Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan joined Song Daren and Wen Min at the Qingyun Sect assessment and chose Great Bamboo Peak after hearing Song Daren’s sincere promise. He crossed the Path-Seeking Steps in seconds, shattering them and revealing a phenomenon that suppressed nearby cultivators’ mana.

• Lu Yuan observed the dwindling assessment and urged a confident youth to take his turn before heading down to the trial himself.
• Daoist Cang Song dismissed the Qingyun Sect disciples to shop while Song Daren remained to oversee the assessment.
• Song Daren tried to recruit Lu Yuan for Great Bamboo Peak with an earnest promise, and Lu Yuan said he was tempted but would first take the test.
• Cang Song recognized Lu Yuan’s extraordinary innate foundation and ordered Song Daren to step back when he tried to warn the child about the steps.
• Lu Yuan crossed the Path-Seeking Steps in eight seconds, crushing every jade step as an azure lotus appeared behind him and suppressed the cultivators’ mana.
• Cang Song asked what the phenomenon was called, and Lu Yuan named it the Eternal Azure Sky Single Lotus.

Wan Renwang confronted Xuan Wu over the Ghost King Sect’s disastrously low number of male recruits, caused by Lu Yuan slaughtering nearly an entire assessment arena. At the assembly, Wan Renwang approached Lu Yuan hoping to recruit him, but Lu Yuan’s Eight-Armed Blood Hell Asura phenomenon appeared, leaving the Ghost King and his Guardians stunned as Lu Yuan explained it was heaven and earth’s recognition.

• Wan Renwang berated Xuan Wu over the Ghost King Sect admitting 247 female disciples but only 87 male disciples, then ordered him to meet the new recruits.
• Xuan Wu recalled that five-year-old Lu Yuan had killed more than two hundred candidates in one arena, while ruthless groups wiped out most of the others.
• At the assembly, Lu Yuan sat alone as recruits whispered about his slaughter and feared approaching him.
• Wan Renwang saw Lu Yuan as a rare hope for reaching a higher realm and tried to establish contact by placing a hand on his shoulder.
• Lu Yuan’s blood mist formed a sea of blood and an eight-armed, blood-armored figure, briefly overwhelming everyone with its killing intent.
• Lu Yuan withdrew the phenomenon and told Wan Renwang and the Guardians that the Eight-Armed Blood Hell Asura was a phenomenon granted by heaven and earth.

Yun Yilan discovered five-year-old Dongfang Yuan, a child with extraordinary fire control, immense natural talent, and influence over beasts, and recruited him as his Close Disciple and Incense Valley’s Young Valley Master. As Dongfang Yuan prepared to leave his forest home, heaven and earth granted him a fiery manifestation that astonished Yun Yilan.

• Yun Yilan found Dongfang Yuan unharmed in fire and surrounded by peaceful beasts, then learned the boy lived alone in the forest.
• Yun Yilan invited Dongfang Yuan to Incense Valley, promised to make him his Close Disciple and Young Valley Master, and Dongfang Yuan accepted.
• Dongfang Yuan asked Yun Yilan to bring his animal companions and let him bow to heaven and earth before leaving, and Yun Yilan agreed.
• Dongfang Yuan activated the Fire Element and received thousands of strange flames, which formed a fiery mark on his forehead.
• Dongfang Yuan summoned the Heaven Burning Sea Boiling Dual Sun Manifestation, suppressing fire-based arts around him, and explained that heaven and earth had bestowed it upon him.

Lu Yuan used his extraordinary talent and a strategy of recruiting the oppressed to reshape the weakened Blood Refinement Hall into a disciplined movement challenging the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. Most of the hall’s members left, but Lu Yuan set out on foot with the five who remained to teach them and begin the mission.

• Old Man Nian recalled how Lu Yuan entered the Blood Drop Cave, obtained the Heavenly Book, and was named the Blood Refinement Hall’s Holy Son before declining the title.
• Lu Yuan argued that Blood Refinement Hall should avoid confronting stronger sects directly and instead disguise its members, recruit people overlooked by cultivation clans, and offer them justice and belonging.
• Lu Yuan gave members permission to leave, and most departed, including Liu Hao; Wild Dog Daoist, Old Man Nian, and three others stayed.
• Lu Yuan introduced the new Blood Refinement Hall’s uniforms and urged Wild Dog Daoist to stand confidently as they prepared to change the world.
• Lu Yuan decided to travel on foot with the five remaining members, promising to show them the world’s suffering and teach them how to challenge it.

