Chapter Summaries

Jiang Beiran won the Clan Leaders’ support for his sweeping economic reforms, then returned to the palace and questioned Deng Xianghan about her feelings toward Yin Jianghong. A letter from Li Fucheng arrived, and Jiang Beiran left for the sky while the Six-Tailed Fox lamented that her efforts to please him were failing.

• Jiang Beiran rebuked the Clan Leaders for asking questions already addressed in his proposals, then assured them that the nation would provide the initial supplies for developing Lulin County.
• Yu Kang'an and the other Clan Leaders pledged to implement Jiang Beiran’s policies, and Jiang Beiran left the meeting with Mu Yao and Deng Xianghan.
• Liu Sicun wondered why Jiang Beiran had been unknown in the Returning Heart Sect, while Fang Nianbai urged Fang Qiuyue to handle the Xun Family matter more carefully.
• Jiang Beiran asked Deng Xianghan whether she hated Yin Jianghong, and she said she did not blame him for defeating her father.
• Jiang Beiran received and answered a letter from Li Fucheng, then gave the Six-Tailed Fox a crystal and flew away on an Auspicious Cloud.

Jiang Beiran turned down Li Fucheng’s request for help, prompting Li Fucheng to leave determined to rescue Huan Mingyuan himself. At the Moon-Veiling Sect, Tai Yingzong questioned Jiang Beiran about his plans for reform in Lulin County, leaving Jiang Beiran to explain what he intended to change.

• Li Fucheng asked Jiang Beiran to help rescue Huan Mingyuan, but Jiang Beiran said he was disappointed in him, and Li Fucheng left with Huo Zhishang determined to handle the rescue himself.
• Mu Yao brought Jiang Beiran food she had cooked for Big Father's birthday, but he refused to taste it, and Kong Qianqian fled with the dish while Mu Yao chased her.
• Jiang Beiran traveled to the Moon-Veiling Sect, where Guan Shi'an introduced him to Tai Yingzong, Cang Wenlin, and Shen Yuebin before leaving to cultivate.
• Tai Yingzong told Jiang Beiran that he had noticed his ambition and asked about the planned reforms in Lulin County.
• Jiang Beiran asked Tai Yingzong what he wanted to understand about the reform, and Tai Yingzong asked what it would re-form and what it would overthrow.

Jiang Beiran won Tai Yingzong’s backing for Sheng Kingdom’s reforms and discussed a long-term strategy for the nation. At the Plum Blossom Sect, Wu Qingce used his growing reputation to secure rare materials and an ancient prescription for Jiang Beiran, just as Gu Qingyue arrived seeking another meeting with Xu Hongsheng.

• Jiang Beiran presented his reform proposals to Tai Yingzong, Cang Wenlin, and Shen Yuebin, who studied them and discussed Sheng Kingdom’s future.
• Jiang Beiran proposed befriending distant powers while preparing to attack nearby Liang Kingdom, though he had not yet chosen which powerful nation Sheng Kingdom should rely on.
• Tai Yingzong promised that the Moon-Veiling Sect would firmly back Jiang Beiran, and Jiang Beiran returned to the imperial palace.
• At the Plum Blossom Sect, He Junli introduced Wu Qingce to Xu Hongsheng, who offered him a reward for helping Linmo Hall during the battle at Binyin Town.
• Wu Qingce requested materials for Jiang Beiran, and Xu Hongsheng asked him to pass an ancient pill prescription to Jiang Beiran in hopes of establishing a partnership.
• A disciple told Xu Hongsheng that Gu Qingyue had returned and was again asking for an audience.

Wu Qingce helped Gu Qingyue, Zhou Guican, and Li Fucheng secure Heng Mingyuan’s release from the Plum Blossom Sect. After they invited him to join the World Union’s efforts against sect oppression, Wu Qingce declined and rode away, leaving the others determined to meet him again.

• Wu Qingce accompanied Xu Hongsheng to meet Gu Qingyue and Zhou Guican, whom he recognized as an old tournament rival and friend.
• Li Fucheng offered compensation for Heng Mingyuan’s damages and asked Xu Hongsheng to release him; Xu agreed after Wu Qingce spoke up.
• After Heng Mingyuan was freed, Li Fucheng and his companions thanked Wu Qingce and invited him to join their campaign against oppressive sects.
• Wu Qingce learned Gu Qingyue had reached the second-rank Great Profound Master realm, but declined to join the World Union or meet its unnamed leader.
• Wu Qingce rode off on his Blood Shadow Beast, while Li Fucheng, Zhou Guican, and Heng Mingyuan resolved to learn from their mistakes and hoped to recruit him another time.

