Recaps

Jiang Jingnian gained the Jade Heart Method and read Fifth Uncle’s invitation to a dinner banquet, deciding to attend after sensing that his uncle had run into trouble. After a perfunctory visit to the Blazing Cloud Dao Lord, he learned that his growing notoriety had made him a target for scrutiny within the sect.

• Jiang Jingnian discovered that the Jade Heart Method could resist mental pollution and cleanse some toxins, while also slightly increasing his charm.
• Jiang Jingnian reread Fifth Uncle’s letter, which described Qu Lanlan’s account of his actions at the Su Family shop and invited him to a dinner banquet at the Kasu Grand Hotel.
• Jiang Jingnian inferred from the letter that Fifth Uncle had encountered trouble and decided to attend the banquet.
• Jiang Jingnian paid his respects to the Blazing Cloud Dao Lord, chose a true cultivation art, and received only a brief, formal welcome.
• A Phosphorfire Lineage steward warned Jiang Jingnian to avoid going down the mountain for a few days, and Jiang Jingnian suspected that the Mystic Mountain Lineage was plotting something.

Jiang Jingnian dismissed his fears of a secret attack and decided to confront Ye Changting directly. He challenged Ye to a Deathmatch Arena battle in three days and requested protection from the Burning Cloud Dao Lineage while awaiting the fight.

• Jiang Jingnian reconsidered the threats from Ye Changting and Xie Miao, deciding he would strike first rather than wait passively.
• Jiang Jingnian went to the Punishment Hall and asked Elder Tian to arrange a Deathmatch Arena battle with Ye Changting in three days.
• Jiang Jingnian also requested a Burning Cloud Dao Lineage protector, claiming Ye Changting and Xie Miao might attack him in secret.
• Elder Tian warned Jiang Jingnian about the risks, then explained that Ye Changting could refuse the challenge by transferring half his resources to Jiang Jingnian.
• Elder Tian entered the challenge procedure and told Jiang Jingnian he could not challenge anyone else to a Deathmatch Arena battle for three months.

Ye Changting was forced to decide whether to accept Jiang Jingnian’s Deathmatch Arena challenge, which would take place in three days. After Xie Miao urged him to accept, Ye Changting took the writ, and news of the coming fight spread through the sect.

• Deacon Li presented Ye Changting with the Deathmatch Arena writ and explained that refusing would cost him half his resources and restrict his movements during an inventory.
• Ye Changting hesitated as disciples gathered to watch, suspecting Jiang Jingnian had some hidden advantage despite their vast difference in strength.
• Xie Miao arrived and advised Ye Changting to accept, arguing that they had planned to deal with Jiang Jingnian anyway.
• Ye Changting accepted the writ and resolved to kill Jiang Jingnian in the arena three days later.
• News of the fight spread through the Inner Sect and reached many Outer Sect disciples within half a day.

Liu Qingzhi learned that Jiang Jingnian had challenged Ye Changting without guidance from the Burning Cloud Lineage and ordered an Ice Jade Talisman sent to protect him. Her disciples left Heartrest Residence, suspecting that Liu Qingzhi was preparing an Advancement Ritual to reach the Late Inner Qi Realm.

• Liu Qingzhi questioned her disciples about Jiang Jingnian's Deathmatch Arena challenge and learned that Senior Brother Du was away and had no connection to him.
• Liu Qingzhi denied directing Jiang Jingnian, explaining that she had only just heard his name from her disciples.
• Liu Qingzhi ordered a disciple to give Jiang Jingnian an Ice Jade Talisman that could offset one fatal blow.
• The short-haired junior sister retrieved the talisman and left with the others, then warned them that Liu Qingzhi might be preparing an Advancement Ritual.

Jiang Jingnian received an Ice Jade Talisman from Burning Cloud Dao Lineage disciples ahead of his Deathmatch Arena fight with Ye Changting, but he remained calm about the danger. After asking Elder Tian for an escort to attend a relative’s banquet, he learned Protector Gao had already been assigned to accompany him down the mountain.

