Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Qin An and Chen Chun stroll through Ding County despite the danger posed by the remaining monster factions and the Yamen. Chen Chun questions the timing; Qin An says work and rest should be balanced.
• They find constables beating a group of dancers because Clerk Wang wanted to take a young woman. When Qin An intervenes, Wang recognizes him and panics.
• Qin An hints that he killed Second Master Eagle the previous night, frightening Wang into fleeing. The constables follow, leaving the dancers free.
• Qin An buys a dance book from the injured troupe and returns home, intending to use its lessons to unlock a new profession.
• After studying and practicing, he unlocks Dancer Profession lv. 1, then continues training to build proficiency.
• At the Yamen, Wang recovers from his fright and sets out for the River Blade Sect.

Character developments

• Qin An remains calm and purposeful, using the encounter to help the victims without escalating into a public fight. His donation also reveals compassion beneath his reserved manner. He discovers that dance can complement his Azure Bird Leap technique.
• Chen Chun is still recovering and remains wary of the danger, but has learned to trust Qin An’s judgment. He is surprised by Qin An’s unexpected kindness.
• Clerk Wang shifts from arrogant and abusive to terrified after realizing Qin An survived and likely killed Second Master Eagle. He seeks help from the River Blade Sect.
• The dancers are beaten and frightened, but are able to rise after Qin An scares off their attackers and gives them money.

Significant themes

• Oppression and fear: The Yamen’s abuse is routine, while bystanders are too afraid to intervene.
• Power used to protect: Qin An’s reputation and strength disrupt the abuse, and his generosity supports the victims.
• Growth through unexpected paths: Qin An turns a chance encounter into an opportunity to develop a new profession and improve his abilities.
• Pragmatism over bravado: He chooses not to attack Wang in a crowded street, despite Chen Chun’s expectation that he would act recklessly.

Character interactions

• Chen Chun voices concern about Qin An’s casual outing; Qin An answers with dry humor and proceeds at his own pace.
• Qin An confronts Wang indirectly by referring to the “feathered beast” he roasted, making Wang understand that Second Master Eagle is dead.
• The dancers regard Qin An with fear rather than gratitude at first; he simply pays them and leaves.
• Back home, Qin An asks not to be disturbed while he trains, while Chen Chun returns to his own room to recover.

Key plot points and events

• The morning after unlocking the dancer profession, Qin An practices to raise his proficiency while Chen Chun continues recovering and cultivating.
• That night, a frightened dancer visits Qin An. She reports seeing Clerk Wang leave Ding County the previous night, heading north.
• Chen Chun identifies the likely destination: the River Blade Sect, which has longstanding ties to the local Yamen. He suspects Clerk Wang sought the sect’s help against Qin An.
• Qin An learns that Clerk Wang should be returning that night and decides to intercept him outside the city, where killing him would be easier to conceal.
• Meanwhile, Clerk Wang returns from the River Blade Sect, reassured by Sect Leader Liu’s promise to deal with Qin An. As he approaches Clear Spring River, an attacker bursts from the water with a flashing blade.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains calm and pragmatic. He recognizes the dancer’s fear, encourages her to speak, and sends her home once she has delivered her warning. He then quickly turns the information into an opportunity to eliminate Clerk Wang.
• Chen Chun is cautious and loyal, but his alarm at hearing that Clerk Wang went north nearly causes him to reveal too much in front of the dancer. Qin An reminds him to protect ordinary people from being drawn into dangerous matters, and Chen Chun follows him on the nighttime pursuit.
• The dancer shows gratitude and courage by risking a visit to warn Qin An, despite her fear of powerful men. Her report reveals that Clerk Wang has sought outside support.
• Clerk Wang is confident after securing the River Blade Sect’s backing and expects Qin An to be killed. His confidence makes the impending ambush especially dramatic.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and moral obligation: The dancer risks herself because Qin An previously helped her and her companions.
• Power and vulnerability: The dancer’s terror reflects the precarious position of commoners under powerful officials; Qin An’s restraint contrasts with their abuse of power.
• Strategy and concealed violence: Qin An chooses the time and place of confrontation carefully, aiming to exploit Clerk Wang’s return and avoid complications within the city.
• Overconfidence and reversal: Clerk Wang believes the sect’s promise guarantees his safety, but the chapter ends as danger strikes unexpectedly.

Plot points and events

• Clerk Wang, a Peak Qi Concealment cultivator, is ambushed on a bridge by Chen Chun. Believing Chen has come alone, Wang attacks him.
• Chen’s apparent panic is bait: Qin An has been hiding underwater. When Wang enters the river, Qin stabs him from behind and kills him, then takes the Blazing Palm cultivation manual from his body.
• Chen notes that Qin An has grown stronger and asks why he used such a cautious plan. Qin explains that he feared Wang might escape because Qin lacks a movement technique.
• The two recognize that killing Wang has not ended their troubles. The Yamen, the River Blade Sect, and the remaining demon factions may all pose threats.
• Back home, Qin resolves to develop his Dancer Talent and improve his mobility. He begins studying the manual by lamplight.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows himself to be stronger but also highly cautious and strategic, using Chen Chun as bait rather than risking Wang’s escape. He sees strength as his only path to safety and turns immediately to training.
• Chen Chun follows Qin’s lead despite his own Martial World experience. He is unsettled by Qin’s growing power and realizes the political danger surrounding them is worsening.
• Clerk Wang is confident enough to attack Chen, but his certainty that he has the advantage leads him into Qin’s trap.