After Feng Province was pacified, Jiang Beiran was summoned to help decide how the vacated territory would be divided. He refused to take part, then told Lu Yinlong about the request when the Returning Heart Sect's Sect Master summoned him for the same reason.

• Yu Manwen left a card game with Jiang Beiran and Shi Fenglan after the Sect Master summoned her to a meeting.
• Jiang Beiran went to Yihua Hall, reviewed Zhong Junliang's revised proposals, and received Yin Jianghong's message confirming that Feng Province had stabilized.
• At the Moon-Veiling Sect, Guan Shi'an and Yin Jianghong asked Jiang Beiran to advise them on dividing the rebels' former territory.
• Jiang Beiran threatened to sever his own meridians rather than offer advice, then left the meeting.
• Lu Yinlong summoned Jiang Beiran, who disclosed the Moon-Veiling Sect's request and declined to help the Returning Heart Sect claim more territory.

Su Xiuyu crossed back into Liang Kingdom and defeated the Seven Heroes of Ghost Gate, then discovered they served his senior brother Lin Cheng and spared them. He left after ordering Fat Chicken to change his name, while the stunned bandits learned Su Xiuyu was a twenty-two-year-old Mystic Spirit and Sect Master Yan’s final disciple.

• Su Xiuyu confirmed that no Mystic Emperor-level experts guarded Pu Town, endured Mimi’s urge to eat meat, and crossed the border into Liang Kingdom with the Void Illusion Veil.
• The Seven Heroes of Ghost Gate trapped Su Xiuyu with arrays, but he killed Centipede and overwhelmed the other six with his Soul Snatching Chains.
• Su Xiuyu recognized a plaque bearing [Cheng], learned the bandits served Lin Cheng, and healed them after revealing that Lin Cheng was his senior brother.
• Su Xiuyu identified himself as Sect Master Yan’s final disciple, told Fat Chicken to change his name, and departed after Fat Chicken opened the array.
• Shrimp Head told the others that Su Xiuyu had reached Mystic Spirit at twenty-two, leaving them astonished and jealous.

Su Xiuyu returned to the Guiyuan Sect and presented his Master, Yan Siyuan, with Jiang Beiran’s plan to provoke conflict between the righteous and demonic forces. Meanwhile, Jiang Beiran reunited with Wu Qingce, Luo Wenzhou, and Gu Qinghuan, checked on Qu Yangze, and recalled how he had used Gu to save the youth who seemed to be dead.

• Su Xiuyu greeted his fellow disciples and sparred with Yan Siyuan, who praised his rapid progress after he revealed that he had advanced by killing Mystic Spirits in Sheng Kingdom.
• Su Xiuyu urged Yan Siyuan to cooperate with Emperor Jiang Beiran and exploit the growing rift between Sheng Kingdom’s righteous and demonic forces.
• Yan Siyuan read Jiang Beiran’s plan, ordered Su Xiuyu to protect the emperor, and summoned the sect elders to discuss it.
• After leaving the residence, Su Xiuyu felt the Gu Poison briefly seize control of his body and resolved to cooperate with Jiang Beiran.
• Wu Qingce met Luo Wenzhou and Gu Qinghuan at Old Ji Teahouse, where he also met the enormous Qu Yangze, Jiang Beiran’s Junior Brother.
• Jiang Beiran confirmed that Qu Yangze had been nourished well, then recalled finding him without a heartbeat or pulse and deciding to use Gu to save him.

Jiang Beiran used twelve Gu and a King Gu to revive a nearly dead youth, leaving him permanently fused with the Gu. When the youth woke, he had lost all his memories, so Jiang Beiran named him Qu Yangze.

• Jiang Beiran placed twelve Gu inside the youth, whose body accepted them and began to recover, though his heart meridians still did not beat.
• Jiang Beiran brought the youth to a hidden cave and chose his Nine-Yin Corpse Beetle, a King Gu, to settle in the youth's heart.
• The Nine-Yin Corpse Beetle entered the youth's body, and Jiang Beiran heard his heart begin to beat again.
• About a week later, the youth woke and learned what Jiang Beiran had done, but he could remember neither his identity nor his past.
• Jiang Beiran gave the youth the name Qu Yangze.

