Chapter Summaries

Ren Jie contained the strange living demon core inside the Spirit Jade Essence Pearl and carried it with him while he prepared to attend the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration. On the way to the Imperial Palace, he teased Fatty about her request for a jewelry set, leaving her flustered.

• Ren Jie suppressed the demon core’s violent aura, sealed the Spirit Jade Essence Pearl in a box, and kept it close so he could monitor its faint pulse.
• After studying the pearl until dawn, Ren Jie fell asleep and woke late when Fatty called him to hurry to the ceremony.
• Ren Jie set off for the Imperial Palace in casual clothes despite Fatty’s warning that others might criticize him.
• Fatty asked Ren Jie to make an extra jewelry set for her cousin, and Ren Jie teased her about giving it as a token of love.
• Fatty hurried out of the carriage after insisting Ren Jie not forget the gift, and Ren Jie laughed once she was gone.

Ren Jie confronted Deputy Chief Steward Shao De after Shao De used palace regulations to block him from the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. As Ren Jie threatened Shao De's family, two young Ren generals were allowed into the palace, leaving Fatty furious at the blatant double standard.

• Ren Jie arrived late at the Imperial Palace and learned that entry had been suspended, so Shao De told him to wait while he sought permission from Chief Steward An.
• Ren Jie recognized that Shao De was deliberately obstructing him and demanded to know who had authorized the blockade.
• Ren Jie threatened Shao De's family, and Shao De ordered the Imperial Guards to stop anyone from entering without the Emperor's command.
• Ren Tianheng and Ren Tianqi arrived on horseback, announced their birthday wishes, and Shao De immediately let them pass.
• Fatty confronted Shao De for allowing the two Ren generals inside after refusing Ren Jie.

At the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration, Ren Jie was blocked outside by Shao De while Ren Qiang and Ren Hao presented gifts and received promotions inside. As the banquet began, dazzling lights and a proclamation of heavenly auspicious signs filled the palace, leaving the guests astonished.

• Shao De used the Emperor’s permission for Ren Qiang and Ren Hao to enter directly as an excuse to keep Ren Jie outside, but Ren Jie held Fatty back and vowed to make Shao De suffer later.
• Ren Qiang and Ren Hao presented Three Flowers Three Leaves Grass and a Moon Reflecting Pearl, then the Emperor promoted them from deputy generals to generals.
• Ren Qiang and Ren Hao declined separate seats and joined the Ren Family elders, who learned that Ren Jie was being blocked outside.
• Yu Wu Shuang waited for Ren Jie at the banquet while Yu Cheng promised to take her to find him afterward if he did not appear.
• As the Emperor and guests raised their cups to begin the banquet, brilliant lights with icy chill, starlight, and dragon aura filled the hall, and a voice proclaimed auspicious signs for the Bright Jade Dynasty.

Ren Jie used the Nine Stars Phoenix Pearl and Qi Tian’s power to create a spectacular false heavenly auspice that drew the emperor and Empress Dowager from the palace hall. He ended the spectacle and presented the pearl to the Empress Dowager as her birthday gift.

• Ren Jie altered the Nine Stars Phoenix Pearl with powder from the Nine Headed Dragon King's Flood Dragon Horn and had Qi Tian power its display.
• Ren Jie projected a vision of stars, cold radiance, and dragons across the palace sky and announced that it was a heavenly auspice for the Empress Dowager’s birthday.
• The spectacle drew palace staff, guards, the emperor, and the Empress Dowager to Ren Jie’s Spirit Beast Carriage, while Shao De watched in confusion.
• Ren Jie let the vision continue while he calmly ate pastries, then took the pearl from Qi Tian and ended the display.
• Ren Jie greeted the Empress Dowager with birthday blessings and presented her with the Nine Stars Phoenix Pearl, claiming it had produced the auspice on its own.

At the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration, Ren Jie presented the altered Nine Stars Phoenix Pearl and turned the resulting spectacle into a public occasion for the Emperor to reward him. The Emperor granted the Ren Family ten years of management rights to the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine, and Ren Jie accepted while securing Shao De’s service, though he suspected the mine concealed a serious problem.

