Chapter Summaries

Fang Yue killed King Changping, escaped an injured Imperial Court Enshrinee, and kept the Jade Pendant he found on the king. After months of wandering and recovering in Liangzhou Prefecture, he followed a mysterious aura into a mountain valley, where he found two Demon Beasts battling.

• Fang Yue killed King Changping before the black-robed Imperial Court Enshrinee could question him, then fled with an item he had taken from the king.
• The black-robed man found the item missing from King Changping's corpse and vowed to pursue Fang Yue, who escaped into Liangzhou Prefecture.
• Fang Yue recovered at the Welcoming Inn, discovered a dragon-carved Jade Pendant inside a brocade box, and continued his travels after his injuries improved.
• After months of wandering, Fang Yue settled for a month in a quiet town, where his Martial Arts mastery and understanding of the martial path deepened.
• Fang Yue sensed a powerful aura in the nearby mountains and followed it to a hidden valley, where a giant rhinoceros and a flying tiger fought over the territory.

Fang Yue took the Spirit Origin Fruit after defeating its Golden Ape guardian, then evaded the Black Robe Elder who searched the valley. After cultivating in hiding for half a month, he returned to town and joined a carriage company bound for Liangzhou Prefecture City.

• The Giant Rhino and Flying Tiger badly wounded each other, allowing Fang Yue to slip deeper into the valley, where he found a Spirit Origin Fruit guarded by a Golden Ape.
• Fang Yue defeated the Golden Ape, took the Spirit Origin Fruit and useful materials from its body, and hid when the Black Robe Elder arrived to search the valley.
• Fang Yue escaped the valley and concealed himself in a cave, where he stored the fruit and materials and cultivated for half a month.
• Fang Yue returned to town, bought supplies, and hired a carriage company to travel toward Liangzhou Prefecture City while hiding his tracks.

Fang Yue discovered that bandits had drugged his caravan and switched its cargo boxes, which contained books marked for the Imperial Observatory headquarters in Yujing City. After the caravan reached Liangzhou Prefecture, he left to visit the Imperial Observatory station.

• Fang Yue realized the beaten driver was an impostor and recognized that someone had drugged the caravan with Sleeping Potion.
• Fang Yue pretended to be unconscious while bandits robbed the caravan and replaced several boxes with their own.
• Fang Yue opened one of the boxes and found books bearing the Imperial Observatory's mark, then concealed what he had discovered.
• The caravan members woke, found that some valuables and silver were missing, and continued toward their destination.
• Ten days later, the caravan arrived in Liangzhou Prefecture, and Fang Yue headed for the Imperial Observatory's local station.

Fang Yue visited the Imperial Observatory in Liangzhou Prefecture City and used its Messaging Bronze Mirror to send a letter to his teacher in Yujing City. After dinner with Director Chen Lian and proprietor Wan'er, he spotted a Black Robed Figure approaching the wine house.

• Fang Yue presented his credentials to the gatekeeper and met Director Chen Lian at the Imperial Observatory.
• Fang Yue asked Chen Lian to send a letter to his teacher, and Chen Lian used the Messaging Bronze Mirror to transmit it.
• Chen Lian invited Fang Yue to Dingfeng Tower, where they shared a meal and drinks with its proprietress, Wan'er.
• After Chen Lian left, Wan'er asked Fang Yue about fate and love, then confessed that she seemed to have fallen for him; Fang Yue declined to pursue romance.
• Fang Yue opened the window and saw a Black Robed Figure silently approaching along the road outside.

Fang Yue escaped Liangzhou Prefecture City after learning that the black-robed Imperial Court Enshrinee pursuing him was betrothed to the household's eldest young lady. On the road east, he reached a remote village and accepted tea from an old man, unaware that the villagers intended to capture him.

• Fang Yue fled Dingfeng Tower and hid in a wealthy estate for three days to evade the black-robed Imperial Court Enshrinee tracking him.
• Fang Yue learned the black-robed man was engaged to the estate's eldest young lady, then used the commotion over her escape to slip out through the rear gate.
• Fang Yue left Liangzhou Prefecture City and traveled east along the official road.
• Lin Wan'er and her maid Xiao Cui escaped through the mountains and took shelter in a remote village, where an old man served them tea that made Lin Wan'er lose consciousness.
• Fang Yue arrived at the same village, accepted tea from the old man, and drank it, while the old man secretly planned to cook him for meat.

Fang Yue discovered that the old man who took him in was kidnapping people, and he found Lin Wan'er and her maid imprisoned in the cellar. While Fang Yue and Lin Wan'er agreed to wait for a chance to escape, a shadowy figure at an altar granted the villagers power that transformed them into beasts before they collapsed.

