Chapter Summaries

Shen Qian received a wordless book from Big Shot Gao that revealed complete cultivation methods, then questioned Earl Pingyang about the mysterious door. After Tantai Qin explained why Shen Qian could lie to a king or marquis, he stayed with her in the candlelit classroom and asked about the realms of Mountains and Seas.

• Shen Qian used his Mental Core to read Big Shot Gao's wordless book and discovered the complete methods for the 'Archaic Body Refining Chapter' and 'Primordial Spirit Refining.'
• Earl Pingyang asked whether Shen Qian had entered the 'door,' but Shen Qian denied knowing about it and learned that Earl Pingyang had sent people through without any returning.
• Shen Qian called Tantai Qin and went to meet her in the lecture hall, where he asked whether people could lie in front of kings and marquises.
• Tantai Qin explained that a Mountains and Seas cultivator's core could conceal the truth unless a king or marquis used special methods such as soul-searching or Ask Three Lives.
• Tantai Qin let Shen Qian sit with her and share wine by candlelight, and he asked her about the divisions of Mountains and Seas and the realm called 'Servant God.'

Shen Qian learned how the Heaven, Earth, and Man paths shaped the Mountains and Seas realms from Tantai Qin, then realized she had walked two Daos. The gentle Tantai Qin from the Heaven Realm danced with him and then performed a moving dance beneath the moonlight, leaving Shen Qian in tears.

• Shen Qian asked Tantai Qin about the Mountains and Seas realms, and she explained that Sun Chasing, Moon Stepping, and Star Chasing corresponded to Heaven's Dao, Earth's Dao, and Man's Dao.
• Tantai Qin described the strengths and drawbacks of each path and revealed that King of Jiangling had walked Man's Dao.
• Tantai Qin explained that Mountains and Seas combat strength had nine tiers and that Servant God was the Second Heaven of Man's Dao.
• Shen Qian realized Tantai Qin had walked two Daos and let slip that he knew about her other Dao, but the gentle Tantai Qin from the Heaven Realm responded by inviting him to dance.
• Tantai Qin danced beneath the moonlight to zither music, and Shen Qian watched, overwhelmed, as a tear slid down his face.

Shen Qian balanced his cultivation and duties as Ninth Company's commander while discovering Zhao Xin among the company's new recruits. He entered his new military-grade private cultivation room, where a combat Psionic Sniper Rifle awaited him.

• Shen Qian spoke with Ding Yi, who had recently become an Advanced Martial Artist, then reflected on Tantai Qin's disappearance and continued training his body and Mental Power.
• Zhao Keyi and Geng Qianqiu brought Shen Qian breakfast and completed assignments, then sparred with him and discussed how he was approaching the Extreme Realm.
• Shen Qian visited Ninth Company's expanding camp, where Shang Zuo reported that fewer than two hundred recruits had been selected from ordinary troops.
• Shen Qian noticed Zhao Xin among the recruits and learned that Zhao had joined the Jiangzhong Army after his family's exile and the damage to his prospects.
• Shen Qian entered his newly completed military-grade cultivation room, which contained advanced testing equipment and combat Psionic Guns, including the Sniper Rifle he had long wanted.

Shen Qian received the A+ Sun Shooter sniper rifle and used a private Simulation Machine to measure his combat power. The results placed him near Mountain Sea Second Heaven, while the system’s combat power surpassed his own and inspired him to plan a new technique.

• Shen Qian found Minister Wu Wei’s note beside the Sun Shooter, an A+ heavy sniper rifle gifted to him with two hundred standard rounds.
• Shen Qian inspected a master-version Simulation Machine and entered its offline mode to keep his test data private.
• Shen Qian fought the lava giant with his Mountain River Saber, Thousand Jun armor, and Shadow Blade, then recorded an average Combat Power Value of 12,397 and a peak of 14,988.
• Shen Qian compared his results with the system’s, which reached a Combat Power Value of 18,357, and considered how much stronger he might become with his remaining abilities.
• Shen Qian decided to learn a powerful Mental Power attack technique so he could combine mental attacks with Shadow Blade.

