Chapter Summaries

Xiao Chen confronted Yin Zhuang after the body cultivator insulted and threatened him, and prepared to fight despite the crowd expecting him to lose. Zhang Nianfeng stopped the clash and warned both men, leaving Yin Zhuang to threaten Xiao Chen again after the examination.

• Yin Zhuang mocked Xiao Chen and challenged him, while Qian Wandai urged Xiao Chen to avoid a fight.
• Xiao Chen learned that private fights were allowed in the martial arena and decided to teach Yin Zhuang a lesson.
• Xiao Chen and Yin Zhuang began gathering their blood and qi as the crowd speculated about how quickly Xiao Chen would fall.
• Zhang Nianfeng stepped between them, reprimanded Yin Zhuang for bullying the weak, and warned Xiao Chen to value his life.
• Yin Zhuang backed down before Zhang Nianfeng, then threatened Xiao Chen to stay away from him after the examination.

Xiao Chen defeated Yin Zhuang with a single punch, then withdrew from their rematch after Qian Wandai whispered a money-making plan to him. The crowd mistook Xiao Chen’s retreat for fear, while he agreed to follow Qian Wandai’s scheme.

• Xiao Chen punched Yin Zhuang through his armor and sent him and the surrounding crowd flying.
• Yin Zhuang returned unharmed and challenged Xiao Chen to fight fairly, while Xiao Chen revealed his formidable blood-qi apparition.
• Yin Zhuang formed a Flood Dragon apparition, but Qian Wandai whispered a money-making plan to Xiao Chen before the fight began.
• Xiao Chen called off the fight, leading the crowd and several observers to think he was afraid of Yin Zhuang.
• Xiao Chen quietly asked whether Qian Wandai’s plan would work, then agreed to follow it.

Mighty Warrior Academy began its assessment by pairing applicants in combat, while Zhang Nianfeng judged their overall abilities. Xiao Chen prepared to hide his strength as Qian Wandai’s scheme to make money continued.

• Zhang Nianfeng gathered the applicants and noted that only about three thousand had come, fewer than the previous year.
• Zhang Nianfeng announced that applicants would fight in pairs, and Qian Wandai told Xiao Chen to appear weak before revealing his strength.
• The first group fought fiercely, and Sister Xiong overwhelmed her opponent by sitting on him until he admitted defeat.
• Zhang Nianfeng advanced only two fighters from the first group based on overall strength, leaving several winners disappointed.
• Xiao Chen’s turn came, and he asked Lord Yellow to conceal his aura; Lord Yellow accused him of pulling dirty tricks again.

Xiao Chen entered the arena disguised as a frail fighter and faced Sister Xiong while Qian Wandai opened a betting booth on the match. Xiao Chen still had all his strength, but he had to win without revealing it, and Sister Xiong offered him the first move.

• Xiao Chen appeared sickly and weak before Yin Zhuang, who gloated that Xiao Chen had paid the price for sneak-attacking him.
• Xiao Chen faced Sister Xiong, a massive and formidable fighter, as the crowd expected him to lose.
• Qian Wandai opened bets on the fight, swore a Heavenly Dao Oath to assure bettors he could pay, and collected wagers favoring Sister Xiong.
• Yue Wentian dismissed Xiao Chen's chances, while Huang Yingying denied having any connection to him.
• Xiao Chen struggled to conceal his strength while still needing to win, and Sister Xiong invited him to make the first move.

Xiao Chen pretended to be exhausted but defeated Sister Xiong with a single Life-Burning Fist, leaving the crowd and instructors surprised. As new matches were arranged, Yin Zhuang tried to force a rematch with Xiao Chen, but Zhang Nianfeng upheld the rules and barred him from attacking unless Xiao Chen accepted the challenge.

• Xiao Chen used the Life-Burning Fist to shatter Sister Xiong’s armor and knock her unconscious, then concealed how much strength he had left with Qiongqi’s help.
• Huang Yingying, Yue Wentian, Zhang Nianfeng, and Lin Lanhua each assessed Xiao Chen’s unexpected victory and suspected he had limits to the power he could unleash.
• Yin Zhuang threatened Xiao Chen, while Qian Wandai silently urged him to stay calm so they could stick to their money-making plan.
• Yin Zhuang cut in line to draw an opponent, picked Zhang Chong instead of Xiao Chen, and demanded another draw so he could take revenge himself.
• Zhang Nianfeng refused to let Yin Zhuang redraw or attack Xiao Chen, insisting that Yin Zhuang could challenge him only if Xiao Chen agreed.

Xiao Chen challenged Yin Zhuang despite the crowd assuming he was acting for Huang Yingying, while Qian Wandai opened a bet on the fight. The crowd overwhelmingly wagered on Yin Zhuang, but one suspicious youth bet on Xiao Chen, leaving Qian Wandai scrambling to warn him.

