Chapter Summaries

Xu Kun recruited Tao Hongjing’s forging disciples Xu Xun, Guo Yuzhang, and Ma Jun into his new faction, with Ma Jun receiving a promise of research funding. Tao Hongjing then relayed Divine Artisan Ya Jiu’s offer to let Xu Kun manage thirty percent of the Return to Dust Set’s output as the faction’s first industry.

• Tao Hongjing introduced Xu Xun and Guo Yuzhang, both A-grade forging masters, and explained that Xu Xun also practiced medicine refining.
• Tao Hongjing introduced Ma Jun as an A-grade master of miscellaneous crafts whose talent had drawn the interest of Gongshu Pan, though Ma lacked research funding and was not valued by the Gongshu Family.
• Xu Kun offered Ma Jun full support for his research and welcomed him into the faction, bringing all three of Tao Hongjing’s disciples aboard.
• Tao Hongjing told Xu Kun that Divine Artisan Ya Jiu offered him thirty percent of the Return to Dust Set’s output to manage as the faction’s first industry.
• Sikong Shu and the other elders recognized the Return to Dust Set as a War King-level top-grade set that could surpass the Dustless Set.

Xu Kun secured priority access to the Return to Dust Sets for his subordinate families and recruited Tao Hongjing’s talented Pill Sect disciples, including the Medicine King Sun Simiao. With his new faction’s personnel assembled, Xu Kun and Sikong Ting began considering a name for it.

• Tao Hongjing revealed that Xu Kun had provided the Return to Dust Set blueprints and shared the profits with Divine Craftsman Ya Jiu, prompting the six families’ elders to ask for sets.
• Xu Kun promised his subordinate forces priority access to Return to Dust Sets, distributed according to family contributions rather than combat strength.
• Xu Kun learned that Tao Hongjing’s Herbal Spirit Body gave him extraordinary alchemy talent and helped make him the Pill Sect’s chief third-generation direct disciple.
• Tao Hongjing introduced Sun Simiao, the Medicine King, who agreed to join Xu Kun’s forces while preparing to break through to Heavenly King level and compile an SS-tier pill formula.
• Xu Kun recruited Sun Simiao and five A-tier alchemists, along with the other alchemists Tao Hongjing brought, greatly expanding his new faction.
• Sikong Ting said the faction needed a name, and Xu Kun insisted it was theirs before they began considering one.

Xu Kun named the united families Kun Gate and chose Daxing as its heartland, placing Ma Jun in charge of building its city. The chapter ended with the six elders asking Xu Kun to rename their former family cities.

• Xu Kun rejected proposed names and declared that the united families would be called Kun Gate.
• The elders agreed to build Kun Gate’s heartland in Daxing, and Xu Kun ordered the construction of its city.
• Xu Kun appointed Ma Jun to oversee the city’s construction, and Ma Jun vowed to make it an impregnable fortress.
• Sikong Shu and the other elders asked Xu Kun to choose new names for the six cities formerly named after their families.

Xu Kun named Kun Gate’s six satellite cities and assigned each a role in the organization’s future, while reserving Central Kun Gate as its center of leadership and elite talent. The elders embraced his plan, and the chapter ended with urgent news arriving from Sikong Zhen in Jiangnan.

• Xu Kun named the six cities Si-Thunder Prefecture, Eastern Seawatch Pavilion, Western Goldforge Platform, Elegant Wood Pavilion, Southern Firegarden Estate, and Northern Earth Shrine.
• Xu Kun assigned the cities roles in education, alchemy, intelligence, weapon forging, equipment production, and military defense.
• Xu Kun designated Central Kun Gate as the home of the Elder Council and elite members, and as the center coordinating the six cities.
• The elders praised Xu Kun’s plan and pledged to carry it out, while Ouyang Feng asked him to arrange White Camel Villa as well.
• A servant arrived with an urgent letter from Sikong Zhen in Jiangnan for Xu Kun.

