Chapter Summaries

Chu Bai killed a Tiger Demon, recovered in hiding, then ambushed and claimed the Killing Intent from another Great Demon while Chen Wangming's squad fought a rival group. Chen Wangming and the others turned on Chu Bai in fury after he stole their prize.

• Chu Bai killed the middle-stage Qi Refining Tiger Demon and absorbed its Killing Intent, then retreated to a cave to recover.
• Chen Wangming led a seventeen-person squad that confronted four students over a wounded Great Demon and demanded they join him.
• The swordsman challenged Chen Wangming's promises to share the rewards, and the two groups erupted into battle.
• Neither side dared finish off the Great Demon, which fled toward Chu Bai's hiding place.
• Chu Bai burst from the cave and killed the beast, absorbing its Killing Intent as both groups stopped fighting and stared at him.
• Chen Wangming shouted Chu Bai's name in humiliation and rage.

Chu Bai escaped Chen Wangming’s ambush and led his pursuers across the summit, enduring their attacks and eliminating one of them. When Ji Li joined the fight to claim Killing Intent for himself, Chu Bai realized the two were competing for the Spirit Realm’s limited supply and turned back to attack the scattered pursuers.

• Chen Wangming and more than a dozen cultivators attacked Chu Bai after he took the Killing Intent, but Chu Bai dodged their spells and fled while the four sword-bearing students escaped in the confusion.
• Chen Wangming’s group chased Chu Bai across the summit as new cultivators arrived and battles broke out around them.
• Chen Wangming and his allies struck Chu Bai with a combined Ice-Fire Chain Explosion, but Killing Intent protected him from most of the damage, and Chu Bai eliminated a wood cultivator with a Spirit Water Needle.
• Ji Li fought an elite team, noticed Chu Bai leading his pursuers, and unleashed his Flying Sword against them, eliminating one cultivator and scattering the rest.
• Chu Bai recognized that Ji Li was gathering Killing Intent to gain an advantage in their eventual showdown, summoned armor with his Metal-Bearing Seal, and charged back at the pursuers.

Chu Bai and Ji Li slaughtered their way through a coalition of students and prepared to fight over the last survivor, but Judge Li’s announcement ended the second round before their duel began. The top ten had already been decided as the Spirit Realm shattered.

• Chen Wangming called for the two groups to unite, but Chu Bai pinned the rescuers with the Origin-Bearing Cauldron and eliminated him with the Formless Cloud Hand.
• Chu Bai’s Killing Intent transformed as he eliminated three more attackers in rapid succession.
• Ji Li used the Sky-Stepping Secret Art to cut off the groups and Magnetic Force to seize two of Chu Bai’s targets, then fought the coalition with his Flying Sword and shield.
• Chu Bai and Ji Li raced to eliminate the remaining students, growing stronger as the force of more than twenty dwindled to one survivor.
• Lü Qing, Wang Qingli, and Wu Jianfei wondered whether Chu Bai had been eliminated, then sensed the fierce battle between him and Ji Li.
• Chu Bai stopped Ji Li from killing the final survivor, and the two prepared to fight when Judge Li rang the bell and declared the second round over; the Spirit Realm shattered.

After the Spirit Realm trial left only ten contestants, Chu Bai and the other survivors secured Immortal Clerk positions, and Judge Li bestowed White Ordination on them. The contestants prepared for the Arena round, where seven matches would determine their final rankings, with Chu Bai and Ji Li expected to meet in the final.

• Chu Bai and nine other contestants returned from the Spirit Realm, confirming their places as Immortal Clerks and drawing cheers from the crowd.
• Instructor Lei, Zhou Changkong, and Ji Yu celebrated Chu Bai’s unprecedented achievement as a first-year student.
• Judge Li praised the contestants and used the Official Seal to bestow White Ordination, letting them perceive the Law Net and loosening Chu Bai’s cultivation restrictions.
• Judge Li and Vice Head Lu He announced that the Arena round would begin in half an hour and use a seven-match double-elimination format to determine the rankings.
• Chu Bai and Ji Li exchanged a wordless challenge, then sat down to regulate their breathing before the matches began.

