Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ling and Wang Xin secured places in the top eight, and Zhou Ling recovered in time for the next round. Wang Xin faced Jin Sheng, who proposed making her his Sword Servant, before she opened her Hundred Sword Formation against him.

• Zhou Ling refined a Blood Origin Pill and recovered while Li Ru and Zhou Shan worried about his safety.
• Wang Xin defeated her opponent and joined Zhou Ling among the top eight, alongside six other disciples.
• The next-round matchups paired Zhou Ling with Kong Jili and Wang Xin with Jin Sheng, while Zhou Ling resolved to fight for a top-three finish.
• Wang Yu told Wang Xin to use her Hundred Sword Formation against Jin Sheng and surrender if he broke it.
• Jin Sheng offered Wang Xin a Sword Servant position and promised to give her three moves, but Wang Xin activated her sword formation instead.

Wang Xin lost to Jin Sheng, while Zhou Ling faced Kong Jili for a place in the final four and defeated him with a barrage of Five Elements fire lightning. Zhou Ling advanced to the top four, exhausted but uninjured, and gained the Thunder talent.

• Wang Xin's Hundred Sword Formation was shattered by Jin Sheng's sword intent, so she conceded her match.
• Wang Yu warned Zhou Ling that Kong Jili was a Ninth Layer Qi Condensation cultivator with a Thunder Ape spirit fusion technique.
• Zhou Ling withstood Kong Jili's thunder attacks and gained the Thunder Force Growth Talent.
• Zhou Ling launched successive volleys of fire lightning, pierced the Thunder Ape's defensive barrier, and defeated Kong Jili.
• The judge declared Zhou Ling the winner, advancing him to the final four as the instructors reacted with surprise.

After defeating Kong Jili and reaching the final four, Zhou Ling recovered at home and used Illusion Simulation to study Jin Sheng’s sword art. His observation and analysis of Jin Sheng’s Great Furnace Sword Art unexpectedly advanced his understanding of Incinerating Sword Intent.

• Zhou Ling celebrated reaching the final four with his family and He Zijian, while He Lingyun described her loss to an opponent who used soul attacks.
• He Lingyun warned Zhou Ling about Nan Feng’s strange soul attacks, and He Zijian and Zhou Ling promised to help her get revenge if they faced him.
• Zhou Ling returned home, took pills, and recovered much of his spiritual power and blood qi before eating the meal his parents had left for him.
• Zhou Ling activated Illusion Simulation and chose Jin Sheng as his opponent to practice against his sword intent.
• Jin Sheng’s Great Furnace Sword Art shattered Zhou Ling’s Hundred Sword Formation, and Zhou Ling’s observation and analysis advanced his Incinerating Sword Intent.

Zhou Ling tested the Sword Qi Furnace he had formed after comprehending Incinerating Sword Intent, then entered the semifinals against Nan Feng. He defeated Nan Feng despite the opponent’s Black Compass and divine soul attack, advancing to the finals.

• Zhou Ling tested his new Sword Qi Furnace and considered how Beast Flame and his Thunder Force talent could strengthen his combat abilities.
• Zhou Ling drew Nan Feng as his semifinal opponent, while Jin Sheng was paired against He Zijian.
• Nan Feng attacked Zhou Ling with flaming sword techniques and a Black Compass, but Zhou Ling fought back with Palm Thunder, his Flame Sword, and the Hundred Sword Formation.
• Nan Feng struck at Zhou Ling with a divine soul sound wave, but Zhou Ling’s stronger divine sense counterattacked and left Nan Feng badly injured.
• The judge declared Zhou Ling the winner, sending him to the afternoon finals.

After defeating Nan Feng, Zhou Ling watched Jin Sheng defeat He Zijian and used a Zhengyuan Pill to break through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation. The judges tied the Daoist Academy Foundation Establishment Seed slot to the afternoon final, leaving Zhou Ling to face Jin Sheng for both the championship and the opportunity.

• Zhou Ling recovered after defeating Nan Feng, and Wang Yu gave him a Zhengyuan Pill to help him advance before the final.
• He Zijian fought Jin Sheng with Thunder Breaking Sword Intent, but Jin Sheng's Incinerating Sword Intent and sword body let him outlast He Zijian and win.
• Zhou Ling refined the Zhengyuan Pill, opened two Spiritual Acupoints, and reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation.
• Instructor Hu proposed Zhou Ling for Lingxia Immortal City's Foundation Establishment Seed slot, but the judges decided the afternoon champion would receive it.
• Zhou Ling resumed analyzing Jin Sheng's sword techniques while Jin Sheng and He Zijian recovered for the final.

