Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Gunpowder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei visits the Zhang Family compound and convinces Zhang Mingfei to open the family granaries and release their stored grain. Zhang agrees but insists on selling it himself because he still distrusts Gao Fei.
• At the abandoned Lin Family compound, locals are looting furniture and household goods after the family’s relocation and the death of its last caretaker. Gao Fei stops them from taking the grain, ordering that the food be inventoried, transported, and sold for public use. He emphasizes that the grain is being loaned, not confiscated.
• Gao returns home briefly for a rare peaceful meal with family and friends, but his rest does not last.
• Two days later, the Fox Demon, Cat Demon, and Yellow Great Immortal again fail to kill or capture Magistrate Xue. They argue over their failed plans:
  • The Fox Demon blames the others for poor intelligence.
  • The Cat Demon objects to using a blood sacrifice, warning that it would permanently damage their cultivation and attract pursuit from powerful inspectors.
  • Yellow Great Immortal reveals that Gao Fei is protecting Yueyang County. The Fox Demon realizes his description does not match a Primordial Rhino and decides to enter the city herself.
• Gao spends the following days managing the county’s grain distribution, setting prices, investigating hoarders, and reorganizing the yamen runners. Because the existing officials are weak and unreliable, he must personally handle both administrative work and demon attacks.
• Gao recruits his second uncle, members of the Zhang Family, and Yue Qinghe to help defend the city and deal with demons.
• Concerned about protecting ordinary villagers and strengthening the city’s defenses, Gao remembers gunpowder. He orders Lu Xiaoliu to obtain saltpeter, sulfur, and willow charcoal.
• Lu Xiaoliu successfully gathers the materials. Gao mixes them according to the traditional black-powder ratio and prepares to test the mixture, ending the chapter as Xiao Liu objects to lighting it directly.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei becomes increasingly burdened by his official responsibilities. Although he dislikes bureaucratic work and feels unsuited to being an official, he takes responsibility for everything from grain distribution to monster suppression.
• Gao demonstrates practical leadership by preserving the Lin Family’s grain for the population rather than allowing it to be looted. He also begins thinking technologically, seeking gunpowder as a weapon that could help weaker humans fight demons.
• Zhang Mingfei remains cautious and distrustful of Gao Fei, cooperating only because Gao’s plan benefits the people and allows the Zhang Family to retain control over the grain sales.
• Lu Xiaoliu grows into a useful assistant. Though initially unfamiliar with saltpeter and sulfur, he quickly understands the instructions and obtains the needed materials.
• The Fox Demon emerges as the most strategic and knowledgeable of the three demons. She criticizes the others’ recklessness and understands the political and supernatural consequences of blood sacrifice.
• The Cat Demon is impulsive and aggressive, while Yellow Great Immortal is revealed to have provided faulty information about Gao Fei’s identity and strength.

Significant Themes

• Public welfare versus private wealth: The grain stored by powerful families becomes essential to helping the population, while abandoned estates are exposed as symbols of wealth hoarding and social disorder.
• Leadership and responsibility: Gao Fei learns that governing requires constant personal involvement, especially when institutions are weak and officials are unreliable.
• Practical innovation: Rather than relying solely on cultivation or martial strength, Gao seeks gunpowder as a technological means of allowing ordinary people to resist demons.
• Strength and survival: The demons’ debate contrasts reckless violence with long-term strategy, showing that power gained through blood sacrifice may carry disastrous consequences.
• Order amid chaos: Gao attempts to rebuild authority in a city threatened by looting, demon attacks, weak officials, and inadequate defenses.

Important Character Interactions

• Gao and Zhang Mingfei negotiate the release of the Zhang Family’s grain, establishing cooperation without full trust.
• Gao confronts the looters at the Lin Family compound but permits them to take furniture while reserving the grain for the public.
• The Fox Demon and Cat Demon argue over whether blood sacrifice is worth the risks, with the Fox Demon physically overpowering the Cat Demon when he becomes hostile.
• The Fox Demon questions Yellow Great Immortal about Gao Fei, exposing his mistaken identification and deciding to investigate the city personally.
• Gao delegates the search for gunpowder ingredients to Lu Xiaoliu, then begins experimenting with the mixture himself, introducing a possible new weapon for the human defenders.

Chapter Summary: “Encountering Yellow Great Immortal Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei tests a crude flintlock-gun design by having Lu Xiaoliu ignite it. The gun explodes weakly, singeing Lu Xiaoliu but failing to cause serious harm.
• Gao Fei sends the design to a blacksmith, hoping firearms can eventually give Tao Hua Village a means of defending itself against powerful monsters.
• Yellow Great Immortal launches a surprise attack from the rooftops. Gao Fei blocks the strike with a wooden table and counters with his palm technique.
• Both fighters are injured, but Gao Fei’s superior healing ability quickly closes the sword wound on his arm. Yellow Great Immortal realizes that continuing the fight would be dangerous and retreats.
• During their confrontation, Yellow Great Immortal accuses Gao Fei of betraying the Demon Race by helping humans. Gao Fei rejects the accusation, insisting that his human identity comes first and that Yellow Great Immortal has no authority over his choices.
• Gao Fei uses a Merit Point to heal his internal injuries, then replaces his damaged Tang Saber with a spear before setting out to earn more Merit Points and hunt monsters.
• Yellow Great Immortal meets with the Fox Demon and a large tabby cat. The Fox Demon orders them to capture Magistrate Xue, warning that failure will end their cooperation.
• The Fox Demon’s influence is revealed through several villages that have built shrines worshipping a “Fox Immortal.”
• While traveling north, Gao Fei kills one of two black gorillas escorting five humans. When the humans plead for the remaining monster’s life, he lets it go temporarily and follows it back to a cave.
• Gao Fei massacres the Ape Demons in the cave, including the younger ones. Some monsters flee, while others fight desperately to protect the group.
• A young male Fox Demon of the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm arrives. He and Gao Fei exchange attacks, neither gaining a decisive advantage.
• The Fox Demon explains that he sometimes eats black gorillas himself, suggesting he does not necessarily object to Gao Fei killing them. Gao Fei immediately becomes interested in whether there are more such monsters nearby.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Becomes more pragmatic and battle-focused. He recognizes that he is not yet strong enough to eliminate Yellow Great Immortal, so he chooses to accumulate Merit Points and improve his power first. His ambition also expands beyond personal survival: he wants to develop firearms to protect Tao Hua Village.
• Lu Xiaoliu: Serves as Gao Fei’s test subject for the gunpowder weapon and demonstrates loyalty by taking the dangerous prototype to a blacksmith.
• Yellow Great Immortal: Remains hostile toward Gao Fei but becomes cautious after seeing Gao Fei’s healing ability and realizing that he is already injured from their first exchange. He retreats rather than risk a prolonged battle.
• Fox Demon: Is shown to be politically cautious and strategically minded. She avoids openly occupying a county because human authorities or stronger experts might retaliate, instead using worship, proxy monsters, and influence over local communities.
• Young Male Fox Demon: Appears powerful but not automatically hostile. He is capable of fighting Gao Fei evenly and is willing to discuss the situation rather than immediately seek revenge.

Significant Themes

• Identity and divided loyalties: Gao Fei rejects the idea that his mixed heritage determines his allegiance. He claims that being human comes before being a demon, challenging Yellow Great Immortal’s attempt to invoke the Demon Race as a unified authority.
• Power and self-preservation: Both Gao Fei and Yellow Great Immortal calculate their chances carefully. Gao Fei withdraws from a fight he cannot yet win, while Yellow Great Immortal retreats because Gao Fei’s healing makes further combat too risky.
• Technological progress as protection: Gao Fei’s firearm project represents his attempt to give ordinary people a means of resisting supernatural enemies, even if the initial design is crude.
• The corruption and weakness of human authority: The Fox Demon takes advantage of the Great Wu Kingdom’s instability, recognizing that the government lacks the strength to respond to every monster threat.
• Mercy versus ruthless survival: Gao Fei allows the humans’ pleas to influence his immediate actions, but later kills every Ape Demon in the cave, including the young. His statement that the hopeless should not throw their lives away reflects his increasingly harsh survival philosophy.
• Monster society and hierarchy: The chapter shows that demons are not united. They form alliances, exploit one another, pursue personal interests, and disagree over whether humans or rival monsters should be protected.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Lu Xiaoliu interact as master and subordinate, with Gao Fei impatiently directing Lu Xiaoliu to improve the weapon while still promising a reward.
• Gao Fei and Yellow Great Immortal clash physically and ideologically over Gao Fei’s loyalty to humanity. Their encounter ends in mutual recognition of danger rather than reconciliation.
• Yellow Great Immortal reports to the Fox Demon, revealing an alliance based more on necessity than trust.
• The Fox Demon harshly criticizes Yellow Great Immortal and the tabby cat for failing to capture Magistrate Xue, reinforcing her dominant position.
• Gao Fei confronts humans who defend the Fox Demon’s servants, showing how monster worship has begun influencing ordinary villagers.
• Gao Fei and the young Fox Demon fight, then shift toward conversation when they realize the conflict may be negotiable. The chapter ends with Gao Fei eagerly asking where more black gorillas can be found.

Chapter Summary: “An Old Acquaintance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei battles and kills a Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm Fox Demon. He combines low-body attacks, Dark Force, and his fully charged Bone-Melting Palm to break through the demon’s spiritual defenses.
• He gains 123 Merit Points, bringing his total to 957, and spends 900 of them to cultivate the Golden Body Art.
• The system grants him nine hundred years of bodily refinement. His strength and reaction speed more than double, and his Bone-Melting Palm’s charging time increases to fifteen seconds, making the technique considerably more powerful.
• Gao Fei concludes that he can now contend with Yellow Great Immortal at the Perfected Spirit-Absorption Realm, or at least defend himself safely.
• He carries the Fox Demon’s corpse back to the county town to sell it, hoping to obtain money for cultivation techniques, weapons, and his uncle Gao Linyue’s needs.
• His return causes townspeople and the owner of Four Seas Residence to fear and avoid him because of the demon corpse.
• At the pharmacy, Li Qingyao offers him one thousand taels for the two-tailed Fox Demon. She questions how someone at the Perfected Body-Tempering Realm could kill a Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm demon.
• Li Qingyao explains that the Southern Mountain Fox Demons include several powerful beings, including Shangqiu, who is likely above the Jade-Liquid Realm. She also reveals that her companion, Yatou, was killed by the demon after Li Qingyao underestimated its strength.
• Gao Fei learns that Li Qingyao recognizes him from his former life and that he previously pursued her before becoming involved with Yatou and later redeeming a courtesan queen.
• Seeking a Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivation method, Gao Fei purchases the Yellow-tier technique Savage Bull Force, which forms a Lesser Celestial Circuit and can later be replaced by a technique of the same attribute.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Becomes dramatically stronger through the Golden Body Art and gains confidence in confronting Yellow Great Immortal. He remains practical and secretive, refusing to explain how he killed the Fox Demon. His social reputation worsens because of the corpse, but he prioritizes strength and resources over public opinion.
• Li Qingyao: Is revealed to be a powerful cultivator who once possessed Peak Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivation. She is currently weakened because her meridians were sealed after the Fox Demon defeated her and killed Yatou. Her normally detached demeanor briefly gives way to surprise, amusement, and sorrow.
• Yatou: Though already dead, she becomes important through Li Qingyao’s account. Her death reveals the danger of the Southern Mountain Fox Demons and Li Qingyao’s past miscalculation.
• Gao Fei’s former identity: His past relationships emerge indirectly, showing that he had pursued Li Qingyao, spent time with Yatou, and recently rescued a courtesan queen. Gao Fei uses his memory loss as an excuse to distance himself from this complicated history.

