Chapter Summaries

The Nolanshan Family's Old Patriarch ordered a secret expedition to conquer Earth, risking the family’s future to seize its treasures. Meanwhile, Ning Ze bid farewell to his friends and left Bailan Star with a Virtual Universe Company guide to join the Ganwu Branch, leaving Fite to protect his family.

• The Nolanshan elders argued over whether to attack Earth until Nolanshan ordered the family fleet to depart under Bakarro and told Ni Qu to prepare for a possible relocation from the Caro Empire.
• Ning Ze spent time with Shu Yi and Ning Chen, then received farewell visits from Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng before leaving for the Virtual Universe Company Branch.
• Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng discussed Ning Ze’s talent and agreed that Earth’s relatives and friends would be looked after.
• On Bailan Star, Zou Qiu arrived with a fleet and introduced himself as an Internal World Lord of the Virtual Universe Company, welcoming Ning Ze to its Ganwu Branch.
• Ning Ze left with Zou Qiu’s fleet and ordered Fite and four other Universe level experts to protect his family.

Ning Ze arrived at the Virtual Universe Company's Ganwu Branch in Tunting Starfield and learned about its resources, trials, and limited opportunities to advance into the Core. After seeing the Starfield's immense defenses and hearing about the powerful expert who created it, he resolved to grow stronger and seize his chance to enter the Virtual Universe Core.

• Zou Qiu explained the Branch's member grades, resources, mandatory Secret Realm trials, and the difficulty of advancing to the Core.
• Zou Qiu warned Ning Ze that he would face a dangerous survival trial after less than three years of training and might have only one chance to enter the Core through the upcoming Peak Genius Battle.
• Zou Qiu opened the Starfield Defense System and led the fleet through its passage into the core of Tunting Starfield.
• Ning Ze learned that Domain Masters who had not become Core Members were expected to risk their lives in the universe, while the Branch's core region was guarded by powerful forces.
• Zou Qiu described how an expert from headquarters had stabilized the enormous Tunting Star and arranged ten special stars around it.
• Ning Ze reflected on the gap between his current strength and the universe's great powers and resolved to join the Virtual Universe Core.

Ning Ze encountered Hou Fu Chen, a Marquis Undying who recognized his exceptional talents and took him as a disciple. After Hou Fu Chen departed, Ning Ze arrived at Tunting Star's Technology Star to begin training at the branch.

• Hou Fu Chen arrived at the spacecraft and revealed that he had detected Ning Ze's Elemental Clone and his perceptions of several Laws.
• Hou Fu Chen asked Ning Ze to become his disciple, and Ning Ze accepted and completed the apprenticeship rites.
• Hou Fu Chen instructed Ning Ze to learn the branch's rules, reach Star level ninth order with Nutrient Solution, and then visit him on Wind Mist Star.
• Ning Ze discussed Tunting Star and its training facilities with Zou Qiu as the spacecraft descended toward the Technology Star.
• Zou Qiu left Ning Ze at the Technology Star, pointing out Hou Fu Chen's cultivation star before Ning Ze began his new training.

Ning Ze used a Perfect Grade Bloodline Evolution Potion and discovered that his Earthling body’s Law comprehension had increased a hundredfold. After deciding to visit his teacher, Hou Fu Chen, he learned that even King Yun Lan needed permission to enter Xun Cang Star.

• Ning Ze settled into his estate on Technology Star and ordered Sen Mo to take him to the training room for cultivation.
• Ning Ze injected the Bloodline Evolution Potion, which transformed his genes and greatly improved his ability to perceive Laws.
• After checking the System Panel, Ning Ze found his comprehension speed had risen to 10,000 per hour and planned to advance his Laws before the Secret Realm Trial.
• Ning Ze told Sen Mo to arrange a spacecraft to Xun Cang Star, and Sen Mo warned him that King Yun Lan himself had to be cautious there.
• Ning Ze revealed that Hou Fu Chen was his teacher, leaving Sen Mo stunned before he acknowledged the order.

Ning Ze arrived at Xun Cang Star and met his teacher, Hou Fu Chen, who tested his confidence by ordering him to attack Marquis Rong Yan. Ning Ze endured Rong Yan’s immense pressure and landed a sword thrust, leaving Hou Fu Chen astonished by his disciple’s resolve and talent.

