Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Strolling and Chatting About Fate Arts

Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and Guo Xiang explore Beast Bridge, an unusual marketplace populated by beast-headed Fate Arts Masters. Many visitors stare at Li Qingxian’s “Slanted-Eye Dog Head” disguise, while two rabbit-headed girls mockingly imitate him.
• Guo Xiang introduces Li Qingxian to various Fate Arts objects, materials, and especially Fate Stars.
• They inspect a Heavenly Cloud Concealing the Moon Fate Star, a Middle Rank Fate Star offered for five hundred thousand taels of silver or equivalent treasures and qualifications. Guo Xiang warns Li Qingxian that Fate Stars can be forged or disguised, making expert verification essential.
• Li Qingxian uses Obscuring Eye and Weird Dragon’s Eye to inspect the Fate Star and confirms that it appears genuine, though Guo Xiang advises them not to purchase it because of its excessive price.
• Guo Xiang explains the value of concealment-type treasures, mentioning the legendary Hidden Dragon of All Worlds, which once belonged to a youth who caused a catastrophe in the Fate Realm before being refined into an Independent Destiny Star.
• While overlooking the clouds from Beast Bridge, Guo Xiang gives Li Qingxian a detailed guide to Fate Arts cultivation and priorities:
  1. Foundational cultivation methods
  2. Fate Arts
  3. Fate Artifacts
  4. Fate Stars
  5. Fate Patterns and Fate Spirits, which become increasingly important at higher levels
• He recommends that Li Qingxian focus on strengthening his foundation, accumulating Fate Arts, and eventually obtaining a Fate Game Box to practice. A three-layer box would help him train, while joining Mountain Fate Sect could provide him with a superior six-layer box.
• Because Li Qingxian’s identity is politically sensitive and the court is unstable, Guo Xiang advises him to seek one Fate Star for concealment and another for disaster prevention.
• Li Qingxian realizes that his existing abilities—Chameleon Concealment, Sparrow Hiding in Its Nest, Sunlit Golden Mountain, and possibly Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Might—already align with this strategy.
• Li Qingxian asks how to open his second Fate Ground early. Guo Xiang explains that he can either wait until age twenty, join a major sect possessing the necessary method, or pursue extremely difficult alternatives involving powerful Fate Stars, Fate Patterns, Fate Spirits, or divine sacrifices.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes more knowledgeable and cautious about the Fate Arts world. He learns to evaluate Fate Stars himself and records Guo Xiang’s advice carefully.
• His strategic awareness grows: he recognizes that concealment and disaster prevention are essential given his dangerous political circumstances.
• Li Qingxian also becomes increasingly ambitious, seeking ways to open his second Fate Ground ahead of schedule rather than waiting for age or formal sect instruction.
• Guo Xiang acts as a mentor, offering practical guidance about prices, fraud, cultivation priorities, and survival. His advice shows both expertise and concern for Li Qingxian’s future.

Character Interactions

• Guo Xiang teasingly remarks that Li Qingxian’s unusual appearance will become famous among Divine Capital’s Fate Arts Masters, while Li Qingxian demands useful explanations instead of sarcasm.
• Guo Xiang warns Li Qingxian against trusting sellers blindly and explains how counterfeit Fate Stars can fool even experienced practitioners.
• Their conversation shifts from marketplace sightseeing to a serious discussion of cultivation, resources, political danger, and Li Qingxian’s long-term development.
• Li Qingxian repeatedly questions Guo Xiang about rare treasures and advanced cultivation methods, demonstrating curiosity and determination.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and caution: Fate Arts treasures are powerful but expensive and vulnerable to deception; expertise and verification are essential.
• Preparation versus danger: Li Qingxian must build a strong foundation while preparing for political calamities beyond his current strength.
• Concealment and survival: The chapter emphasizes hiding one’s identity, fortune, and capabilities in a dangerous world.
• Cultivation hierarchy and resource scarcity: Advancement depends not only on talent but also on access to sects, Fate Arts, artifacts, Fate Stars, and training tools.
• Ambition and patience: Li Qingxian seeks shortcuts to accelerate his cultivation, but Guo Xiang makes clear that early advancement requires extraordinary opportunities or sacrifices.

Chapter Summary: “Rebels Everywhere, Hearts No Longer What They Were”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zebra Head advises Li Qingxian not to forcibly open a Fate Ground. Instead, he should consolidate his existing Youth Fate Ground around qualities such as learning, diligence, advancement, and stability.
• They discuss Chief Minister Zhao Yishan, whose Fate Mold is reputed to contain admirable qualities across all four life stages. However, Zebra Head emphasizes that Zhao’s true greatness comes from his character rather than his Fate Mold.
• A First Rank Fate Arts Master named Xu Xunzi begins a Fate Game at Beast Bridge under the banner “Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows.” Li learns that Fate Arts Masters may eventually create personal banner names, though he is not yet required to do so.
• Guo Xiang explains why the Fate-Seeking Sect openly passes down Fate Arts despite the court and Heaven’s Mandate Sect restricting them. He recounts how the Ancient Inquiry Sect discovered that bird feathers originally developed for beauty but later enabled birds to fly and survive a great catastrophe.
• Li understands the analogy: suppressing Fate Arts may remove humanity’s potential means of surviving an unknown future disaster. Restricting too many possibilities could ultimately doom the Human Race.
• A White Deer Head Fate Arts Master challenges Li’s faith in the court and emperor, arguing that rulers and established institutions become stagnant and prevent humanity from adapting. He compares them to people “plucking out bird feathers.”
• The group proceeds toward the Fate Game, with Li joking that White Deer Head is probably a rebel.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian shows growing understanding of the political and philosophical conflict surrounding Fate Arts. He quickly grasps Guo Xiang’s bird-feather analogy and begins questioning the court’s policies, though he still outwardly praises the emperor.
• He also displays youthful confidence and humor, maintaining his belief in the emperor while jokingly labeling White Deer Head a rebel.
• Guo Xiang acts as Li’s guide, explaining Fate Arts history, Fate Grounds, Fate Molds, and the ideological reasons behind the Fate-Seeking Sect’s actions.
• Zebra Head demonstrates practical wisdom by advising Li to strengthen his foundation rather than rush into advancement.
• White Deer Head emerges as a passionate critic of authority and stagnation. His strong convictions and hostility toward the court’s restrictions suggest rebellious or oppositional beliefs.
• Parrot Head provides comic relief by laughing at Li’s earnest praise of the emperor and at his interactions with White Deer Head.

Significant Themes

• Growth versus stagnation: Fate Grounds symbolize personal development, while the debate over Fate Arts reflects the broader need for humanity to continue changing and evolving.
• Freedom of knowledge: The Fate-Seeking Sect believes Fate Arts should be shared because humanity may need every possible method to survive future disasters.
• The dangers of excessive control: The court and Heaven’s Mandate Sect may seek peace and order, but suppressing innovation could eliminate humanity’s future options.
• Tradition versus adaptation: White Deer Head argues that old rulers and institutions become dangerous when they force society to return to the past instead of adapting to change.
• Appearance and hidden potential: The bird-feather parable illustrates how traits that seem useless or ornamental can later become essential for survival.

Character Interactions

• Zebra Head and Li discuss Zhao Yishan’s reputation and the proper development of Fate Grounds.
• Guo Xiang educates Li about the history and philosophy of Fate Arts through the Ancient Inquiry Sect’s discovery about birds.
• White Deer Head interrupts their conversation and directly challenges Li’s trust in the emperor and established authority.
• Li responds respectfully but firmly, while Parrot Head mocks his sincere defense of the emperor.
• Slanted-Eye Dog Head attempts to defuse the increasingly heated ideological exchange and redirects everyone toward watching the Fate Game.
• The chapter ends with Li and Guo Xiang moving toward the game, while Li humorously concludes that nearly all Fate Arts Masters are rebels.

Chapter Summary: “White Deer and Panda Seize the Initiative”

Plot and Key Events

A Swallow Head announces a three-round Fate Game organized by the Fate-Seeking Sect. Only Lower Rank Fate Arts Masters may participate, and the winner will receive the complete Fate-Seeking Method. Over a hundred candidates step forward, but the Fate Game Box eliminates all but roughly twenty participants, transporting them into a sealed training ground filled with four hundred stone Fate Gentlemen.
The first round, “Fate-Observing Gentleman,” requires each contestant to choose a stone figure and use Fate Observation and Qi Gazing to determine its past, present, and future within fifteen minutes. Successful contestants advance and receive a Universal Jade Token that can replace Fate Materials.
Li Qingxian carefully applies Guo Xiang’s advice by considering the linked structure of the three rounds. Using the Eerie Dragon and Fate Observation, he filters out Fate Gentlemen with dangerous or mediocre fortunes, especially those marked by ominous or neutral Twelve Longevity Stages. He then narrows his options to figures with auspicious fortunes and powerful Fate Mansions.
Among the remaining candidates, four stone figures possess especially impressive, marquis-like Fate Mansions. The White Deer Head acts first, selecting one and employing six high-level Fate Artifacts, including the rare Heaven-Gazing Mirror. The Panda Head unexpectedly chooses another without using any Fate Arts or artifacts, apparently relying entirely on instinct or exceptional personal fortune. This leaves only one powerful Fate Gentleman for Li Qingxian, who selects it and begins his own deduction.
Li Qingxian discovers that the chosen Fate Gentleman possesses two Fate Stars: a smooth-going Heavenly Fate Star and a diligent-learning Human Fate Star. However, its powerful Fate Mansion conceals most of its details, allowing him to uncover only a childhood water calamity and little else. Meanwhile, the White Deer Head has already begun writing his results, demonstrating his considerable skill and speed.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates caution, strategic thinking, and growing competence. Rather than choosing impulsively, he eliminates unsuitable candidates and considers how the entire three-round contest may unfold.
• Guo Xiang supports Li Qingxian through a voice transmission, emphasizing the importance of treating the Fate Game as a connected sequence rather than an isolated challenge.
• White Deer Head reveals formidable technical ability. His Heaven-Gazing Mirror and multiple Fate Artifacts inspire envy, and he confidently takes one of the strongest Fate Gentlemen before others can claim it.
• Panda Head displays unusual confidence and mystery. He ignores conventional methods entirely and chooses a powerful Fate Gentleman through apparent intuition or reliance on his own fortune.
• Parrot Head remains resentful and avoids Li Qingxian, though his continued glances suggest lingering interest or unease.