Significant Themes

• Strength and cultivation: Gao Fei’s rapid growth highlights the importance of physical refinement, efficient techniques, and strategic use of limited resources.
• The cost of power: His strength isolates him socially, as ordinary people fear both him and the supernatural violence surrounding him.
• Hidden identities and past connections: Gao Fei’s current personality differs from his former self, creating awkward encounters with people who remember his previous behavior.
• Underestimation and danger: Li Qingyao’s defeat demonstrates the risks of misjudging an opponent’s true cultivation level.
• Pragmatism versus emotion: Gao Fei treats the demon corpse as a source of money and advancement, while Li Qingyao’s memories of Yatou reveal grief and personal loss beneath her composed exterior.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and the Fox Demon engage in a tense, technical battle, with Gao Fei exploiting openings to land a devastating palm strike.
• The townspeople and innkeeper recoil from Gao Fei, emphasizing his growing alienation.
• Li Qingyao and Gao Fei negotiate the corpse’s price while probing each other’s strength and history.
• Li Qingyao teases Gao Fei about his former romantic pursuits, while Gao Fei awkwardly tries to avoid discussing them.
• Their conversation shifts from personal history to cultivation, ending with Gao Fei buying Savage Bull Force from Li Qingyao.

Chapter Summary: “Air-Splitting Slash, Flintlock”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei immediately spends one Merit Point to cultivate Savage Bull Force, advancing it to the beginner stage and entering the Early Spirit-Absorption Realm.
• He continues pretending to read the technique normally, astonishing Li Qingyao, who realizes he has absorbed spiritual energy almost instantly.
• Li Qingyao worries that she has allowed a potential genius to practice the low-grade Savage Bull Force, but Gao Fei insists that any increase in strength will improve his chances of surviving the Fox Demon threat.
• After learning that martial skills using spiritual power are normally unsuitable for beginners, Gao Fei receives Air-Splitting Slash, an unranked technique.
• He spends ten Merit Points to master the skill rapidly:
  • He learns its meridians and acupoints in the first year.
  • Opens one meridian by the third year, reaching beginner stage.
  • Opens three meridians and five acupoints by the eighth year, reaching proficiency.
• Gao Fei tests the technique by slicing a broom in half with a crescent-shaped blade aura. Though effective, he considers its current power weak because only one meridian is storing spiritual energy.
• Li Qingyao explains that fully developing the technique could allow him to defeat opponents of the same realm and potentially fight above his level.
• Gao Fei asks about learning a lightness technique, but Li Qingyao advises him to wait until he reaches the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm, since his current spiritual power is insufficient.
• Before leaving, Li Qingyao invites him to Qing Province and offers to introduce him to her master. Gao Fei agrees to consider it but first reminds her to pay him the promised thousand taels of silver.
• The next morning, Gao Fei examines the completed flintlock built by Lu Xiaoliu and the county’s craftsmen.
• He demonstrates the weapon using black powder and a silver bullet, blasting a large hole through a wooden board. Gao Linyue immediately asks whether the weapon can be mass-produced.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei demonstrates extraordinary cultivation speed through the Merit Point system, advancing techniques in minutes despite their normally lengthy training requirements.
• He remains practical and survival-focused, prioritizing immediate strength over concerns about technique quality or social expectations.
• His confidence grows as he gains both spiritual cultivation and a ranged weapon, though he recognizes his weaknesses—especially limited power and speed.
• Li Qingyao shifts from amused mentor to shocked observer. Her pride in her own cultivation ability is shaken by Gao Fei’s impossible progress, and she begins treating him as an exceptional or possibly heavenly prodigy.
• Lu Xiaoliu proves highly capable and industrious, successfully coordinating the rapid creation of the flintlock components.
• Gao Linyue continues quietly monitoring Gao Fei’s activities and becomes intensely interested in the military potential of the new weapon.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and misunderstood genius: Gao Fei’s abilities appear ordinary from the outside because he conceals the effects of the Merit Point system, causing others to underestimate or misunderstand him.
• Pragmatism over tradition: Gao Fei does not care whether Savage Bull Force is prestigious; he values whatever can increase his survival chances immediately.
• Innovation and power: The chapter combines spiritual cultivation with technological experimentation, suggesting that Gao Fei may change the balance of power through both martial ability and firearms.
• The limits of conventional expectations: Li Qingyao’s assumptions about cultivation speed and aptitude are overturned by Gao Fei’s unnatural progress.
• Preparation for danger: Gao Fei’s efforts reflect his determination to control his own fate rather than rely on others’ warnings or protection.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Li Qingyao develop a mentor-student-like exchange, though Gao Fei’s rapid progress reverses their expected roles: she teaches him theory, but he immediately surpasses normal cultivation standards.
• Li Qingyao feels guilty for giving him a low-grade technique, while Gao Fei reassures her through his pragmatic acceptance of it.
• Gao Fei’s blunt complaint that Air-Splitting Slash is weak shocks Li Qingyao and highlights the difference between their perspectives.
• Gao Fei and Lu Xiaoliu work directly on testing the flintlock, with Gao Fei providing instructions and Lu Xiaoliu handling its construction.
• Gao Linyue’s sudden intervention after the gunshot emphasizes his interest in the weapon’s broader strategic and commercial potential.

Chapter Summary: “Visitors from Qing Province”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei finishes developing a basic flintlock gun with Lu Xiaoliu. He urges Lu to improve it by preparing ammunition in advance, rifling the barrel, waterproofing the powder, refining the gunpowder, and eventually creating repeating firearms.
• He spends the day hunting monsters near the county seat and gains Merit Points, though monster encounters are increasingly scarce.
• The villagers who are willing to relocate have moved into the county seat, with the Lin Family’s large courtyard serving as temporary shelter. Villages still devoted to Yellow Great Immortal and the Fox Demon remain outside until those threats are eliminated.
• Gao Fei uses fifty years of cultivation time on Savage Bull Force. He reaches the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm and develops a temporary defensive technique that can withstand one attack from an opponent of the same level, though it causes painful strain afterward.
• Realizing that his current movement abilities are insufficient to confront the Fox Demon, Gao Fei decides to seek a lightness technique from Li Qingyao.
• Upon entering Li Qingyao’s residence, Gao Fei is attacked by a middle-aged swordsman using concealed steel needles. He tests the man’s strength and discovers that he is also in the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm.
• Gao Fei nearly defeats the swordsman with a powerful Transforming Force palm strike, but a black-robed young man intervenes using a mysterious flying shield. The shield absorbs the attack but is badly damaged.
• The black-robed man identifies himself as Li Jie, a disciple of the commander-in-chief of the Qing Province Martial Suppression Guard, while the swordsman is named Lin Ye. Li Qingyao then appears and recognizes Li Jie as her Second Senior Brother.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Demonstrates practical foresight by treating the flintlock as a long-term safeguard in case spiritual energy and martial arts decline. His cultivation advances significantly, but he recognizes the limits of his current abilities and seeks a movement technique to compensate.
• Lu Xiaoliu: Shows intense enthusiasm for firearms and immediately takes responsibility for improving them. His eagerness suggests he may become the main person spreading and developing gun technology.
• Gao Linyue: Remains skeptical of firearms, viewing them as inferior and improper compared with martial arts. This highlights the tension between traditional cultivation and technological solutions.
• Li Jie: Appears cold, composed, and powerful. His ability to remotely control a shield marks him as unusually capable and possibly stronger or more mysterious than ordinary Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivators.
• Lin Ye: A cautious but dangerous fighter who combines swordsmanship with hidden needles. He is strong enough to challenge Gao Fei briefly, though Gao Fei gains the upper hand.
• Li Qingyao: Re-enters the chapter at the end, revealing that the visitors are connected to her martial lineage.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus martial tradition: Gao Fei promotes firearms as a practical means for ordinary villagers to defend themselves, while Gao Linyue dismisses them as crude and ineffective.
• Preparation for a changing world: Gao Fei is building alternatives in case spiritual energy disappears and cultivation becomes impossible.
• Limits of power and the need for specialization: Despite his strength, Gao Fei lacks speed, defense, and mobility, forcing him to seek new techniques rather than relying solely on brute force.
• Hidden dangers and expanding connections: The arrival of Qing Province martial experts suggests that Gao Fei’s actions, particularly the destruction of the Lin Family, have attracted attention from wider forces.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei instructs Lu Xiaoliu on how to improve the flintlock, encouraging him to develop firearms independently.
• He dismisses Gao Linyue’s criticism without arguing, confident that the technology may prove valuable in the future.
• Gao Fei clashes with Lin Ye after being questioned about the Lin Family’s old master. Their fight tests both men’s Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm strength.
• Li Jie intervenes before Gao Fei can deliver a decisive blow, declaring that they are not enemies.
• The chapter ends with Li Qingyao recognizing Li Jie as her Second Senior Brother, linking the newcomers directly to her background.

