Recaps

Chen Ning revealed his authority as the Dragon-Seeking Sect leader, forcing Shopkeeper Yang to award the competition to the Mo Clan and hand over the Star Essence Liquid. Lin Xiaotian killed Qin Wansheng, and Chen Ning left with the liquid, ready to hatch the spirit beast egg.

• Qin Wansheng realized Chen Ning was the Dragon-Seeking Sect leader and cowered before him.
• Shopkeeper Yang begged Chen Ning for mercy, declared the Mo Clan the winner, and promised compensation and cooperation.
• Chen Ning asked Lin Xiaotian what to do with Qin Wansheng, and Lin Xiaotian snapped Qin Wansheng's neck.
• Mo Sanniang confronted the Qin Clan woman over the stolen dance diagram and her grandfather's death, then had her taken away.
• Shopkeeper Yang gave the Mo Clan its place at the Autumn Years Banquet and handed Mo Sanniang the Star Essence Liquid.
• Mo Sanniang pledged the Mo Clan as Chen Ning's vassal and gave him the Star Essence Liquid, which he stored to begin hatching the spirit beast egg.

Chen Ning and Su Ling'er returned to Vermilion Bird Peak, where Su Ling'er nearly confessed a secret before falling asleep. The spirit beast egg hatched into a Progenitor Black Dragon, whose return awakened the Dragon Clan in the Snow Mountain Forbidden Land.

• Chen Ning invited Su Ling'er to sleep on his bed, and she nearly told him a secret before he pretended to fall asleep.
• Chen Ning placed the spirit beast egg on a stone table, and it hatched into a Progenitor Black Dragon that bonded with him.
• Su Ling'er feared the newborn dragon, but Chen Ning reassured her and named it Little Black.
• The Dragon Clan's leader sensed the Progenitor's presence and ordered the clan not to interfere with its destiny.

Chen Ning discovered that the little black dragon would only eat talismans, then tried to complete the system’s heart-to-heart task by drawing Su Ling'er into a conversation. His story failed to make her regret stealing, but it reminded her of her grandfather and led Chen Ning to promise he would tell her stories from then on.

• Chen Ning tried feeding the little black dragon meat and grains, but it rejected them and ate a Protective Talisman from his spatial bag instead.
• The system assigned Chen Ning a task to have heart-to-heart conversations with three senior sect members within 24 hours, with a Heaven-Slaying Bow as the perfect-completion reward.
• Chen Ning chose Su Ling'er as his first candidate and told her a story about a child whose mother encouraged him to steal.
• Su Ling'er said the child was a noob for getting caught and boasted that nobody had caught her stealing from the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty.
• Su Ling'er said she liked Chen Ning's story and recalled how her grandfather used to tell her stories, so Chen Ning promised to tell her stories from then on.

Chen Ning visited Xiao Mei at the Law Enforcement Hall to make progress on the system task of having heart-to-hearts with sect members. Xiao Mei candidly shared her troubled past, bringing the task to two-thirds complete as Chen Ning prepared to seek one more confidant.

• Chen Ning decided to pursue the rare task reward and chose Xiao Mei as his next heart-to-heart partner.
• Chen Ning brought two jars of wine to the Law Enforcement Hall and planned to use Lie Detection to draw out Xiao Mei’s worries.
• Xiao Mei dismissed the others, invited Chen Ning to call her Mei'er, and thanked him for bringing wine.
• Xiao Mei truthfully described how her oppressed Lineage had suffered and how a fortuitous opportunity had restored its standing, while omitting her mission to infiltrate the Dragon-Seeking Sect.
• The system credited Chen Ning with progress of 2/3, and he declined to claim the reward.

Chen Ning met with Cang Yue, who asked about his plans for the Dragon-Seeking Sect. He declared a policy of rest and noncontention, but Cang Yue then isolated the courtyard with a barrier before revealing her next request.

• Chen Ning left the Law Enforcement Hall and decided to seek out the Eighth Elder.
• Chen Ning returned to his residence and found Cang Yue inspecting the talisman materials on his stone table; she apologized for looking without permission.
• Cang Yue asked whether Chen Ning had plans for the sect, and she recounted the contrasting approaches of its past sect masters.
• Chen Ning said the sect should rest, recuperate, and avoid contention, then tidied the table as Cang Yue considered his words.
• Cang Yue said she had one more matter to ask about and enveloped the courtyard in a barrier, cutting it off from the outside world.

Cang Yue asked Chen Ning to accept her as his talisman master after his guidance greatly improved her inscription skills, and he agreed with the condition that she call him Master only in private. After Cang Yue left, Su Ling’er worried that she had gained a romantic rival.

