Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Er arrives outside Three Harmonies County ahead of schedule on his Dragonblood Horse, but the assigned Inspection Lineage intelligence agent is initially missing. While waiting, he notices that the normally crowded trade road is unusually quiet.
• The agent eventually arrives and reports that masked highway bandits have repeatedly attacked small caravans, stealing martial resources, destroying other goods, and spreading fear. The bandits’ leaders are believed to be at primordial unity cultivation, but their identities and hideout remain unknown.
• To protect themselves, small caravans have joined into two enormous convoys and hired eight martial artists to hold off the bandits. Zhao Er learns that the attack is expected at a crossroads about fifteen li away.
• When the convoys assemble, the hired fighters intercept the bandits’ apparent leaders while other bandits rush into the caravans and begin looting. Guards join the fray.
• Watching from a hillside, Zhao Er uses the Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art to inspect the fighters. He detects that most of the supposed major combatants are far weaker than their performance suggests, and their exchanges lack real force. He suspects the battle is staged as a scheme to extract money. He readies his horse and twin halberds, but the chapter ends before he intervenes.

Character developments

• Zhao Er is cautious and observant. Rather than rushing into the fight, he studies the situation and spots signs of deception that others miss. His concern also reflects the potential danger to the Zhao Family’s trade route.
• The intelligence agent proves knowledgeable and well-connected locally, explaining the bandits’ pattern and the caravans’ response, though he cannot see through the apparent fight.
• Senior Zhang and the hired group present themselves as capable protectors, but Zhao Er’s assessment casts doubt on the sincerity and strength of their performance.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: The battle looks dangerous, but Zhao Er suspects it is staged.
• Fear and economic pressure: The attacks disrupt commerce and force small traders to spend heavily on protection.
• Vigilance and judgment: Zhao Er relies on careful observation rather than accepting appearances or reports at face value.
• Trade’s wider consequences: A local threat could disrupt a major route and harm families and businesses far beyond the immediate victims.

Character interactions

• Zhao Er questions the intelligence agent closely, using his answers to understand the bandits’ motives and the caravans’ strategy.
• The hired fighters discuss their paid assignment casually, suggesting they expect an easy job.
• When the bandits appear, Senior Zhang and the others rush to intercept them, while Zhao Er remains at a distance. The agent asks why he does not act; Zhao Er replies that something seems wrong and shares his observations.

Plot points and events

• Zhao Er recognizes that the apparent battle between bandits and hired guards is staged. The roadblock and thefts are real, but the guards are profiting from the resulting demand for protection, and the operation may also be intended to draw him out.
• He charges into the fight on his Dragonblood Horse. The horse’s impact kills several weaker fighters, while Zhao Er’s twin halberds cut down the masked Primordial Unity leader. He then kills the fleeing masked bandits with poisoned Ice Needles.
• Zhao Er confronts the surviving guards and demands that one of their three Primordial Unity leaders identify the mastermind. One gives in before Zhao Er finishes counting, and Zhao Er sends him back to face a later investigation.
• When the Settlement Panel fails to appear, Zhao Er suspects the larger event—and its danger—is not over. He senses a powerful watcher nearby and immediately rides toward the Martial Academy.
• As he crosses a hill, Zhao Er detects an incoming attack and strikes first with his twin halberds. His blow collides with red Sword Qi, but the attacker’s force blasts him and his horse into a hillside.
• Recognizing the attacker as at least as strong as Commander Xiang Zhou, Zhao Er prepares to fight again. Wu Yao arrives and uses the Overlord Blade; Zhao Er joins him in attacking the red-clad swordsman. The chapter ends as their combined strikes converge.

Character developments

• Zhao Er shows sharp perception, tactical judgment, and ruthlessness. He quickly identifies the staged elements, eliminates the bandits, pressures the guards for information, and prioritizes escape when he senses danger.
• The Dragonblood Horse proves exceptionally fast and powerful, carrying Zhao Er into battle and helping him flee, though it is also caught in the attacker’s counterblow.
• One of the hired leaders breaks under pressure and agrees to talk; the others remain intimidated.
• Wu Yao appears at a critical moment, bringing the familiar, formidable force of his Overlord Blade.

Significant themes

• Greed and corruption: The guards exploit the disorder for protection fees, prestige, and stolen goods.
• Perception and deception: Zhao Er sees through a convincing sham because his cultivation lets him read details others miss.
• Power and intimidation: His swift violence ends the staged battle and forces a confession, but it also draws the attention of a far stronger opponent.
• Escalating danger: The apparent bandit problem is only part of a larger trap, and the chapter shifts from cleanup to a high-stakes confrontation.

