Chapter Summaries

After Yang Jing and the other three Heavenly Prodigies destroyed the No. 1 Demon Stronghold and the No. 3 stronghold fell, the demon-eradication campaign in the Stone Mountain Secret Realm ended. Ordered to withdraw, Yang Jing crossed the spatial passage and returned to the outside world, where familiar figures awaited him.

• Yang Jing, Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui killed all thirteen true qi realm Demon Cult Agents at the No. 1 Demon Stronghold after Ma Biao's death scattered the remaining defenders.
• The four searched the ruined stronghold for spoils, and Yang Jing claimed Ma Biao's Dark-Gold Gloves.
• The four split up to hunt down fleeing low-ranking Demon Cultivators, then learned that the No. 3 Demon Cult Core Stronghold had also been destroyed.
• Yang Jing, Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui received orders to leave the secret realm and headed separately for its spatial entrance.
• Yang Jing crossed the spatial passage out of the Stone Mountain Secret Realm and found familiar figures waiting for him.

Yang Jing returned from the Stone Mountain Secret Realm after helping destroy the Demon Cult’s strongholds and killing Ma Biao, earning praise from the gathered leaders and disciples of the Profound Truth Sect. After returning to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, he washed away the battle’s dust and blood and rested.

• Yang Jing emerged from the Spatial Passage, and Commandant Tan praised him as the campaign’s foremost contributor for breaking a demonic stronghold and killing Ma Biao.
• Cao Zhen and leaders of the other sects recognized Yang Jing’s role in ending the demonic threat and protecting Jintai Prefecture.
• Commandant Tan and the others postponed rewards and Government commendations until the remaining cleanup and reports were complete.
• Bai Bing took Yang Jing back to Duck Mountain Island, where Lingxi Peak disciples congratulated him on his victory.
• Yang Jing returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, bathed, changed clothes, and rested to recover from the fighting.

Yang Jing spent half a month cultivating in seclusion on Lingxi Peak, steadily refining his martial arts and advancing toward the core realm. Meanwhile, Cao Zhen learned that the Cloudsoar Sect had invited him to a personal meeting, though the reason remained unknown.

• Yang Jing focused on cultivation after the Stone Mountain Secret Realm mission, determined to reach the true qi peak and enter the core realm.
• Yang Jing trained in the Grade-A Training Room for half a month, using Marrow Tempering Pills and the lingering power of the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Lotus to strengthen his body and true qi.
• Yang Jing checked his System Panel and saw progress in the Mountain-Splitting Seal, Indestructible True Art, and Crossing the River.
• Ouyang Jingxuan told Cao Zhen that the Cloudsoar Sect had invited him to visit in person for a meeting.
• Cao Zhen wondered why the Cloudsoar Sect had called for him when the Jintai Grand Tournament and the Demon Cult crisis had both ended.

Cao Zhen accepted the Cloudsoar Sect’s call for all five sect leaders to gather, suspecting the hidden Demon Cult Protectors were behind it. Meanwhile, Yang Jing finished half a month of cultivation and went with Sun Ningxiang to Hidden Dragon Town; the chapter left the sect leaders awaiting Ren An’s explanation.

• Ouyang Jingxuan told Cao Zhen that the leaders of all five great sects had been invited to the Cloudsoar Sect, and Cao Zhen agreed to attend at once.
• Ouyang Jingxuan worried that the Demon Cult’s hidden Core Realm Protectors could repeat the calamity of thirty years earlier, while Cao Zhen considered whether the gathering meant the sects would strike them together.
• Yang Jing finished his half-month cultivation in the Grade-A Training Room, washed, and left to meet Sun Ningxiang on Yunxi Peak.
• Yang Jing and Sun Ningxiang crossed from Duck Mountain Island to Hidden Dragon Town and strolled through its busy streets.
• At the Cloudsoar Sect, Cao Zhen asked Ren An whether the hidden Demon Cult Protectors had revealed themselves and whether the demonic menace was stirring again.

