Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Yang Xiao and Zhou Zheng arrive at the Guanlan River, where Demon Suppression Division forces have blockaded the water and are holding the enormous Flood Dragon Lord with nine rune-covered Demon-Subduing Chains.
• Zhou explains that the Flood Dragon Lord is a peak Aperture Opening Realm demon, while General Pei Xuance is a far stronger Mysterious Core Realm cultivator.
• The Flood Dragon Lord recognizes Yang Xiao’s scent, briefly fixing him with its gaze before confronting Pei. It argues that it protected the river from other Water Demons and accuses the Division of injustice for targeting it after it ate people.
• Pei rejects its claims: demons may exist, but they may not prey on humans. He declares that the Flood Dragon Lord will be killed for its crimes.
• The dragon threatens that the Little Dragon King—and potentially its powerful Flood Dragon clan—will retaliate. Pei refuses to yield, insisting that the Guanlan River belongs to the Demon Suppression Division.
• Facing execution, the Flood Dragon Lord erupts in a desperate struggle. The chains and nine deputy generals initially restrain it, but it unleashes its full strength and drags them beneath the water.

Character developments and interactions

• Pei Xuance is introduced as composed, contemptuous of the dragon’s self-importance, and unwavering in enforcing the law despite the threat of powerful outside forces.
• The Flood Dragon Lord shifts from angry self-justification to fear, then desperation. Its claim of protecting the river cannot excuse its eating people, but its warning exposes the political danger of killing it.
• Yang Xiao witnesses the power imbalance firsthand. The dragon notices him, hinting that their earlier connection may matter later.
• Zhou Zheng acts as Yang Xiao’s guide, explaining the fighters’ realms and the chains’ purpose.
• Pei’s nine deputies work together to restrain the dragon, but its strength overwhelms their formation, leaving the battle unresolved.

Significant themes

• Justice versus expediency: Pei prioritizes the victims of the dragon’s crimes over the danger of provoking its allies.
• Power and jurisdiction: The conflict tests whether the Demon Suppression Division can enforce its authority against the Dragon Race.
• Order sustained by force: The dragon claims it kept other demons in check, while Pei argues that protecting people cannot justify preying on them.
• Cliffhanger and escalation: The dragon’s escape attempt turns a controlled execution into an immediate crisis.

Key plot points and events

• The Flood Dragon Lord breaks free of the nine Deputy Generals’ formation and tries to flee down the Guanlan River.
• Pei Xuance, a Mysterious Core Realm general, intercepts it with a spear thrust that pierces its enormous body and pins it to the riverbed.
• The wounded demon detonates the rear half of its body to escape, but Pei Xuance hurls his spear after it and strikes it again. He orders the troops to search for its likely corpse.
• Zhou Zheng reports that Yang Xiao’s garrison captured Jiang Chen and killed a perfected Liquid Condensation Realm Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon, crediting Yang with the main achievement.
• Pei Xuance acknowledges Yang’s feat but orders Jiang Chen held until the Flood Dragon Demon’s remains are found, then returns to the main camp.
• Later, Yang Xiao places the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon’s Inner Core in his Equipment Slot. It promises a major restoration of Liquid Condensation and grants the blue trait Black-Erosion Demon Poison. Its power begins flowing through him, and his Apertures start to awaken.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao witnesses the immense gap between his own strength and Pei Xuance’s, deepening his ambition to reach the Mysterious Core Realm. He remains composed under Pei’s intimidating presence and then uses the demon’s core to advance himself.
• Pei Xuance demonstrates overwhelming power and command, decisively stopping the Flood Dragon Lord. He gives Yang measured recognition while keeping his attention on the larger threat.
• The Flood Dragon Lord shifts from confidence to desperation, sacrificing much of its body in a last attempt to escape.
• Zhou Zheng formally presents the garrison’s accomplishments and advocates for Yang Xiao, who understands Zhou’s cue and brings Jiang Chen forward.
• Jiang Chen, now captured and near death, does not resist and is taken away to await judgment.

Significant themes

• The contrast between elite power and aspiring strength: Pei Xuance’s effortless dominance inspires Yang Xiao’s ambition.
• Survival at any cost: the demon mutilates itself to escape, while the troops pursue it through dangerous terrain.
• Recognition, authority, and accountability: Yang receives credit for his achievement, but Jiang Chen’s fate remains tied to the investigation and the demon’s corpse.
• Power gained through risk and resources: Yang’s new core offers both a cultivation boost and a dangerous offensive trait.

Plot points and events

• Yang Xiao absorbs the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon’s Inner Core, rapidly filling his final three Apertures and reaching Perfected Liquid Condensation. His twelve Apertures now form a complete cycle, and he believes he can challenge stronger foes.
• The core grants him the Black-Erosion Demon Poison, which corrodes flesh, scales, and protective Demonic Qi. He tests it on a pebble and a rock, confirming that it can eat through solid material—especially when applied to his Demon-Slaying Crystal Edge or saber.
• During the night, Yang Xiao senses the wounded Flood Dragon Lord hiding beneath the river. He alerts a patrolling Captain to summon Deputy General Zhou and his men, then approaches the riverbank alone.
• Though the Dragon Lord is far above him in cultivation, Yang Xiao attacks its existing wound with poisoned Crystal Edges. The poison penetrates and begins rotting its flesh.
• Stung by the attack and enraged at being challenged by a weaker human, the Flood Dragon Lord surges out of the river and lunges at Yang Xiao.

Character developments

• Yang Xiao grows markedly stronger and gains a dangerous new weapon. His confidence rises, but he remains aware of the gap between his realm and the Dragon Lord’s, choosing to exploit the creature’s injuries rather than confront it directly.
• The Flood Dragon Lord is revealed to be badly damaged and near death, yet still proud and formidable. Its patience collapses when Yang Xiao’s poison causes genuine pain.

Significant themes

• Power gained through risk: The Demon Core provides a rapid breakthrough, but Yang Xiao must still reckon with enemies far stronger than himself.
• Ingenuity over brute strength: Yang Xiao uses the Dragon Lord’s existing wound and his poison’s corrosive effect to make his attacks count.
• Pride and provocation: The Dragon Lord’s wounded state does not diminish its arrogance; Yang Xiao’s attack turns that pride into immediate aggression.

Character interactions

• Yang Xiao quietly alerts a night-patrol Captain to summon reinforcements, but proceeds to confront the Dragon Lord before they arrive.
• Yang Xiao and the Dragon Lord exchange taunts: Yang Xiao insists he cannot rest until it dies, while the Dragon Lord mocks his low cultivation—until the poisoned attacks prove dangerous enough to provoke a direct counterattack.

