Recaps

After demonstrating his skill with Heavenstone Archery, Fu Shaoping declined Chief Banner Chen’s Hunting Team and prepared to marry Zhou Pan'er. Following their betrothal ceremony, he began a secluded breakthrough toward the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

• Fu Shaoping impressed Chief Banner Chen by piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces, then politely declined the invitation to join the Hunting Team.
• After sleeping through the day from exhaustion, Fu Shaoping ate with Old Zhan and met Zhou Pan'er on East Street before his betrothal.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er completed their betrothal formalities, set their wedding for the sixth day of the sixth month next year, and received gifts from his colleagues.
• Old Zhan gave Fu Shaoping a Stone Origin Pill, and Fu Shaoping resolved to look after him in his old age.
• After the banquet, Zhou Pan'er teased Fu Shaoping and fled the storeroom before he could go further.
• Fu Shaoping entered seclusion at the Training Hall, prepared himself for a breakthrough, and swallowed the Stone Origin Pill.

Fu Shaoping broke through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm and learned about Origin Energy Pills as a faster path to cultivation. After two months of refining Blood Qi Powder, he reached a new stage of mastery and discovered that his latest batch smelled different.

• Fu Shaoping used a Stone Origin Pill to break through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Old Zhan gave Fu Shaoping an Origin Energy Pill and explained that its recipe was restricted, while demonic beast blood essence was dangerous to consume.
• Fu Shaoping planned to refine Blood Qi Powder to earn enough Low-Grade Essence Stones for an alchemy furnace and went to the Earthfire Hall.
• Junior Banner Liu offered Fu Shaoping an Earth Room, and Fu Shaoping spent two months refining Blood Qi Powder.
• Fu Shaoping reached Perfection in Blood Qi Powder and found that his latest batch carried a faint wheat fragrance instead of a bloody odor.

After completing a large batch of Blood Qi Powder, Fu Shaoping exchanged it with Granny Tang and revealed that he had refined five portions of Special Grade powder. The chapter left Granny Tang astonished by the powder’s quality.

• Fu Shaoping finished refining one hundred portions of Blood Qi Powder and discovered that every fifth batch yielded wheat-scented powder that was a full tier above Grade A.
• Fu Shaoping gave Junior Banner Liu ten portions of Grade A Blood Qi Powder, and Junior Banner Liu paid him thirty Low-Grade Essence Stones and offered him future access to an earth-class Alchemy Chamber.
• Fu Shaoping returned home and learned that Zhou Pan'er had advanced to the third level of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Fu Shaoping took Zhou Pan'er by carriage to the Ghost Valley Woods to trade with Granny Tang instead of risking a trip to the Black Market.
• Granny Tang noticed that Fu Shaoping's shipment was five portions short, so he showed her a packet of wheat-scented powder, which she recognized as Special Grade Blood Qi Powder.

Fu Shaoping sold special-grade Blood Qi Powder for a fortune and decided to spend his savings on an alchemy furnace so Zhou Pan'er could refine at home. After learning why Zhou Pan'er was striving to advance, he promised to help her reach the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm and brought his Essence Stones to buy the furnace.

• Granny Tang valued Fu Shaoping's five packets of special-grade Blood Qi Powder at ten Low-Grade Essence Stones each, and he exchanged them for medicinal ingredients instead.
• Fu Shaoping returned home with two hundred and thirty Low-Grade Essence Stones and told Zhou Pan'er he planned to buy an alchemy furnace rather than spend them on property or other comforts.
• Zhou Pan'er explained that Granny Xue had promised to reveal more about her birth parents if she reached the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Fu Shaoping gave Zhou Pan'er a Qi Condensation Pill and proposed hunting Granary Bears with her at Seven-Mile Mountain to help her advance.
• Fu Shaoping took his savings to the Hall of Myriad Treasures, where Junior Banner Zhuo was stunned by the amount he had earned refining Blood Qi Powder.

