Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong discovered that the Filthy Blood Divine Skill’s core had taken the form of bloodlight in his Luminous Consciousness Sea, and that the Garbha Sutra’s celestial bodies could suppress it. He spent New Year’s Eve with Xiao Yu’s household, while Xu Dongyang uncovered a dried head linked to the Filthy Blood Divine Skill and buried it again.

• Duan Rong entered his Luminous Consciousness Sea, found the Filthy Blood Divine Skill’s bloodlight, and confirmed that the Garbha Sutra’s celestial bodies made it recoil.
• Duan Rong activated the Filthy Blood Divine Skill, causing dormant blood threads to erupt from his body, then withdrew and resolved to keep them from growing.
• Duan Rong reread accounts of the Filthy Blood Sect before Zhu Xiaoqi invited him to help prepare New Year’s Eve dinner at Xiao Zongting’s home.
• Duan Rong helped Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi prepare the meal, and he and Xiao Yu stayed up drinking after Xiao Zongting and Zhu Xiaoqi went to bed.
• Xi Men Kan Kan visited Willow Lodge twice to invite Duan Rong to Xi Men Yong’s manor, but Duan Rong was away both times.
• Xu Dongyang dug up a jar containing a dried head associated with the Filthy Blood Divine Skill and buried it again.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu spent New Year's Day at the City God Temple fair, where they hung their wishes on the Ancient Mulberry Wood and shared a quiet sense of warmth. Soon afterward, Ruan Fengshan appointed Xiao Zongting to run the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, while Duan Rong and Xiao Yu left work to prepare for the Registered Disciple assessment.

• Duan Rong carried the sleeping Xiao Yu to her bed after they drank together, and she watched him leave, pleased by his care.
• Xiao Yu brought Duan Rong breakfast, and the two explored the temple fair, where Duan Rong foiled a pickpocket by letting him steal a tanghulu.
• Duan Rong and Xiao Yu offered incense and hung their prayer plaques on the Ancient Mulberry Wood; Tao Rong also appeared, revealing himself as a strong contender for the upcoming assessment.
• Ruan Fengshan appointed Xiao Zongting chief escort of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, granting him full authority over its operations.
• Xiao Zongting disbanded the leaderless Second Escort Team and reassigned its members, while Duan Rong and Xiao Yu withdrew from work to train for the Registered Disciple assessment.

Duan Rong watched the execution of thirty people convicted in the Foul Blood Case, then continued struggling to break through the Inner Breath Realm as the Registered Disciple assessment approached. The assessment officials arrived in Xiangu County, where Shen Yanliu welcomed them, including Fan Yuanhai, whom Duan Rong suspected Shen would draw into another antiques-and-paintings scheme.

• The Sect Envoy praised Shen Yanliu for dismantling the Filthy Blood Sect stronghold but warned that remnants might remain, and Shen said his informants were tracking them.
• Jie Daohan ordered the execution of thirty prisoners from the Foul Blood Case, including Su Di, while Duan Rong watched from a nearby tavern.
• Duan Rong returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency and concluded that his stalled Inner Breath Realm breakthrough was blocked by his Mental Strength.
• As the Registered Disciple assessment neared, Guan Kui invited Duan Rong to Gu Yue Zhai to inspect two items, and Duan Rong suspected Shen Yanliu planned to use antiques and paintings to approach someone.
• Li Xianjiang and five Taiyi Sect Envoys, including Fan Yuanhai and Lü Qingzhu, arrived in Xiangu County, where Shen Yanliu welcomed them and exchanged greetings with Li.

Lü Qingzhu and A Mo arrived in Xiangu County with the other sect envoys, then explored the town while planning to visit Flower Shadow House in disguise. At an antique alley, they met Duan Rong, and A Mo caught a pickpocket approaching Lü Qingzhu.

• Li Xianjiang chose the free post station while Fan Yuanhai and the other envoys went to Spring Breeze Inn.
• Lü Qingzhu persuaded A Mo to visit Flower Shadow House with her, and they ordered men's clothes so they could disguise themselves.
• Lü Qingzhu and A Mo wandered through town, ate street snacks, and entered an alley of antique stalls.
• Lü Qingzhu bought two sandalwood bead bracelets after recognizing their quality.
• Duan Rong passed the stall, and the owner called him Touch Once, prompting Lü Qingzhu to learn how he got the nickname.
• As Duan Rong noticed a pickpocket nearing Lü Qingzhu, A Mo seized the person beside her.

