Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi confronted Jiang Shaohuan, who wanted the iron essence back, and demanded compensation for the harm done to his family and courtyard. Jiang Shaohuan refused Xu Yi’s price, but panicked when Xu Yi threatened to auction the iron essence.

• Jiang Shaohuan withdrew his guards and tiger, then Xu Yi left him waiting while he carried the sleeping Qiu Wa to her room.
• Jiang Shaohuan threatened Xu Yi over his son’s death and demanded the iron essence, offering to settle the matter if Xu Yi returned it.
• Xu Yi agreed to return the iron essence but demanded compensation, eventually asking Jiang Shaohuan for eight hundred gold.
• Jiang Shaohuan smashed the side-room roof in anger, while Xu Yi insisted on his price and offered to cover the repair costs himself.
• Xu Yi threatened to send the iron essence to auction, and Jiang Shaohuan cried out in alarm because its true value could draw disaster.

Xu Yi tricked Jiang Shaohuan into paying nine hundred gold for the iron essence, then exposed Jiang’s threats as a bluff when an official announced a challenge against him. Xu Yi accepted the arbitration challenge, while Jiang left vowing to make him a scapegoat if he could not seize the treasure.

• Xu Yi pressured Jiang Shaohuan into paying nine hundred gold for the iron essence by threatening to sell it elsewhere.
• After collecting the money, Xu Yi returned with Jiang’s dead son’s fan and pretended Jiang had wanted to buy it, provoking Jiang’s furious insults.
• Jiang Shaohuan threatened to take the iron essence by force, but Xu Yi revealed he knew someone was waiting outside.
• Chen Bing entered and informed Xu Yi that Gao Pan had challenged him, with arbitration scheduled for the next day at noon.
• Xu Yi accepted the challenge, and Jiang Shaohuan left cursing and determined to use Xu Yi as a scapegoat if he could not obtain the iron essence.

Xu Yi entered Warrior’s Stillness during intense training, which sharpened his perception, then spent the evening with Qiu Wa and reflected on his old world. Master Zhou and Yuan Qinghua arrived with news of a high-profile duel in Guang'an City and a chance to bet.

• Xu Yi pushed himself through a grueling stone-lock exercise and entered Warrior’s Stillness until Qiu Wa’s call startled him out of it.
• Xu Yi discovered that his perception had become precise enough to sense tiny movements and sounds around him.
• Xu Yi cared for Uncle Mu, read beside the sleeping Qiu Wa, and wondered whether cultivation could let him return to his old world.
• Master Zhou and Yuan Qinghua arrived at Xu Yi’s home, eager to discuss a betting opportunity.
• Xu Yi learned that Guang'an City had announced its first Purple Banner duel between Body Tempering Peak experts of the year.

Xu Yi learned that betting houses had promoted the supposedly weak Divine Constable Yi to disguise the odds on Gao Pan’s arena fight. After revealing that he was Divine Constable Yi, Xu Yi sent Yuan Qinghua to bet a thousand gold on him, and Yuan Qinghua rushed off despite fearing for his new employer.

• Xu Yi asked Yuan Qinghua why people were boasting about Divine Constable Yi, and Yuan Qinghua explained how betting houses manipulated rumors and odds around Gao Pan’s fight.
• Xu Yi learned that Divine Constable Yi’s odds were two to one and complained that the betting houses had ruined his chance to profit.
• Yuan Qinghua urged Xu Yi to bet before Gao Pan’s odds fell further and showed him his own ticket, bought with thirty gold.
• Xu Yi ordered Yuan Qinghua to bet a thousand gold on Divine Constable Yi at the house offering the highest odds.
• Yuan Qinghua was shocked when Xu Yi revealed that he was Divine Constable Yi, then hurried into the darkness to place the bet.

As Xu Yi prepared for his life-or-death arena match against Gao Pan, Yuan Qinghua bet on Xu Yi and brought him information about Gao Pan’s past bouts. Xu Yi ignored the reports, relied on his strength and Dragon Crocodile Hide, and spent the morning comfortably before sending Yuan Qinghua to find them a house and household help.

• Master Zhou questioned Xu Yi’s confidence, and Xu Yi said he planned to use his strengths against Gao Pan’s weaknesses.
• Yuan Qinghua placed twelve hundred gold on Xu Yi to win and brought him reports on Gao Pan’s eight Death Arena bouts.
• Xu Yi thanked Yuan Qinghua but later threw the reports away, trusting his body and the Dragon Crocodile Hide to help him survive.
• Xu Yi slept deeply, woke to find Uncle Mu and Qiu Wa outside, and ate a huge breakfast prepared by Yuan Qinghua.
• Xu Yi gave Yuan Qinghua ten gold and told him to find a better house and hire maids and an older woman to manage the household.