Zhou Ling fought Jin Sheng in the Lingxia Immortal City Dao Academy competition final, using the battle to strengthen his Sword Qi Furnace Sword Intent. He defeated Jin Sheng and became the examination champion, winning the chance to claim the Foundation Establishment Seed spot.

• He Zijian warned Zhou Ling about Jin Sheng's Destruction Sword Intent and advised him to wear Jin Sheng down with a sword formation before closing in.
• Wang Xin lent Zhou Ling eight dharma swords, and Instructor Hu told him that defeating Jin Sheng would earn him the Foundation Establishment Seed spot.
• Zhou Ling and Jin Sheng began the final, and Zhou Ling used his sword formation to counter Jin Sheng's first attacks while studying his sword intent.
• Jin Sheng unleashed his powerful fourth sword, but Zhou Ling infused Beast Flame into his Five Elements Sword Meridians and blocked the attack with his Sword Qi Furnace.
• Zhou Ling rushed Jin Sheng and knocked him unconscious with a punch, after which the judges declared him the competition champion.

After winning the Six Great Daoist Academies’ combat assessment, Zhou Ling chose Xuanyuan Daoist Academy and received a Spatial Passage Jade Seal from Zi Ling. His victory brought him widespread attention in Lingxia Immortal City, and his family held a banquet to celebrate as he prepared to enter the wider cultivation world.

• Zhou Ling defeated Jin Sheng and won the combat assessment, then accepted congratulations from his family and friends while Wang Yu reminded him to stay humble.
• The instructors offered Zhou Ling places and rewards at their Dao Academies, but he chose Xuanyuan Daoist Academy because he had promised Wang Xin they would apply together.
• Instructor Hu gave Zhou Ling a special recruitment jade token for registration at Xuanyuan Daoist Academy in Qingyun Immortal City.
• Neighbors reported seeing unfamiliar people and members of the Li Family in the mountains, prompting Zhou Shan to warn Xu Jiu to be careful.
• Zi Ling congratulated Zhou Ling with the Ancient Cloud Realm Spatial Passage Jade Seal and explained the realm’s dangers, resources, and her former Purple Cloud Sect.
• Zhou Ling returned to Lingxia Immortal City for his family’s celebration, where guests and clans arrived to congratulate him and offer gifts.

Zhou Ling received his assessment rewards and used the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to remove much of Xu Jiu’s Miasma Poison after Li Mu attacked him and Chu Xing near a Spirit Mine. He then agreed to seek He Zijian’s help against the Li Family, while the mine’s fate and the Medicine Seeking Team’s response remained unresolved.

• Steward Qin gave Zhou Ling a low-grade Second-Tier Spirit Brush, Qi Gathering Pills, middle-grade Spirit Stones, a Daoist Academy Foundation Establishment Seed quota, and a recommendation for the Heavenly Crafts Division First-Grade assessment.
• Zhou Ling showed his rewards to Zhou Shan and Li Ru, kept the Spirit Stones, and gave his mother the Qi Gathering Pills; Li Ru refused his suggestion to move closer to the Dao Academy.
• Chu Xing arrived at the Zhou home wounded and reported that Li Mu had attacked him and Xu Jiu after they found a small Spirit Mine on the South Side of Black Cloud Mountain, leaving Xu Jiu poisoned and unconscious.
• Zhou Ling used the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to expel much of Xu Jiu’s Miasma Poison, and Wang Yu examined Xu Jiu and prescribed medicine for his recovery.
• Zhou Ling, Zhou Shan, and Chu Xing discussed how to respond to the Li Family, and Zhou Ling agreed to approach He Zijian about joining forces.

Zhou Ling recruited He Zijian to help seize a spirit mine from the Li Family, then sought the Heavenly Crafts Division’s support to prepare second-tier attacks for their fight. He learned the Cracking Fire Thunder inscription and successfully drew it on Spirit Paper, leaving him better prepared for the planned expedition to Black Cloud Mountain.