Jiang Beiran sent Wu Qingce and the others to investigate Dengjin Grand Canyon while Qu Yangze accompanied them, and he received a trove of unusual materials from Wu Qingce. Back at the Returning Heart Sect, Jiang Beiran helped Shi Fenglan with her carving and then waited at his hut to keep his promised appointment with Mo Xia.

• Jiang Beiran recalled how Qu Yangze had transformed over two years into a powerful, barely human gu-man and decided to let him travel with his disciples.
• Jiang Beiran assigned Wu Qingce, Gu Qinghuan, Luo Wenzhou, and Qu Yangze to investigate Dengjin Grand Canyon and split up their tasks.
• Wu Qingce gave Jiang Beiran two Universe Rings filled with collected materials and unusual items, with only Grey Crystal Marrow and Velvet Heart Grass still missing.
• Jiang Beiran returned to Water Mirror Hall, where Shi Fenglan showed him her carving, and he corrected its nose and told her to keep practicing.
• Jiang Beiran gambled with Shi Fenglan for the afternoon, then returned to his hut to wait for his promised game with Mo Xia.

Jiang Beiran defeated Mo Xia at chess, learned about a possible Azure Phoenix treasure site through Lin Yuyan, and recognized that information could help him bypass the Heavenly Dao’s restrictions. He then experimented with rare herbs to accelerate Spirit Wine brewing, and the wine’s sudden fragrance suggested his method might work.

• Jiang Beiran beat Mo Xia at chess and encouraged him to speak up if he encountered cultivation difficulties.
• Lin Yuyan told Jiang Beiran about Meizhaolin, where an Azure Phoenix was rumored to have perched, and he thanked her for the lead.
• Jiang Beiran realized Lin Yuyan’s information network could provide timely intelligence without directly triggering the Heavenly Dao’s restrictions.
• Jiang Beiran used Silver Frost Stamens and Blood Rainbow Immortal Root to test whether medicinal ingredients could speed up Spirit Wine brewing.
• A strong wine fragrance rose immediately after Jiang Beiran added the Blood Rainbow Immortal Root, suggesting his brewing experiment had succeeded.

Wu Qingce, Gu Qinghuan, Luo Wenzhou, and Qu Yangze investigated Dengjin Grand Canyon ahead of a coming phenomenon, while Jiang Beiran received the Ice Silver Ring from Mu Yao in exchange for teaching her. The chapter left Jiang Beiran surprised that the System allowed him to teach Mu Yao a cultivation technique without triggering an option.

• Gu Qinghuan questioned Wu Qingce about the canyon's underwater currents and asked Qu Yangze to investigate because he could remain underwater indefinitely.
• Luo Wenzhou reported that Dengjin Grand Canyon was currently ownerless, and Gu Qinghuan confirmed that informants had been placed in Huo Family Manor.
• Jiang Beiran praised Mu Yao's work reviewing memorials, but refused to teach her writing until she offered him another Yellow Grade Dharma Treasure.
• Mu Yao gave Jiang Beiran the Ice Silver Ring, a treasure that could revive someone who had just died, though its success was uncertain and its previous revived subject had gone mad.
• Mu Yao asked Jiang Beiran to teach her a cultivation technique, and he wondered why the System had not presented an option.

Gu Qinghuan pushed his five senses to their limits while searching Dengjin Grand Canyon for the promised phenomenon, then fainted after overexerting his divine sense. After recovering, he led Wu Qingce, Luo Wenzhou, and Qu Yangze to a riverbank where he detected an unusual aura and soil that was drier than elsewhere.

• Gu Qinghuan, Wu Qingce, Luo Wenzhou, and Qu Yangze searched the canyon through the night but found no unusual signs.
• Gu Qinghuan intensified his five senses, experienced the canyon in unprecedented detail, and eventually collapsed from exhausting his divine sense.
• Wu Qingce found Gu Qinghuan, cautiously checked for traps, carried him to a concealed cave, and summoned Luo Wenzhou and Qu Yangze.
• Gu Qinghuan recovered with a Haoyuan Pill and asked Wu Qingce to take him back to where he had fainted.
• Gu Qinghuan used his heightened senses to follow a special aura to a riverbank and identified unusually dry soil there.