Significant themes

• Caution and preparation: Qin plans around the possibility that Wang could flee, even when he appears powerful enough to win directly.
• Power and survival: Qin believes lasting peace is impossible until he surpasses every threat in Ding County.
• Escalating danger: Removing one enemy exposes broader connections among local officials, martial sects, and demons.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An reads a manual for the Blazing Palm Technique, then practices it despite lacking an obvious talent for unarmed combat.
• His Scholar talent triggers a chain of insights. Drawing on the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method and the Mountain-Lifting Fist, he creates a new Body Infusion Realm technique: Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand.
• The technique combines the fist’s force with the palm technique’s heat, allowing Qin An to strike with crushing power and burning energy. His learned techniques reach the Body Infusion Realm at beginner level, but the process consumes much of his stored vital energy, leaving him exhausted.
• Days later, the Yamen discovers Clerk Wang’s headless body. County Magistrate Zhang orders it buried, then interrogates the constables about Wang’s recent activities.
• A constable implicates Qin An and reports that Captain Zheng’s death involved Cold Qi linked to a cultivation method recently lost by the River Blade Sect. Zhang kills the constable brutally and falsely declares him Wang’s murderer.
• Zhang orders the River Blade Sect, Cangyuan Mountain, and Green Snake Valley leaders summoned. He plans to have the “spy” and Qin An killed, preferably outside the county town, where the authorities are less likely to trace the crime.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An discovers that his Golden Finger can combine techniques and talents to create new martial arts, not merely improve existing ones. He also recognizes the value of Blood Crystals and resolves to seek more.
• County Magistrate Zhang reveals himself as ruthless, calculating, and willing to kill his own men to control the narrative and preserve his authority.
• The constables are terrified and compliant. Their silence after Zhang’s murder shows how completely he intimidates them.
• Zhang manipulates the constables’ report into a pretext for targeting Qin An and recruiting powerful local factions. He intends to turn Qin An’s potential retaliation against those factions into a means of drawing stronger forces against him.

Significant themes

• Innovation through synthesis: Qin An’s progress comes from connecting different techniques and talents rather than relying on a single discipline.
• Power and its costs: Qin An gains a formidable new technique but pays for it with depleted vital energy.
• Corruption and coercion: Zhang uses murder, intimidation, and fabricated justice to maintain control.
• Escalating conflict: Qin An’s growing strength makes him a greater threat, while Zhang seeks to weaponize the county’s political and factional tensions against him.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An advances his Dancer profession to level three after spending two days choreographing a dance. The new talent lets him master movement techniques at the Qi Concealment Realm.
• He burns the manual for Azure Bird Leap after studying it, then masters the technique almost immediately. He uses it to appear silently behind Chen Chun, startling him.
• At a food stall, Qin An asks how they can escape Ding County. Chen Chun explains that the route is blocked by the Two Monster Factions, the magistrate, and the River Blade Sect. Qin An decides it may be easier to become powerful enough to overcome those obstacles, and asks Chen Chun to teach him the Evil Extermination Division’s blade technique.
• Qin An spots River Blade Sect Leader Liu watching him. Liu leaves without speaking, leading Qin An to suspect that the magistrate is moving against him.
• Back home, Chen Chun recites Demon-Subduing Three Blades, which Qin An quickly memorizes and perfects.
• Qin An attempts to combine it with the Wind-Breaking Goose Blade Technique. The effort consumes blood vitality and fails, so he resolves to level up his Butcher profession.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An’s extraordinary talent and discipline are reinforced: he masters Azure Bird Leap and Demon-Subduing Three Blades with remarkable speed, while carefully destroying or avoiding written manuals to reduce risk.
• Chen Chun is impressed and somewhat intimidated by Qin An’s sudden appearance and rapid progress. Though worried that using the Evil Extermination Division’s technique could bring consequences, he agrees because he sees Qin An as their best chance of survival.
• Qin An and Chen Chun discuss escape and the growing danger around them. Their partnership rests on mutual dependence, even as Chen Chun remains wary of the authorities and powerful factions.
• Sect Leader Liu’s silent surveillance adds to Qin An’s suspicion that the magistrate has begun targeting him.

Significant themes

• Talent, discipline, and ambition: Qin An’s rapid mastery is paired with relentless training and a deliberate plan to grow strong enough to break the county’s power structure.
• Survival under threat: Destroying manuals, borrowing forbidden techniques, and weighing escape routes all reflect how dangerous knowledge and movement have become.
• Power’s costs and limits: Qin An’s failed attempt to fuse blade techniques shows that even his abilities have constraints; progress may consume vital resources without guaranteeing success.
• Trust amid danger: Chen Chun’s cooperation, despite his fears, highlights the fragile reliance between the two men.

Key plot points

• Sect Leader Liu arrives at the county Yamen and discovers County Magistrate Zhang meeting with Young Master Hou, the white-furred monkey demon who leads Cangyuan Mountain.
• Zhang reveals that Qin An and an Evil Extermination Division undercover agent threaten the county’s corrupt alliance. He also blames Qin An for the River Blade Sect disciples’ disappearance.
• Liu wants to attack Qin An immediately, but Zhang insists on caution. The three agree to lure Qin An outside the city by arranging for villagers to be killed, then blame Green Snake Valley and deceive the Evil Extermination Division. After Qin An and the agent are dealt with, they plan to destroy Green Snake Valley and divide its territory.
• The next day, Qin An brings Chen Chun to a street stall and painstakingly butchers pork to build proficiency, despite the danger around them. Chen Chun is alarmed but has little choice but to trust him. The chapter ends as someone approaches.

