Recaps

Jiang Ping An chose to cultivate the Heavenly Fiend Art and discovered that its manifestations were far stranger and more powerful than he expected. While Meng Kuo and Xu Tao prepared for their coming conflict, Jiang Ping An set out to test the technique on a mysterious demonic beast.

• Jiang Ping An decided to cultivate the Heavenly Fiend Art because its Killing Intent could disrupt an opponent, though he did not intend to kill indiscriminately.
• Meng Jing told Meng Kuo that Jiang Ping An had saved her by killing four Heavenly Fiend Pavilion assassins, and Meng Kuo considered betrothing her to him.
• Meng Kuo blamed Xu Tao for the assassination attempt and vowed to take Flat Water County in winter, while Xu Tao refused to pay for another assassination and ordered Ma Lin to intensify grain collection and suppress protesting farmers.
• Jiang Ping An activated the Heavenly Fiend Art and saw illusory corpses appear around him, including people he had never seen; he sensed the technique drained his mental strength.
• After soldiers reported they could not catch a fast demonic beast near the border, Jiang Ping An went out to look for it and test his new technique.

Jiang Ping An went into the western woods to test his Heavenly Fiend Art and discovered his right eye could identify a demon beast’s strength. He tried to tame a strange white demon beast, but Meng Jing joined him, and the pair were left clinging to its back as it raced through the forest at incredible speed.

• Meng Jing secretly followed Jiang Ping An into the woods after suspecting he was meeting someone, then realized he had gone to train.
• Jiang Ping An used his right eye to identify a strange white demon beast as being at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining.
• Jiang Ping An unleashed the Heavenly Fiend Art, frightened the beast, and leapt onto its back to tame it.
• Meng Jing ran over and climbed onto the demon beast too, insisting she wanted it for herself.
• The demon beast bucked and raced through the forest with Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing aboard, astonishing them with its speed.

Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing rode a swift white exotic beast across a cliff into Continuous Mountain County, while Meng Kuo learned they were missing and assumed they had gone off together. After the exhausted beast rejected Jiang Ping An’s offers, it accepted when he promised five Qi Gathering Pills a day.

• Jiang Ping An refused to jump from the white demon beast as it charged at a cliff, and it ran up the sheer wall with him and Meng Jing aboard.
• The beast crossed into Continuous Mountain County, passing an unwitting soldier on the cliffside while Meng Jing realized where they were.
• A soldier told Meng Kuo that Meng Jing and Jiang Ping An were missing, and Meng Kuo stopped worrying and assumed they had gone out together.
• At dawn, the exhausted beast collapsed beside a pool, and Jiang Ping An offered it Qi Gathering Pills to become his mount.
• The white exotic beast ignored Jiang Ping An’s offers until he promised five Qi Gathering Pills a day, then opened its mouth to accept.

Jiang Ping An secured the white beast as his mount, named it Little White, and rode back with Meng Jing. He found soldiers brutalizing villagers and intervened, whereupon the soldiers recognized him as the one who had killed Captain Cui Xiao and Captain Xu Hao.

• Jiang Ping An gave the white beast four Qi Gathering Pills, warned it not to betray him, and named it Little White after it broke through.
• Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing rested until dawn, then rode off on Little White, which did not know the way back.
• Jiang Ping An spotted soldiers killing and robbing villagers, including a woman whose husband and fellow farmers rebelled against the soldiers.
• Jiang Ping An charged into the fight on Little White and crushed a soldier who was about to kill a villager.
• Jiang Zhen demanded that Jiang Ping An surrender the horse and threatened his family, but a frightened soldier identified him as the killer of Captain Cui Xiao and Captain Xu Hao.

Jiang Ping An returned to Black Ravine Township with Meng Jing and fought Ma Lin, who wanted to claim them as Military Merit. He killed Ma Lin, but the soldiers had already witnessed the fight and Ma Lin had sent a warning for reinforcements.

