Chapter Summaries

The Anning Guard fought through a Demon Tide and an ambush by the Ghost Underworld Sect, while Li Rui was separated from the army and confronted by Wu Yun. Li Rui revealed that he had poisoned Wu Yun and unleashed a Dragon-form saber strike, leaving the fight at its opening.

• Ning Zhongtian and Feng Yu formed the Anning Guard into a battle formation, and the soldiers held their ground against the Demon Tide as Li Rui and Tan Hu defended the Tiger Sprint Riders.
• Wu Yun and Chou Ping watched the attack, and Chou Ping revealed that his demon poison had drawn the demons together before he moved to kill Ning Zhongtian.
• Chou Ping charged into the formation and attacked with Ten Thousand Ghost Poison, while Wu Yun appeared and killed soldiers as more than a hundred Ghost Underworld Sect fighters emerged from the forest.
• Li Rui fled into the mountain forest with Wu Yun pursuing him, then stopped beside a small river and told Wu Yun he had made two mistakes.
• Li Rui revealed that he had scattered poison powder along the road and struck Wu Yun with a Green Light saber technique that took the form of a Two-Winged Ying Dragon.

Li Rui killed Wu Yun, the Four-Armed Demon Ghost, and discovered and absorbed a wisp of immortal qi, earning 40 Achievement Points. He rejoined the battered Anning Guard, where Ning Zhongtian praised him for drawing Wu Yun away, while the surviving soldiers counted their losses.

• Li Rui defeated Wu Yun by unleashing Hidden Edge, then hacked apart and dissolved his body to ensure he was dead.
• Li Rui found a wisp of immortal qi near Wu Yun’s remains, completed the First Trace of Immortality 2 achievement, and received 40 Achievement Points.
• Li Rui absorbed the immortal qi and hurried toward the sounds of the battle.
• Ning Zhongtian stayed to manage the battlefield after Feng Yu departed to report the Ghost Underworld Sect’s attack.
• Li Rui rejoined Ning Zhongtian and the others, who believed he had escaped Wu Yun by using his knowledge of the terrain.
• Ning Zhongtian ordered the Anning Guard to count the casualties and promised that no compensation would be withheld.

Jiang Linxian killed the Ten Thousand Poison Ghost, while Gao Zhen schemed to obtain the immortal qi held by the escaped Four-Armed Demon Ghost. After returning home, Li Rui cultivated and the immortal qi merged with his Profound Clear Qi, completing the immortal form in his dantian.

• Jiang Linxian ordered Ning Zhongtian to rise, then sent seven flying swords into the mountains to hunt the Ten Thousand Poison Ghost.
• Cao Wei promised compensation for the fallen soldiers and arranged Brave Soldier archways that raised his standing with the Anning Guard.
• Jiang Linxian returned three days later with the Ten Thousand Poison Ghost's head and ordered it displayed in Qinghe City, while placing a bounty on the Four-Armed Demon Ghost.
• Gao Zhen secretly resolved to obtain the immortal qi from the Four-Armed Demon Ghost, and Li Rui reflected on the heavy losses suffered by the Tiger Sprint Riders.
• Li Rui praised Liang He and later shared a meal with his companions before returning to his room to cultivate.
• After Li Rui completed seventy-two cycles of the Dragon Soaring Nine Heavens Diagram, the immortal qi merged with his Profound Clear Qi and formed a complete immortal form.

Li Rui used immortal qi to form his Immortal Form, opening the Southern Heaven Gate and reaching the Dragon Gate. His new Immortal Profound Qi revealed possible Ghost Underworld Sect agents in Clear River, while he welcomed Wang Zhao as a disciple and gave him qi that could transform his martial potential.

• Li Rui used immortal qi as a catalyst to form the Immortal Court and the Southern Heaven Gate, then entered the Dragon Gate as purple qi appeared above him.
• Li Rui saw traces of other immortal qi, including some in Gao Zhen's residence and Jiang Linxian's residence, and suspected Gao Zhen and Zhuang Renhe were tied to the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Gao Zhen searched for Wu Yun and planned to investigate where Jiang Linxian had killed Chou Ping in hopes of recovering the stolen immortal qi.
• Li Rui replaced the qi in Liang He and Liu Tiezhu, whose disciples noticed his true qi had changed to a purple-gold glow.
• Li Rui introduced Wang Zhao as their junior brother, then infused him with Immortal Profound Qi that could improve his innate martial potential.

