Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan defeated Zhu Ba and rose to fame in the Fourth Inner City, then won a series of challenges while rapidly improving his strength and cultivation. After reaching Rank 3 middle stage with Bai Ning Bing’s help, he learned a formidable group led by Tie Ruo Nan had arrived in Shang Clan City looking for Gu Yue Fang Zheng.

• Fang Yuan broke Zhu Ba’s hold with All-Out Gu, forced him to concede, and won their match.
• Wei Yang praised Fang Yuan’s strength-path potential as Fang Yuan received many challenges targeting his All-Out Gu.
• Fang Yuan defeated Jin Bianyuan, Liao Huadong, and Zhong De, building a reputation while carefully choosing his fights and training between them.
• Bai Ning Bing helped Fang Yuan advance to Rank 3 middle stage through Bone and Flesh Reunion Gu, and told him her aptitude had risen to ninety-two percent.
• Fang Yuan discussed Bai Ning Bing’s cultivation and Yang Gu, while Bai Ning Bing noted that Fang Yuan’s strength and defenses had continued to grow.
• Tie Ruo Nan arrived in Shang Clan City with a formidable group and asked whether Gu Yue Fang Zheng was there.

Tie Ruo Nan arrived in Shang Clan City and repeatedly tried to meet Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing, while Fang Yuan learned she had survived Qing Mao Mountain and become a Tie Family Young Master. He weighed how to protect his identity and concluded that selling the Blood Skull Gu to Shang Yan Fei could serve as a last resort.

• Tie Ruo Nan questioned Tie Dao Ku about his missing eye, and he admitted Bai Ning Bing had injured him.
• Tie Ruo Nan gave Tie Dao Ku money for treatment and ordered him to take her to Nan Qiu Yuan.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing’s attendant refused the Tie Family group entry three times, saying the two were cultivating in seclusion.
• Fang Yuan emerged from seclusion, learned Tie Ruo Nan had come, and realized she had survived Qing Mao Mountain.
• Fang Yuan considered how to handle Tie Ruo Nan’s suspicions and identified selling the Blood Skull Gu to Shang Yan Fei as a last resort.

Fang Yuan met Tie Ruo Nan, who believed he was Fang Zheng and that his elder brother Fang Yuan had destroyed Qing Mao Mountain. He deceived her about the Blood Sea Inheritance and watched her leave after she promised the Tie family would stop pursuing him, while suspecting she could become a threat.

• Tie Ruo Nan met Fang Yuan and asked him to explain how her father, Tie Xue Leng, had died.
• Fang Yuan denied deliberately killing Tie Dao Ku and pointed out that his Purple Thorn Token protected him in Shang Clan City.
• Tie Ruo Nan concluded that Fang Yuan was Fang Zheng and that his brother Fang Yuan had possessed the Northern Darkness Ice Soul Body and destroyed Qing Mao Mountain.
• Fang Yuan let Tie Ruo Nan believe his sorrow confirmed her theory and denied inheriting the Blood Sea Inheritance.
• Fang Yuan explained that the Blood Moon Gu had belonged to his clan leader, and Tie Ruo Nan accepted his account and promised to take Tie Dao Ku back without further pursuing the matter.
• Tie Ruo Nan left, and Fang Yuan suspected she would cause him trouble in the future.

Fang Yuan continued trying to refine a Toil Gu after Shang Ya Zi blocked his efforts to buy one, while his cultivation neared Rank 3 upper stage. He learned that a Ju Family Village auction would include a Toil Gu and decided to attend, as Shang Ya Zi planned to bid against him.

• Fang Yuan judged Tie Ruo Nan a growing threat after she recruited Tie Dao Ku and left with him.
• Fang Yuan's fourth attempt to refine a Toil Gu failed, costing him another Gu and injuring his soul.
• Bai Ning Bing helped Fang Yuan cultivate, bringing him closer to the upper stage of Rank 3 as Bai Ning Bing's aptitude continued rising toward the Northern Darkness Ice Soul Body.
• Wei Yang told Fang Yuan that Ju Family Village's surviving members would auction their clan's possessions, including a Toil Gu, and Fang Yuan decided to attend.
• Shang Ya Zi learned Fang Yuan would seek the Toil Gu at the auction and resolved to bid against him and make him suffer losses.

