Chapter Summaries

After witnessing Zhang Qingyuan defeat the Red Robe Bishop, Lin Yan reflected on how far behind him he had fallen and resolved to pursue greater strength. He agreed to Xiao Xuantian’s dangerous proposal, leaving his next step undecided.

• Lin Yan told Xiao Xuantian that Zhang Qingyuan’s final sword strike had shaken his confidence and exceeded anything he could achieve.
• Xiao Xuantian admitted that Zhang Qingyuan’s Green Lotus sword technique was beyond his understanding and warned Lin Yan that his guidance had made Lin Yan’s path too smooth.
• Lin Yan acknowledged that his talent and diligence fell short of Zhang Qingyuan’s and vowed to treat him as the rival he must surpass.
• Lin Yan agreed to Xiao Xuantian’s proposal despite the danger and uncertainty of success.
• Xiao Xuantian reflected that Zhang Qingyuan might achieve great things if he survived, but regretted that he could no longer take him under his wing.

Zhang Qingyuan broke through to the late fourth level of the True Essence Realm and examined the Red Robe Bishop’s Storage Bag, discovering rare treasures that might help him cultivate the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art. He set aside several unexplained Jade Slips and studied a mysterious Evil Ghost Mask marked “Bing-Three.”

• Zhang Qingyuan refined a High-grade Spirit Stone with a Tongzhen Pill and broke through to the late fourth level.
• Zhang Qingyuan stabilized his cultivation and opened the Red Robe Bishop’s Storage Bag.
• Zhang Qingyuan found three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, three Pill Recipes, and Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk that might help him begin cultivating the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art.
• Zhang Qingyuan set aside a dozen unidentified Jade Slips for later inspection.
• Zhang Qingyuan examined a black Evil Ghost Mask that swallowed his Spiritual Sense and bore the characters “Bing-Three.”

Zhang Qingyuan returned to the Cloud Water Sect with Lin Yan after reflecting on the mysterious cult and resolving to strengthen himself for whatever lay ahead. As the Inner Sect Grand Competition approached, he planned to stabilize his cultivation and practice the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art, but a familiar face caught his attention at an arena.

• Zhang Qingyuan set aside the Red Robe Bishop’s mask and decided to focus on increasing his strength while seeking answers about the mysterious cult later.
• Zhang Qingyuan and Lin Yan traveled back to the Cloud Water Sect, parting after arriving at the Inner Sect.
• Zhang Qingyuan heard disciples discussing the upcoming Inner Sect Grand Competition and the talented Yan Kuangtu, then headed toward Mystic Water Peak.
• Zhang Qingyuan planned to stabilize his cultivation, study the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art, and exchange for an advanced training room before the competition.
• Zhang Qingyuan passed a crowded arena where two cultivators unleashed their final strike and recognized one of them as an acquaintance.

After watching Liu Pengfei fight, Zhang Qingyuan was confronted by the formidable White Dragon Swordsman Yuwen Shaohuan, who demanded that he apologize to Liu or face him in the Inner Sect Grand Competition. Zhang refused, and both men departed with their challenge unresolved.

• Zhang Qingyuan watched Liu Pengfei's fight and reflected that he had grown stronger since their previous battle.
• Inner Sect Disciples argued over whether Zhang Qingyuan had won fairly and whether Liu Pengfei had held back his trump cards.
• Yuwen Shaohuan descended before Zhang Qingyuan and demanded he apologize to Liu Pengfei or be beaten at the Grand Competition.
• Zhang Qingyuan refused to back down and invited Yuwen Shaohuan to face him in the competition.
• Yuwen Shaohuan warned that Zhang's High-grade Defensive Dharma Treasure could be countered, then left; Zhang learned his name and departed.

After stabilizing his cultivation, Zhang Qingyuan mastered Wind Intent and greatly improved his movement technique while preparing to strengthen his body before the Inner Sect Grand Competition. He left seclusion for the Inner Sect Marketplace to seek medicinal herbs and refine pills, hoping to gain another advantage before the competition’s finals.

• After Zhang Qingyuan left, Wind Daoist remembered their encounter and vowed to get revenge.
• Zhang Qingyuan entered a cultivation secret chamber and spent half a month stabilizing his Fourth Layer Late Stage cultivation.
• Zhang Qingyuan spent another half a month mastering Wind Intent and integrating it with the Wind Cloud Formless Body, more than doubling its power.
• Zhang Qingyuan assessed his strengths and decided to pursue the initial stage of the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art using medicinal liquid made from substitute ingredients.
• With one month remaining before the Inner Sect Grand Competition, Zhang Qingyuan left seclusion and flew to the Inner Sect Marketplace to gather herbs and refine pills.