Lu Yuan’s astonishing cultivation progress made him the new standard for genius at Great Bamboo Peak, while Tian Ling Er grew jealous and frustrated as she struggled to chop bamboo. Lu Yuan comforted her and began teaching her the proper way to swing a sickle.

• Su Ru realized Lu Yuan had reached the Jade Purity Third Level in barely ten days and used his progress to motivate Great Bamboo Peak’s disciples, while she and Tian Buyi focused on strengthening his foundation.
• Lu Yuan reflected on how his avatars accelerated his cultivation and planned to master the Heavenly Book’s different paths before combining them.
• Tian Ling Er tried to prove herself by chopping black bamboo, but her poor technique and Lu Yuan’s presence left her embarrassed and in tears.
• Lu Yuan recognized that Tian Ling Er felt overlooked by her family and Senior Brothers, so he reassured her and offered to teach her.
• Lu Yuan corrected Tian Ling Er’s stance and guided her swing, driving the sickle deep into the black bamboo.

Tian Ling Er was punished after hiding how Lu Yuan had helped her chop black bamboo, but Lu Yuan defended her and helped her apologize. After Su Ru explained that Lu Yuan was an orphan, Tian Ling Er confronted her guilt, and Lu Yuan reassured her while they washed dishes together.

• Tian Ling Er bragged about chopping black bamboo, so Su Ru confined her to her room when her account seemed incomplete.
• At dinner, Lu Yuan offered to share the blame, cooked for the disciples, and explained how he had guided Tian Ling Er through chopping the bamboo.
• Du BiShu fetched Tian Ling Er, and she learned that Lu Yuan had defended her and agreed to explain what happened.
• Tian Ling Er apologized to Lu Yuan, and Su Ru later got her to confess that she had left out her earlier tantrum and hurtful words.
• Su Ru told Tian Ling Er about Lu Yuan's orphaned circumstances, then made her wash the dishes as punishment.
• Lu Yuan joined Tian Ling Er at the dishes and told her that one sincere apology was enough if she changed her behavior, and she hugged him before helping him wash.

The chapter recounts the rise of Devil Child Lu Yuan, Qingyun's Lu Yuan, Dongfang Yuan, and other prodigies during the Era of Great Strife, while describing how the major sects struggled to prepare for the coming upheaval. After a two-year journey, Nameless Yuan reached Heavenly Sound Temple and performed three kowtows before a Buddha statue, triggering extraordinary manifestations that left everyone stunned.

• Devil Child Lu Yuan challenged the major sects, fought Dongfang Yuan to two draws, and established himself as a fearsome force of the Demonic Path.
• Qingyun's Lu Yuan defeated the genius from Blood Refinement Hall and narrowly defeated Dongfang Yuan, strengthening Qingyun Sect's standing.
• The sects assessed the balance of power and recognized that Heavenly Sound Temple had been gravely weakened after losing many disciples and resources.
• Nameless Yuan completed his two-year journey and arrived at the foot of Heavenly Sound Temple.
• Nameless Yuan entered the temple's outer courtyard and bowed three times before the Buddha, producing Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers, Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth, and Fleeting Life Like a Dream.

Three years after the Era of Great Strife began in earnest, the Blood Refinement Hall destroyed the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect using Lu Yuan’s enhanced Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, while the major powers braced for further upheaval. At Small Bamboo Peak, Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling Er clashed over their different views of Lu Yuan, then introduced themselves with their rivalry still unresolved.

• The cultivation world’s prodigies remained at the Ninth Realm while their combat power grew, and the Blood Refinement Hall defeated the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect with Lu Yuan’s formation and counterfeit disciples.
• Lu Yuan’s Qingyun Sect and Incense Valley clones joined the battle against Poison God, while the Ghost King Sect’s Lu Yuan stayed behind with Bi Yao; Lu Yuan and his clones spent three months recovering from the poison afterward.
• At Small Bamboo Peak, Shui Yue praised Lu Xueqi’s talent but pointed out that Tian Ling Er had a firmer foundation, while Su Ru described how Lu Yuan’s self-created Dao Art had confounded Tian Buyi.
• Lu Xueqi resented Tian Ling Er for seeming to waste her connection to Lu Yuan, unaware that Lu Yuan had secretly taught Tian Ling Er part of the Heavenly Book and that she could overpower Lu Xueqi.
• After Shui Yue and Su Ru scolded them for glaring at each other, Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling Er exchanged introductions, and Tian Ling Er pointedly reminded Lu Xueqi that Lu Yuan was her junior brother.