Jiangzhong Military University announced its teams and training plans for the Nine Heavens Competition while Shen Qian traveled alone through a forbidden zone toward Magic City, searching for energy for his system and taking on bounty missions. After getting lost again, Shen Qian trained his Emperor Monkey and fired a heavy sniper rifle at a distant target.

• Ning Zhiyuan and Cheng Qingqing announced the Nine Heavens Competition and selected nine first-year students to compete for the remaining Nine Heavens Cup places, since Shen Qian had been given a spot as a substitute.
• Cheng Qingqing told the second- and third-year students they would attend a ten-day intensive training program, while Qu Bai and Feng Manlin discussed Shen Qian's absence.
• Shen Qian traveled toward Magic City on foot to find an energy source for his system and gain experience through bounty missions, but he lost his way in the forbidden zone again.
• Shen Qian reunited with the Emperor Monkey, now called Great Sage, and learned that it had grown stronger thanks to Wan Ning's care and the spiritual medicines he had fed it.
• After Great Sage reported killing its designated prey, Shen Qian set up Sun Shooter and fired a specially prepared bullet at the distant target.

Shen Qian tested the Sun Shooter, bought more ammunition, and discovered the Hundred Kings Hall community was focused on the approaching Nine Heavens Competition. The chapter ended with Marquis No. 1 announcing a paid request for help near Shen Qian’s current location.

• Shen Qian inspected his shot at a Di Yang and recorded an eighteen-hundred-meter shot with a seven-centimeter deviation as he continued training toward a five-kilometer target.
• Shen Qian exchanged contribution points for three thousand No. 2 sniper bullets and considered using Origin Stone to replenish his system’s energy.
• A cloaked powerhouse delivered Shen Qian’s bullets, prompting him to wonder who controlled the Hundred Kings Hall.
• Shen Qian entered the community, met Marquis No. 1 and Marquis No. 14, and listened as members debated contenders for the Nine Heavens Competition.
• Marquis No. 1 announced that No. 56 had offered one thousand contribution points for help near Jiangnan First Province, which was close to Shen Qian’s location.

Shen Qian accepted No. 56’s emergency bounty and joined three other Hundred Kings Hall members at a periodically opening Door in Jiangnan First Province. After learning that the Spirit Witch Clan might be stealing human fortune and causing deadly disasters, the group entered the lake-bound Door to investigate.

• Shen Qian accepted No. 56’s bounty after learning it required arriving within thirty minutes and having cultivation no higher than Mountain Sea Fourth Heaven.
• No. 9 warned Shen Qian that No. 56’s first bounty in thirty years suggested an emergency beyond his control, but Shen Qian continued toward the destination because he sensed an opportunity to solve his system’s energy problem.
• Shen Qian met No. 56, Iron Hammer, and Venus in a storm-battered valley, where No. 56 revealed that a C-class Door beneath the lake opened every fourteen days.
• No. 56 explained that disasters across Jiangnan First Province, including the destruction of a military company, might be connected to the Spirit Witch Clan’s habit of feeding on fortune.
• Shen Qian, Iron Hammer, and Venus agreed to enter the dangerous Door, and No. 56 led them into the lake after no other members arrived.

Shen Qian entered a door with No. 56, Venus, and Iron Hammer and arrived in a world inhabited by the Spirit Witch Clan. After they found humanity’s stolen fortune stored alongside human remains, No. 56 decided they would destroy the door.

• Shen Qian passed through the coral door and glimpsed an enormous living eye before Iron Hammer’s shout brought him around in the new world.
• Shen Qian, No. 56, Venus, and Iron Hammer fought off the Spirit Witches attacking them, then No. 56 explained that the world was a Lesser Thousand World.
• No. 56, Venus, and Iron Hammer told Shen Qian that Earth produced no spiritual energy and discussed why doors had appeared and whether this one should be destroyed.
• Iron Hammer found a container of fortune underground, and the fortune entered Shen Qian, leading No. 56 to conclude that Shen Qian’s fortune exceeded theirs.
• No. 56 lifted the earth and uncovered more fortune containers and thousands of human remains, then declared that they would destroy the door.

