Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• While studying the Core Qi Domain, Su Xinghe enters sudden enlightenment and discovers a new secret art, First Insight into Light and Darkness. It wraps his body in a nearly silent veil of golden Astral Qi, faintly resembling a Grandmaster’s domain, though it lasts only ten breaths and consumes substantial energy.
• The Fate Panel confirms the art and records experience, allowing Su Xinghe to preserve and develop his insight reliably.
• Gong Hao takes Su Xinghe to a mountain pavilion and investigates a hidden passage. He finds evidence that a Greater Demon had been suppressed there, along with traces of demon qi.
• Su Xinghe recounts his six-month captivity and escape, explaining that he worked with Little White Bat and Rift-Sky Mother Empress to ambush Li Shunjun. He omits the worst details of his suffering.
• Gong Hao warns him against taking such risks again. He explains that the Demon Suppression Bureau rewards demon-slaying points for Demon Cores, but Su Xinghe keeps the core because Little White Bat needs it for its growth.
• Though Su Xinghe receives no points for the core, Gong Hao considers the mission worthwhile: the Greater Demon threat in Qingzhou has been eliminated, and the Bureau may be able to uncover how it was brought into the region.
• Gong Hao registers Su Xinghe’s token. It shows 20 remaining points.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Xinghe demonstrates exceptional insight by creating a secret art that touches on advanced principles of light and martial technique. He is also protective of Little White Bat, unwilling to take away its Demon Core for a modest reward.
• Gong Hao admires Su Xinghe’s talent and the rare companion he has raised, but also shows concern for his safety. His professional priorities remain focused on preventing demon-related disasters and protecting the public.
• Little White Bat is established as a powerful but still-growing companion, having consumed both a Half-Demon and a Greater Demon.
• Su Xinghe and Gong Hao share a mix of respect, practical cooperation, and gentle teasing: Gong Hao warns him about danger, while Su Xinghe is disappointed that the mission yields fewer points than he hoped.

Significant themes

• Insight and perseverance: A moment of inspiration becomes a repeatable path through the Fate Panel’s guidance.
• Power and its cost: Su Xinghe’s new art is impressive but drains his Astral Qi quickly.
• Responsibility over reward: The Demon Suppression Bureau’s work is measured not only in points but in lives protected.
• Trust and attachment: Su Xinghe’s loyalty to Little White Bat outweighs a modest material benefit.

Key plot points and events

• Su Xinghe receives twenty merit points from Gong Hao for carrying a message. He hopes to trade them for Force-Forging Pills, but Gong Hao has none on hand.
• Su Xinghe says he plans to go to Qingzhou. Gong Hao warns that it may be safer to build his strength first, especially because Lu Xuanji—now a powerful Baleful Condensation martial artist and Junior Guardian to the Crown Prince—may retaliate for the Lu Family’s destruction. Gong Hao advises Su to reach Fifth Rank and secure a commander’s post.
• Gong Hao and Su meet Zhang Baichuan and reveal that a Peaceful Heaven Sect lair lies beneath the busy Clear Lotus Pond docks. Zhang mobilizes more than a hundred martial warriors and officials to search the cavern, locate its exits, question nearby residents, and flood the altar chamber.
• While waiting for the lair’s spoils to be assessed, Su checks his Fate Panel and discovers that Water Conception has replaced the Listening to Tides Art. His Consciousness Space now contains sixteen silver figures, suggesting Water Conception is a deeper, more fundamental art despite its beginner-level proficiency. He also wonders whether Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi represents Fire Intent and recalls his recent insight into Light and Darkness.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Xinghe recognizes that he cannot depend on powerful allies to protect him. He resolves to reach Qingzhou for access to better martial resources, while continuing to investigate the nature of his abilities.
• Gong Hao supports Su with advice but is constrained by Bureau secrecy and the danger of antagonizing Lu Xuanji. He has personally advanced Su’s merit points, since the Bureau itself only awards points for demon remains.
• Zhang Baichuan is impressed by Su’s cultivation progress and boldness in destroying the Lu Family. He had long wanted to challenge the family but was repeatedly restrained by Qingzhou officials protecting Lu Xuanji’s prospects.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and power: Su concludes that strength and resources of his own are more dependable than others’ protection.
• Institutional compromise: Officials recognize the Lu Family’s abuses but are limited by political influence and the prestige of Lu Xuanji.
• Growth through insight: Su’s changing Fate Panel hints that his techniques may evolve into more fundamental concepts, opening new paths of martial understanding.

