Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi and Snow Zihan were trapped together in a dark chamber, where their fear, embarrassment, and boredom gave way to an argument over who had wronged whom. Snow Zihan realized Xu Yi had saved her from a fall, but she still demanded that he return her Sumeru Ring.

• Snow Zihan woke bound in the pitch-black chamber and screamed when Xu Yi appeared beside her.
• Xu Yi teased Snow Zihan about her predicament, then covered her with a green robe when he realized how indecently she was bound.
• Xu Yi fell asleep while Snow Zihan endured the chamber's eerie silence and eventually woke him to demand an explanation.
• Xu Yi argued that Snow Zihan had started their conflict by searching through his belongings and hunting him down.
• Snow Zihan demanded her Sumeru Ring back, and Xu Yi reminded her that he had caught her when she fell unconscious.
• Snow Zihan recalled her fall and realized Xu Yi might have saved her, but the thought of their physical contact filled her with panic and revulsion.

Trapped with Xue Zihan behind a Stone Gate, Xu Yi found a possible escape using his Heavenly Thunder Pearl. He refused to use the costly treasure until Xue Zihan agreed to pay half its value, and she finally accepted.

• Xu Yi teased Xue Zihan until she giggled, but their banter ended when she urged him to find a way out.
• Xu Yi searched the walls without success, then returned with a Heavenly Thunder Pearl and proposed blasting through the tunnel.
• Xu Yi demanded that Xue Zihan share the pearl’s cost because she would escape with him.
• Xue Zihan agreed to pay Xu Yi ten thousand gold.

Xu Yi and Xue Zihan remained trapped after he blasted a hole into a Heavy Iron prison chamber, and his despair deepened as he remembered the people and promises he still had to return to. After seven days without food or water, Xu Yi freed Xue Zihan and accepted that she might kill him, but she recovered her Sumeru Ring and played her jade pipa instead.

• Xu Yi detonated the Heavenly Thunder Pearl against a wall, blasted through the damaged formation, and found a tiny prison cell made of Heavy Iron.
• Xu Yi searched the cell and pounded on the other walls but found no escape, then remembered his promise to Liao Chen and worried about Uncle Mu and Qiu Wa.
• After five days passed, Xue Zihan grew weak from hunger, and Xu Yi untied her Dragon Binding Rope.
• Xue Zihan recovered her Sumeru Ring and reestablished its connection, while Xu Yi told her to kill him if she wished.
• Xue Zihan summoned the jade pipa her father had given her and played a sorrowful melody beside Xu Yi.

Trapped and starving in a dead-end cave, Xu Yi used his last Precious Medicines and water to nourish the withered Qiu Wa. After seeing her absorb the treatment, he renewed his resolve to survive and escape with her.

• Xu Yi asked Xue Zihan to play another song, but she refused and drew the Autumn Water Sword when he began singing crude tunes.
• Xu Yi found Qiu Wa weaker after five days without nourishment, cursed the heavens, and decided to use his remaining supplies to help her.
• Xu Yi boiled water with his last two Precious Medicines and placed Qiu Wa in the warm medicinal bath.
• Xu Yi recalled Qiu Wa’s words and cried as Xue Zihan watched his tenderness with surprise.
• Qiu Wa absorbed all the medicine and water, and Xu Yi resolved to carve through the cliff and escape with her.

Xu Yi revealed Guanglingzi’s final writings on the iron wall and found a mathematical proof that could help him escape the sealed chamber. The writings also exposed how the Jiang family trapped Guanglingzi and concealed the tomb’s secrets, while Xu Yi’s understanding of the proof left him with a possible way forward.

• Xu Yi’s blood revealed an abacus emblem and Guanglingzi’s writings on the iron wall after his attacks failed to break it.
• Xu Yi and Xue Zihan saw that the wall’s writing included a proof about five circles passing through one fixed point.
• Xu Yi recognized that Guanglingzi’s proof built on the mathematics he had studied and believed it could help him escape.
• Xu Yi learned that the Jiang family had lured Guanglingzi into the chamber, stolen his Sumeru Ring after his death, and killed the tomb’s laborers to protect its secrets.
• Xu Yi understood that Guanglingzi had died after failing to use his mathematical proof to break through the chamber wall.

Xu Yi asked Xue Zihan to take Qiu Wa out of the Ancient Tomb and help heal her in case he was gravely injured breaking through a wall. Xue Zihan agreed, and Xu Yi entrusted Qiu Wa and most of his gold to her while giving her the Wailing Stick before taking it back when it harmed her.

