Chapter Summaries

Song Changming watched Wangyue Pavilion’s battle worsen, then learned from Li Jinyu that the sect would survive and that foresight required an inborn gift. As reinforcements turned the fight around, a Cloud Mist Whale arrived and began swallowing the battlefield, leaving many Great Han Martial Artists helplessly caught in its suction.

• Song Changming returned to Liu Yan'er at the foot of the mountain and saw the Outer Domain forces pressing Wangyue Pavilion’s defenders.
• Li Jinyu predicted that Wangyue Pavilion would endure for at least five hundred more years and told Song Changming that his foresight techniques depended on an inborn talent.
• Song Changming saw reinforcements from the Hidden Great Sects arrive, including Li Pu, Nan Chenguang, Liu Xiangnan, and Zhao Dongming.
• An old man arrived atop a gigantic Cloud Mist Whale and declared that it would help defeat the enemy.
• The Cloud Mist Whale opened its mouth and sucked in clouds, debris, and numerous Great Han Martial Artists.

Song Changming joined the fight against the Cloud Mist Whale and killed the old man controlling it. After taking the man's Mist Gold, he turned the whale and its parasitic beasts against the Outer Domain Evil Cult, driving the cult members into retreat.

• The Cloud Mist Whale unleashed a devastating swallowing force and sent hundreds of thousands of parasitic beasts swooping at the fighters.
• Liu Xiangnan and other Qi Refining Martial Artists attacked the old man atop the whale, but he knocked Liu Xiangnan into a ravine and defeated Nan Chenguang.
• Li Jinyu urged Song Changming to break the deadlock, and Song Changming used the Flying Thunder Art to reach the whale's back.
• Song Changming struck the old man from the whale, then stomped him to death and took the Mist Gold from his body.
• Song Changming used the Mist Gold to control the Cloud Mist Whale and turn its parasitic beasts against the Outer Domain Evil Cult.
• The whale and parasitic beasts routed the cult members, and the Great Han Martial Artists pursued them into the thick fog.

After the Outer Domain’s invasion was repelled, Song Changming discussed Great Han’s likely collapse and Gu Wenhui’s rise with Li Jinyu. As Song Changming headed down the mountain, he rescued an unconscious girl named Su Qingqing after she used her technique to stop a Mist Beast, leaving Liu Yan’er to wonder whether the girl was his illegitimate daughter.

• Song Changming praised Liu Yan’er’s resilience in the battle, and Li Jinyu reassured him that Wangyue Pavilion would survive after the Outer Domain forces fled.
• Li Jinyu predicted that the Chu Clan’s dynasty was finished, and he and Song Changming agreed that Gu Wenhui was most likely to reunify Great Han.
• Li Jinyu departed, vanishing so completely that Song Changming could not detect him with his Spiritual Power.
• A wounded Mist Beast ambushed Song Changming, but Su Qingqing used her Succubus Eye Technique to freeze it, and Song Changming killed it with a Fire God Slash.
• Su Qingqing fainted from exhaustion, so Song Changming carried her down the mountain; Liu Yan’er saw them and wondered if the girl was his illegitimate daughter.

Song Changming left the Land of Great Fog with Su Qingqing and brought her to a safe county town, intending to leave her there with money. When she pleaded to stay with him so she could learn from him and eventually go home, he agreed to take her along under strict conditions.

• Song Changming received praise and introductions from Great Han Martial Artists after killing the Cloud Mist Whale’s master, while Nan Chenguang accepted him as a worthy rival and departed with the Sword Cliff swordsmen.
• Fairy Yuehan checked on the Wangyue Pavilion disciples and ordered them to recover the fallen, while Song Changming left after confirming Liu Yan'er was safe.
• Song Changming led the hungry Su Qingqing through the fog, caught fish for her, and continued toward Great Han.
• Song Changming and Su Qingqing emerged from the receding great fog, and Su Qingqing wept with relief at finally leaving after more than two years.
• Song Changming brought Su Qingqing to a county town and offered her money, but she pleaded to remain with him so she could learn skills and return home; he agreed to take her along on strict terms.

Song Changming returned to Wangyue Commandery with Su Qingqing, sheltered her in the Liu Residence, and watched the borderlands regain peace before Great Han's civil war resumed. A new Jianghu Secret News Record removed him from the Earth Ranking and placed him eighty-fifth on the Heavenly Ranking.

