Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan escorted two supply carriages back to Black Falling Mountain Mining Camp, reflecting on how medicine, alchemy, and his strength had become the foundation of his quiet life. At the camp, he learned that White Crow Gang’s Young Gang Leader had arrived and was summoning its members.

• Ling Wuyuan escorted two carriages carrying the camp’s provisions and reviewed his studies of medicine and alchemy.
• Ling Wuyuan recalled reaching the Organ Fortification Realm and using his supposed Body Tempering Realm breakthrough as camouflage.
• Ling Wuyuan and the carriages reached Black Falling Mountain Mining Camp after encountering only an aging lone wolf on the road.
• Ling Wuyuan spotted unfamiliar horses and White Crow Gang members gathered at the camp, then ordered the carriages to speed up.
• A gate guard told Ling Wuyuan that White Crow Gang’s Young Gang Leader had arrived and asked him to hurry to the tower; Ling Wuyuan instructed the guard to direct the carriages and their goods.

Ling Wuyuan returned to Black Falling Mountain Mining Camp and learned that Yang Zutao was organizing a mountain search for a fugitive. After Ling Wuyuan pointed out a suspicious group on the hillside, Yang Zutao and the others recognized them and broke into a cold sweat.

• Ling Wuyuan asked about Yang Zutao’s arrival and learned that a fugitive who killed a man at a White Crow Gang casino was hiding nearby.
• Yang Zutao arrived at the mining camp and ordered its members and miners to help search the forest for the fugitive.
• Yang Zutao noticed Ling Wuyuan’s striking looks and privately considered transferring him somewhere more remote to protect his own spotlight.
• Ling Wuyuan asked whether the fugitive was alone, then pointed out a suspicious group on the hillside behind Yang Zutao.
• Yang Zutao and several others recognized the group on the hillside and broke into a cold sweat.

Yang Zutao realized the Cloud Piercing Gang had surrounded Black Falling Mountain Mining Camp and that Jiang Wu had betrayed him. As Ling Zhengfei urged him to surrender, Yang Zutao faced a forceful confrontation with the Cloud Piercing Gang.

• Yang Zutao spotted Ling Zhengfei and saw Cloud Piercing Gang fighters emerge across the surrounding hills, realizing the camp was trapped.
• Yang Zutao suspected the gambling-house incident and false intelligence had been arranged to lower his guard.
• Jiang Wu admitted the ambush was premeditated and revealed the Cloud Piercing Gang’s forces, then surrendered when Yang Zutao ordered his capture.
• Yang Zutao restrained himself from killing Jiang Wu as the Cloud Piercing Gang closed in, hoping to protect his trusted subordinates.
• Ling Zhengfei climbed onto the camp wall, dismissed Yang Zutao’s question about all-out war, and urged him to surrender.

The Cloud Piercing Gang attacked the White Crow Gang after learning that Grand Elder Zhang Cheng had been badly injured and revealing it now had four [Qi Nourishing Realm] practitioners. As Yang Zutao prepared to fight rather than surrender, Ling Wuyuan offered to help the White Crow Gang before leaving.

• Ling Zhengfei told Yang Zutao that Zhang Cheng had been severely injured attempting to break through to the [Source Gathering Realm].
• Yang Zutao argued that the White Crow Gang could still resist, but Ling Zhengfei revealed he had recently advanced to the [Qi Nourishing Realm], giving the Cloud Piercing Gang four practitioners against the White Crow Gang’s one uninjured practitioner.
• Ling Zhengfei said Jiang Wu had joined the Cloud Piercing Gang and urged Yang Zutao to surrender, while Yang Zutao considered fighting to avoid becoming a cripple and to give his father a chance to escape.
• Ling Wuyuan spoke up, saying the Zhu Family of Black Stone City were his enemies and that he would help the White Crow Gang before leaving.

Ling Wuyuan stepped in to repay the White Crow Gang by taking on the Cloud Piercing Gang, which was tied to the Zhu Family, one of Pei Yiman’s enemies. After killing Jiang Wu with a single slap, he faced Ling Zhengfei, who ordered his men to attack.

• Ling Wuyuan decided to settle his debt to the White Crow Gang by dealing with the Cloud Piercing Gang.
• Ling Wuyuan announced his intentions to Yang Zutao and confronted Ling Zhengfei at the mining camp.
• Jiang Wu drew his blade and threatened Ling Wuyuan, who killed him with a backhanded slap.
• Ling Zhengfei questioned Ling Wuyuan, who leapt onto the wall and confirmed he would intervene.
• Ling Zhengfei ordered his men to attack Ling Wuyuan.