Character developments and interactions

• Sect Leader Liu is arrogant about his long experience in the Body Infusion Realm and initially underestimates Qin An. Learning that Qin An may have harmed his sect’s interests enrages him, though Zhang persuades him to wait.
• County Magistrate Zhang emerges as a calculating conspirator, willing to sacrifice villagers and frame another faction to eliminate threats and expand his power.
• Young Master Hou treats violence and human brains casually, agreeing to help in exchange for access to them.
• Qin An remains focused on improving his butchering proficiency and maintains his belief in balancing work and rest.
• Chen Chun is frightened and bewildered by Qin An’s priorities but recognizes him as his sole dependable ally.

Significant themes

• Corruption and factional ambition: The county’s leaders manipulate the law and sacrifice civilians to protect their interests.
• Deception and scapegoating: The conspirators plan to frame Green Snake Valley and mislead the authorities.
• Contrasting approaches to danger: While Qin An calmly pursues gradual self-improvement, his enemies organize a large-scale plot against him.
• Trust under pressure: Chen Chun’s dependence on Qin An persists despite his doubts.

Key plot points and events

• A striking woman in yellow buys two taels of pork from Qin An for an absurdly high price, without questioning it. Qin An recognizes her unusual lack of concern and suspects she is either an enemy or an outsider from Ling Prefecture.
• Qin An chooses not to investigate, preferring to avoid entanglements and focus on growing stronger. After seven days of hard work, he reaches Butcher level four.
• His new talent gives him mastery of Body Infusion Realm blade techniques. It lets him discover that the lower-realm Demon-Subduing Three Blades can be combined with the Wind-Breaking Goose Blade Technique.
• After intensive contemplation, Qin An creates a new Body Infusion Realm technique: the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade, already at mastery.
• Meanwhile, the woman in yellow meets two bloodstained subordinates in a secluded alley. They report that Green Snake Valley is gone and that Monkey Demons have massacred several villages. She orders them to monitor the demons and intervene if they strike again, explaining that the slaughter is part of a trap meant to test an “interesting man.”

Character developments

• Qin An remains cautious and practical, declining to pursue the woman’s identity because he believes getting involved could create unnecessary enemies. He continues steadily improving his abilities and turns his new talent into a major breakthrough.
• Chen Chun initially misses why the woman’s purchase is suspicious, but quickly understands Qin An’s reasoning. He follows Qin An without pressing him further.
• The woman in yellow is revealed as a powerful, decisive figure who cares about the villagers’ deaths but is also watching to see how Qin An responds.

Character interactions

• Qin An and Chen Chun discuss the woman’s suspicious purchase; Chen Chun comes to see that her willingness to pay an outrageous price is the real warning sign.
• The woman in yellow gives her subordinates orders to watch the Monkey Demons and prevent further massacres, while withholding the full details of her plan.
• Qin An’s final breakthrough is solitary: he sends Chen Chun away so he can test his new talent in private.

Significant themes

• Caution versus involvement: Qin An avoids a potentially dangerous mystery, while the woman in yellow deliberately observes whether he will seek justice.
• Power earned through disciplined effort: Qin An’s advancement comes from sustained work and focused practice.
• Justice and manipulation: The murdered villagers deserve retribution, yet their deaths are also being used as part of a test or trap.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An fully masters the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade, a technique that stores three days’ worth of blood and vitality as three bursts of Yang Energy. Each burst matches his Body Infusion Realm strength; released together, they deliver a strike at the realm’s peak. He sees it as a valuable last-resort weapon.
• Qin An is eager to raise his Scholar Profession from level three to four. He believes the resulting advancement will strengthen his cultivation and help him eliminate threats to Ding County. He plans to keep building professional proficiency while seeking cultivation methods and Blood Crystals.
• Qin An watches Chen Chun practice and recognizes that, despite his diligence, Chen has made little progress. Qin An acknowledges that his own rapid growth depends on his Golden Finger. He takes Chen Chun with him to read.
• Three days later, County Magistrate Zhang receives word that the River Blade Sect and Cangyuan Mountain have prepared their plan to kill Qin An. Zhang orders a constable to summon Qin An under the pretext of sending him out to fight demons, threatening to report him if he refuses.
• Before Zhang can carry out the scheme, his companion reveals herself to be a short man who has poisoned him. A woman wearing a bronze badge marked with a coiled dragon enters. Zhang recognizes her as a Bronze Captain from Ling Prefecture and is shocked by her arrival.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An grows more confident in his power and plans strategically, balancing cultivation with the pursuit of techniques and resources.
• Chen Chun remains hardworking but stagnates, highlighting the difference between ordinary practice and Qin An’s extraordinary advantages. He follows Qin An without pressing him for explanations.
• County Magistrate Zhang is exposed as a schemer working with powerful factions to lure Qin An into a deadly trap. His arrogance collapses when he is poisoned and confronted by a Ling Prefecture official.
• The Bronze Captain’s sudden appearance interrupts Zhang’s plan and raises questions about her purpose and the wider authorities’ involvement.

