Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing gathered support for an assault on Lotus Leaf Temple and arranged to hire a vast force of cannon fodder after he could not afford assassins. Meanwhile, the Cui Family prepared to strike the temple on the day the Martial Academy students died, unaware of Chu Qing’s plan to send more than ten thousand people against it.

• The Cui Family’s Head of the House learned that King Shiyu had gained control of at least half the aristocratic families and ordered her family to contact those still independent before attacking Lotus Leaf Temple.
• Chu Qing found that half the students had stayed away, while the others had brought retainers; Big Brother reported that they had gathered more than five hundred experts, but none had golden tendons or bones.
• Chu Qing told Big Brother to buy weapons and supplies, then assured him that Madam Shi could handle Second Limit Experts, though she would not fight lesser opponents.
• Chu Qing asked the Human World intelligence broker to hire assassins to kill Lotus Leaf Temple’s monks, but he refused to pay the required black gold.
• Chu Qing spent fifteen thousand gold notes to hire fifteen thousand untrained cannon fodder and warned the broker that they might all die inside Lotus Leaf Temple.
• The intelligence broker contacted his superior, who recognized that Chu Qing’s plan could devastate the temple and bring consequences for King Shiyu and the entire prefectural city.

Chu Qing waited for a snowstorm before leading the Martial Academy students against Lotus Leaf Temple, while the Cui Family and King Shiyu prepared to exploit the coming battle. The Human World Organization sent more than ten thousand expendable men to storm the temple, leaving its monks killing the attackers and the city’s power players fearing the consequences.

• As heavy snow began falling, Chu Qing and Nangong prepared weapons, while Lotus Leaf Temple, the Cui Family, and King Shiyu’s Mansion readied themselves for battle.
• The Human World Organization sent fifteen thousand armed men toward Lotus Leaf Temple, and Big Brother led several hundred Martial Academy students there as well.
• The mob stormed Lotus Leaf Temple from all directions, and the monks killed many attackers but could not stop them from charging inside.
• The Cui Family’s head began writing letters accusing Lotus Leaf Temple of killing thousands, while the prefectural governor prepared to flee with his valuables.
• King Shiyu realized the massacre could ruin Lotus Leaf Temple and implicate him, and he wondered whether to seek help from the Princess Consort.

Chu Qing ordered Lotus Leaf Temple soaked in Fire Oil and set ablaze, then fought its monks alongside Nangong. After destroying more than a hundred armored monks, he faced the surviving enemies as they began to panic, while a terrifying presence stirred inside the burning temple.

• Chu Qing arrived with Nangong and Madam Shi and ordered the students to douse Lotus Leaf Temple with Fire Oil, dismissing the cannon fodder's lives as expendable.
• Chu Qing ignited the oil, setting the temple, its cannon fodder, and some of its monks ablaze.
• Nangong killed the monks who charged outside, and the leader followed her into the fight.
• Chu Qing charged the armored monks, smashed their armor, and killed or scattered more than a hundred of them as his Sunflower Hand advanced.
• The surviving armored monks grew terrified and tried to flee as killing intent and flames surged from the burning Buddha hall.

Madam Shi fought the awakened abbot at Lotus Leaf Temple, while Chu Qing battled the monks and survived the abbot’s strike. Chu Qing clung to the fleeing abbot until Madam Shi caught up and killed him.

• Madam Shi approached the Buddhist hall as Chu Qing charged the monks, and the abbot emerged after the hall collapsed.
• The abbot attacked Madam Shi, but she blew apart one of his arms and severely injured him with a single palm strike.
• The abbot fled toward Chu Qing and struck him in the chest, but Chu Qing’s defenses kept his bones from breaking.
• Chu Qing leaped onto the abbot’s back, bit off his ear, and repeatedly rammed his head into the monk’s as he tried to escape.
• Madam Shi caught up and crushed the abbot’s heart.