After receiving White Ordination, Ji Li broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer just before the third round, giving him a major advantage over the other candidates. Chu Bai stayed calm and practiced with his artifacts, focusing on perfecting the Origin Guard Shield as he prepared to face Ji Li.

• A surviving candidate watched Chu Bai test the Metal-Bearing Seal and noticed Ji Li’s unusual stillness.
• Ji Li broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer after White Ordination lifted the cultivation restriction, and Judge Li ruled that the breakthrough was within the rules.
• Ji Li admitted that Chu Bai had become a serious threat and concealed none of his new mid-stage pressure as the other candidates reacted.
• Lü Qing and Wang Qingli worried that Ji Li’s breakthrough had widened the gap between him and Chu Bai.
• Chu Bai tested how the artifacts worked together and decided to use the time before the third round to perfect the Origin Guard Shield.
• Chu Bai resolved that he could fight Ji Li even against the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Chu Bai perfected the Origin Guard Shield under pressure, then won his first three Arena battles as Ji Li also swept his opponents. The chapter left Chu Bai and Ji Li facing each other as the final showdown began.

• Chu Bai mastered the Origin Guard Shield at the Perfected Level, gaining a pale-gold shield that absorbed some of an opponent's spiritual power.
• The third round began, and Chu Bai defeated Wang Qingli while Ji Li beat Jiang Yingqiao with his Magnetic Force.
• Chu Bai defeated Wu Jianfei, and Ji Li defeated Lü Qing, advancing through the second bout.
• Chu Bai and Ji Li swept their remaining opponents and reached the final showdown, facing each other across opposing Arenas.

Chu Bai and Ji Li unleashed their strongest attacks in a fierce duel, with Ji Li revealing a devastating magnetic technique. Chu Bai pierced Ji Li with Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker, leaving Ji Li down and the arena silent as the outcome was decided.

• Chu Bai and Ji Li traded magical artifacts and Spell Arts, matching each other despite Ji Li's greater cultivation and spiritual energy.
• Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei watched the escalating battle and realized how far the two combatants surpassed them.
• Ji Li baited Chu Bai with a deliberate opening, and Chu Bai charged in after recognizing the trap.
• Ji Li unleashed Magnetic Origin: Twin Poles Heavenfall, destroying Chu Bai's cloud-hand attacks and tearing at his body.
• Chu Bai pressed through the magnetic storm and fired Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker at close range, piercing Ji Li's chest and knocking him down.

Chu Bai won the Immortal Official Examination after defeating Ji Li, then claimed his champion’s rewards and learned that the successful candidates could study the Dao Academy’s Keep One Scripture. As Judge Li summoned the ten newly appointed Immortal Clerks to receive their ordination, they prepared to enter Great Zhou’s officialdom.

• Chu Bai survived Ji Li’s Two Poles Skyfall and won the final, earning the crowd’s acclaim as the examination champion.
• Judge Li formally announced Chu Bai’s victory, and the Dao Academy awarded him a magical artifact, one hundred Spirit Stones, and access to the Keep One Scripture for the new Immortal Clerks.
• Chu Bai chose the Fire Element Ring, while the other candidates selected their rewards; Ji Li remained absent as Healer Cultivators treated him.
• Wang Qingli, Lü Qing, Instructor Lei, and Zhou Changkong congratulated Chu Bai, who thanked his teachers for their guidance.
• Ji Li woke, saw Chu Bai celebrated, and struggled with the first defeat of his life.
• Judge Li called the ten successful candidates to follow him and receive their ordination as Immortal Clerks.

Judge Li explained the privileges and career choices available to the ten new Immortal Clerks, and Chu Bai decided to investigate Great Zhou’s departments before choosing a post. After telling his roommates he had passed the Immortal Official Examination and graduated early, he spent the night reflecting on their diverging futures and planned to make inquiries the next day.

