Chapter Summaries

Shen Fei secretly reached gold rank 1-star and received two hundred Soul-Gathering Pills from Nie Li, while learning that Nie Li might repair the city defense scrolls. He agreed to watch the Sacred Family’s Genius Tournament with Xiao Ning’er, where he planned to gauge Nie Li’s strength.

• Shen Fei reviewed the Sacred Family’s accounts and noticed that losses tied to the Dark Guild’s supply routes had fallen further.
• Shen Fei broke through to gold rank 1-star, strengthened his coordination with the Shadow Mantis, and concealed his new rank from the household.
• The steward told Shen Fei that Soul-Gathering Pills had appeared on the market, and Xiao Ning’er later delivered two hundred of them from Nie Li.
• Xiao Ning’er reported that Nie Li believed he could restore part of the damaged legendary city defense scrolls within six months.
• Xiao Ning’er told Shen Fei that Nie Li would enter the Genius Tournament, and Shen Fei agreed to watch it with her next month.

At the Sacred Family’s genius tournament, Nie Li defeated Gold Rank 1-Star Shen Hao despite being believed to be Silver Rank 1-Star, stunning the crowd and alarming the Sacred Family. Shen Fei recognized Nie Li’s hidden skill and anticipated trouble from Shen Hong and Shen Yue as Nie Li left with Ye Ziyun.

• Shen Fei arrived at the tournament and watched Shen Hao defeat several Silver Rank challengers with his saber.
• Nie Li challenged Shen Hao, who offered him three moves without striking back, but Nie Li failed to touch him during them.
• Nie Li evaded Shen Hao’s attacks for more than a dozen exchanges, then redirected his saber strike and used Shen Hao’s momentum to send him off the platform.
• The referee declared Nie Li the winner, while Shen Hong and Shen Yue reacted grimly and the other families applauded.
• Shen Fei concluded that Nie Li had concealed his true abilities and foresaw that the Sacred Family might retaliate; Nie Li met his gaze before leaving, followed by Ye Ziyun.

After the tournament, Shen Fei strolled through the market with Xiao Ning'er and learned how her engagement to him had been forced on her as a bargain to save the Winged Dragon Family. He resolved to grow strong enough to change their fate, while Xiao Ning'er left for home still uncertain whether his promise could come true.

• Shen Fei invited Xiao Ning'er to walk through the market after the tournament, and she agreed.
• At the herb stall, Xiao Ning'er identified weak Purpleleaf Grass, while Shen Fei bought blood-staunching grass and a rabbit-shaped sugar figurine for her.
• Shen Fei asked Xiao Ning'er whether she hated their engagement, and she explained that the Winged Dragon Family had agreed to it in exchange for the Sacred Family's financial help.
• Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that his father would not dissolve the engagement easily, and she said she would not resign herself to fate.
• Shen Fei resolved to gain the strength and influence to change Xiao Ning'er's future, then watched her leave for home at dusk.

Shen Fei secretly cultivated with Nie Li’s Soul-Gathering Pills and broke through to Gold Rank 2-Star while hiding his progress from the Shen family. He planned to investigate the Dark Guild’s timber-firm supply route, let Shen Hong’s plans against Nie Li unfold, and keep preparing for the Demon Beast Tide.

• Shen Fei began taking one Soul-Gathering Pill each night while acting as a diligent, unassuming steward of the family accounts by day.
• Shen Fei used the pills to strengthen his meridians and soul force, then practiced coordinating his sword attacks with the Shadow Mantis.
• After patiently wearing down the barrier in his dantian, Shen Fei broke through to Gold Rank 2-Star and concealed his new strength by suppressing his aura.
• Shen Fei put away his remaining pills to stabilize his foundation and planned to investigate the Dark Guild’s supply route through the timber firm.
• Shen Fei suspected Shen Hong was arranging trouble for Nie Li but chose not to interfere, intending instead to repay Nie Li’s gift with intelligence when the opportunity arose.

Shen Fei encountered a talented commoner boy being bullied and challenged him to stop enduring injustice and use his strength. The boy chose to act, charging to help a younger child being bullied in a secluded alley.

• Shen Fei saw three noble boys knock a commoner boy down and ruin his rice, then recognized the boy's Bronze Rank 3-Star cultivation and simmering hatred.
• After the noble boys left, Shen Fei offered the boy a healing pill and led him to another alley, where three noble children were trying to steal a younger child's herbs.
• Shen Fei asked the boy why he would not fight back despite being stronger and urged him to confront injustice with his own hands.
• The boy overcame his fear of the nobles and charged into the alley to help the younger child.

