Recaps

Lu Ming declined to compete for the Stone Slab and watched the auction’s finale items sell for enormous sums. The Mysterious Spirit Armor’s price reached 310,000 Low-grade Yuan Stones, leaving the other bidders curious about the people in Room C-3.

• Lu Ming explained that he did not need to claim every valuable item, earning Gongsun He’s praise for his composure.
• Zhou Lie bought the mysterious Stone Slab after Nie Jianjun failed to answer him, and the auction continued.
• Kaishan Gate won the Guiyuan Divine Art for 115,000 Low-grade Yuan Stones, while a Ninth-Rank lineage bought the Earth Profound Pill for 76,000.
• Yuan Zhen presented the Mysterious Spirit Armor, and several sects drove its bidding price upward.
• The Nine Heavens Sect bid 300,000 Yuan Stones, and one of the two heavily wrapped-up people raised the offer to 310,000, drawing attention to Room C-3.

The Wuji Sect outbid the Nine Heavens Sect for the Mysterious Spirit Armor, using Yuan Stones Lu Ming had earned from a mission. As they headed back to their residence, Gongsun He reminded the disciples to prepare for the secret realm, and Zhu Ningyun learned she could take missions too.

• The Nine Heavens Sect elder and a bidder in Room C-3 raised threats and bids over the Mysterious Spirit Armor until Yuan Zhen invoked the Purple Cloud Merchant Alliance to calm them.
• Gongsun He asked the Wuji Sect disciples to contribute funds, and Lu Ming offered over thirty thousand Low-grade Yuan Stones from his rewards and mission spoils.
• Gongsun He bid three hundred and eighty thousand Low-grade Yuan Stones, securing the armor for the Wuji Sect after the Nine Heavens Sect elder stopped bidding.
• Alliance Leader Qi delivered the Mysterious Spirit Armor, and Gongsun He paid for it before taking Lu Ming, Guan Wuli, and Zhu Ningyun back toward their residence.
• Gongsun He warned the disciples to cultivate for the secret realm, then told Zhu Ningyun that the Sect Master had approved her taking missions with the necessary disguises.
• Lu Ming began to tell Zhu Ningyun about his mission, but his expression shifted and he looked down.

Gongsun He and the Wuji Sect group were ambushed by the Dragon Tiger Twin Fiends and Xiao Zan, who joined forces to seize the Mysterious Spirit Armor and kill the sect’s disciples. Lu Ming killed Yan Hu with a Sky Thunder Seed, but Xiao Zan’s hidden Seven Kill Hall fighters then advanced on Lu Ming and Zhu Ningyun while Gongsun He was kept occupied.

• Yan Long and Yan Hu attacked the Wind-Riding Eagle with crossbow bolts, then joined Xiao Zan in surrounding Gongsun He’s group.
• Gongsun He ordered the Wind-Riding Eagle to land as he fought off attacks from Xiao Zan and the two brothers.
• Lu Ming used a Sky Thunder Seed to kill Yan Hu, enraging Yan Long and prompting Guan Wuli to confront him with the Wind-Riding Eagle’s help.
• Gongsun He engaged Xiao Zan while Guan Wuli held off Yan Long, and Lu Ming considered joining the fight.
• Xiao Zan summoned more than a dozen Seven Kill Hall fighters, including He Ying, who moved to attack Lu Ming and Zhu Ningyun as Xiao Zan stalled Gongsun He.

Lu Ming and Zhu Ningyun were ambushed by He Ying and his assassins, and Lu Ming fought He Ying despite the gap in their cultivation. After Lu Ming wounded him with the Momentum of Fast and Slow, He Ying fled, while Zhu Ningyun continued fighting the remaining assassins.

• Lu Ming opened the fight with a powerful saber strike that killed several of He Ying’s subordinates, then sent Zhu Ningyun after the survivors.
• Zhu Ningyun fought four assassins as Lu Ming faced He Ying, an early Gang Qi Realm expert.
• Lu Ming used the Wind Momentum and his saber techniques to withstand He Ying’s palm and sword attacks, while Zhu Ningyun suppressed her opponents.
• He Ying unleashed Ghost King Cries Blood, but Lu Ming countered it with Flying Stars All Over the Sky.
• Lu Ming cut He Ying with a strike using the Momentum of Fast and Slow, prompting He Ying to escape behind poisonous smoke.