• Zhou Ling told He Zijian that the Li Family had attacked Xu Jiu’s Medicine Seeking Team after they discovered a spirit mine, and proposed that they seize it together.
• He Zijian agreed to join Zhou Ling, and the two planned to head to Black Cloud Mountain in three days and prepare Magic Arrays against the Li Family.
• Zhou Ling asked Steward Qin for second-tier artifact materials, received three Cracked Flame Thunder devices and an annotated Jade Slip, and learned that he had to refine one within half a month.
• Zhou Ling studied the Cracking Fire Thunder Inscription and, after several failed attempts, successfully drew it on Spirit Paper.

Zhou Ling successfully inscribed Cracking Fire Thunder, reached the Eighth Layer of Body Refining, and condensed a True Yang Body while mining a Spirit Mine with He Zijian and the others. He discovered Li Mu scouting the valley and learned that the Li Family planned to attack his family, leaving Zhou Ling resolved to strike first.

• Zhou Ling used Illusion Simulation to practice inscribing a Cracking Fire Thunder, then successfully made one before a later attempt exploded harmlessly in the courtyard.
• Zhou Ling and his companions agreed to mine the Spirit Mine and defend it from the Li Family, and He Zijian set up a Cloud Wave Array and a Three Sword Lightning Array at Black Cloud Mountain.
• The Stone Rock Rat brought Zhou Ling a Second-tier Low-Rank Blood Bead Fruit, which helped him advance to the Eighth Layer of Body Refining and condense a True Yang Body.
• Zhou Ling and the others mined the Spirit Mine for several days while the Stone Rock Rat and Golden Fire Crow helped guard the camp.
• The Golden Fire Crow alerted Zhou Ling to intruders, and Zhou Ling found Li Mu and another cultivator watching the valley.
• Zhou Ling overheard Li Mu say the Li Family planned to wipe out his family, so he rejected the chance to attack Li Mu alone and resolved to destroy the Li Family first.

Zhou Ling and He Zijian led Chu Xing and the Herb Seekers into battle against Li Yan’s group, using an ambush to wear down the Li Family Patriarch. Zhou Ling and He Zijian overwhelmed Li Yan with sword attacks, and Li Yan was pierced through by their combined assault.

• Li Yan and Li Mu learned that the Spirit Mine was occupied by Zhou Ling, He Zijian, and Chu Xing, and decided to kill them and seize the mine.
• Zhou Ling warned the camp about the Li Family’s approach, and he and He Zijian agreed to hold Li Yan back while the others prepared an ambush.
• Li Yan’s group entered the valley and clashed with the Three Sword Lightning Array, Zhou Ling’s sword formation, and attacks from the camp’s cultivators.
• Zhou Ling’s Golden Fire Crow dropped two Cracking Fire Thunders on Li Yan, badly injuring him and draining much of his mana.
• Li Yan used an Invisibility Rune to approach, but Zhou Ling detected him and joined He Zijian in attacking with fiery and lightning sword techniques.
• Li Yan burned his essence blood to fight back, but He Zijian’s Thunder Greatsword broke through his defense and pierced him with blazing sword qi.

Zhou Ling and He Zijian led the Herb Seekers in killing Li Yan and the Li Family cultivators, then Zhou Ling uncovered a fortune in Li Yan’s Storage Ring and used the mine’s proceeds to support his family. As school approached, Zhou Ling and Wang Xin thanked Zi Ling for her instruction, but she left their future reunion to fate.

• Zhou Ling and He Zijian killed Li Yan, and the Herb Seekers wiped out the remaining Li Family cultivators before claiming the Spirit Mine.
• Zhou Ling and He Zijian returned to Lingxia Immortal City and agreed to keep the battle quiet while He Zijian took the ore to his family’s workshop for refining.
• Zhou Ling used Spirit Flame to erase the imprint on Li Yan’s Storage Ring and found Spirit Stones, spiritual herbs, artifacts, and cultivation techniques worth more than ten thousand Spirit Stones.
• Zhou Ling reassured Li Ru, gave her nearly two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, and urged his parents to improve their cultivation.
• Zhou Ling received more than three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones from the mine and later reached sixty-four Spiritual Acupoints, though his Five Elements Dry Yang True Art advanced slowly.
• Zi Ling told Zhou Ling and Wang Xin that they would have to rely on themselves at Xuanyuan Daoist Academy, and she said a future reunion would depend on fate.

Zhou Ling prepared to leave Lingxia Immortal City for Xuanyuan Daoist Academy, where he would pursue cultivation and compete for Foundation Establishment Seed status. After arriving by Spirit Boat, he learned that the selection assessment would take place in less than half a month.