Shen Qian and the others discovered that the Spirit Witch Clan had been extracting fortune from captured human martial artists, then confronted nine Mountain Sea Spirit Witches in a town. The fighting began, and while No. 56, Iron Hammer, and Venus engaged the enemy, Shen Qian watched their combat and was left without a target.

• Shen Qian, Venus, No. 56, and Iron Hammer found more than three hundred intact jars of human fortune and realized the Spirit Witch Clan had refined captured humans to extract it.
• The four reached a Spirit Witch town, where No. 56 explained that the real threat was approaching, and nine golden-robed Mountain Sea experts arrived.
• After the Spirit Witches accused the humans of breaking an agreement, Venus rejected their offer to leave, and the Spirit Witches activated a concealed formation.
• No. 56, Iron Hammer, and Venus countered the flames, with Venus capturing and killing one Spirit Witch; Shen Qian observed their Dao techniques and assessed their strength.
• Iron Hammer, No. 56, and Venus charged into battle against the remaining eight Spirit Witches, leaving Shen Qian standing aside with no opponent.

Shen Qian joined No. 56, Iron Hammer, and Venus in battle against the Spirit Witches, killing one with Shadow Blade and gaining insight into how a Dao could strengthen his fighting style. The remaining Spirit Witches sacrificed themselves in a devastating attack, but their fate escaped, and Venus demanded that Shen Qian explain his slash.

• Shen Qian studied the fighters’ techniques and realized that matching a Dao to his fighting style could maximize his strength.
• Shen Qian joined Venus’s fight and struck at three Spirit Witches, then killed their young attacker with Shadow Blade after his blade aura was blocked.
• The middle-aged Spirit Witch and six others withdrew, burned their fate, and transformed themselves into a powerful storm that scattered Shen Qian and the other three.
• The seven Spirit Witches perished in their attack, while seven clusters of fate escaped toward the depths of the sky.
• No. 56 warned that the true danger of the extermination might lie deeper in the region, and Venus demanded that Shen Qian explain his slash.

Shen Qian and his teammates agreed on how to divide their spoils before following No. 56 to a hidden formation protecting the Spirit Witch Clan’s last stronghold. After they broke through, they faced a towering tree surrounded by Spirit Witch elites and a mysterious elder whom Venus suspected was at least a Seventh Heaven Mountains and Seas powerhouse.

• Venus realized Shen Qian had killed a Second Heaven Mountains and Seas expert without manifesting his Dao, and she and No. 56 mistook his evasions for a damaged Dao.
• No. 56 explained the team’s two options for dividing spoils, and Shen Qian chose to forgo 1,000 contribution points in favor of sharing anything they found in the Lesser Thousand World.
• No. 56 flew back to the town to eliminate hidden dangers, then rejoined Shen Qian, Venus, and Iron Hammer as they traveled across the increasingly desolate land.
• No. 56 discovered a powerful formation on the plain, and the four worked together to break it.
• The shattered formation revealed the Spirit Witch Clan’s remaining elites gathered around a colossal tree and a white-haired elder, whom Venus judged to be at least a Seventh Heaven Mountains and Seas powerhouse.

Shen Qian and his companions confronted the Spirit Witch Clan Great Protector, who was drawing on his clan’s sacrificed fate to reach the Seventh Heaven of Mountain Sea. No. 56 reversed his Great Dao to unleash fire, but the Great Protector remained standing after repelling their assault, and Shen Qian sought another way to exploit the Five Elements.

• No. 56 explained that the Spirit Witch Clan’s Great Protector was nearing the Seventh Heaven and was absorbing the fate and life force of his clan’s remaining powerhouses.
• Venus revealed that the destroyed gate had trapped the four outsiders in the world until all life there was extinguished, so Shen Qian, Venus, No. 56, and Iron Hammer chose to fight.
• The Great Protector attacked with the Ancient Tree’s vines, trapping Iron Hammer and forcing the others to struggle to survive.
• No. 56 reversed his Great Dao, sacrificing his future path to turn his Dao of Water into flames that burned through the vines.
• Shen Qian and Venus charged through the flames, but the Great Protector shattered their assault with golden bells and wind arrows.
• Shen Qian asked Venus whether metal, rather than fire, was the element that most restrained wood.