Gu Qinghuan and Wu Qingce discovered an underground heat source, but their investigation was interrupted when Wu Qingce found Mu Jiuri fighting the Tingshi Five Butchers. Wu Qingce helped Mu Jiuri turn the battle around, then Jiang Beiran arrived and ordered the survivors to face a one-on-one duel after resting.

• Gu Qinghuan sensed an underground heat source and left to report it to Senior Brother while Wu Qingce and the others stayed hidden.
• Wu Qingce watched Mu Jiuri fight the Tingshi Five Butchers as Mu Jiuri’s Blood Radiance Dagger let him endure their attacks and help his disciples escape.
• Wu Qingce and Mu Jiuri secretly coordinated a counterattack that killed one Butcher and severely wounded another, but Mu Jiuri’s dagger expired before they could finish Zhou Zhiru.
• Wu Qingce fought the remaining four Butchers alone until Jiang Beiran appeared, struck them back, and announced that they would settle matters through one-on-one duels after resting for half an hour.

Jiang Beiran discovered and claimed a Heart of Blazing Flame, then returned to the palace and received Li Fucheng’s letter saying he had resolved his problem on his own. The chapter left Jiang Beiran considering how to use the rare ore while his disciples pursued a new lead about an Azure Phoenix.

• Wu Qingce told the recovering Mu Jiuri that he had defeated the Tingshi Five Butchers after rescuing him from their trap.
• Jiang Beiran had Qu Yangze dig toward an underground heat source, then entered the cave and found a newly formed Heart of Blazing Flame.
• Jiang Beiran split the Heart of Blazing Flame into eight pieces, praised his disciples, and sent Gu Qinghuan to investigate a place where an Azure Phoenix had supposedly perched.
• At the palace, Jiang Beiran told Mu Yao to begin cultivating and heard that Kong Qianqian had neglected her training.
• Jiang Beiran read Li Fucheng’s letter saying he had learned from his mistake and resolved his matter independently, then released the messenger without replying.

Liu Zijin and the Yu Family Three Sisters learned about Jiang Beiran’s dam and Imperial Highway while traveling to Leze Village, then Jiang Beiran agreed to extend Lulin County’s reforms to Yangchong County. After hearing about the World Union’s clashes with sects, he sent Li Fucheng a letter, intending to redirect the young cultivators toward helping him.

• Liu Zijin, Fang Qiuyue, and the Yu Family Three Sisters spotted a dam and an Imperial Highway, and Fang Qiuyue and Liu Zijin explained how Jiang Beiran’s plans would help with floods, irrigation, and transport.
• The Yu Family Three Sisters regretted missing Jiang Beiran’s Project Proposals and decided to ask their father for them after completing their commission in Leze Village.
• Jiang Beiran reviewed reports showing Lulin County’s infrastructure projects were progressing smoothly and went to the Moon-Veiling Sect after receiving an invitation from Tai Yingzong.
• Tai Yingzong asked Jiang Beiran to bring Lulin County’s policies to Yangchong County, and Jiang Beiran agreed to negotiate with the county’s clan leaders.
• Tai Yingzong described the World Union’s clashes with sects over families harming commoners, and Jiang Beiran later sent Li Fucheng a letter, hoping to put the young talents to better use.

Jiang Beiran suggested that Li Fucheng take the World Union to Liang Kingdom, then returned to the Returning Heart Sect and received an urgent summons from Yin Jianghong. The chapter ended with Jiang Beiran arriving at a meeting tent near a vast, suddenly appeared miasma in Nanxi County.

• Jiang Beiran met Li Fucheng at the Three Gorges Dam and suggested that the World Union seek opportunities outside Sheng Kingdom.
• Li Fucheng interpreted Jiang Beiran's suggestion as a mission to prepare for Liang Kingdom's conquest, and Jiang Beiran let him leave for Liang Kingdom while warning him to investigate carefully and return for his half-year appointment.
• Shi Fenglan invited Jiang Beiran somewhere, but he refused after an Earth Grade High Rank option appeared.
• Jiang Beiran received an urgent message from Yin Jianghong summoning him to Nanxi County and flew there on Auspicious Cloud.
• Jiang Beiran saw a vast miasma covering the area, took a Poison-Avoiding Pill from Yin Jianghong, and entered a tent filled with powerful figures.

