Chapter Summaries

Leng Muxi taught the candidates the Skywater Sect’s Water Ball Technique before the afternoon trial sent them to hunt Demon Beasts. Genma was assigned to heavy labor, where he repeatedly carried burdens back to the sect, drawing Shui Linglan’s attention because he seemed to be using the work to train himself.

• Leng Muxi explained that cultivators with Water Style spiritual roots could learn the Water Ball Technique, and Genma felt relieved that mixed spiritual roots were also suitable.
• The candidates began the afternoon trial by hunting Demon Beasts, while Genma joined the heavy-labor group assigned to transport materials and intact beasts.
• The heavy-labor candidates repeatedly left Genma with the largest loads, but he carried them without complaint and treated the work as physical training.
• Shui Linglan’s companions wondered why Genma endured the loads, and she pointed out that he had made many trips without tiring.
• Shui Linglan suggested Genma’s training might be connected to his swift Movement Technique, leaving her more curious about him.

After a year of training and cultivation in the Skywater Sect, Genma had still not broken through to Qi Condensation, though he had begun tempering his body with Lightning Release. On the eve of the final trial, Shui Linglan approached him and asked about his cultivation and physical training.

• Genma spent the year cultivating, working through the sect’s trials, and adapting to low-intensity Lightning Release body tempering.
• Genma grew confused and worried when his true qi reached the standard for a breakthrough but he still could not reach initial-stage Qi Condensation.
• As the final trial approached, Genma carried a Golden Striped Tiger and potted spirit herbs back to the sect while other cultivators gossiped about him.
• Shui Linglan joined Genma on the way back, drawing envious speculation from the other independent cultivators.
• Genma told Shui Linglan that he had practiced the cultivation art for a year without breaking through, and she asked whether he was refining his body.

Genma joined the Skywater Sect’s year-end trial and survived a thirty-one-person melee in the bamboo forest, using stealth and lethal attacks to advance. He returned to the plaza among the sixty-four candidates who had qualified for the next round.

• Shui Linglan asked Genma about his body refinement, and he gave her a guarded explanation before she returned to the sect.
• Genma attended the Skywater Sect’s trial, drew lot five, and was assigned to a group of thirty-one candidates.
• The candidates began a free-for-all in the bamboo forest, where Genma hid with the Substitution Technique and was caught in a vine trap.
• Genma escaped the trap, killed the green-haired cultivator with a black Kunai, and later dealt with two more opponents.
• The bell signaled the end of the melee, and Genma returned with the seven other survivors to the plaza as one of sixty-four remaining candidates.

Genma fought Yange in the one-on-one tournament for a place among Skywater Sect’s top three inner-sect candidates. After Genma stunned the crowd by countering Yange’s swordsmanship with ninjutsu, Yange unleashed a high-tier First Rank talisman, leaving Genma facing a new threat.

• Genma entered the arena to face Yange, the great-grandson of Prince Yan of the Wucang Kingdom.
• Yange attacked with his treasured sword, but Genma blocked him, retreated, and tried to strike him with shuriken and fireballs.
• Yange’s Light Wind Sword Style pierced Genma, but the body turned out to be a wooden post, and Genma blasted Yange with a wind technique.
• Genma struck Yange with Lightning Release: Earth Walk, leaving him convulsing as spectators reacted to Genma’s strength.
• Yange crushed a talisman and sent massive balls of flame toward Genma.

Genma defeated Yange by evading his sword attacks and redirecting Yange’s tracking fireball against him. In the next advancement match, Genma faced a masked woman who used coordinated techniques and object control; after he survived her stone barrage, she attacked with Thousand Needle Rain.

• Genma maneuvered around Yange and caused the tracking fireball to hit them both, winning the match while Yange was left badly burned.
• Genma advanced through the first round, and the second round began after the contestants rested and the arena was repaired.
• A masked woman attacked Genma with fire and water spheres and a flying knife, but Genma evaded her attacks and appeared behind her with a substitution trick.
• The woman anticipated Genma’s movements and struck him with a barrage of stones, but he emerged from the dust with little harm.
• The woman formed Thousand Needle Rain and sent a wave of needles toward Genma, sealing off his escape routes.