• Xu Yi bowed to Guanglingzi's remains and stored the bones in his Sumeru Ring for burial.
• Xu Yi told Xue Zihan that breaking through the wall might leave him gravely injured and asked her to take Qiu Wa out and help heal her.
• Xu Yi offered Xue Zihan over forty-three thousand gold notes and vowed to destroy the Tianshan Sect if she harmed Qiu Wa.
• Xue Zihan agreed to help and asked for the Wailing Stick, which Xu Yi immediately handed over; when she touched it, she saw a vision of death and ghosts, so he took it back.
• Xu Yi gave Xue Zihan a Sonic Flying Dagger as a token and accepted her promise to repay him someday.
• Xue Zihan accepted Qiu Wa and forty thousand gold notes, returning the remaining three thousand to Xu Yi.

Xu Yi used the inscriptions to figure out how to break through the wall, then risked swallowing a Blood Flame Fruit to smash open the secret chamber. Xue Zihan escaped and found him gravely injured, but had to hide him when Tianshan Sect disciples arrived and assumed he was dead.

• Xu Yi told Xue Zihan about Qiu Wa’s habits and needs before studying the inscriptions on the stone wall.
• Xu Yi realized he lacked the strength to break through and swallowed the Blood Flame Fruit, then ordered Xue Zihan to get out.
• The wall opened, and Xue Zihan escaped into a living landscape before returning to find Xu Yi gravely injured.
• When people approached, Xue Zihan hid Xu Yi in a drainage channel and was found by Tianshan Sect disciples led by Fairy Yuqing.
• Fairy Yuqing embraced Xue Zihan and asked what had happened, while the disciples assumed Xu Yi had died and his treasures were now with Xue Zihan.

Xue Zihan told Fairy Yuqing she had escaped the abyss without encountering Xu Yi, then left with her sect to fight their way out. Xu Yi woke badly injured outside the Ancient Tomb, recovered with the Blood Flame Fruit’s healing power, and celebrated his escape by catching and eating fish beside a lake.

• Xue Zihan explained that she had escaped from a secret chamber in the abyss, and Fairy Yuqing defended her against suspicions that she had taken Xu Yi’s treasures.
• Fairy Yuqing heard fighting nearby, ordered her followers to form up, and led Xue Zihan north as Xue Zihan glanced at the ditch where she had left Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi woke in the ditch with most of his body severely injured and realized the Blood Flame Fruit had been healing him while he slept.
• Xu Yi waited for his injuries to improve, then swam in the lake, drank the water, and realized he had escaped the Ancient Tomb.
• Xu Yi caught several fish with his technique, dressed, and ate them raw with spices to avoid attracting attention with a fire.

After recovering from the tomb expedition, Xu Yi headed south to find Qi Ming but encountered golden-robed search parties and a battle with the Hero Society. He rescued Zhao Baling’s group and revealed their old connection, though his altered appearance kept Zhao from recognizing him.

• Xu Yi recovered with pills, decided to return to find Qi Ming, and planned to reclaim Qiu Wa after reaching Sea Transformation.
• Xu Yi avoided golden-robed search parties sweeping Huiyin Mountain and found another group fighting the Hero Society.
• Zhao Baling held off the golden-robed men so his brothers could retreat, and Xu Yi recognized him from their past encounter at Guangwu Pavilion.
• Xu Yi charged into the formation and knocked out the golden-robed fighters, including their Qi Sea Realm leader.
• Xu Yi told Zhao Baling they were old acquaintances and reminded him of their contest at Guangwu Pavilion, while Zhao failed to recognize him.

Xu Yi disguised himself as the Hat Man and led Zhao Baling and the Hero Society away from pursuing forces, but they were driven together with the major sects and families by a powerful group in golden robes. Their leader’s attendant revealed that the group belonged to the Zhongzhou Jiang Family, leaving everyone stunned.

• Xu Yi revealed himself to Zhao Baling as the Hat Man, and Zhao Baling pledged the Hero Society’s gratitude to him.
• Xu Yi sensed pursuers closing in and led Zhao Baling and his men through the terrain, but they found themselves surrounded on a plain.
• A middle-aged man seated on a Golden Dragon Chair overwhelmed the gathered martial artists with his presence, while Xu Yi pretended to be incapacitated.
• The elderly man with the tall crown challenged the gathered groups, then struck Fairy Yuqing and forced her back with a single attack.
• The elderly man with the tall crown announced that his group was the Zhongzhou Jiang Family, shocking the gathered sects, families, and martial artists.

The Zhongzhou Jiang Family confronted the factions gathered at Huiyin Mountain, claiming the tomb belonged to their ancestor, Jiang Hentian, and accusing the crowd of robbing it. Old Ancestor Shui resisted their pressure and defended the crowd, but the Jiang Family surrounded everyone with crossbowmen as the battle threatened to begin.

