Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The Allure of Power”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing returns to the Xilin office and reviews recent case files, intelligence reports, and stability-maintenance plans.
• He is particularly dissatisfied with Zhou Mu’s vague and slow progress on the “724 Theft Case,” suspecting that the delay may reflect more than incompetence.
• Secret intelligence reveals:
  • Sun He has purchased large amounts of earth-element materials and may be commissioning cultivation-enhancing pills.
  • Zhou Mu has avoided direct contact with colleagues for three months and is operating near the Heavenly Spring–Red River border.
  • Yang Hong has been gathering extensive information on border society and local conditions.
• Yang Wenqing questions Yang Tian about the activities of Gu Yan and Nian Qian, confirming that both have been heavily involved in communication infrastructure and border research.
• He interrogates a young guard, Wu Qing, about the Third Section’s three main border strategies:
  1. Establishing joint defense lines to deter armed forces.
  2. Dividing and weakening hostile tribes through alliances, trade benefits, and aid.
  3. Providing grain and work-for-relief programs to stabilize refugees.
• Yang Wenqing studies the department’s plans in detail so he will be prepared for the next leadership meeting.
• He contacts Yu Zhou to clarify operational details, then calls Yang Hong and orders him to return soon to give an in-person report.
• Gu Yan presents his informal field-research materials. Yang Wenqing praises the work, orders him to turn it into a formal report, and promises to recommend him for commendation and promotion if he performs well.
• Yang Wenqing later makes tea with Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam, contacts his younger sister Yang Wenning, and invites her to join him through a future transfer.
• After returning to his quarters, he receives a communication from Jiang Wan, setting up the chapter’s next interaction.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing reasserts himself as a highly capable and methodical leader. He rapidly familiarizes himself with every aspect of the Third Section’s operations, records key information in his private notebook, and carefully evaluates both official reports and personnel.
• He demonstrates political awareness by identifying useful subordinates, gathering intelligence on possible internal risks, and using commendations and promotions to motivate Gu Yan.
• Zhou Mu becomes increasingly suspicious in Yang Wenqing’s eyes because of his vague reports, prolonged absence, and shifting communication locations.
• Gu Yan proves hardworking, observant, and ambitious. Though he modestly downplays his research, his detailed materials impress Yang Wenqing and earn him the possibility of promotion.
• Yang Tian is shown to be adaptable and attentive to Yang Wenqing’s priorities, providing concise and useful information.
• Wu Qing demonstrates competence and quick thinking by clearly explaining the department’s current strategies.
• Yang Hong continues a serious research assignment focused on border demographics, geography, security, and resource allocation.
• Yang Wenning eagerly accepts Yang Wenqing’s offer to join him, strengthening their sibling relationship.
• Frostglow Madam acts as an observant, skeptical companion. Her comment about Yang Wenqing giving Gu Yan “nothing” while gaining his gratitude highlights her awareness of power dynamics.
• Lan Ying remains affectionate and playful, adding warmth to Yang Wenqing’s otherwise highly political and administrative life.

3. Significant Themes

• The allure and mechanics of power: Yang Wenqing openly recognizes that authority allows leaders to inspire loyalty through opportunities, praise, and promotion rather than direct rewards. Gu Yan’s gratitude despite receiving only additional work illustrates this principle.
• Leadership through information: The chapter emphasizes the importance of studying reports, verifying details, tracking personnel, and understanding local conditions before making decisions.
• Political control and stability: Border security depends not only on military force but also on alliances, economic incentives, refugee relief, and social management.
• Trust and suspicion within organizations: Yang Wenqing evaluates colleagues as carefully as he evaluates external threats, especially Zhou Mu and Sun He.
• Merit, ambition, and hierarchy: Gu Yan’s potential promotion shows how institutional recognition can motivate subordinates and reinforce loyalty.
• Family and emotional balance: Despite his intense administrative work, Yang Wenqing maintains close relationships with Yang Wenning, Lan Ying, and Frostglow Madam, providing a contrast to the chapter’s strategic atmosphere.

4. Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Yang Tian: Yang Wenqing tests Yang Tian’s awareness of staff activities; Yang Tian responds efficiently and demonstrates loyalty.
• Yang Wenqing and Wu Qing: He evaluates Wu Qing’s competence by asking her to explain the section’s stability-maintenance priorities, then requests all supporting files.
• Yang Wenqing and Yu Zhou: Their lengthy call is practical and professional, with Yu Zhou answering detailed questions honestly and thoroughly.
• Yang Wenqing and Yang Hong: He receives Yang Hong’s field report and directs him to return for a personal briefing.
• Yang Wenqing and Gu Yan: Their meeting combines evaluation, encouragement, and manipulation. Yang Wenqing praises Gu Yan’s work, assigns him a more formal task, and uses the promise of promotion to increase his motivation.
• Yang Wenqing and Frostglow Madam: Their exchange directly frames the chapter’s central idea: power can make people grateful for opportunities that also serve the leader’s interests.
• Yang Wenqing and Yang Wenning: Their affectionate conversation shows sibling closeness, and Yang Wenning readily agrees to transfer and assist him.
• Yang Wenqing, Lan Ying, and Frostglow Madam: The tea scene offers a quiet domestic interlude, emphasizing the trust and companionship among them before Jiang Wan’s communication interrupts the evening.

Chapter Summary: “Return to a Normal Schedule”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing wakes at 6:30 a.m. after a quiet night of cultivation and resumes his normal daily routine.
• He practices the newly learned Sun-Shaking Roar, first producing a powerful sound wave and then refining it into a quieter but more penetrating attack. The training-ground formations struggle to neutralize it.
• Lan Ying imitates the technique, discovering that her sharp cry can directly disrupt an opponent’s Spirit Sea. Yang Wenqing recognizes that her Night Owl nature may make her especially suited to spiritual attacks.
• Yang Wenqing summons twelve Woodland Soldiers from rune-inscribed soybeans and tests their combat formations. Their current strength is limited—roughly equivalent to Qi Refinement cultivators—but they may become much stronger after he reaches the Third Realm.
• After training, Frostglow Madam decides Lan Ying should remain home to cultivate rather than accompany Yang Wenqing to work.
• Yang Wenqing eats a substantial breakfast with Yang Tian, enjoying ordinary food after a long period of neglecting such pleasures.
• He returns to the bureau and resumes his official duties. Bao Fan briefs him on several upcoming interprovincial meetings and administrative responsibilities.
• Bao Fan also reports that he has compiled evidence concerning forty-seven smuggling cases involving members of the Fifth Section and prepared witness testimony implicating officials from the Third and Fifth Sections.
• Yang Wenqing signs an order requiring local authorities to reinvestigate the cases. He instructs Bao Fan to handle the matter as an internal rectification and ensure the accused remain alive until the investigations are complete.
• The chapter ends with Yang Wenqing waiting for the bureau’s regular meeting, having fully returned to his official schedule.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates greater mastery and precision over his techniques, especially by discovering that a lower-powered Sun-Shaking Roar can have superior penetrating ability. He also shows increasing tactical awareness through repeated testing and adjustment.
• He begins reconnecting with ordinary human habits, particularly eating breakfast and enjoying the physical and emotional comfort of food.
• As Director, he adopts a measured and authoritative leadership style: he delegates routine matters, personally handles only high-level responsibilities, and avoids premature direct confrontation with corrupt officials.
• Lan Ying rapidly learns from Yang Wenqing and develops her own version of the sound-based technique. Her cry proves capable of disturbing the Spirit Sea, suggesting strong innate combat potential. She also shows childish attachment and reluctance to be separated from him.
• Frostglow Madam acts as both Lan Ying’s mother and her cultivation supervisor. She recognizes the practical value of Lan Ying’s technique and takes responsibility for guiding her training.
• Bao Fan proves efficient, well-prepared, and loyal. He has already organized evidence and drafted official documents before Yang Wenqing’s approval.
• Yang Tian continues to serve Yang Wenqing attentively, assisting him with both household matters and his transition back into bureau life.

3. Significant Themes

• Returning to normalcy: Yang Wenqing balances cultivation, family life, meals, and bureaucratic work, signaling a transition from extraordinary events back to routine responsibilities.
• Refinement over brute force: The chapter emphasizes that careful control and efficiency can make a technique more effective than simply increasing its power.
• Cultivation as experimentation: Yang Wenqing and Lan Ying improve through repeated trials, observation, and adjustment rather than relying solely on raw strength.
• Family and companionship: Lan Ying’s dependence on Yang Wenqing and Frostglow Madam’s care provide warmth and domestic intimacy amid the political and martial setting.
• Authority and justice: Yang Wenqing uses his position to investigate corruption while avoiding rash punishment, insisting that evidence be conclusively established before further action.
• Limits and future potential: The Woodland Soldiers and Lan Ying’s abilities show that current strength may be modest, but cultivation and refinement promise significant future growth.

4. Character Interactions

• Frostglow Madam gently wakes Lan Ying and later supervises her training, highlighting their close mother-daughter bond.
• Lan Ying affectionately calls Yang Wenqing “Qingqing,” rests against him, asks for praise, and protests indirectly when told she must stay home.
• Yang Wenqing encourages Lan Ying’s experimentation and praises her success, strengthening their mentor-like and affectionate relationship.
• Yang Tian respectfully serves Yang Wenqing breakfast and accompanies him to the bureau, reflecting his loyalty and the formal household hierarchy.
• Bureau personnel salute Yang Wenqing as he passes, reinforcing his authority and restored public role.
• Bao Fan gives Yang Wenqing a formal briefing, receives instructions, and carries out his directives concerning meetings and corruption investigations.
• Yang Wenqing deliberately keeps his distance from the implicated section chiefs, choosing administrative investigation over personal confrontation.

