Chapter Summaries

Chen Chuan discussed the overseas pavilions’ political alignment with Yao Zhiyi, then met Mister Zhuan, who returned from the Convergence Zone and offered guidance on Chen Chuan’s chosen Human Aspect cultivation path. The chapter ended with Mister Zhuan explaining the Purity Faction’s expertise and its ability to help Chen Chuan if his cultivation went astray.

• Yao Zhiyi told Chen Chuan that the Linax Federation had approached Feng He Shou and urged him to win Wave Pavilion’s support, while Wind Forest Pavilion was likely to side with the Federation and Anyao Pavilion’s position was unknown.
• Chen Chuan notified the Government Affairs Hall that he was preparing to travel, but stayed at home while waiting for further news.
• Chang Dong told Chen Chuan that Mister Zhuan had returned from the Convergence Zone and wanted to meet him, so Chen Chuan drove to the Southern Industrial Zone branch.
• Mister Zhuan explained that the Old Imperial Household had lost because it lacked enough high-end fighters and its forces were split apart.
• Mister Zhuan asked Chen Chuan about his cultivation plans, and Chen Chuan said he had chosen the Human Aspect path.
• Mister Zhuan described the Purity Faction’s expertise in the Aspect of Man and said it could assist Chen Chuan if his cultivation deviated.

Chen Chuan received three Purity Faction secret arts to prepare for his eventual clash with Zhao Zhenye and learned about improving Mutated Weapons. He planned to sail out for a sparring match with Feng He Shou, while the Jibei Province Branch welcomed Captain Xu as a new member.

• Mister Zhuan taught Chen Chuan the Heaven and Earth Furnace Breathing Method, the Great Azure Void Style, and the Great Bright Light Style, warning him that practicing the latter two together could strain his life energy.
• Mister Zhuan gave Chen Chuan contact information for a Mutated Weapon expert and advised him to consult Principal Yao about cultivating weapons.
• Chen Chuan told Mister Zhuan that he planned to spar with Feng He Shou overseas, and Mister Zhuan agreed to inform the faction.
• After Chen Chuan left, the Mask and Mister Zhuan discussed justifying their decision to teach him all three secret arts at once and considered his chances against Zhao Zhenye.
• Chang Dong told Chen Chuan that Captain Xu's application had been approved and that he had recruited three ordinary members; Chen Chuan postponed a branch meeting until after his trip to sea.

Chen Chuan practiced the Great Bright Light Style and discovered it strengthened the resonance with his Second Self, then accepted an Airship trip to Hai for a sparring match. On the journey, he watched a documentary about a Fighter from the Linax Federation whose story led into the fighting techniques and insights Chen Chuan wanted to see.

• Chen Chuan practiced the Great Bright Light Style with the Heaven and Earth Furnace Breathing Method, exhausting himself and damaging the training-room floor with his Spiritual Fire.
• Chen Chuan replenished his mental strength by absorbing energy through a Rift and noticed that his Second Self had drawn closer to his true self.
• Chen Chuan arranged with Secretary Qiao Yang to leave for Hai the next morning and packed Zhao Ming and the Snow Monarch Blade for the trip.
• Chen Chuan boarded the Light Chaser Airship, captained by Feng Wu, and began watching a documentary about a Linax Federation Fighter who had joined the First People and advocated for their rights.
• Chen Chuan watched the documentary's account of the Fighter's life and waited for its second half to show the techniques and insights that interested him.

Chen Chuan traveled to Erwen Island to spar with Feng He, the Wave Pavilion master, after studying a Fighter’s spiritual-fire technique during the journey. He landed on the island and was greeted by Feng He’s disciples, who offered to guide him to the pavilion.

• Chen Chuan watched a documentary about Akhtava and studied his spiritual-fire technique, but decided not to force himself to imitate it.
• Two days later, Chen Chuan arrived at the An Ying Islands, where Meng Shu and the others were waiting for him.
• San Cheng Huang explained that he knew little about Teacher Feng He and told Meng Shu he would decide whether to join her company after the match.
• Chen Chuan greeted Meng Shu and the others, then boarded a cruise ship bound for Erwen Island as a warship followed to escort him.
• Chen Chuan landed on Erwen Island with the Snow Monarch Blade in hand, and two Wave Pavilion disciples welcomed him and offered to lead the way.

