Chapter Summaries

Jiang Che earned a Grade Jia Rating by keeping Liu Bingyuan alive, received nine wisps of primordial origin first spirit, and confirmed that consumables used inside time fragments remained intact in reality. After cultivating for more than half a month and considering how to find more instances, he prepared to leave Willow Source for the Azure Mystic Sect with Luo Wenling.

• Jiang Che earned a Grade Jia Rating for preserving Liu Bingyuan and received nine wisps of primordial origin first spirit.
• Jiang Che used six wisps to strengthen his cultivation and decided not to sell the rare resource.
• Jiang Che confirmed that the Blazing Fire Spirit Talisman he had used in the instance remained intact in reality.
• Jiang Che realized he could use precious talismans and spirit essence freely in future instances to improve his combat strength.
• Jiang Che considered how instances formed and where he might find more, including at the Azure Mystic Sect.
• Luo Wenling sent word that Jiang Che should be ready to leave Willow Source with her for the sect the next day.

Jiang Che prepared to leave Willow Source for the Azure Mystic Main Gate, though his selection had angered the Wan Clan because it took the berth promised to them two years later. As Luo Wenling prepared to depart with Jiang Che, Wan Xiaoxi challenged him in front of the crowd.

• Jiang Che's parents and Jiang Weichuan saw him off at a modest celebration outside the Azure Mystic outer sect headquarters.
• Jiang Che entered the headquarters, where some cultivators congratulated him while others gathered around Wan Xiaoxi and openly excluded him.
• Luo Wenling introduced Deacon Zong, Zheng Liang, and Zhou Yunna as the new officials who would manage Willow Source's outer sect.
• Luo Wenling summoned a Flying Boat and invited Jiang Che aboard, drawing cheers from the townspeople.
• Wan Xiaoxi stepped in front of the Flying Boat, knelt, and declared that he challenged Jiang Che.

Wan Xiaoxi challenged Jiang Che in public, hoping to reclaim the Azure Mystic Main Gate admission slot the Wan Clan had accepted losing. Their duel began on the Long Street, where Jiang Che defended against Wan Xiaoxi’s relentless spear attacks, leaving the watching young scions uncertain who would run out of strength first.

• Wan Xiaoxi defied his lineage’s decision to accept a future admission slot and challenged Jiang Che to fight for the current one.
• Wan Xiaoxi asked Luo Wenling to permit the duel, and Zong Rui suggested that Jiang Che’s slot should go to Wan Xiaoxi if he won; Luo Wenling instead asked Jiang Che what he wanted.
• Jiang Che agreed to spar with Wan Xiaoxi, and the crowd cleared the Long Street to watch them face off.
• Wan Xiaoxi launched a fierce spear attack, but Jiang Che blocked and evaded his strikes without losing his composure.
• Young scions watching from a shop window noticed that Wan Xiaoxi was tiring while Jiang Che conserved his strength, though they remained unsure how the duel would end.

Jiang Che defeated Wan Xiaoxi in their duel and secured his place among the Azure Mystic Main Gate disciples. Luo Wenling then confronted Steward Zong over his scheme and accepted a treasure before taking Jiang Che away on the Flying Boat.

• Jiang Che countered Wan Xiaoxi’s reckless final attack with Wind Leaves No Trace and Moonlight in the Forest, stopping his sword at Wan Xiaoxi’s throat.
• Wan Xiaoxi admitted defeat, and the crowd erupted as the onlookers were forced to acknowledge Jiang Che’s victory.
• Luo Wenling praised Jiang Che’s command of the Azure Torrent Sword Art and invited him aboard the Flying Boat.
• Luo Wenling demanded a prize from Zong Rui for Jiang Che’s victory and warned him against scheming against someone protected by Jingxiao Peak.
• Zong Rui offered Luo Wenling a nourishing treasure, and Luo Wenling departed with Jiang Che on the Flying Boat.

Jiang Che traveled with Luo Wenling to the Azure Mystic Sect, where he registered as a disciple and received his waist token. As Zhang Erguo escorted him to the lower compound, Jiang Che learned that Luo Wenling was the foremost figure beneath the True Disciples.