• Judge Li explained that Immortal Clerks could choose posts across the Celestial Court’s departments and offered the Merit Office or a Dao Academy stewardship as possible paths.
• Lü Qing considered joining the Merit Office, while Wang Qingli leaned toward staying at the academy as a steward.
• Chu Bai weighed those options against his Fate Destiny, [Seal and Ribbon Mutual Generation, Forge Fate Through Merit and Fault], and decided to learn more about the departments before choosing.
• Chu Bai returned to his dormitory, treated his injuries with the Spring-Rejuvenation Seal, and resumed cultivating before his roommates came back.
• Chu Bai told Jiang Kuo, Zhou Tong, and Chen Shi that he had passed the Immortal Official Examination and graduated early; they were stunned and congratulated him.
• Chu Bai and his roommates talked about their hopes for the future, and Chu Bai resolved to ask about the departments the next day.

Chu Bai graduated from the Great Wall Prefecture Dao Academy after taking first place in the Immortal Official Examination and weighed offers from officials across the prefecture. He chose to return to Anping County and join its Demon-Suppression Office, where he could fight demons, earn merit, and repay Zhang Cheng’s past kindness.

• Zhou Changkong stamped Chu Bai’s graduation document, making him an Immortal Clerk of Great Zhou awaiting an appointment.
• News of Chu Bai’s first-place result spread through the Dao Academy, leaving Li Han regretful about the rift between them.
• Recruiters offered Chu Bai posts across Great Wall Prefecture, but he declined them because their duties did not suit his ambitions.
• Zhang Cheng invited Chu Bai to return to Anping County as a Patrol Banner Commander in the newly merged Demon-Suppression Office, and Chu Bai asked for two days to decide.
• At the appointment meeting, Lü Qing and two others joined the Merit Office, Ji Li postponed taking a post, and Wang Qingli and another student stayed at the Dao Academy.
• Chu Bai chose to return to Anping County and serve in the Demon-Suppression Office.

Chu Bai returned to Anping County with Zhang Cheng and Hu Hao after leaving the Dao Academy, and awakened his Divine Sense while studying the Keep One Scripture aboard the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle. The group arrived in Anping, where Zhang Cheng told the new recruits to visit their families before reporting to the Demon-Suppression Office in three days.

• Chu Bai visited the teachers who had guided him at the Dao Academy, then confirmed to Zhang Cheng that he would serve at the Anping County Demon-Suppression Office.
• Chu Bai met Hu Hao, a fellow Anping native and newly appointed constable, and the three set out aboard Zhang Cheng's Cloud-Piercing Shuttle.
• Zhang Cheng warned Chu Bai and Hu Hao that fishing boats had been disappearing near the Three-Bath River, where a Great Demon was rumored to be stirring.
• Chu Bai comprehended the Keep One Scripture during the flight, awakened Divine Sense, and used it to perceive the spiritual power of Hu Hao and Zhang Cheng and inspect his Five-Element Spiritual Power.
• The shuttle reached Anping County, and Zhang Cheng gave Chu Bai and Hu Hao three days to visit their families before reporting to the office for their badges and uniforms.

Chu Bai visited Daoist Zhang and told him he had earned a White Ordination and would join Anping County’s Demon-Suppression Office. After learning about the county’s factions and receiving warnings against accepting gifts, Chu Bai set off for his village to spend three days with his family and study the Keep One Scripture before taking up his post.

• Chu Bai visited Daoist Zhang, who was startled to learn that Chu Bai had passed the Immortal Official Examination, received a White Ordination, and advanced to Qi Refining Third Layer in one year.
• Chu Bai explained that he had chosen the Demon-Suppression Office to gain experience and repay Zhang Cheng for supporting him during the county examination.
• Daoist Zhang described the rival factions in Anping County and warned Chu Bai to avoid their struggles and never accept money, gifts, or favors.
• Chu Bai left the Zhang Residence and used his Fire Element Ring with Firestep Dash to travel rapidly toward his village.
• Chu Bai planned to spend three days with his family and study the Keep One Scripture to strengthen his divine sense before starting his post.