Chapter Summary: “Allow You the Position of Deputy General—Dare You Take It?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The gravely wounded Flood Dragon Lord launches a final attack against Yang Xiao, using the last of its Demonic Qi.
• Yang Xiao attempts to restrain it with Water-Binding Entanglement, but the technique fails. The Flood Dragon Lord shatters his saber and impales his chest, nearly crushing his heart.
• Thanks to the Flesh Cloak’s healing ability, Yang Xiao survives and begins recovering while trapped beneath the dragon.
• He notices Pei Xuance’s spear embedded nearby and seizes it during the Flood Dragon Lord’s momentary lapse.
• Yang Xiao tears the spear from the dragon’s wound, worsening its injuries, then channels three powers through it: Demon-Slaying Crystal Edge, Demon-Subduing Soul-Calming, and Black-Erosion Demon Poison.
• He drives the empowered spear back into the Flood Dragon Lord, destroying its internal organs and killing it.
• Yang Xiao searches the corpse and retrieves the glowing Flood Dragon Core.
• Pei Xuance, Zhou Zheng, and several Deputy Generals arrive, expecting only to investigate traces of the demon. Instead, they find Yang Xiao standing over the corpse, covered in blood.
• After examining the battlefield and recognizing Yang Xiao’s achievement, Pei Xuance offers him the position of Deputy General.
• Yang Xiao accepts without hesitation. Pei Xuance also allows him to keep the Army-Breaking Spear and promises continued support if Yang Xiao establishes himself in Qingzhou.

Character Developments

• Yang Xiao: Demonstrates extraordinary resilience, combat instinct, and courage. Though only in the Perfected Liquid Condensation Realm, he kills a severely wounded opponent from the Perfected Aperture-Opening Realm. His willingness to seize an opportunity despite near-fatal injuries reveals confidence and determination. Accepting the promotion shows his ambition and refusal to waste a major opportunity.
• Pei Xuance: Reveals himself as perceptive and decisive. Rather than merely judging Yang Xiao’s cultivation, he recognizes his bravery and potential, rewarding him with a position normally requiring far greater cultivation, merit, and seniority.
• Flood Dragon Lord: Its arrogance turns to shock, pain, and despair when Yang Xiao survives its killing blow and counterattacks. Its death emphasizes the danger of underestimating a weaker-looking opponent.
• Zhou Zheng and the other Deputy Generals: Their astonishment highlights how astonishing Yang Xiao’s victory is, especially given the disparity between his cultivation and the Flood Dragon Lord’s realm.

Significant Themes

• Courage against overwhelming odds: Yang Xiao survives only because he continues fighting after suffering a nearly fatal injury.
• Resourcefulness and opportunism: His victory depends on recognizing the usefulness of Pei Xuance’s spear and exploiting the dragon’s moment of pain.
• Strength beyond cultivation level: The chapter emphasizes that battle awareness, special abilities, and resolve can overcome a major realm difference.
• Recognition and advancement: Yang Xiao’s achievement earns him rapid promotion, bypassing the years of merit and service normally required.
• Independence versus allegiance: Unlike promotions offered by powerful Lineages, Pei Xuance’s offer does not demand that Yang Xiao bind himself to a faction, preserving his independence.

Character Interactions

• The Flood Dragon Lord mocks Yang Xiao as a weak “Liquid Condensation Realm ant,” but Yang Xiao answers through action rather than words, turning the confrontation around.
• Pei Xuance silently observes Yang Xiao looting the corpse, allowing him to claim the Flood Dragon Core without interference.
• After assessing the corpse, the broken saber, and the spear, Pei Xuance directly challenges Yang Xiao with the question of whether he dares accept the Deputy General position.
• Yang Xiao’s single-word answer—“Dare”—establishes his confidence and ambition.
• Pei Xuance confirms the appointment, grants him the Army-Breaking Spear, and leaves instructions for the Flood Dragon’s corpse to be transported.

Key plot points

• After Pei Xuance departs, his deputy Lü Heng explains that the Army-Breaking Spear is the general’s personal weapon, used for decades to kill hundreds of demons. Its accumulated baleful intent can ravage wounds and hinder healing.
• Lü warns Yang Xiao that the spear’s power depends on the wielder’s courage: hesitation may cause its baleful intent to turn against him.
• Zhou Zheng explains that Pei’s gift and promise to reserve Yang a deputy-general position effectively mark him as Pei’s protégé. Yang will face scrutiny and political pressure, especially since he is only at the Liquid Condensation Realm.
• Once alone and healed, Yang examines the spear’s hidden traits and equips it.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao remains outwardly calm about his sudden promotion prospects and prestigious weapon, but privately shows excitement over the spear’s powerful traits. He accepts Lü’s warning seriously.
• Zhou Zheng is impressed, envious, and concerned for Yang. He recognizes the political weight of Pei’s gesture and tries to prepare Yang for the challenges ahead.
• Lü Heng shifts from caution to approval when Yang shows respect for the weapon and its responsibility.

Significant themes

• Power comes with obligations: The spear is both a formidable weapon and a symbol of allegiance.
• Courage and resolve: The Army-Breaking Spear rewards those who dare to strike, while punishing hesitation.
• Merit versus politics: Yang’s rapid rise brings influence, but also invites rivals’ attention and makes his position precarious.

Plot and events

• After killing the gravely wounded Flood Dragon Lord, Yang Xiao appears at the Stone Spring Township encampment carrying Pei Xuance’s nine-foot Army-Breaking Spear. Its presence signals Pei’s approval and quiets rumors that Yang merely got lucky.
• Fatty Sun and Yuantong discuss the danger Yang faced. Yuantong notices Yang’s wounds have nearly healed and concludes that surviving the demon’s desperate counterattack took more than luck.
• That afternoon, Qingzhou Demon Suppression Guards depart for Qingzhou, while local guards remain behind to deal with the river’s aftermath, hunt remaining Water Demons, establish new rules, and put Jiang Chen’s former followers on trial.
• On the road, Fatty Sun questions Yang’s background. Yang explains that he was a County Yamen Runner who took his late father’s place, then joined the Demon Suppression Division. He keeps the source of his unusual abilities secret.
• Yuantong asks what body-tempering method Yang practices, hoping to read and learn it from the division’s records.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao remains composed under scrutiny and modestly attributes his rise to talent. He is increasingly recognized as a formidable fighter, though his true means of advancement remain hidden.
• Fatty Sun moves from admiration to astonishment when he learns Yang came from an ordinary county post rather than a powerful family or sect.
• Yuantong respects Yang’s toughness and shows keen interest in his physical cultivation, explaining his own training at Diamond Temple.
• Yang’s relationship with both men is friendly and candid, but he maintains an important secret about his strength.

