Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning read Wang Shouyi’s letter asking him to marry Wang Qingtan and help her avoid an arranged marriage to King Huai’an’s second son. Wang Qingtan proposed marriage herself, but Jiang Ning asked for three years to consider it, and she agreed.

• Sun Mingcheng and Wang Lu brought Wang Qingtan to Jiang Ning, then left after she thanked them.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning a letter from Wang Shouyi, who wanted him to marry her and help her escape the marriage arranged by Bai Hesong.
• After reading the letter, Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan about her father’s request, and she offered to marry him, citing her good impression of him and her generous dowry.
• Wang Qingtan read the letter and agreed to her father’s arrangement, while Jiang Ning hesitated because marriage meant a lifelong commitment and he had an understanding with Ji Mingyue.
• Jiang Ning asked Wang Qingtan to give him three years before deciding; she agreed, and he ruffled her hair as someone inside watched them.

Jiang Ning trained while Wang Qingtan gave him the Glazed Treasure Flame, which began transforming and cleansing his body. She also gave him five thousand taels of gold to support his Martial Dao, leaving Jiang Ning touched by her generosity as they prepared to go out for a meal.

• Jiang Ning continued practicing the Indestructible Vajra Body while Wang Qingtan watched and decided she did not regret her choice.
• Wang Qingtan gave Jiang Ning the Glazed Treasure Flame as part of her future dowry, and he swallowed it.
• The Glazed Divine Fire spread through Jiang Ning’s body, cleansing his sinews and bones and beginning to transform him toward a Glazed Treasure Body.
• After Jiang Ning washed away the grime expelled by the transformation, Wang Qingtan offered him five thousand taels of gold to fund his cultivation.
• Jiang Ning accepted the gold and invited Wang Qingtan to dinner; she changed into an extraordinary moonlit dress before they left.

Jiang Ning spent the evening dining with Wang Qingtan and Lu Junyi, then practiced while Wang Qingtan wrestled with memories of her previous life. The next morning, the Glazed Treasure Flame had raised Jiang Ning’s source energy to 55,431, putting him over the threshold to break through Literacy’s limit.

• Jiang Ning reassured Wang Qingtan that he would help with her troubles, and she trusted him despite the matter involving King Huai'an.
• Lu Junyi joined Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan at Nine Heavens Tower, offered to speak with Bai Hesong, then left after Jiang Ning said he would wait for Bai Hesong to come to him.
• Jiang Ning returned home with Wang Qingtan and Lü Yi, practiced the Indestructible Vajra Body, and later saw Wang Qingtan watching him from her window.
• Wang Qingtan wrote a letter while worrying that recovering memories from her previous life might eventually make her cease to be herself.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning found that his source energy had risen to 55,431 as the Glazed Treasure Flame continued working through his body.
• Jiang Ning realized he could now break through Literacy's limit and glanced back toward the Ice Coffin beside his bed.

Jiang Ning completed Literacy’s twelfth Limit-Breaking and awakened the Heavenly Eye, which let him see the woman trapped in the Ice Coffin’s world. His gaze freed her from the Ruins of Return; she gave him the Ice Coffin and a secret art before departing as the Heavenly Dao noticed her.

• Jiang Ning spent 50,000 Source Energy to break through Literacy’s twelfth limit and gained the Heavenly Eye trait, which let him perceive hidden energies and see great distances.
• Jiang Ning opened the Heavenly Eye and looked into the Ice Coffin, where he saw a woman imprisoned in a boundless darkness; his gaze awakened her and revealed the River of Time and a path back to the Ten Domains.
• The woman escaped into Jiang Ning’s space, gave him control of the Ice Coffin as repayment, and taught him a secret art from her sect.
• The woman said she was a disciple of Lingbao Tianzun and could not stay because the local Heavenly Dao was about to notice her, then vanished into deeper layers of space.
• The thunderclouds dispersed after the woman left, while Jiang Ning reflected on her words about the Ruins of Return and Lingbao Tianzun presiding over justice.

After the mysterious woman left, Jiang Ning examined the Ice Coffin, learned more about its powers, and resolved to keep advancing along the Martial Dao. The chapter ended when Wang Qingtan woke from an unnaturally deep sleep and said she had suffered a nightmare.

