Chapter Summaries

Si Ming continued defending his challenge at Sun Wu University, defeating two more martial artists while hiding the full extent of his strength behind displays of technique. He left the crowded hall waiting for the next challenger.

• Si Ming entered the martial arts hall, restored the banner's energy, and invited the students to challenge him.
• Jin Ganggang introduced himself as the Mountain-Bearing Heavenly King and charged at Si Ming, who redirected his hands and knocked him into the wall with a shoulder strike.
• The spectators marveled at Si Ming's control and realized his previous victories had not relied on brute force alone.
• Wu Dongsheng, the Cloud-Entering Crane, attacked Si Ming with a piercing finger technique and a trapping palm sequence.
• Si Ming evaded Wu Dongsheng's attacks with Dunjia Heavenly Movement, then struck him into the wall and called for the next challenger.

Si Ming prepared to face the third day of challenges at Sun Wu University after defeating seventy-two opponents, while Hou Fei and You Bin reassessed his strength and warned their teammates. Si Ming discovered Xin Jia had been injured by the backlash against him, and the chapter left him aware that the university students had made him their public enemy.

• Hou Fei told You Bin that Si Ming had defeated seventy-two skilled fighters and showed no apparent weakness, admitting that fear had stopped him from challenging Si Ming.
• You Bin received a telegram revealing that Si Ming was Yan Jinghong's disciple, and Hou Fei realized Si Ming might be concealing swordsmanship and lightness skills.
• Hou Fei and You Bin decided to warn their captain and teammates about Si Ming's abilities and revise their tactics.
• Si Ming noticed the students' growing hostility as he arrived at the martial arts hall with Xin Jia and Cheng Xin.
• Si Ming found bruises on Xin Jia's arm and apologized for dragging her into the conflict, while Cheng Xin said the news department was eager to expose the Military School's conduct.

Si Ming faced hostility from Sun Wu University after someone defaced the challenge banner, while Cheng Xin and Yu Shuying urged him to stand firm and keep winning. After talking Qiu Ze out of a fight, Si Ming watched a much more imposing second challenger enter the ring.

• Cheng Xin photographed Xin Jia's injured arm and told her she would expose the Military School students who had hurt her.
• Yu Shuying gave Si Ming a replacement banner and advised him that he could reveal some of his strength after surviving the day's challenge.
• Si Ming replaced the banner defaced with the words "Mohist School, get the hell out," prompting Sun Wu University students to argue over the dishonorable trick and their duty to fight.
• Qiu Ze confronted Si Ming over advice that had led him to swear at Si Huaruo, but Si Ming explained why copying someone else's behavior had backfired.
• Qiu Ze accepted Si Ming's explanation, apologized, and left the ring without fighting, though he stayed to cheer Si Ming on.
• A second challenger entered the ring, and Si Ming sensed a presence unlike that of his previous opponents.

Si Ming fought Gu Xinglie, the Soaring Sky Sword, after learning of his reputation as a battle-hardened military swordsman. Si Ming gained the upper hand by outlasting Gu Xinglie, who countered with the Yang Talisman Palm as the fight continued.

• Students explained that Gu Xinglie had won the Heavenly Firmament Swordmaster's recruitment contest five years earlier and had fought the Demon Race on the coastal defenses.
• Gu Xinglie unleashed a killing-aura surprise attack and a swift sword strike, but Si Ming resisted the mental assault and countered with the Crimson Scorpion Evil Saber.
• Si Ming pressed Gu Xinglie with a relentless saber assault, while Gu Xinglie retreated and defended with flexible swordwork.
• After half a shichen, Gu Xinglie began to tire and realized Si Ming had been concealing his stamina, then lost focus and left an opening.
• Si Ming knocked Gu Xinglie's sword aside and attacked with a palm, prompting Gu Xinglie to retreat and launch the Yang Talisman Palm.

Si Ming defeated challenger after challenger at Sun Wu University, while Gaoyang Wuji tried to force him into a fight before the day ended. Si Huaruo intervened with a move that immobilized the entire martial arts hall, allowing Si Ming to leave, and then released everyone.

• Gu Xinglie lost to Si Ming, admitted defeat, and left after spitting blood.
• Si Ming continued fighting challengers, defeating even opponents comparable to Gu Xinglie through his stamina and delaying tactics.
• At dusk, Si Ming ended the day's matches and refused Gaoyang Wuji's demand to fight immediately.
• Gaoyang Wuji attacked Si Ming and his companions blocked the way, prompting Si Huaruo to unleash Stream Vortex Immerses and Condenses Ripples.
• Si Huaruo freed Si Ming, who left the hall, then released the others from her immobilizing technique.