Li Rui gave Wang Zhao Immortal Profound Qi, allowing him to practice martial arts while continuing to pursue his dream of becoming a Great Horse Tamer. Meanwhile, Gao Zhen failed to find the Ten Thousand Poison Ghost’s immortal qi and was ambushed in the mountains by the Mountain Yama King.

• Li Rui took Wang Zhao as his disciple and gave him Immortal Profound Qi, renewing Wang Zhao’s hope of becoming a Great Horse Tamer.
• Gao Zhen left Anning Guard to search for the immortal qi left behind where Jiang Linxian had killed the Ten Thousand Poison Ghost.
• After searching through the night without finding any immortal qi, Gao Zhen resolved to recruit Ghost Underworld Sect disciples to help kill Ning Zhongtian, Li Rui, and Tan Hu.
• Gao Zhen found his Demon Horse dead and confronted a masked attacker who identified himself through his familiar threat as the Mountain Yama King.
• The Mountain Yama King attacked Gao Zhen with his blade in the pouring rain.

Li Rui killed Gao Zhen, a Ghost Underworld Sect spy who had threatened his life, and erased the evidence before claiming Gao Zhen’s immortal qi and valuables. He left the rainy mountain forest with the murder concealed and received a beginner storyline achievement notification.

• Li Rui fought Gao Zhen, overpowering his Crimson Serpent Divine Fire Diagram with Dragon Form and blocking a sword strike with Immortal Form.
• Li Rui killed Gao Zhen with a concealed short blade after Gao Zhen failed to escape or defeat him.
• Li Rui recalled that he had chosen to strike first because Gao Zhen’s rank and the Gao Family made reporting him dangerous.
• Li Rui absorbed the immortal qi from Gao Chong’s body, then took Gao Zhen’s pills and divine-metal sword.
• Li Rui dissolved Gao Zhen’s corpse and the dead Demon Horse with Corpse Dissolving Water, leaving no trace.
• Li Rui received a notification that he had completed the beginner storyline achievement Rise to be a General and a Minister—A Harmonious Relationship Between Superiors and Subordinates.

After killing Gao Zhen, Li Rui returned home and resumed his normal routine, then sparred with Tan Hu and saw him use the Vajra Wrathful Gaze Diagram for the first time. When Gao Zhen remained missing for fifteen days, Cao Wei ordered a thorough search, unaware that Li Rui had killed him.

• Li Rui received an A rating and forty Achievement Points for completing the Harmonious Superior-Subordinate Relationship mission, then returned to the Li Residence without telling Liang He or the others what had happened.
• Li Rui visited the Tiger Sprint Riders and sparred with Tan Hu, who revealed that he had begun cultivating the Vajra Wrathful Gaze Diagram.
• Li Rui tested Tan Hu's Vajra True Qi with a sword strike, then conceded before Tan Hu could show off further.
• After Gao Zhen had been missing for fifteen days, Feng Yu told Cao Wei that Gao Zhen had left the camp alone and disappeared after taking the official road.
• Cao Wei suspected Gao Zhen had not gone on patrol and ordered his men to find him, alive or dead.

Li Rui learned that the Ministry of Justice would investigate Gao Zhen’s disappearance, while Ning Zhongtian warned his men not to provoke the Gao Family. Back at home, Li Rui discovered that Wang Zhao could understand the Crimson Dragon Horse, Big Red.

• Wei Ming, Ge Hong, Tan Hu, and Li Rui discussed Gao Zhen’s month-long absence and speculated that the Ghost Underworld Sect might have retaliated.
• Li Rui privately recalled that he had killed Gao Zhen and believed the rain had erased the evidence of his involvement.
• After Gao Zhen remained missing for two months, Cao Wei reported it, prompting the Ministry of Justice to send investigators to Clear River.
• Ning Zhongtian warned Li Rui, Tan Hu, and his other subordinates to cooperate with the investigators and avoid provoking the Gao Family.
• Li Rui returned home and found Wang Zhao speaking with Big Red in the stable.
• Wang Zhao told Li Rui that he had awakened able to understand the Crimson Dragon Horse, and Big Red confirmed his claim.