• Zi Ling told Zhou Ling about her Five Elements cultivation and warned him to balance all five attributes before Foundation Establishment.
• Zhou Ling and his family held a farewell banquet with their neighbors and friends before he and Wang Xin prepared to leave for Qingyun Immortal City.
• Zhou Ling said goodbye to his parents and boarded the Spirit Boat with Wang Xin and the other admitted disciples.
• Zhou Ling found that his cabin had abundant Five Elements spiritual energy and began cultivating during the journey.
• Instructor Hu visited Zhou Ling and Wang Xin, revealing that the Foundation Establishment Seed selection assessment would take place on the twelfth day of the ninth month and that the top three would receive major rewards.

Wang Xin revealed that she had a damaged Dark Fire Spirit Body and asked Zhou Ling to help her condense a Spirit Flame. His Azure Lotus Spirit Flame nourished her meridians, allowing her to form a Second-Grade Wood Attribute Spirit Flame, the Dark Fire Azure Flame, and refine two Pill Patterns Qi Gathering Pills.

• Wang Xin told Zhou Ling that her family lived in Qingyang Immortal City and that her damaged Dark Fire Spirit Body had kept her from condensing a Spirit Flame.
• Zhou Ling circulated the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame through Wang Xin's meridians, nourishing her Dark Fire Spirit Body and making its damaged meridians show signs of vitality.
• Wang Xin condensed a Second-Grade Wood Attribute Spirit Flame the next morning, and Zhou Ling recognized that it was the Dark Fire Azure Flame.
• Wang Xin refined Qi Gathering Pills with the Dark Fire Azure Flame as Zhou Ling observed, and his Beast Flame reached the Second Grade and condensed the Blazing Sun Burning Heaven divine ability.
• Wang Xin completed the refinement and produced two Pill Patterns Qi Gathering Pills.

Zhou Ling and Wang Xin arrived at Xuanyuan Daoist Academy, where Zhou Ling discovered that securing a better cave residence depended on placing among the top three in the upcoming Foundation Establishment assessment. After Instructor Hu explained the competition and taught Zhou Ling about the Spirit Sealing Restriction, Zhou Ling and Wang Xin explored the academy together.

• Wang Xin used her new Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to refine a Two-Pattern Qi Gathering Pill, and Zhou Ling absorbed two pills to raise his Spiritual Acupoints to sixty-five.
• Zhou Ling, Wang Xin, and their companions arrived in Qingyun Immortal City and registered at Xuanyuan Daoist Academy.
• Zhou Ling learned that placing among the top three in the Foundation Establishment assessment would let him choose a more abundant, four-attribute cave residence.
• Instructor Hu told Zhou Ling that twenty-four disciples would compete for eight assessment slots, with top-three rewards, and explained that the contestants would be judged on the spiritual items they refined.
• Zhou Ling asked Instructor Hu about the Spirit Sealing Restriction and quickly understood its role in amplifying inscription patterns.
• Zhou Ling visited Wang Xin's dormitory, and the two walked around the academy to familiarize themselves with it.

Zhou Ling discovered that his evolved physique talent could absorb the origins of spiritual objects, and he fused his talents to form a Postnatal Five Elements Thunder Gang Spirit Body. He also began studying Spirit Sealing Restrictions for the Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment and successfully incorporated one into a Second-Tier Condensing Fire Engraving.

• Zhou Ling absorbed Fire Haze Grass, which evolved Stronger from Adversity into the Talent Fusion talent and fused his Five Elements Spirit Flame Absorption and Thunder Force talents into a Postnatal Five Elements Thunder Gang Spirit Body.
• Zhou Ling used his Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to nourish Wang Xin's meridians, while absorbing some of the aura of her Dark Fire Spirit Body and improving his own physique.
• Zhou Ling tested absorbing Wood Spirit Grass, Earth Source Crystal, and Azure Gold Stone, finding that the First-Tier herb did not improve his physique but the Second-Tier items advanced its elemental attributes.
• Zhou Ling studied the Five Elements Spirit Sealing Restrictions and combined his spiritual sense with his Five Elements Spirit Flame to draw a Fire Attribute restriction.
• Zhou Ling incorporated the restriction into a Second-Tier Condensing Fire Engraving, increasing its sealed spiritual power by twenty percent, then used Intermediate Observation and Intermediate Analysis to study how to improve his technique.

At Xuanyuan Daoist Academy’s opening ceremony, Zhou Ling learned how formidable the new disciples were before being summoned for a Foundation Establishment Test. The Xuanyuan Illusory Realm showed that he could not establish his foundation with his current cultivation method, leaving him the only one of the twenty-four candidates to receive white light.

