Chapter Summaries

Xu Kun encountered Ouyang Feng, the West Poison, who recognized the Mang Gu Zhu Toad within him and demanded that Xu Kun become his adoptive son and inherit his poison arts. After Xu Kun refused, Ouyang Feng demonstrated the destructive power of his Toad Skill, but Xu Kun only asked whether he had any other techniques.

• Ouyang Feng tested his Corpse-Dissolving Snake Venom on Xu Kun, who withstood it thanks to his Myriad Poisons Body and rapid recovery.
• Ouyang Feng recognized the Mang Gu Zhu Toad in Xu Kun and tasted his blood to confirm his suspicion.
• Ouyang Feng introduced himself as West Poison and asked Xu Kun to become his adoptive son and successor in poison arts.
• Xu Kun refused, and Ouyang Feng threatened him before showing off his Toad Skill.
• Ouyang Feng's golden toad destroyed a mountain and turned it into a poisonous swamp, while a giant turtle fled the area.
• Xu Kun applauded Ouyang Feng's demonstration and asked if he had any other techniques.

Xu Kun traveled toward Imperial Capital with Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke, crossing the dangerous mountain ranges and reaching Imperial Capital Base City. At Imperial Capital Academy, he learned how its halls and institutes were organized, while Ouyang Feng again tried to persuade him to become his godson.

• Ouyang Feng asked Xu Kun to acknowledge him as his godfather, but Xu Kun repeatedly refused; Ouyang Feng instead invited him to travel together to Imperial Capital.
• Xu Kun and Ouyang Feng’s group crossed Black Tortoise Mountain and the dangerous Taihang Mountains without incident, then entered Imperial Capital Base City.
• Xu Kun told Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke that he was a prospective student of Imperial Capital Academy, and explained that something had delayed his arrival.
• Ouyang Feng described the academy’s Strength Hall, Demon Hall, and specialized institutes, while Ouyang Ke boasted that his uncle had arranged a mentor for him.
• Ouyang Feng offered to find Xu Kun a mentor in poison research if Xu Kun became his godson, but Xu Kun refused again.

Xu Kun traveled toward Jade Gate Pass to deliver a diplomatic document from Western Xia, then continued north toward the Imperial Capital after General Di Qing refused him entry. Along the way, he read Yue Lao Ba’s note and learned that Yue Lao Ba had been tasked with monitoring Duan Yanqing.

• Xu Kun rode Xiao Jiu toward Jade Gate Pass and reviewed information about the Western Region wolf-race tribes, becoming concerned when he learned the Tuyuhun Tribe was founded by Murong Tuyuhun.
• Xiao Jiu’s presence triggered Jade Gate Pass’s defenses, and Xu Kun explained to General Di Qing that he was human and delivered the Western Xia diplomatic document.
• Di Qing accepted the document but, unable to verify Xu Kun’s identity, asked him to leave the pass.
• Xu Kun departed north through the wild lands beyond human territory and read Yue Lao Ba’s note about his assignment.
• Xu Kun learned Yue Lao Ba had joined Duan Yanqing’s group to monitor him and wondered whether the Dali Duan Family was connected to Duan Yu.

Xu Kun reached Zijing Pass with Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke, then entered the Haotian Pagoda to contact his friends. He learned that Sikong Ting had been unreachable and found him hospitalized, leaving Xu Kun demanding to know what had happened.

• Xu Kun stored Xiao Jiu in the Lingjiu Token before Ouyang Feng escorted him and Ouyang Ke toward Imperial Capital Base City.
• Ouyang Feng arranged rooms for them at an inn in Zijing Pass and told Xu Kun to report to Imperial Capital Academy at seven the next morning.
• Xu Kun contacted Zhan Rourou and learned she had safely reached Western Frontier Base City and was leveling at Western Frontier Academy.
• Xu Kun called Hao Jian and learned he, Xiao Xiao, and Shen-bao had reached Great Wall Academy, but that Sikong Ting had also been unreachable.
• Xu Kun called Sikong Ting and saw him lying pale in a hospital bed; Sikong Ting tearfully addressed him as Boss, and Xu Kun demanded to know what had happened.