Chapter Summary: “Shrinking Earth to Inches”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingyao and her senior brother, Li Jie, discuss escaping the city while their master is unable to help because the two Monster Kings of the Mangshan Mountains are rampaging.
• Li Jie believes his Middle Spirit-Absorption-level strength and Black Iron Shield are enough to protect them, but Li Qingyao warns that the Fox Demon they may face probably possesses several powerful artifacts.
• Gao Fei overhears their conversation and becomes involved in a confrontation with Lin Ye, a Martial Suppression Guard member. Lin Ye accuses Gao Fei of killing Registrar Lin, while Gao Fei counters that Registrar Lin sacrificed his own family to the Demon God and had sided with demons.
• Lin Ye reveals that he had returned to deal with the Lin Family’s problems after hearing that Lin Shaoxiong and Lin Shaokun had died. He considers Gao Fei a dangerous survivor and potential traitor.
• Li Qingyao realizes that Gao Fei has reached the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm despite cultivating the low-grade Savage Bull Force method. She and Li Jie are astonished, believing such progress should be impossible except for an extraordinary genius.
• To persuade Gao Fei to demonstrate his cultivation, Li Qingyao offers him a chance to study the legendary movement technique Shrinking Earth to Inches.
• Gao Fei accepts and uses Merit Points to record the technique in his system. Although he has not yet cultivated it, he memorizes it and decides to practice it privately later rather than reveal its power immediately.
• Gao Fei then circulates Savage Bull Force for Li Jie to inspect. Li Jie confirms that Gao Fei’s spiritual energy is exceptionally pure and stable, though his total reserves are lower than those of a normal Middle Spirit-Absorption cultivator.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Demonstrates caution, strategic thinking, and growing confidence. He hides his true abilities, especially the system’s role in his cultivation, and plans to cultivate Shrinking Earth to Inches secretly. His hostility toward Lin Ye also intensifies.
• Li Qingyao: Shows sharp judgment and strong interest in recruiting talented cultivators for her master. She recognizes Gao Fei’s unusual potential and cleverly offers him something valuable to gain his cooperation.
• Li Jie: Displays confidence in his combat ability but lacks Li Qingyao’s awareness of enemy schemes. After examining Gao Fei’s cultivation, he becomes impressed by the quality of Gao Fei’s foundation.
• Lin Ye: Is revealed to be suspicious, confrontational, and connected to the Martial Suppression Guard. Although he regards Gao Fei as merely a talented cultivator, he remains unaware of Gao Fei’s true potential and secretly becomes a target of Gao Fei’s resentment.
• Li Qingyao and Li Jie: Their tacit understanding is emphasized; Qingyao communicates her suspicions through subtle gestures, and Li Jie quickly realizes that Gao Fei is the genius she is referring to.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus cultivation methods: Gao Fei’s rapid progress using Savage Bull Force challenges accepted beliefs about the limits of low-grade techniques. The chapter suggests that innate talent, physique, and cultivation methods all play crucial roles.
• Hidden strength and deception: Gao Fei conceals his abilities, while Lin Ye and the others misjudge him. The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that appearances and conventional assumptions can be misleading.
• Trust and political suspicion: Conflicting accusations about Registrar Lin and the Lin Family reflect the broader tension between humans, demons, and those suspected of collaboration.
• Opportunity and exchange: Gao Fei treats knowledge and techniques as valuable commodities, refusing to demonstrate his power without compensation.
• The limits of conventional understanding: Shrinking Earth to Inches is considered nearly impossible to cultivate, yet Gao Fei’s system may allow him to overcome that limitation.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingyao and Li Jie argue over whether their strength is sufficient to escape the city.
• Gao Fei and Lin Ye exchange accusations over Registrar Lin’s death and the Lin Family’s possible alliance with demons.
• Li Qingyao and Li Jie privately discuss Gao Fei’s astonishing cultivation speed and attempt to identify him as the person capable of reaching the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm in only seven days.
• Gao Fei bargains with Li Qingyao for access to Shrinking Earth to Inches, showing that he will not cooperate simply out of goodwill.
• Li Jie evaluates Gao Fei’s spiritual energy and confirms that, despite its smaller quantity, it is unusually refined and stable.
• Lin Ye is repeatedly ignored during these exchanges, increasing his frustration while he silently judges Gao Fei.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the performance, Gao Fei leaves and warns the others that Registrar Lin may worship a demon god and that the entire Lin Family could be human traitors.
• Li Jie invites Gao Fei to Qing Province, where better cultivation resources and a stronger environment await. Gao Fei refuses for now, claiming he cannot abandon Yueyang County. In truth, he plans to eliminate the Rat Demons, recover his strength, earn more Merit Points, and possibly reach the middle stage of the Golden Body Art before confronting the Fox Demon.
• Li Jie explains that he came to address the county’s demon crisis. Gao Fei gives him a detailed account of the situation outside the city, including the Fox Demon’s harassment of County Magistrate Xue.
• They decide to ignore the Fox Demon temporarily and first kill the two perfected Spirit-Absorption Realm demons outside the city. The expedition is scheduled for the next morning. Gao Fei will spend the night removing the meridian restriction from his junior sister.
• Gao Fei spends 300 Merit Points mastering Shrinking Earth to Inches. The technique allows him to move one to ten zhang in a single step, though its range, speed, and reliability depend on spiritual power and the condition of the earth’s aura.
• He waits in a tea shop across from the apothecary, hoping to observe Lin Ye, but Lin Ye never appears.
• At home, Gao Linyue mourns his damaged Tang Saber and recalls surviving a past battle with Gao Fei’s father. He explains that the saber contains solidification and sharpness runes, which Gao Fei failed to activate during his fight with the Rat Demon.
• Li Jie later visits to deliver Qiu Mei a letter announcing that her former lover or husband died during a pathfinding expedition to Mount Mang. Li Jie awkwardly advises Gao Fei not to hold a grudge against the dead, leaving Gao Fei confused about the letter’s implications.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei remains practical, determined, and suspicious. He refuses immediate advancement opportunities in Qing Province because he prioritizes strengthening himself and resolving Yueyang County’s demon problems. His investment in Shrinking Earth to Inches shows his growing emphasis on mobility and survival.
• Li Jie becomes more involved in the county’s crisis and treats Gao Fei as a capable ally. He respects Gao Fei’s combat experience and seeks his intelligence before launching the demon-hunting operation.
• Gao Linyue is revealed to have been a much stronger warrior than Gao Fei realized. His cultivation once reached the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm, and his decline resulted from severe injuries and prolonged loss of qi and blood.
• Qiu Mei is placed in an emotionally complicated situation by the death notice Li Jie delivers. Her relationship with the deceased appears connected to a hidden or scandalous past.
• Lin Ye remains mysterious and absent, despite Gao Fei’s attempt to monitor him.

Significant Themes

• Duty versus personal advancement: Gao Fei postpones the opportunity to leave for a superior cultivation environment because he feels responsible for Yueyang County.
• Preparation and survival: Gao Fei carefully spends his limited Merit Points on a life-saving movement technique rather than pursuing immediate offensive power.
• The unreliability of promises: Gao Fei dismisses the Fox Demon’s agreement with General Fu, believing her restraint is due to her powerful backing rather than honor.
• Hidden strength and concealed pasts: Gao Linyue’s forgotten abilities, the secrets surrounding Gao Fei’s father, and the Lin Family’s suspected treason all suggest that appearances conceal important truths.
• Death and unresolved relationships: The letter from Mount Mang forces the characters to confront past relationships, resentment, and the uneasy way the dead continue to affect the living.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Li Jie discuss the demon situation and establish a plan to hunt the two powerful demons outside the city.
• Gao Fei casually rejects Li Jie’s offer of mentorship, preferring independence.
• Gao Fei and Gao Linyue discuss the damaged saber, old battlefield memories, and the correct use of weapon runes. Gao Linyue reassures Gao Fei that damaging the weapon was justified because it occurred while saving a life.
• Li Jie delivers the death letter to Qiu Mei, then awkwardly speaks to Gao Fei as though he expects him to react emotionally or resentfully. His final advice deepens the mystery surrounding Qiu Mei and the deceased man.

Chapter Summary: “Farewell to the Fox Demon, Exposed”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qiu Mei reads Li Jie’s letter and silently breaks down in tears. Gao Fei realizes Li Jie mistakenly believes Qiu Mei is Gao Fei’s wife after learning that Gao Fei redeemed her from Spring Revival Pavilion.
• Gao Fei considers explaining the misunderstanding but decides it may be more useful to let Li Jie feel indebted to him. He leaves Qiu Mei to process her emotions alone, while Xiaocui remains uncertain how to help.
• The next morning, Gao Fei secretly takes Gao Linyue’s long spear and meets Li Qingyao, Li Jie, and Lin Ye at the apothecary. The group travels east toward Tao Hua Village to investigate violent spiritual disturbances.
• The region is deserted and filled with ruined houses. Gao Fei kills several dog demons, including some with Unawakened Intelligence, accumulating Merit Points despite the others’ indifference to his actions.
• After several fruitless days, the group discovers a mountain valley where hundreds of rat demons, cat demons, Spirit-Absorption Realm demons, and black gorillas appear to be preparing an ambush.
• County Magistrate Xue arrives while fighting a powerful Fox Demon. Their banter reveals that the Fox Demon has been deliberately exploiting Xue’s weaknesses and luring him toward the valley, where the earth veins disrupt his Shrinking Earth to Inches technique.
• Gao Fei recognizes the trap and intervenes to prevent Xue from being surrounded. He blocks the Fox Demon’s attack but quickly realizes that her strength far exceeds his own.
• Xue urges Gao Fei to flee to Qing Province for reinforcements. However, Gao Fei is confident enough in his physical strength to remain and face the demons.
• The Fox Demon recognizes Gao Fei’s Pure Yang Body and detects that he carries the scent of her father’s and elder brother’s Demon Cores, revealing that she is connected to the demons Gao Fei previously killed.
• She attacks Gao Fei with overwhelming speed. He evades her first strike, but she pursues him immediately. A protective shield saves him from her palm, allowing Gao Fei to launch a fully charged Transforming Force attack.
• The Fox Demon’s strange three-finger-wide sword blocks the blow, but Gao Fei’s powerful strike cracks the weapon throughout, demonstrating that he can seriously damage her defenses even if he cannot yet overpower her directly.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Becomes more calculating and pragmatic, choosing not to correct Li Jie’s misunderstanding because it may benefit him. His concern for County Magistrate Xue shows gratitude and loyalty, while his willingness to confront the Fox Demon reflects growing confidence in his strength. He also continues prioritizing Merit Points and testing his combat abilities.
• Qiu Mei: Reveals deep emotional distress through silent tears after reading Li Jie’s letter, suggesting unresolved pain connected to her past and her relationship with Li Jie.
• Li Jie: Appears ashamed or terrified after realizing his mistaken assumption about Qiu Mei and Gao Fei, fleeing rather than confronting the misunderstanding.
• County Magistrate Xue: Is shown battered and exhausted but remains experienced and determined. Despite being trapped, he recognizes the danger and tries to protect Gao Fei by sending him for reinforcements.
• Fox Demon: Displays superior speed, confidence, cunning, and provocative humor. Her attitude changes sharply when she senses the Demon Cores connected to her family, revealing a personal motive for targeting Gao Fei.
• Li Qingyao and the others: Remain disciplined but passive during the encounter, apparently failing to recognize the danger posed by the abnormal earth veins.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and manipulation: Gao Fei deliberately allows Li Jie’s false belief to continue, showing how personal misunderstandings can become tools for advantage.
• Grief and emotional isolation: Qiu Mei’s silent crying and Gao Fei’s inability to comfort her emphasize the difficulty of dealing with trauma and sorrow.
• Loyalty and repayment: Gao Fei risks himself to save Xue, reflecting gratitude toward someone who previously helped him.
• Growth versus overwhelming power: Gao Fei has advanced considerably, yet the Fox Demon’s speed and strength reveal how far he still has to go.
• Family vengeance: The Fox Demon’s reaction to the scent of her relatives’ Demon Cores transforms the confrontation from a chance encounter into a personal conflict.
• Preparation and hidden traps: The demons’ coordinated ambush and the corrupted earth veins demonstrate that brute strength alone is insufficient when enemies control the battlefield.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei leaves Qiu Mei alone after her emotional reaction, while Xiaocui remains nearby, unsure how to respond.
• Gao Fei travels with Li Qingyao, Li Jie, and Lin Ye, though he is increasingly independent in both judgment and combat.
• County Magistrate Xue and the Fox Demon exchange taunts while fighting, revealing their familiarity and her deliberate efforts to frustrate and trap him.
• Gao Fei interrupts their battle to protect Xue, placing himself between the Fox Demon and the county magistrate.
• The Fox Demon identifies Gao Fei as the killer or bearer of items connected to her family, and their confrontation escalates into a personal battle.

