Chapter Summaries

Li Rui received Hundred Battles Killing Intent from Marquis Yuan and used it to strengthen his foundation, while he reassured Wang Zhao by inventing a Beast Taming Saint Physique. In the Witch Kingdom, Xu Chuan enlisted Dao Mo’s help to find the Black White Twin Devils, and the chapter ended with Little White Flood Dragon revealing that its father had come to Clear River.

• Xu Chuan delivered Marquis Yuan’s Apprentice Ceremony Gift to Li Rui and explained that he was heading to the Witch Kingdom to investigate intelligence.
• Li Rui discovered the gift was a box of Hundred Battles Killing Intent, absorbed one thread, and stored the rest in his secret chamber.
• Wang Zhao told Li Rui he could understand demonic beasts, and Li Rui falsely attributed the ability to a Beast Taming Saint Physique to build his confidence.
• Xu Chuan asked Dao Mo to help locate the Black White Twin Devils, and Dao Mo agreed after learning Xu Chuan knew Li Rui.
• Li Rui trained with the Hundred Battles Killing Intent as Little White Flood Dragon told him its father had come to Clear River.

Little White Flood Dragon returned from meeting the Old Flood Dragon with a precious scale and permission to stay with Li Rui, who had invoked Yuan Dingting’s name to protect himself. Later, Xu Chuan broke into Li Rui’s room, wounded and battered, and said something had gone wrong with his mission to the Witch Kingdom.

• The Old Flood Dragon discovered that Little White Flood Dragon had transformed through a symbiotic bond with Li Rui and asked to meet the human.
• After learning Li Rui served Yuan Dingting, the Old Flood Dragon gave Little White Flood Dragon a valuable Flood Dragon Scale for Li Rui and told its son to remain with him.
• Li Rui accepted the scale, reflected on how Yuan Dingting’s reputation protected him, and continued training with Little White Flood Dragon and Wang Zhao.
• At night, Li Rui sensed an intruder in the Military Advisor’s Residence and stopped his saber above Xu Chuan’s head.
• Li Rui recognized the badly wounded Xu Chuan and asked about his mission to the Witch Kingdom; Xu Chuan replied that something had happened.

Li Rui killed Xu Chuan after discovering that he had brought danger to Clear River, then used Xu Chuan’s corpse and the Spirit Root Testing Stone to divert the Black White Twin Devils away from the city. After testing the stone and obtaining a Middle Grade Spiritual Root, Li Rui waited out the twins and returned home safely.

• Xu Chuan told Li Rui that the Black White Twin Devils had pursued him, and Li Rui killed him after determining that Xu Chuan had come to Clear River without Marquis Yuan’s knowledge.
• Li Rui searched Xu Chuan’s belongings, found the Spirit Root Testing Stone, and tested himself, revealing a Middle Grade Spiritual Root.
• Li Rui placed the stone back on Xu Chuan’s body and carried the corpse through a secret passage out of Clear River.
• The Black White Twin Devils found Xu Chuan’s corpse and took the stone, then hid nearby to watch for whoever had left it.
• Li Rui stayed buried underground until the Black White Twin Devils departed, then returned to the Li Residence and greeted Wang Zhao.

After Xu Chuan’s death was confirmed, Yuan Dingting sent Yuan Xiong to kill the Black White Twin Devils, while Li Rui concealed the truth and investigated ways to improve his spiritual root. As sects arrived in Clear River, Li Rui avoided their elders and absorbed a larger dose of Hundred Battles Killing Intent, but his Immortal Profound Qi suddenly stirred and he sensed the Northern Heaven Gate.

• Wang Li reported that Xu Chuan had been killed by the Black White Twin Devils, and Yuan Dingting ordered Yang Heng to tell Yuan Xiong to bring back their heads.
• A month later, Yuan Xiong had slain the Black White Twin Devils, and Li Rui was pleased that the evidence implicating him had disappeared.
• Qu Chengfeng obtained a Spirit Root Testing Stone, while Li Rui learned that his spiritual root was middle grade and considered asking his Imperial Astronomical Bureau connections for books on improving it.
• He Wanchun led the Returning Cloud Sect to Clear River and sent a disciple to seek a meeting with Li Rui, who declined by claiming he was in closed-door cultivation.
• After sealing himself in his secret chamber, Li Rui absorbed twice the usual amount of Hundred Battles Killing Intent, endured its effects, and sensed the Northern Heaven Gate as his Immortal Profound Qi stirred.

