Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan and Feng Ming learned that several merchant ships had been attacked and rushed back to Linhe County to report the danger. After reuniting Zhang Yuan with his mother, Dong Yuanwei brought Zhang Yuan good news about his merit rewards.

• Feng Ming received an urgent Harrier Letter warning that several merchant ships had been attacked, and he sent a reply by hawk.
• Zhang Yuan and Feng Ming reached Nanxun City ahead of schedule, then returned to Linhe County with the bandit heads they had collected.
• Zhang Yuan and Feng Ming reported the attacks and submitted the bandit heads to the Inner Hall for verification of their Battle Merit.
• Zhang Yuan brought his mother and Da Hu back from Chen Zhize's residence and considered building a home in Wu Manor for her safety.
• Dong Yuanwei sought out Zhang Yuan at Whale Fortress and brought him good news about his Battle Merit rewards.

Zhang Yuan earned one Great Merit and two Small Merits for killing bandits, earning Dong Yuanwei’s praise and prompting him to ask about obtaining a home in Wu Manor. Meanwhile, the Linhe Branch’s leaders debated whether the dead bandit Niu Dali proved the White Turban Bandits had returned, and Wei Changfeng ordered a report to the main branch and the withdrawal of disciples stationed outside.

• The Inner Hall approved Zhang Yuan’s battle merits, and Dong Yuanwei congratulated him and urged him to save his Great Merit for something worthwhile.
• Zhang Yuan asked how he could obtain a residence in Wu Manor, and Dong Yuanwei offered to ask Hall Master Zhao about exchanging a Small Merit for a house or applying for a plot.
• At Whale Fortress, Elder Li argued that Niu Dali’s death proved the White Turban Bandits had risen again and called for the main branch to send reinforcements.
• Hall Master Wang disputed Elder Li’s conclusion, and Wei Changfeng ordered the branch to report the circumstances to the main branch and withdraw its disciples stationed outside.
• Wei Changfeng asked who had killed Niu Dali, and a gang member identified Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan received recognition from the Raging Whale Gang’s leadership while they debated whether to trust him, then decisively ended Xu Zhengyang’s repeated challenges with a single saber strike. Dong Yuanwei witnessed Zhang Yuan’s display and was left astonished.

• Zhao Jinlan explained Zhang Yuan’s background to Wei Changfeng, who awarded merit to Zhang Yuan’s recommender, Chen Zhize, and instructor, Dong Yuanwei.
• Hall Master Wang questioned Zhang Yuan’s loyalty, but Wei Changfeng stopped the argument and recalled his own past fight with Niu Dali.
• Xu Zhengyang challenged Zhang Yuan and demanded a duel after Zhang Yuan mocked his family ties.
• Zhang Yuan offered to apologize if Xu Zhengyang could withstand one strike, then halted his saber just before Xu Zhengyang’s brow.
• Xu Zhengyang fled in humiliation, and Dong Yuanwei watched Zhang Yuan’s strike in shock.

Zhang Yuan exchanged his merits for a residence in the Wu Manor and the Blood Burning Art, then bought Xiang Xiu to help care for his mother. Zhang's Mother welcomed Xiang Xiu into the household, leaving the family with a new home and companion.

• Dong Yuanwei showed Zhang Yuan three residences in the Wu Manor, and Zhang Yuan chose Jia 17 because it was near Chen Zhize's home.
• Zhang Yuan exchanged two Small Merits for the right to live in Jia 17 and the Blood Burning Art, leaving him with one Great Merit.
• Zhang Yuan inspected Jia 17, then went to a broker in the County Town to buy a capable maid for his mother.
• Zhang Yuan chose Xiang Xiu from the girls the broker presented and paid seventeen taels and five mace of silver for her.
• Zhang's Mother welcomed Xiang Xiu into the family, and Xiang Xiu thanked her with tears in her eyes.

Zhang Yuan learned to use the Blood Burning Art and moved his mother, Xiang Xiu, and Da Hu into his new home at Wu Manor. He left his mother settled there and reassured her that their lives would keep improving.

• Xiang Xiu took over the household chores and won Zhang's Mother's affection by caring for Da Hu.
• Zhang Yuan practiced the Blood Burning Art, learned to spread his blood mist over his saber, and saw that the technique cost him thirty points of qi and blood.
• Zhang Yuan brought Zhang's Mother, Xiang Xiu, Da Hu, and their belongings by carriage to his new home at Wu Manor.
• Zhang's Mother set up her husband's memorial tablet and prayed for Zhang Yuan's safety while the three of them cleaned the house.
• Zhang Yuan bought household supplies and told his mother she could visit Incense Master Chen, then reassured her that their days would improve.

Zhang Yuan returned to the abandoned Chen Family Village to pay respects to Old Master Chen after learning that people from nearby villages had gone back. As Da Hu sensed danger in the woods, Zhang Yuan prepared to defend himself.