Chu Qing and his allies destroyed Lotus Leaf Temple, killed its abbot and monks, and left rival factions scrambling to understand how he had done it. As Chu Qing continued clearing out looters, the Cui Family, King Shiyu, Human World, and Martial Academy considered how to respond to him.

• Chu Qing killed the abbot, ordered Lotus Leaf Temple wiped out, and had the crowd publicly name him as the killer to shield Madam Shi from blame.
• Nangong, Chu Qing, Human World assassins, and the students killed the fleeing monks and great monks, while the Cui Family and King Shiyu's people watched in shock.
• The Cui Family ordered its people to withdraw and investigate Chu Qing and the expert they believed had killed the abbot, while King Shiyu told his steward to blame the massacre on runaway household slaves.
• Human World identified the woman with Chu Qing as Yu Ji and warned its members not to provoke him.
• Fat Master and Master Sun feared Chu Qing's strength but planned to use difficult assessments to hinder him, with Principal Liu approving their schemes.
• Chu Qing ordered Human World to drive away the cannon fodder, then killed those who tried to loot Lotus Leaf Temple.

Chu Qing and Nangong slaughtered the disobedient cannon fodder around Lotus Leaf Temple until Sunflower Hand broke its limit. Afterward, Chu Qing claimed the temple’s valuables and ordered the rescued women handed over to his retainers, provoking the noble matrons.

• Chu Qing and Nangong killed the cannon fodder who kept charging toward Lotus Leaf Temple, forcing the leader and the retainers to join in.
• Chu Qing continued killing even after Human World's assassins subdued the cannon fodder, and his final strike pushed Sunflower Hand to its limit.
• Chu Qing ordered the survivors to enter Lotus Leaf Temple and bring out his property, and they collected valuables from the temple.
• The leader found an underground passage containing abducted women and noble matrons, then brought them out to meet Chu Qing.
• After a Lü Family noble matron threatened him, Chu Qing told the leader and the retainers to use whichever women they liked, and the matrons protested.

Chu Qing obtained a treasure map leading to Tiger Jade and used dragon sinew to strengthen his Chain Spear before ordering his followers to attack the families of those who had wronged him. After they burned Master Sun’s residence, Chu Qing led them toward two more households.

• A veiled woman gave Chu Qing a sachet containing a treasure map to Tiger Jade, and he told Big Brother Leader and the others to search Lotus Leaf Temple for valuables.
• Big Brother Leader brought Chu Qing a box containing dragon sinew, which Chu Qing used to strengthen the Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear and break its limit.
• Chu Qing gathered the valuables and noblewomen, then announced that his group would kill Master Sun’s family, Fat Master’s family, and Principal Liu’s family.
• Chu Qing led his retainers to Master Sun’s residence and ordered them to kill the men, take the women, and leave the valuables for him.
• The retainers slaughtered the Sun household and set its residence ablaze; Chu Qing threatened nearby households that protested, then led his group toward the next two targets.

Chu Qing’s massacre of Lotus Leaf Temple and prominent families terrified the state city and prompted King Shiyu to order an attack on him. At Fat Master's dormitory, Chu Qing confronted Fat Master and Master Sun over their families’ deaths and beat Master Sun until he begged him to stop.

• A state-city historian recorded Chu Qing’s attack on Lotus Leaf Temple and the slaughter of prominent families, making the account widely known.
• King Shiyu questioned how to handle Chu Qing, then ordered his steward to find and kill Chu Qing’s expert companion before dealing with Chu Qing.
• The Princess Consort praised Chu Qing and invited him to dine, but, hearing the King was displeased, hoped Chu Qing would survive and soon forgot him.
• The Cui House Head defended Chu Qing’s actions as a response to the Martial Academy’s obstruction, while other prominent families feared he would eventually be killed.
• Chu Qing displayed the heads of Fat Master's, Master Sun's, and Vice Principal Liu's families outside Fat Master's dormitory and confronted Fat Master and Master Sun.
• Master Sun accused Chu Qing of killing his family after he lowered Chu Qing’s evaluation, and Chu Qing repeatedly slapped him until he fell to his knees and begged him to stop.