• Jiang Ning considered the mysterious woman's revelations about the great calamity, the Heavenly Eye, and the Lingbao Weapon Refining Technique.
• Jiang Ning explored the Ice Coffin's sealed inner hall and tested how it isolated him from the outside world.
• Jiang Ning concluded that the Ice Coffin could protect him and resolved to pursue the Martial Dao toward its pinnacle.
• Jiang Ning trained his Indestructible Vajra Body until Lü Yi called him to Wang Qingtan's room.
• Jiang Ning found Wang Qingtan unresponsive, woke her by pressing beneath her nose, and heard her say she had had a nightmare.

Jiang Ning learned that Bai Hesong had arranged for King Huai'an’s second son to pursue Wang Qingtan, then confronted Bai Hesong when he came to retrieve his disciple. Bai Hesong recognized Jiang Ning’s overwhelming power and bowed his head, leaving Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan together.

• Wang Qingtan feared that memories from her previous life would overtake her own, but she joined Jiang Ning for breakfast after dressing up.
• Jiang Ning learned that Wang Qingtan and her father had made no promise to King Huai'an, then practiced the Indestructible Vajra Body while she sent a reply to her father.
• Bai Hesong ordered his disciples, including his eldest disciple, to retrieve Wang Qingtan and pressure Jiang Ning into yielding without provoking him beyond repair.
• Jiang Ning sensed Bai Hesong’s group outside and invited them into Bamboo Listening Pavilion.
• Jiang Ning revealed his control over the power of heaven and earth, and Bai Hesong apologized, drank the wine Jiang Ning offered, and left with his disciples.
• Wang Qingtan teased Jiang Ning and drank from his cup, while Jiang Ning laughed and welcomed the quiet life they shared.

Bai Hesong and Liang Yong recognized Jiang Ning as a third-rank Heaven-Man Grandmaster, apologized, and brought him gifts while weighing the danger posed by King Huai'an’s second son. Jiang Ning resumed his cultivation, and Wang Qingtan saw Golden Crow Divine Fire essence entering his body.

• Liang Yong told Bai Hesong and the disciples that Jiang Ning was a third-rank Heaven-Man Grandmaster, and Bai Hesong ordered them not to provoke him or spread the news.
• Bai Hesong decided to visit Jiang Ning with Liang Yong to offer gifts and apologize, while Ye Zhengqi worried that King Huai'an’s second son might become a threat.
• Bai Hesong and Liang Yong apologized to Jiang Ning, presented him with gold notes and Blood-Strengthening Pills, and Liang Yong praised Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan as a couple.
• Wang Qingtan opened the gifts, and Jiang Ning took the pills before returning to his training.
• Jiang Ning absorbed the essence of the great sun while practicing the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique, and Wang Qingtan saw Golden Crow Divine Fire essence enter his body.

Jiang Ning absorbed the Glazed Treasure Flame after Wang Qingtan gave him part of her Lord of Ten Thousand Fires authority, forming the Glazed Treasure Body. He discovered he could wield the Glazed Divine Fire and considered using it to strengthen his blade.

• Jiang Ning’s Glazed Treasure Flame erupted when he absorbed the great sun’s essence, so Wang Qingtan passed him part of her Lord of Ten Thousand Fires authority to calm the conflicting energies.
• The Glazed Treasure Flame released powerful ripples that burned nearby plants, and Wang Qingtan cleared a circle around Jiang Ning to contain the fire.
• Jiang Ning finished absorbing the flame, continued cultivating, and learned from his status panel that he had gained incomplete Lord of Ten Thousand Fires authority.
• Jiang Ning washed away the impurities expelled by the flame and realized that his body had become a flawless Glazed Treasure Body.
• Jiang Ning summoned jade-green Glazed Divine Fire in his palm and considered using it to reforge and strengthen his blade.

Jiang Ning broke Five Animals Fist through its seventh limit, mastered Fist Intent, and discovered that his internal organs still had limits to break. He then learned that Bai Luoyu was returning to Dongling City amid rising threats from several alliances and cults, while Wang Qingtan’s recurring nightmares and question about impending death remained unexplained.

