Chapter Summaries

Tong Tianxia rescued Zhou Leng's team from the Rust Priest, then killed him for threatening the children. As the team hurried back toward Pioneer Base during a Level-Five Alert, they discovered signs that an Ice Crystal Demon Lion had slaughtered people nearby.

• Tong Tianxia ordered Zhou Leng's team to flee to Pioneer Base, then crushed the Rust Priest's head after confirming he had not harmed the children.
• Xue Chengsong led the seven to abandon unnecessary supplies and run for the base, assigning the demonized bow to Cao Jiajia and the crossbow to Ding Yan.
• A Level-Five Alert sounded at Pioneer Base after monitoring detected widespread spatial fluctuations, and the team increased its pace as they discussed possible causes of the emergency.
• Zhou Leng carried Feng Wenhao's backpack when Feng struggled to keep up, and the team detoured after seeing a signal flare that could attract demons.
• Zhou Leng detected blood and, with the others, found evidence of frozen corpses; the team identified an Ice Crystal Demon Lion as the likely killer and learned its chill could kill anyone below the Blood-Circulating Stage.

Zhou Leng and his team fought the Ice Crystal Demon Lion after it trapped them in a freezing field, and Zhou Leng killed it with a flurry of palm strikes. As the team recovered outside the frozen area, a helicopter arrived and someone dropped from the sky.

• Xue Chengsong reviewed the Ice Crystal Demon Lion’s weaknesses as the team hurried toward the Red-Spotted Leaf Forest.
• The Ice Crystal Demon Lion ambushed the seven team members, and Ding Yan abandoned them and fled toward the Pioneer Base.
• The remaining six wounded the lion with enchanted arrows and harried it, but its blood formed an ice field that left everyone but Zhou Leng unable to fight.
• Zhou Leng used Wave-Stacking Palm, Island Descends into the Sea, to smash the Ice Crystal Demon Lion’s skull and kill it.
• Zhou Leng dragged his five teammates out of the frozen area, and a helicopter arrived as a figure dropped from the sky.

After the team returned from killing the Ice Crystal Demon Lion, Zhou Leng accepted an Enchanted Mini Computer from Xue Chengsong and registered his merits in Martial City. He recorded his martial progress in the app, then focused on the Martial Dao Will entry, which still showed no perception.

• A powerful man cleared the cold energy from the team members, praised Zhou Leng, and ran toward the distress signal in a helicopter.
• Zhou Leng used his Merit Badge to mark the Ice Crystal Demon Lion’s location, and the team returned safely to Pioneer Base while a blue-faced man briefly emerged from a portal at the battlefield.
• Xue Chengsong reported the attack to Xue Tongming, then bought Zhou Leng a replacement Enchanted Mini Computer as compensation for saving the team.
• Zhou Leng accepted the gift after his teammates urged him, and Xue Chengsong said he would tell investigators that Zhou Leng had struck the decisive blow against the demon lion.
• The six registered their Merit Badges, installed the Martial City app, and learned that its locked features could be opened through martial achievements.
• Zhou Leng recorded his realm and martial arts in his Martial Dao Diary, noting that his skills had each advanced by one Heaven and that he had not perceived Martial Dao Will or Combat Awareness.

After returning to the base, Zhou Leng reconnected with his friends and spent three days training with his team while demons remained nearby. He resisted taking a Perfection Pill, and the team continued running and preparing for what came next.

• Zhou Leng replied to Xu Qingjin and his other Wuxin friends, learning that Xu Qingjin and her group planned to return home while he and his captain would stay to gain experience.
• Xue Chengsong rented a martial arts hall, where the six team members trained and sparred, then took turns fighting two Blood-Circulating martial artists from his father's company.
• Zhou Leng pushed himself to exhaustion during sparring and recovered quickly after bloodletting treatment at the Pioneer Base hospital.
• The next morning, Zhou Leng told his teammates that he had taken an Origin-Replenishing Pill, and they discussed whether they could afford Perfection Pills.
• Zhou Leng decided against taking a Perfection Pill and joined his teammates for a run.