Fu Shaoping bought a Purple-Gold Alchemy Furnace for Zhou Pan'er and a damaged Millennium Bow for their planned hunt. The next morning, they left for Seven-Mile Mountain, intending to ambush one beast and retreat before disturbing the powerful creature deeper in the mountain.

• Fu Shaoping purchased the Purple-Gold Alchemy Furnace and a cracked Millennium Bow from Junior Banner Zhuo at the Hundred Households Office.
• Fu Shaoping brought the furnace home, and Zhou Pan'er eagerly admired it while he urged her to wait before beginning pill refinement.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er rested overnight, then rented a carriage and traveled toward Seven-Mile Mountain at dawn.
• Fu Shaoping planned for them to ambush and kill one beast before quickly retreating, and Zhou Pan'er worried they might disturb the fierce beast in the mountain's depths.

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er successfully hunted a Granary Bear on Seven-Mile Mountain and absorbed its blood essence, advancing their cultivation. Zhou Pan'er broke through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm, but her intense craving for demonic beast blood left them concerned about her constitution, so they planned to ask Granny Xue for answers.

• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er lured a Granary Bear into an ambush, and Fu Shaoping shot it through the neck before finishing it with his Martial Suppression Saber.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er collected the bear's blood and fled Seven-Mile Mountain as other Granary Bears swarmed toward them.
• Zhou Pan'er drank the blood essence eagerly, and Fu Shaoping joined her before refining it with the Mysterious Tortoise Qi-Nourishing Art, raising his cultivation progress from 5 to 20.
• After four hours of meditation, Zhou Pan'er broke through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Zhou Pan'er admitted that the blood's smell had triggered a powerful craving, and Fu Shaoping reassured her while resolving to investigate her condition.
• Fu Shaoping suggested Zhou Pan'er ask Granny Xue about her bloodlust when they next met, and Zhou Pan'er agreed to make Blood Qi Powder as soon as possible.

Fu Shaoping sold a Granary Bear, bought the horse and carriage, and received a private alchemy commission from Junior Banner Zhuo. The chapter ended with Junior Banner Zhuo offering to reserve the Hou Yi Bow for him.

• Fu Shaoping sold the Granary Bear to Shopkeeper Tian and bought an Azure Zhao Horse and carriage from Shopkeeper Yu.
• Fu Shaoping returned home with too little money to buy servants and began teaching Zhou Pan'er how to refine Blood Qi Powder.
• Junior Banner Zhuo visited Fu Shaoping and asked him to refine ten batches of Grade A Blood Qi Powder at a premium for his daughter.
• Junior Banner Zhuo offered to reserve the Hou Yi Bow for Fu Shaoping because he had learned Heavenstone Archery.

Fu Shaoping taught Zhou Pan'er to refine Blood Qi Powder, and she quickly learned to produce Grade B batches. After Zhou Pan'er left to meet Granny Xue and learn about her origins, Fu Shaoping headed to Sunwood Forest to retrieve Old Zhan and strengthen his combat abilities.

• Fu Shaoping counted the thirty low-grade Origin Stones Junior Banner Zhuo had given him and began demonstrating alchemy to Zhou Pan'er.
• Fu Shaoping produced four supreme-grade batches among fourteen batches of Blood Qi Powder, and teaching Zhou Pan'er advanced his mastery.
• Zhou Pan'er succeeded in refining Grade C Blood Qi Powder on her first attempt, then improved until her final five batches were Grade B.
• After meeting the requirements to see Granny Xue, Zhou Pan'er left alone to seek answers about her birth parents, while Fu Shaoping escorted her out of town.
• Fu Shaoping delivered Junior Banner Zhuo's Blood Qi Powder, bought spicy stir-fried Firecloud Chicken, and traveled to Sunwood Forest to bring Old Zhan back and improve his combat strength.

Fu Shaoping arrived at Endless Cliff Village and encountered unsettling villagers, a grieving mother, and a ghostly figure among the children’s graves. He reached Sunwood Forest to meet Old Zhan, whom he found dozing at the Forest Lodge.