Xu Kun learned that Ling Feng and A Qing’s remains had been stolen as part of a conspiracy to create demonic artifacts, possibly Human Demon Soldiers. Thor explained how the weapons were made and why Ling Feng’s intact three souls made him a likely candidate, leaving Xu Kun wary that Ling Feng might return in another form.

• Sikong Zhen told Xu Kun that Ling Feng and A Qing’s remains had vanished from Longjing Cemetery, and that investigators had found no clues.
• Grandpa Yan revealed that thieves had taken the remains to support an evil experiment creating demonic artifacts, and warned that similar incidents targeting humans were part of a larger conspiracy.
• Grandpa Yan said Ling Feng’s remains held all three souls and that he might be resurrected in another form, while A Qing’s remains could help reunite the two.
• Xu Kun connected the theft to the Source Project and asked Thor whether Ling Feng might become a Human Demon Soldier.
• Thor explained that Human Demon Soldiers were artifacts infused with powerful souls and that a host had to endure the weapon’s resentment; A Qing’s remains could help make Ling Feng a suitable host.

Xu Kun learned from Thor that the plot to turn Ling Feng into a Human Demon Soldier would require rapidly strengthening his body, then turned his attention to Kun Gate’s launch. He decided to announce the new force by publicly challenging Kong Changyao and Sima Dai, while Nangong Lie offered an even better suggestion.

• Thor explained that a Human Demon Soldier would consume its host’s consciousness and that Ling Feng’s body was likely being strengthened to bear a powerful Demon Soldier.
• Thor told Xu Kun that secret methods could force someone to grow stronger quickly, though they damaged their future potential or lifespan.
• Xu Kun ended his communication with Thor, then asked the elders to handle Kun Gate’s affairs while he focused on growing stronger.
• Xu Kun rejected Dongfang Ya’s suggestion to keep Kun Gate’s founding secret and said he would publicly challenge Kong Changyao and Sima Dai to avenge his brother.
• Nangong Lie supported Xu Kun’s plan and began proposing a way to make the whole Imperial Capital hear of Kun Gate.

Nangong Lie advised Xu Kun to challenge Kong Changyao and Sima Dai at the Imperial Capital Academy Tournament, where the Kun Sect could gain widespread fame. Three days later, Xu Kun prepared to report to the academy with Sikong Ting, who disguised his poisoned condition, and learned they would travel by car because flying in the Imperial Capital was dangerous.

• Nangong Lie suggested Xu Kun challenge Kong Changyao and Sima Dai at the Academy Tournament in three days, and Sikong Ting explained how the event worked.
• Xu Kun agreed to make the Kun Sect famous at the tournament and ordered the elders to keep the events secret while Sikong Ting pretended to be ill.
• Xu Kun spent the night in Si-Thunder Prefecture thinking about reporting to the academy, finding Burning Lamp Daoist's junior brother, and visiting Yao Yao and Lord Tianyan.
• Sikong Ting startled Xu Kun when he woke, then revealed that Elder Ouyang had used a nonlethal poison to make him look gravely ill.
• Xu Kun learned Ouyang Ke had left early after staying out all night, then prepared to head to the academy with Sikong Ting.
• Sikong Ting warned Xu Kun not to fly through the Imperial Capital and offered to take him in his sports car.

Xu Kun and Sikong Ting arrived at Imperial Capital Academy, where Xu Kun humiliated Kong Changyao and challenged him and Sima Dai ahead of the Academy Tournament. When Xu Kun tried to register at the Fire Institute, a staff member turned him away under false pretenses, and Xu Kun and Sikong Ting left without realizing other institutes were also refusing him.

• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting confronted Kong Changyao and his lackeys at the academy gates, where Xu Kun frightened one student with his golden eyes and dodged Kong Changyao’s punch.
• Xu Kun told Kong Changyao to tell Sima Dai to prepare for a fight in three days, and Kong Changyao vowed to avenge his younger brother Yan.
• Xu Kun told Sikong Ting that he had gained an SSS-Tier Fire Seed after being kidnapped.
• Xu Kun chose to register at the Fire Institute, but the staff member claimed its spots were full and summoned security to force him away.
• After Xu Kun left, the staff member revealed that the Hall Master had arranged for him to redirect Xu Kun to the Wind Institute in exchange for a bribe.