The Ju family's disaster brought its assets to auction in Shang Clan City, drawing the city's powerful factions and Fang Yuan's attention. Shang Xin Ci joined Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing at the auction, where Fang Yuan considered how to advance her rise within the Shang clan.

• A rare hurricane destroyed the Ju family's village and primeval spring, forcing the survivors to seek shelter in Shang Clan City and auction their property.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing secured a private room at the crowded auction, where Shang Qiu Niu, Shang Chao Feng, Shang Fu Xi, Shang Pu Lao, Shang Suan Ni, and Shang Bi Xi arrived.
• Fang Yuan assessed the three major factions among Shang Yan Fei's children and decided to help Shang Xin Ci rise sooner by targeting the less powerful young masters.
• Shang Xin Ci arrived with Shang Chi Wen and greeted Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing in their private room.
• Shang Xin Ci asked Fang Yuan about his recent fights, and he said he had defeated Teng Jiu Long and regarded only Ju Kai Bei and Yan Tu as threats.

Fang Yuan prepared to bid on Toil Gu as Wei Yang warned him about Shang Ya Zi and other powerful competitors. The auction began with Shang Ya Zi deliberately driving up Bai Ning Bing’s price for Frost Arrow Gu, while Fang Yuan and his allies anticipated a difficult contest ahead.

• Wei Yang warned Fang Yuan that Shang Ya Zi, Shang Bi Xi, and Ju Kai Bei could compete for Toil Gu, then lent Fang Yuan nearly a million primeval stones.
• Shang Xin Ci lent Fang Yuan her savings, and Ju Kai Bei arrived but ignored invitations from the young masters.
• Shang Bu Li arrived and deferred to Plain Hand Physician, while other prominent Gu Masters gathered at the auction.
• The host began the auction with Frost Arrow Gu, and Bai Ning Bing bid against Shang Ya Zi for it.
• Shang Ya Zi stopped bidding after forcing Bai Ning Bing to pay one hundred fifty thousand primeval stones, forty thousand above the previous price.

Fang Yuan attended the auction, where Shang Ya Zi repeatedly counterbid against him, and the two turned the bidding for a Toil Gu into a public contest. Fang Yuan abruptly stopped at eight hundred and ten thousand Primeval Stones, leaving Shang Ya Zi to win the Gu at an inflated price.

• Fang Yuan tried bidding on the Thousand-Year Wind Willow and Chasing Wind Gu, but Shang Ya Zi countered him; other bidders ultimately bought both items.
• Fang Yuan considered the value of the Chasing Wind Gu and reflected on the Immortal Travel Settling Gu recipe he could not yet use.
• Fang Yuan opened the Toil Gu bidding at five hundred thousand Primeval Stones, causing Ju Kai Bei and Shang Bi Xi to withdraw.
• Shang Ya Zi joined the bidding, and he and Fang Yuan raised the price to eight hundred and ten thousand while the auction hall gossiped about their feud.
• Fang Yuan announced that he would let Shang Ya Zi have the Toil Gu, leaving Shang Ya Zi poised to pay far above its usual price.

Fang Yuan outmaneuvered Shang Ya Zi in the auction and bought a Wind Gu for his own undisclosed plans. The auction’s final item was an unappraised recipe for the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus, whose value was questioned because it required the Gu itself as its primary material.

• Fang Yuan explained that he would rather refine a Toil Gu himself than pay Shang Ya Zi’s inflated price, while the crowd mocked Shang Ya Zi for spending eight hundred and ten thousand primeval stones.
• Shang Ya Zi realized Fang Yuan had tricked him and raged over his purchase, while the auction continued.
• Fang Yuan won a Wind Gu for five hundred thousand primeval stones after Yi Bu Hui, Fei Luan Feng, and Wei Yang bid, saying he had a confidential use for it.
• Wei Yang bought a light-type Gu, and Bai Ning Bing bought a rank 3 Tornado Gu as the auction proceeded.
• The auctioneer revealed that the final item was a recipe for the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus, and Fang Yuan exposed that it required the lotus itself as its primary material.
• Bidders questioned the recipe’s usefulness and authenticity, but several still bid until its price reached six hundred and sixty thousand primeval stones.

