Chapter Summaries

The Great Xia supreme experts gathered in the hidden Penglai pocket realm to discuss humanity’s response to the Void Realm, while Lu Chenzhou traveled to the Hengduan Mountains and continued strengthening his martial arts. The chapter left him in Dali City after perfecting Vajra Lion’s Roar and discovering a new divine seed that enhanced his sonic martial arts talent.

• The Azure Heaven Dragon King opened the hidden realm of Penglai at Guixu, where all fourteen supreme experts of Great Xia gathered for a Dao discussion.
• Wan Shixian explained that Penglai could serve as a refuge in a crisis, but the supreme experts agreed humanity had to grow stronger and defeat the gods rather than hide.
• The supreme experts set four topics for discussion: breeding rare creatures, cultivating heavenly treasures, confronting possible eighth-realm entities, and completing the Formless Elephant Treatise.
• Lu Chenzhou said farewell to his family, friends, and fellow students before leaving for the Hengduan Mountains, where several of them planned to join the development effort later.
• Great Xia advanced its plan to concentrate its population and defenses in 108 base cities while relocating residents from smaller cities.
• In Dali City, Lu Chenzhou perfected Vajra Lion’s Roar by killing Man-Winged Butterflies, then gained the Golden Light Taisui divine seed and manifested the Golden-Haired Roar.

Lu Chenzhou reached the mid-realm, named his fused Golden-Haired Hou and tiger spirit the Qiongqi Spirit, and tested his newly advanced Life-Death Unity Talisman during a demon tide. The Witch God Sect’s Miao Xiaofeng sent two third-realm demons to capture him alive, and as one attacked, Duan Huaiyu rushed to his aid.

• Lu Chenzhou fused the Golden-Haired Hou spirit with his tiger-shaped spirit, named the resulting Qiongqi Spirit, and later reached the mid-realm while patrolling the Hengduan Mountains with Bai Miaomiao.
• At Military Outpost No. 79, Bai Miaomiao lost a sword match to Zhou Ruoxue before an alarm announced a demon tide led by a third-realm great demon.
• Lu Chenzhou tested his Level Two Life-Death Unity Talisman during the attack, sensed a hidden demon underground, and killed it before Redfire Demon Ants and Human-Headed Bees swarmed the outpost.
• Miao Xiaofeng revealed that the Witch God Sect had stirred up the demon tide to capture Lu Chenzhou and ordered a Jade-Bladed Human-Faced Mantis and a Burrowing Demon Earthworm to bring him back alive.
• The Jade-Bladed Human-Faced Mantis attacked Lu Chenzhou, who dodged and summoned his manifested Qiongqi Spirit, but its blades tore through the spirit and sent him crashing through military tents.
• Duan Huaiyu noticed another third-realm aura and rushed toward Lu Chenzhou as Miao Xiaofeng warned the mantis not to kill him.

At Outpost No. 79, Lu Chenzhou used his Spear Dao Dharma Domain to wound a third-realm Mantis Demon, but Bai Miaomiao killed it with the White Snake Sword’s source sword energy. As Lu Chenzhou faced another ambush, Yagyu appeared and attacked him with a powerful samurai slash.

• A Snowfield Demoness and an insect demon trapped Duan Huaiyu while Bai Miaomiao rushed to defend Lu Chenzhou from the Mantis Demon.
• Lu Chenzhou manifested his spirit and unleashed Ragnarok, reaching an attack level of 100 ding and piercing the Mantis Demon’s chest while suppressing its strength.
• The Mantis Demon launched its 202-ding Heaven Mantis Sun-Felling Slash, and Bai Miaomiao used the White Snake Sword to kill it with a green-serpent sword strike.
• Zhou Ruoxue was stunned by Lu Chenzhou’s battlefield-like spear technique, while Lan Yingying sensed the source sword energy and sent Little Green toward Dali City.
• Lu Chenzhou evaded a giant insect’s web and summoned the Xiangyun Ship, but Yagyu appeared on the mountaintop and struck at him with Red General Prajna Slash.

Lu Chenzhou survived a devastating attack from a Blood Hidden Tower assassin after the Posuo Emperor’s power destroyed the attacker’s mindscape. As he recovered at Base No. 79, Lu Chenzhou discovered that his spiritual power had grown enough to summon his spear with telekinesis.