Significant themes

• Power and preparation: Qin An’s new technique rewards patience and gives him a hidden reserve for emergencies.
• Talent versus effort: Chen Chun’s hard work yields little progress, while Qin An’s Golden Finger accelerates his growth.
• Corruption and coercion: Zhang abuses his official authority to force Qin An into a trap, while the Yamen is tied to the demons.
• Shifting power: The Bronze Captain’s arrival suggests that forces beyond Ding County may disrupt the local conspiracy.

Chapter Summary: “The Trap”

• Tang Lingwei takes control of the investigation. The Bronze Captain of Ling Prefecture’s Evil Extermination Division cripples County Magistrate Zhang’s cultivation and orders his arrest. She then prepares to arrest his associates once the constables have informed Qin An of the summons. Anyone who resists is to be killed.
• The Division plans to protect Qin An discreetly. Tang orders her short subordinate to watch Qin An from the shadows. She hopes he will prove himself, which could help address the fact that Chen Chun taught him a cultivation method without authorization. Tang insists, however, that the Division’s rules must be upheld.
• Qin An accepts the summons. After several days of intensive reading, he is close to advancing his Scholar Profession. He has also stored three breaths of yang energy for the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade’s killing move. When constables say the Monkey Demon demands he come to Willow Grove, Qin An agrees immediately.
• Qin An sees an opportunity in the danger. He expects the magistrate’s schemes to continue if he refuses, and believes going to the grove may let him eliminate the gathered demons, obtain blood crystals, and perhaps acquire a cultivation method. He warns Chen Chun to prioritize his own safety.
• The trap is revealed. At Willow Grove, Young Master Hou savors a bowl of human brains taken from the villagers the Monkey Demon slaughtered. Sect Leader Liu and a crowd of several hundred people and demons wait for Qin An, intending to kill him. Two approaching figures appear at the chapter’s end.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Lingwei demonstrates authority, discipline, and a willingness to act decisively. She balances concern for Qin An with the Division’s need to enforce its rules.
• Qin An appears composed and pragmatic: rather than evade a clear threat, he accepts it because it offers both a chance to strike at the demons and valuable rewards.
• Chen Chun recognizes the danger but ultimately follows Qin An, remaining loyal and continuing his daily blade practice despite making no progress.
• The constables are nervous and surprised by Qin An’s immediate agreement.
• Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu are shown as cruel conspirators, united in their plan to ambush Qin An.

Significant themes

• Rules versus compassion: Tang wants to account for Chen Chun’s circumstances without undermining the Evil Extermination Division’s regulations.
• Danger as opportunity: Qin An treats a deadly summons as a chance to gain strength and remove multiple threats.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Chen Chun follows Qin An, while Qin An warns him that he may not be able to protect him.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An and Chen Chun arrive at the cleared Willow Grove, where nearly three hundred demons and River Blade Sect fighters lie in wait.
• The enemy leaders—Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu—order an immediate attack. Qin An tells Chen Chun to protect himself and charges into the ranks.
• Qin An cuts through the attackers with his mastered Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade, revealing that his strength has grown dramatically.
• Young Master Hou and Sect Leader Liu attack Qin An together. Qin An blocks Liu’s blade with the Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand, then uses Azure Bird Leap to close in and kill Liu with a strike through the chest.
• Young Master Hou turns the Monkey Demons against the River Blade Sect disciples, who are quickly overwhelmed. He absorbs the battlefield’s blood Qi, activating his refined Internal Organs and temporarily reaching Body Infusion Realm Perfection.
• As Young Master Hou rushes Qin An with overwhelming power, Chen Chun prepares to intervene. Tang Lingwei, watching from concealment, orders her ally to move—but Qin An acts first.
• Qin An releases all the Three Yang Power he has stored and meets Young Master Hou’s attack. When the clash ends, Qin An is holding the demon’s severed head.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates far greater power and composure than Chen Chun expected, holding off two experienced fighters and killing both enemy leaders. His final victory comes from unleashing the Three Yang Power he has accumulated.
• Chen Chun begins frightened by the enemy’s numbers, then becomes astonished by Qin An’s abilities. Despite recognizing the danger, he resolves to help Qin An when Young Master Hou powers up.
• Young Master Hou shifts from affected gentlemanly confidence to savage aggression. He exploits the bloodshed to boost himself, but still falls to Qin An.
• Sect Leader Liu underestimates Qin An and is killed before he can defend himself.
• Tang Lingwei observes the battle from hiding and decides to intervene when Young Master Hou reaches his peak—but Qin An defeats him before help arrives.
• The Monkey Demons’ attack on the River Blade Sect turns the supposed alliance into a slaughter, leaving the sect’s fighters exposed and terrified.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and earned mastery: Qin An’s skill and stored power overturn the apparent imbalance in numbers and rank.
• Courage under overwhelming odds: Chen Chun and Qin An face near-certain death without retreating.
• Betrayal and self-interest: Young Master Hou sacrifices his human allies for advantage, treating them as expendable.
• Violence as a source of power: The demon’s ability to absorb blood Qi makes the battlefield itself part of his weapon.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An kills Young Master Hou with a single powerful strike, stunning Chen Chun and drawing the interest of Tang Lingwei, a Bronze Captain of the Evil Extermination Division.
• The surviving Monkey Demons flee, but Tang Lingwei orders her clerks to pursue and slaughter them. Qin An had sensed their presence and correctly anticipated that others would intervene.
• Tang Lingwei warns Qin An that the dead enemies had powerful connections in Ling Prefecture. The Monkey Demon also possessed a Bloodline Memory that could reveal its killer to its kin.
• She offers Qin An protection if he joins the Evil Extermination Division. He accepts immediately, recognizing that the organization can shield him from retaliation and provide access to Cultivation Methods and Blood Crystals.
• Tang Lingwei agrees to recommend him using her annual recruitment slot and tells Chen Chun that his service as an undercover agent may also earn him a place in the division.
• Qin An searches the corpses, finding a better Black Blade, some silver, and three Blood Crystals, which he absorbs. The division has also captured the county magistrate, so the group heads for Ling Prefecture.