• Frustrated by days without a catch and stalled cultivation, Zhang Yuan realized he needed money for medicinal supplies and Source Essence.
• Zhang Yuan asked Chen Dawang about Chen Family Village, and Chen Dawang said there had been no news but people from nearby villages had returned home.
• Zhang Yuan shared a drink with Chen Dawang, who said he would not return because no one was left in his home.
• Zhang Yuan traveled with Da Hu to Chen Family Village and saw that the abandoned village was overgrown and falling apart.
• Zhang Yuan offered incense and joss paper at Old Master Chen’s grave, but Da Hu suddenly barked at the woods, prompting Zhang Yuan to draw his Goose Feather Saber.

Zhang Yuan discovered that essence-blood-coated weapons could kill Fierce Spirits and yield Source Essence. After wiping out the spirits in the forest, he looked toward Thousand Peak Mountain and resolved to face its stronger spirits someday.

• Zhang Yuan calmed Da Hu, then approached a dark forest where he sensed danger and saw Fierce Spirits gathering.
• Zhang Yuan coated his arrows with essence blood and killed a Fierce Spirit, gaining 0.5 Source Essence.
• Zhang Yuan fired all twenty arrows at the spirits, collecting more Source Essence as they vanished.
• When the remaining Fierce Spirits rushed him, Zhang Yuan used Rippling Steps and his essence-blood-coated Goose Feather Saber to destroy them.
• Zhang Yuan turned his gaze toward Thousand Peak Mountain and resolved to battle the Fierce Spirits there as he grew stronger.

After defeating more than thirty aberrations, Zhang Yuan returned to the abandoned Chen Family Village to search the Chen Family Ancestral Home for the wealth Chen Yuanwai had left behind. A Green-Skinned Zombie attacked from beneath the floor, and Zhang Yuan empowered his host bodies to fight it without using the Blood Burning Art again.

• Zhang Yuan spent his seventeen points of Source Essence on the White Dragon Loach and used wild ginseng to help recover his vitality.
• Zhang Yuan retrieved his arrows and returned to Chen Family Village with Da Hu, finding the village deserted and overgrown.
• Zhang Yuan searched the Chen Family Ancestral Home for hidden wealth but found little and encountered no aberrations.
• When Zhang Yuan entered Chen Yuanwai's bedroom, Da Hu barked as a withered claw burst through the floor and seized Zhang Yuan's ankle.
• Zhang Yuan severed the claw and retreated as a Green-Skinned Zombie emerged from underground and chased him into the courtyard.
• Zhang Yuan chose to empower himself with the Black Giant Ant, Golden Grasshopper, and Jade Mantis powers to face the zombie.

Zhang Yuan defeated a Green-Skinned Zombie at Chen Family Ancestral Home and discovered Chen, the Great Landowner’s hidden treasury. He returned home with roughly three thousand six hundred taels of gold and silver, concealed in a vine basket, and planned to use the wealth to buy medicinal herbs.

• Zhang Yuan used the enhanced strength and senses granted by three Parasitic Bodies to dismember the Green-Skinned Zombie, then received a Source Essence +1.7 prompt.
• After the zombie dissolved, Da Hu led Zhang Yuan to gold and silver hidden beneath the room where it had emerged.
• Zhang Yuan gathered the treasure, estimated its value at roughly three thousand six hundred taels, and burned the account books and genealogy book.
• Zhang Yuan concealed the gold and silver in a vine basket and returned to Wu Manor with Da Hu.
• When Zhang's Mother asked what he had bought, Zhang Yuan said he had purchased materials for training.

After repaying Chen Zhize’s loan and receiving a warning about an impending Raging Whale Gang operation, Zhang Yuan discovered that his White Dragon Loach had gained Intermediate Water Proficiency. He tested the ability in the river, where it greatly improved his speed and underwater perception, then spotted a white shadow as he prepared to leave.

• Zhang Yuan fed Da Hu a lavish basin of dog food to reward it for sensing danger during his earlier battle.
• Zhang Yuan repaid Chen Zhize the one hundred taels he had borrowed and gave him beef as thanks.
• Chen Zhize warned Zhang Yuan that the Raging Whale Gang might soon make a major move and urged him to stay safe.
• Zhang Yuan bought medicinal herbs and spent the day practicing martial skills instead of exploring Thousand Peak Mountain.
• Zhang Yuan found that his White Dragon Loach had reached Intermediate Water Proficiency and tested its enhanced swimming speed and sonar-like perception in the river.
• As Zhang Yuan prepared to return at dawn, a white shadow streaked past him and the Divine Nest Emblem appeared on his left hand.