After returning from Wolf Valley, Zhou Leng learned that he had been denied supplementary admission to West Sea Martial University, while Chen Shouhu investigated his encounter with the Ice Crystal Demon Lion and considered recruiting him. Principal Lu protested Zhou Leng’s rejection and appealed to Zhang Xinglie for help, while Zhou Leng woke before dawn and checked his phone.

• Zhou Leng and the other five students spent days hunting demon wolves before returning to Ru City without knowing whether Zhou Leng would receive an admission notice.
• Chen Shouhu reviewed the report on Zhou Leng and the Ice Crystal Demon Lion, ordered records sealed, and instructed his officers to recruit or monitor Zhou Leng depending on his admission results.
• Principal Lu learned that Zhou Leng had been screened out of West Sea Martial University because of his physical test score and angrily challenged Director Yu over the decision.
• Principal Lu asked Zhang Xinglie to return for the school commendation ceremony and help Zhou Leng, then called Zhang Xinglie after he declined because of his training and other obligations.
• Zhou Leng woke at four in the morning, found his body recovered but weak, and tried to use his phone before his five o’clock alarm rang.

Zhou Leng studied a Golden Page and learned the first form of the Ten Inverse Beast Fist, then endured an exhausting first practice session beneath the Frost Giant Tree. After recovering for two days, he left the forest with Big Yellow, realizing he would need costly Meat Medicinal Diets to keep training safely.

• Zhou Leng found two Divine Script Golden Pages beside Big Yellow and read a page explaining Martial Dao cultivation and the Ten Inverse Beast Fist.
• Zhou Leng deciphered the first Standing Elephant form from the Divine Script, memorizing its posture and true qi circulation route through repeated study and sleep.
• Zhou Leng practiced the first form for eighteen qi cycles, exhausting himself so badly that he needed three Marching Pills to ease his hunger and recover.
• Zhou Leng studied the Ten Realms’ research on Divine Script and recognized that the characters on his two Golden Pages were complete and moving.
• After staying in the forest for two days, Zhou Leng left with Big Yellow and decided he would need Meat Medicinal Diets to recover from future training.

Zhou Leng used his earnings from the Demon City to support his cultivation, improved his physical strength, and won first place in the Ru City Martial University Affiliated Martial Academy supplementary admission exam. After receiving his admission notice, he asked Xue Chengsong how to gain the most martial resources, and Xue began explaining the career paths open to him.

• Zhou Leng checked his combat merits and Demon City earnings, withdrew his money, and received 45,000 yuan from Xue Chengsong for his work and promised expenses.
• Zhou Leng bought medicinal food and training supplies, cultivated, set a personal record with 51 one-arm pull-ups, and practiced controlling water with true qi.
• Zhou Leng received a supplementary admission notice and took the Ru City Martial University Affiliated Martial Academy entrance exam.
• Chang Luan and Tao Bing noticed Zhou Leng's strong performance and discussed the competition for the senior disciple position.
• Zhou Leng ranked first in the supplementary admission exam and asked Xue Chengsong how to maximize his martial resources; Xue began describing the Martial Guard Department and Demon City Army.

Xue Chengsong advised Zhou Leng on choosing career paths and explained how he could earn resources and rise through school and city rankings. Zhou Leng decided to pursue Extreme Martial Arts and the martial warrior route, then prepared to compete for rewards at his martial arts school.

• Xue Chengsong outlined the demands of Extreme Martial Arts and recommended that Zhou Leng pair it with the Martial Guard Department and a Pioneer branch company for resources.
• Xue Chengsong warned Zhou Leng about the dangers and political complications of foreign trade, especially its demonic path, and explained the martial warrior and resource-distribution routes at school.
• Zhou Leng chose the martial warrior route and resolved to prepare for the Opening-Semester Martial Test and first monthly exam to contend for the top ten and an Origin-Replenishing Pill.
• Xue Chengsong described the Local Freshman Ranking, its criteria and rewards, and advised Zhou Leng to progress from school rankings to city rankings rather than aim for the top immediately.
• Xue Chengsong argued that the martial arts school could offer Zhou Leng better rewards than West Sea Martial University if he proved strong enough to claim resources through the Martial Guard Department.