• Tiger Taisui and the Posuo Emperor’s phantom overwhelmed the skeletal warrior in Lu Chenzhou’s inner landscape, while the Posuo Emperor’s power also destroyed the black-clothed assassin’s mindscape.
• Lu Chenzhou used the Xiangyun Ship, his ice armor, and other defenses to survive the assassin’s sword strike, then fought through demons with Bai Miaomiao as she carried him toward medical care.
• The Posuo Emperor killed the assassin, and a meditating man in Bodhi Ancient Kingdom sensed that someone had activated the mind power he had left in the bracelet.
• Miao Xiaofeng fled as the demons abandoned their attack on Base No. 79, while Duan Huaiyu and the defenders reached the military medical room.
• Duan Huaiyu identified the assassin’s death as spiritual annihilation, and Lu Chenzhou realized his Martial Dao Tree had grown before using telekinesis to pull the Tiger Gall Spear into his hand.

After surviving an attack by powerful assassins, Lu Chenzhou discovered that his spiritual power had surged and began planning to strengthen his body and mind. He returned to Dali City to recover, then examined the rewards and spoils from defending the outpost.

• Lu Chenzhou told Duan Huaiyu he had learned no mind-cultivation techniques, while Bai Miaomiao and Zhou Ruoxue stayed with him as Duan handled the aftermath.
• Lu Chenzhou realized the shattered Mind-Spirit Bracelet had poured pure spiritual power into him, raising his Martial Dao Tree by seven zhang, and considered cultivating the Three Lives, Ten Directions, World-Honored One's Tribulation-Transcending Heart Sutra.
• Lu Chenzhou bought the Ghost Tiger Overlord Body as a blueprint for developing his own body-tempering path and found that a mid-grade spirit artifact, Brahma's Arrow, cost 50,000 battle merits.
• Bai Miaomiao and Zhou Ruoxue escorted Lu Chenzhou from the outpost to Dali City, where military doctors treated him and confirmed that his injuries would heal quickly.
• After seven days, Lu Chenzhou was discharged and received 5,000 military merits for defending the outpost before examining the old assassin's corpse and finding the Sakura divine weapon Snow Woman Cutter.

Lu Chenzhou exchanged the assassin’s spoils for military merit and learned that the killer was Yagyu Ichiro, a wanted Yagyu Family traitor. As threats gathered around him, Yagyu Genichi appeared in the ruins of Sakura Island.

• Lu Chenzhou broke the assassin’s storage ring, collected weapons, pills, manuals, and mystic iron, and exchanged his spoils and the assassin’s bounty for 10,000 military merit.
• Master Duan told Lu Chenzhou that the assassin was Yagyu Ichiro, a Yagyu Family traitor and Blood Hidden Tower Black Warrior, and Lu Chenzhou decided not to leave the country to pursue the reward blade.
• Lan Yingying learned that Bai Miaomiao had used sword qi to save Lu Chenzhou and advised her to focus on cultivation, while noting the Dragon King believed Lu Chenzhou had supreme potential.
• In the Million Mountains, a female Demon King learned that her attempt to capture the Divine Son had failed and flew to join the forces being gathered by the Fire Holy King.
• Wang Changming told Wang Xian to warn Lu Chenzhou to use the Vermilion Bird Sword Qi against powerful enemies, and arranged for Lu Chenzhou to visit after mastering the Mountain God Demon-Subduing Fist.
• Blood Heavenly Dog learned that Red Oni had failed to kill Lu Chenzhou, while Yagyu Genichi paced through the ruined Yagyu Tower on Sakura Island.

Lu Chenzhou began training the Ghost Tiger Overlord Body, while Lu Fang continued surviving in the Void Realm and the Blood Tower halted attempts to assassinate Lu Chenzhou. After demonstrating a new way to control his Life-Death Mystic Pearls, Lu Chenzhou returned from the mountains and met Yagyu Shizuka, who had come to find him.

• Yagyu Shizuka left for Dali City to exchange treasures for Snow Woman Cutter and a traitor's corpse, after her family head warned her to remain humble in Great Xia.
• Lu Chenzhou began training the Ghost Tiger Overlord Body under forty times gravity and reached beginner level after two hours.
• Lu Fang survived in the Void Realm by eating Heaven-grade exotic beasts and refining a Yellow-grade Spirit-Cleansing Fruit, while continuing to study the Ghost Tiger Overlord Body.
• Two masked figures learned that Red Oni had died trying to kill Lu Chenzhou and ordered the Blood Tower to suspend further assassination missions against him.
• Lu Chenzhou used telekinesis to control and detonate a Life-Death Mystic Pearl, then decided to leave the mountains after refining his third-order death qi.
• Grandmaster Duan introduced Yagyu Shizuka to Lu Chenzhou at his residence.