Key events

• Su Xinghe tests his newly mastered Water Conception, an evolution of Listening to Tides Art. Its invisible force field can physically overwhelm people and drain their vitality. A cautious test at home kills rats, while later trials in bandit strongholds incapacitate ordinary bandits and leave stronger fighters barely conscious; Su Xinghe then kills the survivors.
• He discovers the art is extremely demanding: using all sixteen silver figures would exhaust his Spirit Sea in about ten breaths, and restoring his energy takes roughly half an hour. After two days and a night of practice, Water Conception reaches Hall-Entering, doubling its range.
• Su Xinghe spends several days with his family in Niu Family Village, appreciating their peaceful life but recognizing that he must become stronger to protect them.
• Zhou Yingjun asks Su Xinghe to escort his son, Zhou Hao, to Qingzhou Prefecture City for the Extreme Dao Mountain Academy’s year-end recruitment. Zhou Hao is eighteen and already at Ninth Rank Peak; missing the gathering would make him too old to apply.
• Zhou Yingjun cannot travel because of his severe injuries. Elder Xie also remains behind, citing his attachment to Lin County and the need to safeguard people and interests there. Su Xinghe agrees to protect Zhou Hao and asks them in turn to watch over his family.
• The group leaves discreetly by carriage, avoiding the river route to keep their destination secret. Lu Sandao drives and deals with bandits along the way. Su Xinghe later catches up and slips into the carriage overnight.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Xinghe grows more confident in his power, testing its limits while remaining mindful of the danger it poses to his family. His decisions show that protecting them is central to his ambition to grow stronger.
• Zhou Hao appears more mature than before and carries the hopes of his family as a promising candidate for the academy.
• Zhou Yingjun reveals his family’s century-long plan to send a gifted descendant to the academy, entrusting Su Xinghe with his son despite being unable to accompany him.
• Elder Xie stays behind rather than abandon Lin County, while reassuring Su Xinghe that local threats are being managed.
• Su Xinghe and Zhou Yingjun establish mutual trust: Su Xinghe takes responsibility for Zhou Hao’s journey, and Zhou Yingjun’s side is asked to protect Su Xinghe’s family.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Water Conception is formidable, but its cost and indiscriminate danger make careful control essential.
• Family and responsibility: Su Xinghe’s pursuit of strength is driven not only by personal advancement but by the need to keep his family safe.
• Trust and contingency: The escort arrangement and the decision to leave allies behind reflect cooperation, secrecy, and the need to protect multiple fronts.
• Ambition and opportunity: Zhou Hao’s journey to the academy represents a rare chance for advancement, with a strict age limit making the timing urgent.

Lu Xuanji arrived at his ruined family manor and learned that evidence pointed both to the Peaceful Heaven Sect and to the powerful Li Family. Enraged, he prepared to seek revenge, but a glimpse of Lin County made him stop and wait.

• Zou Zhe told Lu Xuanji that the Martial Dao Bureau and townspeople blamed the Peaceful Heaven Sect, and Lu Xuanji rejected the accusation.
• Chen Hao showed Lu Xuanji a broken saber bearing White Tiger True Force, which suggested the Li Family’s military retainers had fought at the manor.
• Zou Zhe explained the Li Family’s immense power and its long history of suppressing the Lu Family.
• Lu Xuanji resolved to attack the Li Family, then looked toward Lin County and ordered the others to wait.