• Fu Shaoping dodged a woman who lunged from among the paper effigies and begged him to save her missing child.
• The priestess and Qiu Chang claimed the woman had lost her mind after her stillborn child died, while the villagers watched Fu Shaoping with hostility.
• Fu Shaoping left the village as the priestess led the villagers toward a woman who was about to give birth.
• Fu Shaoping crossed Five-Finger Slope, saw thousands of children’s graves, and spotted a half-bitten face that darted away among the mounds.
• Fu Shaoping showed his Town Martial Token at Sunwood Forest’s gate and went with an apprentice guard to find Commandant Zhan.
• Fu Shaoping arrived at the Forest Lodge and saw Old Zhan dozing in a rattan chair.

Fu Shaoping questioned Old Cui about the mysteries of Endless Cliff Village and learned its prosperity began after a ritual, while villagers blamed stillbirths on an ancestral curse. Old Zhan helped Fu Shaoping leave Sunwood Forest through a secret passage, which opened onto Five-Finger Slope, where Fu Shaoping turned and was startled by something behind him.

• Fu Shaoping visited Old Zhan and asked about Endless Cliff Village and Five-Finger Slope.
• Old Cui revealed that Endless Cliff Village had grown prosperous after its ritual and claimed that a curse caused babies born during the yin moon to die.
• Old Cui described seeing a terrifying vengeful spirit on Five-Finger Slope, though Fu Shaoping believed the figure was human.
• Old Zhan had Old Cui bound and ordered the servants to remain inside while he and Fu Shaoping discussed the village's possible conspiracy.
• Old Zhan led Fu Shaoping through a secret passage that opened onto Five-Finger Slope, where Fu Shaoping turned and nearly lost his nerve.

Fu Shaoping followed the ghost-faced boy into a hidden burial chamber and uncovered signs that Endless Cliff Village was trading infants born in yin months. He then watched the village priestess and another figure carry an infant into a concealed cavern, confirming his suspicions and leaving him poised to investigate.

• Fu Shaoping met the ghost-faced boy among the graves, and the boy led him into a hollow burial chamber where he lived on rotting remains.
• The boy dug up a fresh grave with Fu Shaoping’s help, revealing a dead puppy in a tiny coffin instead of an infant.
• Fu Shaoping suspected the villagers were trading infants born in yin months and persuaded the boy to guide him toward a valley with the promise of meat buns.
• Fu Shaoping and the boy hid as the village priestess and a companion carrying an infant approached the valley.
• The priestess opened a concealed stone door in the rock face, and she and her companion entered the cavern with the infant.

Fu Shaoping uncovered the priestess and her accomplices’ decades-long infant-trafficking operation and reported it to Chief Banner Chen. Chen mobilized the Hunting Team to surround Endless Reach Village, where he prepared to confront those behind the crime.

• The priestess and her black-robed companion left the cave with the transformed child, and the black-robed man used a jade flute to subdue the Ghost-Faced Youth.
• The priestess doubled back to check the path, but Fu Shaoping stayed hidden until she left, then carried the Ghost-Faced Youth back to his grave.
• Fu Shaoping returned to Sunwood Forest and told Old Zhan what he had discovered; Old Zhan urged him to take the matter to Chief Banner Chen.
• Fu Shaoping rushed to the Hundred Households Office and reported the infant trafficking to Chief Banner Chen, who promised to petition for a major merit and assembled the Hunting Team.
• Chief Banner Chen and Fu Shaoping reached Endless Reach Village ahead of the team, and the team took positions around its five exits.

Fu Shaoping and the Hundred Households Office raided Endless Reach Village during its ritual and killed the priestess, who had overseen the murder of infants. The Treasure Mirror finally responded to her crimes, illuminating its third rune.

• The villagers gathered for a sacrifice as Chief Banner Chen sprang into the underground mechanism with the red coffin.
• Fu Shaoping shot at the priestess, who rushed toward his tower and was trapped by reinforcements from the Hundred Households Office.
• After the priestess’s barrier weakened under repeated volleys, Fu Shaoping killed her with six red-fletched arrows through the brow.
• The Hundred Households Office stopped the villagers from fleeing and forced them to kneel.
• Fu Shaoping waited for the Treasure Mirror to award points for the priestess’s crimes, and its third rune lit up.

