Recaps

Li Xuancang prepared his companions for his coming command and invited Shen Qingshan to his promotion ceremony before Shen returned to his sect. At the ceremony, Li Xuancang officially became a Colonel, gaining command of three thousand Battle Soldiers and rising in status before Peace Prefecture’s powerful factions.

• Li Xuancang sent Nangong Zhan, Wang Xiaoniu, and the others back to the military camp to strengthen themselves for his future command.
• Li Xuancang visited Shen Qingshan, learned that the Prison Tiger Bureau would soon take him back to his sect, and invited him to attend the promotion ceremony.
• Three days later, Li Xuancang arrived at a grand ceremony attended by the Peace Prefecture garrison, government officials, and prominent families.
• Du Tianfeng announced Li Xuancang’s promotion and presented him with the Colonel’s military tally, command banner, and armor decree.
• Li Xuancang took command of three thousand Battle Soldiers as the assembled soldiers congratulated him, while the Pei Residence and other old powers watched with regret and wariness.

Li Xuancang was appointed to command his own army and prepared to leave for Flowing Cloud Commandery after recruiting troops. Before Shen Qingshan departed, he urged Li Xuancang to seek an opportunity for his younger sister to join the Profound Heart Sect.

• Li Xuancang received praise for his strength and accomplishments as he was recognized as a rising star of the army.
• Du Tianfeng told Li Xuancang to recruit and train three thousand Battle Soldiers within two months before taking up his post in Flowing Cloud Commandery.
• Li Xuancang ordered Wang Xiaoniu and Zhang Yuanxiong to recruit soldiers from nearby towns and villages.
• Li Xuancang visited Shen Qingshan and learned that Shen would return to his sect in hopes of recovering his destroyed meridians.
• Shen Qingshan told Li Xuancang that the Profound Heart Sect would soon recruit in Peace Prefecture and that Li Xuancang's younger sister might qualify to join.

Li Xuancang asked Li Ling'er to join the Profound Heart Sect so she could gain the strength to protect herself, and she agreed despite her parents’ worries. Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoniu recruited over a thousand soldiers by offering pay and supplies, and the chapter ended with villagers eagerly signing up.

• Li Xuancang told Li Ling'er that the Profound Heart Sect would soon recruit disciples in Peace Prefecture and asked whether she wanted to join.
• Li Ling'er agreed to cultivate, and Li Xuancang warned her that sect life would bring hardship before accepting her resolve.
• Li Xuancang told his parents about Li Ling'er's decision, and Father Li persuaded Mother Li to accept it.
• Li Xuancang explained cultivation to Li Ling'er and gathered resources for her while Wang Xiaoniu and his companions recruited over a thousand soldiers in seven days.
• Wang Xiaoniu assured the villagers of Little River Village that recruits would receive monthly pay, food, and supplies, then offered advance silver and grain to dispel their doubts.
• The villagers rushed to enlist, and Wang Xiaoniu registered eligible recruits and gave them their silver and grain.

Wang Xiaoniu discovered that the frail Bai Meng possessed extraordinary strength and recruited him into the army. After Bai Meng astonished the new recruits with his enormous appetite, Wang Xiaoniu arranged for the recruits to settle in and decided to report Bai Meng to Li Xuancang.

• Wang Xiaoniu initially rejected Bai Meng because he looked too weak for the battlefield, but realized Bai Meng had unusual strength when he could not pull his leg free.
• Bai Meng told Wang Xiaoniu his name, and Wang Xiaoniu accepted him into the army and provided grain and silver for his family.
• Wang Xiaoniu completed the recruitment drive, bringing the total number of new recruits to seventy-five, and led them back to camp for a meal.
• Bai Meng ate enough food for ten people, and Wang Xiaoniu reassured him and ordered more dishes brought out.
• Wang Xiaoniu arranged uniforms, weapons, and lodging for the recruits, then decided to report Bai Meng's strength to Li Xuancang.