Significant themes

• Merit versus background: Yang’s humble origins challenge the assumption that exceptional ability must come from elite families or sects.
• Reputation and proof: The Army-Breaking Spear and testimony about Yang’s survival reshape others’ doubts into respect.
• Physical discipline and strength: Yuantong’s body-tempering philosophy emphasizes toughness and self-reliance, setting up a possible contrast or connection with Yang’s abilities.
• Hidden power: Yang’s unexplained progress creates curiosity while underscoring the gap between what others know and what he conceals.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao, Yuantong, and Fatty Sun discuss body-tempering techniques while returning to Qingzhou with the Demon Suppression Division.
• Yuantong praises Yang Xiao’s physical strength and suggests sparring with him. Fatty Sun interrupts, warning that body-tempering requires years of painstaking effort and can slow a martial artist’s realm advancement.
• Yang Xiao agrees with Fatty Sun in principle but privately knows that his own special abilities allow him to perfect techniques instantly through his entries. He decides to choose a new body-tempering method after returning to Qingzhou.
• News of the Battle of Guanlan River has already spread throughout Qingzhou. Teahouse storytellers exaggerate the battle, portraying Jiang Chen as a corrupt official allied with demons and Pei Xuance as the heroic general who suppressed the Flood Dragon Lord.
• Aristocratic families investigate the battle, hoping to learn which of their young members earned merit and whether General Pei noticed them.
• Hu Qingqing is working as a waitress at Fortune House because living expenses in Qingzhou are high and her brother Hu Kai’s Demon Suppression Division income is insufficient.
• Hearing that many Demon Suppression captains died at Guanlan River, Hu Qingqing briefly worries about Yang Xiao, though she refuses to acknowledge the feeling as concern. She reminds herself that they now belong to different worlds.
• The Demon Suppression Division’s victorious contingent finally enters Qingzhou. The soldiers are visibly fewer in number and still bear blood and river mud from the battle, drawing crowds throughout the city.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Xiao: Remains guarded about the true source of his physical strength. He recognizes the limitations of ordinary cultivation methods but intends to exploit his unique entry-based abilities to strengthen his body without sacrificing realm progression.
• Yuantong: Shows enthusiasm and openness toward Yang Xiao, finding a fellow practitioner interested in body cultivation. His usually talkative nature is subdued when Fatty Sun criticizes his slow realm advancement.
• Fatty Sun: Acts as a pragmatic senior figure, emphasizing that a high cultivation realm is more important for defeating demons than investing excessive time in body-tempering. His advice reflects conventional martial training.
• Hu Qingqing: Has become more self-reliant but is struggling financially and socially in Qingzhou. Her reaction to news of the battle reveals lingering, conflicted feelings toward Yang Xiao, despite her insistence that they are no longer connected.
• Hu Kai: Though absent from the main events, he is portrayed as talented and steadily approaching the Seventh Layer of Body Forging, giving Hu Qingqing hope for a better future.

3. Significant Themes

• The contrast between conventional cultivation and exceptional talent: Fatty Sun’s view of body-tempering represents ordinary martial practice, while Yang Xiao’s abilities allow him to bypass its usual limitations.
• Public perception versus reality: Stories about Guanlan River become increasingly exaggerated, showing how heroic deeds, casualties, and violence are reshaped by rumor and entertainment.
• Merit, status, and social advancement: The aristocratic families care less about the battle itself than about who gained recognition and how that recognition might improve their family’s influence.
• Emotional distance and unresolved attachment: Hu Qingqing tries to define herself as separate from Yang Xiao, but her involuntary concern suggests their relationship remains emotionally significant.
• The cost of victory: The returning soldiers are celebrated as heroes, yet their reduced numbers, bloodstained armor, and exhausted appearance emphasize the heavy losses behind the triumph.

4. Character Interactions

• Yuantong praises Yang Xiao and proposes that they exchange body-tempering techniques, creating a sense of shared identity between the two cultivators.
• Fatty Sun cuts off Yuantong and challenges the value of body-tempering, leading Yang Xiao to quietly acknowledge both the validity and limitations of his argument.
• Hu Qingqing overhears diners discussing the battle and Yang Xiao’s possible danger, triggering an internal emotional reaction rather than a direct interaction.
• The people of Qingzhou gather to observe the returning Demon Suppression Division, treating the soldiers as symbols of victory while speculating about their losses and achievements.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Xiao rides into Qingzhou City at the center of a procession, flanked by deputy generals and captains. His torn uniform and imposing nine-foot spear draw the crowd’s attention.
• Hu Qingqing recognizes him from Xiangyun County, where she once treated him as an insignificant subordinate. Seeing him honored while she works in an eatery leaves her bitter and unsettled; she turns back to her duties.
• Yang Xiao appears composed but is privately uncomfortable under so many people’s stares. Fatty Sun notices his tension and reassures him.
• Deputy General Zhou Zheng explains that General Pei arranged Yang Xiao’s prominent ride to make his achievements publicly known before his reward is formally awarded. Yang Xiao earned the campaign’s highest Merit by capturing Jiang Chen and killing the Flood Dragon Lord.
• The procession reaches the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division. Captains gather in the Merit Hall to have their deeds recorded and receive rewards or promotions.
• When Yang Xiao presents his Merit Booklet, the clerk recognizes his name, becomes unusually solemn, and hurries into the inner hall before processing it.

Character developments

• Yang Xiao has risen from a disregarded Yamen Runner to a celebrated captain, though he remains modest and uncomfortable with public attention. He learns that his leaders are deliberately establishing public recognition of his accomplishments.
• Hu Qingqing confronts the reversal of her former assumptions: the man she looked down on is now admired, while she is doing menial work. Her envy and regret are evident, though she keeps them to herself.
• Zhou Zheng acts as a considerate mentor, explaining the political purpose of Yang Xiao’s public recognition.
• Fatty Sun provides friendly, teasing support and helps Yang Xiao maintain his composure.