Significant Themes

• Strategy versus raw ability: Success requires more than strong Fate Arts; contestants must choose wisely and anticipate later rounds.
• Knowledge and preparation: Guo Xiang’s advice allows Li Qingxian to avoid attractive but potentially disadvantageous choices.
• Hidden strength and uncertainty: The best Fate Gentlemen possess powerful Fate Mansions that conceal their true qualities, making accurate judgment difficult.
• Fortune versus technique: White Deer Head relies on superior artifacts and skill, while Panda Head appears to depend on instinct or extraordinary luck.
• Competition and initiative: The chapter emphasizes the importance of acting quickly, as the strongest opportunities disappear once another contestant claims them.

Character Interactions

Guo Xiang privately advises Li Qingxian before the test begins. Li Qingxian and White Deer Head compete indirectly for the strongest Fate Gentlemen, with White Deer Head taking the initiative and forcing Li Qingxian to accept the last remaining option. Panda Head independently seizes another prime choice, while Parrot Head maintains a hostile but watchful attitude toward Li Qingxian.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian examines a stone man whose Fate Mansion contains nine Fate Artifacts, an unprecedented number for the participants. Although he cannot fully read the man’s advanced Fate Molds and Fate Mansions, he uses the Heaven’s Mandate Instrument to inspect his Heavenly and Human Fate Stars.
• The man possesses:
  • Treasure-Gathering Basin, a noble Heavenly Fate Star that attracts wealth and treasure but also invites thieves and calamity.
  • Iron Pestle Grinds Needle, a mid-grade Human Fate Star symbolizing perseverance, gradual improvement, and eventual success.
• Li Qingxian deduces the man’s life pattern: childhood water-related danger, youthful prosperity followed by disaster caused by an unexpected treasure, difficult but auspicious adulthood, and alternating fortune and calamity throughout life. He concludes that the man will need either another Fate Mold or one forged through hardship to survive a major catastrophe in middle age.
• While the Fate Arts Masters work, low-grade practitioners outside begin gambling on which contestants will advance. Seventh Rank Fate Arts Master Liu Laohu, wearing a Red Fox Head, organizes the betting.
• The leading candidates are White Deer Head, Panda Head, Black Lion Head, and Slanted-Eye Dog Head. Most gamblers favor Panda Head, but Guo Xiang wagers heavily on the seemingly inexperienced Slanted-Eye Dog Head, believing his luck may carry him through.
• The first round ends when the time limit expires. Only thirty-four Fate Arts Masters successfully complete the task, including Li Qingxian, White Deer Head, and Emerald Parrot Head.
• The surviving participants swear not to reveal the Fate-Seeking Sect’s secret art and receive the Trace-Seeking Technique, which Li Qingxian recognizes as far superior to the Fate-Seeking art he previously knew.
• The parade ground changes as the unsuccessful stone men vanish and the eastern wall descends, revealing a mysterious mist and presumably the next stage of the trial.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates growing skill in Fate Arts. He is not yet capable of fully interpreting the most advanced Fate structures, but he can accurately identify key Fate Stars and derive a detailed life prediction.
• His analysis shows increasing sophistication: he recognizes both the strengths and weaknesses of the Treasure-Gathering Basin and imagines how it could be perfectly complemented by his own Sunlit Golden Mountain.
• Guo Xiang displays confidence in his judgment by betting one thousand taels on Slanted-Eye Dog Head despite the contestant’s unstable foundations and low odds.
• Liu Laohu is established as a clever, socially connected, and unconventional Fate Arts Master. Though he dislikes formal study and has poor gambling luck, he possesses an excellent eye for evaluating people and earns respect from the others.
• Emerald Parrot Head remains playful and mischievous, while White Deer Head continues to speak with calm confidence and acknowledges Li Qingxian’s luck and ability.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and danger are inseparable: The Treasure-Gathering Basin brings wealth, but great wealth attracts thieves and disaster. Success is repeatedly shown to contain the seeds of future calamity.
• Perseverance and hardship: Iron Pestle Grinds Needle represents slow, relentless effort. The chapter emphasizes that lasting achievement requires endurance and careful conduct.
• The limits of knowledge: Li Qingxian’s progress is significant, but he remains aware that his understanding is incomplete when faced with higher-level Fate structures.
• Luck versus preparation: The betting around Slanted-Eye Dog Head raises the question of whether extraordinary luck can compensate for weak foundations and inadequate training.
• Knowledge as power and responsibility: The Trace-Seeking Technique is granted only after an oath of secrecy, highlighting the value and guarded nature of Fate Arts knowledge.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian internally compares the young man’s Fate Stars with his own Sunlit Golden Mountain, revealing his analytical approach and awareness of Fate Mold combinations.
• White Deer Head comments on Li Qingxian’s luck, and Li Qingxian responds by praising White Deer Head’s Fate Artifacts, creating a restrained exchange of mutual recognition.
• Liu Laohu entertains and provokes the crowd through his gambling stall while also accurately analyzing the contestants’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Guo Xiang’s unusual bet on Slanted-Eye Dog Head draws everyone’s attention and reinforces his willingness to trust his own judgment.
• The contestants collectively swear secrecy before receiving the Trace-Seeking Technique, creating a shared bond among the successful survivors as they prepare to enter the next phase.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The second Fate Game is announced: Little Promotion from the Promotion Board, a shortened version of the Promotion Board game in which participants progress through ten stages of life and fate.
• Each participant receives three Universal Jade Pendants, with Li Qingxian possessing four in total. These pendants can be used to force specific dice results or select higher-level origins.
• Li Qingxian and White Deer Head deliberately choose positions at opposite ends of the line to avoid clashing. Parrot Head, however, positions himself close to Li, leaving one circle between them.
• Observers on Beast Bridge discuss the competitors and potential wagers. Chicken-Head Man and Liu Laohu focus particularly on Parrot Head’s intelligence and possible chances of taking the lead.
• The stone Fate Gentlemen are summoned randomly and assigned to each participant. Several Fate Arts Masters complain that the random assignment is unfair because some Fate Gentlemen possess much stronger Fate Molds than others.
• The first stage is revealed: each participant must choose one of ten possible origins:
  Commoner, Wealthy Merchant, Minor Official, Scholarly Family, Marquis Manor, Martial Arts School, Puppet Land, Devil Sect, Evil Sects, or Daoist School.
• During the first four stages, participants cannot use Fate Observation or Qi Gazing on one another. The first stage is therefore designed to test judgment, knowledge of Fate Arts, and the ability to understand how an origin will influence an entire life.
• Li analyzes his assigned Fate Gentleman, whose Iron-Pestle-to-Needle Fate Mold, dual Metal Fate, and Treasure-Gathering Basin indicate exceptional diligence and suitability for martial cultivation.
• He eliminates commerce, officialdom, scholarly households, and noble families as poor matches, concluding that a Martial Arts School is the safest and most compatible choice. A Daoist School is another possibility, but would require spending a valuable Universal Jade Pendant.
• As others begin completing the first step, Li continues weighing the advantages of powerful origins against the stability and risks of smaller factions.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates growing strategic maturity. Rather than choosing an impressive origin impulsively, he evaluates the entire game, the Fate Gentleman’s attributes, long-term consequences, and his own strengths and weaknesses.
• He recognizes that Little Promotion is testing more than luck: it requires understanding Fate Arts, reading long-term patterns, and resisting the temptation of immediate gains.
• White Deer Head accepts Li’s plan without hesitation, showing trust and cooperation.
• Parrot Head reveals himself to be cautious and perceptive. He respects Li’s reputation and deliberately keeps some distance instead of confronting him directly.
• The unnamed Fate Arts Masters display differing levels of confidence and frustration, particularly over the random assignment of Fate Gentlemen.
• The spectators, especially Chicken-Head Man and Liu Laohu, treat the game as both a contest and a betting opportunity, emphasizing the importance of reputation and prediction.

Significant Themes

• Long-term judgment versus short-term advantage: Powerful or prestigious origins may provide immediate benefits but can create greater dangers later.
• Compatibility between fate and environment: Success depends on matching a person’s Fate Mold, temperament, and abilities to the right social or cultivation background.
• The limits of knowledge: Li cannot yet observe Momentum Configurations, forcing him to make decisions through inference and broad strategic reasoning.
• Stability versus power: Large or influential factions offer protection and resources but also attract enemies, while weaker factions may provide greater safety and freedom.
• Fate and personal choice: Although each Fate Gentleman possesses an underlying destiny, the chosen origin can strengthen, distort, or hinder that destiny.
• The danger of ambition: The Devil Sect and Evil Sects might promise rapid advancement, but Li recognizes that such choices could lead to severe later hardships.

Character Interactions

• Li and White Deer Head coordinate their starting positions to avoid competing directly, establishing a practical alliance.
• Parrot Head indirectly challenges Li by moving near him, but his comment shows respect rather than outright hostility.
• Li and Parrot Head exchange a brief, wary conversation about courage and caution.
• On Beast Bridge, Chicken-Head Man and Liu Laohu debate Parrot Head’s abilities and whether he is worth betting on.
• The Fate Arts Masters collectively react to the random Fate Gentleman selection, revealing tension over fairness and the uneven distribution of advantages.

Chapter Summary: Li Qingxian Takes His First Steps on the Promotion Board

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian begins the Promotion Board’s trial and uses the basic Fortune-Measuring Technique to roll the dice.
• He obtains the maximum result, six, allowing Fate Gentleman to land on the martial arts hall while the other possible residences disappear.
• Using his powerful Spirit Eye, Li Qingxian immediately sees through all ten available Fate Stars without spending mana on individual deductions.
• After analyzing the interactions between Metal, Earth, Fire, Water, and Wood destinies, he selects Mountain Range Across the Divide.
  • This Earth Fate Star strengthens his existing Metal-based Fate Stars.
  • It also removes the flaw in the Treasure-Gathering Basin by blocking external misfortune.
• In the third stage, he must choose a master. He dismisses several powerful figures as dangerous traps and compares the Down-and-Out Marquis with the Reclusive Old Man.
• Although the Reclusive Old Man offers a freer martial-world path, Li Qingxian chooses the Down-and-Out Marquis, believing military advancement better suits the current age and larger trend of events.
• For the fourth stage, he chooses a small frontier city, Beisha County, rather than safer or more prestigious locations such as a martial arts training ground or more dangerous options like the battlefield and Imperial Palace.
• The resulting life path is revealed:
  • Origin: son of a Martial Arts Hall Master
  • Fate Stars: Treasure-Gathering Basin, Mountain Range Across the Divide, Iron Pestle Grinds Needle
  • Master: Down-and-Out Marquis
  • Destination: Beisha County
• The generated backstory grants the character:
  • A strong martial foundation
  • The Heavenly Profound Technique
  • The Great Annihilating Star Saber
  • The treasured saber Moon Repeller
  • Appointment as a Ninth Rank county lieutenant
• Observers outside the game debate the strategies of the various participants. Many praise Li Qingxian’s steady, balanced approach, and betting on him increases before betting closes.