• Cang Yue showed Chen Ning two talismans and earnestly asked him to take her as his master.
• Cang Yue recalled that Chen Ning’s guidance had improved her talisman skills enough to inscribe first-grade talismans.
• A system notification told Chen Ning that Xiao Mei had opened her heart and that he had completed the mission.
• Chen Ning accepted Cang Yue as his disciple but told her not to call him Master in public.
• Cang Yue left after dispelling the barrier, and Su Ling’er worried that she was competing with Cang Yue for Chen Ning’s affection.

After Chen Ning completed the mission, he gained a Heaven-Slaying Bow while Cang Yue, Xiao Mei, and Su Ling'er each advanced in cultivation, and Cang Yue received a Spirit Void Seed. Cang Yue and Xiao Mei concluded that Chen Ning could wield the Dragon-Seeking Sect’s legendary secret treasure, agreed to keep the secret, and began discussing how to uncover the pattern behind his influence.

• Chen Ning received the Heaven-Slaying Bow and other mission rewards, then fed talismans to his rapidly growing little black dragon.
• Xiao Mei realized her cultivation breakthrough had followed Chen Ning’s visit and suspected he was responsible.
• Cang Yue visited Xiao Mei, and the two compared their recent improvements and identified Chen Ning as their common cause.
• Cang Yue privately reflected that Chen Ning had helped her condense a wisp of a Spirit Void Seed, giving her hope of reaching the Saint Realm.
• Cang Yue and Xiao Mei guessed that Chen Ning could use the Dragon-Seeking Sect’s legendary secret treasure and agreed not to tell anyone.
• Xiao Mei proposed that she and Cang Yue work out the pattern behind Chen Ning’s abilities.

Cang Yue and Xiao Mei concluded that Chen Ning’s secret treasure had helped them improve and had protected Su Ling'er from heavenly lightning, strengthening Xiao Mei’s resolve to support him. Chen Ning took Master Wei’s talismans to feed the little black dragon, and Master Wei attacked Steward Hong for allowing it.

• Cang Yue and Xiao Mei reasoned that being alone with Chen Ning had caused their breakthroughs and that he had protected Su Ling'er from the heavenly lightning tribulation.
• Xiao Mei thanked Cang Yue and resolved to help Chen Ning remain sect leader if she gained power in the Devil Race.
• Chen Ning visited Vermilion Bird Peak’s talisman room and took Master Wei’s talismans after leaving Steward Hong the sect leader’s seal.
• Master Wei returned, learned the talismans were gone, and kicked and beat Steward Hong despite the seal.
• Master Wei tore up Chen Ning’s seal and planted his foot on Steward Hong’s head.

Chen Ning confronted Master Wei for brutally beating Steward Hong and attacked him after Master Wei refused to obey his order. As Master Wei charged with two talismans enhancing his power, Chen Ning revealed a super first-grade Heavenly Lightning Talisman, darkening the sky.

• Master Wei trampled Steward Hong for touching a superior-grade talisman, while the gathered disciples were too afraid to intervene.
• Chen Ning arrived, ordered Master Wei to release Steward Hong, and learned that Steward Hong had acted on Chen Ning’s instructions.
• Master Wei refused Chen Ning’s order and stomped on Steward Hong again, so Chen Ning attacked with the Fire God Seal and declared he wanted Master Wei’s life.
• Chen Ning wounded Master Wei with an arrow from the God-Slaying Bow and revealed that he had reached the Third Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm.
• Master Wei used a Qi-Gathering Talisman and a Bronze Bone Talisman before charging Chen Ning, who crushed a Heavenly Lightning Talisman and darkened the sky.

Chen Ning punished Master Wei for harming Steward Hong and tearing up the sect master's stamped order, then sought the grand elder's judgment. The grand elder ordered Master Wei executed, leaving the crowd cheering and Master Wei terrified.

• Chen Ning struck Master Wei with a Heavenly Lightning Talisman, gravely injuring him after Master Wei bullied Steward Hong.
• Chen Ning ordered a disciple to take Steward Hong to the medicine pavilion and confronted Master Wei for tearing up his stamped paper.
• Master Wei asked Chen Ning to let the grand elder judge the matter, and Chen Ning agreed.
• A disciple returned with the grand elder's written order, which declared Master Wei's crimes unforgivable and commanded his execution.
• The crowd cheered the grand elder's decision as Master Wei shook with fear.