Significant themes

• Reversal of status and fortune: Yang Xiao’s rise contrasts sharply with Hu Qingqing’s diminished circumstances.
• Recognition and merit: Public reputation is shown to matter alongside actual achievement, especially when rewards are being decided.
• Humility beneath appearances: Yang Xiao looks formidable to the crowd but is inwardly anxious and self-conscious.
• The cost of advancement: Yang Xiao’s success has come through solitary effort, danger, and hard-won Merit.

Character interactions

• Onlookers admire and speculate about Yang Xiao, while Hu Qingqing silently compares his present standing with her own.
• Fatty Sun gently teases Yang Xiao about his tense posture; Zhou Zheng reassures him and explains General Pei’s plan.
• In the Merit Hall, captains compare their accomplishments and hopes for rewards. The clerk’s unexpected reaction to Yang Xiao’s name hints that his record or reward will receive special attention.

Chapter Summary: “Promoted to Deputy General!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao’s promotion is formally announced in the Merit Hall after his outstanding achievements at Guanlan River:
  • He killed the Perfected Liquid Condensation Realm Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon.
  • He helped capture the traitorous River Patrol Commissioner Jiang Chen.
  • He struck down the severely wounded Flood Dragon Lord.
• Clerks present Yang Xiao with the ceremonial symbols of his new rank: a Demon-Suppression Robe, black cloak, silver hair crown, and a Deputy General’s command tablet.
• General Pei Xuance’s recommendation results in Yang Xiao being appointed Deputy General of the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division.
• The announcement shocks the surrounding Captains because Yang Xiao has been in the Division for less than a month, making his rise exceptionally rapid.
• Yang Xiao is informed that he can command Demon Suppression Guards, receive Captain squads for missions, and act with greater authority during battles.
• His rewards include:
  • One Liquid Condensation Realm cultivation method of any grade.
  • An internal cultivation method for breaking through to the Aperture-Opening Realm.
• Recognizing that improved cultivation is more valuable than the symbols of office, Yang Xiao immediately goes to the Technique Pavilion to select his manuals.
• His new command tablet earns him noticeably greater respect from the Pavilion guards compared with his previous visit as a newly appointed Captain.
• Inside, Yang Xiao begins searching through the cultivation manuals and unexpectedly encounters Xu Qingshan, who greets him with delight but also shows hidden hesitation.

Character Developments

• Yang Xiao: His promotion confirms his extraordinary strength and potential. Although he remains outwardly calm, he feels genuine emotion at the formal recognition. He demonstrates practical priorities by valuing cultivation methods over clothing, status symbols, and authority.
• Fatty Sun: Expresses enthusiastic and personal support, proudly reminding Yang Xiao not to forget him after becoming successful.
• Yuantong and Zhou Zheng: Offer sincere congratulations, showing respect for Yang Xiao’s advancement. Zhou Zheng is especially struck by how quickly Yang Xiao achieved a position that took him much longer to obtain.
• Pei Xuance: Though absent from the scene, his recommendation is crucial in securing Yang Xiao’s promotion and confirms his trust in Yang Xiao’s abilities.
• Xu Qingshan: Reappears unexpectedly in the Technique Pavilion. His pleased reaction suggests genuine familiarity or friendship with Yang Xiao, while his concealed hesitation hints at a possible complication or unresolved matter.

Significant Themes

• Merit and recognition: Yang Xiao’s promotion is presented as the reward for exceptional battlefield accomplishments, though some observers question whether he truly earned the credit.
• Rapid advancement and envy: His unusually fast rise inspires admiration but also resentment, revealing the competitive and political nature of the Demon Suppression Division.
• Authority versus true strength: The command tablet and official garments symbolize power, but Yang Xiao understands that genuine strength comes from cultivation.
• Status changing social treatment: The Pavilion guards treat Yang Xiao with much greater courtesy once they see his new rank, emphasizing how institutional status affects people’s behavior.
• The burden of promotion: Some Captains imply that the Deputy General position will be difficult to hold, foreshadowing future challenges and opposition.

Character Interactions

• The Merit Hall staff publicly announce Yang Xiao’s achievements and appointment, establishing his new authority before the entire group.
• Captains congratulate him, though their reactions range from sincere admiration to reluctant conformity and jealousy.
• Fatty Sun celebrates Yang Xiao warmly and jokes about maintaining their connection.
• Yuantong and Zhou Zheng formally acknowledge him as “Deputy General Yang.”
• Yang Xiao respectfully thanks the counter attendant and asks about his martial-art rewards, demonstrating his focused and practical nature.
• The guards at the Technique Pavilion shift from indifference to deference after seeing his Deputy General’s command tablet.
• The chapter ends with Xu Qingshan recognizing Yang Xiao among the shelves, creating an opening for a significant conversation or conflict.

Key events

• Xu Qingshan visits Yang Xiao after hearing of his promotion to Deputy General. Though unsure whether Yang Xiao would still treat him as an equal, he congratulates him.
• Yang Xiao asks Xu to help choose a top-tier Body-Tempering Art for the Liquid Condensation Realm. Xu recommends the Vajra Hell-Prison Body, which strengthens the body by refining demons’ vital blood and Killing Intent, while Buddhist teachings suppress the danger of losing control.
• Yang Xiao accepts the art despite its risks. Its four stages progress from copper-like skin to an indestructible vajra body.
• Yang claims the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method as a reward for his top merit at the Guanlan River. It can open 108 auxiliary apertures, offering an especially strong foundation for the next realm.
• The steward then presents a personal gift from General Pei Xuance: the Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art, a technique Pei practiced in his youth and one that complements Yang’s Army-Breaking Spear.
• Yang thanks Xu, gathers the three manuals, and heads to the Deputy General Courtyard rather than his former quarters.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Qingshan’s hesitation reveals his awareness of the new gap in status between them, but his loyalty to Yang overcomes his concern that he might seem opportunistic.
• Yang reassures Xu through his familiar, respectful manner and by asking for his expertise, showing that his promotion has not erased their earlier partnership.
• Xu is impressed and sincerely pleased by Yang’s rewards and prospects. Yang, meanwhile, is grateful but begins to wonder why Pei Xuance is treating him with such favor.

Significant themes

• Loyalty beyond status: Yang and Xu preserve their mutual respect despite Yang’s rise in rank.
• Power and risk: The Vajra Hell-Prison Body offers exceptional physical strength but requires firm mental control to contain demonic Killing Intent.
• Merit and opportunity: Yang’s battlefield achievement brings advancement, rare cultivation resources, and recognition from powerful figures.
• Building a foundation: The three manuals—body cultivation, realm advancement, and spear technique—represent Yang’s preparation for a major step forward.