Ren An informed the leaders of Jintai Prefecture’s five great sects that Pingtian Academy would soon recruit students and that the prefecture had received around twenty recommendation slots. The leaders began preparing to compete for the scarce slots, with Yang Jing giving the Profound Truth Sect a strong candidate.

• Cao Zhen, Wei Ran, Mu Rongxiao, and Li Qingfeng suspected Ren An had summoned them because of renewed danger from the Demon Cult, but Ren An told them he had good news unrelated to the cult.
• Ren An announced that Pingtian Academy would recruit students across four provinces and that its assessment team would reach Jintai Prefecture in about a month.
• Ren An revealed that the prefecture had around twenty recommendation slots and explained that his Cloudsoar Sect had learned the news through its connection to an academy elder.
• Cao Zhen asked about the assessment, and Mu Rongxiao contrasted her uncertain hopes for Lin Tao with Yang Jing’s strong prospects for admission.
• Ren An advised the sect leaders to assess their disciples and prepare candidates before the government convened them to allocate the slots.

After half a month of secluded training, Yang Jing had greatly refined his Mountain-Splitting Seal and neared the peak of the true qi realm while preparing to pursue a breakthrough into the core realm. As Pingtian Academy's recruitment stirred the Profound Truth Sect, he left his training room and recognized the rumors as the opportunity Lin Ziheng had discussed with him the previous night.

• The Five Great Sects began screening disciples for Pingtian Academy's recommendation slots after their leaders learned about the recruitment.
• Yang Jing spent half a month cultivating in his Grade-A Training Room, refining the Mountain-Splitting Seal and strengthening his foundations.
• Yang Jing checked his System Panel and saw that the Mountain-Splitting Seal had reached 7568/10000, while his cultivation approached the true qi peak.
• Yang Jing left the training room and received respectful greetings from Lingxi Peak disciples as he headed toward Azure No. 4 Courtyard.
• Yang Jing overheard disciples whispering about an extraordinary opportunity and recognized the rumors as Pingtian Academy's recruitment, which Lin Ziheng had discussed with him the night before.

Yang Jing learned about Pingtian Academy’s immense reach and the fierce competition for its few Jintai Prefecture places, then reflected on his own standing and Bai Bing’s hidden strength. He returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, where a visitor knocked at the gate.

• Lin Ziheng told Yang Jing the secrets he had learned about Pingtian Academy’s recruitment and the approaching struggle for places.
• Yang Jing learned that Pingtian Academy spanned four provinces and that only twenty places would be divided between the Government and the Five Great Sects of Jintai Prefecture.
• Yang Jing stayed calm about the competition, trusting the Profound Truth Sect to seek a place for him while recognizing that he had not yet reached the Core Realm.
• Yang Jing recalled Bai Bing’s victories over Core-Realm Experts and concluded that her supreme scripture gave her strength far beyond ordinary cultivators.
• Yang Jing returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard, washed and changed, then heard someone knock at the gate.

Yang Jing rested from his intense cultivation and gained a new understanding that the Martial Path required cultivating both body and mind. After his master, Bai Bing, summoned him to Lingxi Hall, he arrived expecting to discuss Pingtian Academy’s territory-wide recruitment and its nomination slots.

• Yang Jing ate the Dining Hall’s meal, though ordinary spiritual food had little effect on his advanced cultivation.
• Yang Jing relaxed in his courtyard, reflected on the mountains and the warmth of everyday life, and realized that cultivation required balancing the body with the mind.
• A Lingxi Peak disciple delivered Bai Bing’s summons, and Yang Jing set out for Lingxi Hall.
• Yang Jing considered that Bai Bing likely wanted to discuss Pingtian Academy’s recruitment and the sect’s nomination slot.
• Yang Jing reached Lingxi Hall, greeted Bai Bing, and stood before her as she examined his rapid cultivation progress.

Bai Bing told Yang Jing that Pingtian Academy had granted Jintai Prefecture nineteen recommendation slots and that the Profound Truth Sect had secured three, one of which belonged to him. She advised him to stay cautious and focused when he entered the academy, while reassuring him that its resources would help him advance; Yang Jing left eager to pursue the opportunities ahead.