Character interactions

• Zhao Er faces down the surviving guards and extracts a promise of cooperation through a countdown and threat of force.
• He dismisses the intelligence operative who catches up, trusting his own alarm and choosing immediate escape.
• When the red swordsman attacks, Zhao Er and Wu Yao coordinate their powers, combining halberd strikes with the Overlord Blade to meet the threat.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yao and Zhao Er combine attacks against a powerful red-clad swordsman. Wu Yao’s saber strikes keep the enemy on the defensive, while Zhao Er withdraws to look for a safer way to help.
• Zhao Er recognizes that the swordsman is stronger than Wu Yao in a sustained fight, but notices that the man’s reckless, full-power attacks leave him vulnerable. Zhao Er plans to exploit the wounds he has seen.
• When the swordsman commits to a head-on clash with Wu Yao, Zhao Er flings toxin-laced, dark-gold powder into him from a distance. Some powder enters the swordsman’s wounds, and his body visibly spasms.
• Despite clear signs of severe poisoning, the swordsman continues fighting at full strength. Zhao Er realizes something is terribly wrong and warns Wu Yao to retreat.
• Zhao Er escapes on the Dragonblood Horse. A massive explosion follows, and he sees Wu Yao hurled away by the shock wave. Before Zhao Er can get clear, a woman’s voice speaks beside him, leaving him frozen with dread.

Character developments

• Zhao Er shows tactical judgment: he knows he cannot match the swordsman directly, studies the fight, and uses a carefully timed ranged attack. When his plan fails to stop the enemy, he prioritizes escape and warns Wu Yao.
• Wu Yao demonstrates relentless aggression and skill with his Tyrant Blade, repeatedly pressuring a stronger opponent. His commitment to the fight ultimately leaves him exposed to the devastating blast.
• The red swordsman appears unnaturally determined and resilient. Even while visibly convulsing and apparently suffering the toxins’ effects, he retains his ability to fight at full strength.
• The Dragonblood Horse responds quickly to Zhao Er’s urgency and carries him clear of the explosion.
• The unseen woman enters as a new, ominous presence, addressing Zhao Er just as he attempts to flee.

Significant themes

• Strategy versus raw strength: Zhao Er cannot win through force, so he relies on observation, timing, and toxins.
• The limits of familiar tactics: His most reliable weapon—the tranquilizing venom—affects the swordsman visibly but does not stop him, revealing that the enemy defies ordinary expectations.
• Danger and uncertainty: The fight escalates from a desperate duel into a catastrophic explosion, and the woman’s sudden appearance suggests Zhao Er has not escaped the threat.
• Teamwork under pressure: Zhao Er supports Wu Yao from the sidelines, while Wu Yao’s attacks create the opening Zhao Er needs.

Character interactions

• Zhao Er and Wu Yao coordinate indirectly: Wu Yao holds the swordsman’s attention, enabling Zhao Er’s toxin attack; Zhao Er later warns Wu Yao to retreat.
• The swordsman repeatedly meets Wu Yao’s saber strikes with Sword Qi, turning the duel into an increasingly dangerous clash.
• Zhao Er relies on the Dragonblood Horse to escape, but the woman’s voice reaches him before he can get away.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Er and Wu Yao are attacked by Number Five, who is being controlled by the Gu Cult. After Zhao Er’s technique disrupts the control, Number Five detonates himself, injuring Wu Yao.
• A woman in red—identified as the Gu Cult leader, or at least a body under their control—confronts Zhao Er with a swarm of red insects. Zhao Er’s Dragonblood Horse refuses to advance, and Zhao Er prepares to defend himself.
• Lu Zhi, Zhao Er’s teacher and the Martial Academy’s backup, arrives. His Frost True Astral Force freezes the insects and the surrounding area, allowing him to face the Gu Cult threat.
• After the fight, Wu Yao explains that the Gu Cult uses insects to control martial artists and that controlled fighters can perform a devastating self-detonation technique.
• Lu Zhi returns carrying the red-dressed woman alive and shows Zhao Er a golden gu insect trapped in ice. He clarifies that the insect—not the woman—possessed True Astral Realm strength. The woman will be taken back for interrogation.

