Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan dined at an inn in Huilin City, where Zhang Yue arrived and challenged him to a match. Ling Wuyuan accepted but said he would finish eating first, and Zhang Yue arranged for the fight to take place at the city’s central martial arena.

• Ling Wuyuan ordered a private room, a large meal, and a jin of the inn’s best fruit wine.
• Zhang Yue entered the inn with a crowd and found Ling Wuyuan, whom he had been waiting several days to meet.
• Zhang Yue introduced himself as twenty-second on the Cloud Ridge Province Hero Ranking and challenged Ling Wuyuan to a match.
• Ling Wuyuan accepted the challenge but asked to finish his meal first, and Zhang Yue agreed.
• Zhang Yue told Chen Tian to reserve the city-center martial arena and clear the area, then offered to pay for the meal.
• Word of the coming match spread through Huilin City, drawing crowds toward the martial arena.

Ling Wuyuan and Zhang Yue faced off in Huilin City’s martial arena, where Zhang Yue warned that his preparation and experience gave him an advantage. Their opening clash unleashed powerful blasts and winds, and the fight continued as a vortex formed over the arena.

• Zhang Yue drew his sword and told Ling Wuyuan he had prepared for their fight, while Ling Wuyuan said he was ready to face him.
• Zhang Yue warned Ling Wuyuan not to underestimate him, and Ling Wuyuan welcomed a stronger opponent.
• Zhang Yue’s grandfather told the spectators that Ling Wuyuan seemed formidable and mocked Zhang Yue’s father for his weakness.
• Zhang Yue charged and thrust his sword at Ling Wuyuan with explosive speed.
• Ling Wuyuan met Zhang Yue’s attack with a powerful sword swing, and their continuing clash created fierce winds and a growing vortex that left some spectators struggling to breathe.

Zhang Yue used his Torrential Wind Domain to strengthen his attacks and hinder Ling Wuyuan, but Ling calmly countered his sword strikes and identified the technique’s weaknesses. Zhang Yue realized Ling had exposed the flaws that could leave him defeated once his True Qi ran low.

• Zhang Yue unleashed the Torrential Wind Domain, using the arena’s swirling airflows to boost himself and restrict Ling Wuyuan.
• Zhang Yue attacked with invisible wind blades, while Ling Wuyuan shattered them with a fast sword swing and caught Zhang Yue’s longsword.
• Ling Wuyuan praised the technique’s spectacle, then pointed out that Zhang Yue needed time to build up the wind and could not use it immediately.
• Ling Wuyuan identified the technique’s high True Qi cost, short duration, and limited control over the airflows.
• Zhang Yue acknowledged that Ling Wuyuan had revealed genuine flaws and understood that an opponent could defeat him before his domain fully developed.

Ling Wuyuan challenged Zhang Yue to a direct contest of strength and used [Flawless Circle] to read and exploit the weaknesses in Zhang Yue’s wind. As Zhang Yue’s tornado attack collapsed, Ling Wuyuan turned its gale toward his own sword, leaving Zhang Yue stunned.

• Zhang Yue said he would defeat Ling Wuyuan before his true qi ran out, but Ling Wuyuan declared he would win by an absolute advantage.
• Ling Wuyuan struck Zhang Yue back with a single slash, and Zhang Yue realized his opponent had overwhelming physical strength.
• Zhang Yue gathered the airflow into a towering tornado and swung it at Ling Wuyuan while spectators watched.
• Ling Wuyuan used [Flawless Circle] to perceive flaws in the wind and began dismantling Zhang Yue’s attack, drawing the gale toward his own sword.
• Zhang Yue watched in disbelief as his wind and resolve began to collapse.

Ling Wuyuan defeated Zhang Yue by disrupting his control over the wind and disarming him, leaving Zhang Yue with no choice but to concede. Zhang Yue asked how Ling Wuyuan had taken control of the airflow, but the explanation only deepened his sense of the gap between them.

• Ling Wuyuan's sword disrupted Zhang Yue's control of the airflow and sent Zhang Yue's sword flying.
• Ling Wuyuan stopped his blade at Zhang Yue's neck, and Zhang Yue realized he had fallen to his knees.
• Zhang Yue conceded and admitted he saw no hope of defeating Ling Wuyuan.
• Zhang Yue asked whether Ling Wuyuan had [Wind]-attribute true qi, and Ling Wuyuan said he had disrupted the wind's rhythm using his true qi.
• Ling Wuyuan listed his six true qi attributes, and Zhang Yue remained unable to understand his explanation.