• Jiang Zhen begged Jiang Ping An for mercy, then threatened him when Ma Lin arrived with three hundred cavalrymen, so Jiang Ping An burned Jiang Zhen and several soldiers to death.
• Ma Lin recognized Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing and charged at them, hoping to capture them for Military Merit.
• Jiang Ping An rode Little White at Ma Lin, shattered his Life-Preserving Talisman, and forced him to retreat.
• Ma Lin used a Sound Transmission Talisman to warn a general that Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing were in Black Ravine Township and request reinforcements.
• Jiang Ping An briefly froze Ma Lin with his right eye, beat him with the third layer of Phantom Blade and the second layer of Vibration Blade Art, and killed him.
• The several hundred soldiers halted in terror after seeing their Great Captain die.

Jiang Ping An killed Ma Lin and fought through the soldiers surrounding him and Meng Jing, while Xu Tao used their presence in Flat Water County to destabilize Meng Kuo and launch an attack on Continuous Mountain County. Meng Kuo's Military Formation broke, leaving his army exposed to Xu Tao's forces.

• Jiang Ping An killed Ma Lin, then charged into the soldiers with Little White and attacked them with his blade, fireballs, and Heavenly Fiend Art.
• Xu Tao received Ma Lin's message that Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing were in Black Ravine Township, then ordered the entire Flat Water County army to attack Continuous Mountain County.
• Xu Tao's forces caught Continuous Mountain County off guard, but Meng Kuo arrived and led his soldiers in a counterattack with a Military Formation.
• Xu Tao told Meng Kuo that Ma Lin was surrounding his daughter and Jiang Ping An, shaking Meng Kuo's state of mind and weakening his formation.
• Xu Tao taunted Meng Kuo about Meng Jing until Continuous Mountain County's Military Formation exploded, and he declared victory.

Jiang Ping An broke Xu Tao’s Military Formation and turned the battle for Continuous Mountain County into a victory, as Flat Water County’s oppressed commoners joined the fight. After Xu Tao escaped and the people celebrated, Jiang Ping An rode away to pay respects to his parents, leaving Meng Jing stunned.

• Jiang Ping An charged into Flat Water County’s army, shattered its Military Formation, and saved Meng Kuo from Xu Tao.
• Jiang Ping An returned Meng Jing to Li Yuntian, then charged back into battle as Meng Kuo fought Xu Tao and the Continuous Mountain County soldiers rallied.
• Farmers armed with weapons Jiang Ping An had left behind joined the battle, and tens of thousands of commoners rose against Flat Water County’s forces.
• Xu Tao used a Teleportation Talisman to escape, and his soldiers surrendered as the people celebrated their victory.
• Jiang Ping An rode away with Little White to pay respects to his parents, and Meng Jing learned that he had lost them.

After returning from Flat Water County, Jiang Ping An met the Ninth Princess and Black Wind County Governor Xia Qing, who invited him to the Hundred Counties Tournament. He agreed to compete for a chance to learn the Great Xia Supreme Secret Art, then learned how formidable the tournament’s contestants would be.

• Meng Jing anxiously waited for Jiang Ping An to return, and Meng Kuo welcomed him back after his successful mission.
• Meng Kuo told Jiang Ping An that his military merit could earn him a place in the Hundred Counties Tournament, and Meng Jing explained that it gathered young talents from more than a hundred counties.
• The Ninth Princess, Xia Qing, arrived and examined Jiang Ping An, judging his Spirit Cultivator talent ordinary and his Body Cultivator talent promising.
• Xia Qing invited Jiang Ping An to the tournament and offered to teach him the Great Xia Supreme Secret Art if he placed in the top ten.
• Jiang Ping An accepted the challenge, and Meng Jing warned him that tens of thousands of powerful talents would compete, including Foundation Establishment cultivators and Martial Masters.

Xia Qing rewarded Jiang Ping An with the Tyrant Body Art and rare cultivation resources before departing, leaving him to prepare for the tournament and a dangerous new training regimen. Jiang Ping An began practicing the art, suffered severe injuries, and continued despite the pain.