Character developments

• Zhao Er shows quick judgment and courage: he acts decisively against the insect, protects himself, and earlier warns Wu Yao. Seeing Lu Zhi’s power deepens his understanding of the martial world.
• Wu Yao is badly shaken and injured by Number Five’s explosion, but remains composed. He acknowledges that he helped Zhao Er only because of the Academy mission and does not seek gratitude.
• Lu Zhi is revealed as a formidable True Astral Realm fighter whose control over ice can overwhelm a vast swarm. His arrival fulfills his promise to keep Zhao Er safe.
• The Gu Cult leader remains elusive: the apparent attacker is not their true body, but a powerful gu insect controlling another person.

Significant themes

• The vast scale of martial power: Zhao Er witnesses how higher-level fighters can reshape their surroundings through mastery of heaven-and-earth energy.
• Trust, duty, and debt: Zhao Er openly credits Wu Yao for helping him, while Wu Yao frames his actions as fulfilling a mission rather than earning personal gratitude.
• Hidden threats and deceptive appearances: The woman’s apparent strength comes from the gu insect controlling her, while the Gu Cult leader’s true identity remains unknown.
• Growth through danger: The encounter gives Zhao Er practical insight into combat, martial ranks, and the risks posed by the Gu Cult.

Character interactions

• Zhao Er and Wu Yao exchange mutual acknowledgments: Zhao Er thanks him for the rescue, while Wu Yao declines to make it a personal debt.
• Wu Yao explains the Gu Cult’s methods and Number Five’s explosive technique, satisfying Zhao Er’s questions.
• Lu Zhi reassures Zhao Er by ending the immediate threat, then identifies the captured woman and insect, turning the encounter into an opportunity for interrogation.

After helping defeat the Gu Cult’s True Astral Realm Gu Worm, Zhao Er returned to the Martial Academy and strengthened his toxin control through a martial art fusion. He arrived at the Steward Rankings competition, where Wu Xing revealed that the academy’s veteran ranks included many powerful retained fighters.

• Lu Zhi explained how Gu Worms controlled martial artists and how wood-element hallucinogenic toxins could counter them, then left Zhao Er and Wu Yao to return to the academy.
• Zhao Er rode back to the Martial Academy, reflected on his mission rewards and upcoming Steward Rankings, and returned to the mine without telling anyone about the battle.
• Zhao Er cultivated for several days and fused the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art with the Myriad Poisons Tempering Body Art, gaining much greater control over toxins within five meters.
• Zhao Er received a letter from Zhao Da and arranged for the family’s hundred-forged fine iron to be transported without meeting his brother.
• At the Steward Rankings competition, Zhao Er saw the academy’s many disciples, and Wu Xing told him that numerous veteran students and former stewards—including True Astral Realm fighters—remained in the prefecture.

Plot and events

• Zhao Er reflects on the Martial Academy’s hidden strength and realizes its ranks must contain many powerful martial artists. He knows little of its inner workings because he has spent most of his time at the mines.
• Wu Xing asks whom Zhao Er plans to challenge in the steward ranking competition. Zhao Er assumes he can watch the stewards fight first, but Wu Xing explains that the event is structured differently: mission records and merit already establish most stewards’ reputations, so challenges between them are rare.
• Zhao Er reveals he has earned more than 150,000 merit in two months, confirming his exceptional record and qualifying him to challenge for a steward’s position. Wu Xing stresses that a steward’s role carries serious responsibility, not just prestige.
• The competition begins with student and Martial Guard bouts. Zhao Er watches without recognizing anyone from his county, since they lack the cultivation and merit needed to compete.
• Wu Xing introduces the three stewards at great accomplishment of Primordial Unity: Yuan Mi, whose lightning-infused hammer counters body-protection techniques; Wei Xian, whose ice-imbued Spirit Silkworm Sleeve is especially dangerous against heavy weapons and defensive styles; and Guan Rui, a spear specialist whose style may suit Zhao Er better.
• The fights conclude, but Zhao Er has not competed. Since the Criminal Law Lineage withheld him from the Martial Guard bouts, the spectators expect him to challenge a steward. The chapter ends as he is about to take the stage, with everyone wondering whom he will choose.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Er shows his usual confidence and pragmatism, but also reveals how little he knows about the Academy’s customs. His extraordinary merit and rapid rise make him a credible threat to established stewards.
• Wu Xing reflects on Zhao Er’s astonishing progress—from an unimpressive Bone Tempering recruit to a potential steward in roughly half a year—and grows uneasy at the thought of Zhao Er eventually matching or surpassing him. He advises Zhao Er while candidly assessing the difficult matchups.
• The three Primordial Unity stewards acknowledge Zhao Er with friendly nods, suggesting they recognize him as a likely challenger.
• The disciples and spectators regard the stewards with reverence but are eager to see Zhao Er test their reputation. His rise has made him a symbol of possibility for newer recruits.