Chapter 71 Summary: Demon-Suppressing Prison! Breaking Through to the Aperture-Opening Realm!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao moves into his new residence after being promoted to Deputy General of the Demon Suppression Division. The courtyard is larger and better equipped than his former quarters, with a training ground, weapon racks, a cultivation room, an armory, and living quarters.
• He examines the rewards obtained from his recent battle:

Vajra Hell-Prison Body

Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method

Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art

• The Aperture-Opening Realm demon core taken from the Flood Dragon Lord.
• His Equipment Slots reveal that the demon core and spear art cannot yet be used because his realm is insufficient. The Army-Breaking Spear remains equipped but still requires more time or a stronger demon kill to become permanent.
• Yang Xiao equips the Vajra Hell-Prison Body, which dramatically strengthens his flesh, bones, organs, and overall physical durability.
• The method grants him the purple trait Demon-Suppressing Prison, allowing him to refine the essence of slain demons into his body and gradually increase his physical strength. He recognizes its potentially limitless growth.
• His newly strengthened body is so powerful that he accidentally damages the stone floor and table merely by moving and sitting down.
• Testing his durability, Yang Xiao strikes his own arm with a saber. Ordinary attacks cannot even leave a mark; only the Army-Breaking power creates a shallow cut.
• Confident in his greatly enhanced defense, Yang Xiao believes he could now fight the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon through physical strength alone.
• He then equips the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method, beginning the crucial process of breaking through to the Aperture-Opening Realm.

Character Development

• Yang Xiao becomes increasingly aware of the enormous power and potential of his body-tempering abilities.
• His physical defense advances to the point where peak Liquid Condensation Realm attacks would barely affect him.
• He displays greater confidence but remains cautious, recognizing that he must control his new strength before accidentally destroying his surroundings.
• His ambition grows as he realizes that Demon-Suppressing Prison may allow him to become stronger continuously by hunting demons.
• He prepares to take the next major step in cultivation by attempting to open the hidden apertures within his body.

Significant Themes

• Continuous transcendence: Martial cultivation is portrayed as repeatedly breaking through physical and spiritual limits.
• Strength through battle: Killing demons is not merely a duty; it directly fuels Yang Xiao’s future growth through Demon-Suppressing Prison.
• Potential and accumulation: The new trait may have no obvious limit, suggesting that long-term effort and countless battles can produce extraordinary power.
• Control accompanying power: Yang Xiao must learn to regulate his immense strength so that it does not damage his environment or become difficult to manage.
• Transformation of the mortal body: The chapter emphasizes the body’s evolution from ordinary flesh into something capable of challenging supernatural beings.

Character Interactions

• There are no major direct character-to-character interactions in this chapter.
• The Demon Suppression Division supports Yang Xiao indirectly by providing him with a private Deputy General’s courtyard, new equipment, uniforms, and healing medicines.
• Yang Xiao’s main “interaction” is with his cultivation techniques and equipment system, testing their effects and assessing how they will shape his future strength.

Chapter Summary: “Fourth Equipment Slot, Function Analysis!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao completes the connection of all twelve groups of apertures, linking 108 apertures through the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method. This marks his official breakthrough into the Aperture-Penetration Realm and places him at the perfected level of the Demon Suppression Division’s High-Grade method.
• His breakthrough occurs in only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, something that would normally require decades of cultivation.
• The fourth Equipment Slot unlocks, revealing a new function: Analysis. It can analyze cultivation methods and incomplete martial arts, using the results to perfect or complete them.
• Yang Xiao places the Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art into the slot. The system determines that the technique is already complete, perfects his proficiency, and grants the blue trait Mountain Suppression, which makes his spear force heavy, steady, and difficult to resist.
• The spear art contains five forms: Mountain Suppression, Army-Breaker, Dragon-Pinning, Mountain-Shattering, and Sun-Piercing. Yang Xiao immediately gains decades’ worth of mastery and tests the technique with the Army-Breaking Spear.
• While practicing, Yang Xiao discovers that the spear art uses eighteen additional apertures in his arms—apertures not included among the 108 opened by his current cultivation method.
• He then analyzes the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method. The system confirms that 108 apertures are only the limit of that particular method, not the human body’s true limit.
• The system reveals two possible ways to expand the method:
  1. Combine it with cultivation methods of equal or higher grade to complete a larger aperture diagram.
  2. Use the complete body of an Aperture-Penetration Realm demon to reverse-engineer hidden apertures.
• The analysis stops because Yang Xiao lacks the necessary materials, but he realizes that opening more apertures could grant him even greater strength.

Character Development

• Yang Xiao advances rapidly from perfected Liquid Condensation to perfected Aperture-Penetration, demonstrating the overwhelming advantages of the Equipment Slot system.
• He gains instant mastery of the Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art, including its techniques, force transmission, and combat applications.
• His understanding of cultivation deepens. He begins questioning the Demon Suppression Division’s definition of “perfection” and recognizes that established cultivation classifications may represent only the limits of specific methods.
• Yang Xiao becomes more cautious about concealing his abilities. He jokes that he must present himself as a genius with extraordinary comprehension rather than reveal the true nature of his system.

Significant Themes

• Limits of conventional cultivation: The chapter challenges the belief that 108 apertures represent the body’s absolute limit.
• Rapid advancement versus traditional effort: Yang Xiao’s instant mastery contrasts sharply with the decades of practice normally required.
• Hidden potential and discovery: The newly revealed apertures suggest that the human body contains far greater untapped power.
• Secrecy and self-preservation: Yang Xiao understands that exposing his abilities could make powerful cultivators dissect or study him.
• Systematic optimization: The Analysis function introduces a new way to combine, complete, and reverse-engineer cultivation methods.

Character Interactions

• Yang Xiao’s primary interactions are with the Equipment Slot system, which provides prompts, analysis, and cultivation insights.
• He interacts indirectly with Pei Xuance through the latter’s worn Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art and handwritten inscription, which reflects Pei’s battlefield experience and martial ferocity.
• Yang Xiao also mentally compares his progress with ordinary martial artists and the standards of the Demon Suppression Division, highlighting the gap between conventional cultivation and his extraordinary abilities.

