Chapter Summaries

At Xiao Qiushui’s banquet, Ye Zhengqi challenged her demand to settle the feud, but Li Sixiang intervened and overwhelmed Ye in a clash. Ye escaped with Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling into Moon-Reflection Lake, where Jiang Ning waited while Ye recovered.

• Ye Zhengqi congratulated Xiao Qiushui, then asked her to end her grudge with Jiang Ning, and she refused.
• Ye Zhengqi’s sword intent suppressed Xiao Qiushui until Li Sixiang stepped in to defend her.
• Li Sixiang struck Ye Zhengqi down in their first exchange, and Zhong Yue stopped himself from joining the fight.
• Ye Zhengqi trapped Li Sixiang with a sword formation, then escaped with Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling using a mysterious ability.
• In Moon-Reflection Lake, Jiang Ning helped Zhong Ling breathe and watched Ye Zhengqi take a healing pill.
• Ye Zhengqi recovered enough to notice Jiang Ning and Zhong Ling together, then smiled at the thought that Zhong Yue’s wish might come true.

Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to learn that Li Sixiang had left the Water-Moon Sword Palace, then took Zhong Ling out of Moon-Reflection Lake to reunite her with Zhong Yue. The group met on the forest road, where Zhong Yue and the old beggar discussed Li Sixiang’s overwhelming power and Jiang Ning’s growing closeness with Zhong Ling.

• Jiang Ning revealed his Heavenly Eye to search the Water-Moon Sword Palace and found Li Sixiang, Xiao Qiushui, and Xiao Emei leaving the lakeshore.
• Xiao Qiushui gave Xiao Emei her personal sword and told her to keep it with her before they returned to the lake-heart island.
• Jiang Ning told Ye Zhengqi that he would take Zhong Ling to find Grandpa Xuan, then carried her out of the lake and dried their clothes with his power.
• Zhong Yue and the old beggar discussed Li Sixiang’s strength and speculated that his true Martial Dao intent drew on the four great elements.
• Jiang Ning arrived with Zhong Ling, who hid behind him when she saw Zhong Yue, while Zhong Yue and the old beggar teased them about their closeness.

Jiang Ning prepared to confront Xiao Qiushui at Water-Moon Sword Palace after training and strengthening himself throughout the day. He entered her bedchamber at night, while Xiao Emei discovered a hidden letter in the Palace Master’s sword scabbard.

• Jiang Ning returned Zhong Ling safely to Zhong Yue, then left to prepare to kill Xiao Qiushui.
• Jiang Ning trained in the Five Animals Fist and absorbed the Great Sun’s essence, rapidly increasing his skill experience.
• Ye Zhengqi told Zhao Yulong that Li Sixiang had reached the Second Rank and that they should return with the news.
• Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to locate Xiao Qiushui, then crossed Moon-Reflection Lake and entered Water-Moon Sword Palace at night.
• Xiao Emei found a letter hidden inside the sword scabbard Xiao Qiushui had given her.
• Jiang Ning entered Xiao Qiushui’s bedchamber and saw her meditating.

Jiang Ning killed Xiao Qiushui in the Water-Moon Sword Palace, then broke into her hidden treasure vault and looted its contents. He left after covering her body and burning it, while the palace’s disciples were waking to the destruction.

• Jiang Ning confronted Xiao Qiushui in her sleeping palace and overpowered her despite her silver sword’s strike.
• Jiang Ning slammed Xiao Qiushui into the ground repeatedly, then killed her by piercing her skull with his fingers.
• Jiang Ning recovered the silver little sword and found a secret chamber beneath the white jade statue.
• Jiang Ning cut through the chamber’s stone door with saber intent and emptied the Water-Moon Sword Palace’s treasured vault.
• Jiang Ning covered Xiao Qiushui’s body with a curtain, burned it, and vanished from the hall.

Jiang Ning escaped the Water-Moon Sword Palace after killing Xiao Qiushui and began refining the treasures he had looted. By morning, his source energy had risen sharply, though he still lacked enough to break through the Five Animals Fist again.

• Xiao Emei arrived at Xiao Qiushui's residence and found a burning corpse that the elders identified as Xiao Qiushui, while she wondered whether Jiang Ning had killed her.
• Jiang Ning left the Water-Moon Sword Palace and, in the wilderness, refined the silver sword pellet and learned to control it.
• Jiang Ning swallowed three Seven-Aperture Enlightenment Pills and refined Thousand-Spirit Blood from the treasury, then practiced his fist techniques through the night.
• Jiang Ning checked his progress the next morning and found 7,863 source energy points and the Five Animals Fist at 7,000 experience, still short of the next limit break.

Jiang Ning spent two days in the forest digesting spirit blood and strengthening his body through constant Five Animals Fist practice and the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique. By dawn, his source energy had reached 14,877, and Five Animals Fist was ready for another breakthrough.