• Song Changming returned to the Liu Residence with Su Qingqing, reassured Liu Dingsheng that Liu Yan'er was safe, and explained how he had come to bring the girl with him.
• Song Changming let Su Qingqing stay in his courtyard, where she recovered, learned the household chores, and settled into a peaceful life by his side.
• After the Outer Domain Evil Cult was defeated and the Mist Beasts were cleared, the fog receded; months later, Gu Wenhui captured three commanderies and faced a coalition of rivals.
• The Jewel Box Pavilion released a new Jianghu Secret News Record reflecting the upheaval caused by the battle against the Outer Domain invaders.
• Song Ping'an told Song Changming he had lost first place on the Earth Ranking and entered the Heavenly Ranking; Song Changming read that he ranked eighty-fifth and Nan Chenguang ranked ninety-first.

Song Changming reflected on the Heavenly Ranking and agreed to teach Su Qingqing martial arts so she could eventually return to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom. After her first grueling lesson, he noticed that she recovered unusually quickly, suggesting she might have a special Physique Trait.

• Song Changming studied the Heavenly Ranking, considered the difficulty of advancing in Qi Cultivation, and questioned whether the Seventh Layer Realm would be enough to cross the Outer Domain safely.
• Song Changming explained that Jewel Box Pavilion's rankings were only a reference and that many powerful Martial Artists remained hidden from public view.
• Su Qingqing asked Song Changming to teach her martial arts, and he agreed after considering her character and her wish to find her parents.
• Song Changming taught Su Qingqing basic body-tempering stance exercises, and she collapsed from exhaustion but refused to give up.
• Song Changming noticed Su Qingqing returned to training the next morning in full condition and suspected that she had a special Physique Trait.

Song Changming trained Su Qingqing and received the Mind Weaver trait, which greatly strengthened his Spiritual Power and helped him stabilize his internal Qi. He left the chapter reflecting on Su Qingqing’s resolve and his own dwindling family ties.

• Song Changming saw Su Qingqing endure stance training for nearly two hours, then taught her weapon arts and recognized her affinity for the sword.
• The Jewel Box Pavilion’s new rankings sparked controversy, while Song Changming’s and Nan Chenguang’s promotions to the Heavenly Ranking drew attention; Nan Chenguang remained in seclusion.
• Song Changming received the Mind Weaver trait and an internal Qi reward, extending his spiritual perception and bringing him closer to the fourth level of Qi Refinement.
• Song Changming sensed Su Qingqing practicing late at night, stopped her, and advised her to balance training with rest.
• Song Changming watched Su Qingqing return to her room and reflected on his distant sister, missing brothers, and the family he had left.

More than five years into Gu Wenhui’s advance on the capital, Liang Zhaolong confronted the Golden Palace Sect after Ning Xin Hu brought the Changming Association a painting said to contain part of a secret manual. Liang learned that the painting concealed half of the Chu Imperial Family’s Grade Three Zhengyang Art manual.

• Gu Wenhui’s forces took control of thirty of Great Han’s fifty-two prefectures and counties as the ailing emperor’s rule weakened.
• Ning Xin Hu offered Liang Zhaolong a painting he claimed to have stolen from the Imperial Palace, then fled when the Golden Palace Sect arrived to capture him.
• Liang Zhaolong refused to let Yang Jin search the Changming Association’s trading house and severed Yang Jin’s arm with a blade aura.
• Liang questioned the wounded Yang Jin, who revealed that the painting concealed half of the Chu Imperial Family’s Grade Three Zhengyang Art manual.

Liang Zhaolong discovered that Ning Xin Hu’s scroll was a fake and organized a search for the real Martial Path Legacy. In the Outer Domain, Song Changming found Sky Net Fruits and confronted the powerful Mist Beast guarding them.

• Liang Zhaolong identified Ning Xin Hu’s scroll as fake, interrogated the Golden Palace Sect members, and learned that Ning Xin Hu had stolen the genuine scroll from the Imperial Palace.
• Liang Zhaolong ordered the Changming Association to watch Yuchuan County’s gates for Ning Xin Hu and prepare to abandon its merchant house base.
• Song Changming found a Wisteria vine bearing three Sky Net Fruits in the Outer Domain and discovered that a giant Mist Beast guarded the area.
• Song Changming evaded the Mist Beast’s charge, stomped its head into the ground, and shattered one of its eyes with a punch.

Song Changming returned from the Outer Domain after killing a giant Mist Beast and collecting three Sky Net Fruits, then reunited with Liu Ziwen and Liu Dingsheng at the Liu Residence. He also saw how Su Qingqing had grown into a capable young martial artist under his guidance.

• Song Changming dragged a wounded giant Mist Beast from its burrow, killed it with his Dragon-Patterned Saber, and picked three Sky Net Fruits.
• Song Changming emerged from the great mist with two giant beast corpses and entrusted them to Liu Ziwen's Martial Artists, giving them money for drinks.
• Song Changming returned to the Liu Residence and greeted Liu Ziwen and the still-active Liu Dingsheng.
• Song Changming learned that Su Qingqing had defeated a group of bandits and collected the government reward silver.
• Song Changming reflected that thirteen-year-old Su Qingqing had reached the Fifth Realm of Body Refining and possessed exceptional martial talent.

