Chapter Summaries

Jiang Chen accompanied He Yushi into the He Family Mansion, where Hu Hong confronted them over He Yushi’s rejection and her holding Jiang Chen’s hand. The chapter ended with Hu Hong threatening to break Jiang Chen’s hand as his men prepared to attack.

• He Yushi introduced An Qingyue and Jiang Chen introduced Guan Ze before inviting Jiang Chen inside the He Family Mansion.
• Hu Hong approached He Yushi and tried to win her over, but she coldly rejected his offer of friendship.
• He Yushi took Jiang Chen’s hand and invited him to her courtyard, provoking Hu Hong’s jealousy and anger.
• He Yushi told Hu Hong to address her formally and repeated that she did not want to be his friend.
• Hu Hong threatened to break Jiang Chen’s hand, while the men behind him prepared to attack.

Hu Hong ordered his guards to attack Jiang Chen at the He Family Mansion, but Jiang Chen effortlessly defeated them and dismissed the threat of the Hu Family. He left Hu Hong facing the consequences of confronting someone far beyond his reach.

• He Yushi defended Jiang Chen when Hu Hong challenged him at the entrance to the He Family Mansion.
• Hu Hong ordered four Martial King Realm guards to break Jiang Chen's arms, and Jiang Chen told He Yushi and Guan Ze to stay back.
• Jiang Chen shattered the guards' martial techniques with his aura, then trapped all four with his Magic Dragon Hand.
• Hu Hong threatened Jiang Chen with the Hu Family's power, but Jiang Chen declared that neither the Hu Family nor even the Old Ancestor of the Four Great Super Sects could demand his respect.

Jiang Chen defeated Hu Hong and his guards after they threatened to break his hands, then warned the Hu family to stop harassing He Yushi. He Yushi welcomed Jiang Chen and the others into her courtyard and served them a meal.

• Jiang Chen bound the four guards with true-qi vines and broke their hands.
• Hu Hong threatened Jiang Chen with the Hu family's influence and tried to leave, but Jiang Chen slapped him into a nearby building and pulled him from the rubble.
• Jiang Chen broke both of Hu Hong's hands, warned him and the Hu family to leave He Yushi alone, and sent him away with his guards.
• He Yushi praised Jiang Chen for driving Hu Hong away and invited him and the others into her courtyard.
• He Yushi prepared a meal, and Jiang Chen praised her cooking.

Jiang Chen agreed to attend Murong Jue’s gathering of geniuses, hoping to see Ye Yuntian, then headed to the Mission Hall to meet Mo Qingyan. Meanwhile, Sixth Prince Murong Su ordered retaliation against the Luoji Merchant Guild and the two people who had killed his bandits.

• He Yushi invited Jiang Chen to the royal capital’s upcoming Genius Gathering, and Jiang Chen agreed after hearing Ye Yuntian might attend.
• Jiang Chen and Guan Ze left the He Family Mansion and set off for the Mission Hall so Jiang Chen could meet Mo Qingyan.
• A subordinate told Murong Su that Leng Bailong and his men had been killed while attacking the Luoji Merchant Guild’s convoy.
• Murong Su ordered his forces to blockade the Luoji Merchant Guild and hunt down the two killers.
• Murong Su’s investigator returned with important news about the killers’ identities.

Sixth Prince Murong Su learned that Jiang Chen had killed his men and ordered Night Bird to kill Jiang Chen and his companion within seven days. Meanwhile, Dark Nether assassins searched the royal capital for Guan Ze and the blade-wielding culprit who had killed their people, but they still had no lead.

• A subordinate told Murong Su that Jiang Chen was a Beihai Prefecture genius at the Martial King Realm, Eighth Level, and that his companion was a Martial Emperor Realm, Third Level expert.
• Murong Su ordered Night Bird to arrange Jiang Chen’s death within seven days, then planned to target the Luoji Merchant Guild.
• Dark Nether assassins discussed their failed search for Guan Ze and the missing Nether Fruit in the crowded royal capital.
• The Dark Nether leader concluded that they could narrow the search by focusing on powerful cultivators who used blade techniques with a domineering aura.

Dark Nether mobilized its assassins in the Great Zhou royal capital to search for the Nether Fruit and the killer of its experts, unaware that Jiang Chen was already under surveillance. Jiang Chen visited Mo Qingyan at the Mission Hall headquarters and told her he had killed bandits with powerful backing, leaving her aware that he had stirred up trouble in the capital.