• Sen Mo warned the servants not to question Ning Ze’s affairs and urged them to help their master cultivate.
• Ning Ze struggled against Xun Cang Star’s crushing gravity until Marquis Rong Yan arrived and carried him to Hou Fu Chen’s divine hall.
• Ning Ze told Hou Fu Chen he had come to ask for methods to comprehend Laws, prompting his teacher to order him to attack Rong Yan.
• Rong Yan raised his will to near the Undying level, but Ning Ze gathered his strength and used “Instant Slash” to thrust his sword into Rong Yan’s armor.
• Ning Ze told Hou Fu Chen he had completed the attack, then suffered the strike’s backlash as Hou Fu Chen praised him in astonishment.

Hou Fu Chen accepted Ning Ze as his disciple, gave him the Sounding Wind Sword Embryo, and arranged guidance and cultivation resources for him. After rapidly advancing in a Nutrition Pod and discovering that his cultivation method could benefit from many sword arts, Ning Ze chose to begin with Thousand Jade Absolute Void and planned to persuade his teacher to let him study the rest.

• Hou Fu Chen praised Ning Ze’s swordsmanship, identified its flaws, and offered to guide him as his disciple.
• Hou Fu Chen revealed the Sounding Wind Sword Embryo, refined it for Ning Ze, and let Ning Ze name it the Morning Light Sword.
• Hou Fu Chen arranged for Ning Ze to cultivate on Xun Cang Star, told Rong Yan to guide him, and advised him to focus on comprehending Laws.
• Ning Ze returned to Technology Star, rapidly advanced in a Nutrition Pod, and found that Divine Roam greatly accelerated his Law Comprehension.
• Ning Ze reviewed ten Marquis-level sword arts in Hou Fu Chen’s Virtual Universe account and decided to start with Thousand Jade Absolute Void before asking to study the others.

Ning Ze struggled to cultivate the Marquis-level Thousand Jade Absolute Void and sought guidance from Marquis Rong Yan, whose demonstration revealed how skillfully the Secret Art could draw upon the Laws. Rong Yan explained that Law Essences could offer a new path to understanding Laws, but warned that even Undying could not fully comprehend them.

• Ning Ze stopped cultivating after seven days and traveled to Xun Cang Star to ask Marquis Rong Yan for guidance on Thousand Jade Absolute Void.
• Ning Ze demonstrated the Secret Art, and Rong Yan showed how the same move could be executed with far greater speed and fluidity.
• Rong Yan could not explain the difference at first, but recalled that a Secret Art he practiced as a Domain Lord had helped him comprehend one Law Essence of the Time Law.
• Rong Yan explained that Laws consisted of Law Essences, and Ning Ze recognized them as a promising new way to comprehend Laws.
• Rong Yan warned that Law Essences were extraordinarily difficult to comprehend, and that even Undying could not master all of them.

Ning Ze pursued Law Essence despite Marquis Rong Yan’s warning, spending years preparing and meditating while his teacher watched anxiously. He eventually contacted Luo Feng and Shu Yi, learned Earth was safe, and promised to return home after the Peak Genius Battle began next March.

• Marquis Rong Yan warned Ning Ze that comprehending Law Essence was perilous, then told Hou Fu Chen that Ning Ze was pursuing it; Hou Fu Chen let Ning Ze choose his own path and gave him a thousand years to learn from his mistakes.
• Ning Ze failed his first attempt at comprehending Law Essence, analyzed his shortcomings, and cultivated the first stage of the Time, Space, Wood, and Wind Laws to perfection before trying again.
• Ning Ze meditated on Law Essence for more than two years, missing his guidance appointments and the branch trial while Marquis Rong Yan worried that he had become lost in the pursuit.
• Luo Feng called Ning Ze, shared that he had gained eleven Chaos Units, and told him that the Nolanshan Family’s agents had been dealt with and Earth was secure.
• Ning Ze realized he had not contacted his family for nearly three years, then called Shu Yi and promised to return home after the Peak Genius Battle began next March.

The Peak Genius Battle began, and Ning Ze left the Branch for Earth while registering for the competition. After reuniting with his family and friends, he revealed that he had made limited progress studying Law Essence and learned that Qianqian had secretly traveled to Qi Guang Universe Country.