Ling Wuyuan effortlessly disarmed a Cloud Piercing Gang elder and used the stolen sword to unleash a storm of blazing, supersonic strikes against Ling Zhengfei and the gang. His attacks produced deadly shockwaves, but he redirected them away from the miners and bystanders.

• A Cloud Piercing Gang elder attacked Ling Wuyuan from behind, but Ling Wuyuan caught his sword between two fingers without turning around.
• Ling Wuyuan flicked the blade and disarmed the elder, then took his longsword and called it a toy.
• Ling Zhengfei charged Ling Wuyuan, but Ling Wuyuan answered with hundreds of rapid sword strikes that surrounded him in scorching sword shadows.
• The strikes created sonic booms and blazing shockwaves that threatened the miners' encampment and everyone nearby.
• Ling Wuyuan swung his sword to redirect the shockwaves away from the miners and White Crow Gang members, though the noise and vibrations hurt some bystanders' ears.

Ling Wuyuan faced Ling Zhengfei after their battle, observing the True Qi surrounding his opponent’s sword and recalling his earlier encounter with a cultivator who had broken through to the same realm. Ling Zhengfei remained battered but alive as the fleeing miners and White Crow Gang members escaped the battlefield.

• Yang Zutao and the other miners and White Crow Gang members fled from the battlefield, overwhelmed by the heat and destruction.
• Ling Wuyuan stood unharmed with his sword while Ling Zhengfei faced him, battered and exhausted but still holding an undamaged sword.
• Ling Wuyuan noticed the True Qi wrapped around Ling Zhengfei’s blade and reflected on how it strengthened weapons and bodies.
• Ling Wuyuan recalled killing a badly wounded opponent who had broken through to the Qi Nourishing Realm during their fight.
• Ling Wuyuan remembered the opponent’s final words and concluded that it was more practical to make others feel helpless than to suffer that feeling himself.

Ling Wuyuan methodically killed the remaining Cloud Piercing Gang members while Ling Zhengfei watched for an opening, then the two prepared to settle their fight with one decisive strike. Ling Wuyuan’s overwhelming speed and strength broke through Ling Zhengfei’s true qi-enhanced sword, leaving the outcome of their clash unresolved.

• Ling Wuyuan evaded Ling Zhengfei’s attacks and continued killing the Cloud Piercing Gang members as Ling Zhengfei analyzed his fighting style.
• Ling Wuyuan killed the last gang member, then offered Ling Zhengfei time to prepare before their duel.
• Ling Zhengfei declared that he would stake everything on his strongest strike, and both men assumed attack-ready stances.
• Yang Zutao recognized Ling Wuyuan’s sword stance as one from Basic Swordplay and was astonished by its fluidity.
• Ling Wuyuan and Ling Zhengfei clashed at extreme speed, and Ling Wuyuan’s strength broke through the true qi around Ling Zhengfei’s sword.

Ling Wuyuan defeated Ling Zhengfei with a devastating clash that wrecked much of the mining camp and stunned the onlookers. He confirmed his departure from the White Crow Gang and sped toward the Cloud Piercing Gang to finish what remained.

• Ling Wuyuan sensed Ling Zhengfei's full one-armed strength and judged that the [Qi Nourishing Realm]'s main advantage was true qi.
• Ling Wuyuan and Ling Zhengfei's sword strike erupted in a blinding blast that sent debris flying and brought down buildings across the mining camp.
• Yang Zutao and Qi Xingjian struggled to believe that the powerful figure was Ling Wuyuan, while Zhao Shan confirmed that he was the man who had stayed at the camp for two years.
• Yang Zutao recalled Ling Wuyuan's intention to repay the White Crow Gang by resolving the Cloud Piercing Gang before leaving for more prosperous regions.
• Ling Wuyuan bid farewell to Yang Zutao, Qi Xingjian, and the others, then sped toward the Cloud Piercing Gang.

Ling Wuyuan reached the Cloud Piercing Gang’s headquarters as its members gathered to attack the White Crow Gang, then killed the guards and the elder and seized the elder’s head. He advanced up the gang’s mountain amid the alarm bells, killing anyone who tried to stop him.

• Ling Wuyuan traveled to Chengshan Town and headed for the Cloud Piercing Gang’s base, despite his torn and filthy clothes.
• Ling Wuyuan ignored the gate guards’ orders to stop and killed the guards who approached him.
• Ling Wuyuan reached the Cloud Piercing Gang elder, severed his head, and carried it toward the main peak.
• Survivors raised the alarm as Ling Wuyuan walked up the mountain path, killing anyone who tried to block him.