Yagyu Shizuka traded Yagyu Ichiro’s body and Snow Woman Cutter for Lu Chenzhou’s forgiveness, then accepted her father’s advice to build a future in Great Xia. After refining the Heavenly Cloud Fruit, Lu Chenzhou gained Primordial Cloud-Cluster Treasure Aura and tested its piercing sword qi.

• Yagyu Shizuka apologized to Lu Chenzhou and exchanged a Heavenly Cloud Fruit and gold for Yagyu Ichiro’s body and Snow Woman Cutter.
• Yagyu Shizuka cremated Yagyu Ichiro and spoke with Yagyu Genichi, who urged her to join Great Xia and form ties with Lu Chenzhou.
• Little Butterfly Fairy Hu Qingqing appraised the Heavenly Cloud Fruit and advised Lu Chenzhou to wait until his injuries had fully healed before refining it.
• Lu Chenzhou sent Ji Xuantong the lower-grade divine weapon Waveheart, delighting Ji Xuantong and his family.
• After waiting a month, Lu Chenzhou refined the Heavenly Cloud Fruit, formed Primordial Cloud-Cluster Treasure Aura, and pierced C7, C8, and C9 alloy with its sword qi.

Lu Chenzhou experimented with combining life-death qi and formless sword qi, then sought Shangguan Xue’s guidance and learned to balance the energies with the Five Elements. Three days later, he successfully used the combined sword qi to pierce and shatter a third-realm great demon’s shell.

• Lu Chenzhou tried to wrap life-death qi around his formless sword qi, but the qi repeatedly scattered as he experimented through the night.
• Lu Chenzhou reached the second stage of qi like a river and considered ways to increase his true qi capacity.
• Lu Chenzhou asked Shangguan Xue how to combine life-death qi with sword qi, and she explained how to balance metal with earth and fire energy.
• Lu Chenzhou spent three days practicing and successfully attached life-death qi to his metal-element sword qi.
• Lu Chenzhou struck a third-realm great demon Human-Headed Turtle with the combined sword qi, piercing its shell and causing it to explode.

Lu Chenzhou perfected and tested his Life-Death Formless Void-Breaking Sword Qi, then began seeking ways to improve his accuracy. Meanwhile, the Azure Heaven Dragon King visited the Posuo Great Emperor to discuss a lost spiritual artifact and the world’s powerful cultivators.

• Lu Chenzhou named his new sword technique the Life-Death Formless Void-Breaking Sword Qi and found it could threaten third-realm foes, though he could use it only three times before needing to recover.
• The Azure Heaven Dragon King met the Posuo Great Emperor, confirmed that he had lost the spiritual artifact Bodhi’s Word, and discussed the rising power of Wan Shixian and Indra Heaven Emperor.
• Di Jialou watched the Dragon King from below and reaffirmed his goal of surpassing him by achieving the fastest seventh-realm breakthrough.
• Lu Chenzhou practiced his sword qi’s accuracy beside Erhai Lake and asked the genius class group chat for an eagle-style martial art to improve his aim.
• Yao Sheng recommended the Eagle-Eye Formula and suggested pairing it with concealed-weapon techniques such as the Soul-Chasing Life-Reaping Dart or the Jujube-Kernel Nailhead Arrow.

Lu Chenzhou learned the Jujube-Kernel Nailhead Arrow from Gongsun Ying, who also explained how spiritual perception could improve his accuracy. He left for home after reaching beginner proficiency, where Wang Xian warned him to approach his future breakthrough cautiously.

• Lu Chenzhou found the Jujube-Kernel Nailhead Arrow in the merit store and visited Gongsun Ying to learn it.
• Gongsun Ying taught Lu Chenzhou that Pure Origin Jujubes could aid recovery and demonstrated the technique by striking targets five kilometers away.
• Gongsun Ying explained how spiritual power could help Lu Chenzhou sense enemies and trained him to fire jujube pits accurately at targets on Stone Lake.
• Lu Chenzhou reached beginner proficiency, hit several fish, and left after Gongsun Ying warned him to be careful amid trouble in the southwest.
• Lu Chenzhou met Wang Xian at home, and Wang Xian advised him to build up his strength before attempting a risky breakthrough.

Lu Chenzhou trained with Wang Xian, received a meditation bead from his master, and saw Ji Feiyan and Shi Ruyu off on their journey. On the way back, he broke through to the fifth stage of Swallow Form and tested his new abilities in the sky.