Li Rui awakened the Northern Heaven Gate through Yuan Dingting's Hundred Battles Killing Intent, gaining Weapon Specialization, then spent a month in seclusion before reading ancient books sent by Yao Xue. Meanwhile, He Wanchun sought a new route for the Returning Cloud Sect's demon beast trade, and Thousand Crane Martial Hall opened its doors without following Clear River's usual rules.

• Li Rui formed the Northern Heaven Gate in his Immortal Form and gained Weapon Specialization, which increased the lethality of any weapon he wielded by more than fifty percent.
• Li Rui emerged after four days and four nights of closed-door cultivation, and Tan Hu asked him to teach him how to attain enlightenment.
• Li Rui received ancient books and a letter from Yao Xue, read the books, and wrote her a lengthy reply.
• He Wanchun learned that the Returning Cloud Sect's demon beast dealer had joined the Witch Kingdom rebels and ordered a substantial gift prepared for a visit to Thousand Crane Martial Hall.
• The seventeen Clear River martial hall masters attended Thousand Crane Martial Hall's opening, despite its master having skipped the customary visits, because he was known as the White Crane Divine Fist and ranked 537th in the World Martial Evaluation.

Li Rui backed Divine Weapon Manor and its allies after He Wanchun and Xiao Yu tried to force their way into the demon beast trade. As the three sects retaliated by beating Thousand Crane Martial Hall and Returning Cloud Sect disciples, He Qiannian ordered his hall to stop.

• Li Rui stayed away from Thousand Crane Martial Hall’s opening while Cao Wei attended, and He Wanchun offered Xiao Yu a share in the demon beast trade.
• Shi Zhou told Li Rui that Divine Weapon Manor’s caravan in the Witch Kingdom had been robbed after he rejected He Wanchun and Xiao Yu’s offer.
• Li Rui urged Shi Zhou, Zhou Ting, and Bai Jing to answer the pressure with force, assuring them that Marquis Yuan’s presence would protect them.
• Men from Divine Weapon Manor, Hundred Battles Sect, and Dao Xuan Sect repeatedly beat disciples outside Thousand Crane Martial Hall and Returning Cloud Manor without killing anyone.
• Xiao Yu agreed to fight the three sects, but Wei Chong arrived with He Qiannian’s order to stop and focus on the martial hall’s proper duties.

Li Rui secured He Qiannian’s agreement to leave the conflict with the three sects alone, then welcomed Iron Madman to Clear River and persuaded him to stay at the Military Advisor’s Residence. As trade revived in autumn, Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian discussed the upcoming Autumn Hunt, whose location had not yet been chosen.

• Li Rui met He Qiannian, who agreed not to meddle in business matters, and returned to tell Shi Zhou, Zhou Ting, and Bai Jing that the crisis had passed.
• Li Rui reflected that he had won He Qiannian over by borrowing Jiang Linxian’s influence and using the Thousand Crane Martial Hall incident to deter other factions from seeking a share of the demon beast trade.
• Liu Tiezhu brought Iron Madman to Li Rui, who invited him to stay and showed him the smithy in the Military Advisor’s Residence.
• Iron Madman began working at the smithy with Liu Tiezhu, while Li Rui hoped he would stay and eventually forge him a suitable saber.
• As autumn arrived and trade between the two countries revived, Ning Zhongtian asked Li Rui about Cloud Province’s Autumn Hunt, and Li Rui said the Marquis had not chosen its location.

Li Rui began preparations for the Marquis of Annan’s Autumn Hunt after Clear River was chosen as its location, then investigated the Ten Thousand Mountains with Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu. Little White Flood Dragon led them to a cave where Li Rui found signs that the Spirit Root Testing Stone had once been kept, suggesting they had discovered an Immortal Cave Abode.

• Wang Li persuaded Yuan Dingting to choose Clear River for the Autumn Hunt, and Li Rui recognized the opportunity to earn merit.
• Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian inspected the proposed hunting grounds with more than a hundred soldiers while Cao Wei took charge of Qinghe City.
• Li Rui, Ning Zhongtian, and Tan Hu rode to the Ten Thousand Mountains to survey the area, and Little White Flood Dragon wandered off to investigate.
• Little White Flood Dragon returned and led them to a cave that felt familiar to it.
• Li Rui found traces of immortal qi and a groove matching the Spirit Root Testing Stone, concluding that the cave was most likely an Immortal Cave Abode.