Lü Qingzhu visited Gu Yue Zhai, where Duan Rong appraised an antique painting for her and confirmed that a xun was ancient but had been polished. She bought both items, then left with A Mo while Tang Wan Hong dismissed the idea that she could play the supposedly lost instrument.

• A Mo crushed a pickpocket's hand when he tried to steal from Lü Qingzhu, and Duan Rong secretly probed the pair, suspecting Lü Qingzhu was a Sect Envoy.
• Lü Qingzhu entered Gu Yue Zhai and asked Duan Rong to inspect three paintings; he recognized the Ink Chrysanthemum Painting as genuine, and she bought it for four hundred taels.
• Lü Qingzhu noticed a xun on a shelf, played it, and asked Duan Rong to assess it; he confirmed it was ancient but had been polished.
• Lü Qingzhu paid one hundred taels for the xun and left the shop with A Mo, while Guan Kui celebrated the five-hundred-tael sale.
• Tang Wan Hong heard that the xun had sold and mocked the claim that Lü Qingzhu could play it, saying only an Old Monster who had lived over a thousand years could do so.

Lü Qingzhu visited Flower Shadow House, where she played the Xun with Orchid Shadow and later interrupted a dance in Lotus Fall. Duan Rong and Xiao Yu prepared for the Registered Disciple assessment as Xiao Zongting worried that Duan Rong would leave Yuan Shun Escort Agency for Taiyi Sect.

• Lü Qingzhu accompanied Orchid Shadow's qin with her Xun, and their music brought their spirits close together.
• Lü Qingzhu left Lanxiang Courtyard, then entered Lotus Fall, where A Mo stopped Zhu Qunxiang from offering her wine.
• Lü Qingzhu criticized Lotus Shadow's dance and left Flower Shadow House with A Mo.
• Xiao Zongting took Duan Rong and Xiao Yu to practice on the Plum Blossom Stakes before the Registered Disciple assessment.
• Xiao Zongting gave the two fighters advice and felt conflicted about Duan Rong's likely departure for Taiyi Sect.

Fan Yuanhai met Jie Daohan and learned that the constable had made no progress on Jie Lei’s death, then attended Xiangu County’s Talent Selection Gathering. Duan Rong was revealed as one of twenty-four candidates, and the rules established that seven could become Registered Disciples through three rounds of bouts and subsequent challenges.

• Fan Yuanhai asked Jie Daohan about the unresolved case and learned that Jie Daohan would be away during part of the Talent Selection Gathering.
• Shen Yanliu, Li Xianjiang, Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, and Lü Qingzhu attended the gathering, where Xu Dongyang stared at A Mo in shock.
• Clerk Qin verified twenty-four candidates and read their backgrounds, prompting surprise when Duan Rong was identified as a commoner from Wutong Alley.
• Clerk Qin announced that seven candidates could qualify, with three rounds of one-on-one bouts followed by challenges for the remaining places; killing was forbidden in the first stage but permitted in the challenges.

The first round of the Three Rounds of Chaotic Point Battles began, and Duan Rong revealed that he had reached Major Accomplishment when he defeated Qiu Tong in a single exchange. His unexpected strength left the other contestants reassessing the competition.

• Zhu Qunxiang interrupted the start to inspect the spinning wheel, but Shen Yanliu challenged him to take charge of it, and Zhu returned to his seat.
• Xia Shuangshuang defeated Fan Baolong by knocking away his saber and sweeping him off the Plum Blossom Stakes.
• Gui Zong exploited the limits of Xue Yu's White Rainbow Pierces the Sun and knocked him from the stakes.
• The wheel paired Qiu Tong with Duan Rong, and Duan Rong sent him flying with one saber strike.
• The crowd realized Duan Rong had Major Accomplishment strength, while Tao Rong recognized him as another serious obstacle.

The first round of the Talent Selection Gathering ended, and Duan Rong treated a boy suffering a sudden illness while avoiding Lü Qingzhu and A Mo afterward. The contestants gathered before dawn for the second round, which began with the winners’ group.

