Arc 2The Beichuan Qin Rise

Qin Lu advanced the Qin Family into a powerful cultivation lineage, established its stronghold and formations, and entered the struggle between local clans and imperial authority. After a Floating Cloud Sword Sect plot threatened his family, Qin Lu joined Zhang Xuan and Huang Liang to lure the sect’s ancestor into an ambush.

  • Qin Lu took control of the Li household’s holdings, expanded the Qin Family’s commerce, and completed the Pill Pavilion while his family strengthened Bayi Town and built up its forces.
  • Chu Shan arranged for Qin Zhuang to form a natal contract with a Forest Peak Giant Deer, while Qin Lu perfected twenty-four pill formulas and set out to find spiritual objects for his breakthrough.
  • Qin Lu traveled to Longchuan, traded with Zhang Xuan, agreed to a marriage alliance, and secured resources and a marketplace storefront through the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and Hundred Arts Office.
  • Qin Lu used Stone Pith and a Peiyuan Spirit Fruit to reach Qi Condensation, then accepted an imperial appointment and named his clan the Beichuan Qin Family.
  • The Qin Family fortified Ba City and developed Muxuan Mountain, where Huang Liang established a Spirit Gathering Formation and a defensive formation as the family organized its spirit peaks and halls.
  • After the Qing Centipede exposed a spy, Qin Lu captured Floating Cloud Sword Sect disciples and learned that the sect had poisoned Ba River and planned to seize Yingchuan.
  • Qin Lu joined Huang Liang and Zhang Xuan at a gathering, then proposed using captive Zhuo Wen to lure out the sect’s Qi Condensation cultivators.
  • Zhuo Wen led Ancestor Liuyun into a Three Talents Scarlet Fire Yuan-Closing Formation, where Qin Lu, Zhang Xuan, Huang Liang, and the Qing Centipede attacked him.
Chapters 26–50 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 26The Qin Family Makes a Name, a Bumper Harvest!

Qin Lu’s Qin Family held its first auction to build its reputation and attract resources, drawing hundreds of buyers with the promise of rare pills. The auction began with spirit items and poison pills, while Qin Lu watched the crowd’s enthusiasm and acquired a Qing Centipede.

  • News of the Qin Family’s Rank-1 Alchemist and upcoming auction spread throughout Yingchuan County.
  • Seven days later, Wang Jian and armored soldiers helped control the crowded auction venue and collect admission fees.
  • Qin Xiao opened the auction, impressing the crowd with his True Martial Second Realm cultivation at such a young age.
  • Qin Xiao auctioned Bone-Strengthening Powder, which a Fourth Realm warrior bought with a seventy-year-old spirit ganoderma.
  • Qin Xiao offered a Magu Pill, and an old man traded a Qing Centipede for it, which Qin Lu planned to domesticate.
  • The remaining lots brought in several hundred liang of silver and several low-grade spirit medicines.

Ch. 27Making a Fortune and Great Terror

Qin Lu’s auction brought in a fortune as the Yang-Strengthening Pills and Muxuan Pills sold at high prices, while dangerous onlookers gathered outside. After the auction, Liu Ji broke through to the True Martial First Realm, the Li Household chose to leave the county city, and a wandering monk prayed for common people to have food and clothes.

  • Qin Lu auctioned the Yang-Strengthening Pills and Muxuan Pills, earning six Spirit Stones and numerous medicinal herbs from the final lots.
  • Qin Lu noticed people lying in ambush around the venue but trusted his strength and allies to deter them.
  • The foreman surnamed Xiao failed to open the True Martial gate after taking a pill, while Liu Ji reached the True Martial First Realm with his brothers’ support.
  • A pugilistic sorcerer used scattered copper coins to divine the area and was alarmed by the many fates of lords and kings in the county seat.
  • Magistrate Li ordered the Li Household to leave and yield its place to Qin, later welcoming his youngest son and naming him Yuan.
  • A bald monk outside the county city ate his meal and wished that all common people could have food and clothing.

Ch. 28The Qin Family Takes the Helm, Taming the Qing Centipede!

Qin Lu took over the Li household’s industries and established rules for the Qin household’s growing business. He then bonded the Yi Wood Qing Centipede as a spirit insect and named it Qing Centipede.