• Notices announced the Peak Genius Battle, and Ning Ze had Wu Bai register him and secure leave from the Branch so he could return to Earth.
• Ning Ze departed without visiting Hou Fu Chen, but Hou Fu Chen told Marquis Rong Yan to let him go, assuming Ning Ze had misunderstood his instructions.
• Ning Ze arrived at Earth twenty days later and reunited with his family, Hong, Thunder God, Luo Feng, and his subordinates.
• Ning Ze told Luo Feng that he had comprehended twelve types of Law Essence, while Babata warned that this was an unconventional and difficult path.
• Li Qiu told Ning Ze that Qianqian had secretly left for Qi Guang Universe Country half a year earlier after being invited by the Rose Human Race.

Ning Ze attended the Ganwu Branch briefing for the Peak Genius Battle, then entered the preliminary selection and was assigned to World Zone 23. He easily defeated a dwarf who offered to survive until the final day and let Ning Ze claim his accumulated Points.

• Kai Ke complained that Ning Ze had missed the assembly, while Di Ya mocked Kai Ke for comparing himself to Ning Ze.
• Ning Ze arrived as Immortal Tuo Feng explained the Genius Battle stages, advancement rewards, and rules for the branch's competitors.
• Ning Ze left the Virtual Universe and discussed the preliminary selection with Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng before all competitors were teleported to the continent.
• Ning Ze reached World Zone 23, tested the city's boundaries, and learned that only the first-ranked competitor in each city could travel to other cities.
• A dwarf attacked Ning Ze with a Fire Domain and Mental Power Weapon, but Ning Ze destroyed both with one sword strike.
• The dwarf begged Ning Ze to spare him until the final day, promising that Ning Ze could then claim his accumulated Points.

Ning Ze let Kerr Saki go after demanding he keep fighting for the next thirty days, then challenged the entire city and fought off a massive crowd. As the slaughter continued, Luo Feng’s family and Ning Ze’s family watched from above, while Marquis Rong Yan worried that Ning Ze’s developing sword style was straying from his intended path.

• Ning Ze let Kerr Saki leave after Kerr swore to keep killing participants and return near the end of the Preliminary.
• Ning Ze decided he only needed to qualify and shouted a challenge across the city, drawing fighters toward him.
• Elsewhere in the city, a Poison Woman and an illusionist fought, while participants across the city hid, ambushed one another, and pursued their own strategies.
• More than a hundred thousand fighters gathered around Ning Ze, who killed opponents with his sword while surviving the growing battle.
• Ning Chen and Luo Feng’s children argued over which of their fathers was stronger as their families watched Ning Ze fight from a sightseeing spacecraft.
• Marquis Rong Yan watched Ning Ze’s swordsmanship sharpen and worried that his disciple was leaning toward a Mental Master’s style rather than following his teacher’s guidance.

During the Genius Battle, Kai Ke killed Zi Er and pursued a top ranking, while Ning Ze continued to draw hundreds of opponents into a prolonged battle without prioritizing Points. As Ning Ze’s enemies tried to stop him from reaching the Prince, a mysterious expert arrived and offered them unexpected reinforcements.

• Kai Ke killed Zi Er after confronting him and learned that Zi Er had amassed eighty million Points.
• Ning Chen watched Ning Ze fight hundreds of Star level warriors, and Shu Yi explained that Ning Ze was enjoying the battle rather than seeking Points.
• A four-winged genius fled the region after witnessing Ning Ze’s strength, while Kai Ke entered the city to hunt for Points.
• The Prince failed to escape the city and vowed to fight Ning Ze, who faced a renewed attack from the trapped geniuses.
• Ning Ze broke through the attackers’ defenses and targeted the Prince, but Poison Woman’s mist stopped his advance.
• A mysterious expert arrived above the battlefield, and the watching geniuses recognized the chance for reinforcements.

Ning Ze faced a siege of elite fighters in World Zone 23, effortlessly suppressing them while Marquis Rong Yan worried that his swordsmanship was straying from the right path. On the final day of the Preliminary, Ning Ze killed the gathered opponents, including Kai Ke, and the Sword Master’s fame spread throughout the Ganwu Universe Country.