Chu Bai returned to Chu Family Village, reunited with his family, and clarified that he would soon take an appointment at the Anping County Demon-Suppression Office. After setting limits on his uncle’s use of his name, he cultivated his Divine Soul and resolved to advance to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

• Chu Bai arrived home and delighted his parents and siblings with stories and gifts from the Prefectural City.
• The clan elder visited Chu Bai with gifts and explained that Chu Huaiyuan had been using Chu Bai’s Dao Academy achievement to promote his cloth business.
• Chu Bai forgave Chu Huaiyuan’s past behavior but ordered him to stop using Chu Bai’s name, explaining that he would soon join the Anping County Demon-Suppression Office.
• Chu Bai practiced the "Scripture of Guarding the One" until the strain forced him to stop, and estimated that minor mastery would take two or three months.
• Chu Bai resolved to temper his Divine Soul daily and gather spiritual energy to reach the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Chu Bai traveled to Anping County and was appointed an independent Patrol Banner Commander in the newly merged Demon-Suppression Office. After collecting his supplies, he learned about the office’s factions and resolved to fulfill his duties without getting caught up in their struggles.

• Chu Bai used the Fire Element Ring to race toward town and sensed a concealed animal trap with his improved spiritual perception.
• Zhang Cheng appointed Chu Bai a Subordinate Ninth Rank Patrol Banner Commander, while Hu Hao was assigned to the Third Squad.
• Chu Bai discovered that his official waist token could communicate with colleagues and detect demonic baleful intent through the county’s law net.
• Clerk Liu accepted a bribe from Hu Hao for standard equipment while testing Chu Bai, who watched without intervening.
• Chu Bai explained Clerk Liu’s factional motives to Hu Hao and advised him to focus on cultivation and avoid office politics.

Chu Bai investigated a supposedly minor fox-demon case in Liu Family Village and found signs that the reports and repair claims from Wang Sanshui’s squad had been fabricated. He followed the trace of Demon-Luring Incense toward a ruined Mountain God temple to uncover who was behind the disturbance.

• Chu Bai intimidated the archives clerk Wang De into helping him review unresolved cases and found suspicious expense claims in the Liu Family Village fox-demon file signed by Wang Sanshui.
• Chu Bai took the case and traveled alone to Liu Family Village in ordinary clothes, preparing basic supplies along the way.
• At the village, Chu Bai found a sham exorcism talisman and heard an elderly villager describe the Demon-Suppression Office officers’ supposed injuries.
• Chu Bai examined the torn chicken coop and found no demonic aura, concluding that people had likely staged the fox-demon attacks.
• Chu Bai detected the scent of poor-quality Demon-Luring Incense and followed it toward a dilapidated Mountain God temple.

Chu Bai uncovered Wang Sanshui’s staged fox-demon hunt, but the Demon-Luring Incense attracted a genuine Bloodthirsty Black Wolf to the temple. As the black wolf attacked the squad, Chu Bai intervened and stopped Wang Sanshui from fleeing, leaving him sprawled before the fight continued.

• Chu Bai used Divine Sense to discover that Wang Sanshui’s men had staged a fox-demon scare with a caged Earth Fox and Demon-Luring Incense.
• Wang Sanshui arrived with the Third Squad and rehearsed their plan to fake a battle, damage their armor, and claim public funds.
• The Demon-Luring Incense drew a Bloodthirsty Black Wolf, which burst into the temple and killed or crippled the two men tending the fox.
• Chu Bai struck the black wolf and placed himself between it and the squad, then condemned Wang Sanshui for fleeing and abandoning a comrade.
• Wang Sanshui tried to escape through a rear window, but Chu Bai’s Spirit Water Needle pierced his ankle and sent him crashing to the ground.

Chu Bai defeated the Bloodthirsty Black Wolf and exposed Deputy Captain Wang Sanshui for faking demon attacks and profiting from them, then delivered him and the evidence to Zhang Cheng. Chu Bai realized his Fate Destiny would only reward Merit after Wang Sanshui was formally convicted and punished, leaving the case in Zhang Cheng’s hands for the next day.