  • Qin Lu took over the Li household’s port share, properties, mansion, and peach orchards, renaming the mansion the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce.
  • Qin Lu announced a yearly schedule for auctions, pill sales, and meeting quotas as the Qin household’s reputation spread.
  • Qin Lu completed the Pill Pavilion on Muxuan Mountain and prepared to focus on alchemy and cultivation.
  • Qin Lu used the Master-Servant Spirit-Seeking Method to bind the Yi Wood Qing Centipede with a contract.
  • Qin Lu named the surrendered centipede Qing Centipede, and it showed affection toward him.

Ch. 29The Tides of Time, Young Patriarch!

Five years of expansion transformed Bayi Town into a prosperous trade hub under the Qin Family’s control, while its army and administration grew stronger. Qin Xiao, now thirteen and at the True Martial Four Realms, reviewed the town’s affairs and left the Prefecture Pavilion under armed escort.

  • Bayi Town expanded its port, river, bridge, and trade as the Qin Family invested heavily in infrastructure and welcomed merchants and new vassal families.
  • The Qin Family’s Township Army grew to five hundred elite soldiers, while Wang Jian and Zhao Zhen advanced to the True Martial Four Realms and managed military and civil affairs.
  • Yan Quan became Yingchuan County’s assistant, and Qin Wen accompanied him to study governance while keeping watch on him for Qin Lu.
  • Qin Xiao reviewed the logbook at the Prefecture Pavilion and praised Zhao Zhen for keeping order amid the town’s influx of people.
  • Qin Xiao left the pavilion as dozens of black-armored soldiers appeared to escort him.

Ch. 30Awakening Soul Tea Tree, Paving the Dao Path!

Qin Hui cultivated the Awakening Soul Tea Tree and established a valuable line of tea products that strengthened the Qin Family and the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Chu Shan took young Qin Zhuang into the mountains, determined to discipline him and prepare him to pursue Qi Condensation.

  • Zhao Zhen reflected on how Qin Lu had built the Qin Family into a mighty lineage in little more than a dozen years.
  • Qin Hui cultivated the Awakening Soul Tea Tree and developed Calm-Spirit Incense and Tea Smoke, which became prized Qin Family products.
  • The Qin Family reserved the finest tea leaves for its own members while using Tea Smoke to expand the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce's renown.
  • Chu Shan brought five-year-old Qin Zhuang into the mountains and scolded him for wasting his talent compared with his brothers.
  • Chu Shan said he intended to discipline Qin Zhuang and help him pursue a chance to break through to Qi Condensation.

Ch. 31A Lifebound Giant Deer, Cultivating the Legacy!

Chu Shan brought Qin Zhuang to Deer Valley, where Qin Zhuang bonded with the Forest Peak Giant Deer and advanced to the True Martial Second Realm. Meanwhile, Qin Lu continued to fail at breaking through to Qi Condensation but completed a set of twenty-four First-Tier pill formulas for the Qin family.

  • Chu Shan took Qin Zhuang to the hidden Deer Valley and explained that he had arranged for Qin Zhuang to tame the Forest Peak Giant Deer as his Natal Spirit Beast.
  • Chu Shan summoned the First-Tier Low-Grade Forest Peak Giant Deer from the lake, and Qin Zhuang began the natal contract ritual.
  • The giant deer accepted a Spirit Stone from Chu Shan and joined its blood with Qin Zhuang’s, completing their natal contract.
  • Qin Zhuang received the giant deer’s feedback and broke through to the True Martial Second Realm before turning six.
  • Qin Lu reflected on his two failed Qi Condensation attempts after reaching True Martial Nine Realms Completion.
  • Qin Lu completed twenty-four modified and improved pill formulas, establishing a First-Tier alchemy heritage for the Qin family.

Ch. 32The Poor Die of Poverty, Longchuan Commandery!

Qin Lu weighed the costly options for breaking through to the Qi Condensation Realm and decided to seek tier-2 Origin-Nurturing Spiritual Objects rather than risk his lineage’s fortunes on debt. He led the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce south toward Longchuan Prefecture City, hoping to trade along the way and strengthen the Qin Household’s standing.