• Xia Qing gave Jiang Ping An a Storage Bag containing cultivation resources and the Tyrant Body Art, warned that the art might be too harsh for him, and told him to prepare for five months of special training.
• Xia Qing left after instructing Meng Kuo to manage Flat Water County, and Meng Kuo promised tax relief and grain assistance for its people.
• Meng Kuo told Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing to cultivate for the competition in six months, and Jiang Ping An set his sights on winning Great Xia's Supreme Secret Art.
• Jiang Ping An opened the Storage Bag and found three thousand Spirit Stones, Blood Spirit Pills, a Realm Breaking Pill, a Foundation Establishment Pill, and a jade slip containing the Tyrant Body Art.
• Jiang Ping An tried to cultivate the Tyrant Body Art, burst his meridians and bled from his skin, then swallowed a Blood Spirit Pill and continued.

Xia Qing gave Jiang Ping An the Overlord Body Art despite knowing he could not cultivate it, while Jiang Ping An stubbornly continued trying with Li Yuntian's help. After Meng Jing defeated him and winter came to Flat Water County, Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing set out for Black Wind City with a cultivation method from Meng Kuo.

• Xia Qing told her maid that she had given Jiang Ping An the Overlord Body Art to show her regard and temper his expectations, then directed the maid to seek a Water Spiritual Root genius at the Vast Mist Sect.
• Li Yuntian found Jiang Ping An injured from cultivating the Overlord Body Art, warned him that he lacked the talent to master it, and treated him as Jiang Ping An continued more slowly.
• Meng Jing matched Jiang Ping An's physical abilities, defeated him with her fast blade technique, and urged him to become her lackey, but he returned to cultivation without reacting.
• After another ten days, the first winter snow fell, and Flat Water County's people felt safe from the winter thanks to Jiang Ping An driving Xu Tao away.
• Meng Kuo gave Jiang Ping An the Earth Accumulation Art, an unusual Spirit Cultivator method, as Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing prepared to leave for Black Wind City.

Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing left Continuous Mountain County for the capital of Black Wind County, stopping in Bright Sea County along the way. After Meng Jing admired a costly blade she could not afford, a rotund man offered to buy it if she became his concubine.

• Jiang Ping An gave Li Yuntian Foundation Establishment Pills and Meng Kuo Realm Breaking Pills before riding away with Meng Jing on Little White.
• Meng Jing warned Jiang Ping An not to interfere in other people’s conflicts, and he gave her two Blood Spirit Pills to improve her strength.
• Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing reached Bright Sea County, where Meng Jing eagerly went into the city to buy food.
• Meng Jing admired a blade priced at ten thousand Spirit Stones but could not afford it.
• A rotund man offered to buy Meng Jing the blade if she became his concubine, and the nearby people scattered at his approach.

Jiang Ping An traded a Foundation Establishment Pill for a saber for Meng Jing, then discovered the supposedly useless Earth Accumulation Art followed the body's blood vessels rather than opening meridians. The chapter ended with him deciding to try cultivating it.

• Zhang Ling tried to buy Meng Jing as his concubine, but she refused and attempted to leave with Jiang Ping An.
• Jiang Ping An exchanged a Foundation Establishment Pill for the Blue Flower Saber and gave it to Meng Jing, despite her protests that the trade was unfair.
• The shopkeeper examined the Earth Accumulation Art and judged it unable to open any meridians, embarrassing Meng Jing because her father had given it to Jiang Ping An.
• Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing went to an inn, where they took the only available room and Jiang Ping An began studying the manual.
• Jiang Ping An realized the Earth Accumulation Art circulated along the body's blood vessels and decided to try cultivating it.

Jiang Ping An discovered that the Earth Accumulation Art lowered his apparent cultivation realm while concentrating his spiritual energy in his blood, making his spells stronger. After he killed Zhang Ling and two accomplices who attacked the inn, he continued practicing the art and suspected its name concealed its true nature.

• Jiang Ping An cultivated the Earth Accumulation Art until his realm fell from Qi Refining Level 6 to Qi Refining First Layer, then realized his spiritual energy reserves had not diminished and his Fireball Art had grown stronger.
• Zhang Ling led two men to the inn to drug and rob Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing, intending to kill Jiang Ping An and abduct Meng Jing.
• Jiang Ping An silently killed Zhang Ling and his two accomplices as they entered the room, while Meng Jing slept through the attack.
• Jiang Ping An gave Meng Jing the drug antidote, collected the attackers' supplies, and recognized a Foundation Establishment Pill as the one he had sold earlier that day.
• Jiang Ping An swallowed a Spirit Gathering Pill and resumed cultivating the Earth Accumulation Art, suspecting its ordinary name was meant to conceal the method's true identity.

Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing fled after Xu Tao attacked their inn, but Xu Tao intercepted them on the road. Jiang Ping An stopped Xu Tao’s charge long enough for Meng Jing to strike, but Xu Tao’s protective talisman blocked her attack, leaving them facing his next assault.

• Jiang Ping An woke Meng Jing and led her away from the inn, where they found the innkeeper dead and blood on the floor.
• Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing rode Little White away, and Jiang Ping An asked whether Meng Jing’s saber could outpace Xu Tao.
• Xu Tao appeared on the road, and Jiang Ping An refused to flee, saying they had to deal with him before he could threaten Uncle Meng and Old Li.
• Xu Tao charged at Jiang Ping An, who used the power of his right eye to slow him and give Meng Jing an opening to attack with the Thunder Saber Technique.
• Xu Tao’s defensive pendant blocked Meng Jing’s strike, and four jade pendants around her waist cushioned his kick as she retreated.
• Xu Tao declared that his protective talisman could withstand sustained attacks and swung his saber at them again.

Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing killed Xu Tao by using a rune-breaking banner and a coordinated attack, but a powerful cultivator named Zhang Lingmin soon confronted them. She took back a Foundation Establishment Pill and warned them that they were unlikely to pass the Princess’s assessment for the Hundred Counties Tournament.

• Jiang Ping An used the Black Array Flag to break Xu Tao’s Protective Amulet, and Meng Jing cut Xu Tao’s throat with her saber.
• Xu Tao made a final attack on Meng Jing, but Jiang Ping An saved her with Earth Wall Art before Xu Tao died.
• Jiang Ping An cautioned Meng Jing not to relax around a defeated enemy, and she accepted his apology for putting her in danger.
• Zhang Lingmin appeared and revealed that she was a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator, Meng Jing’s former opponent, and the sister of the man Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing had killed.
• Zhang Lingmin demanded the Foundation Establishment Pill her brother had bought, and Jiang Ping An gave it to her to avoid a fight.
• Zhang Lingmin warned them to return home rather than attempt the Princess’s assessment, then flew away at astonishing speed.

After defeating Xu Tao, Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing traveled to Black Wind City, where Jiang Ping An saw powerful cultivators and stocked up on pills. The chapter left them preparing to continue their cultivation journey, with Meng Jing accepting pills as a loan.

• Meng Jing warned Jiang Ping An that Xu Tao’s death could bring a bounty from Spirit Terrace Kingdom, while Jiang Ping An searched the corpse and summoned Little White.
• Jiang Ping An explained that Little White was a hidden escape plan, then rode with Meng Jing to Black Wind City.
• Jiang Ping An surveyed the city’s cultivators with his right eye, spotted what seemed to be a Nascent Soul expert, and quickly looked away when the cultivator noticed him.
• Jiang Ping An sold twenty-one Protective Amulets and traded pills for supplies useful to Foundation Establishment Realm and Martial Master-level cultivation.
• Jiang Ping An gave Meng Jing fifty Blood Spirit Pills, which she accepted as a loan to repay later.

Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing arrived at the Prefect Residence, where Xia Qing promised to help Meng Jing awaken her talent and contact her mother if she placed in the tournament’s top ten. Xia Qing offered Jiang Ping An three martial techniques, and he chose the Limitless Fist before being sent to rest.

• Jiang Ping An and Meng Jing arrived at the Prefect Residence and were admitted after Xia Qing confirmed their arrival.
• Xia Qing recognized Meng Jing’s potential and said she could help contact Meng Jing’s mother if Meng Jing placed in the top ten.
• Xia Qing told Meng Jing that she had found materials to awaken her talent and encouraged her to work toward earning a tournament slot.
• Xia Qing offered Jiang Ping An the Immovable Golden Bell Shield, the Limitless Fist, and the Great Collapse Fist, explaining their strengths and weaknesses.
• Jiang Ping An chose the Limitless Fist, and Xia Qing gave him its jade slip and arranged for someone to take him to rest.