Character Development

• Li Qingxian demonstrates exceptional insight, patience, and strategic judgment. He carefully weighs not only immediate benefits but also how Fate Stars interact over the long term.
• He shows a growing understanding that apparently modest Fate Stars, such as those emphasizing diligence or gradual progress, can attract powerful benefactors and create opportunities greater than direct wealth-and-honor abilities.
• His choice of the Down-and-Out Marquis reveals that he prioritizes broader historical trends over personal preference. Though he favors the carefree martial path, he recognizes that military power is rising with the age.
• Li Qingxian’s decisions reflect a balance between caution and ambition: he avoids obvious traps while still selecting a path with strong future potential.
• The Down-and-Out Marquis is characterized as a hidden powerhouse with military ambitions and the potential to rise politically. He recognizes talent and rewards diligent disciples generously.

Significant Themes

• Fate and strategic choice: The Promotion Board emphasizes that every decision—origin, Fate Star, master, and destination—shapes an entire life.
• Balance over excess: Li Qingxian avoids overloading the character with too much Metal or overly dangerous advantages, understanding that excessive strength can create vulnerabilities.
• Hidden value of diligence: Fate Stars associated with patience, hard work, and steady advancement may indirectly produce greater rewards by attracting powerful mentors.
• Individual preference versus historical momentum: Li Qingxian would personally prefer the martial-world path, but he chooses according to the age’s larger trend toward military power.
• Risk and opportunity: The chapter contrasts reckless use of resources with careful planning. Strong choices are not necessarily good if the resulting Fate Gentleman cannot bear them.
• The importance of synergy: The Treasure-Gathering Basin, Mountain Range Across the Divide, and Iron Pestle Grinds Needle reinforce one another, producing benefits greater than their individual effects.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian mentally evaluates the possible masters and weighs their strengths, dangers, and compatibility with Fate Gentleman’s existing destiny.
• His imagined connection with the Down-and-Out Marquis results in a mutually beneficial relationship: the youth’s diligence and talent earn the Marquis’s trust, while the Marquis provides advanced techniques and treasured equipment.
• The observers on the Beast Bridge argue over the best strategy:
  • Some criticize reckless competitors who spend all their resources immediately.
  • Others praise participants who deduce carefully or possess powerful Fate Artifacts.
  • A debate develops over whether steady advancement or aggressive momentum is the superior approach.
• A Spotted Dog Head places a large wager on Li Qingxian, calling him “as steady as an old dog,” but Liu Laohu closes betting after Li completes the first four steps.

Chapter Summary: Li Qingxian Cleverly Chose the First Trial

Key Plot Points and Events

• The first trial of the Promotion Board begins after all thirty-four participants reveal their Fate Gentlemen and select their initial life paths.
• Li Qingxian uses the Spirit-Eyed Weird Dragon to see through the mist concealing the ten squares before him. The choices include dangerous encounters such as Eerie, a Demon Race siege, and a hostile county magistrate, as well as safer opportunities involving bandits, merchants, old friends, chivalrous women, and treasure.
• He recognizes that the treasure squares are likely traps, especially because treasure appears at different stages for different participants. Rather than compete with the powerful White Deer Head, Li Qingxian chooses “encounter mountain bandits.”
• White Deer Head spends a jade pendant to increase his dice roll and enters a treasure square, attracting ten other Fate Gentlemen. Their paths converge, forcing them into a mass battle.
• Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman encounters Wolf Head’s Fate Gentleman, who had been falsely accused, forced to flee, and eventually reduced to banditry. Slanted-Eye Dog Head also enters the conflict and kills both the bandit leader and Wolf Head.
• Li Qingxian subsequently attacks the bandit stronghold, destroys the remaining bandits, and obtains wealth and a thousand-year-old ginseng.
• At the treasure square, White Deer Head defeats the other competitors using literary treasures and Battle Poetry, but gains only a Middle Rank Literary Treasure at the cost of a jade pendant, making the exchange relatively unfavorable.
• Panda Head takes the seemingly deadly Demon Race siege route but is unexpectedly aided by reinforcements and a Dao Sect expert. After taking a pill, he advances into the Eighth Rank, demonstrating the power of extraordinary fortune.
• When the first trial ends, only fourteen of the original thirty-four participants remain. Their circles draw together, and Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman reaches North Sand City, where a new set of ten mist-covered squares appears.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates caution, strategic thinking, and strong knowledge of Fate Games. He avoids obvious traps and conserves his resources rather than competing directly for the first treasure.
• White Deer Head is shown to be powerful but impulsive and extravagant. His willingness to spend a jade pendant wins the treasure, yet the reward is not worth the cost.
• Wolf Head suffers a tragic decline from an apparently respectable life to exile, injury, and banditry, ultimately dying in the trial.
• Slanted-Eye Dog Head proves observant and opportunistic, waiting for the right moment to assassinate the bandit chief and eliminate Wolf Head.
• Panda Head emerges as exceptionally fortunate, surviving an apparently disastrous path and gaining a major cultivation breakthrough.
• The surviving Fate Arts Masters become more closely linked, with Parrot Head even moving adjacent to Li Qingxian.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus ambition: Li Qingxian’s restrained choice succeeds where reckless pursuit of treasure creates deadly conflict.
• The deceptive nature of fortune: Dangerous-looking paths may lead to great advancement, while apparently rewarding treasure routes may conceal fierce competition.
• Resource management: The chapter emphasizes the importance of conserving limited treasures and waiting for more favorable opportunities.
• Fate and unpredictability: Individual choices matter, but chance and hidden fortune can radically alter outcomes, as seen in Panda Head’s miraculous advancement.
• Survival in competitive systems: The Promotion Board rewards strategy, adaptability, and the ability to exploit others’ mistakes.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian observes and indirectly competes with White Deer Head, choosing not to challenge him over the treasure.
• His Fate Gentleman encounters Wolf Head’s bandits, while Slanted-Eye Dog Head intervenes and kills Wolf Head.
• Li Qingxian’s forces later eliminate the remaining bandits and claim their valuables.
• White Deer Head’s Fate Gentleman battles ten other treasure-seekers and defeats them all, though Black Lion Head escapes.
• Parrot Head comments approvingly on Li Qingxian’s performance and becomes his neighboring competitor as the next trial begins.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian reviews ten possible rewards in the first ordeal and rejects most as inferior or potentially harmful. He decides that the Martial Arts Friend reward is the most valuable because it provides both a sparring partner and a reliable ally.
• The Fate Gentleman befriends a former subordinate of the Down-and-Out Marquis who now serves in North Sand City’s military. Their sworn-brother relationship gives the Fate Gentleman access to regular sparring, military connections, and the favor of both the North Sand general and county magistrate.
• Li Qingxian realizes that the Fate Game’s choices are not merely about immediate rewards. They reflect deeper principles of decision-making, including following the “great tide” of events while steadily cultivating oneself.
• For the second ordeal, he considers several dangerous scenarios before choosing Demon Race Raiding, judging it safer and more beneficial than treasure hunting, internal conflict, horse bandits, or a full military campaign.
• During repeated battles against demons, the Fate Gentleman fights cautiously and strategically. He cripples an Eighth Rank tiger demon with the Moon-Repelling Saber, allowing the surrounding soldiers to kill it safely.
• The Fate Gentleman repeatedly earns first merit, survives minor injuries, and eventually breaks through to Eighth Rank. His Spirit Eye reaches great completion, granting him the ability Spirit Eye Wind Observation, which improves his perception of nearby qi force in combat.
• The other Fate Arts Masters fare much worse. Many suffer ambushes, injuries, demotions, imprisonment, or are forced to spend Universal Jade Pendants. Only Panda Head’s Fate Gentleman progresses smoothly through sheer Fortune.
• At the end of the ordeal, only six participants remain. The observers on Beast Bridge begin favoring Slanted-Eye Dog Head and Panda Head, though the betting has already concluded.

Character Development

• Li Qingxian becomes more analytical and cautious. He recognizes that strength, steady cultivation, and long-term momentum matter more than superficial rewards such as official praise, marriage prospects, or hollow promotions.
• He also learns to distinguish between his own abilities and those of the Fate Gentleman. His insight into White Deer Head’s failure shows that a Fate Arts Master cannot assume their Fate Gentleman can imitate their own reckless capabilities.
• The Fate Gentleman develops from a newly arrived martial artist into a respected military figure. Through practical combat and careful tactics, he gains reputation, merit, a breakthrough in cultivation, and an important combat ability.
• White Deer Head recognizes that his mistake was choosing a reckless path based on his own strength, rather than considering the Fate Gentleman’s actual abilities.
• Panda Head continues to benefit from overwhelming Fortune, repeatedly turning danger into safety despite an initially poor situation.

Significant Themes

• Steady progress versus reckless ambition: The chapter emphasizes cautious, consistent advancement over flashy risks or immediate treasure.
• The importance of matching choices to one’s abilities: A Fate Gentleman’s capabilities are not automatically equal to those of the Fate Arts Master controlling him.
• Following the greater current of events: Li Qingxian concludes that one should exploit major historical or worldly developments—such as demon attacks—while also prioritizing personal cultivation.
• Practical strength over superficial status: Martial ability, useful relationships, and real achievements are valued above praise, rank, wealth, or romantic favors.
• Fate and strategy: The Fate Game is revealed as a test of judgment, with every choice reflecting a particular philosophy of action.

Character Interactions

• The Fate Gentleman forms a sworn-brother relationship with the former Down-and-Out Marquis subordinate, gaining a valuable martial companion and military connection.
• The North Sand general welcomes the Fate Gentleman after learning of his relationship with the Marquis and seeing the Moon-Rejecting Saber.
• The county magistrate becomes more favorable toward him because of his association with the North Sand general.
• Li Qingxian and Panda Head exchange a friendly gesture after both Fate Gentlemen succeed in the second ordeal.
• The other Fate Arts Masters observe one another’s failures and gradually learn from them, while the Middle Rank Fate Arts Masters on Beast Bridge debate whether Slanted-Eye Dog Head or Panda Head is the stronger contender.

