Recaps

Yan Yi fought Lei Huan while Ning Xinyuan supported her with the Overlord Butterfly, but Lei Huan overwhelmed them both and targeted Ning Xinyuan to exploit Yan Yi’s fear for her companion. The chapter left Yan Yi wounded and clinging to Lei Huan’s ankle as he pierced her wrist.

• Ning Xinyuan used the Overlord Butterfly’s archer mode to wound the Iron-Masked Man and help Yan Yi.
• Yan Yi clashed with Lei Huan, using Vortex to break his wrists before he restored them with lightning and blasted her away.
• Lei Huan drove Yan Yi into a corner, but Ning Xinyuan’s gunshot gave her a chance to escape.
• The Iron-Masked Man struck Ning Xinyuan and sent her crashing through stone pillars.
• Lei Huan injured Yan Yi while threatening to kill Ning Xinyuan, then kicked Yan Yi aside and moved to attack her companion.
• Yan Yi grabbed Lei Huan’s ankle, and he pierced her wrist with his claws.

Yan Yi analyzed Lei Huan’s lightning-enhanced Seven Emotions Combat Arts and, after appearing paralyzed, used her sister’s rescue to replenish her energy and awaken a new lightning form. She revealed that she had crossed the Emotion Stirred threshold through love and attacked Lei Huan.

• Yan Yi realized Lei Huan’s thunder came from his pride and arrogance, and that he used lightning to stimulate his body and enhance his abilities.
• Though paralyzed by Lei Huan’s lightning, Yan Yi forced herself to sense her body and began enduring the electric currents.
• Lei Huan turned back when Yan Yi groaned, but the Black-Robed Sniper was thrown toward her by the Iron-Masked Man and carried her toward a window.
• Lei Huan pursued the Black-Robed Sniper and Yan Yi, but Yan Yi suddenly opened her eyes and sent him crashing into the broken floor.
• Yan Yi revealed her lightning armor and tail, named the form Lei Fox, and told Lei Huan she had crossed the Emotion Stirred threshold through love before lunging at him.

Yan Yi fought Lei Huan and the Iron-Masked Man to protect Ning Xinyuan, pushing her body to its limits with lightning. Just as both enemies closed in and Yan Yi prepared to die holding Ning Xinyuan, a pale-haired criminal arrived and killed them.

• Yan Yi used lightning-enhanced combat arts to defeat Lei Huan, then entered Nine-Tailed Thunder Fox Form to attack the armored Iron-Masked Man.
• The Iron-Masked Man survived Yan Yi's blows, crushed her ribs, and carried her toward Ning Xinyuan while Lei Huan returned to the fight.
• Lei Huan struck Ning Xinyuan unconscious, and Yan Yi tore the Iron-Masked Man apart before Lei Huan forced her back from her sister.
• With both enemies closing in and her body failing, Yan Yi dispersed her lightning coat and embraced Ning Xinyuan, accepting that they might die together.
• A new criminal appeared and broke the necks of Lei Huan and the Iron-Masked Man, then revealed pale hair and said he had arrived too late.

Le Yu defeated Lei Huan and the Iron-Masked Man, then used the Soul-Cleansing Demonic Sword to heal the gravely wounded Yan Yi before rushing to the sixth floor. Yan Yi stayed with Ning Xinyuan, tasted the candy Le Yu had left behind, and watched Lei Huan die by his own hand.

• Le Yu explained that the darkness had weakened Lei Huan’s lightning but that the Seven Emotions Martial Artists could still use their powers, and he suspected the Brotherhood had produced them in numbers.
• Yan Yi questioned the white-haired Hidden Sword Assassin, and Le Yu joked that she could repay him by guarding his fiancée.
• When Yan Yi began coughing blood, Le Yu healed her with the Soul-Cleansing Demonic Sword and told her to stay put and play dead if anyone came upstairs.
• Yan Yi told Le Yu that the Grand Steward, the Iron-Masked Man, and someone carrying a serrated cleaver had gone up to the sixth floor, so Le Yu hurried after them.
• Yan Yi found candy Le Yu had dropped, and Lei Huan used his lightning to turn his hand into a blade and stab his own heart before she could finish him off.
• Yan Yi put the candy in her mouth, embraced Ning Xinyuan, and smiled as she said it was sweet.