• Ren Jie presented the Nine Stars Phoenix Pearl, and the Empress Dowager and the assembled royals admired it as an auspicious sign.
• The Emperor declared a realm-wide tax reduction and no tax increases for three years, then offered Ren Jie a reward; Ren Jie thanked him and asked to borrow Shao De for several years.
• The Emperor granted the Ren Family ten years of mining rights to the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine in exchange for thirty million Jade Coins each year.
• Gao Peng told Fang Yan that the mine was nearly exhausted and that the Emperor planned to pursue a newly discovered mine with the Gao and Fang Families, explaining their lack of concern about Ren Jie’s reward.
• Ren Hanlin, Ren Junyang, and Ren Wenxu thanked the Emperor on the Ren Family’s behalf, while Ren Jie suspected the mine was a trap and accepted the decree, again requesting Shao De.

At the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, Ren Jie accepted the Emperor’s leave to return home after eating and provoking Yu Ren Long. The Emperor happily let him go, while the Spirit Jade mine and its hidden costs remained unresolved.

• The Emperor celebrated Ren Jie’s acceptance of the Spirit Jade mine arrangement, expecting its annual payments to weaken the Ren Family and benefit his own plans.
• Ren Jie told Dead Fatty he suspected the mine was a trap, then focused on eating the banquet’s rare dishes and planned to leave afterward.
• Ren Jie and Dead Fatty openly requested more food, embarrassing Ren Qiang, Ren Hao, and other Ren Family members as the guests watched.
• Yu Ren Long insulted Ren Jie, and Ren Jie mocked him in return until Yu Cheng rebuked Yu Ren Long and he restrained himself.
• After eating his fill, Ren Jie asked to leave, and the Emperor readily granted him permission to return home and rest.

Ren Jie left the Imperial Palace with Fatty Bro and Yu Wu Shuang, spending the day enjoying Jade Capital City's festivities with them. After Yu Wu Shuang fell asleep and they returned to the Ren Family, Ren Jie went to speak with Sixth Uncle about Jade Spring Mountain and its Spirit Jade Mine.

• Ren Jie left the Imperial Palace with Fatty Bro, and Yu Wu Shuang joined them after Yu Cheng let her go.
• Ren Jie told Shao De that he would serve at his side, then departed without entertaining Shao De's pleas for mercy.
• Ren Jie, Fatty Bro, and Yu Wu Shuang explored Jade Capital City, shopping, eating, and enjoying themselves.
• Yu Wu Shuang grew exhausted and fell asleep before the fireworks, so Ren Jie and Fatty Bro took her back to the Ren Family.
• Ren Jie asked Fatty Bro to look after Yu Wu Shuang and went to Sixth Uncle to discuss Jade Spring Mountain and the Spirit Jade Mine.

Ren Jie met with Ren Tianzong to learn why the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine had become important and how it fit into the Bright Jade Dynasty’s history. Ren Tianzong traced the dynasty’s survival to Ren Jie’s father and hinted that Sky Dragon Sword Manor’s name held a personal connection.

• Ren Jie asked Wan Hong to investigate Jade Spring Mountain, the recent chaos in Jade Capital City, and Ren Qiang and Ren Hao’s return.
• Ren Jie joined Ren Tianzong for wine and asked about the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine.
• Ren Tianzong explained that the Five Great Families had once united to resist sects and secure the Bright Jade Dynasty’s independence.
• Ren Tianzong recalled how Ren Jie’s father and the Emperor destroyed Jade Spring Taoist and seized the mine, then suppressed rival forces and surrounding nations.
• Ren Jie asked why Sky Dragon Sword Manor had been allowed to remain, and Ren Tianzong asked whether its name sounded familiar.

Ren Jie and Ren Tianzong discussed the dangers and uncertain value of the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine while planning to investigate it and curb the elders’ influence. Convinced the mine was a windfall, Ren Junyang tried to secure its profits for his faction, but Ren Jie refused to attend their meeting and insulted them through a messenger.