After the massacre of Grass Temple Village, Lu Yuan recovered from his fight with Pu Zhi while Qingyun Sect's leaders investigated the only two survivors, Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan. Lu Yuan hinted that Zhang Xiaofan knew more than he admitted, leaving the leaders suspicious but without a clear confession.

• The great bell summoned Shui Yue and the other branch leaders to Tongtian Peak, and Shui Yue entrusted Su Ru with Small Bamboo Peak.
• Lu Yuan recovered from his injuries and lamented that he had failed to prevent the massacre because he could not use his other identities or spells against Pu Zhi.
• Dao Xuan and the branch leaders questioned the survivors, Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan, but neither gave them useful information about how they had escaped.
• Lu Yuan warned Lin Jingyu not to trust Zhang Xiaofan as a friend and offered to tell him more if he stayed at Qingyun Sect.
• Lu Yuan privately urged Zhang Xiaofan to reveal what he knew and promised to protect him, but Zhang Xiaofan remained silent, leaving the leaders suspicious.

Lu Yuan brought the unconscious Zhang Xiaofan to Great Bamboo Peak, where the peak heads argued over the Grass Temple Village survivors and Shui Yue’s disciples clashed before agreeing to a future duel. When Zhang Xiaofan woke, Lu Yuan confronted him about his mixed affiliations and hidden secrets.

• Lin Jingyu demanded answers from Zhang Xiaofan about the massacre, but Zhang Xiaofan fainted, followed shortly by Lin Jingyu.
• Lu Yuan asked Tian Buyi to take Zhang Xiaofan to Great Bamboo Peak and offered to guide Lin Jingyu; Tian Buyi agreed to take both survivors, but the peak heads disputed Lin Jingyu’s placement.
• Shui Yue told Su Ru that Lu Yuan had taken Zhang Xiaofan and that the truth behind the massacre remained uncertain.
• Tian Ling Er and Lu Xueqi argued over their abilities, nearly fought, then apologized and agreed to face each other at the Seven Peaks Tournament in five years.
• At Great Bamboo Peak, Lu Yuan questioned Zhang Xiaofan about being a fence-sitter and pointed out that Zhang Xiaofan was a Qingyun disciple who practiced Buddhist techniques and carried a Blood Refinement treasure.

Lu Yuan took Zhang Xiaofan’s Bloodthirsty Bead and pressured him to admit he had learned Heavenly Sound Temple’s cultivation method, but relented when Zhang refused to reveal the secret. He warned Zhang not to use any power outside Qingyun Sect, then joined Tian Ling Er and Song Daren as Great Bamboo Peak prepared to meet its newest disciple.

• Lu Yuan overpowered Zhang Xiaofan, took the Bloodthirsty Bead, and argued that Zhang’s prior promise and the village massacre had clouded his judgment.
• Lu Yuan explained that Zhang’s cultivation methods could make him look like a spy, but Zhang refused to admit he had learned Heavenly Sound Temple’s inheritance.
• Lu Yuan chose not to force Zhang to confess; he kept the bead, restored Zhang’s strength, and warned him never to use non-Qingyun powers without permission.
• Zhang thanked Lu Yuan for his guidance and left the kitchen, while Lu Yuan realized Zhang understood the warning but would not speak.
• Tian Ling Er sneaked into the kitchen for Lu Yuan’s Braised Pork, and Song Daren arrived to summon her to meet Zhang Xiaofan.
• Tian Ling Er angrily rejected the idea of Zhang as her Junior Brother, then flew to the front courtyard; Lu Yuan teased Song Daren before following with the food.

Zhang Xiaofan joined Great Bamboo Peak, where Tian Ling Er rejected him as her Junior Brother and Lu Yuan’s guidance failed to ease his awkwardness. A month later, Lu Yuan’s unexplained journey brought him to Ten Thousand Bats Cave and then Heavenly Sound Temple, where he defeated the Buddhist Child and issued a challenge for next year.

• Tian Ling Er objected to Zhang Xiaofan joining Great Bamboo Peak, but Tian Buyi and Su Ru accepted his completed discipleship ceremony.
• Tian Ling Er repeatedly told Zhang Xiaofan not to call her Little Senior Sister, while Lu Yuan’s arrival ended their argument and the disciples shared a meal.
• Over the next month, Lu Yuan gave Zhang Xiaofan a demanding training schedule and medicinal herbs, while Tian Ling Er tried to teach Zhang Xiaofan how to use his strength when cutting bamboo.
• Lu Yuan left Qingyun without explanation, visited Ten Thousand Bats Cave, and later encountered Devil Child Lu Yuan near Moonlight Lake before heading to Heavenly Sound Temple.
• Lu Yuan defeated Pu Fang, broke Heavenly Sound Temple’s plaque, and demanded a fight, but no one there answered for three days.
• On the fourth day, Lu Yuan defeated the Buddhist Child within thirty moves, debated the Dao with him for three days, and left after demanding that Heavenly Sound Temple repair its plaque before next year’s rematch.

