Chapter Summaries

Chen Nan assessed the Diligence Ranking and chose to compete for a position around 150th, where he could earn weekly cultivation rewards. After Yang Yugan supported him, Chen Nan registered, and news of his participation spread throughout Luojing Transcendent Academy, prompting sharply different reactions.

• Chen Nan reviewed how the Seven Great Families dominated the Diligence Ranking and decided not to challenge the top hundred.
• Chen Nan set his sights on a ranking around 150th for its weekly rewards and told Yang Yugan and Lu Fangliang about his plan.
• Yang Yugan backed Chen Nan, and Chen Nan successfully registered for the ranking.
• The registration staff discussed Chen Nan's application, and word quickly spread across Luojing Transcendent Academy.
• Qiu Daqiang judged that Chen Nan might not reach the top five hundred, while Zhao Yunlong's group mocked his decision.
• Qi Shan's group considered Chen Nan's participation unsurprising because they believed his combat experience surpassed that of the academy students.

Chen Nan began his first Diligence Ranking battle and quickly defeated Meng Fanyu, establishing himself as a contender despite his low ranking. Afterward, he noticed that others were already watching him, and the path ahead remained difficult.

• Chen Nan registered for the Diligence Ranking and learned that ranking restrictions would make climbing toward the top five hundred take time.
• Chen Nan met Meng Fanyu, his first opponent, in Combat Hall Number Two for a match in the eight-hundreds.
• Meng Fanyu used stealth and attacked Chen Nan with Shadow Blade, but Chen Nan saw through the ambush and seized his wrist.
• Chen Nan subdued Meng Fanyu, who conceded, and Chen Nan recorded his victory.
• Several people questioned Meng Fanyu about Chen Nan, while Chen Nan noticed them and recognized that others did not want him to grow stronger.

Chen Nan spent a peaceful day with Susanna, who took him to the newly opened Chen Nan Spicy Hot Pot branch at the academy. After they heard a flute player whose music seemed familiar to Susanna, Chen Nan prepared for the next Diligence Ranking battle, where Meng Fanyu had found a way to defeat him.

• Chen Nan continued revising the Myriad Laws Universe Art and stayed within the academy with Susanna.
• Susanna brought Chen Nan to the Chen Nan Spicy Hot Pot branch in F District, where they ate among mostly independent students.
• Chen Nan noticed Susanna avoid a secluded pavilion after they heard a mournful flute tune, and he wondered whether she knew the player.
• Chen Nan returned to his department to guide students and prepare for the next day's battle.
• Meng Fanyu prepared specifically for Chen Nan and learned of a method to defeat him.

Chen Nan deliberately conceded his second fight with Meng Fanyu to encourage him and secure a third match, while hidden observers began to suspect Chen Nan had concealed his real ambitions. Chen Nan returned to his department and weighed how to handle their scrutiny and the risks of revealing more of his strength.

• Meng Fanyu attacked Chen Nan with rapid, illusory weapon strikes, while Chen Nan used the fight to train his combat skills under the AI System's guidance.
• Chen Nan gradually appeared to retreat, then voluntarily conceded the match, leaving Meng Fanyu with a win and proposing that they settle the contest in a third fight.
• Meng Fanyu nearly revealed that someone had influenced events, then stopped himself; after Chen Nan left, he privately questioned how the fight had gone.
• Hidden observers judged Chen Nan unusually capable and ambitious, and considered that they could still eliminate him if he became a threat.
• Chen Nan returned to his department, reconsidered his decision to expose his strength through the Diligence Ranking, and decided to stay cautious and conceal more of his abilities.

Chen Nan defeated Meng Fanyu in his third battle and prepared to climb the rankings toward 713th while spending a peaceful weekend with Susanna. Their meal at a Spicy Hot Pot shop was interrupted when Chen Nan recognized a group of unpleasant-looking newcomers.

• Chen Nan reflected on his ambitions and accepted that his path as a Nature Master would bring hardship, then prepared for his third battle.
• Chen Nan defeated Meng Fanyu with lightning, temporarily paralyzing him, and showed him respect after the match.
• Observers reported on Chen Nan's strength, while Academy President Qiu Daqiang's group watched his progress with growing concern.
• Chen Nan planned to challenge for 713th place and spent the weekend with Susanna, whose relationship with him grew more harmonious.
• Chen Nan and Susanna went to a Spicy Hot Pot shop, where Chen Nan recognized a group of newcomers as they entered.

Chen Nan confronted Zhao Yunlong’s group when they mocked him and his restaurant, while Susanna and Chen Wan'er traded insults. Zhao Yunlong warned Chen Nan to leave the Diligence Ranking or face a fight with Jiang Wenming’s brother, and Chen Nan was left under the threat of their retaliation.