After Ling Wuyuan decisively defeated Zhang Yue, Zhang Yue's grandfather invited him to visit the Zhang family and recognized the value of his six-attribute talent. Before Ling Wuyuan could respond, a young man from the Li Family challenged Zhang Yue, and the crowd urged the fight to continue.

• Zhang Yao kicked Zhang Yue to his feet, while Zhang Yue's grandfather judged the crushing defeat a useful setback for his grandson.
• Zhang Yue's grandfather thanked Ling Wuyuan, praised his strength, and invited him to visit the Zhang family.
• Zhang Yue's grandfather realized Ling Wuyuan's six attributes made him a rare talent and noticed a News Report editor recording the battle.
• A young man from the Li Family challenged Zhang Yue, but Zhang Yao refused on his son's behalf, saying Zhang Yue was tired.
• The challenger argued that Zhang Yue was uninjured and urged the onlookers to demand another fight, and they enthusiastically agreed.

Ling Wuyuan intervened when Li Zhao tried to challenge the exhausted Zhang Yue, using Li Zhao’s own claim of fairness to test him instead. After easily defeating Li Zhao, Ling Wuyuan left Huilin City, while Zhang Yue took comfort in no longer being the day’s most humiliated fighter.

• Li Zhao provoked Zhang Yue into accepting a duel despite Zhang Yue’s depleted condition, while Luo Wang explained Li Zhao’s rivalry with the Zhang family to Ling Wuyuan.
• Ling Wuyuan asked Li Zhao if he wanted to prove he was stronger than Zhang Yue, then offered to attack him with the same speed and strength he had used to defeat Zhang Yue.
• When Li Zhao attacked Ling Wuyuan, Ling Wuyuan struck him with his sword sheath, shattered his protective True Qi, and sent him spinning through the air.
• Ling Wuyuan said Li Zhao was far weaker than Zhang Yue, then announced he was leaving and walked toward his horse.
• Li Zhao landed unconscious with all his teeth gone, and Zhang Yue laughed with relief that he was no longer the most humiliated person there.

After Ling Wuyuan defeated Zhang Yue and Li Zhao, the News Report prepared to turn the fight into a sensational regional story. A Snow Deer Prefecture Branch Chief reviewed Luo Wang’s manuscript and learned that Ling Wuyuan’s strength was at least in the upper-middle tier of the Source Gathering Realm.

• The News Report released its recording of Ling Wuyuan defeating Cloud Ridge Province geniuses Zhang Yue and Li Zhao, stirring up discussion in Cloud Ridge Province and Snow Deer Prefecture.
• Ling Wuyuan guessed that the report would bring him attention and reputation, and he expected that powerful opponents would eventually come looking for him.
• At the Snow Deer Prefecture Branch, the Branch Chief reviewed Luo Wang’s manuscript about Ling Wuyuan and recalled Zhang Yue’s standing on the Cloud Ridge Province Hero Ranking.
• The Branch Chief compared the manuscript with confidential intelligence and learned that Zhang Yue’s final move had reached the Source Gathering Realm.
• The Branch Chief concluded that Ling Wuyuan had defeated Zhang Yue with ease and possessed combat strength at least in the upper-middle tier of the Source Gathering Realm.

The Branch Chief reviewed Luo Wang’s report on Ling Wuyuan’s extraordinary strength and decided not to revise his public ranking without further proof. After Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion bought the newspaper original printing template from the issue featuring Ling Wuyuan, Pei Yi displayed it prominently in her room, baffling her fellow disciples.

• The Branch Chief learned that fourteen-year-old Ling Wuyuan had reached the Source Gathering Realm and possessed strength that could place him among the country’s top heroes.
• The Branch Chief judged the report’s intelligence too sensitive to publish and thought Ling Wuyuan’s ranking would probably remain unchanged until he achieved another feat.
• A subordinate told the Branch Chief that Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion wanted to buy the original printing template for the issue featuring Ling Wuyuan.
• The Branch Chief agreed to sell the template, despite not understanding why the sect wanted it.
• Pei Yi hung the template in the most conspicuous spot in her room while her Senior Sisters and junior sisters stared in confusion.

Twenty days after leaving Huilin City, Ling Wuyuan traveled toward Dragon Peak City and witnessed a high-grade demonic beast battling two human cultivators. He avoided the fight, but the battle soon swept toward him, leaving him facing the charging tornado and its fleeing pursuers.

