Chapter Summaries

Lu Chenzhou took the Blood Lotus Elixir, which raised his Qi and Blood limit and strengthened his healing, then prepared to leave on a long journey. He said goodbye to his family, master, and senior sisters, while Ji Feiyan planned to attempt her First Shackle Breakthrough the next day.

• Lu Chenzhou saw his Hidden Dragon Rankings rank rise to 188th and celebrated Xiao He's advancement to Martial Artist with his classmates.
• Lu Chenzhou endured the Blood Lotus Elixir's painful effects, gained Blood Lotus Treasure Qi, and saw his Inner Scenery Land expand.
• Lu Chenzhou measured his Qi and Blood at 53 points and realized the elixir had raised it by three points without filling his body's remaining capacity.
• Lu Chenzhou improved his body-tempering progress with the Blood Lotus Treasure Qi and Bright Jade Balm, then adjusted his aperture-opening schedule and packed for his journey.
• Lu Chenzhou said goodbye to his parents and master, and Ji Feiyan told him she would attempt the First Shackle Breakthrough the next day.

Lu Chenzhou set out for Xijiang Province with Wang Xian’s Divine Chariot and a mysterious jade token as Qingcheng’s old principal broke the seventh shackle and became a supreme peak powerhouse. The chapter ended with Rainbow Daoist discussing his new path with the Longhu Grand Celestial Master.

• Qingtian Cang advised Lu Chenzhou to travel widely and broaden his understanding of heaven and earth.
• Lu Chenzhou said farewell to his schoolmates, asked Chen Xiaoyun to look after his master's wife, and defeated Wang Hongdao in a single thrust.
• Wang Xian lent Lu Chenzhou his Divine Chariot, and Wang Changming gave him a crimson jade token for protection before Lu departed for Xijiang Province.
• Qingcheng's old principal broke the seventh shackle, transformed from a white skeleton into a young Daoist, and announced that he had attained the supreme peak.
• Lu Chenzhou sensed the breakthrough in his Inner Landscape and learned from the Divine Chariot's news broadcast that the new supreme peak was Rainbow Daoist.
• Rainbow Daoist met the Longhu Grand Celestial Master, and the two discussed their different paths after attaining the pinnacle.

Lu Chenzhou traveled to Tengwang Pavilion and Mount Lu with Chen Yuan, gaining powerful Dao insights from the sages’ relics and witnessing Lü Zu’s rise to immortality. He left Immortal’s Cave with a transformed inner landscape, a thirty-foot Martial Dao Tree, and the first layer of the Pure Yang Great Elixir Technique.

• Lu Chenzhou met Chen Yuan at Tengwang Pavilion and gained Dao essence from the plaque, improving his understanding of his fist principles and spear arts.
• Lu Chenzhou and Chen Yuan flew to Mount Lu in the Divine Chariot and toured its peaks while practicing and cultivating.
• At Immortal’s Cave, Lu Chenzhou and Chen Yuan studied Lü Zu’s verses and glimpsed Lü Zu’s cultivation, travels, and ascent to immortality.
• Lu Chenzhou’s inner landscape grew lush, his Martial Dao Tree reached thirty feet, and he acquired the first layer of the Pure Yang Great Elixir Technique.

Lu Chenzhou gained further insight into Daoist techniques at Sanqing Mountain while Ji Feiyan successfully became a Martial Artist. As Lu Chenzhou and Chen Yuan departed, assassin Bai Jingming prepared to attack him, while Gu Qianqian arranged backup through a local Divine Child Cult hall master.