Chu Qing killed Master Sun’s family and used the Martial Academy’s rules and witnesses to turn the masters against Fat Master. Vice Principal Liu killed Fat Master, but Chu Qing remained dissatisfied, leaving Vice Principal Liu fearful of becoming his next target.

• Chu Qing taunted Master Sun for being too afraid to resist, then shattered Fat Master’s Black Cloud Hands when Fat Master attacked him.
• Chu Qing claimed that Fat Master had attacked first after he brought back bandits’ heads, and the students backed his account.
• Master Sun accused Fat Master of slapping him and killing his family, while Chu Qing patted Master Sun’s head and praised his compliance.
• Chu Qing and the students demanded Fat Master’s immediate death, and Vice Principal Liu killed him with a slap.
• Chu Qing complained that Fat Master’s blood had dirtied his clothes, and Vice Principal Liu grew afraid that Chu Qing might destroy her too.

Chu Qing killed Master Sun after receiving the highest assessment, then went to exchange his token for a top-tier Blood Training secret art. As King Shiyu plotted to channel Chu Qing toward the Inner Court, Madam Jin revealed her Others bloodline, Nangong trained to catch up, and Cui Moyang received a letter that left her stunned.

• Master Sun begged Chu Qing to accept the black-gold plaque, but Chu Qing struck him with his assessment token, dragged him out of the Martial Academy, and killed him at the gates.
• Chu Qing returned to the Martial Academy to exchange his token for a top-tier Blood Training secret art, while aristocratic families pressured King Shiyu to deal with him.
• King Shiyu urged the aristocratic families to let Chu Qing challenge for the Inner Court, where its prodigies could bring him under their control.
• Madam Shi learned that Madam Jin had Others bloodline and could awaken it before she turned forty, while Madam Jin warned her not to insult Chu Qing.
• Nangong trained hard to catch up with Chu Qing, while Cui Moyang and Wang Yinyang fought the Rebel Army in Prefecture City and urged their exhausted companions to cultivate.
• A messenger delivered Cui Moyang a letter, and she went blank after reading it.

Chu Qing chose the White Dragon Blood Tempering Method and advanced it by building and eating a giant snow dragon. Its next promotion required him to copy two Dragon Marks and drink one hundred jin of blood, so he considered how to copy Madam Shi’s marks before beginning blood tempering.

• Chu Qing selected the White Dragon Blood Tempering Method for its recovery boost and learned that Outer Court students had to find blood-tempering resources themselves.
• Chu Qing spent three hours in the snow, then built a large dragon with several female students and successfully initiated the method.
• Chu Qing ate the snow dragon to fulfill the next promotion condition, frightening the girls when they learned his name was Chu Qing.
• Chu Qing advanced the method to mastery and saw that his next promotion required copying two Dragon Marks and drinking one hundred jin of blood.
• Chu Qing considered copying his own Dragon Marks and Madam Shi’s, and decided to raise the method further before starting blood tempering.

After Vice Principal Liu gave Chu Qing and the other Lotus Leaf Temple fighters the lowest collective score and deadly assessment assignments, Chu Qing led the Outer Court students to confront her. He accused her publicly of retaliation and urged the students to demand her expulsion.

• Chu Qing rejected the girls’ replacement snow dragon, then learned that Vice Principal Liu had given their collective assessment the lowest rating for excessive slaughter.
• Big Brother Leader and the other Lotus Leaf Temple participants received extremely difficult individual assignments from Vice Principal Liu, including orders to wipe out the bandits on all seventy-two Grass Head Mountains.
• Chu Qing told the students that they should solve the person causing their problem, and Vice Principal Liu defended her actions to the other Vice Principals as rule-abiding retaliation against Chu Qing.
• Chu Qing led hundreds of Outer Court students to the conference room, where they chanted for Vice Principal Liu’s expulsion and accused her of using assessments to kill them.
• Chu Qing rallied the students by accusing Vice Principal Liu of colluding with rebels and threatening to make the students her male favorites, prompting them to chant, “Kill the old hag!”

