Zhou Leng traveled to High Tower City and prepared with Azure-Crimson Flame for the Ancient Spirit Trial, where they aimed for the top ten and hoped to overcome colossus-type obstacles. Azure-Crimson Flame’s father pressured him to carry a Demon-Eating Nail for the trial, and the chapter ended with Zhou Leng comforting him before they set out.

• Frost Hand sent Zhou Leng toward High Tower City in a flying horse carriage with six female Demon Spirit Masters, and Zhou Leng discovered the journey had been extended by a day.
• Zhou Leng met Azure-Crimson Flame in an Azure-Crimson Lineage potion shop, and they discussed a prophecy that Azure-Crimson Flame would suffer a great loss but gain far more in the end.
• Azure-Crimson Flame explained the Ancient Spirit Trial’s rewards and revealed that Divine Script Spellbooks were its greatest prize, while their practical goal was to reach the top ten and rely on Zhou Leng against colossi.
• Azure-Crimson Lan urged Azure-Crimson Flame to take a Demon-Eating Nail and promised him family leadership and support if he entered the top ten; Azure-Crimson Flame accepted it reluctantly.
• The next morning, Zhou Leng noticed Azure-Crimson Flame’s unease and encouraged him as they prepared to leave for the Ancient Spirit Path.

Zhou Leng accompanied Azure-Crimson Flame into the Ancient Spirit Path, where Azure-Crimson Flame began its trials and Zhou Leng explored the ancient ruins. After finding the Divine Script room, Zhou Leng recognized its patterns as readable Divine Script and began examining them.

• Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame arrived at the Ancient Spirit Path, and an Ancient Spirit Bird Token unexpectedly flew from Zhou Leng’s Demon Spirit Bag to the gatekeeper.
• Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame entered the first trial, where Azure-Crimson Flame attacked the passing Demonic Beasts while Zhou Leng inspected the ruins for relics and Divine Script.
• After Azure-Crimson Flame completed the first stage and restored his mana, the two entered the Inheritance Path, where Azure-Crimson Flame chose a fire-element spell to study.
• Azure-Crimson Flame guided Zhou Leng through the six rooms and began practicing in the second room, while Zhou Leng went to investigate the sixth room.
• Zhou Leng found that the sixth room’s colorful wall and ceiling patterns were ornate Divine Script that he could understand.

Zhou Leng studied the Seven-Colored Divine Script before he and Azure-Crimson Flame entered the Battle Path, where Azure-Crimson Flame fought a series of opponents while Zhou Leng guarded him and honed his own understanding. After Azure-Crimson Flame conceded a close match to Song of Longwind, Zhou Leng pointed out a flaw in his Fire Dragon Technique.

• Zhou Leng translated part of the Seven-Colored Divine Script and deduced that the stone book contained a test that could become a spellbook once completed.
• Azure-Crimson Flame mastered the Fire Dragon Technique, completed the trial in the Seven-Colored Room, and entered the Battle Path with Zhou Leng.
• Zhou Leng killed an opposing Black Dragon assistant with one punch, causing its Demon Spirit Master to concede to Azure-Crimson Flame.
• Azure-Crimson Flame won successive matches while Zhou Leng guarded him, studied Divine Script, and used opposing assistants to practice his martial arts.
• Azure-Crimson Flame battled Song of Longwind of the Heart of Elements until both were exhausted, then conceded after Zhou Leng intervened.
• Zhou Leng told Azure-Crimson Flame that the Fire Dragon Technique was more destructive when used for charging attacks, and Azure-Crimson Flame tested the advice.

Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame advanced to the Technique Path, where Azure-Crimson Flame scored highly but sought to improve his result. Zhou Leng used his precise timing to help him earn a perfect score on the first question, and Azure-Crimson Flame began trying to replicate it himself.

• Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame rested after clearing the Battle Path, while the Ice Snow Divine Cult learned Zhou Leng ranked 217th and discussed the rewards he might earn.
• Azure-Crimson Flame explained the remaining Ancient Spirit Path trials and warned Zhou Leng that Demon Spirit Masters from the Three High Towers might obstruct them.
• Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame entered the fourth palace, where Azure-Crimson Flame began the Technique Path tests and Zhou Leng studied the Seven-Colored Divine Script.
• Azure-Crimson Flame completed thirty questions with 259 points, then decided to retake the Technique Path to improve his ranking.
• Zhou Leng identified that Azure-Crimson Flame's timing was the problem on the bat question and called the moment to cast Fireball Chain, earning him a perfect score.
• Azure-Crimson Flame attempted the bat question twice more on his own but scored nine points each time.

Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame entered the Labyrinth Road separately, where Zhou Leng quickly earned a Labyrinth Heart and negotiated with Song of Longwind. The chapter left Zhou Leng holding the heart and guiding Song of Longwind through the shifting maze after agreeing to help him find Azure-Crimson Flame.

• Zhou Leng helped Azure-Crimson Flame raise his Technique Path score to 288, and Azure-Crimson Flame completed the trial ranked 96 while Zhou Tianjihuan ranked 97.
• Azure-Crimson Lan saw Zhou Tianjihuan's rank and feared he planned to exploit Azure-Crimson Flame, so he summoned the Azure-Crimson Lineage to High Tower City.
• Zhou Leng entered the Fifth Palace and found himself alone in the Labyrinth Road, where he spotted Song of Longwind and raced toward a Demonic Beast carrying a Labyrinth Heart.
• Azure-Crimson Flame encountered his childhood friend Huangsha Zhiling, and the two agreed to cooperate in finding Labyrinth Hearts.
• Zhou Leng killed a Demonic Beast and claimed its Labyrinth Heart, then agreed to sell a second heart to Song of Longwind for Demon Spirit Devices worth one hundred million Dragon Kingdom Yuan in exchange for help finding Azure-Crimson Flame.
• Song of Longwind became lost in the shifting maze, so Zhou Leng guided him to the meeting place and received the promised devices.

Zhou Leng found Azure-Crimson Flame injured with his Demon Spirits sealed and gave him a Labyrinth Heart so he could continue the trial. They went after another heart, and Zhou Leng confronted a powerful Demon Spirit Master from the Book of God, whose spells failed to stop his charge.

• Zhou Leng searched the shifting maze for Azure-Crimson Flame and learned from another participant where he had last been seen.
• Zhou Leng found Azure-Crimson Flame wounded and discovered that his Demon Spirits had been sealed, preventing him from casting spells.
• Zhou Leng gave Azure-Crimson Flame his Labyrinth Heart and urged him to keep competing, then shared Demon Spirit Devices with him.
• Zhou Leng led Azure-Crimson Flame toward a Book of God Demon Spirit Master and attacked to take his Labyrinth Heart despite Azure-Crimson Flame's warnings.
• The Book of God Demon Spirit Master used defensive spells, a protective necklace, and twenty-five High Innate Realm spells, but Zhou Leng resisted their effects and continued charging.

Zhou Leng defeated the Three High Towers Demon Spirit Master and helped Azure-Crimson Flame reach the top hundred, then entered the Path of Pressure trial. As Azure-Crimson Flame prepared to test his limits, Zhou Leng explored the palace’s Divine Scripts and spoke with other Demon Spirit Masters.

• Zhou Leng shattered the Demon Spirit Master's Yellow Sand Castle, forced him to flee, and claimed his Labyrinth Heart.
• Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame reached the labyrinth gates, rested in the corridor, and discussed how Zhou Leng should handle future conflicts involving the Three High Towers.
• The two entered the palace with the other 99 trial-takers and heard that the sixth trial would test how far they could endure escalating mental pressure.
• Azure-Crimson Flame said he hoped to reach the seventh palace, while Zhou Leng decided to explore the palace and record Divine Scripts.
• Song of Longwind approached Zhou Leng about cooperating in the Great Battlefield and warned him that Mountain-Sea Light ranked first among this generation's Book of God trial-takers.
• Storm Gate spoke with Zhou Leng about their earlier fight, and Zhou Leng continued studying Divine Scripts alongside two Book of God Demon Spirit Masters.

Zhou Leng explored the pressure trial’s palaces with Eye of the Spirit Hall and Book of the Spirit Hall, recording ancient Divine Script and discovering unfamiliar Divine Script Diagrams. When Three High Towers Demon Spirit Masters challenged his entry into the eighth palace, Zhou Leng invoked his contracts and the Demon Spirit Imperial Edict, and the confrontation drew witnesses who confirmed his strength.