• Lu Chenzhou discovered that watching Lü Zu’s Dao essence had advanced his Pure Yang Limitless Shield and granted him the Pure Yang Great Elixir Technique, then traveled with Chen Yuan to Sanqing Mountain.
• Ji Feiyan endured a difficult breakthrough and became a Martial Artist, drawing strength from Lu Chenzhou’s echo in her Inner Landscape before celebrating with Ji Xuantong.
• Lu Chenzhou and Chen Yuan explored Sanqing Mountain, and Lu Chenzhou absorbed the Dao essence at Immortal Elder Ge’s hermitage, growing the Martial Dao Tree and advancing his understanding of Tiger Form Fist.
• Bai Jingming concealed himself near the parking lot and prepared to assassinate Lu Chenzhou, believing he had found his chance.
• Chen Yongjing told Gu Qianqian that Bai Jingming had made his move, and Gu Qianqian said their backup plan involved a local Divine Child Cult hall master.

Lu Chenzhou was ambushed on Sanqing Mountain by Bai Jingming, a second-shackle assassin, and fought him to the death. After killing Bai Jingming, Lu discovered that his master’s Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Sword had also destroyed two hidden cultists, and he told Pill Cauldron Yuan Qi what had happened.

• Lu Chenzhou sensed danger near the parking lot and turned back up the mountain with Chen Yuan, but Bai Jingming attacked them with gunfire and a surprise saber strike.
• Lu Chenzhou blocked Bai Jingming’s attacks and used his Martial King aura to resist the assassin’s mental assault, then fought him as Bai Jingming transformed into a monstrous Heavenly Demon.
• Lu Chenzhou pierced Bai Jingming’s chest, used Dog Ghost and his protective techniques to survive the demon’s counterattacks, and finally killed him.
• A ghost claw ambushed Lu Chenzhou from the darkness, but the ice armor from his Dharma robe stopped it; the Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Sword then incinerated two hidden attackers.
• Lu Chenzhou collected items from the ashes and Bai Jingming’s body, then met Pill Cauldron Yuan Qi and admitted that he had killed the second-shackle assassin.

Lu Chenzhou survived a Blood Hidden Tower assassination on Sanqing Mountain and stayed at Dragon-Tiger Mountain while the police investigated. He found and consumed a Ginseng Jujube that slightly improved his innate bones, while news of his victory spread and his allies discussed the danger ahead.

• Pill Cauldron Adept identified the dead attacker as a Blood Hidden Tower assassin, and Lu Chenzhou handed the seized evil artifact pipe to Murong Hai before leaving with Chen Yuan.
• Chen Yuan hosted Lu Chenzhou at Dragon-Tiger Mountain, where Lu Chenzhou searched the shattered storage pouch and found gold bars, evil manuals, Demon King essence blood, and a Ginseng Jujube.
• Lu Chenzhou consumed the Ginseng Jujube and endured a painful marrow-cleansing process that left him feeling refreshed and slightly improved his innate bones.
• News spread through West River that Lu Chenzhou had killed a second-shackle Blood Hidden Tower assassin, prompting Old Ji and Qingtian Cang to discuss his prospects.
• Wang Xian told Wang Changming that Lu Chenzhou had survived the ambush, and Wang Changming said the Vermilion Bird Sword was sufficient protection for his journey.

Lu Chenzhou left Dragon-Tiger Academy after defeating a second-shackle assassin and arrived at Mount Wudang to seek insight into Dao essence. His reputation had spread across the land, and onlookers at Hidden Immortal Rock wondered how quickly he would comprehend Patriarch Zhang’s legacy.

• The Blood Duke learned that Lu Chenzhou had survived the assassination attempt, while Lu Chenzhou practiced with Chen Yuan and visited Dragon-Tiger Academy’s morning class.
• Lu Chenzhou fed the Demon King’s essence blood to the Tiger Gall Spear, strengthening the divine weapon’s blood pool.
• After ten days of training, Lu Chenzhou opened another aperture, said goodbye to Chen Yuan, and continued his journey.
• Police identified Bai Jingming as Blood Owl and confirmed the other attackers were Divine Child Cult members; Lu Chenzhou received thirty million in bounty money.
• Lu Chenzhou reached Mount Wudang, entered the sacred grounds, and visited Hidden Immortal Rock, where Gu Lingtong and other Dao seekers awaited his attempt to comprehend Patriarch Zhang’s Dao essence.

