Chapter Summaries

Lu Chen continued fighting Barbarian challengers, using his arena matches to gain experience while recovering between bouts. As he faced a peak Barbarian Bone Realm Chieftain’s Son, his Weird Realm ability revealed dangerous side effects, while Cloud Prefecture’s leaders realized his rise toward Overlord-level strength could shift the balance between humans and Barbarians.

• Lu Chen refused the Witch Doctor’s advice to fight only opponents of his own rank and promised to concede if he could not win.
• Ji Hongdie arranged several ordinary Barbarian Body Warriors as challengers, giving Lu Chen time to recover with pills, his bloodline, and meditation.
• A peak Barbarian Bone Realm Chieftain’s Son entered the arena, and Lu Chen used Phantom Keiga to attack from the Weird Realm.
• Lu Chen sensed Evil Spirit Qi contaminating him and Demon Hand nearing advancement, so he limited his time in the Weird Realm and used Blood Qi to resist its aura.
• Prince crushed his teacup while watching Lu Chen, and the Yun Zhou Executives recognized that Lu Chen’s potential as an Overlord-level Expert threatened Cloud Prefecture’s security.

Lu Chen kept winning brutal arena fights, strengthening his reputation and Conqueror’s Haki, while the Prince worried that his rise would threaten Cloud Prefecture. After Lu Chen chose to delay leveling up and rest, the Great Witch Elder invited him to the temple beside the Totem Pillar.

• The Prince feared Lu Chen’s victories would forge an invincible will, but the Barbarian King warned that harming Lu Chen would start an all-out war.
• Lu Chen fought increasingly powerful Barbarians until exhaustion forced him to stop, gaining enough experience points to reach 100,000 in total.
• Lu Chen decided to remain in the Barbarian Body Realm so he could keep fighting the warriors waiting to challenge him before advancing.
• The Great Witch Elder invited Lu Chen to the temple beside the Totem Pillar and praised him for learning the Barbarian Bull Shock Fist in one month.

The Great Witch Elder brought Lu Chen to claim his tribal rewards, but rules required him to choose one skill and one supply reward. Lu Chen selected the rare Second Heart method and entered its inheritance, where he began comprehending it.

• The Great Witch Elder explained Lu Chen’s two reward choices and rejected his request to exchange both for supplies.
• Lu Chen joined Chieftain’s Sons at the Skill Stone Tablets and used Direct Perception to find a skill.
• Lu Chen chose Second Heart, a method restricted to Barbarians with the Barbarian King Bloodline, intermediate cultivation, and self-healing abilities.
• Lu Chen possessed a Barbarian King who was condensing a seventh heart and sensed the method’s cultivation firsthand.
• Lu Chen awakened beside the Skill Stone Stele and received a system notification that he was comprehending an external inheritance.

Lu Chen explored the Barbarian skills and chose a treasure from the Royal Court’s vault, where he picked the dangerous Evil Ghost Battle Armor despite the Great Witch Elder’s warning. He pressed his Demon Hand against the armor to test it.

• Lu Chen learned 20% of Second Heart and discovered flesh-and-blood skills including Two Heads, which the shaman warned could develop a new consciousness.
• The Great Witch Elder granted Lu Chen access to the Treasure Vault, where Direct Perception revealed thousands of valuable items and a beast head deterred him from sacrificing them.
• Lu Chen sensed the treasures and selected the powerful, wicked Evil Ghost Battle Armor, which could merge with its wearer but had devoured the essence blood of past users.
• The Great Witch Elder warned Lu Chen to choose another treasure, but Lu Chen compared the armor’s wickedness to Demon Hand and pressed his wrapped hand against it.

Lu Chen claimed the Evil Ghost Battle Armor by letting the ghost god will in his Demon Hand consume its evil will, then learned how the armor’s powers worked. He returned to his residence acclaimed by the Barbarian, where Ji Hongdie told him that merchant associations and several Chieftain's Sons had come to pledge allegiance.

• Lu Chen’s Demon Hand overwhelmed and devoured the evil will in the Evil Ghost Battle Armor, making the armor his possession.
• Lu Chen discovered that the living armor could fuse with his body, be reinforced with Blood Qi, intimidate enemies, and grow by consuming flesh and souls.
• The Great Witch Elder warned Lu Chen that his Demon Hand was dangerous, and Lu Chen promised not to use it recklessly.
• Lu Chen claimed his skill and material rewards, then returned to his residence as Barbarian along the way greeted him and bold girls offered to join his household.
• Ji Hongdie told Lu Chen that merchant associations from Cloud Prefecture and several Chieftain's Sons were waiting to pledge allegiance to him.