Zhou Leng prepared for cultivation and learned that a Quota Certificate was needed to buy the out-of-stock Origin-Replenishing Pills required for his future breakthrough. He then settled beneath the Frost Giant Tree to intensify his martial arts and Divine Script training.

• Zhou Leng discussed cultivation advice with Li Linhan, who warned him to temper his true qi and prepare Origin-Replenishing and Blood-Replenishing Pills before advancing to Blood-Circulating.
• Zhou Leng bought instructional videos, meat medicinal diet, and ten Great Supplement Pills at the Martial Dao Mall, but found Origin-Replenishing Pills were out of stock and restricted without a Quota Certificate.
• Jiang Yan recognized Zhou Leng outside the mall and resented him, while Tu Rong offered to help Jiang Yan vent his anger against someone.
• Zhou Leng returned home, prepared meat medicinal diet, gathered supplies, and went to the Frost Giant Tree.
• Zhou Leng began an extended training period, practicing the Standing Elephant Chapter, Mystic Tide Art, Wave-Stacking Palm, Eight Trigrams Step, and other martial arts while studying Divine Script.

Wang Boxiong investigated Zhou Leng’s sealed Demon City records and assigned Deng Zhijue to teach Class 01, while Chang Luan and his father schemed to secure him the senior-brother title. On the way to the opening ceremony, Zhou Leng reunited with Xu Qingjin and they ran to Ru University together.

• Wang Boxiong reviewed Zhou Leng’s battle merits, obtained the sealed Demon City documents through Chen Changyi, and reflected on Zhou Leng’s unusual body and Tong Tianxia’s rescue.
• Wang Boxiong gave Deng Zhijue the Class 01 roster and told him to attend No. 8 High School’s commendation ceremony.
• Chang Yuanzhong and Chang Luan tried to gauge Deng Zhijue’s support, then planned to win favor with strong classmates so Chang Luan could become senior brother.
• Chang Yuanzhong promised to train Chang Luan and threatened to restrict him if he failed to earn the title, prompting Chang Luan to contact classmates.
• Zhou Leng ran toward Ru University for the opening ceremony, where he met Xu Qingjin; they reminisced about their childhood promise and headed to school together.

Zhou Leng reunited with Xu Qingjin, then met classmates and practiced high-speed table tennis at Ru City Martial University. The chapter ended when Chang Luan asked Zhou Leng to speak privately, despite Zhou Leng's reason to be wary of him.

• Zhou Leng caught a demonized badminton before it hit Xu Qingjin, and they discussed their plans, cultivation, and their encounter with the Ice Crystal Demon Lion.
• Xu Qingjin and Zhou Leng talked about classmates as they ran to Ru University, while Feng Wenhao followed behind without being noticed.
• Feng Wenhao joined Zhou Leng at the martial academy, where they played high-speed table tennis and Zhou Leng impressed their classmates and Wei Hong.
• Chang Luan approached Zhou Leng and asked to speak privately, prompting Zhou Leng to remember Xue Chengsong's warning about Chang Luan's family ties to the Demon-Worshiping Cult.

Zhou Leng rejected Chang Luan’s offer to trade pills for help manipulating the class rankings, while Chang Luan considered resorting to underhanded tactics. At the Martial Academy’s opening ceremony, Director Wang Boxiong warned students about their duties and the value of the academy’s resources, and the freshmen received instructions for their tests and military training.

• Chang Luan asked Zhou Leng to yield to him during the class tests in exchange for pills, but Zhou Leng refused and warned him against manipulating rankings.
• After Zhou Leng left, Tao Bing urged Chang Luan to undermine a rival if needed, and Chang Luan hesitantly agreed.
• The Martial Academy held its opening ceremony, where Huang Jingqiu explained its connection to the Martial Guard Department and Director Wang Boxiong called for unity and responsibility.
• Huang Jingqiu announced military training, student badges, freshman rankings, and the upcoming Opening-Semester Martial Test.
• Deng Zhijue explained the test events, rankings, and rewards, then told Class 01 that the tests would continue without lunch and that students could consume only water and one Marching Pill.

