Chapter Summaries

Li Rui learned that a Huaqing Sect disciple was killing people connected to the abandoned temple and decided to join the Heaven and Earth Alliance for protection. Wu Tu brought him a token naming him Heaven One Hall Master, a quiet post guarding books, and gave him one hundred taels of silver.

• A Heaven and Earth Alliance Branch Master assigned the elderly Entering Rank martial artist Li Rui to Heaven One Hall.
• Li Rui practiced his blade technique at home after leaving the Zhu Family.
• Yang Yong warned Li Rui that constables who had visited the abandoned temple were being killed, and Li Rui realized the Huaqing Sect disciple was seeking the stolen secret art.
• Li Rui told Yang Yong he would join the Heaven and Earth Alliance rather than flee.
• Wu Tu gave Li Rui a brass token naming him Heaven One Hall Master and handed him one hundred taels of silver as compensation for the modest appointment.

Li Rui accepted Wu Tu’s compensation and learned how the Heaven and Earth Alliance rewarded merit. After the Small Yuan Pill helped him break through to Major Training, he arrived at the alliance headquarters and triggered the next stage of his achievement.

• Wu Tu explained the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s ranking system and gave Li Rui a hundred-tael banknote and a Small Yuan Pill as compensation.
• Li Rui took the pill that night, circulated the White Ape Mantle Blade Breathing Method, and broke through from Intermediate Training to Major Training by morning.
• Li Rui dressed carefully and went to the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s Qinghe Branch headquarters, where a gate guard recognized his number 28 token and respectfully called him Lord Deacon.
• As Li Rui stepped through the gate, a message announced that he had completed the initial storyline of the Make a Name for Oneself achievement by joining a faction.

Li Rui joined the Heaven and Earth Alliance, registered as a steward of Heaven One Hall, and received Alliance lodging, a uniform, and a sabre. After meeting Deputy Master Zhao, he learned Zhao had a grudge against Wu Tu and suspected Zhao had tried to plant a spy in his residence.

• Li Rui completed the mission to join a faction and received 20 Achievement Points, bringing his total to 20/100.
• Ding Liang met Li Rui at the Alliance grounds and escorted him to the Civil and Martial Hall, where Li Rui registered and received a room plaque, a uniform, and a sabre.
• Li Rui went to pay respects to Deputy Master Zhao, who offered him a beautiful woman and medicines, but Li Rui declined and left.
• Ding Liang warned Li Rui that Zhao had bad blood with Wu Tu and advised him to stay alert.
• Li Rui realized Zhao had likely been testing him and might have planted a spy in his residence if he had accepted the woman.

Li Rui settled into his new role as Heaven One Hall’s hall master, inspecting its books and meeting the disciples assigned there. He enjoyed the quiet, comfortable residence and began practicing his saber in the courtyard the next morning.

• Li Rui arrived at Heaven One Hall and sent Ding Liang away with thanks for Brother Wu.
• Li Rui learned that Zhou Shulin and Liang He were among the hall’s three disciples, then explored the first and second floors and learned that access to the third floor required the helmsman’s written token.
• Li Rui discovered Liang He reading a booklet about heroines and advised him to take action rather than merely look.
• Li Rui returned to his residence, kept his old belongings in a Large Wooden Box, and slept comfortably in his new home.
• Li Rui rose before the hour of Chen and practiced his saber until it moved like a fluttering afterimage.

Zhu Ping learned that Li Rui had become a hall master in the Heaven and Earth Alliance and regretted losing him, while Li Rui settled into his new post and used Daoist texts to deepen his understanding of the White Ape Mantle Blade. After his pill’s effects ran out, Li Rui headed to the Medicine Hall to buy more, hearing disciples gossip about his age along the way.

• Zhu Ping learned Li Rui had become a hall master and ordered Wang Zhao’s allowance raised so the apprentice could visit the Heaven and Earth Alliance.
• Li Rui met Liu Tong at Heaven One Hall and let him handle his connections as he pleased.
• Li Rui read Daoist scriptures, clarified parts of the White Ape Mantle Blade, and noticed that reading accelerated his Breathing Method.
• Li Rui discovered that his Small Yuan Pill had run out and decided to visit the Medicine Hall.
• Li Rui went to the Medicine Hall the next morning and overheard disciples gossiping that he was seventy and had only become Heaven One Hall’s hall master.

Li Rui bought pills at the Medicine Hall and learned about the rarity and cost of Spirit Pills. After reuniting with Wang Zhao and Yang Yong, he sent a message to Zhu Ping asking the Zhu Family to provide spiritual pills, leaving open the possibility of reconciliation.

