Chapter Summaries

Li Rui explained to Liang He that Sun Ming had died because powerful interests wanted him gone, then agreed to help Wu Tu buy Spirit Soil from the declining Lin Family. Wu Tu returned with the Red Sandalwood box of Spirit Soil, leaving Li Rui eager to inspect the rare find.

• Liang He questioned Li Rui about Sun Ming's death, and Li Rui explained that the County Magistrate and Vice Branch Master Zhang had used the illicit salt charge to eliminate him.
• Wu Tu praised Li Rui for sending Zhao Wei's planted underling to the Black Jail, and Li Rui insisted he had only followed the law.
• Wu Tu told Li Rui that a declining Daoist family in Clear River had Spirit Soil for sale and asked to borrow money to buy it.
• Li Rui recognized the family as the Lin Family and agreed to split the Spirit Soil with Wu Tu, giving him a thousand-tael silver note.
• Wu Tu returned the next night with a small Red Sandalwood box filled with Spirit Soil, and Li Rui sensed its living aura.

Li Rui received most of the Spirit Soil from Wu Tu and prepared to cultivate Spirit Medicine, but Han Qin revealed that it could also be consumed for a quick increase in strength. Li Rui welcomed Han Qin inside and agreed to discuss weapon techniques with him after receiving the formula.

• Wu Tu gave Li Rui sixty percent of the Spirit Soil as compensation for his help and explained how it could be used to grow Spirit Medicine.
• Li Rui scattered the Spirit Soil in a garden patch at his residence, intending to harvest Spirit Medicine the following year.
• Han Qin visited Li Rui and asked for guidance on saber techniques and weapons, but Li Rui initially refused.
• Han Qin recognized that Li Rui had Spirit Soil and persuaded him that consuming it could raise his strength faster than cultivating Spirit Medicine.
• Han Qin gave Li Rui the formula for consuming Spirit Soil, and Li Rui agreed to share his knowledge of weapons with him.

Li Rui followed Han Qin’s instructions for consuming Spirit Soil and broke through from Copper Bone to Iron Bone, while Jiang Yan encountered her father after he rescued her from a group of young men. The chapter left Jiang Yan facing her long-absent father.

• Li Rui shared his weapon-fighting insights with Han Qin, who thanked him and left Heaven One Hall.
• Li Rui asked Liang He to procure the materials for Han Qin’s Spirit Soil formula, and Liang He gathered them before the end of the workday.
• Li Rui mixed the ingredients with Spirit Soil, tested a pinch on a mouse, then ate the rest and advanced from Copper Bone to Iron Bone.
• Jiang Yan confronted a group of young men who harassed her, but a drunken middle-aged man drove them away with his presence.
• The middle-aged man told Jiang Yan she looked more like her mother, and she addressed him as her father.

Jiang Linxian and Jiang Yan learned that the Ghost Underworld Sect had taken something connected to the Immortal Treasure, while Li Rui sought a heavier saber to suit his improved strength. After borrowing money from Liu Tong and waiting for it to be forged, Li Rui received a seventy-jin greatsaber made with Black Profound Iron.

• Jiang Yan asked Jiang Linxian whether he had found the Ghost Underworld Sect's people, and he said they were difficult to catch and that something they had taken had to be retrieved.
• Jiang Yan asked whether there was news of the Immortal Treasure, and Jiang Linxian said it would be found soon.
• Li Rui decided his thirty-seven-jin saber was too light and went to the Civil and Martial Hall to order a seventy-jin saber.
• The young disciple estimated that a saber of that weight made with Black Profound Iron would cost about three hundred taels, so Liu Tong offered Li Rui the money.
• Seven days later, the young disciple delivered Li Rui's Black Profound Iron greatsaber, and Li Rui lifted it easily and praised it.

Li Rui uncovered Zhao Wei’s attempt to frame the Black Market with illegally forged weapons, but Zhao Wei’s men killed the captured suspect before Li Rui could use him as evidence. Li Rui ordered his people to cover up the death and advised Liang He to avoid danger unless he had the advantage.

• Mao Kai told Li Rui that a petty thief had been caught planting several weapons in the Black Market, and Li Rui recognized Zhao Wei’s scheme to frame him.
• Zhao Wei berated the subordinate responsible for the failed setup, then ordered him to kill the captured man and promised to handle the consequences.
• Five days later, Liang He alerted Li Rui that the petty thief had been killed, and Li Rui found him with his throat slit.
• Mao Kai admitted that he and Liang He had been unable to stop the killer, an Entering Rank Martial Master, and Li Rui told them to clean up and pretend nothing had happened.
• Liang He said he would run from an armed criminal, and Li Rui agreed, adding that he should fight only if he had a bigger blade.