Bi Yao confronted the Ghost King Sect’s Devil Child Lu Yuan and revealed that she suspected him of being the same person as Qingyun Dao Child Lu Yuan and his other identities. She pieced together clues from his names, behavior, anomalous phenomena, and reaction to the Golden Bell, then pinned him against the wall and demanded that he admit the truth.

• Lu Yuan met Bi Yao over tea, and she challenged him about his revenge and his act of pretending to be infatuated with her.
• Lu Yuan reviewed his plans for his different clones and explained that he had challenged Heavenly Sound Temple to retaliate for the massacre at Grass Temple Village.
• Bi Yao asked Lu Yuan why he had challenged Heavenly Sound Temple and what he had discussed with Liu Yuan at Ten Thousand Bats Cave, and he answered her questions.
• Bi Yao accused Lu Yuan of toying with her family and everyone in the world, then demanded to know who he really was.
• Lu Yuan denied being Qingyun Dao Child Lu Yuan, but Bi Yao tested him with the Golden Bell and recognized his involuntary reaction.
• Bi Yao laid out her evidence linking Lu Yuan’s identities and pinned him against the wall, demanding that he confess.

Bi Yao confronted Lu Yuan after uncovering his identity, but an interruption left You Ji and Lu Yuan’s guards convinced they had been caught in an illicit encounter. Bi Yao then misled Xiao Chi into believing Lu Yuan and Qingyun’s Dao Child were brothers, and returned to Lu Yuan to explain what she had told her mother.

• Bi Yao threatened to expose Lu Yuan unless he answered her questions, and he restrained her and threatened her in return before she bit his shoulder.
• You Ji and two Ghost King Sect disciples opened Lu Yuan’s door, mistook the scene for an improper encounter, and warned Lu Yuan and Bi Yao to behave appropriately.
• Lu Yuan denied wrongdoing to his guards, but they congratulated him and left him unable to convince them of his innocence.
• You Ji brought Bi Yao to Xiao Chi, and Bi Yao claimed she had found the benefactor’s child and fabricated a story that he and Qingyun’s Dao Child were brothers.
• Xiao Chi asked You Ji to keep the supposed brothers’ identities secret, and You Ji agreed.
• Bi Yao returned to Lu Yuan’s room, where he asked whether she had sold him out again, and she began explaining what had happened.

Lu Yuan recounted how he had set a six-year waiting period after Bi Yao confessed her feelings, then reviewed the changes and schemes involving his various identities over the next five years. With the Seven Peaks Tournament approaching, he prepared to reveal that Wan Jianyi was still alive.

• Lu Yuan told Bi Yao that they should wait six years before acting on their feelings, and she reluctantly agreed before biting his arm and flying away.
• Over the following five years, Liu Yuan expanded Blood Refinement Hall, Devil Child Lu Yuan helped lead Ghost King Sect, and Dongfang Yuan avoided managing Incense Valley amid growing romantic complications.
• Lu Yuan repeatedly challenged Heavenly Sound Temple as Nameless Yuan, while Dao Xuan confined him after each return and used the contests to bolster Qingyun Sect's standing.
• Lu Yuan and Dao Xuan spent two years arranging for Wan Jianyi to reemerge under another name, with Lu Yuan set to reveal his survival indirectly.
• Lu Yuan looked out the window and said the Seven Peaks Tournament was approaching.

Dao Xuan expanded the Seven Peaks Tournament to 128 participants and laid out a selection process for eight disciples to descend the mountain. At Great Bamboo Peak, Lin Jingyu visited Zhang Xiaofan and questioned whether Tian Buyi had treated him well, prompting Tian Buyi to erupt in anger.

• Dao Xuan increased the tournament quota to twenty disciples from Tongtian Peak and eighteen from each other peak, while Great Bamboo Peak sent all nine of its disciples.
• Dao Xuan established elimination rounds and ranking matches to select eight disciples and determine their leadership order for the upcoming expedition.
• Cang Song received Dao Xuan's arrangements and sent Dragon Head Peak disciples to inform the other peaks.
• Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu arrived at Great Bamboo Peak, where Lin Jingyu embraced Zhang Xiaofan and asked about his treatment, instruction, and treasures.
• Lin Jingyu praised an unnamed Great Bamboo Peak junior who had defeated Dragon Head Peak disciples and created many spells, then asked Zhang Xiaofan to introduce him.
• Tian Buyi took offense at Lin Jingyu's questions about Zhang Xiaofan and released a burst of mana toward him.