Song Changming consumed three Sky Net Fruits and reached the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Realm, while his body-refining strength had grown to Eight Elephant Strength. After returning home, he learned that the Changming Association was going to war with the Golden Palace Sect.

• Song Changming ate the nearly ripe Sky Net Fruit and then the two half-ripe fruits, forming a fifth Qi vortex and advancing to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Realm.
• Song Changming tested his strengthened internal Qi by compressing a flame in his palm and firing it into the clouds, where it exploded like a crimson meteor.
• Song Changming reviewed his improved martial arts and Eight Elephant Strength, then considered venturing deeper into the Outer Domain.
• Song Changming saw Su Qingqing practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard the next morning.
• Song Ping'an returned with a painting scroll and letter from Liang Zhaolong and told Song Changming that the Changming Association was going to war with the Golden Palace Sect.

Song Changming learned that the scroll he received was the Earth Scroll containing part of the Chu Imperial Family’s Third-Rank Zhengyang Art, and that the Golden Palace Sect was preparing to fight the Changming Association over it. He sent a warning that made the sect withdraw, leaving the conflict quietly resolved for now.

• Song Changming read Liang Zhaolong’s letter and learned that the landscape scroll was the Earth Scroll, one half of the Chu Imperial Family’s Third-Rank Zhengyang Art.
• Song Changming wrote a warning to the Golden Palace Sect and sent Song Ping'an to deliver it.
• Wu Ce agreed to stop interfering in the dispute after reading Song Changming’s letter, but his sect members protested.
• Song Ping'an revealed his Qi Refining strength when sect members tried to block him, then left after Wu Ce apologized.
• Wu Ce identified Song Changming as the Heavenly Ranking expert and ordered the Golden Palace Sect to set aside its conflict with the Changming Association.

Song Changming continued investigating the Grade Three Martial Art Secret Manual while using Mist Beast flesh to strengthen his body. Meanwhile, Nan Chenguang prepared to challenge him, and Su Qingqing arrived at a village to deal with bandits.

• Song Changming told Song Ping'an to keep watch for news about the missing scroll and its secret manual.
• Nan Chenguang asked Nan Wuji to let him descend the mountain and challenge Song Changming, and Nan Wuji decided to accompany him to Wangyue Commandery.
• Song Changming refined Mist Beast flesh, discovering that he could use its Scorching Mist energy to improve both his body and internal Qi.
• After receiving a letter, Song Changming left the Liu Residence to handle the matter himself.
• Su Qingqing arrived at a village where a villager told her bandits had killed people and pleaded for her help.

Su Qingqing fell into a trap set by Zhang De, whose men tried to capture her for revenge over her killing his brother, Zhang Yu. After her ocular ability failed to stop Zhang De, Song Changming arrived and rescued her.

• Su Qingqing realized the village chief was trying to make her drink and wounded two villagers who attacked her.
• Zhang De burst in, killed the village chief, and revealed that he had lured Su Qingqing to avenge Zhang Yu.
• Su Qingqing fought her way out of the house, but Zhang De and hundreds of armed men surrounded her and drove her to the ground.
• Su Qingqing used her Pink Eyes to freeze the surrounding attackers and behead them, but Zhang De resisted her next attempt and nearly struck her down.
• Song Changming arrived in a fierce gale, scattered the attackers, and severed Zhang De's sword arm.

Song Changming rescued Su Qingqing from Zhang De’s group, then accepted Nan Chenguang’s challenge after Nan offered him the Starry River Painting, the Heaven Scroll containing the other half of the Chu Clan’s Third-Rank Zhengyang Art. As the two prepared to fight in the mountains, Sword Venerable Nan Wuji watched with Fairy Yaoguang, the third-ranked expert on the Heavenly Ranking.

• Song Changming destroyed Zhang De’s group, reassured Su Qingqing, and returned with her toward Wangyue Commandery City.
• Nan Chenguang challenged Song Changming and offered the Starry River Painting as a wager.
• Song Changming recognized the painting as the Heaven Scroll and accepted the duel after Nan explained how to reveal the martial art manual hidden within it.
• Song Changming sent Su Qingqing back to the city with the painting and followed Nan Chenguang into the mountains to fight.
• Nan Wuji watched the pair from a distant peak, where Fairy Yaoguang appeared and greeted him.

