Chapter Summaries

Wu Ziyu brought Zhang Yuan the Heyuan Wu Family’s offer in exchange for resolving the Raging Waves River trade route problem, and Zhang Yuan accepted the terms. He traveled to the river to inspect it, realizing at first sight why the Wu Family valued the route so highly.

• Zhang Yuan asked Wu Ziyu what the Wu Family would offer if he opened the Raging Waves River waterway, and requested dry-yang treasures or a higher-grade body-tempering technique.
• Wu Ziyu sent Zhang Yuan’s conditions to his family and received an offer of three dry-yang treasures over three hundred years old and the Vajra Bright King Skill.
• Wu Ziyu said his father was also willing to marry Wu Yunxi to Zhang Yuan, but Zhang Yuan declined marriage for now and accepted the cooperation terms.
• Wu Ziyu asked how Zhang Yuan would deal with the river’s Great Weirdness and reefs, and Zhang Yuan said he would inspect the problem first.
• Zhang Yuan left Western Plains City for the Raging Waves River and saw why the Wu Family was willing to pay so much to open the route.

Zhang Yuan used his water abilities and strength to scout the dangerous gorge section of the Raging Waves River and began clearing its hidden reefs for the Wu Family’s shipping route. After finding few Water Ghouls and no sign of the rumored Great Weirdness, he reached the river near River Source City.

• Zhang Yuan used the White Dragon Loach’s ability to dive into the Raging Waves River and navigate its treacherous currents and hidden reefs.
• Zhang Yuan crushed an attacking Giant Black Fish with Water Control and stored its body in his Storage Space.
• Zhang Yuan destroyed a massive hidden reef with the Overlord Halberd and stored the fragments, confirming he could clear the route this way.
• Zhang Yuan spent two days scouting and mapping the gorge, but found no Water Ghouls or trace of the Great Weirdness.
• Zhang Yuan searched downstream through the River Source region, found only a few weak Water Ghouls and empty sunken cargo ships, and arrived near River Source City.

Zhang Yuan visited the Wu Family in River Source City after surveying the Raging Waves River and said he could clear a navigable channel through Liping Mountain in a month. Wu Ziyu revealed that a Great Weirdness had capsized a merchant ship and killed his uncle, though Zhang Yuan had found no sign of it along the river.

• Zhang Yuan entered River Source City to investigate the Raging Waves River and visit the Wu Family about their proposed cooperation.
• At the Wu Family estate, Zhang Yuan met Wu Ziyu, who welcomed him inside and said his father, Wu Mingrui, had been summoned from the prefectural yamen.
• Zhang Yuan told Wu Ziyu that he had surveyed the river near Liping Mountain and expected to clear a navigable channel in a month.
• Zhang Yuan asked why he had found no Great Weirdness along the route, and Wu Ziyu said a family merchant ship had capsized in calm water and his uncle had died to the weirdness.
• Zhang Yuan wondered whether the Great Weirdness had traveled downstream along the Raging Waves River.

Zhang Yuan met Wu Mingrui, head of the River Source Wu Family, and learned that an Enfeebled Giant Python in the Raging Waves River had grown increasingly dangerous despite the family's regular offerings. After Wu Mingrui offered an additional reward for dealing with it and clearing the waterway, Zhang Yuan arranged to inspect the river before the next feeding.

• Wu Ziyu introduced Zhang Yuan to his father, Wu Mingrui, who thanked Zhang Yuan for helping the Wu Family and heard why he had come.
• Wu Mingrui explained that the Wu Family had fed cattle and sheep to the Enfeebled Giant Python for years, but its growing appetite had led to people disappearing.
• Wu Mingrui offered Zhang Yuan a generous additional reward if he could eliminate the river threat and open the waterway.
• Zhang Yuan asked when the Wu Family fed the python and learned that the next offering was in four days.
• Zhang Yuan told Wu Mingrui he wanted to inspect the river in a few days, and Wu Mingrui agreed.

Wu Ziyu brought Zhang Yuan to the Hundred Flower Courtyard, where they listened to Shang Jinyu perform. After meeting Zhang Yuan, the Courtesan Queen unexpectedly offered to serve him, leaving Wu Ziyu stunned.

• Wu Ziyu took Zhang Yuan to the Hundred Flower Courtyard while the Wu Family prepared to feed the Weird Python in four days.
• Wu Ziyu arranged for Shang Jinyu, the Courtesan Queen, to perform for them.
• Shang Jinyu played a qin piece that captivated both Zhang Yuan and Wu Ziyu.
• Wu Ziyu introduced Zhang Yuan to Shang Jinyu after her performance.
• Shang Jinyu offered to pour wine and serve tea for Zhang Yuan, surprising Wu Ziyu.

