Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: A-Ning’s Whereabouts, Azure Dragon Secret Transmission

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Meng reports that Granny Li, Li Susu, and a young matron left the city with the Li Family Caravan through the north gate. Chen Mu recognizes the girl in yellow as Li Susu and concludes that A-Ning is with them and temporarily safe.
• Chen Mu suspects Granny Li forced or manipulated A-Ning into leaving, since A-Ning would not abandon him without explanation. He decides to follow the Li Family Caravan and rescue or intercept her.
• Before leaving, Chen Mu remembers Liu Qingluo’s message and discovers the Azure Dragon Body Tempering Method, apparently left for him by her father.
• The manual is a Yellow Grade High-Tier martial art containing 108 combat stances, including fist, palm, finger, and joint techniques, along with breathing methods, nourishing formulas, medicinal baths, and methods for cultivating martial intent.
• Chen Mu realizes the technique can transform the entire body into a weapon and potentially produce the terrifying “dragon roar” effect associated with Liu Qingcang’s fighting style. However, it requires fierce beast blood essence and valuable medicines, so he postpones cultivation.
• He plans to search for A-Ning first and possibly visit the Yin Mountain Ghost Market afterward to obtain cultivation resources.
• Chen Mu and Liu Meng go to the Li Residence in the eastern part of the city to ask about the caravan’s destination. Liu Meng explains that the Li family is influential because its eldest daughter is Commander Zhao’s favored secondary wife.
• As Chen Mu approaches the residence, its gates suddenly open. A red-clad young woman rides out on a white horse and lashes her whip toward Chen Mu’s face after insulting him as a “stinking slave.”

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes increasingly protective and emotionally invested in A-Ning, treating her as his most important personal connection. Despite his urgency, he remains rational enough to track the caravan rather than act blindly. He also gains a powerful new martial inheritance and begins planning how to obtain the resources needed to practice it.
• A-Ning: Her absence is revealed to be involuntary or coerced, emphasizing her vulnerability and the danger surrounding her.
• Liu Meng: Continues serving as Chen Mu’s informant and guide, providing intelligence about the Li family and local power structure. He is cautious about confronting the Li Residence directly.
• Liu Qingluo and her father: Liu Qingluo’s final message leads Chen Mu to discover the Azure Dragon manual, suggesting that her father—or the martial academy—has entrusted Chen Mu with an important legacy.
• Granny Li: Emerges as the likely person responsible for taking A-Ning away, though her precise motives remain unknown.
• The red-clad young woman: Is introduced as arrogant and domineering, immediately treating Chen Mu with contempt and provoking a confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and emotional bonds: Chen Mu’s determination to find A-Ning shows how deeply their shared experiences have connected them.
• Power and social hierarchy: The Li family’s influence derives from marriage into military authority, while the red-clad woman’s insult reflects the rigid class distinctions of the setting.
• Inheritance and martial legacy: The Azure Dragon technique represents the transfer of knowledge and power between generations, linking Chen Mu to Liu Qingluo’s family.
• Preparation versus urgency: Chen Mu is tempted to cultivate the powerful technique immediately but recognizes the risks and prioritizes rescuing A-Ning.
• Hidden danger and political influence: The chapter suggests that A-Ning’s disappearance is tied to powerful families and caravan networks rather than being a simple personal matter.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu forcefully interrogates Liu Meng, then releases him and relies on his information.
• Chen Mu internally reflects on his bond with A-Ning and determines that she must have been coerced.
• Liu Qingluo’s earlier words lead Chen Mu to uncover the secret manual and deepen his connection to her family.
• Liu Meng explains the Li family’s relationship with Commander Zhao and warns Chen Mu not to confront them recklessly.
• The chapter ends with the red-clad young woman attacking Chen Mu with a whip, setting up an immediate conflict at the Li Residence.

Chapter Summary: “Teaching the Vicious Woman a Lesson, Uncovering a Secret”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu visits the Li Residence to ask about the Li Family Caravan, which left the city heading north that morning.
• Before he can speak with a steward, Li Bingyan, the arrogant second daughter of the Li family, rides out and lashes at him with her whip.
• Chen Mu uses his Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art to frighten her horse, then catches her whip when she attacks again and pulls her from the saddle, leaving her covered in mud.
• Li Bingyan orders the household guards to seize and kill Chen Mu, but they hesitate after Liu Meng reveals that Chen Mu is the ninth personal disciple of Liu Qingcang, head of the Azure Dragon Martial Academy.
• Hou San, the Li Residence’s second steward, arrives and stops the confrontation, warning Li Bingyan that the Li family is currently conducting business with the martial academy and Commander Zhao.
• After Li Bingyan reluctantly leaves, Chen Mu questions Hou San about the caravan. Hou San initially evades the question, but Chen Mu’s intimidating display of true qi forces him to speak privately.
• Hou San reveals that the Li family caravan transports goods for Commander Zhao Dong, suggesting the cargo may involve illegal or politically dangerous commodities such as salt, iron, money, or grain. Chen Mu ignores the explanation and insists on learning the caravan’s destination.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes less passive and overly cautious after Liu Qingcang’s guidance. He remains focused on his objective but responds decisively when provoked, demonstrating both martial power and self-control by stopping short of escalating the conflict.
• Liu Meng: Shows strong loyalty and protectiveness toward Chen Mu. He boldly confronts the Li household and uses Chen Mu’s status to deter the guards, while also helping pressure Hou San.
• Li Bingyan: Is portrayed as spoiled, vicious, and impulsive. Her arrogance turns into humiliation after Chen Mu throws her from her horse, but she remains hostile and threatens future retaliation.
• Hou San: Initially acts deferential and evasive. His nervous reaction to Chen Mu’s identity and questions reveals that he knows more than he wishes to admit and may be concealing the Li family’s connection to Zhao Dong’s operations.
• Zhao Dong: Does not appear directly, but his influence is evident. The Li family relies on him, and their caravan activities appear connected to sensitive or illicit trade.

Significant Themes

• Power and reputation: Chen Mu’s status as Liu Qingcang’s disciple immediately intimidates the Li household and prevents the guards from attacking.
• Justice versus arrogance: Li Bingyan abuses her position to threaten Chen Mu, but her authority collapses when confronted by someone stronger and less willing to tolerate her behavior.
• Hidden corruption and political intrigue: The Li family’s caravan is transporting goods for Commander Zhao Dong, hinting at illegal dealings and a broader conflict involving influential figures.
• Growing confidence: Chen Mu’s willingness to confront Li Bingyan and pressure Hou San reflects his increasing confidence in his abilities.
• Appearance versus reality: Hou San’s sudden shift from suspicion to exaggerated politeness exposes his hidden fear and suggests that the Li Residence is concealing important information.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Liu Meng act as senior-and-junior partners, with Liu Meng defending Chen Mu while Chen Mu controls the situation.
• Chen Mu and Li Bingyan clash directly, with her verbal abuse and physical attacks answered by his restrained but humiliating counterattack.
• Hou San attempts to placate Chen Mu with hospitality, but Chen Mu sees through his false courtesy and forces him to reveal the Li family’s connection to Zhao Dong.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu demanding the caravan’s exact destination, leaving the secret only partially uncovered and suggesting further conflict ahead.