• Several Burning Cloud Dao Lineage disciples gave Jiang Jingnian an Ice Jade Talisman and told him to concede if he could not win against Ye Changting.
• Jiang Jingnian offered the talisman to Duan Xiaodie, but she urged him to keep it for protection; he left her holding it and went to the washroom.
• After lunch, Jiang Jingnian strolled with Duan Xiaodie, napped, and then went to Elder Tian to request a sect protector for his trip down the mountain.
• Elder Tian introduced Protector Gao, an early Inner Qi Realm expert assigned to protect and supervise Jiang Jingnian before the Deathmatch Arena.
• Jiang Jingnian respectfully greeted Protector Gao, who agreed to deal with anyone who attacked him as long as Jiang Jingnian did not deliberately cause trouble.

Jiang Jingnian and Duan Xiaodie prepared to travel to Peace City for dinner with his Fifth Uncle, while Qu Qiaoyun warned Qu Lanlan to behave at a tense family gathering. The chapter left both households on their way to meetings where family relationships could prove difficult.

• Duan Xiaodie dressed for the trip, and Jiang Jingnian praised her before agreeing to call her Xiaodie.
• Duan Xiaodie prepared a gemstone necklace for Jiang Jingnian's Fifth Uncle, while Jiang Jingnian packed banknotes as his own gift.
• Qu Qiaoyun cautioned Qu Lanlan not to provoke relatives at dinner because of the conflicts between family branches.
• Qu Lanlan promised to behave, and Qu Yuzhi tried to reassure Qu Qiaoyun that Second Brother would protect them.

Jiang Jingnian went with Duan Xiaodie and Protector Gao to a lavish gathering at Kasu Grand Hotel, where he reunited with his Fifth Uncle, Qu Yuzhi. The chapter ended as Qu Yuzhi welcomed the three of them to sit down.

• Jiang Jingnian asked Protector Gao to leave the traffic jam and walk with him and Duan Xiaodie to Kasu Grand Hotel.
• Jiang Jingnian, Duan Xiaodie, and Protector Gao rode the hotel’s sightseeing elevator and entered a luxurious private room.
• Jiang Jingnian spotted his Fifth Uncle, Qu Yuzhi, and greeted him.
• Qu Yuzhi barely recognized Jiang Jingnian, whose appearance and bearing had changed greatly since he had last seen him.
• Jiang Jingnian introduced Duan Xiaodie as his woman and Protector Gao as a senior, while Duan Xiaodie gave Qu Yuzhi a gift.
• Qu Yuzhi accepted the gift and invited Jiang Jingnian, Duan Xiaodie, and Protector Gao to sit.

Jiang Jingnian attended dinner with his Fifth Uncle, Qu Yuzhi, and met Qu Yuzhi’s wife and daughter, who were startled by how much he had changed. When Jiang Jingnian offered to help with the trouble facing his uncle’s household, Qu Lanlan suddenly cried out and fell backward with her chair.

• Qu Yuzhi and Qu Qiaoyun stared at Jiang Jingnian’s transformed appearance and the elegant woman, Duan Xiaodie, who accompanied him.
• Qu Lanlan mistook Duan Xiaodie for Jiang Jingnian’s lover and silently compared her mature charm with younger girls such as Lu Zhishuang.
• Duan Xiaodie asked Qu Lanlan whether she was related to Jiang Jingnian, and Qu Lanlan gave a cool, guarded reply.
• Jiang Jingnian told Qu Yuzhi quietly that he might be able to help resolve the trouble facing his household.
• Qu Qiaoyun discouraged Jiang Jingnian from discussing the household’s difficulties, but Qu Yuzhi began to explain them anyway.
• Qu Lanlan cried out in pain and toppled backward with her chair.

At the Qu Household banquet, Li Lisi attacked Qu Lanlan and provoked Qu Yuzhi’s family, prompting Jiang Jingnian and Duan Xiaodie to intervene. Jiang Jingnian pinned Li Lisi’s powerful ally to the floor and told Protector Gao that the other side had started the fight.

