Chapter Summaries

Fang Qingyu received the God-Forged Shunshi Dragon Craft from Hong Qitian and weighed the dangers of owning powerful weapons as he prepared for the upcoming battle for squad slots. After advancing his profession, he returned to Candle Dragon with the Space Origin, and she abruptly fed it to him.

• Hong Qitian explained that the Shunshi Dragon Craft was God-Forged Divine Weaponry, described its strength-boosting characteristics, and warned that it could block one fatal strike from a Third Order expert.
• Fang Qingyu left the martial arts hall, resolved to conceal his strongest trump cards, and began recovering from his Abyss injuries on the ride back.
• At the Training Ground, Fang Qingyu congratulated Wei Banmeng on forming her Grandmaster Aura, and she told him that several rivals had also broken through before the battle for slots in three days.
• Fang Qingyu returned to Bamboo Creek Courtyard, checked the profession-advancement prompt, and confirmed his advancement while Jiang Wei watched from outside his room.
• Candle Dragon examined the Space Origin Fang Qingyu had brought, then pinched open his mouth and stuffed the compressed mass into it.

Fang Qingyu advanced to Realm Walker after receiving the Space Origin from Candle Dragon, then welcomed Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan back as newly made Martial Path Grandmasters. He took Jiang Wei sightseeing around Shangjing City before the Hidden Dragon Program’s Special Squad quota battle began the next day.

• Fang Qingyu endured the Space Origin reshaping his Candle-Bearer Walker power and advanced to Realm Walker.
• Fang Qingyu examined his renewed skills, including Eternal Night Warp, Eternal Calamity Annihilation Light, and Divine Judgment Heaven's Pull.
• Jiang Wei recognized Candle Dragon's scent on Fang Qingyu and laughed when he called her Elder Sister pretty good.
• Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan returned from their trials as Martial Path Grandmasters, and Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan secluded themselves to prepare for the quota battle.
• Fang Qingyu took Jiang Wei around Shangjing City, visiting historic sites, streets, and restaurants before returning to Bamboo Creek Courtyard.
• Fang Qingyu meditated and settled his mind on the eve of the Hidden Dragon Program Special Squad quota battle.

Fang Qingyu and the Dragon Abyss Pavilion team arrived at Tomorrow Mountain for the Hidden Dragon Program Special Squad selection battle. After learning that powerful figures had come to oversee the contest, Fang drew the first match and defeated Chen Song with a single punch, leaving the other competitors stunned.

• Fang Qingyu, Jiang Wei, Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan traveled to Tomorrow Mountain, where Wei Banmeng explained its Daoist traditions and said Zhao Feng had advanced to Second Order.
• The Dragon Abyss Pavilion team reached the Heavenly Stage and saw prominent competitors including Jing Wuya, Liu Hanyan, and Shikong, along with powerful Federation overseers.
• True Man Xuancheng announced the contest rules, including that only Second Order Transcendents could compete and that there were no restrictions on combat methods.
• Fang Qingyu drew lot number seventeen, and the first-round matchups paired him against Qingcheng Mountain's Chen Song on Platform A-3.
• Chen Song attacked with his Qingcheng Flowing Cloud Sword, but Fang Qingyu shattered the sword techniques and Chen Song's weapon with one punch, knocking him unconscious.
• The referee declared Fang Qingyu the winner, and the spectators erupted in astonishment at his decisive victory.

Fang Qingyu and the other Dragon Abyss Pavilion contestants advanced through the tournament as Lan stunned the arena with her mastery of the True Intent of Speed. Fang Qingyu then defeated Jing Wuya with a single punch, leaving the tournament’s strongest contenders and spectators in shock.

• Fang Qingyu crushed Chen Song with one punch, while Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan each won their opening matches.
• Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan advanced through further battles, while Lan defeated Zhao Tuo with her giant Mystic Iron Greatsword and revealed her mastery of the True Intent of Speed.
• Fang Qingyu won two more matches with overwhelming physical strength, and Wei Banmeng also advanced; Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan fought their way into the Top 32, while Jiang Wei forfeited her match.
• The Top 32 draw paired Fang Qingyu against Jing Wuya, whose Nirvana Sword Intent and fatal sword strike were shattered by Fang Qingyu’s Dragon’s True Intent-powered punch.
• Fang Qingyu’s punch broke Jing Wuya’s arms, sent him crashing into the Rune Barrier, and knocked him unconscious.