Chen Chuan visited the Wave Pavilion and met its master, Feng He Shou, before following him to the Pavilion’s Rift for their impending fight. Feng He Shou explained that advanced cultivation caused accumulating corruption that could turn Fighters into monstrous ghosts.

• Chen Chuan studied the Wave Pavilion’s inscription and learned that the Self-Sacrifice Monument bore the names of disciples killed in duels, including Jian Cheng.
• Bian Yue Yi Zhen told Chen Chuan that Jian Cheng had been fortunate to die fighting a Fighter, and a crippled elder asked whether Jian Cheng had used every move.
• Chen Chuan met Feng He Shou, drank Snow Wave Tea, and explained that he had brought Snow Monarch as a companion to witness their bout.
• Feng He Shou activated a mechanism that lowered the chamber, then led Chen Chuan through a scarred corridor toward the Wave Pavilion’s Rift.
• At the Rift, Feng He Shou said the Wave Pavilion’s senior had left and described how cultivation corruption accumulated and could transform Fighters into monstrous ghosts.

Chen Chuan and Feng He Shou fought a martial exchange on a platform among the monstrous remnants of former Sword Sect masters. Chen Chuan broke through Feng He Shou’s defenses and knocked him off the platform.

• Feng He Shou explained that many senior Fighters had become ghouls and monsters, then led Chen Chuan into the Rift’s bright expanse.
• Chen Chuan saw the monstrous figures of former Sword Sect masters as Feng He Shou described what had become of the missing Pavilion Masters and the Zen Blade Ancestor.
• Feng He Shou challenged Chen Chuan to fight, and the two formally introduced themselves before beginning their exchange.
• Chen Chuan smashed Feng He Shou’s blade beam apart and struck at him, but Feng He Shou evaded with a step and concealed himself in mist.
• Feng He Shou conjured a giant blade shadow and brought it down, but Chen Chuan blocked it, shattered the shadow, and pressed Feng He Shou with repeated punches.
• Chen Chuan broke through Feng He Shou’s blue flames and drove him off the platform with a final barrage.

Chen Chuan defeated Feng He Shou in a sparring match by preventing him from building momentum with his blade techniques. After they returned to Wave Pavilion, Feng He Shou offered him compensation and hosted him for a meal of National Fish.

• Chen Chuan broke Feng He Shou's attacks and drove him into a crater, where Feng He Shou admitted defeat.
• Feng He Shou explained that Chen Chuan had left him no chance to develop his blade momentum, and Chen Chuan said he had inferred Wave Pavilion's martial arts from the words on its great stone.
• Feng He Shou retrieved the Thunderclap Blade, bowed to Chen Chuan, and offered to compensate him for the sparring match.
• Chen Chuan noticed a gigantic former master of Wave Pavilion who had taken his own life, then followed Feng He Shou back to the upper level.
• Feng He Shou served Chen Chuan National Fish, explaining its history and that the lame old man's family had prepared Wave Pavilion's meals for generations.
• Chen Chuan and Feng He Shou began eating the meal made with ingredients from Convergence Zones.

Chen Chuan accepted Feng He Shou’s offer to join Great Shun and agreed to convey the decision to its government. Feng He Shou offered him Wave Pavilion’s blade-refining resources, and Chen Chuan entered the Blade Nurturing Room as they prepared to discuss the other surviving pavilions.

