Chapter Summaries

Jiang Qiu arrived at Northern Border City’s battlefield and used spear intent to kill Belli Jie and rout the Belli Family’s forces, saving the surviving Xia Country martial artists. He then learned that Grandmaster Zhu had been severely wounded.

• Wu Hua struggled against Belli Jie as the Xia Country forces were overwhelmed and prepared to sacrifice his Dharma Manifestation.
• Jiang Qiu struck Belli Jie with Rainbow Spear Piercing the Moon, killing him before he could finish attacking Wu Hua.
• Jiang Qiu created a Blazing Flame Simulacrum and tore through the Dharma Manifestation Realm fighters, forcing the remaining attackers to flee.
• Jiang Qiu vowed to come for the Belli Family, but could not catch the scattered fugitives.
• Jiang Qiu answered his ringing phone and learned that Grandmaster Zhu had been severely wounded.

Jiang Qiu destroyed the Belli Family’s villa district after uncovering its human-demon experiments, helping secure Northern Border City after the Demon Race siege. With the city under Xia Country’s control, Zhu Weiyi gave Jiang Qiu a Golden Token and resources to prepare for the Great Secret Realm.

• Jiang Qiu went alone to the Belli Family Villa District and killed three Belli Family grandmasters, while a fire destroyed the district and detonated its secret laboratory.
• Jiang Qiu discovered the Belli Family’s human-demon experiments and evidence that the Western church had supported them.
• The retreating Belli Family members fled or surrendered as snow buried Northern Border City, and Zhu Weiyi ordered Xia Country to take control and aid refugees.
• Zhu Weiyi gave Jiang Qiu a Golden Token, appointed him a Northern Border City committee member, and arranged resources for his Great Secret Realm preparations.

Jiang Qiu used a flood of resources to strengthen his Dharma Manifestation and Dragon Spirit while Binglian aided his cultivation and grew stronger herself. As the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm was set to open the next day, Binglian worried about the dangers Jiang Qiu would face.

• Zhu Weiyi sent confiscated and stored resources to Jiang Qiu, who moved into a villa in Northern Border City with Binglian.
• Jiang Qiu absorbed numerous treasures and Advanced Su Fragrances, bringing his Dharma Manifestation and Dragon Spirit close to a hundred zhang.
• Binglian helped Jiang Qiu convert Soul Ice Spiritual Essence during his medicinal baths and broke through to the Spirit Communication Realm, seemingly awakening two Bloodline Talents.
• Northern Border City began rebuilding under Xia Country's rule after the Belli Family was expelled, and displaced survivors entered the city.
• Binglian asked Jiang Qiu whether the Great Secret Realm opening the next day was dangerous, and he replied that he could not know before entering.

Jiang Qiu and the other Golden Token holders entered the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm, where he discovered its trial had placed his soul in an infant body without spiritual resonance. The realm identified him as one of ten Heaven's Chosen Ones who would grow for twenty years and compete for the Enlightenment Fruit.

• Jiang Qiu waited at Northern Ice Valley with Tang Guang and learned that the secret realm's trial could award an Enlightenment Fruit to a talented victor.
• The nine factions and their geniuses gathered around the stele, including Yuri of the Western Church and Feng Li of the Kunlun Demon Race.
• The secret realm activated, and Jiang Qiu's Golden Token released a blinding white light as he was transported inside.
• Jiang Qiu awakened in a snowy wilderness as an infant, unable to use spiritual resonance, and a burly hunter picked him up.
• Jiang Qiu read the panel explaining that his soul had entered the realm for an ancient trial, with a twenty-year growth period and nine other Heaven's Chosen Ones competing for the Enlightenment Fruit.

Jiang Qiu grew up among the North Snow Tribe and learned that he was a Heaven's Chosen One destined to seek an Enlightenment Fruit on North Realm Mountain. As his first Bloodline Test approached, he learned how Exquisite Blood helped the people of the frozen North Realm survive and evolve.

• The old shaman taught Jiang Qiu and the tribe's children that Heaven's Chosen Ones might break the seal keeping spiritual essence from the North Realm.
• The old shaman described the Enlightenment Fruit Tree on North Realm Mountain and the perilous path to its fruit.
• Jiang Qiu trained with the tribe's children and watched its warriors, preparing for his destiny as a Heaven's Chosen One.
• The old shaman announced that the children would soon undergo their first Bloodline Test and advised them to drink more deer milk.
• Jiang Qiu reflected on the North Realm's bodily cultivation and learned that Exquisite Blood fueled warmth and bodily evolution.