Fang Qingyu defeated Jing Wuya and Iron Mountain with overwhelming punches, then advanced through voluntary concessions to claim first place and the Hidden Dragon Program Special Squad captaincy. As the challenge for the remaining captain positions began, Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan joined his squad, forming its first core group.

• Fang Qingyu defeated Jing Wuya with one punch, shattering his Nirvana Sword Intent and winning their match.
• Fang Qingyu broke through Iron Mountain's golden Qi Shield and knocked him out with a single punch.
• Zhou Yan and Yin Wujiu conceded their matches against Fang Qingyu, and Shikong also admitted defeat in the final.
• True Man Xuancheng announced Fang Qingyu as the first captain of the Hidden Dragon Program's Special Squad.
• As the Arena Challenge began for the remaining captain positions, Wei Banmeng asked to join Fang Qingyu's squad, and he welcomed her.
• Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan joined Fang Qingyu, while Jiang Wei sat with them as the first Special Squad took shape.

After winning a captain position, Fang Qingyu reunited with his old friends and learned that his Special Squad could choose where to defend during the Ghost Festival. He led the squad to select Anjiang Province, where Qingjian City faced severe danger, and the teams prepared to choose their first Great Sun Tier Ancient Method or equivalent resources.

• Liu Hanyan and Shikong claimed the other two captain positions, while Fang Qingyu's squad was already full with Jiang Wei, Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan.
• Fang Qingyu trained with his new abilities, then told Qin Hui that he hoped to defend Anjiang Province if the Special Squad could choose its own region.
• Three days later, a military officer ordered the three squads to select red-zone territories for their Ghost Festival missions and introduced their Great Sun Tier Ancient Method reward.
• Fang Qingyu's teammates agreed to defend Anjiang Province, while Liu Hanyan chose Sanyi City and Shikong chose Gusha City.
• The officer confirmed the squads' assignments and gave each captain a tablet for choosing an ancient method or equivalent resources, including an exchange option for divine-faith believers.

Fang Qingyu and the other Special Squad members selected Great Sun Ancient Methods and flew to Anjiang Province to join the Ghost Festival defenses. They arrived at the Witness Legion’s frontline camp, where Commander Zhou Zhenguo explained the legion’s duty to destroy fate ghosts before they could be exposed to the public.

• Fang Qingyu chose Nine Tribulation Azure Dragon Body, while Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Jiang Wei selected their techniques or resources.
• Liu Hanyan warned that Special Squads suffered heavy casualties, and Shikong, Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Fang Qingyu affirmed their commitment to protect others.
• The officer distributed the inheritance cases, saluted the squads, and sent Fang Qingyu and his team toward Anjiang Province aboard a Darkwing Type-3 Aerospace Shuttle.
• Hong Qitian watched the shuttle’s trail cross the sky and murmured that there was no time left.
• Fang Qingyu and his team landed at the Anjiang frontline command post and met Zhou Zhenguo, commander of the Third Mobile Brigade of the Witness Legion.
• Zhou Zhenguo explained that the Witness Legion hid fate ghosts from the public and annihilated any that entered its sight, and Fang Qingyu acknowledged his words.

Fang Qingyu’s squad chose to defend Black Pine Pass, a dangerous abandoned village where powerful Life Spirits gathered, and prepared to enter the area with the Tiger Company. After the convoy departed, Zhou Zhenguo secretly ordered an elite reserve squad to stand by and protect Fang Qingyu’s team.

• Zhou Zhenguo briefed Fang Qingyu’s squad on the Anjiang defenses and asked them to choose a position to defend.
• Fang Qingyu chose Black Pine Pass, and his teammates pledged to take the assignment.
• A staff officer described Black Pine Pass’s terrain and its recorded threats, including Iron-Devouring Ghosts, Shadow Weavers, and Mountain Trolls.
• Zhang Tiezhu arrived with orders to lead the Tiger Company in support of Fang Qingyu’s squad.
• Fang Qingyu’s squad and the Tiger Company departed for Black Pine Pass.
• Zhou Zhenguo ordered Liu Weiguo to secretly deploy an elite reconnaissance squad near Black Pine Pass to protect Fang Qingyu’s team and cover their retreat if necessary.