• Wang Xian tested Lu Chenzhou's Mountain God Demon-Subduing Fist and warned him about the gulf between them and a Grandmaster.
• Wang Xian gave Lu Chenzhou a Bodhi Ancient Kingdom Meditation Bead from his master and explained that the Dragon King had confirmed the Posuo Great Emperor bore him no ill intent.
• Ji Xuantong praised the Waveheart Sword, then entrusted it to Ji Feiyan as she and Shi Ruyu prepared to travel in search of victory.
• Lu Chenzhou practiced Swallow Form aboard the Xiangyun Ship, entered the Heavenheart Imprint, and broke through to the fifth stage of the Yan Form Fist Principles.
• Lu Chenzhou formed the Black Swallow Soaring divine seed, tested its eighteen-breath Swarm of Swallows Circling Flight, and began experimenting with the Cloud-Climbing Ladder.

Lu Chenzhou rescued a cargo ship from a swarm of Water Monkeys and displayed overwhelming strength, but a terrifying being emerged from the Yangtze River. Military missiles and a Vermilion Bird-like sword attack struck it back into the water, leaving its fate unknown.

• Lu Chenzhou tested his Ten Directions Boots while gliding over the Yangtze and heard an emergency bulletin about a ship under attack.
• Lu Chenzhou arrived at the Yangtze No. 7 and killed a Water Monkey great demon before rescuing an unconscious sailor.
• Lu Chenzhou fought off waves of Water Monkeys, using his Lion's Roar and martial arts to clear the ship's deck and drive the demons back.
• Tiger Taisui sensed danger as an ancient presence stirred beneath the river and spoke of having slept there for a thousand years.
• Missiles struck the emerging being, and a Vermilion Bird-like attack sent it plunging back beneath the Yangtze.

Lu Chenzhou survived the Demon King’s attack on Yangtze No. 7 by unleashing the Vermilion Bird Sword Qi, then practiced telekinetic perception while the grandmasters recovered the Demon King’s remains. He received the recovered spoils and learned that the Demon King’s blood essence alone could be worth more than ten thousand military merit points.

• Military fighters bombarded the river, and Lu Chenzhou’s Vermilion Bird Sword Qi struck and killed the emerging Demon King.
• Grandmasters Li Fanzhou and Jiang Yunquezi arrived, while Long Chenliang and Zhang Xinying exchanged contact information with Lu Chenzhou.
• Lu Chenzhou used Xiao Fengxian’s instructions to extend his telekinetic perception to one hundred meters and explore the riverbed.
• Jiang Yunquezi noticed Lu Chenzhou’s psychic perception and warned him to be more careful around powerful people.
• Li Fanzhou retrieved the Demon King’s remains and gave Lu Chenzhou a storage pouch containing its valuable materials and blood essence.

Lu Chenzhou discovered that the Demon King's pearl could command clouds and repel water, then joined a crowd of powerful martial artists investigating Zouyu Water Mansion. After Black Tortoise Daoist entered and returned, he revealed that Lu Chenzhou could also pass through the gate, and Lu vanished inside.

• Yunquezi and Grandmaster Li found an ancient gatehouse on the riverbed and identified it as Zouyu Water Mansion, a ruin linked to the Void Realm.
• Lu Chenzhou fed one drop of the Demon King's essence blood to the Tiger Gall Spear and discovered that the blue pearl summoned rain and parted water around him.
• Martial King Chu Yu, Jade Mountain Daoist, and other powerful fighters arrived to investigate the Water Mansion, but their attempts to approach its gate failed.
• Black Tortoise Daoist entered the Water Mansion and returned, then indicated that Lu Chenzhou could enter even though the other gathered fighters could not.
• Lu Chenzhou passed through the gatehouse and vanished from the riverbed.

Lu Chenzhou entered Zouyu’s Water Mansion, where a congenital water spirit explained the Great Wilderness’s cultivation realms and the coming Wushui Trial. After the Water Mansion began to collapse, Lu Chenzhou returned to the human world with a token that would let him enter future trials, while the water spirit wondered whether mortals could still turn the tide against the Outer Gods.

• Lu Chenzhou met the congenital water spirit, who revealed that martial artists from several eras of Xia had entered the Water Mansion and described the Mountain, Sea, and Heaven cultivation realms.
• The Azure Heaven Dragon King joined them and learned that nearly forty Outer Gods had been discovered, their influence was spreading, and stronger beings had begun emerging into the human world.
• As the Water Mansion shook, the water spirit gave Lu Chenzhou a Wu Shui Ling and explained that future keyholders would compete in the Wushui Trial for control of the Water Mansion.
• The water spirit explained that waterways across multiple worlds could serve as trial entrances and that the token could not be used for escape outside the trial’s opening.
• Lu Chenzhou learned that the Water Rong Great Demon King he had killed was a fifth-realm outsider once suppressed by Yan Kuangsheng, then left the Water Mansion.