Li Rui found another Spirit Root Testing Stone in the ancient cave and later returned to Qinghe City to welcome Marquis Yuan. Yuan Dingting invited him into his carriage and named him teacher to his young son, while Li Rui ended the day sharing wine with Wang Li.

• Li Rui and Little White Flood Dragon searched the ancient cave, where Li Rui found a Spirit Root Testing Stone and kept it secret from Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu.
• Li Rui stayed at the Qinghe Enclosure while a resort village was built, then returned to Qinghe City after a messenger told him Marquis Yuan had set out.
• Li Rui and Qinghe's officials welcomed Yuan Dingting, who told them to proceed into the city and invited Li Rui to ride in his carriage.
• Cui Chuxue introduced her young son Yuan Wenrui, whose childhood name was Tiger, as Li Rui's student during the carriage ride.
• After the Marquis's entourage settled in Qinghe, Wang Li visited Li Rui, and the two shared food and wine at the Military Advisor's Residence.

Li Rui and the others arrived at the Qinghe Enclosure for the Autumn Hunt, where Yuan Dingting led a grand sacrifice and demonstrated the power of a Martial Saint. After violators were punished for breaking the fast, Yuan Dingting began lecturing on martial arts, leaving the assembled martial artists listening closely.

• Li Rui and Wang Li discussed the Autumn Hunt’s contests and watched Marquis Yuan’s adopted son Hu Yan Ku ride past them.
• Li Rui reunited with Ning Zhongtian at the Qinghe Enclosure and checked that the grand sacrifice had been prepared.
• Yuan Dingting conducted the sacrifice, and a vast spear phantom appeared over the enclosure, astonishing the gathered crowd and people in Clear River.
• After the fast began, Tan Hu complained about the bland meal, while Li Rui warned him not to break the rules.
• Yuan Dingting’s adopted sons punished four men who had broken the fast by crippling their martial arts and sentencing them to exile.
• Yuan Dingting opened the martial lecture and taught the gathered martial artists about resolve, cultivation, and the ranks of martial practice.

Li Rui comprehended a trace of Yuan Dingting’s Martial Saint True Intent during the public lecture, bringing the Earth Immortal realm within sight and drawing widespread attention. At the Autumn Hunt tournament, Li Rui watched from the sidelines until Yuan Xiong approached to challenge him.

• Hu Yan Ku, Yao Zhong, and Yuan Xiong doubted that anyone would comprehend Yuan Dingting’s True Intent, though a young martial artist broke through during the lecture.
• Li Rui entered an epiphany within Yuan Dingting’s Martial Saint True Domain and saw a path toward becoming an Earth Immortal; Yuan Dingting praised him.
• The lecture lasted three days, and Li Rui’s achievement made him famous, a result he had intended to draw attention to his talent.
• During the three days of rest, Li Rui told Wang Li he would not enter the tournament, while Wang Li discussed the contest’s customs and rewards.
• Ning Zhongtian entered the tournament but lost after five moves, and Li Rui watched from a hill with Wang Li.
• Yuan Xiong approached Li Rui and declared that he had come to seek a match.

Li Rui sparred with Yuan Xiong, earned Yuan Dingting’s praise as Cloud Province’s finest blade wielder, and helped drive a Demon Tide into the Qinghe Enclosure for the Autumn Hunt. After Yuan Dingting fought a mysterious opponent in the Ten Thousand Mountains, Little White Flood Dragon returned with news of a nearly transformed flood dragon and hinted at what it had picked up.

• Yuan Xiong challenged Li Rui to a spar with his strength sealed, and Li Rui matched his palm techniques with masterful blade work before pretending to concede.
• Yuan Dingting watched the spar and praised Li Rui as Cloud Province’s finest blade wielder, while Hu Yan Ku invited him to spar again and joked about making him Yuan Dingting’s adopted son.
• Li Rui used Little White Flood Dragon and a fabricated Demon Summoning Horn to drive a Demon Tide into the Qinghe Enclosure, then patrolled the Autumn Hunt and rescued a young disciple from a Black Blood Demon Deer.
• Eight days into the hunt, Yuan Dingting fought a powerful unknown opponent in the Ten Thousand Mountains, creating a vast heavenly phenomenon before the battle abruptly ended.
• Little White Flood Dragon told Li Rui it had encountered a nearly transformed great flood dragon that Yuan Dingting had not known about, and teased him about what it had picked up.