Li Xuancang recruited Bai Meng, a man born with divine strength, into his personal guard and began cultivating him. As the Profound Heart Sect announced it would recruit disciples in Peace Prefecture, the city and its young people prepared feverishly for the selection.

• Wang Xiaoniu told Li Xuancang about Bai Meng, and Li Xuancang tested Bai Meng's strength by catching his full-force punch.
• Li Xuancang made Bai Meng his personal guard and chose the Iron Body Technique for him.
• Bai Meng quickly advanced in the Iron Body Technique and recovered strength after eating beast meat, prompting Li Xuancang to give him more.
• Li Xuancang's army completed recruitment of three thousand troops and trained under Wang Xiaoniu and the other leaders.
• The Profound Heart Sect announced it would recruit disciples in Peace Prefecture, sparking a citywide rush as families trained and supplied their young descendants.

The Profound Heart Sect arrived in Peace Prefecture to recruit disciples, and Elder Qingxuan announced that trials would be held over ten days. As the selection ceremony began, Li Ling'er stood beside Li Xuancang at the Drill Ground, ready to take part.

• Li Xuancang reassured Li Ling'er that she need not worry about whether she could join the Profound Heart Sect.
• Elder Qingxuan arrived in Peace Prefecture aboard a flying ship and announced the sect's ten-day disciple-selection trials.
• Li Xuancang welcomed the sect delegation alongside Huang Tianyun and escorted them to their lodgings.
• Huang Tianyun considered arranging a marriage between Li Xuancang and a daughter of the Huang Lineage.
• The Profound Heart Sect began its recruitment ceremony at the Drill Ground, where Li Ling'er stood beside Li Xuancang.

The Profound Heart Sect tested thousands of youths and eventually accepted Li Ling'er and Zhang Cuier, despite Li Ling'er's borderline aptitude. After they returned home, Li Xuancang warned them to be cautious before they left for the sect.

• Elder Qingxuan explained that the Profound Heart Sect judged candidates by aptitude and character, and the stewards rejected batches of disciples from noble families.
• After more than two thousand candidates failed, a commoner youth passed, drawing the attention of officials and faction leaders.
• Li Xuancang brought Li Ling'er and Zhang Cuier to be tested; the stewards found Zhang Cuier's aptitude exceptional and Li Ling'er's barely sufficient, then accepted both after Elder Qingxuan nodded.
• Li Xuancang considered how to keep Zhang Cuier from slipping beyond his control after she entered the sect, while onlookers marveled that two members of the Li Family had passed.
• After returning home, Li Xuancang privately warned Zhang Cuier and Li Ling'er to be careful, telling Li Ling'er not to trust anyone completely, including Zhang Cuier.

Li Xuancang prepared to leave his family and travel to Flowing Cloud Commandery, where he was tasked with restoring the imperial court’s control. He departed with his family remaining in Peace Prefecture City under Du Tianfeng’s protection, while preparations for war against Prince Fu continued.

• Li Xuancang gave Li Ling'er money, pills, and spirit stones before she left with Zhang Cuier to join the Profound Heart Sect, and Elder Qingxuan promised to look after her.
• Li Xuancang trained his recruits and watched Bai Meng grow stronger until he reached the Late Body Tempering Stage and neared the Bone Forging Realm.
• Du Tianfeng warned Li Xuancang that Flowing Cloud Commandery was lawless and may have sided with Prince Fu, and tasked him with bringing it back under imperial control.
• Du Tianfeng promised to protect Li Xuancang's family and revealed that the imperial court was gathering forces to attack Prince Fu in Cloud Prefecture.
• Li Xuancang told his family he would soon leave for Flowing Cloud Commandery, asked Li Xiu and Zhang Erzhu to care for them, and accepted the clothes Mother Li had sewn before departing.