• Li Lisi yanked Qu Lanlan from her chair and tried to drag her away, claiming she only wanted to play while Qu Qiaoyun and Qu Yuzhi protested.
• When Li Lisi’s glowing grip hurt Qu Lanlan and she struck Qu Yuzhi aside, Jiang Jingnian stepped in to support Fifth Uncle and ordered Li Lisi to let go.
• Jiang Jingnian told Duan Xiaodie to slap Li Lisi, and Duan Xiaodie struck her hard enough to make her release Qu Lanlan.
• Li Lisi called for Albert, who charged at Duan Xiaodie, but Jiang Jingnian pinned him to the marble floor with one foot.
• Jiang Jingnian told Protector Gao that he had not started the trouble and that the others had struck first.

Jiang Jingnian protected Qu Qiaoyun’s family from the Li Family at the Qu Household banquet, drawing attention to his connection with the Mountain Cloud School. Two days later, he trained for his upcoming Deathmatch Arena bout against Ye Changting, hoping to use the fight to advance toward becoming a Dao-Lineage True Disciple.

• Jiang Jingnian pinned the foreign strongman and intimidated Li Lisi, while Qu Beijiang and the banquet guests watched without intervening.
• A Li Family bodyguard shot at Jiang Jingnian, but Protector Gao of the Mountain Cloud School cut down the attacker and revealed his affiliation.
• Qu Beijiang apologized to Protector Gao and treated Jiang Jingnian’s group as honored guests, while the Li Family elders withdrew with Li Lisi.
• Jiang Jingnian spent the rest of the banquet with Qu Yuzhi and his family, then returned to the Mountain Cloud School and continued training.
• Jiang Jingnian prepared for the Deathmatch Arena, planning to defeat Ye Changting and build a reputation by borrowing the strength of the sect’s disciples and elders.

Jiang Jingnian prepared for his Deathmatch Arena fight with Ye Changting, while Duan Xiaodie worried about the odds against him. At the crowded Deathmatch Hall, Jiang Jingnian bet twenty Merit Points on himself, drawing surprised and pitying looks from the other disciples.

• Jiang Jingnian finished his morning training, and Duan Xiaodie urged him to stay warm before facing Ye Changting.
• Jiang Jingnian reassured Duan Xiaodie and ate the blood food she had prepared.
• Disciples gathered at Deathmatch Hall to watch the upcoming fight, while a female disciple took supervised bets on its outcome.
• Jiang Jingnian placed a twenty-Merit-Point bet on himself, and the female disciple and surrounding disciples reacted with confusion and pity.

Jiang Jingnian faced Ye Changting in a Deathmatch Arena duel while the sect expected him to lose. He survived Ye Changting’s enchanted gunfire, destroyed the weapon, and killed him with overwhelming force.

• Jiang Jingnian entered Deathmatch Hall as most spectators and bettors favored Ye Changting, who waited confidently with a secret weapon.
• Protector Gao Xian told a middle-aged female protector that Jiang Jingnian had a powerful secret art and had once given him a sense of threat.
• After the elders announced the rules, Ye Changting drew an enchanted revolver and fired all six bullets at Jiang Jingnian.
• Jiang Jingnian transformed into a towering, flame-wreathed figure, endured the shots, and crushed Ye Changting’s revolver.
• Jiang Jingnian seized Ye Changting, slammed him into the arena floor, and crushed him beneath his palm.

Jiang Jingnian survived Ye Changting’s enchanted gunfire and killed him with a single blow, winning their Deathmatch Arena battle. After the elders verified that Jiang Jingnian was not a Demon Wraith Spawn, the hall declared the matter settled, while spectators began to admire him as a rising prodigy.

• Ye Changting fired the Fire Salamander Revolver, but Jiang Jingnian endured the bullets and their poison before crushing him with one blow.
• The spectators reacted in shock, and Xie Miao accused Jiang Jingnian of being parasitized by Demon Wraiths.
• An Inner Sect elder examined Jiang Jingnian, confirmed he was not a Demon Wraith Spawn, and declared him the winner.
• The elder warned against further slander, and the spectators’ astonishment turned into admiration for Jiang Jingnian.
• The female disciple who ran the betting table recognized Jiang Jingnian as someone she might be able to befriend and win over.