Chapter Summary: Luo Family Fort, Rescue A-Ning

Key Plot Points and Events

• Under Chen Mu’s pressure, Hou San gives him the Li Family caravan’s route map, hoping to send him away. The first destination is Luo Family Fort.
• Hou San privately plots against Chen Mu, confident that the fort will kill him if he investigates.
• Chen Mu realizes Luo Family Fort is connected to Luo Dalong, a Red Whale Gang hall master who manages water transport. This links the fort to the earlier crossbow ambush and suggests A-Ning’s disappearance may be part of a larger scheme.
• Liu Meng explains that northern fortified strongholds are heavily defended, semi-lawless settlements that farm, raid travelers, stockpile weapons, and sometimes produce bandits.
• Chen Mu seeks help from Qin Tieya instead of attacking alone. Qin reveals that Luo Family Fort has recently made suspicious moves and may be connected to raids and massacres in nearby villages.
• The military is investigating whether Northern Barbarian scouts are hiding inside the fort. This raises the possibility that A-Ning’s danger involves enemy collaboration, not merely bandit kidnapping.
• Qin Tieya advises waiting until the following day, when he will lead a disguised group to investigate. Acting immediately might alert the enemy.
• Chen Mu accepts the plan and briefly asks about Seventh Senior Brother Liu Qi’s funeral. Qin explains that their master will bury him after personally seeing him off.
• Frustrated by his inability to rescue A-Ning immediately, Chen Mu resolves to strengthen himself. He returns to his room to cultivate, possessing 128 Karmic Slaughter points and enough qi and blood for a breakthrough.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes more strategic, recognizing that charging into Luo Family Fort would be suicidal. His concern for A-Ning intensifies his determination to gain strength, while his respect for the martial arts hall leads him to use its connections.
• Liu Meng: Provides crucial knowledge about Luo Family Fort and the dangers of northern strongholds, acting as Chen Mu’s practical guide and companion.
• Hou San: Reveals the caravan route under pressure but remains hostile and schemes to have Chen Mu killed.
• Qin Tieya: Demonstrates responsibility and sound judgment by restraining Chen Mu’s impulsiveness. He also commits to personally leading the investigation.
• A-Ning: Though absent, her fate drives the chapter. Her presence at Luo Family Fort suggests a deliberate connection between her abduction and the fort’s wider criminal or military activities.
• Liu Qi: His death and upcoming funeral add a somber element and remind the characters of the dangers surrounding them.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus helplessness: Chen Mu’s inability to rescue A-Ning immediately exposes his weakness and fuels his desire for greater power.
• Strategy over recklessness: The chapter emphasizes that careful investigation and preparation are necessary when facing fortified enemies and possible enemy agents.
• Hidden conspiracies: The route to Luo Family Fort connects the Li caravan, Luo Dalong, the Red Whale Gang, local raids, and possibly the Northern Barbarians.
• Lawlessness and corruption: Northern strongholds operate outside effective government control, blurring the line between local power, banditry, smuggling, and military collaboration.
• Loyalty and duty: Chen Mu seeks help from his fellow disciples and offers to assist with Liu Qi’s funeral, while Qin Tieya balances personal loyalty with the hall’s responsibilities.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu intimidates Hou San into handing over the route map, while Hou San conceals his resentment.
• Chen Mu and Liu Meng identify Luo Family Fort’s connection to Luo Dalong and discuss the danger of infiltrating it.
• Chen Mu consults Qin Tieya, who confirms the fort’s suspicious activities and proposes a cautious investigation.
• Qin Tieya discourages Chen Mu from acting rashly and promises to take him with a disguised team the next day.
• Chen Mu shows concern for Liu Qi’s funeral, but Qin Tieya tells him to focus on his own preparations.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu alone, turning his frustration into renewed commitment to cultivation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu studies his cultivation panel and realizes that his Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art is a separate, orthodox internal cultivation method with nine total layers. His current Karmic Slaughter points are insufficient to advance it.
• He sets aside the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique, since it conflicts with his blade-focused combat style, intending to sell or trade it.
• Chen Mu recognizes that his Mighty Bull Fist has become inadequate against opponents protected by true qi. He decides to eventually cultivate the Azure Dragon Body Tempering Method, though it requires demonic beast essence blood that he currently lacks.
• He studies the Iron Cloth Shirt and Ghost-Shadow Step, choosing to prioritize these techniques.
• By spending fifty Karmic Slaughter points, Chen Mu advances Iron Cloth Shirt from beginner level to Proficient. The process painfully tempers his skin, muscles, and bones, giving his body extraordinary durability.
• To test the result, Chen Mu strikes his own arm with his blade. The blow produces sparks and leaves only a faint mark, demonstrating that his body has become nearly as hard as iron or stone.
• He spends his remaining Karmic Slaughter points on Ghost-Shadow Step, advancing it to Proficient. He immediately begins practicing the movement technique in the courtyard, entering a deeply focused state.
• Meanwhile, at the Red Whale Gang’s Hall of Brotherhood, gang leader Wei Chen confronts the surviving hall masters. The gang has suffered devastating losses: numerous fighters and hall masters have died, while others are infected with Corpse Venom.
• Furious and humiliated, Wei Chen demands an explanation for how Chen Mu, supposedly only a Body Tempering martial artist, managed to kill three hall masters. He singles out Luo Dalong, accusing him of cowardice and incompetence for retreating without confronting Chen Mu.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu becomes increasingly confident in his physical defenses and combat potential. Iron Cloth Shirt greatly strengthens his body, while Ghost-Shadow Step expands his tactical options and mobility.
• He shows a pragmatic approach to cultivation, discarding or trading techniques that do not complement his current fighting style and planning ahead for the resources needed to cultivate the Azure Dragon Body Tempering Method.
• Wei Chen is revealed as an experienced, powerful, and embittered gang leader whose past injuries forced him to conceal his true strength. The destruction of his gang severely damages his pride and drives him into open rage.
• Luo Dalong is portrayed as frightened and disgraced after failing to confront Chen Mu, leaving him vulnerable to Wei Chen’s anger.

Significant Themes

• Strength through accumulated cultivation: Chen Mu bypasses decades of conventional bodily training through Karmic Slaughter point allocation, highlighting the extraordinary advantage of his system.
• Preparation and specialization: Chen Mu carefully chooses techniques that complement his blade art, movement, and physical defense rather than collecting skills indiscriminately.
• Physical endurance versus internal power: The chapter contrasts external body tempering with internal cultivation and shows Chen Mu trying to overcome the limitations of relying on either alone.
• Pride, humiliation, and vengeance: Wei Chen’s fury reflects the Red Whale Gang’s collapse and the challenge Chen Mu poses to established martial authority.
• Escalating conflict: Chen Mu’s preparation to confront Luo Dalong, combined with Wei Chen’s demand for answers, sets up an impending confrontation between Chen Mu and the Red Whale Gang.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu interacts primarily with his cultivation system, using it to advance Iron Cloth Shirt and Ghost-Shadow Step.
• His self-testing with the blade demonstrates his growing confidence and willingness to challenge his own limits.
• Wei Chen verbally attacks the remaining gang members and directly berates Luo Dalong for failing to fight Chen Mu.
• The confrontation reveals the growing fear surrounding Chen Mu and establishes Wei Chen’s determination to hold someone accountable for the gang’s losses.

Chapter Summary: Rakshasa’s Plot, Ghost-Shadow Step Mastered

Key Plot Points and Events

• Luo Dalong reports to Red Whale Gang Leader Wei Chen that Chen Mu, despite appearing to be only at the Body Tempering realm, can use Exhaling Qi into a Sword. He claims Chen Mu killed Zhao Liqiu from a distance by sending yin-baleful qi through two walls.
• The gang members realize this ability likely comes from a powerful Profound Grade internal art, suggesting Chen Mu has encountered a major opportunity or inherited a secret technique.
• Enraged and intrigued, Wei Chen decides to personally capture Chen Mu, torture him for the secret, and kill him.
• Before Wei Chen can act, a mysterious intruder appears in the Red Whale Gang’s headquarters. The visitor, known as Rakshasa, mocks Wei Chen for targeting a junior and escapes after enduring Wei Chen’s powerful palm strike.
• Rakshasa reveals that he is connected to the Rakshasa Gate, a ghost-cultivating organization associated with foreign tribes beyond the border. He invites Wei Chen to cooperate against Liu Qingcang and announces that the Ghost Market will open in three days at Yin Mountain Ferry.
• Wei Chen refuses to immediately commit to the alliance but orders everyone to keep the matter secret. He instead commands Luo Dalong to track Chen Mu and report whenever he leaves Liu Qingcang’s protection.
• Meanwhile, Chen Mu remains unaware of these developments. After an afternoon of training, he fully masters the Ghost-Shadow Step.
• Chen Mu demonstrates the technique by moving across the courtyard, skimming over duckweed, and changing direction in midair without touching the water.
• His cultivation also advances slightly, though he remains far from reaching the third layer of the Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art.
• Liu Qingluo then arrives with urgent news: a man named Wang Hu is waiting outside and wants Chen Mu to accompany him to Rubble Ward.

Character Developments

• Wei Chen: His anger over Zhao Liqiu’s death turns into interest in Chen Mu’s hidden power. He abandons his earlier reliance on subordinates and decides to personally confront Chen Mu, showing both confidence and greed for the secret art.
• Luo Dalong: Though terrified, he protects himself by revealing Chen Mu’s extraordinary abilities. He becomes Wei Chen’s informant and eagerly accepts the task of tracking Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu: Continues steadily strengthening himself. He masters Ghost-Shadow Step, improves his internal cultivation, and gains greater mobility and combat potential while remaining unaware that powerful enemies are hunting him.
• Rakshasa: Is introduced as a mysterious, bold ghost cultivator capable of infiltrating the Red Whale Gang’s headquarters undetected. He appears to be pursuing a larger scheme involving Wei Chen, Liu Qingcang, and the Ghost Market.
• Liu Qingluo: Acts as the messenger who interrupts Chen Mu’s cultivation and brings news of a potentially urgent development involving Wang Hu.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and underestimated strength: Chen Mu’s ordinary identity conceals abilities far beyond what his apparent cultivation level suggests.
• Greed and danger surrounding secret inheritances: The possibility that Chen Mu possesses a Profound Grade internal art immediately attracts the Red Whale Gang’s covetous attention.
• Political and moral boundaries: Wei Chen and the gang are criminals, yet even they hesitate over cooperating with the Rakshasa Gate because of its ties to foreign powers.
• Preparation versus external conflict: Chen Mu focuses on quiet cultivation while enemies scheme around him, creating dramatic irony and foreshadowing an imminent confrontation.
• The widening scale of the plot: The conflict expands from a local gang’s revenge to involve ghost cultivators, foreign tribes, the Ghost Market, and possible alliances against Liu Qingcang.

Character Interactions

• Luo Dalong pleads with Wei Chen and persuades him that Chen Mu’s abilities are abnormal.
• Wei Chen intimidates Luo Dalong and the other hall masters, then orders Luo to investigate Chen Mu.
• Rakshasa openly challenges and taunts Wei Chen, survives his palm attack, and proposes that they cooperate against Liu Qingcang.
• Wei Chen suppresses the gang’s discussion of Rakshasa’s proposal, revealing his caution despite his ruthless nature.
• Liu Qingluo interrupts Chen Mu’s training to deliver Wang Hu’s urgent request, setting up the next development.