Nan Wuji told Su Yaoguang that Great Han’s sparse natural Qi made reaching the complete Ninth Layer difficult, and invited her to leave for the Ancient Abyss Kingdom to pursue the innate realm. As Nan Chenguang fought Song Changming, Nan Wuji considered bringing Song Changming with them, while Song overwhelmed Nan Chenguang with his physical strength; Nan Chenguang ended the chapter preparing one final sword strike.

• Nan Wuji explained to Su Yaoguang that Great Han’s environment hindered Qi cultivation and said they should leave for the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.
• Su Yaoguang considered Nan Wuji’s invitation as Nan Chenguang and Song Changming began their duel below.
• Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang observed Song Changming’s formidable aura and physical potential, and Nan Wuji suggested bringing him along.
• Song Changming evaded Nan Chenguang’s attacks and withstood his ninety-nine streams of sword Qi without injury.
• Nan Chenguang, recognizing the gap between their strength, gathered his Qi and prepared to unleash one final sword strike.

Song Changming defeated Nan Chenguang, then met the Sword Venerable Nan Wuji and Fairy Yaoguang, who had watched the duel. Nan Wuji challenged him to test his full strength, and their battle began with Song Changming’s opening strike.

• Song Changming shattered Nan Chenguang’s strongest sword strike with his fist force, leaving Nan Chenguang injured and conceding defeat.
• Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang arrived, and Nan Wuji encouraged his son to learn from the defeat while Su Yaoguang offered him a place to recover.
• Song Changming recognized the Sword Venerable and the Wangyue Pavilion master, then explained that he had not wanted to fight Nan Chenguang.
• Nan Wuji challenged Song Changming to a spar, and Song Changming accepted and drew his Dragon-Patterned Saber.
• Song Changming launched an attack with five Wind Dragons, but Nan Wuji’s thin red sword Qi shattered them.

Song Changming fought Nan Wuji in a fierce spar, revealing his overwhelming physical strength but ultimately falling behind Nan Wuji’s swordsmanship. After Nan Wuji ended the match, he invited Song Changming to explore the Outer Domain and seek a route to Ancient Abyss Kingdom.

• Song Changming broke Nan Wuji’s sword Qi and attacked with the Chu Clan’s Fire God Saber Art, but Nan Wuji dispersed his saber Qi.
• Song Changming used his immense strength to force Nan Wuji back, and the two battled across the ground, mountains, and sky.
• Nan Wuji unleashed eight Crimson Swords alongside his own attacks, injuring Song Changming and putting him at a disadvantage.
• Nan Wuji ended the spar before Song Changming could use the Blood Burst Secret Technique, and Song Changming admitted defeat.
• Nan Wuji invited Song Changming to explore the Outer Domain with him and seek a route to Ancient Abyss Kingdom.

Song Changming agreed to explore the Outer Domain with Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang, then reflected on his duel with Nan Wuji and uncovered a hidden martial art manual in two paintings. The paintings revealed a complete Grade Three Martial Art Secret Manual when heated over a brazier.

• Nan Wuji explained that he wanted to reach the Ancient Abyss Kingdom to pursue further progress in martial cultivation, and Song Changming agreed to join the expedition.
• Nan Wuji praised Song Changming's potential, while Song Changming acknowledged that he was currently no match for the Sword Venerable.
• Song Changming returned to the Liu Residence, checked on Su Qingqing, and told her to recover there.
• Song Changming reviewed his duel with Nan Wuji and recognized that his strength and body refinement could not make up for the gap in his Qi cultivation and saber techniques.
• Song Changming heated the Landscape Painting and Star River Diagram over a brazier, revealing human meridian diagrams and a complete Grade Three Martial Art Secret Manual.

Song Changming studied an ancient martial art manual while learning the Ancient Abyss Kingdom’s script, and he let Su Qingqing venture outside with the Big White Dog after she pleaded to go. Newly delivered records revealed how humans fled the demon-filled Ancient Abyss, founded Great Han under the Chu Clan, and left Song Changming wondering what the ancient homeland had become.

• Song Changming struggled to understand the manual’s ancient characters, so he memorized its contents and began studying the Ancient Abyss Kingdom’s script with Liu Dingsheng’s books.
• Su Qingqing asked Song Changming to let her leave the residence, and he agreed after ordering the Big White Dog to protect her and reminding her to use his name if she faced danger.
• Liang Zhaolong’s people delivered ancient books from the Imperial Palace, and Song Changming found accounts of the Ancient Abyss Kingdom and the Chu Clan’s history.
• Song Changming learned that humans had fled the Ancient Abyss across the Bottomless Abyss, fought over scarce resources, and submitted to the Chu Clan, which established Great Han.
• Song Changming wondered whether demons still dominated the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, but he could not tell how much the thousand-year-old records reflected its present state.