Le Yu joined the Grand Steward and Xianchan Chenchen in heading to the seventh floor, leaving Bone-Stinger to guard the captive Qin Leyin. After the others departed, Bone-Stinger attacked the captive, who revealed himself as Qin Yueyang and fought back against Bone-Stinger’s curse.

• The Grand Steward and Xianchan Chenchen agreed to delay handing Qin Leyin over until they learned whether Cha Huan had died.
• Le Yu chose to go with the Grand Steward and Iron-Masked Man to search the seventh floor, while Bone-Stinger stayed behind with the captive.
• Bone-Stinger froze the sixth floor in his Frigid Despair Realm and attacked the captive Yantong agents.
• The captive broke free, dodged Bone-Stinger’s cleaver, and revealed himself as Qin Yueyang in disguise.
• Bone-Stinger explained that his curse trapped Qin Yueyang in an eternal frozen world and claimed the cold would bury him.
• Qin Yueyang recalled the bitter winter of his childhood, then used flames to melt the frost covering his body.

Le Yu, Xianchan Chenchen, the Grand Steward, and the Iron-Masked Man searched the Platinum Tower’s seventh floor for the Holy Sword Huiyao but found no obvious trace of it. The Grand Steward hinted that the sword’s supposed presence there concealed a deeper secret, leaving Xianchan questioning what their search had actually revealed.

• Le Yu considered sabotaging the mechanical lift to cripple the men with him, but the Grand Steward’s remarks distracted him until they reached the seventh floor.
• The group found the seventh floor empty, and Xianchan said the Holy Sword Huiyao did not appear to be there while warning the Grand Steward she would not refund his money.
• The Grand Steward examined Cha Huan’s office and speculated that the Holy Sword might be hidden as a bookmark in a book about Emperor Gaozu.
• The Grand Steward challenged Xianchan to ask why they had been certain the Holy Sword was in the Platinum Tower, then repeated that it was there without explaining further.

The Grand Steward explained that the Holy Sword Huiyao could be summoned rather than kept as a physical object, and revealed that the president was preparing to call it through the Imperial Academy's Mental Sea. As the plan reached its final stage, Le Yu revealed that he was Qin Leyin and confronted the Grand Steward.

• The Grand Steward reasoned that the Holy Sword Huiyao existed everywhere but could only be summoned by its wielder.
• Le Yu suggested that the Holy Sword would be easiest to summon at the imperial court, but the Grand Steward said the Sword Quest for Succession had chosen the Imperial Academy.
• An explosion at the top of the Platinum Tower stirred the Imperial Academy's Mental Sea and made Le Yu's ice blood boil.
• The Grand Steward revealed that the president had taken control of the Mental Sea and needed the sword-scabbard's Holy Sword mark to summon Huiyao.
• Le Yu removed his disguise and revealed himself as Qin Leyin, then thanked the Grand Steward for sending him home.

The Grand Steward deduced that Qin Leyin and Xianchan Chenchen were cooperating because the Flame Capital Statistics Department served the Huiyao Four Guards. Le Yu and Xianchan Chenchen launched a sudden attack on the Iron-Masked Man and the Grand Steward.

• Xianchan Chenchen ambushed the Grand Steward with a poisoned blade, but his strike drew no blood.
• The Grand Steward questioned why Le Yu and Xianchan Chenchen cooperated despite their apparent grudge and lack of mutual benefit.
• Le Yu joked about a medicine that could make Xianchan Chenchen grow taller, while Xianchan Chenchen considered whether he should have betrayed Le Yu later.
• The Grand Steward concluded that rules explained their cooperation and identified the Statistics Department as an organization under the Huiyao Four Guards.
• Le Yu attacked the Iron-Masked Man as Xianchan Chenchen rushed at the Grand Steward from behind.