• Ling Wuyuan struggled to navigate an abandoned forest path because the maps he had bought were outdated and inconsistent.
• He heard an enormous crash and saw a high-grade demonic beast fighting at least two powerful human cultivators inside a destructive wind barrier.
• Ling Wuyuan suspected the fight was a planned hunt, possibly involving the Imperial Court, and continued riding rather than getting involved.
• A colossal lightning-wreathed tornado chased two fleeing figures toward Ling Wuyuan, and he realized the battle was heading straight for him.

Ling Wuyuan realized that two fleeing cultivators had deliberately led a high-level demon beast toward him, and decided to fight them rather than hear their explanation. As the three froze before his killing intent, he prepared to test his strength with Abyssal Divine Speed.

• Ling Wuyuan rode his horse away from the oncoming tornado, but saw it change direction and pursue him.
• Ling Wuyuan concluded the two cultivators and the demon beast were targeting him, sent his horse fleeing, and drew his sword.
• Ling Wuyuan resolved to use tenfold acceleration and welcomed the chance to test his strength against three opponents.
• The tornado stopped, revealing a silver-white one-horned giant wolf and two middle-aged cultivators dressed in black and yellow.
• The cultivators blamed each other for leading the danger to Ling Wuyuan, and the man in yellow tried to identify them and beg for mercy.
• Ling Wuyuan ignored their plea and prepared to cut down the two men and the wolf.

After entering the Qi Nourishing Realm, Ling Wuyuan tested [Abyssal Divine Speed] and discovered that its tenfold acceleration let him move at roughly 212 kilometers per second. Even without attacking, his movement unleashed catastrophic heat, explosions, and destruction across the surrounding landscape.

• Ling Wuyuan recalled that in the Organ Fortification Realm he could run at roughly Mach 3 and briefly reach Mach 6 or 7, but he did not know his new speed after advancing.
• Ling Wuyuan activated [Abyssal Divine Speed], and its tenfold acceleration made the silver-white one-horned giant wolf and the two human men seem frozen.
• Ling Wuyuan drew his sword so quickly that friction created extreme heat, scorching the land around him into molten and vaporized forms.
• Ling Wuyuan took one step forward at about seventy or eighty percent of his basic physical ability, and the force shattered the hillside into a deep crater.
• Ling Wuyuan's movement at roughly 212 kilometers per second vaporized forest plants, collapsed mountains, and triggered a towering blast and crimson shockwaves.

Ling Wuyuan used his extreme speed and an ordinary sword swing to kill the silver-white giant wolf and the two men, unleashing destruction across the wilderness. He surveyed the devastation and realized that advancing to the Qi Nourishing Realm had helped his body adapt to Abyssal Divine Speed and protect his clothing from its effects.

• Ling Wuyuan reached the three targets at 212 kilometers per second, and the heat and shockwaves from his movement badly burned them.
• Ling Wuyuan swung his longsword and disintegrated the silver-white giant wolf and the two men, then sent crimson Sword Qi through mountains and across the sky.
• Travelers, caravans, villagers, and animals nearby fled in terror as the blast and Sword Qi shook the region.
• Ling Wuyuan surveyed the ruined landscape and realized his body had adapted further to Abyssal Divine Speed after entering the Qi Nourishing Realm.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed that a power protected his clothing and reduced the recoil, heat, and shockwaves caused by his speed.

After destroying the three enemies and obliterating their loot, Ling Wuyuan mourned his losses, rescued his horse, and rode onward through the ruined landscape. He reflected that the fires and devastation would eventually fade as the fantasy world’s resilient ecology recovered.

• Ling Wuyuan grieved over the loot and valuable materials he had destroyed with his attack.
• Ling Wuyuan dug his terrified horse out of a deep pit and decided to keep it instead of eating it.
• Ling Wuyuan protected his horse with True Qi and rode through the scorched ruins and flowing magma.
• Ling Wuyuan considered how quickly the world’s strange plants and creatures could suppress fires and restore the damaged environment.
• Ling Wuyuan compared the destructive power of the three extras’ tornado to weapons from his former world.

After Ling Wuyuan’s sword strike drew the Imperial Court and local factions to investigate, officials and a hidden sect mistook the damage for evidence of a much larger conspiracy. Ling remained unaware of the panic he had caused, still deciding what to eat for a midnight snack.