Lu Ming and his companions survived an ambush by Demonic Cult remnants and Gang Qi Realm fighters, and his performance made him famous within Wuji Sect. After returning, Lu Ming received a valuable armor from Gongsun He, who then brought him to meet the Grand Elder.

• After Xiao Zan fled, Gongsun He wounded Yan Long, who escaped after trying to hinder the pursuit with a strike aimed at Lu Ming and Zhu Ningyun.
• Lu Ming anticipated Yan Long’s attack and carried Zhu Ningyun out of its path, impressing her and the others with his vigilance.
• Gongsun He led the group back to Wuji Sect, where a Grand Elder departed and the sect ordered an investigation into the Demonic Cult.
• News spread that Lu Ming had driven an Early Gang Qi Realm assassin away, prompting Guan Wuli’s amused reaction and Chi Xuan to enter secluded cultivation.
• Gongsun He delivered the thirty thousand Low-grade Yuan Stones and Low-grade Mysterious Spirit Armor to Lu Ming, then took him to meet the Grand Elder.

Lu Ming met Grand Elder Ren Canqing, learned about the vanished White Cloud Swordsman Li Baiyun, and received a warning about the dangers of the martial world. After months of developing new saber techniques and greatly increasing his combat strength, Lu Ming returned to the sect and learned that its tense atmosphere was connected to him.

• Ren Canqing praised Lu Ming’s strength, told him how Li Baiyun vanished after traveling to the Central Continent, and warned him that even powerful cultivators could not control their fate.
• Lu Ming decided to organize his martial studies by creating standalone killing moves and began reading widely in the Martial Skill Pavilion.
• Over five months, Lu Ming combined martial arts into an unpredictable combat style and created Unfixed Slash, which killed a level-three Green Ghost Wolf with one strike.
• Lu Ming judged that his combat strength had risen greatly despite his cultivation reaching only the latter part of the late Zhen Qi Realm, then left the mountains to focus on advancing before the secret realm opened.
• Lu Ming returned to the sect, noticed its tense atmosphere, and discovered from others’ conversation that the situation was connected to him.

Lu Ming learned that Baleful Intent had emerged in the form of the female assassin he killed and slaughtered Lotus Fort, but the major powers could not find it. After reaching the peak of the True Qi Realm and preparing for the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, Lu Ming set out with his sect as the departure approached.

• Lu Ming recognized the eerie woman in a portrait as the female assassin he had killed, and Li Ansheng concluded that Baleful Intent had possessed her body.
• Li Ansheng went to investigate Milo Dragon Bay while Lu Ming stayed behind to prepare for the secret realm.
• The woman escaped along the Longze River and decided to seek a place with denser Baleful Intent to cultivate and eventually avenge the slash.
• After more than three months of secluded cultivation, Lu Ming reached the peak of the True Qi Realm but could not sense an opportunity to break through to the Gang Qi Realm.
• The sect announced that the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm would open soon, and Lu Ming learned about its age limit, treasures, and dangers.
• Three days later, Lu Ming went to the mountaintop platform to begin the journey to the secret realm.

Lu Ming and nineteen other Wuji Sect disciples set out for the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm under the protection of Sect Master Li Ansheng and Grand Elder Dongfang Yulong. They entered the dangerous Wild Cloud Ridge, where a Level 4 Demonic Beast forced Dongfang Yulong to change their route.

• Lu Ming joined the other disciples preparing for the secret-realm trial, and Guan Wuli warned them that Fenglin Kingdom had powerful young fighters and that they must support one another.
• Li Ansheng sent the group off on ten Wind-Riding Eagles, and Lu Ming revealed he had brought more than twenty spare blades, giving some to Zhu Ningyun.
• The group met Grand Elder Dongfang Yulong at Zhao Kingdom's southeastern border, and he led them through the sky toward Wild Cloud Ridge.
• Li Ansheng and the elders killed an Azure Demon Sky Eagle that attacked the flying formation.
• Dongfang Yulong fought a Level 4 Demonic Beast with his Meteor Fist, then returned and ordered the group to follow him on a detour.

