Chapter Summaries

After Lin Bai sealed more than seven hundred prodigies beneath the lake, he joined A Ning, Feng Wenjun, and Hui Xi for wine. Feng Wenjun warned that the upcoming Eastern Continent Academy apprenticeship examination would bring an exceptionally powerful group of contenders, including several formidable names and unknown dark horses.

• Lin Bai returned to the pavilion after suppressing the prodigies beneath the lake, and A Ning, Feng Wenjun, and Hui Xi joined him for wine.
• A Ning said that only Xie Changqing, Lin Bai, and Feng Wenjun had impressed him as true prodigies.
• Feng Wenjun said the apprenticeship examination might be the strongest intake in the Eastern Continent Academy's history and named several powerful participants.
• Feng Wenjun described Wu He as a warrior who had killed a Life Extinction Realm expert while at the ninth stage of the Yang God Realm.
• Feng Wenjun listed Jian Kong, Lin Yibing, Chen Qin, Zi Donglai, Yin Jiuling, Leng Yun, and Hei Luo Jian Jiu among the examination's notable contenders, then mentioned arriving dark-horse prodigies.

Feng Wenjun told Lin Bai and A Ning about the many hidden prodigies gathering for the Eastern Continent Academy’s disciple-recruitment assessment. He explained why he had decided to join this year, leaving Lin Bai and A Ning eager to fight the powerful contenders.

• Feng Wenjun described Lin Bai and A Ning as black horse prodigies whose true strength had not yet been revealed.
• Feng Wenjun introduced Tu Ziyun and Hu Qi, whose Emperor Grade Martial Souls were expected to clash in the Dragon-Tiger Duel.
• Feng Wenjun explained that the Heavenly Crippled Four Brothers could combine their strength and were considered strong enough to challenge Wu He.
• Feng Wenjun recounted the Old Eccentric’s draw with Hei Luo Jian Jiu and identified the nine-meter-tall Giant Beast as a likely Half-Demon.
• Hui Xi asked why Feng Wenjun had joined the assessment this year, and Feng Wenjun said he could not miss the gathering of Eastern Continent prodigies.
• Lin Bai and A Ning exchanged excited glances as they anticipated fighting the other contenders.

After a night of drinking, A Ning declared that he had come to Exiled Immortal City specifically to defeat Lin Bai and challenged him to a duel in the upcoming Apprentice Qualification Battle. A Ning and Feng Wenjun departed, leaving Lin Bai eager for the battle and Hui Xi warned to avoid the strongest competitors.

• A Ning told Lin Bai he had come to Exiled Immortal City to fight and defeat him in the Apprentice Qualification Battle.
• A Ning said he considered Lin Bai, Xie Changqing, and Feng Wenjun the only true prodigies in Exiled Immortal City, and left after promising to challenge Lin Bai.
• Feng Wenjun encouraged Lin Bai’s coming duel with A Ning, and Lin Bai admitted he was eager to face the powerful contenders in the Apprentice Qualification Battle.
• Feng Wenjun gave Lin Bai a Sound Transmission Talisman and offered to help if the other domains retaliated for Lin Bai’s earlier actions.
• Feng Wenjun warned Hui Xi to concede if she met the strongest fighters, explaining that Lin Bai had defeated Shi Jiamu without using half his strength.

News spread that Lin Bai had suppressed more than fifteen hundred heavenly prodigies at the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence, while the Eastern Continent Academy examination was set to begin in half a month. Ren Tiangao reviewed the examination’s notable candidates and ended by asking whether the Myriad Kingdoms Domain had sent someone again.