Li Xuancang marched toward Flowing Cloud Commandery with three thousand Battle Soldiers to take up his post, while the commandery’s powerful martial factions debated how to respond. They decided to kill local officials and imperial runners before he arrived, using their deaths to intimidate him and demonstrate that they would not submit to the court.

• Li Xuancang set out with his troops for Flowing Cloud Commandery as factions in the city speculated about the court’s plans.
• News of Li Xuancang’s appointment stirred the commandery’s martial factions, who gathered for an urgent secret meeting at Heavenly Fragrance Tower.
• The Second Stronghold Master of Twin Dragon Mountain urged the factions to kill Li Xuancang, while cautious leaders warned that his record made him a dangerous opponent.
• A scholar proposed luring Li Xuancang with wealth and favors, but others rejected the idea of submitting to an imperial official.
• The master of Heavenly Fragrance Tower proposed killing serving commandery officials and imperial runners before Li Xuancang arrived, and the assembled leaders approved the plan.

Martial world factions assassinated court officials in Flowing Cloud Commandery to intimidate Li Xuancang as he approached with his army. After entering the city, Li Xuancang learned of the killings and promised the officials he would restore order, winning their full support.

• Martial world death warriors killed several civil officials, yamen stewards, and constables, then displayed their bodies around Flowing Cloud Commandery City.
• Sun Shouyi and other officials welcomed Li Xuancang and his three thousand Battle Soldiers as the city's residents cheered their arrival.
• Li Xuancang entered the city while martial world factions dismissed him and anticipated the effect of their bloody show of force.
• At a banquet, Sun Shouyi told Li Xuancang that martial world people had murdered officials and left their bodies in the streets.
• Li Xuancang promised to punish lawbreakers and restore order, and Sun Shouyi and the other officials pledged their support.

Li Xuancang chose Twin Dragon Mountain as his first target and led a thousand soldiers to attack the bandits. After the Wang brothers recalled their men and prepared to fight, Li Xuancang’s army entered the mountain range.

• Li Xuancang ordered Wang Xiaoniu to gather intelligence on Twin Dragon Mountain and decided to strike at its bandits.
• Li Xuancang kept the army in camp for several days while martial factions and government officials assumed he was afraid to act.
• Li Xuancang sounded the Assembly Drum and ordered the First Battalion to march out with him to suppress the bandits.
• The martial factions learned the army was heading for Twin Dragon Mountain and sent warnings to the Wang brothers.
• Wang Dalong and Wang Erlong recalled their bandits and vowed to kill Li Xuancang and his soldiers.
• Li Xuancang arrived at Twin Dragon Mountain and ordered Nangong Zhan and Bai Meng to lead the nervous, eager soldiers into the range.

Li Xuancang led his army into Twin Dragon Mountain, where the bandits planned to ambush them from their stronghold. He shrugged off a rain of arrows and struck the stronghold wall with enough force to shake it, leaving the bandits and watching factions stunned.

• The bandits of Twin Dragon Mountain withdrew to their stronghold and prepared to kill Li Xuancang and his soldiers.
• Li Xuancang’s army reached the stronghold, where Wang Dalong and Wang Erlong underestimated him because of his youth.
• Li Xuancang ordered the army to form ranks and led the attack himself.
• Li Xuancang charged through a barrage of arrows, which shattered against his Blood Astral Force barrier.
• Li Xuancang punched the stronghold wall and shook it, terrifying the bandits and shocking the spectators.

Li Xuancang smashed through Twin Dragon Mountain’s wall and slaughtered the bandits as Nangong Zhan led the Battle Soldiers through the breach. He defeated the Wang brothers, leaving both of them down as the assault continued.

• Li Xuancang broke down one-fifth of the city wall and killed nearly a hundred bandits with a single punch.
• Nangong Zhan led more than a thousand Battle Soldiers into the stronghold while Li Xuancang rampaged through the bandits.
• Wang Dalong ordered the bandits to charge and killed those who tried to flee, but they still broke into a rout.
• Li Xuancang ignored Wang Erlong’s sword, crushed Wang Dalong’s saber, and smashed Wang Dalong’s head with a punch.
• Li Xuancang pulled Wang Erlong’s sword from his body and kicked Wang Erlong down beside his brother.