Lu Chenzhou practiced Tai Chi Fist at Hidden Immortal Rock and drew out Patriarch Zhang’s Dao essence, earning a Tai Chi Divine Seed that could help reconcile conflicting martial forces. The chapter left him inside the vision, as Patriarch Zhang asked him how to enter the sixth realm.

• Lu Chenzhou studied the seventy-two Tai Chi Fist illustrations, practiced the forms, and advanced his Tai Chi Fist to Mastery during a prolonged flash of inspiration.
• Lu Chenzhou saw Patriarch Zhang demonstrate Tai Chi Fist in an illusion, while the carvings at Hidden Immortal Rock appeared to come alive before the gathered onlookers.
• Daoist Feiyun recognized Patriarch Zhang’s manifestation, and the peak masters of Mount Wudang discussed Lu Chenzhou’s talent and the possibility that he would receive a wondrous art.
• Hong Tianxiang arrived at Hidden Immortal Rock and wondered whether Lu Chenzhou possessed a top-tier Dao Body.
• Lu Chenzhou obtained the Tai Chi Divine Seed, whose Yin and Yang effect could balance his body’s energies and improve the compatibility of different martial forces.
• Patriarch Zhang pondered how to break the sixth shackle, fell asleep, then woke and asked Lu Chenzhou how one entered the sixth realm.

Lu Chenzhou spoke with Zhang Zu’s martial imprint about nature, life, and how martial artists across generations build upon one another to advance the Dao. After Zhang Zu passed on the Cloud-Climbing Ladder, Lu Chenzhou awoke and found that his Martial Dao Tree had grown and gained a new skill leaf.

• Lu Chenzhou realized Zhang Zu was speaking to him and quoted the saying that had puzzled martial artists for a millennium.
• Zhang Zu explained that cultivating nature and life meant strengthening both body and mind, and that martial arts advanced through the efforts of countless generations.
• Zhang Zu urged Lu Chenzhou to become a path-forger so martial arts and humanity could endure, then demonstrated the Cloud-Climbing Ladder.
• Lu Chenzhou tried to learn the movement art for an hour but made no progress before Zhang Zu’s illusion shattered.
• Lu Chenzhou woke and saw that the Martial Dao Tree had grown to five stories, with a new leaf recording Cloud-Climbing Ladder at Beginner (1%).

After making Zhang Zu manifest at Hidden Immortal Rock, Lu Chenzhou received Daoist techniques and gifts from Jade Mountain Daoist and headed for Shaolin to continue studying Buddhism and Daoism. News of his achievement spread across Great Xia, and the chapter ended with him arriving at Shaolin Temple, where students wondered whether he would make its patriarch manifest too.

• Lu Chenzhou realized that his encounter with Zhang Zu had given him the Cloud-Climbing Ladder and deepened his understanding of fist principles, bringing the fifth realm within reach.
• Lu Chenzhou admitted to the gathered visitors that he had attained enlightenment, thanked Wudang's seniors, and bowed to Zhang Zu as rumors of his Dao Body began to spread.
• Jade Mountain Daoist gave Lu Chenzhou the Ten Directions Cloud-Treading Boots and a Zhenwu Token after Lu agreed to copy the Cloud-Climbing Ladder technique for Wudang.
• Lu Chenzhou tested the boots' wind-assisted leaps and then headed toward Shaolin Temple, while news of Zhang Zu's manifestation spread through Dragon City and drew reactions from his friends, teacher, and other powerful figures.
• Lu Chenzhou arrived at Shaolin Temple, where Songshan Martial University students watched him and speculated that he might make a Buddhist patriarch manifest.