On the fourth day of the arena challenge, Si Ming gained a few supporters as the university newspaper turned his stand into a sensation. He defeated martial arts team captain Gaoyang Wuji in under ten minutes, leaving the challenge to continue.

• Gaoyang Wuji told You Bin that Si Ming’s growing momentum had sharply reduced their chances of victory, and You Bin decided the university leaders should handle the crisis.
• Si Ming encountered supporters arguing with Military School students on his way to the martial arts hall.
• Cheng Xin showed Si Ming a university newspaper that praised his defiance while using the arena challenge to discuss broader political issues.
• Si Ming met Gaoyang Wuji, the polite Lu School captain of the university martial arts team, as the first challenger of the day.
• Si Ming fought more aggressively on Yu Shuying’s advice and defeated Gaoyang Wuji in less than ten minutes.

Si Ming’s arena challenge continued as Sun Wu University’s strongest challengers dwindled, while the university pressured Fu Feng to take responsibility for provoking the dispute. The sixth day ended with Si Ming still undefeated and the university’s remaining challengers far weaker.

• On the fifth day, Si Ming gained more support from spectators and Military School disciples, but no graduate or doctoral student came forward to challenge him.
• The principal gave Fu Feng a choice: apologize to Si Ming, challenge and defeat him, or have Huyan Lie answer for the incident; Fu Feng admitted his master would not appear and was told to take responsibility.
• Xing Daozhuang refused to pressure Yan Jinghong’s disciple to end the arena challenge, telling Sun Wu University’s veterans to negotiate with Si Ming directly.
• On the sixth day, Si Ming attracted even more supporters, including students from other schools, while only weaker challengers appeared and no one challenged him for five minutes.

Si Ming rejected Fu Feng’s attempt to settle their feud privately and demanded a public confession in exchange for ending the arena challenge. After Fu Feng refused, Si Ming prepared to negotiate with Sun Wu University, whose influence could make his stay in the Nation of Valor difficult even as he sought fame through the challenge.

• Si Ming let Fu Feng’s private apology stand but refused to cancel the arena challenge unless Fu Feng publicly read a sincere letter of repentance.
• Fu Feng refused, arguing that public humiliation would ruin his future, and threatened that Sun Wu University would suffer if Si Ming continued.
• Si Ming dismissed Fu Feng with palm Qi, and Yu Shuying judged that Fu Feng lacked the resolve either to resist proudly or submit completely.
• Si Ming explained that he had invited Yu Shuying to help him negotiate with Sun Wu University, not with Fu Feng or Huyan Lie.
• Si Ming decided to proceed with the arena challenge despite the risk of retaliation, since winning it could make him famous in Sea Continent’s martial arts world.

Si Ming and Yu Shuying rejected Sun Wu University's attempt to negotiate away the arena fight, insisting Huyan Lie must face consequences for starting the conflict. Xin Jia's uncle left without persuading them and admitted he hoped they would see the fight through.

• Xin Jia brought her uncle to meet Si Ming, and Si Ming directed him to negotiate with Yu Shuying.
• Yu Shuying revealed that she and Si Ming had signed a marriage compatibility form, then refused to call off the arena fight.
• Yu Shuying said they wanted Huyan Lie to pay and explained that canceling the fight would let him escape serious consequences.
• Xin Jia's uncle argued that the fight would damage both sides, but Yu Shuying pointed out that it could weaken Huyan Lie's standing within the school.
• Si Ming refused the offered compensation, apologized to Xin Jia for denying her uncle's request, and reaffirmed his resolve.
• Xin Jia's uncle ended the discussion and privately said he hoped Si Ming and Yu Shuying would see the fight through.

After ending his seven-day arena challenge, Si Ming earned the Military School students’ respect and established himself in the Sea Continent’s martial world. He then learned that the Martial King Cup organizers had changed the rules and moved the event to an island, leaving him wary of the new format.

• Yu Shuying told Si Ming that Sun Wu University would still treat him as its primary target, while its leaders would use Huyan Lie’s troubles to their advantage.
• On the final day of the arena challenge, Si Ming defeated challengers by using thirty-six of Sun Wu University’s own ultimate arts.
• Si Ming ended the challenge, and the crowd applauded his skill and honorable conduct.
• Si Ming received an urgent notice that the Martial King Cup rules had changed and that the tournament would take place on an island.
• Si Ming questioned whether the organizers’ reforms would make the competition unpredictable.