• Li Rui visited the Medicine Hall and learned that Spirit Pills made from Spirit Grass could cost hundreds of taels or as much as a thousand gold.
• Li Rui bought two Small Yuan Pills and one Strengthening Bone Pill for one hundred and thirty taels.
• Li Rui recognized Wang Zhao and Yang Yong at the Heaven and Earth Alliance gate and brought them to his courtyard.
• Li Rui learned that Zhu Ping had sent Wang Zhao to check on him, then asked Wang Zhao to tell Zhu Ping that he needed spiritual pills for his weak health.

At Flower Night House, Zhu Ping gave Li Rui an Eighth-Rank Tiger Bone Pill and made Zhu Lie apologize to reconcile the Zhu family with him. Zhu Lie secretly vowed to wait until Li Rui was helpless, while Li Rui prepared to deal with him.

• Zhu Ping treated Li Rui warmly at Flower Night House and offered him an Eighth-Rank Tiger Bone Pill.
• Zhu Ping ordered Zhu Lie to apologize for their past conflict, and Li Rui accepted the apology.
• Zhu Ping warned Zhu Lie that the Heaven and Earth Alliance had a Sixth Rank Little Grandmaster and forbade him from endangering the family’s ties with the alliance.
• After Zhu Ping left, Zhu Lie vowed to kill Li Rui when age left him bedridden.
• Li Rui confirmed that the woman in his room was unconscious and decided Zhu Lie’s continued hostility meant he had to act.

Li Rui killed Zhu Lie and two of his companions in a nighttime ambush, then concealed Zhu Lie’s body. The next morning, Wu Tu praised Li Rui’s work, and Li Rui received notice that he had completed an achievement storyline.

• Zhu Lie complained about his elder brother’s caution while drinking with two underworld associates.
• A masked archer killed one companion and wounded the other, then lured Zhu Lie to an abandoned residence.
• Li Rui blinded Zhu Lie with lime powder, beheaded him, and buried his body.
• Wu Tu praised Li Rui and took back the bow after hearing that two underworld figures had been shot dead.
• Li Rui returned to Heaven One Hall, where a message announced that he had completed the initial storyline of the Famous Throughout Jianghu—Eliminate Violence and Bring Peace achievement.

After killing Zhu Lie, Li Rui received a C-rated mission reward and swallowed the Tiger Bone Pill, which greatly increased his strength and brought him close to the Copper Bone Realm. At a meal with Wu Tu, Li Rui learned about Wu Tu’s history with Zhao Wei and heard that Huaqing Sect was offering a Spirit Pill for information about a defector.

• Li Rui received 20 Achievement Points for completing the mission to eliminate violence and bring peace, raising his Achievement to 40/100.
• Li Rui swallowed Zhu Ping’s Tiger Bone Pill and felt his strength increase by more than fifty percent, bringing him near the Eighth Rank.
• Zhu Ping learned that Zhu Lie had vanished after drinking with two men whose bodies were later found, and he ordered the search to continue.
• Wu Tu told Li Rui how he had challenged Zhao Wei for leadership of the Heng Sect, been drugged and defeated, then fled after killing the man involved.
• Wu Tu warned Li Rui that Chang He was Zhao Wei’s trusted confidant and revealed that Huaqing Sect was seeking a defector to the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Li Rui told Wu Tu that he had only watched the horses during Huaqing Sect’s earlier operation and had seen nothing.

Li Rui advanced his White Ape Mantle Blade and unexpectedly sensed the distant signs of Profound Clear Qi while studying its breathing method. He commissioned a heavy blade from the Civil and Martial Hall, then approved the finished weapon when it arrived.

• Wu Tu warned Li Rui that a Huaqing Sect traitor was hiding in Qinghe City and killing constables, but Li Rui refused to get involved in the conflict with the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• After the Tiger Bone Pill’s effects lasted a month, Li Rui cut a droplet of water in two and achieved minor accomplishment in the White Ape Mantle Blade.
• Li Rui asked the Civil and Martial Hall to forge him a heavy blade, emphasizing that it should weigh about thirty jin.
• While reading a Daoist scripture, Li Rui glimpsed Profound Clear Qi and realized his talent had let him sense it unusually early, though he chose to keep his martial bones hidden.
• The Civil and Martial Hall delivered a thirty-seven-jin blade made from Huishan Iron, and Li Rui lifted it easily and praised it.