• Clerk Qin announced Yue Feng’s victory in the twelfth match, ending the first round, and Shen Yanliu dismissed the crowd for the night.
• Duan Rong celebrated Xiao Yu’s victory with Xiao Zongting’s group, then visited his usual Beef Soup stall and heard the crowd debating the beauty of Xia Shuangshuang, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi.
• A Mo grabbed Xiao Kang’s wrist when he reached for the Oil Chili, and the boy collapsed in a seizure; Duan Rong stopped the convulsions, gave him medicine, and explained that the illness had recurred before.
• Lü Qingzhu thanked Duan Rong, but he formally greeted her as Sect Envoy and left; Lü Qingzhu realized he was avoiding trouble.
• The contestants and officials gathered before dawn for the second round, and Clerk Qin spun the wheel to begin the winners’ group with Jiang Qingyu.

Duan Rong faced Tao Rong in the third-round points battle, hiding his full strength as he wore Tao Rong down with evasive movements. The fight remained unresolved when Tao Rong’s hidden throwing knives split into smaller darts aimed at Duan Rong’s face.

• The six contestants with zero points were eliminated, leaving eighteen contestants to fight for advancement and warning Duan Rong that he might have to face Xiao Yu.
• Xiao Yu sent Duan Rong a letter asking him not to yield if they met in battle, and Jie Daohan returned to town after spending the night at a pleasure house.
• Clerk Qin’s wheel matched Tao Rong against Duan Rong, while Shen Mizhi, Xia Shuangshuang, Xiao Yu, and Xi Men Kan Kan watched from below.
• Tao Rong attacked repeatedly, but Duan Rong evaded without drawing his saber and provoked Tao Rong into exhausting himself.
• Tao Rong released hidden throwing knives, and Duan Rong swung his sheathed Oxtail Saber to deflect them before one knife burst into three darts aimed at his face.

Duan Rong defeated Tao Rong and became the first commoner to advance as a Registered Disciple, while Xia Shuangshuang and Xi Men Kan Kan also advanced. The remaining contestants were selected for the deadly Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge, where they would fight for the last four spots.

• Duan Rong caught Tao Rong's concealed darts, overwhelmed him with his saber, and won their match, drawing Jie Daohan's suspicion.
• Clerk Qin announced Duan Rong's third victory and promotion to Registered Disciple, while Tao Rong recovered for the coming challenge.
• Xia Shuangshuang defeated Shen Mizhi, and Duan Rong advised Xiao Yu to concede against Xi Men Kan Kan to preserve her strength.
• Xiao Yu conceded to Xi Men Kan Kan, and he, Duan Rong, and Xia Shuangshuang advanced directly as Registered Disciples.
• Jiang Qingyu, Qiu Tong, Yue Feng, Luo Zhoucheng, Gui Zong, and Fan Baolong won their matches and joined Tao Rong, Shen Mizhi, and Xiao Yu in the final challenge.
• Clerk Qin spun the wheel to begin the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge, which would award the remaining four spots through rounds of group combat.

Tao Rong and Shen Mizhi secured Registered Disciple places in the life-and-death challenge, with Shen Mizhi killing Fan Baolong after breaking through to the Major Accomplishment realm. The remaining contestants began the third segment, where Qiu Tong faced Xiao Yu first and would have to fight Luo Zhoucheng next if he won.

• Tao Rong advanced without a challenger and joined Duan Rong after securing a Registered Disciple place.
• Fan Baolong challenged Shen Mizhi, but she broke through to the Major Accomplishment realm and killed him after disarming him.
• Fan Cen rushed onto the stage to confront Shen Mizhi, and Shen Yanliu destroyed his Dantian and ordered him sent to Death Row.
• The wheel selected Xiao Yu as the third segment champion, and Qiu Tong and Luo Zhoucheng stepped forward to challenge her.
• Luo Zhoucheng drew the long lot, so Qiu Tong had to fight Xiao Yu first and then face Luo Zhoucheng if he won.

Xiao Yu defeated Qiu Tong but was wounded by his hidden weapons, then fought Luo Zhoucheng while her injury and dwindling Inner Breath left her near death. Duan Rong secretly drugged Luo Zhoucheng as a fierce wind rose, and Luo collapsed before he could strike; Lü Qingzhu suspected Duan Rong had intervened to save Xiao Yu.