Jiang Ping An settled into his new residence, rebuffed Ma Wei’s demand that he become a lackey, and completed his first circulation of the Tyrant Body Art, advancing to Martial Master. He joined Meng Jing at the dining hall, where her newly awakened Thunder Spirit Body drew attention and Feng Yuchen introduced himself.

• The maid showed Jiang Ping An his room and explained that he would train and be assessed in the Back Mountain in three days.
• Ma Wei ambushed Jiang Ping An and demanded he become his lackey, but Jiang Ping An refused and used the room’s formation barrier to send him flying.
• Jiang Ping An endured a painful day of cultivation and completed one circulation of the Tyrant Body Art, entering the Martial Master ranks.
• Meng Jing visited Jiang Ping An, told him she had awakened a powerful talent and become a Martial Master, and took him to the dining hall for desserts.
• People at the dining hall discussed Meng Jing’s Thunder Spirit Body and Lei Family bloodline, and Feng Yuchen introduced himself to her and described his own Dragon Bloodline.

At the Prefect Residence, Jiang Ping An drew scorn from Feng Yuchen and Ma Wei, but Meng Jing defended him as her best friend. She explained that the coming five-month battle for spots would determine who could compete in the Hundred Counties Tournament, while promising to share her winnings with Jiang Ping An.

• Young men crowded around Meng Jing, but she introduced herself as Jiang Ping An and headed for the desserts.
• Feng Yuchen treated Jiang Ping An as a servant and threatened him after Jiang Ping An refused to share Meng Jing's personal details.
• Jiang Ping An took a Foundation Establishment Pill out to buy demon beast meat, but the chef gave him a portion for free.
• Ma Wei mocked Jiang Ping An, and Meng Jing rebuked him and declared Jiang Ping An her best friend.
• Meng Jing told Jiang Ping An that the five-month battle for spots would take place on a thirty-level mountain, where the highest-ranked cultivators would earn resources and qualify for the Hundred Counties Tournament.

Jiang Ping An received a Demon Beast Storage Bag for Little White and rapidly advanced to Qi Refining Level 6 by consuming large numbers of Spirit Gathering Pills. Meanwhile, Xia Qing warned Meng Jing that Jiang Ping An was unworthy of her and urged her to keep her distance, leaving Meng Jing silent.

• Jiang Ping An refused to sell Little White, and the old horse attendant gave him a Demon Beast Storage Bag as a gift.
• Jiang Ping An stored Little White and returned to cultivate, using demon beast meat and Spirit Gathering Pills to break through to Qi Refining Level 6.
• Ma Wei and nearby Cultivators noticed the surrounding spiritual energy had suddenly diminished.
• Meng Jing sensed Thunder Power, and Xia Qing explained that her Thunder Spirit Body could eventually command lightning.
• Xia Qing told Meng Jing that Jiang Ping An was not worthy of her and urged her to avoid him, while Meng Jing lowered her head without responding.

Jiang Ping An received the Heavenly Profound Pill Meng Jing had given him and pushed his cultivation to the Martial Master level, though he failed to reach Foundation Establishment. The next morning, he and Meng Jing arrived at the Back Mountain as the competition for tournament spots was about to begin.

• Jiang Ping An found Meng Jing chatting with other youths in the dining hall, then ate alone until she brought him demon beast meat and gave him a pill from Xia Qing to improve his talent.
• Jiang Ping An traded Foundation Establishment Pills for cultivation pills and spent the night absorbing their energy, advancing through the Qi Refining layers without breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
• Xia Qing realized Meng Jing had given away the Heavenly Profound Pill, but let her keep her decision after Meng Jing vowed to earn a top ten spot.
• Meng Jing woke Jiang Ping An and learned he had reached the Martial Master level; she then hurried him to the Back Mountain before he could eat breakfast.
• The youths gathered at the thirty-level mountain for the tournament-spot competition, and Xia Qing arrived above the clouds with several Maids.

