Chapter Summaries

Headmaster Liu explained why Zhang Qingyuan was gaining the advantage over Yao Ping, praising his deep Spirit Essence and mastery of basic techniques. He contrasted Zhang’s steady strengths with Yan Kuangtu’s legendary rise, as the Outer Sect Grand Competition approached.

• Wang Weifeng and Zhao Yuanyang said Zhang Qingyuan had the better chance of winning, and the other Seventeenth Branch disciples agreed.
• Headmaster Liu explained that Zhang Qingyuan had likely cultivated the Water Essence Art to its fourth layer, giving him unusually abundant Spirit Essence that could outlast Yao Ping.
• Headmaster Liu praised Zhang Qingyuan’s Great Accomplishment in the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist and said his balanced foundation surpassed Yao Ping’s recent advancement.
• Headmaster Liu recalled how Yan Kuangtu had fought a True Essence Realm expert for 876 moves before defeating him with the Lesser Heaven Imprisoning Hand.
• Yan Kuangtu declared that he would defeat all his fellow disciples at the coming Outer Sect Grand Competition and advance into the True Essence Realm.

Zhang Qingyuan steadily overwhelmed Yao Ping in their arena battle, neutralizing his relentless attacks until Yao’s Spirit Essence and meridians gave out. As Yao struggled to accept the gap between them, Zhang Qingyuan remained poised to press his advantage.

• Headmaster Liu judged Zhang Qingyuan a promising but unlikely candidate for entering the Inner Sect at the upcoming Grand Competition, while noting that Yao Ping lacked the strength to walk the Invincible Path.
• Yao Ping attacked Zhang Qingyuan with the Black Fiend Tiger Essence Art and Heavenly Dipper Dragon Tiger Fist, but Zhang repeatedly neutralized his blows.
• Yao Ping’s Spirit Essence dwindled and his meridians suffered damage, while Zhang Qingyuan showed no sign of tiring.
• Zhang Qingyuan evaded Yao Ping’s attack and countered with a sweeping kick that struck the arena floor and formed a crater.
• Yao Ping retreated with Shadow Tiger Step and, seeing his worsening condition, raged inwardly over Zhang Qingyuan’s rapid progress.

Yao Ping’s jealousy drove him to challenge Zhang Qingyuan, but he was overwhelmed by Zhang’s strength and unleashed the Human-tier Low-grade Tiger Sha God Slaying Claw. Zhang chose to face the attack head-on, explaining how hard he had worked before beginning the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist’s Collapsing Mountain strike.

• Yao Ping brooded over Zhang Qingyuan’s rapid progress and challenged him, expecting an easy victory after reaching the Spirit Essence Late Stage.
• Yao Ping unleashed the Tiger Sha God Slaying Claw, a Human-tier Low-grade Martial Skill, and charged at Zhang Qingyuan with a desperate attack.
• Zhang Qingyuan told Yao Ping that he had cultivated and practiced far more diligently than Yao Ping had.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided not to evade Yao Ping’s strongest strike and followed a sudden insight into his technique.
• Zhang Qingyuan began the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist’s final move, Collapsing Mountain.

Zhang Qingyuan fused his fourth-layer Water Essence Art with the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist and defeated Yao Ping in the branch tournament. After Headmaster Liu declared him the victor and urged the disciples to train for the Outer Sect Grand Competition, he summoned Zhang Qingyuan to follow him up Chaoyang Peak.

• Zhang Qingyuan used his insight into water's true intent to fuse the Water Essence Art with the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist.
• Zhang Qingyuan's Collapsing Mountain strike broke Yao Ping's Tiger Sha God Slaying Claw and knocked him out of the arena.
• Headmaster Liu declared Zhang Qingyuan the victor and told the disciples to take his diligent cultivation as an example before the Outer Sect Grand Competition.
• Headmaster Liu dismissed the gathering and summoned Zhang Qingyuan to follow him up Chaoyang Peak.

After Headmaster Liu summoned Zhang Qingyuan, he praised his steady character and personally instructed him in cultivating the fourth layer of the Water Essence Art. Zhang Qingyuan gained clarity on several cultivation difficulties and continued improving his proficiency.

• Headmaster Liu walked with Zhang Qingyuan through the woods and asked whether Zhang blamed him for offering little personal attention.
• Zhang Qingyuan thanked Headmaster Liu for his lectures and accepted that his progress had depended largely on his own effort.
• Headmaster Liu praised Zhang Qingyuan's composure and recognized how far he had advanced despite receiving little help from his Lineage.
• Headmaster Liu confirmed that Zhang Qingyuan had reached the fourth layer of the Water Essence Art and explained its origins and cultivation directions.
• Zhang Qingyuan listened to Headmaster Liu's personal guidance, resolved several doubts, and increased his Water Essence Art proficiency.

