wang Jin that Auntie Sun had been executed as a supposed member of the God-Worship Cult.

• Jiang Ning broke through Literacy for the fourth time, expanding his spiritual field to nearly a hundred meters and gaining the Exceptional Comprehension trait.
• Jiang Ning used his stronger spiritual power to unleash a water dragon that smashed a section of cliff into the lake, then confirmed that his Five Animals Fist experience increased faster.
• Jiang Ning practiced through the night, traveled back to Luoshui County, and was escorted to Blue-Wave Martial Academy at Wang Jin’s request.
• Gongsun Yu reported Jiang Ning’s return to the Valley Master, who chose to wait for news of Cao Rong before deciding what to do.
• Jiang Ning found Wang Jin exhausted in the rear courtyard, and Wang Jin told him that Commander He Jinyun had executed Auntie Sun as a member of the God-Worship Cult.

After learning that He Jinyun had attacked Auntie Sun, Jiang Ning waited for him to leave the Inspection Office, then used rain-shaped needles to inflict a fatal wound before Hong Minghu could intervene. Hong Minghu reached He Jinyun too late, and the rain left no evidence of how he died.

• Jiang Ning blamed himself for Auntie Sun’s death and resolved to take revenge on He Jinyun despite Wang Jin’s warning.
• Jiang Ning tracked He Jinyun at the Inspection Office and waited until he left, while Feng Ji and Xie Xiaoj iu avoided disturbing him.
• Jiang Ning summoned a county-wide storm and attacked He Jinyun’s carriage with needles formed from rainwater after it traveled a li from the Inspection Office.
• He Jinyun escaped the wrecked carriage but was trapped in midair and struck by needles from every direction.
• Hong Minghu heard He Jinyun’s cries and rushed to him, but Jiang Ning had already pierced He Jinyun’s heart with a fatal rain needle.
• The rain needles dispersed before Hong Minghu arrived, leaving no trace of Jiang Ning’s attack.

Jiang Ning reflected on killing He Jinyun and the danger of being discovered, while Ye Qiu took charge of the investigation without suspecting him. Back at home, Jiang Ning reviewed his abilities and focused on strengthening himself so he could face the consequences if the truth emerged.

• Hong Minghu found He Jinyun dead and examined the strange wounds, while Jiang Ning silently acknowledged that he had avenged Auntie Sun.
• Jiang Ning joined Hong Minghu and the others at the scene, and Ye Qiu dismissed him as a suspect after seeing no signs of a struggle.
• Hong Minghu assigned Ye Qiu to hunt for the killer, and Jiang Ning declined Xie Xiaojiu’s offer to take a hot bath with her before returning home.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his recent gains and skill panel, noting that his spiritual power could reach a hundred meters and that his divine abilities had helped him kill He Jinyun from a mile away.
• Jiang Ning assessed his martial skills and concluded that tempering his body toward bone-forging was the next key step toward reaching the Fifth-Rank Inner-Strengthening Realm.

Jiang Ning reviewed the requirements for the Bone-Forging Realm and realized his blood and qi and spiritual power were already sufficient to pursue its higher stages. After resisting the blood-soaked god statue’s influence, he decided to take a drop of its blood to Lin Qingyi for identification.

• Jiang Ning reread the Sixth-Rank Bone-Forging Realm explanation and recalled its stages, from Iron Bone through Darksteel Bone and Jade Bone to the rare Divine Bone.
• Jiang Ning tested his power and found his blood and qi already roared like a river, while his spiritual power could extend roughly a hundred meters.
• Jiang Ning considered the power gap between Luoshui County and Dongling Commandery and concluded that only a peak Fifth-Rank martial artist could meaningfully protect themselves before the Qinghe Earl's Estate.
• Jiang Ning opened the golden box containing the God-Worship Cult statue, shattered its illusion with his stronger spiritual power, and escaped its whispers.
• Jiang Ning felt an overwhelming urge to drink the blood in the box, shut it before giving in, and decided to bring a drop to Lin Qingyi for examination.

Jiang Ning visited Lin Qingyi to identify the sinister blood he had acquired and to find resources for bone forging. Lin Qingyi recognized the blood as Hundred-Spirit Blood, bought ten drops, and agreed to obtain cultivation pills for him, while Jiang Ning realized she was a powerful grandmaster candidate with a hidden identity.