• Chen Chuan finished the meal Feng He Shou had prepared and learned how Wave Pavilion’s former masters gathered ingredients from the Rift for their successors.
• Feng He Shou explained that the World Ring had reduced the ingredients available through the Rifts and that the remaining overseas lineages faced extinction unless they joined a larger power.
• Feng He Shou bowed to Chen Chuan and asked him to tell the Great Shun Government that Wave Pavilion would accept its terms and become a subordinate.
• Feng He Shou offered Chen Chuan rare materials and access to Wave Pavilion’s Blade Nurturing Room, and Chen Chuan accepted.
• Chen Chuan sent a coded telegraph to the Far Ocean Development Group, which agreed to wait offshore for three days.
• Feng He Shou described the likely choices of the Wind Forest Pavilion and Anyao Pavilion, then led Chen Chuan into the Blade Nurturing Room.

Chen Chuan nurtured the Snow Monarch Blade in the Wave Pavilion’s Blade Nurturing Pool, where it absorbed an extraordinary amount of nutrients and began to transform. Three days later, the blade could withstand a small amount of his power, and Feng He Shou offered materials to continue strengthening it.

• Feng He Shou explained how Blade Intent and Blade Nurturing Pools helped weapons transform, then taught Chen Chuan a universal breathing method for synchronizing with his blade.
• Chen Chuan placed Snow Monarch in the Blade Nurturing Pool, where it rapidly absorbed nutrient solution for three hours before entering slumber.
• Chen Chuan stayed on the island for two days, watching over the blade and discussing combat with Feng He Shou while learning that the Wave Pavilion had attached itself to Great Shun.
• On the third morning, Chen Chuan removed Snow Monarch from the pool and found it heavier and able to conduct a small amount of his power.
• Feng He Shou praised the blade’s progress and offered Chen Chuan a supply of nurturing materials, estimating it could become handy after three months of tempering.

Chen Chuan accepted the Far Ocean Development Group’s request to join an operation against Anyao Pavilion after one of its disciples killed a Great Shun liaison. As his Airship reached Empty Mountain Island, he learned that the other Fighter, Mr. Hu, had already entered the island alone, and ordered the Airship forward so he could go down and follow.

• Chen Chuan returned to the An Ying Islands, spent two days sightseeing, and nurtured the Snow Monarch Blade.
• A Far Ocean Development Group liaison told Chen Chuan that Anyao Pavilion had sided with the Linax Federation and that one of its disciples had killed a Great Shun liaison.
• Chen Chuan agreed to join the operation against Anyao Pavilion and departed for Empty Mountain Island aboard an Airship.
• As the Airship approached the island, Chen Chuan recognized that the huge rocks around it had been arranged like an Esoteric Ritual.
• The liaison told Chen Chuan that Mr. Hu had already gone onto the island alone, and Chen Chuan ordered the Airship forward so he could descend.

Chen Chuan entered the mist-covered Anyao Pavilion and reached Mingguan Great Hall, where he found Hu Kan fighting Howling Moon Hermitage. After Hu Kan asked for help, Chen Chuan prepared to face Howling Moon Hermitage himself.

• Chen Chuan left the airship and descended through the mist onto the island.
• Chen Chuan crossed the Anyao Pavilion grounds, where its disciples froze in fear as he passed.
• Chen Chuan reached Mingguan Great Hall and found Hu Kan facing Howling Moon Hermitage amid the wreckage.
• Hu Kan told Chen Chuan that Howling Moon Hermitage had cut off one of his heads and asked him to take over the fight.
• Chen Chuan planted the Snow Monarch Blade in the paving stones and asked Howling Moon Hermitage if he was ready to fight.

Chen Chuan defeated Howling Moon Hermitage’s body, but learned that the Aspect of the Gods practitioner had escaped by transferring his spirit into another vessel. Following the trace of his power, Chen Chuan found a hidden entrance beneath Grandmaster Hongfa’s statue and entered the passage leading toward Anyao Pavilion’s Rift.

• Chen Chuan overwhelmed Howling Moon Hermitage, broke his neck and spine, and threw his body to the ground.
• Chen Chuan told Hu Kan that Howling Moon Hermitage’s spirit had likely escaped into another vessel, and Hu Kan identified his practice as the Aspect of the Gods.
• Chen Chuan reasoned that Howling Moon Hermitage would seek a predecessor’s body in the school’s Rift and suspected it lay beneath Grandmaster Hongfa’s statue.
• Chen Chuan found a trace of mental power on the statue’s Lotus Seat, pushed aside a lotus petal, and revealed a hidden passage.
• Chen Chuan entered the passage with Hu Kan following, sensing that Anyao Pavilion’s Rift lay ahead.