After defeating Ye Changting in the Deathmatch Arena, Jiang Jingnian recovered from his minor wounds and kept a special ring he had taken from Ye Changting’s remains. A female Outer Disciple came to settle his betting winnings and proposed investing in him, leaving Jiang Jingnian to consider her offer.

• Jiang Jingnian reflected that he had avoided using Psychic Whip in the arena and had quickly purified the poison from his wounds with the Jade Heart Method.
• Jiang Jingnian kept the deformed ring he had taken from Ye Changting’s remains, intending to devour and refine it.
• Doctor Yang examined Jiang Jingnian, treated his superficial gunshot wounds, and said they would heal within a day or two.
• A Phosphor Fire Dao Lineage steward brought the female Outer Disciple who had run the betting table to Jiang Jingnian’s resting room.
• The female disciple told Jiang Jingnian that he would need to go to Life Bloom Hall to receive his Merit Points, then offered to invest in him.

Jiang Jingnian accepted Qian Ningning’s offer of 572 Merit Points in exchange for promising to help her once if he became a Dao-Lineage True Disciple. After spending the points to reach the Marrow Tempering Stage and forcibly learn the Giant Ayeli Technique, he discovered that fusing it required the Spiritual Essence Core of a Mountainfire Demon Wraith.

• Qian Ningning offered Jiang Jingnian her Merit Points, and he agreed to help her once in the future if he became a Dao-Lineage True Disciple.
• Qian Ningning transferred 572 Merit Points to Jiang Jingnian, leaving him with almost all of her accumulated points spent on his advancement and cultivation.
• Jiang Jingnian reached the Marrow Tempering Stage and forcibly learned the first volume of the Giant Ayeli Technique using special items containing Metal Nature.
• Jiang Jingnian found that the Giant Ayeli Technique’s essence conflicted with his existing Copperflame Essence, so he used it to suppress the foreign essence in his marrow.
• Jiang Jingnian’s technique-fusion requirements revealed that he needed a Spiritual Essence Core from a Mountainfire Demon Wraith, which had to be harvested within an hour of its death.

Jiang Jingnian suppressed the Giant Ayi Essence while considering how to fuse the Giant Ayeli Technique with his existing cultivation. As he and Duan Xiaodie discussed a wedding banquet, Qian Ningning arrived with clues about the Demon Wraiths matter Jiang Jingnian had asked her to investigate.

• Jiang Jingnian expelled the suppressed Giant Ayi Essence and reflected on the powers and risks of the Giant Ayeli Technique.
• Jiang Jingnian gave most of his unused Inner Disciple resources to Duan Xiaodie to support her cultivation.
• Duan Xiaodie told Jiang Jingnian that her Second Uncle wanted to arrange a formal wedding banquet, and Jiang Jingnian said his martial arts breakthrough had to come first.
• Qian Ningning visited Jiang Jingnian and Duan Xiaodie, bringing clues about the Demon Wraiths matter.
• Jiang Jingnian finished his meal and led Qian Ningning to discuss the matter while Duan Xiaodie stayed at the table.

Jiang Jingnian asked Qian Ningning about nearby fire-related Demon Wraiths and weighed which ones he could pursue. Qian Ningning suggested he take a sect assignment to hunt one with other disciples.

• Jiang Jingnian served Qian Ningning rose tea and urged Duan Xiaodie to eat blood food and work toward the Blood Tempering Stage.
• Qian Ningning described the dangers of her aristocratic family, and Jiang Jingnian redirected her to discuss Demon Wraiths.
• Qian Ningning listed nearby fire-related Demon Wraiths, including Bi Fang's Fire, the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear, and the Flickerflash Flower Tree.
• Jiang Jingnian asked for details about the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear and the Flickerflash Flower Tree, preferring the latter as a target.
• Qian Ningning explained that both Demon Wraiths were sect assignments and advised Jiang Jingnian to accept one and hunt alongside other disciples.