• Jiang Ning showed Lin Qingyi the blood, and she identified it as Hundred-Spirit Blood, a rare resource that strengthened qi and blood and aided entry into the Blood-Exchange Grandmaster realm.
• Lin Qingyi bought ten drops of Hundred-Spirit Blood from Jiang Ning for one hundred taels of gold, revealing that she had been searching for the resource to advance in secret.
• Jiang Ning asked Lin Qingyi to help him obtain Iron Bone Pills, Mystic Bone Pills, and Jade Bone Pills, and she agreed after discovering he had reached the Dragon Sinew level.
• Lin Qingyi saw Jiang Ning off and wondered whether Xiao Jin might catch his eye, while Jiang Ning left relieved that his cultivation resources would be secured.
• Jiang Ning concluded that Lin Qingyi was a peak fourth-rank expert with a concealed identity and resolved to stay close to her.

After Wang Jin warned Jiang Ning that power mattered more than evidence, Jiang Ning returned home and found Medicine King Valley’s Valley Master Lu Qingshan treating Jiang Li’s paralyzed right arm. Lu restored much of its movement and showed Jiang Ning goodwill, leaving the two to share a remarkable wine.

• Wang Jin warned Jiang Ning that Qinghe Count could threaten him over He Jinyun’s death without evidence, and Jiang Ning reconsidered how law and power worked.
• Jiang Ning returned home and learned that Valley Master Lu Qingshan had been waiting to visit him.
• Jiang Ning entered the eastern courtyard and found Lu Qingshan treating Jiang Li’s right arm with massage, golden needles, inner breath, and medicinal ointment.
• Jiang Li regained the ability to move his right hand, and Lu Qingshan gave him oil to support further recovery.
• Jiang Ning thanked Lu Qingshan and poured him wine steeped with the mysterious black stone, which Lu recognized as extraordinary.

Jiang Ning received Lu Qingshan’s goodwill and learned that the Qinghe Count’s Estate might target him over He Jinyun’s death, while Lu Qingshan suspected Jiang Ning was a reincarnated immortal and possibly the killer. After Ye Qiu probed him about the investigation, Jiang Ning went to a deserted island to open the box of Hundred-Spirit Blood and strengthen himself.

• Lu Qingshan praised Jiang Ning’s wine, thanked him for dealing with the Medicine King Valley’s enemy, and advised him to stay in the city because the Qinghe Count’s Estate might suspect him.
• After leaving Jiang Ning, Lu Qingshan told Gongsun Yu that Jiang Ning’s spiritual power suggested he might be a reincarnated immortal and speculated that he had caused the rain and killed He Jinyun.
• Jiang Ning reflected that Lu Qingshan’s visit had settled the conflict with Medicine King Valley and restored vitality to his elder brother’s paralyzed arm.
• Ye Qiu visited Jiang Ning and explained that he had been tasked with investigating He Jinyun’s bizarre death, while probing Jiang Ning for clues.
• After Ye Qiu left, Jiang Ning recognized the danger of being suspected without evidence and resolved to rely on strength.
• Jiang Ning took the Hundred-Spirit Blood to a deserted island, noted his current 241.43 source energy, and prepared to cultivate.

On a deserted island, Jiang Ning consumed Hundred-Spirit Blood and rapidly strengthened his qi and blood, then trained Water-Fire True Force while assessing how to improve his skills. After gaining more than fifty percent in qi and blood, he opened the box again and consumed more blood.

• Jiang Ning resisted the golden box’s illusion with his mental force field and swallowed a drop of Hundred-Spirit Blood, feeling its immediate effects on his body.
• Jiang Ning consumed twelve drops before his body felt satisfied, and his qi and blood rose by more than twenty percent in half a tea's time.
• Jiang Ning chose to train Water-Fire True Force, hoping that breaking its limits might help him grasp the true intent Feng Jiเก had described.
• Jiang Ning trained for over two hours, raising Water-Fire True Force from 54 to 89 experience points, while his qi and blood eventually increased by more than fifty percent.
• Jiang Ning opened the golden box again and consumed more Hundred-Spirit Blood.

The Yellow Heaven Cult leader set a plan in motion to destabilize Great Xia by raising a rebellion with the Human Emperor Sword and a White Horned Dragon. Unaware of the scheme, Jiang Ning advanced to vitality like the sea, exhausted his Hundred-Spirit Blood, and brought Water-Fire True Force to Major Mastery.

