Chapter Summaries

Li Xuan moved his household outside Yunshan County, where Su Lingxiu advanced rapidly in the Medicinal Dao and received the supplies and Alchemy Furnace she needed to refine pills. A black-robed Grandmaster then arrived to take Su Lingxiu, and Xu Yan confronted him as Li Xuan watched.

• Li Xuan ordered Xu Yan and Shi Er to build a simple manor outside the city so his disciples could cultivate and Su Lingxiu could refine pills without disturbing the county town.
• Su Lingxiu cultivated rapidly, obtained medicinal ingredients and Divine Fire Stones through the Tianmu Cult, and waited for Zhou Ying to return with an Alchemy Furnace.
• Zhou Ying returned from the Inner Domain with a furnace forged by a Demon Cult Martial Artist, and Su Lingxiu prepared to begin refining pills.
• A black-robed Grandmaster appeared above the manor and demanded that Su Lingxiu be handed over.
• Xu Yan refused, revealed his Dragon Might and Mountain River Sword Intent, and faced the Grandmaster's powerful palm strike while Li Xuan watched without intervening.

Xu Yan faced a powerful black-robed Grandmaster, but Li Xuan demonstrated his strength by destroying the man with a single Dragon Subduing Palm. The disciples were awed and resolved to improve, while Li Xuan left Su Lingxiu’s troubles unexplored.

• Xu Yan fought the black-robed Grandmaster and survived his attack, realizing how formidable the Inner Domain’s martial world could be.
• Li Xuan taught Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu to treat every enemy cautiously and ensure they could never survive.
• Li Xuan announced he would show his disciples how to defeat an opponent of a higher realm, then unleashed a Dragon Subduing Palm that reduced the black-robed man to ash.
• Xu Yan and Meng Chong were inspired by Li Xuan’s display, and Xu Yan vowed to grow stronger.
• Su Lingxiu apologized for causing trouble, but Li Xuan told her to focus on cultivation and declined to hear her explanation.

Su Lingxiu began refining a Qi and Blood Pill under Li Xuan’s guidance, and her first batch formed as three lumpy, imperfect pills. Shi Er ate them and broke through into the Qi and Blood Realm, while Zhou Ying considered changing to martial cultivation.

• Su Lingxiu thanked Li Xuan for taking her as a disciple, and Xu Yan and Meng Chong promised to help her confront those who had harmed her.
• Su Lingxiu chose to refine a Qi and Blood Pill for Shi Er and began experimenting with the Alchemy Furnace and Divine Fire Stones.
• Su Lingxiu completed her first attempt, producing three imperfect pills that she gave to the hesitant Shi Er.
• Shi Er ate the pills, cultivated, and broke through his bottleneck into the Qi and Blood Realm.
• Zhou Ying watched Shi Er’s breakthrough and considered switching to the martial path taught by Li Xuan.

Li Xuan taught Xu Yan the Profound Understanding Realm, the martial realm beyond the Innate Realm, while Xu Yan searched for a way to master the mysteries of True Qi. Xu Yan began dividing True Qi into finer strands to understand its nature, and Shi Er returned with Kou Ruozhi for Su Lingxiu.

• Shi Er entered the Qi and Blood Realm and thanked Li Xuan and Su Lingxiu for teaching him and giving him pills.
• Su Lingxiu learned that Kou Ruozhi had tried to use her to win over Xu Yan and ordered Shi Er to capture him.
• Li Xuan taught Xu Yan about the Profound Understanding Realm, including True Essence and its connection to the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.
• Xu Yan realized he needed to understand True Qi before transforming it, then practiced splitting it into smaller strands.
• Shi Er arrived dragging Kou Ruozhi to Su Lingxiu.

Su Lingxiu forced Kou Ruozhi to reveal a new Divine Fire Stone mine, then successfully refined Qi and Blood Pills and was officially accepted as Li Xuan’s disciple. Li Xuan mastered basic alchemy through her success, demonstrated his skill, and began teaching her the complete fundamentals of alchemy and the Medicinal Dao Tome.