• Jiang Ning reflected on the threats posed by powerful Grandmasters and the growing unrest in Guangning Prefecture, then stayed in the forest to build his strength.
• Jiang Ning practiced Five Animals Fist and absorbed Hundred-Spirit Blood and Thousand-Spirit Blood while refining his gains from the Water-Moon Sword Palace.
• Jiang Ning cultivated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique beneath the noon sun, raising its experience to 8811/10000.
• Jiang Ning opened his jade box at night and swallowed all thirteen drops of Ten-Thousand-Spirit Blood, then practiced through the night to digest the energy.
• At dawn, Jiang Ning gained 237 Five Animals Fist experience, saw that the skill was ready to break through, and noted that his source energy had risen to 14877.

Jiang Ning weighed which martial art to advance for his future blood exchanges and chose the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique, then examined and began consuming treasures taken from the Water-Moon Sword Palace. After studying two manuals and setting them aside, he turned his attention to the last three items in his Sumeru Ring, one of which had seemed extraordinary through his Heavenly Eye.

• Jiang Ning decided to pursue the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique's next Limit-Breaking to test Ye Zhengqi's claims about true intent and blood exchanges.
• Jiang Ning examined Blood Jade and the Purple-Green Twin Swords, deciding they could be sold at auction or given away.
• Jiang Ning consumed most of the Hundred-Year Spirit Milk and planned to save some for Jiang Yuanyuan and Liu Wanwan.
• Jiang Ning read the Jade-Wave Sword Formula and Desire-Cutting Heart Sutra, gaining Literacy experience but choosing not to practice either art.
• Jiang Ning searched the remaining treasures in his Sumeru Ring and focused on one that had appeared extraordinary to his Heavenly Eye.

Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to uncover the Weapon Refining Technique hidden in a white bone, then refined the wicked dragon spirit in his saber and restored his strength with thousand-year blood ginseng. After resting overnight, he found that his Source Energy had risen to 35,433, leaving him with the remaining ginseng and one Water-Moon Sword Palace treasure still unused.

• Jiang Ning examined the white bone with his Heavenly Eye and learned the Weapon Refining Technique, gaining more than seven thousand Literacy experience.
• Jiang Ning used blood to refine his saber, erased the wicked dragon spirit's intelligence, and shrank the weapon so he could carry it close to his body.
• Jiang Ning ate pieces of thousand-year blood ginseng to recover from blood loss, then cultivated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique until it neared completion.
• Jiang Ning rested overnight and awoke feeling restored after the ginseng replenished his body.
• Jiang Ning checked his panel and found 35,433 Source Energy, with half the blood ginseng and one Water-Moon Sword Palace treasure still unused.

Jiang Ning returned to Dongling City, learned that Shen Wenyuan had taken office and his Grade-D major merit had been issued, and arranged to redeem it for a method to achieve a Heaven-Man Grandmaster. He then learned the martial examinations would take place sooner than expected, while Ye Zhengqi investigated Xiao Qiushui’s death and wondered whether Jiang Ning was involved.

• Jiang Ning returned home, reunited with Liu Wanwan, and learned that Shen Wenyuan had taken office.
• Jiang Ning visited Zhao Yulong, who confirmed his Grade-D major merit and agreed to arrange the method Jiang Ning wanted to redeem.
• Jiang Ning learned that the martial examination would begin in early July and the metropolitan examination in early October, and he resolved to pursue the examinations.
• Ye Zhengqi learned that Xiao Qiushui was dead and that rumors blamed him for her death.
• Ye Zhengqi heard that Xiao Emei had become the Water-Moon Sword Palace’s Palace Master and considered whether Jiang Ning had killed Xiao Qiushui, but dismissed the possibility.

Jiang Ning gave his family Hundred-Year Spirit Milk before preparing to travel to Guangning for the provincial martial examination, and he threw a mysterious Ice Coffin into the mountains. Before leaving, his family gave him an early birthday present, and he returned to his room to try it on.

• Jiang Ning fed Little Doubao some Hundred-Year Spirit Milk and entrusted the remainder to Jiang Li for Liu Wanwan and Little Doubao.
• Jiang Ning told Jiang Li he would leave for Guangning the next day to pursue the Martial Graduate title and planned to seek a Grandmaster method there.
• Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to glimpse a beautiful woman asleep inside the Ice Coffin, then hurled the coffin toward the depths of the Dongling Mountain Range.
• After refining the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng, Jiang Ning saw that his Source Energy had risen to 46,177 and decided to save it for when he obtained a Grandmaster method.
• Jiang Ning said goodbye to Little Doubao and promised to bring her a treat when he returned.
• Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan gave Jiang Ning an early birthday gift: a brocade robe and underclothes sewn by Liu Wanwan from Black-Gold Jade Silkworm silk.