• Fang Yue pretended to fall asleep, and the old man searched his belongings before carrying him to a cellar and locking him inside.
• Fang Yue found Lin Wan'er and her maid bound in the cellar, freed their mouths, and convinced them he was not the old man's accomplice.
• Lin Wan'er attacked Fang Yue after pretending to be hurt, but Fang Yue dodged her strike, restrained her, and then let her go after teasing her.
• Fang Yue told Lin Wan'er that he had entered the village deliberately to investigate its sinister atmosphere, while she kept her reason for fleeing her marriage secret.
• In a cave, villagers prayed to a black Stone Statue, and a Shadow Figure emerged and promised them power in exchange for their offerings.
• The Shadow Figure released black air that transformed the villagers into beastlike figures, but they soon collapsed unconscious and weakened.

Fang Yue investigated a deserted village with Lin Wan'er and Little Red, uncovered a demon that drained the villagers’ vitality, and fought its possessed victims. The demon escaped, but Fang Yue found Azure Wood Vital Energy in its lair.

• Fang Yue discovered that the village was empty and that an unseen force prevented him, Lin Wan'er, and Little Red from leaving.
• Fang Yue found animal offerings, strange symbols, and a human heart in a ruined house, then chased a shadow into a hidden cave.
• Fang Yue discovered the villagers drained of vitality and confronted the black shadow, which attacked him and controlled the villagers.
• A possessed villager attacked Fang Yue, then shriveled as the shadow escaped through a wall.
• Fang Yue searched the cavern after the demon fled and found Azure Wood Vital Energy, which could extend lifespan.

Fang Yue captured and refined Azure Wood Vital Energy, strengthening his body before escorting Lin Wan'er and her servant to an inn. When Lin Wan'er acted strangely in the night, Fang Yue discovered she had lured him into a trap and confronted whoever was controlling her.

• Fang Yue caught the elusive Azure Wood Vital Energy and refined it, strengthening his body and purifying his vital energy without increasing his cultivation.
• Fang Yue agreed to escort Lin Wan'er and her servant to the nearby town after they feared the wolves outside.
• At the inn, Lin Wan'er insisted that she and her servant share a room with Fang Yue, who kept watch and cultivated while they rested.
• During the night, Lin Wan'er approached Fang Yue in a strange, seductive state; he shook her awake, and she said she could not remember what had happened.
• Fang Yue nearly collapsed from dizziness and saw Lin Wan'er awaken with an eerie smile, realizing he had fallen into a trap and asking who she was.

Fang Yue fought off the shadow Demonic Beast possessing Lin Wan'er and set out with her and her maid for Yujing City to seek help. Black Robe intercepted them, took the Dragon-shaped Jade Token's trail as his goal, and kidnapped Lin Wan'er and her maid; Fang Yue reached the Imperial Observatory and asked Hui Hengwu for help rescuing them.

• The shadow Demonic Beast possessed Lin Wan'er and attacked Fang Yue, but Fang Yue drove it away; after she awoke, he told her what had happened and urged her to travel with him to Yujing City.
• A month later, Black Robe confronted Fang Yue near Liangzhou Prefecture and demanded the Dragon-shaped Jade Token, which he said was tainted with fate.
• Fang Yue tricked Black Robe with an ordinary jade piece and escaped into a strange forest, but Black Robe captured Lin Wan'er and her maid and took them to a secluded estate outside Gengjin City.
• Fang Yue left for Yujing City and went to the Imperial Observatory, where Hui Hengwu praised him for helping expose the Blood Dragon Platform's conspiracy and earn a thousand merit points.
• Fang Yue told Hui Hengwu that Black Robe had kidnapped Lin Wan'er and her maid, and asked the Imperial Observatory to help rescue them.

Fang Yue returned to Wutu City and reunited with his family before visiting his brother’s clothing shop, where he encountered Wen Lan. He then went to Yujing City to ask Hui Hengwu about the people Black Robe had taken and learned that he had to collect them himself.

• Hui Hengwu promised to mediate with the Imperial Court Enshrinee Department so Black Robe would return Fang Yue’s people.
• Fang Yue returned to Wutu City, reunited with his parents, and learned that Fang Hu, Li Shi, and Fang Lan worked at a clothing store.
• Fang Yue visited Wen's Clothing Store and met its owner, Wen Lan, who mistakenly assumed he had failed the Imperial Observatory’s assessment.
• Fang Yue went to Yujing City and learned from Hui Hengwu that Black Robe had agreed to release the people if Fang Yue collected them himself.