Chen Ning left Master Wei to face the disciples he had bullied, then went with Su Ling'er to meet Xiao Mei at the Law Enforcement Hall. Xiao Mei invited him to claim a rare Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit near Gold and Iron City, and Chen Ning agreed to pursue the opportunity.

• Chen Ning watched as Master Wei, gravely injured and powerless, was surrounded by the disciples he had mistreated.
• Chen Ning returned to his residence, where a Law Enforcement Hall elder summoned him on Xiao Mei's orders.
• Chen Ning brought Su Ling'er with him to the Law Enforcement Hall, where Xiao Mei explained that an ancient tree near Gold and Iron City would bear a ripening Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit.
• Xiao Mei offered to accompany Chen Ning to obtain the fruit, and Chen Ning welcomed the chance to improve his cultivation.

Chen Ning and Xiao Mei arrived in Gold and Iron City to pursue the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit, while rival forces gathered around the Innate Ancient Tree. After Su Ling'er and Xiao Mei fought over who would attend to him, Chen Ning left the room to escape their quarrel.

• Xiao Mei brought Chen Ning to Gold and Iron City and said she would collect the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit when it ripened at midnight the following day.
• Xiao Mei pointed out Dragon-Seeking Sect disciples camped near the Innate Ancient Tree, alarming other groups who feared the sect might claim the fruit.
• Several rival forces discussed the Dragon-Seeking Sect's arrival and hoped the Situ Family would enter the contest and weaken it.
• Su Ling'er used the Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand to take the teapot from Xiao Mei and poured tea for Chen Ning.
• Xiao Mei and Su Ling'er argued over who would stay with Chen Ning, so he ordered both of them to remain in the room and walked out.

Chen Ning, Xiao Mei, and Su Ling'er waited until nightfall before heading to the ancient innate tree, where rival factions had gathered for the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit. As the fruit neared ripening, the crowd weighed the Dragon-Seeking Sect against the feared Situ Family as likely contenders.

• Chen Ning turned down Su Ling'er and Xiao Mei's offers to help him change, then agreed that Xiao Mei should pick the Marrow-Cleansing Fruit.
• Xiao Mei felt jealous when Chen Ning comforted Su Ling'er, and her envy returned after she tried to suppress it.
• Chen Ning, Xiao Mei, and Su Ling'er set out at night for the ancient innate tree, where crowds from many factions had assembled.
• The Dragon-Seeking Sect positioned thirty disciples to guard the fruit, while the Tyrant Blade Gang brought the largest force and the Situ Family arrived with Situ Zhuikong and several powerful experts.
• The crowd discussed which faction would claim the fruit and hesitated to challenge the ruthless Situ Family.

As the Marrow-Cleansing Fruits ripened, Chen Ning and the Dragon-Seeking Sect disciples joined the scramble while Su Ling'er guarded him. Situ Zhuikong tried to claim Su Ling'er, but after she wounded him and he recognized Chen Ning, Chen Ning ordered him to gouge out his own eyes to spare himself and the Situ family.

• Chen Ning arrived with his companions and joined the Dragon-Seeking Sect disciples near the ancient tree as the Marrow-Cleansing Fruits ripened.
• Xiao Mei and the disciples rushed to seize the fruits while Su Ling'er stayed to guard Chen Ning.
• Situ Zhuikong rode up to Su Ling'er, demanded that she accompany him, and threatened to destroy Chen Ning's sect when Chen Ning refused.
• Situ Zhuikong attacked Chen Ning, but Su Ling'er deflected his strike and wounded him with her sword.
• Situ Zhuikong recognized the Dragon-Seeking Sect and apologized, and Chen Ning told him to gouge out his own eyes to spare himself and his family.

A mysterious thief stole the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit from Xiao Mei and escaped high into the clouds, while Chen Ning confronted Situ Zhuikong over his offense against the Dragon-Seeking Sect. After Xiao Mei reported that she had wounded the thief and could still track his Qi, Chen Ning decided to pursue him into the heavens.

• The three Situ Family experts yielded the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit to Xiao Mei, but a mysterious figure snatched it from the tree and fled into the clouds.
• Xiao Mei struck the thief and wounded him, but she could not follow him beyond the height where she could remain airborne.
• The Situ Family experts rushed to rescue Situ Zhuikong from the Dragon-Seeking Sect disciples and apologized to Chen Ning for his offense.
• Chen Ning refused to spare Situ Zhuikong unless he gouged out both his eyes, despite the Situ Family expert's plea for consideration.
• Xiao Mei told Chen Ning that she had failed to obtain the fruit but could sense the wounded thief's Qi among the clouds.
• Chen Ning said they would punch a hole in the heavens to pursue the thief.