Chapter Summary: “Wang Hu’s Grief, Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Qingluo informs Chen Mu that Tiger Boy, Wang Hu, urgently wants to see him. Chen Mu rushes to the martial arts hall’s side gate and finds Wang Hu grieving.
• Wang Hu reveals that his mother, Auntie Wang, was killed that day by a young woman riding a white horse. The woman wore red and reportedly insulted Auntie Wang’s body after running her down.
• Chen Mu realizes the description almost certainly matches Li Bingyan, the arrogant second daughter of the Li family. He keeps his suspicion secret, knowing Wang Hu would be unable to confront the powerful Li family and would likely be killed.
• Chen Mu promises to investigate and avenge Auntie Wang. He also warns Wang Hu not to pursue the matter himself, since Chen Mu will soon leave the city to search for the missing A-Ning.
• Wang Hu asks indirectly for financial help to bury his mother. Chen Mu gives him one hundred taels, Blood-Qi Pills, and the Coiling Dragon Staff manual, including a basic breathing method.
• Chen Mu encourages Wang Hu to learn to read and practice martial arts, promising to find him a place in the martial arts hall so he can secure a better livelihood.
• After Wang Hu leaves to arrange his mother’s funeral, Chen Mu decides to eliminate Li Bingyan before departing the city, both to avenge Auntie Wang and to prevent future danger.
• At midnight, Chen Mu receives his settlement reward for the day’s previous battle: silver, Bone-Strengthening Pills, and the Yellow Grade Low-Tier secret art Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding Art. The settlement criticizes him for failing to eliminate all threats after his earlier victory.

Character Development

• Chen Mu: His protective and loyal nature becomes clear. He feels personally responsible for Wang Hu’s suffering and responds with both practical aid and a determination to deliver justice. His growing power has also made him more willing to kill dangerous enemies preemptively, though he remains cautious about concealing his suspicions and avoiding unnecessary conflict.
• Wang Hu: Despite his grief and rage, Wang Hu trusts Chen Mu completely. His willingness to obey Chen Mu’s instructions shows their deep bond. He begins receiving the means to improve his life through literacy, martial training, and financial support.
• Li Bingyan: Though she does not appear directly, she is characterized through Wang Hu’s account as reckless, cruel, class-conscious, and protected by her family’s power.
• Auntie Wang: Her death emphasizes her kindness and importance to Chen Mu and Wang Hu. She is portrayed as an innocent victim of a society where the poor have little protection or legal recourse.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and reciprocal protection: Chen Mu remembers Wang Hu’s past help and repays it by supporting him in his time of greatest need.
• Social inequality and injustice: Auntie Wang’s death is likely to go unpunished because she was poor, while Li Bingyan’s status shields her from consequences.
• Power and survival: Chen Mu reflects that martial strength is the only thing protecting people like him from being treated as worthless.
• Grief transformed into action: Wang Hu’s sorrow becomes a desire for revenge, while Chen Mu channels his own anger into a more calculated plan.
• Benevolence alongside ruthlessness: Chen Mu generously supports Wang Hu but simultaneously prepares to assassinate the suspected killer, showing the increasingly hardened morality required by his world.
• Foreshadowing and growth: The new Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding Art may help Chen Mu locate A-Ning or track future enemies, while the settlement’s warning suggests that incomplete victories may create greater threats.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Liu Qingluo: Liu Qingluo delivers Wang Hu’s message but becomes annoyed when Chen Mu hurriedly leaves without responding properly.
• Chen Mu and Wang Hu: Their reunion is emotional. Wang Hu confesses his mother’s death and seeks justice, while Chen Mu offers sympathy, financial assistance, martial resources, and guidance.
• Chen Mu and Auntie Wang’s memory: Chen Mu’s reflections reveal that her kindness made her almost family to him, strengthening his resolve to avenge her.
• Chen Mu and Li Bingyan: They do not meet in the chapter, but Chen Mu mentally identifies her as the likely murderer and prepares to confront her indirectly.
• Chen Mu and the wider social order: His thoughts contrast the protection enjoyed by powerful families with the vulnerability of ordinary people, motivating his decision to rely on his own strength rather than official justice.

Chapter Summary: Night Visit to the Red Chamber, Heretical Cultivators Harvesting Life

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu receives the Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding Art, a mystical technique that allows him to perceive the “Fortune Aura” surrounding people and objects.
• The technique requires a preparation made from ox tears and century-old yin locust-tree sap, temporarily granting him a “Heavenly Eye” capable of revealing vitality, ghostly energy, treasures, and hidden dangers.
• Planning to avenge Aunt Wang, Chen Mu infiltrates the Li Residence to kill Li Bingyan. He silently defeats two guards, interrogates them, and learns that she is spending the night at Red Luan Pavilion, the city’s largest pleasure house.
• Chen Mu takes Li Bingyan’s hairpin as a sympathetic medium and uses the Qi-Seeking Art at the City God Temple to locate her.
• At the Red Chamber, he sees Li Bingyan’s Fortune Aura being rapidly drained by a powerful crimson aura. He realizes that someone is using a heretical cultivation method to harvest her life force.
• Suspecting the involvement of cultivators such as the Rakshasa Gate, Chen Mu moves toward the Red Chamber to investigate. Despite discovering a larger conspiracy, he remains determined to kill Li Bingyan for her past crimes.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu demonstrates growing confidence and resourcefulness. He combines martial techniques, stealth, interrogation, and mystical arts rather than relying solely on physical strength.
• His curiosity and excitement over the Qi-Seeking Art reveal his practical, opportunistic nature: he immediately considers using it to find A-Ning, locate treasures, detect ambushes, and track enemies.
• Chen Mu’s original revenge mission becomes more complicated when he discovers that Li Bingyan may be the victim of a sinister cultivation ritual. Although he still considers her deserving of death, he is drawn into investigating the hidden threat.
• Li Bingyan is revealed to be absent from her home and secretly staying at the Red Chamber. Her apparent strength contrasts sharply with the weak, collapsing Fortune Aura Chen Mu observes, suggesting she is being severely weakened or spiritually consumed.

Significant Themes

• Mystical knowledge in a declining spiritual world: The chapter contrasts ancient secret arts with the world’s depleted spiritual energy, where martial artists generally surpass mystic practitioners.
• Life force and fortune: Fortune Aura is presented as a visible form of vitality, linking spiritual radiance directly to a person’s health, fate, and survival.
• Revenge versus larger danger: Chen Mu begins with a straightforward assassination, but the discovery of life-draining cultivation forces him to confront a broader threat.
• Hidden evil beneath public appearances: The respectable Li family and crowded Red Chamber conceal brutality, corruption, and potentially murderous heretical practices.
• Pragmatism and preparation: Chen Mu carefully chooses the location, gathers information, obtains a tracking medium, and tests his new technique before acting.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu’s encounter with the two Li family guards is brief and violent. He incapacitates them, interrogates them in secret, and kills them after extracting information.
• The guards’ conversation reveals Li Bingyan’s cruelty toward servants, including her practice of beating people and feeding them to a vicious dog.
• Chen Mu does not directly meet Li Bingyan in this chapter, but his tracking of her hairpin creates a mystical connection between them.
• His observation of the crimson aura introduces an unseen enemy—possibly heretical cultivators—whose life-draining actions may transform Chen Mu’s personal revenge into a confrontation with a larger faction.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu secretly infiltrates a room in Red Luan Pavilion and discovers Li Bingyan involved with a hideous old man disguised as a servant.
• He recognizes the old man as a cultivator from the Rakshasa Gate, based on his nearly identical aura to the previously encountered Rakshasa Gate Master.
• Li Bingyan appears mentally confused or bewitched, calling the old man her “brother-in-law” and willingly accepting his supposed “immortal pill.” Chen Mu concludes that the old ghost has used an evil technique to control her mind.
• Chen Mu launches a surprise attack. Although the old ghost reacts quickly and summons a black banner surrounded by black qi, Chen Mu severs his right arm with his saber.
• As guards approach after hearing the disturbance, Chen Mu cuts off the old ghost’s remaining arm and knocks him unconscious.
• To prevent Li Bingyan from identifying him and to make the incident appear to be an ordinary murder, Chen Mu slits her throat without using True Qi or saber techniques.
• He sets the room on fire, carrying away the unconscious Rakshasa cultivator and escaping through the window before the guards arrive.
• Half an hour later, Chen Mu takes the captive to the abandoned City God Temple beside Grass River. There, he threatens to torture him unless he answers Chen Mu’s questions.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu demonstrates increased confidence, stealth, combat ability, and ruthlessness. He carefully assesses the old ghost’s strength, executes a surprise attack, eliminates Li Bingyan as a potential witness, and destroys the evidence.
• Li Bingyan is revealed to be under powerful mental influence or hallucination. Her normally fierce and willful personality is replaced by submissive, seductive behavior toward the Rakshasa cultivator. She briefly regains clarity before death, recognizes Chen Mu, and curses him.
• The Rakshasa Gate old ghost is shown to be sinister and manipulative, using evil methods to control Li Bingyan. Despite possessing occult abilities and a black banner, he is weaker than the Gate Master and is quickly defeated by Chen Mu. Even after capture, he remains arrogant and hints that Chen Mu possesses a significant secret.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and loss of autonomy: Li Bingyan’s behavior suggests that evil cultivation techniques can distort a person’s mind and desires.
• Hidden identities and deception: The Rakshasa cultivator disguises himself as a lowly servant, while Chen Mu conceals his own identity during the attack.
• Ruthlessness and survival: Chen Mu prioritizes eliminating witnesses, erasing evidence, and securing information over morality or mercy.
• Power and hidden potential: The old ghost’s remark that Chen Mu carries “a great secret” suggests that Chen Mu’s rapid growth and abilities have attracted the attention of powerful enemies.
• Fire as destruction and concealment: Chen Mu’s burning of the room symbolizes both the destruction of the corrupt scene and his effort to erase traces of his involvement.