Zhao Wei led Han Qin, Jiang Yan, and Zhu Yue to Roebuck Ridge to search for Ghost Underworld Sect members, and the search uncovered corpses and three demon beasts. As the group fought the monsters in the rain, Li Rui arrived and called out Zhao Wei.

• Zhao Wei apologized to Li Rui and promised to withdraw his spies from the Black Market, then transferred three people out the next day.
• A Heaven and Earth Alliance disciple told Han Qin, Jiang Yan, and Zhu Yue that Ghost Underworld Sect members had been spotted at Roebuck Ridge, and they joined Zhao Wei's search party.
• Zhao Wei organized three hundred men into teams with Signal Arrows and led the search up the mountain with the three Huaqing Sect disciples.
• After a Signal Arrow sounded, Zhao Wei, Han Qin, Jiang Yan, and Zhu Yue found several corpses in the rain and were attacked by three demon beasts.
• Li Rui arrived at the scene with his blade in hand and called out to Zhao Wei.

Li Rui ambushed and killed Zhao Wei in the mountain forest after Zhao Wei fled the Black Bear Demon Beast, using a poisoned arrow and blade qi. The system then announced that Li Rui had completed the introductory storyline for Using Violence to Control Violence and awarded him Spirit Eye.

• Zhao Wei abandoned the fight against the Black Bear Demon Beast and fled through the rainy forest.
• Li Rui shot Zhao Wei in the ankle with a poisoned arrow, then attacked him with his heavy saber.
• Zhao Wei recognized Li Rui and swallowed an antidote pill, but Li Rui struck him with blade qi and killed him.
• The system awarded Li Rui 30 Achievement Points and Spirit Eye after completing the introductory storyline for Using Violence to Control Violence.

Li Rui used his newly awakened Spirit Eye to take a piece of golden spirit ore from Zhao Wei’s corpse, then returned home and burned his wet clothes. The Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples blamed Zhao Wei’s death on Ghost Face Blade and decided to seek help from their sect.

• Li Rui discovered that his Spirit Eye could see spiritual substances and took a glowing item from Zhao Wei’s chest before fleeing into the woods.
• Han Qin, Jiang Yan, and Zhu Yue found Zhao Wei’s corpse and concluded that blade qi, rather than a demon beast, had killed him.
• A Heaven and Earth Alliance disciple reported hearing someone name Ghost Face Blade and the Ghost Underworld Sect, prompting the group to leave the mountain.
• Han Qin, Jiang Yan, and Zhu Yue decided to ask their sect to strengthen the mission and brought Zhao Wei’s body to the Heaven and Earth Alliance.
• Li Rui returned to the Li Residence, burned his wet clothes, and identified the golden ore he had taken as possibly the spirit ore Zhao Wei bought.

After Zhao Wei’s murder, Dao Xiong vowed that the Heaven and Earth Alliance would avenge him and redistributed his authority among its members. Li Rui arranged to have Mystic Metal made into hidden soft armor and reflected on the dangers of the martial world, resolving to keep growing stronger.

• Dao Xiong received Zhao Wei’s body, learned that Ghost Face Blade had killed him, and vowed to seek revenge with the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s full strength.
• Li Rui took his Mystic Metal to an authorities-run blacksmith shop and ordered soft armor with the ore set over the chest.
• Dao Xiong sent men to hunt the culprit, gave the Civil and Martial Hall to Ge Hong, and assigned two other halls to Zhou Rui.
• Li Rui read in the Black Market as Liang He lamented Zhao Wei’s sudden death, while Li Rui reflected that even caution could not prevent every danger.
• Li Rui resolved to keep training so he could grow strong enough to survive the martial world.

Li Rui collected his newly forged soft armor and encountered Han Qin, Zhu Yue, and Jiang Yan while they were preparing to meet a Huaqing Sect martial uncle. Jiang Yan drew him aside and revealed that she had been watching him because she could see that his fate was the rare Hidden Dragon Do Not Use.

• Li Rui collected and tried on the soft armor, paying the blacksmith with a hundred-tael banknote from the Black Market's accounts.
• Li Rui met Han Qin, Zhu Yue, and Jiang Yan, who were on their way to receive a martial uncle from the Huaqing Sect.
• Li Rui noticed the spiritual equipment worn by the three Huaqing Sect disciples and said farewell to them.
• Jiang Yan asked Li Rui to speak privately, and he confronted her about peeping at him.
• Jiang Yan said she could see other people's fates and identified Li Rui's as the rare fate of Hidden Dragon Do Not Use.

Li Rui learned that Jiang Yan had seen his fate as “Hidden Dragon Do Not Use,” which she interpreted as a sign that he might be a late bloomer, before they parted without further conflict. Meanwhile, Huaqing Sect members arrived in Clear River to address the Ghost Underworld Sect, and Li Rui accepted Wang Zhao and Yang Yong as servants.