Chapter Summary: “Yellow Great Immortal’s Death”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Jie, Li Qingyao, Magistrate Xue, Gao Fei, Lin Ye, and other cultivators surround the Fox Demon after her longsword is destroyed. The Fox Demon realizes reinforcements are present and calls out the hidden weasels.
• A perfected Spirit-Absorption Realm Yellow Great Immortal and a powerful tabby Cat Demon reveal themselves, followed by a large group of monsters emerging from the valley.
• Li Jie assigns the fighters: he will confront the Fox Demon; Li Qingyao and Magistrate Xue will handle the two powerful demons; Gao Fei and Lin Ye will eliminate the Minor Monsters.
• Gao Fei eagerly charges into the monster horde, killing numerous creatures with overwhelming physical strength and martial techniques. His slaughter frightens the remaining monsters into keeping their distance.
• Seeing that Li Qingyao is being overwhelmed by several Spirit-Absorption Realm weasels and Cat Demons, Gao Fei gradually moves toward her battle while concealing his intentions.
• He uses Shrinking Earth to Inches to appear behind the Yellow Great Immortal, then delivers a fully charged surprise attack over the heart. The strike destroys the demon’s defenses and kills him instantly.
• Gao Fei extracts the Yellow Great Immortal’s Beast Core, causing the surrounding monsters to panic and flee.
• Li Qingyao is stunned by Gao Fei’s hidden strength. She had believed him to be a wastrel and assumed his talent could not rival Li Jie’s, but his sudden display of power forces her to reconsider him.
• Gao Fei kills another Spirit-Absorption Realm gorilla and orders Li Qingyao to assist Li Jie against the Fox Demon. When she approaches, the Fox Demon attacks with a flying sword, but Li Jie saves her by knocking her aside.
• Magistrate Xue and the powerful Cat Demon continue fighting evenly. The Cat Demon attempts to escape after witnessing Gao Fei’s instant kill, but Magistrate Xue keeps it trapped.
• Gao Fei joins the fight, forcing the Cat Demon between himself and Magistrate Xue. Abandoning his spear, he fights barehanded and breaks one of the Cat Demon’s forelimbs with a single punch.
• The Cat Demon retreats, but Magistrate Xue blocks its escape, leaving it cornered and increasingly aware that Gao Fei’s physical attacks are extraordinarily dangerous.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Demonstrates that his true combat ability is far beyond what others believed. He combines physical cultivation, martial techniques, Transforming Force, and tactical deception to kill a perfected Spirit-Absorption Realm demon instantly. His confidence and enjoyment in collecting Merit Points also become more apparent.
• Li Qingyao: Her view of Gao Fei changes dramatically. She is shocked that he can accomplish what even she might not manage with a surprise attack, causing her to question his supposed lack of talent and his earlier feigned incompetence.
• Li Jie: Remains a capable and protective senior brother, directing the battlefield and rescuing Li Qingyao from the Fox Demon’s attack.
• Magistrate Xue: Shows tactical awareness and determination, recognizing that killing the Cat Demon could secure Yueyang County’s safety for decades or even a century.
• Fox Demon: Her initial arrogance gives way to caution and tension after her weapon is destroyed and the human reinforcements reveal themselves.
• Cat Demon: Shifts from aggression to desperation after witnessing Yellow Great Immortal’s death and suffering a severe injury from Gao Fei.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deceptive appearances: Gao Fei’s outward image as a wastrel contrasts sharply with his actual combat ability, while others begin realizing they have badly underestimated him.
• Tactical cooperation: The humans succeed through coordinated roles, encirclement, battlefield positioning, and mutual support.
• Physical cultivation versus spiritual power: Gao Fei’s body and martial strength allow him to overwhelm demons that rely on spiritual techniques and weapons.
• Fear and momentum in battle: Yellow Great Immortal’s sudden death breaks the monsters’ confidence, transforming an organized assault into a retreat.
• Merit and advancement: Gao Fei treats the battle as an opportunity to accumulate Merit Points, combining personal advancement with practical combat objectives.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Jie organizes the group and assigns each fighter a target.
• Gao Fei deliberately positions himself near Li Qingyao, secretly preparing to assist her.
• Gao Fei kills Yellow Great Immortal while Li Qingyao is engaged with the surrounding demons, shocking her and changing her opinion of him.
• Gao Fei orders Li Qingyao to help Li Jie, reversing their usual relationship and revealing his newfound confidence.
• Li Jie protects Li Qingyao from the Fox Demon’s flying sword.
• Magistrate Xue and Gao Fei work together to trap the Cat Demon, with Gao Fei breaking its limb while Xue prevents its escape.

Chapter Summary: First Revolution of the Golden Body Art (Middle Stage)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei kills the Cat Demon while Magistrate Xue restrains it, earning 289 Merit Points and obtaining its Demon Core.
• He tries to eliminate the remaining minor monsters, but most flee; he manages to kill only two.
• Gao Fei spends the newly acquired Demon Cores to advance the

Golden Body Art

• After a thousand years of simulated cultivation, he breaks through into the middle stage of the First Revolution.
• His physical strength, speed, reaction time, and power increase dramatically, reaching a level comparable to the Early Jade-Liquid Realm.
• Wanting to test his improved body, Gao Fei uses three more Demon Cores to continue cultivating. After two thousand years, his body becomes substantially stronger, though progress slows because the cores’ energy is exhausted.
• He approaches the ongoing battle between the Fox Demon, Magistrate Xue, Li Jie, and Li Qingyao, intending to launch a surprise attack.
• The Fox Demon detects him through divine sense and reveals that she knows of his supposed “older brother,” who possessed the same Pure Yang Constitution. Gao Fei lies that his brother is still alive.
• The Fox Demon states that Gao Fei’s “brother,” father, and elder brother are already dead, and declares that Gao Fei owes her a life.
• The battle resumes. The Fox Demon divides her attention among three magical swords, attacking Gao Fei and Li Qingyao while fighting Li Jie.
• Gao Fei blocks and battles one of the swords, eventually smashing it into the ground and effectively destroying or disabling it.
• The Fox Demon focuses on controlling one sword, making it far more agile and dangerous. Gao Fei realizes the weapon is powerful but retreats to test its effective range.
• He discovers that the flying sword cannot pursue him effectively beyond roughly sixty meters, exposing a limitation in the Fox Demon’s control.
• The Fox Demon is frustrated because the destruction of one sword has severely weakened her three-sword formation and forced her to divide her attention less effectively.

Character Development

• Gao Fei grows from a strong martial fighter into someone whose physical body can rival cultivators of the Jade-Liquid Realm. His confidence rises, but he remains cautious enough not to test his defenses recklessly against a lethal flying sword.
• He also demonstrates increasing tactical awareness: rather than relying solely on brute force, he studies the Fox Demon’s weapon control, discovers its range limitation, and exploits her reduced concentration.
• The Fox Demon is revealed to be highly skilled and confident, capable of fighting several opponents while controlling multiple magical artifacts. However, her arrogance and initial underestimation of Gao Fei cost her one of the swords.
• Li Jie continues to act as a capable defender, protecting Li Qingyao and attempting to pressure the Fox Demon.
• Li Qingyao remains comparatively limited in the fight and depends on Li Jie’s protection.
• Magistrate Xue helps restrain the Cat Demon and later engages the Fox Demon, but is struck aside by her sword.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth through cultivation: Gao Fei’s Golden Body Art transforms his physical strength, emphasizing the enormous potential of body-tempering techniques.
• Brute strength versus technique: Gao Fei relies on martial power, while the Fox Demon uses refined cultivation techniques and magical weapons. Their clash shows that physical advancement can allow a martial artist to challenge cultivators.
• Caution and adaptability: Gao Fei does not blindly trust his new strength. He avoids taking a sword strike directly and instead tests its capabilities from a safe distance.
• Hidden identities and revenge: The Fox Demon’s knowledge of Gao Fei’s family and Pure Yang Constitution suggests a deeper history of violence and unresolved vengeance.
• Confidence and underestimation: The Fox Demon initially treats Gao Fei as an inferior opponent, but his sudden advancement forces her to reassess him.

Important Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and the Cat Demon: Gao Fei brutally defeats it after Magistrate Xue creates an opening.
• Gao Fei and Magistrate Xue: Gao Fei asks Xue to assist against the Fox Demon while he handles the minor monsters, showing practical cooperation.
• Gao Fei and the Fox Demon: Their exchange mixes deception, threats, and mutual recognition. She identifies him as connected to the Pure Yang Constitution and seeks revenge; he responds with evasive lies and defiance.
• Gao Fei and Li Jie: Li Jie helps protect Li Qingyao and attacks the Fox Demon, while Gao Fei joins the fight and disrupts one of her swords.
• Fox Demon and Li Qingyao: One magical sword targets Li Qingyao, forcing Li Jie to shield her and revealing her vulnerable position in the battle.