Li Xuancang crushed the Twin Dragon Mountain bandits, crippled the Wang Dalong brothers despite their ties to Xu Zinian, and ordered the stronghold burned. He led his army back to the city with rescued women and plunder, leaving the brothers alive for now.

• Li Xuancang subdued the Wang Dalong brothers, slaughtered the bandits, and left the remaining fighters for his Battle Soldiers to defeat.
• Li Xuancang crippled the brothers and broke their legs after they invoked the Northern Liang King's heir, Xu Zinian.
• Nangong Zhan reported that the army had found silver, treasures, spirit stones, grain, more than a thousand rescued women, and the remains of several thousand women.
• Li Xuancang ordered the army to take the people and spoils and burn Twin Dragon Mountain to ashes.
• Li Xuancang returned to the city with the army and kept the Wang Dalong brothers alive because they might still be useful.

Li Xuancang returned to Flowing Cloud Commandery after destroying Twin Dragon Mountain, earning the gratitude of the people and officials while alarming the martial world factions. His declaration that he would enforce imperial law left the factions furious and the people hopeful that he would bring order.

• The martial world factions secretly began joining forces against Li Xuancang after learning he had annihilated Twin Dragon Mountain.
• The people and imperial court celebrated the victory, and crowds gathered to welcome Li Xuancang and his army home.
• The rescued women returned with the army, drawing the crowd’s sympathy as they followed with numb expressions.
• Sun Shouyi and the officials welcomed Li Xuancang and thanked him for ending the bandit threat.
• Li Xuancang accepted their thanks and declared that he would not allow anyone to defy imperial law, provoking the martial world factions and exciting the people.

Li Xuancang returned to the commandery city with the captured Wang Dalong brothers and arranged for the rescued women to be cared for. The martial world factions, fearing the brothers would expose their collusion, agreed to try to kill them in the military camp while Li Xuancang was away, as the brothers began confessing under torture.

• Li Xuancang brought Wang Dalong and Wang Erlong into the city, then asked Sun Shouyi to arrange shelter for the more than a thousand women rescued from Twin Dragon Mountain.
• Li Xuancang ordered the army and authorities to spread news that the Wang brothers had confessed their crimes and named their accomplices.
• The faction leaders gathered at Heavenly Fragrance Tower and agreed that the Wang brothers had to be killed before they could implicate them.
• Yang Yunhai proposed luring Li Xuancang away from the military camp so an Astral Qi Realm expert could assassinate the brothers, and the leaders agreed to risk the plan.
• Li Xuancang tortured the Wang brothers until they confessed their crimes and collusion with the various factions.

Li Xuancang foiled a night raid on the military camp and fought off the martial world attackers, who used Heaven Soul Incense and decoys to escape. After one fleeing man killed himself rather than be captured, Li Xuancang returned to the camp while the others regrouped in a small courtyard.

• Four masked men infiltrated the camp to kill Wang Dalong and his brother, but Li Xuancang revealed himself and repelled their first attacker.
• Three men in black attacked Li Xuancang together, while the wounded Zheng Gang abandoned them and fled.
• Wang Xiaoniu stopped Bai Meng and the others from joining the fight, and Li Xuancang wounded one attacker as the three struggled to hold him off.
• One attacker threw Heaven Soul Incense to cover their retreat, but Li Xuancang pursued them despite the smoke.
• Dozens of identically dressed men appeared and split up, and a death warrior killed himself when Li Xuancang nearly caught him.
• Li Xuancang returned to the camp, while the fleeing men regrouped in a small courtyard.