Shen Fei's intervention helped Su Ming discover his resolve to cultivate and protect others, while Shen Fei continued investigating the Dark Guild and strengthening himself. The chapter ended with Shen Fei training for the threats facing Glory City and hoping Su Ming would grow stronger.

• Su Ming fought off three noble children who were bullying a child, then returned the child's herbs.
• Shen Fei asked Su Ming what he planned to do, and Su Ming vowed to grow strong enough to stop bullies and injustice.
• Su Ming called out his name and promised Shen Fei he would keep getting stronger before Shen Fei left the alley.
• Shen Fei visited the Black Market, identified new shops as fronts for the Dark Guild's prohibited inscription materials, and memorized their locations and managers.
• After returning to the Sacred Family estate, Shen Fei took a Soul-Gathering Pill and cultivated with the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.

Shen Fei visited the City Lord's Mansion and learned that Nie Li's Ten Thousand Demons and Spirits Array could greatly strengthen Glory City's defenses. After returning to the Sacred Family estate, he began studying inscriptions, determined to build his own strength while secretly aiding the city.

• Shen Fei submitted the Sacred Family's supply paperwork and learned from Steward Wang that the City Lord's Mansion was installing Nie Li's Ten Thousand Demons and Spirits Array.
• Shen Fei heard that the array could subdue a Legend Rank Demon Spirit Master when complete and handle Black Gold Rank demon beasts even in its unfinished state.
• Shen Fei tried to glimpse the array from outside the inner courtyard but left without seeing its workings.
• Shen Fei returned to the Sacred Family estate and dismissed Shen Yue's boasts about being able to defeat Nie Li.
• Shen Fei connected Nie Li's efforts to strengthen Glory City with his own secret work against the Dark Guild, then began reading Fundamentals of Inscription.

Shen Fei defied Shen Hong’s order to wait and secretly headed to the City Lord’s Mansion during the Dark Guild’s attack. After killing a fleeing attacker and finding evidence of the Guild’s plans, he reached the burning inner courtyard, where a powerful battle awaited him.

• Shen Hong ordered the Shen family guards to hold back until Ye Zong stabilized the situation.
• Shen Fei slipped out through a rear gate, summoned the Shadow Mantis, and raced toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
• A masked Dark Guild member attacked Shen Fei in an alley, and Shen Fei killed him with the Shadow Mantis’s Life-Bound Blade Slash.
• Shen Fei found a Dark Guild Deacon Token and a map marking inner-city warehouses, then continued toward the mansion’s inner courtyard.
• Shen Fei entered the ruined, burning courtyard and approached a dazzling battle marked by repeated lightning explosions.

Nie Li used the Grand Unity Array to kill a black gold rank Abyssal Troll while Shen Fei watched from hiding. The battle left Shen Fei humbled but determined to help protect Glory City, and he left to deliver a defense map and change his plans.

• Shen Fei watched as the Abyssal Troll battered Nie Li’s array, while Ye Zong stood ready to intervene.
• Nie Li strengthened the array with his essence blood, struck the troll with a powerful lightning bolt, and drove his sword into its head, killing it before collapsing.
• Ye Zong carried Nie Li back to his room, and Shen Fei left the City Lord’s Mansion, shaken by the gap between them.
• Shen Fei decided Glory City would not fall as it had in his previous life and resolved to anonymously deliver the defense map, revise his cultivation plans, and learn basic inscriptions.

Shen Fei returned from the battle at the City Lord's Mansion and resolved to strengthen himself while supporting Glory City's defense. After making rapid progress in cultivation and inscription study, he wondered who could have defeated Nie Li in his previous life and decided he could not rely on Nie Li alone.

• Shen Fei copied the Dark Guild's Defense Map and planned to leave it anonymously at the City Lord's Mansion's guard barracks.
• Shen Fei revised his cultivation plan, increasing his Soul-Gathering Pills and Shadow Mantis practice and adding daily study of inscriptions and arrays.
• Shen Fei concealed his involvement in the battle when Shen Hong asked whether he had gone out, while Shen Yue complained that Nie Li had relied on an array to kill the Abyssal Troll.
• Shen Fei doubled his nightly training and, in less than a month, reached the threshold of gold rank 3-star and learned to recognize most patterns in simple defensive arrays.
• Shen Fei wondered who could have defeated Nie Li in his previous life and decided to try engraving his first basic inscription the next day.