Chapter Summary: “Parting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Fox Demon abandons her attempt to kill Gao Fei and prepares to flee, threatening to return and drain him dry.
• Gao Fei pursues her, determined not to let go of an enemy who has already tried to kill him. His attack clashes with her flying sword, and he uses his Dark Force palm technique to disrupt the weapon’s internal formations, causing it to fall uselessly.
• He follows with a series of close-range attacks, including a palm strike, kick, and punch. Although the Fox Demon’s protective spiritual power blocks much of the damage, Gao Fei’s Dark Force injures her acupoints and disrupts her spiritual circulation.
• The Fox Demon retaliates with a sword thrust. Gao Fei’s palm is cut, but his physical strength shatters the sword from the force of the impact.
• Unable to kill the Fox Demon before she retreats to a tree, Gao Fei accepts that he cannot force the outcome. He recovers the broken pieces of his spear and prepares to leave for Qing Province the next morning.
• Before departing, Gao Fei deliberately tells the Fox Demon when he will leave, challenging her to attack him before then.
• He spends 1,600 Merit Points to upgrade Shrinking Earth to Inches. The technique advances to Major Mastery, allowing him to move twenty zhang through the air and thirty zhang on the ground, though its spiritual-power consumption is extremely high.
• Gao Fei leaves to pursue fleeing demons, intending to earn more Merit Points and lure the Fox Demon into another confrontation. She soon disappears as well.
• Afterward, Li Qingyao, Li Jie, and the others discuss Gao Fei’s remarkable abilities and suspicious origins. They question whether he possesses demon blood or is a human-demon hybrid and decide that his background must be investigated.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Demonstrates extraordinary physical strength, combat instincts, and mastery of Dark Force. He fights a Late Jade-Fluid Realm opponent without relying heavily on spiritual power and survives a direct sword strike. His willingness to challenge the Fox Demon shows both confidence and calculated aggression. His upgrade to Shrinking Earth to Inches greatly expands his mobility.
• Fox Demon: Reveals that she has powerful backing and considerable confidence in her ability to escape. However, Gao Fei’s physical techniques surprise and injure her, forcing her to retreat rather than finish the fight. She becomes increasingly interested in his unusual abilities.
• Li Qingyao: Shows concern for Gao Fei and recognizes his extraordinary comprehension. She also defends his humanity, explaining that she met him when his cultivation was still low and had personally supplied materials for his training.
• Li Jie: Becomes cautious and investigative, acknowledging Gao Fei’s exceptional talent while considering whether he might possess demon blood.
• Lin Ye: Remains resentful toward Gao Fei, blaming him for the destruction of the Lin family and suspecting him of being a human-demon hybrid.
• The group: Shifts from simply observing Gao Fei to treating his identity and origins as a matter requiring formal investigation.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus cultivation: Gao Fei’s physical body and martial techniques allow him to challenge a cultivator far above his apparent level, suggesting that raw physical power can overcome conventional advantages.
• Hidden identity and suspicion: Gao Fei’s abnormal body and rapid comprehension cause others to question whether he is truly human, reflecting the danger of being viewed as a human-demon hybrid in Great Wu.
• Persistence and calculated risk: Gao Fei refuses to show mercy to the Fox Demon but also recognizes when killing her is impossible. His decision to leave and farm Merit Points demonstrates a balance between aggression and practicality.
• Talent and destiny: His rapid mastery of Shrinking Earth to Inches marks him as an extraordinary cultivator and leads others to consider him a potential hope for Qing Province.
• Powerful enemies and unresolved conflict: The Fox Demon’s escape and mysterious backing ensure that the conflict is postponed rather than resolved.

Important Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and the Fox Demon engage in a brief but extremely dangerous close-range battle, during which he damages her defenses and destroys her sword.
• Gao Fei openly taunts the Fox Demon by announcing his departure schedule, inviting her to pursue him.
• Li Qingyao and Li Jie discuss Gao Fei’s unusual talents and possible origins, while Qingyao argues that he is likely human.
• Lin Ye counters with accusations based on Gao Fei’s past actions, creating suspicion within the group.
• The chapter ends with the group preparing to investigate Gao Fei’s family history and determine whether he is human or carries demon blood.

Chapter Summary: “I Still Prefer Humans”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei separates from Li Jie and the others, deciding not to reveal his pursuit of the Fox Demon or risk them interfering on her behalf.
• He tracks a Rat Demon and waits for its group to reunite, then kills more than ten Minor Monsters to harvest over two hundred Merit Points.
• Using Merit Points to restore his spiritual power, Gao Fei repeatedly hunts demons while traveling south toward the Fox Demon’s territory.
• He gathers information from villagers and a Fox Immortal temple keeper, eventually reaching the wilderness where the Fox Demon blocks his path.
• The Fox Demon attempts to seduce and recruit him, offering herself as a devoted companion and promising to help him reach the Jade-Liquid Realm.
• Gao Fei pretends to negotiate but attacks after realizing that her seductive body is an illusion. The Fox Demon reveals that her offer was genuine, but Gao Fei remains determined to fight.
• She uses a Wind-Control Talisman to escape into the air and prepares to kill him if he refuses to submit.
• Gao Fei surprises her by using a highly advanced form of Shrinking Earth to Inches, or Void Step, allowing him to appear behind her in midair.
• His palm strike breaks through three protective barriers and severely injures the Fox Demon, though it does not kill her.
• The Fox Demon flees, repeatedly changing direction to exploit the limitations of Gao Fei’s Void Step. Gao Fei pursues her for more than ten li and exhausts his spiritual power.
• Gao Fei spends another Merit Point on Savage Bull Force to restore his spiritual power, then resumes the chase.
• By sunset, the pursuit reaches Yueyang County Seat. The Fox Demon is badly injured and has nearly exhausted her Wind-Control Talismans, while Gao Fei continues relentlessly.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Becomes increasingly pragmatic and cautious, refusing to trust Li Jie’s group and prioritizing Merit Points as his main source of strength. His endurance, combat ingenuity, and emotional control are emphasized. Despite the Fox Demon’s powerful seduction, his long cultivation and commitment to immortality allow him to resist temptation.
• Fox Demon: Shifts from confident seductress to desperate fugitive. She initially believes Gao Fei can be manipulated through desire or promises of cultivation, but becomes shocked by his hidden mastery of Void Step and frustrated by his persistence.
• Li Jie and the others: Though absent from most of the chapter, their possible sympathy toward the Fox Demon establishes them as people Gao Fei cannot fully trust.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism and suspicion: Gao Fei refuses to depend on others and carefully anticipates betrayal or interference.
• Power through accumulation: Merit Points function as a crucial resource, allowing Gao Fei to heal, restore spiritual power, and improve his techniques.
• Self-control versus temptation: The Fox Demon’s seduction tests Gao Fei’s discipline, but he values immortality and personal goals over immediate pleasure.
• Hidden strength and strategic deception: Gao Fei conceals his abilities until the right moment, while the Fox Demon relies on illusions, talismans, and evasive tactics.
• Relentless pursuit: The extended chase highlights Gao Fei’s determination and the Fox Demon’s increasingly desperate survival instinct.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei avoids returning to Li Jie’s group because he suspects they might protect the Fox Demon.
• The Fox Demon offers Gao Fei companionship, sexual loyalty, and assistance in cultivation, but he rejects her proposal and mocks its insufficiency.
• Gao Fei engages her in conversation only to test her defenses, then attacks when he confirms that her initial form is an illusion.
• The Fox Demon threatens him with death unless he submits, while Gao Fei ignores her demands and pursues her.
• Their interaction develops into a battle of willpower and endurance: the Fox Demon relies on escape and talismans, while Gao Fei relies on superior movement techniques and relentless persistence.

Chapter Summary: “Another Interception Attempt”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei relentlessly pursues the injured Fox Demon after their earlier battle, spending more than 150 Merit Points to restore his spiritual power and maintain his movement through the air.
• Along the way, he tests the Fox Demon’s divine-sense range, discovering that it extends no more than twenty zhang. Both are exhausted, but Gao Fei refuses to let her escape because he fears she will become a future threat.
• The Fox Demon flees into the city and appeals to Li Jie for protection, accusing Gao Fei of hunting her and warning that Great Wu may provoke the Shangqiu Fox Clan.
• Li Jie blocks Gao Fei from attacking her. Although he recognizes Gao Fei’s increased cultivation and the damage inflicted on the demon, he insists that Great Wu cannot afford another external enemy.
• Gao Fei agrees to postpone the conflict. He tells Li Jie to meet him at the city gate the following morning so their households can travel together to Qing Province.
• Rather than leave immediately, Gao Fei hides near the pharmacy and attempts another ambush when the Fox Demon eventually emerges.
• His flaming palm destroys her flying-sword artifact, though the weapon cuts a deep wound across his hand. He also attempts to strike her with Dark Force, but Li Jie and Li Qingyao arrive and force him to stop.
• Gao Fei and the Fox Demon exchange threats. He initially appears to retract his promise to kill her, then clarifies that he will kill her the next time they meet. Li Jie persuades him to leave, implicitly urging him to wait until he is stronger.
• At home, Gao Fei informs his second uncle, Gao Linyue, that the family must relocate because he has angered the Fox Demon and failed to eliminate her.
• Gao Linyue agrees to begin packing. The family is reassured that Li Jie’s presence will deter the Fox Demon from attacking during the journey.
• Gao Fei also says goodbye to Lu Xiaoliu, his first friend in this world. Xiaoliu is saddened by his departure and worries about continuing the development of firearms without him.
• Gao Fei tells Xiaoliu to continue modifying the firearm according to his previous instructions. As Xiaoliu leaves, Xiaocui asks Gao Fei to visit her young lady, who has not eaten all day.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Becomes increasingly determined and aggressive toward the Fox Demon. His hatred of being targeted drives him to pursue her even after successfully injuring her. At the same time, he shows responsibility toward those connected to him by arranging for his family to leave and honoring his obligation to Li Jie.
• Fox Demon: Despite being wounded and exhausted, she remains defiant and provocative. She uses the political danger of the conflict to gain Li Jie’s protection and repeatedly mocks Gao Fei, showing that their hostility is far from resolved.
• Li Jie: Acts as a mediator and protector. Though he recognizes Gao Fei’s strength, he places Great Wu’s political survival above personal justice and shields the Fox Demon to prevent war with Shangqiu.
• Gao Linyue: Initially complains humorously about Gao Fei destroying or losing his weapons, but quickly becomes serious once he learns about the Fox Demon. His willingness to move shows his concern for the family’s safety.
• Lu Xiaoliu: Reveals emotional attachment to Gao Fei and uncertainty about continuing alone. His interest in firearms remains strong, but he lacks confidence in improving them without Gao Fei’s guidance.
• Xiaocui: Shows concern for her young lady and indirectly suggests a personal or emotional subplot involving Gao Fei and the unseen young lady.