The Wuji Sect reached the secret realm in Wild Cloud Ridge, where Dongfang Yulong confronted the Tianhuo Sect’s Fire Spirit Son and warned his disciples of the dangers ahead. More sects gathered as the secret realm’s opening approached, and a dispute broke out over camp locations.

• The Wuji Sect’s group crossed Wild Cloud Ridge’s dangerous weather and beasts and arrived at the secret realm’s gathering place.
• Dongfang Yulong confronted Fire Spirit Son after Tianhuo Sect disciples insulted the Wuji Sect, and Fire Spirit Son warned that many disciples might die inside the secret realm.
• Dongfang Yulong gave the Wuji Sect disciples a chance to withdraw and urged them to prioritize survival, but none chose to leave.
• The Nine Heavens Sect and Jade Luo Sect arrived, and Lu Ming reunited with Jiang Ruoshui, who praised his recent accomplishments.
• More sects gathered around the secret realm, and fighting began when someone challenged the Kaishan Gate for camping beside their group.

Lu Ming entered the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm and fought his way through a stone formation, where he received the fist manual [Vast Fist] as a reward. He entered the formation’s second area, hoping to earn a different reward by relying on movement techniques.

• Guan Wuli warned Lu Ming about the strongest prodigies expected in the Secret Realm as rival powers gathered outside the Heavenly Gate.
• When the Heavenly Gate opened, Lu Ming and the other disciples entered and were teleported to separate locations.
• Lu Ming landed on sand, killed a late-stage Level-Two Black-tailed Scorpion, and stored its carcass in his Storage Ring.
• Lu Ming entered the Stone Man Formation and defeated its first area of stone figures through brute strength.
• After clearing the first area, Lu Ming collected the Human-grade, peak stage fist technique [Vast Fist] and entered the second area to test whether movement techniques would earn him another reward.

Lu Ming cleared the Stone Man Formation, killed Cheng Hua when he tried to ambush him, and entered the dangerous Ghost Cave. Elsewhere, Kuang Changqing defeated Yan Hanfeng and met Fu Xianyun; Lu Ming ended the chapter approaching two fighters battling Shadow Bats.

• Lu Ming earned the Floating Shadow Skill and Fire Cloud Saber Qi from the Stone Man Formation, then turned back when he found no exit.
• Cheng Hua of Lingwu Palace attacked Lu Ming for reaching the formation's reward first, but Lu Ming killed him and destroyed his corpse before leaving.
• Kuang Changqing forced Yan Hanfeng to surrender a hundred-year Blazing Sun Flower and defeated him when he resisted; Fu Xianyun then appeared and departed after speaking with Kuang Changqing.
• Lu Ming gathered spirit medicines, entered the Ghost Cave, and killed a venomous Shadow Bat that ambushed him in the wind.
• Lu Ming approached a man and a woman fighting a swarm of Shadow Bats; after they nearly cleared it, the man sensed someone behind them and shouted.

Lu Ming, Shu Buqi, and Chang Yan discovered two valuable martial arts manuals guarded by a Purple Ancient Snake. Lu Ming broke through the barrier protecting the manuals and took them, but a sudden attack came from the left as Shu Buqi and Chang Yan shouted a warning.

• Lu Ming joined Shu Buqi and Chang Yan as they explored the cavern and agreed they would each memorize any manuals they found.
• The three discovered the [Heavenly Gang Divine Art] and [Heavenly Gang Divine Fist] on a lotus-shaped platform above a pool, where a third-level mid-stage Purple Ancient Snake was hiding.
• Shu Buqi and Chang Yan drew the snake’s attacks while Lu Ming headed for the platform to retrieve the manuals.
• Lu Ming used his blade intent to pierce the barrier around the platform, broke it apart, and took both manuals.
• A forceful gust came from the left as Shu Buqi and Chang Yan shouted for Lu Ming to look out.

Lu Ming escaped the Purple Ancient Snake with Shu Buqi and Chang Yan, then set off alone through the secret realm and considered breaking through to the Gang Qi Realm. When he encountered the pursued Zhou Lie and Cui Lin of the Tianhuo Sect, Zhou Lie was killed, and Lu Ming began fighting Cui Lin.