Lu Chen delegated the selection of supporters and external affairs to Ji Hongdie, then met Cloud Prefecture merchants and Barbarian Chieftains’ Sons to arrange future cooperation. The merchants agreed to supply his planned territory in exchange for the right to sell its products once it was established.

• Lu Chen told Ji Hongdie to handle external affairs and left household affairs to Xiao Wei.
• Lu Chen welcomed the Cloud Prefecture visitors and ten Barbarian Chieftains’ Sons, while Ji Hongdie coordinated the gathering.
• Lu Chen considered how refugees could provide people for his future territory and Cloud Prefecture merchants could supply its goods.
• Lu Chen proposed that Cloud Prefecture merchants sell his territory’s future products in return for helping provide its initial supplies.
• The merchants agreed to assist Lu Chen with supplies if they received the sales rights to his territory’s products.

Lu Chen secured the support of Cloud Prefecture merchants and established his authority over the chieftains' sons as they planned for his future territory. With their current supplies, they could recruit only three hundred warriors, but Lu Chen's growing reputation had already attracted many strong followers.

• Cloud Prefecture merchants discussed investing in Lu Chen, hoping he would become powerful enough to profit from trade or rise to become Barbarian King.
• Lu Chen reassured the chieftains' sons that he would welcome friendly merchants but answer deceit with force, then appointed Ji Hongdie to manage the accounts.
• The chieftains' sons agreed to build villages around Lu Chen's future town and recruit subordinates under his name while he accepted challenges the next day.
• Ji Hongdie said their supplies could support three hundred Barbarian Bone Warriors for a month, so each chieftain's son could recruit twenty for now.
• Lu Chen reflected that his reputation and strength had drawn more chieftains' sons to follow him than ordinary princes could attract.

Lu Chen learned that rival princes and Cloud Prefecture were trying to stop his rise, but the clan’s powerful protectors made assassination unlikely. He spent most of his Experience Points perfecting his swordsmanship, gained Eye Strike, and received a new trial mission: The Road to Grandmaster.

• Ji Hongdie explained that rival princes would try to defeat Lu Chen and damage his reputation, while the clan’s rules and protectors discouraged assassination.
• Lu Chen decided to keep winning, then spent 1,000 Experience Points to raise Master Swordsmanship Proficiency to Advanced.
• Lu Chen spent 50,000 Experience Points to perfect Master Swordsmanship Proficiency and gained ten Will and the Eye Strike ability.
• Lu Chen saw the new trial mission, The Road to Grandmaster, which called for him to gather the strengths of a hundred schools and blaze a trail in the sword path.

Lu Chen advanced Steel Bones to perfection, forming protective Bone Armor at the cost of some agility. He then discovered that advancing the skill further required him to crush and reconnect every bone in his body ten times.

• Lu Chen calculated that his Gold-tier sword techniques and other skills brought his Sword Dao progress to 33/100.
• Lu Chen spent experience points to upgrade Steel Bones from beginner to intermediate, thickening and partly joining his ribs.
• Lu Chen upgraded Steel Bones to advanced and then perfection, strengthening his bones and fascia until a plate-like Bone Armor covered his chest.
• Lu Chen found that his increased bone mass made him heavier and slightly less agile, but decided the tradeoff was acceptable.
• Lu Chen checked Steel Bones' Platinum-to-Gold trial and learned that Rebirth Through Bone Replacement required crushing and reconnecting every bone in his body ten times.

Lu Chen prepared to advance Rebirth Through Bone Replacement, then went to the military camp arena to earn experience by defeating challengers. As the crowd watched, Hantian Sect disciples were forced to pay Xiao Wei Blood Replenishing Pills before Lu Chen beat them.

• Lu Chen read the dangerous Rebirth Through Bone Replacement trial mission and decided not to risk hunting a Son of God for divinity.
• Lu Chen ate a hearty breakfast and arrived at the military camp arena, where a large crowd had gathered to watch him fight.
• The Eighth Prince and Ninth Prince watched as ten Chieftain's Sons served Lu Chen, while Yun Zhou Executives and major powers prepared to respond to his growing influence.
• Lu Chen defeated Lingyun Sect and Hantian Sect fighters, pleasing Lin Yi when Hantian Sect disciples also began falling from the arena.
• Hantian Sect disciples were required to take turns fighting Lu Chen and pay Xiao Wei Blood Replenishing Pills before entering the arena.