Fang Qingyu and his squad arrived at Black Pine Pass, surveyed the Ghost Village, and coordinated the defense with Zhang Tiezhu and Tiger Company. After Jiang Wei shared a legend about gods weakening the barrier to the Life Spirits, the squad prepared for the Ghost Festival Tide, which began with a violent impact against the force field at dawn.

• Fang Qingyu praised Zhang Tiezhu’s years of service as they traveled to the camp outside Black Pine Pass.
• Fang Qingyu led his squad through the force field, surveyed the ruins, and assigned defensive positions while leaving Tiger Company’s deployment to Zhang Tiezhu.
• Jiang Wei told Fang Qingyu a legend that gods had given the Life Spirits a Divine Artifact or forbidden knowledge to weaken the Spatial Barrier around Ghost Festival.
• Fang Qingyu reassured the soldiers that Tiger Company’s work defending the entrance was essential, then spoke with Qin Hui about Qingjian City’s reinforced defenses.
• The next morning, a thunderous impact shook the pass, the force field flared, and a wave of malice surged from Black Pine Pass as the Life Spirit Tide began.

Fang Qingyu and his squad joined Zhang Tiezhu and the Fierce Tiger Company in repelling a massive Life Spirit attack at Black Pine Pass. After the costly first battle, Zhang warned them that a larger wave was still coming.

• Zhang Tiezhu sounded the alarm, and Fang Qingyu led the squad through the Force Field Shield into Black Pine Pass as the Life Spirits surged from the Space Rifts.
• Fang Qingyu destroyed the three Iron-Devouring Ghosts threatening the valley barrier while Jiang Wei eliminated emerging Shadow Weavers.
• Chu Kuanglan held the left flank against a mountain spirit, Lu Jiuyuan cut down attackers on the right, and Wei Banmeng slowed the Life Spirit tide with her Ice Blue Blade Domain.
• Zhang Tiezhu directed the Fierce Tiger Company in blocking creatures that slipped through the squad's defenses and keeping them away from the barrier.
• Fang Qingyu defeated the last mountain spirit, and the survivors found that the young soldier who had greeted him that morning had died defending the pass.
• Zhang Tiezhu sounded a whistle and ordered everyone to recover, warning Fang Qingyu and the others that this had been only the first wave.

Fang Qingyu and the defenders faced the fifth, fiercest Life Spirit Tide at Black Pine Pass, defeating its elite monsters while suffering heavy casualties. After the tide stopped, Fang Qingyu ordered everyone to rest and sat down beside the Thousand-Legged Iron Centipede he had killed.

• Fang Qingyu ordered the defenders to rotate in two groups and said he would remain at the front of the valley entrance.
• The fifth Life Spirit Tide erupted, and Fang Qingyu severely wounded the Thousand-Legged Iron Centipede before Wei Banmeng and Jiang Wei helped expose its weakness.
• Fang Qingyu killed the Thousand-Legged Iron Centipede, while Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, Wei Banmeng, Jiang Wei, Zhang Tiezhu, and Tiger Company fought off the other Life Spirits.
• Jiang Wei used her Crimson Beam to repel a hidden attacker and save Zhang Tiezhu from a lethal strike, though the new recruit died in the battle.
• The defenders finally stopped the fifth tide, and Fang Qingyu surveyed their exhausted, wounded survivors before telling them to rest.

Hong Qitian agreed to delay announcing a decision until after the New Year, while Fang Qingyu used his skill points to grow stronger during a brief respite at Black Pine Pass. A Peak Second Order Vajra Buddha emerged beneath the ruins, forcing Fang Qingyu to send the others away before he and Jiang Wei faced its attack alone.

• Hong Qitian listened to the exhausted middle-aged man’s plea and agreed to wait until after the New Year before making an announcement.
• Fang Qingyu spent 20 skill points upgrading his two core skills, strengthening his body and restoring his vitality as the survivors recovered.
• The ground shook and a colossal Peak Second Order Vajra Buddha burst from beneath Black Pine Pass, then advanced toward the ravine entrance.
• Fang Qingyu ordered Zhang Tiezhu and the Tiger Company, along with Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan, to evacuate and rescue the people below the mountain.
• Jiang Wei stayed beside Fang Qingyu as the Vajra Buddha swung its main arm at them, and Fang Qingyu drew the Dragon Sparrow Slayer of Calamity to meet the blow.