Zhang Yuan enjoyed a lavish evening at Jade Orchid Courtyard with Wu Ziyu and Courtesan Queen Shang Jinyu, until Wu Ziyu’s younger brother Wu Zi'ang barged in and disrupted the gathering. As Zhang Yuan and Wu Ziyu tried to leave, Wu Zi'ang stopped Zhang Yuan.

• Shang Jinyu arranged music and a dance, then joined the Flower Maidens as their lead dancer while Zhang Yuan and Wu Ziyu watched.
• Zhang Yuan playfully touched Shang Jinyu’s cheek, and she responded with an annoyed glance before leading the dance.
• Wu Zi'ang burst into Jade Orchid Courtyard with several martial artists and argued with Wu Ziyu over Shang Jinyu.
• Wu Zi'ang insulted Zhang Yuan, but Zhang Yuan chose to leave with Wu Ziyu rather than continue the evening.
• Wu Ziyu apologized to Shang Jinyu and started to escort Zhang Yuan away, but Wu Zi'ang stopped Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan crushed Wu Zi'ang’s attempt to confront him, and Wu Mingrui later punished his son and apologized to Zhang Yuan. On the fifteenth, Zhang Yuan joined the Wu Family at a river platform, where they sacrificed thirty cattle and thirty horses to a colossal creature in the Raging Waves River.

• Zhang Yuan broke Wu Zi'ang’s right arm and subdued his three attendants with his aura, then spared them after Wu Ziyu pleaded for their lives.
• Wu Ziyu reported the incident to Wu Mingrui, who had Wu Zi'ang’s remaining limbs broken, sent him away to guard the ancestral residence, and personally apologized to Zhang Yuan.
• The Wu Family’s punishment of Wu Zi'ang and apology to Zhang Yuan stirred River Source City, while Wu Ziyu’s standing in the family rose.
• On the fifteenth, Zhang Yuan traveled with Wu Mingrui and Wu Ziyu to a platform over the Raging Waves River, where Wu Family warriors secured the area.
• Wu Mingrui ordered a sacrifice, and the Wu Family threw thirty cattle and thirty horses into a whirlpool controlled by a colossal creature beneath the river.

Zhang Yuan learned that the Wu Family wanted him to use his ties to the Mo Clan to secure forces capable of killing the great python in the Raging Waves River. After the python attacked and demanded more mounts, Zhang Yuan leaped into its whirlpool as it began to fade.

• Wu Mingrui explained that the great python sensed danger, evaded strong forces, and had resisted the Wu Family for decades.
• Wu Mingrui asked Zhang Yuan to seek help from the Mo Clan, believing Zhang Yuan had close ties to them.
• The great python struck the river before the high platform, humiliating Wu Mingrui and scattering forceful droplets toward him and Zhang Yuan.
• Wu Mingrui ordered his men to feed their mounts to the python, and it dragged the horses underwater until the whirlpool began to shrink.
• Zhang Yuan suddenly jumped into the fading whirlpool without making a splash.

Zhang Yuan plunged into the Raging Waves River and battled the giant black python that had terrorized the Wu Family, using his Divine Sense and augmented abilities to wound it and fend off its minions. As the chapter ended, he was still pursuing the python underwater while it retreated and commanded its bream swarm to attack.

• Wu Mingrui and Wu Ziyu watched in shock as Zhang Yuan leaped into the river, unsure whether he would survive.
• Zhang Yuan activated his three symbiotic vessels, used Divine Sense to locate the black python, and confronted it underwater.
• The python dragged Zhang Yuan toward its jaws, but he broke free and stabbed its throat with the Overlord Halberd.
• Zhang Yuan pursued the wounded python and aimed for its left eye, but it retreated with unnatural speed.
• The python summoned tens of thousands of bream to attack Zhang Yuan, and he used Water Control to crush many of them.
• Zhang Yuan remained focused on the retreating python as the bream's Source Essence began accumulating.

Zhang Yuan fought the giant python beneath the Raging Waves River, surviving its ambush and learning that his attacks could barely penetrate its regenerating scales. Above the water, Wu Mingrui and Wu Ziyu watched the battle begin, while Zhang Yuan continued to seek an opening against the beast.

• Zhang Yuan crushed hundreds of Killer Fish with Water Control as the school continued to attack him.
• The giant python ambushed Zhang Yuan with a powerful tail strike, but Zhang Yuan sensed it and evaded, though the shockwave killed hundreds of Killer Fish.
• Zhang Yuan charged toward the giant python with the Overlord Halberd, while Wu Mingrui and Wu Ziyu realized he had survived and begun fighting back.
• Wu Mingrui reflected that he had hoped Zhang Yuan could help secure the Mo Clan's support against the python and open the waterway through Liping Mountain.
• Zhang Yuan found that the python's scales resisted his attacks and regenerated, while its undercurrents and tail strikes forced him to fight cautiously.