Chapter Summary: “On the Road”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Xuanji attacks Lin County, intending to destroy the city and avenge the Lu Family. He unleashes a massive Rainbow Aurora from atop an armored bird.
• The Lin County Inspection Bureau counters with a formation of black crows that block the attack, though many are torn apart and fall into the city.
• Cao Mao arrives and confronts Lu Xuanji, making Lu Xuanji hesitate because Cao Mao is a direct descendant of the Imperial Uncle’s family.
• Princess Red Lotus then appears with her attendants. Having advanced along the Law Path and comprehended Fire Intent, she overwhelms Lu Xuanji’s Rainbow Aurora with flames. Lu Xuanji retreats.
• Princess Red Lotus claims that she wants control of Lin County. Her breakthrough is recognized as a major achievement for her family and lineage, erasing the stigma of her former rebellious behavior.
• As Su Xinghe, Zhou Hao, and their companions travel toward Qingzhou Prefecture, they pass near Taiguang Prefecture City and witness another battle involving Lu Xuanji.
• Lu Xuanji pursues a young man in blue robes, but the city’s defensive weapons intervene. Tower-mounted weapons resembling advanced anti-aircraft artillery destroy Lu Xuanji’s flying mount and weaken him.
• The travelers flee the area and continue their journey. Su Xinghe becomes increasingly troubled by the Rift-Sky Mother Empress’s warning that the Desolate Region is a “prison” and that their ancestral land may offer an escape.
• After more than ten days of travel, the group reaches Qingzhou Prefecture City. Su Xinghe notices that the city is protected by an immense invisible barrier, possibly a powerful domain.

Character Developments

• Lu Xuanji: Revealed as extremely powerful but increasingly frustrated and politically constrained. Although he can easily kill ordinary opponents, he hesitates when facing Cao Mao because of Cao Mao’s imperial family connections. After Princess Red Lotus defeats his attack and his flying mount is destroyed, his position appears less invincible.
• Princess Red Lotus: Demonstrates a major transformation. Her mastery of the Law Path and Fire Intent proves that she has corrected her former martial deviation and created a new path for her lineage. She moves from a rebellious figure to a politically important Grandmaster capable of claiming control over Lin County.
• Cao Mao: Shows confidence and loyalty toward his younger cousin, Princess Red Lotus, supporting her claim to Lin County.
• Su Xinghe: Becomes more alert to the hidden nature of the world. The technological defenses and advanced civilization surrounding the prefectural cities challenge his assumptions about the dynasty’s level of development. The Mother Empress’s reference to the region as a prison begins to weigh heavily on him.
• Zhou Hao: Displays youthful curiosity when seeing Taiguang Prefecture City, emphasizing how unfamiliar the wider world is to him.
• Lu Sandao and the travelers: Become increasingly cautious after witnessing Lu Xuanji’s battle and accelerate their journey to avoid being caught in the conflict.

Significant Themes

• Power and political restraint: Lu Xuanji possesses overwhelming martial strength, but social rank and imperial connections limit whom he can attack.
• Transformation and new paths: Princess Red Lotus’s success represents the possibility of correcting a flawed martial path and creating an entirely new route to power.
• Hidden technological advancement: The cities combine martial cultivation with sophisticated defensive technology, revealing that the world is far more advanced than Su Xinghe believed.
• Freedom versus imprisonment: The Mother Empress’s description of the Desolate Region as a prison introduces a larger mystery about the world’s boundaries and the powerful forces beyond it.
• Danger on the journey: Travel is not merely ordinary movement; the group must avoid bandits, powerful martial artists, and the consequences of conflicts among major families.
• Civilization and military power: The prefectural cities’ towers, weapons, barriers, and mutant beasts suggest a society where ancient martial traditions coexist with advanced technological warfare.