Le Yu fought the Iron-Masked Man and discovered that his opponent could use the same combat arts, including the Eight Rice Flow’s Thousand Two Hundred Eleven Style. Drawing on what he had learned from Cha Huan, Le Yu countered the old version and launched the updated secret art himself.

• Inspector Xianchan and the Grand Steward fought while Lin Nu joined the attack.
• The Iron-Masked Man overwhelmed Le Yu by matching his combat arts and striking with Tremor Combat Arts.
• The Iron-Masked Man used the Eight Rice Flow secret art Thousand Two Hundred Eleven Style to immobilize Le Yu and close in.
• Le Yu recalled the technique’s weaknesses from the Blood-Drinking and Blood-Thorn Eight Rice Flow manuals, then threw the Iron-Masked Man off balance.
• Le Yu used Cha Huan’s updated version of Thousand Two Hundred Eleven Style to advance on the Iron-Masked Man.

Le Yu fought the Iron-Masked Man with the Forbidden Thousand Two Hundred Eleven Style, enduring the technique’s strain until he overcame his opponent. After the Iron-Masked Man shared advice on combat arts, Le Yu killed him and thanked him for the guidance.

• Le Yu unleashed the Forbidden Thousand Two Hundred Eleven Style, tearing through the Iron-Masked Man’s protective Light Armor and badly mutilating him.
• The Iron-Masked Man survived and charged again, while Le Yu forced himself to keep fighting despite his injuries and depleted Mental Power.
• Le Yu’s Biting Combat Arts Bite overwhelmed the weakened Iron-Masked Man, and Le Yu pierced through his spine with a claw strike.
• The Iron-Masked Man used Qi Harmony Combat Arts to explain how Cosmic Chant, Yellow Sigh, and Wild Bite could counter close combat.
• Le Yu tore through the Iron-Masked Man’s throat, killing him, and thanked him for the guidance.

Le Yu fought the Grand Steward after he poisoned and subdued Xianchan Chenchen. Just as Le Yu seemed to win, the Grand Steward triggered Qin Leyin’s buried memories and used a scrap of paper to invoke the Book of Immortality.

• The Grand Steward pinned Xianchan Chenchen to the wall with a poisoned dagger and explained that the poison would paralyze him until morning.
• Le Yu and the Grand Steward discussed their past fights and the importance of learning from experience before the Grand Steward attacked.
• The Grand Steward’s slippery, unorthodox fighting style kept Le Yu from gaining an advantage in their exchange.
• Le Yu used Veil of Discord and Tremor Combat Arts to knock the Grand Steward down, then stabbed him with a poisoned dagger.
• The Grand Steward told Le Yu that no one could bully him anymore, awakening Qin Leyin’s sealed memories.
• The Grand Steward punched Le Yu, pressed a scrap of paper to his hand, and chanted, “Book of Immortality, pray for Radiance!”

While Nieruo kept Ming Shuiyun from leaving the dormitory, the Grand Steward successfully began manifesting Holy Sword Huiyao in the Platinum Tower, causing Holy Sword Imprints to flare across the academy. Le Yu fought the Grand Steward despite Galingen's poison crippling his right arm, and countered one of his attacks with a technique he had learned from the Iron-Masked Man.

• Nieruo used his Killing Intent to keep Ming Shuiyun inside the dormitory and explained that he could not intervene because Qin Leyin had not asked him for help.
• A wave of spiritual power from the Platinum Tower made Holy Sword Imprints burn, and Ming Shuangli sensed that Radiance was excited.
• Ning Xinyuan realized the ritual had succeeded, while an Inferno Dominion operative escaped through a window after helping Qin Leyin once.
• The Grand Steward's chanting produced a half-woven Holy Sword Huiyao, and his spiritual fluctuation sent Le Yu flying.
• Galingen's poison crippled Le Yu's right arm as he fought the Grand Steward, but Le Yu used Cosmic Chant to turn the Grand Steward's Wild Bite into a Yellow Sigh eruption.

Le Yu was stopped from reaching Holy Sword Huiyao when the Sword Bearer intervened and confronted the Grand Steward. After the Sword Bearer left, Le Yu recognized the dying Grand Steward as his former teacher, Qin Xiao.