• Jiang Wenming insulted Chen Nan after Zhao Yunlong’s group recognized him at Chen Nan’s Spicy Hot Pot.
• Susanna defended Chen Nan and insulted the group, prompting Chen Wan'er to curse her in return.
• Chen Nan challenged the group’s behavior, and Zhao Yunlong intimidated Susanna with his spiritual force before confronting Chen Nan.
• Zhao Yunlong told Chen Nan that Jiang Wenming’s brother, ranked two hundred and thirty on the Diligence Ranking, would fight him if he reached that rank and would want him off the ranking if he lost.
• Zhao Yunlong and his group left, and Susanna told Chen Nan they should leave too.

Chen Nan reflected on the obstacles ahead, then steadily climbed the academy rankings while concealing how strong he was from someone watching him. After reaching the top 300, he prepared to face Jiang Wenming's younger brother, Jiang Wenyu, ranked 202nd.

• After Zhao Yunlong and the others left, Chen Nan and Susanna went to the academy's couples' cabins and returned to their departments by evening.
• Chen Nan resolved to keep advancing despite the entrenched powers and other troubles he expected to face.
• Chen Nan accepted the challengers in his second week of ranking battles and quickly won his matches, securing rank 613 and then rising into the 513 range.
• Chen Nan continued climbing, collecting rewards and spacing out battles as they grew harder, while conceding some matches to appear less threatening to the person watching him.
• Chen Nan entered the top 300 and learned that Jiang Wenming's younger brother, Jiang Wenyu, was ranked 202nd.

Chen Nan prepared to challenge Jiang Wenyu for rank 202, knowing the ranking’s combat demands and the danger posed by Jiang Wenyu’s grudge against him. After defeating his other challengers, Chen Nan faced Jiang Wenyu in a crowded battle hall, and they exchanged names before the fight began.

• Chen Nan chose to challenge Jiang Wenyu at rank 202 to break into the top two hundred.
• Jiang Wenming urged his younger brother Jiang Wenyu to defeat Chen Nan, while Jiang Wenyu blamed Chen Nan for humiliating the Jiang Lineage and himself.
• Chen Nan recognized that Jiang Wenyu’s combat skill, hostility, and lineage status made the match dangerous, but he had no choice but to proceed.
• On Monday, Chen Nan defeated his three challengers at rank 313, leaving only his match against Jiang Wenyu.
• Chen Nan and Jiang Wenyu met in a crowded, reinforced battle hall and confirmed each other’s identities.

Chen Nan lost his Diligence Ranking fight against the much stronger Jiang Wenyu, then left with Susanna and reflected on the battle. He recognized that overcoming Jiang Wenyu would require more than the tactics that had carried him through earlier fights.

• Jiang Wenyu attacked Chen Nan with his Tiger Rend Fist, and Chen Nan dodged the explosive strike.
• Chen Nan used lightning, the Eye of AI, and the AI System to withstand Jiang Wenyu's assault, but could not break through his opponent's defense.
• Chen Nan conceded the round, endured Jiang Wenyu's insults and the crowd's mockery, and left the battle hall.
• Susanna accompanied Chen Nan to eat Spicy Hot Pot, and flute music briefly lifted his mood.
• Chen Nan returned to the Nature Master Department and reflected on Jiang Wenyu's combat ability and the deeper consequences of losing.

Chen Nan refused to give up his chance to defeat Jiang Wenyu and devised a plan using precise control of lightning to disrupt Jiang Wenyu’s nervous system. After slowing Jiang Wenyu’s movements, Chen Nan concealed himself in thick mist, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Chen Nan decided he had to defeat Jiang Wenyu to protect his cultivation resources and confidence, then cultivated while planning how to overcome Jiang Wenyu’s defense.
• On Wednesday, Chen Nan defeated three challengers before facing Jiang Wenyu in the afternoon.
• Jiang Wenyu taunted Chen Nan and attacked, while Chen Nan dodged and spread harmless lightning over Jiang Wenyu’s body.
• Chen Nan used the lightning to interfere with Jiang Wenyu’s nervous system, slowing his movements and disrupting his strikes.
• Jiang Wenyu reasoned that Chen Nan’s delicate control would exhaust him and that Jiang Wenyu’s defenses would hold if he waited.
• Chen Nan cast the Mist Concealment Technique, filling the area with thick fog as Jiang Wenyu braced himself against the attack.

Chen Nan defeated Jiang Wenyu by using the Mist Concealment Technique to land a lightning strike through his nose, but Jiang Wenyu’s allies prepared to counter him with equipment for their next match. Chen Nan anticipated their cheating and worried that he had little chance of winning the decisive third battle.