• Xiao Yu wounded Qiu Tong and knocked him unconscious, sparing his life despite his dart piercing her calf.
• Luo Zhoucheng attacked Xiao Yu before she could properly treat her wound, and the two fought until both were nearly out of Inner Breath.
• Xiao Yu launched a final assault that nearly cut Luo Zhoucheng's throat, but her Inner Breath ran out and she could barely remain standing.
• Duan Rong spoke with Shen Mizhi and scattered medicinal powder into the wind toward Luo Zhoucheng as Luo prepared to attack again.
• Luo Zhoucheng collapsed from the drug, and his father Luo Yuxi carried him away, believing he had fainted from exhaustion.
• A Mo smelled medicinal powder, and Lü Qingzhu noticed Duan Rong had been upwind of Luo and suspected he had acted to save Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu and Jiang Qingyu secured the final places in the sect’s Registered Disciple selection, bringing the total to seven. After the gathering ended, the new disciples and the officials were invited to a celebratory banquet at the county office.

• Xiao Yu was declared a Registered Disciple, and Duan Rong helped her down from the stage as Zhu Xiaoqi tended her wounds; Xiao Zongting realized he was jealous of Duan Rong’s success.
• Clerk Qin drew Yue Feng as the fourth arena master, and Gui Zong drew the short lot, forcing him to fight Yue Feng before Jiang Qingyu could challenge the winner.
• Gui Zong defeated Yue Feng after a fierce fight, cutting off two fingers; Yue Feng conceded and left Xiangu County intending to recover and return to his sister.
• Jiang Qingyu faced the injured Gui Zong, who conceded rather than fight, and Clerk Qin announced that Jiang Qingyu had earned the final Registered Disciple spot.
• Clerk Qin announced the gathering’s seven successful candidates and invited them to a banquet; Shen Yanliu invited the Supervising Lords, while Jie Daohan declined and left.
• Lü Qingzhu decided to attend the banquet with A Mo as the officials and the seven new Registered Disciples headed to the county office courtyard.

Jie Daohan investigated Duan Rong’s background and learned from Yang Zhen that Duan Rong had heard about Xu Ruhu’s case, then connected him to the Whale Tiger Gang and Corpse Rot Poison. Duan Rong left with Cold Toad Su to prepare for further cultivation, while Jie Daohan weighed how to investigate him without provoking the sect or undermining the selection results.

• Jie Daohan reviewed Duan Rong’s investigation records and concluded that Duan Rong might have reached the Second Level of Inner Breath Realm when Jie Lei died.
• Jie Daohan discovered that Yang Zhen and Duan Rong were childhood friends, then learned Yang Zhen had told Duan Rong about Xu Ruhu’s case.
• Xi Men Kan Kan showed Duan Rong the Cold Toad Su, which had to be used within twelve hours after leaving cold storage.
• Xu Dongyang sent a carrier pigeon after receiving orders from the Filthy Blood Sect branch to investigate the realms of the five Sect Envoys and newly promoted Registered Disciples.
• Duan Rong carried the Cold Toad Su away and planned to rest before cultivating the third layer of the Garbha Sutra.
• Jie Daohan found that Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng had joined the Yuan Shun Escort Agency with Duan Rong and suspected a link to the Corpse Rot Poison, but feared acting against Duan Rong during the public notice period.

Duan Rong left Xiangu County for Wild Boar Mountain to cultivate in seclusion and resolve the blood-light within his Luminous Consciousness Sea. Meanwhile, Jie Daohan connected the disappearance of Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng to Jie Lei’s death and suspected Duan Rong, while Duan Rong reached a cave in the mountains.

• Duan Rong gathered the Four Great Wisdom Kings statues and the Garbha Sutra manual, then left the city for Wild Boar Mountain.
• Jie Daohan summoned Zhao Gang and learned that Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng had disappeared around the time Xiao Baijiao held a funeral.
• Jie Daohan connected the men’s disappearance and Jie Lei’s death to Duan Rong and reconstructed a theory that Duan Rong had killed the men who ambushed him.
• Duan Rong rode to the village at the foot of Wild Boar Mountain and paid a middle-aged man to watch his horse, warning him not to work it.
• Duan Rong crushed a rock beneath his foot to frighten the man, then entered Wild Boar Mountain and found a cave after checking it with his divine sense.