• The Bloodthirsty Black Wolf attacked the temple, but Chu Bai used his Divine Sense and Spell Arts to evade its assaults and kill it with Geng Metal Armor-Piercing.
• Chu Bai confronted Wang Sanshui with the Demon-Luring Incense and ordinary Earth Fox, accusing him of fabricating attacks and causing his comrades’ deaths.
• Chu Bai arrested Wang Sanshui and the surviving squad members surrendered rather than resist.
• Chu Bai brought Wang Sanshui and the black wolf’s corpse to Zhang Cheng, who recognized the case as an opportunity to restore order in the Demon-Suppression Office.
• Zhang Cheng praised Chu Bai and said he would handle the interrogation and charges the next day.
• Chu Bai concluded that his Fate Destiny would grant Merit only after Wang Sanshui was formally convicted and punished.

Chu Bai attended the public hearing where Zhang Cheng tried Wang Sanshui for corruption, fabricated reports, and causing the deaths of his comrades. After Wang Sanshui was executed, Chu Bai earned Merit that strengthened his Fate Destiny effects and sharpened his abilities.

• Chu Bai cultivated overnight in the Demon-Suppression Office’s Quiet Chamber and resolved to reach the Qi Refining Fourth Layer as soon as possible.
• Zhang Cheng summoned the office’s personnel and presented evidence accusing Wang Sanshui of fraud, embezzlement, and negligence that led to two guards’ deaths.
• Surviving guards testified against Wang Sanshui, who confessed when confronted with their accounts and the evidence.
• Zhang Cheng challenged Deputy Director Li, who disowned Wang Sanshui and called for strict punishment rather than risk being implicated.
• Zhang Cheng stripped Wang Sanshui of his post, crippled his cultivation, and ordered his execution.
• Wang Sanshui’s punishment earned Chu Bai Merit, amplifying his Fate Destiny effects and restoring his Divine Soul’s clarity.

After earning Grade-B Merit for exposing Wang Sanshui, Chu Bai gained Hu Hao’s loyalty and spent three months cultivating while the Demon-Suppression Office’s factions kept their distance. He advanced his Divine Sense to a five-zhang radius and was nearing the Qi Refining Fourth Layer when Captain Pang Song came to visit late at night.

• Zhang Cheng awarded Chu Bai one hundred taels of silver and Grade-B Merit for solving the case and slaying the Bloodthirsty Black Wolf.
• Hu Hao returned Clerk Liu’s bribe money and pledged to stand with Chu Bai and help him in the Demon-Suppression Office.
• Over the next three months, Chu Bai searched the records room and cultivated while the office’s factions avoided provoking or recruiting him.
• Chu Bai raised the Keep One Scripture to proficient and expanded his Divine Sense to five zhang, while his Qi Refining Third Layer progress reached 97/100.
• Pang Song arrived at Chu Bai’s Quiet Chamber, and Chu Bai opened the door for the Third Squad captain.

Pang Song asked Chu Bai to investigate the Second Squad’s mishandling of illicit worship around the Three-Bath River, where fishermen’s unusual catches were linked to an unknown wild god. Chu Bai accepted the leads but reserved judgment until he verified the evidence, while Pang Song planned to move against the wild god in five days.

• Pang Song visited Chu Bai and described strange, abundant fish catches in villages along the Three-Bath River.
• Pang Song said the fishermen worshipped an unknown wild god and accused the Second Squad of extorting them before closing its inquiry without finding wrongdoing.
• Pang Song asked Chu Bai to investigate the Second Squad, offering a Jade Slip of leads and promising that the Third Squad would draw attention by dealing with the wild god.
• Chu Bai asked about the Water Office’s involvement and agreed to verify the evidence before using his authority against the Second Squad.
• Pang Song said the Third Squad would prepare to act in about five days, and Chu Bai put away the Jade Slip before returning to cultivation.