Lu Chen continued winning against the barbarians and Chieftain’s Sons by combining his durability, danger foresight, and spatial ability. His fight with Wei Zhongjiu stalled when Wei sealed himself inside a self-restoring stone statue, leaving both men frustrated.

• Lu Chen defeated increasingly strong barbarian challengers and gained experience that would make him stronger for the next day.
• Lu Chen used Direct Perception and his ability to enter the Weird Realm to avoid the Chieftain’s Sons’ attacks and defeat them.
• Lu Chen confronted Wei Zhongjiu, who hid inside a massive stone statue that continuously restored itself from the earth.
• Lu Chen tried slashing the statue and shaking the ground, but its deep underground foundation kept it intact.
• Wei Zhongjiu complained that Lu Chen’s combination of foresight and spatial abilities made a fair fight impossible.

Lu Chen combined Demacian Power and Wrath of Justice against Wei Zhongjiu’s Absolute Defense, only to unleash a hundred-meter flaming sword that stunned the Barbarians and shocked Lu Chen himself. The sword was still plunging toward the arena as everyone fled.

• Wei Zhongjiu hid inside a stone statue with Absolute Defense and challenged Lu Chen to fight without his spatial ability.
• Lu Chen judged Wei Zhongjiu guilty, and Barbarian will and the power of heaven and earth weakened the stone statue.
• Lu Chen leaped into the air and set his Meteor Sword ablaze with Wrath of Justice.
• Lu Chen’s attack formed a hundred-meter crimson-gold greatsword that the Barbarians mistook for divine punishment.
• The Barbarians ran from the arena as Lu Chen shouted for them to flee, startled by how enormous his skill had become.

Lu Chen unleashed a Mythic Greatsword powered by the gathered will of the Barbarians, nearly killing Wei Zhongjiu before powerful elders intervened. After the danger passed, Wei Zhongjiu’s father offered to have him serve Lu Chen, and another elder tried to arrange marriages with his daughters.

• Lu Chen realized Demacian Power drew on the Barbarian will around him, and his status and victories let him gather enough power to create a gigantic Great Treasure Sword.
• The Great Witch Elder used Space Transfer to redirect the falling sword, but it continued pursuing Wei Zhongjiu, who surrendered and burrowed underground.
• A powerful Barbarian raised an earthen hand to catch the sword, but the blade exploded and blasted the hand apart high above the crowd.
• Lu Chen apologized to the unharmed Wei Zhongjiu and said they could forget his surrender and pledge of allegiance.
• Wei Zhongjiu’s father told him to obey Lu Chen and help open new territory, while another elder mocked the father and offered Lu Chen several of his daughters as potential wives.

After Lu Chen’s Mythic Greatsword caused every Barbarian to refuse to fight him, the Cloud Prefecture leaders feared how powerful he might become. Lingyun Sect’s arrival offered no challenge, as Lin Yi moved to keep his disciple from facing Lu Chen.

• Lu Chen learned that his Great Treasure Sword gathered the consciousness of his followers and was pleased by Wei Zhongjiu’s surrender.
• The Barbarians refused to take the stage, afraid that Lu Chen would unleash the Mythic Greatsword if they won.
• The Yun Zhou Prince and the Cloud Prefecture Executives worried that Lu Chen would become impossible to stop as he grew stronger.
• Ling Qing arrived with a Lingyun Sect genius, expecting him to defeat Lu Chen, but Lin Yi refused to let his disciple fight.
• Lin Yi silenced Ling Qing and ordered Feng Er to take her away to rest.

After the sects withdrew their geniuses from the contest, the Yun Zhou Prince took heart from the belief that Lu Chen’s power would fade outside the Royal Court. As no one challenged Lu Chen, his growing reputation awakened his intermediate Conqueror’s Haki, and he considered how to improve his skills faster.

• Feng Er took his junior sister away, while the Hantian Sect representative and other sect leaders claimed their geniuses could not attend to protect them from danger.
• The Yun Zhou Prince threatened to reduce the sects’ supplies, but the leaders argued Lu Chen would lose his strongest ability outside the Royal Court and could be defeated at the border tournament.
• Lu Chen waited on the stage as the barbarians refused to fight him, then felt both disappointed about losing Experience Points and stirred by his growing heroic spirit.
• The system awarded Lu Chen the title Invincible in the Same Rank and raised his Conqueror’s Haki to intermediate level, increasing his bearing, pressure, and will.
• Lu Chen reasoned that many skills could improve through training, but concluded that honest practice was much slower than plundering through slaughter.