After Headmaster Liu gave Zhang Qingyuan personal cultivation guidance, Zhang Qingyuan absorbed the lessons and improved his skills. He also learned that Jiang Yuan had family troubles, though Jiang Yuan said he could handle them himself.

• Headmaster Liu instructed Zhang Qingyuan for more than two hours, raising his Water Essence Art proficiency by 37 points and improving his other skills.
• Zhang Qingyuan thanked Headmaster Liu and left Chaoyang Peak, where Jiang Yuan congratulated him on defeating Yao Ping.
• Jiang Yuan mentioned that his family had run into problems, and Zhang Qingyuan offered to help if needed.
• Zhang Qingyuan returned to the Inner Residence and spent the next five days applying Headmaster Liu's lessons, steadily raising his proficiencies.
• After Zhang Qingyuan absorbed the guidance, his rate of cultivation progress returned to its previous slow pace.

Zhang Qingyuan discovered that his Water Essence Art and Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist had formed a powerful Combination Skill called Collapsing Mountain Modified. After three days of trying to create more such skills, he concluded the original fusion had been a rare accident.

• Zhang Qingyuan noticed Collapsing Mountain Modified on his panel and tested the move in his room, nearly wrecking the chamber with its force.
• He realized the Combination Skill rivaled an Entry-tier Martial Skill while costing him far less to use, and wondered whether he could fuse the Water Essence Art with other techniques.
• Zhang Qingyuan spent three days experimenting with other combinations, but none succeeded.
• He decided Collapsing Mountain Modified had emerged by chance when his state of mind resonated with the Water Essence Art during his battle against Yao Ping.

After realizing that his breakthrough in the arena came from following the natural flow of the Water Origin Art, Zhang Qingyuan emerged from seclusion and tended the Spirit Fields in his courtyard. He left Hu Junshan amazed by using the Spring Breeze Fine Rain Technique and Growth Induction Technique to water the fields and sprout their seeds.

• Zhang Qingyuan understood that his natural, head-on response to Yao Ping’s final attack had let him combine the Water Origin Art with the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist.
• Zhang Qingyuan emerged from seclusion and found Hu Junshan planting Spirit Grain in the courtyard’s reclaimed fields.
• Hu Junshan asked Zhang Qingyuan for Magic Tools to carry Spiritual water from a nearby river to the fields.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained that the river held little Spiritual energy, then used the Spring Breeze Fine Rain Technique to water the fields.
• Zhang Qingyuan used the Growth Induction Technique to make the buried Spirit Grain seeds sprout, astonishing Hu Junshan.

Zhang Qingyuan guided Hu Junshan’s cultivation while continuing his own training and experimenting with combination techniques. After his victory over Yao Ping raised his standing in the Seventeenth Branch, Zhao Yuanyang invited him to a gathering of top disciples, which Zhang attended without incident.

• Zhang Qingyuan told Hu Junshan to tend the fields and answered his questions about cultivation, gaining insight into his own practice as he taught.
• Zhang Qingyuan maintained his training routine and experimented with combining the Water Origin Art, the Nine Refinements Bone Forging Fist, and Silver Shadow with the Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles.
• News of Zhang Qingyuan’s strength spread after his victory over Yao Ping, prompting disciples ranked tenth to twentieth to cultivate more diligently.
• Zhao Yuanyang invited Zhang Qingyuan to a Lake Pavilion gathering for elite Seventeenth Branch disciples, and Zhang accepted.
• Zhang Qingyuan attended the gathering with eight other disciples, where no one mocked or challenged him.

After attending Zhao Yuanyang’s gathering, Zhang Qingyuan refined the spirit wine and fruits and broke through to the middle stage of the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level. He stabilized his improved cultivation and set out to seek missions for the resources he needed before the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

• Zhao Yuanyang hosted a gathering where Zhang Qingyuan and the other separate-courtyard disciples strengthened their connections over an expensive feast.
• Zhang Qingyuan returned to his dwelling and refined the spirit wine and spirit fruits, breaking through to the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level, Mid Stage.
• After three days of cultivation, Zhang Qingyuan stabilized his realm and advanced further toward the Seventh Level Late Stage.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided he needed more cultivation resources before the Outer Sect Grand Competition and planned to take on missions for contribution points.
• Zhang Qingyuan asked Hu Junshan to watch over his dwelling, then used Cloud Smoke Steps to hurry to the External Affairs Hall.