Character Interactions

• The old ghost treats Li Bingyan with crude possessiveness, while she responds in a bewitched and submissive manner.
• Chen Mu observes their interaction, identifies the source of Li Bingyan’s abnormal behavior, and intervenes violently.
• Li Bingyan mistakes Chen Mu’s attack for a threat to her “brother-in-law,” revealing the depth of her mental manipulation.
• After awakening moments before death, she recognizes Chen Mu and exchanges a final hostile remark with him.
• At the City God Temple, the captured Rakshasa cultivator taunts Chen Mu and acknowledges his unexpected strength, while Chen Mu asserts control and prepares to interrogate him.

Chapter Summary: “Vicious Plot, the Master Gifts a Saber”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the City God Temple, Chen Mu tortures and interrogates a disguised Rakshasa Gate Protector who had infiltrated the city as the Hundred-Puppet Opera Troupe.
• The Protector reveals that the Rakshasa Gate is allied with evil cultivators from the White Mountain Ghost Kingdom and is planning an ambush at the Yin Mountain Ferry Ghost Market in three days, when the ghost gates open.
• Their target is Liu Qingcang. The plan involves using the Nine Nether Dark-Soul Sealing Formation to trap and kill him, with the cooperation of Zhao Dong and Wei Chen of the Red Whale Gang.
• The supposed signs of Northern Barbarian activity at Luo Family Fort were fabricated bait intended to lure the academy’s forces along a predetermined route toward the Ghost Market.
• Chen Mu kills the Protector, disposes of the body, and returns to the academy before dawn.
• He discovers that the Protector carried dozens of valuable gold leaves, which he plans to spend at the Ghost Market because they would be difficult to use openly in Great Yue.
• Chen Mu immediately reports the conspiracy to Liu Qingcang, presenting the Rakshasa Gate’s Soul-Refining Banner as proof.
• Liu Qingcang reveals that he already suspected Zhao Dong after Zhao deliberately leaked information. Rather than avoiding the trap, he decides to attend the Ghost Market, implying that he intends to turn the enemy’s scheme against them.
• Liu orders Chen Mu to conceal what he knows and accompany Tie Ya’s group to Luo Family Fort as though he remains unaware of the true plot.
• Before Chen Mu leaves, Liu Qingcang formally acknowledges him as a disciple and gifts him a single-edged saber.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu demonstrates increased ruthlessness, tactical judgment, and investigative ability. He successfully extracts crucial intelligence, eliminates the infiltrator, preserves evidence, and reports the danger without delay.
• His concern for Liu Qingcang shows his growing loyalty to his master and his integration into the academy.
• Liu Qingcang is revealed to be calm, perceptive, and confident despite learning of a deadly ambush. His decision to enter the trap suggests hidden preparations and a willingness to confront the enemy directly.
• Liu’s gift marks Chen Mu’s transition from a newcomer into a formally recognized member of his lineage.

Significant Themes

• Deception and counter-deception: The Rakshasa Gate disguises itself as an opera troupe and fabricates evidence of barbarian activity, while Liu Qingcang plans to exploit their confidence.
• Loyalty and belonging: Chen Mu’s urgent warning and Liu’s formal gift emphasize the developing master-disciple bond.
• Ruthlessness and survival: Chen Mu’s interrogation and execution show the brutal methods required in the martial world.
• Hidden conspiracies: Multiple factions—including the Rakshasa Gate, the White Mountain Ghost Kingdom, Zhao Dong, and Wei Chen—are working together against the academy.
• Preparation beneath appearances: Both sides conceal their true intentions, and ordinary missions mask a larger confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu viciously interrogates the Rakshasa Protector, forcing him to reveal the conspiracy.
• He reports directly to Liu Qingcang, who listens carefully, verifies the information, and gives strategic orders.
• Liu and Chen Mu’s exchange reflects mutual trust: Chen Mu obeys Liu’s command to remain undercover, while Liu entrusts him with knowledge of the plot.
• Liu’s final presentation of the saber serves as both a practical gift and a symbolic acknowledgment of Chen Mu as his disciple.

Chapter Summary: “North Sea Slays Flood Dragon, Encountering Horse Bandits”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Qingcang gives Chen Mu the treasured Dragon-Slayer Saber, a weapon once used by the sect’s founding patriarch to slay a flood dragon in the Northern Sea.
• He warns Chen Mu to uphold the saber’s reputation, avoid immoral acts, and keep the weapon’s origin secret.
• Chen Mu examines the saber and discovers that it resonates with his Profound Yin True Qi, greatly amplifying his power. He estimates that his combat strength has increased by roughly thirty percent and that he could now defeat an ordinary Qi Accumulation Martial Master within thirty breaths.
• Liu Meng informs Chen Mu that the wicked young woman from the Li Residence was found violently murdered after allegedly spending the night disguised as a man in a brothel. The public rumors falsely portray the killer as a rapist and arsonist.
• Chen Mu hides his involvement by pretending to be shocked and condemning the decline of morality. Liu Meng, however, suspects that Chen Mu may have secretly killed her.
• Chen Mu, Liu Meng, Qin Tieya, and more than a dozen martial artists leave the city with three supply wagons.
• Their stated mission is to search for A-Ning and investigate Luo Family Fort. They disguise themselves as escorts from the Heavenly Escort Agency and plan to enter the fort by claiming they are transporting supplies and need to purchase provisions.
• Before they can reach the fort, several mounted figures appear on a slope ahead. Liu Meng identifies them as horse bandits, putting the convoy on alert.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu gains a powerful new weapon and becomes significantly more confident in direct combat. The Dragon-Slayer Saber also hints at his growing connection to the sect’s history and traditions.
• Chen Mu continues to conceal his ruthless actions behind a calm, righteous exterior. His ability to deceive others contrasts with his private satisfaction over his increased strength.
• Liu Qingcang shows trust in Chen Mu by giving him a legendary heirloom, while also reminding him that strength must be governed by moral restraint.
• Liu Meng becomes increasingly wary of Chen Mu. Though he does not openly accuse him, his reaction to the murder reveals that he is beginning to recognize Chen Mu’s dangerous side.
• Qin Tieya acts as the experienced leader of the expedition, organizing the convoy and devising the disguise for infiltrating Luo Family Fort.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: The Dragon-Slayer Saber is not merely a weapon; it carries the legacy and moral expectations of the sect’s founder.
• Hidden identity and deception: Chen Mu conceals his involvement in the Li Residence murder, while the entire group adopts false identities to investigate Luo Family Fort.
• Justice versus reputation: Chen Mu considers his killing of the wicked woman an act of justice, yet public rumors transform him into a depraved criminal.
• Growing strength and confidence: The new saber marks a major increase in Chen Mu’s combat ability and encourages him to confront stronger opponents directly.
• Danger beyond the city: The journey shifts the story from internal disputes and secret killings to an external mission involving fortified enemies, bandits, and the search for A-Ning.

Character Interactions

• Liu Qingcang solemnly entrusts Chen Mu with the Dragon-Slayer Saber and instructs him to honor its history.
• Liu Meng shares the murder rumors with Chen Mu, unknowingly prompting Chen Mu to conceal the truth while making Liu Meng suspicious.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya discuss the plan to infiltrate Luo Family Fort, with Qin Tieya defending the seemingly crude disguise by emphasizing the fort’s strength.
• Liu Meng alerts the convoy when the horse bandits appear, bringing the expedition to an immediate state of combat readiness.

Chapter Summary: Desolate Mountain Rain Temple, Ghost Troupe in Hiding

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Azure Dragon Martial Academy convoy is followed by horse-bandit scouts. The disciples are eager to confront them, but Qin Tieya orders everyone to ignore the scouts and continue north toward Luo Family Fort.
• Chen Mu remembers his past near-death encounter with horse bandits and thinks of A-Ning, who once saved him. He carries a Yin Jade Pendant linked to hers, which could help him locate her if she is truly in Luo Family Fort.
• Rain and worsening weather force the convoy to seek shelter at a ruined Buddhist temple. Chen Mu recognizes it as the same temple where he previously stayed after returning from Clear River Village.
• Smoke reveals that someone is already occupying the temple. Qin Tieya sends Liu Meng and two disciples to investigate.
• They discover a puppet theater troupe claiming to be traveling toward Pingyin River Ferry. Chen Mu immediately suspects they are connected to the Rakshasa Gate, since the Gate’s protector previously used a puppet troupe as a disguise.
• Qin Tieya has also received Liu Qingcang’s secret instructions and reaches the same conclusion. Rather than merely investigating Luo Family Fort, he decides to confront and kill the Rakshasa Gate members sheltering in the temple.
• The convoy enters the temple and encounters roughly a dozen troupe members gathered around a fire. Their leader, an old man named Qin Wanli, welcomes the disguised academy disciples and offers them food and wine, while subtly scrutinizing Chen Mu and Qin Tieya.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu remains cautious and observant. He recognizes the danger posed by the troupe but is concerned that Qin Tieya’s impulsive approach may expose their knowledge of the Rakshasa Gate.
• Qin Tieya shows himself to be decisive, aggressive, and openly hostile toward the Rakshasa Gate. Motivated by the harm done to his junior brother and the threat against their master, he intends to eliminate the enemy immediately.
• Liu Meng and the academy disciples are portrayed as confident and eager for combat, though they obey Qin Tieya’s orders despite not fully understanding the mission.
• A-Ning is not present, but Chen Mu’s memories of her rescue and his desire to find her remain an important emotional motivation.
• Qin Wanli, the troupe leader, appears friendly and hospitable but displays hidden suspicion and awareness, suggesting that the troupe may recognize the disguised visitors or be prepared for conflict.