Zhang Yuan fought the giant python beneath Raging Waves River and appeared to fall to its relentless counterattacks. He revealed that his injuries were a ruse, killed the Great Weirdness with the God Slaying Flying Dagger, and narrowly dodged its final attack.

• The giant python unleashed sinister Killing Intent, but Zhang Yuan shielded himself with Hongyuan True Astral and pierced its forehead with the Overlord Halberd.
• The wounded python struck Zhang Yuan repeatedly with its tail, leaving him apparently too injured to fight.
• The python tried to swallow Zhang Yuan, who secretly unleashed the God Slaying Flying Dagger into its mouth.
• The God Slaying Saber pierced the python’s brain and returned through its forehead wound, fatally injuring it.
• Zhang Yuan dodged the dying python’s final beams, and the Great Weirdness’s Life Aura faded away.

Zhang Yuan defeated the giant python in the Raging Waves River and dragged its body back to the Wu Family, where they celebrated his survival and victory. He left the python unsacrificed so he could prove he had fulfilled the Wu Family’s commission.

• Zhang Yuan confirmed the giant python was dead but decided not to sacrifice it for Source Essence, choosing instead to bring back its body as proof of the kill.
• Wu Mingrui and Wu Ziyu believed Zhang Yuan had been swallowed by the python and worried that it might later retaliate against the Wu Family.
• Zhang Yuan emerged from the river dragging the python’s body, shocking the Wu Family members gathered on shore.
• Wu Mingrui praised Zhang Yuan for eliminating the threat to River Source, and Zhang Yuan said he had acted for the promised reward.
• Wu Mingrui admired Zhang Yuan’s strength and bearing and resolved to befriend him.

After the Wu Family displayed the slain giant python and distributed its meat, Zhang Yuan chose five treasures from their Secret Armory in return for surrendering the spoils. Wu Mingrui resolved to use his son Wu Ziyu to build ties with Zhang Yuan as the effort to clear the Liping Mountain waterway approached.

• The Wu Family displayed the giant python in River Source City and announced that its meat would be distributed to the city's households.
• Zhang Yuan received the promised Vajra Bright King Skill and was invited to take whatever he wanted from the Wu Family's Secret Armory.
• Zhang Yuan used his Divine Sense to select five Qian-yang treasures suited to his martial arts and declined to take anything else.
• Wu Ziyu told Wu Mingrui that Zhang Yuan had taken only five treasures, and Wu Mingrui praised Zhang Yuan's ambition.
• Wu Mingrui planned to place Wu Ziyu in Western Plains Dao City after he joined Upper Scene Heaven and ordered him to befriend and serve Zhang Yuan.

After returning to Western Plains City, Zhang Yuan spent a month in secluded cultivation, using the Wu Family’s treasures to strengthen his body and advance his Jade Mantis. He tested his newfound power with the Taotie Saber and emerged confident he could challenge a Tier 7 grandmaster.

• Zhang Yuan declined the Wu Family’s efforts to keep him and returned to Western Plains City, where he entered secluded cultivation.
• He used all five Qian Yang-attributed treasures to improve his Six Harmonies Qilin Body and increase his vitality.
• Zhang Yuan advanced his Jade Mantis to Level 6, gaining Advanced Blade Esoterica, while his Divine Nest remained at Level 7.
• His strengthened Qilin Body brought on fierce battle-lust, which Zhang Yuan suppressed through force of will.
• Zhang Yuan practiced the Army Breaker Saber Technique, carving deep gashes through the Dao Barracks’ Azure Astral stone walls and piercing one with an invisible saber aura.
• Pleased with his improved blade technique, Zhang Yuan concluded that he could now face a Tier 7 grandmaster.

Wu Ziyu visited Zhang Yuan after joining Upper Scene Heaven’s inner sect and presented him with a powerful suit of armor made from the python Zhang Yuan had slain. Zhang Yuan accepted the gift and agreed to let the Wu Family handle clearing the Raging Waves River shipping lane; the Mighty Dragon Armor began bonding with his true astral.

• Wu Ziyu arrived at White Tiger Hall in an Inner Disciple’s uniform and told Zhang Yuan he had joined Upper Scene Heaven’s inner sect.
• Wu Ziyu explained that he had come to seek a post in Western Plains City and presented Zhang Yuan with the Mighty Dragon Armor, forged from scales of the Weird Python.
• Zhang Yuan initially tried to refuse the valuable armor, but Wu Ziyu said the Wu Family wanted to strengthen their cooperation and help clear the Raging Waves River shipping lane.
• After hearing the Wu Family planned to clear the hidden reefs themselves, Zhang Yuan agreed to their plan and accepted the armor.
• Zhang Yuan infused the Mighty Dragon Armor with Hongyuan True Astral, causing it to glow and begin bonding with his aura.