Plot points and events

• Yang Xiao concludes that the best way to develop beyond his current aperture-opening method is to study the body of an Aperture-Penetration demon. He intends to push his technique past its existing limit of 108 apertures and discover the body’s maximum potential.
• He consumes the Flood Dragon Lord’s demon core. It does not bring a new breakthrough, but greatly strengthens and consolidates the spiritual power in his 126 apertures and grants him the flood-dragon-bone savage-body trait, including an affinity for water.
• The next morning, Deputy General Zhou Zheng takes Yang Xiao to the Demon Suppression Division’s central grounds and shows him the monuments honoring the Demon-Slaying Battalion’s achievements.
• Zhou explains that the battalion is made up of selected deputy generals who hunt Aperture-Penetration Realm demons. Members rise through their battle records, and every Demon Suppression General in Qingzhou—including the formidable Pei Xuance—earned status through the battalion.
• Zhou warns that Pei Xuance’s offer to make Yang Xiao his deputy was only a verbal promise: Yang must prove himself among other ambitious deputy generals. Yang chooses to join the Demon-Slaying Battalion and earn his position through combat.
• Zhou then tells him that he will soon receive assignments, but first must meet the hundred-strong unit of captains he will command in his ordinary deputy-general duties.

Character development and interactions

• Yang Xiao grows stronger and more composed after refining the demon core. His ambition now extends beyond increasing his power: he wants to prove his standing through his own achievements.
• Zhou Zheng acts as a mentor, showing Yang the battalion’s history and explaining the political and practical demands of the deputy-general role. He recognizes Yang’s intelligence and anticipates his choice.
• Yang listens to Zhou’s explanation, correctly identifies the two paths open to him, and decisively chooses the more demanding one.

Significant themes

• Power through perseverance: Yang seeks to surpass established limits rather than accept them.
• Merit and legitimacy: Rank and promised positions are not enough; Yang must earn respect through demonstrated achievements.
• The cost of leadership: A deputy general needs both strength and a capable team to handle dangerous assignments.
• Legacy and ambition: The battle monuments link Yang’s future prospects to the achievements of earlier Demon-Slaying Battalion members.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Xiao arrives alone at the Martial Arts Arena, where more than a hundred Captains are gathered. His calm, commanding posture draws their attention.
• Veteran Captain Zhao Kui challenges him, questioning why someone so young should lead experienced officers. Old Saber, an unruly and powerful veteran, openly insults Yang Xiao.
• Yang Xiao reveals his Deputy General token, but Zhao Kui and several others still refuse to accept his authority, demanding proof of his experience, merit, or strength.
• Yang Xiao declares that none of them can defeat him and invites a challenge. Old Saber attacks first, but Yang Xiao stops his saber between two fingers and knocks him unconscious with a single kick.
• Zhao Kui, unwilling to back down, orders a group of Captains to attack. Yang Xiao answers with a powerful wave of spiritual energy; the outcome remains unresolved as the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao is introduced as composed and self-assured. Rather than argue or justify his appointment, he establishes authority through overwhelming ability.
• Zhao Kui resents being outranked by a young newcomer and tries to undermine him publicly. After seeing Old Saber defeated, he recognizes Yang Xiao’s strength but escalates the confrontation rather than retreat.
• Old Saber is shown as arrogant, defiant, and accustomed to resisting orders. His swift defeat exposes the gap between his formidable reputation and Yang Xiao’s power.
• Lu Mingchuan, a well-informed young Captain, watches silently, evaluating Yang Xiao and whether the squad is worth joining.
• Xu Qingshan grows anxious as the confrontation unfolds.
• Yang Xiao’s silence and calm contrast with the veterans’ taunts, turning their challenge into a public test of command.

Significant themes

• Authority versus seniority: Yang Xiao’s formal rank is not enough to earn respect from veterans who believe years of service should determine command.
• Power as proof: In this martial setting, leadership is ultimately validated through strength.
• Defiance and resistance: The Captains’ challenge reveals the difficulty of imposing order on a group used to acting independently.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Xiao demonstrates his strength by knocking Zhao Kui and several captains into a courtyard wall, revealing that he has reached the Aperture-Penetration Realm.
• He establishes three rules for his unit: obey orders, distribute credit according to contribution, and punish disobedience in battle under Demon Suppression Division law. The captains accept his authority, though Zhao Kui does so reluctantly.
• Yang Xiao tells Deputy General Zhou Zheng that the unruly captains are already under control. Zhou warns him that missions may involve hostile martial-world factions as well as demons, and that Yang Xiao’s rapid promotion leaves him inexperienced.
• The unit receives its first assignment: travel to Cloud Fir Commandery and investigate Golden Buddha Temple, which is suspected of spreading disease and exploiting frightened villagers through promises of religious cures. The team must determine whether demons or temple members are responsible, and bring back physical evidence to claim merit.
• The mission’s difficulty unsettles several captains, especially Zhao Kui, because the temple is influential and its abbot is near the Aperture-Opening Realm. Old Saber eagerly volunteers, convinced the monks are corrupt. Yang Xiao orders everyone to assemble in half an hour with their equipment.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao establishes himself as a decisive, powerful leader. He replaces resistance with discipline and quickly turns the group toward its first mission.
• Zhao Kui shifts from openly opposing Yang Xiao to grudgingly accepting his command, though he remains anxious about the dangerous assignment.
• Old Saber avoids confronting Yang Xiao after their clash, then shows enthusiasm for the mission and hostility toward the temple.
• Lu Mingchuan is the first to openly support Yang Xiao and later watches him thoughtfully.
• Zhou Zheng acts as a cautious mentor, briefing Yang Xiao on the political risks of dealing with martial-world factions as well as demons.

Significant themes

• Authority and discipline: Yang Xiao asserts leadership through strength and clear rules, but his command also rests on accountability and merit.
• Power and responsibility: His rapid rise gives him influence while leaving him with limited experience, making Zhou’s warning important.
• Faith, exploitation, and deception: The temple’s charitable religious image may conceal either demonic activity or human abuse, and the investigation must separate rumor from evidence.
• Uneasy unity: The captains fall into line, but their varied reactions suggest that trust and cooperation remain untested.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao leads more than a hundred Demon Suppression Division Captains from Qingzhou City toward Golden Buddha Temple in Cloud Fir Commandery.
• Along the way, they hear widespread stories of the temple’s miraculous powers, including granting wealth, curing illness, and bringing protection to worshippers.
• Zhao Kui explains that the temple became famous ten years earlier when a wandering monk supposedly caused a gigantic Golden Buddha statue to appear overnight on the mountainside.
• Golden Buddha Temple has since accumulated enormous wealth, attracted hundreds of monks, and grown into a powerful second-rate organization. Its abbot is rumored to be a Half-Step Aperture-Penetration expert.
• Yang Xiao observes that the local people have become fanatically devoted to the temple, often neglecting doctors in favor of prayer and treating the Golden Buddha as a living deity.
• Suspecting that the temple resembles a cult rather than a legitimate Buddhist institution, Yang Xiao brings his force to the mountain but orders the main contingent to camp below to avoid alarming the worshippers.
• Yang Xiao, Zhao Kui, Old Saber, Lu Mingchuan, and several Captains proceed into the temple.
• At the entrance, Yang Xiao notices that the Golden Buddha’s glow appears unnatural, as though projected onto the statue.
• A gray-robed monk approaches them. When Yang Xiao identifies the group as the Demon Suppression Division and demands to meet the abbot, the monk briefly shows alarm before agreeing to notify him.