• Xianchan Chenchen stabbed the Grand Steward, and Le Yu split his body in two with Biting Combat Arts Bite.
• Xianchan Chenchen collapsed after using poison to counter Galingen, while Le Yu tried to reach Holy Sword Huiyao.
• The Sword Bearer appeared, suppressed Le Yu's Ice-Blood Physique, and moved him away from the sword.
• The Sword Bearer and the Grand Steward discussed their wager and the Grand Steward's impending death before the Sword Bearer left them alone.
• Le Yu recognized the Grand Steward as Qin Xiao, his former teacher.

Le Yu recovered Qin Leyin’s memories of his teacher, the Grand Steward, and learned that the man had returned from death under the control of the National Salvation and Relief Society’s president. After the Grand Steward died before him, Le Yu found a warning among the scraps he had left: “Be careful of the Necronomicon.”

• Qin Leyin’s memories showed how his teacher urged him to keep hope, rely on his own methods, and pursue his dreams.
• The Grand Steward confirmed that he had been resurrected and served the president, and that he had volunteered to reach the Platinum Tower to encounter the Holy Sword Radiance.
• The Grand Steward praised Le Yu for pursuing his dreams and shared his cherished saying before rapidly aging and dying.
• Le Yu found yellowed scraps the Grand Steward had pressed into his hand and recalled his final warning about the Necronomicon.

Crane Tear arrived at the ruined residence to confront the injured Cha Huan, but Cha Huan challenged him and easily turned aside his attack. The chapter ended with Cha Huan slamming Crane Tear face-first into the mud.

• Citizens gathered to gossip about the battle as Crane Tear raced toward the shattered moonlight barrier.
• Crane Tear found Cha Huan among the ruins and claimed he had rushed over to help.
• Cha Huan mocked Crane Tear and threatened to make him eat shit if he stayed in Flame Capital.
• Crane Tear attacked Cha Huan with his Silver Bell Stop Killing Combo, but Cha Huan deflected the strike.
• Cha Huan seized Crane Tear by the neck and slammed his head into the dirt and rubble.

Cha Huan faced Crane Tear and the officials who arrived at the ruined site, then gave Mo Yu a list of people he intended to kill before sunrise. The chapter ended with Mo Yu being told he had five hours to act.

• Cha Huan released Crane Tear when Yu Ke arrived, and Crane Tear retreated in fear.
• Yu Ke and Cha Huan traded remarks about their time at the Imperial Academy while Crane Tear stayed silent.
• Crane Tear gave Cha Huan a bottle of century-old wine, which Cha Huan drank.
• Xie Chenyuan and Mo Yu arrived, and Cha Huan told Mo Yu he believed Mo Yu had known nothing about the incident.
• Cha Huan handed Mo Yu a list, said he had already killed three crossed-off names, and warned that the remaining people would die before sunrise.

After surviving an attack, Cha Huan forced Xie Chenyuan and the others to agree to execute the people marked on his list before dawn. He identified several attackers as men he had killed decades ago, leaving Xie Chenyuan to investigate their return while Cha Huan headed back to the Imperial Academy.

• Cha Huan rejected the officials’ attempt to withdraw their promised compensation and demanded that Xie Chenyuan carry out the names on his list.
• Xie Chenyuan agreed to target those marked by the bloodstain and ordered Mo Yu to gather the Patrol and Punishment Department agents before dawn.
• Cha Huan described the attackers, including three former Martial Pillars he had killed decades earlier who had returned with diminished strength.
• Xie Chenyuan, Yu Ke, and He Lei left to begin the purge and investigate the attackers’ identities, while Nilü vanished into the shadows.
• Cha Huan flew back toward the Imperial Academy, saying he needed to collect the papers.

After the attack on the Platinum Tower, Ming Shuiyun and the others visited the injured Le Yu, Xianchan Chenchen, and Yan Yi in the School Medical Officer Department. The ward’s lively scene ended when Yan Yi called for Teacher Qin, leaving Le Yu visibly irritated.