• Chen Nan concealed himself in mist and struck Jiang Wenyu’s brain with lightning through his nostrils, knocking him unconscious and winning their match.
• Jiang Wenming tried to attack Chen Nan, but Zhao Yunlong stopped him from breaking the Diligence Ranking rules.
• After Jiang Wenyu woke up, he told his group how Chen Nan had defeated him, and they dismissed the win as a sneak attack.
• Zhao Yunlong’s group decided to defend Jiang Wenyu against lightning with equipment and arrange for a teacher to overlook their cheating.
• Chen Nan anticipated that his opponents would prepare for his attack and cheat, so he worried about winning the third match and reconsidered his ranking goal.

Chen Nan struggled to find a way to defeat Jiang Wenyu, whose side had arranged concealed anti-electric equipment for the Diligence Ranking final. Yang Yugan gave Chen Nan cultivation power stored in the Mysterious Profound Token, and Chen Nan planned how to use it as Friday’s battle approached.

• Jiang Wenyu’s allies greased palms and prepared anti-electric equipment for him and Jiang Wenyu.
• Yang Yugan woke Chen Nan from cultivation and offered to store some of his cultivation power in the Mysterious Profound Token.
• Yang Yugan charged the token with cultivation power and told Chen Nan to swallow it before the fight.
• Chen Nan tested the power in the token, found it exceptionally pure, and planned to use it gradually to overcome Jiang Wenyu’s defenses.
• Friday arrived, and Chen Nan and Jiang Wenyu’s final Diligence Ranking match drew attention from Zhao Yunlong’s group and the academy’s upper ranks.

Chen Nan fought Jiang Wenyu in a Diligence Ranking battle, combining electric-current-enhanced reactions, Earth martial arts, and the Void Dissipation Art to counter Jiang Wenyu’s attacks. As Jiang Wenyu began to fear defeat, Zhao Yunlong whispered advice to Jiang Wenming, who shouted toward the arena.

• Chen Nan and Jiang Wenyu arrived for their battle, and Jiang Wenyu vowed to drive Chen Nan off the Diligence Ranking.
• Chen Nan used lightning to enhance his body and combined Tai Chi Eight Trigrams, Wing Chun, and Xingyi to evade Jiang Wenyu’s physical attacks.
• Jiang Wenyu escalated to repeated Tiger Rend Fist energy attacks, but Chen Nan combined martial arts with the Void Dissipation Art to withstand them.
• Jiang Wenyu worried that his strength would run out before he could defeat Chen Nan, and his attacks slowed.
• Zhao Yunlong whispered to Jiang Wenming, who began shouting toward the arena.

Chen Nan defeated Jiang Wenyu despite the opponents’ cheating, securing a place on the Diligence Ranking. He left Zhao Yunlong’s threats behind and planned to drop a few ranks so he could cultivate before facing Jiang Wenyu again.

• Jiang Wenming relayed Zhao Yunlong’s endurance advice to Jiang Wenyu, while Zhao Yunlong worried that their blatant cheating would be exposed if Jiang Wenyu lost.
• Jiang Wenyu steadied himself for an endurance battle, but Chen Nan avoided relying on his hidden reserves and decided to finish the fight quickly.
• Chen Nan used the Mist Concealment Technique and secretly sent electricity into Jiang Wenyu’s nostril, knocking him unconscious again.
• Chen Nan claimed his victory from Zhao Yunlong, who acknowledged the wager but warned him to be careful and restrained.
• Chen Nan recorded his win and officially reached 202nd place on the Diligence Ranking, then planned to drop a few ranks and cultivate before Jiang Wenyu recovered.

After reaching rank 202, Chen Nan encouraged the Nature Master Department students as their cultivation improved and planned to teach them combat techniques. He returned to his residence to cultivate and use the AI System to create a martial art that might help them face the Strength Department.

• Chen Nan filled out his form for rank 202 and learned he would collect the rank’s rewards on the second Tuesday.
• Chen Nan visited the Nature Master Department and found that its students had improved rapidly through the Myriad Laws Universe Art.
• Chen Nan discussed teaching the students combat techniques and warned them not to let their gains make them arrogant or reckless.
• The students agreed to endure for now and work toward graduating with the strength to stand confidently among other Transcendents.
• Chen Nan returned home, cultivated, and used the AI System to combine martial arts knowledge into a new set of techniques for the students.

Chen Nan adjusted his Diligence Ranking strategy while the academy’s leaders reconsidered the Nature Master Department. Meanwhile, Zhiyun Region descended into war as Demonic Orc nations backed a separatist resistance force equipped with powerful mechs, and Qingyang Kingdom debated how to respond.

• Chen Nan studied how to teach martial arts, then faced three challengers and conceded to Jiang Wenyu, falling to rank 205.
• Academy leaders discussed imposing measures on the Nature Master Department after Chen Nan entered the top 200, but took no action.
• Separatist activity in Zhiyun Region escalated into war after Qingyang Kingdom sent troops to suppress it, and Demonic Orc nations condemned the crackdown and backed the resistance.
• Chen Nan watched combat footage showing the resistance army’s advanced mech units overwhelming Qingyang Kingdom’s regular forces.
• Qingyang Kingdom’s leaders considered saturating Zhiyun Region with bombs to destroy the mechs and prevent the region from breaking away.