At the Dharma Wall, Lu Chenzhou witnessed Bodhidharma’s failed breakthrough, death, and lasting legacy, then used the Buddhist Dao aura to break through the barrier in his fist principles. He reached the fifth realm, comprehending his fist intent as a tree embodying Martial Dao, and declared his resolve to become a pathbreaker.

• Lu Chenzhou entered an illusion of Bodhidharma traveling to Great Xia, meditating for ninety years, and failing to break through the fifth realm.
• Bodhidharma accepted the era’s limits, then died as his relic and spirit merged into the Dharma Wall and left behind scenes of his teachings.
• Lu Chenzhou emerged from the vision and gained the Buddhist Dao aura that helped shatter the barrier to his fourth realm of fist principles.
• Senior Dingyuan, Zhending, and Mingxin arrived and watched as Lu Chenzhou practiced before the Dharma Wall.
• Lu Chenzhou recognized the teachings of past masters and mentors, comprehended the fifth realm of fist principles, and resolved to pursue martial Dao without regret.
• Lu Chenzhou’s inner landscape revealed his fist intent as a vast tree, which he named Martial Dao.

Lu Chenzhou reached the fifth realm of fist principles, strengthened his Heaven-Mandated Profound Tiger Fist, and accepted Zen Master Dingyuan’s invitation to seek enlightenment in Shaolin’s kitchen. Meanwhile, Gu Qianqian, Tang Zheng, and Li Haosheng formed an alliance against Lu Fang, and Tang Zheng considered targeting Lu Chenzhou.

• Lu Chenzhou broke through to the fifth realm of fist principles, raised his vitality to 57, and advanced the Heaven-Mandated Profound Tiger Fist divine seed to the fifth order.
• Zen Master Dingyuan invited Lu Chenzhou to seek Dao essence in Shaolin’s kitchen, and Lu Chenzhou agreed to try.
• Zhending learned that Lu Chenzhou had reached the fifth realm while still a martial artist, while Dingyuan hoped to win him over to Buddhism with a Shaolin Dharma Token.
• Gu Qianqian, Protector Xu, and Tang Zheng met Li Haosheng, a protector of Eternal Heaven, and agreed to cooperate against Lu Fang.
• Tang Zheng said Lu Chenzhou should also be eliminated, and Gu Qianqian offered him blood slaves and heavenly treasures if he killed him; Tang Zheng said he would consider it.

Lu Chenzhou spent a month at Shaolin trying to comprehend the Dao in the kitchen where Kongwen had created the Tathagata Divine Palm. After he stopped fixating on success and settled into ordinary practice, the kitchen filled with disciples following his example, while his own cultivation continued to advance.

• Gu Qianqian recognized Tang Zheng’s temptation but explained that Blood Heavenly Dog remained determined to assassinate Lu Chenzhou because it feared the Heavenly Tiger Clan’s return.
• Lu Chenzhou entered Kongwen’s kitchen but found no trace of Dao essence, while Zen Master Dingyuan waited outside, convinced that Lu Chenzhou matched Abbot Huikong’s prophecy.
• After a day without progress, Lu Chenzhou steadied his Dao heart, reflected on the Bodhi Formula, and began practicing the Heaven Stance without clinging to the goal of comprehension.
• Zhending and Mingxin left, but Zen Master Dingyuan stayed; Lu Chenzhou’s practice inspired Songshan Martial University disciples to gather and cultivate around the kitchen.
• Lu Chenzhou spent a month living and practicing at Shaolin, opening four acupoints each month and drawing closer to his second breakthrough.

After a hundred days at Shaolin Temple, Lu Chenzhou completed Arhat Fist, advanced his Buddhist cultivation, and gained Golden Bell Protection. As he prepared to leave for Mount Wutai, the mysterious old monk at Cool Breeze Peak revealed a world-shaking technique and began to introduce it.