Xu Yi prepared for the duel and went to the government’s venue, where his cultivation was confirmed as Body Tempering Peak. Director Gao Junmo praised him for fighting violence with violence, but Zhong Shu openly questioned Xu Yi’s intelligence as the chapter ended.

• Xu Yi asked Yuan Qinghua to buy a sturdy Dragon Binding Rope, then reassured Qiu Wa before leaving for the duel.
• At the government venue, Uncle Ning tested Xu Yi’s blood and confirmed that Yi Xu was at Body Tempering Peak.
• Director Gao Junmo summoned Xu Yi and praised him for killing the violent thugs at the docks, saying the government had wronged him.
• Xu Yi answered Gao Junmo boldly, winning his approval, while Bai Han and Pei Lin joined in the praise.
• Zhong Shu said he distrusted boastful men who were crude and stupid, and Xu Yi wondered why he had taken a dislike to him.

Gao Junmo promised Xu Yi a White uniform if he survived three bouts against the Black Dragon Hall, while the Black Dragon Hall's leaders prepared for the arena fight. Ma Wensheng revealed that the overall hall master had invested a hundred thousand gold in Gao Pan, raising the stakes if he lost.

• Gao Junmo told Xu Yi that the Black Dragon Hall would get only three chances to challenge him and promised him a White uniform if he survived them.
• Gao Junmo escorted Xu Yi out, while Jiang Shaohuan waited anxiously for Gao Pan and Ma Wensheng in another room.
• Jiang Shaohuan warned Gao Pan that Xu Yi was dangerous, but Gao Pan dismissed his concerns and boasted of his skill and magical armor.
• Ma Wensheng urged Gao Pan and Jiang Shaohuan to consider the consequences of defeat and disclosed that the overall hall master had invested a hundred thousand gold in Gao Pan.

Ma Wensheng warned Gao Pan about the cost and danger of the coming fight and gave him a concealed poison weapon as a last resort. Xu Yi entered the enormous martial arena and saw Gao Pan waiting as the spectators watched through projection walls.

• Ma Wensheng told Gao Pan that the decisive battle could cost the Black Dragon Hall a fortune and urged him not to underestimate his opponent.
• Ma Wensheng demonstrated a hidden green stinger in a snake-shaped ring, then handed it to Gao Pan as an emergency weapon worth one thousand gold.
• Gao Pan resolved to avoid using the stinger because he feared the Black Dragon Hall's miserly Hall Master would punish him for wasting it.
• Xu Yi waited until the hourglass ran out, then followed a young man in blue through lifts toward the arena.
• Xu Yi emerged into the vast martial arena, saw Gao Pan rise from the ground nearby, and took in the enormous stands and projection walls surrounding them.

Xu Yi faced Gao Pan on the Ascending Dragon Platform in a high-profile duel backed by the Patrol Division and the Black Dragon Hall. Xu Yi distracted the crowd and seized his chance, disarming Gao Pan with a surprise strike as the arena erupted.

• Xu Yi surveyed the arena while Gao Pan grew angry at being ignored, and the host announced that the duel had no restrictions or prohibition against killing.
• Gao Pan basked in the crowd's cheers, but Xu Yi interrupted his introduction to ask spectators who had bet on him to stand and cheer.
• The spectators cheered Xu Yi, and Gao Pan grew eager to prove that he was more popular.
• Xu Yi used his speech to close the distance and find an opening, then rushed Gao Pan before he could begin his own address.
• Gao Pan dodged Xu Yi's punch to the head, but Xu Yi struck his spear and knocked it from his grasp.

Xu Yi ambushed Gao Pan and kept him from reaching his silver spear, forcing the stronger fighter into a brutal contest of punches. The arena hailed Gao Pan as the War God, but he grew terrified as the crowd’s cheers trapped him in a fight he could not afford to lose.

• Xu Yi seized the initiative with a surprise attack, while Gao Pan defended himself under a storm of insults from the spectators.
• Gao Pan’s golden armor absorbed Xu Yi’s blows, and his Armor Breaking Fist forced Xu Yi to dodge while Gao Pan repeatedly tried to reach his silver spear.
• Xu Yi kept blocking Gao Pan’s path, so Gao Pan challenged him to trade punches until one of them gave out.
• Gao Pan and Xu Yi exchanged hundreds of blows without dodging, turning the match into a contest of strength and endurance.
• The spectators chanted for Gao Pan as the War God, while Gao Pan secretly feared the relentless brawl and felt unable to change course.