Chen Chuan and Hu Kan crossed into the Anyao Pavilion’s Other Side World and confronted Howling Moon Hermitage, who attacked using a shell and the Shadowing Blade. As Chen Chuan charged through the blade shadows, Howling Moon Hermitage triggered a burst of light that made the giant shells resonate and blinded the area.

• Chen Chuan opened the passage through the mutated wall, and he and Hu Kan crossed the Rift into the Other Side World.
• They found enormous predecessor shells seated before an earthen wall, and one shell rose as a decoy while Howling Moon Hermitage attacked Hu Kan from behind.
• Hu Kan evaded the surprise strike and countered with his twin hammers, sending Howling Moon Hermitage flying.
• Howling Moon Hermitage appeared in a smaller shell and used the Anyao Pavilion’s Shadowing Blade against Chen Chuan.
• Chen Chuan charged through the blade shadows, and Howling Moon Hermitage raised his blade as the giant shells began to shine, filling the area with blinding light.

Chen Chuan and Hu Kan defeated Howling Moon Hermitage by destroying his possessed bodies and stopping his final spirit attack. They confirmed his death and left the battlefield, reflecting on the dangers posed by practitioners of the Aspect of the Gods.

• Howling Moon Hermitage used radiance to disrupt Chen Chuan’s senses, then attacked Hu Kan, whose Golden Armor Body blocked the slash.
• Chen Chuan struck Howling Moon Hermitage’s shell and revealed an opening, allowing Hu Kan to hit him with a hammer and Chen Chuan to smash the shell apart.
• Chen Chuan and Hu Kan rushed to destroy Howling Moon Hermitage’s other body before he could possess it again.
• Howling Moon Hermitage launched an Abandon Spirit Slash at Hu Kan, but Chen Chuan struck the phantom with a Shaking Spirit Hammer, weakening it until it could not harm Hu Kan.
• Chen Chuan confirmed that Howling Moon Hermitage had perished, and he and Hu Kan recovered their weapons and left the battlefield.

Chen Chuan and Hu Kan returned from Empty Mountain Island after defeating Howling Moon Hermitage, and the liaison explained how the authorities would replace Anyao Pavilion's leadership and secure the island. They ate a nourishing meal aboard the warship, where Chen Chuan learned that the items he had requested were ready.

• Chen Chuan and Hu Kan signaled the warship, left Empty Mountain Island, and reported their success to the liaison.
• The liaison explained that a successor from Danliu Hall would take over Anyao Pavilion and that the authorities had arranged for the change.
• Chen Chuan learned that a Lost Object from Howling Moon Hermitage could enhance combat ability and reduce life-energy consumption, and that Mr. Peng might intercept it.
• Hu Kan explained that he and old Peng had been assigned to the Far Ocean Development Group by the government.
• Chen Chuan and Hu Kan ate two Great Sea Eels aboard the warship, and the liaison messaged Chen Chuan that his requested items were ready.

Chen Chuan received the medicines he needed from the Far Ocean Development Group, heard about plans for an ocean Central City, and was invited to join the group. He left for High Stone Island to train while Commissioner Cao arrived at Empty Mountain Island to investigate the search for a particular Lost Object.

• Hu Kan told Chen Chuan that he expected to keep fighting and explained that coastal cities planned to establish a Central City at sea.
• The Far Ocean Development Group gave Chen Chuan the medicines it had gathered and invited him to work for the group, but he said he would consider it.
• Chen Chuan asked for a quiet island where he could practice, and the liaison arranged for him to stay at High Stone Island.
• Chen Chuan boarded an Airship to High Stone Island with the spoils from the operation.
• Commissioner Cao arrived at Empty Mountain Island, learned that Chen Chuan had taken Howling Moon Hermitage's weapon, and ordered his people to search the island's records.