Chapter Summary: Routine Division Meeting, Encountering Zhu Sheng’s Puppet Again

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing attends a virtual bureau meeting through the formation in his badge, using a spiritual barrier to conceal the meeting’s fluctuations.
• The meeting is presided over by Huang Pei, director of the Major Crimes Office, with the directors of the six sections and several deputy directors present.
• Huang Pei criticizes the bureau over three issues:
  1. Poor promotion of newly issued foreign-related and cross-border fugitive regulations.
  2. Delays in resolving several major cases, especially Han Beiwang’s nearly year-long operation against two Demon Clan strongholds.
  3. Poor coordination between sections and overlapping jurisdictions.
• Each section gives its monthly report. Yang Wenqing reports that Third Section solved seven of eleven cases, seized contraband worth over sixty million, arrested thirty-one suspects, recovered three foreign fugitives, assisted with an internal investigation, and established border defenses in cooperation with four western provinces.
• Third Section’s progress in training personnel on the new regulations is also highlighted, including roughly 150 trained officers and plans to extend the program to every border county within six months.
• After the meeting, Zhou Heming invites Yang Wenqing to meet privately, suggesting a possible future alliance or closer relationship.
• Back in his office, Yang Wenqing begins arranging several administrative matters:
  • Filling Third Section’s vacant deputy director position.
  • Processing his sister Yang Wenning’s transfer.
  • Continuing implementation of the new regulations.
• He orders Gu Yan to transfer Yang Wenning to Third Section as an independent investigator.
• Yang Wenqing consults Liang Chuan about the vacant deputy director position and receives permission to choose the candidate himself.
• He then asks Bao Fan to have the Archives Office investigate Chu Tian, deputy director of the Major Crimes Division in Zhongji Province, as a possible candidate.
• A mysterious merchant arrives at the compound’s gate, claiming to have met Yang Wenqing twice in Spirit Coral County while “discussing the Dao.”
• Yang Wenqing suspects the visitor may be another puppet of Zhu Sheng. Although the man has no cultivation, his life aura is unnaturally stable, making him appear both completely ordinary and distinctly abnormal.
• Yang allows the mysterious visitor into the compound and contacts his grand-uncle master, Qian Xin, for assistance. The chapter ends just as the communication connects.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates growing authority and confidence as Third Section’s director. He reports his section’s achievements calmly and begins directly shaping its personnel and leadership.
• His status as a true disciple of the Profound Peak Lineage gives him the confidence to claim the vacant deputy director position for his own section.
• He acts strategically and diplomatically, presenting his request to Liang Chuan respectfully while making his intentions clear.
• His decision to transfer Yang Wenning shows that he is actively advancing his family’s interests within the bureau.
• His suspicion of the mysterious visitor reveals his continued caution regarding Zhu Sheng and his ability to recognize subtle abnormalities.
• Huang Pei appears stern, exhausted, and increasingly unwell, but remains an intimidating and highly disciplined leader.
• Han Beiwang is placed under pressure over his delayed Demon Clan operation and is visibly forced to suppress his defense.
• Zhou Heming takes an unusually friendly interest in Yang Wenqing, while the other section directors remain more reserved.
• Gu Yan is portrayed as obedient and efficient, carrying out Yang Wenqing’s orders without questioning them.
• Liang Chuan gives Yang Wenqing broad autonomy over Third Section, indicating institutional trust in him.

Significant Themes

• Bureaucratic authority and political maneuvering: The chapter emphasizes that influence within the police organization depends not only on combat ability but also on personnel appointments, reporting structures, and relationships with superiors.
• Responsibility and accountability: Huang Pei insists that section directors must resolve problems rather than make excuses, particularly regarding delayed cases and poor interdepartmental cooperation.
• Order versus instability: The bureau’s work includes suppressing rogue cultivators, maintaining border security, handling foreign-related crime, and preventing large-scale disorder.
• Family and factional interests: Yang Wenqing uses his authority to advance his sister’s career while carefully arranging a potential deputy director aligned with his plans.
• Hidden identities and surveillance: The unexplained visitor and Yang’s suspicion of Zhu Sheng’s puppet reinforce the danger of concealed motives and artificial or manipulated bodies.
• The contrast between ordinary appearances and hidden power: The visitor appears to be a powerless merchant, yet his unnaturally stable life aura marks him as something unusual.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing exchanges formal introductions with the other section directors, establishing his position among them.
• Zhou Heming speaks warmly to Yang Wenqing and later invites him to meet privately.
• Huang Pei reprimands the entire leadership group, especially Han Beiwang, while emphasizing that section boundaries must not obstruct cooperation.
• Yang Wenqing works closely with Gu Yan, assigning him Yang Wenning’s transfer and directing him to complete the filing process.
• He negotiates with Liang Chuan over the vacant deputy director role and receives approval to nominate a candidate.
• Yang instructs Bao Fan to investigate Chu Tian, showing that he is building a personnel decision through formal channels rather than acting impulsively.
• His final interaction is indirect: he authorizes the suspected Zhu Sheng puppet to enter and immediately seeks Qian Xin’s help, signaling that he views the encounter as potentially dangerous and significant.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing contacts Qian Xin after learning that a visitor may be connected to Zhu Sheng. Qian Xin explains that Zhu Sheng has been investing in talented young cultivators because his lifespan is nearly exhausted, hoping one of them may eventually help revive or rescue him.
• Zhu Sheng’s representative arrives, then reveals that he is actually Zhu Sheng himself, using an old alias from his time in Wanxuan.
• Zhu Sheng offers Yang Wenqing a deal: he has hidden items on the New Continent that only Yang’s aura can unlock. Yang will be able to access them after reaching a certain level of strength, but must do so within fifteen hundred years.
• Zhu Sheng claims that his advancement to the Fourth Realm is already assured, but that he will become a puppet unless a being from a realm above the Fourth accepts him. He asks Yang to use the hidden inheritance to seek a way to free him in the future.
• Zhu Sheng announces that he has only one hundred years left to live and hints that, when the Southern War ends, he will leave “surprises” or gifts for the world, including one for Yang.
• After Zhu Sheng leaves, Yang reports most of the conversation to Qian Xin but deliberately omits the information about the hidden inheritance improving his chances of reaching the Fourth Realm. He does this because he distrusts human nature and fears the temptation such knowledge could create.
• Later, Sun He visits Yang to report on border patrols, smuggling investigations, and spoils from a previous operation. He then openly declares his loyalty to Yang, admitting that his former political support has been exhausted and that he now depends on Yang’s protection.
• Yang accepts Sun He provisionally, warning him to work sincerely and not obey outwardly while resisting secretly. With Sun He’s submission, Yang gains effective control over all of Third Section.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates increasing maturity, caution, and political awareness. Although Zhu Sheng’s offer deeply tempts him, he remains outwardly composed and refuses to reveal all the information to Qian Xin. His decision reflects both prudence and a growing understanding of how greed can corrupt people.
• Zhu Sheng is portrayed as manipulative, calculating, and exceptionally skilled at exploiting human desire. He carefully appeals to Yang’s ambition by promising assistance in reaching the Fourth Realm while presenting the deal as a future obligation. His condition as a prospective Fourth-Realm puppet reveals the desperate situation behind his schemes.
• Qian Xin acts as Yang’s experienced mentor and political anchor. He recognizes Zhu Sheng’s methods, confirms that contact with higher-dimensional beings is possible, and advises Yang to focus on cultivation rather than becoming distracted by distant secrets.
• Sun He shifts from an uncertain subordinate to a declared loyalist. His submission is motivated by political desperation, as he has exhausted his former patron’s support and sees Yang as his only remaining source of protection.
• Yang’s leadership becomes more firmly established. He does not demand exaggerated displays of loyalty from Sun He, but makes clear that competence and genuine obedience are the conditions for remaining useful.

3. Significant Themes

• Manipulation and human nature: Zhu Sheng’s strategy depends on planting desires that will grow over centuries. Yang realizes that even trusted allies may be corrupted by promises of power.
• Power and political control: The chapter shows that influence is secured not only through strength but through loyalty, patronage, and control of personnel. Yang’s authority over Third Section becomes complete once Sun He aligns himself with him.
• The burden of the future: Zhu Sheng attempts to bind Yang to a promise involving events fifteen hundred years away, making Yang’s future cultivation part of a larger cosmic struggle.
• Trust and secrecy: Yang’s partial concealment from Qian Xin marks an important moral and strategic shift. He still respects his mentor but no longer assumes that trust alone can eliminate the dangers of temptation.
• Mortality and desperation: Zhu Sheng’s limited lifespan drives his investments, schemes, and search for salvation. His impending death contrasts with Yang’s immense future potential.
• Obedience versus genuine loyalty: Sun He promises absolute obedience, but Yang distinguishes between useful cooperation and mere outward submission, warning him not to comply publicly while resisting privately.

4. Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Qian Xin: Their conversation establishes a relationship of mentorship and strategic consultation. Yang relies on Qian Xin’s knowledge but withholds part of Zhu Sheng’s offer, revealing a new layer of independence.
• Yang Wenqing and Zhu Sheng: Their meeting is a psychological contest. Zhu Sheng tries to control the conversation through praise, mystery, and promises of future power, while Yang remains guarded and repeatedly demands direct answers.
• Yang Wenqing and Sun He: Sun He’s formal report gradually becomes a personal pledge of allegiance. Yang responds calmly, neither humiliating him nor fully trusting him, instead choosing to observe his usefulness.
• Zhu Sheng and the wider world: Though he does not appear directly before others in this chapter, Zhu Sheng’s long-term investments and promised “surprises” suggest that he has laid plans across the world that will continue affecting events after his death.

Chapter Summary: “Yang Wenqing, No Longer What He Once Was”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ten days later, Yang Wenqing arrives in Tianshan City, the mountainous capital of Heavenly Spring Province, and meets his fellow disciple Lin Xiyun at a high-end restaurant.
• Yang asks Lin to help him acquire or locate a small, long-established foreign trade company with reliable connections to the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods and Wanxuan. He intends to use the company as a cover for establishing a spy network and controlling two trade routes.
• Lin agrees to investigate the matter, promising to resolve it within ten days.
• Yang introduces his nephew, Yang Minghua, who will remain in Tianshan City to manage the operation. Lin is asked to help Minghua obtain a legitimate new identity and guide him.
• Yang and Lin share an elaborate meal, reinforcing their friendly relationship and mutual trust. During the meal, Lin reveals that he is preparing to marry and hopes to establish a family.
• Yang returns to the Xilin Province compound with Gu Yan and Yang Tian. During the flight, he orders the independent investigators of the Third Section to meet him separately and at staggered times, suggesting that he is investigating internal matters or possible disloyalty.
• At home, Yang discovers that Wen Ning has arrived and is cultivating safely, while Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam are resting together.
• Later that night, Lin receives a call from Leng Zhi. She warns him that Yang Wenqing is “no longer what he once was” and instructs him to take Yang’s request extremely seriously, without delay or negligence.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing: Demonstrates increased authority, strategic planning, and political influence. He is building an intelligence network, securing trade routes, and investigating the Third Section’s independent investigators. His calm demeanor and expanding plans suggest that he has become far more powerful and consequential than before.
• Lin Xiyun: Remains friendly and relaxed with Yang, readily agreeing to assist him. However, his initial confidence that ordinary brotherly loyalty is sufficient is challenged by Leng Zhi’s warning. He begins to recognize that Yang’s current status may be far beyond what he previously understood.
• Yang Minghua: Is appointed as Yang Wenqing’s representative in Tianshan City. He appears capable and businesslike, but inexperienced enough to require Lin’s guidance. His new identity and responsibilities mark his entry into Yang’s broader political and intelligence operations.
• Gu Yan: Continues to function as Yang’s efficient aide, recording instructions and reporting developments.
• Yang Wenning: Has arrived at the compound and is steadily cultivating, indicating continued personal development and integration into Yang’s household.
• Leng Zhi: Shows unusual concern and authority by privately warning Lin about Yang. Her words imply that she knows of Yang’s changed position or capabilities and understands that underestimating him could have serious consequences.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and rising power: The title and Leng Zhi’s warning emphasize that Yang Wenqing has changed substantially. His influence now reaches into commerce, intelligence, politics, and internal investigations.
• Trust and loyalty: Yang relies on old relationships, particularly with Lin, while also carefully arranging controlled meetings with investigators, showing that trust is valuable but must be managed.
• Covert operations and political strategy: The trade company is intended as a legitimate public front for espionage and influence in the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods.
• Identity and hidden power: Yang Minghua needs a new identity, and the seemingly ordinary business arrangement conceals a much larger strategic purpose.
• Personal relationships amid ambition: The friendly meal, Lin’s upcoming marriage, and Yang’s concern for his family contrast with the increasingly calculated and dangerous political work surrounding them.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Lin Xiyun: Their conversation is warm and familiar, but also transactional. Yang asks for significant assistance, and Lin accepts in exchange for a future favor. Their relationship is based on both personal loyalty and political cooperation.
• Yang Wenqing and Yang Minghua: Yang gives Minghua clear authority and responsibilities while placing him under Lin’s supervision. Their interaction reflects Yang’s role as a decisive leader guiding a younger family member.
• Lin Xiyun and Yang Minghua: Lin agrees to help him establish a new identity and promises to guide him, creating a mentor-like relationship.
• Yang Wenqing and Gu Yan: Yang issues precise orders regarding the Third Section investigators, revealing his systematic approach to uncovering information.
• Lin Xiyun and Leng Zhi: Leng’s urgent warning forces Lin to reconsider how seriously he should treat Yang’s request. Her words are the clearest indication that Yang’s status and abilities have undergone a major, potentially unsettling change.