• A dark-uniformed Imperial Court official inspected the enormous sword scar and ordered his subordinate to investigate the local factions for concealed information.
• The official’s subordinate agreed to pressure the factions and pursue further intelligence about the attack.
• A hidden sect master learned that officials had arrived and ordered the elders and disciples to evacuate their underground base.
• The sect master left Elder Zhao and Elder Wang behind because they were missing while hunting prey.
• Ling Wuyuan sat in his tent, unaware of the investigation and evacuation, and considered whether to eat flatbread or roast meat.

Ling Wuyuan overheard diners discussing the Imperial Court’s investigation into the enormous destruction caused three days earlier. The Shadow Concealment Division had attacked Changyun Sect and detained its leaders, and Ling Wuyuan was left wondering why the sect was being connected to the incident he had caused.

• Ling Wuyuan stopped in a small town for beef noodles and braised beef.
• Diners said the Shadow Concealment Division had traced suspicious records to Changyun Sect and killed or detained many of its members.
• The diners debated whether Changyun Sect could have caused the towering pillar of fire and the vast destruction reported at the site.
• One diner speculated that Changyun Sect was connected to a hidden powerful figure and that the Division was bringing in more investigators.
• Ling Wuyuan wondered what Changyun Sect had to do with his sword strike, then chose to eat and pretend the investigation did not concern him.

Ling Wuyuan reached Dragon Peak City, where he planned to buy durable clothing before continuing to Azure Lake White Stream Palace. At the gate, Deputy General Sun Ting introduced himself and tested Ling Wuyuan’s strength in a brief handshake that left the guards stunned.

• Ling Wuyuan admired Dragon Peak City’s enormous, symmetrical walls and rode toward its gate.
• Ling Wuyuan planned to buy special clothes because his growing strength kept destroying his ordinary garments.
• Ling Wuyuan paid the entry fee, and a gate soldier prepared to give him change.
• Sun Ting, a deputy general, introduced himself to Ling Wuyuan and offered his hand.
• Ling Wuyuan and Sun Ting shook hands briefly, causing the air to heat and distort before Sun Ting remarked that the young were to be feared.

Ling Wuyuan entered Dragon Peak City, where Sun Ting asked about his purpose and tested his strength with a handshake. After Ling Wuyuan left, Sun Ting reported that the newcomer’s combat strength might match or exceed that of an average Source Gathering Realm fighter.

• Dragon Peak City residents recognized Ling Wuyuan, while Sun Ting observed that he remained unaffected by their attention.
• Sun Ting asked whether Ling Wuyuan had come to challenge local young talents, and Ling Wuyuan said he wanted to rest, shop, and see the city.
• Sun Ting offered Ling Wuyuan a local soldier as a guide, but Ling Wuyuan declined and left after Sun Ting advised him to buy a map.
• Sun Ting returned to the gate tower and showed the commanders his swollen palm after his brief handshake with Ling Wuyuan.
• The commanding general ordered Sun Ting to apply medicine and write a report on Ling Wuyuan’s abilities.

Ling Wuyuan bought a map and a province report from a newsstand, then headed for Dragon Peak City’s top clothing shop. He learned that Black Blood Hall had claimed responsibility for his fight and identified him as its Grand Elder, leaving him baffled but grateful that they had taken the blame.

• Ling Wuyuan asked a newspaper seller for a city map and a Province Report, paying a silver coin and asking for directions to the best clothing shop.
• The seller recommended Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Textile, a renowned clothing power backed by the Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Sect.
• As Ling Wuyuan rode toward the shop, the seller wrote down information about him and sent a child to deliver it.
• Ling Wuyuan read that Black Blood Hall had fought the Shadow Concealment Division, claimed responsibility for the crimson Sword Qi, and said its injured Grand Elder had killed a powerful enemy.
• Ling Wuyuan realized Black Blood Hall had claimed his actions and taken the blame, and he thanked them for helping him.

Ling Wuyuan visited [Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Textile], the luxurious main branch of [Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Sect] in [Dragon Peak City], to buy clothes. Recognized as a rising star, he was ushered into a distinguished guest room and met the shop’s finest tailors, who enthusiastically praised him.

• Ling Wuyuan approached [Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Textile] and noticed that the area was unusually quiet and its visitors were well dressed.
• Several attendants greeted Ling Wuyuan and assessed his clothing, spatial ring, and sword as signs of a valuable customer.
• An attendant recognized Ling Wuyuan, and he confirmed his identity while asking to shop for clothes.
• The attendants welcomed Ling Wuyuan into a private room and introduced him to several of the shop’s finest tailors.
• A beautiful woman and the tailors showered Ling Wuyuan with extravagant praise, leaving him awkward and the woman embarrassed by the tailors’ parroting.