Skygreen Serpent King

- **Entering the Realm (入境)**: The chapter is a masterclass in *jingjie* (境界), the attainment of a temporary state of perfect harmony with a technique. Ji Ning can already ‘Enter the Realm’ with all nine moves of the *Dripping Sutra*, but the final, hardest move of the *Thunderfire Sword Fragments* eluded him until this life-or-death moment. The pressure of a desperate, time-limited kill was exactly what he needed to ‘awaken’ that realm. - **The Real Value of a Great Demon**: The bezoar (牛黄) is a classic Xianxia trope. A Water Rhinoceros’s bezoar is not just a trophy; it’s a legendary anti-toxin treasure worth a fortune (a single magic treasure!). This shows how high the stakes are for killing a Xiantian great demon—the loot is legendary. - **Tactical Retreat of Great Demons**: In many Western fantasies, big monsters fight to the death. In Xianxia, ancient beasts are cunning. They don’t have honor; they have survival instinct. The moment the Water Rhinoceros realized its unique defense was broken, it bailed, showing its intelligence and cowardice. - **Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations**: This phrase is introduced in the glossary and is key to understanding the backdrop. Cultivators below Celestial Immortal face periodic, unavoidable disasters—every three hundred years a minor one, every nine hundred years a major one. This is the natural pressure that drives all cultivators to constantly improve or die.

Definition

Story context

Alright, fellow Daoists, buckle up! This chapter is a straight-up Xianxia boss fight with a side of grim reality. Ji Ning has just witnessed a massacre—over 600 frozen corpses, including 500 innocent villagers turned into cattle by a cruel great demon. And now he’s face-to-face with the culprit: the Water Rhinoceros King, a Xiantian glutton who treats humans as walking rations. But here’s the twist: this ain’t the usual warm-up punch. Ji Ning *loses* the first engagement with his Ki Refining sword, realizes his fancy Unity of Man and Heaven techniques won’t cut it, and has to flip the switch to his Fiendgod Body Refining power. We get visceral, high-speed combat, a desperate chase, a surprising retreat from the beast, and a beautiful final kill with the hidden ‘Moth to the Flame’ technique. The chapter ends with a pulse-raising foreshadowing: the Skygreen Serpent King is about to show up.

Why it matters

Welcome to the first chapter where Ji Ning properly shows his fangs! If you were wondering if this was just a clever kid with a sword, think again. This is the moment where the dual cultivation path (Ki Refining + Fiendgod Body Refining) pays off in a brutal, tactical way. I love how IET sets up the encounter: the cold, analytical combat of the Ki Refiner vs. the primal, overwhelming power of the Fiendgod. Watch Ji Ning’s transition—it’s not just about getting stronger; it’s about *learning* when to use the right tool.