Chapter Summary: Cultivation Advances Again, Returning to Zhongjing

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing’s cultivation advances to 55%, and the Five-Yang Cauldron Convergence in his Qi Sea becomes more solid.
• He successfully refines Sun He’s extraterrestrial wrist-ring artifact, which contains a prearranged Earth-Crossing Golden Light array. It allows him to travel instantly over short distances—up to 500 meters normally and roughly three kilometers at the cost of exhausting his True Essence.
• Yang tests the artifact by traveling above the clouds and back to the training ground with Lan Ying. Though he considers it extremely valuable, he views it as temporary equipment that may become unnecessary once he reaches the later Entry Realm.
• Lan Ying reveals that she may reach the Entry Realm in about half a year. She is motivated by her desire to reunite Frostglow Madam with her long-separated father.
• Yang Wenqing discusses Sun He’s loyalty with Lan Ying. Since Sun He has voluntarily submitted and offered such a valuable artifact, Yang is now willing to give him an opportunity rather than immediately seeking to control him.
• Yang Wenning rests well at the western compound. Yang Wenqing advises her to remain there, focus on preparing for Foundation Establishment, and draw on his funds if necessary. He also arranges an assistant for her.
• After spending two weeks reviewing the western office and meeting its independent investigators, Yang decides not to fill the vacant director position because the office is functioning efficiently without one.
• Qian Xin informs Yang that the rewards for his previous mission have been selected and asks him to return to Zhongjing.
• Yang travels back by Flying Shuttle with Lan Ying, Frostglow Madam, Gu Yan, and Nian Qian.
• In Zhongjing, Yang reports to Deputy Director Liang Chuan. They discuss:
  • The prolonged Zhou Mu case
  • Complaints from local offices
  • The smuggling cases that implicated six of Yang’s investigators
• Liang authorizes Yang to handle the smuggling-related dispute as he sees fit and agrees to establish the nature of Zhou Mu’s case formally if necessary.
• Yang arranges a dinner with Liang for the following evening and leaves routine reports for the absent director.
• Back in Third Section, Bao Fan informs him that Chu Tian’s transfer order is complete and that Chu can report within five days.
• Yang orders Zhou Mu to provide an explanation within five days, warning that failure to return will end his career.
• Yang also prepares a suitable gift for his dinner with Liang and approves preliminary funding for border watchtowers in four provinces, while ordering strict oversight to prevent misuse of earmarked funds.
• The chapter ends with Yang taking Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam to visit his grand-uncle master, eager to learn what special reward he has received.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing grows stronger in both cultivation and political authority. He successfully refines a powerful movement artifact and demonstrates greater confidence in managing subordinates, investigations, finances, and bureaucratic pressure.
• Lan Ying remains affectionate and dependent on Yang but shows increasing ambition. Her desire to reach the Entry Realm is driven by concern for her mother and the hope of repairing her parents’ separation.
• Frostglow Madam continues to support and accompany Lan Ying, with their mother-daughter bond emphasized through their shared communication and flight.
• Yang Wenning begins adjusting to her new environment and accepts Yang Wenqing’s guidance as she prepares for Foundation Establishment.
• Sun He gains a possible path toward acceptance and protection from Yang Wenqing after demonstrating loyalty through his valuable gift.
• Liang Chuan maintains a cordial but politically cautious relationship with Yang. He recognizes Yang’s growing influence and concedes authority to him in the smuggling dispute.
• Bao Fan functions as a reliable subordinate, efficiently carrying out Yang’s orders and supplying information about ongoing administrative matters.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and technological advancement: Yang combines spiritual cultivation with an extraterrestrial artifact, showing the blending of magical techniques and advanced external technology.
• Authority and leadership: Yang increasingly acts as a true department chief, balancing fairness, discipline, political relationships, and financial oversight.
• Loyalty and trust: Sun He’s surrender forces Yang to reconsider whether loyalty can be rewarded instead of enforced. Similarly, Yang’s support for his siblings and subordinates reinforces bonds built on trust.
• Family responsibility: Lan Ying’s cultivation goals center on reuniting her parents, while Yang Wenqing supports Yang Wenning’s future without demanding anything in return.
• Bureaucracy and institutional power: The chapter highlights how investigations, transfer orders, funding approvals, and political relationships shape the operation of Third Section.
• Integrity and accountability: Yang insists that investigators and local offices take responsibility for their actions and warns against misusing designated funds.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Lan Ying: They share a close mental bond, discuss her cultivation, fly together using the new artifact, and consider Sun He’s loyalty.
• Yang Wenqing and Frostglow Madam: Their interaction is brief but reflects mutual familiarity, especially through their shared concern for Lan Ying.
• Yang Wenqing and Yang Wenning: Their sibling relationship is warm and protective. Yang offers practical support and encourages her cultivation.
• Yang Wenqing and Liang Chuan: Their meeting combines formal reporting, political negotiation, and mutual courtesy. Yang defends his investigators while Liang grants him room to act.
• Yang Wenqing and Bao Fan: Their exchange demonstrates Yang’s firm leadership and Bao Fan’s obedience as they address Zhou Mu, Chu Tian’s transfer, the dinner gift, and border-watchtower funding.
• Yang Wenqing and Sun He: Though Sun He is absent, his gift and submission prompt Yang to reconsider their relationship and potentially accept him as a subordinate.

Chapter Summary: “Abundant Rewards”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing returns to Qian Xin’s residence and encounters Sun Chen practicing the Five-Element Divine Thunder.
• Sun Chen explains that he has begun an extended leave to travel throughout Wanxuan and possibly beyond, hoping to broaden his experience before attempting advancement.
• Yang Wenqing meets his disciple Zhao Ze, who meditates in the setting sunlight using the Fire-Gathering Art. Rather than immediately pursuing Foundation Establishment, Zhao Ze is slowly tempering his already-opened Spirit Veins with accumulated Fire-Spirit Essence.
• Qian Xin summons Yang Wenqing and assures him that his master, Qin Huaiming, is safely cultivating in seclusion and may emerge in ten to twenty years.
• Qian Xin rewards Yang Wenqing with two valuable treasures:
  • The Evergreen Pendant, forged around Zhu Sheng’s refined heavy treasure, containing vast life energy. Qian Xin has already used its maximum life-extending potential and gives it to Yang Wenqing to aid his cultivation.
  • Five Sacred Heart Pills, which suppress negative emotions and protect against inner demons, though they are highly toxic and may only be taken once every twenty years.
• Qian Xin predicts that, with the Evergreen Pendant and Yang Wenqing’s talent, he may reach the threshold of the Second Realm within fifty years.
• Yang Wenqing returns to the courtyard he purchased with Jiang Wan. He brings Zhao Ze to live and cultivate there.
• The chapter ends with Yang Wenqing entering the newly prepared meditation chamber and opening the box containing the jade-green Evergreen Pendant, eager to begin using its power.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing receives a major boost in both resources and motivation. Qian Xin’s confidence in his reaching the Second Realm ignites his ambition, and he becomes impatient to begin cultivation with the Evergreen Pendant.
• Sun Chen shows increased independence and a desire to explore the wider world after spending nearly a century in Zhongjing City. He has also begun preparing for a personal advancement.
• Zhao Ze demonstrates patience and discipline. Instead of rushing toward Foundation Establishment like most cultivators, he uses a gradual method to strengthen his Spirit Veins, potentially making his breakthrough easier.
• Qian Xin reveals his strong support for Yang Wenqing by giving him treasures of immense value and practical cultivation advice.
• Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam begin interacting more closely as mother and daughter, communicating privately through the Spirit Sea. Frostglow Madam remains protective and observant.

Significant Themes

• Patience versus haste in cultivation: Zhao Ze’s slow, steady preparation contrasts with cultivators who rush to gather Foundation Establishment resources.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Qian Xin’s gifts represent both trust in Yang Wenqing and the passing down of powerful resources to the next generation.
• The dangers of excessive ambition: The Evergreen Pendant must be used gradually, while the Sacred Heart Pills carry serious risks if abused. Advancement requires restraint as well as talent.
• Home and belonging: Yang Wenqing’s return to the courtyard marks the establishment of a personal base for himself, Jiang Wan, Zhao Ze, and their companions.
• Long perspectives of cultivation: Decades pass as brief intervals for cultivators, emphasizing their extended lifespans and the slow nature of advancement.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Sun Chen exchange greetings and discuss Sun Chen’s plans for travel and advancement.
• Zhao Ze respectfully greets Yang Wenqing, Sun Chen, and Lan Ying, reinforcing the hierarchy and affection within their martial relationships.
• Yang Wenqing observes Zhao Ze’s cultivation and recognizes the wisdom of his gradual approach.
• Qian Xin speaks with Yang Wenqing about Qin Huaiming’s safety, then personally presents him with the Evergreen Pendant and Sacred Heart Pills while warning him against greed and overuse.
• Lan Ying expresses admiration for Qian Xin’s generosity toward Yang Wenqing.
• Yang Wenqing welcomes Zhao Ze into the new courtyard and arranges a room for him, further establishing their master-disciple relationship.
• Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam share a quiet reunion and appear to communicate affectionately through the Spirit Sea.