• Students spread rumors about Cha Huan’s beating and the assault on the Platinum Tower, while the Imperial Academy reopened and the Patrol and Punishment Department cleared the aftermath.
• Ming Shuiyun and the others visited Le Yu, Xianchan Chenchen, and Yan Yi, who were recovering from their injuries.
• Le Yu explained that Xianchan Chenchen had been poisoned and Yan Yi had suffered severe injuries, while Qin Yueyang had returned home and gone to work at the Statistics Department.
• Ming Shuiyun offered to care for Le Yu, but he snatched his meal and ate it himself; Zhaoye Bai then fed a humiliated Xianchan Chenchen.
• Yan Yi quieted the crowd competing to care for her and called out for Teacher Qin, darkening Le Yu’s expression.

In the hospital ward, Le Yu rejected Yan Yi’s attempt to use him as a shield, but she offered him a Heart-Linked Seal in exchange for accepting her public advances. Le Yu agreed, and the two formed an alliance while concealing their own motives.

• Yan Yi asked Le Yu to feed her, but he refused and revealed that he had a fiancée, surprising the ward and drawing Yan Yi’s attention.
• Yan Yi continued questioning Le Yu about his marriage, while Le Yu claimed his fiancée loved someone else and the others speculated about their relationship.
• After the others left, Yan Yi apologized for involving Le Yu and asked him to passively accept her advances so he could help drive away unwanted admirers.
• Yan Yi hinted that she knew Le Yu had used the Soul-Cleansing Demonic Sword and offered to keep his secret in exchange for his cooperation.
• Yan Yi reasoned that joining Le Yu’s faction would help her investigate Ning Xinyuan and the Throne Game, and offered him a Heart-Linked Seal as a reward.
• Le Yu accepted Yan Yi’s arrangement, and they formed an alliance while each planned to use the other for their own ends.

Qin Leyin and Yan Yi discovered that cheap Spirit Condensing Pills circulating at the Imperial Academy were actually the dangerous drug Sea Wave Powder. Meanwhile, Cha Huan blew open three graves in Flame Capital and revealed that the coffins were empty.

• Lai Ya and Shi Wen visited Qin Leyin and brought pastries and Spirit Condensing Pills, but Yan Yi confirmed the pills worked and warned that drugs boosting Mental Power were usually poisonous or addictive.
• Qin Leyin learned that Spirit Condensing Pills had recently begun circulating cheaply among academy students and identified them as Sea Wave Powder.
• An upperclasswoman offered Spirit Condensing Pills to Li Ying and Kui Nianruo, claiming they improved cultivation and mental alertness and inviting them to try a free sample.
• Cha Huan blasted open three graves in Flame Capital while Mo Yu and the families watched, then left without explanation.
• The families demanded answers from Mo Yu, who pointed out that the coffins were empty.

Le Yu attended an Imperial Guard Faction meeting while pretending to be recovering from his injuries, then met Lou Yinhai, who offered him a seat and tried awkwardly to show his gratitude. Yan Yi explained Lou’s good intentions, and Le Yu decided to build a closer relationship with him.

• Le Yu arrived at the meeting in a formal suit and scarf, claiming he was still suffering from Mental Power damage after the battle at the Platinum Tower.
• Lou Yinhai offered Le Yu his seat, and Le Yu realized he meant the chair beside him rather than his position as Scourge Faction instructor.
• Lou Yinhai complimented Le Yu’s clothes and scarf, then joined Le Yu and Yan Yi’s planned meal after Yan Yi warmly invited him.
• Yan Yi quietly told Le Yu that Lou Yinhai wanted to repay them for protecting the Platinum Tower but was clumsy at expressing his gratitude.
• Le Yu accepted that Lou Yinhai was sincere and considered building a closer relationship with him, while also thinking about bringing Qing Lan to Flame Capital.

At an Imperial Academy meeting, Inspector Jiu Jiujiu and Ling Qingyu reported that Spirit Condensing Pills resembled the National Salvation and Relief Society’s Sea Wave Powder, but they could not find the source. They argued that the court depended on the Society’s tax revenue and could not afford to move against it, leaving Cha Huan facing the political cost of the investigation.