Chapter Summary: “Old Treasures, New Friends, Refining Pills”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guo Xiang explains that Slanted-Eye Dog Head succeeded in the earlier Fate Game not through superior Fate Arts or luck, but through clear thinking, accurate deductions, and long-term strategic vision. The trial unexpectedly tested the principles of a Middle Rank Fate Arts Master’s Grand Momentum Configuration.
• In the second joy, Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman befriends an alchemist and trades a thousand-year ginseng for medicinal materials. The alchemist successfully refines four Ten Deaths Life-Continuing Pills, giving two to Fate Gentleman.
• Fate Gentleman uses the medicines to strengthen his body and becomes a third-rate expert among those of the same rank. The others, still injured, spend Universal Jade Pendants to obtain healing medicine.
• The third trial presents ten dangerous scenarios, including Demon Race invasions, political conspiracies, banditry, false accusations, and warfare. Li Qingxian refuses to use a Universal Jade Pendant and chooses “Demon Race assaulting the city.”
• Panda Head, Black Lion Head, and White Deer Head also choose the difficult city-defense scenario, while two others select the seemingly safer “Demon Race pillaging.” Those two are immediately trapped and killed by an encircling Demon Race force.
• The remaining four Fate Gentlemen are paired into two confrontations. Li Qingxian faces Black Lion Head, while White Deer Head faces Panda Head.
• Black Lion Head’s Fate Gentleman has a history of aggression and creates many enemies. After suffering lingering injuries, he is framed, exiled, escapes, kills his accuser, and becomes wanted by the imperial court. Eventually captured by the Demon Race, he is forced to swallow a Sky Insect Pill and infiltrate North Sand City.
• Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman, together with a martial artist and an alchemist, discovers Black Lion Head’s infiltration. They subdue him, but the Sky Insect Pill’s backlash kills him after he confesses. Black Lion Head accepts defeat and is removed from the game.
• White Deer Head and Panda Head defend a city overwhelmed by a Demon Race army. Panda Head’s luck is greatly weakened by the intense battlefield configuration, forcing him to exhaust his Universal Jade Pendants before dying in a surprise attack. White Deer Head survives through experience and endurance.
• Li Qingxian’s group uses the Sky Insect Pill and disguises Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman as the dead infiltrator. He lures the Demon Race into an ambush at North Sand City, where coordinated attacks using talismans, Battle Poetry, and Literary Treasures destroy many elite demons.
• Although the city initially holds, later Demon Race reinforcements launch a stronger offensive. The barbican falls after three days, the Outer City after five, and Li Qingxian’s badly wounded Fate Gentleman is suddenly ambushed by a Seventh Rank expert.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Demonstrates strategic judgment by choosing a difficult trial, investing in relationships, and using the Sky Insect Pill situation to turn an enemy’s infiltration into a counterattack. His Fate Gentleman grows stronger through alchemical medicine and becomes increasingly capable of adapting to complex situations.
• Black Lion Head: His aggressive personality and past conflicts lead to his framing and exile. His later desperation drives him into collaboration with the Demon Race, but his remorse and confession show a final recognition of his mistakes. His downfall emphasizes the consequences of impulsiveness and resentment.
• Panda Head: His extraordinary luck helps him survive earlier trials, but he lacks corresponding experience and ability. Once placed in a large-scale battlefield where luck is suppressed, he quickly exhausts his protective treasures and dies.
• White Deer Head: His previous brutality has made him suited to combat. Unlike Panda Head, he possesses real battlefield experience and resilience, allowing him to survive the siege.
• The two cautious Fate Arts Masters: Their refusal to face a difficult scenario leads directly to their deaths, proving that apparent safety can conceal greater danger.

Significant Themes

• Strategic vision over raw power: The trials reward those who understand the overall situation rather than those who rely solely on powerful Fate Arts.
• Luck versus ability: Panda Head’s luck carries him through earlier stages but fails when confronted with a complex Grand Momentum Configuration. Genuine experience and preparation prove more reliable.
• Consequences of past actions: Black Lion Head’s aggression creates enemies who later destroy him, while his resentment and impulsive choices lead him into an even worse fate.
• Cooperation and trust: Li Qingxian’s alliance with the alchemist and martial artist allows him to expose the infiltration and organize an effective counterattack.
• Risk and opportunity: The dangerous choices contain the greatest rewards, while avoiding hardship can result in immediate destruction.
• Adaptability: Li Qingxian repeatedly turns unexpected circumstances—medicinal resources, a dying enemy, and the Demon Race’s own plans—into advantages.

Character Interactions

• Guo Xiang and Liu Laohu discuss the true nature of the Fate Game, contrasting clear judgment with brute reliance on Fate Arts.
• Li Qingxian negotiates with the alchemist, exchanging the thousand-year ginseng for medicine and securing a share of the refined pills.
• The surviving Fate Arts Masters compare one another’s choices and increasingly resent or fear those with more Universal Jade Pendants.
• Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman, the martial arts friend, and the alchemy friend cooperate to track and subdue Black Lion Head’s infiltrator.
• After Black Lion Head’s death, he courteously congratulates Li Qingxian, while Li Qingxian responds with restrained politeness.
• Li Qingxian’s allies later cooperate with the county magistrate and North Sand general to stage a false surrender and ambush the Demon Race.
• The chapter ends with Li Qingxian’s wounded Fate Gentleman facing a new and dangerous enemy: a Seventh Rank expert attacking from ambush.

Chapter Summary: “Joy After Hardship: Physiognomic Formation Technique”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The third hardship concludes with both Fate Gentlemen surviving major trials. Fate Gentleman is rescued when his master, the Down-and-Out Marquis, arrives at North Sand City and massacres more than a hundred thousand demons. White Deer Head’s Fate Gentleman is similarly saved by a Grand Confucian after defending the city through his own choices.
• Observers conclude that Panda Head failed because he relied too much on opportunistic choices and neglected the long-term strengthening of his Fate Gentleman. White Deer Head’s steadier development allowed his Fate Gentleman to endure a major calamity.
• Slanted-Eye Dog Head is praised for his careful, broad-minded strategy. It is also revealed that he has preserved all four of his Universal Jade Pendants, while White Deer Head has used all of his.
• For completing the second round, Li Qingxian and White Deer Head receive the Physiognomic Formation Technique, completing the three basic abilities of a Fate Arts Master: Qi-Gazing Technique, Fate Reading, and Physiognomic Formation Technique.
• In the third joy, Li Qingxian chooses a martial arts opportunity rather than the other rewards: the Grand General King’s attention, an exceptional promotion, or the Middle Rank Dharma artifact Divine Army Chess.
• Fate Gentleman trains at the Heavenly Mountain Cave Abode, survives a deadly trial, receives instruction from a powerful grand martial uncle, discovers Yin-Yang Apricots, and advances to the peak of Seventh Rank.
• He is also taught the Heavenly Profound Technique and Great Annihilating Star Saber and receives the Middle Rank Dharma armor, Crocodile God Armor.
• Fate Gentleman gains a new Human Fate Star, “Tempered into Steel,” and becomes a second-rate expert among cultivators of the same rank.
• White Deer Head chooses study at the Hanlin Academy, receives Grand Confucian guidance, and also advances to Seventh Rank, though his Fate Gentleman gains slightly less than Li Qingxian’s and does not form a Human Fate Star.
• The next round begins: both contestants must choose Fate Molds and receive three Universal Jade Pendants each.

Character Development

• Li Qingxian demonstrates increasingly mature strategic judgment. He values steady cultivation and chooses the martial arts opportunity for its long-term benefits rather than pursuing a more immediately powerful artifact or promotion.
• Fate Gentleman grows from a capable survivor into a genuinely formidable martial expert. His repeated hardships, instruction from two Upper Rank Martial Cultivators, and intensive cultivation earn him a Human Fate Star and a much stronger foundation.
• White Deer Head adapts after earlier criticism. He abandons his more reckless style, chooses scholarly training, and develops through the Hanlin Academy. His judgment improves, though his gains remain slightly below Li Qingxian’s.
• Panda Head is shown to have misunderstood the importance of foundational development. His opportunistic strategy helped him through smaller dangers but left his Fate Gentleman poorly prepared for catastrophic trials.
• Slanted-Eye Dog Head earns respect for his restraint, foresight, and broad perspective, though his true identity and background remain uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Long-term preparation versus opportunism: Immediate survival tactics are insufficient against great calamities; a Fate Gentleman must be steadily tempered and strengthened.
• Hardship as refinement: Death, battle, and difficult trials become opportunities for advancement when properly endured.
• Judgment and strategic vision: Success depends not only on strength but also on recognizing which rewards and paths will produce the greatest future benefits.
• Accumulation and unexpected rewards: Li Qingxian’s greatest gains come from the interaction of chosen opportunities, prior cultivation, and the Fate Game’s reinforcing effects.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Guidance from masters and elders dramatically accelerates growth and passes down both techniques and broader traditions.
• Balance between different forms of power: Martial cultivation, scholarly learning, Fate Arts, and Dharma artifacts each offer distinct advantages.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and White Deer Head exchange restrained compliments, acknowledging each other’s strength and judgment while maintaining their rivalry.
• The Down-and-Out Marquis reunites with Fate Gentleman as master and disciple, producing an emotional celebration throughout North Sand City.
• A Grand Confucian’s intervention on White Deer Head’s side demonstrates how reputation and character can attract powerful allies.
• The Fate Arts Masters critique Panda Head and compare his approach with Slanted-Eye Dog Head’s steadier strategy.
• Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman receives instruction and gifts from his grand martial uncle, whose approval grows as the disciple proves his diligence and talent.
• At the chapter’s end, Li Qingxian and White Deer Head silently acknowledge one another before entering the Fate Mold selection round, signaling a more evenly matched continuation of their contest.