Chapter Summary: “See You Again, Red Aunt and the Withered Wood Elder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing studies and begins refining the Evergreen Pendant. Its intricate, three-layer formation contains and circulates life energy, but fully refining it will take at least a month. He establishes only a basic connection after several circuits and realizes he must continue refining it to use its power effectively.
• Two days later, Red Aunt and the Withered Wood Elder arrive in Zhongjing after completing their identity procedures and review by the General Bureau.
• Yang Wenqing arranges a meeting with them at a nearby teahouse. Red Aunt and the Elder now hold the nominal title of Inspectors, allowing them to inspect departments and access certain files but giving them no real authority.
• Over tea, they discuss their review, the fate of their former companions, and their return from the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods.
• Red Aunt reveals her real name, Li Yuxiu, while the Withered Wood Elder gives his birth name as Kang Er Cun. Their ordinary names evoke memories of their humble beginnings and long service undercover.
• The two explain that the Qian Bureau has assigned them to the Four Western Provinces. Officially, they are Inspectors, but their true purpose is to assist Yang Wenqing in creating a new informant network in the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods.
• Yang is delighted, since he has been struggling to determine how to recruit, train, position, and protect informants. The Elder agrees to study current conditions and produce a detailed plan within three months.
• The three exchange communication signals and toast to their safe return and future cooperation.
• Just as the meeting seems to be ending, the Elder reveals another request: he and Red Aunt want to establish an estate or cave dwelling in the Four Western Provinces, but their former colleagues are avoiding them.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates patience, discipline, and careful planning while refining the Evergreen Pendant. His ability to calm himself after learning the process will take a month reflects his mature cultivation mindset.
• He also shows strong organizational habits, rapidly completing his official work before leaving to meet his old allies. His genuine happiness at their return reveals how much he values them personally and professionally.
• Red Aunt/Li Yuxiu remains outspoken, sarcastic, and sharp-tongued, criticizing the General Bureau’s distrust and bureaucratic obstruction. Beneath her complaints, however, she clearly treasures returning to ordinary life and her homeland.
• The Withered Wood Elder/Kang Er Cun is quieter, more cautious, and practical. He prevents Red Aunt from speaking recklessly, carefully evaluates the risks of rebuilding the informant network, and takes responsibility for producing a concrete plan.
• Both characters show the physical and psychological consequences of their centuries undercover. The Elder has been injured and may no longer fight intensely, while Red Aunt is considering retirement despite knowing the Bureau may not permit it.
• Their decision to work with Yang marks a transition from covert survival and wartime service toward a new role supporting the City Defense Bureau.

Significant Themes

• Return and reintegration: Red Aunt and the Elder have returned from centuries of undercover work, but their former colleagues’ suspicion shows that coming home does not automatically restore trust or belonging.
• The cost of duty: Their injuries, inability to retire, and separation from those who could not return emphasize the sacrifices made by long-term service.
• Trust and loyalty: Yang immediately trusts them and offers support, while they respond by assisting him with the informant network. Their cooperation is based on shared history and proven loyalty.
• Bureaucracy versus genuine service: The Inspector title sounds prestigious but carries little real authority, showing the gap between official recognition and meaningful responsibility.
• Preparation and caution: Yang’s methodical refinement of the pendant and the Elder’s insistence on researching the Forest before placing agents emphasize that long-term success depends on careful preparation rather than haste.
• Identity and memory: The revelation of their birth names reconnects the two veteran agents with their humble origins and suggests that years of undercover life nearly erased their original identities.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang and Red Aunt reunite warmly, with her humor contrasting against his composed professionalism.
• The Elder acts as a restraint on Red Aunt’s provocative remarks, revealing their long-established partnership.
• Yang’s use of their real names creates a moment of intimacy and reminds them of their lives before the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods.
• Yang eagerly entrusts the Elder with contact information for the merchant association, demonstrating complete confidence in his judgment.
• The tea toast symbolizes their renewed alliance and shared hopes for the future.
• The chapter ends with the Elder asking Yang for help securing a new home, setting up a personal and political complication involving their alienation from former colleagues.

Chapter Summary: Jiang Wan Returns, Adopting a Child

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing returns to Zhongjing from a business trip to Red River Province in the early morning. After arriving home, he meditates and continues refining the Evergreen Pendant.
• Jiang Wan returns during her brief leave and arrives at the Yang residence with Xiao Yue. She reunites warmly with Yang Wenqing, noting that his cultivation has advanced significantly.
• Jiang Wan announces her intention to adopt a junior member of the Jiang Family and raise him as the successor to her Lunar Yin lineage. The child will likely take the Yang surname, symbolizing the growing bond between the Jiang and Yang families.
• Yang Wenqing leaves for work after promising to discuss the matter further. Jiang Wan plans to return to the Jiang estate and bring the child over for him to meet.
• At the Major Crimes Investigation Division, Yang Wenqing meets Chu Tian, a new deputy director recommended by his master. He assigns Chu Tian responsibility for border stability in the four western provinces, including patrols, sentry deployment, refugee control, and coordination with local defense systems.
• Yang Wenqing later contacts Bao Fan to ask about Zhou Mu, whose absence has exceeded the previously imposed five-day deadline. Bao Fan reveals that Zhou Mu may not be able to return and promises to explain the situation in person, creating a serious new source of tension.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing: His cultivation continues to improve, particularly the density of his Five-Yang Essence and the stability of his Purple Mansion Qi Sea. He demonstrates increasing authority as a director by delegating responsibilities decisively, managing subordinates, and preparing strategic plans for border security. His concern over Zhou Mu’s disappearance also reveals a stern but responsible leadership style.
• Jiang Wan: She returns from duty tired but affectionate toward Yang Wenqing. Her awareness of his cultivation reflects her sensitivity as a Lunar Yin cultivator. By choosing to adopt and personally raise a successor, she takes active responsibility for preserving her bloodline and legacy.
• Zhao Ze: He has filled his Qi Sea and is preparing for Foundation Establishment, though he intends to continue strengthening his foundation before attempting the breakthrough. His respectful interaction with Jiang Wan shows his acceptance of her as Yang Wenqing’s partner and his master’s wife.
• Chu Tian: He begins his new role with discipline and loyalty. Although Yang Wenqing’s pressure is intimidating, Chu Tian remains composed and openly pledges to carry out his superior’s orders.
• Bao Fan: His hesitation and nervousness while discussing Zhou Mu suggest that the situation is complicated and potentially dangerous.

Significant Themes

• Family and succession: Jiang Wan’s adoption plan reflects the importance of preserving cultivation lineages when advanced cultivators can no longer easily have biological children.
• Deepening alliance: Giving the adopted child the Yang surname represents the strengthening relationship between the Jiang and Yang families.
• Duty versus personal affection: Yang Wenqing and Jiang Wan share a tender reunion, but both quickly return to their respective responsibilities.
• Leadership and organization: Yang Wenqing establishes clear roles for his deputies and emphasizes practical governance, border security, and institutional stability.
• Uncertainty and hidden danger: Zhou Mu’s unexplained failure to return introduces a mystery that may threaten the division or expose a larger problem.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing shares affectionate moments with Jiang Wan, including an embrace before and after their conversation about adoption. Their parting is warm but bittersweet.
• Jiang Wan evaluates Zhao Ze’s progress and encourages his cultivation indirectly by asking about his plans for Foundation Establishment.
• Zhao Ze and Yang Tian show Jiang Wan formal respect, addressing her as “Master’s wife” and “Madam.”
• Yang Wenqing gives Chu Tian a direct test of loyalty and assigns him an important border-security mission.
• Yang Wenqing confronts Bao Fan about Zhou Mu’s disappearance, demanding a satisfactory explanation and signaling that the matter will be treated seriously.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Gu Yan leaves, Yang Wenqing learns that Zhou Chu—also known as Zhou Mu—has infiltrated the Heavenly People Society while investigating the Corpse Soldier smuggling case. Zhou intends to remain undercover indefinitely.
• Yang Wenqing is frustrated by Zhou’s reckless independence but recognizes the importance of the infiltration. He orders Bao Fan to help construct a convincing cover identity and moves everyone aware of the operation out of the western provinces.
• Yang consults Qian Xin, who agrees to officially transfer Zhou under the guise of a secret mission. Qian Xin warns that the Heavenly People Society is skilled at brainwashing, so Yang must determine whether Zhou remains loyal.
• The cases Zhou was handling, including the Corpse Soldier smuggling investigation, are assigned to the Sixth Division. Bao Fan is promised promotion to head the General Affairs Division once the case is concluded.
• Yang decides to assume Zhou’s responsibilities himself rather than immediately appoint a replacement. He schedules a directors’ meeting and threatens to treat absentees as deserters.
• After finishing his official duties, Yang returns home and meets Jiang Wan’s young relative, whom they adopt as Yang Rou. She will cultivate under Jiang Wan and serve as her successor, preserving the Jiang family’s legacy.
• Six months later, Yang’s cultivation has advanced significantly. By refining the Evergreen Pendant and operating his Golden Core World at full capacity, he has brought his Qi Sea to sixty-six percent completion and is progressing at more than twice his former speed.
• Lan Ying remains affectionate toward Yang, while Madam Frostglow announces that Lan Ying has completed her current cultivation period and is ready to attempt an advancement.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing: Demonstrates political responsibility and strategic caution by personally managing Zhou’s undercover mission. He also gains greater authority within the organization, preparing to oversee Zhou’s duties and multiple Investigation Divisions. At home, he displays a softer, more paternal side when meeting Yang Rou. His cultivation continues to advance rapidly.
• Zhou Mu/Zhou Chu: Revealed to be deeply committed to his investigation and willing to remain undercover in a dangerous evil organization. His impulsive independence causes concern, but his infiltration may provide a vital intelligence channel.
• Bao Fan: Acts as Yang’s reliable subordinate, quickly carrying out sensitive orders. He is rewarded with the promise of promotion to division head.
• Qian Xin: Supports Yang’s handling of the infiltration and uses his authority to legitimize Zhou’s transfer, while cautioning against the possibility of brainwashing.
• Jiang Wan: Takes responsibility for Yang Rou’s upbringing and cultivation, positioning the girl as her successor.
• Yang Rou: Initially shy and nervous around Yang Wenqing and Xiaoyue, but gradually accepts Yang as her father figure and allows him to carry her.
• Lan Ying: Continues to be emotionally attached to Yang and seeks his attention, but her cultivation is now ready to progress to a higher stage.
• Madam Frostglow: Watches over Lan Ying with obvious maternal care and determines that her daughter is prepared to advance.