• Bai Bing explained that Pingtian Academy had given Jintai Prefecture nineteen recommendation slots and the Profound Truth Sect three.
• Bai Bing named Yang Jing, Xiao Nu, and Si Jiawen as the recipients of the sect’s three slots.
• Bai Bing told Yang Jing that Pingtian Academy generally required candidates under thirty-five to have entered the true qi realm, and she expected him to pass.
• Bai Bing warned Yang Jing to keep a low profile, act cautiously, and devote himself to cultivation at the academy.
• Bai Bing reassured Yang Jing that his talent ranked among the best across the four provinces and that the academy’s resources would help him distinguish himself.
• Yang Jing listened to Bai Bing’s guidance and eagerly anticipated cultivating at Pingtian Academy.

After Bai Bing explained how Yang Jing could bring Sun Ningxiang to Pingtian Academy once he entered its Inner Courtyard, Yang Jing devoted three days to cultivation. Returning to Azure No. 4 Courtyard late at night, he found Si Jiawen and Xiao Nu waiting to discuss the coming selection.

• Bai Bing told Yang Jing that he could not bring Sun Ningxiang to Pingtian Academy as a nominee’s companion, but could register two attendants after entering the Inner Courtyard.
• Yang Jing resolved to cultivate harder so he could reach the Inner Courtyard and reunite with Sun Ningxiang at the academy.
• Yang Jing spent three days cultivating in his Grade-A Training Room and occasionally visited Sun Ningxiang on Yunxi Peak.
• Late at night, Yang Jing returned to Azure No. 4 Courtyard and found Si Jiawen and Xiao Nu waiting at his gate.
• Yang Jing invited Si Jiawen and Xiao Nu inside to discuss the upcoming Pingtian Academy selection.

Yang Jing, Xiao Nu, and Si Jiawen discussed the opportunity to enter Pingtian Academy and agreed to support one another if they passed its assessment. As Xiao Nu described the academy’s vast resources and powerful prodigies, Yang Jing’s resolve to reach the Sacred Academy and test himself against its geniuses grew stronger.

• Xiao Nu and Si Jiawen visited Yang Jing late at night to discuss Pingtian Academy’s recruitment and their recommendation slots.
• Yang Jing and Si Jiawen spoke of the academy’s enormous resources and its head, a master who had surpassed the Core Realm.
• Xiao Nu asked Yang Jing to join him and Si Jiawen in supporting one another if they entered the academy, and Yang Jing agreed.
• Xiao Nu described the academy’s regulations, resources, martial inheritances, and powerful prodigies to Yang Jing and Si Jiawen.
• Yang Jing listened, gained a clearer sense of the wider Martial Path, and grew more determined to cultivate and challenge the academy’s geniuses.

Xiao Nu explained Pingtian Academy’s hierarchy, its peerless upper-court prodigies, and the prejudice facing disciples admitted by recommendation. Yang Jing became more eager to test himself against the strongest, while Xiao Nu advised him to keep a low profile and cultivate quietly.

• Xiao Nu described the outer, inner, and upper courts and warned that upper-court prodigies could rival core-realm experts while still at the true qi peak.
• Si Jiawen was shaken by the gap between Jintai Prefecture’s finest and Pingtian Academy’s legendary talents, while Yang Jing’s fighting spirit and curiosity grew.
• At Yang Jing’s request, Xiao Nu recounted the prodigies’ rapid advancement, powerful martial arts, and carefully perfected foundations.
• Yang Jing asked what to prepare for entering the academy, and Xiao Nu advised him to conceal his abilities and avoid trouble among the academy’s many powerful disciples.
• Xiao Nu explained that recommended disciples were looked down upon compared with those who won admission through bloody trials, and Yang Jing resolved to overturn that prejudice through strength.
• Xiao Nu urged Yang Jing to stay unobtrusive and cultivate peacefully in the outer court.

