Chapter Summaries

Luo Yi visited Liuzhou Academy and was astonished by its students’ inventions and the commercial ventures built around them. As merchants discussed the court’s campaign against Jiangnan, Luo Yi realized the people of Liuzhou had chosen Chen Qing over the court.

• Luo Yi admired the Frost Jadeite and spoke with a fourteen-year-old Earth Character Institute student who explained how he made it.
• The youth invited Luo Yi to see his research, while the merchant surnamed Feng urged his companions to follow and hear about potential investments.
• The merchant surnamed Feng showed the visitors inventions such as Bright Jade Jadeite and Thousand Aspects, and explained the risks and costs of funding successive research phases.
• When the gentlemen worried that the court’s campaign might end Liuzhou Academy, the merchant surnamed Feng pointed to Chen Qing’s forces and said Liuzhou had more troops in reserve.
• Luo Yi listened and realized that Liuzhou’s people had chosen Chen Qing over the court.

Luo Yi and Yuchi Peng visited a student’s exhibition at Liuzhou’s Yin-Yang Academy and learned about its free education and the student’s Water-Avoidance Pearl. The student revealed that he knew they sought the Dragon Palace and said its opening was likely connected to an upcoming political meeting in Nanming Prefecture.

• Luo Yi learned that the academy provided free tuition and support for research projects, and that students shared commercial proceeds with it.
• The student demonstrated his Water-Avoidance Pearl, which created a pressurized bubble that supplied air underwater, and Yuchi Peng recognized its potential for deep-sea exploration.
• Luo Yi and Yuchi Peng overheard that the Fighter Army had purchased Flying Pearls for special troops, and they worried about the military implications.
• The student recognized Luo Yi’s group as people from the capital seeking the Dragon Palace and said its records placed it several thousand meters underwater, where the Water-Avoidance Pearl could help them reach it.
• Yuchi Peng asked how the student knew the Dragon Palace would open, and the student pointed to the upcoming court and eldest princess’s talks in Nanming Prefecture as evidence.

Luo Yi and Yuchi Peng learned how Liuzhou Academy cultivated its students and why Chen Qing’s city had earned its people’s loyalty. Wei Gongcheng revealed that he was the lord of Liuzhou’s Underworld, leaving the two men standing in a gray reflection of the city.

• Luo Yi wondered whether Chen Qing could change people’s talent, and Wei Gongcheng explained that Chen Qing could recognize aptitude but that fifth-grade strength within two years was the academy’s ordinary standard.
• Wei Gongcheng told Yuchi Peng that the court would send Lord Pang, Old General Yuchi, the eldest princess, and the Duke of Wei to peace talks in Nanming Prefecture.
• Yuchi Peng challenged Wei Gongcheng about his loyalties, and Wei Gongcheng said that his lord mattered more than anything else.
• Yuchi Peng reflected on Liuzhou’s prosperity and the opportunities its people had, while Wei Gongcheng defended a world where ability mattered more than inherited status.
• Wei Gongcheng transformed into a masked figure in robes bearing nine black dragons and declared himself the lord of Liuzhou’s Underworld.
• Luo Yi and Yuchi Peng realized they stood in a gray, inverted reflection of Liuzhou and understood that Wei Gongcheng was a god.

Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi surveyed Liuzhou’s prosperity and considered how Chen Qing’s innovations and Underworld might transform the balance of power. They ended uncertain whether Chen Qing could defend Jiangnan after exposing its wonders to rival powers.

• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi watched Liuzhou’s busy streets and discussed its workers’ comfortable lives, strong labor protections, and easy access to farmland.
• Luo Yi explained that sorcerers in Chen Qing’s academies were developing technologies and improvements across many trades, prompting Yuchi Peng to reflect on how Chen Qing had changed sorcery.
• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi recalled Wei Gongcheng’s Underworld and feared that Jiangnan’s people would fight without fear if they believed death led to a guaranteed afterlife.
• Luo Yi reasoned that the Underworld and Liuzhou’s prosperity could draw powerful clans and their sorcerers to Chen Qing’s side.
• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi questioned whether Chen Qing had enough strength to control the court, the eldest princess, the Duke of Wei, and the West Sea monster after revealing Jiangnan’s riches.