Fu Shaoping uncovered a child-sacrifice operation in Endless Reach Village, rescued the imprisoned children and women, and earned a substantial reward. The Ghost-Faced Youth disappeared, while Fu Shaoping kept his new attribute points unused and advanced closer to his goal of one hundred merits.

• After the third rune in the Mystic Mandate Codex lit up, Fu Shaoping discovered he could store four attribute points.
• Chief Banner Chen emerged from the altar with an unconscious boy and the severed head of Registrar Cui, then ordered Nie Xiaoqi and Fu Shaoping to rescue the children at Five-Finger Slope.
• Fu Shaoping and Nie Xiaoqi found cages full of children and six abducted, tongueless women; Fu Shaoping freed the women and had them bring the children out.
• Fu Shaoping returned to Five-Finger Slope, but the Ghost-Faced Youth had vanished and was no longer under the female priest's control.
• Nie Xiaoqi told Fu Shaoping that the Hundred Households had awarded him twenty Ninth-Rank Merits, bringing his total to thirty-eight.

Fu Shaoping received merit rewards, a house, farmland, and Origin Stone Pills, while learning that placing in the top three at the Spring Hunt could earn him priority for promotion to Commandant. After declining the Hunting Hall’s invitation, he discovered that his Treasure Mirror could store and allocate attribute points, then used two points to advance his cultivation.

• Nie Xiaoqi gave Fu Shaoping twenty Ninth-Rank Merits, a house and land deed, and six Origin Stone Pills on behalf of the office and Chief Banner Chen.
• Nie Xiaoqi told Fu Shaoping that the Spring Hunt’s top three could receive priority for promotion to Commandant and invited him to seek hunting advice from the Hunting Hall.
• Fu Shaoping politely declined to join the Hunting Hall, explaining that he wanted to root out traitors and evil, and Nie Xiaoqi praised his resolve.
• Fu Shaoping showed Madam Jiang the deeds, and she urged him to stay safe and avoid pursuing merit recklessly.
• Fu Shaoping confirmed that his Treasure Mirror could store attribute points and allocate them to cultivation, then spent two points to raise his fourth-layer progress from 20 to 60.

Fu Shaoping used the Treasure Mirror’s new archery practice space to raise his Heavenstone Archery to minor mastery, then spent merit points and Origin Stones on a Hou Yi Bow and hunting equipment. Old Zhan praised the bow and told him he was exempt from mandatory missions for three months, leaving Fu Shaoping to decide whether he still wanted Old Zhan to check the Mission Hall for him.

• Fu Shaoping entered the Treasure Mirror’s archery practice space and trained until he could hit the target from a hundred and fifty paces.
• Fu Shaoping’s Heavenstone Archery advanced from beginner to minor mastery, and he decided he needed a better bow before hunting in the mountains.
• Fu Shaoping exchanged fifteen Ninth-Rank Merits for the Hou Yi Bow at the Hall of Myriad Treasures.
• Fu Shaoping spent his remaining Origin Stones on a quiver and five Darklight Arrows.
• Old Zhan tested the Hou Yi Bow, praised its power, and told Fu Shaoping he was exempt from mandatory monthly missions for three months.

Fu Shaoping received a Hunting Manual from Uncle Zhan and reunited with Zhou Pan'er, who brought a pill recipe and a set of deadly Blood Flying Needles from Granny Xue. They set out for the Million Mountains to hunt an Ironwood Fox and gather ingredients for the Origin-Consolidating Pill, arriving at Yuyang Gorge.