  • Qin Lu considered buying a Qi Condensation Pill but found his savings insufficient and borrowing from local allies unlikely.
  • Qin Lu rejected taking on a large imperial debt that could endanger his lineage if his breakthrough failed.
  • Qin Lu decided to seek one or two tier-2 Origin-Nurturing Spiritual Objects and made plans to travel personally.
  • Qin Lu’s commercial influence had helped expand spiritual-pill access, while the Xuan River Zhang Clan established itself in Longchuan Commandery and dominated local affairs.
  • Qin Lu departed Qianlong Port aboard a treasure ship with Black-Armored Army escorts, bound for Xuan City and then Longchuan Prefecture City.

Ch. 33You Buy, I Sell—A Higher Class!

Qin Lu continued his southbound trade journey and arrived at Xuan City, where the Xuan River Zhang Clan welcomed him with a banquet. Zhang Ruoxuan hoped to draw the Qin family closer through a marriage alliance, while Qin Lu accepted the clan’s hospitality.

  • Qin Lu warned Chu Shan that the Chu Household must remain loyal and not disappoint him, leaving Chu Shan to suspect that Qin Xiao’s inspection had uncovered misconduct.
  • Qin Lu’s fleet traded along the Ying River, fought off bandits, and acquired Yellow Flower Osmanthus Forest Wood in exchange for pills.
  • After half a month, Qin Lu arrived at Yunchuan Port near Xuan City, where Wang Jian and Zhang Ruoxuan welcomed him with a military formation.
  • Qin Lu gave Zhang Ruoxuan a Yi Wood Spirit Pill after recognizing his cultivation bottleneck, and Zhang Ruoxuan considered pursuing a marriage alliance between their lineages.
  • Zhang Ruoxuan invited Qin Lu to a lavish feast, and Qin Lu accepted the Zhang Clan’s hospitality.

Ch. 34Essence-Nourishing Spirit Fruit, Becoming In-Laws!

Zhang Xuan told Qin Lu that the Great Zhou was preparing to invade Daliang and offered him a Peiyuan Spirit Fruit in place of the unavailable Qi Condensation Pills. The two clans agreed to a marriage alliance, while Wu Mianmian revealed that the prefectural factions had competed for the newly refined pills.

  • Zhang Xuan explained that Longchuan would become the front line of a coming war between the Great Zhou and Daliang, and warned Qin Lu not to get entangled with any faction.
  • Zhang Xuan sold Qin Lu a Peiyuan Spirit Fruit, and Qin Lu paid with spirit stones and Yellow Flower Osmanthus Forest Wood.
  • Zhang Xuan proposed a marriage alliance between their clans, and Qin Lu agreed to betroth his eldest son to a Zhang Clan daughter.
  • At the Hundred Arts Office Branch, Wu Mianmian received a message and said Zhang Xuan was another scheming veteran from the Xiashang Dao Academy.
  • Wu Mianmian told Old Zhe that the prefectural factions had sought Qi Condensation Pills and that he had hoped to reserve some for promising immortal art martial artists.

Ch. 35Schemes of Various Households, Longchuan Fair!

Qin Lu brought a large caravan to Longchuan Prefecture City to establish a Qin Household stronghold and seek business at Longchuan Fair. He entered the fair with Han Fei after using his Hundred Arts Office token to pass the guards without paying.

  • Wu Yanmian and Gongsun Zhe discussed Dan Shisan, noting his alchemy skill, worldly conduct, and concealed ruthlessness, while Wu Yanmian said retreating from the pill contest could help him survive the turbulent times.
  • After resting for over half a month at Yunchuan Port, Qin Lu led several hundred people toward Longchuan Prefecture City to earn resources and establish a stronghold near the prefecture's cultivator fair.
  • Qin Lu sent Chu Shan to obtain a courtyard mansion and told the others to follow Wang Jian, then went south with Han Fei to Longchuan Fair.
  • The guards demanded entry fees, but Qin Lu showed his Hundred Arts Office token and invoked the rule allowing its attendants to enter fairs without charge.
  • Qin Lu wore the token openly and explained to Han Fei that even Qi Condensation cultivators respected status.

Ch. 36The Perks of Status, the Pavilion of Myriad Treasures!

Qin Lu and Han Fei went to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to sell the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce’s spirit goods. Liu Ruyan recognized Qin Lu and offered to handle the purchase, while Han Fei presented the inventory and prices.