Landowner An warned Nanming Prefecture’s gentry that if Chen Qing fell, powerful families from the capital would seize Jiangnan’s wealth rather than share it with them. Meanwhile, the eldest princess and Fifth Master Shen arrived at Jiangnan with their retainers and met the Duke of Wei, who recoiled from the formidable scholar Chen Qing had invited.

• Landowner An challenged the gentry’s hopes of profiting from Chen Qing’s defeat and warned that the great families would deny them a share of Jiangnan.
• Gu Beiquan continued to rant that Chen Qing would be destroyed, while the gentry recognized that his delusions reflected their own greed.
• The eldest princess and Fifth Master Shen sailed to Jiangnan with five hundred elite retainers and met the Duke of Wei at its gateway.
• The Duke of Wei met the frail scholar accompanying them, staggered back with a bloody nose, and learned from the eldest princess that he had destroyed the seventy kingdoms of the West Sea.

The eldest princess and Fifth Master Shen learned why Shen Laoda was enduring sunlight and heard that a woman named Yan Lifeng had once nearly freed humanity from demons and closed the Dragon Palace. Chen Qing recognized the name and wondered whether the connection was a coincidence.

• The eldest princess and Fifth Master Shen watched Shen Laoda endure the sunlight, and Fifth Master Shen recalled the ancient insect’s obsession with overcoming its weakness and becoming a dragon.
• The scholar praised the eldest princess as the second most formidable woman he had known and said Yan Lifeng had nearly freed humanity from demons and closed the Dragon Palace.
• Chen Qing arrived, greeted the group, and reflected that Yan Lifeng’s actions had changed the Dragon Palace’s history and guardians.
• The scholar named the woman Yan Lifeng, and Chen Qing was shaken by the name and wondered whether it was a coincidence.

Yan Lifeng explained how she defeated the Mother and Child Ghosts, prompting the Monster Master to seek her out. Meanwhile, Chen Qing wondered whether she was connected to the Dragon Palace’s historical sealing, as the group arriving at Nanming Prefecture discovered an unprecedented barrier covering the entire prefecture.

• The Monster Master found Yan Lifeng and asked how she had sealed his Mother and Child Ghosts.
• Yan Lifeng explained that she had exploited the link between the ghost mother and child, and said that no monster was truly unbeatable.
• Chen Qing wondered whether Yan Lifeng was connected to the Dragon Palace’s sealing and whether a transmigrator had altered history.
• Chen Qing’s ship arrived at Nanming Prefecture, which was enclosed in an enormous bubble-like barrier.
• The Duke of Qin’s party saw the barrier form and learned from Mu Hongqing that it was a barrier unlike any they had encountered.

On the road to Nanming Prefecture, Mu Hongqing reconsidered Chen Qing’s alliance meeting after seeing the capital’s enormous barrier, while Lu Ming dismissed the barrier as a facade. Lu Ming then revealed his plan to use Yuchi Peng and the captured imperial troops to exploit the coming conflict and repay the Eldest Princess.

• Mu Hongqing recalled Chen Ying’s defense of Chen Qing and reflected on why he had entrusted his disciple to him despite the dangers.
• The party marveled at the capital’s barrier, but Lu Ming argued that Chen Qing could not have built a genuine spell formation in less than a month.
• Lu Ming questioned Mu Hongqing about the years, manpower, and expense required to build the capital’s formation, and Mu Hongqing agreed it could not have been replicated so quickly.
• Mu Hongqing challenged Lu Ming to explain how Chen Qing’s supposed downfall would benefit the Duke of Qin, given their weak forces and position.
• Lu Ming proposed rescuing Yuchi Peng and the fifty thousand captured imperial troops, then joining them with his own soldiers to gain a chance at power.
• Lu Ming said the Eldest Princess and her allies would be occupied with Chen Qing, giving him an opening to repay the princess.