• Uncle Zhan gave Fu Shaoping a Hunting Manual with maps, beast information, and hunting advice.
• Zhou Pan'er told Fu Shaoping that Granny Xue had advised her to live peacefully and wait until she reached the Origin Core Realm to learn about her origins.
• Fu Shaoping recognized that Seven-Consolidation Grass, the main ingredient in Zhou Pan'er's Origin-Consolidating Pill recipe, grew near an Ironwood Fox in Pale Ridge Mountain.
• Zhou Pan'er showed Fu Shaoping the poisoned Blood Flying Needles Granny Xue had given her, and demonstrated her control over them.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er traveled to the Clear Warehouse Inn and then set out for Yuyang Gorge, the entrance to the Million Mountains.

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er reached Pale Ridge Mountain to hunt an Ironwood Fox, but they found an old woman and two young people under attack. After Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er killed a pair of Ironwood Foxes, one dissolved from poison, leaving them to face the consequences of their hunt.

• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er cautiously crossed Pale Ridge Mountain toward the Ironwood Fox den and heard fighting near the cave.
• Fu Shaoping spotted an old woman fighting a two-tailed Ironwood Fox beside two gravely wounded young people.
• The old woman fatally wounded the Ironwood Fox before it tore off her head, and Fu Shaoping killed it with a trick shot from his Darklight Arrows.
• A second Ironwood Fox attacked Fu Shaoping, but he resisted its illusion and knocked it from a tree with Tiger Roar Fist.
• Zhou Pan'er struck the second fox in the eye with a poisoned Blood Flying Needle, and Fu Shaoping beheaded it before its body dissolved into dark green blood.

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er defeated an Ironwood Fox, collected Seven-Congealing Grass, and returned to the Clear Warehouse Inn to avoid further danger. Fu Shaoping broke through to the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, then gave Zhou Pan'er the remaining Stone Origin Pills so she could attempt the same.

• Zhou Pan'er retrieved her energy-devouring Blood Flying Needle, and she and Fu Shaoping drank the Ironwood Fox's blood essence until Fu Shaoping nearly reached the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Fu Shaoping found that the two young men were dead, then entered the cave and gathered three mature stalks of Seven-Congealing Grass while Zhou Pan'er skinned the fox.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er left Pale Ridge Mountain and returned to the Clear Warehouse Inn, where he explained that they should avoid further risks until he advanced.
• Fu Shaoping took two Stone Origin Pills and, after three days and three nights of cultivation, broke through to the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Fu Shaoping gave Zhou Pan'er the remaining Stone Origin Pills, and she kissed his cheek before preparing to cultivate.

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er teamed up with Chen Shichao and Lady Zhuo to seek Hawthorn Fruits guarded by a demonic beast. The group reached Qiu Li Mountain and approached the Water-Curtain Cave.

• Fu Shaoping refined the remaining Stone Origin Pills and reached the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, but the pills had become less effective.
• Chen Shichao and Lady Zhuo invited Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er to split four ripe Hawthorn Fruits guarded by a Stable-Horse Beast.
• Lady Zhuo explained that she and her husband could not defeat the beast alone and had only three days left to harvest the fruit.
• Fu Shaoping asked Zhou Pan'er, and she agreed to join the expedition with him.
• The four traveled through Yuyang Gorge toward Qiu Li Mountain, where Lady Zhuo identified the Water-Curtain Cave beyond a nearby hill.

Fu Shaoping and the Zhuo couple lured a late-first-tier Stable-Horse Beast from Water-Curtain Cave, but their ambush went disastrously wrong. As the beast chased Fu Shaoping, Chen Shichao reentered the cave to claim the Hawthorn Fruits.

• Lady Zhuo and Chen Shichao entered Water-Curtain Cave and drew out the winged Stable-Horse Beast while Fu Shaoping prepared to shoot from a tree.
• Fu Shaoping's first Darklight Arrow struck a demon-essence shield, but his next volley pierced one of the beast's heads without poisoning it.
• The Stable-Horse Beast attacked Chen Shichao, who pulled Lady Zhuo into its blow and let her die before fleeing.
• The beast spat corrosive venom at Fu Shaoping, who dodged and escaped into the grass as the beast pursued him.
• Chen Shichao revealed that he had planned to use the beast to kill the others, then returned to Water-Curtain Cave to harvest the four Hawthorn Fruits.

Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er killed the Stable-Horse Beast, and Fu Shaoping ambushed and killed Chen Shichao as he left the Water-Curtain Cave. After discovering Chen Shichao had plotted to murder Lady Zhuo, they took the Hawthorn Fruit and decided to bring Lady Zhuo's body back.

• Fu Shaoping wounded the Stable-Horse Beast with a Darklight Arrow, while Zhou Pan'er struck its head with Blood Flying Needles, and Fu Shaoping finished it off.
• Fu Shaoping returned to the Heaven-Supporting Tree and shot Chen Shichao with a Darklight Arrow as he emerged from the Water-Curtain Cave.
• The Treasure Mirror gave Fu Shaoping one Attribute point, and he realized Chen Shichao had deliberately used the Stable-Horse Beast to kill Lady Zhuo.
• Zhou Pan'er took the Hawthorn Fruit from Chen Shichao's corpse, and she and Fu Shaoping dissolved his body with Blood Flying Needles.
• Fu Shaoping decided to bring Lady Zhuo's body back and conceal Chen Shichao's death.

After escaping Yuyang Gorge, Fu Shaoping brought Junior Banner Zhuo his daughter’s body and returned to Green Ox Town, while keeping Chen Shichao’s death secret. He consumed the Huosang Fruits and used the Treasure Mirror to break through to the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm, leaving him closer to qualifying for promotion through the Spring Hunt.

• Junior Banner Zhuo met Fu Shaoping on the road, learned his daughter had died, and rode toward Yuyang Gorge to pursue Chen Shichao.
• Fu Shaoping and Zhou Pan'er brought Junior Banner Zhuo’s daughter to the Zhuo residence and helped arrange the mourning hall.
• Fu Shaoping told Zhou Pan'er to keep Chen Shichao’s death secret because he had executed an officially enlisted guard without authorization.
• Fu Shaoping bought Blood Qi Powder ingredients for Zhou Pan'er and entered seclusion at the Hundred Households Office’s Training Hall.
• Fu Shaoping refined four Huosang Fruits, then spent an attribute point to temper his final bone and reach the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

After emerging from secluded cultivation, Fu Shaoping reunited with Zhou Pan'er and brought Old Zhan home for the New Year. Old Zhan found Fu Shaoping a murder investigation in Qiuchang Village, and Fu Shaoping set out with the young girl who had reported her mother’s death.

• Fu Shaoping visited Old Zhan and invited him to spend the New Year with his family.
• Fu Shaoping, Zhou Pan'er, and Zhou Xinxiang bought New Year supplies, then saw the wounded and hollow-eyed Junior Banner Zhuo arrive in town.
• Fu Shaoping returned home with Old Zhan and joined the family in decorating their new home.
• Old Zhan accepted a mission for Fu Shaoping to investigate a little girl's claim that her mother had been murdered in Qiuchang Village.
• Fu Shaoping read the case file, gave his coat to the cold, frightened complainant, and learned she had run away after finding her mother's body.

Fu Shaoping investigated Cai Shi’s death at the Qiu Household after Qiu Ya’er reported it. Kuihua confessed that Zhou Shi had planned the killing to sell Qiu Ya’er into a ghost marriage, and both women had disposed of Cai Shi’s body at a mass burial ground.

• Zhou Pan'er learned that Cai Shi was five months pregnant and that Qiu Ya’er had been abused, then accompanied Fu Shaoping to the Qiu Household.
• Fu Shaoping separated and questioned the Qiu family while Zhou Pan'er spoke with the Second Son of the Qiu Household's Wife, Kuihua.
• Kuihua broke down and blamed Zhou Shi for persuading her to frighten Cai Shi, then preventing her from rescuing Cai Shi after she fell into the well.
• Kuihua revealed that Zhou Shi had wanted to sell Qiu Ya’er for fifty taels to be buried with Landowner Li's dead son, and that they had dumped Cai Shi’s body at a mass burial ground.