Significant Themes

• Deception and disguise: Both sides conceal their identities. The academy disciples pose as caravan guards, while the Rakshasa Gate uses a puppet troupe as a false identity.
• Revenge versus strategy: Qin Tieya prioritizes immediate vengeance, while Chen Mu worries about maintaining secrecy and avoiding premature confrontation.
• Hidden danger beneath ordinary appearances: The harmless-looking troupe, rainy temple, and routine journey conceal a potentially deadly confrontation.
• Memory and obligation: Chen Mu’s recollection of A-Ning emphasizes his debt to her and explains his urgency in reaching Luo Family Fort.
• Suspicion and vigilance: The chapter repeatedly stresses the need to investigate seemingly ordinary people and environments carefully.

Character Interactions

• The disciples volunteer to capture the horse-bandit scouts, but Qin Tieya restrains them and keeps the convoy moving.
• Chen Mu privately questions Qin Tieya’s decision to enter the temple, prompting Qin Tieya to reveal his intention to eliminate the Rakshasa Gate members.
• Liu Meng reports the troupe’s identity and apparent harmlessness, unknowingly confirming Chen Mu’s suspicions.
• Qin Tieya and Chen Mu enter the temple together, maintaining their disguises while assessing the enemy.
• Qin Wanli warmly greets them and offers hospitality, but his scrutinizing gaze creates an atmosphere of concealed hostility and foreshadows an imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: Actress Xiang’er, Shadow Before the Buddha

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Tieya and Chen Mu take false identities as escort leaders from the Heavenly Escort Agency and seek shelter from a violent storm at a traveling troupe’s temple refuge.
• The troupe claims to be traveling south through White Horse Ravine and the Pingyin River Ferry, but their guarded behavior suggests hidden motives.
• Chen Mu notices that most troupe members are ordinary people, while their servant Wulang possesses significant martial-arts cultivation.
• Attention centers on a veiled woman named Qin Xiang’er, whom the troupe members treat with unusual caution. Qin Tieya deliberately provokes the troupe by asking to see her face and joking about arranging Chen Mu’s marriage to her.
• Xiang’er’s green-robed maid insults Chen Mu, prompting him to respond harshly and mock the woman’s hidden appearance. Qin Tieya intervenes, disguising the insult as the crude behavior of Chen Mu’s former profession as a butcher.
• The atmosphere becomes hostile. The troupe serves Chen Mu and Qin Tieya hot wine, but neither drinks it.
• The Azure Dragon Martial Academy disciples join them in the temple. Because the storm worsens into a potentially dangerous flood, Qin Tieya decides that everyone should remain there temporarily.
• Chen Mu questions why Qin Tieya has not attacked the troupe. Qin Tieya reveals that Xiang’er carries the aura of the Demon Race and may not be human.
• Looking at Xiang’er’s shadow cast against the broken Buddha statue, Chen Mu sees it distort into the shape of eight spider-like limbs, confirming the ominous supernatural threat.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Remains observant and confident, quickly judging the troupe’s martial strength and hidden dynamics. His patience wears thin when mocked by the maid, revealing his blunt and ruthless temperament. Despite wanting to eliminate the suspected demons, he restrains himself and follows Qin Tieya’s lead.
• Qin Tieya: Demonstrates strong perception, social boldness, and strategic control. His provocative jokes appear reckless but may be intended to test the troupe’s reactions. He ultimately reveals that he has detected Xiang’er’s demonic nature.
• Qin Xiang’er: Remains veiled and silent, but her presence commands the troupe’s attention and caution. Her unnatural shadow suggests she is the central supernatural figure and possibly a demon in disguise.
• The green-robed maid: Fiercely loyal to Xiang’er and openly hostile toward Chen Mu. Her confidence and threat of calling on the “Fifth Young Master” imply that the troupe has powerful backing.
• Wulang and the troupe: Their ordinary appearance conceals martial ability and possible demonic affiliations, reinforcing the sense that the group is traveling under false pretenses.

3. Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The troupe presents itself as a harmless group of entertainers, but hidden martial skill, guarded behavior, and Xiang’er’s demonic shadow reveal a more sinister truth.
• Disguise and concealed identity: Qin Mu and Qin Tieya use false names while investigating a troupe that likewise hides its true nature.
• Suspicion and perception: Small details—body movements, vital energy, glances, and shadows—allow the protagonists to see beyond outward appearances.
• Controlled restraint: Although Chen Mu suspects danger, Qin Tieya avoids an immediate confrontation, emphasizing the importance of timing and gathering information.
• The supernatural invading the ordinary: A stormbound temple, a traveling troupe, and casual social banter gradually give way to the revelation of a demonic presence before a broken Buddha statue.

4. Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya politely questions the elderly troupe leader about their destination while quietly assessing the group.
• The troupe leader notices Chen Mu watching Wulang and attempts to engage him in conversation.
• Qin Tieya openly challenges the troupe’s secrecy by asking about Xiang’er and jokingly proposing marriage between her and Chen Mu.
• Xiang’er’s maid attacks Chen Mu verbally, and Chen Mu retaliates with a cutting insult about Xiang’er’s hidden face.
• Qin Tieya defuses the confrontation by apologizing and attributing Chen Mu’s rudeness to his former life as a butcher, though his explanation also subtly preserves the tension.
• After the Azure Dragon Martial Academy disciples arrive, Chen Mu privately challenges Qin Tieya about his failure to attack. Qin Tieya then shares his crucial discovery: Xiang’er is connected to the Demon Race.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu witnessing Xiang’er’s grotesquely transformed spider-like shadow, turning suspicion into a clear supernatural threat.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside a ruined temple, Qin Xiang’er’s maid, Lü He, complains about Chen Mu and calls him a “northern butcher.” While speaking, she accidentally reveals Qin Xiang’er’s true status by addressing her improperly.
• Qin Xiang’er immediately warns Lü He to remember their false identities, exposing the tension surrounding their secret mission.
• Wulang reports that Chen Mu and the others are disciples of the Azure Dragon Martial Academy. Qin Xiang’er decides not to interfere with them because of the academy’s connection to the Northern Defense Army.
• The chapter reveals Qin Xiang’er’s true identity: Qin Xiangjun, a half-demon, an Innate Realm expert, and a branch chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau. She is investigating the Northern Suppression Prince’s possible cooperation with foreign enemies.
• Her group had been following a lead involving the Rakshasa Gate, but Chen Mu’s killing of the Rakshasa protector severed their investigation.
• On the other side of the temple, Chen Mu asks Qin Tieya how he recognized Qin Xiang’er as a demon. Qin Tieya explains that Meridian Opening experts who open the eye aperture can perceive the Fortune Aura surrounding all beings, including the distinctive aura of demons.
• Qin Tieya admits that he would be helpless against a transformed great demon, shocking the academy disciples. He explains the hierarchy of demonic beasts: higher-ranked creatures possess greater intelligence and power, while demons above rank nine can condense an Inner Core and transform into human form.
• Just as the group prepares to wait out the rain and leave, dozens of mounted bandits surround the temple. Their leader declares that no one may leave Mangdang Mountain without paying a toll—or surrendering their lives.

Character Developments

• Qin Xiangjun/Qin Xiang’er: Revealed to be a powerful, disciplined Demon Suppression Bureau chief rather than an ordinary noblewoman. She is politically cautious, ruthless when necessary, and determined to complete her investigation.
• Lü He: Her casual insults and accidental slip show both her close familiarity with Qin Xiangjun and her lack of restraint. After being reprimanded, she becomes visibly frightened and obedient.
• Wulang: Demonstrates deep respect and fear toward Qin Xiangjun, knowing her reputation and abilities. He also blames Chen Mu for disrupting their Rakshasa Gate investigation.
• Chen Mu: Remains unaware of Qin Xiangjun’s identity but becomes increasingly interested in demons and their abilities. His understanding of the wider supernatural world expands considerably.
• Qin Tieya: Established as experienced and powerful but realistic about his limitations. His admission that he could not survive three exchanges with a transformed great demon gives the disciples a more accurate sense of the world’s danger.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and political intrigue: Qin Xiangjun’s group travels under false identities while investigating treason and demonic connections.
• The vastness of the cultivation world: The disciples realize that their previous understanding of power was limited, especially after learning that Innate martial artists may still be inferior to transformed demons.
• Caution versus recklessness: Qin Tieya advises everyone not to expose their knowledge of Qin Xiangjun’s nature or provoke a potentially overwhelming enemy.
• Human-demon boundaries: Qin Xiangjun is herself half-demon yet serves as a demon hunter, suggesting complicated questions about bloodline, loyalty, and prejudice.
• Threats hidden beneath ordinary encounters: What initially appears to be a tense meeting in a temple becomes connected to national intrigue, demonic forces, and an immediate bandit ambush.