Chapter Summary: “Naturally Achieving Transcendent First-Class”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and White Deer Head begin the third and final Fate Game, each inspecting the other’s Fate Star grids.
• Li realizes the contest is likely not a simple test of Fate Star compatibility or memorized Fate Arts. He concludes that he must judge the broader balance and long-term development of a Fate Pattern.
• After analyzing the available Fate Stars, Li spends a Universal Jade Pendant to place Heaped Earth Reaches Mountain in Fate Gentleman’s Youth Fate Ground.
  • This causes Fate Gentleman to accumulate power quietly before suddenly achieving exceptional saber mastery at age twenty and entering the First-Class realm.
• A second selection of Fate Stars appears. Li considers several powerful options, including the rare and dangerous Ten Thousand Mountains Form a Vein and Sea Embraces All Rivers.
• Li rejects Ten Thousand Mountains Form a Vein because it would create an Earth-burying-Metal imbalance, potentially causing Fate Gentleman’s destiny to collapse through dangerous fate alteration.
• Instead, he chooses Treasured Sword Hides Its Edge, prioritizing balance and compatibility with the existing Fate Pattern.
• The combination of four Fate Stars produces a powerful Fate Spirit: Mountain-Womb Sword, a black mountain containing metallic power and crowned by a sword with a golden eye.
• Fate Gentleman’s existing Fate Star, Iron Pestle Grinds Needle, transforms into Breaking Cocoon, Becoming a Cone.
• Fate Gentleman’s revised life record shows him becoming a martial genius:
  • He reaches Transcendent First-Class among his peers.
  • He masters the Heavenly Profound Technique and Great Annihilating Star Saber ahead of schedule.
  • He establishes a saber-testing platform in North Sand City, wins 300 consecutive same-rank matches, and earns the title North Star Saber.
  • He ranks seventh on the Lower Three Ranks Martial Ranking.
  • The Heavenly Profound Sect recruits and heavily supports him, helping him reach Sixth Rank and build a True Altar.
• White Deer Head also selects two Fate Molds, but his Fate Gentleman’s past injuries and wasted time prevent the birth of a Fate Spirit. As a result, he remains merely ordinary First-Class, fails to enter Transcendent First-Class, and does not qualify for the Lower Rank Hanlin Academy Ranking.
• The final battle begins. The mist reveals a massive city surrounded by armies, defensive mechanisms, cultivators, and an apparently endless Demon Race assault. The Beast Bridge falls silent as the spectators recognize the gravity of the coming confrontation.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates increasingly mature Fate Arts judgment. Rather than choosing the most powerful or prestigious Fate Star, he emphasizes equilibrium, timing, and the interaction between Fate Pattern, Fate Spirit, and long-term destiny.
• Li moves beyond relying on the Heaven’s Mandate Instrument, recognizing that the decisive choices require personal insight and comprehensive understanding.
• Fate Gentleman undergoes a dramatic transformation from an unremarkable youth into a renowned martial prodigy. His development is gradual but explosive, culminating in Transcendent First-Class strength, public fame, sect recognition, and advancement to Sixth Rank.
• White Deer Head is shown to possess experience and rank, but his choices cannot overcome the damage already present in his Fate Gentleman’s life. His inability to produce a Fate Spirit leaves him clearly inferior to Li’s creation.
• The spectators and older Fate Arts Masters react emotionally to the final battlefield, suggesting that the final test carries enormous historical or personal significance.

Significant Themes

• Balance over brute power: The chapter emphasizes that the strongest Fate Star is not always the correct choice. Powerful elements must fit the existing Fate Pattern without creating destructive imbalance.
• Accumulation and breakthrough: Heaped Earth Reaches Mountain represents deep preparation followed by sudden achievement, reinforcing the value of patience and hidden development.
• The danger of altering fate: Recklessly changing a Fate Pattern can cause calamity, and only experts with sufficient control should attempt it.
• Insight versus experience: Li’s precise perception and analytical ability allow him to compete with White Deer Head’s superior rank, experience, and artifacts.
• Fate and personal cultivation: Fate Molds do not simply grant power; they reshape a person’s life path, opportunities, reputation, and future advancement.
• The importance of Fate Spirits: Creating a Fate Spirit marks the difference between ordinary excellence and a truly transcendent destiny.

Important Character Interactions

• Li and White Deer Head repeatedly observe one another’s Fate Star grids, silently acknowledging each other as serious rivals.
• Li internally compares his advantages—precise Spirit Eye perception and analytical ability—with White Deer Head’s rank, experience, knowledge, and Fate Artifacts.
• After Li’s successful choices, he looks toward White Deer Head, whose expression reveals shock and frustration at the disparity between their Fate Gentlemen.
• The stone-man leader formally announces the beginning of the final battle, shifting the contest from Fate selection and deduction to direct confrontation.
• The silent, emotional reaction of the surrounding Fate Arts Masters highlights the importance of the battlefield and raises the stakes for the conclusion of the Fate Game.

Chapter Summary: Fate Game Reappears in Champion City

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with the tragic history of Champion City, where the Worthy Crown Prince once defended the city against the Demon Race for three years before a traitor opened the gates. His capture caused one of the Four Calamities of the Taikang Era.
• On the same day, the palace examination results were announced: Zhao Yishan ranked first, Xu Chuxin second, and Zhou Chunfeng third. Their celebration was canceled by the news, and they later became known as the “Three Sons of Bingchen.”
• Emperor Taining’s fourth son, still young at the time, mourned his captured uncle and independently traveled north. He gathered scattered soldiers and defended the South Bank of the Great River, eventually becoming the Grand General King and never returning to the Divine Capital.
• Within the Fate Game, Li Qingxian and White Deer Head’s Fate Gentlemen defend a section of Champion City against endless demonic attacks. The battle continues for what feels like months, with soldiers constantly replacing those who die.
• White Deer Head’s Fate Gentleman eventually dies. Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman continues fighting, advancing to the Fifth Rank despite repeated injuries.
• The decisive moment comes when the city gates unexpectedly open. Attacked from both sides, Li Qingxian’s Fate Gentleman kills a Fourth Rank demon but dies in the process.
• With all three Fate Games complete, Li Qingxian is declared the game leader and receives the complete Fate-Seeking Arts of the Fate-Seeking Sect. White Deer Head also receives his reward and returns to the Beast Bridge.
• The Fate Arts Masters debate the result. Some Lower Rank Masters complain that the victory was not based purely on Fate Arts skill, while Middle Rank Masters praise the game for testing judgment, strategy, people, momentum, and overall understanding.
• Swallow Head presents Li Qingxian with Grandmaster Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows’s token and five Universal Jade Pendants. The token can guide a Communication Talisman Disc, while each pendant can replace Fate Materials for casting a Fate Art below Upper Rank.
• The group then begins a detailed review of the Fate Game. Li Qingxian explains that he approached the game by imagining how the grandmaster might design an examination and by searching for hidden patterns in the examiner’s intentions.
• He specifically explains why he selected a martial academy as the background for his Fate Gentleman, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different environments.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates that his greatest strength is not merely technical Fate Arts knowledge, but his ability to infer intentions, identify patterns, and think from an examiner’s perspective. His victory establishes him as someone with genuine Upper Rank potential.
• His Fate Gentleman shows exceptional endurance and growth, becoming stronger despite prolonged injuries and ultimately making a final sacrifice to kill a powerful demon.
• White Deer Head loses his Fate Gentleman, exposing a rare moment of emotional vulnerability. His reddened eyes and silence suggest grief or regret, though the precise cause is left uncertain.
• Swallow Head acts as the organizer and moderator of the post-game review. He treats Li Qingxian respectfully and helps introduce him to the conventions of advanced Fate Arts discussion.
• Grandmaster Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows remains absent but becomes increasingly important through his test, gifts, and intellectual influence. His methods reveal a broad, long-term vision of Fate Arts.
• The Fate Arts Masters shift from judging the game as a simple contest to recognizing Li Qingxian’s deeper strategic talent.

Significant Themes

• Strategy beyond technical skill: The Fate Game proves that victory depends not only on mastery of Fate Arts but also on judgment, timing, people, terrain, momentum, and wider circumstances.
• Seeing the whole board: The chapter emphasizes the importance of understanding the overall situation rather than focusing on isolated techniques or immediate gains.
• Endurance and sacrifice: The prolonged defense of Champion City highlights persistence, attrition, and the willingness to sacrifice for a larger objective.
• The nature of fate and hidden patterns: Li Qingxian’s belief that all human actions contain discernible patterns allows him to understand the grandmaster’s examination methods.
• Learning through reflection: The formal game review demonstrates that analyzing decisions afterward can produce deeper insights than merely witnessing events.
• Potential and advancement: The chapter presents Upper Rank achievement as requiring a personal path suited to each individual, rather than a single standardized method.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and White Deer Head fight side by side, united by the desperate defense of Champion City, though White Deer Head later withdraws emotionally after losing his Fate Gentleman.
• The Fate Arts Masters argue over whether Li Qingxian’s victory was fair, revealing a divide between those who value direct technical superiority and those who appreciate broader strategic ability.
• Swallow Head rewards Li Qingxian on behalf of Grandmaster Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows and establishes a respectful relationship with him.
• Guo Xiang explains the custom of Fate Game reviews, helping Li Qingxian understand his new role as game leader.
• During the review, Swallow Head questions Li Qingxian’s choices, while Li Qingxian openly explains his reasoning and begins demonstrating the mindset that allowed him to win.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and the other participants thoroughly review the ten stages of the second Little Promotion Fate Game. During the discussion, Li realizes that explaining his decisions helps him understand Fate Arts more deeply, while the guidance of other Fate Arts Masters clarifies many previously confusing concepts.
• The review lasts longer than the Fate Game itself. By the end, even those who had doubted Li’s abilities become convinced that, although his technical cultivation is not especially high, his insight into Fate Arts and Momentum Configurations is exceptional for someone of his rank.
• Asked to identify his greatest lesson, Li explains that people must recognize and follow the “great tide” of the era. However, he has also realized that an individual’s long-term effort, study, cultivation, and accumulated Human Fate Star can become an equally powerful force. If a person identifies and follows the great tide of their own life, they can steadily improve even without immediate fame or success.
• His realization impresses the assembled Fate Arts Masters. Several senior figures declare that Li possesses the potential to reach Upper Rank, while others admit that although they might have performed as well in the Fate Game, they would not necessarily have understood its deeper meaning as thoroughly as he did.
• Before leaving, Li and Guo Xiang inspect the Fate Arts Masters’ stalls. Li refuses to sell the Universal Jade Pendant, claiming it was a gift from his master.
• White Deer Head reveals his identity as Shen Xiaoyi and gives Li a bamboo name card, proposing friendship. Shen Xiaoyi is a wealthy and influential young master whose family’s merchant association is among the strongest in the south, with connections to martial artists, Literary Cultivators, and Fate Arts Masters.
• Guo Xiang advises Li to obtain Communication Talisman Discs, since his growing network will make communication increasingly difficult. The devices are rare, expensive, and often controlled by the court, but Li decides to search for several single-layer discs.
• Li receives numerous name cards from prominent figures, including Liu Laohu, who jokingly complains that betting on Li cost him more than seven thousand taels of silver. Despite the loss, Liu offers his card and friendship.
• After returning to the Night Guard Yamen, Li sleeps briefly. He is soon awakened by Han Anbo, who reports that the Divine Capital Office has undergone a sudden change.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Gains a major breakthrough in his understanding of Fate Arts. He moves beyond viewing them as techniques or spells and begins to understand them as a discipline concerned with individuals, nations, life, and the world. His insight and reputation rise sharply, and his social network expands among influential Fate Arts Masters.
• Guo Xiang: Continues acting as Li’s guide and practical adviser. He recognizes the importance of Li’s realization and warns him to prepare for the logistical demands of his growing influence.
• Shen Xiaoyi: Reveals himself as the identity behind White Deer Head. He treats Li as a promising equal and initiates a potentially valuable friendship.
• Liu Laohu: Though frustrated by his gambling losses, he respects Li and offers continued assistance, suggesting that Li’s success has earned his genuine regard.
• The senior Fate Arts Masters: Their opinion of Li changes from skepticism or condescension to admiration. They acknowledge that his conceptual understanding may surpass that of many higher-ranked practitioners.