• Jiang Ning spent ten thousand Source Energy to advance Five Animals Fist, gained the trait Essence Stored in the Five Organs (First Break), and mastered Fist Intent and the unity of the five animals and five elements.
• Lü Yi told Jiang Ning that Wang Qingtan had fainted in her sleep again, and Jiang Ning woke her by sending his divine consciousness into her body.
• Wang Qingtan confirmed she had another nightmare, asked Jiang Ning what he would do if he knew he would die soon, and agreed that she wanted to leave no regrets.
• Bai Luoyu visited Jiang Ning to say he was returning to Dongling City after Zhao Yulong summoned him because the Heaven-Answering Alliance had gained powerful sects and cult activity was rising in Stone Mountain County.
• Jiang Ning promised to return to Dongling City after the Martial Examination provincial qualifier, which was less than ten days away, and Bai Luoyu departed.

Jiang Ning discovered that his Glazed Treasure Body accelerated his Indestructible Vajra Body training as political tensions rose. Lu Zhao, the Huai'an Prince’s second son, arrived in Guangning City, and several local powers began watching his movements and anticipating how he would deal with Jiang Ning.

• Jiang Ning found that each set of his Seven-Limit-Breaking Five Animals Fist increased his qi and blood by fifty strands, and he focused on training his Indestructible Vajra Body to prepare for coming conflicts.
• Jiang Ning noticed his Indestructible Vajra Body experience had risen unusually quickly and concluded that his Glazed Treasure Body had increased his training efficiency.
• Lu Zhao arrived in Guangning City with the Black-Armored Cavalry and ordered Wang Jiu to bring Liu A-san and Bai Hesong to him so he could see the woman Bai Hesong praised.
• Bai Hesong learned that Lu Zhao had arrived and sent for his eldest martial disciple.
• Lu Junyi learned of Lu Zhao’s arrival, wondered why Bai Hesong and Liang Yong had reconciled with Jiang Ning, and anticipated trouble between Lu Zhao and Jiang Ning.
• Ye Zhengqi learned that Lu Zhao was staying at Heavenly Fragrance Garden and ordered his subordinate to watch both Lu Zhao and Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning trained while Lu Zhao arrived in Guangning City seeking Commandery Governor Wang’s daughter, only to learn she was with Jiang Ning. After humiliating Bai Hesong, Lu Zhao went to meet Jiang Ning, but left when told he was practicing; Wang Qingtan recognized Lu Zhao as a serious threat.

• Jiang Ning trained the Indestructible Vajra Body in his courtyard while Wang Qingtan watched, then continued cultivating the essence of the Great Sun at Spring Breeze Tower.
• Lu Zhao learned that Wang Qingtan was with Jiang Ning, struck Bai Hesong when he urged him to abandon the matter, and demanded information about Jiang Ning.
• Bai Hesong told Lu Zhao that Jiang Ning was a Heaven-Man Grandmaster, but Lu Zhao dismissed the warning and decided to meet him.
• Lu Zhao went to Spring Breeze Tower with Wang Jiu and Liu A-san, but Lü Yi told him Jiang Ning was practicing and would not receive visitors until after noon.
• Lu Zhao left to eat before returning, while Wang Qingtan recognized him as King Huai'an’s second son and worried about the trouble he could bring.

After Jiang Ning finished cultivating, Lu Zhao visited to clarify that he had no interest in Wang Qingtan and wanted to avoid becoming Jiang Ning’s enemy. As July and the martial provincial examination approached, Jiang Ning focused on winning the Martial Champion title and abandoned the civil examination; his Indestructible Vajra Body experience reached its first limit-breaking threshold.

• Wang Qingtan praised Jiang Ning’s internal strengthening method, and Lü Yi confirmed that Lu Zhao had come to visit while Jiang Ning was practicing.
• Lu Zhao returned to Jiang Ning’s courtyard, explained that he had no interest in Wang Qingtan, and said he preferred to befriend Jiang Ning rather than make an enemy of him.
• Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan exchanged teasing remarks after Lu Zhao left, while Lu Zhao told Wang Jiu that Jiang Ning’s future potential made offending him dangerous.
• Ye Zhengqi stopped his subordinate from continuing to watch Jiang Ning, and Wang Hesong brooded over Lu Zhao’s earlier humiliation of him.
• Jiang Ning spent the following days training for the martial provincial examination, decided against pursuing the civil examination, and reached the first limit-breaking threshold for his Indestructible Vajra Body.