Xu Kun learned that Sikong Ting had been poisoned and injured after being drawn into a conflict connected to Xu Kun. Sikong Shu warned Xu Kun about his enemies in the imperial capital, and Xu Kun vowed to find the attacker and exact revenge.

• Sikong Ting admitted that a strange poison had paralyzed half his body and weakened his attributes.
• Sikong Shu appeared on the communication screen and explained that Sikong Ting had taken the blame for Xu Kun amid pressure on the Sikong Family.
• Sikong Shu and Sikong Ting argued over the family’s caution, and Sikong Shu slapped his grandson.
• Xu Kun rebuked Sikong Shu and declared that he would protect Sikong Ting himself.
• Sikong Shu warned Xu Kun that powerful people in the imperial capital could not be offended and that Yang Yao might not be able to protect him.
• Xu Kun asked who had attacked Sikong Ting and vowed to make the culprit repay blood with blood.

Xu Kun learned that Sima Dai and Kong Changyao had poisoned and injured Sikong Ting because they resented Xu Kun’s connection to Princess Yaoyao. He set out to visit Sikong Ting with Ouyang Feng, while Ouyang Ke watched them leave with hostile intentions.

• Sikong Shu told Xu Kun that Kong Changyao had injured Sikong Ting and Sima Dai had poisoned him, then explained their hostility stemmed from Xu Kun’s relationship with Princess Yaoyao.
• Sikong Shu revealed that Imperial Capital prodigies had attacked Sikong Ting after Xu Kun and Princess Yaoyao failed to appear at the academy, and that no local alchemist would treat him.
• Xu Kun promised Sikong Ting he would avenge him and asked Sikong Shu for his location.
• Xu Kun left to visit Sikong Ting, and Ouyang Feng offered to accompany him through the Imperial Capital at night.
• Ouyang Ke watched Xu Kun and Ouyang Feng disappear into the night and declared that everything Ouyang Feng had should belong to him.

Xu Kun visited Sikong Ting in the hospital, removed the poison preventing his wounds from healing, and restored him to full health. At Sirei City, the Five Great Families confronted Sikong Shu and demanded a share of the Sikong Family’s Imperial Capital market, leaving him facing a far harsher ultimatum than expected.

• Xu Kun arrived at the hospital with Ouyang Feng after Zhang and Zhang Fei visited the injured Sikong Ting.
• Ouyang Feng identified Sikong Ting’s poison as a grievous-injury effect, but Xu Kun pulled the toxin from Sikong Ting and healed his wounds with Wind's Elegy.
• Sikong Shu invited Xu Kun, Ouyang Feng, and the recovered Sikong Ting to the Sikong Family’s territory in Sirei City so they could discuss what had happened.
• At Sirei City’s gates, representatives of the Five Great Families accused Sikong Shu’s grandson of offending the Sima Family and the Kong Family and demanded the Sikong Family’s market share.
• Sikong Shu asked how much the Five Great Families wanted, and their leaders demanded 10% each.

Xu Kun learned why the Five Great Families had joined forces to drive the Sikong Family out of the imperial capital, then stepped in after they attacked Sikong Ting’s father. He struck back at the Nangong Family head, whose fall caused massive damage to Sirei City.