Genma defeated the mysterious woman without injury, then faced the White Blade Master as the tournament’s remaining contestants grew stronger. He unleashed Lightning Release: Furious Lightning Tiger, but the White Blade Master cut it apart and jumped clear of the lightning spreading across the ground.

• Genma blocked the mysterious woman's rain needles with an Earth Wall and defeated her with his kunai at her neck.
• Shui Linglan watched Genma with two Skywater Sect disciples and said she expected his unusual methods and imminent breakthrough to benefit her later.
• The third-round matches grew more dangerous as contestants used powerful spells, suffered injuries, and one match ended in a draw.
• Genma faced the White Blade Master, who claimed his Thick Earth Saber Art could withstand lightning.
• Genma summoned a Lightning Tiger, but the White Blade Master slashed it apart and leaped away from the electricity covering the ground.

Genma defeated the White Blade Master in the arena after breaking through his Earth Armor with Lightning Style Chakra. During the break, the White Blade Master confronted Genma about how his attacks had pierced the defense, and Genma explained that the concentrated energy had strong penetrating power.

• The White Blade Master blocked Genma’s earth dragon attack, but Genma collapsed it with water techniques and pursued him with mud and earthen spikes.
• Genma trapped the White Blade Master inside four Earth Walls, then emerged alone after defeating him with a Lightning Style technique.
• The referee declared Huo Genma the winner, and Genma reflected that his Lightning Style-coated weapons had pierced the White Blade Master’s Spiritual Energy defense.
• The morning matches ended, and Genma ate his pancakes alone during the break.
• The White Blade Master questioned Genma about his Lightning Style technique, and Genma explained that its concentrated energy had strong penetrating power.

Genma apologized to Bai Zhan for defeating him by sharing pancakes made from High Stage, Level One Pig Demon meat. After learning that Genma was only at the Qi Refining Initial Stage, Bai Zhan vowed to reach Foundation Establishment and challenge him again, while Genma considered him a possible partner for future adventures.

• Genma gave Bai Zhan a pancake as an apology, and Bai Zhan kept eating them and demanded more.
• Genma told Bai Zhan that the pancakes were made from smoked High Stage, Level One Pig Demon meat, and Bai Zhan asked him to cook more if he obtained similar meat.
• Bai Zhan invited Genma to gain experience together someday, and Genma said they could discuss it after joining a sect and hoped Bai Zhan would reach Foundation Establishment.
• Genma revealed that he was only at the Qi Refining Initial Stage and had a Five Elements Spiritual Root, shocking Bai Zhan.
• Bai Zhan vowed to reach Foundation Establishment, defeat Genma, and make him cook pancakes every day before leaving.

Genma defeated Aragari in the grand competition finals by combining talismans, ninjutsu, and the Eight Inner Gates. The spectators were left wondering about Genma’s unusual techniques.

• The finals began with eight contestants, and the first matches ended with high-stage Qi Condensation battles dominated by spells.
• Genma faced Aragari, a wealthy talisman master, and opened with lightning-charged shuriken before attacking with a Flame Cone.
• Aragari used talismans to boost his speed and defenses, then launched a Giant Flame Bullet at Genma.
• Genma opened the Eight Inner Gates, dodged the fireball, and struck Aragari’s Frost Armor with a lightning-wreathed Spiral Cone.
• Genma knocked Aragari unconscious without killing him, then released the Eight Inner Gates as spectators discussed his strange techniques.

Genma fought Leng Zeming in the semifinal, using Sage Mode and a lightning attack to pierce Leng Zeming’s arm before Leng Zeming countered with earth and fire techniques. The arena was torn apart by their clash, and the chapter ended with both figures emerging amid the flames, one holding the other.

• Genma recognized Leng Zeming as a powerful High Stage Qi Condensation cultivator with a Wood-Fire Spiritual Root, and the two exchanged taunts before their match.
• Genma entered Sage Mode, surprised Leng Zeming with a Sage Art Lightning Release Spiral Drill, and pierced his arm through his earth armor.
• Leng Zeming stopped the bleeding by burning his wounded arm, then used earth and fire techniques to evade Genma and bombard him amid quicksand.
• Spectators thought Genma had died when the arena was blasted into ruins, but the platform cracked and exploded as the fight continued beneath it.
• Genma and Leng Zeming appeared at the center of the arena amid soaring flames, with one figure grabbing the other.