Significant themes

• Merit as proof of ability: The Academy uses difficult missions and earned merit to judge strength and readiness for responsibility.
• Power and responsibility: Becoming a steward means protecting and leading others; inadequate strength can endanger disciples.
• Rapid advancement and disruption: Zhao Er’s unexpected growth threatens the existing balance and may push established stewards to pursue breakthroughs.
• Reputation versus direct testing: Though the stewards’ abilities are widely known, the rare challenge from an outsider promises to put their standing to the test.

Zhao Er challenged Steward Yuan Mi and defeated him with a single strike, demonstrating overwhelming strength before the Martial Academy disciples. The chapter also revealed that Wu Yao had ordered the martial hall’s destruction to secure his position with the Martial Academy and prepare for an approaching conflict.

• Wu Yao told Qiao Yi that he had ordered the martial hall’s destruction and protected Zhao Er to prove his loyalty to the Martial Academy, while planning to rise to the Capital Martial Academy.
• Zhao Er chose to challenge Yuan Mi, intending to discourage any newly advanced Meridian Opening Realm Steward from trying to reclaim the position.
• Zhao Er entered the Martial Arena with his Twin Halberds and announced his challenge to Yuan Mi as disciples cheered.
• Zhao Er attacked with Rift-Splitting, and Yuan Mi countered with Golden Mace Crushes the Crown.
• Their weapons clashed once, and Zhao Er knocked Yuan Mi’s hammer away and forced him to his knee while holding back enough not to kill him.

Zhao Er defeated Yuan Mi and became the Martial Academy’s Eighth Steward, while Wu Xing won the tournament’s final match to rise to Fifth Steward. After Tan Shuo returned to congratulate Zhao Er on his breakthrough, a disciple from the Headmaster’s branch requested an audience with Zhao Er.

• Wei Xian, Guan Rui, Li Qi, Wu Xing, and the other stewards saw Zhao Er’s dense energy blades and realized how formidable he had become.
• Zhao Er defeated Yuan Mi in one move, accepted the steward’s robe from Attendant Zhang, and received the disciples’ greetings as the new Eighth Steward.
• Wu Xing narrowly defeated the Fifth Steward in the tournament’s final match and took his rank.
• Wu Xing left to recover, and Zhao Er returned to his courtyard, where Tan Shuo arrived after breaking through to the Primordial Unity Realm.
• Zhao Er told Tan Shuo that he had become a steward, and a disciple announced that someone from the Headmaster’s branch wanted to see him.

Zhao Er chose Bamboo Court as his residence and selected Wen Yu to serve as his personal attendant. Wen Yu left the Horse-Waiting Pavilion, began handling gifts and household affairs, and met Zhao Er as the chapter ended.

• Zhao Er chose a courtyard near the Criminal Law Lineage and selected Wen Yu from the list of prospective maidservants, asking the academy to find out whether he would agree.
• At the Outer City's Horse-Waiting Pavilion, Wen Yu heard that Zhao Er had become a steward and hesitated when a senior brother urged him to take an off-campus mission.
• A Martial Guard told Wen Yu that Zhao Er had chosen him as his personal attendant, and Wen Yu accepted and rode to Bamboo Court.
• At Bamboo Court, Wen Yu helped Qingmei register the gifts arriving for Zhao Er, then listened as she explained his duties and cautioned him to remember his place.
• Qingmei led Wen Yu to the Cultivation Chamber, where he greeted Zhao Er and presented the day's gift register.

Zhao Er received his Steward's token and delegated the management of his courtyard before Headmaster Zhuang Yu urgently summoned him to deliberations. There, the Stewards learned that the Gu Cult had controlled Hua Man, the Medicine King Valley's foremost chief disciple, and that the Myriad Scenery Prefecture Martial Academy was facing a devastating rebellion.