Zhang Qingyuan accepted a mission to exterminate the Demon Monkeys plaguing the Spirit Peach Grove near River Pond Town, drawn by the reward of ten-year Spirit Peaches. After arriving, he learned the monkey pack had recently grown far larger and stronger, and he began to focus on the cause of its mutation.

• Zhang Qingyuan accepted the difficult mission to kill the Monkey King and left the Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect for River Pond Town.
• The chapter described how River Pond Town grew around a Micro Spirit Vein and how the Cloud Water Sect's affiliated families managed the nearby Spirit Fruit Grove.
• Patriarch Zheng welcomed Zhang Qingyuan and reported that the Demon Monkey pack had grown to over two hundred ordinary monkeys and at least fifty low-level Demon Monkeys.
• Patriarch Zheng explained that the families had barely driven off the enlarged pack, suffered injuries, and could not protect the grove much longer.
• Zhang Qingyuan focused on the unexplained mutation among the Demon Monkeys.

Zhang Qingyuan agreed to help River Pond Town’s families defend the Spirit Fruit Grove against a demon monkey pack that had grown far larger and stronger than expected. When the monkeys attacked at night, the guards fought them off while Patriarch Zheng’s Flame Burst Technique destroyed many, but the battle continued.

• Zhang Qingyuan learned that the demon monkey pack had grown to around sixty low-level demon monkeys and hesitated to accept the changed mission.
• Patriarch Zheng pleaded for help, and Zhang Qingyuan agreed to fight while warning that he would withdraw if the threat exceeded his ability.
• Zhang Qingyuan inspected the grove’s surroundings as River Pond Town’s families and guards prepared layered defenses and patrols.
• The demon monkey pack suddenly charged the guards, starting a chaotic battle around the Spirit Fruit Grove.
• Patriarch Zheng used Flame Burst Technique to burn or blast apart many monkeys, raising the guards’ morale and stalling the attack.

Patriarch Zheng’s guards were overwhelmed when the stronger Monkey King appeared and shattered the Golden Bell Shield Magic Array. Zhang Qingyuan revealed himself to face the Demon Ape, then charged with his sword.

• Patriarch Zheng used Flame Burst Technique to burn through the monkey pack, but the monkeys’ numbers continued to overwhelm the guards.
• The Monkey King emerged at Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level and extinguished Patriarch Zheng’s firestorm with its Demonic Qi.
• The Monkey King smashed through the Golden Bell Shield Magic Array and swept the family guards aside, leaving Patriarch Zheng injured.
• Patriarch Zheng called for Esteemed Immortal Zhang Qingyuan to act, and Zhang Qingyuan stepped out of hiding to confront the Demon Ape.
• Zhang Qingyuan drew his silver sword and rushed toward the Monkey King.

Zhang Qingyuan fought the Monkey King Demon Ape, using his superior speed, swordsmanship, and cultivation to suppress it. When the wounded Demon Ape launched a desperate all-out strike, Zhang Qingyuan met it with Sea Rushing, and their collision unleashed a devastating shockwave.

• Zhang Qingyuan cut open the Monkey King Demon Ape’s palm with the Silver Shadow, enraging it.
• The Demon Ape rampaged with furious attacks, but Zhang Qingyuan evaded with Cloud Smoke Steps and wounded it repeatedly with his sword.
• Zhang Qingyuan continued to suppress the Sixth Level Demon Ape while refining his Cloud Smoke Steps and Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles during the fight.
• The wounded Monkey King Demon Ape abandoned defense and gathered its strength for a desperate strike at Zhang Qingyuan.
• Zhang Qingyuan countered with Sea Rushing, and their attacks collided, sending a powerful shockwave across the battlefield and injuring nearby fighters and demonic monkeys.

Zhang Qingyuan crippled the Monkey King Demon Ape, but the wounded leader escaped while its troop blocked pursuit. He turned on the monkeys and cut through them with ease, leaving the battle still underway.

• Zhang Qingyuan shattered the Monkey King Demon Ape’s arm with Sea Rushing and wounded its shoulder with Dragon Exploring the Sea.
• The Monkey King ordered its troop to surround Zhang Qingyuan and fled into the mountain forest.
• Zhang Qingyuan declined to chase into the forest and killed seven or eight Spirit Essence Realm Monkey Demons with Continuous Drizzle.
• Zhang Qingyuan used Cloud Smoke Steps to charge into the remaining monkey troop and cut down the attackers with Silver Shadow.