  • Qin Lu and Han Fei entered the marketplace and headed for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to sell their goods.
  • A palace-attired cultivator named Nalan welcomed Qin Lu, but steward Liu Ruyan dismissed her and escorted Qin Lu and Han Fei to a second-floor room.
  • Liu Ruyan apologized for Nalan’s conduct and revealed that she knew Qin Lu, offering to purchase the goods herself.
  • Han Fei presented the manifest for 178 spirit objects and outlined the herbs, spirit objects, pills, and prices the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce would accept payment for.

Ch. 37Happy Cooperation, Buy, Buy, Buy!

Qin Lu sold the Qin Family’s spirit materials to Liu Ruyan of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, acquired a spirit plant inheritance and Stone Pith, and established a long-term partnership with the pavilion. He then spent Spirit Stones on talismans and law artifacts to strengthen his family’s defenses and his own fighting ability.

  • Liu Ruyan priced Qin Lu’s goods at seventy-eight Spirit Stones and offered a first-tier spirit plant inheritance at a thirty-Stone discount; Qin Lu accepted the deal and bought Stone Pith to aid his cultivation breakthrough.
  • Qin Lu and Liu Ruyan agreed that the Qin Family would cooperate with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion long-term, with Liu Ruyan serving as its contact and providing assistance and information.
  • After the goods were inspected, Qin Lu received eighteen Spirit Stones, the spirit plant inheritance, and Stone Pith, leaving him with nearly thirty Spirit Stones.
  • Qin Lu bought fifty first-tier five-element talismans for ten Spirit Stones to equip his descendants and loyal subordinates.
  • Qin Lu spent another ten Spirit Stones on a Cyan Needle Law Artifact and a Round Shield Law Artifact to improve his own offense and defense.

Ch. 38Scanning Stalls at the Night Market, Red Gold Bees!

Qin Lu visited the night market stalls, buying a Red Gold Bee tail needle and several other useful items at bargain prices. He then went to the Hundred Arts Office to seek a storefront and was welcomed by two elders, including Gongsun Zhe.

  • Qin Lu spotted a pale gold needle at a rogue cultivator’s stall and bought it from the small old man for two Spirit Stones.
  • Qin Lu identified the needle as the natal tail needle of a Red Gold Bee and judged it a worthwhile purchase.
  • Qin Lu bought seven Black Armor Crocodile eggs to support his plans for taming beasts to pull boats and guard waterways.
  • Qin Lu purchased an Evil-Suppressing Jade elephant carving for the Pill Pavilion and finished shopping at the square.
  • Qin Lu reached the Hundred Arts Office with Han Fei carrying his purchases and asked about obtaining a storefront.
  • Wu Yanmian and Gongsun Zhe received Qin Lu in a grand palace, and Wu Yanmian asked whether he had come seeking a marketplace storefront.

Ch. 39Scarlet Gold Spirit Needle, Breaking Condensing Qi!

Qin Lu received the use rights to a shop in Longchuan Bazaar and had Gongsun Zhe refine his cyan needle and Red Gold Bee sting into a powerful law artifact. He reopened Old Alchemy Pavilion, then successfully began condensing Qi at Muxuan Mountain as spiritual rain fell.

  • Wu Yanmian explained Qin Lu's shop benefits as a Yellow-grade Attendant and welcomed him as a fellow alchemist in the Hundred Arts Office.
  • Qin Lu gave Gongsun Zhe his Cyan Needle Law Artifact and Red Gold Bee tail sting to combine into one item.
  • Qin Lu reopened Old Alchemy Pavilion in Longchuan Bazaar and planned for Chu River, then his fifth son Qin Zhao, to manage it.
  • Gongsun Zhe returned Qin Lu's new Second-Tier Lower-Grade Law Artifact, the Jinyuan Needle, aboard the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce ship.
  • Qin Lu consumed Stone Pith and a Peiyuan Spirit Fruit during his breakthrough attempt, condensed his first drop of spiritual liquid, and triggered spiritual rain over Muxuan Mountain.

Ch. 40Gathering Qi to Forge Mountains and Rivers

Qin Lu successfully broke through to Qi Condensation, transforming Muxuan Mountain and its surroundings as Spiritual Qi nourished the land. He established the Qin Family’s next steps and returned to seclusion, while Liu Ji founded the Hanbang under Qin rule.