Significant Themes

• Duty versus personal independence: Zhou’s decision to act alone creates administrative problems, but his initiative is also what allows him to infiltrate the Heavenly People Society.
• Secrecy and trust: Yang must carefully control information, construct Zhou’s false identity, and guard against enemy brainwashing.
• Power and responsibility: Yang’s growing authority brings greater control but also a heavier burden of unresolved cases and organizational management.
• Family and emotional warmth: Yang Rou’s arrival introduces a domestic dimension to Yang Wenqing’s life, giving him a new experience of paternal affection.
• Cultivation and advancement: Yang’s improved cultivation reflects the rewards of disciplined practice and rare resources, while Lan Ying prepares for her own breakthrough.
• The danger of corrupted power: The Heavenly People Society’s experiments and forced fusions emphasize the destructive consequences of pursuing immortality without moral limits.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Bao Fan discuss Zhou’s disappearance, with Bao Fan nervously agreeing with Yang’s criticism before returning to a formal professional manner.
• Yang speaks with Zhao Haichuan, who apologizes for Zhou’s actions and acknowledges his cousin’s stubborn nature.
• Yang and Qian Xin establish a confidential plan to protect Zhou’s undercover identity and monitor the danger of corruption.
• Yang promotes and encourages Bao Fan, strengthening their professional relationship.
• Jiang Wan introduces Yang Rou as Yang’s daughter. Yang responds warmly, carries her into the house, and begins forming a familial bond with her.
• Yang Rou cautiously observes Lan Ying and Xiaoyue; Jiang Wan and Yang help her overcome her fear of Xiaoyue.
• Lan Ying affectionately greets Yang after his cultivation, while Madam Frostglow observes their closeness and announces Lan Ying’s impending advancement.

Chapter Summary: Lan Ying Falls Asleep, Shen Ke’s New Lead

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing learns that a spirit pet’s cultivation can accelerate dramatically when its master’s cultivation increases. He decides to help Lan Ying enter the Entry Realm.
• Lan Ying is nervous about entering secluded cultivation and worries that she may oversleep or that Yang Wenqing might leave while she is unconscious. Yang reassures her that Frostglow Madam will protect her and promises to be the first person she sees when she wakes.
• Yang brings Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam to the meditation room in his courtyard at Great-Uncle Qian Xin’s residence. Lan Ying settles inside the Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• To calm Lan Ying, Yang strokes her feathers and tells her a deliberately dull story about a monkey and a Daoist temple. She gradually falls asleep.
• Frostglow Madam activates a formation that fills Lan Ying’s Qi Sea with spiritual energy. Lan Ying’s body begins cultivating instinctively, circulating True Essence through a Greater Celestial Circuit. A vague five-colored Entry Realm Cauldron begins forming within her Qi Sea.
• Frostglow Madam warns Yang not to let anyone disturb Lan Ying. Yang orders the guards to prohibit access to the meditation room, suspend cleaning there, and increase quiet patrols. He also reports Lan Ying’s cultivation to Qian Xin, who agrees to protect the area.
• For five days, Yang balances his official duties with concern for Lan Ying, visiting the meditation room after work and quietly waiting outside.
• On the sixth day, Yang receives an encrypted report from Investigator Shen Ke. Shen has discovered that Zheng Huai, deputy director of the Logistics Office at the Xilin Provincial Police Department, has been secretly meeting merchants connected to multiple smuggling cases.
• Shen’s investigation further links those merchants to trade envoys from tribes in the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods. Yang suspects the situation may involve a broader corruption network—a “nest case”—rather than an isolated official.
• Recognizing that further investigation requires authorization, funding, and political support, Yang summons Yu Zhou back to Zhongjing. He intends for Yu Zhou to meet Shen Ke and assist with the investigation.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing shows himself to be patient, emotionally attentive, and protective toward Lan Ying. He acts as both companion and guardian, calming her fears and respecting the danger of her breakthrough.
• Yang also demonstrates his political experience. Rather than rushing into an investigation, he carefully assesses the risks, recognizing that exposing Zheng Huai could implicate an entire network of officials and organizations.
• Lan Ying reveals her dependence on and affection for Yang. Though frightened, she trusts him enough to enter secluded cultivation. Her cultivation also displays the natural, instinctive advantages of spirit beasts.
• Frostglow Madam acts as a vigilant mother and a powerful protector. She supports Lan Ying’s breakthrough while firmly warning Yang to keep others away.
• Shen Ke is portrayed as a capable but cautious investigator. He normally prefers to gather overwhelming evidence before reporting, but this case requires Yang’s official authorization and institutional support.
• Yu Zhou is selected because he is relatively unconnected to the Four Western Provinces and, as a Thick Earth Sect disciple, is considered capable of stabilizing the situation.

Significant Themes

• Trust and emotional dependence: Lan Ying’s fears and Yang’s promises emphasize the strong bond between them.
• Natural cultivation and spiritual growth: Lan Ying’s advancement occurs instinctively while she sleeps, contrasting with the deliberate effort required of human cultivators.
• Protection and responsibility: Yang, Frostglow Madam, Qian Xin, and the guards all contribute to safeguarding Lan Ying during her vulnerable breakthrough.
• Political caution and institutional corruption: Yang understands that investigating one suspicious official may expose an interconnected network. He balances truth-seeking with the practical need to preserve authority and control.
• Duty versus personal attachment: Yang continues managing Third Section while repeatedly checking on Lan Ying, showing how his private concerns coexist with his public responsibilities.

Character Interactions

• Yang and Lan Ying: Their affectionate Spirit Sea conversations reveal mutual trust. Yang comforts her, promises to remain nearby, and gently helps her fall asleep.
• Yang and Frostglow Madam: Frostglow Madam entrusts Yang with Lan Ying’s safety but makes clear that she will not tolerate interference.
• Yang and Qian Xin: Yang formally reports Lan Ying’s secluded cultivation, and Qian Xin agrees to strengthen security around the residence.
• Yang and the guards: Yang issues precise orders to protect the meditation room without disturbing Lan Ying.
• Yang and Shen Ke: Although they do not communicate directly in the chapter, Shen’s encrypted report reaches Yang, seeking authorization for a deeper investigation.
• Yang and Yu Zhou: Yang recruits Yu Zhou to provide institutional support and distance from the local power networks involved in the suspected smuggling and corruption case.

Chapter Summary: Lan Ying Awakens, a Spell Duel Above Zhongjing

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Zhou returns to Zhongjing and is briefed by Yang Wenqing about Shen Ke’s situation and a decoded secret report. Yang orders him to work with Shen Ke discreetly and limits the number of people informed.
• Two months pass. By mid-November, Yang Wenqing’s cultivation has reached 69 percent.
• Yang visits Qian Xin’s residence because Frostglow Madam predicts that Lan Ying is about to awaken and advance.
• Lan Ying successfully enters the Entry Realm while in a trance-like sleep. Her Qi Sea expands, and a five-colored Entry Realm Cauldron naturally forms without outside intervention. The cauldron’s patterns and three legs develop perfectly, symbolizing organic growth under the Heavenly Dao.
• Lan Ying awakens happily and proudly announces her success to Yang. She displays her newly strengthened aura and movement technique, Earth-Crossing Golden Light, while Frostglow Madam watches with maternal pride.
• During Lan Ying’s celebration in the snowy night sky, a tremendous explosion shakes the entire area and disrupts everyone’s Spirit Seas.
• Lan Ying loses control and falls, but Yang catches her immediately. Frostglow Madam shields them protectively.
• Yang observes two powerful cultivators dueling above Zhongjing: a Fire Cultivator wielding a crimson-gold ge and a Water Cultivator using an icy conch and battle axe.
• Their battle transforms the sky into a clash of fire and ice, threatening the city despite Zhongjing’s defensive formation and the temple’s Divine Arts barrier.
• The Water Cultivator eventually overpowers and freezes the Fire Cultivator, who falls through the city’s barrier toward the inner-city plaza.
• The Water Cultivator descends after him, while numerous powerful figures from across Zhongjing converge on the plaza. Yang follows through a pillar of Divine Arts light, uncertain about the battle’s cause and consequences.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing: Continues advancing in cultivation and demonstrates his calm, observant nature. He acts quickly and protectively when Lan Ying is endangered, catching her midair and shielding her from the disturbance. His connection with Lan Ying remains deep after nearly a century.
• Lan Ying: Achieves a major breakthrough into the Entry Realm naturally and independently. Her successful awakening gives her greater confidence, visible pride, and stronger abilities. Although initially frightened by the explosion, she quickly suppresses her fear and attempts to regain composure.
• Frostglow Madam: Shows immense maternal pride and relief at Lan Ying’s advancement. Her instinctive reaction to the explosion is protective, spreading her wings to shield both Lan Ying and Yang.
• Yu Zhou and Shen Ke: Their covert cooperation begins, though the chapter does not yet reveal the details of Shen Ke’s situation or the secret report.
• The Fire and Water Cultivators: Their identities and motives remain unknown, but their duel establishes both as extraordinarily powerful practitioners. The Water Cultivator proves more controlled and ultimately victorious.

Significant Themes

• Natural growth versus forced advancement: Lan Ying’s breakthrough is portrayed as organic maturation rather than deliberate forging, emphasizing harmony with the Heavenly Dao.
• Family and emotional bonds: Yang’s long-standing spiritual connection with Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam’s pride and protectiveness highlight their close, familial relationship.
• Power and danger: Lan Ying’s joyful breakthrough is abruptly interrupted by a battle between high-level cultivators, showing how vulnerable ordinary life is to conflicts among the powerful.
• Protection and responsibility: Yang and Frostglow Madam instinctively protect Lan Ying, while Zhongjing’s defensive formations and temple barrier reveal the city’s preparations for supernatural threats.
• Foreshadowing and uncertainty: The secret report, Shen Ke’s situation, and the unexplained duel suggest larger political or cultivation-related conflicts developing beyond the immediate scene.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Yang Wenqing’s superior, Yang Wenqing? Wait—Yang Wenqing and Yu Zhou: Yang gives Yu Zhou confidential instructions and assigns him to contact Shen Ke directly.
• Yang Wenqing and Lan Ying: Their intimate spiritual connection allows Yang to witness Lan Ying’s breakthrough. After awakening, Lan Ying seeks his praise, and he enthusiastically reassures her.
• Lan Ying and Frostglow Madam: Frostglow Madam observes Lan Ying’s transformation with pride, gently pecks her head, and follows her outside during the celebration.
• Yang Wenqing, Lan Ying, and Frostglow Madam: The three share a peaceful family moment in the snow before the sudden explosion forces them into defensive positions.
• Fire and Water Cultivators: Their spell duel is a direct contest between opposing elemental powers. Fire relies on speed, overwhelming attacks, and shifting formations, while Water uses freezing techniques, precision, and steadily increasing close-combat pressure.

