[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-170":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270178,4432,"Chapter 170: The Marvelous Use of Insight: Blade Art Soars","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-170",170,"\u003Cp>At noon, the sun blazed fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere inside the room stood in stark contrast to the bright sunshine outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find out who did this—now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuang Renhe’s face was icy, his skin twitching as he stared at the corroded marks on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, Xiang Ting had not come to report to him as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately sensed something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all his subordinates, Xiang Ting was not the strongest in martial skill, but he was the one Zhuang Renhe trusted most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because Xiang Ting had always been cautious and measured in his actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even small tasks were handled excellently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never commit such a foolish mistake as missing an appointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he sent men to check on Xiang Ting’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they found was shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no trace of Xiang Ting left—his body had been dissolved into sludge, not even a bone fragment remaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Third Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several men standing nearby replied in unison, their voices low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men were all elite warriors brought by the Zhuang family, so they addressed him as Third Master, not “my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuang Renhe narrowed his eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be Jiang Linxian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first thought was Jiang Linxian, since he was currently Zhuang Renhe’s greatest enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His men operated with extreme secrecy; Jiang Linxian could not possibly have discovered them, and even if he had, there would be no need to kill just Xiang Ting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that man’s methods, he would have come straight for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find out who it is—now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped at the men beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To have a trusted subordinate murdered without knowing who was responsible—this feeling was unbearable, infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a cold snort, swept his sleeve, and strode out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men inside exchanged uneasy glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they investigate when Xiang Ting had been reduced to nothing but sludge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui extended both arms horizontally, fingers spread, the Zhaodao resting balanced between his palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not draw the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply closed his eyes and stood perfectly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong and Wang Zhao stood to the side, clutching a handful of fresh sunflower seeds, cracking them open as they chatted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long has Old Li been like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Several hours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Wang Zhao say “several hours,” Yang Yong paused mid-crack, eyes wide in disbelief: “How many?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao confirmed again: “Precisely five hours. Master has been like this since early morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong marveled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had held Li Rui’s blade before—it weighed at least twenty jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you don’t lift it, try standing motionless under the midday sun for five hours?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few could endure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Rui not only endured it—he looked perfectly at ease, as if he could maintain this stance all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t know martial cultivators had this kind of endurance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong grew even more envious, clicking his tongue in admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Li Rui had invited him to brothels several times, claiming it was free, but he always refused—was it because he didn’t want to? No, he couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two marveled at Li Rui’s endurance,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui, who had remained motionless for so long, finally moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not move—and then, when he did, it was like thunder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two barely saw how he struck—only a sudden gale swept through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s robe fluttered as the Zhaodao slashed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening crash erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong and Wang Zhao were startled—because the sound came from the back courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a four-hall residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant one had to pass through three circular archways to reach the back courtyard—each courtyard roughly fifteen meters long, so traversing all four courtyards totaled sixty meters!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two leaned forward, peering through the archways at the scene in the back courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They both sucked in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust swirled in the air—the artificial rockery at the courtyard’s center had been cleanly split in two by Li Rui’s strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was two separate hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this even humanly possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixty meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One slash, cleaving a hill!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was an artificial rockery, the feat was astonishing enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li Rui’s lips curl into a faint smile of satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three words rang clearly in Yang Yong and Wang Zhao’s ears, making their jaws drop involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that? And he still says “not bad”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui sheathed his blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing motionless with the blade raised for five hours was no idle feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was cultivating the blade’s intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his aptitude improved, brilliant insights into martial arts flooded his mind; after half a month of study, he finally devised a blade technique entirely derived from the Changchun Art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blade-Nurturing Posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ancient masters nurtured swords—ten years without drawing, yet one strike startled ghosts and gods; the sword remained sheathed, warmed by true qi—this was called nurturing the sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the tradition of sword-nurturing masters gradually faded, and the lineage was long lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui drew inspiration from this to create the Blade-Nurturing Posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Changchun Art emphasized internal cultivation over external form, focused on health and longevity, and did not prioritize devastating offensive moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Blade-Nurturing Posture perfectly amplified the Changchun Art’s strength in nurturing qi, applying it directly to technique: no strike unless unleashed, and when unleashed, instant annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just five hours of nurturing the blade’s intent had produced such results—what if nurtured for ten or twenty years? The power was unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly boundless in application!” Li Rui chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The increase in aptitude yielded immediate results; with this Blade-Nurturing Posture, he now possessed another powerful advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a full day in