Chen Ning demonstrated the Heaven-Slaying Bow’s power by shooting down the person who had taken the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit, then recovered from the effort as the crowd yielded to the Dragon-Seeking Sect. The chapter left Situ Zhuikong facing his family’s sudden demand that he gouge out his eyes to atone.

• Chen Ning used all his primordial power to fire an arrow into the sky and kill the person who had taken the divine fruit.
• Xiao Mei helped the weakened Chen Ning, while the surrounding groups were too frightened to touch the corpse’s spatial ring.
• The Tyrant Blade Gang dispersed the crowd and left the Dragon-Seeking Sect and the four Situ Family members beneath the ancient tree.
• Chen Ning reminded the Situ Family experts that they had discussed making Situ Zhuikong gouge out his eyes, and they pretended they had supported the punishment all along.
• The three Situ Family experts rebuked Situ Zhuikong and ordered him to gouge out his own eyes.

After forcing the Situ Family to blind Situ Zhuikong, Chen Ning returned to Gold and Iron City and took the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit with Xiao Mei’s help. As its powerful energy surged through his body, the treatment grew more intense.

• Chen Ning ordered Situ Zhuikong to gouge out his eyes, and the Situ Family obeyed before leaving with him alive.
• Situ Zhuikong rejected an offered pill and blamed his uncles for following the family head’s order to save his life.
• Chen Ning searched the stranger’s spatial ring, found the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit and other treasures, and told Xiao Mei to investigate the stranger’s identity.
• Chen Ning rested in Gold and Iron City while Xiao Mei and Su Ling'er argued over who could enter his room.
• Xiao Mei urged Chen Ning to take the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit and helped him as its force began cleansing his body.
• As Chen Ning grew hotter from the fruit’s energy, Xiao Mei removed his upper-body clothes to help the impurities escape.

Chen Ning recovered from cleansing his marrow with Xiao Mei’s help, then traveled with her and Su Ling'er to Vermilion Bird Peak. There, Law Enforcement Hall disciples reported that they had identified the person who tried to steal the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit.

• Xiao Mei sent her True Essence Power into Chen Ning and helped him endure the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit’s effects.
• After Chen Ning recovered, Xiao Mei stayed close to him through the night, hoping to win his approval and earn future help with her cultivation.
• The next morning, Chen Ning told Xiao Mei they would set out for Vermilion Bird Peak, and she agreed.
• Chen Ning, Xiao Mei, and Su Ling'er rode their Immortal Feather Spirit Beasts to Vermilion Bird Peak.
• Law Enforcement Hall disciples greeted Chen Ning and reported that they had discovered the identity of the person who had tried to snatch the fruit.

Chen Ning learned that the thief who stole the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit belonged to Three Quarters Past Noon, then accepted an epic mission to investigate the missing Thief God, Su Ling’er’s grandfather. After learning the Thief God had been out of contact for six months, Chen Ning decided to take Su Ling’er to the Great Yan Imperial Capital.

• A disciple identified the fruit thief as an outlaw from Three Quarters Past Noon, and Xiao Mei explained the organization’s ranks and origins to Chen Ning.
• Chen Ning returned to his residence and accepted the system’s epic mission to find the missing Thief God, whose last known location was the Great Yan Imperial Capital.
• Chen Ning asked Su Ling’er about her family, and she revealed that her grandfather was her only living relative and had not contacted her for half a year.
• Chen Ning connected Su Ling’er’s lack of contact with the Thief God’s disappearance and told her they would leave for the Great Yan Imperial Capital the next day.

Chen Ning and Su Ling'er traveled by teleportation array to the Great Yan Imperial Capital for a time-limited mission, while Cang Yue secretly arranged protection for him. After Chen Ning concealed their identities from the guards, their extortion attempt turned violent, and he struck the lead soldier.

• Chen Ning and Su Ling'er asked Great Elder Cang Yue to activate Verdant Peak's teleportation array for their journey to the imperial capital.
• Cang Yue urged Chen Ning to take Ying Wu, but he declined, and she told Su Ling'er to protect him.
• Cang Yue privately ordered Ying Wu to contact people in the imperial capital and have them attend to Chen Ning's every need.
• Chen Ning and Su Ling'er arrived at the imperial capital and told the soldiers they were travelers from Desolate Province.
• The lead soldier demanded money and demanded that Su Ling'er spend the night with him, so Chen Ning kicked him in the groin.