Jiang Qiu received a cooked Demon Clan bird egg from Hua and reflected on his life in the North Snow Tribe, where he was preparing for a Great Secret Realm trial. He planned to use nourishing foods to improve his Exquisite Blood before the trial at North Realm Mountain.

• Hua gave Jiang Qiu a steaming Demon Clan bird egg and said she had already eaten one.
• Hua recalled how she had helped Jiang Qiu since he arrived in the tribe, then returned home when her family called her to weave baskets.
• Jiang Qiu entered Xiong's home and thought about the North Snow Tribe's faith in the Heaven's Chosen One who would break the seal at North Realm Mountain.
• Jiang Qiu examined his refreshed Human Race Bloodline panel, which showed First-Rank Exquisite Blood at 6/100.
• Jiang Qiu decided to focus on improving his Exquisite Blood and judged that eating Demon Clan bird eggs would help him more than others.

Jiang Qiu ate a One-Eyed Snow Owl egg and trained with his spear as he prepared for the bloodline test three days away. When Xiong brought him deer milk, Jiang Qiu discovered it came from a Rare Snow-Patterned Deer.

• Jiang Qiu ate the One-Eyed Snow Owl egg, raising his First-Order Exquisite Blood to 9/100.
• Jiang Qiu practiced the Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique and considered his chances of placing in the top ten at the upcoming bloodline test.
• Xiong returned with a deer leg and deer milk, asking Jiang Qiu how his lessons with the old shaman were going.
• Jiang Qiu drank the unusually rich deer milk and saw a message identifying its essence as that of a Rare Snow-Patterned Deer.

Jiang Qiu learned that the West Ice Tribe had stolen the Rare Snow-Patterned Deer caught by the North Snow Tribe, and he drank the remaining milk to improve his Exquisite Blood. Three days later, the tribe gathered for the bloodline test, where onlookers wondered whether Qiu would prove to be a Heaven's Chosen One.

• Xiong told Jiang Qiu that the West Ice Tribe had seized the Rare Snow-Patterned Deer and several stag carcasses after the North Snow Tribe weakened them during a hunt.
• Jiang Qiu drank the Rare Snow-Patterned Deer milk, hoping it would raise his Exquisite Blood enough to place among the top ten.
• The tribe's eligible children gathered at the altar as the old shaman prepared for the bloodline test.
• Hua asked the lame old man whether the test would reveal an Excellent Bloodline, and he expressed uncertainty about Qiu being a Heaven's Chosen One.
• The lame old man recalled that generations of Heaven's Chosen Ones had helped the North Snow Tribe rise from a small settlement to a major tribe.

Jiang Qiu took part in the North Snow Tribe’s bloodline test while the tribe debated whether he was a Heaven’s Chosen One. As the old shaman began the ritual, Hua remained certain Jiang Qiu would awaken a Bloodline Talent, but the result was not yet revealed.

• The old shaman explained the bloodline test and told the children to drink the Water of Tracing Origin.
• Jiang Qiu drank the scarlet liquid with the other children as the tribespeople watched and discussed the rarity of Excellent Bloodlines.
• The tribespeople questioned whether Jiang Qiu was a Heaven’s Chosen One, noting that he had seemed ordinary despite his skill with a spear.
• Hua defended Jiang Qiu and insisted that he was a Heaven’s Chosen One, recalling how distinctive he seemed to her.
• The old shaman began chanting, and Hua wondered what Bloodline Talent Jiang Qiu would awaken.

Jiang Qiu’s Exquisite Blood rose as he absorbed the Water of Tracing Origin during the tribe’s bloodline test. As many children collapsed and the North Snow Tribe’s decline became clear, the old shaman watched to see how long Jiang Qiu could endure.

• Jiang Qiu drank the Water of Tracing Origin, and his Exquisite Blood progress climbed as the essence awakened his strength.
• A child collapsed from the test, and the lame old man explained that the child’s constitution was too weak to endure the water.
• The lame old man lamented that the West Ice Tribe had taken Ice and Snow Ridge and stolen the North Snow Tribe’s prey, while Hua recalled the tribes’ growing imbalance in power.
• More than twenty children fell before one-third of the Shaman Incense had burned, and the old shaman noted that this year’s test was far less effective than the last.
• Another group of children collapsed, leaving barely a hundred standing, while the old shaman noticed that one-year-old Jiang Qiu remained upright in the second row.