• Cha Huan arrived in a glittering golden robe, asked the teachers how he looked, and began the meeting once Jiu Jiujiu and Ling Qingyu arrived.
• Jiu Jiujiu explained that Spirit Condensing Pills boosted alertness and reduced pain, were not currently considered addictive, and had not been traced to a seller.
• Cha Huan pressed Jiu Jiujiu about the pills’ connection to Sea Wave Powder and demanded that the Statistics Department explain its failure to identify the supplier.
• Jiu Jiujiu said the pills were probably made using the National Salvation and Relief Society’s methods, but the Society was too powerful to investigate through force.
• Ling Qingyu and Jiu Jiujiu described how much the court relied on the Society’s taxes and argued that its financial support made it dangerous to oppose.

The teachers discussed how Sea Wave Powder served as an intelligence tax that let the imperial court weaken wealthy clans while keeping its distribution controlled. Jiu Jiujiu then revealed that the Spirit Condensing Pill had prompted an investigation into whether Sea Wave Powder’s effects came from a Divine Weapon.

• Wei Weiwei criticized the idea that the authorities should expect others to expose themselves to Sea Wave Powder while investigating it.
• Jiu Jiujiu said investigators had failed to uncover Sea Wave Powder’s production, transport, or source, and reported Director Xie’s warning about the National Salvation and Relief Society.
• Cha Huan denied knowing how to make Sea Wave Powder and explained that the imperial court tolerated its restricted circulation because it drained wealthy clans without empowering ordinary people.
• Le Yu’s investigation showed that Sea Wave Powder could ruin users by raising their pleasure threshold, while the imperial court treated its victims as the price of financing its efforts to conquer the Eight Districts.
• Jiu Jiujiu said Sea Wave Powder’s unexplained benefits suggested a Divine Weapon, naming the Sun Bottle and the Blood Essence Stone as suspects.

Jiu Jiujiu revealed that Spirit Condensing Pills were likely being produced inside the Imperial Academy with a divine weapon carried by a student, prompting the teachers to debate how to respond. Cha Huan rejected the Statistics Department’s offer to station agents and, after weighing the academy’s options, wondered whether she could fight her way through the opposition.

• Jiu Jiujiu explained that Spirit Condensing Pills were being sold almost exclusively inside the Imperial Academy and concluded that a student was likely using a divine weapon there to produce them.
• Ling Qingyu relayed her uncle’s ultimatum to Cha Huan, while Jiu Jiujiu offered the Statistics Department’s help and Cha Huan refused to let its agents enter the academy.
• Zhu Yan proposed rewarding reports and expelling students who sold or took the pills, but Yan Yi objected that harsh rules would drive the practice underground.
• Le Yu argued that the pills might become accepted in the future and that expelling students for taking them now could unfairly damage their lives, leaving the teachers uncertain about what to do.
• Cha Huan asked Lou Yinhai how many Martial Pillars he could fight, then concluded she would need to be strong enough to face seven and lamented that she could not win.

Cha Huan decided to openly disclose the Spirit Condensing Pill and enlist Imperial Academy students in searching for its producer, while Le Yu reported Qin Xiao’s warning about the Book of the Dead and the likely link between the pills and the Blood Essence Stone. The chapter ended with Ming Shuiyun telling Le Yu that the second round of the game had begun, with the Blood Essence Stone as its target.

• Le Yu concluded that the court had tempted Cha Huan with the chance to control Spirit Condensing Pill production and build a new political power base.
• Cha Huan ordered the academy to inform students about the pills, organize night patrols, and announce a bounty for the divine weapon that produced them.
• Cha Huan rejected proposals to conceal or restrict the pills, arguing that students deserved full information and should be trusted to make their own decisions.
• After the meeting, Le Yu told Cha Huan that Qin Xiao had warned him to beware the Book of the Dead and that the divine weapon behind the pills was likely the Blood Essence Stone.
• Cha Huan reminded Le Yu that he remained Acting Principal and had to protect students from criminals.
• Ming Shuiyun told Le Yu that the second round of the game had begun and that its target was the Blood Essence Stone.