After the Autumn Hunt, Li Rui returned to Clear River with a Flood Dragon Scale from the great flood dragon Yuan Dingting had nearly killed. He gave the scale to Iron Madman, who accepted it and planned to attempt forging another immortal weapon.

• Little White Flood Dragon gave Li Rui the unusual Flood Dragon Scale he had secretly taken from the battle site.
• The Autumn Hunt ended, and Marquis Yuan rewarded the top three contestants with Divine Pills before departing for Cloud Province.
• Cao Wei thanked Li Rui for helping the hunt go smoothly, and Li Rui returned home after a month away.
• Iron Madman sensed the great flood dragon's Killing Intent on Li Rui and learned that Marquis Yuan had nearly killed a flood dragon on the verge of becoming a dragon.
• Li Rui offered Iron Madman the Flood Dragon Scale, and Iron Madman accepted it, promising to give Li Rui any immortal weapon he managed to forge with it.

Qu Chengfeng learned that Old Flood Dragon had escaped after Yuan Dingting crippled it, then worked to improve his spiritual root and restore his cultivation. Li Rui managed Heaven and Earth Alliance affairs, approved Liu Tong's preparations to make connections in Cloud Province, and completed Dragon Elephant Strength.

• Qu Chengfeng learned that Old Flood Dragon had escaped to the South Sea and resolved to improve his Middle Grade Spiritual Root with a Spirit Root Testing Stone.
• Li Rui spoke with Yang Yong and shared breakfast with Wang Zhao, Liu Tiezhu, and Iron Old Man before making his rounds of the Anning Guard and Heaven and Earth Alliance.
• Liu Tong and Liang He debated expanding the Heaven and Earth Alliance's trade into Cloud Province, and Li Rui told Liu Tong to go ahead and build connections there.
• Liang He accepted Li Rui's decision and explained that he had been pressuring Liu Tong to help him think through the matter.
• Li Rui practiced his saber technique in the courtyard and completed Dragon Elephant Strength.

Li Rui broke through in Dragon Elephant Strength, endured Iron Madman’s palm strike, and helped forge another immortal weapon. As the Witch Kingdom border grew unstable and Marquis Yuan prepared to send his Adopted Sons to guard Cloud Province, armored men from the Annan Marquis Residence rode toward Clear River.

• Li Rui’s Dragon Elephant Strength surged, and he discovered that Martial Saint True Intent had sharpened its power.
• Iron Madman tested Li Rui with a palm strike, and Li Rui took thirty percent of the Innate master’s strength without moving or suffering injury.
• A messenger from Wang Li arrived, and Li Rui arranged for Liu Tong to travel north to Cloud Province and prove himself there.
• Li Rui read Wang Li’s report that unrest along the Witch Kingdom border had prompted Marquis Yuan to send his Adopted Sons to guard the frontier.
• Li Rui poured Immortal Profound Qi into divine iron while Iron Madman forged it, but Iron Madman stopped when he sensed the work had gone wrong and needed time to recuperate.
• Several armored riders from the Annan Marquis Residence galloped toward Clear River, alarming a youngster in a merchant caravan.

Li Rui met Nie Siming, the brutal general who had been humiliated by Jiang Linxian, while Iron Madman continued forging an Immortal weapon with Li Rui’s Martial Saint True Intent. In the Witch Kingdom, the wounded Big Flood Dragon secretly ordered Qi Yun to capture a white flood dragon, and Nie Siming returned to Clear River and challenged Li Rui to become stronger so they could fight.

• Nie Siming arrived at Anning Prefecture, ordered Cao Wei to gather a hundred soldiers, and rode out to inspect the border while Li Rui avoided provoking him.
• Li Rui used Yuan Dingting’s Martial Saint True Intent to help Iron Madman forge an Immortal weapon, and Iron Madman said the process was finally making progress.
• The wounded Big Flood Dragon hid in Giant Stone City and gave Qi Yun a scale to mobilize the eight demon lords’ subordinates and capture the white flood dragon in Clear River.
• After a ten-day border patrol, Nie Siming returned and confronted Li Rui, acknowledged that Li Rui had beaten Yuan Xiong in technique, and said he wanted to defeat Li Rui once he became stronger.