• Illusion Pupil and Prince called for Kai Ke to join their attack, but Kai Ke refused and watched from above as the other geniuses turned their attention toward Cold Blade.
• Ning Ze intercepted Kai Ke’s attacks and repeatedly sent him flying, while Prince, Cold Blade, Poison Woman, Illusion Pupil, and the other fighters joined the siege without putting Ning Ze under pressure.
• Spectators across the Ganwu Universe Country praised the Sword Master and connected him to Duel Space’s Gale Sword, while Marquis Rong Yan criticized Ning Ze’s use of swordsmanship and resolved to correct his cultivation.
• On the final day of the Preliminary, Ning Ze killed the remaining geniuses in World Zone 23, including Illusion Pupil, Cold Blade, Poison Woman, Iron Tower, and Prince.
• Ning Ze exploited Kai Ke’s fear of dying, used Instant Slash, and killed him.

Ning Ze took third overall in the Genius Battle Preliminary and reunited with his family, while Thunder God was eliminated and Luo Feng and Hong advanced. After Marquis Rong Yan summoned him over concerns about his fighting style, Ning Ze met his teacher Hou Fu Chen, who criticized his performance and compared him unfavorably with Bolan and Galesi.

• Ning Ze killed Kai Ke, reached third overall, and secured first place in World Zone 23 as spectators across the universe debated his origins and Earth.
• Ning Ze rested, reflected on how real opponents improved his Laws, and let Kerr Saki leave with his Points after Kerr came to honor his oath.
• Ning Ze returned to the spectator spacecraft, where Ning Chen celebrated his result and Thunder God admitted that a powerful opponent had eliminated him; Luo Feng and Hong had advanced.
• Marquis Rong Yan summoned Ning Ze to a Duel Space and criticized his fighting style, then took him to meet Hou Fu Chen.
• Hou Fu Chen received Ning Ze and said that Bolan and Galesi were far stronger, making clear that he was dissatisfied with Ning Ze's performance.

Hou Fu Chen gave Ning Ze the Clear Universe Sword Canon to help him comprehend Law Essence, and Marquis Rong Yan tested his fighting skills. The test revealed Ning Ze’s unusual speed and sword power, leaving Marquis Rong Yan astonished and concerned that his combat style might hinder him later.

• Hou Fu Chen gave Ning Ze the Clear Universe Sword Canon and urged him to prepare for the Genius Battle finals.
• Marquis Rong Yan began a sparring test, attacking Ning Ze with twin golden warhammers and criticizing his defensive swordplay.
• Ning Ze used sword strikes and speed to knock Marquis Rong Yan’s thrown hammers off course and disarm him.
• Marquis Rong Yan asked Ning Ze to demonstrate his long-range attacks, then was sent flying and lost a warhammer to Ning Ze’s sword strikes.
• Marquis Rong Yan concluded that Ning Ze’s combat style resembled a Domain Lord’s and warned that it could become a shackle, while Ning Ze promised to consider the warning.
• After Ning Ze exited the Virtual Universe, Marquis Rong Yan decided to report his strange Secret Art to Hou Fu Chen.

Ning Ze learned that his unusual Sword Art had made Marquis Rong Yan lose, but the Clear Universe Sword Canon made him question whether his independent cultivation path had gone astray. After ten days of doubt, he chose to keep his own path while studying the canon to comprehend Law Essence, leaving the question of right and wrong for the future.

• Marquis Rong Yan told Hou Fu Chen that Ning Ze's Sword Art fused Gene Energy and Mental Power, and admitted that Ning Ze had defeated him in their Virtual Universe spar.
• Ning Ze declined invitations from Black Dragon Mountain Immortal and the Silver Blue Empire, while Gao Sheng received his message and was made heir to the Weidi Family's businesses.
• Ning Ze studied the Clear Universe Sword Canon and questioned whether its Law-based Sword Art conflicted with his own approach, which relied on Sword Art, movement, and defense without Laws.
• Ning Ze spent ten days considering the doubts of Marquis Rong Yan and Hou Fu Chen, and the possibility that his cultivation path was mistaken.
• Ning Ze decided to continue his own Sword Art path while using the Clear Universe Sword Canon to study Law Essence, postponing judgment until he reached a higher level.