Shen Qian gambled on the system to create an opening for Venus, then manifested a nearly ten-zhang Blade's Edge Dao and fought his way toward the Grand Protector. The chapter ended as his immense saber strike smashed into the Grand Protector's golden-bell defenses.

• Shen Qian asked Venus whether metal restrained wood, then used the system to create an opportunity for her to land an Absolute Kill; the system accepted and he lost consciousness.
• Venus chose to stay beside Shen Qian as the Grand Protector sent poisoned, blade-edged vines toward them, but the vines froze when Shen Qian awoke and summoned a Dao Sea.
• Shen Qian manifested a nearly ten-zhang Blade's Edge Dao, astonishing Venus, Iron Hammer, and No. 56 with its height and lack of Dao Patterns.
• Shen Qian cut through the Ancient Tree's vines and advanced to within thirty meters of the Grand Protector despite the latter's attacks.
• The Grand Protector surrounded himself with seven golden bells and unleashed meteors, wind blades, thunder, fire, and poison at Shen Qian.
• Shen Qian's thousand-zhang saber radiance erased the incoming attacks and crashed into the golden bell above the Grand Protector.

Shen Qian and Venus killed the Spirit Witch Clan Great Protector, but the surviving ancient tree drew a vast horde of beasts that trapped the exhausted group. Shen Qian sought help from the being he believed was Candle Dragon, and the sky darkened as everything around them froze.

• Shen Qian shattered the Great Protector’s golden bells with a slash, allowing Venus to pierce him in her extreme state and kill him.
• Shen Qian collapsed from exhaustion, and Venus caught him; No. 56 explained that the ancient tree, not the Great Protector, sustained the world’s vitality.
• A Mountains and Seas-level bird and tens of thousands of beasts surrounded the group, leaving Venus as their only capable fighter.
• Shen Qian told Venus to carry him toward the sky, then used beast language to call out while the pursuing beasts closed in.
• Everything around Venus froze, and the sky suddenly went dark.

Shen Qian summoned Candle Dragon in a desperate bid to survive, and it annihilated the Demonic Beasts before leaving the group unharmed. After Venus destroyed the Gate and No. 56 recovered Dao Stones, Shen Qian slipped away to gather what remained, but the exhausted system activated and he lost consciousness.

• Candle Dragon appeared above the Gate, froze the battlefield, and reduced the surrounding Demonic Beasts to dust with a breath of deadly wind.
• Venus, Iron Hammer, and No. 56 realized Shen Qian's Snake Language had drawn Candle Dragon, though he explained that he had only called for help in desperation.
• Venus destroyed the Ancient Tree of Life, and the Gate's world began to fade away as the group watched.
• Iron Hammer returned with No. 56, who had found more than thirty jin of Dao Stones and asked Shen Qian to let him keep them in exchange for contribution points.
• Shen Qian left the others to explore the dying world and secretly planned to collect its buried Origin Stones, but the depleted system came back online and knocked him unconscious.

Shen Qian returned from the dying Spirit Witch World and discovered that the system had combined Blood Guanyin and Arhat Golden Body into a new divine ability, Calamity Buddha. After learning he had already cultivated three layers, he wondered whether advancing further would require him to destroy more gates.

• No. 56, Venus, and Iron Hammer waited for Shen Qian as the Spirit Witch World’s darkness closed in, then escaped with him through the door just in time.
• Back on Earth, Shen Qian and the others discussed their plans before parting ways, and Venus revealed her real name was Li Muyi and explained her connection to Ukraine’s fate.
• Shen Qian reviewed the AFK Record and learned the system had absorbed 1,782 kilograms of Origin Stones, then merged Blood Guanyin and Arhat Golden Body into Calamity Buddha.
• Shen Qian discovered Calamity Buddha had seven layers and could eventually let his body tear apart a top-tier Mountains and Seas cultivator.
• Shen Qian learned he had already cultivated three layers using the Spirit Witch World’s Power of Life and Destruction, and realized that destroying gates might help him advance further.

Shen Qian arrived in Magic City after gaining an improved Shadow Blade and testing the divine ability Calamity Buddha, then learned that his wealth and fortune had grown through the success of his medicines. As the Nine Heavens Competition approached, he discovered that he had barely made the Hidden Dragon List, ranked 100th with no combat power index recorded.