Fang Yue went to Black Robed Figures’ estate to retrieve a woman but was drugged and set up with King Han’s daughter, Zhu Linlang. Black Robed Figures then used the affair to demand Fang Yue’s Jade Pendant, leaving Fang Yue in a dangerous position after he refused.

• Fang Yue left the Imperial Observatory and traveled north to Black Robed Figures’ secluded estate.
• Hong Niang led Fang Yue into a perfumed room, where he realized the fragrance was an aphrodisiac that left him unable to resist her and a woman in black gauze.
• Fang Yue woke the next morning beside Zhu Linlang, King Han’s third daughter, and Black Robed Figures revealed her identity.
• Black Robed Figures demanded Fang Yue’s Jade Pendant in exchange for concealing the affair and threatened to tell King Han when Fang Yue refused.
• Fang Yue blamed Black Robed Figures for arranging the encounter and recognized that the affair could put him at odds with King Han.

Fang Yue reclaimed Lin Wan'er and her servant from Black Robe, then spent weeks watching for the enemy’s next move. He refused a dangerous Imperial Observatory mission to investigate strange northern stars and began preparing to seek unusual primordial qi in Yuanzhou Prefecture, while Deputy Director Chen Qiyu questioned the wisdom of his caution.

• Fang Yue stood his ground against Black Robe, who handed over Lin Wan'er and her servant before leaving.
• A girl in black warned Fang Yue to keep their encounter from the previous night secret, and Fang Yue took Lin Wan'er and her servant back to his residence.
• Fang Yue secretly tracked Black Robe for weeks but saw no sign that he planned to inform King Han or make another move.
• Hui Hengwu summoned Fang Yue and told him that the Xuanwu Seven Mansions were flickering abnormally, then offered him a place on a dangerous northern investigation team.
• Fang Yue refused the mission despite its promise of a two-rank promotion and prepared to travel to Yuanzhou Prefecture in search of unusual primordial qi.
• Chen Qiyu heard that Fang Yue had refused and remarked to Hui Hengwu that excessive caution could cost a young person opportunities.

Fang Yue traveled to Yuanzhou Prefecture with a merchant caravan after the Jade Pendant shattered, unaware that Black Robe had sent men to follow him. In Fuliu City, local Yamen runners accused caravan leader Zhao Qian of colluding with bandits and arrested Fang Yue when he tried to defend him.

• Chen Qiyu told Hui Hengwu to keep watch on Fang Yue, revealing his interest in the young man.
• Fang Yue sensed fortune within the Jade Pendant, but it shattered into powder before he could understand its power.
• Fang Yue joined Zhao Qian's merchant caravan and traveled for a month to Fuliu City in Yuanzhou Prefecture.
• Black Robe learned Fang Yue had left the capital and sent subordinates to follow him while he went to Guangfeng Prefecture for a battle.
• Yamen runners searched Zhao Qian's rented courtyard, found medicinal herbs, and accused the merchants of supplying bandits.
• Fang Yue tried to vouch for Zhao Qian, but the lead Yamen runner ordered him shackled as an accomplice.

Fang Yue broke out of the Yamen prison with Zhao Qian and rescued the other imprisoned members of the merchant caravan. He hid them near the eastern city gate while the County Magistrate ordered a citywide search, which failed to find them by dawn.

• Fang Yue reassured the despairing Zhao Qian and studied the cell door while they waited in prison.
• A jailer taunted Fang Yue and Zhao Qian, but Fang Yue kept Zhao Qian calm and waited for an opportunity to escape.
• Fang Yue snapped the lock, led Zhao Qian out, and knocked two guards unconscious with a burst of force.
• Fang Yue rescued the other imprisoned caravan members and hid them in a courtyard near the eastern city gate, where Zhao Qian planned to wait until dawn before leaving.
• The County Magistrate ordered constables and Yamen runners to search Yuanzhou City, but they found none of the fugitives by dawn.

Fang Yue forced the County Magistrate to confess to his crimes and surrender his ill-gotten wealth, then traveled to Shikui Mountain in search of Blazing Molten Vital Energy. As Fang Yue reached the hidden energy behind a cliff, Lu Sheng and his Imperial Observatory team broke through the rock wall and entered the mountain.

• Fang Yue confronted the County Magistrate, compelled him to write and seal a confession, and took one hundred thousand taels of silver.
• Fang Yue left the County Town and traveled to Shikui Mountain to find Blazing Molten Vital Energy.
• Fang Yue sensed the energy behind a sheer cliff and drove off a black eagle that attacked him.
• Lu Sheng led four companions to the cliff and used the Spirit Resonance Instrument to locate a weak point in the rock wall.
• Lu Sheng repeatedly struck the marked spot with Purple Lightning Green Frost until he opened a passage, then entered with his team.