• Dark Nether’s captain ordered the assassins to focus on powerful experts and investigate the target’s saber aura as they searched for the Nether Fruit.
• Jiang Chen and Guan Ze arrived at the Royal Capital Mission Hall headquarters, where staff recognized Jiang Chen’s honored guest token and notified Mo Qingyan.
• Mo Qingyan personally welcomed Jiang Chen and Guan Ze, then took them to the honored guest hall and served Jiang Chen tea.
• Mo Qingyan asked whether Jiang Chen had encountered trouble in the capital, and he said he had dealt with his problems himself.
• Jiang Chen told Mo Qingyan that he had killed four Martial Emperor Realm bandits and most of their group after they provoked him, and asked whether someone influential in the capital backed them.
• Mo Qingyan realized the bandits’ powerful backers were likely to retaliate against Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen learned that Sixth Prince Murong Su was behind the bandits and agreed to owe Mo Qingyan a favor. He later visited a pleasure boat on Moonlight Lake with Guan Ze, while an unknown watcher continued to follow them.

• Mo Qingyan told Jiang Chen that Sixth Prince Murong Su, who controlled the royal capital's First Legion, had masterminded the bandit attacks.
• Jiang Chen agreed to owe Mo Qingyan a favor after she shared the information, and learned they would both attend the Genius Gathering in two days.
• Jiang Chen left the Mission Hall with Guan Ze and noticed someone watching them from the shadows.
• Jiang Chen and Guan Ze went to Moonlight Lake and boarded a pleasure boat after paying four thousand spirit stones to enter.

Jiang Chen and Guan Ze watched a performance at a pleasure ship, where Jiang Chen shared his prized spirit wine with Guan Ze. Su Shuang, a young genius of the Su Family, joined them for a taste, but Jiang Chen stopped him from taking a second cup without permission.

• Jiang Chen bought a bronze seat and settled in with Guan Ze to watch the performance.
• Jiang Chen brought out his own spirit wine, and Guan Ze drank after Jiang Chen reassured him that Dark Nether was unlikely to pose a threat there.
• Su Shuang approached after smelling the wine, introduced himself as a genius of the Su Family, and drank a cup.
• Su Shuang reached for a second cup, but Jiang Chen blocked him and pointed out that he had not asked the wine's owner for permission.

Jiang Chen traded a ten-thousand-year-old Water Moon Grass for Su Shuang’s company over his spirit wine, then watched the Cloud Pill Fairy perform. During the dance, Yun Dan recognized Guan Ze and realized he was in the royal capital with Jiang Chen.

• Su Shuang offered Jiang Chen a ten-thousand-year-old Water Moon Grass in exchange for sharing his spirit wine, and Jiang Chen accepted.
• Jiang Chen and Su Shuang discussed the Cloud Pill Fairy before Yun Dan descended onto the stage and performed a dance.
• Yun Dan spotted Guan Ze at Jiang Chen’s table and recognized him as the target Dark Nether had been searching for.
• Yun Dan realized Guan Ze had removed his veil and was accompanied by Su Shuang and an unfamiliar man, Jiang Chen.

At a performance venue, Dark Nether agent Yun Dan approached Jiang Chen and his companions while investigating Guan Ze and the Nether Fruit. Jiang Chen guarded their identities and kept Yun Dan at a distance, leaving her watching them until Dark Nether's experts arrived.

• After her dance, Yun Dan sent a maid and Dark Nether spy to summon more experts to help capture Guan Ze and obtain the Nether Fruit.
• Yun Dan approached Jiang Chen, Su Shuang, and Guan Ze, introduced herself, and asked to become friends.
• Jiang Chen revealed that he was a contestant in the Great Zhou Martial Competition but concealed Guan Ze's name, calling him his guard.
• Yun Dan chatted with Su Shuang while keeping an eye on Jiang Chen and Guan Ze so they would not leave easily.
• Jiang Chen refused to share his spirit wine with Yun Dan, who drank wine from her own storage pouch.

Jiang Chen and Guan Ze tried to leave the flower boat, but six Hidden Nether Martial Emperor experts arrived and confronted Guan Ze. Jiang Chen promised to handle them, then sent a second-level Martial Emperor flying with one punch, leaving the others stunned.