• The Yellow Heaven Cult leader told his disciple that he would help bring down Great Xia and use the upheaval to destroy corrupt sects and aristocratic families.
• The elder released a bloodline-stimulating white snake into Luo Water Lake and revealed that he planned to have it grow into a wicked horned dragon whose death would let him raise a rebellion with the Human Emperor Sword.
• Jiang Ning continued digesting Hundred-Spirit Blood and training Water-Fire True Force, then found that his Source Energy had risen to 613.17, less than he expected.
• Jiang Ning returned to the island and consumed the remaining Hundred-Spirit Blood, reaching vitality like the sea after two days of rapid growth.
• Jiang Ning saw that his Source Energy had reached 838.49 and Water-Fire True Force had advanced to Major Mastery.

Jiang Ning spent Source Energy to break Water Nature’s limit, gaining a form of water-controlling authority, then went to the Inspection Office to learn about the fallout from He Jinyun and Cao Rong’s deaths. There, he met Feng Ji’s father, Feng Xiaoch en, who had come to investigate Cao Rong’s murder.

• Jiang Ning used 500 Source Energy to give Water Nature its sixth limit break, upgrading Water Manipulation Art into an authority that let him control water.
• Jiang Ning tested his new ability by breaking the lake’s ice and raising a vast quantity of water before returning home, satisfied with the result.
• Jiang Ning went to the Inspection Office to seek information about Qinghe Count and the military’s response to He Jinyun’s death and Cao Rong’s murder.
• Feng Xiaoch en told Feng Ji that Commandant Yan had sent him to investigate Cao Rong’s death and asked whether she knew who the killer was.
• Jiang Ning arrived, recognized Feng Xiaoch en as Feng Ji’s father and a prominent military captain, and exchanged greetings with him as Feng Ji went to make tea.

Jiang Ning revealed to Feng Xiaocheng that he had reverse-engineered the Blazing Prairie Spear Art, then obtained the extraordinary 108 Heavenly Stems and Earthly Fiends Bone-Forging Method from the Internal Affairs Office. After studying it and cultivating his Water-Fire True Force, he welcomed Xie Xiaojiu as she arrived hoping to see him.

• Feng Xiaocheng offered to demonstrate his Nine-Tempered Fire force, but Jiang Ning showed him his Water-Fire True Force and confirmed he had reverse-engineered the Blazing Prairie Spear Art.
• Feng Xiaocheng said Commandant Yan had sent him to Luoshui County to investigate Cao Rong's death, and he declined to trust rumors blaming Jiang Ning.
• Jiang Ning went to the Internal Affairs Office and exchanged three thousand contribution points for the 108 Heavenly Stems and Earthly Fiends Bone-Forging Method.
• The old woman recognized Jiang Ning's extraordinary spiritual power and considered whether he might one day rival the Martial Saint.
• Jiang Ning read the method, learned it described a path beyond Jade Bone, and continued cultivating his Water-Fire True Force while waiting for Lin Qingyi's message.
• Xie Xiaojiu arrived at Jiang Ning's residence hoping to see him, and he invited her to warm herself by the fire.

Jiang Ning completed the first limit break of Water-Fire True Force and gained the Water-Fire Immortal Robe trait, which protected him from water and fire. Meanwhile, Qinghe Count’s second son arrived in Luoshui County to investigate He Jinyun’s death, and Jiang Ning prepared to test his new ability.

• Xie Xiaoj iu told Jiang Ning she had entered the seventh rank, and Feng Jiเก reported that Qinghe Earl’s Estate was furious about He Jinyun’s death.
• Jiang Ning stayed indoors through the snowstorm and trained Water-Fire True Force until it reached the requirements for its first limit break.
• Qinghe Count’s second son arrived at Luoshui County’s gates on a pureblood dragon steed and was admitted after declaring his identity.
• At the Inspection Office, the second son asked Hong Minghu about leads on his fifth brother’s death, and Hong Minghu offered to summon Commander Ye Qiu.
• Jiang Ning spent 100 Source Energy to break Water-Fire True Force’s limit, gained the Water-Fire Immortal Robe trait, and looked to the brazier to test it.

Jiang Ning tested the Water-Fire Immortal Robe and found that flames could not burn him, then received bone-forging pills from Lin Qingyi. On the carriage ride home, he began using the One Hundred Eight Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Bone-Forging Art, while Lin Qingyi remained burdened by the threat of the old prince.

• Jiang Ning handled burning charcoal and put his finger into a brazier's flames, confirming that the Water-Fire Immortal Robe protected him from heat.
• Lü Yi brought Jiang Ning to Myriad Splendor Tower, where Lin Qingyi gave him ten bottles each of Iron Bone Pills, Mystic Bone Pills, and Jade Bone Pills.
• Lin Qingyi hinted that she faced trouble connected to the old prince but refused to involve Jiang Ning, then watched his carriage depart with sorrow.
• On the journey, Jiang Ning examined an Iron Bone Pill and began bone-forging, striking thirteen bones at once with hammers of qi and blood.
• Lü Yi quietly watched Jiang Ning cultivate in the carriage and blushed as she admired him.

