Chapter Summaries

After defeating Guan Xiangfei and Zhang Tianrang, Ling Wuyuan invited the crowd to challenge him together, provoking more than a dozen older fighters and local leaders to enter the Central Training Ground. Guan Xiangfei remained stranded on the damaged arena as the new confrontation began, begging Jiang Xing to save him.

• Ling Wuyuan acknowledged Guan Xiangfei as a strong opponent, advised him to treat his injuries, and started to leave.
• Zhang Tianrang challenged Ling Wuyuan, who sent him flying with a single blow and declared that the gap between them was enormous.
• Ling Wuyuan asked whether anyone else would challenge him and offered to fight everyone at once.
• Yang Teng, Zhao Wulu, Chen Teng, and more than a dozen other fighters, clan patriarchs, and sect elders stepped onto the Central Training Ground.
• Guan Xiangfei realized he was still lying on the arena and called out to Jiang Xing to save him before he was caught in the coming fight.

Ling Wuyuan defeated the fighters in Dragon Peak City and, through clashing with their Sword Intent and Saber Intent, underwent a transformation of his mind and will that he named “Seeing One’s True Nature, the Ultimate Intent of Self.” He confronted Xiang Zhidong and invited him to attack, sensing his hostility.

• Ling Wuyuan quickly defeated the group of fighters, leaving Xiang Zhidong stunned by the gulf in their strength.
• Ling Wuyuan crossed swords with several stronger opponents and learned how unusual his true qi was compared with ordinary true qi.
• Experiencing Sword Intent and Saber Intent helped Ling Wuyuan’s thoughts gather and his cognition, soul, and spiritual awareness transform.
• Ling Wuyuan recognized his new realm as “Seeing One’s True Nature, the Ultimate Intent of Self” and realized his instincts had led him to seek this challenge.
• Ling Wuyuan faced Xiang Zhidong and challenged him to make a move, saying he could sense his hostility.

Ling Wuyuan humiliated Xiang Zhidong after defeating the young talents of Cloud Ridge Province, then left the Central Training Ground as the onlookers confronted their province’s disgrace. The observers debated whether the defeat might spur the younger generation to improve and why Ling Wuyuan had singled out Xiang Zhidong for such an extreme humiliation.

• Ling Wuyuan regarded Xiang Zhidong as a clown, while the onlookers watched in silence.
• Xiang Zhidong drew his sword in anger, but Ling Wuyuan struck him unconscious with the flat of his blade and tore his clothes apart.
• Ling Wuyuan asked whether anyone else wanted to challenge him, but no one answered.
• A member of Xiang Zhidong's family tried to confront Ling Wuyuan, but Xuan Dacai and others held him back.
• Ling Wuyuan calmly left as the onlookers reflected on Cloud Ridge Province's defeat.
• An observer argued that the younger generation could learn from the loss and wondered why Ling Wuyuan had humiliated Xiang Zhidong alone.

Ling Wuyuan sensed that his True Qi was nearing the Qi Gathering Stage after awakening Ultimate Intent and cultivating at an extraordinary pace. He remained cautious about Dragon Peak City’s stronger experts as he prepared to leave for the day.

• Ling Wuyuan reflected that his quiet days of reading were ending because Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Textile was due to deliver his goods.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed that his True Qi had multiplied in quantity and become much purer since awakening Ultimate Intent.
• Ling Wuyuan considered the powerful Spirit Infusion Realm and Enlightened Intent Realm experts in Dragon Peak City and resolved not to provoke local forces too far.
• Ling Wuyuan recognized that his True Qi was nearing the Qi Gathering Stage, a milestone that usually took cultivators years to reach.
• Ling Wuyuan credited his many cultivation methods, Abyssal Divine Speed, and exceptionally strong body for his rapid progress and enormous True Qi capacity.

Ling Wuyuan visited Flower Rain Weaving Cloud Textile to collect the five completed sets of Rune Gear he had commissioned. Shan Huixian explained their features, and Ling Wuyuan prepared to try them on after performing the Master Recognition Ceremony.

• Shan Huixian congratulated Ling Wuyuan on his high Hero Ranking placements and praised his strength among Qi Nourishing Realm cultivators.
• Ling Wuyuan asked whether his commissioned Rune Gear was ready, and Shan Huixian confirmed it had been completed.
• Shan Huixian described the Rune Gear's defenses, self-repair, adjustable sizing, automatic cleaning, and resistance to extreme temperatures.
• Shan Huixian showed Ling Wuyuan five Rune Gear sets in different colors and styles, and he admired their appearance and durability.
• Shan Huixian waited outside while Ling Wuyuan prepared to change and reminded him to perform the Master Recognition Ceremony first.