Character Developments

• Yang Xiao demonstrates authority, discipline, and tactical caution. Rather than storming the temple with his entire force, he limits the group entering the mountain to avoid provoking the worshippers.
• His skepticism deepens as he witnesses the people’s irrational faith and notices strange qualities surrounding the Golden Buddha.
• Zhao Kui serves as the group’s local source of information, explaining the temple’s history and influence while showing concern about its power.
• Lu Mingchuan displays practical judgment by warning Yang Xiao that bringing all the Demon Suppression Guards into the temple could create chaos.
• The gray-robed monk appears outwardly polite and welcoming but reacts nervously when confronted by official investigators, suggesting the temple may be hiding something.

Significant Themes

• Religious faith versus manipulation: The villagers’ belief in the Golden Buddha has become extreme, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
• Cult-like devotion and social control: Worshippers abandon reason, medicine, and worldly judgment in favor of the temple’s promises.
• Appearance versus reality: The temple presents itself as holy and miraculous, yet the unnatural Buddha statue and suspicious atmosphere imply deception or supernatural danger.
• Authority confronting superstition: Yang Xiao and the Demon Suppression Division represent investigation and law confronting a powerful institution protected by popular belief.
• The danger of miracles: Stories of effortless wealth and healing attract followers, but their very perfection makes Yang Xiao suspect fraud or a hidden force.

Character Interactions

• Yang Xiao questions Zhao Kui about the temple, relying on him for local knowledge.
• Zhao Kui recounts the temple’s miraculous origins and growing influence, reinforcing Yang Xiao’s doubts.
• Lu Mingchuan advises Yang Xiao to avoid sending the entire force into the crowded temple grounds.
• Yang Xiao orders the main company to camp while selecting Zhao Kui, Old Saber, Lu Mingchuan, and a few Captains to accompany him.
• At the temple gates, Yang Xiao confronts the gray-robed monk, who offers blessings but becomes visibly unsettled when Yang Xiao announces the Demon Suppression Division’s official business.

Plot points

• Deputy General Yang Xiao arrives at Golden Buddha Temple with several Captains. Abbot Huiming, initially wary of the Demon Suppression Division, welcomes them after Yang says he has come to offer incense and observe the temple’s work.
• Huiming guides the party through a crowded, orderly prayer hall, where worshippers praise him and credit the Golden Buddha with healing them and protecting their families.
• Yang asks to witness the Buddha’s healing power. Huiming takes him to the Back Mountain, where monks chant as golden light spreads over seriously ill patients.
• The patients appear to recover, prompting the crowd to worship the Buddha. Yang and his Captains, however, notice troubling signs: Buddha-light is being drawn from the worshippers, the patients seem to have lost some vital essence, and the scene carries a faint smell of decay and an eerie chill.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao stays courteous and conceals his suspicions, but watches closely and recognizes that the apparent miracles may come at a hidden cost. He calls the display miraculous while privately remaining alert.
• Huiming presents himself as a compassionate, humble abbot who attributes the healings to the Buddha. His initial wariness gives way to satisfaction when Yang appears impressed, though the cause and nature of the miracles remain unclear.
• The Captains share Yang’s unease, silently exchanging glances rather than raising an alarm before the worshippers.
• The worshippers respond with intense gratitude and reverence, treating Huiming as a “living Buddha” and the Golden Buddha as their savior.

Significant themes

• Faith and appearances: The temple seems peaceful and benevolent, but the healing ceremony suggests something sinister beneath its sacred image.
• Miracles and hidden costs: The patients improve outwardly, yet the apparent transfer of their vital essence raises the possibility that healing is extracting something from them.
• Public devotion and concealed danger: Worshippers’ sincere gratitude contrasts with Yang’s and the Captains’ growing suspicion.

Key plot points and events

• The Demon-Suppressing Division officers discuss their suspicions that Golden Buddha Temple’s healing drains patients’ vitality rather than truly curing them. They worry that the temple’s popularity and influence make an unsupported investigation risky.
• The abbot sends a monk with lavish gifts and a polite warning for the officers to remain in their rooms. The offer is clearly meant to buy their silence and restrict their movements.
• Yang Xiao accepts the gifts, prompting his companions to think he has been compromised. Once the monk leaves, he explains that the temple’s wealth will be confiscated anyway and that accepting it was only a temporary measure.
• The officers rally behind him, but Yang Xiao decides to investigate alone to avoid attracting attention. Zhao Kui agrees to wait in the guest room and come to his aid if necessary.
• At night, Yang Xiao discovers that the temple’s quiet, devout daytime image gives way to guarded corridors staffed by alert, cultivator monks. He follows them to a courtyard with a partly open stone door, but someone detects his presence.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiao shows himself to be composed, pragmatic, and willing to use unexpected tactics; his calm acceptance of the bribe conceals his intention to proceed with the investigation.
• Zhao Kui initially distrusts Yang Xiao’s decision, then admits he misjudged him and offers support. He remains concerned about the danger posed by Abbot Huiming and the temple’s numbers.
• Old Saber reacts angrily to the apparent compromise, but quickly approves once Yang Xiao reveals his plan.
• Lu Mingchuan is puzzled by Yang Xiao’s move, then recognizes it as clever and becomes more interested in him.
• The monk’s deferential politeness masks Golden Buddha Temple’s attempt to intimidate and purchase the Division’s cooperation.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The temple’s public image of compassion contrasts with suspicions of harmful healing and its secret nighttime operations.
• Corruption and authority: The bribe tests the Demon-Suppressing Division’s integrity, while Yang Xiao reframes it as seized evidence or spoils rather than payment for silence.
• Trust and leadership: Yang Xiao’s companions judge him by his apparent actions, then revise their views when they learn his intentions.
• Secrecy and danger: The temple’s transformation after dark suggests hidden practices, and Yang Xiao’s discovery ends with his cover at risk.