Lu Chen considered how to strengthen his Conqueror's Haki and expand his influence, while Ji Hongdie urged him to win the Barbarians' hearts through guidance. The chapter ended with Lu Chen ordering every Barbarian Body warrior to attend his training, intending to turn the lessons into fights.

• Lu Chen learned that advancing Conqueror's Haki to its advanced level required defeating every Prince of the Barbarian Wastes, or spending 1.8 million experience points, with a discount for building a reputation for invincibility.
• As Ji Hongdie massaged Lu Chen in a medicinal bath, she celebrated his strength and imagined him becoming the Barbarian King and eventually taking revenge on her family.
• Lu Chen pondered ways to gain experience points from Royal Court warriors but rejected ideas involving another arena, higher prizes, or challenging stronger experts.
• Ji Hongdie advised Lu Chen to offer guidance to his subordinates to win the Barbarians' hearts, and Lu Chen decided they should attack him with full strength so he could expose their weaknesses.
• Lu Chen ordered every Barbarian Body Realm warrior to come to the military camp the next day for his guidance.

Lu Chen opened a guidance arena at the military camp and used his perception to identify Barbarians’ weaknesses after knocking them down. Meanwhile, Ji Hongdie suspected Qing Xue was drawn to Lu Chen and resolved to keep her away from him.

• Lu Chen took Ji Hongdie to the courtyard for training, then rewarded her afterward, leaving her exhausted.
• Ji Hongdie sensed someone nearby and suspected Qing Xue had come because she admired Lu Chen, so she vowed not to let Qing Xue take her place.
• Lu Chen decided to save his fifty thousand experience points and went to the military camp, where he renamed the arena from Challenge to Guidance.
• A Barbarian volunteered to demonstrate his technique, and Lu Chen knocked him down before advising him to practice his horse stance.
• Lu Chen continued knocking down Barbarians and pointing out their flaws, while a growing crowd gathered eagerly to receive his guidance.

Lu Chen continued guiding Barbarians while the princes competed to win support, then breezed through the selection tournament for the upcoming Exchange Tournament. As the fighters prepared to travel to Border City, Lu Chen decided to spend all his experience points improving himself for the coming war.

• Amu urged the Eighth Prince and Ninth Prince to set up guidance arenas, where they clashed with Cloud Prefecture experts sent by the Seventh Prince.
• Barbarians compared the princes’ struggles unfavorably with Lu Chen’s strength, and Lu Chen continued guiding people and earning experience for several days.
• Lu Chen’s opponents in the selection tournament conceded immediately, allowing him to qualify without a fight.
• A tribal chieftain announced that the group would leave for Border City the next day and warned them that the Exchange Tournament was a war affecting many Barbarians’ lives.
• Lu Chen resolved to use all his experience points that night to improve himself.

Lu Chen used the Fear Spirit Crystals to strengthen his Demon Hand after reviewing his accumulated resources and current abilities. The Demon Hand began its third evolution, awakening the Second Ghost God, Corruption of Plorymon, and filling him with endless fear.

• Lu Chen reviewed his 220,000 experience points and 1,300 Spiritual Energy Value, then considered growing stronger by defeating Willpower Realm fighters.
• Lu Chen attended the Exchange Tournament feast, ate heavily, and returned to his residence to inspect his attributes and skills.
• Lu Chen recalled how the Fear Spirit Crystals had passed from the Eerie Realm through Ji Hongdie and the Ji Family before returning to him.
• Lu Chen placed the Fear Spirit Crystals on his Demon Hand, which devoured their despair and grew stronger.
• Lu Chen's Demon Hand began its third evolution and awakened the will of the Second Ghost God, Corruption of Plorymon, bringing him endless fear.

Lu Chen resisted Second Ghost God - Corruption of Plorymon with the combined will of the Barbarians who had submitted to him, completing his Demon Hand’s third evolution and gaining a fear-based ability. He spent 80,000 experience points to learn Second Heart, and a new heart began forming in his chest.

• Lu Chen’s Conqueror’s Haki joined with the Barbarians’ wills to repel Corruption of Plorymon’s invasion and complete his Demon Hand’s evolution.
• The system revealed that Corruption of Plorymon could summon a horrifying illusion that made enemies more vulnerable to mental attacks.
• Lu Chen decided to learn Second Heart instead of raising his level, reasoning that it would protect Endless Rage from a vital weakness.
• Lu Chen spent 80,000 experience points to learn Second Heart, and qi and blood gathered in his chest to form a lump of flesh.