Xu Kun and Sikong Ting were repeatedly rejected by Imperial Capital Academy institutes, despite Xu Kun’s talent, and suspected the Sima and Kong families were interfering. At the Poison Institute, they learned its dean belonged to the Sima Family, just as Kong Shizhan appeared to confront Ouyang Feng.

• Sikong Ting brought Xu Kun to the Thunder Institute with Senior Mo, but its admissions director rejected Xu Kun and threatened Senior Mo.
• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting tried the Ice, Water, Earth, Dark, Forging, Alchemy, and Beast Taming institutes, but each turned them away.
• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting found the Rare Institute closed to them, then went to the Poison Institute with Ouyang Feng.
• Kuai Tong refused to enroll Xu Kun and revealed that the Poison Institute’s dean had the compound surname Sima.
• Kong Shizhan arrived and told Ouyang Feng that Imperial Capital Academy did not need outsiders criticizing its decisions.

Kong Shizhan pressured Xu Kun to join the Wind Institute, provoking a standoff over his future at Imperial Capital Academy. The chapter ended with Kong Shizhan unexpectedly bowing and apologizing after Xu Kun said he hated being threatened.

• Kong Shizhan used his power to repel Xu Kun’s attempt to probe him, and Ouyang Feng identified him as the Kong Family head and current Yansheng Gong.
• Xu Kun slapped Kong Changyan for insulting Ouyang Feng, and Kong Shizhan forced his grandson to apologize before driving him and Ouyang Ke out.
• Kong Shizhan offered Xu Kun a place at the Wind Institute and admitted he had influenced the other institutes to reject him.
• Xu Kun refused the offer and tried to leave, but Kong Shizhan threatened his scheduled match and his girlfriend to make him stay.
• Xu Kun condemned Kong Shizhan’s coercive tactics, and Kong Shizhan bowed and apologized to him.

Xu Kun learned that the Wind Institute wanted him because Lanlou Tower contained the dangerous SSS-Rank Wind Seed, Berserk Gale, which might soon become impossible to absorb. As Kong Shizhan pressed him to join, he revealed that he knew Xu Kun was the Kong ancestor’s direct disciple.

• Kong Shizhan dismissed Xu Kun’s grievances with the Kong family and asked him to teach Kong Changyao a lesson in three days.
• Kuai Tong explained that the Academy Lord had ordered the other institutes to reject Xu Kun, at Kong Shizhan’s request.
• Sikong Ting told Xu Kun that Lanlou Tower was isolated from the other institutes and had once unleashed destructive winds across the Imperial Capital.
• Kong Shizhan explained that Lanlou Tower suppressed Berserk Gale, an SSS-Rank Wind Seed that had previously gone berserk and might soon reach Saint Domain.
• Kong Shizhan said Xu Kun might be the only person capable of absorbing Berserk Gale, though he first needed wind-element Three Essentials at the million level.
• As Xu Kun considered joining the Wind Institute, Kong Shizhan whispered that he knew Xu Kun was the Kong ancestor’s direct disciple.

Xu Kun agreed to join Imperial Capital Academy’s Wind Academy after Kong Shizhan explained its Credit Point system and arranged access to the Mist Tower. Kong Shizhan brought Xu Kun and Sikong Ting to the Wind Academy, where he discussed Xu Kun’s enrollment and future studies.

• Kong Shizhan explained that students needed Credit Points to use the Mist Tower, and Xu Kun learned that missions earned points according to their rank.
• Kong Shizhan converted Xu Kun’s enrollment benefits into 200 Credit Points and allowed Sikong Ting to use the Mist Tower at double the usual cost.
• Kong Changyan and Ouyang Ke left the Poison Academy’s main hall and went to find others to plot against Xu Kun.
• Kong Shizhan brought Xu Kun and Sikong Ting to Wind Academy and pointed out the Mist Tower, whose wind-element aura Xu Kun sensed.
• Kong Shizhan told Xu Kun that his assigned roommate was a light-element genius from the Western Frontier and advised him to focus on the Haotian Pagoda and specialized classes.
• Xu Kun asked whether Kong Shizhan would still assign him a max-level War King instructor.