• Ren Tianzong explained that Zhan Tianlong was the estranged son of Sword King Long Ao and described how the Emperor had gradually replaced the mine’s original staff while Jade Spring Taoist’s remnants grew more troublesome.
• Ren Jie and Ren Tianzong agreed the mine’s promised income was suspicious, and Ren Jie said he would investigate while using the opportunity to prepare against the elders.
• Ren Junyang assured Ren Qiang and Ren Hao that the mine could still be profitable, then offered their fathers ten percent each and sought their support in deciding how its resources would be distributed.
• Ren Hao agreed to support the elders, and Ren Junyang summoned Ren Jie to settle the matter through the Family Elders General Assembly.
• Ren Jie refused to come, telling the messenger to relay insults to Ren Junyang and the others and ordering Ren Qiang and Ren Hao to learn proper rules.

Ren Jie used the Ren Family’s rules to justify arresting Ren Qiang and Ren Hao for failing to show proper respect, then challenged Ren Junyang to contact the family’s important members and question the two generals’ sons before them. Ren Qiang was captured, Ren Hao was deterred from escaping, and Ren Jie remained ready to press the dispute before the whole Lineage.

• Ren Jie made Ren Junyang, Ren Hanlin, Ren Qiang, Ren Hao, and the others wait for hours before ordering the Guard Squad to seize Ren Qiang and Ren Hao.
• Ren Qiang and Ren Hao resisted, but the Guard Squad’s formation suppressed the group while Ren Jie accused the two of violating Ren Family rules.
• Ren Junyang and Ren Hanlin defended the young men, but Ren Jie threatened to treat resistance as betrayal of the Lineage.
• Tong Qiang defeated Ren Qiang, and Guard Squad members captured him while Xie Jian and the formations prevented Ren Hao from escaping.
• Ren Junyang threatened to convene the Elders’ assembly and contact Ren Tianheng and Ren Tianqi, but Ren Jie urged him to contact them and the Lineage’s other important members immediately.

Ren Jie used Ren Qiang and Ren Hao’s breach of family rules to force Ren Junyang to back down, then punished the two men without pursuing the matter further. After warning that the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine might be dangerous, he dismissed the elders and went to receive Yu Cheng, while Ren Junyang and his allies began plotting with the mine’s resources.

• Ren Hao confirmed that he and Ren Qiang had previously failed to pay their respects to Ren Jie and had spoken improperly in the Imperial Palace.
• Ren Junyang abandoned his threat to convene an assembly to remove Ren Jie and pleaded for him to forgive Ren Qiang and Ren Hao, offering to discuss the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine’s distribution.
• Ren Jie said he wanted no share of the mine because he suspected trouble, then ordered Ren Qiang and Ren Hao to receive one hundred strokes, lose their provisions for half a year, and copy the Family Rules one hundred times.
• A guard reported that Yu Cheng, the Bright Jade Pill King, had arrived, and Ren Jie sent Ren Junyang and the others away to receive him.
• Ren Junyang, Ren Hanlin, and Ren Wenxu exchanged plans to use the mine’s resources, while Ren Jie walked out to welcome Yu Cheng and made an OK gesture.

Ren Jie learned that the Old Pill King had been severely wounded while investigating the Heavenly Demon Core and agreed to go help him. He and Yu Cheng set out for a location 2,700 li outside Jade Capital City, where Yu Cheng began explaining what had happened.

• Ren Tianzong and Yun Feng'er watched Ren Jie handle the earlier confrontation and discussed his strength and independence.
• Yu Cheng visited Ren Jie and asked him to let Yu Wu Shuang stay longer, while offering Bright Jade Mountain Manor's support for Ren Jie's medicine shop.
• Ren Jie deduced from Yu Cheng's condition and expression that the Old Pill King was gravely injured, and Yu Cheng confirmed his guess.
• Ren Jie agreed to accompany Yu Cheng to see the Old Pill King, who was staying 2,700 li outside Jade Capital City.
• Yu Cheng began recounting the events that had left the Old Pill King severely wounded.

Ren Jie reached the underground refuge where Old Pill King Yu Changkong and Sword King Long Ao were recovering from a disastrous ambush, then decided to move them somewhere safer. Long Ao dismissed Ren Jie for his low cultivation, so Ren Jie broke through from the True Qi Realm Seventh Layer to the Eighth Layer in three steps and challenged Long Ao’s claims about his records.