Zhang Yuan chased a White Dragon Loach and experienced its memories before abandoning the pursuit. After patiently cultivating at Wu Manor, he broke through to Second Order Dark Force.

• Zhang Yuan pursued a White Dragon Loach into deep water and experienced its life through the Divine Nest Emblem, but it escaped while he was distracted.
• Zhang Yuan returned to shore and spent the following days cultivating without rushing his breakthrough.
• Zhang Yuan soaked in Medicinal Soup and practiced the Boulder Foundation Skill in his training room.
• Zhang Yuan’s bones and tendons resonated as he broke through to Second Order Dark Force.

After reaching Second Order Dark Force, Zhang Yuan strengthened his Black Giant Ant and prepared for the challenges ahead. At Whale Fortress, he was assigned to the newly formed Battle Hall Youth Squad, whose patrol duties and the growing tensions left him expecting danger.

• Zhang Yuan reached Second Order Dark Force, raised his maximum vitality to 200, and used Source Essence to advance the Black Giant Ant.
• Zhang Yuan ate smoked meat in the kitchen, where Xiang Xiu and Da Hu found him; he sent Xiang Xiu back to rest and shared meat with Da Hu.
• Vice Hall Master Gao Sheng ordered the creation of the Battle Hall Youth Squad to patrol Whale Fortress and Wu Manor, and Zhang Yuan joined the Seventh Patrol Squad.
• Xu Zhengchao introduced himself to Zhang Yuan with open hostility, and Zhang Yuan ignored his provocation.
• Captain Zheng Hong explained the patrol rules, while Zhang Yuan recalled Chen Zhize's warning and resolved to prepare for the danger he sensed approaching.

Zhang Yuan watched the Raging Whale Gang’s fleet depart and trained with the Seventh Patrol Squad as the Linhe Branch braced for battle. When Xu Zhengchao challenged him, Zhang Yuan revealed Second Order Dark Force and left Xu Zhengchao facing a humiliating defeat.

• The Raging Whale Gang’s fleet sailed upstream, crushing a fishing boat that blocked the Startling Wave’s path.
• Zhang Yuan and the Battle Hall Youth Squad returned to Whale Fortress, where they took up patrols and drilled the Wave Cutting Blade Formation.
• After three days without news from the fleet, the youths grew anxious about their relatives and elders who had gone to battle.
• Xu Zhengchao challenged Zhang Yuan to a spar, hoping to avenge the shame Zhang Yuan had brought upon Xu Zhengyang and the Xu Family.
• Zhang Yuan displayed Second Order Dark Force and made a practice blade resonate, shocking Zheng Hong and leaving Xu Zhengchao reluctant to fight.

After news of Zhang Yuan’s advancement spread through Whale Fortress, a horde of Water Monkeys and zombies attacked the fortress and Wu Manor in the night. Zhang Yuan joined the fight, killing several zombies as the battle erupted around him.

• Zhang Yuan gained respect among the Battle Hall disciples after advancing to the Second Order, but his sense of crisis deepened.
• On the sixth night after the Raging Whale Fleet departed, Water Monkeys emerged from the river and attacked the patrol near Whale Fortress.
• A patrol captain sounded the alarm and ordered the patrol members to form a saber formation against the Water Monkeys.
• Zhang Yuan woke at the Signal Arrow’s cry and rushed out of his home as zombies invaded Wu Manor.
• Zhang Yuan used his abilities to kill a zombie, then threw his saber to save a Wrathful Whale Disciple and killed another zombie.
• Zhang Yuan looked around at the hellish scene as the attack continued.

Zhang Yuan slaughtered Wooden Zombies invading Wu Manor while the Wrathful Whale Disciples formed a blade formation, but an Iron Zombie appeared and disrupted their attack. As the Iron Zombie prepared to strike again, Zhang Yuan appeared behind it.

• Zhang Yuan ignored the blade formation and hunted isolated Wooden Zombies, using his speed and blade skill to kill them efficiently.
• Zhang Yuan continued fighting and gained greater insight into his blade technique as the Wrathful Whale Disciples swept through the zombie horde.
• A ten-foot-tall Iron Zombie burst from a house, wielding a Chain Hammer and eating a bloodied thigh.
• A Raging Whale Gang expert engaged the Iron Zombie, but his sword barely wounded it and he could only dodge its hammer.
• The Iron Zombie hurled its Chain Hammer into the blade formation, crushing one disciple and throwing the formation into chaos.
• Zhang Yuan appeared behind the Iron Zombie as it raised its Chain Hammer again.

Zhang Yuan crippled the Iron Zombie by cutting the tendons behind its knees, allowing Raging Whale Gang experts to bring it down before he claimed its Source Essence. After the battle in Wu Manor ended, he saw flames rising from Whale Fortress.