Character developments

• Qin An demonstrates strikingly rapid growth and composure. Rather than panic at the danger of his enemies’ connections, he calmly identifies Tang Lingwei’s offer as a practical solution. His decisive recruitment reflects his urgent ambition to gain strength and resources.
• Tang Lingwei shifts from observing Qin An with curiosity to actively recruiting him. She sees his potential and needs capable people for her force.
• Chen Chun is stunned by how far Qin An has surpassed him. He remains wary of the division and protective of Qin An, but gains hope that his own long undercover service will finally be rewarded.

Significant themes

• Power and rapid advancement: Qin An’s dramatic improvement marks him as unusually promising in a world where strength determines security.
• Pragmatism and survival: Qin An chooses affiliation not out of loyalty, but because it offers protection and access to the resources he needs.
• The costs of killing: Defeating enemies creates new dangers through their powerful patrons and the Monkey Demon’s inherited memory.
• Institutional power: The Evil Extermination Division offers both opportunity and shelter, but its influence and rules also shape characters’ choices.

Character interactions

• Qin An stops Chen Chun from pursuing the fleeing demons, confident that hidden allies will handle them.
• Chen Chun quietly warns Qin An not to reveal his Cultivation Method, exposing his fear of the Evil Extermination Division’s scrutiny.
• Tang Lingwei and Qin An exchange playful remarks about their earlier meat transaction before she warns him and offers recruitment.
• Tang Lingwei recognizes Chen Chun’s contribution and promises to report his service, giving him hope of joining the division.
• As the group departs, two men approach Qin An, setting up the next encounter.

Plot points and events

• Qin An travels with Gao Quan and Yao Feng toward Ling Prefecture after dealing with the demons in Ding County. They warn him that the Monkey Demon’s allies, Azure Cloud Valley, are a powerful demon faction and may seek revenge.
• County Magistrate Zhang joins the group under escort, visibly ill and resentful toward Qin An.
• After a half-month journey, they reach prosperous Ling Prefecture and enter the Evil Extermination Division headquarters.
• Tang Lingwei takes Zhang to report in and assigns Gao Quan to register Qin An and show him around. Chen Chun goes with Tang; his eventual post will be decided by the Division.
• Gao explains that the Division has Internal Affairs, which handles intelligence and records, and External Affairs, whose members undertake dangerous demon-hunting work. Internal Affairs includes people placed there by powerful factions; their presence both ties those factions to the Division and gives it leverage over them.
• Qin An receives two sets of dark robes and takes copies of the Blazing Flame Cultivation Method and Demon Subduing Blade Techniques, which he already knows, as required by the rules.
• As Gao is about to explain the mysterious False Gods, an unknown person grabs his shoulder and mocks Tang Lingwei for recruiting Qin An.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin remains cautious but listens carefully to Gao and Yao’s warnings. His priorities are clear: obtain cultivation resources, grow stronger, and avoid being vulnerable to danger.
• Gao is friendly and forthcoming, while Yao offers guarded warnings; Gao’s impatience with Yao’s dramatic pauses adds light humor.
• Zhang’s hatred of Qin is evident, but Qin is unmoved.
• Tang is efficient and authoritative, assigning tasks without lingering.
• The newcomer’s insult hints that Qin’s recruitment—and Tang’s role in it—may face resistance within the Division.

Significant themes

• Danger and retaliation: Demon-hunters face threats not only in battle but from powerful enemies seeking revenge.
• Factional politics: The Evil Extermination Division balances cooperation and control, using appointments and connections to keep rival groups in check.
• Ambition and survival: Qin views strength and cultivation as the means to protect himself in a world where danger is constant.
• Institutional hierarchy: The contrast between well-connected Internal Affairs personnel and risk-taking External Affairs members highlights unequal burdens within the Division.

Plot points and events

• Qin An encounters Zhou Mo, a Bronze Captain who mocks him for serving under Tang Lingwei and reaches toward him. Tang arrives and stops the confrontation, warning Zhou against targeting her subordinate. Zhou withdraws.
• Gao Quan explains the history behind the feud: Zhou wanted Tang to use her recruitment quota for his relative, but she refused; the relative later died in a demon calamity. Zhou has since resented her.
• Tang’s unit is understaffed and weak compared with veteran captains’ teams, which often claim the new recruits. Gao Quan says the Division’s internal politics are real, but effort and risk can still be rewarded.
• Tang assigns Qin An to study case files rather than take missions. At the Confidential Archives, he reads records within his rank’s access limits, raising his Scholar proficiency to its advancement threshold.
• His next Scholar advancement requires reading a Body Infusion Realm book. Since he has none, he wonders whether writing down a cultivation method he deduced himself and then reading it might qualify.
• Gao Quan shows Qin An to his assigned courtyard. Alone in his new quarters, Qin An finds writing supplies and prepares to test the idea.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An stays composed during Zhou Mo’s provocation and learns to navigate the Division’s factional tensions. He also turns his assigned archive work into progress toward his Scholar Profession, then devises a possible way to meet its next requirement.
• Tang Lingwei protects Qin An and asserts authority against Zhou, though her unit’s lack of recruits leaves it comparatively weak.
• Gao Quan acts as Qin An’s guide, explaining the feud, the Division’s hierarchy, and the benefits of service before showing him his quarters.
• Zhou Mo is revealed as Tang’s resentful rival, whose personal loss and frustrated recruitment plan fuel his hostility. His attempt to intimidate Qin An ends when Tang intervenes.

