Chapter Summaries

After parting from Lin Wanqiu and Uncle Fu, Wang Yuan entered Cloud Province Prefecture City to look for lodging and information about Kaoshan Sect. He learned that the sects would not recruit disciples for roughly two months, leaving him time to prepare.

• Lin Wanqiu gave Wang Yuan her father's jade pendant, which could help him seek information and assistance at Hundred Herbs Hall, and she and Uncle Fu rode off to contact their hidden connections.
• Wang Yuan explored the city's districts and headed south to find lodging before seeking Kaoshan Sect in the north.
• Wang Yuan checked into Yuelai Inn and asked the shopkeeper where Kaoshan Sect's stronghold was and how to contact it.
• The shopkeeper told Wang Yuan that the Four Great Sects recruited disciples once a year in early spring, about two months away, and that the date would be announced on the city bulletin boards.

Wang Yuan settled into the Yuelai Inn and used his accumulated Vital Blood and martial insights to break all four of his Forces through to Late Entering Force. As the breakthrough peaked, he discerned the principles behind a special Force from the unorthodox methods he had studied, beginning to grasp how to transform and enhance Force Power.

• Wang Yuan accepted the shopkeeper’s key and went to Room Three, Heavenly Class, where he resolved to use the next two months to prepare for the Kaoshan Sect.
• Wang Yuan assessed his cultivation and found that he still needed 10 points of energy from the Talent Bead.
• Wang Yuan unleashed his Vital Blood and guided Mountain Rock Force, Entangling Silk Force, Steel Bone Force, and Overlapping Wave Force through a painful breakthrough.
• Wang Yuan’s four Forces broke through to Late Entering Force at the same time.
• Wang Yuan perceived the core principles behind special Force Power in Corrupting Heart Palm, Blood Refining True Gang, and Ghost Shadow Soul Searching Claw.

Wang Yuan created Nirvana Force, fused his five Forces into Primordial Chaos Qi Force, and broke through to Late Entering Force. After leaving seclusion, he headed to the southern trading district to look for cultivation resources.

• Wang Yuan used the principles of several techniques to create the fifth Force, Nirvana Force.
• Wang Yuan fused his five Forces and condensed the new Primordial Chaos Qi Force, which could form protective qi and adapt its combat properties.
• Wang Yuan assessed his strength after the breakthrough and recognized Primordial Chaos as the path for his future cultivation.
• The innkeeper advised Wang Yuan to shop for cultivation resources in Hundred Treasures Street and Pill Cauldron Alley, warning him to beware of scams.
• Wang Yuan left Snow Shadow at the inn and walked to the southern martial arts resource district.

Wang Yuan visited Myriad Herbs Hall to buy high-tier pills for replenishing the Talent Bead and preparing for a possible fourth Talent Awakening. After purchasing four bottles of fifth-tier pills, he was invited to a private trade fair three days later.

• Wang Yuan surveyed Hundred Treasures Street and chose Myriad Herbs Hall after sensing several strong currents of pill aura inside.
• Wang Yuan asked the young attendant about fourth-tier and fifth-tier pills, then ordered two bottles each of the Earth Fire Origin Refining Pill and Jade Marrow Meridian Opening Pill.
• Wang Yuan paid three thousand four hundred taels of gold in gold notes taken from his storage leather pouch.
• Shopkeeper Qian verified the payment, gave Wang Yuan the pills and a receipt token, and offered him a ten percent discount on future purchases.
• Shopkeeper Qian invited Wang Yuan to attend a high-end trade fair at Treasure Gathering Tower three days later using the token.

Wang Yuan used eight fifth-tier pills to fill the Talent Bead’s energy and strengthen his body, then began his fourth Talent Awakening. The awakening drew his consciousness into a chaotic space filled with visions of mighty beings, but its result remained unknown.

• Wang Yuan accepted an invitation to the Treasure Gathering Tower auction and left Myriad Herbs Hall.
• Wang Yuan bought lightweight soft armor, provisions, and spare clothes before returning to Yuelai Inn.
• Wang Yuan swallowed eight fifth-tier pills, and the Talent Bead’s energy reached 100.
• Wang Yuan waited an hour for the pills’ effects to settle and reached the peak of his condition.
• Wang Yuan agreed to begin his fourth Talent Awakening, and the Talent Bead pulled his consciousness into a strange space filled with visions of powerful beings.

