Chapter Summaries

Ning Qi entered sudden enlightenment and created the Myriad Forms Origin Stake, a stance art that blended his study of many forms of heaven and earth. Ye Qinghe and White Ape witnessed his breakthrough, leaving Ning Qi with a new path for Body Tempering.

• Ye Qinghe saw Ning Qi enter sudden enlightenment and stood guard while he and White Ape remained motionless on the Stone Platform.
• Ning Qi realized that different forms could temper different parts of the human body and began practicing a new stance art.
• Ye Qinghe saw visions of nature and beasts in Ning Qi's movements, while White Ape saw a Golden Monkey and tried unsuccessfully to imitate him.
• Ning Qi finished his practice and named the stance art Myriad Forms Origin Stake, recognizing it as a Supreme Level Stance.

Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe befriended a White Ape in the mountain forest, and Ning Qi agreed to bring it back to the True Martial Sect. After they reported their encounter to Dragon Mountain Daoist and presented the Ice Silkworm Strength manual, he began considering what they had told him.

• Ye Qinghe teased Ning Qi about his restrained laughter, and the two enjoyed Monkey Wine with the White Ape before deciding to return to their sect.
• As Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe left, the White Ape remembered Ning Qi's Myriad Forms Origin Stake and ran after them, kneeling to ask to go with him and learn the Stake Skill.
• Ning Qi agreed to bring the White Ape back, and Ye Qinghe helped him bring it into the True Martial Sect after hiding the Monkey Wine and removing the smell of alcohol.
• Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe visited Dragon Mountain Daoist, and Ye Qinghe recounted their encounter while Ning Qi presented the Ice Silkworm Strength manual the White Ape had given them.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist listened to their account and fell into thought.

Dragon Mountain Daoist welcomed the White Ape into the True Martial Sect and explained that Exotic Beasts drew strength from their Heavenly Beast Bloodlines. Ning Qi named the ape Yuan Tiansheng and considered adapting human martial arts to help him cultivate.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist praised the Ice Silkworm Strength and warned Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe not to covet the Red Fruit the White Ape had eaten.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist invited the White Ape to join the True Martial Sect, and it eagerly accepted.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist assigned the White Ape to live with Ning Qi, who named him Yuan Tiansheng.
• Ning Qi asked why Exotic Beasts varied so greatly in strength, and Dragon Mountain Daoist explained their Heavenly Beast Bloodlines and how they developed power.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist said apes could adapt human martial arts, giving Ning Qi the idea to help Yuan Tiansheng cultivate.

Ning Qi taught Yuan Tiansheng at the Seeking Dao Institute while rebuilding his cultivation with the Myriad Forms Origin Stake. He forged a Supreme Foundation and began Organ Refinement, then tested Yuan Tiansheng’s studies and considered how the White Ape might enter the Martial Dao.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist warned Ye Qinghe to prepare for the Divine Sword Old Man’s visit next autumn and ordered her to tell the Eldest Senior Brother about Yuan Tiansheng.
• Ning Qi brought Yuan Tiansheng to his courtyard, told him to study reading and books, and named the courtyard the Seeking Dao Institute.
• Ning Qi re-cultivated the Outer Four Realms with the Myriad Forms Origin Stake while Yuan Tiansheng watched and worked diligently.
• After seven days, Ning Qi completed Bone Refinement with a Supreme Foundation, gaining ten thousand jin of force in one arm, and began Organ Refinement.
• Ning Qi tested Yuan Tiansheng’s written lessons and considered creating a Ventriloquism technique and a simplified Stake Skill suited to the White Ape.

Ning Qi completed Spirit Refinement and perfected his physical body, preparing to enter the Inner Yuan Realm. He then set out with Tiansheng to meet the Divine Sword Elder for the Ten-Year Pact with Dragon Mountain Daoist.

• Over the past year, the True Martial Sect grew, while Tiansheng became a popular disciple and secretly cultivated the Ape King Stake under Ning Qi’s guidance.
• Ning Qi created the Myriad Forms Origin Stake and rapidly completed Organ Refinement, Marrow Refinement, Blood Refinement, and Spirit Refinement.
• Ning Qi’s perfected body gave him a lifespan of two sixty-year cycles and immense strength, and he expected to enter the Inner Yuan Realm within two months.
• Ning Qi called Tiansheng to leave with him for the meeting between the Divine Sword Elder and Dragon Mountain Daoist.

Ning Qi joined the True Martial Sect to witness the latest Ten-Year Pact between Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder. The two old rivals met on True Martial Mountain, where Divine Sword Elder insisted they settle their wager through an honorable fight.