Significant Themes

• Human–demon conflict: Gao Fei views coexistence between humans and demons as fundamentally impossible, believing that one side will ultimately dominate or destroy the other.
• Personal vengeance versus political necessity: Gao Fei wants to kill the Fox Demon, but Li Jie prioritizes avoiding a larger conflict between Great Wu and the Shangqiu Fox Clan.
• The burden of strength: Gao Fei’s growing power allows him to pursue and injure the Fox Demon, but it also draws him into increasingly dangerous responsibilities and forces those around him to relocate.
• Loyalty and protection: Li Jie protects even an enemy of Gao Fei for the sake of the state, while Gao Fei protects his family and maintains his friendship with Xiaoliu.
• Reluctant departure and instability: The family’s sudden move reflects the dangerous, unstable world they inhabit. Gao Fei’s comments also suggest that Great Wu itself may be close to collapse.
• Foreshadowing: The unresolved conflict with the Fox Demon, the journey to Qing Province, and Xiaocui’s request hint at further confrontations and personal complications.

Important Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and the Fox Demon: Their pursuit ends in repeated threats and mutual hostility. Gao Fei wounds her and destroys her sword, while she mocks his promises and predicts his death.
• Gao Fei and Li Jie: Li Jie prevents Gao Fei from killing the Fox Demon, appealing to national interests. Gao Fei reluctantly accepts the delay and agrees to travel with Li Jie.
• Gao Fei and Gao Linyue: Gao Fei admits that he lost or damaged his uncle’s treasured weapons, then informs him of the urgent relocation. Their exchange combines family humor with genuine concern.
• Gao Fei and Lu Xiaoliu: Their farewell emphasizes their friendship. Gao Fei encourages Xiaoliu to continue working on firearms despite his departure.
• Gao Fei and Xiaocui: Xiaocui interrupts Gao Fei’s departure preparations to ask him to visit her young lady, creating a cliffhanger for the next scene.

Chapter Summary: “Departure”

Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei visits Qiu Mei before leaving Yueyang County and tries to discourage her from depending on a man or treating marriage as her only path forward.
• Qiu Mei challenges Gao Fei to marry her and deliberately attempts to seduce him, but he suppresses his attraction and refuses, declaring that his priorities are martial cultivation and demon-slaying.
• Before leaving, Gao Fei offers Qiu Mei a place in their group and suggests she may be able to reunite with her lover in Qing Province.
• Qiu Mei reflects on Gao Fei’s advice about living for herself, while her maid Xiaocui reveals that she wants to stay behind because of her feelings for Lu Xiaoliu. Qiu Mei accepts this and decides to travel to Qing Province alone.
• The next morning, Gao Fei and the others depart. County Magistrate Xue thanks Gao Fei for protecting Yueyang County and agrees to appoint Lu Xiaoliu as Gao Fei’s successor, even promoting him to Chief Constable.
• Lu Xiaoliu and Xiaocui remain behind together, confirming their mutual affection. Gao Fei recognizes that Xiaocui’s decision is connected to Lu Xiaoliu.
• The Fox Demon, who had remained in the city out of fear that Gao Fei would ambush her outside the gates, finally leaves once he appears. Li Jie gives Gao Fei his share of the money earned from selling demon corpses.
• Gao Fei remains suspicious of Lin Ye, who is still traveling with Li Jie and the others, preventing Gao Fei from killing him.
• The group begins its journey toward Qing Province. They encounter only weak, Unawakened Intelligence demons during the first stages of the trip.
• Gao Fei and Li Jie discuss the dangerous political and military situation in Qing Province. The province faces severe shortages of powerful fighters, with many commandery governors dead and numerous territories threatened by Monster Kings from the Mangshan Mountains.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Shows unexpected concern for Qiu Mei, encouraging her to pursue independence rather than surrender herself to marriage. Although tempted by her, he maintains strict control over his desires and remains committed to cultivation and demon-slaying. He also takes responsibility for Yueyang County by recommending Lu Xiaoliu as his replacement.
• Qiu Mei: Reveals herself to be highly skilled at manipulating emotions through practiced displays of vulnerability and seduction. Gao Fei’s resistance unsettles her, forcing her to consider whether she can truly live for her own goals rather than rely on men.
• Xiaocui: Makes an independent choice to remain in Yueyang County because of her feelings for Lu Xiaoliu.
• Lu Xiaoliu: Begins taking on greater responsibility, becoming Gao Fei’s successor as Chief Constable. His relationship with Xiaocui becomes apparent.
• County Magistrate Xue: Reassumes his official appearance and rewards Gao Fei’s contributions by approving Lu Xiaoliu’s appointment.
• Li Jie: Remains wary of Gao Fei’s intentions toward the Fox Demon and keeps watch over him, while also sharing the proceeds from the demon corpses.
• The Fox Demon: Demonstrates distrust of Gao Fei, fearing he will kill her, but departs once she confirms he is not immediately blocking her escape.

Significant Themes

• Independence versus dependence: Gao Fei urges Qiu Mei to live for herself rather than place her future in a man’s hands. The chapter also contrasts Qiu Mei’s uncertainty with Xiaocui’s more personal, decisive choice.
• Self-control and desire: Gao Fei is attracted to Qiu Mei but refuses to act on it, prioritizing his cultivation and long-term goals.
• Trust and suspicion: The Fox Demon fears Gao Fei despite his claims, while Li Jie continues to distrust Gao Fei’s intentions. Gao Fei likewise remains suspicious of Lin Ye.
• Departure and change: The group’s journey marks a transition from the relatively stable Yueyang County to the far more dangerous and chaotic Qing Province.
• Responsibility and succession: Gao Fei leaves behind a functioning successor, suggesting that his role involves more than personal strength and demon-hunting.
• Political and military instability: Qing Province’s vacant offices, dead governors, and powerful demons reveal a broader collapse of governmental and martial authority.

Important Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Qiu Mei: Their conversation is emotionally and physically charged. Gao Fei offers sincere, if awkward, advice, while Qiu Mei tests him through confrontation and seduction.
• Qiu Mei and Xiaocui: Qiu Mei understands Xiaocui’s love for Lu Xiaoliu and permits her to remain behind, accepting that their paths must separate.
• Gao Fei and County Magistrate Xue: Xue thanks Gao Fei, while Gao Fei ensures that Lu Xiaoliu will inherit his position.
• Gao Fei and Lu Xiaoliu: Gao Fei gives him a final admonition to live well rather than continue escorting the departing group.
• Gao Fei and Li Jie: They discuss the journey and Qing Province’s strategic situation, while Li Jie’s vigilance reflects his continued distrust.
• Qiu Mei and Li Qingyao: Their first meeting highlights their contrasting personalities—Qiu Mei’s practiced vulnerability and Li Qingyao’s dignified, martial confidence.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Jie’s group returns to Qing Province after clearing demons along the way, bringing Gao Fei along as hired muscle. Li Jie’s real goal is to eliminate threats that could destabilize Qing Province and endanger its prefect and commander-in-chief.
• On the road through Chiyang County, Gao Fei eagerly kills every Ape Demon they encounter. He explains that he enjoys killing demons so much that he cannot sleep if he goes a day without doing so.
• At dusk, the group reaches Chiyang County’s eerily deserted county seat. The streets are empty, the inn is closed, and funeral paper blows through the dust-filled roads. They take shelter in the abandoned county yamen.
• That night, a gong announces that the Northern Cliff Minor Rite will take place the following morning.
• At dawn, Gao Fei and Li Jie investigate while Li Qingyao initially tries to join them. Li Jie instead orders her to guard the rest of the group, emphasizing caution because they lack reinforcements.
• The townspeople, all dressed in hemp robes, head toward Northern Cliff. Gao Fei bribes a local official to learn how to infiltrate the Hemp-Robe Sect, disguising himself and Li Jie as followers.
• An elderly sect priest announces that the Hemp-Robe Sect has supposedly reached an agreement with the Demon God: regular human sacrifices will guarantee protection, good harvests, and freedom from demon attacks. Outsiders are to be sacrificed, while sect members are exempt if they remain devout.
• Li Jie explains that the sect is a major threat because it combines incense power and medicinal materials to attract martial artists who are desperate to overcome cultivation bottlenecks. The sect also appears to cooperate with demons in the Ten-Thousand-Mile Mountains.
• After Gao Fei and Li Jie openly mock the ceremony, the priest orders them sacrificed. A snake demon attacks, but Gao Fei drags it from the cliff, knocks it unconscious, and kills the priest with Transforming Force, earning Merit Points.
• Gao Fei then turns the ritual against the believers, sarcastically demanding that they volunteer for sacrifice. His enthusiasm and dark humor leave Li Jie stunned, who concludes that Gao Fei might have the makings of an evil cult leader.

2. Character Developments

• Gao Fei: His obsessive love of demon-slaying becomes clearer and is presented comically. He demonstrates overwhelming physical strength, quick improvisation, and a willingness to use bribery and disguise. His sarcastic manipulation of the sect’s followers reveals a surprisingly strong talent for theatrical intimidation and cult-like rhetoric.
• Li Jie: He remains focused on the wider political consequences of demonic activity and the danger posed by the Hemp-Robe Sect. He acts cautiously, restrains Li Qingyao from joining the investigation, and observes Gao Fei’s behavior with increasing concern and curiosity.
• Li Qingyao: She wants to prove her martial ability and participate in the mission, but accepts Li Jie’s order to guard the Household. Her willingness to step back shows discipline and a growing sense of responsibility.
• Lin Ye and the Household: They remain under Gao Fei’s protection while the others investigate, reinforcing Gao Fei’s role as a guardian despite his violent habits.

3. Significant Themes

• Corruption through false security: The Hemp-Robe Sect offers protection and prosperity in exchange for obedience and human sacrifice, exploiting ordinary people’s desire for an easy, safe life.
• Human-demon collaboration: The chapter presents cooperation between humans and demons as a serious social and political threat, while also hinting at more complicated human-demon coexistence in the Ten-Thousand-Mile Mountains.
• Faith versus manipulation: The sect disguises exploitation as religious devotion, using ritual, fear, and promises of prosperity to control believers.
• Violence as both duty and comedy: Gao Fei’s extreme enthusiasm for killing demons contrasts with the sect’s solemn sacrificial rhetoric, turning a sinister ritual into an absurd confrontation.
• Caution and responsibility: Li Jie’s insistence on protecting the Household and avoiding unnecessary risks emphasizes the danger of operating without reinforcements.