• Luo Wenling stopped the wind battering Jiang Che, then gave him a storage pouch as an advance on the prize Jiang Che had won from Zong Rui.
• After flying for more than a day, Luo Wenling brought Jiang Che to Verdant Mist Hall and clarified that Jiang Che was joining as a registered disciple, not a new disciple of Jingxiao Peak.
• Zhang Pou verified Jiang Che's documents, issued him a registered disciple's waist token, and assigned Zhang Erguo to escort him to the lower compound.
• Zhang Erguo offered to share insider advice for ten spirit stone chips, but Jiang Che pointed out that charging him for an official duty could count as soliciting a bribe.
• Zhang Erguo learned that Jiang Che had arrived with Luo Wenling and told him Luo Wenling was the foremost figure beneath the True Disciples.

Zhang Erguo explained Azure Mystic Sect’s disciple hierarchy and the lower court to Jiang Che as they descended the mountain. After Zhang left, Instructor Yan’s daughter offered to show Jiang Che to his quarters.

• Zhang Erguo explained Senior Brother Luo’s standing and how True Disciples were chosen by Foundation Establishment elders.
• Zhang Erguo described the sect’s ranks, the Verdant Mist Hall’s courts, and the fifteen-year limit for registered disciples to reach Qi Refining.
• Jiang Che thanked Zhang Erguo with ten spirit stone fragments, and Zhang accepted them as a token of appreciation.
• Zhang led Jiang Che into the lower court and introduced him to Junior Sister Yan, warning him that she was Instructor Yan’s daughter.
• Junior Sister Yan offered to guide Jiang Che to his quarters after Zhang hurried away.

Jiang Che settled into his courtyard at Azure Mystic and chose the Azure Heaven Wind Dew Embryonic Breath Method to obtain a legitimate way to practice it alongside his existing method. After Jiang Che left, Instructor Yan marked him as an unusually gifted disciple who might have powerful backing.

• Yan We iwan showed Jiang Che his quarters and explained that she was an ordinary mortal, not a sect disciple, despite being called Junior Sister.
• Yan We iwan brought Jiang Che to meet Instructor Yan, who verified his identity and offered him a cultivation method.
• Jiang Che chose the Azure Heaven Wind Dew Embryonic Breath Method so he could openly practice it alongside the Upper Azure Smoke Cloud Embryonic Breath Method.
• Instructor Yan explained that the two methods complemented each other and lent Jiang Che the manual under the sect's rules.
• After Jiang Che left, Instructor Yan added his name to a document and noted his rapid entry into the Dao, exceptional comprehension, and possible backing.

After eight months of cultivation and preparation, Jiang Che broke through to transforming force, but his resources and instance entries were nearly exhausted. As he considered how to obtain transmigration energy and find another instance, a woman called to him from outside his courtyard.

• Jiang Che spent his savings on Transforming Force Powder and prepared to use his remaining ten wisps of primordial origin first spirit for a breakthrough.
• Jiang Che swallowed the powder, circulated his spirit essence, and successfully reached transforming force.
• Jiang Che tested his new strength by practicing Azure Flow with his sword in the courtyard.
• Jiang Che reflected that he had exhausted his cultivation insights, primordial origin first spirit, and spirit stone savings, and had only two instance entries left.
• Jiang Che considered seeking enemies for transmigration energy and wondered why he had found no instances around Azure Mystic.
• A woman called to Jiang Che from outside his courtyard gate.

Jiang Che learned why Guo planned to volunteer for the dangerous Ailin County posting: his family had suffered a setback, leaving him short of cultivation resources and worried about meeting the sect’s deadline. He realized Guo had also moved back to the lower compound, and Yan We iwan was stunned by the news.

• Yan We iwan invited Jiang Che to Guo’s courtyard and asked him to help dissuade Guo from going to Ailin County.
• Jiang Che recalled that Ailin had been devastated by a demonic disaster and remained dangerous despite years of efforts to contain its remnants.
• Jiang Che guessed that Guo hoped the posting’s rewards would help him advance before his fifteen-year deadline as a nominal disciple.
• Jiang Che told Yan We iwan that Guo’s family had recently suffered a setback, leaving him with almost no cultivation resources and driving him to take more menial work.
• Jiang Che revealed that Guo had moved back to the lower compound, and Yan We iwan reacted with shock.

Jiang Che told Yan We iwan that Zhang Erguo had failed his assessment and loved her, but the revelation caused her frail health to collapse. After Instructor Yan saved her, she angrily wished Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo dead in Ailin.