• News spread that the Eastern Continent Academy examination would begin at Nine Heavens Primordial Ancestor Mountain in half a month and that Lin Bai had suppressed seven hundred prodigies.
• Over the next seven days, Lin Bai suppressed another eight hundred challengers, bringing the number held beneath the pavilion to more than fifteen hundred.
• Several hundred Life Extinction Realm elders gathered in Exiled Immortal City, where Ren Tiangao reviewed a scroll listing the examination’s strongest candidates.
• Ren Tiangao asked about A Ning, and an elder explained that A Ning had arrived recently, had not fought, and had no known domain affiliation.
• After reading Lin Bai’s name at the end of the list, Ren Tiangao solemnly asked whether the Myriad Kingdoms Domain had sent someone again.

Ren Tiangao learned that Lin Bai had arrived in Exiled Immortal City and informed Lan Ling, who had been in seclusion for more than a decade. Lan Ling returned to the Eastern Continent Academy, determined to protect Lin Duo’s descendant from Lan Ling and the Lan Clan.

• An elder told Ren Tiangao that Lin Bai had suppressed visiting domain prodigies at the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence.
• Ren Tiangao decided not to interfere and sent a Sound Transmission Talisman message to Lan Ling about Lin Bai’s arrival.
• Lan Ling told Ren Tiangao to let Lin Bai enter the Eastern Continent Academy but not to intervene further.
• Lan Ling emerged from seclusion and vowed to protect Lin Duo’s descendant, even if Lan Ling and the Lan Clan were destroyed.
• Lan Ling returned to the Eastern Continent Academy, and news that he was out of seclusion spread among its upper ranks.

Feng Wenjun predicted that Life Extinction Realm experts would confront Lin Bai over the prodigies he had subdued, then went to the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence. There, Lin Bai refused to release the captives when Wei Chunhao demanded it, relying on the rules against Life Extinction Realm experts acting in Exiled Immortal City.

• Hui Xi told Feng Wenjun that Lin Bai had subdued more than two thousand prodigies, and Feng Wenjun predicted that their elders would intervene before the disciple-recruitment examination.
• Feng Wenjun told Hui Xi to notify Elder Chen Liang and prepare for a visit to the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence.
• Wen Jia visited Lin Bai and thanked him for the pills that helped him break through to the Yin Saint Realm.
• Wei Chunhao, a sixth-stage Life Extinction Realm elder of the Yun Hai Domain, arrived and demanded that Lin Bai release the Yun Hai Domain prodigies.
• Lin Bai refused Wei Chunhao's demand, citing the rules that barred Life Extinction Realm experts from acting in Exiled Immortal City, and ordered him to leave.

Lin Bai refused to release the suppressed Yun Hai Domain prodigies, insisting their elder Wei Chunhao apologize for their conduct. Chen Liang, a Death Reversal Realm powerhouse from the Fengge Domain, arrived with Feng Wenjun and Hui Xi, leaving Lin Bai to ask what had brought him there.

• Lin Bai ignored Wei Chunhao's threats and warned him not to damage anything at the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence.
• Wei Chunhao demanded that Lin Bai release the Yun Hai Domain prodigies, but Lin Bai said Wei Chunhao should apologize first.
• Wei Chunhao refused to apologize, and Lin Bai closed his eyes and ignored him again.
• Chen Liang arrived with Feng Wenjun and Hui Xi, and Lin Bai welcomed the Fengge Domain visitors to the pavilion.
• Wei Chunhao tried to enlist Chen Liang's support by claiming Lin Bai had also suppressed Fengge Domain prodigies, but Chen Liang frowned at his words.
• Lin Bai asked Chen Liang what had brought him to the residence.

Chen Liang rebuked Wei Chunhao for insulting Myriad Kingdoms Domain, then apologized to Lin Bai for Fengge Domain’s prodigies and asked him to release them. Lin Bai accepted Chen Liang’s gift of spirit liquid and reflected on the bearing of the Nine Territories.

• Wei Chunhao called Myriad Kingdoms Domain insignificant, and Chen Liang angrily defended its history and achievements.
• Chen Liang warned Wei Chunhao that he would punish such insults if they were made at Fengge Domain’s estate.
• Chen Liang apologized to Lin Bai for Fengge Domain’s prodigies and offered him ten jade bottles of spirit liquid.
• Lin Bai released the five Fengge Domain prodigies, but Chen Liang stopped them when they charged at Lin Bai and ordered them back to their estate.
• Chen Liang urged Lin Bai to accept the spirit liquid as Fengge Domain’s apology, and Lin Bai accepted it while reflecting on the Nine Territories’ bearing.