Character Interactions

• Lu Xuanji clashes with the Lin County Inspection Bureau, whose crow formation temporarily protects the city.
• Cao Mao directly challenges Lu Xuanji, creating a political standoff that prevents Lu Xuanji from acting freely.
• Princess Red Lotus arrives and decisively intervenes, defeating Lu Xuanji’s attack and forcing him to retreat.
• Cao Mao accepts Princess Red Lotus’s demand to inform their family that she wants Lin County, acknowledging her newfound status.
• Su Xinghe observes the battles and discusses or internally analyzes the implications of the cities’ technology and defensive systems.
• The travelers remain united in their escape, urging their horses onward after witnessing Lu Xuanji’s pursuit and the destruction of his flying mount.

Su Xinghe reviewed his martial progress before entering Qingzhou Prefecture City, where a hidden enemy began plotting to capture him alive. He and his companions found a place to rent near the Demon Suppression Bureau and prepared to settle in while awaiting the representatives of the four supreme powers.

• Su Xinghe assessed his cultivation, noting his advances in Water Conception, Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi, and Head-Cleaving Technique, while his study of light and darkness remained uncertain.
• At Qingzhou City's gate, guards detected demonic aura near Su Xinghe's carriage, but he showed his Demon Suppression Bureau token and was allowed through.
• A middle-aged man received information about Su Xinghe and ordered a subordinate to arrange his secret capture, identifying his need for basic pills as a possible opening.
• Su Xinghe, Zhou Hao, and their companion explored the city and sought a private residence near the Demon Suppression Bureau while waiting for the four supreme powers' representatives.
• After a costly rental offer, Su Xinghe agreed that renting was preferable to buying, since he might have to flee again.

Chapter Summary: First Arrival at the Demon Suppression Bureau

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of Public Security Office officers arrives at the trio’s new residence to conduct a household registration inspection. Led by an aggressive black-robed constable, they attempt to search the courtyard.
• Lu Sandao intimidates the officers by releasing his Grade-Eight Dark Force aura, revealing that the residents are martial artists. The constable immediately apologizes and requests their Martial Dao identification tokens.
• The constable invites Zhou Hao to a paid exchange gathering connected to the upcoming sect recruitment assembly. The event costs one thousand taels per invitation and promises guidance from senior sect disciples, as well as possible recruitment by the Martial Dao Bureau.
• Zhou Hao rejects the invitation because he is displeased by the officers’ earlier behavior. The officers leave awkwardly.
• Lu Sandao decides to hire servants and remain behind to guard the house and await representatives from Extreme Dao Mountain Academy.
• Su Xinghe travels alone to the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Bureau, which is located close to their residence.
• At the Bureau, guards initially block his entrance, but they immediately yield when he displays his Grade-B Demon Suppression Bureau token. The guards recognize him as a high-ranking official, likely connected to headquarters.
• Inside, Su Xinghe finds the Bureau strangely empty and without any visible receptionist. He uses a mental secret technique to detect people within the building.
• His probing triggers the spiritual awareness of three powerful figures, whose mental pressure bears down on him. Su Xinghe suppresses his own defensive forces rather than risk appearing hostile.
• Gong Hao intervenes, identifying Su Xinghe as a newly recruited Demon Extermination Guard and protecting him from the other two spiritual wills. He then summons Su Xinghe to the third floor.

Character Developments

• Lu Sandao: Demonstrates his intimidating authority and strength by releasing his Grade-Eight aura. Although angered by the inspection, he remains controlled enough to avoid escalating the conflict. He also takes responsibility for managing the household and protecting Su Xinghe.
• Zhou Hao: Shows independence and pride by refusing the expensive exchange gathering after being offended by the officers’ conduct. He does not depend on the promised advantages of the event.
• Su Xinghe: Presents himself as a calm but powerful figure within the Demon Suppression Bureau. His Grade-B token grants him immediate authority. When confronted by three Grandmaster-level spiritual pressures, he exercises restraint and hides his true defensive capabilities. He realizes that he may now possess enough strength to resist or even suppress such forces, suggesting a major growth in confidence and power.
• Gong Hao: Acts as Su Xinghe’s protector and sponsor within the Bureau, confirming that Su Xinghe has recently been recruited. His familiar relationship with the other powerful figures implies that he holds considerable influence.