• Jiang Chen decided to leave the flower boat with Guan Ze, but Yun Dan tried to keep them there until six masked Hidden Nether Martial Emperor experts arrived.
• The Hidden Nether experts identified Guan Ze and ordered everyone else to leave, while keeping Su Shuang and those who had sat with Guan Ze behind.
• Su Shuang invoked the Su Family's name, but a Hidden Nether expert dismissed the threat and revealed that they would search him if they did not find what they wanted on Guan Ze.
• Jiang Chen told Guan Ze he would protect him and said he would deal with all six Hidden Nether experts himself.
• A second-level Martial Emperor attacked Jiang Chen with Cracking Claw, but Jiang Chen shattered the claw phantom with one punch and sent the attacker flying through the boat's wall.
• Su Shuang praised Jiang Chen as the Hidden Nether experts and the others reacted in shock.

Jiang Chen defeated five Dark Underworld experts on Moonlight Lake, then faced a much larger force led by Cheng Xiangji. As the spectators watched, Cheng Xiangji challenged Jiang Chen’s confidence, and the confrontation remained unresolved.

• Jiang Chen shattered the attacks of five Dark Underworld experts and sent them crashing into the water.
• Jiang Chen and Guan Ze concealed their faces while Su Shuang and Cloud Pill Fairy reacted with shock at Jiang Chen’s strength.
• More than twenty Dark Underworld experts arrived, including a Martial Emperor Realm, Tenth Level expert, and their leader urged Jiang Chen to join them before threatening to kill him.
• Jiang Chen refused to show fear, and Cheng Xiangji sneered that Jiang Chen was arrogant and might have a powerful protector.

Jiang Chen revealed that he had reached the Martial Emperor Realm, Ninth Level, and faced Netherworld's Cheng Xiangji while protecting Guan Ze. After Jiang Chen's fire dragon defeated Cheng Xiangji's water serpent, Cheng Xiangji recognized his opponent's formidable strength.

• Jiang Chen raised his aura from the Martial King Realm, Eighth Level, to the Martial Emperor Realm, Ninth Level, shocking Su Shuang and the onlookers.
• Jiang Chen told Su Shuang to keep away from the fight, and Su Shuang, Cloud Pill Fairy, and Guan Ze retreated to the corner of the ship.
• Cheng Xiangji attacked Jiang Chen with Azure Wave Sea Serpent Strike, forming a hundred-meter water serpent from Moonlight Lake.
• Jiang Chen summoned a fire dragon that shattered Cheng Xiangji's water serpent, leaving the fire dragon intact as the mist cleared.
• Cheng Xiangji admitted that Jiang Chen's strength was incredibly powerful.

Jiang Chen slaughtered Cheng Xiangji and the Dark Nether experts who had pursued Guan Ze, then escaped with Guan Ze before the battle’s aftermath could bring further trouble. Cloud Pill Fairy and Su Shuang witnessed Jiang Chen’s power, while Dark Nether had already recognized his aura.

• Jiang Chen split his flaming dragon into nine, overwhelmed Dark Nether’s attacks, and killed Cheng Xiangji with the Demonic Soul Blade.
• Jiang Chen cut down the remaining Dark Nether experts, collected their storage bags, and absorbed their blood essence, gaining only a slight increase in cultivation.
• Jiang Chen called Guan Ze away from the lake, and the two quickly left the area.
• Su Shuang warned Cloud Pill Fairy to leave and wondered who Jiang Chen was, while Cloud Pill Fairy concealed her connection to Dark Nether.
• Jiang Chen told Guan Ze to keep the battle secret and explained that Dark Nether was pursuing him because of the Nether Fruit.

After killing thirty Dark Nether experts, Jiang Chen stayed at home for two days while rumors spread about his strength and He Yushi worried Dark Nether would retaliate. He then joined He Yushi and Guan Ze to attend the Genius Gathering, arriving at the royal manor and waiting to enter.

• Jiang Chen told Guan Ze they would remain at home for two days before attending the Genius Gathering, and he sorted through the spoils from the Dark Nether assassins.
• People across the city discussed the Moonlight Lake battle, while He Yushi suspected Jiang Chen had killed the Dark Nether experts and feared the force would send stronger enemies after him.
• He Yushi brought a beast carriage to Jiang Chen's residence, and Jiang Chen set out with Guan Ze to attend the Genius Gathering.
• He Yushi, An Qingyue, Jiang Chen, and Guan Ze reached the royal manor, where they joined the line of geniuses waiting to enter.

At the Genius Gathering, Hong Wen saw Jiang Chen with He Yushi and warned Jiang Chen to stay away from her. After He Yushi left with Zhao Ruxue and An Qingyue, Hong Wen dropped his polite act and threatened Jiang Chen, who refused to back down.