Chu Qing used the Outer Court students’ outrage to force the Martial Academy to expel Vice Principal Liu, who died after the crowd condemned her. King Shiyu and several noble houses then began plotting to obstruct or control Chu Qing as he approached the Inner Court.

• Chu Qing rallied eighteen hundred Outer Court students against Vice Principal Liu, and an Inner Court messenger announced her expulsion from the Martial Academy.
• Vice Principal Liu left the meeting room, faced the students’ condemnation, and severed her own heart meridians, killing herself.
• King Shiyu learned what Chu Qing had done and told his steward that Chu Qing was troublesome; the steward proposed using Jin Yiren and Shi Feng against him.
• The steward urged aristocratic families to contact their Inner Court members and prevent Chu Qing from entering the Inner Court.
• Noble houses debated Chu Qing, while the Head of the House of the Cui family privately considered him a useful weapon for the Lineage.

Chu Qing encountered Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi outside Madam Shi’s residence and went inside to see her. The two men waited in the snow until nightfall, but the gate never opened for them.

• Chu Qing left the Martial Academy and walked through the snow toward Madam Shi’s residence, reflecting on the Empire’s growing instability.
• Chu Qing found Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi waiting outside Madam Shi’s residence, and they recognized him.
• Fatty Jin asked Chu Qing to get Madam Shi to let them in, and Chu Qing agreed to knock on the gate.
• Madam Shi’s old servant admitted Chu Qing but called the two men outside hooligans and did not let them enter.
• Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi waited through the snowfall, hearing singing and laughter inside, but the gate stayed closed until nightfall.

Chu Qing copied Madam Shi’s platinum Dragon Mark and arranged to have Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi driven out of the Provincial City. He left the two men to Big Brother Leader and the others after they refused his advice to return to the countryside.

• Chu Qing asked Madam Shi to reveal her Dragon Mark and copied it while Madam Jin watched.
• Madam Jin suggested Chu Qing make a second painting, and Madam Shi accepted the portrait but forbade another session for the time being.
• Madam Jin asked Chu Qing to send Fatty Jin away, and he promised to summon reinforcements.
• Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi waited outside King Shiyu’s Mansion, vowing to win back their madams and get rid of Chu Qing.
• Chu Qing emerged at dawn, told the two men to leave the Provincial City, and returned to the Martial Academy when they refused.
• Chu Qing ordered Big Brother Leader and the others to take Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi away permanently.

Chu Qing learned that entering the Inner Court required approval from a third of the previous class and decided to strengthen himself before the challenge. He went to find Nangong to copy her dragon sinews, arriving as she demonstrated an astonishing burst of power.

• The lead brother and his men lured Fatty Jin and Chief Constable Shi away, killed them, and fed their bodies to wild dogs.
• The lead brother told Chu Qing that Inner Court candidates needed approval from a third of the previous class, prompting Chu Qing to consider forcing their approval through strength.
• Chu Qing decided to refine his blood by copying Nangong's dragon sinews before the challenge in six or seven days.
• Chu Qing found Nangong practicing in a small grove and watched her reach a skill's limit in minutes and blast a pit into a tree with her breath.
• Nangong noticed Chu Qing staring and teased him by inviting him to keep watching.

Chu Qing agreed to let Nangong teach the Dragon Tendon Method to Cui Moyang so she could become another ally. After copying Nangong’s dragon tendons and cultivating the White Dragon Blood Tempering Method, he went to the State Martial Academy’s Library Pavilion to find more skills for strengthening his foundations.