Chapter Summary: “Night Reconnaissance at the Golden Buddha”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Xiao encounters three gray-robed monks while secretly investigating Golden Buddha Temple.
• Using the Thousand Faces technique, he disguises himself as Abbot Huiming, adopting the abbot’s appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
• The monks recognize him without suspicion and escort him through the temple and into the secluded Back Mountain.
• At the summit, Yang Xiao discovers a hidden entrance beneath the enormous golden Buddha statue.
• Inside, he finds a horrifying underground chamber: blood channels cover the floor, corpses are drained of their blood essence through needles and copper tubes, and monks use the gathered blood for cultivation.
• The supposedly sacred golden radiance of the Buddha is revealed to be only candlelight projected outward, concealing the temple’s demonic practices.
• Yang Xiao locates and steals a ledger documenting the identities and origins of the victims, most of whom were devoted worshippers.
• Rather than attack immediately and risk being overwhelmed, he maintains his disguise and returns safely to the guest room.
• He presents the ledger to Zhao Kui, Old Saber, Lu Mingchuan, and the other members of the Demon Suppression Division.
• Outraged by the evidence, Old Saber nearly attacks the temple at once, but Yang Xiao stops him and proposes exposing the truth publicly.
• Yang Xiao orders the Demon-Suppressing Captains to surround the mountain overnight, preventing anyone from escaping.
• The Demon Suppression Guards mobilize in silence and establish a complete cordon around Golden Buddha Temple.
• Yang Xiao declares that they will storm the mountain the following day and destroy the temple.

Character Developments

• Yang Xiao demonstrates remarkable control, tactical intelligence, and courage. He suppresses his anger upon witnessing the atrocities and prioritizes gathering evidence and securing the temple before acting.
• His mastery of Thousand Faces allows him not only to imitate Huiming’s appearance but also his voice and authority, enabling him to move through the temple undetected.
• Old Saber is shown to be fiercely moral and emotionally driven. His immediate desire to kill the perpetrators reflects his anger at the abuse of innocent worshippers, though he must learn to restrain himself for the larger mission.
• Zhao Kui responds pragmatically to the evidence, recognizing that the investigation has uncovered something far worse than expected.
• Lu Mingchuan acts as a moderating presence by stopping Old Saber and insisting that they first listen to Yang Xiao’s plan.
• The monks inside the temple appear obedient and deeply complicit, unquestioningly accepting Yang Xiao’s false identity and participating in the blood-based cultivation ritual.

Significant Themes

• False holiness and corruption: The golden Buddha and temple’s public image of sanctity conceal murder and demonic cultivation.
• Deception as a weapon: Yang Xiao uses disguise and authority to infiltrate an organization that would otherwise be too dangerous to confront directly.
• Justice versus revenge: Old Saber wants immediate slaughter, while Yang Xiao chooses a strategic response that will expose the temple and protect the public.
• Exploitation of faith: The victims are devoted worshippers who have unknowingly supported the temple, emphasizing how religious trust can be manipulated.
• Evidence and public truth: The ledger is more than proof of wrongdoing; Yang Xiao intends to reveal the temple’s crimes to the very people who revere it.
• Hidden evil beneath appearances: The temple’s warm radiance, incense, and religious symbolism mask a grotesque underground operation.

Character Interactions

• The gray-robed monks treat Yang Xiao as Abbot Huiming, allowing him access to the temple’s secret chamber.
• Yang Xiao gives the monks orders while disguised as the abbot, instructing them to conceal his visit and avoid alerting the front courtyards.
• After returning, Yang Xiao shares the ledger with Zhao Kui and the others, transforming their suspicions into confirmed evidence.
• Old Saber reacts violently to the ledger, but Lu Mingchuan restrains him and redirects the group toward Yang Xiao’s strategy.
• Yang Xiao commands the Demon Suppression Division to seal the mountain, and the Captains immediately obey, setting the stage for the temple’s destruction.

Key plot points and events

• Golden Buddha Temple’s usual stream of worshippers never arrives. The guest-receiving monk learns that the Demon Suppression Guards have sealed the mountain, blocking both visitors and monks.
• At the foot of the mountain, Lu Mingchuan holds the line against angry and desperate worshippers. He insists the closure is meant to protect them and hints that their faith in the temple is misplaced.
• Abbot Huiming summons Deputy General Yang Xiao, expecting that Yang—who had accepted a gift—would cooperate. Yang instead accuses the temple’s Golden Buddha of being false and costing people their lives.
• Huiming tries to intimidate Yang by warning that the public will turn against the Demon Suppression Division if it attacks the temple without proof. Yang suggests no one will be able to spread the news.
• Three guardian monks attack Yang. He defeats them within moments, severely injuring all three.
• Huiming flees toward the Golden Buddha. Yang orders the Captains to arrest every monk and kill anyone who resists, then sets off to pursue Huiming.

Character developments

• Yang Xiao reveals that he is not deterred by Huiming’s threats or the temple’s public reputation. His decisive violence and orders show he intends to dismantle the temple completely.
• Huiming shifts from calm confidence to suspicion, anger, and desperation as he realizes Yang knows the temple’s secret and has surrounded it.
• Lu Mingchuan maintains firm control over the crowd while showing concern for the worshippers’ safety.
• The worshippers are shown as deeply dependent on the temple, turning to pleading and anger when denied access.

Significant themes

• Faith and deception: The temple’s sacred image may conceal a deadly fraud, and the worshippers’ devotion leaves them vulnerable.
• Power and public reputation: Huiming uses the temple’s popularity to threaten the authorities, while Yang prioritizes action over public approval.
• Protection through force: The Demon Suppression Division’s blockade is presented as harsh but potentially lifesaving.
• Corruption and betrayal: Huiming’s expectation that Yang’s gift would secure his cooperation proves mistaken.

Character interactions

• Huiming’s monks report the blockade and later act as his enforcers.
• Lu Mingchuan confronts the worshippers, refusing entry while trying to explain the danger.
• Huiming and Yang exchange polite but threatening words before Yang’s accusation exposes their conflict.
• The guardian monks attack Yang on Huiming’s behalf; Yang defeats them, prompting Huiming to flee.