Chen Qing showed the eldest princess, the scholar, and the other factions the Dragon Palace formation’s powers, including opening harbor inspection points and moving people and goods through the air. Though they remained skeptical of its combat value, Chen Qing prepared to use Lu Ming’s arrival to make the demonstration convincing.

• Chen Qing opened the enormous energy barrier and led the scholar, the eldest princess, and the other factions inside, where the scholar’s five duke-level followers followed him.
• The visitors watched armored soldiers use the formation without spiritual power to create harbor openings and inspect cargo ships arriving at Nanming Prefecture.
• Chen Qing explained that the formation came from the Dragon Palace and demonstrated how it could carry a jade pendant through the air into the city.
• The group continued toward Nanming Prefecture as they saw soldiers glide through the sky, while Chen Qing admitted inwardly that the hastily built formation had serious flaws.
• Chen Qing secretly learned from Chen Ying that Lu Ming was on his way and ordered preparations, believing the world’s foremost duke would provide enough weight.

Lu Ming led the group to a hidden cargo ship, where Mu Hongqing confronted him over how he had survived in Chen Qing’s territory and accused him of relying on a widow. Their argument exposed Mu Hongqing’s traumatic past, while in Yunzhou Yun Niang rejected a young general’s proposal and resolved not to let Lu Ming abandon her and her daughter.

• Lu Ming showed Zhou Hanyang and the provincial administration commissioner a hidden ship and concluded that Chen Qing was likely a boy who had found an ancient treasure.
• Mu Hongqing questioned how Lu Ming had obtained the ship without joining a pantheon, then guessed that a widow in Yunzhou had helped him.
• Lu Ming seized Mu Hongqing by the throat, but Zhou Hanyang stopped him from striking further as Mu Hongqing unleashed his sinister spell.
• Mu Hongqing taunted Lu Ming about failing to protect his mother and younger sister, recalling how they had been horribly abused while he was away.
• In Yunzhou, Yun Niang refused Di Dahu’s proposal, urged her daughter to try for Yin-Yang Academy, and clutched the jade token Lu Ming had left behind.

Lu Ming led his group into Nanming Prefecture and assessed Chen Qing’s enormous barrier as a likely bluff, while Mu Hongqing prepared to intervene if Chen Qing failed. After entering the city, Lu Ming sent Zhou Hanyang to wait and went off to kill Minister Hong, the court representative whose presence stood in the way of commanding fifty thousand troops.

• Lu Ming said Chen Qing’s immense barrier was probably a bluff because he had taken over Nanming Prefecture only a month earlier, while Mu Hongqing examined it and found its energy pure with no apparent weaknesses.
• Mu Hongqing resolved to help Chen Qing if needed, then take Chen Ying away if he failed to control the situation; if he succeeded, Mu Hongqing would entrust Chen Ying to him and return to the capital.
• Lu Ming posed as a merchant at the city checkpoint, where a soldier warned him that slavery was forbidden, refused most of his wine as a bribe, and advised him to worship the Sea God for cheaper ship escorts.
• Mu Hongqing recalled Lu Ming’s many different faces and his cruel treatment of his mutilated younger sister at the ducal estate.
• Lu Ming told Zhou Hanyang to find an inn and wait for word, then left alone; Mu Hongqing said Lu Ming was going to kill Minister Hong, whose survival would prevent the duke from gaining control of fifty thousand troops.

Chen Qing gathered the factions in Nanming Prefecture to discuss the Ancient Dragon Palace, announcing that it would open in one month and revealing some of its powers and treasures. The meeting ended with the attendees weighing the promise of cooperation against the risks of entering the Dragon Palace.

• Shen Laoda and the other guests praised Chen Qing’s tea, which replenished spiritual energy without apparent side effects.
• Chen Qing announced that the Dragon Palace would open in one month, and the West Sea scholar explained that the failing Nine Heavens Mirror Valley seal was causing the mist to thin.
• The eldest princess and Minister Pang questioned Chen Qing’s information and his willingness to cooperate, while the Duke of Wei asked what the Dragon Palace offered.
• Chen Qing showed the guests the West Sea spring and explained that it helped maintain the world’s water balance against terrifying creatures beyond the heavens.
• Chen Qing claimed the Dragon Palace held medicine that could revive the dead and a Dragon Transformation Secret Technique that could turn all things into dragons and grant them eternal life.