• Su Lingxiu threatened to bury Kou Ruozhi alive until he revealed that he knew the location of a new Divine Fire Stone mine, then made him swallow a Heart Melting Pill and ordered Shi Er to dig him out after twelve hours.
• Su Lingxiu continued practicing alchemy while Shi Er consumed her failed pills, and Li Xuan suspected that her talent and cultivation speed came from a special constitution suited to the Medicinal Dao.
• After several more days of practice, Su Lingxiu successfully refined two Qi and Blood Pills, and Li Xuan received mastery of basic alchemy from his golden finger.
• Li Xuan officially recognized Su Lingxiu as his disciple and demonstrated basic alchemy by refining twelve high-quality Qi and Blood Pills while seated.
• Li Xuan gave the pills to Xu Yan and began teaching Su Lingxiu the fundamentals of alchemy and the basic Medicinal Dao Tome.

Su Lingxiu tested her Bone Tempering Pills while Meng Chong drew close to mastering Nurturing the Blade. In the Endless Mountains, Elder Wu and his granddisciples discovered a deadly cavern, where Xue Lingzi took over Elder Wu’s body and set out to find Meng Chong.

• Su Lingxiu swallowed a Bone Tempering Pill, found that it greatly increased her bone-refining speed, and reached the Golden Bone stage.
• Meng Chong sensed his treasured blade beginning to resonate with his heartbeat as he practiced Nurturing the Blade.
• Elder Wu led his two granddisciples into a mountain fissure and found a glowing pool surrounded by silver grass.
• White worms devoured the granddisciples and entered Elder Wu, allowing Xue Lingzi to seize his body and learn of Meng Chong.
• Xue Lingzi left the cavern, killed Wu Kingdom martial artists for their blood and flesh, and learned that the horse-carrying youth was named Meng Chong.

Xue Lingzi terrorized the Capital City of Wu Kingdom and forced the Wu Emperor to summon Meng Chong. Meng Chong arrived to confront him, sensing a dangerous aura as Xue Lingzi declared that he would use him to rise again.

• Xue Lingzi seized the imperial throne, demanded that the Wu Emperor bring him Meng Chong, and threatened to consume the officials as blood food.
• The Wu Emperor tried to obtain a cultivation method from the mysterious voice in the stone chamber but failed to convince it that martial artists had appeared.
• Meng Chong's Great Sun Golden Bell Shield reached perfection, and Li Xuan received feedback that Meng Chong's Vital Energy had reached perfection.
• Shi Er told Meng Chong that the Wu Emperor needed help against a powerful enemy, so Meng Chong set out for the Capital City of Wu Kingdom.
• Xue Lingzi killed officials and nobles for blood food while the Wu Emperor waited anxiously for Meng Chong to arrive.
• Meng Chong sensed danger outside the capital and faced Xue Lingzi, who revealed that he intended to use Meng Chong as the cornerstone of his rise.

Meng Chong fought Xue Lingzi, a powerful Demon Cult expert who sought to devour his fleshly essence, and struggled against Xue Lingzi’s ghostly techniques and crushing origin power. As Xue Lingzi’s blade threatened to kill him, Meng Chong drew his treasured blade and awakened Blade Soul.

• Xue Lingzi attacked Meng Chong with sinister power, but Meng Chong’s Great Sun Golden Bell Shield and Wind Thunder Fist resisted his assaults.
• Xue Lingzi trapped Meng Chong in Blood Devouring Ghost Silk and repeatedly wounded him, while Wu Emperor and the ministers watched helplessly from the city wall.
• Meng Chong feigned weakness, evaded Xue Lingzi’s killing strike, and counterattacked with Wind Thunder Diamond Fist, sending him flying.
• Xue Lingzi used his remaining origin power to suppress Meng Chong and pierced his chest with the Serrated Saber, but Meng Chong seized the blade and threw him away.
• As Xue Lingzi pressed his attack, Meng Chong felt his treasured blade answer his will, drew it, and awakened Blade Soul.

Meng Chong survived a deadly battle with Xue Lingzi, awakening the Blade Soul and comprehending Absolute Blade Intent before destroying Xue Lingzi and his Blood Soul Worm. Li Xuan learned of Meng Chong’s crisis and investigated the battlefield, but found no trace of the powerful enemy.