• The high-crowned elder revealed that the tomb was the resting place of Jiang Hentian, the Jiang Family ancestor known as the King of Killing.
• Old Ancestor Shui called the accusations nonsense and withstood the elder's Overlord Saber strike with his bare body.
• The burly middle-aged man attacked Old Ancestor Shui with Qi hammers, and Shui answered with a gigantic spear before arguing that the unguarded tomb had been open to all.
• The leaders of the other factions and families backed Old Ancestor Shui and vowed to fight the Jiang Family rather than submit.
• The high-crowned elder summoned golden-robed men armed with crossbows, while the account revealed the Jiang Family had built the tomb as a training ground and used the Yin Pool to try to temper Jiang Hentian's bones.

The Jiang Household tracked down Jiang Hentian’s tomb after its restrictions collapsed and surrounded the people gathered at Huiyin Mountain, demanding the tomb’s spoils. Fairy Yuqing, Qiu Changtian, and Feng Xinglie exposed the demand as a ploy and united the crowd against the Jiang Household, leaving both sides poised for a fight.

• The Jiang Household used the Star Positioning Disk and reports from its Guang'an Prefecture branch to locate Jiang Hentian’s tomb at Huiyin Mountain.
• Second Master Jiang led elite disciples and inner guards to the tomb, where the Jiang Household surrounded the tomb robbers and demanded their treasures.
• Old Ancestor Shui fought the high-crowned elder, restoring the crowd’s morale before the Jiang Household threatened them with Thunderclap Crossbows.
• Fairy Yuqing rejected the Jiang Household’s offer as a divide-and-conquer trick, and Qiu Changtian and Feng Xinglie backed her.
• Feng Xinglie rallied the martial artists into a united front, while Second Master Jiang and the high-crowned elder realized their ploy had failed.

The Jiang family threatened to search everyone’s storage treasures, but Xu Yi rallied the wandering martial artists to stand with the anti-Jiang alliance. As the standoff continued, Young Master Xueyi urged Second Master Jiang to attack.

• Old Ancestor Shui vowed that the alliance’s leaders would fight to the death rather than surrender to the Jiang family.
• Second Master Jiang demanded that everyone display their storage treasures or face death, prompting cheers from some wandering martial artists.
• Xu Yi disguised among the crowd argued that the martial artists should not trust the Jiang family or let themselves be searched, and Zhao Baling and others backed him.
• Second Master Jiang glared at Xu Yi and crushed him with his pressure, but Old Ancestor Shui challenged him to fight.
• Young Master Xueyi urged Second Master Jiang to order an attack, claiming the Jiang family had the advantage.

Xu Yi’s warning turned Jiang Nanxun into the Jiang family’s vulnerable point, so Nanxun proposed settling the standoff through a challenge match against the other factions. The rules were set, and Chen Fenglei entered the arena as the first challenger.

• Xu Yi urged the crowd to target Young Master Xueyi first, and Qiu Changtian and the other leaders backed the threat.
• Second Master Jiang realized Young Master Xueyi was Jiang Nanxun, the Jiang family head’s gifted only son and heir.
• Jiang Nanxun offered to fight the opposing factions’ juniors, promising the Jiang family would withdraw if any challenger defeated him.
• The factions agreed that each of the Three Great High Gates and Four Great Families could send two challengers to fight Jiang Nanxun.
• The fighters established an energy barrier around the arena, and Chen Fenglei entered to challenge Jiang Nanxun.

Jiang Nanxun defeated Chen Fenglei with the divine art Stars Shift and Heavens Turn, then challenged Lingxiao Pavilion’s remaining contenders. Zhou Shirong surrendered, leaving Jiang Nanxun asking who would fight next.

• Jiang Nanxun used Stars Shift and Heavens Turn to absorb Chen Fenglei’s Dragon River Three Waves and send the power back as a crushing vortex.
• Chen Fenglei was knocked unconscious, and Jiang Nanxun took his Sumeru Ring after the arena barrier opened.
• Jiang Nanxun called for the next opponent, while the crowd looked to Zhou Shirong as Lingxiao Pavilion’s only remaining contender.
• Zhou Shirong surrendered, explaining that fighting when victory was impossible would be foolish.
• Jiang Nanxun praised Zhou Shirong’s decision and asked who would fight next.

After Jiang Nanxun effortlessly defeated Chen Fenglei, Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen used the Two Forms Absolute Array to challenge him. Their Tide Listening Twin Swords sustained two energy dragons that kept Jiang on the defensive, leaving the battle unresolved as he grew frustrated with the fight of attrition.