• Zhang Nianfeng stopped Yin Zhuang from bullying Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen challenged Yin Zhuang after he threatened him.
• The crowd assumed Xiao Chen was risking his life to impress Huang Yingying, though Xiao Chen overheard her dismissive conversation and rejected their assumptions.
• Zhang Nianfeng allowed the fight to proceed as long as Yin Zhuang stopped at the right point, and Yin Zhuang approached Xiao Chen with a threatening aura.
• Qian Wandai opened bets at odds of one to ten on Yin Zhuang and collected one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the crowd.
• A youth who suspected Qian Wandai was hiding something bet one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones on Xiao Chen, and Qian Wandai pulled him aside to warn him the wager was risky.

Xiao Chen defeated Yin Zhuang with a single finger, crippling him and securing early admission to Mighty Warrior Academy. He also got Qian Wandai admitted alongside him, drawing public outrage, while Liu Xinmeng approached Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai tried to introduce himself.

• Xiao Chen smashed Yin Zhuang's bone armor and then severed the Flood Dragon soul behind him with one finger, leaving Yin Zhuang unconscious and badly injured.
• Zhang Nianfeng examined Yin Zhuang and questioned Xiao Chen about the severity of the injury, but Xiao Chen apologized and claimed he had not controlled his strength.
• Xiao Chen gained early admission to Mighty Warrior Academy because no one else dared challenge him, then persuaded Zhang Nianfeng to admit Qian Wandai as well.
• The crowd condemned Qian Wandai for gaining admission through the back door, while Yue Wentian criticized Xiao Chen's act of pretending to be a sword cultivator.
• Liu Xinmeng approached Xiao Chen and said he barely qualified to pursue Huang Yingying, and Qian Wandai eagerly introduced himself to her.

Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai joined Mighty Warrior Academy after the assessment, where Qian earned a fortune through their betting pool. At the academy camp, Xiao Chen learned that the beautiful, dangerous Meng Hanqiu was known as Ice Dragon Fury and had survived the slaughter of her family.

• Liu Xinmeng teased Xiao Chen about Huang Yingying, while Xiao Chen denied having improper intentions toward her.
• Qian Wandai gave Xiao Chen sixty thousand Spirit Notes, their half of the betting pool's winnings, as angry bettors protested their losses.
• The assessment ended with twenty students remaining, and Zhang Nianfeng led them to Mighty Warrior Academy's camp ahead of the inter-academy sparring.
• Qian Wandai stared at Meng Hanqiu until senior students warned him about her, and Xiao Chen sensed that she was dangerous.
• An older student explained that Meng Hanqiu's Ice Dragon King Physique had drawn powerful enemies who killed her family before the academy's head rescued her.
• Zhang Nianfeng warned the students to stay away from Meng Hanqiu, and one asked what the upcoming inter-academy sparring involved.

Zhang Nianfeng explained that the academy and sect sparring match would determine who could contend for a newly discovered King Artifact, and Xiao Chen resolved to compete for a slot. After Huang Yingying dominated Myriad Swords Sect’s recruitment trials, Liu Xinmeng suggested that Xiao Chen might finally give her a worthy opponent.

• Zhang Nianfeng told the new students that the sparring match carried deadly stakes because its top performers could contend for a King Artifact gauntlet.
• Xiao Chen learned that an exceptional new student could earn a slot, declared his confidence, and joined Qian Wandai in plotting to profit from the competition.
• Myriad Swords Sect’s recruitment selection ended with Huang Yingying defeating every applicant and earning Yue Wentian’s praise as a rare sword prodigy.
• Huang Yingying complained that none of the sword cultivators she faced could withstand five moves, and Liu Xinmeng pointed her toward Xiao Chen as a possible opponent.

Xiao Chen drew the Myriad Swords Sect’s hostility after Qian Wandai claimed he was a sword-and-body dual cultivator, while the sect’s students vowed to challenge him. After Liu Xinmeng was selected in the Earthen Palace examination, Yue Wentian challenged Mighty Warrior Academy to begin the exchange, and Zhang Nianfeng warned Xiao Chen to stay out of it.

• Liu Xinmeng teased Huang Yingying by drawing Xiao Chen into a dispute over his sword, prompting Myriad Swords Sect disciples to question whether he was a real sword cultivator.
• Qian Wandai defended Xiao Chen and provoked the Myriad Swords Sect students by claiming Xiao Chen’s Sword Dao was unmatched, then withdrew after stirring their anger.
• Lin Lanhua selected twenty candidates for the Earthen Palace, including Liu Xinmeng, as the examination concluded.
• Yue Wentian challenged Zhang Nianfeng to have the Myriad Swords Sect face Mighty Warrior Academy first in the exchange.
• Zhang Nianfeng and an older student warned Xiao Chen that the Myriad Swords Sect fought ruthlessly and urged him not to participate, but Qian Wandai pressed for him to fight.