Significant themes

• Factional rivalry and hierarchy: Even an organization devoted to fighting demons has internal power struggles, seniority disputes, and competition for recruits.
• Risk, duty, and mortality: The Division’s work offers benefits but carries constant danger; lives are both precious and routinely lost.
• Learning and self-directed advancement: Qin An uses institutional resources—and considers using his own knowledge—to advance his Scholar ability.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An rewrites the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method, which he devised from two existing methods, and reads it to trigger his Scholar talent. He then burns the copy.
• Practicing the method with his improved talent brings it to Great Accomplishment, advancing him to Body Infusion Realm Great Accomplishment. His muscles become exceptionally tough: a casual strike from his Black Blade leaves only a white mark.
• The breakthrough consumes all his Blood Crystals. Qin An considers two routes to further growth: raise his Scholar Profession to improve his talent, or acquire more Mind Methods. He hopes the Evil Extermination Division’s missions will provide resources and also wants to become strong enough to deal with the Monkey Demon threatening Ling Prefecture.
• The next morning, Gao Quan summons him for an urgent mission. Tang Lingwei leads Qin An and the other clerks north on horseback.
• Gao Quan reveals the target is not a Demon but a False God—a being born from human beliefs or imagination, which may be benevolent or predatory. Yao Feng gives Qin An a brief explanation.
• The team enters a village beneath ominous dark clouds and finds its inhabitants slaughtered. A giant tree has wrapped its roots around the corpses, while an old white-furred monkey eats a human head.
• The monkey calls the clerks “lackeys.” Tang Lingwei recognizes the unusual alliance between a False God and a Demon and prepares to fight. The tree’s trunk forms eyes and a mouth as the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An grows markedly stronger and confirms the practical value of his self-created method. He remains resource-conscious, calculating how to gain cultivation materials while pursuing his larger goal of stopping the Monkey Demon.
• Gao Quan urgently brings Qin An into the mission and warns him to be careful, showing the team’s mutual reliance.
• Yao Feng explains False Gods to Qin An, broadening his understanding of the dangers the division faces.
• Tang Lingwei takes command of the close-knit team and responds boldly to the threat, confronting the apparent partnership between the tree-like False God and the monkey Demon.

Significant themes

• Strength has a cost: Qin An’s advancement consumes all his Blood Crystals, making resources essential to further progress.
• Knowledge as power: Qin An’s Scholar talent and understanding of his own method directly accelerate his cultivation.
• Belief and danger: False Gods arise from human imagination and worship, but can protect or prey on the people who create them.
• Duty and survival: Qin An sees dangerous missions both as a way to serve the division and as a means to obtain the tools needed to grow stronger.

Plot points and events

• The Evil Extermination Division attacks the Old Tree, a False God worshipped by villagers, after its roots threaten them. The white-furred old monkey urges the tree to fight and joins the battle.
• Tang Lingwei and the other Prefecture Clerks struggle against the Old Tree’s seemingly endless, blade-sharp roots. Several clerks, including Gao Quan and Yao Feng, are badly wounded.
• The old monkey recognizes Qin An as the killer of “Fourth Young Master”—apparently Young Master Hou, a Monkey Demon from Azure Cloud Valley—and attacks him.
• When the Old Tree redirects its roots toward Qin An, he avoids a two-against-one fight and draws the old monkey away from the village. The monkey pursues, hoping to kill Qin An and claim a reward from his king.
• In the rain outside the village, Qin An turns to fight. A surge from his Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade matches the old monkey’s Body Infusion Realm Perfection strength. He then unleashes the technique’s remaining two surges, ending the chapter on the attack.

Character developments

• Qin An shows tactical restraint: rather than face two powerful opponents at once, he separates the old monkey from the Old Tree. His growing confidence and advanced-stage cultivation let him challenge an enemy who initially appears stronger.
• Tang Lingwei proves a decisive and capable leader, directing the fight even as the team suffers heavy losses. Believing Qin An doomed, she prioritizes defeating the Old Tree.
• The old monkey is revealed as a vengeful servant of a Monkey Demon king, motivated both by revenge for Young Master Hou and the promise of reward.
• The Prefecture Clerks demonstrate discipline and resolve, continuing to attack despite serious injuries.

Significant themes

• Duty against demons: The Division treats a False God or Demon that does harm as a threat to be eliminated, regardless of how it arose.
• Strategy and self-preservation: Qin An’s retreat is a calculated choice, not cowardice; he creates a fight he can manage.
• Power and growth: Qin An’s cultivated techniques allow him to contend with an opponent at a higher level, while the Clerks’ abilities suggest that rewards and training drive advancement.
• Worship and corruption: The villagers’ offerings may have helped give the ancient tree spiritual power, turning reverence into a dangerous force.

Character interactions

• Tang Lingwei commands the Clerks and attempts to hold the Old Tree back, while Qin An acts independently to draw the old monkey away.
• The old monkey taunts Qin An and invokes his Monkey Demon heritage, but Qin An dismisses his assumptions and reverses the threat: the monkey is the one who cannot escape.
• Gao Quan warns Qin An of the danger, while Tang Lingwei’s brief, grim decision to focus on the Old Tree reflects the team’s desperate circumstances.