Character Interactions

• Lü He openly mocks Chen Mu while Qin Xiangjun teases her about being attracted to him, but Qin Xiangjun’s mood turns cold when Lü He exposes their secret.
• Wulang reports to Qin Xiangjun and receives orders to avoid conflict with the Azure Dragon Martial Academy disciples.
• Chen Mu and the other disciples question Qin Tieya about Qin Xiangjun, demons, and the limits of their own strength.
• Qin Tieya reassures the frightened disciples and urges them to act naturally, but the arrival of the mounted bandits abruptly changes the situation.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu drawing his blade as the bandits surround the temple, setting up an imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Mangdang Mountain Bandits, Slaying Enemies with a Horizontal Blade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu and the others remain inside the temple during a heavy rainstorm when horse bandits from Mangdang Mountain surround them.
• Qin Tieya recognizes the bandits’ reputation but is confident in his own strength. He leaves the temple and releases Astral Force, shocking the bandits, who had expected only a lightly guarded caravan.
• When the bandit leader attempts to claim there has been a misunderstanding, Qin Tieya attacks, smashing into the formation with overwhelming fists and killing numerous men and horses.
• Chen Mu joins the battle, using Ghost-Shadow Step and the Dragon-Slayer Saber to charge directly at the one-eyed bandit leader.
• Chen Mu cuts the leader from his horse with a single saber strike, then disables him by severing his wrist and ankle tendons. This demonstrates the precision of his Ox-Slicing Saber Technique.
• Qin Tieya continues slaughtering the surrounding bandits, while Chen Mu pursues the fleeing Second Chief.
• Using Grass-Top Flight, Chen Mu catches the Second Chief nearly a hundred meters away. His saber qi, amplified by the Dragon-Slayer Saber, cuts the fleeing enemy in half. Chen Mu finishes him by stabbing through his skull.
• The system rewards Chen Mu with Blood Essence and Karmic Slaughter, bringing his Karmic Slaughter total above one hundred and allowing him to improve himself later.
• After the battle, Chen Mu finds a small Golden-Silk Nanmu box on the bandit leader’s body, along with some broken silver.
• Qin Tieya and the others collect the corpses, while Chen Mu returns to the temple carrying the disabled bandit leader for interrogation.
• Qin Tieya orders Chen Mu to discover who sent the bandits and why they targeted the group.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Displays a major increase in combat ability. His movement techniques allow him to evade and overtake powerful opponents, while his Dragon-Slayer Saber enables him to produce saber qi despite being only a Body Tempering cultivator. He fights decisively and ruthlessly, but also shows tactical restraint by stopping the pursuit once the bandits are routed. His growing Karmic Slaughter and Blood Essence further support his cultivation.
• Qin Tieya: Reveals overwhelming physical strength and Astral Force. He appears eager to release his frustration after being restrained during the earlier encounter with the demoness. His confidence and dominance over the bandits reinforce his status as Chen Mu’s powerful senior brother.
• Qin Xiang’er: Continues to observe Chen Mu calmly and critically. Though she acknowledges that his ability to produce saber qi is unusual, she remains unconvinced that an externally enhanced weapon alone can guarantee future success.
• Lü He and the other escorts: Become more wary and impressed by Chen Mu after witnessing him annihilate the bandits.
• The bandit leaders: Their confidence collapses once they discover Qin Tieya and Chen Mu are far stronger than expected. The one-eyed leader is captured alive, while the Second Chief is killed during his escape.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimation: The bandits assume they are attacking an ordinary caravan, only to encounter two vastly superior martial artists. Chen Mu likewise surprises the others by displaying saber qi.
• The value and limits of external power: Qin Xiang’er recognizes the Dragon-Slayer Saber’s role in Chen Mu’s strength but questions whether reliance on weapons can replace character, talent, and martial potential.
• Decisive violence and survival: The battle emphasizes the ruthless nature of the martial world, where hesitation leads to death and enemies who attack must be eliminated completely.
• Growth through combat: Chen Mu’s fight demonstrates his progress in movement, saber technique, and true-qi control. The rewards from killing also directly contribute to his future advancement.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: The Golden-Silk Nanmu box and the question of who hired the bandits suggest a larger conspiracy beyond a random robbery.

Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya openly takes responsibility for dealing with the bandits, then encourages Chen Mu to join him.
• Chen Mu asks Liu Meng to guard the fire before entering the battle.
• Qin Tieya jokes that Master Liu Qingcang is favoring Chen Mu by giving him the Dragon-Slayer Saber, revealing both admiration and playful envy.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya coordinate naturally in combat: Qin Tieya crushes the main group while Chen Mu disables the leader and pursues the fleeing Second Chief.
• Qin Xiang’er watches Chen Mu’s performance and offers a measured judgment, acknowledging his unusual talent while warning indirectly that external advantages do not determine one’s ultimate path.
• After the battle, Qin Tieya entrusts Chen Mu with interrogating the captured bandit, signaling his confidence in Chen Mu’s abilities and judgment.

Chapter Summary: “Unexpected Harvest, Dragon-Patterned Gold Casket”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Qin Tieya and the Azure Dragon Martial Academy group defeat the bandits, the surviving bandit chieftain, Wu Tianlong, is handed over to Chen Mu for interrogation.
• Chen Mu initially threatens Wu Tianlong with a deboning knife. The chieftain first attempts to act defiant, then begs for mercy, but soon changes tactics and claims that the bandits were merely bait in a larger scheme.
• Under torture, Wu Tianlong reveals that the attack was arranged by Zhao Dong, likely Commander Zhao of Everlasting Prosperity Town.
• While Chen Mu interrogates the chieftain, Qin Tieya questions Qin Xiang’er about her origins and travels. She reveals that she has been to Central Capital Luoyang and speaks knowledgeably of distant wonders such as the Kunlun Sacred Mountain and the Abyssal Ruins Sea Eye.
• Qin Xiang’er’s words subtly demonstrate that she has already seen through the group’s true strength and identities, causing Qin Tieya to become more cautious.
• Chen Mu returns and reports the information in front of Qin Xiang’er. Qin Tieya permits him to speak, having judged that Qin Xiang’er does not currently intend them harm.
• Chen Mu then produces a palm-sized Golden-Silk Nanmu casket taken from the bandits. Its cloud-dragon carvings and imperial-grade material suggest that it contains something highly important.
• The chapter ends as everyone gathers around the mysterious casket and urges Chen Mu to open it.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu displays ruthlessness and practicality during the interrogation, but also sharp instincts. He quickly recognizes that the bandit raid conceals a larger conspiracy and successfully extracts crucial information.
• Qin Tieya proves more perceptive than his rough, straightforward demeanor suggests. He probes Qin Xiang’er for information while carefully judging whether she is hostile. He also trusts Chen Mu’s judgment and decides to reveal the bandit intelligence openly.
• Qin Xiang’er remains mysterious and composed. Her knowledge of the wider world and her teasing remarks imply considerable experience, power, and awareness of the group’s situation. Her reaction to Zhao Dong suggests that the commander’s actions may affect her as well.
• Wu Tianlong shifts rapidly from defiance to terror and then to malicious confidence after realizing his role as bait. His words confirm that the bandit attack was orchestrated rather than random.
• The relationship between Chen Mu and Qin Tieya develops through mutual trust: Chen Mu brings back the intelligence, while Qin Tieya gives him permission to disclose it.

Significant Themes

• Hidden conspiracies and manipulation: The bandits were used as expendable bait, indicating that the apparent attack was part of a larger plot.
• Deception and concealed identities: Both Qin Xiang’er’s group and the martial academy party conceal their backgrounds and intentions.
• Strength beneath appearances: Qin Tieya appears blunt and curious, yet acts shrewdly; Qin Xiang’er appears harmless but possesses extraordinary knowledge; Chen Mu’s calm exterior conceals his merciless methods.
• The vastness of the world: Qin Xiang’er’s descriptions of distant lands broaden the setting and emphasize how small the characters’ current concerns are within the larger realm.
• Temptation of hidden treasure and secrets: The ornate casket becomes a symbol of the deeper mystery behind the bandit attack and promises a major revelation.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya flatters and questions Qin Xiang’er, trying to determine her origins and intentions without provoking her.
• Qin Xiang’er responds playfully, subtly showing that she understands the group better than they realize.
• Chen Mu interrogates Wu Tianlong through intimidation and torture, forcing him to reveal Zhao Dong’s involvement.
• Qin Tieya and Chen Mu exchange information with increasing trust, while Qin Xiang’er becomes directly involved after recognizing Zhao Dong’s name.
• The group’s attention shifts collectively to the dragon-patterned casket, creating suspense for the next chapter.

Chapter Summary: Youzhou Secret Envoy, Blood-Character Order

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu opens the Dragon-Patterned Gold Casket and discovers a red silk cloth bearing a secret letter with the blood-red order: “Slay Immortality, breach Swallow Return!”
• Qin Tieya realizes the order targets Gu Changsheng, the sect’s Eldest Senior Brother and a powerful general defending Swallow Return Pass. The plot appears designed to disrupt Gu Changsheng’s Dao heart by endangering or implicating his master, Liu Qingcang.
• A captured “horse bandit” reveals that the attackers were actually secret spies raised by the Prince of Northern Suppression. They had been ordered to escort the casket north to the Beiliang Military Prefecture.
• However, Zhao Dong secretly ordered them to eliminate Chen Mu’s group, apparently intending for the casket and its message to fall into the hands of the martial academy.
• This exposes a much larger conspiracy involving the Beiliang Military Prefecture, the Prince of Northern Suppression, possible treason, military power in the Northern Frontier, and the imperial court.
• Qin Xiang’er reveals her true identity as Qin Xiangjun, the newly appointed chief of the Youzhou Demon Suppression Bureau. Her guard Wulang presents official identification and takes possession of the casket.
• Qin Tieya concludes that the message likely originated within the Beiliang Military Prefecture, though the true mastermind remains unknown. Qin Xiangjun and her party depart for Youzhou to assume office and investigate.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya decide to split their forces: some return to inform Liu Qingcang, while they travel immediately to Luo Family Fort to uncover the truth and determine A-Ning’s fate.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu becomes increasingly aware that he has been drawn into a dangerous political and military conspiracy. His curiosity and concern for A-Ning push him to act quickly rather than remain uninvolved.
• Qin Tieya shifts from his previously relaxed attitude to a serious, decisive stance after recognizing the scale of the threat. He protects Chen Mu from probing further and takes responsibility for investigating the matter.
• Qin Xiang’er/Qin Xiangjun is revealed to be a capable imperial martial official rather than a sheltered young woman or performer. Her cold authority and swift actions establish her as a powerful investigator with a direct connection to the court.
• Wulang, seemingly an ordinary guard, demonstrates strength comparable to Qin Tieya’s, revealing the formidable resources accompanying Qin Xiangjun.
• Zhao Dong emerges as an enigmatic player whose contradictory orders suggest he is manipulating events while attempting to remain outside the conspiracy.