Jiang Qiu endured the bloodline test as the Shaman Incense passed its halfway point and awakened the Ice Muscle ability at 30/100. He remained standing with one other child, covered in frost and unnaturally still, while the old shaman watched in concern.

• Jiang Qiu resolved to endure the bloodline test until all the Shaman Incense burned away so he could compete for the Enlightenment Fruit.
• More than forty children collapsed as they approached the Excellent Bloodline threshold, leaving only three standing.
• Jiang Qiu reached 30/100 in First-stage Exquisite Blood and awakened the Ice Muscle bloodline ability.
• Hua and the lame old man noticed frost on Jiang Qiu's face, and the old shaman wondered at the strange sign.
• A four-year-old boy collapsed and was declared to have an Excellent Bloodline, leaving Jiang Qiu and one other child standing as the incense passed halfway.

Zhuang tried to endure the Water of Tracing Origin until the Shaman Incense burned out, hoping to prove he could become a Heaven's Chosen One, but he collapsed just before the end. Qiu endured the trial and awakened a frost-covered Bloodline Talent, leaving the tribe celebrating his arrival as a Heaven's Chosen One.

• Zhuang recalled his determination to prove his bloodline was exceptional as the Shaman Incense burned down and the Water of Tracing Origin's effects intensified.
• Zhuang glimpsed a vision of an ancient man planting a seed that grew into a tree bearing a radiant fruit, but thunder extinguished his consciousness before he could reach it.
• Zhuang collapsed just before the Shaman Incense burned out, while Qiu remained standing, covered in frost and shining like an ice-crystal sculpture.
• The old shaman-priest declared Qiu a true Heaven's Chosen One and anticipated conflict among the tribes and a new Heaven's Chosen Competition.
• The old shaman-priest and the onlookers celebrated Qiu's apparent physical Bloodline Talent, while Jiang Qiu stared at two panels in his mind.

Jiang Qiu awakened the Ice Armor and Snow Heart bloodline talents, then accepted a covenant to protect the North Snow Tribe. As he returned home, the badly wounded Xiong arrived with Hua’s father.

• Jiang Qiu transformed Ice Muscle into Ice Armor and awakened Snow Heart, which could save him from a fatal wound to the heart.
• The old shaman invited Jiang Qiu to accept the Ice and Snow Covenant, promising the North Snow Tribe’s support as he trained toward the Jade Tendon realm.
• Jiang Qiu recalled how Xiong, Hua, and the tribe had cared for him and declared that he was willing to accept the covenant.
• Jiang Qiu and Hua walked home together and spoke about what it felt like to awaken a Bloodline Talent.
• Jiang Qiu returned home and saw Xiong approaching, bloodied and badly injured, supported by Hua’s father.

Twelve years after Xiong lost his arm in a clash with the West Ice Tribe, Jiang Qiu had grown into a powerful hunter as the rival tribe continued driving the North Snow Tribe from Ice and Snow Ridge. After returning from a successful hunt, Jiang Qiu asked about the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony, hinting at his intentions despite being three years too young.

• Jiang Qiu returned from a hunt at Ice and Snow Ridge with a large piece of venison and found Xiong cleaning his spear one-handed.
• Xiong asked whether Jiang Qiu had encountered the West Ice Tribe, recalling how a clash with them had ruined his arm and how their conflict had begun.
• Jiang Qiu said his team had not met the West Ice Tribe, but remembered their repeated thefts of North Snow Tribe prey and their recent defeat of Captain Hu's team.
• Jiang Qiu asked Xiong about the coming-of-age ceremony, and Xiong questioned why he wanted to join when he was still three years from adulthood.

Jiang Qiu looked toward the North Snow Tribe's coming-of-age ceremony as he prepared to compete for a place in the Ice Cap Hot Spring, while Hua faced marriage selection. The ceremony began with envoys arriving, including the arrogant Bing of the South Mountain Tribe, who provoked North Snow's representatives.

• Jiang Qiu reflected on his progress toward Copper Skin and resolved to win the hot spring spot at the coming-of-age ceremony so he could temper his body.
• Jiang Qiu lamented that Hua would soon choose a husband's family, then waited three days for the ceremony.
• North Snow's receiving warrior told an envoy that Jiang Qiu had killed an adult male Snow-patterned Deer at thirteen.
• Bing mocked North Snow over the West Ice Tribe's theft of the deer, and the receiving warrior restrained his anger to preserve relations with South Mountain.
• The middle-aged South Mountain envoy warned Bing to mind his conduct, but Bing dismissed the warning and boasted that North Snow would not dare offend his tribe.