Chapter Summary: “Cruel Competition”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a mysterious battle over Central Capital City, Yang Wenqing contacts his Sixth Martial Uncle, Fei Ji, to learn what happened.
• Fei Ji explains that Jiang Tai, director of the Eastfall Province City Defense Bureau, confronted Miao Guang, an assistant to the General Bureau director, after discovering that Miao Guang had allowed his disciple to conduct flesh-and-blood sacrifices. Jiang Tai defeated Miao Guang.
• Fei Ji reveals that the conflict was also driven by succession and lifespan issues: Miao Guang’s lifespan was nearly exhausted, but he refused to relinquish his position, while Jiang Tai wanted to replace him.
• Yang Wenqing takes Lan Ying to the training grounds, where she exhausts herself practicing Five-Element Divine Thunder before recovering through their mental connection.
• Frostglow Madam decides to return to the Eastern Sea. Yang Wenqing arranges an official Flying Shuttle for her and sees her off.
• Lan Ying is delighted that her mother has left, believing she can now live more freely with Yang Wenqing.
• Yang Wenjian contacts Yang Wenqing to announce that he has successfully reached Foundation Establishment. He plans to become director of Coral City’s Materials Allocation Center while maintaining ties with the Wang Family.
• Yang Wenqing learns that Wang Yufei has failed to begin cultivation but has received a Life-Extending Pill, allowing her roughly twenty additional years of life.
• Zhu Qian, whose granduncle is Miao Guang, asks Yang Wenqing for protection now that Miao Guang has fallen. Yang Wenqing gives a polite but noncommittal response and privately decides not to help him.
• The chapter ends as Red Aunt initiates an encrypted call, suggesting that important intelligence is about to arrive.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing remains cautious, politically aware, and emotionally controlled. He investigates the battle but avoids becoming involved in the resulting factional purge. His refusal to help Zhu Qian shows his understanding of bureaucratic danger and his skepticism toward opportunistic allies.
• Lan Ying continues developing both her cultivation and independence. She trains intensely, relies on Yang Wenqing to replenish her energy, and eagerly anticipates greater freedom after her mother’s departure.
• Frostglow Madam is protective but decisive. She returns to the Eastern Sea, leaving Lan Ying in Yang Wenqing’s care while inviting him to visit.
• Yang Wenjian reaches Foundation Establishment, marking an important advancement for himself and the Yang Family. He also begins moving into a position of greater administrative and political influence.
• Zhu Qian loses the support and status he gained through Miao Guang. His desperate appeal reveals his dependence on inherited connections rather than proven ability.
• Fei Ji acts as an experienced insider, explaining the hidden political mechanisms behind the official version of the conflict.

Significant Themes

• Political competition and succession: Positions within Wanxuan’s institutions are limited, and powerful cultivators compete fiercely to inherit them.
• The consequences of longevity: Cultivators who live for centuries or millennia may resist stepping down, creating dangerous conflicts when their lifespan ends.
• Factional collapse and purges: When a senior official falls, subordinates and protégés are often dragged down as well, demonstrating how unstable power based on connections can be.
• Scarce resources and social conflict: Lan Ying recognizes that limited cultivation resources and growing numbers of cultivators produce internal struggles, with wars sometimes functioning as brutal solutions to overpopulation and competition.
• Prudence and political survival: Yang Wenqing’s restrained response to Zhu Qian shows that refusing unnecessary involvement can be safer than acting out of sympathy or ambition.
• Family and cultivation: Yang Wenjian’s breakthrough strengthens the Yang Family, while Wang Yufei’s limited lifespan highlights the widening divide between ordinary mortals and cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Yang Wenqing and Fei Ji: Fei Ji explains both the official accusation against Miao Guang and the deeper succession struggle behind it.
• Yang Wenqing and Lan Ying: He supports her training, restores her energy, and serves as her emotional anchor after Frostglow Madam leaves.
• Yang Wenqing and Frostglow Madam: Their farewell is respectful and cordial, with Frostglow Madam entrusting Lan Ying’s companionship to him.
• Yang Wenqing and Yang Wenjian: The brothers discuss Foundation Establishment, career plans, the Wang Family, and Wang Yufei’s condition, revealing mutual trust and family concern.
• Yang Wenqing and Zhu Qian: Zhu Qian appeals for rescue after Miao Guang’s downfall, but Yang Wenqing remains outwardly courteous while privately rejecting the request.
• Yang Wenqing and Red Aunt: Their encrypted communication at the end introduces the expectation of new intelligence or a developing investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Half a Year Again, Another Step Forward in Cultivation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Red Aunt contacts Yang Wenqing through an encrypted channel to report that Deadwood has identified three suitable students from the Security Academy for recruitment. Their files will be sent to Yang later.
• She then relays uncertain intelligence from Zhou Mu, whose undercover codename is “Muddlehead”: the Heavenly People Society may be planning an operation in Bamboo Pool City, Xilin Province, and several members of the provincial City Defense System may be involved.
• Yang Wenqing performs a limited divination but gains no clear answer. Suspecting the information may be connected to Shen Ke’s investigation, he warns Zhou Mu to prioritize remaining undercover rather than gathering more intelligence.
• Yang informs Qiu Ling, Chief Patrol Officer of Xilin Province’s Second Patrol Division, asking her to investigate Bamboo Pool City and help protect Zhou Mu.
• While reading an old historical book from the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods, Yang notices a passage that triggers further suspicion. He contacts Shen Ke and orders him to keep watching Zheng Huai, known by the codename “Number Five Rat,” without taking direct action.
• Months pass without visible progress in either the Bamboo Pool City matter or Zheng Huai’s case. Zheng behaves impeccably, making the investigation difficult.
• In March, Shen Ke returns with extensive files detailing Zheng Huai’s procurement projects, suppliers, and trade contacts. He has found no concrete evidence, noting that Zheng is “too clean.”
• Shen requests at least ten million in informant funding, along with cultivation-enhancing pills, to investigate the trade envoys connected to Zheng more deeply. Yang approves the request and directs Gu Yan to provide Shen with a trade-envoy identity for undercover work.
• Three months later, Yang’s cultivation reaches eighty percent. During a violent summer storm, Bao Fan suddenly informs him that Shen Ke has died in the line of duty.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing remains cautious, analytical, and politically pragmatic. Rather than acting impulsively, he gathers intelligence, protects Zhou Mu’s cover, and quietly monitors Zheng Huai. He recognizes that his role is to preserve institutional stability rather than indiscriminately punish suspected enemies.
• Red Aunt continues serving as an intelligence intermediary, balancing teasing familiarity with serious operational responsibility.
• Zhou Mu/Muddlehead is shown to be deeply embedded undercover within the Heavenly People Society, but his limited access to information leaves him vulnerable.
• Qiu Ling is established as a trusted and capable senior investigator whose authority makes her the best person to handle the Xilin Province threat.
• Lan Ying becomes increasingly comfortable communicating in human speech and demonstrates loyalty, curiosity, and a growing understanding of investigative reasoning. She also notices Yang’s complicated feelings toward Zheng Huai.
• Shen Ke proves diligent, uncompromising, and highly serious. His determination to pursue the truth leads him to request substantial resources and likely places him in danger.
• Zheng Huai remains outwardly flawless, increasing Yang’s suspicion rather than easing it.
• Yang Wenqing’s cultivation steadily advances from seventy-five percent to eighty percent with the help of the Evergreen Pendant and Golden Core World.

Significant Themes

• Concealed conspiracies and incomplete intelligence: The potential Heavenly People Society operation is difficult to investigate because information is fragmentary and the organization is tightly controlled.
• Caution versus action: Yang repeatedly chooses surveillance and indirect investigation over immediate arrests or soul-searching, emphasizing patience and strategic restraint.
• Institutional pragmatism: Yang reflects that authorities often prioritize maintaining broader strategic stability and ensuring resources are delivered over determining who is morally good or evil.
• Trust and loyalty: Yang relies on Red Aunt, Zhou Mu, Qiu Ling, Shen Ke, and his staff, though each relationship carries risks associated with secrecy and undercover work.
• Personal advancement amid political danger: Yang’s cultivation progresses steadily while his professional responsibilities and hidden threats continue to develop in the background.
• The cost of truth-seeking: Shen Ke’s death at the end of the chapter suggests that his investigation has reached a dangerous point and may confirm that Zheng Huai’s case is connected to a larger conspiracy.

Character Interactions

• Red Aunt and Yang exchange playful banter before discussing recruitment and intelligence.
• Yang and Qiu Ling maintain a familiar but blunt relationship; she dismisses his formalities and immediately focuses on the warning.
• Lan Ying serves as Yang’s conversational companion and emotional observer, challenging his cautious methods and commenting on his relationships with others.
• Yang supervises Gu Yan in routine administrative matters and later gives him a covert assignment to support Shen Ke.
• Yang and Shen Ke interact with mutual professionalism and trust. Yang approves Shen’s costly investigation and discreetly provides him with an undercover identity.
• The chapter ends with Bao Fan delivering the shocking news of Shen Ke’s death, abruptly transforming the previously slow investigation into a crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Calm Response, Patient Arrangements”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing learns that Shen Ke, an independent investigator from Third Section, was attacked and killed outside the border while investigating a sensitive case.
• Shen Ke’s surviving assistant, Meng Jiang, returned alone to the Xilin Province office. Yang immediately orders him placed under watch and forbids anyone from contacting him before questioning.
• Suspecting that Shen Ke’s death was an inside job rather than a random assassination, Yang reviews who knew about the investigation: himself, Bao Fan, Yu Zhou, Shen Ke’s communications officer, and Meng Jiang.
• Yang orders Investigation Section Six’s chief, He Jin, to keep Bao Fan under constant observation. He also places Shen Ke’s communications officer under watch and orders a full investigation into his background.
• Yu Zhou is recalled to Zhongjing and given three days to determine where the investigation failed. He admits that he reported the case to his sect, though Yang does not blame him.
• Chief Liu reports that the Yulin Tribe claims three demons killed Shen Ke. Yang immediately recognizes the explanation as a cover story, since Shen Ke had been investigating a trade ambassador connected to Zheng Huai.
• Yang issues arrest warrants for the donors known to have contacted Zheng Huai. He sends the warrants to Qiu Ling and orders Chu Tian to arrest and detain the suspects.
• He prepares to travel to the Xilin Province office, informs the Major Crimes Divisions in the Four Western Provinces of Shen Ke’s death, and designates the matter Case 605.
• Yang reports to Chief Liang Chuan, requesting that the division coordinate a joint investigation and compel the four provinces’ City Defense Systems to provide records and files. Liang obtains the director’s approval and promises immediate cooperation.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates composure, suspicion, and procedural discipline. Though he trusts some subordinates personally, he prioritizes containment and evidence, placing even Bao Fan under surveillance.
• He shifts rapidly from assessing the murder to organizing a broad counter-investigation, showing strong leadership and willingness to accept responsibility for decisive actions.
• Bao Fan appears tense when Yang investigates the people with access to Shen Ke’s case, though no direct guilt is established.
• Yu Zhou reveals that he independently reported the case to his sect, acknowledging that this may have been an error. Yang responds pragmatically rather than angrily and gives him a limited time to investigate.
• Liang Chuan initially listens carefully, then supports Yang by seeking higher authorization and securing institutional cooperation.
• Lan Ying functions as both Yang’s companion and an observant sounding board, openly raising the possibility that officials may betray or obstruct him.
• Chief Liu proves shrewd and cooperative, understanding Yang’s indirect accusation against the Yulin Tribe.