4. Character Interactions

• Gao Fei repeatedly competes with Lin Ye to kill demons, establishing his unusual obsession.
• Li Jie teases and questions Gao Fei about his hatred of medicine and later monitors his reaction to rumors of human-demon coexistence.
• Li Jie and Li Qingyao clash briefly over whether she should accompany the investigation, but she ultimately agrees to guard the Household.
• Gao Fei bribes local men to obtain information and disguises himself and Li Jie as sect members.
• The priest publicly confronts Gao Fei and Li Jie, leading to their attempted sacrifice.
• Gao Fei reverses the power dynamic by killing the priest and mocking the believers, leaving Li Jie both amazed and alarmed by Gao Fei’s natural talent for inciting fear and chaos.

Chapter Summary: “Three Snake Demons”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei executes the remaining unrepentant believers from the previous conflict, gaining 130 Merit Points and bringing his total to 615.
• The injured Snake Demon awakens and leaves while carrying two corpses. Gao Fei and Li Jie secretly follow her, using Li Jie’s tactic of pretending to be dead in order to locate a monster’s lair.
• They arrive at a human-built village controlled by three Snake Demons. The demons have taken partial human forms and are abusing several mindless human servants, including the Chiyang County Magistrate.
• Li Jie accidentally reveals their presence. The Snake Demons attempt to seduce and deceive the two men, but Gao Fei and Li Jie decide to attack.
• Gao Fei uses Shrinking Earth to Inches and charged palm strikes to kill one Snake Demon instantly. He orders Li Jie to prevent the others from escaping while he fights the remaining two.
• The demons use their detached scales as deadly projectiles. Gao Fei is injured and his clothes are shredded, but his golden body protects him from serious harm.
• After changing tactics and using repeated close-range attacks, Gao Fei kills the second demon. The third attempts to flee but is caught and killed.
• The three Snake Demons yield 1,536 Merit Points, raising Gao Fei’s total to 2,151. He harvests their Beast Cores with Li Jie’s black-bladed knife.
• Gao Fei spends 2,000 Merit Points to advance the Golden Body Art. The technique improves his strength but reveals that further progress requires special refining materials, particularly sharp metal energy from monster bones and scales.
• After absorbing the available materials, Gao Fei’s physical strength increases enough for him to believe he can now fight the Fox Demon directly rather than relying on surprise attacks.
• The chapter ends with Gao Fei and Li Jie inspecting the traumatized Chiyang County Magistrate, humorously disagreeing over whether he suffered or enjoyed his treatment.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei becomes more powerful and confident. His body can now endure the Snake Demons’ large-scale attacks, and he believes he can confront stronger enemies head-on.
• Gao Fei’s attitude toward desire is explored. Although he notices the Snake Demon’s attractive appearance, he views beauty analytically rather than possessively, deliberately preserving what he considers his remaining humanity.
• Gao Fei demonstrates tactical adaptability: when charged attacks fail, he switches to Dark Force and relies on movement, timing, and precision.
• Li Jie proves useful as a tracker and supports Gao Fei during the battle. He also shows concern for the human victims and attempts to awaken the Chiyang County Magistrate.
• Li Jie’s impulsive comment exposes the group, reinforcing his somewhat careless but practical personality.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus becoming a tool: Gao Fei worries that losing desire, emotion, and personal goals could turn him into a puppet of the system rather than a true human.
• Power requires resources: Merit Points alone cannot endlessly improve the Golden Body Art; physical advancement also depends on external refining materials.
• Justice and moral judgment: Gao Fei considers the Snake Demons beyond redemption because of their abuse and crimes, presenting their deaths as justified punishment.
• Adaptability in combat: Success comes not only from overwhelming strength but also from changing tactics when an initial strategy fails.
• Cruelty hidden beneath appearances: The apparently inviting village is actually a place of enslavement and psychological destruction, contrasting attractive forms with monstrous behavior.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Li Jie work together to track the Snake Demon lair, though Gao Fei criticizes Li Jie for ruining their chance at a perfect sneak attack.
• The Snake Demons try to manipulate the men through seduction, but Gao Fei and Li Jie remain focused on eliminating them.
• Gao Fei directs Li Jie during the fight, assigning him to guard against escape while Gao Fei handles the main attack.
• Li Jie lends Gao Fei his unusually sharp knife, which Gao Fei later keeps.
• Their final exchange about the Chiyang County Magistrate preserves the chapter’s dark humor despite the disturbing events.

Chapter Summary

• Aftermath of the Snake Demon’s death: Gao Fei, Li Jie, and the Chiyang County magistrate remain at the scene after the other survivors flee. The magistrate reveals that a high-ranking member of the Chiyang Sect is secretly a spy for the Hemp-Robe Sect and urges Li Jie to report the betrayal to the sect master. He also explains that the Chiyang commandery governor was killed in an ambush by the Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder, after which the magistrate was captured as food for the monsters.
• Gao Fei hunts fleeing monsters: Although the magistrate claims that no other major monsters remain in the county, Gao Fei spots a group of snakes attempting to escape. He pursues and kills them, obtaining three Spirit-Absorption Realm Beast Cores and more than a thousand Merit Points. His total rises to 1,235.
• Plans regarding the Chiyang Sect: Li Jie decides to travel with the magistrate to investigate the traitor and the governor’s death, while Gao Fei and the others remain behind. The Chiyang Sect is revealed to be extremely powerful, with a Golden Core patriarch, a Core Condensation sect master, and ten Jade Sea Realm elders. Gao Fei advises Li Qingyao to seek reinforcements, but she is suspicious of his own sudden decision to leave.
• Gao Fei returns to confront the Fox Demon: Gao Fei explains that he is pursuing a separate matter and departs alone for the Fox Demon’s territory near Yueyang County. He uses Shrinking Earth to Inches to complete the journey in only three hours, stopping along the way to kill monsters and recover the Merit Points spent on travel.
• Discovery of the foxes’ lair: Gao Fei finds several black gorilla-like Minor Monsters escorting kidnapped youths into the mountains. Disguising himself as Lin Ye through precise bodily alteration, he follows them to a cliffside cave. There, two injured Fox Demons emerge and feed on the youths, gradually reducing the black handprints marking their backs.
• The Fox Demons are killed: Gao Fei ambushes the stronger Fox Demon, striking the same weak point as before and killing her instantly for 835 Merit Points. He then kills the second, early Spirit-Absorption Realm Fox Demon with a single punch, costing 135 Merit Points, and pursues and eliminates the fleeing black gorillas. His Merit Point total rises to 2,385.
• Conflict with the rescued youths: While collecting the demons’ Beast Cores, Gao Fei is unexpectedly blocked by the surviving youths. They continue kneeling before the dead Fox Demons, apparently worshiping or obeying them. Gao Fei angrily points out that the bodies are demons, prompting the youths to acknowledge them as such and setting up a confrontation over their loyalty or indoctrination.

Character Development and Interactions

• Gao Fei remains pragmatic, powerful, and primarily motivated by eliminating threats and accumulating Merit Points. His determination to kill the Fox Demon stems from both personal irritation and his refusal to rest while she remains alive. He also shows cleverness through disguise, tactical observation, and efficient use of his abilities.
• Li Jie acts responsibly by taking the magistrate’s warning seriously and preparing to investigate the Chiyang Sect’s internal betrayal. His serious demeanor signals the danger of the political conspiracy.
• The Chiyang magistrate shifts from a traumatized survivor to an important informant, revealing the commandery governor’s death and the sect’s corruption.
• Li Qingyao becomes concerned about Gao Fei’s safety and motives, repeatedly questioning his decision to leave. Their exchange highlights her caution and his impatience with explaining himself.
• The youths reveal that the Fox Demons’ influence extends beyond physical feeding: despite witnessing or surviving their cruelty, they still kneel before them, suggesting fear, indoctrination, dependence, or supernatural control.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and betrayal: The Chiyang Sect’s internal spy and the murder of the commandery governor broaden the conflict beyond monsters into sect politics and institutional treachery.
• Predation and exploitation: The Fox Demons consume kidnapped youths to heal themselves, emphasizing the brutal relationship between monsters and humans.
• Power and efficiency: Gao Fei continually measures danger, travel, combat, and cultivation in terms of Merit Points, treating monster hunting as both duty and resource management.
• Indoctrination and moral confusion: The youths’ defense of the Fox Demons suggests that victims may become psychologically bound to their oppressors, complicating Gao Fei’s straightforward view of demons as enemies.
• Parallel threats: While Li Jie investigates corruption within the Chiyang Sect, Gao Fei independently handles the remaining supernatural threat, showing the story expanding into both political and monstrous conflicts.

Chapter Summary: “Draw Them Back In”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei kills the youths who had helped the Fox Demons capture and feed on the expedition’s core members. He extracts their Beast Cores and searches the Fox Demon’s cave for valuables.
• In the cave, he discovers a Storage Bag containing three talismans—two Wind-Control Talismans and one unidentified talisman—as well as a damaged flying sword and artifact fragments. The sword is useless because it has already been badly damaged.
• Gao Fei spends 2,000 Merit Points on the Golden Body Art. After nearly two thousand years of cultivation, his physical strength more than doubles and his lifespan reaches 500 years. However, he realizes that the Fox Demon’s corpse no longer benefits his cultivation and burns the bodies to prevent another loss.
• He returns safely to Chiyang County, with 254 Merit Points remaining. The next morning, the group resumes its journey without waiting for Li Jie or the county magistrate.
• Li Qingyao reveals that Lin Ye is a squad leader of the Martial Suppression Guard and belongs to a branch of the powerful Lin Family. Gao Fei becomes more cautious around Lin Ye, suspecting that the man’s patience and humiliation conceal future danger.
• Two disciples of the Chiyang Sect intercept the group and announce that Li Jie has been retained by their Second Elder while studying the sect’s Qi-Driving Technique. They attempt to force the group to accompany them to the sect, threatening violence when Gao Fei refuses.
• The messengers mock Gao Fei and Li Qingyao, believing Gao Fei is only at the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm. Gao Fei easily overpowers them with his physical strength, testing his body against their Black Iron swords and finding that they cannot harm him.
• After repeatedly slapping and incapacitating the men, Gao Fei forces them to explain the situation. They admit that Li Jie is being held as a guest by the Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder and insist that they are not responsible.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei grows substantially stronger through the Golden Body Art. His enhanced body allows him to ignore ordinary weapons and defeat two Early Jade-Liquid Realm opponents with minimal effort.
• He also demonstrates greater caution and strategic thinking. Rather than killing the Chiyang Sect messengers immediately, he spares them so he can obtain information about Li Jie.
• Gao Fei remains focused on his larger goals: protecting and relocating his family, hunting demons, and accumulating Merit Points. He avoids unnecessary involvement in political or sect conflicts unless they threaten his plans.
• Li Qingyao shows confidence and bluntness by openly discussing Lin Ye’s background despite his ability to hear her. She also trusts Gao Fei’s strength, though her anger at the messengers leaves her temporarily unable to respond.
• Lin Ye appears outwardly calm and submissive, but his powerful family background and ability to endure humiliation make Gao Fei view him as a possible future threat.
• Li Jie becomes indirectly important when it is revealed that he has been retained by the Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder, creating a potential conflict between the traveling group and the sect.