Qi Hao delivered the Seven Peaks Tournament rules to Great Bamboo Peak, where Lin Jingyu’s reckless remark sparked a confrontation with Tian Buyi. After Lu Yuan arrived and the meeting settled, Lin Jingyu accidentally injured Zhang Xiaofan, and Lu Yuan took the Dragon Slaying Sword and challenged him to endure one strike.

• Qi Hao stepped between Tian Buyi and Lin Jingyu, but Lu Yuan silently dispelled Tian Buyi’s pressure and ice wall as he entered the hall.
• Lu Yuan eased the conflict, Tian Buyi told Lin Jingyu to apologize, and Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan went outside together.
• Qi Hao explained that the Seven Peaks Tournament would keep its usual process and rules, with a drawing system added for the increased number of participants.
• Qi Hao gave Tian Ling Er a Cooling Pearl, and her acceptance worsened the tension between her and Lu Yuan.
• Lin Jingyu accidentally injured Zhang Xiaofan and apologized, but Lu Yuan stopped him, seized the Dragon Slaying Sword, and demanded that he survive one strike.

Lu Yuan punished Lin Jingyu for his disrespect and excessive force by raising the Dragon Slaying Sword, while Qi Hao stepped in to take the blow on his junior brother’s behalf. Lu Yuan’s strike broke through Qi Hao’s defenses and sent both Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu flying.

• Zhang Xiaofan tried to defend Lin Jingyu, but Lin Jingyu angrily insisted that the Dragon Slaying Sword belonged to him and demanded it back from Lu Yuan.
• Lu Yuan released the Dragon Slaying Sword, which flew freely before returning to his hand, demonstrating that it favored him.
• Lu Yuan listed five offenses against Lin Jingyu and prepared to strike; Qi Hao stepped between them and accepted the challenge to protect his junior brother.
• Tian Buyi warned Lu Yuan to restrain himself as Lu Yuan brought the Dragon Slaying Sword down.
• Lu Yuan’s strike pierced three ice walls, shattered Qi Hao’s Ice Sword, sent Qi Hao flying, and blew Lin Jingyu away with its aftershock.

Lu Yuan ended his confrontation with Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu, but Tian Ling Er’s attempt to provoke him left him disappointed and he quietly withdrew. After her parents realized his anger was directed at her, Tian Ling Er went searching for him across Great Bamboo Peak.

• Lu Yuan cut Qi Hao’s Ice Sword and stopped his strike at Qi Hao’s heart, leaving Qi Hao humiliated but unharmed and Lin Jingyu battered.
• Qi Hao thanked Lu Yuan for showing mercy, and Lu Yuan returned the Dragon Slaying Sword to Lin Jingyu before Qi Hao took control of it and flew back to Dragon Head Peak with him.
• Zhang Xiaofan mistakenly pleaded with Lu Yuan to spare Lin Jingyu, prompting Tian Buyi to scold him while Su Ru reminded Qi Hao that the matter was settled.
• Su Ru realized Lu Yuan was upset with Tian Ling Er, and Tian Ling Er slipped out to look for him after receiving her mother’s warning.
• Tian Buyi ordered Zhang Xiaofan to reflect in seclusion, while Tian Ling Er rode Amber Silk around Great Bamboo Peak searching for Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan accidentally saw Lu Xueqi bathing on Small Bamboo Peak, and she demanded that he take responsibility. After their argument turned into a clash, Lu Yuan restrained her and explained his domain, then challenged her to defeat him at the upcoming Seven Peaks Tournament.

• Tian Ling Er shouted for Lu Yuan, while he was cornered by Lu Xueqi on Small Bamboo Peak after accidentally seeing her bathing.
• Lu Xueqi accused Lu Yuan of spying and demanded that he take responsibility, but he insisted he had not seen enough to warrant it.
• Lu Yuan disarmed and restrained Lu Xueqi when she attacked him, then stopped her attempt to summon heavenly lightning.
• Lu Yuan demonstrated how his domain could control spells and transform elements, explaining that Lu Xueqi could not threaten him with her current strength.
• Lu Yuan proposed that Lu Xueqi settle their dispute by defeating him at the upcoming Seven Peaks Tournament.