Wang Yuan awakened the [Melting Gold Eating Copper] Talent Divine Ability, which let him digest metal and stone to strengthen his bones and internal organs. He tested it on a shaving from his Hundred-Refined Steel longsword and confirmed that it worked.

• Wang Yuan focused on gaining a deeper foundation for Bone Forging and Viscera Refining as the Talent Imprints circled his consciousness.
• A dark-golden imprint merged with Wang Yuan, awakening [Melting Gold Eating Copper] and transforming his bones and internal organs.
• Wang Yuan learned that the talent could digest metals and minerals to extract Golden Qi and other energies, and could eventually expel Gengjin Gangqi.
• Wang Yuan scraped a tiny steel shaving from his Hundred-Refined Steel longsword and ate it.
• Wang Yuan felt the shaving's Golden Qi strengthen his finger bones and nourish his organs, confirming that the talent worked.

Wang Yuan tested how higher-quality weapons strengthened his body and considered seeking special ore to advance his martial arts. He overheard two Thief Gang members plotting to steal his horse and money, then confronted them from his inn window.

• Wang Yuan refined a tiny shaving from Uncle Zhou's short sword and found it yielded purer golden qi and killing intent than ordinary steel.
• Wang Yuan concluded that his talents worked together to support his future Bone Forging and Viscera Refining.
• Wang Yuan overheard two Second Blood Change thieves discussing how they had tracked him and planned to steal his white horse and valuables.
• The thieves noticed Wang Yuan watching them from his window and threatened him with their knives and the Thief Gang's reputation.

Wang Yuan tested his Gengjin Gangqi by killing one of two thieves who tried to rob him, then made the survivor conceal the corpse. He left the thief alive and turned his attention back to the inn, prioritizing his preparations for the Kaoshan Sect's entrance examination and the threat from the Bitao Sect.

• Wang Yuan blew a strand of Gengjin Gangqi through the hoarse thief's skull, killing him instantly.
• The surviving thief panicked, begged for mercy, and blamed Liu Xiangzhu of the Thief Gang for ordering the robbery.
• Wang Yuan assessed the Gangqi's sharpness, speed, and low cost, then decided not to pursue Liu Xiangzhu.
• Wang Yuan searched the corpse and ordered the surviving thief to hide it and clean up the evidence.
• The thief concealed the body and bloodstains while Wang Yuan turned toward the inn's main building.

Wang Yuan captured one thief and killed another after they tried to steal his horse, then let the innkeeper report the incident to the authorities. Squad Leader Zhao ruled that Wang Yuan had acted in self-defense and recorded his name before taking the surviving thief away.

• The innkeeper found Wang Yuan with a dead thief and a captured one, then explained how the Prefecture City authorities handled such cases.
• Wang Yuan gave the innkeeper one hundred taels and asked him to report the incident rather than involve himself with officials.
• The innkeeper summoned Squad Leader Zhao, who identified the thieves as members of the South City's Thief Gang and arranged for the corpse and prisoner to be taken away.
• Squad Leader Zhao questioned the captured thief, who concealed Wang Yuan's strength, and accepted the innkeeper's account of the events.
• Squad Leader Zhao told Wang Yuan that he had acted in legitimate self-defense, recorded his name as a rogue cultivator martial artist, and left with his subordinates.

Wang Yuan attended Treasure Gathering Tower’s auction to find metal ore suited to his cultivation and discovered a rare deposit of Heavy Gold Mica Ore. He bid against Elder Wu of Iron Fist Sect, leaving the auction contest unresolved.

• Wang Yuan entered Treasure Gathering Tower with Shopkeeper Qian’s invitation and took a discreet seat in the main hall.
• Chen Mingyuan opened the auction, and Wang Yuan passed on the first items because he had little need for weapons or other goods.
• Chen Mingyuan presented Heavy Gold Mica Ore, whose pure Golden Qi and Qi of Earth Sha suited Wang Yuan’s bone and organ tempering.
• Elder Wu of Iron Fist Sect bid sixteen hundred taels for the ore, and Wang Yuan countered with eighteen hundred taels.

Wang Yuan outbid Elder Wu and Zhao Yuanji to acquire Heavy Gold Mica Ore at the Treasure Gathering Tower auction, then bought Lightning-Struck Iron as well. After being warned that his rivals might target him, he left the tower carrying both ores.