Jiang Ning absorbed five Iron Bone Pills while escorting Lü Yi safely back to Myriad Splendor Tower, revealing bone-forging efficiency far beyond an ordinary martial artist. After returning home to find Xie Xiaoj iu waiting, he learned that He Jinsheng, He Jinyun’s peak Sixth Rank elder brother, had arrived to investigate the death.

• Jiang Ning completed a cycle of hammering thirteen bones and absorbed five Iron Bone Pills, filling them with iron marrow and achieving more than six times the usual absorption efficiency.
• Jiang Ning escorted Lü Yi back to Myriad Splendor Tower through the snowy night, then hurried home to continue forging his other bones.
• Jiang Ning found Xie Xiaoj iu waiting at his residence, while Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan encouraged the pair to grow closer.
• Xie Xiaoj iu warned Jiang Ning that He Jinsheng, a martial provincial graduate at the peak of the Sixth Rank, had arrived to investigate He Jinyun’s death.
• Jiang Ning recognized that Xie Xiaoj iu had warned him because she suspected he might have killed He Jinyun, and he invited her to eat before they continued talking.

Jiang Ning let Xie Xiaoj iu stay in his room during the snowstorm, where she bathed while he focused on tempering his bones. After absorbing five Iron Bone Pills and strengthening thirteen more bones, he opened his eyes to find Xie Xiaoj iu standing before him in her underclothes.

• Jiang Ning told Liu Wanwan that Xie Xiaoj iu would sleep in his room, and Xie Xiaoj iu agreed to stay there because she felt safe with him.
• Jiang Ning fetched hot water for Xie Xiaoj iu and agreed to wait behind a screen while she bathed.
• Jiang Ning resisted his distractions and began forging his bones with the 108 Heavenly Fiends Bone-Forging Hammer Technique while Xie Xiaoj iu bathed for more than two hours.
• Xie Xiaoj iu came out from behind the screen in her underclothes and saw Jiang Ning cultivating, then waited quietly as he absorbed five Iron Bone Pills and tempered thirteen bones.
• Jiang Ning finished the cultivation cycle, opened his eyes, and noticed Xie Xiaoj iu's figure.

Jiang Ning cultivated through the night while Xie Xiaoj iu slept in his bed, and he discovered when his Source Energy refreshed and how far his bone tempering had progressed. The chapter ended with Xie Xiaoj iu helping him settle down for a morning nap.

• Jiang Ning dried Xie Xiaoj iu's hair with his Water-Controlling Divine Ability and emptied her bathwater, then declined her invitation to share his bed so he could cultivate.
• Jiang Ning tempered his bones through the night, briefly helped cover the sleeping Xie Xiaoj iu, and recovered his strength by placing his hand in water.
• Jiang Ning checked his panel near dawn and found 541.11 Source Energy, realizing the daily increase appeared around that time.
• Jiang Ning found that the water no longer restored his condition and continued tempering bones, bringing seventy-eight bones to a faint silver gleam.
• Xie Xiaoj iu woke, dressed, and prepared to practice swordsmanship while Jiang Ning chose to sleep; she removed his shoes and tucked him into bed.

Jiang Ning advanced his bone forging, reflected on the bodily foundation needed to become a Martial Saint, and went to the Inspection Office while He Jinsheng’s whereabouts remained unknown. After tempering all 206 bones once, he tested the Water-Fire Immortal Robe in a frozen lake and found that circulating Water-Fire True Force there earned experience more efficiently.

• Jiang Ning woke refreshed, inspected his progress, and found that his 78 tempered bones had absorbed much of their iron marrow as his physique grew stronger.
• Jiang Ning continued forging bones and considered how a perfect bodily foundation, including a golden body and advanced bone forging, might lead to becoming a Martial Saint.
• Jiang Ning and Xie Xiaoj iu went to the Inspection Office to avoid endangering his family if he encountered He Jinsheng, but Jiang Ning heard nothing of He Jinsheng’s presence.
• By night, Jiang Ning had initially tempered all 206 bones and sensed his strength, resilience, skin, flesh, and qi and blood gradually improving.
• Jiang Ning immersed himself in the frozen lake, tested the Water-Fire Immortal Robe’s protection against water, and found that Water-Fire True Force gained experience more efficiently there.