Significant Themes

• Authority and status: Martial artist identification tokens and Demon Suppression Bureau ranks determine how characters are treated. The same officials who act aggressively toward ordinary residents become deferential once they recognize Lu Sandao’s and Su Xinghe’s strength.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: The Bureau seems empty and inactive, yet several formidable experts are hidden within it. Su Xinghe’s unassuming appearance also contrasts with his Grade-B status and growing spiritual power.
• Restraint versus aggression: Lu Sandao uses intimidation to stop the officers, while Su Xinghe deliberately suppresses his instinctive defenses when confronted by the Bureau’s spiritual probes. Both situations show characters balancing pride with practical judgment.
• Growing self-confidence: Su Xinghe’s realization that he can withstand or counter the Grandmasters’ spiritual pressure marks an important step in his development. He begins to feel that he can truly control his own fate.
• Institutional hierarchy: The chapter introduces the Bureau’s ranking system, including Grade-B tokens, Grade-C Demon Extermination Guards, and Grade-D guards, establishing the importance of formal status within the organization.

Character Interactions

• Lu Sandao and the constable: Their confrontation shifts from hostility to forced politeness when Lu Sandao reveals his cultivation.
• Zhou Hao and the constable: The constable attempts to recruit Zhou Hao into the exchange gathering, but Zhou Hao curtly rejects him because of the officers’ earlier arrogance.
• Lu Sandao and Su Xinghe: Lu Sandao agrees to manage the residence while Su Xinghe handles official business, reflecting their cooperative relationship.
• Su Xinghe and the Bureau guards: The guards initially challenge him but quickly become respectful after seeing his Grade-B token.
• Su Xinghe and the three hidden experts: His mental probing unintentionally attracts their attention. Their spiritual confrontation tests his composure, while Gong Hao steps in to defend him.
• Gong Hao and Su Xinghe: Gong Hao publicly vouches for Su Xinghe and summons him upstairs, establishing their professional connection and introducing Su Xinghe to the Bureau’s senior figures.

Plot and events

• Su Xinghe visits the room where Commander Gong Hao is working. Gong explains the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Bureau’s rank structure and tells Su to use the title “Commander.” Su is a Grade-B Demon Extermination Guard—an uncommon position for someone of his age and rank—and is invited to choose a codename.
• They discuss Su’s dangerous journey and the conflict he helped set in motion: Lu Xuanji’s clash with the Li Family has diverted attention from Su and given him breathing room. Gong understands that Su had few options and approves of his resourcefulness.
• Gong introduces the Bureau’s duties, resources, and advancement system. He advises Su to strengthen his defenses with Iron Body Art, learn True Force Iron Armor, and practice the Force-Amplification Secret Technique. Su is ranked thirteenth, earns two contribution points monthly, and receives two additional points from Gong for the previous month.
• Gong explains two routes to advancement: undertake dangerous demon-slaying missions for resources, or focus on cultivation and improve one’s ranking. Su chooses to concentrate on settling in and tempering his current realm before taking on missions.
• Gong brings Su to meet other senior Commanders. Jia Five, Commander Wu Ganming, initially makes a sarcastic remark about Su’s modest rank, then gives him a pill suited to his needs. Gong introduces Jia Four, Commander Shangguan, who oversees missions and communications and controls contribution points. Su greets her respectfully.

Character development and interactions

• Su Xinghe is cautious and pragmatic. He listens to Gong’s advice, prioritizes strengthening himself, and understands the value of the Bureau’s resources. His inward excitement at receiving contribution points and a pill reveals his eagerness to advance.
• Gong Hao acts as a mentor and advocate. He explains Bureau procedures, supports Su’s choice to cultivate before taking risks, and helps him begin building relationships at headquarters.
• Wu Ganming is blunt and somewhat teasing, but his gift shows goodwill beneath his dismissive manner.
• Shangguan is introduced as a composed, formidable senior official; Su approaches her with deference.