Zhang Yuan oversaw the opening of the Raging Waves River shipping route, bringing great benefits to the Wu Family and Western Plains City. Just as the Wu Family’s fleet arrived, Mo Huaian told Zhang Yuan that someone in the sect had arranged to remove him as Western Plains Dao General, and Zhang Yuan suspected Fei Hongming.

• Wu Ziyu told Zhang Yuan that clearing the river would open a profitable shipping route between Western Plains and Great Qian.
• Zhang Yuan wore the Mighty Dragon Armor the Wu Family had commissioned for him and reflected on their growing alliance.
• A month later, the Wu Family’s fleet sailed into Western Plains City, drawing crowds and merchants eager to see the new trade route.
• Mo Huaian visited Zhang Yuan and said he had to leave Western Plains because someone in the sect wanted him removed as Dao General.
• Zhang Yuan guessed Fei Hongming was behind the move, and Mo Huaian confirmed it.

Zhang Yuan learned that the sect was transferring him to Danyang Dao City as Garrison Commander after a rebellion weakened the city and left its commander badly injured. As Zhang Yuan prepared to leave Western Plains, Mo Huaian was appointed to replace Fei Hongming as Dao Official, and Zhang Yuan received the Sect Edict confirming the transfer.

• Mo Huaian told Zhang Yuan that the sect planned to appoint him Danyang Garrison Commander because the city had been weakened by a Dao Soldier rebellion and faced pressure from the Southern Barbarians.
• Mo Huaian explained that Fei Hongming had helped arrange Zhang Yuan's transfer, but the Mo Clan would ensure Fei Hongming lost his Dao Official position.
• Zhang Yuan learned that Mo Huaian would become the new Western Plains Dao Official and welcomed the appointment.
• Wu Ziyu rushed to White Tiger Hall after hearing Zhang Yuan was being transferred, then greeted Mo Huaian and offered his family's support.
• Zhang Yuan received the Sect Edict confirming his transfer to Danyang Dao City.

Fei Hongming learned that Zhang Yuan was being transferred from Western Plains, but the sect had also stripped Fei of his office and recalled him. Zhang Yuan handed the Dao Camp over to his successor, helped Mo Huaian take control of the Dao Yamen, and set out for Danyang after collecting rewards from the sect.

• Fei Hongming received a Sect Edict transferring Zhang Yuan to Danyang and recalling Fei from his post, leaving him three days to hand over the Dao Yamen.
• Fei Hongming realized his schemes had failed and spat blood from the shock and regret.
• Zhang Yuan told Mo Wei, Sun Yujiang, and Feng Hui about his transfer, and reassured Feng Hui that he could work with Mo Huaian.
• Zhang Yuan handed the Dao Camp over to his successor, a True Disciple from Upper Scene Heaven, then accompanied Mo Huaian as he took over the Dao Yamen.
• Zhang Yuan left Western Plains for Danyang, stopping at the sect to collect his reward and exchange most of his Dao Merit for treasures.

Zhang Yuan arrived at Danyang City to take up his post as Garrison Commander, only to find the pass sealed and its defenders suspicious of him. After proving his appointment and resolving the misunderstanding, he headed to the Garrison Commander's Residence.

• Zhang Yuan used his Dao Merit to acquire treasures for cultivating his Six Harmonies Qilin Body and accepted a five-hundred-thousand-tael advance from the Wu Family.
• Zhang Yuan reached Danyang City and found its gates shut and its defenses in disarray.
• Zhang Yuan identified himself as the new Garrison Commander, but the guards mistook him for an enemy and surrounded him.
• Zhang Yuan displayed his Identity Token, and Lu Xiong explained that the city had been sealed because of attempted infiltrations.
• Li Shiwen inspected Zhang Yuan's official mandate, confirmed it was genuine, and apologized with Lu Xiong and the other guards.
• Zhang Yuan accepted their apologies and went with Li Shiwen and Lu Xiong to the Garrison Commander's Residence.

Zhang Yuan took over as Danyang Garrison Commander and discovered that a recent civil uprising had devastated the city’s forces, morale, supplies, and civilians. He left Li Shiwen in place and gave him five hundred thousand taels to restore supplies and pay relief and compensation.

• Zhang Yuan arrived in Danyang City and completed the handover of command with the gravely injured Li Heng.
• Li Heng departed for the sect after Zhang Yuan gave him a bottle of high-grade Healing Pills.
• Zhang Yuan learned that the uprising had killed or wounded many soldiers and leaders, damaged the city’s stores, and left morale low and civilians in need of aid.
• Li Shiwen reported that the Garrison Commander’s residence held only 75,304 taels and three qian.
• Zhang Yuan gave Li Shiwen five hundred thousand taels and ordered him to replenish reserves, buy grain and supplies before winter, and pay the dead and wounded soldiers and civilians in full.