• Lu Ming, Shu Buqi, and Chang Yan escaped the Purple Ancient Snake, memorized two complementary Earth-grade martial arts, and agreed to meet again in the depths of the secret realm.
• Lu Ming parted from Shu Buqi and Chang Yan, escaped a massive swarm of Red-tailed Bees, and collected their medicinal honey.
• Lu Ming decided to seek a safe place to break through to the Gang Qi Realm using the honey to support the attempt.
• Zhou Lie ran to Lu Ming for help while fleeing Cui Lin, but Cui Lin killed Zhou Lie and challenged Lu Ming.
• Lu Ming evaded Cui Lin's fiery fist and struck back with the Soul Slaying Style; Cui Lin blocked the blade qi, and Lu Ming attacked again to finish the fight quickly.

Lu Ming defeated Cui Lin with blade intent, concealed the fight, and took away Cui Lin's and Zhou Lie's corpses. He then sensed a breakthrough opportunity, sealed himself inside a hidden cave, and began using Five-Flower Honey to advance his realm.

• Lu Ming used his Limitless Battle Technique to evade Cui Lin's attacks while probing his defenses.
• Lu Ming unleashed blade intent and killed Cui Lin with a single slash.
• Lu Ming took Cui Lin's and Zhou Lie's corpses, hid the battle traces, and fled before the arriving observers could identify him.
• Lu Ming sensed a breakthrough opportunity and found a cave behind a cliff, sealing and disguising its entrance.
• Lu Ming consumed Five-Flower Honey and circulated the Heavenly Saber Heart Method to begin breaking through.

He Jianjun and Zhu Ningyun fled a Nine Heavens Sect disciple until Lu Ming arrived and killed him with one strike. Lu Ming revealed that he had reached the Gang Qi Realm, and the three continued toward the secret realm’s depths together.

• He Jianjun fought a Nine Heavens Sect Core Disciple but could not overcome his Gang Qi defenses, and Zhu Ningyun joined her to help them escape.
• The man pursued He Jianjun and Zhu Ningyun, who argued over who should stay behind until they spotted Lu Ming.
• Lu Ming cut the pursuing disciple in half with a single strike from his Wraith Blade.
• Lu Ming told He Jianjun and Zhu Ningyun that he had broken through to the Gang Qi Realm and refined about forty percent of his True Qi into Gang Qi.
• Lu Ming collected the disciple’s belongings, guarded the two women as they recovered, and traveled with them toward the secret realm’s depths.

Lu Ming and the Wuji Sect disciples rescued two fellow disciples from Lingwu Palace, then killed their attackers and concealed the evidence. At the checkpoint before the secret realm’s depths, the factions gathered and realized many of their people were missing, including Chi Xuan and Zhao He.

• Lu Ming arrived as two Wuji Sect disciples were about to be killed by Sheng Ziqing and three Lingwu Palace disciples, then attacked Sheng Ziqing.
• Lu Ming broke through Sheng Ziqing’s Azure Cloud Gang Qi shield with repeated strikes, killed him, and helped defeat the remaining Lingwu Palace disciples.
• Lu Ming ordered the Wuji Sect group to erase the traces and scout for witnesses before they continued onward.
• With four days left before the secret realm closed, Lu Ming’s group reached the checkpoint and met Guan Wuli, who noted that Chi Xuan, Zhao He, and five others had not arrived.
• Fu Xianyun, Kuang Changqing, and Tang Anlan argued over missing disciples and past attacks, while Nie Jianjun noted that members of the Nine Heavens Sect were also absent and watched Lu Ming and Guan Wuli.

At the secret realm gathering, Tianhuo Sect provoked Wuji Sect, and Lu Ming accepted Kuang Changqing’s challenge. Lu Ming’s single slash cut through Kuang Changqing’s Great Sun Divine Fist and continued toward him.

• Lu Ming and Guan Wuli discussed Nie Jianjun’s hostility and the opportunities they hoped to find in the secret realm.
• People from Fenglin Kingdom and Tianhuo Sect insulted Zhao Kingdom and Wuji Sect, prompting Guan Wuli to confront Kong Quanzhen.
• Kuang Changqing challenged Wuji Sect, and Lu Ming stepped forward to fight him alone despite Kuang Changqing’s mid Gang Qi Realm cultivation.
• Kuang Changqing attacked with the Great Sun Divine Fist, but Lu Ming’s blade qi split the punch and continued toward him.