• Zhou Leng exchanged knowledge about Divine Script and ancient ruins with Eye of the Spirit Hall and Book of the Spirit Hall as they toured the palaces.
• The three examined a metal plate in the fifth palace, where Zhou Leng identified its inscriptions as pill-making Divine Script related to the Star-Refining Furnace.
• In the seventh palace, Zhou Leng recorded unfamiliar cloud-patterned inscriptions that he named Divine Script Diagrams, while the Spirit Hall Brothers sat down to withstand the pressure.
• Zhou Leng entered the eighth palace despite a Demon Spirit Master’s warning that only members of the Three High Towers could enter, citing his contracts with the Ice Snow Divine Cult and Seraphic Torch.
• Zhou Leng accused the Three High Towers of violating the Demon Spirit Imperial Edict and excluding protected groups, while Song of Longwind warned the gathered Demon Spirit Masters that Zhou Leng was far stronger than they were.
• The Demon Spirit Masters summoned Storm Gate after Song of Longwind recounted that Zhou Leng had knocked out his Giant assistant with one punch.

Zhou Leng endured the Eighth Palace’s contradictory spiritual pressure, studied its Divine Script, and entered the Ninth Palace to face the Martial Will of Zhao Dongjun. The chapter ended as he began experiencing Zhao Dongjun’s pressure, which tested and strengthened the spirit through guidance, cleansing, and confidence.

• Storm Gate admitted that Zhou Leng had killed his Black Dragon assistant with one punch, then explained that the assistant had attacked first and Zhou Leng had acted in self-defense.
• Eye of the Spirit Hall and Book of the Spirit Hall warned the Three High Towers against provoking Zhou Leng and said they would invite him to become an external member of the Gate of God.
• Mountain-Sea Light told the Demon Spirit Masters that Zhou Leng had defeated him, taken his Labyrinth Heart, and exhausted his life-saving devices, persuading the strongest Demon Spirit Masters to wait until after the trial to confront Zhou Leng.
• Zhou Leng resisted the Eighth Palace’s manipulative pressure, studied its Divine Script, and watched a Demon Spirit Master collapse before the palace’s white light carried him away.
• Zhou Leng recognized Zhao Dongjun’s figure in the Ninth Palace’s sphere, sat down to face his Martial Will, and began enduring its forceful, cleansing, and inspiring pressure.

Zhou Leng endured Zhao Dongjun’s oppressive aura and received a spiritual inheritance that strengthened his Martial Will. After completing the Ninth Palace trial, he headed for the Tenth Palace, warned that its power came from the dangerous Path of Otherworldliness.

• Zhou Leng withstood nine waves of Zhao Dongjun’s oppressive aura and saw visions of the Martial Saint’s life and achievements.
• Zhou Leng read Zhao Dongjun’s Collected Works under the aura, gaining insight that imprinted the Saint’s Martial Will onto his Will Mountain.
• Mountain-Sea Light noticed Zhou Leng’s breakthrough and continued meditating, frustrated that he had not gained the same insight.
• Zhou Leng completed the Ninth Palace trial and recorded its Divine Scripts and patterns.
• Mountain-Sea Light warned Zhou Leng that the Tenth Palace leaked power from the sealed Path of Otherworldliness and urged him not to stay long.
• Zhou Leng thanked Mountain-Sea Light and entered the Tenth Palace as the other Demon Spirit Masters watched.

Zhou Leng endured the Star God Pressure in the tenth palace and used it to rapidly cultivate the Indestructible Star Body. After completing its first level, he broke through from the Blood-Shaking Stage into the Bone-Tempering Stage.

• Zhou Leng entered the tenth palace, was overwhelmed by the Star God Pressure, and repeatedly returned to endure it again.
• After countless attempts, Zhou Leng reached the center of the palace and sat beneath the spiritual storm, inspiring the Demon Spirit Masters to resume their own training.
• Zhou Leng used the Indestructible Star Body, the Star Spiral Shell, and Mammoth Lake water to withstand the pressure, absorb its power, and heal the damage to his body.
• After several days, Zhou Leng's first Divine Script became real, completing the first level of the Void-Crossing Body and allowing him to withstand the Star God Pressure.
• Zhou Leng tested his strengthened body, shattered a Demonic Grip Tester rated for over five tons, and realized that he had entered the Bone-Tempering Stage.

Zhou Leng completed the Divine Script exam with a score of 65 and received a Divine Script Book, then carried the unconscious Azure-Crimson Flame into the Tenth Palace. After Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame disappeared from view, Mountain-Sea Light wondered whether they had entered the final trial, the Path of Otherworldliness.