Wang Zhao’s ability to understand horses earned him the Crimson Dragon Horse and a path toward becoming a Great Horse Tamer. Meanwhile, Chai Jingong arrived to investigate Gao Zhen’s disappearance and began searching for evidence, leaving the case unresolved.

• Li Rui and the others learned that Wang Zhao could understand horse speech through his connection with the Crimson Dragon Horse, and Li Rui gave the horse to him.
• Cao Wei welcomed Chai Jingong, who explained that the emperor had ordered Gao Zhen’s case solved quickly and that a Great Fangshi from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau would arrive soon.
• Ge Hong, Li Rui, and the others recognized Chai Jingong as the Ministry of Justice investigator and heard that his pig Qi Form aided his case-solving methods.
• After hearing Cao Wei’s account, Chai Jingong reasoned that Gao Zhen had likely concealed his departure for private business connected to his time in Luoyang.
• Chai Jingong asked Cao Wei to provide Gao Zhen’s case file and all records from after Gao Zhen arrived at Anning Guard.

Li Rui used a Nourishing Qi Pill to advance his cultivation while Chai Jingong investigated Gao Zhen’s murder and suspected a connection to the Duke of Wei. The investigation remained unresolved when a visitor claiming to represent the Imperial Astronomical Bureau arrived to see Cao Wei.

• Li Rui recognized that Gao Zhen’s six Nourishing Qi Pills could help him strengthen his qi, and he swallowed one before cultivating and falling asleep.
• Li Rui explained that Liu Tiezhu had melted Gao Zhen’s Sixth Rank spirit-iron sword into ingots to make concealed inner armor.
• Three days later, Chai Jingong asked Cao Wei why Gao Zhen had known the Duke of Wei, and Cao Wei said the duke had supported Gao Zhen’s rise to become a garrison commander.
• Chai Jingong suspected Gao Zhen’s murder might have been premeditated and connected to an enemy of the Duke of Wei’s line, but he feared the powerful interests involved.
• An Anning Guard soldier reported that a practitioner claiming to be from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had come to see Cao Wei.

Fu Huan used divination at Gao Zhen’s residence and confirmed that Gao Zhen was dead, though he could not identify the murderer. Later, he visited Li Rui with a book from Senior Sister Yao, leaving Li Rui wondering whether the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had traced the case to him.

• Fu Huan arrived in Anning Guard to help Cao Wei and Chai Jingong investigate Gao Zhen’s case, and they took him to Gao Zhen’s empty residence.
• Fu Huan used his compass and Qi Observation Technique to determine that Gao Zhen was dead, but he could not divine the murderer’s identity.
• Cao Wei asked Fu Huan to keep Gao Zhen’s death secret while the investigation continued, and Fu Huan agreed.
• Li Rui considered how to earn more military merit so he could afford the pills needed for cultivation.
• Fu Huan visited Li Rui and said Senior Sister Yao had asked him to bring a book.

Fu Huan delivered Yao Xue’s book on immortal qi to Li Rui and explained the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s views on lifespan, while Li Rui learned that Qu Chengfeng had become a rare Mystic Arts genius. Three days later, Li Rui learned that Ministry of Justice investigators had been attacked by a mysterious expert.

• Fu Huan gave Li Rui the book Immortal Qi Induction and conveyed Yao Xue’s greetings.
• Fu Huan explained that a mortal could live at most two jiazi and a martial artist’s lifespan was capped at five hundred years.
• Fu Huan said Qu Chengfeng had become a once-in-a-thousand-years Mystic Arts genius after returning from his disappearance.
• Three days later, Li Rui caught up with Ge Hong, who said Ministry of Justice investigators had been attacked by a mysterious expert.