• Jiang Yan explained that Li Rui’s fate was “Hidden Dragon Do Not Use” and apologized for her earlier offense.
• Li Rui reasoned that the fate matched his system’s claim that he was seven years old and left Jiang Yan without resolving what the Divine Weapon Talisman was.
• Song Zhenyun arrived in Clear River with Huaqing Sect disciples, and Han Qin reported that he had notified the county authorities.
• Song Zhenyun asked Han Qin about the Ghost Underworld Sect fiends, while Zhou Hu felt relieved that Han Qin had handled the arrangements.
• Li Rui returned to Heaven One Hall, where Wang Zhao and Yang Yong offered to serve him.
• Li Rui accepted Wang Zhao and Yang Yong and told them to have their household registrations removed at the County Office.

Li Rui freed Wang Zhao and Yang Yong from their registered status, welcomed them into his residence, and watched them settle into new roles beside him. Elsewhere, Ghost Face Blade Hu YanZhuo swore revenge on Tang Sheng and Song, while Li Rui spotted a Spirit Grass among herbs bought cheaply in the Black Market.

• Li Rui completed the paperwork that freed Wang Zhao and Yang Yong, and both men chose to stay with him.
• Li Rui brought Wang Zhao and Yang Yong to his residence, where Yang Yong cleaned the rooms and Wang Zhao scrubbed the stables.
• Hu YanZhuo, known as Ghost Face Blade, cursed Tang Sheng and Song for attacking him and vowed to take revenge.
• Li Rui walked openly through the Black Market, where he saw a skinny young man buy an old herb gatherer's bundle for eighty copper coins.
• Li Rui noticed golden light among the herbs and realized the bundle contained a Spirit Grass.

Li Rui used his Spirit Eye and his past experience as a scalper to navigate the Black Market, buying a rare Spirit Grass hidden among ordinary Cold Dew Grass. He left pleased with his find and saw the Black Market as a place where his Spirit Eye could bring him great profits.

• Li Rui watched a scalper buy an old herb seller’s Spirit Medicine cheaply and chose not to intervene.
• Li Rui saw another scalper bargain for a valuable porcelain piece and continued through the market without interfering.
• Li Rui offered to buy a little fat boy’s Spirit Medicine and negotiated the price of his Oolong Wood down to eighty taels.
• Li Rui accepted Cold Dew Grass as a bonus, then used his Spirit Eye to spot rare Spirit Grass hidden among it.
• Li Rui recalled the tricks scalpers used to conceal valuable finds and revealed that he had once worked as a scalper himself.

Li Rui brought the Spirit Medicine he had gathered at the Black Market to the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s Medicine Hall, hoping to have it refined into pills to advance his cultivation. After Elder Jiang finished an eighth-rank batch, he refused Li Rui’s request outright.

• Li Rui counted his Black Market purchases, stored away a piece of Silver Dragon Iron, and decided to have an alchemist refine his Spirit Medicine into pills.
• Li Rui visited Medicine Hall with Hall Master Xu Xiang, who welcomed him because Vice Branch Master Zhang had put in a word for him.
• Xu Xiang led Li Rui to the Alchemy Room, where Elder Jiang was refining pills and the two waited for him to finish.
• Elder Jiang completed a batch of eighth-rank Spirit Pills, then heard that Li Rui wanted him to refine another batch.
• Elder Jiang looked coldly at Li Rui and refused to refine his pills.

Li Rui used his Spirit Eye to help Jiang Cheng improve his alchemy and negotiated for Jiang Cheng to refine pills for him. After working together through the night, they produced six stronger Body Strengthening Pills, which Jiang Cheng gave to Li Rui.

• Xu Xiang tried to confront Jiang Cheng, but Li Rui calmed him down and identified that Jiang Cheng's Purity Yang Pill needed thirteen more breaths of refinement.
• Jiang Cheng recognized Li Rui's unusual eyesight and agreed to refine pills in exchange for Li Rui assisting him in the Alchemy Room every seven days.
• Li Rui gave Jiang Cheng Spirit Medicine from the Black Market and offered to watch the furnace heat for free, so Jiang Cheng began refining pills immediately.
• At dawn, Jiang Cheng produced six Body Strengthening Pills with at least thirty percent greater medicinal potency and handed them all to Li Rui.

Li Rui took the final step in tempering his bones after training with his broadsword, while Qinghe’s leaders united against the Ghost Underworld Sect and learned it possessed an Immortal Treasure. The chapter ended with Li Rui’s blood and qi surging as his Gold Bone was completed.