Significant themes

• Survival through strategy: Su’s actions have bought time amid powerful family conflicts.
• Cultivation and competition: Advancement depends on training, rankings, missions, and access to scarce resources.
• Mentorship and institutional support: Gong helps Su navigate a new organization, while senior colleagues can offer both criticism and practical aid.
• Caution versus ambition: Su chooses preparation over immediate danger, while keeping open the possibility of future missions.

Su Xinghe exchanged his points for twenty-two Force-Tempering Pills at Qingzhou's Demon Suppression Bureau, where steward Kong Yuan tried to recruit him before Gong Hao intervened. As Su Xinghe left, three white-robed Grade-B Demon Extermination Guards blocked the entrance and challenged him over his Yi Thirteen Token.

• Su Xinghe exchanged all his points for twenty-two Sixth-Rank Force-Tempering Pills and accidentally repelled Kong Yuan's probing mental power.
• Kong Yuan introduced himself and invited Su Xinghe, using the alias Green Mountain, to join the logistics division.
• Gong Hao's mental fluctuation warned Kong Yuan not to poach Su Xinghe, and Kong Yuan withdrew.
• Su Xinghe considered his combat limits and decided not to join Kong Yuan before leaving the hall.
• Three white-robed Grade-B Demon Extermination Guards blocked the entrance, eyed Su Xinghe's jade gourd, and called him a country bumpkin who had lucked into the Yi Thirteen Token.

Su Xinghe clashed with Zhao Yichen, who demanded a ranking battle over Su Xinghe receiving the Yi Thirteen Token, but the commander scheduled the battles for the first of next month. Su Xinghe planned to strengthen his Head-Cleaving Technique before then, but at the Martial Dao Bureau he spotted a mission about the Lu Family massacre.

• Zhao Yichen challenged Su Xinghe and matched his amplified strike, then demanded a ranking battle.
• The commander said the ranking battles would take place on the first of next month and ordered Zhao Yichen to pay for the broken tiles.
• Su Xinghe considered how to prepare for the battle and saw that twelve days remained to improve his Head-Cleaving Technique.
• Su Xinghe went to the Martial Dao Bureau to buy pills and noticed a twenty-thousand-point mission investigating the Lin County Lu Family massacre.

Su Xinghe tried to buy Bone-Forging Pills at the Martial Dao Bureau, but his rank and lack of points limited him to ten. After leaving, he searched the western city for underground traders and was approached by someone offering pills.

• Su Xinghe saw that the Martial Dao Bureau sold pills cheaply but learned that Force-Forging Pills required access to the second floor and a higher-ranked identification plaque.
• Su Xinghe decided not to reveal his true cultivation and asked to buy fifty bottles of Bone-Forging Pills.
• The clerk limited Su Xinghe to ten pills because he had no Bureau points and had used his monthly Demon Extermination Guard quota.
• Su Xinghe left the hall and searched the streets for another source of pills, ignoring recruitment pitches and driving off ill-intentioned followers with his Sixth Rank aura.
• Near the western city gate, an unseen person quietly asked Su Xinghe whether he wanted to buy pills.

Su Xinghe bought Bone-Forging Pills from a girl who appeared to be connected to people watching for him, then discovered that a Red Lotus Branch grandmaster visited her alley. He returned home and used his pills to strengthen his body and practice the Head-Cleaving Technique.

• Su Xinghe met a young aspiring martial warrior selling Bone-Forging Pills and ordered ten bottles.
• Su Xinghe overheard the girl and an elderly woman identify him as the country bumpkin the higher-ups were seeking, but he bought one bottle and paid for it.
• Su Xinghe noticed he was being followed, shook off his pursuer, and returned to observe the alley from a nearby teahouse.
• Su Xinghe sensed a grandmaster visit the alley and recognized him as the Red Lotus Branch elder who had fought Zhan Yun at White Deer Cliff.
• Su Xinghe went home, consumed twenty-eight Force-Forging Pills, and practiced the Head-Cleaving Technique after using Bone-Forging Pills.