3. Significant Themes

• Institutional mistrust and possible betrayal: Shen Ke’s confidential movements could only have been exposed by someone with inside knowledge, making the investigation as much about identifying a mole as finding his killers.
• Procedure over personal trust: Yang places colleagues under surveillance not because he has proof of guilt, but because proper investigative protocol requires eliminating every possibility.
• Political deception and cover-ups: The Yulin Tribe’s claim that random demons killed Shen Ke is treated as an implausible attempt to conceal the real cause of death.
• Responsibility and divided loyalties: Yu Zhou’s instinct to report to his sect highlights the tension between organizational duty and personal or sectarian allegiance.
• Calm preparation before action: The chapter emphasizes methodical planning—issuing warrants, forming a task force, securing records, and coordinating authorities—rather than impulsive retaliation.

4. Character Interactions

• Yang and Bao Fan: Yang gives Bao Fan administrative orders but then has him monitored by He Jin, creating a tense contrast between professional trust and investigative caution.
• Yang and Yu Zhou: Their conversation is restrained and pragmatic. Yu Zhou accepts responsibility, while Yang acknowledges the risks of assigning him the case and sets a three-day deadline.
• Yang and Chief Liu: Liu relays the Yulin Tribe’s explanation; Yang responds with veiled sarcasm that clearly communicates his belief that the tribe is lying.
• Yang and Lan Ying: Lan Ying repeatedly questions whether there is a mole or whether Liang Chuan might leak information, while Yang answers calmly and remains focused on verification.
• Yang and Liang Chuan: Yang presents the case directly and requests broad institutional backing. Liang takes the matter seriously, consults the director, and secures approval for a coordinated investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Special Means”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At 2 a.m., Director Yang Wenqing interrogates Meng Jiang, Shen Ke’s assistant, about the events preceding Shen Ke’s death.
• Meng Jiang explains that Shen Ke sent him ahead to investigate the Yulin Tribe’s border trade and suspected money-laundering operations. Shen Ke himself went to meet a secret informant.
• Meng Jiang claims he noticed nothing unusual in the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods and does not know the informant’s identity. Yang orders Gu Yan and Fang Ping to continue questioning him and determine whether he betrayed Shen Ke, while ensuring he is not exhausted.
• Chu Tian reports that six of seven “donors”—suspected participants in the case—have been captured. Their interrogations produce no useful information.
• After observing the suspects through Divine Sense, Yang orders Chu Tian to prepare an application for the Soul-Searching Technique, despite the fact that it may damage the memories of these ordinary people.
• Yang makes it clear that procedural justice is useful when it protects an investigation, but he is willing to bypass or manipulate procedure when necessary. He instructs Chu Tian to find concrete criminal evidence supporting the applications.
• By morning, Chu Tian has found sufficient criminal leads on three donors. Yang formally signs and files the applications.
• Soul-searching reveals that all three donors repeatedly dealt with Zheng Huai in smuggling and money-laundering activities. Their memories also point to:
  • An unidentified superior figure,
  • An encrypted communications signal connected to the Xilin Provincial Police Department,
  • Zheng Huai’s possible involvement in a larger criminal network.
• Yang and Chu Tian discuss arresting Zheng Huai. Yang reveals that Shen Ke had previously uncovered problems involving Zheng Huai before being attacked and killed.
• The representatives of four provinces arrive to establish a special task force. Yang and Chu Tian prepare to use the meeting to secure authorization for Zheng Huai’s arrest.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing: Reveals a pragmatic and ruthless side beneath his reputation for strict proceduralism. He values rules primarily because they provide protection and leverage, not because he is unwilling to violate them. Shen Ke’s death and the attempt on Yang’s own life motivate him to pursue the case personally.
• Chu Tian: Initially hesitates over the ethics and legality of soul-searching ordinary people, but quickly adapts to Yang’s methods. He demonstrates loyalty, efficiency, and growing understanding of Yang’s true nature.
• Meng Jiang: Appears exhausted and physically unwell but maintains that he followed Shen Ke’s orders and did not betray him. His testimony establishes that Shen Ke was investigating a sophisticated smuggling and money-laundering route.
• Shen Ke: Though dead, his careful procedures and investigative habits continue to influence the investigation. His likely report to a communications officer may contain an important lead.
• Lan Ying: Acts as Yang’s quiet companion and emotional counterpoint. She senses his reluctance to discuss the wider corruption of the Myriad Mysteries Realm and supports him without pressing the issue.

Significant Themes

• Law versus expediency: The chapter examines whether justice can be achieved through methods that violate ordinary safeguards. Yang treats procedure as a tool rather than an absolute moral principle.
• Hidden corruption: The investigation expands from Shen Ke’s murder to a broader network involving smuggling, money laundering, police communications, and an unidentified superior.
• The cost of truth: Soul-searching may damage innocent or ordinary people’s memories, raising questions about whether uncovering the truth justifies harming suspects.
• Vengeance and responsibility: Yang is driven both by professional duty and personal retaliation. He refuses to allow Shen Ke’s death or the attempt on his own life to go unanswered.
• Power and institutional protection: Proper documentation, authorization, and bureaucratic procedure function as weapons that determine who can act and who can be held accountable.

Character Interactions

• Yang calmly questions Meng Jiang, then delegates the interrogation to Gu Yan and Fang Ping while emphasizing both thoroughness and humane treatment.
• Yang pressures Chu Tian into preparing legally defensible soul-searching applications, revealing his uncompromising expectations and forcing Chu Tian to recognize his willingness to use “special means.”
• Chu Tian later recommends arresting Zheng Huai and using soul-searching on him, showing that he has begun adopting Yang’s strategic approach.
• Lan Ying offers quiet companionship and briefly challenges Yang about whether he will pursue the truth to its end. Yang admits that Shen Ke’s death and the attack against him make inaction impossible.
• The chapter ends with Yang and Chu Tian moving together toward the interprovincial task-force meeting, intending to secure the warrant that will allow them to arrest Zheng Huai.

Chapter Summary: “Arresting Zheng Huai”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Director Yang Wenqing forms a Joint Investigation Group with four provincial Major Crimes deputy directors—Tie Mu, Qi Shan, Rong Xue, and He Chuan—to investigate the murder of independent investigator Shen Ke.
• Evidence from soul searches of three criminal brokers links Zheng Huai, deputy director of the Xilin Province Logistics Office, to smuggling operations and to the Yulin Tribe envoy Shen Ke had been investigating.
• Yang proposes arresting Zheng Huai immediately and conducting a soul search if necessary. The other officials agree, though Qi Shan hesitates because Zheng is a senior official from Xilin Province.
• Yang reveals that he already has authorization to arrest Zheng and gives Qi Shan only half an hour to obtain Xilin Province’s formal position. Zheng’s home is already surrounded.
• Xilin agrees, but requires Inspection System personnel to be present at the arrest and asks Yang to meet Assistant Director Zheng Shao and Inspector Qiu Ling afterward.
• Yang orders Chu Tian to arrest Zheng and instructs him to monitor and secretly detain Zheng’s close family members, using soul searches on those with serious criminal records.
• Zheng is successfully arrested without resistance, though tensions arise between Chu Tian’s agents and the provincial Inspection System personnel.
• Yang travels to the Xilin provincial capital, Xijue City, intending to meet provincial officials and continue the investigation.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates decisive authority and strategic cunning. He deliberately stages a highly visible investigation to pressure Zheng Huai’s backers into revealing themselves.
• He recognizes that Zheng is likely only a minor participant and plans to trace the conspiracy through Zheng’s associates, finances, communications, and connected tribes.
• Qi Shan initially appears uneasy and protective of his province’s official, but ultimately accepts the arrest after receiving authorization from Xilin.
• Chu Tian acts as Yang’s loyal subordinate, carrying out the arrest and accepting increasingly aggressive investigative orders without hesitation.
• The four deputy directors function as representatives of their provinces. Tie Mu, Rong Xue, and He Chuan readily support Yang, while Qi Shan is placed under greater political pressure.
• Lan Ying observes the proceedings perceptively and lightly teases Yang about enjoying the political maneuvering.

Significant Themes

• Power and political pressure: Yang uses legal authority, interprovincial cooperation, and public scrutiny to force hidden actors into the open.
• Justice versus harsh methods: Soul searches, secret arrests, and the possible elimination of entire tribes show how far authorities are willing to go when confronting enemies who have abandoned official rules.
• Investigation as strategy: The arrest is not merely about punishing Zheng Huai; it is bait intended to expose the larger network behind him.
• Institutional conflict: The case reveals tension between provincial authorities, the Inspection System, and the central investigative organization.
• Corruption and hidden networks: Zheng Huai’s smuggling activities suggest a broader conspiracy involving officials, brokers, foreign tribal contacts, and possibly powerful figures behind the scenes.

Character Interactions

• Yang formally establishes control over the four deputy directors, assigning them provincial liaison roles and later sending them to interrogate the remaining brokers.
• Qi Shan and Yang clash subtly over Zheng Huai’s arrest, with Yang asserting his superior authorization and authority.
• Chu Tian reinforces Yang’s warning that anyone attempting to protect Zheng Huai may also be implicated.
• Yang consults Nian Qian about suspicious activity and relies on Yang Tian to transport him quickly to Xijue City.
• The chapter ends as Yang arrives at the arrest site, where provincial officials—including Zheng Shao and Qiu Ling—are waiting amid a tense and disorderly situation.