Chen Liang and Zuo Hao apologized to Lin Bai on behalf of their domains and paid spirit liquid to retrieve their suppressed prodigies. Seeing that Lin Bai accepted apologies and released the captives, experts from other domains followed suit, temporarily resolving the standoff at the Myriad Kingdoms Domain's residence.

• Feng Wenjun left after Lin Bai thanked him for arranging Chen Liang's visit and the spirit liquid gift.
• Zuo Hao arrived to retrieve the Divine Dragon Domain's prodigies, apologized, and gave Lin Bai one hundred kilograms of spirit liquid.
• Lin Bai released the eighteen Divine Dragon Domain prodigies after accepting Zuo Hao's apology gift.
• An expert from the Fengbo Domain paid one hundred and fifty kilograms of spirit liquid, and Lin Bai released its seventy-two martial artists.
• Experts from the Soul Severing Domain, Pill Cauldron Domain, Nameless Domain, and other domains apologized with spirit liquid, and Lin Bai released their prodigies.

Lin Bai collected spiritual liquid while ransoming the prodigies he had captured, then confronted the Sword Domain’s formidable Jian Kong as only two captives remained. Jian Kong arrived at the lakeside pavilion, and Lin Bai asked who he was.

• Lin Bai counted five thousand jin of spiritual liquid from the ransoms and decided it could help him reach the eighth level of the Yang God Realm.
• Wei Chunhao offered a hundred jin to free the Yun Hai Domain’s prodigies, but Lin Bai demanded more and accepted Wei’s entire store of seven hundred jin.
• Lin Bai released the Yun Hai Domain’s prodigies, including Luo Yong, and other Life Extinction Realm experts ransomed most of the remaining captives.
• Lin Bai noticed that Lu Heng of the Sword Domain and Shi Jiamu of the God Stone Domain were the only captives left beneath the lake.
• Jian Kong of the Sword Domain arrived in the Myriad Kingdoms Domain with overwhelming sword intent, and Lin Bai asked him who he was.

Lin Bai refused Jian Kong’s offer to rescue Shi Jiamu, then refined his spirit liquid and broke through to the eighth layer of the Yang God Realm ahead of the disciple-recruitment assessment. As the assessment approached, the God Stone Domain still had not come for Shi Jiamu, so Lin Bai finally pulled her from the lake.

• Jian Kong arrived at the Myriad Kingdoms Domain’s residence, paid five hundred jin of spirit liquid to free Lu Heng, and offered another five hundred jin for Shi Jiamu.
• Lin Bai returned Jian Kong’s second payment and refused to release Shi Jiamu, warning Jian Kong that he could not afford the price.
• After Jian Kong left with Lu Heng, Lin Bai waited for the God Stone Domain to come for Shi Jiamu, but no one appeared.
• Lin Bai refined more than six thousand jin of spirit liquid over three days and broke through to the eighth layer of the Yang God Realm.
• On the eve of the disciple-recruitment assessment, Lin Bai pulled Shi Jiamu up from the bottom of the lake.

Lin Bai released Shi Jiamu before the master-disciple examination, explaining that he had only meant to teach her a lesson, and she vowed to defeat him. At dawn, Lin Bai arrived at Exiled Immortal City's central square, where a huge crowd gathered for the examination and a white-robed man came to greet him.

• Lin Bai unsealed Shi Jiamu and let her go, saying he had never intended to stop her from taking the master-disciple examination.
• Shi Jiamu briefly gained a favorable impression of Lin Bai, then grew furious when he dismissed her as an opponent and vowed to defeat him.
• Lin Bai cultivated through the night, then left the Myriad Kingdoms Domain residence with Wen Jia for the examination.
• Wen Jia warned Lin Bai that this year's martial artists seemed stronger than those of previous years and left him at the central square.
• Lin Bai's killing intent frightened the hostile onlookers into withdrawing their gazes, and a smiling white-robed man approached him.

