Chapter Summaries

Ding Ling forced Yelü Hongji to surrender, uniting Song, Liao, and Western Xia as the Great Ming Empire, then conquered Tufan and added it to his realm. He returned to the Central Plains, leaving Xiao Feng to stabilize Tufan, while his growing power and fame stirred attention in both the game world and the Real World.

• Yelü Hongji surrendered to Ding Ling after realizing resistance would mean death, and Liao collapsed into the Great Ming Empire.
• Ding Ling gained achievement medals for conquering Liao and converting his attributes and True Force to the Real World, where his strength matched his game-world power.
• Ding Ling crushed the Tufan army, seized the Tufan king, and forced him to surrender.
• Ding Ling sent the Tufan king and his three clans to Luoyang, then left Xiao Feng to oversee Tufan's officials and stabilization.
• Ding Ling's conquests caused an uproar online, raising his fame and attracting businesses seeking to cooperate with him.

Ding Ling spotted Ding Chunqiu tormenting Azi and the girl in red, then pursued and struck him down. As Ding Chunqiu lost consciousness, he drifted into memories of his ambitious youth.

• Ding Ling flew over a mountain range and heard cries, then recognized Ding Chunqiu below.
• Ding Chunqiu tortured Azi with poison while threatening her and the girl in red, who pleaded for Azi’s life.
• Ding Chunqiu spotted Ding Ling, panicked, and fled at full speed.
• Ding Ling caught Ding Chunqiu with Dragon Capture Skill and struck his chest with Canhe Finger.
• Ding Chunqiu’s Huagong Dafa backfired as he collapsed, losing consciousness and recalling his youth.

Ding Ling killed Ding Chunqiu and took the Divine Wood King Cauldron, then met A Zhu and Azi in the mountains. He cured Azi’s poison and flew away, leaving the sisters discussing whether Azi should seek a place in his harem.

• Ding Chunqiu died regretting that he had opposed Ding Ling, and Ding Ling received an E-Rank Achievement Medal for intimidating him.
• Ding Ling retrieved the Divine Wood King Cauldron with the Dragon Capture Skill and stored it in his Storage Bag.
• A Zhu and Azi knelt to greet Ding Ling, and A Zhu asked him to cure Azi’s poison.
• Ding Ling gave Azi a leaf from an unusual flower, and she expelled black blood and recovered.
• Ding Ling flew away, and Azi said she wanted to become one of his consorts, prompting A Zhu to scold her.

After Ding Ling returned to Luoyang, he opened the imperial examination to people from the Four Kingdoms and organized a system for collecting and exchanging secret manuals. He spent days reading the gathered books, increasing his wisdom and Buddhist energy while advancing the Martial Furnace to 18%.

• Azi admitted that she was attracted to Ding Ling, while A Zhu urged her to return to Dali and recognize Duan Zhengchun as their father; Azi refused and walked away.
• Ding Ling returned to Luoyang and delegated state affairs to officials.
• Ding Ling announced an imperial examination open to people from Tufan, Western Xia, the Song Dynasty, and Liao.
• Ding Ling invited sects and clans to contribute copies of secret manuals in exchange for access to the Royal Library, copied manuals, and rewards.
• Ding Ling read the collected manuals for several days, gaining 0.8 wisdom and two strands of Buddhist energy as the Martial Furnace reached 18% progress.

Ding Ling continued gathering secret manuals and enforcing order across the Four Kingdoms before the Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Four Swords delivered half of the Eight Desolations Six Harmonies Self-Respecting Art. After visiting Misty Peak and obtaining the complete art, he left the Tianshan Child Elder considering a visit to Luoyang.

• Ding Ling ordered the Four Kingdoms to transport secret manuals to him and encouraged private collectors to contribute copies in exchange for benefits.
• The Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Four Swords reached Luoyang with half of the Eight Desolations Six Harmonies Self-Respecting Art and asked Ding Ling to take them back to Misty Peak.
• Ding Ling agreed to escort the four women, while Li Qinglu arranged their lodging and Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing visited him in the Imperial Study.
• Ding Ling traveled to Misty Peak, obtained the complete Eight Desolations Six Harmonies Self-Respecting Art, and departed.
• The Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Four Swords told the Tianshan Child Elder how Ding Ling had carried them through the air, and she resolved to visit him in Luoyang someday.

After returning to Luoyang, Ding Ling mastered Tianshan Child Elder’s Eight Desolations Six Harmonies Self-Respecting Art and continued reading books while delegating court duties to trusted ministers. Tianshan Child Elder planned to strengthen Lingjiu Palace’s ties with Ding Ling, while Ding Ling’s growing abilities and influence left him overseeing the empire’s affairs.