Significant Themes

• The great tide of history and personal destiny: Individuals should recognize the direction of the broader era, but they must also cultivate the “great tide” within their own lives through persistent effort.
• Accumulation over time: Learning, diligence, and cultivation may initially appear ineffective, yet decades of steady effort can gather into transformative power.
• Insight versus technical rank: Formal cultivation level does not always determine true understanding. Li’s conceptual insight exceeds what his current rank would suggest.
• Fate Arts as a philosophy of life: Fate Arts are presented not merely as spells or combat techniques, but as a way of understanding people, nations, historical forces, and the world.
• Reputation and alliances: Li’s performance earns him introductions to influential figures, showing how achievement creates both social opportunities and political connections.

Character Interactions

• Li discusses his realization with the assembled Fate Arts Masters, earning praise from figures such as Swallow Head, Parrot Head, White Deer Head, Liu Laohu, and several Middle Rank masters.
• Shen Xiaoyi exchanges polite conversation with Li and gives him his personal name card, establishing a possible future alliance.
• Guo Xiang explains Shen’s wealth and influence, then advises Li about acquiring Communication Talisman Discs.
• Liu Laohu humorously complains about losing money because of Li but still offers his name card and support.
• In private, Guo Xiang praises Li’s understanding and quotes Master Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows: “When you stand at First Rank, you are the great tide.”
• The chapter ends with Han Anbo informing Li that the Divine Capital Office has changed, creating a new political or administrative crisis.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Anbo explains the court’s major reorganization: the Eastern and Western Depots have been abolished, and the Divine Capital Office has been transformed into the Patrol Bureau.
• The Patrol Bureau will recruit from several military and law-enforcement organizations, operate through four regional branches, and focus specifically on investigating and arresting cultivators and special forces. However, it may only act with an Inner Factory warrant.
• Li Qingxian and Han Anbo conclude that the Patrol Bureau is outwardly an ordinary bureau but secretly designed to strengthen imperial control over cultivators while avoiding public resistance. Its true influence may eventually rival the old Night Guard.
• Li travels with Han Anbo and Yu Ping to Chunfeng Residence to seek Zhou Chunfeng’s advice.
• While waiting, Li reviews the previous night’s Fate Game. Zhou Chunfeng appears and discusses Li’s learning method, the Fate Game, the Sky Insect Pill, and the future of the Night Guard.
• Li admits that he was the mysterious “Slanted-Eye Dog Head” who won the recent Fate Game. Zhou Chunfeng confirms that Guo Xiang has kept Li’s identity secret.
• Zhou critiques Li’s overly cautious decision-making, arguing that he should have selected the superior “Ten Elegant Peaks” rather than “Mountain Range Across the Divide.” Li accepts that Fate Stars should be chosen for maximum advantage when possible.
• Zhou advises Li to establish himself within the Night Guard rather than immediately seeking another organization. Though constrained by the Inner Factory, the Night Guard will retain operational independence because it serves as the empire’s blade, while the Inner Factory is merely its hilt.
• Li chooses to oversee the Northern Route Office, partly because his home lies in the north of the city. Zhou plans to transfer the former Street Patrol Office personnel there with him.
• Zhou reveals that Yan Shixiao has been transferred to the Inner Factory as Right Punishment Commissioner, placing him in charge of the Patrol Bureau and potentially the entire Night Guard in the future. Yan’s position is strengthened by his status as the adopted son of Factory Superintendent Lu.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates growing political insight, recognizing that the Patrol Bureau is a disguised instrument for controlling cultivators and understanding the power struggle between the Inner Factory and Night Guard.
• He continues to improve as a Fate Arts Master by reviewing and analyzing his Fate Game choices. He also shows humility by acknowledging Zhou’s criticism of his excessive caution.
• Li begins making practical career decisions, choosing to build influence in the Northern Route Office and maintain ties with trusted former colleagues.
• Zhou Chunfeng acts as Li’s mentor and political guide. His memories of Xu Chuxin’s tragic transformation into an insect-man reveal personal sorrow beneath his usually composed demeanor.
• Han Anbo provides Li with information about the new political structure and helps him interpret the implications of the Patrol Bureau.
• Yan Shixiao emerges as a powerful new figure whose authority connects the Patrol Bureau directly to the Inner Factory.
• Xu Chuxin’s backstory illustrates the personal cost of the war: once a top scholar, he was captured by the Demon Race, transformed through the Sky Insect Pill, and forced to betray the River Guard Army.

Significant Themes

• Political control and institutional reorganization: The empire disguises an expansion of anti-cultivator authority beneath the harmless name of “Patrol Bureau.”
• Balance of power: The Inner Factory and Night Guard are structured to restrain one another. The emperor uses both institutions while ensuring neither gains unchecked independence.
• Appearance versus reality: The Patrol Bureau appears ordinary but has an important hidden purpose; similarly, the Night Guard’s nominal subordination does not eliminate its practical autonomy.
• Caution versus ambition: Li’s cautious nature protects him but may also cause him to miss superior opportunities. Zhou urges him to recognize when bold choices are necessary.
• Learning through reflection: Li adopts a method of repeatedly reviewing new experiences, emphasizing the importance of digesting knowledge rather than merely acquiring it.
• The human cost of war and power: Xu Chuxin’s fate demonstrates how political conflict, demonic weapons, and institutional struggles can destroy individuals.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Han Anbo: They analyze the Patrol Bureau’s hidden function and agree that it may become a smaller, more specialized version of the old Night Guard.
• Li Qingxian and Zhou Chunfeng: Zhou teases Li about his Fate Game identity, praises his strengths, critiques his excessive caution, and advises him on his future position.
• Li Qingxian and Zhou Chunfeng on Xu Chuxin: Their conversation reveals Zhou’s regret over his former fellow scholar and introduces the danger of the Sky Insect Pill.
• Li Qingxian and Zhou Chunfeng on the Night Guard: Zhou persuades Li that remaining in the Night Guard is strategically wise because the organization will retain autonomy despite Inner Factory oversight.
• Zhou Chunfeng and Li regarding Yan Shixiao: Zhou explains Yan’s new authority and political connections, warning Li of the changing hierarchy within the Patrol Bureau and Inner Factory.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Chunfeng advises Li Qingxian to maintain a cautious middle distance from Yan Shixiao, who will oversee the Patrol Bureau on behalf of the Inner Factory.
• The emperor’s upcoming sixtieth birthday is expected to trigger a major attack by Nether Mountain in Divine Capital. The newly established Patrol Bureau is ordered to eliminate Nether Mountain’s forces before the celebrations.
• Zhou explains the origins and divisions of the anti-Great Qi Heaven-Turning Society:
  • Nether Mountain seeks to overthrow Great Qi and assassinate the emperor, using extreme methods.
  • The Mud Society split from the same organization but now primarily opposes the Devil Sect rather than the imperial family.
  • The Devil Sect, despite being officially powerful and connected to the Ministry of Justice, is notorious for cruel demonic cultivation and for creating “Dead Devil Lands” by destroying entire regions.
• Zhou instructs Li to kill Nether Mountain members whenever possible, but secretly assist the Mud Society if doing so safely. He warns Li not to confront the Devil Sect openly and to avoid leaving evidence.
• Zhou promises to help Li obtain the position of deputy office head, elevating him to the equivalent of a Seventh Rank official.
• Li seeks guidance from Zhou Chunfeng and Zhou Hen on Qi-Meridian Construction, learning both Daoist and Martial Cultivator perspectives.
• Qi-Meridian Construction involves building meridians through seven body regions, modeled on the flow and momentum of rivers. Li realizes that ordinary rivers are insufficient as a foundation and, through a dream, discovers the River of Fate Under Heaven.
• Using his Spirit Eye, Li perceives the entire world as a vast network of flowing Fate and Fortune currents. He concludes that this cosmic river will form the basis of his Qi-Meridian Construction.
• The Divine Capital Office is formally renamed the Patrol Bureau. Its organizational structure is expanded into four route halls, with multiple offices and divisions under each.
• Zhou Chunfeng becomes Chief Director, Yan Shixiao becomes chief military supervisor, and Zhou Hen is promoted to deputy chief director.
• Li becomes deputy head of the North Route Left Office, head of A Division, and captain of Jia-Nine Office, while Jia-Nine Office itself remains unchanged.
• Zhong Baishan is transferred into the North Route Left Office, though he appears pale and troubled.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes more politically and militarily important through his promotion. He must now balance loyalty to Zhou Chunfeng, caution toward Yan Shixiao, hostility toward Nether Mountain, and covert sympathy for the Mud Society.
• Li’s cultivation advances conceptually. His dreams and Fate Arts lead him to a major insight: the meridians should be constructed by observing the River of Fate Under Heaven rather than a physical river.
• Zhou Chunfeng reveals his deep hatred of the Devil Sect and his practical understanding of the political conflicts between the Night Guard, Ministry of Justice, Inner Factory, Nether Mountain, and Mud Society. He acts as Li’s mentor and protector.
• Zhou Hen gains an official position appropriate to his Fourth Rank martial cultivation, becoming a deputy chief director.
• Yan Shixiao gains substantial authority as the Inner Factory’s chief military supervisor, but his formal role is limited to transmitting orders rather than directly interfering with operations.
• Zhong Baishan enters Li’s new chain of command, creating a potentially significant future relationship.

Significant Themes

• Political ambiguity and divided loyalties: The Mud Society, Nether Mountain, Devil Sect, Night Guard, Ministry of Justice, and Inner Factory all have overlapping enemies and shifting interests. Official classifications do not necessarily reflect moral reality.
• Pragmatism versus idealism: Zhou’s instructions emphasize survival and secrecy—help allies covertly, destroy irreconcilable enemies, and avoid giving powerful organizations evidence to use against you.
• Institutional power and surveillance: The Patrol Bureau’s creation reflects the growing influence of the Inner Factory and the emperor’s effort to impose military supervision across government offices.
• Cultivation through perception and insight: Li’s breakthrough comes not from rote instruction but from dreams, intuition, Fate Arts, and his ability to perceive the world’s deeper structure.
• The world as a living flow: The River of Fate Under Heaven symbolizes how nations, regions, people, and political forces move as interconnected currents.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Chunfeng gives Li political advice about Yan Shixiao and the various factions threatening Great Qi.
• He warns Li to avoid direct conflict with the Devil Sect while encouraging covert cooperation with the Mud Society.
• Li questions Zhou about his hatred of the Devil Sect and connects it to Zhou’s earlier willingness to help You Fei.
• Zhou teaches Li the basics of Qi-Meridian Construction but cautions him not to disturb You Fei, who is advancing her own cultivation.
• Li then consults Zhou Hen, receiving a martial perspective on the same cultivation process.
• The chapter ends with Li taking his place within the newly reorganized Patrol Bureau, surrounded by familiar allies, new superiors, and possible future political complications.