Jiang Beiran attended a meeting of Feng Province’s leaders to discuss a rapidly spreading miasma that Yin Jianghong identified as powerful Gu Poison. The leaders assigned plans to contain it and investigate its source, while a Lan Province envoy arrived offering cooperation.

• Yin Jianghong introduced Jiang Beiran as Sheng Kingdom’s new emperor to the gathered sect leaders, and Guan Shi'an arrived at the meeting.
• The leaders recounted how the miasma had swallowed young disciples, caused Mystic Emperors to feel danger, and continued spreading across Feng Province and Lan Province.
• Yin Jianghong identified the miasma as powerful Gu Poison and proposed forming an isolation formation, testing its effects, searching within it, and evacuating civilians.
• Jiang Beiran volunteered to organize the evacuation, but Yin Jianghong said he had a more important task for him.
• An envoy from the Purple Frost Sect arrived and announced Lan Province’s willingness to cooperate with Feng Province’s leaders.

A young Lan Province messenger invited Feng Province’s experts to discuss the spreading miasma, while Jiang Beiran provoked Yan Haokong and narrowly avoided a fight. After another surge forced an evacuation, Yin Jianghong prepared to take Jiang Beiran into the miasma to search for a way to contain it.

• The young man in white delivered Xu Yuanbai’s invitation, and Yin Jianghong and Guan Shi’an left with him to meet the Lan Province leaders.
• Yan Haokong challenged Jiang Beiran over his low cultivation and imperial authority, but Li Cangtian blocked Yan Haokong’s attack and Jiang Beiran backed down enough to end the confrontation.
• The miasma rapidly engulfed the main tent, so Yin Jianghong carried Jiang Beiran to safety and ordered him to evacuate the people of Kangdi Prefecture and Yijiang Prefecture.
• Jiang Beiran directed the evacuation, returned to Yin Jianghong, and learned that Feng and Lan provinces had agreed to cooperate against the miasma.
• Yin Jianghong asked Jiang Beiran to enter the miasma with him to find its formation eye, and Jiang Beiran agreed after receiving five Life-Extending Talismans.

Jiang Beiran stopped the leaders from sending everyone into the miasma at once, warning that Liang Kingdom might exploit their absence. After the teams were reorganized, Yin Jianghong took Jiang Beiran into the miasma, where its dense haze severely limited visibility.

• Jiang Beiran used Secret Sound Transmission to persuade Yin Jianghong to pause the expedition and discuss the plan again.
• Jiang Beiran warned Yin Jianghong, Guan Shi'an, Wan Anqing, and Ji Qinglin that Liang Kingdom might take advantage if all four leaders were trapped inside the miasma.
• Jiang Beiran proposed that Yin Jianghong and Wan Anqing enter the miasma while Guan Shi'an stayed outside, and the leaders accepted his plan.
• Jiang Beiran recommended that Mystic Emperors search alone rather than lead groups of Mystic Spirits, and Yin Jianghong approved the change.
• Ji Qinglin introduced himself to Jiang Beiran as the sect leader of Lan Province's Full Moon Sect and hinted that Jiang Beiran was hiding much from others.
• Yin Jianghong wrapped Jiang Beiran in Mystic Qi and brought him into the miasma, where the dense haze sharply reduced visibility.

Jiang Beiran was separated from Yin Jianghong inside a deadly miasma and discovered that foreign warriors and Gu insects were attacking Sheng Kingdom’s experts. After rescuing a Star-Net Sect Wind Patrol, he learned that the miasma also disoriented people like a maze, leaving Yin Jianghong’s whereabouts unknown.

• Yin Jianghong and Jiang Beiran searched the miasma for its Formation Eye, but a foreign Mystic Sect Realm expert ambushed them and drew Yin Jianghong into battle.
• Jiang Beiran survived the miasma, followed an option toward the southeast, and defeated a foreign cultivator who could see through his concealment.
• Jiang Beiran dissected the foreigner, discovered unusual organs and several Gu insects, and continued searching for the Formation Eye as he found evidence of battles and many dead Sheng Kingdom cultivators.
• Jiang Beiran treated a wounded Star-Net Sect Wind Patrol, removed a crimson centipede that had controlled the man, and learned that the miasma separated his team and made it impossible to find their way.