Genma defeated Leng Zeming in an underground battle and returned to the arena for the final match against Ye Li, a talented independent cultivator with a Wood Element Spiritual Root. Shui Linglan expected Genma to enter the inner sect, while her junior brothers questioned her judgment.

• Genma emerged from underground carrying Leng Zeming, having won their fierce battle and escaped Leng Zeming's attempt to take him down with him.
• The narration explained how scarce Foundation Establishment Pills kept independent cultivators from advancing and made the Skywater Sect the region's best place to cultivate.
• Genma faced Ye Li, who brought out an extraordinary-looking wooden sword as both fighters were treated as difficult to predict.
• Shui Linglan watched Genma and told Shui Lin and Shui Feng to recognize his potential and befriend him if he entered the inner sect.
• Shui Lin and Shui Feng doubted that Genma's victories over three mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators were enough to secure inner-sect entry, leaving Shui Linglan exasperated.

Genma conceded the sect-entry tournament final to Ye Li rather than risk revealing his abilities, making Ye Li the winner. Genma, Ye Li, and Yu Shang were then led up the mountain as the tournament’s top three.

• Shui Linglan advised Shui Lin and Shui Feng to judge people by what they concealed or revealed unintentionally, and not to jump to conclusions.
• Genma struggled to reach Ye Li through his plants and increasingly tough shield, while avoiding powerful techniques that might expose him.
• Genma raised his hand and conceded the final, and Ye Li stopped circulating his Spiritual Energy.
• The referee declared Ye Li the winner, prompting disappointed reactions from the spectators and renewed speculation from Shui Linglan.
• Genma followed Ye Li and Yu Shang up the mountain as one of the tournament’s top three finishers.

After entering the Skywater Sect, Huo Genma received his reward and joined Ye Li and Yu Shang in choosing their first inner-disciple techniques. He found a divine-soul technique that might help him create more Shadow Clones, while Elder Xie asked him to speak after he finished choosing.

• A Skywater Sect disciple gave Huo Genma a high-grade first-rank sword as his reward, while Ye Li and Yu Shang went inside to receive theirs.
• The three new inner disciples were shown their private wooden houses, given terrain guides, and agreed to explore the sect together.
• Huo Genma suggested they visit the Scripture Pavilion, where they presented their waist badges to Elder Xie and learned they could choose techniques from the first floor.
• Elder Xie held on to Huo Genma's badge and asked him to speak after choosing a technique.
• Huo Genma searched the special-category techniques and found the Soul Nurturing Technique, which strengthened the divine soul and could help him create more Shadow Clones.

Genma chose the Soul Nurturing Technique and was summoned by Elder Xie, who explained that his Mixed Five Elements Spiritual Root made cultivation unusually difficult. Elder Xie recognized that Genma needed metal-attributed spirit stones to advance and discussed trading for the sword Genma had received, but no exchange was completed before the conversation continued.

• Genma selected the Soul Nurturing Technique from the special-category spell techniques, and Elder Xie registered his Jade Slip.
• Elder Xie asked Genma to stay behind and explained that his master had once guided a cultivator with a Mixed Five Elements Spiritual Root.
• Genma told Elder Xie that he was at the Qi Refining Initial Stage and could not absorb more Spiritual Energy, and Elder Xie identified an imbalance caused by a lack of metal-attributed Spiritual Energy.
• Elder Xie estimated that Genma would need over a thousand low-grade metal-attributed spirit stones to reach the middle stage, with even more required for later advancement.
• Genma offered to trade his sword for metal-attributed spirit stones, and Elder Xie said he wanted to see whether his master's research could succeed and praised Genma's resolve.

Genma accepted Elder Xie's Spirit Stones and learned that the Soul Nurturing Technique required costly materials, though he remained committed to cultivating it. After using the stones and looking for ways to earn money, he took a Wind Deer antler collection mission at Five Harmony Hall.

• Elder Xie gave Genma over a hundred gold-element Spirit Stones and advised him to prioritize cultivation while learning the Soul Nurturing Technique.
• Genma memorized the technique and learned that its three stages required increasingly rare and expensive materials.
• Genma asked Yu Shang and Ye Li about earning money, then chose sect collection missions for spirit-beast parts.
• A mission manager refused to let Genma take the Silver Shield Rhinoceros mission alone but approved his Wind Deer antler mission after Genma explained that he had won the Rogue Cultivator Competition.
• The mission manager introduced himself as Ma Luoyu and urged Genma to find companions before pursuing the rhinoceros mission.