At the Victory Banquet, Shen Fei watched Ye Han return to Glory City and suspected that his polished manners concealed an ambition to control the city. Ye Han’s public gift to Ye Ziyun sparked a confrontation with Nie Li, which ended with Nie Li openly taunting him about his absence during the Abyssal Troll’s attack.

• Shen Fei avoided the crowd at the Victory Banquet and sat with Xiao Ning'er, who told him Ye Han had returned after years of training.
• Ye Zong entered with Ye Han, whose arrival drew praise from the banquet guests as they speculated about his talent and future as city lord.
• Ye Han offered Ye Ziyun an Ice Jade Bracelet, but she declined it, and Nie Li took the gift on her behalf.
• Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han’s attention to the family heads and public display toward Ye Ziyun suggested he was calculating how to gain power.
• Ye Han criticized Nie Li for pursuing clever shortcuts, and Nie Li retorted that Ye Han had been absent when Glory City needed him; Ye Han’s expression darkened.

At the banquet, Nie Li challenged Ye Han over his absence during the attack on Glory City, while Ye Han presented himself as a worthy heir and drew support from influential families. Shen Fei warned Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han’s return could spark a struggle for succession, then left determined to protect the city and prepare for the dangers ahead.

• Nie Li called attention to Ye Han’s failure to return during the Dark Guild raid, and Ye Han admitted fault while mocking Nie Li’s narrow experience.
• Members of minor families and Shen Yue praised Ye Han, while Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that Nie Li was more capable but would eventually leave Glory City.
• Ye Han withdrew from the argument and left after giving Nie Li a hostile look; Nie Li let Ye Ziyun keep the Ice Jade Bracelet.
• Xiao Ning'er asked Shen Fei about his future, and he kept his plans secret while privately resolving to defend Glory City and protect its people.
• Shen Fei cautioned Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han might use any means to secure the city lord’s position and said Shen Hong would likely support him.
• After the banquet, Shen Fei followed Shen Hong and Shen Yue out, anticipating growing conflict and continuing to cultivate the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.

After the Victory Banquet, Shen Fei took Xiao Ning'er to meet Su Ming and offered him a Mercenary Association patrol captain position. Su Ming accepted the responsibility and learned that his benefactor was Shen Fei, while Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er left the alley.

• Shen Fei invited Xiao Ning'er to walk beyond the western outskirts, and she agreed to get away from the banquet and her family affairs.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er visited Su Ming at his poor home, where they saw signs of his family's hardship and his mother's illness.
• Shen Fei offered Su Ming an appointment as captain of an outer patrol squad and warned him about the dangers and responsibilities of the job.
• Su Ming vowed to protect the western villages, and Xiao Ning'er stopped him from kneeling to thank Shen Fei.
• Shen Fei told Su Ming to register at the association's western office without mentioning his name, then revealed that he was Shen Fei.
• Su Ming watched Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er leave, then held the appointment document with renewed hope.

Shen Fei secured Xiao Ning'er's help in buying inscription supplies at a steep discount, while prioritizing materials for Nie Li's restoration work. After receiving news that Su Ming had joined the Mercenary Association's outer patrol, Shen Fei bought supplies and began practicing inscription patterns.

• Xiao Ning'er offered the Winged Dragon Family's help, and Shen Fei asked for a discount on inscription materials; she promised him internal prices, forty percent below market.
• Shen Fei asked Xiao Ning'er to prioritize Nie Li's core materials for restoring the two Legendary Fragments, and she warned him that Ye Han and tensions within the Sacred Family could pose a danger.
• The next morning, Shen Fei received notice that Su Ming had passed his examination and been assigned to the Mercenary Association's outer patrol.
• Shen Fei bought fifty sheets of Basic Defense Talisman Paper and ten sets of Portable Inscription Armor from the Winged Dragon Family's shop at internal prices.
• After returning home, Shen Fei stored the supplies and practiced engraving a Defense Pattern onto Talisman Paper.

Shen Fei gave Su Ming pills and cultivation manuals, then helped him organize a small squad of under-resourced cultivators. The chapter left Su Ming with supplies, safe places for his people, and instructions to prioritize their survival.

• Shen Fei visited the Mercenary Association and gave Su Ming pills and basic cultivation manuals to distribute among suitable people.
• Su Ming told Shen Fei he planned to gather fellow cultivators into a small squad and search the Black Market for determined commoners who lacked resources.
• Shen Fei gave Su Ming addresses for three safe places where his people could stay.
• Shen Fei urged Su Ming to think carefully and keep his people alive before leaving the association.

