Chapter Summaries

The Tree God entered the plane and moved to attack Green Fox High Person, but the Headmaster of East River Prefecture Academy emerged from a painting and drove the Tree God back. Empowered by the Headmaster’s Law Power, Jiang Yan slew the Desire Corpse, while Green Fox turned his attention to the retreating Tree God.

• The Tree God forced his way into the plane and headed toward Green Fox High Person, while his pressure pinned Jiang Yan and the Desire Corpse to the ground.
• Green Fox High Person summoned the Headmaster of East River Prefecture Academy from a painting scroll, and the Tree God tried to retreat through the passageway.
• The Headmaster swept his brush, sending an Ink River to attack the Tree God and protect the Prefecture Academy disciples, while its power freed Jiang Yan from the Tree God’s pressure.
• Jiang Yan used the Ink River’s Law Power to wound the Desire Corpse with Palm-Fired Departing Flame and pierce him with the Sword Talisman.
• Jiang Yan beheaded the Desire Corpse and divided his Corpse Qi until he extinguished his vitality.
• Green Fox High Person saw that Jiang Yan was unharmed and turned his attention back to the Tree God.

After Jiang Yan killed the Desire Corpse, the Azurewood Tree God tried to escape through the planar passage but was seized by the deans of the Five Great Prefecture Academies. As the deans searched his memories, images showed the young tree at the moment something tore open a rift in its world.

• Jiang Yan put away the Desire Corpse’s belongings while Dean Brush Holder used the Ink River to block the Azurewood Tree God’s escape.
• The Azurewood Tree God panicked when Brush Holder identified himself as a Daoist of the Immortal Dynasty and forced his way into the passage.
• Dean Fulong struck the Tree God back through the passage, and the deans trapped him while the Scale Feather Second Ancestor cowered nearby.
• A dean in black mist searched the Tree God’s body and memories, while Jiang Yan resisted the Tree God’s influence with his Law Power.
• The black mist revealed the Tree God’s past, showing a young sapling absorbing Spiritual Qi when something crashed into it and opened a rift in its plane.

Jiang Yan learned how the Azurewood Tree God had gained its power and survived the Yearly Examination, earning a large share of tree sap and the deans’ approval. The deans prepared to march on the Three Gods Realm in half a month, while Jiang Yan returned with An Ling and the Desire Corpse’s spoils.

• Jiang Yan saw memories showing that golden blood had given the Azurewood Tree God its cultivation method, and that it had invaded other realms to turn their creatures into treants.
• Dean Brush Holder released the Azurewood Tree God, ended the examination, and guided the disciples back to the warship with their Dao Registers.
• Green Fox High Person praised Jiang Yan, gave him a hair that could restore Law Power and heal injuries, and told him to rest.
• Jiang Yan reunited with An Ling, and the two reflected that surviving the examination had brought them closer to formal apprenticeships under sixth-grade masters.
• Dean Brush Holder took the Azurewood Tree God and the kneeling Scale Feather Second Ancestor, while Green Fox received orders to mobilize the disciple Dao Army and march on the Three Gods Realm in half a month.
• Jiang Yan received far more tree sap than the other disciples and examined his spoils, including the Desire Corpse’s Corpse Qi and Storage Law Artifact.

After the Yearly Examination, Jiang Yan learned that the academy heads had secretly shaped the disciples’ smooth progress and planned to use the Three Gods Realm for future training. The academy returned to East River Town, barred disciples from Scale Feather Clan territory, and left Jiang Yan preparing to advance his cultivation while Chuihuo was poised to become Director of Merits.

• The five academy heads subdued the Azurewood Tree God and took it away, while Green Fox High Person and the Treasury Master discussed ending training in Scale Feather Clan territory.
• Jiang Yan told An Ling that the examination missions had likely gathered materials used to summon the Tree God, and Green Fox High Person noticed his insight.
• Green Fox High Person revealed that Chuihuo might soon reach Upper Sixth Grade and take over as Director of Merits.
• Jiang Yan and An Ling planned to use the tree sap to advance to Eighth Grade, then the academy ordered its disciples not to return to Scale Feather Clan territory.
• Jiang Yan returned to East River Town, reflected on his progress and his plans to reach Seventh Grade, then rode Yanbao home as new disciples watched him.

Jiang Yan examined Desire Corpse's possessions and discovered several techniques, including one that could help him make corpse Qi Dao-soldiers. After sorting the spoils, he welcomed Long Yan, who arrived with happy news and invited him back to the Daoist Arena.

• Jiang Yan returned to his building, told his older female cousin that Desire Corpse had died, and examined Desire Corpse's Storage Bone Ring.
• Jiang Yan used the Stone Book to inspect the Jade Slips and learned about the Emotion-Desire Fragment, Desire Corpse's possession technique, and two corpse-related Dao Arts.
• Jiang Yan set aside the jars and corpse-nurturing technique to be sold, while keeping the Corpse Qi Dao-Soldier Technique for possible use with the pure Corpse Qi liquid.
• Jiang Yan asked Xipi Daoist Child to collect and sell the items, then went downstairs when a visitor arrived.
• Long Yan visited Jiang Yan, confirmed he was unharmed, and invited him to the Daoist Arena with happy news.