After Li Xuancang returned to camp, Wang Xiaoniu led troops into Flowing Cloud Commandery City, where they confronted the Mad Blade Sect for extorting and brutalizing commoners. Wang Xiaoniu ordered the sect members to surrender, then had them killed when they attacked the soldiers.

• Li Xuancang ordered an additional thirty taels of silver delivered to each family of the seven soldiers killed in the previous night's attack.
• Wang Xiaoniu led the army through Flowing Cloud Commandery City and encountered Mad Blade Sect disciples demanding protection fees from vendors.
• Zhu Yuan beat and crushed Old Zhang for questioning the repeated fee, then threatened the gathered commoners.
• Wang Xiaoniu's troops surrounded the Mad Blade Sect disciples, and Wang Xiaoniu demanded that they surrender for their crimes.
• The disciples charged the Battle Soldiers, so Wang Xiaoniu ordered the crossbows fired and the Mad Blade Sect members fell dead.

Wang Xiaoniu and the army cracked down on sect abuses before Nangong Zhan led troops to arrest the Four Seasons Gambling House. When the gambling house resisted, Li Xuancang arrived and overwhelmed its thugs, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Wang Xiaoniu told the commoners that only the imperial court could levy taxes, then led the army to the next street as the people took Old Zhang for treatment.
• Nangong Zhan brought two hundred Battle Soldiers to the Four Seasons Gambling House and ordered its people arrested for their crimes.
• Lu Xuanfeng restrained his men at Zheng Gang's command, but the gambling house thugs attacked the soldiers and Lu Xuanfeng fought Bai Meng.
• Li Xuancang burst into the gambling house and killed dozens of thugs with a single punch.
• Nangong Zhan and the soldiers bowed to Li Xuancang as their Colonel.

Li Xuancang destroyed the Four Seasons Gambling House and led an iron-blooded purge of martial world forces throughout Flowing Cloud Commandery. As the crackdown filled the prisons and terrified the gangs, their leaders gathered in secret and realized their old order was being dismantled.

• Li Xuancang killed Lu Xuanfeng and slaughtered the Four Seasons Gambling House after ordering his soldiers to seal it off.
• Zheng Gang ordered the gambling house men to hold Li Xuancang back and escaped through a secret passage.
• Li Xuancang’s soldiers searched the gambling house, seized its wealth and records, and failed to find Zheng Gang.
• Li Xuancang directed a citywide crackdown, arresting martial world thugs and executing those who resisted.
• Yang Yunhai and the other force leaders gathered at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower and worried that Li Xuancang intended to eradicate them.

Li Xuancang surrounded Heavenly Fragrance Tower and confronted the gathered faction leaders, who had planned to flee Flowing Cloud Commandery. He cut through their attempt to resist, pursued Yang Yunhai, and crushed Yang Yunhai’s Astral Qi with a fatal punch.

• The faction leaders argued over whether to fight Li Xuancang or abandon the commandery city, then chose to retreat and wait for him to leave.
• Li Xuancang arrived with over a thousand Battle Soldiers and surrounded Heavenly Fragrance Tower, trapping the gathered leaders.
• Yang Yunhai and Zheng Gang threatened Li Xuancang, but he rejected their warnings and charged into the group.
• Yang Yunhai and the others fled while the remaining leaders tried to slow Li Xuancang; the escapees split up, and Li Xuancang pursued Yang Yunhai.
• Yang Yunhai threw a bead that released thick pink smoke, but Li Xuancang burst through it and blocked his escape.
• Yang Yunhai charged Li Xuancang, who shattered his Astral Qi with one punch and sent him flying with a crushed chest.

Li Xuancang wiped out the martial world forces in Flowing Cloud Commandery, provoking retaliation plans from Peace Prefecture City’s factions and concern from Du Tianfeng. Meanwhile, Bai Meng proved strong enough to contend with an early-stage Blood Condensation Realm cultivator, and Li Xuancang urged him to keep training.