Shen Fei watched Nie Li face Ye Han and discussed their strengths with Xiao Ning'er. Nie Li used his agility to turn the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon's charge against Ye Han, who withdrew after being forced back, while Shen Fei warned Xiao Ning'er not to get involved with Su Ming.

• Shen Fei arrived at the academy and joined Xiao Ning'er to watch Nie Li and Ye Han prepare to fight.
• Xiao Ning'er explained that Ye Han had formidable cultivation but fought too conservatively to keep up with Nie Li.
• Nie Li dodged the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon's attacks and used its own momentum to knock it off course.
• Nie Li struck Ye Han's protective barrier, forcing Ye Han to retreat and then recall his Demon Beast.
• Nie Li nodded to Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er before heading to class, and Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er not to get involved with Su Ming.

Shen Fei joined Nie Li at the Omnidirectional Spatial Array, where Nie Li revealed he had repaired a Legendary defensive inscription and was preparing to activate an ancient inheritance space. Shen Fei agreed to enter with him and watched Nie Li finish the array’s intricate inscriptions.

• Xiao Ning'er told Shen Fei that Nie Li wanted to meet him urgently at the Omnidirectional Spatial Array.
• Shen Fei went with Xiao Ning'er to the City Lord's Mansion, where Nie Li and his companions were working on the array.
• Nie Li told Shen Fei that he had repaired the defensive Legendary Inscription scroll and restored the damaged offensive scroll to Black Gold Rank.
• Nie Li explained that the array could open an ancient elder inheritance space and asked Shen Fei to accompany him inside.
• Shen Fei agreed, then watched Nie Li carefully repair the array’s remaining lines.

Xiao Xue, Lu Piao, and Xiao Ning'er talked while Nie Li worked to repair a formation. As the formation neared completion, the four of them joined Nie Li and Shen Fei to inspect it.

• Xiao Xue asked Lu Piao whether Nie Li could unravel the formation, and Lu Piao said he trusted Nie Li and planned to follow him when he left Glory City.
• Lu Piao told Xiao Xue that Nie Li had helped him improve his cultivation, and Xiao Xue asked whether he would tell her before leaving.
• Xiao Ning'er joined Xiao Xue and Lu Piao, and they discussed Lu Piao's training and his growing closeness with Nie Li.
• Xiao Ning'er watched Shen Fei study Nie Li's carving technique while Xiao Xue and Lu Piao teased each other.
• Nie Li finished correcting the formation's patterns and inspected their flow, and Xiao Ning'er announced that it was nearly ready.
• Xiao Xue, Lu Piao, and Xiao Ning'er walked over to join Nie Li and Shen Fei at the formation.

Nie Li led Shen Fei and the others through a vast underground swarm of Red Ghosts, using the Shadow Demon to conceal their movements and misdirect the creatures. They skirted a Netherlight Behemoth and reached a passage, but the chapter ended just as everything changed.

• Nie Li warned the group not to merge with their Demon Spirits and used the Shadow Demon to scout a safe route through the Red Ghosts.
• Shen Fei merged with his Shadow Mantis and followed Nie Li while the others moved quietly behind them.
• Nie Li used the Shadow Demon's threads to distract Red Ghosts and open gaps as the group crossed the crowded plain.
• The group found an open area the Red Ghosts feared, and Shen Fei sensed an enormous creature nearby.
• Nie Li identified the creature as a Netherlight Behemoth and led the group around its tentacles toward a passage.
• The group reached the area behind the Netherlight Behemoth, and everything changed suddenly.

Shen Fei protected the poisoned Xiao Ning'er while the group fought the Netherlight Behemoth, and Nie Li used the Fragment Page to destroy the giant creature. The group survived and retreated through the passage, with Xiao Ning'er still unconscious but recovering.

• Xiao Ning'er was caught by the Netherlight Behemoth’s tentacles and paralyzed by their toxin, and Shen Fei reached her and fought to protect her.
• Shen Fei held off the creature’s endless tentacles while Nie Li struggled to maintain the Shadow Demon’s form.
• Nie Li used the Fragment Page to fire a golden beam that struck the Netherlight Behemoth and made its body disintegrate.
• The Netherlight Behemoth collapsed, and the tentacles released Shen Fei as Xiao Ning’er’s breathing steadied.
• Du Ze confirmed Xiao Ning’er was recovering, while Lu Piao and Xiao Xue helped the weakened Nie Li.
• Shen Fei carried Xiao Ning’er after the others through the dust and entered the passage.