• Zhou Leng adapted to his denser body under the Star God Pressure, translated most of the Divine Script, and took the exam, scoring 65 and being told to retest.
• A Sprite teacher appeared and summoned Zhou Leng to study again, while a Divine Script Book formed from the stone book and Zhou Leng recorded its contents before leaving it behind.
• Zhou Leng found Azure-Crimson Flame unconscious in the Seventh Palace after he had lost a challenge to a Three High Towers Demon Spirit Master.
• Zhou Leng refused to leave Azure-Crimson Flame behind and carried him through the Eighth and Ninth Palaces into the Tenth Palace, dismissing concerns about his oath.
• Mountain-Sea Light and four others tried to enter the Tenth Palace but were driven back by the Star God Pressure, then speculated that Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame had reached the Path of Otherworldliness.

Zhou Leng entered the Path of Otherworldliness with the unconscious Azure-Crimson Flame and learned that his Divine Script inheritance could earn him a Tower Spirit position and Tower Book. After Azure-Crimson Flame escaped the trial’s destructive Stellar Power, Zhou Leng endured it long enough to advance his Indestructible Star Body before choosing to end the trial.

• Mountain-Sea Light realized Zhou Leng could have carried Azure-Crimson Flame into the Path of Otherworldliness and warned the other Demon Spirit Masters against protesting the result.
• The old man congratulated Zhou Leng for becoming the first trial-taker to enter the Path of Otherworldliness and said he and Azure-Crimson Flame would face a higher-civilization trial.
• Azure-Crimson Flame woke, examined Zhou Leng’s Divine Script Spellbook, and advised him to seek Tower Spirit status and a Tower Book as his reward.
• Azure-Crimson Flame explained the Divine Tower’s importance, and Zhou Leng agreed to pursue a Tower Spirit position and Tower Book.
• Azure-Crimson Flame chose to leave when the Stellar Power began destroying his body, while Zhou Leng used the Indestructible Star Body to resist it and cultivate.
• As the Stellar Power overwhelmed his defenses and his body began to boil, Zhou Leng chose to end the trial.

Zhou Leng was questioned by the Great Demon Spirit Tower’s Demigods after placing first on the Ancient Spirit Path, while Azure-Crimson Flame ranked second. The Demigods secured his Divine Script Spellbook and considered keeping him in the Demon Spirit World, as Zhou Leng noticed a key point in their questions.

• Azure-Crimson Lan and the Ice Snow Divine Cult were stunned when the final rankings showed Zhou Tianjihuan first and Azure-Crimson Flame second.
• Several Demon Spirit Masters protested the rankings and accused Zhou Leng and Azure-Crimson Flame of cheating, while Mountain-Sea Light and others refused to join them.
• The Great Demon Spirit Tower’s Demigods questioned Zhou Leng about his arrival, his Martial Will, and his Ancient Spirit Path achievements.
• Zhou Leng explained that his success came from coincidence, study, and luck, while withholding details about the Higher Civilization examination.
• The Demigods examined and secured Zhou Leng’s Divine Script Spellbook, then discussed the value of keeping him in the Demon Spirit World.
• As the Demigods conferred, Zhou Leng reviewed their questions and noticed a key point.

Chapter 438: Bubble — Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Leng, having obtained the Divine Script Spellbook and topped the Ancient Spirit Path trial, faces over one hundred Demigods in the Great Deep Court for his reward deliberation.
• The Demigods detect uninvited guests outside: the Ice Snow Divine Cult and innate experts who had falsely reported Zhou Leng. They stall the former in a side hall and summarily punish the latter—stripping rankings, sealing demon spirits, and sentencing them to three years shoveling dung in magical beast breeding grounds (some being their own descendants).
• The Demigods offer Zhou Leng a sky full of bubble-contained treasures (Martial Dao imprints, starry sky treasures, medicinal fruits, Demigod Artifacts).
• Zhou Leng first asks to keep the Divine Script Spellbook itself; this is flatly refused.
• He then demands a Tower Spirit and Tower Book—a highly sensitive request, as these grant control and access to all Demon Spirit World information.
• The Demigods counter: have his soul reborn as a Demon Spirit World infant, become chief disciple of the Three High Towers, be guaranteed advancement to Legendary, but remain forever in the Demon Spirit World. Zhou Leng refuses permanent residency.
• After lengthy negotiation, a compromise is reached: Zhou Leng receives a restricted Tower Spirit and Tower Book—he must not contend for Divine Tower control; the Tower Book's access tier rises with his realm (full access at Demigod); and he is free to leave. He additionally gains official membership in the Book of God, the status of Honorary Legendary, and appointment as "Ambassador Between Blue Star and the Demon Spirit World" (a position equivalent to a Dragon Kingdom Joint Committee member).
• Zhou Leng signs a magical contract and is escorted to the waiting Ice Snow Divine Cult members.
• Frost Hand rewards him with a Divine Mandate Crystal—a defensive treasure able to survive a full-force Void God Realm strike. Its integration into Zhou Leng's heart and brain causes excruciating freezing agony, which he passively endures until it passes.