• Meng Chong drew his nurtured saber in a life-or-death crisis, awakened the Blade Soul, and killed Xue Lingzi with a strike that cleaved his body and the Blood Soul Worm in two.
• Meng Chong crushed and burned the remains, destroyed the Blood Soul Worm completely, collected silver-white grass and Xue Lingzi’s Serrated Saber, then headed back without entering the capital.
• Wu Emperor and his ministers celebrated Meng Chong’s victory, then worried about how to explain Wu Emperor’s role in the events to him.
• Li Xuan received word that Meng Chong had awakened the Blade Soul and Absolute Blade Intent, hurried toward Wu Kingdom, and found Meng Chong returning with serious-looking wounds.
• Li Xuan searched the battle site, capital, and imperial palace but found no trace of any enemy, then returned to Yunshan County and waited to learn what had happened.

After Meng Chong returned from a dangerous battle with a mysterious possessed elder, Li Xuan explained that realms existed beyond Grandmaster and urged his disciples to cultivate steadily. Su Lingxiu began refining new pills, Li Xuan searched the Endless Mountains for hidden threats, and Apothecary Pan broke through to the Qi and Blood Realm with pills.

• Meng Chong returned wounded with Water Spirit Grass, and Su Lingxiu stitched his chest closed and treated him with medicine made from the grass.
• Meng Chong told Li Xuan how he had fought Xue Lingzi, whose power came from a remnant soul housed in a worm, and described the strange pressure that had let his opponent escape.
• Li Xuan told Meng Chong that stronger realms existed above Grandmaster, praised his awakening of Blade Soul and comprehension of Blade Intent, and instructed him to teach Shi Er saber techniques.
• Su Lingxiu devised new Pill Formulas from the Medicinal Dao Tome and Water Spirit Grass, then began refining pills while Shi Er arranged for more ingredients.
• Meng Chong went to the hillside to study the Great Sun Golden Body and consider whether to keep nurturing his blade, while Li Xuan left to search the Endless Mountains for hidden experts.
• At the Xu Family residence, Apothecary Pan used pills to complete Organ Refining and enter the Qi and Blood Realm.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong sparred with Sword Intent and Blade Intent, leading Xu Yan to comprehend the Second Level Sword Intent. Li Xuan received feedback that his own second layer of Sword Intent had reached mastery, then guided Meng Chong toward nurturing the blade within his Blade Soul.

• Xu Yan returned to Li Xuan’s estate with medicinal ingredients and learned that Su Lingxiu could formulate Youth Preserving Pills if he found the required spiritual medicines in the Inner Domain.
• Li Xuan brought a Red-Eyed Tiger back from the Endless Mountains, named it Red Cat, and ordered Shi Er to try taming it while Su Lingxiu fed it ruined pills.
• Su Lingxiu helped Zhou Ying change her martial cultivation method, and Zhou Ying entered the Skin Tempering stage.
• Xu Yan challenged Meng Chong to spar, and their Sword Intent and Blade Intent clashed before Xu Yan’s Mountain River Sword Intent overcame Meng Chong’s blade.
• Xu Yan comprehended the Second Level Sword Intent, and Li Xuan received feedback that his own second layer of Sword Intent had reached mastery.
• Li Xuan advised Meng Chong to nurture the blade within his Blade Soul rather than an actual weapon, giving Meng Chong a new direction for his blade cultivation.

Li Xuan taught Meng Chong the Hidden Blade Realm and the Heaven and Earth Hegemonic Saber, which Meng Chong quickly comprehended to the beginner stage. Xu Yan prepared to leave for the Inner Domain after visiting his family, and continued refining his True Essence as a new journey approached.

• Li Xuan explained the Hidden Blade Realm to Meng Chong and demonstrated the Heaven and Earth Hegemonic Saber.
• Meng Chong comprehended the Heaven and Earth Hegemonic Saber, reaching its beginner stage and earning Li Xuan's perfected-stage insight through the system.
• Su Lingxiu successfully refined the Evergreen Pill while continuing her cultivation and study of medicine and alchemy.
• Xu Yan told his parents he would leave for the Inner Domain, and Xu Junhe warned him that the martial arts method might spread through his relatives and their allies.
• Xu Yan promised to teach Xu Junhe sword techniques, then practiced splitting his True Essence into finer strands.