Si Ming arrived at the Martial King Cup’s island venue and drew attention after humiliating a challenger who doubted his reputation. He reunited with Ying Zhou and Murong Wu, learning that Murong Wu had been sent to compete under the revised rules and was expected to reach the final round.

• Si Ming, Si Huaruo, and Yu Shuying crossed the sea to the island and discussed its demonic beasts and possible uses.
• A burly contestant challenged Si Ming’s reputation, but Si Huaruo and Yu Shuying mocked him, and Si Ming asked who he was.
• The contestant backed away rather than risk losing to Si Ming, while Yu Shuying warned that Si Ming’s fame would attract more trouble.
• Ying Zhou arrived with Murong Wu and explained that Murong Wu’s master had poisoned him into serving as his babysitter.
• Yu Shuying and Murong Wu explained that Murong Wu’s master had sent him to the Martial King Cup after learning of the revised rules, hoping he would reach the final round.

Si Ming and the others learned that the Martial King Cup would be a five-day free-for-all across Smokeless Island, with shrinking zones and divinity requirements forcing contestants to keep fighting. The organizers also revealed that the island held hidden supplies and two sets of custom-made Profound Armor, leaving many contestants eager to compete for them.

• Si Ming, Ying Zhou, and Murong Wu discussed Murong Wu’s standing as a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster’s disciple and noticed that Xia Guanxue had entered the tournament.
• A Nation of Valor organizer announced that contestants would fight in a free-for-all on Smokeless Island, where shrinking zones would eliminate those who stayed too long.
• The organizer explained the wristband rules and divinity thresholds contestants needed to meet each day to avoid disqualification.
• Yu Shuying and Si Huaruo discussed strategies for collecting divinity and surviving the tournament.
• The organizer revealed that contestants could find hidden supplies, including pills, weapons, and two sets of custom-made Profound Armor.
• The organizers distributed a rule booklet with tactical advice and a map of Smokeless Island.

Si Ming and Yu Shuying debated the Remote Heaven Society’s claim that Xing Daozhuang was behind the attack on Huang Tu, and decided not to investigate without evidence while staying alert. The chapter ended with Xia Guanxue confronting someone who had been following him through an alley.

• Si Ming asked Yu Shuying to assess the tip accusing Xing Daozhuang, and she outlined several possible motives for the Remote Heaven Society’s claim.
• Si Ming argued that Xing Daozhuang should not be suspected without evidence, while Yu Shuying warned that his apparent impartiality could be an act.
• Yu Shuying agreed that refusing to react might draw out the Heaven-Defying Society, but urged Si Ming to stay cautious around its members.
• Xia Guanxue stopped in a deserted alley and challenged the person who had been following him to come out.

Ying Zhou challenged Xia Guanxue over his refusal to face his family’s deaths, and the two fought in a narrow alley. Ying Zhou defeated him and left, while Si Ming began attracting visitors at Sun Wu University after opening his challenge arena.

• Ying Zhou confronted Xia Guanxue about not visiting Xia Tingyu or tending their parents’ graves, and accused him of refusing to accept their deaths.
• Xia Guanxue attacked Ying Zhou, and the two exchanged sword and saber techniques in the alley.
• Ying Zhou taunted Xia Guanxue and pressed him into using his strongest attack, but changed to a defensive move after hearing kittens whimper.
• Ying Zhou trapped Xia Guanxue’s sword, struck him with his precept saber, and sent him into a trash heap.
• Ying Zhou returned Xia Guanxue’s sword to the trash, warned him not to appear again, and walked away.
• Students began visiting Si Ming after he set up a challenge arena at Sun Wu University.

Si Ming took Ying Zhou and the others sightseeing in the Nation of Valor, where they visited a farm and saw how powerful its women were. After lunch and a game of pitch-pot began, the group settled in to enjoy their outing.

• Si Ming went sightseeing with Ying Zhou and the others to escape the visitors disrupting his cultivation.
• Cheng Xin guided them through the countryside to a mechanized farm, where they saw women doing most of the work and a slaughterhouse employee kill a cow barehanded.
• Si Ming joked about the Nation of Valor's formidable farm women, and Cheng Xin teased that she could print his remarks in the university newspaper.
• Cheng Xin restarted the broken sightseeing vehicle by striking its hood and sending True Qi into the engine.
• The group grilled meat and ordered a large lunch, with Si Ming and Ying Zhou eating nearly three hundred shaomai between them.
• Cheng Xin brought out the equipment for pitch-pot, and the group agreed that the losers would drink.

Ying Zhou’s injured hand was treated by Murong Wu while the group played a rigged pot-throwing game, which Cheng Xin won against Si Ming. After sightseeing in the Nation of Valor, Si Ming lamented that he could not take the underage Murong Wu to the famous nightclubs.