2. Character Developments

• Zhou Leng: Displays sharp negotiating skill, patience, and strategic use of moral high ground. He keeps his real goals (strengthening Martial Will, personal freedom) distinct from surface demands. He shows restraint by accepting restricted rewards rather than pushing for impossible gains, and endures intense pain stoically when the crystal integrates.
• The Demigods: Pragmatic and disciplined. They reward merit generously but guard institutional secrets fiercely. They show ruthlessness toward their own kin who made false accusations, prioritizing institutional order over personal ties.
• Frost Hand / Ice Snow Divine Cult: Supportive of Zhou Leng; Frost Hand gently implies Zhou Leng was too softhearted in negotiations, showing their loyalty and concern for maximizing his benefit.

3. Significant Themes

• Freedom vs. Reward: The Demigods offer vast power in exchange for permanent residency; Zhou Leng chooses freedom over guaranteed advancement—a central moral choice.
• Institutional Control of Knowledge: The Tower Book's realm-based restrictions illustrate how powerful organizations tier access to information and secrets.
• Bargaining and Moral Leverage: Zhou Leng uses his contribution and unique translation ability as leverage against vastly stronger entities, showing that moral standing can offset raw power.
• The Cost of Power: The Divine Mandate Crystal—a gift—brings intense suffering to integrate, symbolizing that even great boons demand endurance.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhou Leng vs. the Demigods: A prolonged, tense negotiation. He counters their offers with moral appeals and veiled threats (contacting the Ice Snow Divine Cult), while they attempt to curb his access via reincarnation and permanent residence demands.
• Demigods' internal dynamic: They deliberate silently via spiritual power, balancing risk (Tower Book leaks) against reward (Zhou Leng's potential as a long-term collaborator). One compares him unfavorably to the anomaly Zhao Dongjun, concluding Zhou Leng's spiritual power is not a true threat.
• Zhou Leng & Ice Snow Divine Cult: A warm relationship—they rise to welcome him, congratulate him, and Frost Hand even extends future assistance, contrasting with the coldly transactional Demigod negotiations.
• Off-screen groups: The Demigods' swift handling of the Ice Snow Cult (polite stalling) and the false reporters (harsh punishment) demonstrates their absolute authority over both allies and locals.

After the Ancient Spirit Trial, Zhou Leng received a rare Starry-Sky Demon Spirit that strengthened his cultivation, while Azure-Crimson Flame gained a Spatial Demon Spirit. Zhou Leng joined the Book of God and began advanced trials, leaving both men newly established within the Three High Towers.

• Zhou Leng entered the Ancient Spirit Hall with Azure-Crimson Flame and learned that the top-ten reward would be a Demon Spirit, though he was unsure he could use one.
• Zhou Leng received a Mightful Starry-Sky Demon Spirit and a seven-colored droplet that doubled the size of his Will Mountain.
• Azure-Crimson Flame received a Spatial Demon Spirit, and Zhou Leng erased the remaining debt between them.
• The trial participants signed contracts forbidding them from revealing the Ancient Spirit Path’s secrets or discussing Zhou Leng, while Zhou Leng quietly completed the Tower Spirit Ritual and obtained the Tower Book.
• Zhou Leng joined the Book of God and Azure-Crimson Flame joined the Staff of Destruction; after attending a banquet, they spent seven days completing trials and collecting resources.
• Zhou Leng exchanged Demon Spirit resources for Martial Dao resources, then entered the Great Demon Spirit Tower to begin higher-level trials and cultivation.

Zhou Leng cultivated in the Demon Spirit World, met Zhao He, and strengthened his Spirit-Body Clone while learning how to earn Demon Spirit Points. The chapter left him gaining a growing stream of rewards by anonymously sharing translated Spirit Magic techniques.