Xu Yan prepared to enter the Inner Domain while Li Xuan advised his disciples on surviving its Martial World and forging their own paths. Su Lingxiu described spiritual medicines and the powerful Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, but Li Xuan warned that even its good reputation might not protect Xu Yan if it coveted his pills.

• Xu Yan told Li Xuan that his cultivation methods might leak, and Li Xuan allowed it while Xu Yan considered publicizing Li Xuan as the Border Wasteland's Martial Dao Saint Master.
• Su Lingxiu asked Li Xuan for permission to recruit Kou Ruozhi and teach him martial cultivation methods, and Li Xuan agreed.
• Xu Yan announced that he wanted to enter the Inner Domain, and Li Xuan gave his disciples advice about caution, adaptability, and developing their own martial paths.
• Su Lingxiu explained that spiritual medicines had nine grades and introduced the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion as the Inner Domain's leading merchant alliance.
• Li Xuan warned that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion might still covet valuable pills, so Su Lingxiu dropped the idea of having Xu Yan trade pills for spiritual medicines there.

Su Lingxiu explained the Inner Domain’s major powers and the rarity of Storage Bags as Xu Yan prepared to travel there. After Li Xuan gave Xu Yan advice, Xu Yan departed for the Inner Domain, while Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu continued cultivating and Li Xuan tried to teach the Red Cat a demon method.

• Su Lingxiu described the Great Yue Kingdom, the major Inner Domain factions, and the divided Demon Cult, prompting Xu Yan and Meng Chong to recognize Sword Venerate Cliff’s influence.
• Su Lingxiu explained that Storage Bags were rare, expensive artifacts made using Mountain-Swallowing Toads and Yunhuan Silkworm Silk, and Xu Yan asked her to list the spirit medicines she needed.
• Su Lingxiu gave Xu Yan and Meng Chong healing and detoxification pills, and Xu Yan promised to bring back the requested medicines.
• Li Xuan advised Xu Yan to learn from the Inner Domain, stay cautious, and flee when necessary; Xu Yan then kowtowed and set out for the Inner Domain.
• Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu resumed training, while Li Xuan pointed out acupoints on the Red Cat and urged it to develop its own demon abilities.

Meng Chong comprehended the Great Sun Golden Body, strengthening Li Xuan and completing his Innate-Realm body cultivation method. Meanwhile, Guo Rongshan began arranging for the Martial Dao to spread through Qi Kingdom, and Xu Yan entered the prosperous Inner Domain and reached Iron Mountain County.

• Meng Chong comprehended the Great Sun Golden Body, and Li Xuan gained its entry-level cultivation and opened three acupoints.
• Li Xuan tried to teach Red Cat the Great Demon Method and hoped she might cultivate it.
• Guo Rongshan presented the Martial Dao method and a statue of the Martial Dao Saint Master to the Qi Emperor, and they discussed how to spread the Martial Dao while keeping Qi Kingdom ahead.
• Kou Ruozhi pledged himself to Su Lingxiu, who ordered him to use his cunning and ruthlessness against potential enemies in the Inner Domain.
• Xu Yan crossed the Endless Mountains into the Inner Domain and traveled toward Iron Mountain County in Lanping Commandery.
• Xu Yan entered Iron Mountain County, startled its guards with his aura, and made his way toward the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Xu Yan discovered that his five Spirit Crystals could barely buy low-grade spiritual medicine, then killed a Fifth-grade Martial Artist who attacked him and took the man’s meager savings. After Du Yuying noticed the corpse had vanished, she sent Cui'er to bring Xu Yan to her, and the chapter ended with her asking how to address him before explaining the proposed deal.

• Xu Yan learned that the Iron Mountain County branch had no Storage Bags or Sixth- and Seventh-grade Spiritual Medicine, and that an Azure Origin Fruit cost one hundred Spirit Crystals.
• A burly Fifth-grade Martial Artist mocked Xu Yan and threatened him, so Xu Yan followed him into an alley and killed him with one jab.
• Xu Yan found only thirty Spirit Crystals on the man, destroyed the corpse, and decided to seek ways to earn money in Lanping Commandery City.
• Du Yuying noticed there was no corpse in the alley and sent Cui'er to invite Xu Yan to make a deal.
• Cui'er brought Xu Yan to Du Yuying’s caravan, where Xu Yan sensed that her guards included an injured Grandmaster and Du Yuying herself was a Third-grade Martial Artist.
• Du Yuying asked Xu Yan how she should address him, and he told her to explain what she wanted to trade.