Class 01 began its physical entrance tests, and Zhou Leng posted an outstanding score in the 5,000-meter sprint and the evasive run. His results put him first by a wide margin as Chang Luan’s attempt to win his cooperation failed.

• Feng Wenhao and Wei Hong compared Zhou Leng’s freshman ranking with Xu Kang’an’s, learning that Xu ranked 802nd while Zhou ranked 2,946th.
• Instructor Deng Zhijue explained the physical tests and started the 5,000-meter sprint, where Zhou Leng finished first with a score of 94.
• Chang Luan asked Zhou Leng to cooperate, but Zhou refused to discuss anything during the tests, leaving Chang to consider his next move with Tao Bing.
• Zhou Leng dodged most of the tennis balls on the evasive run course, finished in 52.07 seconds with seven hits, and scored 94 points.
• Deng Zhijue posted the results, placing Zhou Leng first by a wide margin over the second-place student’s 88 points.

Zhou Leng scored highly in the obstacle run and true qi control while fending off attacks arranged by Chang Luan, and his strength tests revealed both powerful technique and comparatively weak physical strength. After Tao Bing was badly injured and Zhou Leng scored a perfect 100 in Bubble Basketball, Chang Luan realized he had underestimated him.

• Tao Bing urged Chang Luan to target Zhou Leng, then attacked Zhou Leng during the obstacle run and broke his leg when Zhou Leng knocked him down the artificial mountain.
• Zhou Leng scored 98 in the obstacle run, and Chang Luan was later knocked from an aerial ladder as Zhou Leng passed him.
• Lu Juncai encouraged Zhou Leng to ignore Chang Luan and aim to beat Xu Kang'an for first place in the class.
• Zhou Leng lifted 805 kilograms for 85 points and punched with 825 kilograms of force for 82 points, prompting instructors to note his skillful force application and limited foundational strength.
• Zhou Leng scored 63 in total true qi, 88 in true qi intensity, and a perfect 100 in Bubble Basketball, leaving Chang Luan worried that he had chosen the wrong target.

Zhou Leng continued the comprehensive examination, earning strong scores in weightlifting and destructive intensity while the instructors watched his progress. The class moved on to the Impact-Resistance Machine, where Zhou Leng began dodging its mechanical punches.

• Deng Zhijue announced that Zhou Leng could aim to become an All-Nine Scores student, and Huang Jingqiu arrived to observe the examination.
• Zhou Leng scored 91 in true-energy weightlifting, then struck the Destructive Intensity Meter and earned 56.4 points in maximum destructive intensity.
• Zhou Leng cycled through all eighteen forms of the Wave-Stacking Palm for ten seconds and scored 95 in average destructive intensity.
• Operators reported that the Destructive Intensity Meter had developed red fault lights, and Huang Jingqiu ordered it inspected and repaired.
• Class 01 entered the arena for the final test, and Zhou Leng began dodging the Impact-Resistance Machine's mechanical punches without using a movement technique.

Zhou Leng endured the brutal impact-resistance test and earned 1,247 points, placing first in his class with an unprecedented All-Nine result. After the martial test, Deng Zhijue went to the curator to seek scholarships for Zhou Leng and Lu Juncai.

• Deng Zhijue revealed that students could not surrender during the impact-resistance test, and Zhou Leng and the other students were battered unconscious by the machines.
• The instructors treated the injured students, and Zhou Leng woke to learn that Deng Zhijue had called him Student Zhou All-Nine.
• Zhou Leng checked the score rankings: he placed first with 1,247 points, one point behind Lu Juncai’s 1,248, while Chang Luan placed fifth with 1,183.
• Deng Zhijue told the students to return for military training the next morning, despite their injuries.
• Deng Zhijue asked curator Wang Boxiong to prepare scholarship applications for Zhou Leng and Lu Juncai, explaining that Zhou Leng’s All-Nine result was unprecedented.