After Gao Zhen’s men were killed and his residence burned, officials argued over whether the Ghost Underworld Sect was responsible, while Li Rui questioned who had set the fire. Zhuang Renhe suspected the sect had exposed them, but Liu Jiaoniang denied killing anyone, leaving the true culprit unknown.

• Chai Jingong told Cao Wei and Jiang Linxian that the burned residence bore a scent associated with the Ghost Underworld Sect, though he lacked proof that the sect had killed Gao Zhen.
• Cao Wei pushed to blame the Ghost Underworld Sect, while Chai Jingong privately suspected Gao Zhen had connections to the sect and withheld his theory.
• Li Rui and Ge Hong overheard the officials and considered the differing motives of Cao Wei, Jiang Linxian, and Chai Jingong as Li Rui wondered whether Zhuang Renhe was responsible.
• Zhuang Renhe learned that Gao Zhen’s men had been killed and worried that the investigation might expose his ties to the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• When Zhuang Renhe attacked a disguised maidservant, Liu Jiaoniang revealed herself and denied killing the men, leaving Zhuang Renhe unsure who had attacked the residence.

Li Rui studied Immortal Qi Induction and befriended Fu Huan to gain access to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s old cultivation records while probing the Gao Zhen Case. Chai Jingong secretly found the place where Gao Zhen died and began suspecting Jiang Linxian, but an unseen voice warned him to stop investigating.

• Li Rui read Immortal Qi Induction, admired its theories, and decided to investigate the arson case as Qinghe City's danger level rose.
• Li Rui visited Fu Huan with expensive tea, thanked him for the book, and secured an offer of old Imperial Astronomical Bureau notes on refining qi.
• Li Rui asked Fu Huan about the Gao Zhen Case, and Fu Huan said Chai Jingong seemed to have uncovered something through his Qi Observation Technique.
• Chai Jingong slipped out of the Anning Guard and used his enhanced sense of smell to track Gao Zhen's clothes to the place where Gao Zhen died.
• Chai Jingong concluded Gao Zhen may have been allied with the Ghost Underworld Sect and suspected Jiang Linxian had killed him.
• An unseen speaker warned Chai Jingong to stop investigating.

Li Rui watched a Duke of Wei agent intimidate Chai Jingong into blaming the Ghost Underworld Sect for Gao Zhen’s murder, then realized Duke of Wei might be tied to the sect. The case was closed to everyone’s satisfaction, and Li Rui received notice that he had completed the initial achievement storyline, “Immovable as a Mountain.”

• Li Rui watched as a Masked Man confronted Chai Jingong and offered him a choice between death and taking a pill in exchange for blaming the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Chai Jingong recognized that the Masked Man served Duke of Wei, swallowed the pill, refused an offer to join the Duke’s Mansion, and left alive.
• Li Rui concluded that Duke of Wei was likely secretly colluding with the Ghost Underworld Sect and returned to the military camp after waiting until dawn.
• Five days later, Chai Jingong gave Cao Wei case files and evidence blaming the Ghost Underworld Sect for Gao Zhen’s murder, and the two celebrated together.
• Chai Jingong returned to Cloud Province, Fu Huan returned to the capital, and Li Rui secured his connection to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
• Li Rui saw a message congratulating him for completing the initial achievement storyline of Rise to be a General and a Minister—Immovable as a Mountain.

Li Rui gained the Great Dream Wandering Immortal talent, which let him control dreams and cultivate with enhanced comprehension without losing rest. After a disastrous dream duel with Jiang Linxian left him sleepless, he learned that eight major powers would be allowed to establish branches in Qinghe City and prepared to test his dream talent again.

• Li Rui gained the Great Dream Wandering Immortal talent and discovered he could shape dreamscapes while cultivating more efficiently.
• Li Rui simulated Jiang Linxian as an opponent, was killed before seeing her face, and suffered insomnia after trying to fight her again.
• Li Rui practiced his saber through the night and later heard from Ning Zhongtian that the Emperor had granted Annan Garrison a thousand recruits and barred Cao Wei from promotion for three years.
• Ning Zhongtian told Li Rui that the Emperor had approved branch offices for eight major powers in Qinghe City, and Li Rui recognized the move as a way to draw the martial world into suppressing the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Li Rui completed a Great Circulation before bed, entered a dream, and called out to Gao.