• Tianshan Child Elder realized the Great Ming Empire would eventually dominate the Western Regions and decided to deepen Lingjiu Palace’s relationship with Ding Ling.
• Tianshan Child Elder learned that the Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum admired Ding Ling and chose to let their relationship develop naturally.
• Ding Ling returned to Luoyang, read Tianshan Child Elder’s manual, and mastered the Eight Desolations Six Harmonies Self-Respecting Art, gaining Supreme Qi that preserved his youthful prime.
• Ding Ling read the second and third batches of books, increasing his wisdom, Buddhist energy, Upright Qi, and Martial Furnace body progress.
• Ding Ling met with ministers, judged them loyal, and entrusted them with important duties while retaining responsibility for the empire’s general direction.

Ding Ling left the ministers to govern while he pursued his remaining mission, and Duan Zhengchun’s family arrived in Luoyang after Dali submitted to the Great Ming Empire. The family reunited with Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing at the Imperial Palace, where they said Ding Ling treated them well.

• Ding Ling reviewed his completed missions and flew toward Shaolin Temple to challenge the Sweeping Monk.
• Duan Zhengchun and his family saw Ding Ling flying overhead as they traveled toward Luoyang, and Duan Zhengchun wondered how he had won over his daughters.
• A Zhu kept watch over Azi, who grew restless after seeing Duan Zhengchun’s elevated status as Ding Ling’s father-in-law.
• Duan Zhengchun’s family arrived at the Imperial Palace and met Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing.
• Duan Yu asked whether Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing were living well, and Zhong Ling said Ding Ling treated them very well.

Duan Zhengchun reunited with his family in Luoyang while Duan Yu remained heartbroken over Wanyan. Ding Ling visited Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Library, where he read Buddhist texts and martial arts manuals until his defense reached its maximum.

• Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian learned from Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing that Wanyan looked exactly like Li Qinglu, and they continued speaking warmly with the two young women.
• Duan Zhengchun comforted his biological daughter Wanyan, while Duan Yu stayed gloomy because he believed he could no longer marry her.
• Ding Ling arrived at Shaolin Temple and told Xuanji, the Chief of the Disciplinary Hall, that the Great Ming Emperor had come to visit.
• Xuanji welcomed Ding Ling and allowed him into the Scripture Library, then arranged for monks to keep watch outside.
• Ding Ling read Buddhist scriptures and Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, raising his defense to its maximum of 80 points.

Ding Ling read and mastered the Shaolin Temple’s secret arts and Buddhist scriptures before meeting the Sweeping Monk, Li Canghai. After discussing Buddhism with her, he earned her admiration and received an E-Rank Achievement Medal.

• Ding Ling read the Scripture Library’s secret arts and Buddhist scriptures, maxing out each manual and raising his Martial Furnace furnace-body progress to 34%.
• Ding Ling approached the Sweeping Monk and asked her to spar with him.
• The Sweeping Monk agreed to spar later in an uninhabited place, and she and Ding Ling discussed Buddhist teachings.
• Ding Ling’s profound Buddhist understanding astonished the Sweeping Monk, and he received an E-Rank Achievement Medal for winning her recognition.

Ding Ling discovered that the Shaolin Sweeping Monk was Li Canghai, then sparred with her and completed the final mission of Path of the War God. He chose to remain in the world for now so he could finish reading the secret manuals being gathered in his Imperial Study.

• Ding Ling learned that the Sweeping Monk was Li Canghai, who had disguised herself and lived in Shaolin Temple for forty-two years.
• Ding Ling asked Li Canghai to spar, and they traveled to a secluded forest outside Shaolin Temple.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai exchanged Shaolin supreme arts until Li Canghai conceded that she was no match for him.
• Ding Ling's mission to defeat the world's strongest person reached 100% completion, and he completed all the missions of Path of the War God.
• Ding Ling declined to redeem his Glory Medals for now because he wanted to finish reading the secret manuals being gathered in his Imperial Study.

Ding Ling discovered that the Shaolin monk Nameless was Li Canghai and learned about Xiaoyao Zi and his three martial arts. Li Canghai revealed that Dali Everlasting Youth Valley held the key to combining them, while she remained unsure where to go next.