Ling Wuyuan stormed the Cloud Piercing Gang’s stronghold after hurling a dead elder’s head into its central tower, then warned the gang members to leave. When Gao Peishan ordered them to attack, Ling Wuyuan cut through the crowd and pressed toward the tower as the gang’s leaders charged him.

• Gao Peishan heard the invasion alarm and left Zhu Qicheng to investigate the disturbance below the mountain.
• Ling Wuyuan’s projectile struck the central tower, and Gao Peishan recognized the head as belonging to one of his elders.
• Ling Wuyuan arrived at the mountain entrance and told the armed Cloud Piercing Gang members to leave while they still could.
• Gao Peishan ordered his followers to kill Ling Wuyuan, and Ling Wuyuan cut down dozens of attackers with his sword.
• Ling Wuyuan advanced toward the central tower as Gao Peishan and the gang’s other higher-ups charged at him.

Ling Wuyuan confronted Gao Peishan in midair and defeated him with overwhelming speed and strength. After Gao Peishan crashed into the tower, Ling Wuyuan leaped after him, leaving the Cloud Piercing Gang terrified and the battlefield devastated.

• Gao Peishan leaped from the viewing tower and flew toward Ling Wuyuan, seeing the trail of corpses and blood below.
• Ling Wuyuan charged into the air to meet Gao Peishan and struck his sword against Gao Peishan's blade.
• Ling Wuyuan twisted in midair and broke Gao Peishan's bones with a knee strike, sending him flying back into the tower.
• Ling Wuyuan used Flying Swallow Circling Steps to control his fall while the Cloud Piercing Gang members fled in panic.
• Ling Wuyuan leaped after Gao Peishan, blasting a deep crater into the ground with the force of his jump.

Ling Wuyuan fought off Zhu Qicheng and three Cloud Piercing Gang leaders as the battle escalated to four against one. After Zhu Qicheng offered to settle the gang’s grievances if Ling Wuyuan left, Ling Wuyuan sheathed his sword and prepared a draw attack, revealing killing intent that Gao Peishan had never sensed before.

• Zhu Qicheng intervened to protect the Cloud Piercing Gang, and the gang’s Vice Gang Leader attacked Ling Wuyuan.
• Zhu Qicheng and the Grand Elder joined the fight, but Ling Wuyuan matched them with overwhelming speed and strength.
• Gao Peishan and the Vice Gang Leader recovered and rejoined the battle, making it four against one, yet Ling Wuyuan continued to drive them back.
• Zhu Qicheng offered to erase the Cloud Piercing Gang’s grievances if Ling Wuyuan left, and Ling Wuyuan sheathed his sword.
• Ling Wuyuan took a sword-draw stance, and Gao Peishan sensed his intense killing intent for the first time.

Ling Wuyuan effortlessly killed Zhu Qicheng, Gao Peishan, and two others, then seized the Cloud Piercing Gang’s manuals and treasures. He left the gang’s survivors among the ruins of its collapsing tower, with the gang’s future effectively ended and its people still unaware of his grudge.

• Ling Wuyuan faced Zhu Qicheng, Gao Peishan, and two others, who readied their weapons against his killing intent.
• Ling Wuyuan drew his sword and killed all four with four blindingly fast strikes, despite using only part of his strength and basic swordsmanship.
• Ling Wuyuan noted that his attack had damaged his clothes and shoes, then ordered a well-dressed survivor to reveal the gang’s manual repository and treasure vault.
• Ling Wuyuan learned where the gang kept its manuals and treasures while the tower, cut apart by his sword strikes, began to collapse.
• Ling Wuyuan left with the gang’s spoils as its survivors watched the destruction and wondered who he was and why he had attacked them.

Ling Wuyuan looted the Cloud Piercing Gang’s manuals and examined the spatial ring he had taken from its leader, discovering that it needed spiritual objects to keep working. He repurposed it as a warehouse for cheap supplies, then hurried to raid the gang’s other stores before its members could escape with the valuables.

• Ling Wuyuan stuffed the Cloud Piercing Gang’s secret manuals into his spatial ring.
• Ling Wuyuan learned that the gang’s black spatial ring needed spiritual power from spiritual objects and decided to use it for low-value goods.
• Ling Wuyuan found ginseng, medicinal herbs, medicines, weapons, valuables, bills, and food inside the black ring.
• Ling Wuyuan powered the ring with a High-Grade Crystal Coin and sorted its contents between his rings.
• Ling Wuyuan headed toward the Cloud Piercing Gang’s treasure vault and medicinal herb storehouse, intending to collect their contents before the gang members fled.