Xiao Chen accepted a challenge to defeat every Myriad Swords Sect freshman in the Sword Dao for one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, despite Zhang Nianfeng's objections. After taking the Spirit Notes and splitting the winnings with Qian Wandai, Xiao Chen prepared to enter the arena.

• Zhang Nianfeng refused to let Xiao Chen spar, claiming his earlier battle had left him gravely injured, and clashed with Yue Wentian over the decision.
• Lin Lanhua separated Zhang Nianfeng and Yue Wentian before their dispute could become a fight.
• Qian Wandai challenged the Myriad Swords Sect freshmen to face Xiao Chen alone for one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and Xiao Chen confirmed the wager.
• Xiao Chen offered his head if he lost, prompting Yue Wentian to accept and send him the Spirit Notes.
• Qian Wandai reached for his half of the winnings, and Xiao Chen handed him a stack before Qian returned twenty thousand and kept thirty thousand.

Xiao Chen revealed that he was a formidable sword cultivator when he defeated Ling Min with a single finger, stunning both academies. Yue Wentian then tried to recruit Xiao Chen into the Myriad Swords Sect while the gravely injured Ling Min called for help.

• Qian Wandai took a smaller share of the spirit stones, while Mighty Men Academy veterans warned Xiao Chen that the battle could cost him his life.
• Ling Min entered the battlefield and challenged Xiao Chen with his Dog Slaughter Swordplay, but Xiao Chen refused to draw a sword.
• Xiao Chen blocked Ling Min’s gigantic sword with a strand of purple Sword Qi from his fingertip and sent him flying, gravely injured.
• The crowd realized Xiao Chen cultivated both sword and body, and Yue Wentian judged his talent nearly comparable to Huang Yingying’s.
• Huang Yingying watched Xiao Chen with new curiosity and softness, while Yue Wentian offered him a place in the Myriad Swords Sect.
• Ling Min struggled to rise and called for his instructor to save him.

Xiao Chen rejected Yue Wentian’s attempt to recruit him into the Myriad Swords Sect and agreed to fight Huang Yingying in a wager over his allegiance. Before their duel began, news arrived that the Blacksun Dynasty had launched a surprise attack on Wankun City, and the city prepared for war.

• Yue Wentian tried to recruit Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen refused and challenged all the Myriad Swords Sect’s new students to fight him alone.
• Yue Wentian wagered that if Huang Yingying defeated Xiao Chen, he would join the Myriad Swords Sect, and Xiao Chen accepted.
• Huang Yingying entered the battlefield and revealed her powerful Moonflower Immortal Sword Sutra, while Xiao Chen called it flashy but impractical.
• Sacred Beast Guard patrols and city soldiers mobilized, and messengers announced that the Blacksun Dynasty was attacking.
• Zhang Nianfeng and the other two instructors left for the city walls to discuss a defense, while they ordered their disciples to prepare to fight.

Xiao Chen and the others learned that the Blacksun Dynasty had sent a vast force to attack Wankun City and were assigned to fight its Thunder Wolf Army. As they reached their assigned valley, a blue-armored elder appeared before them and mocked their attempt to resist.

• Qian Wandai paid Xiao Chen thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones for protection, and Xiao Chen promised that he was invincible below the King Realm.
• Yue Wentian and Zhang Nianfeng revealed that eighty thousand Grandmaster Thunder Wolf Army soldiers and nearly ten thousand young experts were attacking, while the Fortune Hall could not send reinforcements.
• The defenders divided into three camps, and forty thousand frightened people stayed behind as the others marched out to battle.
• Zhang Nianfeng used a Spirit Sight Curse to track kills and promised one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones for each Thunder Wolf Army soldier killed; Xiao Chen welcomed the reward.
• A tall elder in blue armor appeared amid the blue mist and mocked the assembled fighters.

Zhang Nianfeng blocked the Blue-Armored Elder’s attack and stayed behind to fight him while the others escaped. Xiao Chen refused invitations to join powerful battle groups, chose to stay with Qian Wandai, and headed toward the scent of blood to hunt Thunder Wolf Guards.

• The Blue-Armored Elder attacked the crowd with Ice Blue Rain, but Zhang Nianfeng stopped the attack with his Savage Bull Shield.
• Zhang Nianfeng charged the Blue-Armored Elder and ordered the others to flee as the two experts began fighting.
• Several battle group leaders invited Xiao Chen to join them, but he refused and left with Qian Wandai.
• Xiao Chen told Qian Wandai he had refused because he wanted to claim more Thunder Wolf Guard kills for himself.
• Xiao Chen smelled blood and hurried toward its source.