After Duan Rong left the city to cultivate in his cliffside cave, Jie Daohan searched his residences for clues but found nothing. Duan Rong completed the second Divine Soul Technique and discovered that its attack could briefly stun a target without harming its soul.

• Jie Daohan sent Yang Zhen to congratulate Duan Rong, but Yang Zhen learned that Duan Rong had left the city before dawn and reported back.
• Duan Rong revealed the Garbha Sutra’s third layer and used Ice Toad Paste and the Four Great Wisdom Kings’ images to cultivate a new infant phantom in his Luminous Consciousness Sea.
• Duan Rong left the cave to replenish the tree spirits after exhausting the local supply, then returned and continued cultivating before the Ice Toad Paste lost its potency.
• Jie Daohan searched Duan Rong’s Wutong Alley residence and Willow Lodge but found no clues, and decided to wait for Duan Rong to return.
• Duan Rong tested his Divine Soul Wave on two birds and found that it briefly stunned them without damaging their divine souls.

Duan Rong tested the power of his third-layer Garbha Sutra, then trained through the night with the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and reached a new state of understanding as he sought the Great Perfection Realm. Meanwhile, Shen Yanliu received a promotion to Investigating Censor of Ruyang Prefecture, while Jie Daohan continued waiting for Duan Rong and grew uneasy at the arrival of an official courier.

• Jie Daohan waited near the East City Gate for Duan Rong, then became uneasy when a military courier from the Office of Transmission rode into the city.
• Duan Rong used Divine Soul Wave and other methods to try to remove the Filthy Blood Divine Skill from his Luminous Consciousness Sea, but failed.
• Duan Rong hunted a mountain deer, ate beside the stream, and then began practicing the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber to pursue the Great Perfection Realm.
• Duan Rong practiced through the night and gained a new sense of unity between his saber and the surrounding world, but his exhausted divine soul forced him to sleep.
• Shen Yanliu celebrated with Tang Wan Hong after receiving an order promoting him to Investigating Censor of Ruyang Prefecture.

Duan Rong broke through to the Great Perfection Realm and used it to refine his martial arts while training in the wilderness. As the public notice period neared its end, he prepared to leave his cave and returned to Xiangu County, where Jie Daohan spotted him.

• Duan Rong comprehended the Great Perfection Realm while practicing the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber, then brought the Thunder Smoke Saber to the same level.
• Duan Rong concluded that the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber surpassed other techniques at Great Perfection and later refined his Cloud Serpent Step and hidden weapon skills in the wilderness.
• Xiao Yu reached the Major Accomplishment Realm and went to Willow Lodge to look for Duan Rong, but he was still away.
• Duan Rong reflected on how Mental Strength commanded martial arts, ended his mountain training, and began deciding what to leave behind in his cave before departing for Taiyi Sect.
• Jie Daohan waited in a tea shop for Duan Rong to return, then spotted him riding into Xiangu County and lowered his head.

Duan Rong realized Jie Daohan was secretly following him and prepared a poisoned ambush to keep the investigator from exposing him for Jie Lei’s murder. After a brutal fight at Wild Lake, Duan Rong killed Jie Daohan but exhausted his divine soul and collapsed beside the lake.

• Duan Rong spotted Jie Daohan tailing him and suspected that Jie Daohan had connected him to Jie Lei’s death.
• Duan Rong returned to Willow Lodge, coated his Oxtail Saber with First Grade Red poison, and waited for Jie Daohan to make a move.
• Duan Rong lured Jie Daohan to Wild Lake, hid inside a clay jar, and ambushed him with Plum Blossom Poison Needles and a Divine Soul Wave.
• Jie Daohan’s damaged vision and sound-based positioning let him injure Duan Rong, but Duan Rong provoked him into opening his mouth and sent three Poison Needles into his throat.
• Duan Rong kept attacking as First Grade Red spread through Jie Daohan’s body, then split Jie Daohan’s head with a final saber strike.
• Jie Daohan’s corpse fell into Wild Lake, and Duan Rong collapsed unconscious on the lakeshore after exhausting his divine soul.