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei unleashed their full powers against the Vajra Buddha, wounding it but failing to defeat it. The fate ghost spoke of a cage, then the sixth Life Spirit Tide overwhelmed Black Pine Pass and left them surrounded.

• Fang Qingyu transformed into his dragon form and blocked the Vajra Buddha's strike while Jiang Wei wounded it with her Crimson Domain and beam.
• Fang Qingyu combined his martial and Realm Walker powers to attack the Vajra Buddha, and Jiang Wei struck its joints to help cripple its movements.
• The Vajra Buddha recovered from their attacks, then told Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei that they were in a cage.
• The sixth Life Spirit Tide erupted from cracks across Black Pine Pass, flooding the ruins with countless monsters and surrounding Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei.

Fang Qingyu unleashed Divine Judgment: Heaven’s Pull, drawing the life spirits of Black Pine Pass into a vast dark vortex. As the Vajra Buddha attacked him, Jiang Wei and the returning Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan held it back, leaving Fang Qingyu ready to confront it.

• Zhang Tiezhu ordered the Tiger Company and Hawkeye’s elite squad to hold the valley entrance while Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan went back inside to support Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei.
• Fang Qingyu levitated above the life spirit tide, combined his darkness and space powers, and commanded Jiang Wei to retreat to the barrier.
• Fang Qingyu invoked Divine Judgment: Heaven’s Pull, stopping the life spirits and pulling them toward a huge dark vortex as Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan returned to the battlefield.
• The Vajra Buddha attacked Fang Qingyu with seven arms, and Jiang Wei formed a crimson crystal wall to block its blows.
• Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Wei Banmeng struck three of the Vajra Buddha’s arms, buying Jiang Wei time to hold the barrier.
• Fang Qingyu turned toward the Vajra Buddha and told it that its turn had come.

Fang Qingyu and his comrades defeated the peak Second Order Vajra Buddha by restraining it long enough for Fang Qingyu’s Dark Vortex to bind and devour it. The exhausted survivors kept Fang Qingyu’s unusual powers unspoken, then told Zhang Tiezhu the sixth Life Spirit Tide had ended and called the soldiers back up the mountain.

• Jiang Wei, Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Wei Banmeng slowed the fleeing Vajra Buddha with chains, a strike to its ankle, a cut to its joint, and an Ice Domain.
• Fang Qingyu used Divine Judgment Heaven's Pull to bind the Vajra Buddha in a Black Net and draw it into the Dark Vortex, which then disappeared.
• Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Jiang Wei silently accepted Fang Qingyu’s secret, while Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan joked that all five had slain the monster together.
• Fang Qingyu told Zhang Tiezhu over the communicator that the sixth Life Spirit Tide was resolved and that the survivors needed help clearing the battlefield.
• Zhang Tiezhu rallied the Tiger Company and Vanguard Squad and led them charging up the mountain.

After Black Pine Pass’s battle left the pass buried in ash, the wounded Fang Qingyu and his squad were evacuated for treatment. Jiang Wei warned Fang Qingyu that a powerful Life Spirit had ambushed Zhang Tiezhu before the Vajra Buddha appeared, and a distant explosion and the arrival of a Martial Saint brought a new crisis to the camp.

• Zhang Tiezhu found Fang Qingyu, Jiang Wei, Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan alive but gravely wounded in the ash-covered pass, then ordered their evacuation.
• Fang Qingyu messaged Hong Qitian about the talking Vajra Buddha, and Hong Qitian identified it as a Buddhist Life Spirit and reacted with surprise when Fang Qingyu said it had been Peak Second Order.
• Jiang Wei told Fang Qingyu that a Mid Second Order Life Spirit had briefly ambushed Zhang Tiezhu before the fifth wave, leaving them unsure whether it had fled or remained a threat.
• A powerful explosion shook the camp from the distant northeast, followed by an overwhelming Martial Path Will.
• A Third Order Martial Saint descended into the camp in a streak of Crimson Gold light.

Fang Qingyu’s squad confirmed that Black Pine Pass had been quiet for more than forty-eight hours and received permission to withdraw, but Fang suspected the hidden Mid Second Order Life Spirit had survived. He and Jiang Wei stayed behind and discovered the wolf-headed spirit emerging from the barrier; just as Fang struck, it pleaded with him not to kill it.