Xu Kun arrived at Imperial Capital Academy, where the formidable dorm matron fined him for damaging the grounds and assigned him a roommate. He reunited with Duan Yu, who had transferred to the academy to pursue Lady Wang, and Xu Kun was stunned by how much she resembled someone he knew.

• Kong Shizhan dropped Xu Kun outside the academy buildings, and Xu Kun made a dramatic landing that damaged the grounds.
• The Heavenly King-level dorm matron fined Xu Kun two Credit Points, welcomed him to Wind Academy, and told him not to turn his blade on fellow students.
• The dorm matron dragged Duan Yu inside and assigned him as Xu Kun's roommate; the two recognized each other from the Poisonous Mistlands.
• Duan Yu explained that he had transferred to the Imperial Capital to pursue Lady Wang and pulled Xu Kun over to meet her.
• Lady Wang rejected Duan Yu's advances, and Xu Kun stared at her in shock because she looked remarkably familiar.

Xu Kun met Mu Wanqing, then went with Sikong Ting to visit Yang Yao’s family home and learned about Lord Tianyan’s rise from a castaway of the Yang Family. The chapter ended with a blind old man barring them from entering the residence.

• Xu Kun recognized Lady Wang as Li Qingluo’s daughter, but she denied having a grandmother and left with A Zhu and A Bi.
• Mu Wanqing arrived, called Duan Yu her future husband, and took him away to explore Ji City.
• Xu Kun asked Sikong Ting to take him to the Yang Family residence instead of the Haotian Pagoda.
• Sikong Ting explained that the Yang Family had only five people and a dog, including Yang Yao’s aunt Yang Chan, famed as the greatest beauty in the Imperial Capital.
• Sikong Ting told Xu Kun that Lord Tianyan had been driven out of the Yang Family’s collateral branch before awakening his talent and had earned his status through his own efforts.
• As Xu Kun and Sikong Ting approached the Yang Family gate, a blind old man swept a broom at them and warned that unauthorized people could not enter.

Xu Kun tried to visit Yang Yao but was barred from the Yang family and thrown away by its blind servant and the Howling Celestial Dog. After returning to Imperial Capital Academy, he reviewed his classes and decided to enter the Haotian Pagoda to raise his level with Sikong Ting.

• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting found a sign from Yang Yao’s mother barring Xu Kun from the Yang family, and the blind servant told him Yang Yao was asleep after using a divine ability to save him.
• Xu Kun knelt and pleaded to see Yang Yao, but the blind servant rejected him, struck him with a broom, and summoned the Howling Celestial Dog to fling him and Sikong Ting away.
• Xu Kun tried to approach the gates again, but an invisible force kept him out; he vowed to become strong enough that Yang Yao would not need to protect him again and drove away with Sikong Ting.
• Xu Kun returned to his dormitory, set it as his Haotian Pagoda return point, and reviewed Imperial Capital Academy’s foundational classes and his schedule.
• Xu Kun decided the upcoming classes would not help him and told Sikong Ting to enter the Haotian Pagoda with him.

Xu Kun called Zhan Rourou and learned she had reached Rank 11 while leveling with Yan, a powerful teammate whose identity she kept from him. After Sikong Ting mentioned Yan’s place on the Trial Heavenly Rankings, Xu Kun checked the list and discovered she ranked twelfth as an SS-tier Angel Race warrior.

• Xu Kun called Zhan Rourou and found her leveling in the City of Light with Yan, an unfamiliar teammate from another base city.
• Zhan Rourou explained that she had met Yan while helping her defeat a boss, and Xu Kun agreed to level with her once he caught up.
• Yan urged Zhan Rourou to focus on improving her abilities, then teased her about choosing between Yan and Brother Kun before flying off to lure monsters.
• After Zhan Rourou ended the call, Sikong Ting reminded Xu Kun that someone named Yan appeared on the Trial Heavenly Rankings.
• Xu Kun checked the rankings and saw that Yan was twelfth, listed as an SS-tier Angel Race warrior with an SSS-tier talent.