Plot points and events

• Qin An defeats Old Monkey, a Body Infusion Realm demon, with a powerful saber strike, then kills him before he can unleash his refined, crushing tail. Qin An explains that he acted quickly because Old Monkey’s ultimate move took too long to prepare.
• Qin An harvests Old Monkey’s Blood Crystal and absorbs it, pleased that demon-slaying advances his Butcher profession while the Evil Extermination Division can provide cultivation methods for his Scholar profession.
• At the village, Tang Lingwei and her wounded team are on the verge of defeat against Old Tree, whose seemingly limitless stamina lets him outlast them. As Old Tree prepares to kill Tang, Qin An arrives and severs the attacking branch.
• Qin An throws Tang Old Monkey’s severed head, proving he survived their pursuer and killed him. He then orders the injured officers to retreat and identifies Old Tree’s weakness: its roots lose strength with distance, and its reach is limited.
• Old Tree warns Qin An that rescuing the team and returning would leave the villagers doomed. Qin An rejects that plan and declares his intention to kill Old Tree himself.

Character developments

• Qin An shows greater combat skill and decisiveness than the others expected. He fights pragmatically, values timing over showmanship, and sees demon-slaying as useful to his personal advancement as well as his work.
• Tang Lingwei is revealed as a determined leader shaped by demons’ murder of her family. She has taken in officers rejected by others and feels responsible for them; facing defeat, she grieves that Qin An joined the Division only to be caught in danger.
• Old Tree shifts from confident tormentor to wary opponent once Qin An exposes the limits of its power.
• Old Monkey dies still unable to understand how the seemingly inexperienced Qin An defeated him.

Themes and interactions

• Pragmatism in combat: Qin An wins by exploiting openings and denying Old Monkey time to use his strongest attack.
• Duty and leadership: Tang’s commitment to her team and mission persists even when defeat seems certain.
• Growth through danger: Qin An treats demon-slaying as both a contribution to the Division and a path to improving himself.
• Reversal of expectations: Qin’s return with Old Monkey’s head shocks Tang and the officers, while his calm challenge turns Old Tree’s apparent advantage into a direct confrontation.
• Command and trust: Though badly injured, the officers obey Qin An’s order to retreat, clearing the way for him to face Old Tree.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An confronts the False God tree and correctly guesses that its power depends on something hidden underground. Ignoring Tang Lingwei’s warning to retreat and report, he attacks.
• Using the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade and the Ice-Fire Dual Cultivation Method, Qin An cuts the tree in half. He finds a blue crystal inside its hollow trunk and destroys it, preventing the tree from regenerating.
• The dying tree reveals that its master, the powerful Demon Tree Lord, will seek revenge. Qin An then absorbs the False God Core left behind, gaining a large reserve of Blood and Qi Power.
• Tang Lingwei explains that Tree Lord is a major threat who has caused disasters across Ling Prefecture and is comparable to the Monkey Demon. The group decides to return to the Evil Extermination Division.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates exceptional combat skill and composure, defeating the tree by identifying and exploiting its weakness. He accepts the danger of Tree Lord’s revenge without dwelling on it, focused instead on growing stronger through the Division.
• Tang Lingwei shifts from concern for Qin An’s safety to admiration for his talent. Seeing his potential, she tries to recruit him into her faction and offers him better opportunities, but he gives no indication that he wants to join her political circle.
• Gao Quan and Yao Feng are stunned by Qin An’s strength. Gao Quan is relieved he has treated Qin An respectfully.
• The old tree boasts and threatens Qin An, but its confidence collapses once its weakness is exposed; even as it dies, it warns him that Tree Lord will come after him.

Significant themes

• Strength through insight: Qin An wins not just through force, but by recognizing that the tree’s regeneration depends on its hidden crystal.
• Ambition and risk: He treats danger as an unavoidable part of entering the martial world and sees greater strength as the answer.
• Power versus politics: Tang Lingwei hopes to bring Qin An into her faction, while he prefers to focus on cultivation and claiming what he earns.
• Consequences of defeating evil: Destroying the tree ends the immediate threat but draws the attention of a more powerful enemy.

Plot points and events

• After the mission, Tang Lingwei recognizes that Qin An’s strength and achievements surpass what she can keep under her command. He receives most of the credit for killing a Demon and a False God, while the rest of the team earns little.
• Qin An asks when he can exchange his credit for cultivation methods. Tang tells him Internal Affairs will bring his rewards the next day.
• Qin An returns to his quarters and rests, remaining wary because the Monkey Demon and Tree Lord of Azure Cloud Valley still threaten him.
• The next morning, he receives a Bronze Captain badge and robes. His new rank grants him access to three Body Infusion Realm cultivation methods and a monthly salary.
• At the Confidential Archives, Qin An chooses the Sky-Rending Fist Technique, the Serpent Form Movement Technique, and the defensive method Reversing Gang Qi. Another Bronze Captain warns him that Reversing Gang Qi is notoriously painful to practice, but Qin An takes it anyway.
• He leaves with copies of the methods, intending to derive the fist and movement techniques first.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An is increasingly recognized as a formidable fighter. He remains focused on cultivation rather than rank or money, plans carefully around his weaknesses, and prioritizes staying prepared for future threats.
• Tang Lingwei accepts Qin An’s growing stature and the limits of her authority over him. Her conflicted reaction reflects both respect for his ability and awareness that he may soon equal or surpass her.
• Gao Quan is intimidated by Qin An after witnessing his power and regrets having treated him casually.
• An unnamed Bronze Captain offers Qin An a sincere warning about Reversing Gang Qi’s severe training pain. Qin An’s decision to proceed shows his willingness to endure hardship for a potential advantage.
• Internal Affairs staff treat Qin An with deference once he becomes a Bronze Captain, illustrating how his rank changes others’ behavior toward him.