• Ning Qi arrived with White Ape and greeted Dragon Mountain Daoist and the True Martial Sect disciples.
• Qin Yun arrived after training obsessively, and Dragon Mountain Daoist resolved to speak with him about balancing his cultivation.
• Divine Sword Elder led the Divine Sword Sect up the mountain, and Ning Qi observed their Divine Sword Steps and spotted a curious Chubby Kid among them.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder exchanged barbed greetings, and Divine Sword Elder realized his old rival had grown far stronger.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist offered to return True Martial Mountain, but Divine Sword Elder refused and demanded they honor the Ten-Year Pact.

The Divine Sword Sect and True Martial Sect changed their Ten-Year Pact so their disciples would compete instead of their elders. The disciples left eager to prove themselves, while Ning Qi remained unconcerned about the promised rewards.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder set aside their brewing confrontation and welcomed the Divine Sword Sect disciples to a banquet.
• Ning Qi met Zhuang Chen, a chubby Divine Sword Sect disciple who mistook White Ape for a pet and then chatted incessantly with Ning Qi.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder announced that future Ten-Year Pact contests would be decided by the disciples sparring for the right to use True Martial Mountain for ten years.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist urged the disciples to compete seriously and promised rewards for outstanding performances.

The True Martial Sect and Divine Sword Sect held a sparring session, and the True Martial disciples gained the upper hand in most contests. After Qin Yun defeated Yan Shiheng, Divine Sword Elder proposed one more match, eyeing Zhuang Chen.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder arranged for their disciples to spar, and Wang Chong defeated Li Bing with the Tiger Demon Fist.
• The Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples competed, with True Martial Sect showing the stronger foundation overall.
• Yan Shiheng defeated Sun Chuanhai in the first True Disciple match.
• Qin Yun challenged Yan Shiheng and defeated him after a hundred exchanges, prompting cheers from the True Martial disciples.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist suggested ending the matches, but Divine Sword Elder called for one more contest and looked toward Zhuang Chen.

Divine Sword Elder challenged the True Martial Sect’s disciples under ten to defeat his young disciple Zhuang Chen for the Dragon Owl Sword. After Zhuang Chen effortlessly defeated Zhao Changhe, Ning Qi stepped forward to face him, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Divine Sword Elder offered the Dragon Owl Sword as a prize for any True Martial Sect disciple under ten who could defeat Zhuang Chen.
• Zhao Changhe challenged Zhuang Chen, but Zhuang Chen revealed his Tendon Refinement cultivation and knocked him down without injuring him.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist recognized that Zhuang Chen likely possessed an Innate Sword Bone, and Divine Sword Elder proudly confirmed it.
• Ning Qi stepped forward to challenge Zhuang Chen, and Dragon Mountain Daoist cautioned him to hold back.
• Zhuang Chen told Ning Qi to leave the arena, and Ning Qi prepared to teach him a lesson.

Ning Qi defeated Zhuang Chen in a sword match, revealing a remarkable Sword Path that astonished both sects. Zhuang Chen begged Ning Qi to teach him, leaving the Divine Sword Elder furious and Dragon Mountain Daoist wary of his interest in Ning Qi.

• Zhuang Chen drew his Mystic Black Wooden Sword and challenged Ning Qi, who took a wooden sword passed to him by Ye Qinghe.
• Zhuang Chen attacked with Lifting Light as Heavy and then glimpsed Human-Sword Unity, impressing the spectators.
• Ning Qi calmly disarmed Zhuang Chen with a graceful sword strike and tapped his belly with the wooden sword.
• The Divine Sword Elder recognized Ning Qi's Sword Intent and Sword Path, while Dragon Mountain Daoist warned him not to poach Ning Qi.
• Zhuang Chen hugged Ning Qi's trouser leg and begged him to teach the sword, even offering to become his disciple.

After winning the Ten-Year Pact, Ning Qi began cultivating Inner Strength and derived the True Martial Strength, then started designing a Layered Strength Art to match his Myriad Forms Origin Stake. Zhuang Chen sought him out and offered to trade an unrivaled secret art for instruction in Ning Qi’s sword technique.