Chen Qing explained that the Dragon Palace’s awakening could unleash ten thousand flood dragons and proposed that the factions cooperate to stop them. He offered to help them find Dragon Transformation Secret Realms without competing for immortality or dragon transformation, but ended by questioning whether the dragons themselves had taken the secret medicine.

• Chen Qing said immortality came at an unknown cost and told the gathered leaders he wanted something in the Dragon Palace other than its secret medicine.
• He warned that ten thousand flood dragons would lock down the water to awaken the dragons, whose revival could devastate Great Jin, and said someone transformed into a dragon could order the flood dragons to stop.
• Chen Qing offered to find Dragon Transformation Secret Realms for the factions and proposed that each of the four sides choose one of the Dragon Palace’s four gates and claim realms found in its corresponding sea.
• Chen Qing split into four identical copies and offered to enter a spell pact promising he would not seek immortality or dragon transformation.
• When the eldest princess called him timid for avoiding the secret medicine, Chen Qing replied that he was cautious because he did not know its cost and asked whether the dragons had taken it themselves.

The eldest princess negotiated a binding pact with Shen Laowu in exchange for helping him become a dragon, while Minister Pang revealed the Dragon Palace rumors to aristocratic families. The chapter ended with Minister Pang transforming into a beautiful woman and confronting Lu Ming about the scent of other women on him.

• The eldest princess questioned Shen Laowu about Chen Qing’s claims and learned he had concealed the ten thousand flood dragons.
• The eldest princess offered to help Shen Laowu become a dragon if he swore not to harm the Central Plains, gave her half the flood dragons, and obeyed her inside the Dragon Palace.
• Shen Laowu accepted the conditions and reminded the eldest princess that she had promised to bear him a son.
• Minister Pang told descendants of more than a hundred aristocratic families about Chen Qing’s claims and warned them not to conceal information or underestimate the ancient world’s dangers.
• Minister Pang returned to his room, transformed into a beautiful woman, and embraced Lu Ming.
• The woman accused Lu Ming of carrying the foul stench of other women.

Lu Ming and his wife discussed his losses and their last gamble against the Pang Family, while Chen Qing waited for Lu Ming to make a move. With the alliance meeting approaching and the barrier’s time running short, Chen Qing worried that he lacked the leverage to force the four sides to make peace.

• Lu Ming’s wife confronted him about the widow who had sheltered him, then warned that he faced grave consequences if his latest scheme failed.
• Lu Ming explained that he believed Chen Qing was the true Reincarnator and planned to use the young man’s rapid rise as an opportunity.
• Lu Ming’s wife said she would target Minister Pang and even the crown prince, while reproaching Lu Ming for abandoning their son and misjudging Xiao Mingyue.
• Chen Ying reported that Lu Ming had made no move, and Chen Qing wondered what other card the duke might be holding.
• Chen Qing worried that the barrier would expire before he could secure the alliance and persuade all four sides to cease hostilities.

A mother brought her young daughter from Yunzhou to Liuzhou for the Yin-Yang Academy entrance exam while Earth Serpent women tracked them, intending to capture them after the exam. Meanwhile, Chen Qing learned Minister Pang demanded Yuchi Peng and fifty thousand troops, and began planning to pressure the court with a banquet.

• The mother and daughter entered Liuzhou after the gate guards verified the girl's eligibility for the academy exam and praised her achievement.
• A scarred Earth Serpent woman confirmed the mother and daughter had arrived, but withdrew from the city gate after sensing its wolf-headed door god watching her.
• The Earth Serpent leader ordered her women to wait until the exam ended, expecting the pair to return by an ordinary cargo boat where they could attack.
• Chen Ying told Chen Qing that Minister Pang demanded Yuchi Peng and the release of fifty thousand troops.
• Chen Qing questioned whether Lu Ming had made an agreement with Minister Pang, learned the formation could last only a few more days, and ordered a banquet to apply pressure.