Li Rui was questioned by Zhao Wei, Captain Liu, and Kong Xiannian about the missing White Ape Mantle Blade, but he resisted Kong Xiannian’s Truth Incantation and convinced them he knew nothing. After they left, Li Rui resented Zhao Wei’s betrayal, while Zhao Wei and Kong Xiannian turned their attention to capturing the Huaqing Sect traitor.

• Li Rui finished practicing his broadsword when Zhao Wei arrived with Captain Liu and Kong Xiannian to question him about the abandoned temple incident.
• Captain Liu explained that the Huaqing Sect traitor had sought the missing White Ape Mantle Blade and asked Li Rui whether he had taken it.
• Kong Xiannian used the Huaqing Sect’s Truth Incantation on Li Rui, but Li Rui’s strengthened mental power let him resist and deny knowing about the secret art.
• Kong Xiannian declared Li Rui innocent, and Zhao Wei and his companions left; Li Rui then cursed Zhao Wei for bringing them to his door.
• Zhao Wei asked Kong Xiannian whether Li Rui seemed suspicious, and Kong Xiannian confirmed that Li Rui had not taken the secret art.
• Zhao Wei and Kong Xiannian agreed to focus on capturing the traitor, while Zhao Wei regretted losing the chance to obtain the secret art.

Li Rui learned more about Huaqing Sect agent Kong Xiannian and continued building connections within the Heaven and Earth Alliance. At a farewell gathering for Liu Tong, he heard that the Alliance Leader had made a breakthrough and realized why Zhu Ping had recently favored him.

• Wu Tu explained that Kong Xiannian was a Huaqing Sect agent tasked with apprehending defectors, and advised Li Rui to seek Vice Branch Master Zhang if trouble arose.
• Li Rui returned to Heaven One Hall and kept watch over Zhou Shulin and Liang He while considering how to maintain useful connections.
• Liu Tong told Li Rui that he was transferring to the Civil and Martial Hall and invited him and Zhou Shulin to a gathering at Flower Night House.
• At the gathering, Liu Tong reconciled with Zhou Shulin and told him and Li Rui that the Alliance Leader had made a breakthrough and that the Qinghe Branch was a timely place to secure positions.
• Li Rui connected the news about the Alliance Leader to Zhu Ping's recent show of favor toward him.

Li Rui confronted Eagle Six, the newly appointed Deputy Hall Master, who had come to displace him from Heaven One Hall. As Eagle Six settled into his room and Zhao Wei’s scheme became clear, Zhou Shulin and Liang He chose to stand by Li Rui.

• Li Rui learned that Liu Tong had successfully joined the Civil and Martial Hall, while the Heaven and Earth Alliance prepared to raise its standing and entry standards.
• Eagle Six arrived at Heaven One Hall with a deacon’s token and claimed his new position as Deputy Hall Master.
• When Eagle Six tried to strike Zhou Shulin, Li Rui intercepted his hand and warned him that Heaven One Hall remained under Li Rui’s command.
• Eagle Six left the tower, while Li Rui realized Zhao Wei had appointed him to undermine Li Rui and take the Hall Master position.
• Eagle Six moved into the Deputy Hall Master’s room, and Zhou Shulin and Liang He agreed to stay loyal to Li Rui.

Li Rui guided Liang He in making his swordsmanship more lethal, and Liang He quickly improved enough to defeat Zhou Shulin in a spar. The chapter ended as Han Peng and Yang San confronted the two Heaven One Hall disciples.

• Han Peng and Yang San transferred to Heaven One Hall but ignored Li Rui and met with Eagle Six instead, prompting Li Rui to tell Zhou Shulin and Liang He to gather evidence against them.
• Li Rui watched Liang He practice and demonstrated how to fight with killing intent, advising him to seek experience at the outside establishments.
• After several days of sparring, Liang He defeated Zhou Shulin in ten moves and credited Li Rui's guidance for his improvement.
• Han Peng and Yang San approached Liang He and Zhou Shulin, and Han Peng insulted them and ordered them out of the way.

Liang He and Zhou Shulin clashed with Han Peng and Yang San at Heaven One Hall, where Liang He fought dirty and was eventually overwhelmed. Li Rui intervened before Yang San could strike Liang with a blade, then insisted Yang San be severely punished despite Eagle Six’s attempt to settle the matter.

• Yang San provoked Liang He and tried to search him by accusing him of stealing a Cultivation Method, but Liang refused and attacked his groin when Yang San charged.
• Yang San called Han Peng to join the fight, and the four disciples brawled until Liang He and Zhou Shulin focused their attacks on Yang San.
• Yang San drew his saber and swung at Liang He, but Li Rui knocked the blade aside with a pebble and cited the alliance rules.
• Eagle Six came downstairs and asked Li Rui to be lenient, but Li Rui said Yang San had broken the rules and must be severely punished.