• Li Xuancang killed Yang Yunhai and Feng Kaishan, then massacred the martial world fighters at Heavenly Fragrance Tower, while Bai Yidao escaped.
• Li Xuancang’s army seized the martial world forces’ wealth and supplies, and he distributed silver to the soldiers and to families of the dead and severely wounded.
• After half a month, the martial world forces had fled or gone into hiding, and their forced fees on the common people were abolished.
• Peace Prefecture City’s martial world forces blamed Li Xuancang for destroying their Flowing Cloud Commandery network and sought to hire Misty Rain Pavilion to kill him.
• Du Tianfeng sent Li Xuancang a warning and strengthened the defenses around the Li Residence against retaliation.
• Bai Meng attacked Li Xuancang during a strength test, and Li Xuancang confirmed that Bai Meng could contend with an early-stage Blood Condensation Realm cultivator.

Li Xuancang investigated the mysterious disappearances of pregnant women in Flowing Cloud Commandery and learned that the culprit was the Evil Cultivator Sky-Crippled Old Man. He joined forces with three members of the Prison Tiger Bureau to hunt him down.

• Du Tianfeng warned Li Xuancang to guard against retaliation and promised to look after matters at home.
• Nangong Zhan reported that pregnant women had been vanishing across Flowing Cloud Commandery, and Li Xuancang ordered a full investigation.
• More pregnant women disappeared without a trace, spreading fear through the city, so Li Xuancang imposed a curfew and deployed soldiers to search and patrol.
• Li Xuancang led searches for seven days, during which no further women vanished, but his troops found no clues to the culprit.
• Huang Huayuan, Liu Qingyao, and Zhang Tianxuan of the Prison Tiger Bureau asked Li Xuancang to help capture the Sky-Crippled Old Man, who preyed on pregnant women.
• Li Xuancang told the three about the disappearances and agreed to work with them to find the Sky-Crippled Old Man.

Li Xuancang joined the Prison Tiger Bureau in searching for Sky-Crippled Old Man, whose trail led Huang Huayuan and Liu Qingyao to a ruined temple. They fought the Evil Cultivator, but his forbidden art turned the battle against them, forcing them to escape badly injured.

• Li Xuancang agreed to cooperate with the Prison Tiger Bureau and learned that Shen Qingshan was recovering.
• Three thousand Battle Soldiers and more than a thousand government constables began searching the prefectural city for Sky-Crippled Old Man.
• Liu Qingyao and Huang Huayuan tracked Sky-Crippled Old Man to a ruined temple and discovered the bodies of ten pregnant women.
• Huang Huayuan and Liu Qingyao fought Sky-Crippled Old Man, using Prison Tiger Bureau techniques to suppress his evil arts.
• Sky-Crippled Old Man unleashed the forbidden art Hundred Infants Devour Life, severely injuring Liu Qingyao and Huang Huayuan.
• Huang Huayuan crushed an escape talisman and fled with Liu Qingyao.

Li Xuancang arrived in time to save Huang Huayuan and Liu Qingyao from Sky-Crippled Old Man, then confronted the injured Evil Cultivator alone. Sky-Crippled Old Man raised his strength to the Late Astral Qi Realm with his ghostfire trump card, but Li Xuancang overwhelmed him with his fists.

• Huang Huayuan shielded Liu Qingyao and hurled her out of danger as Sky-Crippled Old Man struck, but Li Xuancang arrived in time to block the fatal blow.
• Zhang Tianxuan gave medicinal pills to the injured Huang Huayuan and Liu Qingyao, while Li Xuancang told him to protect them and faced Sky-Crippled Old Man.
• Sky-Crippled Old Man pleaded for Li Xuancang to spare him, then swallowed his ghostfire and surged from the Mid Astral Qi Realm to the Late Astral Qi Realm.
• Li Xuancang ignored the warnings and broke Sky-Crippled Old Man’s bones with a flurry of punches, leaving Huang Huayuan, Liu Qingyao, and Zhang Tianxuan stunned by his strength.