• Sikong Ting explained that the Seven Elements Families consisted of six third-rate families and the second-rate Gongsun Family, each associated with an element and identifiable by its robes.
• Xu Kun realized the Five Great Families were exploiting the Sikong Family’s rising prominence and its dispute with the Sima and Kong Families to seize its market share and curry favor with the two great clans.
• The five family heads confronted Sikong Shu and demanded that the Sikong Family leave the imperial capital, then overwhelmed him with their combined Emperor Realm auras.
• Sikong Xiao challenged the Five Great Families, but the Nangong Family head struck him down and mocked Xu Kun for not appearing to defend his friend.
• Xu Kun broke free from Ouyang Feng’s flight-enhancing power, used Dragon Binding to pull the Nangong Family head closer, and struck him with Void Severance, sending him crashing through Sirei City’s formation and destroying a quarter of the city.

Xu Kun arrived in Sirei City and devastated Nangong Lie after the Five Great Families attacked Sikong Xiao’s family. He revealed his strength and identity as Kun, then killed the Nangong Family’s Third Elder and challenged the patriarchs to choose who would fight next.

• Xu Kun destroyed Nangong Lie’s Dharma Avatar and battered him until Duanmu Ji rescued him.
• Dongfang Ya recognized Xu Kun as Kun, and Ouyang Feng realized the young man he had hoped to take as his godson was the renowned powerhouse.
• The four patriarchs tried to dismiss their attack on Sikong Xiao’s family as a misunderstanding, but Xu Kun challenged them to fight without fear of consequences.
• When a Nangong Family elder objected to Xu Kun’s actions, Xu Kun used his abilities to seize and kill the Third Elder before the patriarchs could intervene.
• Xu Kun stood over the bloodied battlefield and asked the patriarchs who would be next.

Xu Kun confronted the Five Great Families after killing a Nangong elder, and Ouyang Feng used his Saint Domain to stop them from leaving. At the Sikong Family’s manor, Xu Kun ordered Ouyang Feng to detoxify the subdued families, leaving them wary of him.

• Xu Kun challenged the Nangong Family and the four family heads, who decided to back down rather than fight him.
• When Xu Kun stopped the family heads from leaving, Beiming Chen insisted they could not be held, and Xu Kun reached for the Lingjiu Token.
• Ouyang Feng intervened, revealed his Saint Domain, and poisoned the Five Great Families until their leaders begged Xu Kun for mercy.
• Xu Kun asked Sikong Shu to host a discussion at the Sikong Family grounds, where the families were brought under guard.
• After Ouyang Feng asked Xu Kun what to do, Xu Kun told him to detoxify the captives, and Ouyang Feng withdrew the poison.

Xu Kun questioned the five patriarchs after defeating them and learned that the Imperial Capital's rules, issued by Lord Tianyan, forbade powerful families from bullying weaker ones without cause. As the chapter ended, he asked Sikong Ting how she had provoked Sima Dai, a feared assassin from the Sima Family.

• Xu Kun gave the five patriarchs the choice of discussing compensation or burying the hatchet, and they agreed to speak honestly.
• The patriarchs blamed their attack on greed and their desire to curry favor with the Kong Family and the Sima Family, while Sikong Shu explained Lord Tianyan's ban on powerful families targeting weaker ones.
• Sikong Shu identified Sima Dai as a half-step War King with SS-tier shadow and poison talents who hunted prodigies through stealth and assassination.
• Ouyang Feng described the Sima Family as patient, vicious poison users who hid in the shadows, then introduced himself as Western Poison, Ouyang Feng.
• Xu Kun turned to Sikong Ting and asked how she had provoked Sima Dai.

Xu Kun rejected the five family heads’ advice to reconcile with the Sima and Kong Families, revealing that Sima Dai had coveted his fiancée and poisoned Sikong Ting, while Kong Changyan had tried to steal his spoils. He left the families facing his challenge to say whether he should surrender his love or beg forgiveness from the Kong Family.