Jiang Ning prepared to leave Dongling City for Guangning Prefecture City and visited Wang Qingtan to give her a gift before departing. Wang Qingtan accepted his ice-silk soft armor and gave him a thousand taels in gold notes, leaving him ready for the journey.

• Jiang Ning tried on the Liu Family’s Ice Jade Silkworm clothes and Black-Gold Jade Silkworm robe, then said farewell to Jiang Li, Liu Wanwan, Lü Yi, and the children.
• Jiang Ning went to the Prefect’s Residence and waited while Wang Qingtan washed up before receiving him.
• Jiang Ning gave Wang Qingtan a clean, translucent ice-silk soft armor, which she accepted and tried on beneath her gown.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan he was going to Guangning Prefecture City to report to Shen Wenyuan and take part in the martial imperial examination’s provincial examination.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning gold notes worth a thousand taels and joked that he should marry her before saying she had no plans to marry.

Jiang Ning traveled toward Guangning Prefecture with Bai Luoyu and Zhao Yulong, using the carriage journey to advance his Literacy and Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique skills. The trip ended on an unsettling note when the ice coffin he had discarded reappeared inside his carriage.

• Jiang Ning chose to travel by carriage with Bai Luoyu and Zhao Yulong, and they discussed his connection to the Seventeenth Princess and his cultivation goals.
• Jiang Ning read the Daoist Canon during the journey and maxed out his Literacy skill, while Lü Yi accompanied him in the carriage.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique at noon as the group traveled, and Lü Yi caught fish for their meal.
• After lunch, Jiang Ning noticed that Literacy's next limit break required twenty thousand Source Energy points.
• Lü Yi spotted an ice coffin inside Jiang Ning's carriage, and Jiang Ning recognized it as the one he had thrown away the previous day.

Jiang Ning broke Literacy’s limit to strengthen his spiritual power, gain the Dao Follows Nature trait, and approach the Unity of Heaven and Man while seeking a way to deal with the Ice Coffin. The next morning, he practiced merging with heaven and earth, then invited Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu to celebrate his birthday.

• Jiang Ning threw the Ice Coffin out of his carriage again after it mysteriously returned, then spent 20,000 Source Energy to break Literacy’s limit.
• Jiang Ning’s soul and divine sense grew stronger, and he experienced a state that brought him close to comprehending the Unity of Heaven and Man.
• Jiang Ning gained the Dao Follows Nature trait, which increased his talent for understanding heaven and earth, and he continued reading the Daoist Canon for Literacy experience.
• Zhao Yulong told Bai Luoyu that he had sensed a powerful spiritual fluctuation nearby, though neither man knew it came from Jiang Ning.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning entered a state of unity with heaven and earth beside a stream, then invited Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu to drink with him for his birthday.

Jiang Ning reached Guangning City with Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu, while the Ice Coffin continued to follow him and his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique neared completion. He settled into a rented courtyard and prepared to meet Shen Wenyuan the next day to report in and seek the method to become a grandmaster.

• Jiang Ning celebrated his birthday with Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu during their journey to Guangning City.
• The Ice Coffin reappeared beside Jiang Ning, and he used his Heavenly Eye to confirm the woman remained inside before deciding to stop throwing it away.
• Jiang Ning, Zhao Yulong, and Bai Luoyu arrived in Guangning City and agreed to report to Shen Wenyuan the next day; Bai Luoyu offered to accompany Jiang Ning to the Royal Capital for his martial examination.
• Jiang Ning and Lü Yi settled into the Bamboo Listening Pavilion, where he reviewed his progress in Literacy and the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique.
• Jiang Ning put the Ice Coffin in a room, discovered that practicing the Five Animals Fist still raised his experience, and went to bathe before his meeting with Shen Wenyuan.

Jiang Ning received two Grandmaster methods from Xiao Wuque: Seven-Star Fate Binding and Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis, the path once followed by the Martial Saint. After studying the first method, Jiang Ning began reading the ninefold method, which could guide his advance to Third Rank.

• Jiang Ning found the Ice Coffin beside his bed without having sensed it and resumed training after failing to discover anything new about it.
• Jiang Ning, Zhao Yulong, and Bai Luoyu visited Shen Wenyuan at the Inspection Office and submitted their reports.
• Shen Wenyuan presented Jiang Ning with Xiao Wuque's message and two Grandmaster methods: Seven-Star Fate Binding and Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis.
• Jiang Ning studied Seven-Star Fate Binding, learned that its seven Blood Exchanges drew on the sun, moon, and Five Elements, and gained Literacy experience.
• Jiang Ning concluded Xiao Wuque expected him to consider the ninefold path once walked by the Martial Saint, then began reading Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis.

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.