the sun,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked Yang Yong and Wang Zhao to heat a large tub of water and soaked in it comfortably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ordinary Yu households, people bathed in large wooden tubs filled with water, but the wealthy built small square pools inside their rooms, similar to ancient swimming pools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were they spacious, but they retained heat better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was pure bliss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui leaned back comfortably against the pool’s wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems I can enjoy a brief respite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he killed Xiang Ting, half a month had passed, and the mist within his Insight Eye had changed little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he had predicted, Zhuang Renhe might have raged, seeking the killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he erased all evidence—there was nothing to investigate; no matter how furious, he had no lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Xiang Ting dead, the new person taking over wouldn’t necessarily care about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The facts proved this true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, Cao Wei, as Assistant Regional Commander, had voluntarily pushed for stricter discipline in the Anning Guard, leading several officers from various guard battalions to be taken to the Enforcement Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were lucky—just reprimanded; others were unlucky—lost their posts outright; the worst was one who had colluded with a sect and was beaten to death on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is training discipline really this simple?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not—it was all about crimes like collusion, harming civilians, seizing farmland; those with patrons got reprimanded, those without lost their positions—that was the real situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who was beaten to death was still Cao Wei’s man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said he dared to have an affair with Garrison Commander Feng Yu’s wife, and was subsequently beaten to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flexibility of the law lies precisely here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one looks closely, one will find that three-tenths of these officials belong to Cao Wei’s faction, while the remaining seven-tenths are Jiang Lin’s men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, it’s gods fighting and mortals suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to say these people were innocent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t innocent at all; according to the military law of Annan Town, they deserved immediate beheading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how many officers in Anning Guard dare claim their subordinates are clean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if one’s own hands are clean, one’s subordinates may not be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can still be charged with failure to supervise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Cao Wei had clearly prepared thoroughly—evidence and leads were solid, leaving Jiang Lin no grounds to criticize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On closer inspection, one finds most of them were officers under Ning Zhongtian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this purge, the effect came swiftly: Ning Zhongtian was left with only four officers above seventh rank—Li Rui, Ge Hong, Wei Ming, and Tan Hu—all others had been stripped of their posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To say this wasn’t deliberately targeted is unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Brother Li, if you hadn’t warned me, I might have been caught too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming took a heavy gulp of wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting beside him were the last four surviving officers under Ning Zhongtian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was never a man of pristine morals; though he never forcibly seized women, he had plenty of times seized farmland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If caught by Cao Wei’s faction, he might not lose his post outright, but his hard-won Platoon Leader position would certainly be gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Rui warned him, so he acted in advance and shifted all blame onto a subordinate in charge of grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That grain officer was now locked in the water dungeon by the Enforcement Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He once sneaked a visit and promised to care for the man’s wife and children; once the three-year term ended, he would arrange for the officer to return to office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he avoid disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Hong was also shaken: “Thanks to Old Brother Li’s keen insight—we’d both have been ruined otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled lightly: “I just guessed blindly—it happened to be right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized this was a setup orchestrated by Cao Wei and County Magistrate Zhuang Renhe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their goal: to strip Jiang Lin of his allies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since Ning Zhongtian had recently shone too brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only manage to protect three people—that was his limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he did more, he’d surely draw Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe’s attention and bring fire upon himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This whole affair is suspicious—did Cao Wei and Zhuang become partners?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming muttered bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, much of the evidence was uncovered with the government’s strong cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government cooperated with astonishing eagerness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most Assistant Regional Commanders in the guard battalions had poor relations with local County Magistrates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One mountain cannot hold two tigers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both wanted control, inevitably leading to enmity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this time, the government answered every request—clearly, Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe had reached some agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed they joined forces out of fear that Jiang Lin was growing too powerful, but Li Rui didn’t believe that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From all signs, it was easy to guess that County Magistrate Zhuang was doing something extremely secretive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Chengfeng might have been just one piece—everything being done now was meant to distract Jiang Lin’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what exactly was Zhuang Renhe hiding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four men drank until their faces flushed red, staggered back to Anning Guard post, half-drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parting ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui rubbed his temples and headed toward his home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Wang Zhao and Yang Yong still awake, sitting in the courtyard cooling off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao rose immediately upon seeing Li Rui: “Master, a letter arrived for you at the post station today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A letter for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s brow twitched slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spent most of his life in Qinghe, with no relatives or kin outside, hardly any friends—who would send him a letter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his reaction, Wang Zhao nodded quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s from Miss Yao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you, Nuan Yang, for the Silver Alliance—working hard to write extra chapters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1910,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9bfa467b2c2c25fa5628e923e13e5a973bd89871a9fa434b9e3f9dc600d21d5e","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-171","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-169",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]