Yang Jing reflected on the dangers of reckless pride after Xiao Nu warned him about a prodigy whose Dao Heart had been shattered at Pingtian Academy. As the chapter ended, Yang Jing realized Xiao Nu might soon break through to the True Qi Realm, while he looked ahead to the academy assessment and his journey beyond the Profound Truth Sect.

• Xiao Nu warned Yang Jing not to challenge Pingtian Academy’s prodigies recklessly and recounted how an arrogant Vajra Order prodigy had been defeated by a young Inner Courtyard girl, ruining his Martial Path.
• Yang Jing remembered Xiao Nu’s warning but kept his fighting spirit, and the three disciples discussed academy resources, regulations, factions, and customs before parting for the night.
• Yang Jing sensed Xiao Nu’s unusually powerful aura and concluded that Xiao Nu was likely to attempt another breakthrough to the True Qi Realm soon.
• Yang Jing considered how a breakthrough could help Xiao Nu meet Pingtian Academy’s admission requirements, then accepted that the outcome depended on Xiao Nu’s own cultivation and fortune.
• Yang Jing washed, went to bed, and reflected on his achievements, his approaching academy assessment, and his anticipation of leaving the Profound Truth Sect for Pingtian Academy.

Xiao Nu broke through to the True Qi Realm, and Pingtian Academy admitted thirteen of Jintai Prefecture’s nineteen candidates. As Yang Jing reflected on the academy’s power and prepared to leave, Sun Ningxiang visited him with clothes and shoes she had made for his journey.

• The Profound Truth Sect spent its treasured resources helping Xiao Nu overcome his bottleneck, and he reached the True Qi Realm before the assessment.
• Pingtian Academy’s instructors tested the nineteen recommended candidates, and thirteen passed, including nine True Qi Realm experts and four peak Qi-Nourishing Realm geniuses.
• Yang Jing recalled the assessment and was shaken by a young golden-haired Pingtian Academy disciple whose strength rivaled a veteran Core-Realm Expert.
• Sun Ningxiang visited Yang Jing and unfolded a bundle containing two sets of training clothes and two pairs of hand-stitched shoes she had prepared for him.

Yang Jing shared a tender farewell with Sun Ningxiang before leaving Jintai Prefecture for Pingtian Academy. After a day of travel, he arrived with the other Jintai Heavenly Prodigies and joined the many new students gathered at the academy.

• Sun Ningxiang gave Yang Jing handmade clothes and shoes, and confessed that she would miss him as he prepared to leave for Pingtian Academy.
• Two days later, Yang Jing joined the twelve other Jintai Prefecture Heavenly Prodigies and departed on three giant flying spirit beasts escorted by Core-Realm Experts.
• The group crossed into the Azure Cloud Plains and landed at Pingtian Academy after a day in flight.
• Xiao Nu marveled at the academy, and stewards guided the Jintai delegation through its vast grounds to the central Bluestone Plaza.
• Yang Jing and the other Jintai students took their designated place among new students from across the Four Provinces, where an internal affairs steward began arranging their reception.

Yang Jing and his four companions settled into Pingtian Academy, explored its vast grounds, and rented a Cloud-Piercing Sparrow to survey the academy from above. Their flight ended in a sudden near-collision with a Red-Feathered Eagle, whose rider seized their bird and trapped all five beneath an enormous palm projection.

• Yang Jing reached his private Jade Bamboo Courtyard and was impressed by its rich spirit energy and comfortable facilities.
• Yang Jing met up with Xiao Nu, Si Jiawen, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui, and the five explored the Outer Courtyard together.
• The group found that the academy was too vast to explore efficiently on foot and rented a Cloud-Piercing Sparrow for one exotic gold coin.
• The five flew above Pingtian Academy and surveyed its sprawling grounds from the air.
• The Cloud-Piercing Sparrow nearly collided with a Red-Feathered Eagle, and its burly rider seized the bird and immobilized Yang Jing and his companions with a huge palm projection.