Gao Pan fled Xu Yi’s relentless punches and raced for his silver spear while secretly preparing the blue radiance hidden in his snake ring. He reached the spear and turned to face Xu Yi at close range, poised to unleash the ring’s attack.

• Gao Pan broke away after his strength and spirit were nearly exhausted, and Xu Yi pursued him across the arena.
• The crowd jeered and panicked as Gao Pan’s retreat threatened their bets on his victory.
• Gao Pan focused on the snake ring, turned its head outward without Xu Yi noticing, and continued toward the silver spear.
• Gao Pan reached the spear, spun around as Xu Yi closed within three zhang, and prepared to press the snake’s head.

Xu Yi defeated Gao Pan in the duel but suffered severe internal injuries and pretended to remain unconscious after being taken home. He woke when Qiu Wa visited him and kept his recovery secret, while Yuan Qinghua returned carrying more medicine.

• Xu Yi exposed Gao Pan's ring trap, snapped off the finger wearing it, and defeated him without killing him.
• Gao Pan asked how Xu Yi had sensed the trap, then broke his own neck and died.
• The announcer declared Xu Yi the victor and announced that the Black Dragon Hall had challenged him to another duel in seven days; Xu Yi then collapsed after vomiting blood.
• Yuan Qinghua took the unconscious Xu Yi to a clinic and later brought him home, while Xu Yi secretly pretended to remain unconscious.
• Qiu Wa visited Xu Yi and offered her arm for him to drink from, asking him to buy her food when he woke; Xu Yi revealed himself and told her to keep his recovery quiet.
• Yuan Qinghua returned carrying a large bowl of bitter medicine.

After defeating Gao Pan, Xu Yi woke at his new home and revealed that he had faked his injuries to raise his betting odds. He collected his winnings and Gao Pan’s belongings, then set Yuan Qinghua to sell the weapons and armor and pursue medicine for a cultivation technique.

• Xu Yi scolded Yuan Qinghua for leaving him at the clinic, then explained that his injuries were fake and he had staged them to increase his odds.
• Yuan Qinghua gave Xu Yi a total of sixteen hundred gold, including his betting winnings and valuables taken from Gao Pan, and showed him Gao Pan’s silver spear and golden armor.
• Yuan Qinghua explained that he had rented a larger house, hired a housekeeper and two maids, and brought Xu Yi home, so Xu Yi raised his salary by thirty percent.
• Xu Yi told Yuan Qinghua to sell the silver spear and ask Linglong Pavilion about medicine, offering extra money if it needed ingredients from other prefectures.
• Xu Yi ordered Yuan Qinghua to sell Gao Pan’s golden armor to the highest bidder, and Yuan Qinghua guessed that Xu Yi had a trick in mind.

Xu Yi planned how to strengthen himself against Black Dragon Hall, prioritizing armor made from Dragon Crocodile Hide and cultivation of the Overlord Strength Art. He discovered the ring could fire a single, tiny blue projectile that he suspected was poisoned, then went to sleep without finding another trump card.

• Xu Yi explained that he planned to sell the weakened golden armor privately, and Yuan Qinghua told him Director Gao had sent gifts and urged him to focus on recovery.
• Xu Yi told Yuan Qinghua to buy the snacks Qiu Wa had requested, and Yuan Qinghua reflected on Xu Yi's loyalty to the Mu family.
• Xu Yi decided to turn the Dragon Crocodile Hide into full-body armor and make progress with the Overlord Strength Art before facing Black Dragon Hall's stronger opponents.
• Xu Yi tested Gao Pan's ring and discovered it fired a single blue projectile with exceptional penetrating power, which he suspected carried deadly poison.
• Xu Yi reloaded the projectile into the ring, put it away, and went to sleep after failing to think of another life-saving trump card.

After losing a hundred thousand gold on Gao Pan, Wan Youlong learned that the betting house was backed by Lingxiao Pavilion and turned his attention to restoring Black Dragon Hall’s damaged reputation. He ordered the next battle against Yi Xu to be decisive, and the chapter ended with the hall debating who should fight.

• Wan Youlong lost his hundred-thousand-gold wager and sent Ma Wensheng to demand money back from the betting house.
• Ma Wensheng warned Wan Youlong that Lingxiao Pavilion backed the betting house and argued that Black Dragon Hall’s damaged reputation mattered more than the loss.
• The deputy hall masters and elders blamed Jiang Shaohuan, and Ma Wensheng revealed that Jiang’s flesh had been served in their meal, prompting them to vomit.
• Wan Youlong summoned the hall’s leaders to the Hall of Oaths and said Black Dragon Hall had to kill Yi Xu in the next battle.
• Ma Wensheng asked who should fight Yi Xu in the coming battle.