• Old Ancestor Shui sent Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen to fight Jiang Nanxun with the Two Forms Absolute Array and warned them not to chase victory recklessly.
• Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen drew the Tide Listening Twin Swords and formed blue and white energy dragons that attacked Jiang Nanxun.
• Jiang Nanxun pierced through the blue dragon repeatedly, but the white dragon kept producing a replacement and forced him to retreat for the first time.
• Jiang Nanxun attacked the dragons and the fighters to break the formation, but the white dragon intercepted his blows and repaired its damage.
• Jiang Nanxun realized he could not outpace the white dragon's recovery, and irritation grew as the fight turned into attrition.

Jiang Nanxun defeated Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen with a trick, then overwhelmed Gui Guanglin and Su Shuye with a fierce barrage of spear qi and Finger Sword techniques. He stood in the arena demanding another challenger, and the gathered martial artists fell silent.

• Jiang Nanxun feigned weakness, evaded the combined attack of Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen, and knocked them unconscious after disarming them.
• Jiang Nanxun released Shui Mingyue and Shui Qingchen, but Old Ancestor Shui silently reclaimed their Tide Listening Swords, leaving Jiang Nanxun unable to search them for treasures.
• Gui Guanglin and Su Shuye entered the arena to challenge Jiang Nanxun, while the crowd discussed their reputations as powerful late-stage Qi Sea Realm fighters.
• Jiang Nanxun attacked before Gui Guanglin could speak and overwhelmed both challengers with relentless spear qi and Finger Sword techniques.
• Jiang Nanxun battered Gui Guanglin and Su Shuye unconscious, kicked them out of the formation, and demanded another challenger as the crowd remained silent.

Jiang Nanxun offered to fight Xue Zihan without using True Qi, giving Tianshan Sect a chance to challenge him. His armor and footwork nullified Xue Zihan and Jun Wuhui’s attacks, and he left Jun Wuhui badly wounded after charging through Jun’s taunt.

• Fairy Yuqing told Xue Zihan to stay out of the fight and sent Jun Wuhui and Duan Hengdao instead, but Xue Zihan pleaded to fight alongside Jun Wuhui.
• Jiang Nanxun became captivated by Xue Zihan and promised to fight without True Qi if she entered the ring, prompting Fairy Yuqing to let her and Jun Wuhui challenge him together.
• Jiang Nanxun evaded most of Xue Zihan and Jun Wuhui’s fierce attacks, while his blue-lit armor made their strikes ineffective.
• Jun Wuhui taunted Jiang Nanxun into attacking him, and Jiang charged through several weapon-energy strikes before knocking Jun down and shattering his magic robe.
• Jiang Nanxun continued punching Jun Wuhui until blood poured from his mouth and nose, while Xue Zihan’s sword strikes failed to stop him.

Jun Wuhui sacrificed himself to blast Jiang Nanxun with Thunderclap Pellets, while Xue Zihan was captured and the contest continued under threat of violence. As the Jiang family prepared to search everyone’s storage treasures, Xu Yi intervened, claiming the contest was not over.

• Xue Zihan rushed to aid Jun Wuhui, who detonated seven or eight Thunderclap Pellets at point-blank range, killing himself and damaging Jiang Nanxun’s armor.
• The blast knocked Xue Zihan unconscious, and Jiang Nanxun threw her to his maids while declaring he would keep her for his harem.
• Jiang Nanxun defeated three teams of misfits without killing them, then his supporters demanded that the other factions submit their storage treasures for inspection.
• Xu Yi stepped forward because Qiu Wa was caught up with Xue Zihan and challenged the claim that the contest had ended.
• The old man in the tall crown tried to pressure Xu Yi with his soul, but Xu Yi resisted, leaving the man wondering whether he was a Qi Sea Realm expert.

Xu Yi challenged Jiang Nanxun to a fight, insisting that the adventurers should count as a sect under the agreed rules. After proving that he was only at the peak of Body Tempering, Xu Yi offered his Sumeru Ring to persuade Jiang Nanxun to match strength with him, and Jiang agreed.

• Xu Yi argued that his jianghu adventurers should be allowed to send fighters, and Zhao Baling and the crowd of adventurers rallied behind him.
• Old Ancestor Shui and the leaders of the Three Sects and Four Families backed Xu Yi’s claim that the battle formation was still in play.
• Xu Yi praised Jiang Nanxun’s abilities and asked to fight, then revealed that he was only at the Body Tempering Realm.
• The high-crowned elder tested Xu Yi’s blood with a Realm-Testing Stone and confirmed that he was at the peak of Body Tempering.
• Xu Yi offered Jiang Nanxun his Sumeru Ring if he lost, and Jiang agreed to match strength with him inside the formation.