• Wang Yuan raised his bid on the Heavy Gold Mica Ore until Elder Wu withdrew at three thousand five hundred taels.
• Zhao Yuanji entered the bidding to provoke Wang Yuan, but Wang Yuan raised the price to six thousand taels and rebuked him when he threatened him.
• Zhao Yuanji gave up and threatened Wang Yuan, while Elder Wu also glared at him; Wang Yuan paid six thousand taels and claimed the ore.
• Wang Yuan later bought Lightning-Struck Iron for one thousand eight hundred taels, spending seven thousand eight hundred taels total.
• A Treasure Gathering Tower steward offered Wang Yuan a safe place to wait, but Wang Yuan declined and left with both ores.

Wang Yuan lured several groups who were tracking him to an abandoned brick kiln and killed them with ease. After searching the bodies, he found evidence that a Thief Gang incense master had also targeted him.

• Wang Yuan sensed several groups following him and led them into the deserted western district.
• At the abandoned brick kiln, bandits, gang thugs, and two Iron Fist Sect disciples surrounded Wang Yuan and demanded the Heavy Gold Mica Ore and his money.
• Wang Yuan killed three attackers with Gengjin Gangqi, then pursued and killed the fleeing survivors, including an Iron Fist Sect disciple who launched a signal firework.
• Wang Yuan searched the corpses for valuables and found an iron plaque identifying the scarred masked man as a Thief Gang incense master.

Wang Yuan collected the spoils from his defeated enemies, but Elder Wu, Liu Quan, and Zhao Yuanji arrived and encircled him. As they moved to attack, Wang Yuan unleashed his full power, leaving them stunned by a pressure that seemed to approach the Bone Forging Realm.

• Wang Yuan gathered nearly three thousand taels' worth of spoils and prepared to leave with the ore.
• Elder Wu and Liu Quan emerged and confronted Wang Yuan over the deaths of their followers and the stolen property.
• Zhao Yuanji arrived with four guards, completing a three-sided encirclement and demanding that Wang Yuan surrender the ore and cripple his martial arts.
• Elder Wu and Liu Quan prepared to attack while Zhao Yuanji's guards sealed off Wang Yuan's escape routes.
• Wang Yuan circulated Primordial Chaos Qi Force and released a terrifying pressure that suppressed Elder Wu and Liu Quan.

Wang Yuan overwhelmed Elder Wu and Liu Quan, killed Zhao Yuanji’s four guards, and stopped Zhao Yuanji as he tried to flee. The chapter ended with Wang Yuan raising a deadly finger toward the terrified Zhao Yuanji.

• Elder Wu and Liu Quan attacked Wang Yuan together, but Wang Yuan shattered Elder Wu’s arm and chest with one punch and crippled Liu Quan’s cultivation with a knee strike.
• Zhao Yuanji ordered his four black-clad guards to stop Wang Yuan and tried to escape on horseback.
• Wang Yuan killed the four guards with four bursts of White-Gold Gengjin Gangqi.
• Wang Yuan appeared in front of Zhao Yuanji’s horse and listened as Zhao Yuanji invoked his family and Chiyan Valley for protection.
• Wang Yuan raised a finger charged with Primordial Chaos Qi Force and asked Zhao Yuanji if he was finished.

Wang Yuan killed Zhao Yuanji, Wu Tiande, Liu Quan, and the rest of the attackers, then collected their valuables and returned to the ruins with two valuable ores. Constables discovered the massacre and began notifying the three factions while trying to determine what kind of expert had caused it.

• Wang Yuan killed Zhao Yuanji, Wu Tiande, Liu Quan, and all the remaining attackers at the abandoned brick kiln.
• Wang Yuan collected more than twenty thousand taels in valuables, cultivation manuals, pills, and other spoils, along with the Heavy Gold Mica Ore and Lightning-Struck Iron.
• Wang Yuan left the battlefield and vanished into the overgrown ruins.
• A South City Patrol Division Squad Leader and his constables arrived, recognized the dead leaders from the Iron Fist Sect, Thief Gang, and Zhao Family, and sealed the scene.
• The Squad Leader sent constables to report the massacre to Inspector Liu and notify the three factions.
• The constables examined the bodies and suspected that a top-tier expert, possibly a Bone Forging Realm Great Martial Master, had killed them.

After the auction murders threw the Prefecture City into turmoil, Wang Yuan returned to the inn and began refining Heavy Gold Mica Ore to temper his body. He successfully drew its Golden Qi and earth-sha essence into himself, where his talent began refining them.