  • Qin Zhao broke through to the True Martial Second Realm as Spirit Rain fell, and the Forest Peak Giant Deer grew stronger while Qin Zhuang’s cultivation advanced.
  • Qin Lu completed his Qi Condensation breakthrough, gained Spiritual Power, and transformed his martial techniques into three law techniques.
  • Liu Ji and his brothers founded the Hanbang in Bayi and pledged to grow beneath the Qin Family’s authority.
  • Qin Lu instructed Qin Xiao and Qin Hui to rebuild Muxuan Mountain, restore order, recruit talent, and report the Qin Family’s new status to the imperial court.
  • Qin Lu entered seclusion to stabilize his cultivation and opened the Zhang household’s three-cubic-meter Qiankun Pouch.

Ch. 41The Qin Clan of Beichuan, Founding an Immortal Clan!

Qin Lu inventoried the wealth and inheritances he had obtained, while Zhang Xuan and Gongsun Zhe reacted to his breakthrough to Qi Condensation. The imperial court recognized the Qin Clan’s status and appointed Qin Lu to a commandery post, where he named the clan the Beichuan Qin Family.

  • Qin Lu found hundreds of spirit stones, cultivation inheritances, law techniques, artifacts, seeds, and other valuables in the Qiankun Pouch, and planned to develop the Qin Family’s resources.
  • Zhang Xuan learned that Qin Lu had reached Qi Condensation, accepted that the two families should remain allies, and ordered a more suitable Zhang Clan daughter to replace the original betrothed bride.
  • Gongsun Zhe celebrated that his favor to Qin Lu had helped a future second-grade alchemist and could earn him several Qi Condensation Pills in return.
  • A palace eunuch delivered the Zhou Emperor’s decree, permitting the Qin Clan to enter the commandery and appointing Qin Lu as eighth-grade Sima to advise on military defense alongside the commander.
  • Qin Lu accepted the imperial decree and named his clan the Beichuan Qin Family.

Ch. 42Taking Over Yingchuan, Qin’s Elite Warriors!

Qin Lu established the Beichuan Qin Family’s control over Yingchuan County, reorganized its government and forces, and began constructing Ba City as a fortified stronghold. He authorized a second-tier Spirit Gathering Formation and asked formation master Huang to add a Mountain Guarding Formation afterward.

  • After Bai Zhilang departed, Qin Lu planned to secure Yingchuan, negotiate with the Xuan River Zhang Clan, and strengthen the Qin Family’s cultivation and defenses.
  • Months later, the Xuan River Zhang Clan withdrew from Yingchuan, and the imperial court formally conferred the title Beichuan Qin Family.
  • Qin Lu became main Sima in the prefecture, while Zhao Gou became Yingchuan’s county magistrate and Qin Wen continued his studies in the prefecture.
  • Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Wang Li took command of the Qin Elite Soldiers, County Legion, and Black Dragon Legion, while Han Fei became county cheng and the Chen Family was pushed to the margins.
  • The Qin Family transformed Bayi Town into Ba City, building walls along the mountain and river to create a fortified pass.
  • Formation master Huang selected sites for a second-tier Spirit Gathering Formation, and Qin Lu approved construction and requested a Mountain Guarding Formation as well.

Ch. 43As Impregnable as a Fortress, the Dao-Prudent Fellow!

Huang Liang established a large Spirit Gathering Formation around the Qin clan’s territory and installed the Nine Jades Interlinked defensive formation around Muxuan Mountain. After paying for both formations, Qin Lu returned to study their controls, while Huang Liang quietly reappeared and vanished again.

  • Huang Liang set up a Spirit Gathering Formation that drew Spiritual Qi into the canyon and Muxuan Mountain, warning Qin Lu that it would require long-term care to avoid exhausting the surrounding mountains.
  • Huang Liang explained that cultivators breaking through within the formation could help replenish the mountains’ vital Qi.
  • Qin Lu asked Huang Liang to add a comprehensive defensive formation for Muxuan Mountain, and they negotiated its price to 180 Spirit Stones.
  • Huang Liang deployed the Nine Jades Interlinked formation, which combined nine functions and could block the might of Condensing Qi when operated together.
  • Qin Lu paid for both formations and received their formation discs, and Huang Liang departed for Huanglian Township.
  • Qin Lu returned to Muxuan Mountain to study the formations, while Huang Liang secretly reappeared nearby before vanishing once more.