Chen Ning and Su Ling'er escaped the soldiers after fighting their way through the Great Yan Imperial Capital, then Chen Ning followed a system hint to the Listening Rain Tower to investigate the Thief God. After an informant refused to answer, Chen Ning overheard him report to the Marquis Who Guards the North, Shi Tianhao, and learned the Marquis was tracking him.

• Chen Ning and Su Ling'er defeated the soldiers who attacked them near the teleportation array, then escaped and found lodging in the capital.
• The system directed Chen Ning to investigate the Thief God at the Listening Rain Tower, so he left Su Ling'er asleep and went there that night.
• Chen Ning offered an elderly informant a gold note for information about the Thief God, but the man refused and had guards escort him out.
• Chen Ning secretly followed the informant to the residence of Shi Tianhao, the Marquis Who Guards the North.
• The informant told Shi Tianhao that a young man had asked about the Thief God and that he had sent men to follow Chen Ning.
• Chen Ning listened from nearby eaves as Shi Tianhao approved the surveillance.

Chen Ning infiltrated the Marquis’s chambers and forced him to reveal that the Thief God was imprisoned in his dungeon. After the system assigned Chen Ning a mission to rescue the thief, the marquis agreed to release him, and they headed to the dungeon together.

• Chen Ning held the Marquis at knifepoint and asked where the Thief God was, while the Marquis killed a concubine who screamed.
• The Marquis revealed that the Thief God had stolen the Nine Revolutions Exquisite Treasure Pagoda and been imprisoned in the dungeon half a year earlier.
• Chen Ning received the second stage of his mission: rescue the Thief God from the dungeon.
• The Marquis agreed to release the Thief God after Chen Ning promised that the thief would compensate him tenfold for the treasure.
• Chen Ning insisted they go immediately, and he and the Marquis entered the dungeon together.

Chen Ning accompanied the Marquis Who Guards the North to meet the Thief God, then realized the two had conspired to lure him into a trap. After Chen Ning countered the Thief God’s Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand, the Thief God suspected he belonged to the founding master’s lineage, and Chen Ning went along with it.

• The Marquis Who Guards the North led Chen Ning through the dungeon to the Thief God’s well-appointed cell, and Chen Ning urged the old man to leave with him.
• As they walked out, the Thief God attacked Chen Ning and admitted he intended to take him down while sparing his life.
• Chen Ning escaped with a Protective Talisman and explained that the marquis’s long delay in acting had made him suspect the pair were conspiring.
• The Thief God revealed his Spirit Martial Realm Peak cultivation and used Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand to try to steal Chen Ning’s primal power.
• Chen Ning used the same technique with greater mastery, prompting the Thief God to ask whether he came from the founding master’s lineage.
• Chen Ning nodded and claimed that he did.

Chen Ning met the Thief God, who recognized him as a successor to the Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand, while the Marquis of Zhenbei turned against them and trapped Chen Ning in a dungeon battle formation. The Thief God offered to steal the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's national fortune in exchange for Chen Ning's safety and a promise to leave Su Ling'er alone, and the Marquis of Zhenbei accepted.

• The Thief God recognized Chen Ning's Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand and apologized, while Chen Ning received the final mission to resolve the Thief God's troubles.
• Chen Ning mentioned Su Ling'er, prompting the Thief God to reveal his connection to her as the Marquis of Zhenbei emerged and challenged him.
• The Thief God protected Chen Ning, but the Marquis of Zhenbei attacked and signaled soldiers to surround Chen Ning with a dungeon killing formation.
• The Thief God offered to steal the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's national fortune if the Marquis of Zhenbei spared Chen Ning and stopped pursuing Su Ling'er.
• The Marquis of Zhenbei halted the battle formation and agreed to the Thief God's conditions.

The Marquis Who Guards the North tried to make the Thief God steal Great Yan’s national fortune, but Chen Ning urged the Thief God to protect Su Ling'er and challenged the plan. When the Marquis ordered the soldiers to kill Chen Ning, Chen Ning revealed his mastery of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand and began breaking through the battle array.

• The Marquis Who Guards the North agreed to release Chen Ning and spare Su Ling'er after the Thief God stole Great Yan’s national fortune.
• Chen Ning warned the Thief God that heavenly punishment could harm Su Ling'er and urged him to protect his granddaughter himself.
• The Marquis ordered his soldiers to attack Chen Ning before the Thief God could change his mind.
• Chen Ning’s presence rose, and the Thief God recognized his Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand as being at great perfection.
• Chen Ning struck down soldiers and opened a gap in the battle array, while the phantom spears disintegrated into primordial Qi around him.
• The Marquis ordered the soldiers to fight to the death and promised ten thousand taels of silver for those who fell.