Significant Themes

• Political conspiracy and hidden loyalties: The chapter expands a martial-world conflict into a crisis involving military governors, imperial authority, and possible rebellion.
• Deception and concealed identities: The horse bandits are secret soldiers, Qin Xiang’er is an undercover official, and Zhao Dong’s motives remain deliberately ambiguous.
• Duty versus self-preservation: Qin Tieya and Chen Mu choose to investigate despite the danger, while others manipulate events to avoid becoming targets.
• The burden of military command: The blood order threatens not only individuals but also the stability of the frontier and the Dao heart of a great general.
• The limits of knowledge and power: Chen Mu realizes that the conspiracy is far beyond his current level, prompting him to seek help while still pursuing the truth.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya interprets the Blood-Character Order for Chen Mu and explains its connection to Gu Changsheng.
• The tortured spy reveals the attackers’ true origins and Zhao Dong’s betrayal, deepening Chen Mu and Qin Tieya’s suspicions.
• Qin Tieya formally questions Qin Xiangjun’s party, leading to the revelation of her identity.
• Qin Xiangjun takes control of the casket and orders her group to depart immediately for Youzhou.
• Before leaving, Qin Tieya shields Chen Mu from further questioning and hands over the military secret.
• Chen Mu persuades Qin Tieya to act without delay, leading them to begin their nighttime journey to Luo Family Fort.

Chapter Summary: Winter Fair at Luo Family Fort

Key Plot Points and Events

• After heavy rain stops, Luo Family Fort opens its annual Winter Fair, attracting merchants, travelers, soldiers, and local residents. The fortified manor is strategically built against the mountains and river, making it difficult to access.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya arrive after riding through the night. Chen is suspicious that the fort’s open gates and public festival are a trap, since Luo Family Fort is connected to a serious treason case and should ordinarily be under tight security.
• The pair decide to disguise themselves as Mangdang Mountain bandits using the clothing and tokens recovered from the bandits Chen killed earlier. They plan to infiltrate the fort and investigate.
• Meanwhile, Granny Li, A-Ning, and Li Susu enter the Winter Fair in disguise. A-Ning hopes Granny Li can help locate her missing parents, particularly her father, who was allegedly captured by horse bandits near Luo Family Fort.
• When Li Susu nearly gets run over by an ox cart, Granny Li reveals her supernatural abilities. With a single command, she forces the ox to kneel trembling before her. Hidden guards recognize this display as evidence that “the fish has taken the bait” and send messengers to inform the fortress lord, Luo Tianxiao.
• As the women continue through the market, A-Ning reflects on Granny Li’s past intervention in Everlasting Prosperity Town. Granny Li had summoned ghost soldiers to defeat ruffians attacking A-Ning, exposing herself as a practitioner of the Northern Mang Ghost Sect.
• The chapter ends with A-Ning recalling Granny Li’s offer to take her to Mount Beimang, where she could join the Ghost Sect and cultivate its secret arts. A-Ning must decide whether to abandon Chen Mu and her life in the north or remain with him.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu remains cautious and perceptive. He immediately senses that Luo Family Fort’s welcoming atmosphere conceals a larger scheme and prepares to investigate rather than trust appearances.
• Qin Tieya acts more confidently and pragmatically, encouraging Chen Mu to enter under the identity of bandits. Their partnership remains cooperative, though Chen is the more suspicious of the two.
• Granny Li is revealed as a powerful cultivator from the Northern Mang Ghost Sect, capable of commanding ghosts and terrifying ordinary creatures. Her apparent frailty is a deliberate disguise.
• A-Ning is torn between her loyalty and affection for Chen Mu and the extraordinary opportunity offered by Granny Li. Her innate Profound Yin physique makes her valuable to the Ghost Sect, forcing her to consider a major change in identity and destiny.
• Li Susu is playful, mischievous, and boldly teasing toward A-Ning about Chen Mu. Beneath her childish behavior, she is attached to A-Ning and depends on Granny Li for protection.
• Luo Tianxiao, though not yet appearing directly, is established as the powerful lord of the fort, possessing Great Completion of Meridian Opening and commanding hundreds of armed men.

Significant Themes

• Deception and hidden motives: The fair appears to be an ordinary public celebration, but both Chen Mu’s suspicions and the guards’ reaction suggest it is designed to lure out specific targets.
• Clashing identities: Chen Mu and Qin Tieya disguise themselves as bandits, while Granny Li, A-Ning, and Li Susu conceal their true affiliations and abilities.
• The supernatural versus the ordinary world: The bustling trade fair contrasts sharply with Granny Li’s ghost-commanding arts and the hidden mystical forces operating beneath everyday events.
• Choice between love and power: A-Ning must weigh her relationship with Chen Mu against the chance to gain extraordinary cultivation and escape her impoverished, dangerous circumstances.
• Entrapment and pursuit: The fort’s open gates, hidden guards, and coded report indicate that the Winter Fair is part of a deliberate operation to catch or identify powerful outsiders.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya discuss the suspicious nature of the fair and agree to infiltrate the fort in disguise.
• Li Susu repeatedly teases A-Ning about her relationship with Chen Mu, embarrassing her and highlighting A-Ning’s romantic attachment.
• Granny Li protects Li Susu from the runaway ox, unintentionally revealing her supernatural strength to the surrounding crowd.
• A-Ning remembers how Granny Li previously protected her from attackers and offered to become her sect mentor.
• The hidden guards observe Granny Li’s display and immediately report to Luo Tianxiao, confirming that the women’s arrival has triggered the fort’s trap.

Chapter Summary: “Yin Mountain Dragon King, Living Human Blood Sacrifice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A-Ning reflects on her tragic past. Once the daughter of an official family in Youzhou, she was exiled with her family after her father was framed. Her family was later scattered while fleeing enemies.
• Near death in a snowy ravine, A-Ning found the wounded Chen Mu, who had been struck by an arrow and thrown from a cliff. She rescued him and endured a difficult journey through the snow with him, forming a deep emotional bond.
• A-Ning believes their relationship cannot be dismissed as a “shallow fate.” She plans to find her father, reveal her true origins to Chen Mu, and marry him properly.
• Granny Li leads A-Ning to Luo Family Fort, claiming that A-Ning’s family is still alive. At the fort’s restricted western salt-drying grounds, Granny Li demands that the Fort Lord hand over two people.
• When guards attempt to stop them, Granny Li uses a talisman to summon a huge paper warrior. The frightened guards flee to report the intrusion.
• A-Ning’s jade pendant briefly reacts, making her think Chen Mu may be nearby, but the sensation quickly disappears. Granny Li secretly uses spiritual techniques, apparently investigating or concealing something.
• Meanwhile, Chen Mu and Qin Tieya enter the market disguised as horse bandits. Chen Mu searches for A-Ning using his Heavenly Eye and a qi-seeking technique, but her presence remains hidden.
• The two hear fort guards discussing a planned living blood sacrifice to the Yin Mountain Dragon King, an intelligent flood dragon believed to live in the nearby river.
• Qin Tieya explains that the Dragon King is not known to eat humans and has traditionally been worshipped for protecting the region and bringing favorable weather.
• Suspicious of Luo Family Fort’s intentions, Chen Mu and Qin Tieya decide to capture someone for questioning. Before they can act, gongs announce the beginning of the Dragon King ceremony.
• A procession emerges carrying animal offerings and, horrifyingly, two rows of bound refugees who are being prepared as human sacrifices to be thrown into the river.

Character Developments

• A-Ning: Her memories reveal how profoundly Chen Mu saved her—not only physically, but emotionally, restoring her will to live after her family’s destruction. She becomes more determined to reunite with her father and formalize her relationship with Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu: He remains cautious and observant while investigating Luo Family Fort. His concern for A-Ning intensifies when he suspects she may be nearby. He also shows moral resolve when he recognizes the injustice behind the alleged sacrifice.
• Granny Li: She demonstrates powerful and possibly deceptive spiritual abilities, using talismans and secret techniques to force entry and investigate the fort. Her motives remain uncertain, particularly because she appears to manipulate A-Ning with promises about her family.
• Qin Tieya: He acts as Chen Mu’s practical and aggressive senior companion. His instinct is to seize and interrogate a fort member rather than waste time investigating indirectly.

Significant Themes

• Love formed through shared suffering: A-Ning’s bond with Chen Mu comes from survival, sacrifice, and mutual dependence rather than a superficial or predetermined connection.
• Fate and human agency: A-Ning sees her meeting with Chen Mu as Heaven’s arrangement, yet both she and Chen Mu continue making active choices to protect one another.
• Deception and hidden motives: Granny Li’s promises and Luo Family Fort’s explanation for the sacrifice both raise doubts about who is telling the truth.
• Justice versus superstition: The villagers’ worship of a supposedly benevolent Dragon King contrasts sharply with the fort’s brutal decision to sacrifice innocent refugees.
• Compassion and moral courage: Chen Mu and Qin Tieya are drawn into the conflict because they cannot ignore the exploitation of helpless people.