• Sikong Ting told Xu Kun that Kong Changyan had broken his legs and Sima Dai had poisoned him, demanding that Xu Kun kneel for an antidote.
• The five family heads apologized for their actions and urged Xu Kun to make peace with the Sima and Kong Families, offering to mediate.
• Xu Kun mocked the families as third-rate and condemned Sikong Shu for choosing to grovel rather than defend his grandson’s dignity.
• Xu Kun revealed that Sima Dai had coveted his fiancée and poisoned Sikong Ting, while Kong Changyan had tried to steal his spoils before Xu Kun killed him.
• Xu Kun asked the family heads whether he should give up his fiancée or beg the Kong Family for forgiveness.

Xu Kun rejected the Five Great Families’ neutrality and announced that he intended to build an independent force in the imperial capital rather than rely on marrying into the Yang Family. Sikong Ting pledged to join him, and the Spirit Stones he had given his father made the other family leaders reconsider Xu Kun’s prospects.

• Duanmu Ji questioned Xu Kun about whether Yang Yao had been promised to anyone, and Xu Kun said his goal was to gain enough strength to suppress anyone who coveted her.
• The Five Great Families refused to take sides in Xu Kun’s conflict with the Sikong and Kong Families, and Xu Kun warned that his future force would challenge their interests.
• Xu Kun decided to build a force by annexing families rather than founding a bloodline clan, despite lacking the resources and experts such an undertaking required.
• Sikong Ting declared that he would leave the Sikong Family and join Xu Kun’s new force, while Sikong Xiao’s wife seized the Spirit Stones Ting had given him.
• The leaders grew more interested in Xu Kun’s plans after seeing the valuable Spirit Stones Sikong Ting had supplied to his father.

Sikong Ting laid out how Xu Kun could build a powerful Imperial Capital family by recruiting the Beggar Clan and securing an S-rank grandmaster forger through his ties to Ou Yezi. Xu Kun considered the plan feasible, but a commotion outside Sirei City interrupted him as someone called for the Little Martial Uncle.

• Sikong Ting’s mention of SSS-Rank Spirit Stones made the family heads wonder about Xu Kun’s resources, while Sikong Shu was upset that his grandson had given the stones to his father.
• Sikong Ting proposed that Xu Kun recruit the Beggar Clan’s Imperial Capital branch as the grassroots of a new family.
• Sikong Shu challenged Sikong Ting to explain how Xu Kun could recruit experts strong enough to rival established families.
• Sikong Ting revealed that Xu Kun was Ou Yezi’s final disciple and argued that this status could help him recruit an S-rank grandmaster forger.
• Xu Kun said Ou Yezi had already arrived in the Imperial Capital and that he could ask his master for help recruiting a forger.
• A commotion broke out outside Sirei City as someone called, “Little Martial Uncle, are you here?”

Tao Hongjing arrived at the Sikong Family residence and reunited with Xu Kun, revealing that Xu Kun outranked him and the two A-rank forging masters who served the Five Great Families. After learning how those families had treated Xu Kun’s associates, Tao Hongjing cut off their access to forging services and pills.

• Tao Hongjing burst into the Sikong Family residence, knelt before Xu Kun, and apologized for failing to protect him after his abduction.
• Jing Ke and Ding Sandao bowed to Xu Kun as their Great Uncle-Master, and Xu Kun gave each an S-rank Polarity Bead.
• Dongfang Ya approached Tao Hongjing, but Sikong Ting revealed that the Dongfang Family had tried to make trouble for Xu Kun’s boss.
• Tao Hongjing learned that the Five Great Families relied on forging masters connected to Ou Yezi’s disciples and ordered Jing Ke and Ding Sandao to stop those practitioners from serving them.
• Tao Hongjing announced that the Pill Sect would also stop supplying the Five Great Families with pills, then asked them to leave.

Tao Hongjing threatened to blacklist the Five Great Families from the Forging Sect and Pill Sect after they offended Xu Kun, driving their heads to seek help from Sikong Shu. Sikong Shu steered them toward Xu Kun, but Xu Kun’s silence left them unsure whether their offer to serve him was enough.