Genma and Bai Zhan teamed up to take missions collecting Wind Deer antlers and Silver Horned Rhinoceros horns. They reached Wind Ravine Valley and spotted groups of Wind Deer, preparing to hunt for their valuable antlers.

• Genma invited Bai Zhan to take missions together, and Bai Zhan readily agreed.
• Genma chose missions to collect Wind Deer antlers and Silver Horned Rhinoceros horns, and Senior Brother Ma warned the pair to be careful.
• Genma and Bai Zhan followed the sect's map to Wind Ravine Valley, where both kinds of Demon Beasts lived.
• The two saw Wind Deer with emerald antlers that could release Wind Blades and learned that a pair of antlers was worth ten spirit stones.

Genma and Bai Zhan observed Wind Deer using powerful wind techniques to defeat a pack of Crimson Flame Tigers. After Genma identified their weakness in coordinating against opposing energy, he prepared to separate the deer with Earth Element Techniques so they could take their antlers.

• Genma and Bai Zhan watched a herd of Wind Deer create a gale powerful enough to devastate the valley, then decided to observe them before making a plan.
• Crimson Flame Tigers ambushed the grazing deer with fire, but the Wind Deer used their wind to overcome the attack and chase the tigers away.
• Genma concluded that the Wind Deer’s coordinated wind was stronger than the tigers’ fire because wind energy could combine more reliably.
• Genma entered Sage Mode and told Bai Zhan he would separate the Wind Deer with Earth Element Techniques while Bai Zhan took their antlers.

Genma and Bai Zhan trapped three groups of Wind Deer with Earth Release techniques and harvested their antlers. After Bai Zhan worried that he had contributed too little, Genma left the remaining deer for him to handle.

• Genma explained the plan to trap the Wind Deer in separate groups, and Bai Zhan followed him to the first approach route.
• Genma raised a vast earthen maze that split and trapped the first group, while Bai Zhan flew in to collect its antlers.
• Genma trapped a second group in another maze, turned the ground to mud when the deer began breaking through, and reinforced the walls.
• Genma used mud and earthen walls to trap the third group, then moved through the maze cutting off the Wind Deer's antlers.
• Bai Zhan returned after collecting antlers from fifty Wind Deer and admitted that he felt he had barely helped.
• Genma reassured Bai Zhan that their agreement still stood and left the remaining antlers for him to collect.

Genma and Bai Zhan harvested antlers from the Wind Deer and horns from the Silver Horned Rhinoceroses, earning more than a thousand spirit stones each. While they rested and ate in a cave, their wards detected someone outside, and Zhang Muchen of Azure Spirit Valley called out to them.

• Bai Zhan collected 110 pairs of Wind Deer antlers while Genma collected 56 pairs, and the two moved on to the Silver Horned Rhinoceroses.
• Genma turned the rhinoceroses’ territory into a swamp and trapped more than a hundred of them for harvesting.
• Bai Zhan used the Thick Earth Saber Art to cut off the rhinoceroses’ horns, and the two harvested 110 horns by nightfall.
• Genma and Bai Zhan rested in a cave, where they roasted venison, drank wine, and discussed gathering more Demon Beasts.
• Genma noticed that the wards outside the cave had been triggered, and Zhang Muchen of Azure Spirit Valley called out to apologize for the disturbance.

Huo Genma and Bai Zhan suspected that Azure Spirit Valley cultivators had come to rob them, but Zhang Muchen claimed he only wanted to buy Silver Horned Rhinoceros horns. As Genma met Zhang at the cave entrance, Zhang and Xun Di trapped him in vines and assumed the second cultivator inside had been caught as well.

• Bai Zhan explained that Azure Spirit Valley specialized in wood-aligned cultivation, and he and Huo Genma suspected its cultivators wanted to steal their horns and treasures.
• Huo Genma questioned Zhang Muchen, who said he wanted to buy Silver Horned Rhinoceros horns because his group had collected all the nearby ones.
• Genma bargained with Zhang and went to the cave entrance with Bai Zhan following behind him.
• Zhang Muchen and Xun Di sprang a vine trap that wrapped around Genma, then emerged and assumed the other cultivator had not escaped.