Character Interactions

• A-Ning’s memories center on her emotional connection with Chen Mu and her desire to reunite with him.
• Granny Li guides and pressures A-Ning while concealing the full extent of her own actions and abilities.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya cooperate undercover, combining Chen Mu’s investigative techniques with Qin Tieya’s direct, confrontational methods.
• The fort guards reveal the sacrifice plans through their conversation, unknowingly alerting Chen Mu and Qin Tieya to the danger.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu and Qin Tieya witnessing the bound refugees, setting up an imminent confrontation with Luo Family Fort and the forces behind the Dragon King sacrifice.

Chapter Summary: “By the Bank of the Pingyin River, the Old Dragon Turns Over”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya follow the crowd to the Pingyin River, suspecting that the Luo Family Fort is preparing something suspicious.
• At the riverbank, Luo Family Fort stages a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King and pray for rain. The fort’s armed guards, along with covert Red Whale Gang operatives, surround the gathering.
• After a pig’s head, sheep’s head, ox’s head, and table are thrown into the river, the fish that consume the offerings suddenly die and float belly-up.
• Chen Mu uses his Heavenly Eye and discovers that the fish and sacrifices have been infused with bloody baleful intent. He recognizes the method as resembling the Rakshasa Gate’s techniques and realizes that the blood is forming a formation through the river’s water veins.
• Luo Family Fort retainers manipulate the villagers into demanding a “live sacrifice.” The fort then presents bound and gagged refugees, falsely claiming they are murderous bandit horsemen captured from the mountains.
• Several refugees are beheaded and thrown into the river while the crowd cheers. Chen Mu nearly intervenes immediately, but Qin Tieya warns him that the entire ceremony may be a trap designed to lure them into an ambush.
• Hidden archers and crossbowmen emerge from the reeds, confirming that Luo Family Fort anticipated their arrival.
• Before Chen Mu and Qin Tieya can attack, a storm suddenly forms. A gigantic Flood Dragon, referred to as the Dragon King, surfaces briefly in the bloodied river.
• Chen Mu realizes that Luo Family Fort’s true goal is not merely to sacrifice the refugees or kill him and Qin Tieya. The killings are polluting the Flood Dragon’s spiritual light and trapping it within a Blood-Killing Intent formation, potentially driving it insane.
• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya launch their attack. Qin Tieya crushes two executioners, while Chen Mu kills several archers and publicly condemns Luo Family Fort for using humans as sacrifices.
• Luo Tianxiao reveals that he expected their arrival and attacks Chen Mu from behind, ordering his forces to kill both intruders.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes increasingly decisive and willing to act on his instincts. His anger at the murder of innocent refugees overcomes his previous caution, but his Heavenly Eye allows him to perceive the deeper supernatural plot behind the ceremony. He takes the initiative in exposing Luo Family Fort’s crimes and attacks its forces.
• Qin Tieya: Demonstrates tactical awareness and experience by recognizing the ambush before Chen Mu acts rashly. He also encourages Chen Mu’s growing confidence, urging him not merely to hold off Luo Tianxiao but to join him in killing the fort master.
• Luo Tianxiao: Reveals himself as a ruthless and calculating leader. He manipulates the villagers, disguises the refugees as criminals, uses mass killing to create a supernatural formation, and prepares an ambush for Chen Mu and Qin Tieya.
• The villagers: Are manipulated into a frenzied mob through staged omens and planted agitators. Their fear of drought and faith in the Dragon King make them complicit in the sacrificial ritual.
• The Flood Dragon: Appears as a powerful but endangered spiritual creature. Its presence validates the villagers’ belief in the Dragon King, but the bloodshed is shown to be corrupting and trapping it rather than appeasing it.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation of faith: Luo Family Fort exploits the villagers’ fear of drought and reverence for the Dragon King to justify murder and strengthen its political control.
• The corruption of ritual: A ceremony presented as a pious prayer for rain is actually a violent occult formation designed to injure or enslave the Flood Dragon.
• Justice versus mob mentality: The villagers abandon reason and compassion under the influence of fear, cheering for the execution of innocent people.
• Moral action and personal growth: Chen Mu’s decision to act reflects his developing belief that martial progress requires following his convictions rather than remaining paralyzed by excessive caution.
• Human exploitation of nature: The chapter suggests that Luo Family Fort is willing to sacrifice both people and a powerful supernatural being for its own schemes.
• Appearance versus reality: The “Dragon King’s anger,” the supposed bandits, and the religious ceremony are all deceptive appearances concealing a calculated conspiracy.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Qin Tieya silently coordinate while observing the ceremony and agree on how to divide the enemy if combat begins.
• Qin Tieya restrains Chen Mu from charging prematurely, warning that the ceremony is likely a trap.
• Chen Mu explains the supernatural significance of the dead fish and recognizes the formation’s connection to the Flood Dragon.
• The two brothers ultimately act together, with Chen Mu attacking the hidden archers and Qin Tieya assaulting the executioners.
• Chen Mu publicly denounces Luo Family Fort, prompting a direct confrontation.
• Luo Tianxiao responds by revealing that he anticipated their intervention and personally attacks Chen Mu, setting up the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: Battle on the Riverbank, Forcibly Killing a Body-Refining Expert

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Tieya intercepts Fort Lord Luo Tianxiao’s attack, preventing him from reaching Chen Mu. The two Meridian Opening experts engage in a destructive duel that shatters the sacrificial altar and throws the fort guards into chaos.
• Taking advantage of the distraction, Chen Mu attacks the enemy formation with Ghost-Shadow Step and Hundred-Slash Saber Art, rapidly killing archers, crossbowmen, and other Martial Masters.
• Luo Dalong, the Red Whale Gang fighter and Luo Family Fort’s young fort lord, launches a surprise attack with twin sabers. Chen Mu easily withstands him, damaging his weapons and forcing him into retreat.
• Luo Dalong orders the fort’s archers and crossbowmen to fire on Chen Mu. Chen Mu activates Iron Cloth Shirt, discovering that his body-refining defense can withstand the concentrated arrow and crossbow barrage with little difficulty.
• Luo Dalong activates his own Golden Bell Shield and fights Chen Mu directly. Although his body-refining technique is deeper and grants him great physical strength, Chen Mu’s superior saber speed, sharpness, and Ghost-Shadow Step gradually overwhelm him.
• Chen Mu continues killing surrounding ranged attackers while dueling Luo Dalong. His saber wounds Luo Dalong’s defensive technique until the latter’s twin sabers finally shatter.
• Luo Dalong attempts to flee, but Chen Mu pursues him through the air and decapitates him after first severing part of his shoulder. The system rewards Chen Mu with an unusually large amount of Blood Essence and Karmic Slaughter.
• With Luo Dalong dead, Chen Mu prepares to eliminate the remaining fort guards. Enraged by his son’s death, Luo Tianxiao abandons his fight with Qin Tieya and launches a massive saber strike at Chen Mu, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Demonstrates overwhelming combat growth. He effortlessly massacres ordinary Martial Masters, withstands a full crossbow formation, and defeats a powerful body-refining expert. His confidence increases significantly after discovering the strength of his Iron Cloth Shirt. He also displays improved mastery of Ghost-Shadow Step, Hundred-Slash Saber Art, and Ox-Slicing Saber Technique.
• Qin Tieya: Acts as Chen Mu’s protector by restraining Luo Tianxiao. His Azure Dragon Body Tempering Art allows him to fight barehanded against saber attacks and shows him to be a formidable Meridian Opening expert.
• Luo Dalong: Initially confident in his surprise attack and physical defense, he becomes increasingly terrified as Chen Mu breaks through his Golden Bell Shield and destroys his weapons. His arrogance collapses into desperation before Chen Mu kills him.
• Luo Tianxiao: Reveals his deep attachment to his son and reacts with uncontrollable rage after Luo Dalong’s death. His anger drives him to launch a reckless, all-out attack on Chen Mu.

Significant Themes

• Strength overcoming numbers: The fort’s large force of archers and guards cannot stop Chen Mu because of the gap between their cultivation and his combat ability.
• The value of preparation and hidden abilities: Chen Mu’s Iron Cloth Shirt turns a feared crossbow formation into almost no threat, allowing him to fight without restraint.
• Momentum in battle: Chen Mu’s speed, movement technique, and relentless pressure prevent Luo Dalong from recovering or escaping once his weapons and defenses begin to fail.
• Revenge and familial rage: Luo Tianxiao’s grief and fury over his son’s death propel the next confrontation, contrasting with Chen Mu’s cold, goal-oriented slaughter.
• Rapid personal advancement: The battle shows Chen Mu transitioning from surviving dangerous opponents to decisively killing high-level, body-refining experts.

Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya and Luo Tianxiao engage in a destructive duel, each using specialized combat techniques—barehanded body refinement versus saber mastery.
• Chen Mu and Luo Dalong clash repeatedly, with Chen Mu’s superior speed and saber sharpness gradually breaking through Luo Dalong’s physical defenses.
• Qin Tieya warns Chen Mu about the hidden arrow attack, but Chen Mu survives through his newly tested defensive technique.
• Luo Dalong calls for coordinated support from the archers and crossbowmen, yet their attacks fail to slow Chen Mu.
• After Chen Mu kills Luo Dalong, Luo Tianxiao immediately turns his fury toward Chen Mu and launches a powerful revenge attack.