• Zhong Yuan welcomed the new Outer Sect Disciples, and Liu Yu introduced his impressive cultivation and technique ranks as the disciples discussed the strongest newcomers.
• Zhou Ling bought a Jade Slip of insider information from Sun Dajie, then received Senior Sister Qi’s summons to Pure Yang Hall for a Foundation Establishment Test.
• Zhang Yi explained that the Xuanyuan Illusory Realm would assess each candidate’s Foundation Establishment prospects and display colored lights for different grades.
• The mirror projected white light for Zhou Ling, showing that he could not establish his foundation with his current cultivation method; Zhang Yi questioned how he had received a seed quota, while Instructor Hu wondered if he had misjudged him.
• The tests continued, with the other candidates receiving red or purple light, and Zhou Ling remained the only one among the twenty-four to receive white.

After the Foundation Establishment test, Zhou Ling chose to keep cultivating his difficult Five Elements technique and discovered that second-tier beast meat could improve his True Yang Body. While eating with Sun Dajie, he learned about the class’s strongest disciples and the pressure facing him in the assessment.

• Zhang Yi advised Zhou Ling to switch from the Five Elements technique, but Zhou Ling decided to continue cultivating it.
• Zhou Ling left the hall, bought second-tier roasted spirit sheep meat to test his Physique Sublimation talent, and invited Sun Dajie to eat with him and Wang Xin.
• After eating the meat, Zhou Ling received a prompt showing gains to Physique Sublimation, Blood Qi, and his True Yang Body.
• Sun Dajie told Zhou Ling that Ye Zhilan and Wang Gan were personally recruited Golden Core Seeds, with Du Yu ranking behind them among the class’s strongest disciples.
• Sun Dajie introduced several other notable disciples, giving Zhou Ling more information about the Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment.

Zhou Ling used Enacted Illusion Simulation to replay the Foundation Establishment Test and saw that his current cultivation and two Spirit Flames could not support Five Elements Foundation Establishment. After discussing their Dao Academy studies with Wang Xin, he learned she had recently begun forging second-tier Portable Sword Formations and received a Jade Slip containing information about the Hundred Sword Formation.

• Zhou Ling activated Enacted Illusion Simulation and watched the Xuanyuan Ancient Mirror project his Five Elements Meridians and the Foundation Establishment process.
• Zhou Ling merged the Beast Flame and Azure Lotus Spirit Flame into his cultivation, but the simulated Foundation Establishment failed when the spiritual power vortex dispersed.
• Zhou Ling concluded that he needed more Spirit Flames and to awaken the Five Elements Thunder Gang Physique, then restored his spiritual sense and shared dinner with Wang Xin.
• Zhou Ling and Wang Xin discussed their elective studies, and Zhou Ling explained that he wanted to cultivate Puppetry Art alongside Inscriptions.
• Zhou Ling asked whether Wang Xin could make a second-tier Hundred Sword Formation, and she said she had recently learned to forge second-tier Portable Sword Formations.
• Wang Xin gave Zhou Ling a Jade Slip about the Hundred Sword Formation and its formation plate, warning him that its contents seemed incomplete.

Zhou Ling practiced a Second-Tier Sword Formation Disk Engraving and attended his first Dao Academy lecture before arranging for Xu Qiang to forge two sword array discs. He also agreed to engrave Xu Qiang’s Primal Chaos Shield for three hundred Spirit Stones, giving him a potential source of income after the upcoming Foundation Establishment Seed competition.

• Zhou Ling practiced and analyzed the difficult Sword Grade Engraving for a Hundred Sword Formation disk, hoping to refine it before the Foundation Establishment Seed competition.
• Zhou Ling attended Instructor Hu Jian’s first lecture, chose Inscription, Puppetry, and alchemy as his primary arts, and asked about engraving techniques.
• Zhou Ling met Sun Dajie at the dining hall, shared a meal with him, and asked him to introduce an artifact maker.
• Sun Dajie took Zhou Ling to Xu Qiang’s workshop, where Zhou Ling ordered two sword array discs made with Azure Gold Jade and Geng Gold for nine hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones upfront.
• Xu Qiang offered Zhou Ling future engraving work, and Zhou Ling accepted a job engraving Xu Qiang’s Primal Chaos Shield for three hundred Spirit Stones.