Qi Hong, an Inner Courtyard Prodigy of Pingtian Academy, suppressed Yang Jing and the others in midair after their Cloud-Piercing Sparrow nearly collided with his Red-Feathered Eagle, injuring them before flying off. Two senior students explained his standing and the academy’s rules, leaving the newcomers aware that ordinary rivalries were tolerated but private killings were strictly punished.

• Qi Hong used his Core Realm power to crush the Cloud-Piercing Sparrow and injure Yang Jing, Xiao Nu, Si Jiawen, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui, then warned them to behave at Pingtian Academy.
• Qi Hong flung the sparrow and its passengers away before riding off on his Red-Feathered Eagle, and the newcomers steadied themselves and treated their injuries.
• Two senior students approached, and the green-robed senior identified Qi Hong as a powerful Inner Courtyard Prodigy who ranked near the top among its Heavenly Prodigies.
• The other senior student warned that Qi Hong could have killed them outside the academy and explained that academy rules had constrained him.
• Yang Jing asked how the academy handled conflicts, and the green-robed senior explained that sparring and ordinary injuries were allowed, but private killings brought severe punishment and feuds requiring death had to be settled through an authorized life-and-death match.

After the clash with Qi Hong exposed Pingtian Academy’s harsh hierarchy, Yang Jing and his companions abandoned their tour and resolved to cultivate. Yang Jing returned to the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, then entered a public Martial Hall chamber and prepared to train, ending with his System Panel appearing.

• Two senior students warned Yang Jing and the others that strength mattered more than rules at Pingtian Academy, where powerful elders ignored disputes among ordinary disciples.
• Yang Jing, Xiao Nu, Si Jiawen, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui returned the Cloud-Piercing Sparrow, ended their excursion, and went back to their own courtyards.
• Yang Jing rested briefly in the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, steadied his minor injuries, and headed to the district’s public Martial Hall.
• Yang Jing claimed an unoccupied cultivation chamber and lit its incense, stirring the chamber’s spirit energy and his true qi into resonance.
• Yang Jing set aside thoughts of higher-grade Martial Grounds, focused himself on cultivation, and brought up the System Panel.

After witnessing Qi Hong’s overwhelming strength, Yang Jing resolved to reach True Qi peak and eventually enter the Inner Courtyard. He spent seven days cultivating the Mountain-Splitting Seal with Marrow Tempering Pills and ended the chapter just short of perfecting it.

• Yang Jing set a goal to advance to True Qi peak before pursuing the Core Realm and transferring to the Inner Courtyard.
• Recalling Qi Hong’s attack and the danger it posed to him and his companions, Yang Jing grew more determined to strengthen himself.
• Yang Jing swallowed two Marrow Tempering Pills and began training the Mountain-Splitting Seal in the Martial Hall’s secluded chamber.
• Yang Jing cultivated almost without pause for seven days, steadily strengthening his body, meridians, and true qi.
• After nearly eight hours of training, Yang Jing checked the system panel and saw that the Mountain-Splitting Seal had reached 9965/10000; he stopped to recover before his final round of honing.

Yang Jing perfected the Mountain-Splitting Seal and reached true qi peak, then calmed and consolidated his strength. He finally turned his attention to beginning the Supreme Stone Tablet Scripture, which he had long been unable to cultivate.

• Yang Jing swallowed two Marrow Tempering Pills and repeatedly practiced the Mountain-Splitting Seal until he broke through to true qi peak and perfected the technique.
• Yang Jing checked the System Panel and confirmed the Mountain-Splitting Seal had reached perfection at 10000/10000.
• Yang Jing realized his perfected cultivation qualified him to cultivate the Stone Tablet Scripture, but chose to settle his mind and stabilize his rapidly advanced strength first.
• Yang Jing regulated his breathing for nearly an hour, then practiced the Mountain-Splitting Seal for another hour to master his new peak-level strength.
• Yang Jing sat on the Meditation Cushion and directed his attention toward the Supreme Stone Tablet Scripture in his Sea of Consciousness, eager to begin studying it.