• The constables found an auction box at the brick kiln, and the Iron Fist Sect, Thief Gang, and Zhao Family arrived to confront the authorities over the murders.
• Zhao Yongchang ordered an investigation into the young man at the auction and sealed the city's four gates to search everyone leaving.
• Inspector Liu promised the aggrieved factions that the Patrol Office would pursue the murderer, while Squad Leader hoped his superiors would take over the dangerous case.
• At the inn, Wang Yuan examined the Heavy Gold Mica Ore and Lightning-Struck Iron and decided to refine the Heavy Gold first.
• Wang Yuan used his Melting Gold Eating Copper talent to extract the Heavy Gold Mica Ore's Golden Qi and earth-sha essence and draw them into his abdomen.
• Wang Yuan's body began refining the ore's energy, sending Golden Qi toward his bones and earth-sha essence into his organs, blood, flesh, and sinews.

Wang Yuan absorbed the energies of Heavy Gold Mica Ore and Lightning-Struck Iron, greatly strengthening and purifying his body. With one month left before his plans come to fruition, he looked toward Kaoshan Sect with confidence.

• Wang Yuan used [Melting Gold Eating Copper] to absorb Heavy Gold Mica Ore, strengthening his bones and internal organs.
• Wang Yuan absorbed Lightning-Struck Iron, further tempering his bones and purifying his flesh, meridians, and blood.
• Wang Yuan tested his increased physical strength by piercing a copper basin with one finger.
• Wang Yuan put away the remaining ore fragments and watched dawn break, thinking of the disturbance spreading through Prefecture City.
• Wang Yuan looked toward Kaoshan Sect and declared that he would arrive in one month.

After killing Zhao Yuanji, Wu Tiande, and the others, Wang Yuan hid in Cangmang Mountain rather than flee, preparing to ambush his pursuers. Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan arrived with their fighters, and Wang Yuan waited in a gorge to face the two Bone Forging Realm experts.

• Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan learned that Wang Yuan had left Yuelai Inn and led their men north to pursue him.
• Wang Yuan entered Cangmang Mountain, where he consolidated the gains from the ores and prepared to ambush his pursuers.
• After three days, Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan tracked Wang Yuan to the southeastern foothills and split their forces to search the mountain.
• Wang Yuan sensed the two Bone Forging Realm experts approaching his secluded gorge from different directions.
• Wang Yuan sent White Horse Snow Shadow into the woods and took his place in the open, ready to fight.

Wang Yuan was cornered by Zhao Zhenyue, Shi Kaishan, and their fighters, but he evaded the Bone Forging experts’ attacks while secretly poisoning them. Zhao Zhenyue realized Wang Yuan was stalling and warned Shi Kaishan as he changed tactics to trap him.

• Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan surrounded Wang Yuan with more than ten elite fighters, and Zhao Zhenyue asked whether Wang Yuan had killed his son, Zhao Yuanji.
• Wang Yuan admitted killing Zhao Yuanji, and Shi Kaishan and Zhao Zhenyue immediately attacked him with their strongest techniques.
• Wang Yuan evaded both Bone Forging experts with Ghost Shadow Steps and used each close pass to expose them to Heart Rot Powder.
• Shi Kaishan grew frustrated as his attacks repeatedly missed, while Zhao Zhenyue noticed his Force Power and Vital Blood seemed weakened.
• Zhao Zhenyue warned Shi Kaishan that Wang Yuan was stalling and changed to an entangling assault to restrict Wang Yuan’s movements.

Wang Yuan used poison and his overwhelming strength to kill Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan after they attacked him together. He gathered their valuable belongings and fled deeper into Cangmang Mountain to recover and lie low.

• Wang Yuan’s poison weakened Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan, and Zhao Zhenyue realized they had been poisoned.
• Zhao Zhenyue and Shi Kaishan launched their strongest attacks, but Wang Yuan met Shi Kaishan’s fists head-on and shattered his arms and bones.
• Wang Yuan trapped Zhao Zhenyue’s Profound Ice Finger Force, broke his wrist, and killed him with a strand of Gengjin Gangqi.
• Wang Yuan killed the badly wounded Shi Kaishan and watched the Zhao Family and Iron Fist Sect fighters flee.
• Wang Yuan searched the two corpses, taking their cultivation manuals, money, property deeds, and Iron Bone Pills.
• Wang Yuan mounted Snow Shadow and rode deeper into Cangmang Mountain to recover and hide.