• Zhao Er accepted his Steward's token, put Wen Yu in charge of his courtyard, and ordered him to summon Ning Jin from the South Mountain Mining District.
• Wen Yu rushed back with an urgent summons, and Zhao Er went to the deliberation hall to meet Headmaster Zhuang Yu and the Ten Great Stewards.
• At Zhuang Yu's request, Wu Yao recounted how Zhao Er helped defeat Number Five and how Lu Zhi captured a woman controlled by a Gu Cult gu worm.
• Zhuang Yu revealed that the captured woman was Hua Man, the Medicine King Valley's foremost chief disciple, who had been in the Meridian Opening Realm before she was controlled.
• Zhuang Yu announced that the Myriad Scenery Prefecture Martial Academy had requested aid after many of its disciples and Attendants rebelled and inflicted devastating casualties.

The Martial Academy decided to send four stewards and selected attendants to Myriad Scenery Prefecture amid suspicions that the unrest there was connected to the Gu Cult and a scheme involving the Clear Source Sect. Zhao Er volunteered to join the mission, and after Academy Head Zhuang Yu approved him, he requested supplies to prepare for the journey.

• Pang Kai warned the stewards that the trouble in Myriad Scenery Prefecture might be a ploy to draw Ningjin Prefecture's forces away, given the Gu Cult puppet found during Zhao Er's earlier mission.
• Academy Head Zhuang Yu announced that four stewards would accompany selected attendants, and Li Qi, Xiang Zheng, and Tong Yu volunteered for their lineages.
• Zhao Er volunteered for the Criminal Law Lineage, arguing that his poison could counter groups of enemies and Gu Cult puppets; Zhuang Yu approved him despite Wu Xing's protests.
• Zhuang Yu ordered the mission participants to gather at the Martial Arena in an hour, while the other stewards left to prepare.
• Zhao Er stayed behind and asked Zhuang Yu for twenty fist-sized pieces of metal-element spirit ore and several portions of variant beast essence blood, preferably from Meridian Opening Realm beasts.

Zhao Er and Li Qi led a group of martial artists into Myriad Scenery Prefecture to investigate the Gu Cult’s influence and support the city. They found the seat eerily quiet, then reached the Inner City, where fighting was already underway and Li Qi released a mist to expose gu worm puppets.

• Zhao Er rode with Li Qi toward Myriad Scenery Prefecture, and she warned him about the Gu Cult and explained Medicine King Valley’s unusual body-refining combat methods.
• Li Qi told the group their first task was to clear turmoil from the prefectural seat, then revealed a tiny treefolk spirit whose mist would lure gu worms and expose their puppets.
• The group crossed into Myriad Scenery Prefecture without encountering enemies and found the seat silent, though residents appeared to be hiding inside their homes.
• Li Qi led the martial artists through the Outer City toward the City Lord’s Residence, and they heard explosions and saw fire in the Inner City.
• After the group entered the Inner City, Li Qi shouted that the seat had not fallen completely and released the treefolk’s mist as martial artists approached.

Zhao Er prepared to leave for Myriad Scenery Prefecture, securing spirit ore and variant beast essence blood and assigning Ning Jin to manage the Third Squad. He joined the Martial Academy’s expedition and departed with Li Qi riding behind him on his Dragonblood Horse.

• Zhao Er obtained twenty pieces of spirit ore and five bottles of Meridian Opening Realm variant beast essence blood from the Martial Academy.
• Zhao Er told Ning Jin to manage the Third Squad and promised to recommend him for a captain’s position if he worked well.
• Zhao Er left the Bamboo Court without eating the spirit fish soup, telling Wen Yu to share it with Brother Wu.
• Zhao Er arrived at the Martial Arena and saw the other expedition members and four enormous flying variant beasts.
• Li Qi explained the flying beasts’ drawbacks, then asked Zhao Er to let her ride his Dragonblood Horse.
• Li Qi ordered the expedition to depart, mounted behind Zhao Er, and asked him not to go too fast.

Zhao Er avoided the main battle and hunted rebel patrols along the Inner City's walls to build Settlement Panel rewards while keeping his strength available. After discovering gu worms inside some Primordial Unity martial artists, he found a courtyard where the gu worm puppets were being made.

• Zhao Er left Li Qi's group and chose to hunt Primordial Unity Realm martial artists on the Inner City's outskirts before attempting a breakthrough.
• Li Qi's group encountered gu worm puppets near the City Lord's Residence, and Li Qi ordered her companions to kill them outright.
• Zhao Er killed two five-man patrols, then caught and crushed a gu worm that had burst from one patrol leader's dantian.
• Zhao Er slaughtered several more patrols and absorbed a faint vitality-devouring toxin from the gu worms.
• Zhao Er spotted a courtyard filled with powerful martial artists, watched from a restaurant roof, and realized the gu worm puppets were being made there.