Significant themes

• Merit and accountability: Credit is allocated according to actual deeds, and stealing it is treated as a grave betrayal.
• Strength and status: Qin An’s rank follows from demonstrated ability and sacrifice, not merely position or connections.
• Self-reliance and vigilance: Qin An trusts his own preparation rather than assuming the Division will keep him safe.
• Growth through hardship: He deliberately seeks methods that address his weaknesses, even when the training is known to be painful.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An reviews his techniques and attempts to fuse the Sky-Rending Fist Technique with his Crimson Flame Mountain-Breaking Hand. After consuming the Monkey Demon’s Blood Crystal and then a False God Core, he succeeds, creating the Crimson Firmament Hand at Great Accomplishment.
• The new technique lets Qin An build up hidden golden energy in one hand while fighting with his blade in the other, then unleash a powerful attack.
• Qin An also combines Azure Bird Leap with the Serpent Form Movement Technique, creating Azure Serpent Movement at Basic Mastery. The new movement technique combines long-distance speed with agility in confined spaces. The effort drains his blood and vitality, so he stops to recover.
• While recuperating in Ling Prefecture, Qin An plans to unlock a new profession so he can understand the defensive technique Reversing Gang Qi.
• Elsewhere, Zhou Mo learns that Tang Lingwei survived and Qin An has been promoted to Bronze Captain. He dismisses Qin An as an insignificant rival, confident that his own men and influence give him the advantage.
• A bound man named Chen Chun is brought before Zhou Mo. Zhou strikes him with a cup and accuses him of resenting Zhou’s victory in a contest of Merits.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows growing ambition and pragmatism: despite the cost, he spends valuable resources to strengthen himself because he expects greater dangers beyond Ling Prefecture. His experimentation produces a major offensive technique and a more versatile movement skill, but also leaves him physically depleted.
• Zhou Mo remains bitter toward Tang Lingwei and interprets Qin An’s promotion mainly as a setback for Tang. His confidence in his own faction leads him to underestimate Qin An.
• The Prefecture Clerk acts cautiously around Zhou Mo, relaying the news and avoiding taking sides.
• Zhou Mo and Chen Chun have a hostile, unequal confrontation: Chen is bound and furious, while Zhou humiliates him and asserts that Chen has no grounds to complain about losing in Merits.

Significant themes

• Strength demands sacrifice: Qin An’s breakthroughs consume rare resources and, in the second fusion, his own vitality.
• Adaptation and synthesis: Qin An advances by combining techniques with different strengths rather than relying on a single style.
• Power and factional rivalry: The Evil Extermination Division tolerates internal competition so long as it does not hinder its work, while personal grudges shape its members’ judgments.
• Overconfidence and underestimation: Zhou Mo assumes Qin An’s lack of backing makes him harmless, setting up potential conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Prefecture Clerk Zhou Mo punishes Chen Chun for appealing against the loss of his Merits and accusing Zhou of corruption. Zhou has Chen expelled from the Evil Extermination Division and reassigned to the Yamen, warning that he will be executed if he causes trouble again.
• Zhou admits privately that he gave up his own Merits to bring someone from the Lin Family under his command. He expects no consequences: Chen has little influence, and Zhou believes Qin An will not intervene.
• The next day, Qin An visits East Glow Hall to learn enough medicine to unlock the Physician profession, hoping its talents will help him understand Reversing Gang Qi and improve his survival chances.
• The patients make way for Qin An because of his official uniform. He politely asks physician Cheng Sufeng to teach him, and Cheng gives him a copy of Herbal Medicine Primer, explaining that memorizing it is enough to begin.
• Qin An pays and leaves. At the chapter’s end, a middle-aged man arrives carrying a freshly washed black uniform with a silver badge, his presence marked by strong Killing Intent.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Mo is shown as calculating and protected by his status. He regards Chen’s lack of connections as his misfortune and dismisses the possibility that Qin An will help him.
• Chen Chun is angry and defiant, but powerless against Zhou’s authority; he is dragged away after continuing to protest.
• Qin An is pragmatic and courteous. He seeks a new skill not out of a stated interest in healing, but as a useful route to unlocking a profession and strengthening himself.
• Cheng Sufeng responds to Qin An’s respectful approach by helping him, though Qin An’s unusual reason for studying medicine piques his curiosity.
• The Prefecture Clerk obeys Zhou while privately recognizing the injustice and political calculation behind his decision.

Significant themes

• Power and injustice: Rank and connections determine whose grievances matter; Chen’s service and appeals cannot overcome Zhou’s influence.
• Pragmatism and self-preservation: Qin An treats learning medicine as a means to gain abilities and survive future danger.
• Appearance and authority: Qin An’s uniform changes how ordinary people respond to him, even though he behaves politely.
• Merit and corruption: Zhou’s manipulation of Merits reveals how advancement can be shaped by favors rather than fairness.