Su Xinghe improved his light-concealment secret art, then visited Kong Yuan to ask about cultivation resources and the Ghost Market. He learned that Kong had only two bottles of Bone-Forging Pills and that the Ghost Market lay far east of Qingzhou, by a river.

• Su Xinghe practiced First Insight into Light and Darkness until it reached hall-entering mastery, making him nearly invisible in darkness.
• Su Xinghe ate Demon Beast meat and cultivated through the night before deciding to delay his plans in the western city and focus on reaching Grandmaster.
• Su Xinghe visited Kong Yuan at the Demon Suppression Bureau and asked about pill supplies and the city's black market.
• Kong Yuan explained that the Bureau relied on the Martial Dao Bureau for pills and warned Su Xinghe against using Bone-Forging Pills for regular cultivation.
• Kong Yuan told Su Xinghe that the Ghost Market was beside a river more than eighty li east of the city.

Su Xinghe bought Bone-Forging Pills at the Ghost Market, killed four men who followed him, and mastered True Force Iron Armor while continuing to train the Head-Cleaving Technique. He then returned to the west-side alley to bait the people behind the pill sellers, setting up another meeting for that night.

• Su Xinghe assessed the Ghost Market, found a Beheading Gang insignia on a pill seller's boat, and bought thirty bottles of ninth-rank Bone-Forging Pills for six thousand taels.
• After leaving the Ghost Market, Su Xinghe killed four men who were following him and took their pills and Treasure Notes.
• Su Xinghe mastered True Force Iron Armor, tested its defensive strength, and trained the Head-Cleaving Technique through the night.
• Young Martial Warriors visited Su Xinghe's house to seek information about the year-end disciple recruitment gathering, and Su Xinghe learned that factions were already recruiting candidates.
• After exhausting his Bone-Forging Pills, Su Xinghe returned to the west-side alley and paid the girl for ten pills while ordering her to prepare fifty more that night.

Su Xinghe traced the Peaceful Heaven Sect’s influence to Chu Shibai, but Gong Hao warned him that the Red Lotus Branch had been dissolved and told him to focus on cultivation. After strengthening his Head-Cleaving Technique, Su Xinghe followed a girl who claimed to have brought Bone-Forging Pills outside the city, killed the martial warrior tailing him, and began interrogating her.

• Su Xinghe followed a Sixth-Rank martial warrior to the military camp and learned that Chu Shibai, a Grandmaster there, might be tied to the Peaceful Heaven Sect.
• Su Xinghe reported his suspicion to Gong Hao, who revealed that Princess Red Lotus had returned to the imperial capital and the sect’s Red Lotus Branch no longer existed.
• Angry that those responsible for past suffering had escaped justice, Su Xinghe trained his Head-Cleaving Technique until it advanced.
• A girl led Su Xinghe out of the city, claiming she had obtained Bone-Forging Pills, while a Sixth-Rank martial warrior followed them.
• Su Xinghe concealed himself, knocked out the girl, and killed the pursuing martial warrior with his Water Conception and saber.
• Su Xinghe wounded the girl to wake her and demanded that she tell him where she had planned to take him.

Su Xinghe ambushed Chu Shibai and revealed that his Water Conception could suppress the grandmaster’s Core Qi Domain. After Chu Shibai recognized him and tried to flee, Su Xinghe pressed the attack, but their battle continued as Chu Shibai fought back with overwhelming physical strength.

• Su Xinghe hid near the road and struck Chu Shibai from ambush, mangling one of his shoulders.
• Chu Shibai recognized Su Xinghe and attacked him with a concentrated palm strike.
• Su Xinghe unleashed Water Conception, suppressing Chu Shibai’s Core Qi Domain and restoring his own strength.
• Chu Shibai identified Su Xinghe’s power as a Law Domain and attempted to retreat.
• Su Xinghe attacked with Head-Cleaving Technique, but Chu Shibai blocked the saber and countered with a powerful punch.
• Su Xinghe intensified Water Conception and concealed himself with First Insight into Light and Darkness as the two clashed repeatedly.