• Li Rui left the Medicine Hall with six Body Strengthening Pills and hurried home to train.
• County Magistrate Zhang Linkang gathered Qinghe’s factions and assigned them tasks for a joint campaign against the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Tang Sheng told Dao Xiong that the Heaven and Earth Alliance had established a branch in Clear River to search for the Immortal Treasure held by the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Li Rui practiced his blade technique in the rain until his Blade Momentum kept him completely dry.
• Li Rui swallowed his last Body Strengthening Pill, and his blood and qi surged as his bones completed their transformation into Gold Bone.

After reaching Gold Bone, Li Rui partnered with Jiang Cheng to refine stronger pills and learned that the Qinghe Branch was preparing to attack the Ghost Underworld Sect. He avoided the operation by deliberately catching a chill, then fell asleep reading the Great Cave True Scripture and dreamed of an immortal mountain and an old Daoist chanting about eternal life.

• Li Rui reached Gold Bone, used his last Strengthening Bone Pill, and decided he needed more pills.
• Li Rui and Jiang Cheng refined spirit pills together, and Jiang Cheng gave Li Rui his share.
• Li Rui learned from Jiang Cheng that Dao Xiong had ordered healing medicine for an upcoming operation against the Ghost Underworld Sect.
• Li Rui spent four days and nights in an ice cellar to catch a real chill, and Dao Xiong excused him from the attack after checking on him.
• The Qinghe Branch mobilized against the Ghost Underworld Sect while Li Rui stayed home, read the Great Cave True Scripture, and dreamed of an immortal mountain where an old Daoist chanted about living forever.

After recovering from his cold, Li Rui realized that a dream had let him comprehend Profound Clear Qi while still at the eighth rank, greatly increasing his strength. He learned that the Ghost Underworld Sect had been nearly wiped out at Small River Ditch and returned to a quiet routine of reading and training.

• Li Rui woke refreshed and traced his rapid recovery to a dream in which he had listened to a sermon in an immortal realm.
• Li Rui discovered a thread of Profound Clear Qi within himself, something normally attained only above the sixth rank, and shattered a teapot with a palm strike from a distance.
• Yang Yong and Wang Zhao entered after hearing the noise, and Li Rui concealed his new ability by claiming he had accidentally knocked over the teapot.
• Zhou Shulin told Li Rui that the Heaven and Earth Alliance, the County Office, and several gangs had nearly wiped out the Ghost Underworld Sect at Small River Ditch.
• Li Rui returned to his office at Heaven One Hall and resumed reading scriptures and practicing martial arts.

After the Ghost Underworld Sect’s defeat, County Magistrate Zhang dismissed the gathered factions without promising further action against the survivors. The Huaqing Sect prepared to leave Qinghe City while Jiang Linxian pursued Ten Thousand Ghosts Old Mother, who had escaped with the Immortal Treasure.

• County Magistrate Zhang praised the factions for defeating the Ghost Underworld Sect, then warned them to guard against its remaining members while refusing to take responsibility for further pursuit.
• Hu Liu challenged Zhang over the authorities’ retreat, but Zhang used his official authority to silence him and dismissed the gathering.
• Song Zhenyuan learned from Jiang Yan that Jiang Linxian was pursuing Ten Thousand Ghosts Old Mother, who had escaped with the Immortal Treasure.
• Song Zhenyuan ordered the Huaqing Sect group to return to the sect, and Zhu Yue worried about leaving his family behind in Clear River.
• Han Qin reassured Zhu Yue that the Zhu Family could hire guards, and Zhu Yue agreed to leave with the group.
• The Huaqing Sect group departed Qinghe City that day.

After the Ghost Underworld Sect’s failed encirclement, Zhang Yang hosted Li Rui and Wu Tu, warned them of the dangers still facing the Heaven and Earth Alliance, and revealed that the Huaqing Sect had come to Clear River for an Immortal Treasure. Li Rui stayed in seclusion to practice and read, but rumors of the Ghost Underworld Sect attacking people reached him as the chapter ended.

• Zhang Yang thanked Li Rui and Wu Tu for remaining loyal and invited Li Rui to become the Civil and Martial Hall Master, but Li Rui declined.
• Zhang Yang told Li Rui and Wu Tu that the Huaqing Sect had come to Clear River for an Immortal Treasure stolen by Ten Thousand Ghosts Old Mother, who had fled while Jiang Linxian pursued her.
• Zhang Yang urged Li Rui and Wu Tu to stay inside the branch because surviving Ghost Underworld Sect members might target the Heaven and Earth Alliance.
• Li Rui returned home, practiced his transformed White Ape Mantle Blade, and spent the next seven days reading in Heaven One Hall.
• Disciples in Heaven One Hall discussed Ghost Underworld Sect attacks, including an ambush on a Blood Tiger Gang sub-fragrance master and deaths at the Zhu Family.