Ch. 44Heroes Rise Everywhere, A Grand Unification!

Six years passed as the Daliang State weakened under threats from neighboring powers and internal conflict. At Bachuan Land, Qin Zhuang tended Spirit Deer Peak while Qin Hui developed three peaks for spirit crops and strengthened the Qin Clan’s cultivation economy.

  • Six years passed as cultivators and major forces gathered around the looming conflict, while Daliang faced threats on every side and waited for its Core Formation Ancestor to die.
  • Qin Zhuang managed Spirit Deer Peak, where giant deer demons bred and he spread spirit grain husks to nourish the mountain’s animals.
  • Qin Hui mastered two First-Grade Spirit Plant inheritances and became a First-Grade Spirit Planter after years of research.
  • Meng Ao brought his family to Ba City and offered Qin Hui an incomplete spirit plant inheritance, securing the Meng Family’s place under the Qin Clan’s protection.
  • Qin Hui oversaw Five Grains Peak, Spirit Medicine Peak, and Spirit Tea Peak, where spirit crops could supply food, animal feed, basic spirit cuisine, and provisions.

Ch. 45Spirit Mountains Abound, the Six Sects Emerge!

The Qin Lineage organized its spirit peaks and established resources, governance institutions, and private territories for the family branches. The chapter ended with the six sects taking shape across the spirit mountains while ten peaks remained reserved for cultivation.

  • The chapter described how the Qin Lineage controlled the cultivation holy land and used low- and middle-realm warriors as labor and resources.
  • The Zhao Family managed Spirit Medicine Peak, where the Nine-Mystic Spirit Pagoda was cultivated to supply a key ingredient for Qi Condensation Pills.
  • Qin Hui oversaw Spirit Tea Peak, where the Han Family tended Awakening Soul Tea Trees and Qin Hui’s Tea King had reached the second tier.
  • Qin Xiao established the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Attendant Hall, and Law Enforcement Hall, along with Broad Spirit Peak for leased cave abodes and Cavern Profound Peak as his family branch’s private territory.
  • Qin Wu established Military Martial Peak and Golden Sharpness Peak, Qin Wen opened Wenge Peak to house his lineage’s archives and heritage, and Qin Zhao divided his holdings between Black Dragon Peak and Dao-Seeking Peak.
  • The six sects took shape across the spirit mountains, while the remaining ten peaks were left for spirit grasses, trees, and ley-line cultivation.

Ch. 46Qin Lu Shows His Might, Crushing the Nobodies!

Qin Lu broke through to the Qi Condensation Second Layer, then tracked down and slaughtered a group of spies hiding near Ba Lake. He brought two survivors back to Muxuan Mountain’s dungeon, where the Qin Clan planned to question them and use them as blood sources.

  • Qin Lu reached the Qi Condensation Second Layer but worried that his poor talent would keep him from attaining the Dao Foundation realm.
  • The Qing Centipede told Qin Lu that someone had been spying on Wenge Peak, and Qin Lu followed the intruder’s trail to Ba Lake.
  • Qin Lu shattered a concealed formation and attacked the group of warriors, killing most of them with the Jinyuan Needle, the Tai'e Sword, and poison.
  • Qin Lu captured the two remaining survivors and took them toward Ba City while the Qing Centipede fed on the corpses.
  • At Muxuan Mountain, two new prisoners arrived at the Qin Clan’s dungeon, where an interrogator urged them to confess.

Ch. 47Liuyun Sword Sect, Father, Brother, and Sister!

Qin Lu interrogated Zhuo Wu and learned that the Floating Cloud Sword Sect was poisoning the Ba River and investigating his clan’s connection to the Cangnong Qi Clan. After verifying Zhuo Wu’s account, Qin Lu spared him temporarily and killed his fellow apprentice.