Lu Chenzhou refined Myriad-Year Frostcurrent Sap, gained water-element treasure qi and greatly improved his cold resistance, true qi, and spiritual power. As the Zouyu Water Mansion trial approached, he learned that many martial artists had obtained tokens, and the chapter ended with the absolute pinnacles meeting the Red Dragon Adept while Lu Chenzhou opened his 180th Heavenly Star acupoint.

• Lu Chenzhou exchanged demon materials and a Dragon Whisker Fruit for battle merits, then spent 30,000 merits to acquire Myriad-Year Frostcurrent Sap.
• Lu Chenzhou refined the sap, formed Frost Chi Treasure Qi, and saw water, fire, and yin-yang powers create a cycle in his inner landscape.
• Lu Chenzhou tested his improved abilities and learned that Bai Miaomiao, Zhou Ruoxue, and Duan Huaiyu had also obtained Wu Shui tokens.
• At the New Year gathering in Penglai Pavilion, Great Xia's absolute pinnacles saw a fire dragon phantom, and Wan Shixian asked whether it was Red Dragon Adept.
• Lu Chenzhou learned that friends, disciples, and prodigies across Great Xia had obtained Water Mansion tokens, then opened his 180th Heavenly Star acupoint.

Lu Chenzhou began cultivating the Heart Sutra and crossed his first tribulation in an illusion of Randuo Temple, gaining spiritual power. When the Sky Supporting Mendicant compared accounts from other cultivators, they discovered that Randuo Temple also appeared in their visions, and Zhending’s failed tribulation revealed a monstrous monk who claimed to be its abbot.

• Lu Chenzhou entered the collective sea of consciousness, fought through monsters at Randuo Temple, and defeated a monk-headed wolf whose relic strengthened his body and spiritual power.
• Lu Chenzhou awakened after one hour with the Heart Sutra at 2% and his spiritual power at 91 Prajna, then contacted the Sky Supporting Mendicant to discuss his progress.
• The Sky Supporting Mendicant explained that early tribulations offered limited gains, and Lu Chenzhou asked whether the illusions reflected real experiences after mentioning Randuo Temple.
• The Sky Supporting Mendicant learned that Mingxin’s illusion involved Sakya Temple, while the Sky Supporting Mendicant’s own vision included a demon that had named Randuo Temple.
• Zhending described being trapped in a cave by a monstrous monk, resumed cultivating the Heart Sutra, and failed again when the monk identified himself as Randuo Temple’s abbot.

Lu Chenzhou and the others learned that the Heart Sutra sent their consciousnesses into other worlds to undergo tribulations, and Abbot Huikong confirmed its risks and benefits. Lu continued cultivating in the Randuo Temple illusion, where he discovered he could also improve certain martial skills, leaving him eager to balance real-world training with practice in the illusion.

• Lu Chenzhou compared the Heart Sutra visions with Zhending, Sky Supporting Mendicant, and Mingxin, and learned that their trials in Randuo Temple differed in difficulty.
• Sky Supporting Mendicant consulted Abbot Huikong, who explained that the Heart Sutra sent consciousness through other worlds and warned that breakthrough tribulations could damage or trap cultivators.
• Lu Chenzhou resumed cultivating, defeated a pig-headed monk in the illusion, and gained Heart Sutra proficiency and spiritual power.
• Over the next month, Lu trained in the illusion and discovered that fighting there improved some martial skill proficiencies, though more slowly than real-world practice.
• Lu adjusted his schedule to combine Heart Sutra cultivation with physical and martial training, then asked Sky Supporting Mendicant whether illusion practice could temper the body through the mind.

Lu Chenzhou traveled to Jiangnan Martial University to commission scale armor, a flying sword, and a Water-Avoidance Pearl bracelet from Ye Changkong. That night, he resumed his Heart Sutra trial, facing a plaza full of powerful monsters on the way to Randuo Temple’s Scripture Repository.

• Lu Chenzhou discussed his Heart Sutra progress with Bai Miaomiao and checked the fourth-order Tiger Hunt in All Directions divine seed.
• Lu Chenzhou joined the Randuo Temple Strategy Group, where Dingyuan organized Heart Sutra cultivators to share information about their trials and Mingxin hinted at a reward in the mental-realm breakthrough trial.
• Lu Chenzhou visited Jiangnan Martial University and asked Ye Changkong to forge scale armor from the Water Rong King’s scales, a flying sword from its horn, and a bracelet for its Water-Avoidance Pearl.
• Lu Chenzhou began another Heart Sutra trial at Randuo Temple’s martial practice ground, where monsters with monks’ heads and beasts’ bodies blocked the way to the Scripture Repository.