Chen Nan redirected Yang Yugan and Lu Fangliang from worrying about the kingdom to strengthening the Nature Master Department, which flourished as he continued to advance. As his progress drew the academy’s attention, its leaders used a surprise inspection to strip the department of its equipment and funds, though Chen Nan had anticipated their attack and kept other options.

• Chen Nan urged Yang Yugan and Lu Fangliang to teach the students cultivation arts and focus on building the Nature Master Department rather than fretting over a possible war.
• Yang Yugan and Lu Fangliang accepted Chen Nan’s advice, and the department united and began developing while its elective students grew more attached to it.
• After half a year of cultivation, Chen Nan reached Level 46, and his spiritual senses and AI System both developed new capabilities.
• Chen Nan rose to 150th on the Diligence Ranking and moved roughly a dozen places ahead of Jiang Wenyu.
• Several department heads told Qiu Daqiang that the Nature Master Department threatened the academy, and the academy arranged a surprise inspection.
• The academy classified the department’s Meditation Qi Yin Art equipment as an illegal purchase, confiscated it, imposed fines, and audited its accounts, but Chen Nan had prepared other methods.

After the Nature Master Department lost its assets in the academy’s punishment, Chen Nan secretly arranged Fu Long’s death and a will that gave most of his fortune to the department. Yang Yugan used the inheritance and Chen Nan’s business support to keep the department operating at an outside cultivation site, though its future remained uncertain.

• Chen Nan secretly manipulated Fu Long’s health and, after deciding the time was right, caused him to die from a fatal heart attack.
• Fu Long’s will left one-tenth of his estate to his descendants and the rest to the Nature Master Department, though Chen Nan had fabricated the will.
• Yang Yugan transferred the inheritance to Chen Nan’s Spicy Hot Pot, and the department used the funds to buy a suburban site and cultivation equipment.
• Yang Yugan, Lu Fangliang, and Chen Nan’s Spicy Hot Pot supplied money to keep the department running despite its financial punishment.
• Yang Yugan suspected Chen Nan had orchestrated Fu Long’s inheritance and recognized that the teenager had helped carry the department through its crisis.

Chen Nan secured resources for the struggling Nature Master Department by arranging Gao Haitao’s death and redirecting most of his inheritance, while Yang Yugan prepared to enter seclusion and Chen Nan’s Diligence Ranking rose toward the top one hundred. Chen Nan received stronger ranking rewards as his progress drew renewed attention from the Chen family.

• Chen Nan reached Level Fifty and the middle stage of Mystic Understanding after three more months of cultivation, while Yang Yugan prepared to break through into the Unity stage and handed department affairs to Chen Nan and Lu Fangliang.
• Chen Nan used Gao Haitao’s appetite for his toxic pills to worsen his chronic poisoning, and Gao Haitao eventually died after consuming medicines he had refined himself.
• Chen Nan altered Gao Haitao’s will so that ninety percent of his inheritance went to the Nature Master Department through Lu Fangliang, who accepted the responsibility of holding the funds for future crises.
• Chen Nan’s Diligence Ranking climbed toward the top one hundred, while Zhao Yunlong, Chen Jiadong, Chen Wan’er, Chu Yu, and Qin Shou held prominent positions on the list.
• Chen Wan’er’s father urged her to make peace with Chen Nan for the sake of the Chen Lineage, but she continued to dislike him and could not explain why.
• Chen Nan entered the bottom of the top one hundred and became eligible for a medium Spirit Touch Potion, a Hongci Training Center ticket, and a Heaven-Defying Pill.

Chen Nan used his Diligence Ranking rewards to cultivate with a Heaven-Defying Pill, making substantial progress while leaving the Nature Master Department’s affairs to Lu Fangliang. Susanna’s father urged her to support Chen Nan and report on him, while the chapter revealed that he was monitoring Chen Nan as a potentially dangerous Transcendent.

• Chen Nan claimed a Heaven-Defying Pill, Spirit Touch Potions, and training-center tickets, then tested the pill during a six-hour cultivation session at the Hongci Training Center.
• Chen Nan continued cultivating and participating in matches, while Lu Fangliang handled the Nature Master Department’s affairs and felt frustrated at being left with the work.
• Susanna struggled with Chen Nan’s lack of attention, but a message from her father encouraged her to view his focus on cultivation as responsible preparation for their future.
• Susanna began telling her father about Chen Nan every day, and he explained that Transcendents who grew beyond control had to be suppressed to protect their countries.