• Nangong argued that Chu Qing needed more capable allies and proposed teaching Cui Moyang the Dragon Tendon Method, and Chu Qing agreed.
• Nangong checked the woods, and Chu Qing copied her dragon tendons before the method’s promotion condition updated to require dragon blood and ten dragon tendons.
• Nangong took Chu Qing’s painting and left to find Cui Moyang in the provincial city and bring her to the state city.
• Chu Qing cultivated the White Dragon Blood Tempering Method in the grove, improving his blood and reducing the dragon-tendon requirement by a small amount.
• Chu Qing went to the State Martial Academy’s Library Pavilion to seek more martial arts and asked the teacher about soundwave skills.
• The teacher led Chu Qing to a shelf holding seven hundred and twenty Soundwave Skills and invited him to choose one.

Chu Qing rapidly cultivated hundreds of Limit-Breaking Skills while Nangong returned to the besieged provincial city and asked Cui Moyang to join them. Cui Moyang hesitated because the city needed her, but Nangong warned that Chu Qing had discovered a secret technique more precious than their lineages’ greatest teachings.

• Chu Qing used his dragon sinews to push more than three hundred Soundwave Skills past their limits, then trained hundreds of low- and mid-level skills to strengthen his foundation.
• Chu Qing found that mid-level skills provided greater benefits for less effort than high-level skills, and continued cultivating them while improving his White Dragon Blood Refining Method.
• Nangong returned to the provincial city and saw the Rebel Army besieging it, with its defenders’ morale collapsing and the streets strewn with corpses.
• Nangong found Cui Moyang fighting the rebels; Cui Moyang’s battlefield experience had greatly strengthened her martial arts, though she refused to abandon the city.
• Nangong asked Cui Moyang to come to the provincial capital and help Chu Qing, explaining that he had discovered a secret technique coveted more than their lineages’ top teachings.

Nangong convinced Cui Moyang to learn the Dragon Tendon Method and pledge her life to Chu Qing before the Rebel Army captured Stone Cauldron Prefecture. As Nangong and Cui Moyang left for the state city, Chu Qing and the Martial Academy’s Inner Court students considered the rebellion and Chu Qing’s growing reputation.

• Nangong persuaded Cui Moyang to swear that she would answer Chu Qing’s summons, then taught her the Dragon Tendon Method and supervised her cultivation.
• After three days and nights, Cui Moyang formed dragon tendons, and Nangong drew a Beauty Dragon Tendon Diagram while Cui Moyang warned her not to show it to Chu Qing.
• The Rebel Army took Stone Cauldron Prefecture, and Cui Moyang agreed to travel with Nangong to the state city.
• Qing Feng, Ming Yue, Wang Yinyang, and Ximen refused Nangong’s invitation, choosing to remain and align their lineages with the Rebel Army; Ximen vowed to catch up to Nangong and marry her.
• At the State Martial Academy, Chu Qing heard that Stone Cauldron Prefecture had fallen and considered having Cui Moyang and the others contact Tang Wuming.
• Inner Court students debated which rebel leader to support as a hidden dragon, then turned their attention to how they would deal with Chu Qing.

The Inner Court prodigies chose Cao Shuang to defeat Chu Qing, but Cao Shuang secretly wanted to throw the match and asked Chu Qing to arrange a bet on his loss. After Chu Qing tested Cao Shuang with a single punch, Cao Shuang realized his opponent was far stronger than expected.

• The Inner Court prodigies selected Cao Shuang to challenge Chu Qing, expecting him to easily suppress the newcomer.
• Cao Shuang reviewed Chu Qing's record and worried that fighting him would reveal the strength he had been hiding to pursue a Heaven-Connecting Path Quota.
• Cao Shuang found Chu Qing training and proposed losing their match, asking Chu Qing to bet on his defeat with money Cao Shuang would provide.
• Chu Qing agreed but asked Cao Shuang to demonstrate his abilities, then struck him hard enough to send him crashing through several trees.
• Cao Shuang got up and praised Chu Qing's tremendous force, asking whether Chu Qing had also reached Gold Bones Perfection.