• Jiang Che told Yan We iwan that Zhang Erguo had been sent back to the lower court after failing his assessment.
• Jiang Che revealed that Zhang Erguo had feelings for Yan We iwan and partly wanted to go to Ailin for her sake.
• Yan We iwan became overwhelmed and fainted, so Jiang Che carried her toward Instructor Yan's house.
• Instructor Yan intercepted Jiang Che, treated Yan We iwan with a pill and magical power, and stabilized her breathing.
• Jiang Che explained what had happened to Instructor Yan and apologized for upsetting Yan We iwan.
• Instructor Yan coldly wished that Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo would both die in Ailin.

After Yan We iwan’s danger, Jiang Che apologized to Zhang Erguo and reaffirmed that he would join him on the perilous trip to Ailin. Three days later, they arrived in Xuanxia Town and met Hu Yan, their upper-courtyard leader, as they awaited departure.

• Jiang Che explained Yan We iwan’s ordeal to Zhang Erguo and apologized for putting her at risk.
• Zhang Erguo insisted he would still go to Ailin, and Jiang Che revealed he had reached transforming force before agreeing they would go together.
• Zhang Erguo accepted Jiang Che’s resolve, and the two agreed to face the dangers of Ailin as brothers.
• Three days later, Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo arrived at the Immortal-Gazing Tower in Xuanxia Town, where Hu Yan told the gathered disciples they would depart in two hours.
• Zhang Erguo told Jiang Che about Hu Yan’s reputation, and Jiang Che stopped him before his gossip could cause trouble.

Jiang Che and the Azure Mystic disciples reached Ailin County, where they met Manager Du Yongchang and learned that the demonic threat had worsened. The chapter left Jiang Che startled by reports that a True Demon might appear.

• Hu Yan led eighteen disciples from Xuanxia Town toward Ailin County, and they arrived a day ahead of schedule.
• The group entered Ailin, a fortified city crowded with soldiers, after guards checked their documents and waist tokens.
• At Azure Mystic's Ailin Hall, Jiang Che recognized Manager Du as Du Yongchang, his former steward from Willow Source.
• Du Yongchang told Jiang Che that demonic creatures had grown more numerous and that signs of a True Demon had appeared.

Jiang Che learned that the Ailin lords planned to send the new disciples into a ruined temple to confront a true demon, and he agreed to cooperate with Hu Yan for their survival. The next morning, Du Yongchang led the group toward Ailin Old City and the temple.

• Du Yongchang warned Jiang Che that a true demon was hiding in a ruined temple near Ailin Old City and that the group would likely be sent to attack it.
• Jiang Che told Zhang Erguo about his history with Du Yongchang and explained why the lords might use the disciples as cannon fodder.
• Hu Yan entered Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo's room, offered to put them on her team, and proposed sharing useful information and benefits.
• Jiang Che agreed to work with Hu Yan so they could try to survive their three months in Ailin.
• Du Yongchang led the Registered Disciples out of the city the next morning toward the temple near Ailin Old City.

Jiang Che's party reached the ruined temple siege and learned that most of the previous disciples had died. As they began clearing Demon Monsters from ruined houses, Jiang Che discovered that killing them granted him transmigration energy.

• Jiang Che's party reached the encampment and learned from Hu Yan that only four of the thirteen previous Registered Disciples had survived the siege.
• Du Yongchang divided the twenty-one Azure Mystic disciples into seven groups and assigned them to clear Demon Monsters from the buildings around the ruined temple.
• Hu Yan grouped herself with Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo, and they joined Chen Mou and his armored soldiers at their assigned position.
• The soldiers set fire to a ruined house, and the group killed the Demon Monsters that rushed out, though one killed an armored soldier.
• Jiang Che saw a speck of light from a dead Demon Monster enter his body and confirmed that killing Demon Monsters granted him transmigration energy.

Jiang Che’s squad cleared houses while the soldiers bore the danger, and Officer Chen executed Chen Sanju for openly challenging the cultivators’ orders. Near the Ruined Temple, Jiang Che and his companions encountered a routed squad pursued by a huge Corpse Tide and charged in to help.

• Jiang Che realized that killing Demon Monsters yielded transmigration energy, then prepared with his squad to move on to the next target.
• A young soldier accused the Azure Mystic disciples of sacrificing soldiers, and Officer Chen executed him after the disciples refused to intervene.
• Jiang Che’s squad cleared several more houses without serious trouble as they neared the Ruined Temple.
• A nearby squad fled toward Jiang Che’s group with a large pack of Demon Monsters behind them, and the Wu Soldier officer was killed.
• Jiang Che, Hu Yan, and Zhang Erguo advanced together to aid the three overwhelmed Azure Mystic disciples.