Ling Wuyuan completed the Master Recognition Ceremony for five sets of Rune Attire and tested their energy use and defenses. After dressing in one set, he stunned Shan Huixian and the master tailors, paid the remaining cost, and left them trying to restrain the excited tailors.

• Ling Wuyuan bound all five sets of Rune Attire to himself and found they drew a tenth of his true qi before settling into a very slow daily drain.
• He learned the Rune Attire could automatically shield him from attacks and outside influences, though a shattered shield took several seconds to reform.
• Ling Wuyuan reflected that he had secured clothing, food, travel, wealth, and methods, but still lacked housing, companions, and land.
• Ling Wuyuan emerged wearing the black-and-gold Rune Attire, and Shan Huixian and the master tailors were astonished by how well it suited him.
• Ling Wuyuan paid Shan Huixian two top-grade crystal coins and praised the goods, while she ordered others to drag the frenzied tailors away.

Ling Wuyuan said farewell to Sun Ting at Dragon Peak City’s west gate and unexpectedly offered him a sparring match. After Ling Wuyuan gravely injured Sun Ting and fled, Sun Ting accepted the loss as better than never daring to fight.

• Sun Ting told Ling Wuyuan that Xiang Zhidong had been training furiously, and Ling Wuyuan barely remembered the man he had defeated.
• Sun Ting admitted he had wanted to challenge Ling Wuyuan but had been ashamed to join the crowd attacking him.
• Ling Wuyuan invited Sun Ting to spar at the crowded west gate, despite the city-protecting formation.
• Ling Wuyuan struck Sun Ting in the abdomen, leaving him vomiting blood, and Sun Ting insisted to the stunned onlookers that it was a sparring match.
• Ling Wuyuan declared himself the winner, mounted his horse, and rode away while Sun Ting laughed at his defeat.
• Other city gate commanders arrived and were shocked by the scene.

Ling Wuyuan reached Azure Cloud Lake and located the approximate site of Azure Lake White Stream Palace’s Underground Vault, whose entrance required digging deep underground. As he prepared to head for the site, a gigantic Divine Eagle emerged from the clouds and fixed him with a hostile gaze.

• Ling Wuyuan rode his nimble horse up steep mountain slopes and reached the summit overlooking Azure Cloud Lake.
• Ling Wuyuan surveyed the ruins of Azure Lake White Stream Palace and recalled its former power and eventual destruction.
• Ling Wuyuan followed the treasure map to find the approximate Underground Vault coordinate near a forest, an official road, and a prosperous town.
• Ling Wuyuan realized he would likely have to dig nearly two thousand meters to reach the vault and its next directions.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed a vicious, greedy gaze overhead, and a huge Divine Eagle burst through the clouds with a piercing cry.

Ling Wuyuan faced a giant eagle whose ancient bloodline craved him, then pierced its mind from afar through their locked gazes. The eagle survived the attack and erupted with golden demonic qi, drawing terrified attention from a distant town.

• The giant eagle spotted Ling Wuyuan and sensed that eating him could trigger a transformation, but its attempt to intimidate him failed.
• Ling Wuyuan dismounted, destroyed the saddle and reins, and freed his frightened horse, which fled from the eagle.
• Ling Wuyuan attacked the eagle through their gaze, piercing its head with an imagined twisted hand and sending it plummeting in agony.
• The wounded eagle awakened its ferocity and unleashed blazing golden demonic qi, tearing through the sky with hurricane-force winds.
• People in a town more than ten kilometers away saw the high-level demon beast and were battered by its scorching gale.

Ling Wuyuan explained how awakening [Ultimate Intent] had helped him develop the [Art of Witnessing] and understand the world’s spiritual power system. Unable to seriously affect the frenzied Golden Giant Eagle with his current mental power, he drew his sword and launched himself skyward as the eagle dove at him.

• Ling Wuyuan reflected that the [Art of Witnessing] used killing intent and hostility to pressure a target through the spiritual plane.
• After studying books at the Youwen Book Tower, Ling Wuyuan learned that mental power formed a broader system, generally accessible from the [Spirit Infusion Realm], and that he had awakened it unusually early.
• Ling Wuyuan studied higher-level Azure Lake White Stream Palace manuals and developed techniques suited to his own mental power.
• Ling Wuyuan judged that only a tiny portion of the mental damage he had inflicted on the Golden Giant Eagle had transferred to its body, and that its chaotic mind made his technique harder to use.
• Ling Wuyuan drew his longsword and stomped down, shortening a mountain by one or two hundred meters as the recoil sent him into the sky.
• The Golden Giant Eagle, wreathed in golden flames, cried out and dove toward Ling Wuyuan.