Jiang Qiu refused Zhuang’s attempt to arrange a marriage between him and Zhuang’s five-year-old sister, insisting that he would not marry while in the North Snow Tribe. When a striking girl arrived at the coming-of-age ceremony, Jiang Qiu stared at her in astonishment.

• Jiang Qiu reflected that fewer girls were coming of age as the North Snow Tribe’s birth rate declined, though the young chief of the South Mountain Tribe was seeking a marriage partner there.
• Zhuang asked whether Jiang Qiu planned to marry, and Jiang Qiu said he did not want to leave descendants in the tribe.
• Zhuang offered to introduce Jiang Qiu to his five-year-old sister, but Jiang Qiu rejected the idea and firmly said he would not marry.
• A beautiful girl in a red fox-fur cloak entered the ceremony, drawing the crowd’s attention as Jiang Qiu froze at the sight of her.

Hua dreaded leaving North Snow to marry at the coming-of-age ceremony, while Jiang Qiu recognized her reluctance and struggled with the custom. The ceremony began with a spear-throwing contest, and Jiang Qiu prepared to compete alongside Zhuang.

• Hua asked her mother whether she truly had to marry, and her mother reassured her that she might be matched with the powerful South Mountain Tribe.
• Hua recalled how she had spent much of her life near Jiang Qiu and wished she could stay to watch him grow into the Heaven's Chosen One.
• Jiang Qiu noticed Hua's reluctance to marry and felt troubled by the North Realm's long-standing marriage custom.
• The old shaman opened the coming-of-age ceremony and announced that the young men would compete to pierce blocks of solid ice with spears for rewards.
• Zhuang asked Jiang Qiu how many ice blocks he planned to pierce, and Jiang Qiu said they would see after trying.

During the North Snow Tribe’s spear-throwing contest, Jiang Qiu stunned the visiting envoys by destroying ten blocks of solid ice from a hundred meters away. His feat left the envoys reassessing North Snow’s strength, while Zhuang prepared to take his own turn.

• Bing asked Mang which North Snow youth was their Heaven’s Chosen One, and Mang identified Qiu as Jiang Qiu.
• Bing doubted Jiang Qiu could match the Heaven’s Chosen Ones of South Mountain or West Ice, but Mang suggested he deserved another look.
• Jiang Qiu threw a spear through all ten blocks of solid ice and drove it halfway into the ground beyond them.
• The envoys, young women, and shaman reacted with amazement at Jiang Qiu’s strength and technique.
• Zhuang admired Jiang Qiu’s performance, then gripped his spear and decided to try the challenge himself.

Jiang Qiu pierced ten blocks of solid ice at the North Snow Tribe’s coming-of-age ceremony, prompting Bing to reassess his potential while still preparing to test him. After the tests, Bing considered the marriage alliance and chose the prettiest girl among the North Snow Tribe youths, whom Mang identified as Hua.

• Jiang Qiu pierced ten blocks of solid ice, while Zhuang pierced nine and narrowly failed to break the last one.
• Bing decided to test Jiang Qiu despite his impressive performance, explaining that challenging him was the purpose of the trip.
• Mang reported that the North Snow Tribe had a low proportion of youths capable of becoming warriors compared with the South Mountain Tribe.
• Bing lamented that Heaven’s Chosen Ones rarely left descendants and recalled that Qiang had rejected a marriage alliance with his sister.
• Mang asked Bing which North Snow Tribe girl he favored, and Bing chose the prettiest one.
• Mang checked the register and identified Bing’s choice as Hua.

After the adult ceremony’s spear contest, Jiang Qiu learned that Bing, the South Mountain Tribe’s young chief, wanted to test his strength. Jiang Qiu accepted the challenge, while his unease grew after Hua was chosen by a powerful South Mountain envoy.

• The old shaman announced the spear contest rankings and awarded the boys wolf-fang necklaces before the envoy groups took the newly grown girls.
• Jiang Qiu watched Hua leave with a powerful middle-aged envoy in a black robe and felt unsettled.
• The old shaman told Jiang Qiu that Bing, the South Mountain Tribe’s young chief, had challenged him to test his potential.
• The old shaman explained that the contest would be a bare-handed test of strength and endurance, with no punches or other attacks.
• Jiang Qiu accepted the challenge and prepared to face Bing.