After the auction, Fang Yuan obtained the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus recipe and reassured Shang Xin Ci about the risks of seeking a Shang Clan Young Master position. Shang Xin Ci declared her ambition, and Fang Yuan promised to help her rise that same year, claiming a plan involving Bai Ning Bing.

• Wei Yang transferred the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus recipe to Fang Yuan through a Rank 4 Mind Engraving Gu.
• Fang Yuan, Wei Yang, Shang Xin Ci, and Bai Ning Bing privately considered why Fang Yuan had bought the recipe and chosen Wind Gu over Toil Gu.
• Shang Xin Ci said she wanted greater power so she could protect the people she cared about, despite the dangers of Shang Clan politics.
• Fang Yuan asked whether Shang Xin Ci truly wanted to become a young master, then promised to help her secure the position that year.
• Fang Yuan said the plan depended on Bai Ning Bing, leaving Bai Ning Bing confused about his role.

Shang Ya Zi discovered that rumors of his false accounts could cost him his position as Young Master and confronted Fang Yuan, whom he suspected of exposing him. Fang Yuan revealed that Bai Ning Bing had spread the rumors without breaking their Poison Oath, leaving Shang Ya Zi furious and trapped by the scheme.

• Shang Ya Zi resolved to regain his dignity and punish Fang Yuan for humiliating him at the auction.
• A servant told Shang Ya Zi that rumors about his rivalry with Fang Yuan and their false-account transaction had reached the Internal Affairs Hall.
• Bai Ning Bing discussed the rumors with Fang Yuan and recognized that he had planned the Poison Oath loophole years earlier to remove Shang Ya Zi and advance Shang Xin Ci.
• Shang Ya Zi confronted Fang Yuan, who denied spreading the rumors and revealed that Bai Ning Bing had done so.
• Fang Yuan explained that Bai Ning Bing already knew the secret before the Poison Oath, so he had not violated it; Shang Ya Zi realized he had been outmaneuvered and cursed Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan pressured Shang Ya Zi into offering him the Toil Gu and promising further compensation to preserve his young master position. After the Internal Affairs Hall confirmed Shang Ya Zi’s fraud, Shang Yan Fei stripped him of his title and ordered Ju Kai Bei and Yan Tu to challenge Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.

• Shang Ya Zi lost control and threatened Fang Yuan, but Bai Ning Bing warned that his position was in danger and Fang Yuan urged him to make amends.
• Shang Ya Zi handed Fang Yuan the Toil Gu and promised more compensation, while Fang Yuan accepted the Gu without committing to reconciliation.
• Fang Yuan told Bai Ning Bing to report the case to the Internal Affairs Hall and testify.
• Shang Yan Fei reviewed the findings, stripped Shang Ya Zi of his young master status, and sent him to the slave-capturing unit for three years.
• Shang Yan Fei sent a secret order to Ju Kai Bei and Yan Tu to challenge Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.

Fang Yuan advanced to peak Rank 3 using the Silver Sari Gu while Bai Ning Bing’s doubts about their cooperation grew. The chapter ended with Bai Ning Bing and Yan Tu beginning their highly anticipated Training Arena battle.

• Bai Ning Bing helped Fang Yuan reach upper Rank 3, but she remained suspicious of the poison oath and refused to borrow his Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus for her fight with Yan Tu.
• Fang Yuan used the Silver Sari Gu to reach peak Rank 3 and found that the recovering Spring Autumn Cicada was placing increasing pressure on his aperture.
• Bai Ning Bing faced Yan Tu in the Training Arena as spectators expected her to lose against the Rank 4 Gu Master.
• Bai Ning Bing and Yan Tu opened the battle with Ice Cone Gu and Dan Fire Gu, trading attacks across the grassland.

Bai Ning Bing fought Yan Tu in the Training Arena, but his seasoned fire Gu tactics gradually put her at a disadvantage. She transformed with her Ice Crystal Gu and charged him, yet Yan Tu retreated and aimed to outlast her, leaving Bai Ning Bing considering a risky move.