  • Qin Lu intimidated two captured Floating Cloud Sword Sect disciples, and Zhuo Wu agreed to confess.
  • Zhuo Wu explained that his sect planned to occupy Yingchuan County as a foothold for the coming war and had poisoned the Ba River to weaken Qin Lu’s clan.
  • Zhuo Wu revealed that the sect suspected Qin Lu’s clan had inherited the Cangnong Qi Clan’s legacy after an elder acquired a Purple Rhyme Mysterious Qi Pill from Han Xuan.
  • Qin Lu realized that defective pills from his early experiments had exposed clues about the Cangnong Qi Clan and considered spreading rumors to cover his past.
  • Qin Lu knocked Zhuo Wu unconscious, questioned the other disciple, confirmed the account, and killed him.

Ch. 48Beheading Orders and a Third Party

Qin Lu learned that the Daliang factions were preparing a probe against Zhengyuan Dao District and made plans to protect his family before leaving with Zhuo Wen. In Longchuan, he joined a gathering of cultivators and learned that the group was divided by a clash between local clans and central authority.

  • Qin Lu read the commandery governor’s letter and concluded that the proposed attack on Zhengyuan Dao District was a probe of Daliang’s strength.
  • Qin Lu instructed Qin Xiao to safeguard the family, investigate the poisoned water at Ba Lake, watch for strangers, and spread embellished accounts of their lineage.
  • Qin Lu warned Qin Xiao to lead his younger brothers to the frontier if necessary, then took Zhuo Wen and departed.
  • Qin Lu arrived at a gathering on a peak in Longchuan Prefecture and met Huang Liang, Zhang Xuan, Gongsun Zhe, Wu Yanmian, and other cultivators.
  • Huang Liang drew Qin Lu and Zhang Xuan into an isolation array and explained that the gathering’s factions reflected a conflict between local powerful clans and central authority.

Ch. 49A Three-Person Team, a Minor Rogue Cultivator!

Qin Lu learned how Huang Liang and Zhang Xuan planned to remain neutral amid the conflict between local lineages and imperial cultivators, then agreed to join them in targeting the Floating Cloud Sword Sect. The Myriad Li Rivers and Mountains Map transported their group to Zhuyun Space, where Zhuo Wen identified their location near his sect.

  • Huang Liang explained the struggle between the local lineages, the imperial court, and cultivators caught between them, while Zhang Xuan said he had allied with Qin Lu and Huang Liang for protection.
  • Qin Lu revealed that Zhuo Wen belonged to the Floating Cloud Sword Sect and proposed using him to lure out and kill the sect's two Qi Condensation cultivators; Huang Liang and Zhang Xuan agreed.
  • An old man used the Myriad Li Rivers and Mountains Map to send cultivators toward their chosen targets, and Qin Lu, Huang Liang, Zhang Xuan, and Zhuo Wen entered the map together.
  • The group arrived in a bamboo forest in Zhuyun Space, and Zhuo Wen explained that the Floating Cloud Sword Sect lay north of Yunmeng Marsh.

Ch. 50Designing a Trap to Kill, the Headstrong Fellow!

Zhuo Wen lured Ancestor Liuyun into a trap by claiming to have found a Nine-Tiered Flower, and Ancestor Liuyun personally traveled to investigate despite Xuanshan’s doubts. At Yunmeng Marsh, the Three Talents Scarlet Fire Yuan-Closing Formation sprang shut around them, and Zhang Xuan, Qin Lu, and Huang Liang attacked.

  • Zhuo Wen told Ancestor Liuyun and Xuanshan that he had found a Nine-Tiered Flower and escaped a pursuing insect-monster, concealing his discovery of the Qi Household.
  • Xuanshan warned that Zhuo Wen’s story was suspicious, but Ancestor Liuyun decided to investigate the alleged treasure himself.
  • Ancestor Liuyun took Zhuo Wen south toward Yunmeng Marsh while Xuanshan stayed behind to guard the Floating Cloud Sword Sect.
  • A Three Talents Scarlet Fire Yuan-Closing Formation trapped Ancestor Liuyun at a nameless shallow pool, revealing Zhuo Wen’s betrayal.
  • Zhuo Wen vomited out a Three-Foot Qing Centipede, which released Yi Wood Toxic Miasma as Zhang Xuan, Qin Lu, and Huang Liang attacked Ancestor Liuyun.
Arc 2 of 30
Arc 2 of 30