After Qian Ningning shared what she knew about Demon Wraiths, Jiang Jingnian weighed the dangers of hunting one for his cultivation method and reassured Duan Xiaodie before seeking a suitable sect mission. He learned that the nearby Flickerflash Flower Tree mission had already been taken, leaving the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear as the main option under consideration.

• Qian Ningning told Jiang Jingnian her Demon Wraith intelligence and suggestions, then left for her shops.
• Jiang Jingnian judged that hunting the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear could be dangerous, especially if Bi Fang's Fire appeared again, while Duan Xiaodie urged him to be cautious.
• Jiang Jingnian told Duan Xiaodie he needed fresh, important Demon Wraith Remains to fuse his cultivation methods, and she chose to remain on the mountain while he went down to seek a mission.
• Jiang Jingnian asked the Phosphorfire steward about nearby Earthfire and mountain-fire Demon Wraith missions and learned that disciples could not accept a direct mission involving Bi Fang's Fire.
• The Phosphorfire steward said the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear mission was a joint operation led by Outer Sect elders and that several Outer Disciples had already accepted the Flickerflash Flower Tree mission near Dongdi Lake.
• Jiang Jingnian considered going to Dongdi Lake on his own or waiting for a chance to hunt the Flame-Stone Aberrant Bear.

Jiang Jingnian traveled from the Mountain Cloud School to Dongdi Lake to hunt Demon Wraiths, while a group of Dou'a Sect Daoists discovered signs that someone had set a trap for them. The chapter left Jiang Jingnian entering the lakeside forest as fighting and cries for help sounded nearby.

• Jiang Jingnian left Duan Xiaodie in Qian Ningning's care, packed supplies, and went down the mountain to find a carriage to Dongdi Lake.
• A carriage driver warned Jiang Jingnian to avoid the forbidden Blackwind Mountains, where powerful Demon Wraiths were said to be sealed.
• Dou'a Sect Daoists investigating a Water Monkey's remains discovered that someone had arranged a fresh corpse as a trap and suspected an insider was involved.
• Jiang Jingnian reached the post station, ate his provisions, and continued toward Dongdi Lake through the forest.
• Jiang Jingnian heard fighting and cries for help coming from the east.

Jiang Jingnian avoided a supernatural trap in the forest and reached Dongdi Lake, believing the hidden attacker had not followed him. As he washed at the lake, a strange face appeared in the water.

• Jiang Jingnian ignored distant cries and followed his map toward Dongdi Lake.
• Jiang Jingnian used the Jade Heart Method to reveal a poisonous illusion hiding a steep slope and recognized that he was being lured into a trap.
• Jiang Jingnian taunted the unseen attacker, but the voice kept calling and no enemy appeared.
• Jiang Jingnian fled through the forest and reached Dongdi Lake after sunset, washing poisonous residue from his skin.
• A bizarre, howling human face appeared reflected in the lake water.

Jiang Jingnian killed a Water-Mirror Face on the shores of Dongdi Lake and continued cautiously through the Demon Wraith-infested wilderness. After meeting a hunting patrol from the Wandering Patrol Martial Hall, he started to leave, but their leader called after him.

• Jiang Jingnian punched apart a Water-Mirror Face as it attacked him, then collected its core for possible trade.
• Jiang Jingnian reflected on the spread of Demon Wraiths and disasters before continuing west along the lakeshore, following his map and staying alert for the poisonous-smoke attacker.
• Jiang Jingnian heard footsteps in the bushes and prepared to fight, but five armed hunters emerged instead.
• The middle-aged hunter identified himself and his group as members of the Wandering Patrol Martial Hall of Blackwind County, and Jiang Jingnian said he was tracking Demon Wraiths on a sect mission.
• Jiang Jingnian exchanged cautious pleasantries with the hunters and began to leave without giving his name, but the middle-aged man called him back.