• Lu Chenzhou completed Arhat Fist and reflected on his progress in the Bodhi Formula and Tiger Demon Tai Sui Method.
• Zen Master Dingyuan and the old monk at Cool Breeze Peak heard Lu Chenzhou describe himself as seemingly enlightened, and the old monk guided him in Buddhist doctrine.
• Over the following two and a half months, Lu Chenzhou continued his studies and body-tempering at Shaolin Temple until Golden Bell Jade Drum Wisdom King Body reached Greater Mastery and formed Golden Bell Protection.
• Lu Chenzhou bid farewell to the Shaolin monks and told the old monk he was leaving for Mount Wutai.
• The old monk displayed a miraculous vision of Mount Song as a lotus dais surrounded by ten thousand Buddhas, then began describing a powerful technique, and Lu Chenzhou eagerly guessed it was the Tathagata Divine Palm.

Lu Chenzhou received the World-Honored One's Tribulation Dharma from Divine Monk Kongwen and returned to Shaolin to pass it on to Abbot Huikong. He entered the Seven-Tiered Stupa with Sky Supporting Mendicant and overcame the collective demonic wills within, where he glimpsed the martial artists whose wills had shaped the stupa.

• Divine Monk Kongwen questioned Lu Chenzhou about the World-Honored One, tribulations, and his resolve to become a Dao-founder before teaching him the World-Honored One's Tribulation Dharma.
• Lu Chenzhou learned that the technique required at least Third Realm cultivation or fifth-level fist principles, then left Cool Breeze Peak to fulfill his promise to Shaolin.
• Lu Chenzhou told Sky Supporting Mendicant that he had gained a wondrous technique, and the mendicant brought him to the Seven-Tiered Stupa to meet Abbot Huikong.
• Sky Supporting Mendicant explained that the stupa housed a dangerous entrance to the Void Realm and warned Lu Chenzhou to guard his mind before they descended.
• Lu Chenzhou resisted the gathered demonic wills, destroyed a shadow monster with Dark Tiger and Flying Swallow, and saw martial artists standing in a celestial palace within his mind.

Lu Chenzhou resisted the wills within the Demon-Subduing Pagoda and traveled with Sky Supporting Mendicant through a Disaster Forbidden Zone, learning the Vajra Lion's Roar after witnessing its power against demons. They arrived at Songshan City, where the chapter left Lu Chenzhou with the new martial art recorded on his Martial Dao Tree.

• Lu Chenzhou resisted the demonic and martial arts wills in the Demon-Subduing Pagoda, and his Martial Dao Tree grew to eleven zhang and six feet.
• Sky Supporting Mendicant took Lu Chenzhou through the Withered Wind Calamity and explained how the Dragon-Elephant Heaven-Supporting Divine Skill had delayed his cultivation.
• Sky Supporting Mendicant used the Vajra Lion's Roar to kill most of a flock of Old Man Vultures, and Lu Chenzhou gathered their demon materials.
• Sky Supporting Mendicant taught Lu Chenzhou the Vajra Lion's Roar, which Lu Chenzhou learned well enough to add to his Martial Dao Tree.
• Lu Chenzhou and Sky Supporting Mendicant reached Songshan City, home of Songshan Martial University.

Lu Chenzhou gave Abbot Huikong a Buddhist cultivation technique, received treasures from Shaolin, and gained Yellow Dragon Treasure Qi by consuming a Dragon Whisker Fruit. He continued traveling and growing stronger, then set his sights on Kunlun Mountain.

• Lu Chenzhou offered the Heart Sutra of the Venerable One Through Calamities in the Realms of the Three Times and Ten Directions to Abbot Huikong, who had it copied into the Sutra Repository and sent him to choose rewards.
• Lu Chenzhou chose the Great Rat Chain and a Dragon Whisker Fruit, then absorbed the fruit to form Yellow Dragon Treasure Qi and strengthen his body.
• Lu Chenzhou visited Mount Laojun and traveled through the Central Plains, cultivating, helping people when he could, and defeating demons and martial artists who challenged him.
• Lu Chenzhou opened one hundred and forty acupoints, grew his Martial Dao Tree to twelve zhang, and became a widely praised rising figure in Great Xia.
• Lu Chenzhou learned that Li Gui and his wife had retired to Kunlun Mountain and decided to end his travels there.