• Yu Cheng told Ren Jie that Yu Changkong and Long Ao had been ambushed by the Nine Headed Dragon King, a Shapeshifting Great Demon, and Sea King after their duel left them badly wounded.
• Ren Jie followed Yu Cheng to the hidden underground cave and found Yu Changkong and Long Ao struggling to heal.
• Yu Changkong stopped Long Ao from attacking Ren Jie, while Long Ao insulted Ren Jie for remaining at the True Qi Realm.
• Ren Jie told Long Ao he would break one of his cultivation records, and Long Ao described how quickly he had advanced as a youth.
• Ren Jie took three steps, broke through to the True Qi Realm Eighth Layer, and mocked Long Ao’s three-month record before ordering him to come along if he wanted to live.

Ren Jie brought Old Pill King Yu Changkong, Sword King Long Ao, and their companions aboard his Spirit Beast Carriage, where he explained that their enemies were also targeting him. As he prepared to help the badly injured elders recover, he revealed Qi Tian’s strength and provoked Long Ao, who tried to leave before Ren Jie warned him not to move.

• Ren Jie’s rapid breakthrough astonished Sword King Long Ao and Old Pill King Yu Changkong, who confirmed Ren Jie had been at the fourth layer of the Body Refining Realm only months earlier.
• Yu Changkong urged Long Ao and the others to follow Ren Jie, and they boarded Ren Jie’s Spirit Beast Carriage for the return to Jade Capital City.
• Ren Jie explained that he had killed Golden Lion and that the Nine Headed Dragon King, Sea King, and others were already likely targeting him, then advised Yu Changkong and Long Ao to recover at the Ren Family.
• Long Ao doubted Ren Jie’s claims and sensed something strange inside the carriage, so Ren Jie revealed Qi Tian, who had been cultivating unseen in a formation.
• Ren Jie said Qi Tian had risen from Yin Soul Second Layer to Fifth Layer and had sent the Nine Headed Dragon King flying, but Long Ao refused to believe him.
• Qi Tian called Long Ao a little bug, and when Long Ao angrily tried to leave, Ren Jie warned him not to move carelessly.

Ren Jie created aura puppets to mislead the three Yin Yang Realm Peak pursuers and sent Qi Tian away with them, buying time to treat Old Pill King Yu Changkong and Sword King Long Ao. Long Ao accepted Ren Jie’s offer to try to save him and promised repayment if he succeeded.

• Ren Jie explained that pursuers could find them soon and made an aura puppet imitating Old Pill King Yu Changkong.
• Ren Jie made a second aura puppet for Sword King Long Ao and explained that the decoys would draw the enemy away.
• Ren Jie gave both puppets to Qi Tian, who unleashed immense power and flew off to mislead the pursuers.
• Ren Jie assured Long Ao that his injuries might still be treatable once they reached the Ren Family, and Long Ao sat down to listen.
• Sword King Long Ao promised Ren Jie two favors if he saved them, offering Sky Dragon Sword Manor if he died and his own life if Ren Jie saved him.

Ren Jie recovered with Old Pill King and Sword King Long Ao after learning that the Black Widow had joined the Nine Headed Dragon King against them. Meanwhile, the Sea King, the Nine Headed Dragon King, and the Black Widow pursued the trail of their aura, with the Black Widow urging them to settle their grudge against Old Pill King.

• Ren Jie asked Old Pill King about the Black Widow, and Old Pill King explained that she was a powerful spider demon from the Demon Beast Abyss who had joined the attack by chance.
• Ren Jie planned to distract their pursuers with rumors about the Heavenly Demon Core, while secretly checking the living core pulsing inside his robes.
• Qi Tian deliberately let the aura of Old Pill King Yu Changkong and Sword King Long Ao draw the Sea King's attention, and the Sea King summoned the Nine Headed Dragon King and the Black Widow.
• The Sea King set off after the aura, while the Nine Headed Dragon King worried about fighting him and missing the Heavenly Demon Core.
• The Black Widow persuaded the Nine Headed Dragon King to follow the Sea King and seize the chance to settle their grudge against Yu Changkong.