Jiang Ning broke the Indestructible Vajra Body’s second limit, gaining the Leakless Body trait and a major increase in strength and longevity. As the martial examination approached, he bet on himself to take first place and asked Wang Qingtan to return to Dongling Commandery with him; she agreed.

• Jiang Ning spent 20,000 Source Energy to break the Indestructible Vajra Body’s second limit and gained the Leakless Body trait, which sealed his vitality and strengthened his body.
• Jiang Ning practiced his fist techniques while Wang Qingtan continued to suffer unexplained bouts of sleep; when she woke, she asked Jiang Ning to comb her hair and draw her eyebrows.
• Jiang Ning sent Lü Yi to place bets on his first-place finish in the martial examination, and she returned with wagers totaling 1,187 taels of gold for a potential return of 2,023 taels.
• Wang Qingtan said Jiang Ning would face no serious competition in the provincial martial examination, and she agreed to return to Dongling Commandery with him afterward.

Jiang Ning completed his third blood exchange and recovered by absorbing powerful medicinal resources, reaching the strength of an old-established Grandmaster. After winning the provincial martial examination, he resumed training Five Animals Fist to prepare for his fourth blood exchange.

• Jiang Ning underwent his third blood exchange in a wilderness forest by absorbing the spiritual mechanisms of heaven and earth, then judged that he had a ninety-five percent chance of completing a fourth exchange without outside help.
• Jiang Ning replenished his weakened body by consuming an eight-hundred-year Blood Ginseng and later the Sevenfold Linglong Ginseng, absorbing nearly all their medicinal power through his Leakless Body.
• Jiang Ning took part in the provincial martial examination while his strength had recovered and considered first place beyond doubt because no other martial artist under thirty in Guangning Prefecture had reached the third-rank Grandmaster realm.
• Jiang Ning practiced Five Animals Fist in his courtyard, raising its experience and restoring his source energy to 35,477 points as he worked toward grasping Fist Intent and completing his fourth blood exchange.

Jiang Ning received the plaque for Guangning Prefecture’s top martial provincial graduate, collected his gambling winnings, and attended the customary celebratory banquet. As he prepared to return to Dongling the next morning, Wang Qingtan resolved to act on her feelings for him before they parted.

• Jiang Ning welcomed the procession delivering his Provincial Examination Champion plaque and gave coins to the gathered townsfolk.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan and Lü Yi that they would return to Dongling the next morning because the Circuit Inspector’s Office needed his help against the God-Worship Cult and other threats.
• Jiang Ning collected 2,023 taels of gold from the gambling houses, and the operators paid him after seeing another house punished for refusing to honor its wager.
• Jiang Ning attended the banquet for the foremost rank and later refined the gifts he received while practicing his Five Animals Fist.
• Wang Qingtan, troubled by memories from her previous life and the prospect of waiting three years to see Jiang Ning again, resolved to follow her own choice and avoid leaving regrets.

Jiang Ning and Wang Qingtan became lovers, and their new bond helped Jiang Ning feel more settled in this world. As they prepared to return home, Jiang Ning considered the forces awaiting him in Dongling Commandery and decided the God-Worship Cult should be dealt with before the Heaven-Answering Alliance’s powerful allies.

• Wang Qingtan climbed into Jiang Ning’s room at night, and the two spent the night together.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning cared for Wang Qingtan and agreed to take her with him to visit the Marquis and the Ye Residence Envoy.
• Jiang Ning felt that his new relationship had eased his lingering sense of separation from the world, while Wang Qingtan grew close to Lü Yi.
• Jiang Ning learned that Lü Yi had reached the sixth rank through the effects of his blood and considered how his subordinates could grow stronger after he returned.
• Jiang Ning assessed the God-Worship Cult, the Five Swords Sect, and the Divine Sword Manor, resolving to deal with the cult first and save the other two for a decisive opportunity.