At Mount Wutai, Lu Chenzhou heard the history of Master Lingkong from an old monk and entered a vision of Lingkong’s life and final enlightenment. The vision ended with Lingkong departing for the next step, and the Martial Dao Tree revealed an incomplete Formless Elephant Treatise that Lu Chenzhou could not practice.

• At Tayuan Temple, Lu Chenzhou met an old monk sweeping beneath the White Pagoda, who recounted Master Lingkong’s rise from a low-skilled worker to the founder of Form-Emulation Fist.
• The old monk described how Lingkong compiled the Book of Myriad Forms, became a Tiger Form grandmaster, and pursued the Four Symbols method in hopes of reaching the Sixth Realm.
• Inside the White Pagoda, Lu Chenzhou sensed Dao essence and witnessed a vision of Lingkong’s life, from secretly learning fist arts to traveling the world and achieving mastery.
• In the vision, Lingkong glimpsed the Sixth Realm before dying peacefully beneath the White Pagoda, and his spirit transformed into the Four Symbols as monks mourned his passing.
• Lingkong’s aged phantom declared that the Way of Forms would flourish and said he would take the first step before flying into the heavens.
• After the vision ended, Lu Chenzhou saw the old monk leave and received an incomplete Formless Elephant Treatise from the Martial Dao Tree, which said it could not be practiced.

Lu Chenzhou studied Master Lingkong’s Formless Elephant Treatise, a far-reaching proposal to reshape martial aptitude and unite the Pictographic School’s branches. After cultivating the Bodhi Formula through the night and reaching its third layer, he met Master Xuankong outside the White Pagoda.

• Lu Chenzhou absorbed Master Lingkong’s teachings and realized the Formless Elephant Treatise could gradually reshape ordinary aptitude and ultimately unite all pictographic forms.
• Lu Chenzhou considered the method’s immense practical difficulties, including the need for rare medicines and the risk of dangerous side effects, and decided his own path would remain focused on Tiger Form.
• Lu Chenzhou’s understanding of fist principles deepened, and his Martial Dao Tree grew to fifteen zhang, though the path to the sixth realm remained unclear.
• Lu Chenzhou cultivated the Bodhi Formula overnight in the White Pagoda and advanced to its third layer, awakening Little Clear-Mirror Eyes.
• At dawn, Lu Chenzhou saw Master Xuankong standing in the snow outside the pagoda and went to pay his respects.

Lu Chenzhou shared the Formless Elephant Treatise with Master Xuankong, who gave him the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Cloak and recognized him as Master Lingkong’s disciple across generations. After learning the cloak’s history, Lu Chenzhou left Mount Wutai, hoping the treatise would help others grow stronger.

• Lu Chenzhou explained the Formless Elephant Treatise to Master Xuankong over a day and night, and Xuankong planned to consult other pinnacle experts about completing it.
• Master Xuankong gave Lu Chenzhou the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Cloak, and Lu subdued its Sow Dragon spirit with the aid of his Martial Dao Tree, Dark Tiger, and Tiger Taisui.
• Master Xuankong explained that the cloak was a token from Master Lingkong and that anyone who comprehended the Dao would count as Lingkong’s third disciple and Xuankong’s junior brother.
• Lu Chenzhou accepted the connection to the form-imitation masters while affirming his respect for his own true transmission master, then visited Buddha Light Temple and witnessed the cloak’s past in its Dao essence.
• Lu Chenzhou learned that Master Lingkong had fashioned the cloak from a Sow Dragon’s hide after recovering Zen Master Wende’s stolen red kasaya, and he left Mount Wutai a week later.