Lu Ming and Kuang Changqing clashed before the secret realm’s Power Testing Stone Pillars appeared, and the rivals postponed their fight to enter the depths. Lu Ming passed the first pillar’s test with a punch and entered alongside several Wuji Sect disciples.

• Lu Ming’s fully formed blade intent shattered Kuang Changqing’s fist force and forced him back, but Kuang Changqing prepared to use a powerful move from his Great Sun Divine Fist.
• The secret realm’s trial opened and the Power Testing Stone Pillars appeared, prompting Kuang Changqing, Lu Ming, and the other sects to stop fighting and head toward them.
• The Wuji Sect occupied a pillar, and Guan Wuli explained that each person had one chance to pass the test or be expelled.
• Chi Yunqing struck the pillar with Snowstorm Sky, lit its orb, and entered the depths of the secret realm.
• Lu Ming passed with a punch, and Zhu Ningyun, He Jianjun, and other Wuji Sect disciples followed.

Lu Ming entered the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm’s first stage, claimed the Divine Illumination True Scripture, and learned how the realm’s three areas were arranged. He reached the second stage’s Power Testing Stone Pillar with Guan Wuli and Chi Yunqing, where Chi Yunqing failed the test and was teleported out.

• Lu Ming competed with Hua Shiqi for a protected book, cut through its barrier with his saber intent, and took the Divine Illumination True Scripture, an intermediate Earth-grade cultivation technique.
• Lu Ming surveyed the secret realm from above and discovered its circular layout, three areas, and central tower, then headed toward the second stage.
• Lu Ming met battered Chi Yunqing, who planned to leave the realm, and told him to follow along to try the next Power Testing Stone Pillar.
• Guan Wuli told Lu Ming that he had obtained Dust Sweeping Pills and now had a seventy percent chance of reaching the mid-stage of the Gang Qi Realm; Lu Ming revealed he had found an intermediate Earth-grade cultivation technique.
• Chi Yunqing unleashed his strongest move at the second-stage Power Testing Stone Pillar, but it did not react, and he was teleported out.

Lu Ming killed Nie Jianjun and Kong Quanzhen in the second trial, claimed an Earth-grade, high-stage body-tempering technique, and entered the tower. He passed the tower’s first-floor barrier and hurried toward sounds of fighting, hoping to find treasure.

• The Lingwu Palace Grand Elder learned that many of his disciples, including Sheng Ziqing, were missing or dead, while Dongfang Yulong ordered Wuji Sect disciples to hide their involvement in the killings.
• Lu Ming entered the second trial and found Nie Jianjun and Kong Quanzhen fighting over a jade slip.
• Lu Ming killed Nie Jianjun with an intent-domain saber technique, then killed Kong Quanzhen as he tried to flee.
• Lu Ming took the jade slip and discovered it contained the Earth-grade, high-stage Cave True Profound Technique.
• He Jianjun and Zhu Ningyun returned to Li Ansheng, who hoped the missing Chi Xuan and others would still emerge from the Secret Realm.
• Lu Ming entered the tower, passed its first-floor barrier, and followed the sound of fighting toward a possible treasure.

Lu Ming reached Hua Shiqi after Hua defeated a Lingwu Palace disciple and declined to fight him for his Low-grade Divine Weapon. He then helped Guan Wuli escape with a newly acquired divine sword, held off Man Youjun and Kuang Changqing, and teleported to the third level.

• Hua Shiqi blocked the Lingwu Palace disciple’s Sun Moon Divine Palm with dark radiance, defeated him, and kept the Low-grade Divine Weapon.
• Lu Ming told Hua Shiqi he would have fought for the weapon if it had not already been claimed, and Hua advised him to hurry in search of a treasure saber.
• Man Youjun pursued Guan Wuli to seize his divine sword, but Lu Ming arrived and helped Guan Wuli fight off Kuang Changqing.
• Lu Ming urged Guan Wuli to leave through the Power Testing Stone Pillar, and Guan Wuli teleported away with the sword.
• Lu Ming used Unrivaled Hegemon to withstand Man Youjun and Kuang Changqing’s attacks, then teleported to the third level; the two pursuers followed.

Lu Ming found the Azure Dragon Saber on the third floor of the Treasure Pagoda and fought Kuang Changqing over it, while Tang Anlan battled Man Youjun for a long whip. Lu Ming broke Kuang Changqing’s ultimate attack with the Man-Saber Slash and charged at him again.