• Ying Zhou failed to throw any arrows into the pot, and Murong Wu noticed his injured palm and bandaged it.
• Cheng Xin won two rounds of pot throwing by exploiting a flaw inside the pot, then made Si Ming and the other losers drink for their missed throws.
• Murong Wu stopped Ying Zhou from drinking because of his injury, while Si Huaruo and Si Ming wondered about Murong Wu’s gender and Si Ming warned Ying Zhou about the class rep.
• Si Ming found the Nation of Valor’s famous sights unremarkable and decided that its culture interested him more than its scenery.
• Si Ming could not take Murong Wu to the Nation of Valor’s nightclubs because Murong Wu was a minor.

The Martial King Cup began under revised rules that encouraged contestants to form alliances, while Si Ming reunited with Su Yingtao and heard about the new emperor’s political reforms. Si Ming could not tell Su Yingtao how his elder brother, Su Yingbo, was doing because they had lost contact across continents.

• The Martial King Cup began, drawing more contestants who hoped the revised rules would let them survive through alliances.
• Si Ming decided not to seek allies, knowing he would team up with Si Huaruo or Murong Wu if they met in the competition.
• Si Ming greeted Su Yingtao, who described the new emperor’s reforms and said he had heard they were inspired by Si Ming’s book.
• Si Ming denied influencing the Dharma Emperor and asked Su Yingtao not to spread the rumor.
• Su Yingtao asked about Su Yingbo, and Si Ming explained that he had no news of him after Su Yingbo went to the wasteland Barbarian Continent.

Si Ming began the Martial King Cup on the island, gathered supplies, and came across a fight between Hou Fei and a powerful bald contestant. The chapter ended as Hou Fei spotted Si Ming, lost focus, and left himself open to a dangerous attack.

• Su Yingtao spoke with Si Ming about hoping his elder brother and sister-in-law could live peacefully, and Gaoyang Wuji later greeted Si Ming to keep their personal relations separate from university rivalries.
• The organizers assigned contestants to island areas using masked truck transport, and Si Ming was dropped in area thirteen.
• Si Ming searched for food, found supplies including canned meat preserved for fifty years, and ate them before discarding a spear and shield as unsuitable weapons.
• Si Ming heard fighting and found Hou Fei battling a burly bald man who used the Thousand Dragon Fist.
• Hou Fei kept his distance and evaded the bald man's attacks, but spotting Si Ming made him lose focus and leave an opening for the bald man's counterattack.

Hou Fei escaped after outmaneuvering Gui Zhenchuan, and Si Ming took his place in a fight with the Iron-Spined Earth Dragon. Si Ming effortlessly stopped Gui Zhenchuan’s attacks, but Gui’s powerful finishing strike forced Si Ming to answer with a named palm technique.

• Hou Fei used a soft push to send Gui Zhenchuan flying, then fled into the forest before Gui could pursue him.
• Si Ming caught Gui Zhenchuan’s casual punch and introduced himself, while Gui challenged him to take Hou Fei’s place.
• Gui Zhenchuan announced that he would use his full strength, and Si Ming claimed he had used only three percent of his own.
• Si Ming stopped Gui’s Thousand Dragon Fist with one finger and scattered his Twin Dragons Fetch Water technique with two fingers.
• Gui Zhenchuan unleashed Azure Dragon Shatters the Mountain, and Si Ming countered with Haven't Thought of a Name Yet Palm.

Si Ming defeated Gui Zhenchuan on Smokeless Island, while the Martial King Cup spectators watched the footage and debated Si Ming’s strength and lineage. In the spectator area, Xing Daozhuang refused to gamble, Blade-Wielding Boy withdrew after Lord Yunxia rebuked him, and Lord Yunxia discussed Si Ming with Xing Daozhuang.

• Si Ming knocked Gui Zhenchuan unconscious, crushed his wristband, and gained Gui Zhenchuan’s share of divinity.
• The host explained how the Nation of Valor used divinity-powered wristbands and island receivers to transmit the contestants’ battles to the spectator area.
• Spectators praised Si Ming’s victory and speculated that he was Xiao Xuan’s disciple, while Xing Daozhuang dismissed the rumor and refused to assess Si Ming’s strength.
• Blade-Wielding Boy tried to persuade Xing Daozhuang to place bets, but Lord Yunxia rebuked him and he left.
• Lord Yunxia called Si Ming troublesome but vigorous, and Xing Daozhuang said there was no harm in stirring up trouble if Si Ming could smooth things over afterward.