Wang Boxiong arranged scholarships and considered whether Zhou Leng should sell a Martial Guard Department Elite Training Camp slot to buy medicinal pills. After recovering from the previous day's assessment, Zhou Leng rejoined his classmates, who faced another punishing military exercise and discussed the extraordinary freshman Giant Shanhe Yuan.

• Deng Zhijue listed scholarships for Zhou Leng, and Wang Boxiong chose three applications, replaced the Ru City diligence award with the rookie award, and set a battle-merit goal for Zhou Leng.
• Wang Boxiong reviewed the Martial Guard Department Elite Training Camp and considered selling Zhou Leng's slot so he could afford medicinal pills to strengthen his foundation.
• Zhou Leng traveled to Xiaoru Village, took a Great Supplement Pill and medicinal food beneath the Frost Giant Tree, and slept while Big Yellow watched over him.
• Zhou Leng arrived at Class 01's Martial Dao Hall less battered than his classmates, and Deng Zhijue ordered the students to run twenty kilometers carrying thirty-kilogram packs.
• As the students prepared for the run, they discussed the Ru City Freshman Ranking and Giant Shanhe Yuan's overwhelming scores and strength.

Zhou Leng checked his freshman ranking, compared results with Zhang Xinglie and Xu Qingjin, and learned that Chang Luan and Tao Bing were still considering how to deal with him. During military training, he ran ahead of his classmates and met Xu Kang'an, who invited him to join a martial path study team after he reached the Blood-Circulating Stage.

• Zhou Leng saw that he ranked 503rd on the Ru City Freshman Ranking, while Zhang Xinglie ranked 172nd nationally, and he exchanged ranking screenshots with Xu Qingjin.
• Chang Luan decided to postpone his senior disciple ambitions and focus on running for class monitor, while Tao Bing said he still planned to retaliate against Zhou Leng.
• Deng Zhijue ordered the students to run for military-training credits, and Zhou Leng quickly left his classmates behind despite his lingering exhaustion.
• Xu Kang'an ran alongside Zhou Leng, discussed their cultivation and opposition to the influence of Demon City and foreign races, and invited him to join his study team after he reached the Blood-Circulating Stage.
• Xu Kang'an exchanged Wuxin contacts with Zhou Leng and slowed down, leaving Zhou Leng to realize that he had yielded the first-place pills to him.

Zhou Leng endured military training, claimed first place in a punishing run, and continued cultivating, while Zhang Xinglie was invited to a Zhao Clan banquet that could secure him an Elite Training Camp slot. Zhang Xinglie refused the invitation because he planned to return to Ru City for his brother.

• Zhou Leng completed a twenty-kilometer run and learned he had to run the same distance back, then claimed first place and received a pill voucher.
• Zhou Leng ate a meal beneath the Frost Giant Tree with Big Yellow, then returned for another day of brutal military training.
• Zhang Xinglie completed heavy squat training at Yunhua Martial University and reflected on how his limited resources set him apart from wealthier classmates.
• Zhao Le invited Zhang Xinglie to a banquet hosted by Zhao Tong, saying the Third Young Master could help him secure an Elite Training Camp slot.
• Zhang Xinglie declined the invitation, explaining that he had to return to Ru City for his brother and would not abandon him for Zhao Tong.

Zhou Leng attended No. 8 High School’s commendation ceremony, where he reunited with classmates and prepared to receive the Progress Award. As the ceremony approached, Tao Bing and Tu Rong waited outside the school, planning to attack him after he left.

• Principal Lu rejected his friend’s warnings and prepared to speak at the ceremony despite possible consequences for West Sea Martial University and the Education Bureau.
• Zhou Leng met Xu Qingjin, tested his strength with 62 one-armed pull-ups, and walked with her to No. 8 High School.
• Tao Bing and Tu Rong headed to the school and planned to follow Zhou Leng before attacking him away from the grounds.
• Zhou Leng reunited with his former Class Three classmates, and he, Hu Yi, and Feng Wenhao agreed to leave their group meal early and eat skewers together.
• Instructor Deng Zhijue encouraged Zhou Leng before he went to the awards platform to receive the Progress Award.
• Tao Bing and Tu Rong watched the crowded school field from outside the fence as the commendation ceremony was about to begin.