The Quota Competition began as gifted youths fought for the mountain’s upper floors, while Jiang Ping An chose the lowest floor to study the Limitless Fist and cultivate. After opening the Heavenly Profound Pill Meng Jing had given him, he felt his blood surge and touched the Foundation Establishment Realm barrier.

• Xia Qing announced the Quota Competition rules and declared that the youths had five months to qualify for the Hundred Counties Tournament.
• A Divine Phoenix Body girl claimed the first floor, a Soul Cultivator took the second, and a youth with the Myriad Gold Body claimed the third as other contestants fought for positions.
• Meng Jing went to fight on the mountain, while Jiang Ping An walked to the Thirtieth Floor to cultivate.
• Xia Qing told her maid that Jiang Ping An needed time to study the Limitless Fist, while Ma Wei grew furious that he could not challenge him and went to challenge Meng Jing instead.
• Jiang Ping An activated his room’s barrier, opened the pill Meng Jing had given him, and felt himself touch the Foundation Establishment Realm barrier.

Jiang Ping An used the Seven-Colored Pill to break through directly to Foundation Establishment and discovered that his cultivation speed had improved dramatically. After emerging from seclusion, he found Meng Jing had been blocked from climbing higher by Ma Wei, who was targeting her because of Jiang Ping An.

• Jiang Ping An replicated the Seven-Colored Pill with the Bronze Treasure Accumulation Basin, producing five pills, then swallowed one to improve his talent.
• The pill helped Jiang Ping An break through to Foundation Establishment, draining ten thousand spirit stones as spiritual energy flooded into him.
• After three days, Jiang Ping An found that the Overlord Body Art circulated more than ten times faster and considered learning powerful spells to catch up with the other geniuses.
• Jiang Ping An saw Meng Jing lose to Ma Wei on the twenty-fifth level and learned that Ma Wei was deliberately blocking her progress because Jiang Ping An had offended him.
• Ma Wei mocked Jiang Ping An in front of the other geniuses, and Jiang Ping An pulled the furious Meng Jing into a room.

Jiang Ping An fed Meng Jing the seven-colored pill, awakening the terrifying power of her Thunder Spirit Body while he studied the Limitless Fist. Meng Jing challenged Ma Wei and revealed her ability to summon a devastating thunderstorm, leaving the mountain’s geniuses shocked and Ma Wei wary of provoking her further.

• Jiang Ping An forced Meng Jing to swallow the seven-colored pill, and she spent three days absorbing its power while he studied Xia Qing’s Limitless Fist.
• Meng Jing awoke with a transformed aura, discovered the lightning had destroyed her clothes, and threatened Jiang Ping An before setting out to challenge Ma Wei.
• Meng Jing summoned a thundercloud and unleashed bolts of lightning at Ma Wei, who dodged with the Vast Mist Sect’s Divine Void Step.
• After three breaths, Meng Jing exhausted her power and went to find Jiang Ping An for food, admitting she had only meant to scare Ma Wei.
• The mountain’s geniuses marveled at Meng Jing’s Thunder Spirit Body, and Ma Wei decided to stop provoking her and began challenging his way upward.

Jiang Ping An spent four months mastering the first level of the Limitless Fist instead of competing for higher mountain levels, earning Xia Qing’s respect for his patience and steady temperament. With only one month left before the assessment deadline, Xia Qing expected him to begin challenging others but doubted he could reach the top ten.

• Meng Jing teased Jiang Ping An after Ma Wei stopped blocking her, while Xia Qing watched their friendship with envy before returning to the imperial city.
• Over the next few months, Meng Jing climbed to the fifteenth level while Jiang Ping An practiced the Limitless Fist, eventually training on the thirtieth level without challenging anyone.
• Xia Qing returned in the fourth month and showed her maid that Jiang Ping An could exchange punches with a snowflake without shattering it.
• Xia Qing explained that Jiang Ping An had fully mastered the first level of the Limitless Fist and praised his patience, while her maid suggested his progress came from the Heavenly Profound Pill.
• Xia Qing predicted Jiang Ping An might reach the top twenty in the final month but dismissed his chances of placing in the top ten.