Chapter Summary: Taking Office as Division Chief: Speaking Plain Truth

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Yan Shixiao’s departure, Zhou Chunfeng instructs the newly appointed officials to return to their offices and prepare for the Inner Factory’s orders.
• Li Qingxian reports to the newly renamed Northern Route Left Patrol Office, whose chief, Cao Ming, is an old acquaintance and former subordinate of Zhou Chunfeng.
• Cao Ming’s warm treatment of Li, contrasted with his sternness toward others, immediately signals Li’s elevated status. The office’s supervising eunuch, Fei Yan, reinforces this by openly favoring Li and accompanying him to inspect the Left Office.
• Fei Yan’s closeness to Li causes the other officials—especially Zhong Baishan—to become nervous and cautious. He Lei, the office chief, is relieved because Fei Yan’s presence will help control the newly assembled personnel.
• Addressing more than four hundred members of the Patrol Office, Li declares that they are the Emperor’s blade and must obey only the Emperor’s commands.
• Li then requests that Zhong Baishan be transferred from B Division to A Division, effectively placing him under Li’s direct authority. Zhong is terrified, recognizing this as punishment for his earlier behavior.
• As chief of A Division, Li delivers a stern speech. He presents himself as outwardly kind but warns that anyone who violates regulations will face ruthless consequences.
• He repeatedly makes the division shout their acknowledgment until their response becomes forceful and unified, using the exercise to build discipline and fighting spirit.
• During the afternoon meeting, Li delegates nearly all of his practical responsibilities:
  • Instructor Dong Ying takes charge of daily training.
  • Deputy Division Chief Feng Shimo handles supervision.
  • Han Anbo temporarily manages miscellaneous affairs.
• With the division’s affairs efficiently arranged, Li announces that he will focus on Fate Arts, assisting the Night Guard, and helping bear the Emperor’s burdens.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian firmly establishes himself as an authoritative but pragmatic leader. Although he claims to be kind and shy, he demonstrates that he can intimidate subordinates and enforce discipline decisively.
• He shows little interest in seizing power for himself, instead delegating responsibilities to capable subordinates. This earns the approval of instructors and squad leaders.
• Cao Ming openly supports Li, signaling their personal connection and Li’s backing within the Northern Route Office.
• Fei Yan becomes one of Li’s strongest supporters. His public friendliness toward Li makes Li’s political importance clear to everyone.
• Zhong Baishan becomes increasingly fearful. After being transferred into Li’s division, he realizes that Li remembers their past conflict and intends to keep him under close supervision.
• He Lei gains confidence in maintaining order within the reorganized Patrol Office because of Li and Fei Yan’s influence.
• Han Anbo is entrusted with important administrative duties, showing Li’s confidence in his reliability.
• Yu Ping is accommodated according to his physical limitations, while Zheng Gaojue is encouraged to pursue rigorous training and reach Entry Rank before age twenty. Li also notices Zheng’s resemblance to Zheng Hui.

Significant Themes

• Authority and political influence: Li’s position is strengthened not merely by his formal rank but by his relationships with Zhou Chunfeng, Cao Ming, and Fei Yan. Public displays of favor shape how others treat him.
• Loyalty to the Emperor: Li defines the Patrol Bureau as the Emperor’s weapon, insisting that its members recognize no authority above the Emperor.
• Leadership through delegation: Rather than monopolizing authority, Li assigns responsibilities according to each subordinate’s abilities, creating an efficient chain of command.
• Discipline and military unity: The repeated shouted response transforms a passive group into a coordinated force, emphasizing morale, obedience, and collective confidence.
• Kindness versus ruthlessness: Li cultivates an image of warmth and fairness while making clear that violations of duty will be punished without hesitation.
• Adaptation and reorganization: The chapter reflects the Patrol Office’s transition under Inner Factory oversight, with eunuchs limiting its former autonomy and reshaping its internal hierarchy.

Character Interactions

• Li and Cao Ming: Their familiarity and Cao Ming’s public warmth show a relationship built through shared history and Zhou Chunfeng’s network.
• Li and Fei Yan: Fei Yan treats Li with unusual respect and affection, publicly elevating his status and causing others to reassess him.
• Li and He Lei: Li relies on He Lei to carry out organizational changes, particularly Zhong Baishan’s transfer, while He Lei appreciates Li’s stabilizing influence.
• Li and Zhong Baishan: Their interaction is indirect but threatening. Li uses his authority to place Zhong under his command, while Zhong recognizes that he is being disciplined.
• Li and A Division: Li balances reassurance with intimidation, presenting himself as reasonable while demanding absolute obedience.
• Li and Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and Zheng Gaojue: Li assigns each a role suited to their abilities, showing personal attentiveness and a practical understanding of leadership.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian jokingly—or perhaps excessively sincerely—praises the emperor and writes a fawning interpretation of His Majesty’s recent address, emphasizing that all cultivators must obey imperial authority.
• He studies the complete inheritance of the Fate-Seeking Sect and discovers that it includes numerous secret arts, Fate Artifact techniques, and even the forging method for the sect’s legendary guardian artifact, the Seeking Immortal Bee.
• Impressed by Master Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows’s apparent trust in him, Li Qingxian gathers the necessary materials and successfully forges a Seeking Immortal Bee. He also rents a house, buys eight ordinary Fate Stars, and continues researching Fate-Seeking Arts.
• The Patrol Bureau is ordered to launch a large-scale campaign before the emperor’s sixtieth birthday, supposedly to suppress rebel traitors who intend to disrupt the celebrations.
• Li Qingxian’s office is assigned to investigate Northchang County. He and Jing Guan lead Sections A and B, roughly two hundred men, while Office Head He Lei takes Sections C and D to Northshun County.
• At Northchang County, Li climbs a tree to scout the area and uses the Layout Assessment Art to inspect its Momentum Configurations.
• He discovers hundreds of overlapping Momentum Configuration Clouds belonging to royal clans, powerful noble families, and other influential forces. Northchang’s own local configuration is weak and suppressed beneath the power of the capital’s great houses.
• Jing Guan suggests that He Lei may have intentionally avoided Northchang because the county is controlled by powerful families from the Divine Capital and is unlikely to produce meaningful results—or because confronting its interests would be dangerous.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian continues adapting to bureaucratic life, deliberately cultivating the image of a loyal and proper official. His imperial praise is so exaggerated that Yu Ping remarks he is becoming increasingly like a genuine bureaucrat.
• His mastery of Fate Arts advances significantly. He gains access to a sect’s foundational knowledge, successfully forges the Seeking Immortal Bee, and demonstrates an unusual ability to perceive Momentum Configuration Clouds directly—something even Grand Fate Arts Masters normally cannot do.
• Li also shows greater caution and strategic awareness. Rather than rushing into Northchang, he scouts the county, studies its power structure, and questions why his superior assigned others elsewhere.
• Jing Guan acts as a more experienced and pragmatic companion. He understands the political risks surrounding Northchang and recognizes the likely motives behind the mission assignments.
• He Lei is portrayed indirectly as possibly avoiding a politically sensitive region.
• Master Seeking Flowers, Asking Willows appears increasingly generous and trusting toward Li by secretly including the Seeking Immortal Bee’s forging method in the inheritance.

Significant Themes

• Imperial loyalty and political hypocrisy: The official campaign is framed as an effort to protect the emperor’s birthday, while Li’s exaggerated praise satirizes the performative loyalty expected from officials.
• Power behind appearances: Northchang seems like an ordinary county, but its true structure is dominated by royal and aristocratic interests from the capital.
• Fate, political power, and perception: Li’s ability to directly see Momentum Configuration Clouds gives him an advantage in understanding hidden alliances and conflicts that ordinary Fate Arts practitioners cannot accurately detect.
• Institutional corruption and exploitation: Northchang’s wealthy families were destroyed or absorbed by capital-based clans, while its mineral resources continued to be privately exploited through local intermediaries.
• Trust and inheritance: The Fate-Seeking Sect’s willingness to share its foundational techniques contrasts with the oppressive control exercised by more powerful sects and political factions.

Character Interactions

• Yu Ping and Li Qingxian exchange teasing remarks about Li’s constant invocation of the emperor and his increasingly official manner.
• Han Anbo silently encourages Li by giving him an approving thumbs-up.
• Li and Han Anbo work together practically, with Han arranging the purchase of Fate Materials.
• Li and Jing Guan discuss the mission and the political reality of Northchang. Jing confirms that the county is deeply connected to the capital’s powerful families, while Li questions whether He Lei deliberately avoided it.
• The chapter ends with Li and Jing interpreting the county’s hidden power structure, foreshadowing a mission complicated more by political interests than by ordinary rebels.