Significant Themes

• Power revealed through action: Gao Fei’s true strength is underestimated because of his apparent cultivation level, but his physical training allows him to overwhelm stronger-looking opponents.
• Pragmatism over pride: He chooses not to kill the messengers immediately, recognizing that information about Li Jie is more valuable than momentary revenge.
• Hidden threats and political caution: Lin Ye’s family connections and the Chiyang Sect’s coercive behavior show that danger comes not only from demons but also from human factions and their alliances.
• The cost of cultivation: Gao Fei’s long cultivation period produces remarkable gains, but resources eventually run out, slowing his progress and forcing him to seek new materials.
• Merit and calculated advancement: Merit Points remain central to Gao Fei’s growth, allowing him to convert completed dangers and victories into lasting physical power.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei shows little sympathy for the youths who aided the Fox Demons, killing them and taking their cores.
• Gao Linyue quietly checks Gao Fei for injuries when he returns, reflecting familial concern without unnecessary conversation.
• Li Qingyao openly informs Gao Fei about Lin Ye’s rank and family, while Lin Ye silently endures the discussion.
• The Chiyang Sect messengers attempt to intimidate the entire group, mocking Gao Fei and Li Qingyao when they refuse to cooperate.
• Gao Fei responds with overwhelming physical force, repeatedly defeating and humiliating the messengers until they reveal the truth about Li Jie’s situation.

Summary: “Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Fei and the others realize that Li Jie is still alive but imprisoned by the Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder. Since the Chiyang Sect sent people to capture them rather than kill them, Li Qingyao concludes that Li Jie and the other captives are probably not in immediate danger.
• Li Qingyao seals the spiritual energy of the two defeated Chiyang Sect disciples by striking their vital acupoints. Gao Fei becomes interested in the technique and uses Merit Points to deduce his own version, the Meridian-Severing Hand.
• Gao Fei refuses Li Qingyao’s offer to become her master’s disciple, confidently claiming that he will surpass the man, despite the master being the foremost cultivator in Qing Province.
• The group travels toward Qing Province for half a month. Gao Fei defeats several monsters along the way, increasing his Merit Points and collecting multiple Beast Cores.
• As they approach Qing Province, human settlements and travelers become more common. Li Qingyao explains the region’s dangerous political and monster situation:
  • Monster threats remain around Qing Province, including powerful Monster Kings near Qinglan County and the Wei River.
  • The northern counties have been devastated by monsters from Mount Mang.
  • The Hemp-Robe Sect is also operating in the region, undermining human morale and weakening the city’s incense-derived fortune.
  • The inspector’s arrival has helped prevent Qing Province from being overrun.
• The Chiyang Sect’s Second Elder, an early Grandmaster-stage expert, appears and releases the two disciples from Gao Fei’s seal. He insults them for their incompetence but then turns his attention to Gao Fei and the group.
• Li Qingyao identifies the elder as a powerful Jade Nectar Realm cultivator and warns Gao Fei not to fight him. She confronts the elder over Li Jie’s imprisonment and threatens to involve her master.
• The elder adopts a seemingly cordial tone but pressures Li Qingyao to visit the Chiyang Sect. When she refuses and warns him not to harm Li Jie, he drops his friendly demeanor and threatens conflict.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei demonstrates increasing confidence and independence. He refuses to rely on a powerful master, believing his own system, cultivation, and Merit Points will allow him to surpass anyone.
• He also shows growing technical curiosity by studying Li Qingyao’s sealing technique and quickly developing a comparable skill of his own.
• Gao Fei remains pragmatic: he avoids fighting the Second Elder because the opponent is too powerful and the battle would cost him spiritual energy without providing meaningful rewards.
• Li Qingyao shows responsibility and restraint. She prioritizes discovering the truth about Li Jie rather than acting rashly, protects Gao Fei from the Second Elder, and uses her master’s reputation to deter the Chiyang Sect.
• Her mood improves as the group nears Qing Province, suggesting that the presence of human society and familiar territory gives her hope.
• The Second Elder is revealed as both arrogant and politically calculating. He punishes his own disciples harshly, presents himself as benevolent, and then uses threats when Li Qingyao refuses his demands.

Significant Themes

• Power and strategic restraint: Strength does not always mean fighting. Gao Fei recognizes the danger of challenging the Second Elder and chooses not to waste resources.
• Independence versus reliance: Gao Fei rejects the traditional path of depending on a master, trusting his own system and potential instead.
• Hidden political conflict: The imprisonment of Li Jie is tied to broader tensions between sects, with both sides using threats, reputation, and hostages to gain leverage.
• Humanity under pressure: Qing Province is surrounded by monsters, sectarian unrest, and military danger, emphasizing the fragile position of human society.
• Knowledge as power: Gao Fei’s ability to analyze and reproduce techniques shows that observation and deduction can rapidly compensate for differences in training.
• False civility and intimidation: The Second Elder’s polite words conceal coercive intentions, revealing how courtesy can function as a weapon in sect politics.

Character Interactions

• Gao Fei and Li Qingyao disagree over the value of becoming her master’s disciple, with Gao Fei responding confidently and provoking her irritation.
• Gao Fei takes control of the two defeated Chiyang Sect disciples, threatening them into obediently following the group.
• Li Qingyao acts as the group’s guide, explaining Qing Province’s geography, monster forces, and political dangers.
• The Second Elder humiliates his own disciples for losing, then attempts to assert authority over Gao Fei and Li Qingyao.
• Li Qingyao directly challenges him over Li Jie’s fate, while the elder tries to manipulate her through familiarity and implied threats.
• Gao Fei remains behind Li Qingyao during the confrontation, allowing her to handle the negotiation rather than escalating the situation.

Qing Province — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingyao realizes Elder Wang mistakenly believes she still has a senior brother nearby. She tries to use this misunderstanding to prevent him from discovering that Gao Fei captured the two middle-aged men.
• Elder Wang decides to take Li Qingyao hostage and orders his disciples to kill the remaining members of Gao Fei’s family.
• Gao Fei attacks the Second Elder before he can act. Using Shrinking Earth to Inches and a powerful Transforming Force palm, he shatters the elder’s spiritual shield and damages his life-bound flying sword.
• The Second Elder suffers internal injuries despite Gao Fei striking only his sword. He identifies Gao Fei as a Grandmaster, shocking everyone present because Gao Fei had only recently been much weaker.
• Gao Fei uses his movement technique to appear behind the two middle-aged men and strikes them both. One collapses, while the other is severely injured. The system rewards Gao Fei with Merit Points, confirming that killing or defeating them was justified.
• The Second Elder flees, unable to keep up with Gao Fei’s movements. Gao Fei notes that Shrinking Earth to Inches still has limitations: long-distance steps take time and cannot be redirected mid-movement.
• Lin Ye immediately submits to Gao Fei and begs him to spare the Lin Family. Gao Fei agrees, provided they do not provoke him or reveal that he is a Grandmaster.
• Gao Fei suppresses his desire to kill Lin Ye, reminding himself to maintain a respectable image before his family and friends.
• The group reaches Qing Province City. Li Qingyao’s status allows them to bypass the long entrance lines using her black iron waist token.
• Gao Fei asks about obtaining an official position that would make travel and information-gathering easier. Li Qingyao explains the options of joining the Martial Suppression Guard, becoming a constable, or becoming a demon hunter.
• Gao Fei chooses to pursue membership in the demon hunters, hoping to gain freedom of movement, access to intelligence, and cultivation resources. He states that his martial cultivation is at the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm.

Character Developments

• Gao Fei: Reveals himself to be vastly stronger than expected, capable of injuring a Grandmaster and defeating high-level opponents. He becomes more confident in using his abilities but recognizes the weaknesses of his movement technique. He also struggles to control his murderous impulses and consciously tries to preserve his image and moral restraint.
• Li Qingyao: Gains a deeper appreciation—and some insecurity—regarding Gao Fei’s extraordinary talent. She begins wondering whether she is worthy of him after witnessing his rapid advancement.
• Elder Wang/Second Elder: Shifts from threatening hostage-taking to defensive retreat once he realizes Gao Fei is a Grandmaster. His confidence collapses after his life-bound weapon is damaged.
• Lin Ye: Displays extreme pragmatism and submission, immediately apologizing and pleading for survival once he understands Gao Fei’s strength. His obedience prevents immediate conflict, though Gao Fei remains suspicious of him.
• Gao Fei’s family and companions: Are stunned by his sudden rise to Grandmaster-level power, changing their understanding of him and the dangers surrounding them.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken assumptions: Elder Wang’s misreading of the situation allows Gao Fei to maintain an advantage, while Gao Fei’s true cultivation shocks everyone.
• Power and survival: The weak must submit or flee when confronted by overwhelming strength; Lin Ye’s quick surrender reflects the harsh logic of the cultivation world.
• Restraint versus violence: Gao Fei has the power and desire to kill his enemies but deliberately restrains himself to preserve his character, relationships, and public image.
• Talent and rapid advancement: Gao Fei’s sudden transformation from a relatively weak cultivator into a Grandmaster emphasizes his extraordinary potential and unsettles those around him.
• Privilege and connections: Li Qingyao’s family status grants easy access to Qing Province City, while Gao Fei intends to use those connections to secure a useful official affiliation.
• Practical cultivation and independence: Gao Fei chooses the demon hunters because the role offers mobility, intelligence, and opportunities for further growth without excessive restrictions.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingyao attempts to manipulate Elder Wang’s misunderstanding about her supposed senior brother.
• Gao Fei confronts the Second Elder, who accuses him of hiding his identity and attacking through surprise.
• Gao Fei warns Lin Ye and the Lin Family not to expose his Grandmaster status or provoke him.
• Lin Ye responds with exaggerated humility, collecting the defeated men’s bodies after receiving mercy.
• Li Qingyao advises Gao Fei about the three possible organizations in Qing Province, and Gao Fei relies on her connections to pursue entry into the demon hunters.