Commissioner Cao’s team searched High Stone Island for the World Crossing Disc, while Chen Chuan arrived and discovered that the World Ring’s gap was closing. He found that the Snow Monarch Blade could still open a Rift, though it stayed open for less time.

• A report linked Grandmaster Hongfa to the Myriad If Food and World Crossing Disc, while an Anyao Pavilion disciple explained that Old Shen had accepted his death to give the Great Shun Government grounds to act against Anyao Pavilion.
• Commissioner Cao’s team found a portrait showing Grandmaster Hongfa had not carried the World Crossing Disc away, and Cao ordered the search of the island to continue.
• Chen Chuan arrived at High Stone Island, where Chu An and his teacher suspected that the Fighter aboard the airship was the person responsible for Wave Pavilion’s submission and the Anyao Pavilion Sword Sect leader’s death.
• Chen Chuan trained on the island, sensed the World Ring’s gap closing, and found that the Snow Monarch Blade could still open a Rift, though it closed within minutes.

While Chen Chuan focused on cultivating on High Stone Island, Chu An was drawn into a discussion of Old Era rituals and then brought by his teacher to join the Fusion Faction. After accepting the faction’s entry test and meeting Mister Feng, Chu An learned that the Fighter staying on the island might belong to the rival Purity Faction.

• Chen Chuan ignored invitations to island gatherings and continued training his Great Bright Light Style, believing he could eventually master both grand styles despite the resources required.
• Chu An discussed Old Era religions and rituals with island guests, becoming unusually absorbed until his teacher interrupted him.
• Chu An’s teacher explained why joining the Fusion Faction could give him better opportunities than entering the Essence Refinement School, and Chu An agreed to follow that path.
• Mister Feng tested Chu An by having him swallow a centipede-like insect, then explained that the Fusion Faction used fusion to overcome innate flaws.
• Chu An asked Mister Feng to instruct him, and his teacher agreed to fund the faction’s guidance and training.
• Mister Feng warned Chu An and his teacher that the Fighter on the island might belong to the Purity Faction and advised them to avoid him.

Chen Chuan trained to improve his strength while considering the growing conflicts and forces behind the World Ring. In Central City, Xu Chan investigated new threats, and Instructor Lian visited Tian Wo with a birthday gift before leaving.

• Chen Chuan practiced the Great Bright Light Style, planned to seek rare creature materials in the Convergence Zone, and learned that the World Ring had closed and tensions in Jibei Province would continue.
• Xu Chan inspected the Origin Company’s planned expansion and received leads about Green Source Ecology, as reports suggested a new Active Consciousness Entity Embryo had reached White Bird District.
• Instructor Lian visited Tian Rui and said he did not know what would happen to Tian Wo when he came of age, though Zhao Zhenye would make arrangements.
• Instructor Lian gave Tian Wo a pair of Celebrity Company Gauntlets as an early birthday present and hurried away after noticing a security patrol vehicle.

Instructor Lian returned to Swamp Training Camp and warned Zhao Zhenye that the Purity Faction might move against him, but Zhao refused the Fusion Faction’s proposal to eliminate Manager Chen. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan left High Stone Island after receiving word that his new appointment had arrived, and he prepared to attend its ceremony in Jibei Province.

• Instructor Lian returned to Swamp Training Camp, reported that Mister Zhuan and Manager Chen were in Central City, and relayed the Fusion Faction’s offer to help eliminate Manager Chen.
• Zhao Zhenye rejected the proposal, reasoning that killing one Fighter would not end the conflict and could leave him exposed to the Purity Faction.
• Chen Chuan practiced the second form of the Great Bright Light Style, read about the Sea Bird sinking, and received a telegram asking him to return for his new appointment.
• Chen Chuan left High Stone Island by airship and arrived in Jibei Province Central City on November 28.
• Qiao Yang told Chen Chuan that the capital’s officials had arrived and scheduled his appointment ceremony for the next morning.