Jiang Jingnian ignored a warning about the factions gathered near Dongdi Lake and continued searching for the Flickerflash Flower Tree. After avoiding a camp of treasure seekers, he stumbled on people burying mutilated corpses and narrowly dodged a poisoned crossbow bolt.

• Senior Brother Li warned Jiang Jingnian about trouble near Dongdi Lake, but Jiang Jingnian refused to detour because he had to find the Flickerflash Flower Tree.
• The Wandering Patrol Martial Hall members considered attacking Jiang Jingnian, but Senior Brother Li’s red-hot jade pendant warned of danger, so they let him go and continued patrolling.
• Jiang Jingnian reached a grassland where several groups were camping and chose to avoid them rather than risk a fight.
• In a grove beyond the campfires, Jiang Jingnian found jianghu people burying corpses with their chests torn open and strange bloody patterns surrounding the pit.
• Jiang Jingnian dodged a poisoned crossbow bolt, and the crew-cut man and his companions noticed him.

Jiang Jingnian was surrounded by Lotus Intent Sect members who mistook him for a Mountain Cloud School disciple and argued over how to capture and use him. When they threatened him with weapons and a pistol, he launched a sudden attack.

• The Lotus Intent Sect members stopped burying corpses and surrounded Jiang Jingnian, cutting off his escape routes.
• The sect members suspected Jiang Jingnian was a Mountain Cloud School disciple and debated whether to interrogate or kill him.
• The petite junior sister claimed Jiang Jingnian as her new toy, and the burly senior brother agreed to let her capture him.
• Jiang Jingnian assessed the group with Mirror Reflection Insight and noticed that several members carried Mauser Pistols.
• A crew-cut man aimed his pistol at Jiang Jingnian and demanded his surrender, but Jiang Jingnian surged forward with a heavy punch.

Jiang Jingnian fought his way through a Lotus Intent Sect ambush, killed the huge senior brother, and fled when he sensed a powerful presence approaching. Jade Tree High Person arrived afterward and questioned Lin Wen about the attacker’s Cloud Mountain lineage.

• Jiang Jingnian attacked the ambushers, killed several martial artists, and endured their gunfire as he forced his way into close combat.
• Jiang Jingnian used Psychic Whip to stun the huge senior brother, then battered him to death while trading wounds with the others.
• Jiang Jingnian threw the petite junior sister off him and sensed a terrifying presence deeper in the grove, so he grabbed the senior brother’s bundle and broke through the attackers to escape.
• Lin Wen ordered the others not to pursue Jiang Jingnian and assessed the casualties, suspecting he was a powerful Cloud Mountain Inner Disciple.
• Jade Tree High Person arrived and questioned Lin Wen about Jiang Jingnian’s fighting style and lineage, while she admitted she could not identify his secret art.

Jiang Jingnian escaped the Lotus Intent Sect and learned that Jade Tree High Person was plotting with Su Ze to perform an advancement ritual and plunge the region into chaos. After destroying a tracking token, Jiang Jingnian continued toward the Flickerflash Flower Tree and reached the northern Dongdi Lake Basin.

• Jade Tree High Person killed the wounded survivors with rose petals, warned Fan Yuxi that Jiang Jingnian had likely escaped unharmed, and ordered Lin Wen to prepare Chen's corpse as a puppet.
• Jade Tree High Person told Su Ze that Lotus Intent Sect had intercepted messages seeking outside aid, while Su Ze pledged the Su Family's help in destroying the Tongda Escort Agency and Gale Wind Sect.
• Jiang Jingnian suppressed his wounds and venom, devoured a Lotus Secret Token to eliminate its tracking threat, and recognized the token as belonging to the Lotus Intent Sect.
• Jiang Jingnian suspected the Lotus Intent Sect was using murdered villagers in a blood ritual and continued searching for the Flickerflash Flower Tree while avoiding danger.
• Jiang Jingnian traveled cautiously through the night and reached the northern region of the Dongdi Lake Basin.