Ling Wuyuan fought the Golden Giant Eagle in a clash that devastated the surrounding landscape and threatened a nearby city. After enjoying the battle, he used Abyssal Divine Speed to behead the eagle and stored its corpse, then landed on the scorched mountain.

• Ling Wuyuan's sword clashed with the Golden Giant Eagle's beak, scattering golden fire that melted a mountain and sent creatures fleeing.
• The city lord activated the city-protecting grand formation while local family heads watched the battle from a distance.
• Ling Wuyuan relished fighting an opponent strong enough to withstand his attacks and activated his body-tempering techniques to match the eagle's brute strength.
• When the Golden Giant Eagle tried to retreat, Ling Wuyuan used Abyssal Divine Speed to overtake it and behead it in one stroke.
• Ling Wuyuan stored the Golden Giant Eagle's corpse in his spatial ring and landed on the shortened mountain peak.

Ling Wuyuan dissected the Golden Giant Eagle after defeating it, judged it to be a powerful [Source Gathering Realm] demonic beast, and surveyed the damage around the mountain. The distant city remained unharmed, but its residents and city lord began considering whether they could claim benefits from the aftermath.

• Ling Wuyuan dissected the Golden Giant Eagle and collected its feathers, beak, talons, blood, meridians, and bones.
• Ling Wuyuan compared the eagle with past opponents and concluded it lacked the traits of a [Spirit Infusion Realm] being.
• Ling Wuyuan finished processing the corpse and saw that the mountain had been devastated while the distant city remained unharmed.
• People in the city, including the city lord, wondered whether the battle had left benefits they could claim.

After five days of waiting for the locals’ treasure hunt to die down, Ling Wuyuan dug a tunnel and sensed that he had passed through a hidden barrier. In the city, the Zuo Family’s jade pendants began glowing, revealing that the underground barrier had been disturbed.

• The locals searched the area through the night for valuable remains from the battle, forcing Ling Wuyuan to hide and delay digging his tunnel.
• Five days later, Ling Wuyuan dug a deep tunnel with his bare hands and camouflaged its entrance with supports to keep the surface from collapsing.
• At a depth of a thousand meters, Ling Wuyuan felt as though he had pierced an invisible barrier, but he saw nothing unusual and continued digging.
• Zuo Zhien noticed that his ancient jade pendant was glowing and realized that the underground barrier had been disturbed.
• The Zuo Family’s Grand Elder entered Zuo Zhien’s study with an identical glowing pendant and declared that the underground barrier had finally been disturbed.

Ling Wuyuan sensed concealed detection barriers as he dug toward Azure Lake White Stream Palace’s underground Secret Vault, and his instinct warned him that the barriers were not left by the palace. Despite suspecting an unknown third party might be involved, he chose to dig down faster.

• Ling Wuyuan found the underground soil increasingly difficult to dig through and recalled that deep earth grew unnaturally hard in this world.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed another bubble-like change and suspected he had crossed a concealed detection barrier.
• Ling Wuyuan examined the treasure map from Azure Lake White Stream Palace, which continued to reveal new words and patterns as he approached the destination.
• Ling Wuyuan considered whether the barriers were left by Azure Lake White Stream Palace, but his sixth sense rejected the idea and warned him of another force’s involvement.
• Ling Wuyuan reasoned that the surviving force involved in the palace’s destruction had little reason to leave barriers there, so an unknown force or individual seemed more likely.
• Ling Wuyuan chose to dig down faster, trusting that the Secret Vault remained and resolving to face any danger or opponent he found.

Ling Wuyuan followed the treasure map to an ordinary-looking rock, which transformed into the Mysterious Void Myriad Forms Ring after he activated it with his blood. The previous owner revealed that the ring held much of the Azure Lake White Stream Palace’s inheritance, and Ling Wuyuan discovered a recorded message from him that he quickly shut off.

• Ling Wuyuan followed the treasure map underground and found a large rock that appeared to have no connection to a Secret Vault.
• Ling Wuyuan dripped his blood onto the treasure map and pressed it against the rock, causing the map to merge with it and the rock to become the Mysterious Void Myriad Forms Ring.
• The ring recognized Ling Wuyuan as its master, and its previous owner explained that it contained treasures, cultivation methods, scriptures, and a Divine Sense Imprint Token from the Azure Lake White Stream Palace.
• Ling Wuyuan took out the special Imprint Stone and activated its recording of the previous owner.
• Ling Wuyuan shut off the five-hour recording after the previous owner began an angry string of profanity.