Li Rui used Heaven and Earth Alliance rules to force Eagle Six to abandon Yang San, who was punished by the Discipline Hall and died from his wounds. After Eagle Six became more restrained, Li Rui received an S-rated reward for completing the Unite Fellow Disciples mission.

• Li Rui rejected Eagle Six's Nurture Bone Pill and ordered Liang He and Zhou Shulin to take Yang San to the Discipline Hall.
• Eagle Six refused to protect Yang San and threatened him by promising to look after his old mother.
• Yang San chose Three Cuts and Six Holes, then died from an infected wound.
• Eagle Six became more restrained, and Han Peng began attending Heaven One Hall's duty rotations.
• Li Rui received 50 Achievement Points after earning an S rating for completing the Unite Fellow Disciples mission.

Xu Hua returned to Clear River and suspected Li Rui had taken the secret art he had betrayed the Huaqing Sect to obtain. Meanwhile, the County Office planned to use Li Rui to draw Xu Hua out, while Li Rui sold his place on a Huaqing Sect mission to Eagle Six for a pill and silver.

• Xu Hua watched the Heaven and Earth Alliance compound and wondered whether Li Rui had stolen the secret art, but he left without confronting him.
• Kong Xiannian and Zhao Wei identified Xu Hua as Captain Liu's killer and agreed to use Li Rui as bait to capture him.
• Eagle Six asked Li Rui to take his place on the Huaqing Sect mission, hoping to distinguish himself and earn a chance to join the sect.
• Li Rui raised his price until Eagle Six agreed to pay an Eighth-Rank Spirit Pill and another 180 taels of silver for the mission spot.

Li Rui avoided joining the Huaqing Sect mission and agreed to let Liang He go in his place. As the mission began, Liang He and Wu Tu were stationed west of the Heaven and Earth Alliance branch, where government officials suddenly arrived.

• Li Rui refused to join the dangerous mission but agreed to Liang He’s request to go.
• Wu Tu asked Li Rui to join the mission and promised to watch over Liang He; Li Rui declined and asked Wu Tu to look after him.
• At the Martial Arts Arena, Dao Xiong, Kong Xiannian, and Liu Zhen organized the operation to capture Xu Hua and confront the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• The Heaven and Earth Alliance split into squads and concealed them around the branch, assigning Liang He to a residence west of it under Wu Tu’s leadership.
• Liang He and Wu Tu heard hurried footsteps outside, and Liang He identified the arrivals as government officials.

Wu Tu and the Heaven and Earth Alliance waited for a signal while Huaqing Sect and local constables searched for the thief who had taken the White Ape Mantle Blade. After the signal arrow launched, Li Rui headed toward the commotion, intent on confronting the Huaqing Sect disciple he feared might assassinate him.

• Wu Tu reassured Liang He and the other Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples that the constables outside were likely on a routine patrol, then told them to run when a mission turned dangerous.
• Kong Xiannian told Dao Xiong that the missing secret art was the White Ape Mantle Blade and insisted that Li Rui had not stolen it.
• Liu Zhen revealed that Elder Jiang, identified as Jiang Linxian, the Jiangdong Sword Immortal, had already arrived in Clear River.
• A signal arrow shot into the sky, and Dao Xiong, Kong Xiannian, and Liu Zhen rushed out of the branch hall.
• Li Rui left Heaven One Hall and followed the signal, hoping to stop the Huaqing Sect disciple he suspected of targeting him.

Li Rui searched Qinghe City for Xu Hua as the Ghost Underworld Sect attacked and unleashed a Ghost Demon, but Jiang Linxian killed the monster with her flying sword. Xu Hua fled after realizing the plan had failed, then faced a black-clad attacker wielding a huge blade.

• Li Rui confirmed that Ghost Underworld Sect followers had joined the fighting, took a hundred taels from Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples, and hid the silver before continuing to search for Xu Hua.
• Eagle Six tried to lead his disciples out of the fight, but a towering Ghost Demon appeared and killed him and the others in the alley.
• Dao Xiong, Kong Xiannian, and Liu Zhen saw Jiang Linxian's flying sword kill the Ghost Demon, then went to search for Xu Hua.
• Xu Hua fled through Qinghe City, realized Jiang Linxian's presence had ruined the Ghost Underworld Sect's plan, and encountered a black-clad figure who attacked him with a huge blade.