Lin Bai learned the rules of Eastern Continent Academy’s apprenticeship examination, which would take place on Nine Heavens Primordial Ancestor Mountain and require contestants to gather Tribute Red Pearls. The examination was about to begin, with Lin Bai facing a contest where he could seize pearls from others or earn them by defeating puppets.

• Lin Bai reunited with Feng Wenjun and Hui Xi, then spotted Wu He, Jian Kong, and Lin Yibing among the powerful martial artists gathered for the examination.
• Ren Tiangao arrived with more than a hundred Life Extinction Realm experts and announced that the examination would be held on Nine Heavens Primordial Ancestor Mountain.
• Ren Tiangao explained that contestants needed Tribute Red Pearls to climb the mountain’s nine levels and had to offer pearls before the Primordial Ancestor’s statue to become disciples.
• Ren Tiangao said contestants could obtain pearls by taking them from other martial artists or defeating puppets, and that losing all their pearls would send them back to the first level.
• Ren Tiangao explained that contestants who reached the ninth level could earn greater rewards by offering more tribute, citing a martial artist who had received a king-grade spirit artifact.

Ren Tiangao explained the rules and dangers of the Nine Heavens Primordial Ancestor Mountain assessment before the hundred thousand warriors were teleported there. Lin Bai landed in the sea near the first level, then used his flying sword to head toward the mountain as the assessment began.

• Ren Tiangao explained that warriors who lost all their red pearls would be sent back to the first level and outlined the assessment’s duration and disciple ranks.
• Lin Bai and Feng Wenjun exchanged their qualification tokens for red pearls, then Ren Tiangao activated the teleportation array.
• A blue-robed man in the Lan Clan’s palace watched Lin Bai as the array transported the warriors from Exiled Immortal City.
• Lin Bai fell into the sea near the first level, where other warriors surfaced and hurried toward land using their Martial Souls.
• Lin Bai summoned his flying sword with the Sword Control Art and flew toward the first level.

Lin Bai entered the first layer of Nine Heavens Primordial Ancestor Mountain and searched for puppets to gather offerings, while Shi Zhongxian dismissed him as an unworthy opponent. After missing the chance to collect pearls from a swarm of puppet spiders, Lin Bai found a hidden puppet in a forest pool and drew out a dragon-shaped machine.

• Lin Bai decided to avoid fighting other martial artists and search for puppets so he could gather red pearls and ascend to the next layer.
• More than five hundred martial artists attacked and destroyed a swarm of puppet spiders before Lin Bai could claim any of their pearls, and some of them fought over the offerings.
• Shi Zhongxian and other members of the Shi Family recognized Lin Bai, but Shi Zhongxian refused to confront him and said he would only consider him an opponent if he reached the ninth layer.
• The Treasure Seeking Rat Martial Soul user became the first martial artist to reach the second layer by quickly locating offerings.
• Lin Bai discovered that a puppet was hiding beneath a forest pool, called it out, and watched a dragon-shaped puppet burst from the water.

Lin Bai pursued a powerful Flood Dragon Puppet into a vast underwater lair and defeated it, only for Shui Qingling to steal the Tribute Red Pearls and vanish. The onlookers identified her as the Water Spirit Child of the Water Domain.

• Lin Bai fought a peak Yang God Realm Flood Dragon Puppet, broke through its scales, and chased it into the pool when it fled.
• Ren Tiangao and the other experts watching the assessment revealed that the pool was a flood dragon lair with over a hundred powerful puppets and many Tribute Red Pearls.
• Lin Bai found the wounded Flood Dragon Puppet underwater and cut it in two with the Single Word Sword Art.
• As Lin Bai moved to collect the more than one hundred Tribute Red Pearls, Shui Qingling appeared in a whirlpool, gathered them into her Storage Bag, and disappeared.
• Lin Bai wondered if he had encountered a ghost, while Chen Liang and Zuo Hao identified the thief as Shui Qingling, the Water Spirit Child of the Water Domain.