Jiang Che used his Azure Torrent Sword Art to kill a flying Demon Monster and help turn the battle against the first wave. A second wave forced the Azure Mystic disciples and soldiers into a larger melee, where reinforcements arrived but one disciple was killed.

• Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo joined Jiang Che in attacking the Demon Monsters and rallied the fleeing soldiers.
• Jiang Che deflected a flying Demon Monster’s ambush, wounded it with Returning Tide Rolls Leaves, and killed it with his next sword move.
• Hu Yan and Jiang Che killed the monsters threatening them, and Hu Yan admired Jiang Che’s Azure Torrent Sword Art.
• More Demon Monsters poured in from the ruins and ruined temple, overwhelming the fighters and killing one Azure Mystic disciple.
• Zhao Bo and his allied squad arrived to support the survivors as the battle spread into a large melee.

After a costly battle against demon monsters, Jiang Che’s squad continued its sweep, only to find cleared areas occupied again and realize the fighting would not end soon. Back at camp, Jiang Che calculated that the day’s kills had brought his transmigration energy to eighty-eight points, but he worried about surviving three months in Ailin.

• Jiang Che’s side killed nearly a hundred monsters, including twenty-two at the embryonic breath level, but suffered heavy casualties before collecting trophies and dividing the merit.
• Chen Mou explained that monsters had fled or returned from deeper hiding places, so the squads would have to keep clearing the area despite their losses.
• Jiang Che, Hu Yan, and Zhang Erguo let their surviving soldiers move slowly through the remaining houses as evening approached.
• The recall gong sounded, and the exhausted squads returned to camp, handed in their trophies, ate, and settled into their tent.
• Jiang Che counted sixty-eight transmigration energy from the day’s fighting, bringing his total to eighty-eight, then worried about enduring the coming months in Ailin.

Jiang Che helped Zhang Erguo recover his resolve after the previous day's brutal battle, and the group used a half day of rest and medicine to recover. As they set out again, Hu Yan explained that Ailin’s forces sent Azure Mystic disciples into danger to preserve their own local disciples.

• Jiang Che found Zhang Erguo sleepless and shaken, and Hu Yan scolded him for letting fear make him a burden to the group.
• Jiang Che reassured Zhang Erguo that the worst fighting might be over, and Zhang Erguo promised to pull himself together and told his companions to put their own safety first.
• The camp’s commanders granted the group half a day to rest and distributed medicine, and Jiang Che, Hu Yan, and Zhang Erguo used the time to recover.
• The troops reorganized after two Azure Mystic disciples had died, and Chen Mou’s armored unit was restored to twenty soldiers and assigned to Jiang Che’s group.
• Zhang Erguo asked why Ailin’s Outer Disciples were largely absent from the dangerous probing missions, and Hu Yan explained that local leaders valued their own disciples more than the Azure Mystic recruits.

Jiang Che learned that the True Demon was nearly out of demonic power, but suspected it still had dangerous tricks that the Qi Refining Cultivators feared. After several quiet days of clearing, the commanders ordered the squads to march directly on Little Seclusion Temple.

• Jiang Che spoke with Du Yongchang, who explained that the True Demon had nearly exhausted its demonic energy and might be defeated within several days.
• Jiang Che warned Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo that the True Demon could still attack personally or reveal abilities the Qi Refining Cultivators feared.
• The clearing operations remained quiet for three days, and Jiang Che noticed that fewer corpses appeared in areas they had already searched.
• On the fourth morning, County Commandant Li ordered the six squads to unite and march on Little Seclusion Temple while the remaining personnel guarded camp and the retreat routes.

Jiang Che and the soldiers entered the Little Hidden Temple, where they discovered a True Demon perched on a headless Buddha that contained an instance. The demon drew a demonic sword and struck at Jiang Che’s group, but Du Yongchang appeared and blocked the blow with an Azure Cauldron.

• Hu Yan led the force into the Little Hidden Temple, and Jiang Che noticed azure light flowing over the headless Buddha statue.
• The temple doors slammed shut, and a True Demon appeared atop the Buddha’s severed neck.
• The True Demon summoned a pitch-black demonic sword from the Buddha statue and attacked Jiang Che’s group.
• An Azure Cauldron appeared and blocked the sword qi, and Du Yongchang arrived beside Jiang Che.