Chapter Summary: “Handling It with Ease, Difference in Status”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing arrives in Xilin Province and finds Zheng Huai restrained by Third Section agents under a tense standoff with the Provincial Police Department’s Inspection System.
• Deputy Director Wu Qi contacts Yang Wenqing and asks whether the Third Section intends to pursue the case fully and whether its investigation will follow proper procedures.
• Yang answers firmly that the true culprit must be found and that Zheng Huai’s violation of the “rules of the game” cannot be overlooked or negotiated away.
• Wu accepts his position, and the Inspection System withdraws. Zheng Shao then announces that the Provincial Police Department will provide full logistical and military support, including personnel, weapons, and two Operations Division units.
• Chu Tian arrives late after being delayed at a provincial checkpoint. Yang orders him to handle Zheng Huai immediately and move against Zheng Huai’s associates before the provincial authorities can act.
• Qiu Ling reveals that the case involves a longstanding criminal organization laundering vast quantities of Spirit Crystals—possibly several hundred thousand. The network extends across Xilin Province, the Four Western Provinces, the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods, and possibly Zhongjing.
• She identifies the Prefectural Soldier System as the main concentration of the organization’s members. Director Duan Kou appears aware of the corruption but has repeatedly responded evasively.
• Qiu Ling warns Yang to contact his grand-uncle master if the investigation reaches matters he should not pursue alone. She also offers to reopen her own investigation and monitor the related Bamboo Pool City case.
• Yang returns to the Third Section office, where he discovers that Provincial Operations Division forces have established a camp outside the bureau.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing demonstrates political firmness and confidence. He remains courteous toward Wu Qi and Zheng Shao but refuses to compromise on the investigation or allow Zheng Huai’s actions to be quietly settled.
• He briefly feels powerless after realizing that larger political forces may be manipulating the case, but regains his resolve by remembering his duty and humble beginnings in local security work.
• Qiu Ling becomes an important source of strategic information and guidance. Her warnings suggest that Yang’s investigation may serve the interests of powerful figures opposing the corrupt network.
• Chu Tian is shown as reliable and obedient, immediately accepting Yang’s orders to act quickly against Zheng Huai’s associates.
• Wu Qi appears cautious and politically sophisticated, testing Yang’s intentions while ultimately allowing provincial cooperation.
• Zheng Shao maintains a cordial, diplomatic relationship with Yang and formally offers the Province’s support.
• Zheng Huai is reduced from a threatening figure to a defeated prisoner, visibly shaken and helpless in restraints.
• Lan Ying continues to provide emotional companionship, sensing Yang’s uncertainty and asking whether the provincial forces are monitoring them.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus political compromise: Yang rejects behind-the-scenes negotiation when doing so would allow rule-breaking to go unpunished.
• Power, hierarchy, and manipulation: The investigation reaches far beyond ordinary criminals, implicating powerful institutions and officials who may be pursuing rare treasures for cultivation breakthroughs.
• The individual as a chess piece: Yang realizes that even as a bureau director, he may be operating within a much larger game controlled by senior powers.
• Duty and perseverance: Rather than becoming paralyzed by the wider conspiracy, Yang chooses to perform his role properly and continue advancing step by step.
• Institutional corruption: The Spirit Crystal laundering network appears deeply embedded in government and military structures, with senior officials deliberately ignoring it.
• Difference in status: The chapter contrasts Yang’s authority with lower-ranking officers and reminds him that true influence depends not only on official rank but also on backing from powerful lineages and institutions.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang and Wu Qi: Their communication is formally polite but strategically adversarial. Wu probes Yang’s resolve, while Yang makes clear that the case will not be softened.
• Yang and Zheng Shao: Their exchange is cooperative and courteous, establishing provincial support for the investigation.
• Yang and Qiu Ling: Qiu Ling provides crucial intelligence and cautions Yang against overreaching. Their conversation shifts the case from a local arrest to a broad conspiracy involving the Prefectural Soldier System.
• Yang and Chu Tian: Yang gives urgent operational instructions, emphasizing speed and warning that provincial forces may move first.
• Yang and Lan Ying: Lan Ying offers companionship and reassurance as Yang struggles with the realization that larger powers may be using him.
• Yang and Dong Le: Dong Le contacts Yang warmly and offers help, reinforcing his network of trusted relationships despite the demands of the case.

Chapter Summary: “The Ignorance of Mortals Was an Impassable Chasm”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Wenqing convenes a meeting with Chu Tian and Qi Shan to review the investigation into Zheng Huai, the corrupt former deputy director of the Xilin Province Logistics Office.
• Authorities begin arresting Zheng Huai’s immediate family, illegitimate children, and criminal associates, while freezing the family’s visible assets. Relatives without proven involvement are to be investigated rather than punished automatically.
• Zheng Huai is interrogated regarding illegal logistics shipments, meetings with donor-brokers, and suspicious financial transfers connected to his family. He refuses to answer every question.
• Zheng Huai reveals that he implanted a protective formation in his memories. If Soul-Searching is attempted, the formation could destroy his memories. He demands to speak directly with Yang Wenqing.
• Yang refuses to meet him immediately and orders the interrogation to continue. He also authorizes Soul-Searching on donor-brokers and criminally involved relatives.
• Yang contacts his Sixth Martial Uncle, Fei Ji, who sends two specialists—Lin Nan and Shen Qiu Chi—to dismantle Zheng Huai’s memory-protection formation.
• The specialists determine that the formation is deeply embedded in Zheng Huai’s brain but can be removed in two days. Zheng Huai is kept unconscious while they work.
• Meanwhile, Soul-Searching results from other suspects expose a large smuggling and money-laundering network spanning four provinces. The network moves illicit goods from the Myriad Mysteries Realm through donor-brokers and tribes such as the Yulin Tribe, distributing them across the Central Subcontinent and Western Continent.
• Yang shares the network’s structure with the Joint Investigation Group. A preliminary investigation identifies over five hundred people, including many officials from the City Defense System, Provincial Police Department, Municipal Bureau, logistics divisions, and frontline units.
• The investigation stalls because regional City Defense Systems resist Soul-Searching and many suspects are outside Yang’s direct custody. Yang delegates the broader coordination effort while continuing to focus on Zheng Huai.
• On the third morning, the formation-breaking specialists finish their work. Yang immediately orders the Soul-Searching team to enter and examine Zheng Huai’s memories.

Character Developments

• Yang Wenqing remains calm, procedural, and strategically cautious. He avoids abusing Soul-Searching authority in front of Qi Shan but prepares thoroughly to use it once the legal and technical obstacles are removed. His decision to share intelligence also demonstrates both cooperation and an attempt to test the reliability of other investigators.
• Chu Tian acts as Yang’s decisive subordinate. He supports harsher interrogation methods and openly expresses frustration with Zheng Huai’s resistance, but follows Yang’s instructions efficiently.
• Qi Shan functions mainly as a witness and representative of the provincial authorities. He remains largely silent and obediently carries out Yang’s orders.
• Zheng Huai is portrayed as calculating and stubborn. Though stripped of his official position and benefits, he maintains composure and refuses to cooperate. His willingness to endure recurring headaches and implant a destructive memory formation shows considerable determination and desperation.
• Lin Nan and Shen Qiu Chi are introduced as highly skilled formation specialists. Their contrasting expertise allows them to analyze and dismantle Zheng Huai’s defensive technique.
• Fei Ji supports Yang remotely, providing technical knowledge and sending the specialists needed to overcome Zheng Huai’s protection.
• The corrupt network expands from an individual investigation into a systemic conspiracy involving officials, brokers, tribes, and commercial channels across multiple regions.

Significant Themes

• The limits of mortal understanding: Zheng Huai’s formation is based on principles mortals cannot fully comprehend. His attempt to protect his memories ultimately becomes a trap, since he cannot understand the deeper relationship between the formation, consciousness, and the brain.
• Institutional corruption: The conspiracy is not limited to one corrupt official. It penetrates many levels of government and military administration, showing how organized corruption can become embedded within entire systems.
• Law versus expediency: Yang must balance procedural safeguards with the need to obtain information quickly. The chapter emphasizes the tension between formal investigative rules, torture, Soul-Searching, and practical security demands.
• Knowledge and specialization: The investigation depends on cooperation between interrogators, investigators, spiritual technicians, and formation experts. Progress is achieved through specialized knowledge rather than brute force alone.
• Isolation and control: Zheng Huai attempts to control the investigation by controlling access to his memories, while Yang counters by controlling the surrounding investigation, suspects, evidence, and technical resources.

Character Interactions

• Yang directs Chu Tian and Qi Shan during the initial investigation, assigning arrests, asset seizures, questioning, and Soul-Searching duties.
• Zheng Huai’s silence frustrates the interrogators and prompts Chu Tian to recommend torture or immediate Soul-Searching. Zheng’s demand to meet Yang creates a direct psychological standoff between the prisoner and the director.
• Yang consults Fei Ji through a communication formation, relying on their martial-family relationship and Fei Ji’s technical expertise.
• Lin Nan and Shen Qiu Chi cooperate closely in examining and dismantling the memory formation, then report their findings to Yang.
• Yang and Chu Tian coordinate the final Soul-Searching operation, with Chu Tian responsible for preserving the application and deploying the equipment.
• Yang shares intelligence with the four deputy directors, testing whether they will pursue the wider conspiracy while recognizing that regional resistance will complicate the investigation.

Key events

• After Lin Nan and Shen Qiu Chi finish treating Zheng Huai, Yang Wenqing sends them to rest and explore Xilin Province.
• A soul-seizing team extracts Zheng Huai’s memories, killing him in the process. The memories reveal a long-running smuggling and corruption network: Zheng Huai coordinated the whole operation, while officials in several systems each controlled one part. Its most powerful known member is Tie Mao, a grade-three officer commanding the Sixth Guard.
• The network appears connected to the circle already uncovered in the donor investigation, but Zheng Huai’s memories do not explain who attacked Shen Ke.
• Yang Wenqing orders the soul-seizing team confined and assigns further investigations: deputy team leaders will pursue the newly implicated cases, while Chu Tian focuses on Jin Qu, the banker who recruited Zheng Huai.
• Director Liang Chuan warns Yang that investigations across the Four Western Provinces are causing a major stir and urges him to avoid letting matters escalate. Yang insists his priority is identifying Shen Ke’s attacker.
• Yang mobilizes available Investigation Division teams and asks Martial Aunt Qiu Ling to meet him, saying the case is more complicated than it first appeared.
• Yu Zhou then confirms that information about Agent Shen was leaked through a Greenfield Sect contact. He says the attack involves a War Pavilion leader backed by both the Greenfield and Thick Earth Sects. He plans to request solitary confinement, and Yang accepts his silence.

Character developments

• Yang Wenqing remains determined despite the lack of a direct lead in Zheng Huai’s memories and the political danger surrounding the case. He shifts resources toward Jin Qu and seeks help from senior allies.
• Zheng Huai emerges as a hardworking man whose ambition and long stagnation made him vulnerable to corruption. He kept a ledger of transactions, potentially preserving evidence beyond his altered memories.
• Yu Zhou accepts responsibility for the information leak and chooses solitary confinement rather than revealing more over an insecure channel.
• Lin Nan and Shen Qiu Chi show their usually restrained personalities: Lin Nan protests politely, while Shen Qiu Chi’s quiet anticipation reveals how rarely they get time away from technical work.
• Lan Ying supports Yang emotionally, noticing his worry and asking whether he intends to give up.

Themes

• Corruption and divided responsibility: The network’s members each control one resource and know only their own piece, making the larger operation difficult to expose.
• Ambition and exploitation: Zheng Huai’s thwarted career and desire to improve his family’s prospects lead him into a dangerous bargain.
• Power and political risk: The case reaches into high-level military and sect leadership, where pursuing justice may provoke serious consequences.
• Duty and sacrifice: Yang persists despite pressure, while Yu Zhou accepts personal confinement to protect sensitive information.

Character interactions

• Yang treats his junior brothers warmly, encouraging them to rest and enjoy their rare time away from work.
• He receives Zheng Huai’s memories with Lan Ying present, then reviews the evidence and directs the agents’ confinement.
• Liang Chuan challenges Yang about the scope and consequences of his investigation; Yang firmly distinguishes his search for Shen Ke’s attacker from the wider corruption cases.
• Yang gives Chu Tian both a specific assignment and discretion to act, showing trust while stressing caution.
• Lan Ying checks on Yang’s state of mind, and he admits to having many concerns but refuses to abandon the case.
• Yu Zhou warns Yang that the trail reaches a War Pavilion leader, changing the investigation from a local corruption case into a politically sensitive confrontation.