Jiang Ning said farewell to Shen Wenyuan and Ye Zhengqi before preparing to return to Dongling City, where he planned to steady the commandery and build up the Commissioner Office’s strength. He spent the night with Wang Qingtan, and the chapter ended with the two preparing to leave the next morning.

• Jiang Ning told Shen Wenyuan he would return to Dongling City the next day, and Shen invited him to the Grandmaster banquet and discussed the nine Blood Exchanges and the Martial Dao shackles.
• Jiang Ning visited Ye Zhengqi, observed his spatial sword techniques, and confirmed that Ye Zhengqi also expected invitations to the Grandmaster and wedding banquets.
• Jiang Ning arranged resources for his next Blood Exchange, including a Blood Jade Nine-Aperture Lotus and two five-hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng roots, then practiced the Five Animals Fist.
• Wang Qingtan joined Jiang Ning for the night, and the two woke late the next morning before preparing to set out for Dongling City.

Jiang Ning traveled with Wang Qingtan and Lü Yi from Guangning City toward Dongling City, testing powerful treasures and steadily advancing his skills along the way. After several days of intimacy and study, they arrived at Dongling City, where Jiang Ning remembered his promise to bring Little Doubao a treat.

• Shen Wenyuan and the master of the Ye Residence learned that Inspector Jiang had left Guangning City and ordered their men to withdraw from the city gate.
• Jiang Ning tried to refine the Ice Coffin but made little progress, then examined the bronze fragment and was overwhelmed by its bell chime before putting it away.
• Jiang Ning, Wang Qingtan, and Lü Yi traveled onward, with Jiang Ning reading scriptures and practicing while Wang Qingtan repeatedly joined him at night.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his Source Energy and skill progress and considered using a Limit-Breaking to develop Water-Fire True Force.
• After two more days of travel, Jiang Ning, Wang Qingtan, and Lü Yi reached Dongling City, and Jiang Ning recalled his promise to bring Little Doubao something tasty.

Wang Qingtan returned to the Commandery Governor's Office with Jiang Ning, while her younger sister Wang Qinghan hid her feelings for him. Back home, Jiang Ning reunited with his family and tested how his transformed blood affected Linglong and Old Softshell, rewarding them with more drops after seeing their cultivation increase.

• Wang Qingtan reunited with Wang Qinghan and joined her family for breakfast with Jiang Ning, while Wang Shouyi welcomed him and tried to match him with his daughter.
• Wang Qingtan told Wang Qinghan to keep their relationship secret from outsiders and their father, and Wang Qinghan watched her sister and Jiang Ning leave with concealed loneliness.
• Jiang Ning returned home with Mung Bean Jade Cake for Little Doubao and learned that Jiang Li had taken temporary work as a constable.
• Jiang Ning fed a drop of his blood to Linglong, whose cultivation increased by one year, and another to Old Softshell, whose cultivation increased by about nine months.
• After comparing their gains, Jiang Ning gave Linglong three more drops of blood and Old Tortoise six for their efforts.

Jiang Ning returned to Dongling City, reunited with Jiang Li, and learned from Zhao Yulong that the Heaven-Answering Alliance was expanding through Dongling Commandery. After reviewing the commandery’s reports, he understood that Divine Sword Manor and the Five Swords Sect led an alliance that was crushing sects that refused to join.

• Jiang Li returned home, proudly unveiled Jiang Ning’s Jieyuan plaque, and hurried off to have it installed.
• Jiang Ning visited Bai Luoyu’s residence and learned that Bai Luoyu was stationed in Stone Mountain County, then found Zhao Yulong at the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning confirmed that he had become a Heaven-Man Grandmaster and read reports on conditions throughout Dongling Commandery while Zhao Yulong described the growing threat.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique until the Wei hour, gaining 143 experience points from drawing in Great Sun essence.
• After lunch, Jiang Ning learned that the Heaven-Answering Alliance, led locally by Divine Sword Manor with the Five Swords Sect supporting it, had begun destroying sects that refused to join.