• Ding Ling confronted Nameless about being Li Canghai and revealed that Wu Yazi was dead, prompting her to drop her disguise.
• Li Canghai explained that Xiaoyao Zi had divided the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill into three arts and left to seek immortality.
• Li Canghai recounted her forty-two years hiding in Shaolin Temple and revealed that Xiaoyao Zi had told his disciples to visit Dali Everlasting Youth Valley to merge the three arts.
• Ding Ling demonstrated that he had achieved Great Perfection in all three arts, and Li Canghai confirmed he could find the opportunity to combine them at Dali Everlasting Youth Valley.
• Li Canghai told Ding Ling that she did not know where she would go now that her identity had been exposed.

Ding Ling invited Li Canghai to leave Shaolin Temple with him and search for traces of Xiaoyao Zi at Dali Everlasting Youth Valley. They returned to Luoyang, where Li Qinglu arrived to see Ding Ling.

• Li Canghai thanked Ding Ling for avenging Wu Yazi and sparing Li Qiushui, then agreed to travel with him to Dali Everlasting Youth Valley.
• Li Canghai removed her disguise and revealed her striking resemblance to Li Qiushui before leaving Shaolin Temple with Ding Ling.
• Xu Zhu saw Ding Ling depart with Li Canghai, and Xuanji learned that the Great Ming Emperor had left the temple.
• Xu Zhu told Xuanji that he was watching the stars because he missed his parents, and Xuanji hoped the Abbot's spirit would protect him.
• Ding Ling returned to the Imperial Palace in Luoyang with Li Canghai, and Li Qinglu arrived and invited him to her place.

Ding Ling read through the secret manuals gathered in the Imperial Study, impressing Li Canghai and the people around him while his attributes and Martial Furnace progress increased. After finishing nearly all the books available, he prepared to travel with Li Canghai to Dali Everlasting Youth Valley.

• Ding Ling introduced Li Canghai and Li Qinglu, and they discovered their family connection through marriage.
• Ding Ling read through the fourth batch of books while Li Canghai, Li Qinglu, and others watched, earning admiration and recognition from those present.
• Ding Ling spent more than half a month in Luoyang reading five more batches, raising his Wisdom by 0.5 and his Martial Furnace furnace-body progress to 48%.
• Li Canghai grew close to Li Qinglu, Zhong Ling, Mu Wanqing, and the other women, and guided them in martial arts.
• Ding Ling prepared to travel with Li Canghai to Dali Everlasting Youth Valley.

Ding Ling and Li Canghai entered Everlasting Youth Valley through the Life Gate of the Carefree Ten Absolute Formation. They reached a hidden valley with a peach forest, a grassland, a solitary tree, and a deep pool.

• Ding Ling and Li Canghai traveled to the Wuliang Mountain Range, where Li Canghai identified the entrance to Everlasting Youth Valley.
• Li Canghai explained the Ten Absolute Formation and gave Ding Ling the Little Phaseless Skill bark manual that opened the valley.
• Ding Ling infused the manual with true qi from three perfected arts, causing it to reveal the Life Gate inside a karst cave.
• Ding Ling followed Li Canghai through the dangerous formation and emerged in the hidden valley.
• Ding Ling surveyed the valley and saw a peach forest, a grassland, a lone tree, and a deep pool.

Ding Ling and Li Canghai viewed Xiaoyao Zi’s recorded discovery of the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill and the Fountain of Youth in Everlasting Youth Valley. After Ding Ling awakened more images, he saw Xiaoyao Zi leave through a Sky Ladder with two unidentified men, while those men later returned to the valley and left words on the Everlasting Tree.

• Ding Ling infused the stele with his three streams of Great Perfection energy, revealing an image of Xiaoyao Zi reading the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill.
• Ding Ling mastered the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill, merging his energies into Longevity True Water and Longevity Supreme True Qi, while Li Canghai memorized the manual.
• The image showed Xiaoyao Zi drinking from the Fountain of Youth and eating tree bark, which restored his vitality and darkened his white hair.
• Ding Ling infused the stele with his new skill, revealing Xiaoyao Zi returning with two men and uncovering a Sky Ladder that carried all three away.
• Ding Ling saw images of the two men returning separately, drinking from the spring and eating bark, then leaving words on the Everlasting Tree.

Ding Ling and Li Canghai learned the history of Everlasting Youth Valley and discovered that its spring water and tree bark still granted life essence. After tasting the bark, Ding Ling’s Longevity Supreme Qi doubled and his lifespan increased by two hundred years.