Su Xinghe killed Chu Shibai, a Grandmaster and Qingzhou mobile warfare general, then concealed the evidence and learned that Chu had carried a token from an organization called Mending Heaven. As officials investigated and a mysterious streak of light headed south, Su Xinghe continued cultivating and strengthened his swordsmanship.

• Su Xinghe used the cover of darkness and the Water Conception to overwhelm Chu Shibai, whose threat to summon the imperial court triggered a stronger strike that killed him.
• Su Xinghe searched Chu Shibai's body, found pills and a Mending Heaven card listing its holder as a seventh-tier apprentice, and buried the four bodies.
• Officials reported Chu Shibai's disappearance and investigated, but Su Xinghe's concealed identity and lack of witnesses left them without leads, and the case went to the Military Department.
• Five days later, a streak of light shot south from a tower outside the imperial city while Zhou Hao and Lu Sandao stayed busy in the courtyard.
• Su Xinghe bought a few scarce pills, perfected Dripping Water Swordsmanship, and raised its Mountain-Piercing and Rainstorm techniques to a modest level of accomplishment.

After completing ten days of secluded cultivation, Su Xinghe attended the Demon Suppression Bureau’s ranking battles and met fellow Grade-B guards. Commander Shangguan Jing began the contests, and the chapter ended as two Grade-D guards started their match.

• Su Xinghe reviewed his improved combat abilities, then shared a feast with Lu Sandao and another man after ending his seclusion.
• Su Xinghe arrived at the Demon Suppression Bureau’s main hall, where Kong Yuan introduced him to Yu Zhuo and Fang Yuan as a Psychic Master.
• Su Xinghe told Yu Zhuo and Fang Yuan that he had obtained his Mental Secret Art by chance from the Heavenly One Sword Sect.
• Commander Shangguan Jing gathered the guards at the drill ground and asked whether any Grade-D guards wanted to initiate a ranking battle.
• Ding Eleven challenged the tenth-ranked Grade-D guard, Ding Ten, and the two began fighting inside Shangguan Jing’s Core Qi Domain.

Su Xinghe watched the Demon Suppression Bureau’s ranking battles before accepting Zhao Yichen’s challenge. He overwhelmed Zhao Yichen with his strength and Astral Qi, leaving the contest decided by a single saber strike.

• Ding Eleven defeated his opponent and exchanged rankings, while the other Grade-D challengers failed to win their matches.
• Grade-C challenges followed, and the Seventh-Rank fighters displayed powerful amplification techniques as Shangguan Jing intervened to prevent serious injuries.
• Su Xinghe agreed to Zhao Yichen’s challenge for Yi Thirteen’s ranking, despite warnings from Shangguan Jing and Kong Yuan.
• Zhao Yichen charged with True Force Iron Armor, but Su Xinghe stopped his attack with a single blow and shattered his armor with another.
• Su Xinghe used golden Astral Qi to cleave through Zhao Yichen’s restored armor toward his throat, leaving Zhao Yichen defeated.

Su Xinghe defeated Zhao Yichen, then faced Wu Cangqing, a young Demon Suppression Bureau guard who had awakened martial dao will. Wu Cangqing overwhelmed Su Xinghe with his opening spear strike, and the chapter ended as Su Xinghe activated his defenses against another attack.

• Shangguan Jing stopped Su Xinghe and Zhao Yichen's fight, declared Su Xinghe the winner, and removed Zhao Yichen from the domain.
• Wu Cangqing challenged Su Xinghe, and Shangguan Jing granted the challenge while Gong Hao and Wu Ganming bet on its outcome.
• An unseen illusory figure inspected Su Xinghe and considered seizing him, but chose to wait.
• Wu Cangqing introduced himself as a member of the Qingzhou Wu Clan and boasted of his awakened martial dao will.
• Wu Cangqing struck Su Xinghe hard enough to send him flying into the domain barrier, then launched another attack as Su Xinghe activated True Force Iron Armor and raised his saber.