• Divine Sword Elder conceded the Ten-Year Pact, gave Dragon Mountain Daoist the Dragon Owl Sword, and agreed to stay and exchange insights and teachings with the True Martial Sect.
• Ning Qi examined the first wisp of Inner Strength forming within him and understood the stages of cultivation from the Inner Yuan Realm to the Gang Yuan Realm.
• Ning Qi combined Shaking Heaven Strength, Quaking Earth Strength, and Overturning Sea Strength to derive True Martial Strength, then resolved to create a superior art suited to his Myriad Forms Origin Stake.
• Zhuang Chen sneaked into the Seeking Dao Institute, fought White Ape to a standstill, and asked Ning Qi to teach him the sword technique he had seen.
• Ning Qi refused to take Zhuang Chen as a disciple, but Zhuang Chen offered to reveal an unrivaled secret art in exchange for the lesson.

Ning Qi learned the Dream Taotie secret art from Zhuang Chen and repaid him by teaching him a sword technique that helped him approach Sword Intent. After the Divine Sword Sect departed, Ning Qi continued refining his cultivation methods, while Divine Sword Elder discovered how much Zhuang Chen had gained from Ning Qi’s instruction.

• Zhuang Chen taught Ning Qi the Dream Taotie secret art, and Ning Qi promised to teach him swordplay in return.
• Ning Qi demonstrated and refined a sword technique for Zhuang Chen, guiding him toward Overbearing Sword Intent during their daily practice.
• Over seven days, Ning Qi studied Dream Taotie and Ice Silkworm Strength while strengthening his Inner Strength and developing his own Layered Strength Art.
• Zhuang Chen and the Divine Sword Sect departed, and Zhuang Chen told Divine Sword Elder that he had shared Dream Taotie with Ning Qi.
• After seeing Zhuang Chen’s new sword technique, Divine Sword Elder realized Ning Qi had helped his disciple glimpse Sword Intent and told him to conceal who had taught it.
• A month after the Divine Sword Sect left, Ning Qi’s creation of his own Layered Strength Art reached a critical moment.

Ning Qi created the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique and advanced to the Inner Yuan Realm, then began preparing to test his new cultivation method. As year-end approached, Dragon Mountain Daoist emerged from seclusion just as Ning Qi was about to attempt his first transformative sleep.

• Ning Qi devised the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique, using feigned death in a dream to push his body to its limits and strengthen his Inner Strength.
• Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi that Dragon Mountain Daoist had sent Qin Yun down the mountain to train after the Divine Sword Sect's visit.
• Ning Qi condensed his Inner Strength into a fruit, reached the Inner Yuan Realm, and gained a lifespan of about two hundred years.
• Ning Qi went to Bright Martial Pavilion to see Dragon Mountain Daoist, but Luo Wentian told him that his master had entered seclusion.
• Ning Qi continued cultivating, formed a connection between his Inner Strength and body, and learned from White Ape that Dragon Mountain Daoist had emerged from seclusion.

Dragon Mountain Daoist emerged from seclusion as a Half-Step Heavenly Human and learned that Ning Qi had reached the Inner Yuan Realm at only five years old. After warning Ning Qi to hide his cultivation, he began to tell him about his origins.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist told Luo Wentian he expected to reach the Heaven-Human Realm within one to three years, and Luo Wentian proposed preparing a Celestial Being Ceremony.
• Luo Wentian reported that Ning Qi had visited while Dragon Mountain Daoist was in seclusion, prompting Dragon Mountain Daoist to suspect his youngest disciple had broken through.
• Ning Qi confirmed he had reached the Inner Yuan Realm at five years old, shocking Dragon Mountain Daoist.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist warned Ning Qi to conceal his cultivation and age from outsiders until he could protect himself.
• Ning Qi asked about the important matter Dragon Mountain Daoist had promised to discuss, and Dragon Mountain Daoist began telling him about his origins.

Dragon Mountain Daoist told Ning Qi that his parents were Ning Ye and Jiang Xuemei of Snow Plum Manor, whose deaths were likely connected to Blood Rain Pavilion. Ning Qi accepted the truth without rushing into revenge, then began the first death of his physical body and regained his aura after seven days in seclusion.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist revealed that Ning Qi's parents had been killed when Snow Plum Manor was destroyed and said the culprit might be connected to Blood Rain Pavilion.
• Ning Qi promised to wait until he was strong enough to take revenge, and Dragon Mountain Daoist explained cultivation in the Inner Yuan Realm.
• Ning Qi considered his cultivation progress and ate great tonics to prepare for transforming his physical body.
• Ning Qi began the first death of his physical body while White Ape guarded the house and waited outside.
• After seven days, White Ape sensed Ning Qi's familiar aura return inside the house.