Zhang Qingyuan fought through a pack of demon monkeys and, under the influence of his Fourth-Layer Water Origin Art, gained a profound insight into the Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles. His swordsmanship flowed beyond its fixed forms and grew deadlier, leaving the guards and Patriarch Zheng in awe of his skill.

• Zhang Qingyuan slaughtered the demon monkeys as the Water Origin Art resonated with his sword technique and transformed its rigid forms into flowing movements.
• Zhang Qingyuan gained insight during the battle, and his Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles proficiency rose rapidly as he continued fighting.
• Zhang Qingyuan's sword strikes became fluid and expansive, killing each demon monkey they hit while he immersed himself in the technique's newfound essence.
• The guards held back from joining the fight after witnessing Zhang Qingyuan's overwhelming swordsmanship.
• A knowledgeable family elder and Patriarch Zheng recognized Zhang Qingyuan's Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles as approaching perfection, and the gathered cultivators reacted with awe.

Zhang Qingyuan slaughtered most of the Demon Monkey Pack, but their sudden flight interrupted his progress in the Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles. After reviewing his gains, he confronted Patriarch Zheng over the mission’s understated danger.

• The Monkey King Demon Ape fled after losing an arm, and Zhang Qingyuan killed many of the remaining monkeys until the pack broke and ran.
• Zhang Qingyuan chased down several fleeing Monkey Demons, but the rest escaped into the forest and ended his chance to deepen his swordsmanship insight.
• Zhang Qingyuan checked his Data Panel and saw major improvement in the Cloud Water Thirteen Sword Styles, along with smaller gains in his other techniques.
• Patriarch Zheng praised Zhang Qingyuan, who challenged him for describing a mission with one weaker Monkey King and only twenty or thirty monkeys when the actual threat was far greater.

Zhang Qingyuan learned that the Yao Monkey King and its pack had recently mutated, making his mission more dangerous, but he agreed to help kill the injured king in exchange for a fifty-year Spirit Peach. After eating the peach, he began refining its spiritual energy before the planned expedition into the mountains.

• Patriarch Zheng explained that the demon monkeys had only recently transformed and begged Zhang Qingyuan not to leave.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided to return to the Sect and report the mission's changed circumstances.
• Patriarch Zheng offered a fifty-year Spirit Peach if Zhang Qingyuan helped defeat the wounded Yao Monkey King, and Zhang Qingyuan accepted.
• Zhang Qingyuan reasoned that the danger was manageable and that the local families would join him in the mountains.
• Zhang Qingyuan ate the Spirit Peach and began circulating Spirit Essence to refine it.

After refining a Spirit Peach, Zhang Qingyuan reached the peak of the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level Mid Stage and anticipated breaking through to the late stage soon. He joined the Zheng Family’s expanded force, learning that hunters and Jianghu Rangers had gathered to hunt demon monkeys for a chance to obtain Spirit Items for their children.

• Zhang Qingyuan refined the Spirit Peach’s medicinal power through the night and advanced to the Seventh Layer Mid Stage Peak.
• Zhang Qingyuan realized that continued cultivation could soon bring him to the Seventh Level Late Stage and might let him reach the Eighth Layer before the Outer Sect Grand Competition.
• Zhang Qingyuan came to the square and found hundreds of people assembled to campaign against the demon monkeys on the mountain.
• Patriarch Zheng told Zhang Qingyuan that he had distributed the demon-monkey spoils by merit and recruited hunters and Jianghu Rangers hoping to help their children begin cultivation.
• Zhang Qingyuan understood that mortals risked their lives to obtain demon-beast flesh because Spirit Items could help them awaken Qi Sense, though success depended on luck.

Zhang Qingyuan reflected on how Cultivation Families and mortals struggled to obtain and pass down Spirit Items, and recognized his own fortunate start compared with the Jianghu Rangers seeking a chance at cultivation. After Patriarch Zheng and the other family leaders organized the party, the group set out for the mountains near the Spirit Fruit Grove.

• Zhang Qingyuan considered how Spirit Lands sustained Cultivation Families but taxes and expenses made it difficult for them to grow or survive major upheavals.
• Zhang Qingyuan observed that mortals and Jianghu Rangers risked their lives seeking Spirit Items that might let them enter the Cultivation World.
• Zhang Qingyuan reflected on his good fortune in being born to a Cultivation Family and sensing qi before the age of ten.
• Patriarch Zheng and the leaders of several Cultivation Families organized the party and led it toward the deep mountains near the Spirit Fruit Grove.