Lu Sheng and his companions found Blazing Molten Vital Energy guarded by a Mountain Ghoul, but Fang Yue seized it during their battle and escaped. After killing the pursuing beast, Fang Yue safely refined the treasure, greatly strengthening his vital energy.

• Lu Sheng and his companions surrounded the Blazing Molten Vital Energy, but a Mountain Ghoul attacked and wounded one of them.
• As Lu Sheng's group fought the Mountain Ghoul, Fang Yue disguised as a middle-aged man seized the Blazing Molten Vital Energy and fled.
• The Mountain Ghoul tracked Fang Yue down, but he fought back and killed it, then collected its valuable remains.
• Fang Yue found a concealed cave and carefully refined the Blazing Molten Vital Energy into his own vital energy.
• Fang Yue opened his eyes after the refinement and felt that his vital energy had grown far stronger.

Fang Yue refined Blazing Molten Vital Energy and fought the Black Robe, an enshrined expert of the Great Wei Dynasty, to a standstill. After returning to Yuanzhou City to recover, Fang Yue began investigating how the Black Robe had tracked him.

• Fang Yue balanced Azure Wood Vital Energy with Blazing Molten Vital Energy, strengthening himself before leaving the cave.
• Three days later, the Black Robe intercepted Fang Yue near Yuanzhou Prefecture’s border and demanded the Destiny Jade Token.
• Fang Yue met the Black Robe’s attacks and identified the weakness in his concealment technique, forcing him to retreat.
• After the Black Robe left, Fang Yue revealed that he was injured and had spent most of his vital energy.
• Fang Yue returned to Yuanzhou City, recovered in a rented courtyard, and wondered how the Black Robe had tracked him.

Fang Yue investigated how the Black Robed Figures had tracked him, identified Zhou Tiande as a likely suspect, and traveled covertly to Gunzhou Prefecture to investigate him. Meanwhile, Zhu Lingyun ordered a search for Fang Yue, and after arriving in the prefecture, Fang Yue secretly rescued a troupe of singing girls from violent retainers.

• Fang Yue suspected an informant in the Imperial Observatory had revealed his whereabouts and searched its archives for information about the Black Robed Figures.
• Fang Yue identified the vanished assassin Zhou Tiande as a likely Black Robed Figure and planned to investigate him in Gunzhou Prefecture.
• Zhu Lingyun learned Fang Yue had gone to Yuanzhou Prefecture and ordered her people to search the region for him.
• Fang Yue traveled to Gunzhou Prefecture disguised as a coachman with a troupe of singing girls and found the location of Zhou Tiande's descendants.
• Fang Yue knocked out a group of retainers who were threatening the singing girls, then left without revealing himself.

Fang Yue searched Zhou Tiande's residence, uncovered a link to the mysterious Shadow Society, and decided to keep investigating while planning to kill Zhou Tiande. The next morning, he met the famed Yun Qing, whose approach made him suspicious, and went to the Cloud Arrival Inn to learn more about her.

• Fang Yue infiltrated Zhou Tiande's residence and discovered that a masked impostor had been ordered to guard its secrets.
• Fang Yue defeated the impostor, learned that the Shadow Society was connected to the residence, then knocked him unconscious and searched the study again.
• Fang Yue resolved to investigate the Shadow Society and Zhou Tiande from multiple angles while preparing a plan to kill Zhou Tiande.
• Yun Qing approached Fang Yue, said he reminded her of an old friend, and invited him to visit her at the Cloud Arrival Inn.
• Fang Yue recognized Yun Qing as a celebrated qin master, suspected her visit had a hidden purpose, and entered the Cloud Arrival Inn for tea.

Fang Yue met Yun Qing at an inn, where she revealed a mysterious letter had directed her to find him so she could uncover the truth about her origins. Suspicious that someone was manipulating events, Fang Yue followed a Shadow Figure to Yun Qing’s residence and listened as the visitor identified himself at her door.

• Fang Yue intervened when two brocade-clad young masters harassed Yun Qing, and they left the inn.
• Yun Qing told Fang Yue that a Secret Letter had directed her to Gunzhou Prefecture to find him, but she knew little about its sender or purpose.
• Fang Yue declined Yun Qing’s request to promise her something and left, then suspected that unseen forces were watching them.
• After spotting a Shadow Figure near his residence, Fang Yue left to investigate and secretly kept watch outside Yun Qing’s home.
• A Shadow Figure returned to Yun Qing’s door and knocked, and Yun Qing opened it after he said, "It is me."