• Zhang Yuan found the Iron Zombie’s knee pits and severed the tendons in both legs as it threatened the Wrathful Whale Disciples.
• Two Raging Whale Gang experts pinned down the fallen Iron Zombie and battered its head and arms until its skull shattered.
• Zhang Yuan stabbed the Iron Zombie’s skull, gained 26.8 Source Essence, and apologized to the experts for taking the final blow.
• The Iron Zombie’s fall and the saber formation brought the battle in Wu Manor into its final phase, while survivors searched for remaining zombies and tended to the wounded.
• Zhang Yuan looked toward Whale Fortress and saw flames soaring into the sky.

After the Raging Whale Gang’s base survived a devastating zombie attack, Zhang Yuan returned to Wu Manor and invested his newly gained Source Essence in his host bodies. The branch then faced suspicious provocations from outsiders, and its leaders ordered the disciples to avoid conflict until Branch Master Wei Changfeng returned.

• Supreme Elder Liao Yong'an killed three Iron Zombies and helped save Whale Fortress from the zombie horde.
• Zhang Yuan visited his mother in the County Town, reassured her about his safety, and wondered who was spreading detailed rumors about the attack.
• Zhang Yuan returned to Wu Manor, cleared the battlefield, and spent his Source Essence strengthening his Black Giant Ant, Jade Mantis, Golden Grasshopper, and White Dragon Loach.
• Over the next two days, Zhang Yuan and the other disciples patrolled the tense branch base as suspicious outsiders mocked them and provoked confrontations.
• After outsiders staged a public protest accusing the disciples of oppressing commoners, the branch leaders ordered everyone not to strike first and to wait for Wei Changfeng's return.

Zhang Yuan saved Chen Zhize from an assassination attempt during a fishermen’s riot at Linhe Fish Market. The Linhe Branch’s main force returned aboard the Startling Wave, and Chen Zhize went with Zhang Yuan to welcome the Helmsman.

• Zhang Yuan and the Seventh Patrol Squad arrived at Linhe Fish Market, where agitated fishermen were confronting Outer Hall disciples.
• Chen Zhize restrained a disciple from drawing his sword as the fishermen surged forward, and Zhang Yuan spotted suspicious figures among the crowd.
• A gray-clad man tried to stab Chen Zhize, but Zhang Yuan severed the attacker’s wrist with a blade strike.
• The Outer Hall disciples and hidden attackers drew their weapons as the confrontation threatened to become a battle.
• A horn sounded, and the Startling Wave arrived with the Raging Whale Gang’s main force, causing the hidden attackers to flee and the fishermen to cower.
• Chen Zhize praised Zhang Yuan and invited him to welcome the Helmsman at Linhe Wharf.

After Wei Changfeng returned victorious, Zhang Yuan learned that Zhang Xiong was now an incense master in the Fierce Tiger Gang and was asking about him, prompting him to move his family to safety. At Whale Fortress, Wei Changfeng announced he would enter secluded cultivation, then invited the gathered leaders to ask questions.

• Wei Changfeng brought the Startling Wave back to the docks and announced a great victory, though Zhang Yuan noticed the ships and warriors had suffered heavy damage and casualties.
• Chen Dawang told Zhang Yuan that Zhang Xiong had become an incense master in the Fierce Tiger Gang and was asking about him.
• Zhang Yuan decided to take Zhang's Mother, Xiang Xiu, and Da Hu from Fishmonger Alley to Wu Manor to protect them.
• Wei Changfeng summoned the Linhe Branch's upper ranks and appointed Hall Master Wan Pu to act as branch master while Supreme Elder Liao Yong'an supervised during his three months of secluded cultivation.
• Wei Changfeng invited the assembled leaders to ask questions, and a stern-faced middle-aged man asked whether the news was true.

Wei Changfeng warned the Raging Whale Gang’s Linhe Branch that several Celestials would arrive next month to search Thousand Peak Mountain, then reviewed reports from the zombie attack. He proposed promoting fifteen-year-old Zhang Yuan to Battle Hall Incense Master, leaving the senior members stunned.

• Wei Changfeng told Wan Pu and Liao Yong'an that several Celestials would come to Linhe next month to search for treasure in Thousand Peak Mountain.
• Wei Changfeng explained that the Chen Clan had sacrificed collateral clansmen to aid a Celestial, causing more than a thousand deaths and the loss of a City God Deputy Statue.
• Wei Changfeng ordered the branch to respect the Celestials from a distance, avoid conflicts with local authorities and families, and strike back hard if the Fierce Tiger Gang attacked.
• Wei Changfeng reviewed the case files and noticed that Zhang Yuan had played a crucial role in killing an Iron Zombie.
• Wei Changfeng proposed promoting Zhang Yuan, a fifteen-year-old new disciple, to Battle Hall Incense Master, prompting others to urge caution.