• Ding Ling saw visions showing the valley’s origins, the woman who planted the Everlasting Tree and buried the Sky Ladder, and the later visits of Duan Siping and Murong Longcheng.
• Li Canghai learned that Xiaoyao Zi had climbed the Sky Ladder to another world, and Ding Ling encouraged her to cultivate so she might meet her master again.
• Ding Ling drank Everlasting Spring Water and felt his body grow younger and more vigorous, then Li Canghai drank some and also appeared several years younger.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai drank a second bowl of spring water but noticed no further effect.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai ate pieces of bark from the Everlasting Tree, and Ding Ling’s Longevity Supreme Qi doubled as his lifespan increased by two hundred years.

Ding Ling and Li Canghai explored the Desolate Domain, then climbed the Sky Ladder and discovered the ruined South Heaven Gate beyond a vast chasm. They wondered whether Xiaoyao Zi had entered the mysterious realm beyond it.

• Ding Ling tested his rapid recovery and learned that the Everlasting Spring Water and Everlasting Tree Bark only worked the first time.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai found that objects entering the Desolate Domain rapidly corroded into ash, so they returned to the stele.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai agreed that Zhong Ling and the others might visit the valley later, and Li Canghai offered to teach them.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai removed the stele, raised the Sky Ladder, and climbed past the Heavenly Palace and its crimson sun.
• Ding Ling and Li Canghai reached a realm divided by a deep chasm and recognized the broken gate across it as the South Heaven Gate.
• Ding Ling wondered whether Xiaoyao Zi had entered the South Heaven Gate and said he would cross the chasm to investigate.

Ding Ling crossed the chasm into the Celestial Palace, explored its ruined South Heaven Gate and Broken Bridges, and reached the edge of the corrosive gray region. He found a long halberd embedded in the ruins and pulled it free with his Longevity Supreme Qi.

• Ding Ling tested the chasm, tied himself to a chain held by Li Canghai, then used his powerful true qi and movement technique to cross it.
• Ding Ling landed in a dense, heavy world and found that distance and physical laws differed sharply from those of the Human Realm.
• Ding Ling examined the damaged South Heaven Gate, including its dragon-wrapped pillars and fallen plaque, whose characters briefly unsettled his mind.
• Ding Ling crossed the Broken Bridges through poisonous miasma, which he endured because he was immune to myriad poisons.
• Ding Ling passed through ruined palaces to the edge of the gray region and confirmed that it corroded stone into ash.
• Ding Ling found a long halberd in the ruins of the Hall of Universal Brightness and extracted it by activating his Longevity Supreme Qi.

Ding Ling searched the ruined Celestial Palace and found an immensely sharp broken halberd, then encountered a powerful armored warrior who recognized his Six Meridian Divine Sword before retreating into the abyss. He left the palace carrying the South Heaven Gate plaque, which became much lighter when he used Longevity Supreme Qi.

• Ding Ling explored the ruined Celestial Palace, found no further treasures, and prepared to leave with the broken halberd.
• A nine-chi-tall armored warrior emerged from the abyss, struck Ding Ling with tremendous force, and endured his Six Meridian Divine Sword without injury.
• The warrior recognized the Six Meridian Divine Sword, stopped attacking, and leaped into the floodwaters beneath the Broken Bridge.
• Ding Ling hurried across the Rainbow Bridge to the South Heaven Gate and discovered its plaque weighed at least a hundred thousand jin.
• Ding Ling used Longevity Supreme Qi to lift the plaque and wondered whether the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill had originated in the Celestial Palace.

Ding Ling crossed the Chasm carrying the South Heaven Gate plaque and learned from Li Canghai that the Ghost God likely resembled Duan Siping. He left Li Canghai unable to explore the far side, explaining what she would need before she could cross.

• Ding Ling lifted the South Heaven Gate plaque with Longevity Supreme Qi, tested its weight, and stopped when smashing it consumed too much energy and damaged the ground.
• Ding Ling used Fused Strength and Longevity Supreme Qi to carry the plaque across the Chasm, where Li Canghai found it too heavy to move without greatly increasing her strength.
• Ding Ling told Li Canghai what he had encountered and drew the Ghost God, whom Li Canghai identified as likely being Duan Siping based on his armor, jade pendant, and connection to the Six Meridian Divine Sword.
• Li Canghai feared that her Master, Xiaoyao Zi, and the others had met disastrous fates, but Ding Ling reminded her that he had found no corpses and could not know what had happened to them.
• Li Canghai tried to cross the Chasm but sank into it, and Ding Ling pulled her back with a chain before telling her she needed to master the Heavenly Longevity Everlasting Youth Skill and possess Myriad Poisons Immunity.