Ning Qi emerged from his first Great Dream Nine Deaths rebirth with a stronger body and Inner Strength, then attended the True Martial Sect’s Year-End Grand Competition. The competition ended with Luo Wentian and Jiang Baishan preparing to fight.

• Ning Qi revived his vitality after seven days of physical death and found that his body and Inner Strength had both grown stronger.
• Ning Qi reassured White Ape that the rebirth was part of his cultivation, then watched White Ape practice and judged his progress promising.
• At the Year-End gathering, the True Martial disciples noted Qin Yun’s absence, and Ye Qinghe encouraged them to keep improving.
• The Year-End Grand Competition held matches for the Outer and Inner Disciples, followed by rewards and martial dao advice from the True Disciples.
• Ning Qi declined Jiang Baishan’s offer to spar, and Luo Wentian challenged Jiang Baishan to fight instead.

After the True Martial Sect’s Year-End Grand Competition strengthened the disciples’ unity, Ning Qi created techniques to conceal his strength and alter his appearance. He left the Seeking Dao Institute disguised as an ordinary youth, with plans to improve both arts further.

• Jiang Baishan narrowly defeated Luo Wentian, and Luo praised him as the sect’s second strongest expert.
• Ning Qi reflected on the True Martial Sect’s unity and let go of his urge to compare his strength with his senior brothers.
• Ning Qi combined ideas from several concealment methods and the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art to create the Silent Tranquility Art, which could suppress or imitate Vitality Intensity.
• Ning Qi used external-hardening techniques, Bone Shrinking Art, and his medical skills to create the Shape Shifting and Bone Changing Art.
• Ning Qi changed his face and grew taller, disguising himself as an ordinary fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth.

Ning Qi advanced to the Third Layer Realm after his second false death, gaining greater physical strength, inner yuan, and a sense that his lifespan had increased. As summer arrived, Ye Qinghe’s failed Peach Blossom Wine was rescued by White Ape’s brew, and Qin Yun returned to the mountain.

• Ning Qi completed his training in Shape Shifting and Bone Changing Art and continued cultivating in seclusion at the Seeking Dao Institute.
• After entering the Silent State for ten days, Ning Qi awoke in the Third Layer Realm with minor accomplishment in inner yuan and a body three times stronger than at perfect Body Tempering completion.
• Ning Qi sensed that his inner strength had become half-solid and decided to delay choosing an Energy Conversion Method while he considered a more powerful path.
• Ning Qi assessed that he had become the True Martial Sect’s second strongest person, though he remained unsure whether he could defeat a Gang Yuan Realm expert.
• Ye Qinghe discovered that her Peach Blossom Wine had spoiled, so White Ape offered his own batch, which Ye Qinghe claimed they had brewed together.
• Ye Qinghe set aside a jar for Qin Yun, and a few days later Qin Yun returned to the mountain.

After returning to the sect, Qin Yun was confined by Dragon Mountain Daoist, then emerged at year-end with Inner Yuan Realm Grand Completion cultivation. As the competition ended, Qin Yun challenged Ning Qi, whose suspicions about his senior brother’s changes remained unresolved.

• Qin Yun returned to True Martial Sect, reunited with the disciples, and was ordered by Dragon Mountain Daoist to enter confinement.
• Ning Qi advanced to the Five-Fold Realm while continuing to cultivate and develop his Inner Strength.
• At the year-end competition, Luo Wentian lost decisively to Jiang Baishan, and Qin Yun also lost after revealing Inner Yuan Realm Grand Completion.
• Qin Yun stayed in the arena and invited Ning Qi to spar, leaving Ning Qi hesitant about accepting.

Ning Qi suspected Qin Yun had developed an Obsession Heart Demon and searched the Scripture Pavilion for ways to treat it. Qin Yun secretly approached the pavilion to test Ning Qi, but an unknown figure blocked his path.

• Dragon Mountain Daoist ended the competition and took Qin Yun away, then gave him the Heart-Clearing Incantation and warned him not to advance too hastily.
• Ning Qi searched the Scripture Pavilion’s records on Heart Demons and decided to research a method to eliminate them.
• Qin Yun’s thoughts about Ning Qi reignited his Heart Fire, and he unknowingly cultivated a fragment that brought Black Qi over his body.
• Qin Yun disguised himself in a Night Robe and set out to provoke Ning Qi into revealing his cultivation.
• Ning Qi sensed the approaching visitor, disguised himself as a Middle-aged Daoist, and concealed his aura.
• As Qin Yun neared the Scripture Pavilion, he stopped before a figure waiting with hands clasped behind his back.