• Zhou Leng trained in the Demon Spirit Resistance Trial and Lake of Spirit, and used up his White Bone-Tempering Pills because his bones resisted their damage.
• Zhou Leng met Zhao He at the Lake of Spirit and explained that he had gained access through a Demon Spirit Trial; Zhao He later ordered his attendant to investigate him and resolved to seek a chance to befriend him.
• Zhou Leng’s Martial Will recovered, and he linked his consciousness to the Divine Tower, where he learned that the Tower Spirit was a Spirit-Body Clone and began strengthening it instead of absorbing its power.
• Zhou Leng translated four low-level Spirit Magic techniques and anonymously published them in the Demon Spirit Hall through the Tower Book.
• Demon Spirit Masters adopted the techniques, and Zhou Leng’s rewards grew from four hundred basic Demon Spirit Points to more than two thousand after a month.

After Zhou Leng’s newly translated Energy Burst Magic Sphere helped Blazing Flame's Hope solve the Flame Light Conjecture, Demon Spirit World began considering how to identify and protect the anonymous translator. Back in Ru City, Zhou Leng sought help securing enough Bone-Tempering Pills and received Wang Boxiong’s advice to visit the advanced halls of the Ruins Museum before Innate Mountain.

• Zhou Leng translated four Spirit Magic spells, including Energy Burst Magic Sphere, then left Demon Spirit World for Ru City.
• Blazing Flame's Hope used Energy Burst Magic Sphere to solve the Flame Light Conjecture, and the Great Deep Court awarded the anonymous master ten thousand special Demon Spirit Points while discussing protection for the translator.
• Zhou Leng returned to Ru City, read messages about the Huangmeng Sect resolving his company’s crisis and Molten Hammer urging him to visit Dwarf World, then went for snacks with Xu Qingjin.
• Zhou Leng asked Wang Boxiong for help obtaining White Pills, explaining that he needed 1,800 pills to temper his unusually dense bones and would seek funding through Beast World trade.
• Wang Boxiong urged Zhou Leng to visit the Ruins Museum before Innate Mountain and advised him to study every Martial Imprint in the advanced halls before choosing one suited to his path to Grandmaster.
• Zhou Leng told Wang Boxiong that he planned to learn the Great Sun Divine Technique and East Wind Fist for his path to Grandmaster.

Zhou Leng recruited another batch of Ancient River Sect disciples, then traveled to Xiong City to meet Zhang Xinglie at Yunhua Martial University. There he unexpectedly reunited with Liang Baiyin and revealed his extraordinary martial skill during a spar with Instructor Zou.

• Wang Boxiong warned Zhou Leng that the Great Sun Divine Technique might not suit him, promised his teacher's support, and arranged for him to register as a freshman instructor at Yunhua Martial University.
• Zhou Leng recruited eight thousand more disciples for the Ancient River Sect and used the Tiger Tally's Heavenly Fire Execution against a Disloyal Disciple.
• In Xiong City, Zhou Leng went to Yunhua Martial University before his planned visit to the Ruins Museum and spotted Liang Baiyin during her military training.
• Instructor Zou invited Zhou Leng to demonstrate Wave-Stacking Palm, and Zhou Leng defended against his attacks while keeping his strength suppressed to the Force-Generating Stage.
• Instructor Zou failed to break Zhou Leng's defense and realized Zhou Leng was far stronger than he had appeared, then asked why he had impersonated a second-year student.

Zhou Leng joined Instructor Zou's class and corrected the students' combat techniques before demonstrating the power of Martial Will in a spar. He left Instructor Zou recovering from an injured elbow and the students with a vivid lesson in how fear could decide a battle.

• Liang Baiyin introduced Zhou Leng as Ru University's former freshman-ranking champion and a Martial Guard Department instructor, and Instructor Zou confirmed his credentials.
• Zhou Leng sparred with Instructor Zou, identified flaws in his techniques, and taught the students fourteen practical combat points.
• Zhou Leng and Instructor Zou demonstrated a True-Liquid Innate Realm battle, during which Zhou Leng explained the realm's emphasis on power, combat, and Martial Will.
• Zhou Leng formed his own sage-like Martial Will and struck Instructor Zou, whose hesitation caused his elbow to break on impact.
• Zhou Leng healed Instructor Zou, gave him two Bone-Tempering Pills, and explained to the students how Martial Will had decided the exchange.