After destroying the Cloud Piercing Gang, Ling Wuyuan tamed a powerful red horse and watched the resulting chaos, exhilarated by how far he had risen. He then prepared to set out for the ruins of the Azure Lake White Stream Palace, expecting to reach the Qi Nourishing Realm along the way.

• Ling Wuyuan chose a powerful red horse from the Cloud Piercing Gang's stables and tamed it by slapping and choking it into submission.
• Ling Wuyuan rode to the mountaintop and watched the gang's former dependents descend into arson and murder.
• Ling Wuyuan reflected on his destructive urges and felt exhilarated by his rise from a beggar to someone capable of destroying a centuries-old force.
• Ling Wuyuan laughed uncontrollably, frightening the people around him into fleeing.
• Ling Wuyuan looked at the spatial ring from the Azure Lake White Stream Palace and decided to begin the second-stage task by visiting its ruins.

After Yang Zutao reported that Ling Zhengfei had tried to capture him and Ling Wuyuan had defeated the attackers, the White Crow Gang prepared for a possible assault by the Cloud Piercing Gang. Gang Leader Yang Luo investigated Ling Wuyuan’s background and summoned people who had known him, but the chapter ended before they explained what they knew.

• Yang Zutao returned to the White Crow Gang with news of the attempted capture, prompting the gang to raise its alert and fortify the town.
• Yang Luo listened to Yang Zutao and the other survivors confirm that Ling Zhengfei had attacked them and that Ling Wuyuan had defeated the group.
• Yang Luo received a detailed report on Ling Wuyuan, including Teacher Zhao’s assessment of his intelligence, reserve, and unusual secrecy.
• Yang Luo learned that Teacher Zhao had retired to his hometown and could not be brought in for questioning.
• Yang Luo summoned Ling Wuyuan’s former classmates and instructors, who confirmed that they knew or had taught him.

Yang Luo and his master assessed Ling Wuyuan’s character, hidden strength, and likely intentions, then agreed the White Crow Gang should sever ties with him after he helped them survive the crisis. Yang Luo turned the meeting to finding who had leaked his master’s injury to the Cloud Piercing Gang.

• Yang Luo questioned Ling Wuyuan’s former trainees, instructors, and acquaintances, who consistently described him as talented, diligent, and distant but decent.
• Yang Luo asked his master to judge Ling Wuyuan, and the old man concluded that he had concealed his talent and kept others at a careful distance.
• Yang Luo’s master reasoned that Ling Wuyuan’s strength suggested exceptional talent and a powerful secret or inheritance.
• Yang Luo and his master agreed that the White Crow Gang should sever ties with Ling Wuyuan after he helped them, to avoid future entanglements and danger.
• Yang Luo asked the few people who knew his master was seriously injured to clear themselves and provide convincing evidence about the leak.

Zhao Yuanyu admitted that he had sold news of the Grand Elder’s injury to the Cloud Piercing Gang in hopes of gaining resources and advancing to the Qi Nourishing Realm. A messenger reported that Ling Wuyuan had wiped out the Cloud Piercing Gang and rival gangs were rushing to claim its territory, prompting Yang Luo to attack Zhao Yuanyu.

• Zhao Yuanyu admitted that he had betrayed the White Crow Gang by revealing the Grand Elder’s injury to the Cloud Piercing Gang.
• Zhao Yuanyu explained that he wanted greater cultivation resources and argued that the Cloud Piercing Gang would have attacked the White Crow Gang eventually.
• Zhao Yuanyu claimed Ling Wuyuan could not defeat the Cloud Piercing Gang’s main force and urged Yang Luo to reconsider fighting.
• A messenger announced that one person had wiped out the Cloud Piercing Gang and surrounding gangs were moving to seize its territory.
• Yang Luo drew his weapon and slashed at Zhao Yuanyu, calling him a traitor.

Ling Wuyuan traveled toward Azure Lake White Stream Palace and encountered a huge caravan on the road. As he rode alone, the caravan’s leader noticed his fine horse and newly revealed confidence, while Ling Wuyuan continued changing after leaving the White Crow Gang.

• Ling Wuyuan studied his map and estimated that reaching Azure Lake White Stream Palace would take at least two or three months.
• He came upon a caravan of more than a thousand people assembled from several merchant associations and protected by hundreds of armed guards.
• The caravan members watched Ling Wuyuan ride past alone, surprised by how calm he seemed amid the dangers of the road.
• A burly man on a black horse greeted Ling Wuyuan and recognized the exceptional quality of his mount and the pride in his bearing.
• Ling Wuyuan traveled onward as the traits he had long concealed began to emerge after he left the White Crow Gang.