Chapter Summary: “Respectable People Go Through the Motions”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and Jing Guan arrive in Northchang County under orders to uncover rebel traitors connected to Mud Shrine Nether Mountain. However, they have no evidence or leads, and the local forces are too numerous and politically entangled for a secret investigation.
• Jing Guan explains that officials normally choose either a symbolic, “respectable” search—showing authority without causing real disruption—or an aggressive search that risks offending powerful local figures. Since the investigators are relatively low-ranking and Northchang is politically complicated, they decide to make a public display while conducting a covert investigation through local channels.
• Li proposes displaying the authority of the Inner Factory, Night Guard, and Patrol Bureau. He intends to use local constables to gather information, while also trying to determine who in the county is not connected to the suspected rebel network.
• At the Northchang County Office, Li takes a commanding position and publicly warns Magistrate Yin Shuli and the local officials that the Emperor’s authority supersedes all local patrons. Jing Guan reinforces Li’s threat by declaring that Li’s orders represent the Inner Factory.
• Li tells the officials that the Patrol Bureau needs to establish its reputation and warns them not to obstruct the investigation. Yin Shuli and the other officials formally promise to cooperate.
• Rather than disrupt the county’s administration entirely, Li takes control of the arresting shift and part of the strongmen shift, leaving ordinary administrative operations intact. He learns that although the county’s official staffing quota is under one hundred, more than a thousand runners actually serve there, revealing the scale of Northchang’s bureaucratic bloat.
• After settling his men for the night, Li meets privately with Han Anbo to discuss further plans.
• The next morning, Northchang’s gentry send invitations for a welcoming banquet. Li refuses to attend, claiming that he is at a critical stage in cultivating Fate Arts, and sends Jing Guan in his place.
• Li instructs Jing Guan to visit the mining inspector, another palace eunuch, but advises him not to contact the nearby North Prosper Guard unless military assistance becomes necessary.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates growing political awareness. He recognizes that brute-force investigation would be dangerous and instead combines public intimidation with behind-the-scenes inquiry. He also becomes more confident in using his reputation and official authority.
• Li clarifies his personal priorities, stating that he considers himself a Fate Arts Master before an official. He deliberately avoids social entanglements and refuses to become involved in local factional politics.
• Jing Guan acts as Li’s pragmatic adviser and political intermediary. He understands the realities of dealing with Northchang’s powerful local networks and willingly handles public relations and formal visits.
• Magistrate Yin Shuli appears outwardly cooperative but is clearly uneasy. He immediately recognizes Li’s threat and uses the opportunity to shift responsibility for the county’s oversized staff onto the newcomers.
• The Northchang officials and gentry are portrayed as cautious, politically connected, and accustomed to operating within a tangled local power structure.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus substance: The investigation must appear forceful and legitimate even though the investigators lack concrete leads. Public displays of authority serve to satisfy political expectations while covert efforts pursue the real objective.
• Imperial authority versus local power: Li asserts that no local patron, however influential, outranks the Emperor. The chapter highlights the tension between central government agents and entrenched county interests.
• Political survival and compromise: Li avoids indiscriminate action because Northchang’s networks are dangerous. He seeks a middle path that preserves the county’s stability while allowing his team to investigate.
• Official duty versus personal identity: Li’s decision to avoid the banquet reflects his growing preference for cultivation and practical work over ceremonial duties and social maneuvering.
• Bureaucratic corruption and inefficiency: The county’s enormous unofficial workforce reveals how inflated and potentially compromised local administration has become.

Character Interactions

• Li and Jing exchange strategic advice, balancing Li’s bold public posture with Jing’s experience and caution.
• Li confronts Yin Shuli and the county officials, using veiled threats to force their cooperation.
• Yin responds submissively and pressures the other officials to follow his example.
• Li delegates diplomacy to Jing, asking him to represent the mission at the gentry’s banquet and visit the mining inspector.
• Li and Han Anbo hold a private planning discussion, suggesting that a more organized investigation is about to begin.

Chapter Summary: “Planting Covert Pawns with Fate Arts”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian gathers forty-three constables and 370 laborers at the county yamen to identify possible covert agents and useful recruits among them.
• Using his Spirit Eye, Fate Arts, and Heaven’s Mandate Instrument, he examines their destinies. Ten individuals have fates he cannot read, marking them as potentially suspicious.
• He questions the workers and constables individually with Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and Zheng Gaojue. During the interrogation, Li exposes Cui Baiyang’s corrupt dealings and personal history, frightening him into submission.
• Li offers Cui Baiyang protection and the status of a Dark Guard in exchange for secretly investigating rebel factions. Cui agrees, and Li orders him to communicate only through Han Anbo. Li also gives him a Calamity-Warding Talisman.
• After two days of questioning and reviewing testimonies, Li recruits seven reliable local Dark Guards: three constables and four runners or laborers.
• The recruits confirm that rebel factions do exist in Northchang County, although no one knows their identities. Li and Han Anbo begin personally surveying the county.
• Northchang is prosperous but lawless, dominated by wealthy clans and arrogant elites. Li witnesses several violent conflicts and notices unusual Momentum Configuration Clouds in certain locations.
• Li and Han spot personnel dressed in the recognizable blue-black uniforms of the Ministry of Justice. Suspecting that the ministry has also received intelligence about the rebels, Li orders an investigation into its local agents.
• The investigator sent to observe the Ministry of Justice is soon found dead, apparently killed by demonic arts. His Night Guard token is missing.
• The chapter ends with Li, Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and Zheng Gaojue going to inspect the corpse.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates increasing mastery and confidence in Fate Arts. He uses destiny-reading not merely to investigate criminals but to recruit and control covert agents.
• Li shows a pragmatic and calculating side by selecting Cui Baiyang precisely because his attachment to his family makes him unlikely to betray his new master recklessly.
• His limited supply of Fortune Fish becomes a significant concern. He realizes that he cannot use them to foresee every danger, and the investigator’s death exposes the limits of his abilities.
• Cui Baiyang shifts from a corrupt, frightened constable to a secret operative. His fear of exposure and desire to protect his household make him obedient, though his loyalty is based largely on self-preservation.
• Han Anbo functions as Li’s trusted intermediary and remains calm during the interrogation. He also shows practical knowledge of official uniforms and local intelligence.
• Yu Ping and Zheng Gaojue are impressed by Li’s methods, particularly his ability to uncover details no ordinary investigator could know.
• Li’s anger at the murdered investigator reveals that, despite his calculating methods, he feels responsibility toward those serving under him.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus uncertainty: Fate Arts provide powerful insight, but even Li cannot predict every consequence. Strong Fate Molds, external forces, and demonic techniques can obscure or alter destiny.
• The cost of limited power: Fortune Fish are valuable and scarce, forcing Li to balance caution against resource conservation.
• Covert warfare and manipulation: Intelligence gathering depends on secrecy, leverage, and carefully chosen pawns rather than open confrontation.
• Fear as a tool of control: Li wins Cui Baiyang’s cooperation by exposing his hidden crimes and demonstrating that resistance is impossible.
• Corruption and social inequality: Northchang’s wealth and prosperity coexist with lawlessness, where powerful families and strong servants bully ordinary people.
• The hidden reach of demonic sects: The investigator’s death confirms that the rebel or demonic factions are organized, dangerous, and capable of striking back.

Character Interactions

• Li interrogates Cui Baiyang directly, revealing his family tragedies and corruption before offering him a choice between service and exposure.
• Han Anbo reinforces Li’s authority by instructing Cui to show gratitude and later becomes his sole contact within the Dark Guard network.
• Li’s supernatural display—cleaning the dust from Cui’s knees and forehead with mana—deepens Cui’s respect and fear.
• Li and Han Anbo discuss the significance of the Ministry of Justice’s uniforms and whether its presence indicates competing intelligence operations.
• After the investigator’s death, Han Anbo reports the incident while Li reflects on whether he could have prevented it. Their exchange emphasizes both their partnership and the growing danger of the investigation.
• The chapter concludes with the group united at the morgue, preparing to examine the evidence of the enemy’s retaliation.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Hatred and Vengeance for a Subordinate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Anbo examines a dead Night Guard and finds marks indicating that the man was seized, bound, and interrogated. The evidence suggests involvement by the Ministry of Justice, though framing by Nether Mountain or another faction remains possible.
• Li Qingxian performs the Hatred-Seeking Vengeance Arts, using the corpse’s hair, blood, eye, skin, and other materials to reconstruct the victim’s final memories.
• The ritual reveals that a young Seventh Rank martial official from the Ministry of Justice, a direct disciple of Devil-Transforming Mountain, had the Night Guard restrained and killed after accusing the Night Guard of trying to steal the Ministry’s credit.
• Li recognizes the official as the same man who previously crippled Zheng Hui and Yu Ping and confronted Li outside Fengxiang Silk Shop.
• After erasing the traces of the ritual, Li reports the discovery to Jing Guan. Jing explains that Devil-Transforming Mountain is closely tied to the emperor and is therefore extremely powerful and difficult to challenge.
• Jing advises Li to let the Ministry of Justice take the credit rather than provoke a dangerous conflict. He dismisses the dead Night Guard’s murder as an ordinary consequence of factional struggles, suggesting that Li merely send money to the victim’s family.
• Li then asks about the major powers in Northchang County. Jing identifies the imperial court, Prince Qing’s faction, Devil Sects, Evil Sects, martial lineages, and influential officials as the main groups competing over the county’s mines.
• The discussion reveals that even supposedly “legal” factions, including Chief Minister Zhao’s network, profit from the mines, while many others use illegal private mining because those who obey the rules often suffer losses.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates advanced Fate Arts and careful investigative ability. His successful reconstruction of the murder gives him direct proof of the Ministry of Justice’s involvement.
• Li’s reaction shows growing loyalty to his fellow Night Guards. Unlike Jing Guan, he is disturbed by the victim’s abandonment and refuses to regard the death as merely routine.
• Li also becomes more politically aware, recognizing that the murder is connected to the broader power struggle among the court, Devil Sects, princes, and mining interests.
• Jing Guan appears pragmatic and politically cautious. He understands the danger of confronting Devil-Transforming Mountain and prioritizes institutional survival over justice for an individual subordinate.
• Jing’s trembling voice and careful explanation reveal his fear of the emperor’s influence and the enormous power behind Devil-Transforming Mountain.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus political survival: Li wants accountability for the murdered Night Guard, while Jing argues that practical politics requires accepting the injustice.
• Institutional corruption and factional competition: Northchang County is portrayed as a battlefield where powerful groups compete for wealth and influence through both legal and illegal means.
• The expendability of lower-ranking officials: The dead Night Guard is treated as one of many disposable casualties, highlighting the indifference of powerful institutions.
• Hidden alliances and imperial control: Devil-Transforming Mountain’s submission to the emperor demonstrates how religious and demonic factions can be incorporated into the political structure while retaining their arrogance and independence.
• The hypocrisy of legality: Even lawful enterprises are shown to generate profit, but powerful factions still pursue illegal mining because rule-following is seen as disadvantageous.

Character Interactions

• Han Anbo and Li Qingxian: Han provides the initial forensic interpretation, while Li uses Fate Arts to uncover the truth.
• Li and the murdered Night Guard’s spirit: Through the ritual, Li temporarily reconstructs the victim’s final experience and responds with silent anger and sympathy.
• Li and Jing Guan: Li challenges Jing’s passive acceptance of the killing, while Jing attempts to temper Li’s sense of justice with political caution.
• Li and the Ministry official: Although they do not meet directly in the present, the official’s past cruelty toward Zheng Hui and Yu Ping connects him personally to Li and intensifies Li’s hostility.
• Jing Guan and the wider political factions: Jing’s explanations establish the relationships among the emperor, Devil-Transforming Mountain, Prince Qing, Chief Minister Zhao, and the various groups profiting from Northchang County’s mines.