Xiao Chen arrived at Red Fruit Village and found its inhabitants slaughtered by the Thunder Wolf Army. He killed a soldier and the soldier’s Thunder Wolf, discovered both deaths counted toward his tally, and faced a charging force while Qian Wandai turned back to join him.

• Xiao Chen reached the ruined Red Fruit Village and saw villagers and Wankun Army soldiers dead among the burning huts.
• A Thunder Wolf Army soldier charged Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen killed him with one sword strike.
• The soldier’s Thunder Wolf attacked to avenge its master, and Xiao Chen killed it as well, causing a tally of one to appear between his brows.
• Qian Wandai arrived, saw the approaching force of Thunder Wolf Army soldiers, and urged Xiao Chen to flee.
• Xiao Chen stood ready to face the charging army, and Qian Wandai stopped running and charged back to join him.

Xiao Chen slaughtered the Thunder Wolf Army attacking him and Qian Wandai, leaving Zhang Nianfeng stunned by the Spirit Sight Orb’s count. After killing thirty-two riders and wolves, Xiao Chen collected their Demon Cores, while Qian Wandai spotted a survivor among the corpses.

• Qian Wandai overcame his fear and returned to save Xiao Chen from the Thunder Wolf Army.
• Xiao Chen charged into the enemy formation and killed Thunder Wolf Army soldiers, causing the Spirit Sight Orb to track his growing kill count.
• Zhang Nianfeng checked the orb and was astonished that Chen Xiao had already killed seven Thunder Wolf Army soldiers.
• Xiao Chen’s sword and defenses overwhelmed the Thunder Wolf Army’s attacks as he cut down all thirty-two soldiers and their wolves.
• Qian Wandai watched in disbelief as Xiao Chen collected Demon Cores, then pointed out a blood-covered Thunder Wolf Army corpse that was still alive.

Xiao Chen killed the Thunder Wolf Army soldier who refused to reveal the army’s plans, then continued toward the burning Spirit Fruit Village to look for survivors. He and Qian Wandai reached a mountain clearing where the battered Fierce Tiger Battalion faced more than fifty arrogant Heavenly Prodigies from the Blacksun Dynasty.

• A surviving Thunder Wolf Army soldier fled, but Xiao Chen caught him and demanded information about the army’s destination.
• The soldier refused to betray the Thunder Wolf Army to protect his family, so Xiao Chen killed him, raising the blue numeral between his brows from thirty-two to thirty-three.
• Xiao Chen saw Spirit Fruit Village burning and set off to look for survivors, while Qian Wandai followed him.
• Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai found the Fierce Tiger Battalion, reduced to about three hundred wounded fighters, confronting more than fifty Blacksun Dynasty Heavenly Prodigies.
• The Blacksun Dynasty youths mocked the Fierce Tiger Battalion and dismissed Great Xia’s Heavenly Prodigies as weak.

Xiao Chen faced off against the Blacksun Dynasty youths after Qian Wandai provoked them, but the Blue-Armored Elder arrived and revealed that Xiao Chen had killed thirty-three Thunder Wolf Army soldiers. The chapter ended with both sides stunned by the revelation.

• Qian Wandai stepped forward with Xiao Chen to challenge the Blacksun Dynasty youths, then hid behind Xiao Chen when they accepted his challenge.
• Xiao Chen blocked the tall youth, who insulted him and dismissed him as too weak to fight.
• The Blue-Armored Elder appeared, ordered the tall youth to step back, and warned that he was no match for Xiao Chen.
• The Blue-Armored Elder said Xiao Chen had slaughtered thirty-three Thunder Wolf Army soldiers with one sword.
• The Blue-Armored Elder explained that he had tracked the shattered soul plaques to Spirit Fruit Village and found only Xiao Chen's Sword Qi on the corpses, leaving everyone in shock.

Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai were overwhelmed by the Blue-Armored Elder until a mysterious green demonic light seized them and transported them to an ancient Divine Temple. The Blue-Armored Elder ordered the Fierce Tiger Battalion slaughtered and waited for Xiao Chen to return.

• The Blue-Armored Elder attacked Xiao Chen, who survived but realized he could not defeat or escape him.
• Qian Wandai pretended to surrender and offered for himself and Xiao Chen to become the Blue-Armored Elder’s disciples, but the elder refused because Xiao Chen was from Great Xia.
• As the Blue-Armored Elder prepared to kill Xiao Chen, green lightning and a demonic beam appeared and swallowed Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai.
• Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai vanished, while the Blue-Armored Elder ordered the Blacksun Heavenly Prodigies to kill the Fierce Tiger Battalion and waited for the pair to return.
• Xiao Chen and Qian Wandai appeared inside an ancient Divine Temple built from eerie, glowing blood-colored stone.