• Shen Qian extracted the improved double Shadow Blade, tested its two successive strikes, and used Calamity Buddha to transform into a form he found imposing.
• Shen Qian arrived in Magic City with Emperor Monkey, where Wan Ning told him that Yuan You was waiting in his room.
• Yuan You reported that Shen Qian's assets had risen to nearly twelve billion, largely from profits from the new Stamina Potion, while Shen Qian reflected on how his medicines had increased his fortune.
• Shen Qian and Yuan You argued over his attempt to sleep, and she pounced on him after he readily agreed to leave.
• Wan Ning explained that cities were installing giant screens to broadcast the Nine Heavens Competition, and Shen Qian bought a magazine listing the competitors.
• Shen Qian found himself ranked 100th on the Hidden Dragon List, with no combat power index available.

Shen Qian discovered that Ding Yi had risen to sixth on the Hidden Dragon List and reunited with her, where she hinted at her mother’s survival and concealed a dangerous cultivation method. After suspecting Ding Yi’s sudden growth came from an opportunity beyond the “door,” Shen Qian returned to find his senior fellow disciples waiting for him, including Eighth Senior Sister.

• Shen Qian saw that Wang Shuo ranked first and Ding Yi ranked sixth on the Hidden Dragon List, while the Alliance placed him at one hundredth to provoke discussion.
• Shen Qian visited Ding Yi at the East Sea Hotel, embraced her, and learned that she believed her mother was still alive but did not want to explain further.
• After Shen Qian left, Ding Yi spoke with the woman within her ancient bracelet, who offered a dangerous cultivation method that required Ding Yi to remain a virgin; Ding Yi chose to begin cultivating it.
• Wei Sijian told Shen Qian that Northern Martial University’s top students had recently trained beyond the “door,” leading Shen Qian to suspect Ding Yi had gained an opportunity there and to worry about its cost.
• Shen Qian returned to his suite, where he encountered Fifth Senior Brother Ling Xiao and reunited with Shi Dingyan, Wu Jun, Cheng Qingqing, and Eighth Senior Sister.

Shen Qian reunited with his senior brothers and sisters in Magic City, revealed that he had condensed Origin Energy without reaching Mountains and Seas, and learned Wu Jun had come to protect his Dao. After sharing a tender moment with Ji Ruoshui, Shen Qian was summoned to a team meeting for the Nine Heavens Competition.

• Shen Qian told Shi Dingyan, Wu Jun, and Ling Xiao that he had condensed Origin Energy after entering a mysterious door, and they examined him before discussing the possibility of Forbidden Origin Energy.
• Shi Dingyan and Ling Xiao reassured Shen Qian that taking Liu Changqing’s opportunity on Wuding Bridge had not harmed Liu, who was now improving himself in seclusion.
• Shen Qian learned that Wu Jun had come to Magic City specifically to protect his Dao during the Nine Heavens Competition, while the other senior brothers and sisters had separate reasons for being there.
• After the others left, Shen Qian welcomed Ji Ruoshui, told her he had missed her, and held her as she leaned against him.
• Shen Qian settled Ji Ruoshui into his suite, then received Cheng Qingqing’s call summoning him to the first-floor conference room to learn the competition rules.

At a Jiangzhong Military University assembly for Step Nine Heavens, Shen Qian learned that the Nine Heavens Cup and the Nine Heavens Competition would use real combat rather than virtual simulations. The chapter ended with students studying the formidable young opponents they would face.

• Shen Qian joined Ouyang Fei, Yang Lingjie, and Shangguan Ting at a packed university assembly, where they discussed the competition and rumors about his substitute status.
• Ning Zhiyuan explained the Nine Heavens Cup format, and Cheng Qingqing urged the team to aim for the championship.
• Ning Zhiyuan revealed that the Nine Heavens Competition would progress through nine stages using points earned in battle.
• Ning Zhiyuan and Cheng Qingqing warned that both events would involve real combat, with risks of injury or death, and urged students to participate cautiously.
• Cheng Qingqing displayed lists of promising freshmen and senior students, and Shen Qian recognized several rivals while reading about other powerful competitors.