Lin Bai explored the depths of the pool and found another Flood Dragon Puppet, while the White-Robed Woman again tried to steal the Tribute Red Pearls it dropped. Lin Bai drove her away and kept the pearls, but she escaped into the water.

• Lin Bai searched beneath the pool as the White-Robed Woman followed, using him to scout the way.
• Huo Fentian led the Fire Domain martial artists into the pool, while Chen Liang and Zuo Hao discussed the rivalry between the Fire and Water Domains.
• Lin Bai reached a stone cave at the bottom of the pool and discovered another Flood Dragon Puppet inside.
• Lin Bai destroyed the puppet with his sword and collected the more than one hundred Tribute Red Pearls it dropped.
• The White-Robed Woman emerged through a vortex to steal the pearls, but Lin Bai attacked and forced her to retreat into the water.

Lin Bai confronted Shui Qingling after she stole his Tribute Red Pearls, but their fight was interrupted when Huo Fentian and more than twenty Flame Domain martial artists arrived. Shui Qingling and Huo Fentian clashed, and Lin Bai watched from the sidelines as the battle escalated.

• Lin Bai demanded that Shui Qingling return the Tribute Red Pearls she had taken, and she refused.
• Huo Fentian arrived with more than twenty Flame Domain martial artists and challenged Shui Qingling.
• Huo Fentian attacked Shui Qingling, but she used Heavenly River Storm to wound him and send him staggering backward.
• More than twenty Flame Domain martial artists attacked Shui Qingling, and Huo Fentian joined them after recovering.
• Lin Bai stayed out of the fight and judged that Shui Qingling and Huo Fentian were likely as strong as the Eastern Continent Records' top ten.

Lin Bai, Huo Fentian, Shui Qingling, and the Fire Region prodigies faced more than a hundred powerful Flood Dragon Puppets beneath the pool. As the puppets kept the fighters from collecting thousands of Tribute Red Pearls, Shui Qingling proposed that she and Lin Bai stop stalemating.

• Lin Bai discovered 108 Great Completion Flood Dragon Puppets emerging from caves beneath the pool.
• Lin Bai, Huo Fentian, Shui Qingling, and the Fire Region prodigies fought the puppets, finding their defenses difficult to break.
• Huo Fentian and Shui Qingling agreed to postpone their fight and target the puppets instead.
• Lin Bai killed a puppet but could not reach its Tribute Red Pearls as others rushed in to block him.
• Huo Fentian led the Fire Region prodigies in an assault, while thousands of Tribute Red Pearls accumulated beyond the fighters' reach.
• Shui Qingling told Lin Bai that neither of them would benefit if they continued to stalemate.

Lin Bai and Shui Qingling schemed to steal the Tribute Red Pearls guarded by Flood Dragon Puppets before Huo Fentian’s Fire Domain group could claim them. Shui Qingling betrayed Lin Bai, but he outplayed her, took all the Red Pearls, and escaped while she was trapped among the puppets.

• Shui Qingling proposed that Lin Bai distract the Flood Dragon Puppets while she collected their protected Tribute Red Pearls, promising to split them with him.
• Lin Bai returned the Tribute Red Pearls Shui Qingling had stolen from him and agreed to her plan.
• Lin Bai lured away the guarding puppets, while Huo Fentian ordered the Fire Domain prodigies to kill the remaining puppets and planned to take the Red Pearls for themselves.
• Shui Qingling collected the Red Pearls but announced she would leave Lin Bai behind and keep them all.
• Three hidden Flood Dragon Puppets attacked Shui Qingling, allowing Lin Bai to sweep up the Red Pearls and escape on his flying sword.