• Jiang Chen and his companions entered the Genius Gathering after presenting their tokens, and the guards marked Guan Ze as a guard.
• Hong Wen greeted He Yushi and questioned her about Jiang Chen, then looked down on him after learning he came from Tianyun Sect in Beihai Prefecture.
• Zhao Ruxue arrived and invited He Yushi and An Qingyue to meet other women, while Jiang Chen encouraged He Yushi to go.
• After the women left, Hong Wen ordered Jiang Chen to stay away from He Yushi and threatened him and Tianyun Sect.
• Jiang Chen rejected Hong Wen's demand and challenged his right to interfere.

Jiang Chen confronted Hong Wen after the latter tried to threaten him, then watched the Cloud Pill Fairy arrive at the gathering of geniuses. He remained suspicious of her possible connection to Dark Nether and kept his guard up.

• Jiang Chen used soul force to shove Hong Wen backward, then warned him that neither he nor the Hong Family could threaten him.
• Hong Wen accused Jiang Chen and Guan Ze of attacking him, argued that Jiang Chen could not have done it himself, and left in anger.
• Wen Mingji and Hua Zhengcheng introduced themselves to Jiang Chen, but lost interest when they learned he came from Beihai Prefecture.
• The Cloud Pill Fairy arrived at the gathering, drawing the attention of the surrounding men.
• The Cloud Pill Fairy recognized Jiang Chen and acted surprised to see him, while Jiang Chen remained wary of her suspected ties to Dark Nether.

Jiang Chen attended Murong Jue’s gathering and encountered Yun Dan, who hid his identity as the mysterious expert. Several powerful young geniuses arrived, but Ye Yuntian had not appeared, leaving Jiang Chen uncertain whether he would get to see the man he planned to kill during the Great Zhou Martial Competition.

• Yun Dan greeted Jiang Chen as Young Master Jiang and concealed his identity from the gathering’s guests.
• Murong Jue arrived, and Jiang Chen recognized that he had reached the Martial Emperor Realm, Fourth Level.
• Lan Hua of the Hunyuan Sect arrived, and Jiang Chen judged him to be at the Martial Emperor Realm, Third Level.
• Shi Tiansheng and Hai Wuya arrived, leaving Ye Yuntian as the only one of the five famed geniuses still absent.
• Murong Jue said Ye Yuntian had replied that he would attend only if he felt like it, and Jiang Chen wondered whether Ye would come.

Ye Yuntian arrived at the Great Zhou Martial Competition with Liu Yun and drew attention when he sensed Jiang Chen's hostility. Liu Yun recognized Jiang Chen, while Ye Yuntian learned that the man before him might be her former fiancé.

• Murong Jue welcomed Ye Yuntian, who arrived with more than a dozen Chaohai Sect disciples, including Liu Yun.
• Jiang Chen assessed Ye Yuntian's strength and noticed that Liu Yun had reached Martial King Realm, Ninth Level.
• Ye Yuntian sensed hostility, and the crowd identified Jiang Chen as the source of his attention.
• Liu Yun recognized Jiang Chen, while the narration revealed that Ye Yuntian had cultivated her to claim the power in her body when she reached Martial Emperor Realm.
• A Chaohai Sect genius told Ye Yuntian that Jiang Chen might be Liu Yun's former fiancé.

Jiang Chen confronted Liu Yun and Ye Yuntian at Murong Jue’s gathering, revealing that he had regained his cultivation and reached the Martial King Realm, Eighth Level. After Ye Yuntian admitted he had ordered Jiang Chen’s cultivation crippled, Murong Jue tried to prevent a killing at his event, but Ye Yuntian refused to respect his request.

• Ye Yuntian questioned Liu Yun about Jiang Chen’s return, and she insisted she had shattered Jiang Chen’s dantian three years earlier.
• Liu Yun confronted Jiang Chen and demanded to know how he had entered the imperial capital, so he showed his Great Zhou Martial Competition final-round qualification token.
• Jiang Chen revealed his Martial King Realm, Eighth Level cultivation and said he had come to see Ye Yuntian, whom he considered his enemy.
• Ye Yuntian admitted he had ordered Jiang Chen’s cultivation crippled and threatened that Jiang Chen could be killed with a single word.
• Murong Jue asked Ye Yuntian not to cause a death at his gathering, but Ye Yuntian rejected his request and angered Murong Jue.