Ling Wuyuan learned the Mysterious Void Myriad Forms Ring’s history and four functions, then tested its abilities and considered whether higher-ranked independent spaces could contain lower-ranked ones. He stored his possessions in the ring and sensed hostility from the surface, leaving him no time to inspect what he had collected.

• Kong Xinggan’s recorded voice explained the Mysterious Void Myriad Forms Ring’s origins and its spatial storage, shape-changing, spiritual-energy gathering, and remote teleportation functions.
• Ling Wuyuan tested the ring, finding that its remote teleportation had a distance-based cooldown and that it could collect objects from afar using his true qi.
• Ling Wuyuan discovered that the ring could contain other spatial items, but their internal capacities still occupied space and their contents had to be retrieved by taking the items out first.
• Ling Wuyuan speculated that differences in rank might explain how independent spaces could contain one another, but abandoned the question because he lacked the knowledge to investigate.
• Ling Wuyuan transferred his possessions into the Mysterious Void Myriad Forms Ring and sensed hostility directed at him from the surface.

Ling Wuyuan sensed that hostile people were tracking him underground, cleansed himself of possible markers with gray mist, and burst through the earth to confront them. He paralyzed Zuo Zhou with a precise true-qi technique and demanded to know who they were.

• Ling Wuyuan used corrosive gray mist to remove invisible substances or markers from his body.
• Ling Wuyuan launched himself from two thousand meters underground, erupting through the surface and shaking the nearby forest and city.
• Zuo Zhien and Zuo Zhou noticed their compass had gone dark just before the ground erupted beneath them.
• Ling Wuyuan seized Zuo Zhou by the neck and paralyzed him by disrupting the nerves with true qi.
• Ling Wuyuan asked Zuo Zhou who he and his companions were.

Ling Wuyuan questioned Zuo Zhou after overpowering the Zuo Family, who had gathered near Azure Lake White Stream Palace’s hidden legacy. Zuo Zhou claimed his family descended from the Palace and began proving it, leaving Ling Wuyuan to examine their connection.

• Ling Wuyuan recognized that the Zuo Family was too weak to be an enemy of Azure Lake White Stream Palace and gave Zuo Zhou a chance to explain why they were there.
• Zuo Zhou recognized Ling Wuyuan and, while warning Zuo Zhien and the others not to attack, said the Zuo Family was guarding its ancestral land.
• Zuo Zhou explained that his family had guarded the land for over a thousand years and that their ancestors had served Azure Lake White Stream Palace.
• Ling Wuyuan said he owed Azure Lake White Stream Palace a debt of gratitude, and Zuo Zhou confirmed that his family still preserved some of its cultivation techniques.
• Zuo Zhou told Zuo Zhien to demonstrate the Mysterious Wind Flowing Cloud Body, which he said had once been called the Light Wind White Flow Body.

Ling Wuyuan recognized Zuo Zhien’s Light Wind White Flow Body and admitted his connection to Azure Lake White Stream Palace, but he detected the Zuo Family’s lie about being its descendants. After killing Zuo Zhou, he demanded that Zuo Zhien tell him the truth.

• Ling Wuyuan recognized Zuo Zhien’s Light Wind White Flow Body and identified it as having reached the seventh layer.
• Ling Wuyuan said he had inherited techniques from Azure Lake White Stream Palace and would help its descendants if he had the chance.
• Zuo Zhien and Zuo Zhou eagerly claimed the Zuo Family was a surviving branch of Azure Lake White Stream Palace and called their conflict a misunderstanding.
• Ling Wuyuan crushed Zuo Zhou’s neck and pulled his spine from his body after realizing the Zuo Family had lied.
• Ling Wuyuan told Zuo Zhien he would give him one more chance to tell the truth.

Ling Wuyuan faced Zuo Zhien and the remaining Zuo Family members after killing Zuo Zhou. Zuo Zhien threatened to expose Ling Wuyuan as the Azure Lake White Stream Palace Legacy inheritor unless he shared its treasures, but Ling Wuyuan laughed at the threat.

• The remaining Zuo Family cultivators prepared pills and life-burning secret arts but hesitated to attack Ling Wuyuan.
• Zuo Zhien acknowledged that he and the Zuo Family had underestimated Ling Wuyuan and offered to let bygones be bygones in exchange for benefits.
• Zuo Zhien threatened to use a Projection Jade Pendant and letters to reveal Ling Wuyuan's inheritance to powerful cultivators if Ling Wuyuan refused his demands.
• Zuo Zhien demanded two [Enlightened Intent Realm Cultivation Methods], five [Spirit Infusion Realm Cultivation Methods], and cultivation resources.
• Ling Wuyuan laughed and asked why Zuo Zhien still thought he feared threats.