• A Martial Saint confirmed that Fang Qingyu had dealt with the Peak Second Order Life Spirit, then hurried off to another battlefield in the northeast.
• After a day of silence at Black Pine Pass, Fang reported the threat eliminated and received approval to withdraw with the Tiger Company.
• Wei Banmeng told Fang, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan about the heavy casualties suffered by Liu Hanyan’s and Shikong’s squads elsewhere.
• Fang stopped the convoy and returned to Black Pine Pass with Jiang Wei, concealing them near the Force Field Barrier as they waited.
• Jiang Wei sensed the hidden wolf-headed Life Spirit emerging from the barrier, and Fang’s lightning attack halted when the creature begged him not to kill it.

Fang Qingyu learned from Corpse Wolf Blood Kiss and Hong Qitian that humanity had fought a secret war against a vast Life Spirit army inside the Arctic Circle for over a century. After killing Blood Kiss, he returned to the command headquarters, where he and his team prepared to reinforce the front; Zhou Zhenguo then reported that something had happened in Qingjian City.

• Fang Qingyu discovered that Corpse Wolf Blood Kiss could speak, and Blood Kiss said it was heading north to join an army in the Arctic Circle, where humans had held it back for over a hundred years.
• Fang Qingyu called Hong Qitian, who explained that humanity had driven the Life Spirits into the Arctic and defended a Flesh and Blood Great Wall there for more than a century, while warning Fang Qingyu not to reveal the truth.
• Fang Qingyu resolved to keep fighting and killed Corpse Wolf Blood Kiss with Destruction Lightning before leaving the mountaintop with Jiang Wei.
• Fang Qingyu returned to the command headquarters with Jiang Wei and his team, where Zhang Tiezhu and other soldiers rushed to reinforce the failing line at Eagle Beak Cliff.
• Zhou Zhenguo contacted Fang Qingyu and reported that something had happened in Qingjian City.

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei rushed to the Qingjian City Life Spirit nest and joined Qin Hui, Qi Hao, Old Jiao, and Lu Chen inside its force field. After learning that three Second Order Tree Spirits and the living jungle threatened the trapped grandmasters and rescue teams, Fang Qingyu led the group toward Team Leader Lin while Jiang Wei destroyed attacking Mud Monsters.

• Fang Qingyu agreed to support Qingjian City after Zhou Zhenguo reported that a huge Life Spirit nest had trapped five grandmasters behind a force field.
• Qin Hui, Qi Hao, Old Jiao, and Lu Chen were ambushed by living roots, and Fang Qingyu arrived in time to destroy a giant branch attacking Qi Hao with lightning.
• Qin Hui explained that three Second Order Tree Spirits were holding the grandmasters at bay and that Team Leader Lin was about two kilometers away, trying to protect the other support squads.
• Fang Qingyu told Qin Hui to lead the way while he killed the threats, and his pressure made the hostile jungle’s vines and roots recoil.
• Three Mud Monsters attacked Qin Hui and Old Jiao, but Jiang Wei burned them to ashes with Crimson Beams and Flames.

Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei reached the temporary camp, where Fang reunited with Duan Ling and Lin Kang before entering the Dark Green Sea of Trees to rescue the trapped grandmasters. After finding Yue Zhen in a jungle clearing, they learned the tree spirits’ entrance was underground and mobile, and Jiang Wei began revealing a way to locate it.

• Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei helped Qin Hui’s team cut through the Life Spirits and vines, and Fang explained that he had sent his other teammates to support Qingjian City’s last available grandmaster.
• Fang reunited with Duan Ling and Lin Kang at the temporary camp; Lin Kang reported that three Second Order Grandmasters were trapped in separate areas of the forest.
• Fang took the coordinates of the trapped grandmasters and entered the forest with Jiang Wei, while Lin Kang told the camp that Fang had slaughtered a Peak Second Order Life Spirit at Black Pine Pass.
• Fang and Jiang Wei raced through the jungle and reached Yue Zhen, who explained that the tree spirits’ underground entrance moved and that Su Wanqing and Chen were trapped deepest in the Core Zone.
• As Fang considered how to find the entrance without triggering a collapse, Jiang Wei said she had a way and began rising into the air as a Crimson Beam shot skyward.