Li Rui refined his blade technique through practice and dreamscape combat, while Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe received Shi Zhou of Divine Weapon Manor at the Reception Pavilion. As the chapter ended, Li Rui named his new technique the Swimming Dragon Six Slashes and revealed its first form.

• Li Rui reflected on Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul and practiced his blade technique, drawing on Gao Zhen's swordsmanship.
• Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe waited at the Reception Pavilion for Divine Weapon Manor's delegation and exchanged tense remarks.
• Shi Zhou arrived with Heavy Armored Cavalry, then joined Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe for a lavish evening at the Reception Pavilion.
• A figure slipped a note beneath Zhuang Renhe's door saying Jiang Linxian had gone out and urging them to act at once.
• In the dreamscape, Li Rui named his new blade technique the Swimming Dragon Six Slashes and declared its first form, Hidden Dragon Do Not Use.

Li Rui developed a defensive blade technique but continued to fail against Jiang Linxian’s overwhelming sword speed. Meanwhile, Liu Jiaoniang recovered from her failed break-in and searched for the immortal qi, which she knew was somewhere inside the Anning Guard.

• Li Rui used his Barrier Blade to defeat Gao Zhen in a dream, then practiced the new defensive technique after waking.
• Li Rui failed another challenge against Jiang Linxian, whose sword killed him before he could react.
• Li Rui learned that a thief had entered Jiang Linxian’s residence, been wounded by her lingering sword intent, and escaped without taking anything.
• Liu Jiaoniang treated her injuries and concluded that the immortal aura was somewhere in the Anning Guard after her Seeking Immortal Stone reacted.
• Zhuang Renhe questioned Liu Jiaoniang about her mission, warned her not to involve him, and left without attacking her.
• Liu Jiaoniang wondered who had taken the immortal qi.

Li Rui was summoned to accompany Ning Zhongtian and the Tiger Sprint Riders to inspect Huaqing Sect, forcing him to miss He Shan’s wedding banquet. After arriving at the sect, he reunited with Han Qin and Jiang Yan, whose surprise at Li Rui’s latest breakthrough left the chapter on a new revelation.

• Ning Zhongtian warned the commanders about the arrival of the Eight Great Sects, and Li Rui received He Shan’s wedding invitation and prepared a generous gift.
• Ning Zhongtian told Li Rui that Lord Jiang had ordered him to accompany the Tiger Sprint Riders on an immediate inspection of Huaqing Sect, so Li Rui left Liang He to deliver He Shan’s gift.
• Li Rui and the riders reached Huaqing Sect, where Han Shaoquan welcomed them and Han Qin guided them to their lodgings.
• Ning Zhongtian noticed that Han Qin had advanced to Seventh Rank, while the riders grumbled about Huaqing Sect’s modest rooms and sparse meal.
• Han Qin and Jiang Yan visited Li Rui, who recognized Jiang Yan’s qi cultivation at Eighth Rank; Jiang Yan then exclaimed that Li Rui had broken through again.

Jiang Yan saw that Li Rui’s fate had changed into a mighty Yinglong manifestation, while Li Rui kept his Sixth Rank breakthrough and Immortal Form concealed. During an inspection of the Huaqing Sect, Li Rui uncovered evidence that Jiang Baichuan had resold more than a million gold worth of sect assets, revealing that Jiang Linxian had arranged for outsiders to investigate his cousin.

• Jiang Yan identified Li Rui’s changed fate as an Yinglong manifestation and said she could glimpse a gate in his hidden secondary form.
• Han Qin learned that Li Rui had reached Sixth Rank, and he and Jiang Yan promised to keep the discovery secret.
• Ning Zhongtian led the Tiger Sprint Riders to inspect the Huaqing Sect’s account books, and the group spent hours reviewing the records.
• Li Rui warned Ning Zhongtian that their visit had a purpose and showed him a dossier implicating Jiang Baichuan in reselling more than a million gold worth of sect assets in one year.
• Li Rui told Ning Zhongtian that Jiang Yan had pointed him toward Jiang Baichuan the previous night.