Ning Ze prepared for the Genius Battle finals after years of training and joined Luo Feng among Ganwu Universe Country’s 1,000 finalists. When Lord Thirteen singled him out and the other geniuses dismissed his low ranking, Ning Ze remained unconcerned as the finalists gathered in the central plaza and the crowd fell silent.

• Ning Ze’s reputation spread during the three-year Reincarnation Battle, while Hong was eliminated and Ning Ze’s brief fame faded.
• The night before the finals, Ning Ze dined with his family and discussed Luo Feng’s progress, then spent the night with Shu Yi.
• Ning Ze and Luo Feng joined their families before entering the Virtual Universe and traveling to Ganwu Universe Country’s gathering place.
• At the plaza, Ning Ze encountered resentful former opponents, and Lord Thirteen’s pressure caused the 1,000 finalists to tremble before he led them to their building.
• Lord Thirteen praised Savage Rong Jun, judged Luo Feng to be around 5,000th, and directed a remark about willpower at Ning Ze, who met his gaze without bowing.
• Ning Ze received ranking 85, while Luo Feng and Savage Rong Jun received rankings 2 and 1; the group then entered the central plaza, where the crowd suddenly fell silent.

Ning Ze entered the Genius Battle finals and quickly climbed to eighth place in the Trial Tower rankings, surprising the Undyings who were watching. He then left most of his will in the trial to cultivate on Earth and confronted Babata with an Overclocked Data Connector.

• Bolan arrived at the square, and Ning Ze judged that Bolan's mastery of Space Law gave him a major advantage over Ning Ze's own Time Law.
• A cyan-armored powerhouse announced that the contestants would face seven Trial Towers, with only the top 7,300 advancing; the top 100 would qualify directly for the Virtual Universe Company's core.
• Ning Ze entered the first Trial Tower, cleared its early levels rapidly, and rose to eighth place in the rankings.
• Thirteen checked Ning Ze's performance and criticized his stiff fighting and crude Law manipulation, suspecting that fear of the Bug Race had weakened him.
• Ning Ze's Wind of Time Clone rushed from the ocean surface to the Golden Horned Beast's lair and summoned Babata.
• Ning Ze showed Babata an Overclocked Data Connector, frightening Babata as Ning Ze prepared to use it.

Ning Ze punished Babata for hiding the dormant Zerg Mother Nest at Shennongjia, while Luo Feng discovered the nest during the Genius Battle and confronted Babata about it. As the Trial Tower challenges grew harsher, Ning Ze fell far down the rankings, and other competitors struggled to survive the later levels.

• Ning Ze had Wu Bai seize Babata, learned that the Zerg Queen in the Shennongjia nest was asleep, and ordered Wu Bai to overwrite Babata's appearance and lock his data.
• Babata became a smaller, faceless version of Wu Bai and regretted hiding the nest, but refused to interrupt Luo Feng's opportunity in the Genius Battle.
• Two months into the Genius Battle, Luo Feng reached the seventh Trial Tower level, found the Zerg Mother Nest, and angrily confronted Babata, who complained that Ning Ze had changed his appearance.
• Thirteen gave excuses when an Undying asked why Ning Ze had fallen from the top ranks, while the competition's surviving geniuses faced increasingly powerful Trial Tower opponents.
• Illusion Pupil was killed by the Mechanical Puppets on the sixth level of the Third Trial Tower, and the Prince told him that Sword Master had also slowed down after initially entering the top ten.

Ning Ze stunned his fellow geniuses by clearing the Sixth and Seventh Trial Tower floors with overwhelming sword techniques, then revealed his strength against the Crimson Mammoths after ten days of struggle. He advanced to the Fourth Trial Tower, while Kai Ke and Thirteen realized Ning Ze had been hiding his true abilities.

• Ning Ze killed the Star Beast Cangs and cleared the Sixth Floor, shocking Wang Zi and Illusion Pupil.
• Ning Ze endured ten days against the Bug Race and then cleared the Seventh Floor with a burst of sword light.
• Ning Ze faced the Crimson Mammoths while Kai Ke mocked his slow progress and waited with the other observers.
• Ning Ze killed nearly ten thousand Crimson Mammoths in one minute, making Kai Ke realize Ning Ze had concealed his strength since the Preliminary.
• Ning Ze advanced to the Fourth Trial Tower and fought Fei Hou on even terms, while Thirteen watched and wondered about his abilities.