Xu Kun investigated Yan’s identity, caught up with his companions, and went to Ice Wolf Mountain Range to join a campaign against Ice Wolf City. The chapter ended as he and Sikong Ting prepared to help seize a C-grade spirit mine.

• Xu Kun concluded that Yan was likely an Angel Race prodigy and decided not to press Zhan Rourou about her.
• Hao Jian showed Xu Kun how quickly he and Su Xiaoxiao were leveling after the Golden Crow hatched, prompting Xu Kun to take Sikong Ting out to catch up.
• Xu Kun visited Shen at Mirage Tower, then took Sikong Ting to Ice Wolf Mountain Range.
• Xu Kun called Huang Rong and learned that City of Glaciers and City of Freedom had joined forces to fight Ice Wolf City over a spirit mine.
• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting agreed that their side had to succeed in taking the mine.

Xu Kun encountered Nilan again and accepted a quest to detoxify her father, Vaki, who had been poisoned by an Ice Wolf. After curing Vaki, Xu Kun unlocked the next stage of the chain quest: retrieving an S-grade Ice Demon Wolf boss’s pelt to learn Vaki’s secret.

• Xu Kun stopped Sikong Ting and went to greet Nilan, whose father had been poisoned while exploring the Ice Wolf Mountain Range.
• Nilan’s tears awakened Shen-bao, who comforted her and persuaded Xu Kun to help her father.
• Xu Kun followed Nilan to Vaki’s home and absorbed the Ice Wolf Poison from his wounds.
• Vaki recovered, and Nilan’s and Vaki’s affinity toward Xu Kun increased.
• Vaki asked Xu Kun to retrieve an S-grade Ice Demon Wolf boss’s pelt, unlocking the second stage of the chain quest.

After entering the Ice Wolf Mountain Range, Xu Kun realized the wolf tribes might be luring his allies into a trap to eliminate them and protect their territory. He rejected calling in outside reinforcements and planned to create an overwhelming force within the mountains instead.

• Xu Kun led Shen-bao and Sikong Ting into the Ice Wolf Mountain Range and explained how its Ice Demon Wolves and dangerous terrain made it valuable to both City of Freedom and Ice Wolf City.
• Xu Kun explained that the Khitans and barbarians could still field many novice fighters despite their earlier losses, while veteran human fighters had joined the struggle over the mountain range.
• Sikong Ting joked that Xu Kun could defeat any army, prompting Xu Kun to suspect the wolf tribes would avoid confronting him directly and set an ambush instead.
• Xu Kun concluded that the spirit mine discovered by Leonid and the others might be bait intended to lure the humans deep into the mountains and destroy them.
• Xu Kun refused Sikong Ting's suggestion to seek outside reinforcements and said they would create an army within the Ice Wolf Mountain Range to counter-surround the wolf tribes.

Xu Kun entered the Ice Wolf Mountain Range with Shen-bao and Sikong Ting, then used Shen-bao’s SSS-tier skill to greatly increase his soul attack. The trio reached a higher-level hunting area and began gathering Ice Demon Wolves for a mass fight.

• Xu Kun killed an Ice Demon Wolf that had crept up behind the group and warned Sikong Ting and Shen-bao about the wolves’ ambushes and pack tactics.
• Xu Kun invited Shen-bao and Sikong Ting into his party, and Shen-bao used Shifting Palace Feathers to transfer her immense soul attack to him for three hours.
• Xu Kun’s soul attack rose to 1,314,520, and he killed the summoned Ice Demon Wolf because it was too weak to fight beside him.
• Xu Kun carried Shen-bao deeper into the mountain range while Sikong Ting followed on his Wind Fire Wheels, and they reached the Level 2, Tier 11 area.
• Xu Kun and Sikong Ting provoked Ice Demon Wolves to gather them in one valley, where Sikong Ting arrived with more than three times as many wolves as Xu Kun had drawn.