• Guan Wuli emerged from the secret realm with a Low-grade Sword, and he told Li Ansheng that Lu Ming remained inside facing two opponents.
• Lu Ming searched the third floor and found a protected Azure Dragon Saber and long whip in a central chamber.
• Lu Ming and Tang Anlan broke the weapons’ protective barriers and claimed the saber and whip before Kuang Changqing and Man Youjun arrived.
• Kuang Changqing and Man Youjun attacked Lu Ming and Tang Anlan, and the four fighters entered a standoff over the divine weapons.
• Lu Ming used the Man-Saber Slash to split Kuang Changqing’s Earth-shattering Strike and make him spit blood.
• Lu Ming raised the Azure Dragon Saber and charged at Kuang Changqing again.

As the secret realm closed, Lu Ming’s clash with Kuang Changqing nearly sparked a war between the Wuji Sect and Tianhuo Sect, but Kongming Valley mediated. The surviving disciples returned, and the chapter ended with the Nine Heavens Sect discovering Nie Jianjun was dead.

• Fu Xianyun, Tang Anlan, and Man Youjun emerged from the secret realm, and Tang Anlan and Man Youjun recounted the conflict over the divine weapon.
• Kuang Changqing emerged badly injured with Lu Ming behind him, and Fire Spirit Son confronted Lu Ming while Dongfang Yulong defended him.
• Dongfang Yulong threatened to lead the Wuji Sect into war with Tianhuo Sect, but Old Man Di You intervened and Fire Spirit Son left.
• Lu Ming explained that using the Heavenly Saber Seventh Form had drained him, and Dongfang Yulong warned him not to overuse Man-Saber Slash.
• Chi Xuan and Yang Xuan emerged after surviving a sealed space together, and the heavenly gate closed with four Wuji Sect disciples missing.
• The Nine Heavens Sect discovered that Nie Jianjun had not returned, and its Grand Elder demanded to know who had killed him.

After returning from the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, Lu Ming handed most of his gains to the Wuji Sect and changed his cultivation technique to the [Divine Illumination True Scripture]. He greatly increased his strength, mastered several Earth-grade martial arts, and prepared to begin training in the [Cave True Profound Technique] before someone came looking for him.

• The Wuji Sect returned safely from the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, and news spread that Lu Ming had reached the Early Gang Qi Realm and gravely wounded a Mid Gang Qi Realm genius.
• Lu Ming handed over most of his secret realm gains, and the sect compensated him with Yuan Stones and access to its martial arts.
• Lu Ming dissolved his Heavenly Saber cultivation and spent half a month rebuilding his strength with the [Divine Illumination True Scripture], reaching the Early Gang Qi Realm.
• Lu Ming tested his new Divine Illumination Aura Qi and found that he could now kill Kuang Changqing with ease.
• Over the following month, Lu Ming mastered several saber techniques, [Purple Sun Palm], and [Dragon Riding Art], then planned to practice the [Cave True Profound Technique].
• Someone came looking for Lu Ming just as he was about to begin practicing the [Cave True Profound Technique].

Lu Ming left Wuji Sect to seek resources for cultivating the Cave True Profound Technique and gain experience, promising to return for the Ten Nations Prodigy Competition. As he traveled toward Zhu Zi Kingdom, he reflected on facing danger without abandoning his resolve.

• Guan Wuli told Lu Ming he would leave the sect to seek experience and hoped to meet him at the Ten Nations Prodigy Competition.
• Lu Ming struggled to advance his Cave True Profound Technique because the sect lacked the resources needed to temper his body, so he decided to leave.
• Sect Master Li Ansheng gave Lu Ming a Sky Thunder Seed and reminded him to attend the competition in the Tianyun Empire.
• Lu Ming said goodbye to Zhu Ningyun, reassuring her that retreating from an opponent would not shake his resolve, and promised they would meet again in a year and a half.
• Grand Elder Ren Canqing and Dongfang Yulong watched Lu Ming depart and praised his rapid cultivation of the Dragon Riding Art and Purple Sun Palm.
• Lu Ming headed north toward Zhu Zi Kingdom, and someone cried out that a true dragon had appeared.