Li Rui refused Yan Zhongxing’s request to raise the Demon Enclosure’s fees, studied ancient records, and trained with Yuan Xiong in dreams. Meanwhile, a red fox infiltrated the Demon Enclosure to hunt the Little White Flood Dragon, and Iron Madman began using a Flood Dragon Scale to forge a blade with the Blood Sacrifice Method.

• Li Rui dismissed Nie Siming’s hostility as a small price for the prestige and potential benefits of his position, and Cao Wei agreed that enduring a beating would be worthwhile if it helped Li Rui reach the Innate Realm.
• At the Trade Affairs Department, Li Rui refused Yan Zhongxing’s request to increase the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s share, but warned that he might build his own Demon Enclosure unless its facilities improved.
• Li Rui read that Immortal King qi could improve a Spiritual Root, then set aside the ancient book and sparred with Yuan Xiong on the Dream Cloud Platform.
• A red fox watched Anning Guard, realized the Little White Flood Dragon was inside, and returned to the Demon Enclosure after secretly eating a worker.
• After a day and night of forging with the Flood Dragon Scale, Iron Madman told Li Rui to infuse the blade blank with vital blood so he could use the Blood Sacrifice Method.

Iron Madman forged an immortal blade for Li Rui using the Blood Sacrifice Method, and Li Rui named it Flood Dragon Slayer. At the Anning Guard, Li Rui intervened when Ning Zhongtian lost a spar, then faced a challenge from Hong Meng.

• Li Rui agreed to let Iron Madman use his vital blood, and its appearance in the furnace brought forth a phantom of a half-step first-rank flood dragon.
• A blood-colored figure wielding an immortal blade sprang from Li Rui’s blood and destroyed the flood dragon phantom, allowing Iron Madman to finish forging a blade blank.
• Iron Madman explained that Li Rui would need to nurture the blade’s spirit, and Li Rui named the blade Flood Dragon Slayer.
• At the training ground, Ning Zhongtian sparred with a fierce Northwest Army fighter and was defeated.
• Li Rui stopped the fighter from striking Ning Zhongtian again, then Hong Meng apologized sarcastically and challenged Li Rui to spar.

Li Rui defeated Hong Meng’s challenge and learned that Hong Meng had targeted him over old conflicts between the Heaven and Earth Alliance and the Frost Ice Sect. During an inspection of the demon pens, Li Rui arranged better meals for the workers and took a tall boy away after noticing the steward’s reaction to the boy’s warning.

• Hong Meng challenged Li Rui, who defeated him with his Dragon Form before Nie Siming ended the fight.
• Li Rui told Ning Zhongtian and Ge Hong that Hong Meng had once been an elder of the Frost Ice Sect and had come to provoke him; he urged them to learn body-tempering arts.
• At the demon pens, a tall boy warned Li Rui away from a corner, and Li Rui noticed the steward’s anger at the warning.
• Li Rui persuaded Yan Zhongxing to improve the boys’ meals, then asked to take the tall boy with him, and Yan Zhongxing agreed.
• A fiery-red little fox watched Li Rui leave with excitement in its eyes.

Li Rui captured and interrogated a Crimson Flame Fox that had targeted him for his True Dragon Physique, learning it had been sent by the lord of Giant Stone City to find Little White Flood Dragon. Realizing Little White could not be protected at the Military Advisor’s Residence, Li Rui decided to send it to the Annan Marquis Residence as tribute.

• The Crimson Flame Fox escaped the demon pens and followed Li Rui’s carriage, hoping to consume his True Dragon Physique.
• Li Rui seized the fox before it could reach him and brought it back to the Military Advisor’s Residence.
• After torturing the fox until it confessed, Li Rui learned that the lord of Giant Stone City had sent it to find Little White Flood Dragon.
• Li Rui realized that the lord and a demon lord were planning to capture Little White and might even be able to overcome its Earth Immortal guardian.
• Li Rui visited Little White and told it that he would send it to the Annan Marquis Residence as tribute the next day.