• Fang Yuan, Wei Yang, and Shang Xin Ci watched as Bai Ning Bing and Yan Tu began their battle, with Bai Ning Bing relying on her A-grade Aptitude to contest his higher Rank 4 Cultivation.
• Yan Tu used his Fire Claw Gu and Movement Gu to pressure Bai Ning Bing, but she destroyed the claw with Frost Arrow Gu, Ice Cone Gu, and Ice Blast Gu.
• Yan Tu summoned two fire snakes and coordinated them with Dan Fire, gradually overcoming Bai Ning Bing’s offense and exploiting her weak movement and defense.
• Bai Ning Bing activated her Ice Crystal Gu, broke through the fire snakes, and charged Yan Tu, who evaded her attacks and retreated to outlast the transformation.
• Bai Ning Bing stopped pursuing Yan Tu and hesitated over whether to use a move that might change the battle.

Bai Ning Bing and Yan Tu unleashed their killer moves, Ice Blade Storm and Sea of Fire Twin Dragon Kill, in a fierce battle that pushed both Gu Masters to their limits. Bai Ning Bing ultimately conceded after a devastating final burst, and Yan Tu claimed her Ice Crystal Gu, though her performance earned her a reputation despite the defeat.

• Bai Ning Bing activated Ice Blade Storm, using five Gu at once to overwhelm Yan Tu's fire snakes and force him to answer with his Sea of Fire Twin Dragon Kill.
• Yan Tu flooded the battlefield with fuel and fire, then combined his Fire Snake Gu and Fire Claw Gu to create two fire dragons that repeatedly attacked Bai Ning Bing's storm.
• Bai Ning Bing concealed Ice Blade Storm's inability to move and waited as both fighters' primeval essence dwindled and the flames weakened.
• Yan Tu merged his fire dragons and attacked, but Bai Ning Bing unleashed a sudden surge that froze a fire claw and swallowed much of the dragon, costing Yan Tu one Fire Snake Gu and two Fire Claw Gu.
• Bai Ning Bing exhausted her primeval essence and conceded; Yan Tu claimed her Ice Crystal Gu, while the spectators recognized her strength despite her defeat.

After Bai Ning Bing lost to Yan Tu, Fang Yuan prepared to face Ju Kai Bei and began refining a Gu that could improve his odds. Shang Yan Fei instructed Ju Kai Bei not to claim Fang Yuan’s All-Out Gu if he won, while Ju Kai Bei and Yan Tu reflected on their past and discussed the danger Fang Yuan posed.

• People across Shang Clan City discussed Bai Ning Bing’s defeat and anticipated Fang Yuan’s upcoming battle with Ju Kai Bei, while Bai Ning Bing disappeared to recover.
• Fang Yuan reassured Shang Xin Ci, assessed his chances against Ju Kai Bei, and entered seclusion to refine a Gu that he hoped would raise his odds of victory.
• Shang Yan Fei watched Bai Ning Bing’s battle, considered recruiting her and Fang Yuan for Shang Xin Ci, and sent Ju Kai Bei instructions concerning Fang Yuan’s Gu.
• Ju Kai Bei and Yan Tu recalled how they had met as rival Demonic Path Gu Masters and become close friends before joining the Shang Clan.
• Yan Tu warned Ju Kai Bei to be careful against Fang Yuan, and Ju Kai Bei showed him his Hardy Gu, which strengthened his defense.

Fang Yuan fought Ju Kai Bei in a crowded Training Arena battle that he saw as his final match before leaving Shang Clan City. Fang Yuan revealed his peak Rank 3 cultivation and initially gained the advantage, but Ju Kai Bei's strength and defenses grew as the battle continued.

• Fang Yuan entered the packed Training Arena and reflected that winning this battle would be his last task before helping Shang Xin Ci become a young clan leader.
• Ju Kai Bei arrived, and the two began their match in silence after the bell rang.
• Fang Yuan used All-Out Gu and charged Ju Kai Bei, switching from horse strength to boar strength for their opening collision.
• Ju Kai Bei was knocked back, while Fang Yuan's concealed peak Rank 3 cultivation became visible and Ju Kai Bei's Ivory White Armor began spreading across his body.
• Fang Yuan repeatedly struck Ju Kai Bei and kept breaking his armor, but Ju Kai Bei's Inertia Gu steadily increased his strength until neither fighter had the advantage.
• As the fight continued, Ju Kai Bei's armor thickened and his growing power began to challenge Fang Yuan's defenses.