Ren Jie treated Old Pill King Yu Changkong and Sword King Long Ao with medicine, then used the Sage Dao Discussion video and their Spirit Jade to examine their grave injuries and devise a way to save them. He emerged after only a few dozen seconds, having exhausted the Spirit Jade and shattered the divine sense imprint on the Five Elements Evasion Armor, leaving Yu Changkong, Long Ao, and Fatty stunned.

• Ren Jie had Fatty prepare medicine for Yu Changkong and Long Ao, and Long Ao drank it after Ren Jie and Fatty urged him to trust the treatment.
• Ren Jie asked the two injured men for Spirit Jade, and Long Ao provided three hundred High-Grade and twenty-seven thousand Mid-Grade pieces.
• Ren Jie entered the Sage Dao Discussion video and examined Yu Changkong's torn Yin Yang Fusion soul and Long Ao's shattered Yin Soul and Yang Soul.
• Ren Jie devised a possible way to save Long Ao, then used his remaining time to smash Lan Tian's divine sense imprint on the Five Elements Evasion Armor.
• Ren Jie stopped the treatment after only a few dozen seconds, and Yu Changkong, Long Ao, and Fatty stared in shock at the Spirit Jade reduced to ash.

Ren Jie diagnosed Old Pill King Yu Changkong and Sword King Long Ao, laying out treatments that could give them a chance to survive and advance. As he wrote their plans, Tong Qiang reported a major incident at the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine.

• Ren Jie absorbed the spirit jade’s energy at a terrifying speed, astonishing Fatty, Old Pill King Yu Changkong, and Sword King Long Ao.
• Ren Jie told Yu Changkong that treating his injuries would require rare medicinal materials and take half a year, leaving little time for a breakthrough.
• Ren Jie proposed that Long Ao fuse his shattered Yin Soul and Yang Soul before they died, giving him one year to attempt a breakthrough.
• Ren Jie began stabilizing their injuries and wrote separate treatment plans and formulas for Yu Changkong and Long Ao using both hands.
• Tong Qiang reported that something major had happened at the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine, and Ren Jie invited him in to explain.

Ren Jie treated Sword King Long Ao and Old Pill King Yu Changkong, then learned that the Ren Family had suffered severe losses at the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine. The Emperor welcomed the setback and drew Gao Zhanyuan and Fang Tianen closer, while Ren Jie’s written treatment left Sword King Long Ao stunned.

• Tong Qiang reported that fewer than two hundred of nearly six hundred Ren Family forces had escaped the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine, with several elders and powerful cultivators missing or badly injured.
• Ren Jie said the Emperor had handed the mine to the Ren Family to trap them and predicted they would keep committing resources to it.
• Ren Jie gave Yu Changkong and Long Ao written treatment instructions, then left the fatty to watch over them.
• Long Ao read Ren Jie’s notes and found that they revealed hidden changes in his cultivation technique and offered unfamiliar insights into Yin and Yang.
• The Emperor discussed the mine’s dangers with Gao Zhanyuan and Fang Tianen, then agreed to their demands as they pledged their loyalty.

Ren Jie confronted Ren Junyang and the elders over their reckless plans for the Jade Spring Mountain Spirit Jade Mine, but Ren Junyang tried to confine him and strip him of authority. Ren Jie called for Sixth Uncle, and Ren Tianzong arrived dramatically in the Great Council Hall.

• Ren Qiang and Ren Hao described the losses at the mine, while Ren Junyang and Ren Hanlin insisted they would return with a larger force and exploit its spirit jade reserves.
• Ren Jie entered the hall, warned the elders that further mining attempts would endanger the Ren Family, and forbade them from acting recklessly at the mine.
• Ren Junyang rejected Ren Jie's warning, declared that the Council of Elders would consider removing him as Family Head, and ordered him confined to his residence.
• Ren Junyang's guards moved to seize Ren Jie as two Supreme Elders exerted their presence over the hall.
• Ren Jie activated a Jade Talisman and called for Sixth Uncle, and Ren Tianzong descended through the roof on the Thunderfire Gun.