Wan Tengyun volunteered to fight Yi Xu, hoping the duel would help him break through a martial bottleneck, and Wan Youlong reluctantly agreed. Wan Youlong then pressed the Black Dragon Hall’s leaders to provide his son with valuable equipment before the duel.

• Ma Wensheng explained that the Black Dragon Hall had no certain candidate to defeat Yi Xu and argued that hiring an outsider would damage the hall’s reputation.
• Wan Tengyun came out of the rear hall and declared that he would fight Yi Xu himself.
• Wan Youlong tried to keep Wan Tengyun focused on cultivation, but Wan Tengyun insisted the duel could help him overcome his bottleneck.
• Wan Youlong agreed to let Wan Tengyun fight on the condition that he would reveal later, then demanded that the deputy hall masters and elders provide his son with support.
• The monkey-faced deputy hall master offered a low-grade magical robe from the Alchemy Hall, which had protected Gao Pan from Yi Xu’s attacks.

Wan Youlong gathered treasures for Wan Tengyun and sought Ma Wensheng’s advice on defeating Xu Yi, agreeing to a secret scheme and an expensive countermeasure. Meanwhile, Xu Yi studied Guang'an’s history until Qiu Wa secretly brought him food, leaving him recovering and preparing for the arena fight.

• The deputy hall masters and elders handed Wan Youlong several valuable battle treasures, and he dismissed them after promising to return everything.
• Wan Youlong asked Ma Wensheng to assess Xu Yi’s abilities, and Ma Wensheng warned that Xu Yi’s tactics and endurance made him dangerous.
• After learning that Xu Yi had the Snake Ring, Wan Youlong agreed to Ma Wensheng’s secret plan and committed ten thousand gold to counter Xu Yi’s unusual footwork.
• Xu Yi read the Guang'an Prefecture Records to learn about the city while pretending to be ill.
• Qiu Wa brought Xu Yi a sack of food and urged him to eat a chicken drumstick before anyone saw.

Xu Yi learned that Black Dragon Hall had sent its young master, Wan Tengyun, to fight him, but stayed calm and used Yuan Qinghua’s sales to build up his funds. He went to Alchemy Hall to hire a craftsman, leaving the details of his preparations unresolved.

• Qiu Wa brought Xu Yi food, and he raised the idea of finding her a school in the city, but she said she wanted to stay with Grandpa.
• Yuan Qinghua warned Xu Yi that Wan Tengyun, Black Dragon Hall’s young master and one of Guang’an’s Ten Young Masters, would fight him.
• Yuan Qinghua reported selling Xu Yi’s silver spear and magical robes and buying medicinal herbs; Xu Yi’s cash reserves rose past thirty-five hundred gold.
• Xu Yi left Yuan Qinghua to look after Grandpa and Qiu Wa, then learned from Master Zhou’s letter that Zhou had gone to Luzhou Prefecture on urgent business.
• Xu Yi traveled to Alchemy Hall and entered its Commissioned Refining Hall, where an attendant asked what level of craftsman he wanted to hire.

Xu Yi asked Elder Song to forge his Dragon Crocodile Hide into armor, but balked at the exorbitant fee. When an alarm came from the forging room, Xu Yi followed Elder Song underground to investigate.

• Xu Yi proved he had assets worth two thousand gold and was led to wait for Elder Song, one of the Alchemy Hall’s two Third-level Alchemists.
• Elder Song examined the Dragon Crocodile Hide, identified its spatial attribute, and offered Xu Yi five thousand gold for it.
• Xu Yi refused to sell the hide and asked Elder Song to forge it into armor, but Elder Song demanded three thousand gold for the work.
• As Elder Song turned to leave, the green-robed attendant rushed in to report a strange noise from the forging room.
• Elder Song hurried underground to the forging room, and Xu Yi followed him through its ornate arched door.

Xu Yi forced Elder Song to trade forging his Dragon Crocodile Hide armor for Xu Yi’s help operating the Heaven-grade furnace bellows. After Xu Yi kept the furnace steady for more than an hour, Elder Song stopped the flames and removed the object inside.

• Elder Song rushed to the furnace and ordered Xu Yi to work its heavy bellows as the lid began to buck violently.
• Xu Yi used the threat of letting go of the bellows to bargain, and Elder Song agreed to forge Xu Yi’s armor in exchange for his help.
• Xu Yi worked the bellows for more than an hour, impressing Elder Song with his strength and stamina.
• A howl sounded from the furnace, and Elder Song struck it repeatedly until the noise stopped.
• Elder Song extinguished the furnace and drew an object from inside into his hand.