Fang Yuan battled Ju Kai Bei, whose Inertia Gu and Dragon Elephant Strength gradually gave him the advantage. After Ju Kai Bei’s attacks drove Fang Yuan to the brink, Fang Yuan returned to the fight with enough strength to unleash two Beast Strength Phantoms at once.

• Fang Yuan and Ju Kai Bei traded close-range blows as Ju Kai Bei’s Inertia Gu steadily increased his strength.
• Ju Kai Bei unleashed Dragon Elephant Strength, repeatedly blasting Fang Yuan away while Fang Yuan fought back with his eight Beast Strength Phantoms.
• After Ju Kai Bei struck him through five stone pillars, Fang Yuan rose from the dust laughing, and Ju Kai Bei recognized the demonic-path aura and charged in anger.
• Fang Yuan met Ju Kai Bei’s Dragon Elephant Strength with Stone Turtle Strength and did not move, while Ju Kai Bei was forced back.
• Fang Yuan punched Ju Kai Bei across the arena, and Ju Kai Bei saw two of Fang Yuan’s Beast Strength Phantoms dissipating together.

Fang Yuan used All-Out Gu’s flexibility and the arena terrain to overwhelm Ju Kai Bei, then revealed Toil Gu, which let him unleash three Beast Strength Phantoms while injured. Ju Kai Bei was badly wounded and realized Fang Yuan’s combination of All-Out Gu, Toil Gu, and Self-Reliance Gu gave him a formidable advantage.

• Fang Yuan halted his charge against a stone pillar, then redirected his attack and struck Ju Kai Bei before he could react.
• Fang Yuan repeatedly pressed Ju Kai Bei with paired Beast Strength Phantoms until Ju Kai Bei defended himself and countered with two Dragon Elephant Phantoms.
• Ju Kai Bei knocked Fang Yuan back and cracked his arms, but Fang Yuan activated All-Out Gu and unleashed three Beast Strength Phantoms, blasting Ju Kai Bei through stone pillars.
• Ju Kai Bei recognized that Fang Yuan possessed Toil Gu, which increased his strength as his injuries and pain worsened.
• Ju Kai Bei realized Fang Yuan’s All-Out Gu, Toil Gu, and Self-Reliance Gu combination could make him stronger as he fought and heal him at the same time.

Fang Yuan and Ju Kai Bei fought a brutal battle until Ju Kai Bei unleashed his Giant Spirit Transformation, multiplying his strength and appearing to leave himself exposed. Fang Yuan did not take the apparent opening and instead retreated as Ju Kai Bei pursued him, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Ju Kai Bei rallied himself and resumed fighting Fang Yuan, who endured severe injuries and used the Self-Reliance Gu to heal while attacking and dodging.
• Fang Yuan's strength rose to eight beast phantoms, but Ju Kai Bei's Three Dragon Elephants repeatedly threatened to overwhelm him as both fighters grew exhausted.
• Ju Kai Bei activated Giant Spirit Transformation, tripling his size, strength, and Heart Force while his ivory-white armor burst apart.
• Wei Yang urged Fang Yuan to attack during Ju Kai Bei's apparent moment of vulnerability, but Fang Yuan remained still as the armor regrew.
• Ju Kai Bei revealed that the invisible Hardy Gu had protected him, then charged after Fang Yuan as Fang Yuan retreated with Charge Gu.

Fang Yuan revealed the Strength Gu and used it to turn his eight Beast Strength Phantoms into solid attackers, overwhelming Ju Kai Bei. Ju Kai Bei conceded, leaving Fang Yuan victorious in the Training Arena.

• As Ju Kai Bei closed in, Fang Yuan activated the Strength Gu and sent eight solid Beast Strength Phantoms to attack him from all sides.
• The beast shadows shattered Ju Kai Bei's Ivory White Armor and left him badly injured, while Fang Yuan replenished his primeval essence with Primeval Stones.
• Ju Kai Bei recognized the Strength Gu, and Fang Yuan confirmed what he had used.
• After realizing Fang Yuan could attack at range and overpower him, Ju Kai Bei surrendered.
• The presiding Gu Master announced Fang Yuan as the winner, astonishing the spectators.