Yun Yu'e learned that Yun Ke'er had ranked among the top five in Yunzhou and discussed which academy would suit her daughter. When Yun Ke'er saw blue-green rings at the entrance, Shen Yuan declared that the Heaven Academy would take her without an examination and ordered her to come to Nanming Prefecture.

• A registration scholar told Yun Yu'e that Yun Ke'er ranked among Yunzhou's top five, especially in mathematics, and encouraged her to apply to the Yellow Academy.
• Pan Kai interrupted Zhuo Lang's attempt to steer Yun Ke'er toward the Yellow Academy and promoted the Mystic Academy's fields as a better fit for a girl.
• Yun Ke'er pointed at the entrance and said she could see many blue-green rings there.
• Shen Yuan arrived, confirmed Yun Ke'er could see the rings, and said the Heaven Academy would take her without an examination and bring her to Nanming Prefecture immediately.

Shen Yuan discovered that Ke'er could see spiritual-energy flows, a rare aptitude that made her valuable to the Heaven Academy’s formation project in Nanming Prefecture. Yun Yu'e agreed to accompany her daughter, while a group of women in black celebrated their departure from the city.

• Shen Yuan used Dean Chen’s order to claim Ke'er for the Heaven Academy and explained that her unusual sight revealed the Spirit Energy Sensing talent needed by formation masters.
• Shen Yuan assured Yun Yu'e that Ke'er would be protected in Nanming Prefecture, and Yun Yu'e insisted on accompanying her daughter.
• Shen Yuan agreed to let Yun Yu'e travel with them and said they had to leave immediately for the Sky Canopy project.
• Shen Yuan gave the Mystic Academy the Heaven Academy’s unused recruitment places, set a limit of three hundred recruits for the Yellow Academy, and warned both students against recruiting without proper screening.
• A woman in black reported that Yun Yu'e and Ke'er had left the city.

Aboard a ship, Shen Yuan explained the Heaven Academy’s powers and prospects to Yun Yu'e as her daughter Ke'er traveled toward Nanming Prefecture. Chen Qing learned that Ke'er had the Spirit Eye he needed, then discovered Chen Ying’s master had called the Duke of Qin’s principal wife a demon.

• A woman in black suspected Chen Qing’s people had taken Yun Yu'e and Ke'er for their connection to their master, and ordered the news reported to Madam.
• Shen Yuan demonstrated a Blade Formation to Yun Yu'e and urged her to let Ke'er join Heaven Academy despite her being a girl.
• Chen Ying told Chen Qing that a girl with an innate Spirit Eye was on her way to Nanming Prefecture, then revealed the girl was Yun Yu'e’s daughter.
• Chen Qing ordered Yun Yu'e and Ke'er brought in separately and asked that Yun Yu'e be watched for contact with Lu Ming.
• Chen Ying said her master had called the Duke of Qin’s principal wife a demon, startling Chen Qing.

Chen Qing learned that Lu Ming’s wife had helped the Lu Household rise and sent Chen Ying to meet Tian Heng and protect her and her daughter’s ship. At Nanyang’s harbor, Tian Heng celebrated the Sea God Faction’s successful East Sea trade before receiving Chen Qing’s urgent summons to Nanming.

• Chen Ying told Chen Qing that the King of Qin had arranged Lu Ming’s marriage and that Lu Ming’s wife had played a crucial role in the Lu Household’s growth.
• Chen Qing ordered Chen Ying to contact Tian Heng, escort Lu Ming’s wife and daughter, and keep them protected after they reached the city.
• Tian Heng reflected on the Sea God Faction’s growth and the benefits of divine power as merchant ships returned safely to Nanyang.
• Tian Heng learned that the East Sea voyage had brought back a ship full of jadeite and celebrated the profitable trade.
• Tian Heng received an urgent message from Chen Qing ordering him to hurry to Nanming and meet Chen Ying.