• Tao Hongjing rebuked the Five Great Families’ heads and warned that the Forging Sect and Pill Sect would cut ties with them for offending Xu Kun.
• The five family heads begged Sikong Shu to intervene, and Sikong Ting prompted his grandfather to consider winning Xu Kun’s favor.
• Sikong Shu advised the family heads to apologize and make amends, so they knelt before Xu Kun and admitted their mistake.
• The five families offered to serve Xu Kun, but he only smiled faintly and returned to his seat.
• An unnamed speaker told the five family heads that Xu Kun was not genuinely interested in their families.

Xu Kun revealed his plans to establish a force in the imperial capital, and Sikong Ting persuaded the five family heads that joining him would benefit their families. The five pledged their families’ loyalty to Xu Kun, just as an unexpected cry of pain interrupted him.

• Tao Hongjing offered the support of the Forging Sect and Pill Sect for Xu Kun’s planned force, then left to make preparations.
• Sikong Ting explained Xu Kun’s influence and potential, revealed his own SS-tier talent, and warned the family heads about opposing Xu Kun.
• Duanmu Ji swore the Duanmu Family’s loyalty to Xu Kun, followed by Nangong Lie, Ximen Jun, Beiming Chen, and Dongfang Ya.
• Xu Kun warned the five that following him meant there would be no turning back, and they unanimously said they would never regret it.
• A cry of pain interrupted Xu Kun as he was about to respond.

Xu Kun united the Sikong Family with the Five Great Families, making their patriarchs the first elders of his new faction. After discussing the faction’s standing and the need for stronger experts, Xu Kun claimed he already had a Demi-Saint and called Xiao Jiu to appear.

• Sikong Ting urged Xu Kun to include the Sikong Family, and Sikong Shu offered the family’s loyalty.
• Xu Kun stopped Sikong Shu from kneeling, accepted his support, and named the six patriarchs the faction’s first elders.
• The elders outlined the new faction’s ranks and explained that a Demi-Saint could help it reach quasi-second-rate status.
• Xu Kun announced that he had a Demi-Saint-level expert and called Xiao Jiu to appear.

Xu Kun established his faction with Xiao Jiu serving as its powerful protector and recruited Ouyang Feng as a Retainer Elder. As the new faction celebrated, Ouyang Ke left in anger, vowing to make Xu Kun kneel before him.

• Sikong Shu slammed Sikong Ting into the floor for reaching toward Xiao Jiu, then apologized to the Demi-Saint on his grandson’s behalf.
• Xu Kun revealed that Xiao Jiu was his mount and companion and would protect his faction in the imperial capital.
• Ouyang Feng joined Xu Kun’s faction as a Retainer Elder and asked Xu Kun to help Ouyang Ke if he faced trouble.
• Ouyang Ke overheard his uncle’s pledge, stormed out, and vowed to defeat Xu Kun.
• Figures appeared above Sirei City, and someone called out to Xu Kun as their Little Martial Uncle.

Tao Hongjing brought Pu Yuan and other skilled Forging Sect and Pill Sect members to join Xu Kun’s faction in the Imperial Capital. Xu Kun promised to fund Pu Yuan’s vow to forge three thousand S-tier sabers and supplied ores and spirit stones, leaving the recruits stunned by his wealth.

• Tao Hongjing introduced Pu Yuan, an S-tier Forging Grandmaster, who pledged to follow Xu Kun and asked for high-grade ores.
• Pu Yuan explained that he had vowed to forge three thousand S-tier sabers with a one-hundred-percent success rate before advancing to Divine Forging Artisan.
• Xu Kun and Pu Yuan exchanged blood-signed promises: Xu Kun would supply Pu Yuan’s forging resources, and Pu Yuan would never betray him.
• Xu Kun produced a mountain of rare ores and spirit stones for Pu Yuan, including several SSS-tier ores.
• Xu Kun offered the elders another mountain of spirit stones as the faction’s first batch of funds, astonishing everyone with the size of his fortune.