Xu Yan agreed to escort Du Yuying in exchange for Spirit Crystals and quickly proved his strength by killing two Demon Cult Grandmasters. The convoy continued its journey with Xu Yan pleased by his earnings but puzzled by how little wealth the Grandmasters carried.

• Du Yuying hired Xu Yan to escort her home, agreeing to pay one thousand Spirit Crystals upfront and one hundred per day.
• Xu Yan joined the convoy and learned from Du Yuying that she had hired him because he had made a Fifth-grade Martial Artist disappear.
• Xu Yan spotted a Demon Cult Grandmaster waiting on the road and killed him with a golden dragon palm strike.
• Xu Yan looted the Grandmaster's spirit notes and saber, then sold the saber to Du Yuying for one thousand Spirit Crystals.
• That night, another Demon Cult Grandmaster attacked the camp, and Xu Yan killed him with a single palm strike before looting his body.

Xu Yan escorted Du Yuying through increasingly frequent attacks, killing Grandmasters and sweeping aside Lanping Commandery’s garrison army. At a lonely teahouse, the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master’s flute bewitched Du Yuying and the others, while Xu Yan listened intently and she offered him three Seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines to help her escape.

• Xu Yan bargained with Du Yuying for Seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines in exchange for killing Grandmasters, then killed another Demon Cult Grandmaster who attacked the group.
• As attacks mounted, Xu Yan defeated assailants and broke through Lanping Commandery’s garrison army with eighteen golden dragons after Du Yuying offered five thousand Spirit Crystals.
• After the group left Lanping Commandery, a flute’s Thousand Illusions Demonic Sound entranced the guards, Cui'er, and Du Yuying, while Xu Yan remained unaffected and studied the technique.
• At the teahouse, Du Yuying approached Xu Yan and offered three Seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines for his help escaping the predicament.

Xu Yan studied the Thousand Illusions Demonic Sound and fought the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master while trying to grasp the Sound Killing Technique. He trapped the Demon Master and forced him to keep playing, leaving Xu Yan free to continue his comprehension.

• Xu Yan used the Dragon Might of his Dragon Subduing Palm to shield Du Yuying and the others from the Thousand Illusions Demonic Sound, then continued listening to it.
• As the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master attacked, Xu Yan realized that a dragon’s roar could give his Dragon Might killing power and deepen his Mountain River Sword Intent.
• The Thousand Illusions Demonic Master’s cold-light attacks battered Xu Yan’s golden dragon, while Yan Kuan tried to risk his life to protect Du Yuying.
• Xu Yan revealed successive, stronger golden dragons, blocked the Demon Master’s attacks, and sealed every escape route.
• Xu Yan demanded that the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master play for him, and the Demon Master agreed to save his life.

Xu Yan comprehended Dragon's Roar True Intent while listening to the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master, then killed him by accident and later effortlessly defeated the Four Extremes Grandmasters. As Du Yuying's convoy neared the city, a powerful purple-robed Grandmaster appeared and demanded that she go with him.

• Xu Yan forced the Thousand Illusions Demonic Master to play his flute, studied the Thousand Illusions Demonic Sound, and comprehended Dragon's Roar True Intent.
• Xu Yan accidentally killed the exhausted Thousand Illusions Demonic Master with a dragon's roar, searched his belongings, and buried his crushed corpse.
• Four Grandmasters from Luoyun Mountain Villa ambushed Du Yuying's convoy, but Xu Yan killed all four with Dragon Subduing Palm.
• Du Yuying urged the convoy to hurry in case Luoyun Mountain Villa's master pursued them, while Xu Yan assessed that he still could not defeat a Grandmaster.
• After the convoy reached the official road near the city, Du Yuying offered to buy Xu Yan Seventh-grade Spiritual Medicines, but a purple-robed man appeared and ordered her to go with him.