Zhang Qingyuan visited the Inner Sect marketplaces to gather rare materials for alchemy, spending nearly all his savings. In Xilin Marketplace, he reunited with a former South Sea colleague and learned that Steward Zhou had mysteriously vanished.

• Zhang Qingyuan finished visiting the major marketplaces and used most of his wealth to acquire the materials he needed.
• Zhang Qingyuan spotted Night Heart Grass at a stall in Xilin Marketplace and recognized the stall owner as a cultivator he had met at the South Sea Branch.
• The stall owner praised Zhang Qingyuan's achievements, and Zhang Qingyuan modestly encouraged him to keep pursuing cultivation.
• Zhang Qingyuan asked the stall owner about Steward Zhou, who had worked at the sect's South Sea Branch Library.
• The stall owner said Steward Zhou had disappeared more than half a year earlier, leaving no trace, and that even his sect Soul Lamp was gone.

Zhang Qingyuan heard that Steward Zhou had vanished without a trace, then bought Yi Guangtian’s Night Heart Grass with five Tongzhen Pills. Yi Guangtian returned an ancient verdigris fragment he had found in ruins, leaving Zhang Qingyuan with a sense that it might be extraordinary.

• Zhang Qingyuan learned that Steward Zhou had disappeared and that the sect’s Law Enforcement Hall had found no clues.
• Zhang Qingyuan offered Yi Guangtian five Tongzhen Pills in exchange for the Night Heart Grass.
• Yi Guangtian gave Zhang Qingyuan an ancient verdigris fragment as compensation, explaining that he had found it while exploring ruins.
• Zhang Qingyuan accepted the fragment and learned about Yi Guangtian’s ordinary rise from farmer’s son to Inner Sect Disciple.
• Yi Guangtian remarked that Zhang Qingyuan’s story would be perfect if he had a beauty by his side.

Zhang Qingyuan left the marketplace after acquiring Night Heart Grass and a mysterious verdigris that seemed to absorb divine sense. After witnessing Tyrannical Spear Zuo Qingtian arrive carrying a slain True Essence Late Stage Demonic Beast, Zhang Qingyuan judged himself outmatched and flew off determined to grow stronger before the Inner Sect Grand Competition.

• Zhang Qingyuan accepted Night Heart Grass and the mysterious verdigris from Yi Guangtian, then noticed something unusual about the artifact while examining it.
• Zuo Qingtian crashed into the marketplace plaza with a True Essence Late Stage white tiger impaled on his spear, stunning the gathered cultivators.
• The crowd identified Zuo Qingtian as Tyrannical Spear and one of the Inner Sect's three Titans.
• As he flew away, Zhang Qingyuan assessed Zuo Qingtian's strength and concluded that he was probably no match for him.
• Zhang Qingyuan resolved to investigate the verdigris, find a way to handle the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk, and cultivate the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art before the Finals.

As the Inner Sect Grand Competition drew near, Zhang Qingyuan returned to secluded cultivation and investigated the mysterious copper patina he had obtained from Yi Guangtian. He unlocked its ancient alchemy inheritance with the power of his Natal Magic Treasure Sword Pellet, giving him a promising route to prepare the medicinal liquid for the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art.

• Rumors spread about rising competitors and Yuwen Shaohuan's conflict with Zhang Qingyuan, but most Inner Sect Disciples doubted Zhang could challenge the White Dragon Swordsman.
• Zhang Qingyuan returned to his Cave Dwelling with his purchased resources and examined Yi Guangtian's copper patina.
• Zhang Qingyuan infused the copper patina with power from his Natal Magic Treasure Sword Pellet, causing its rust to vanish and its golden light to release information.
• Zhang Qingyuan discovered that the copper patina preserved an ancient alchemy inheritance and estimated it raised his chances of refining the medicinal liquid for the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art to at least eighty percent.

Cloud Water Sect’s leaders learned that signs of a coming Great Tribulation had appeared and planned to strengthen the sect and nurture more cultivators. Meanwhile, Zhang Qingyuan continued studying the Ancient Alchemy inheritance and began to grasp its fundamental principles.

• The Sect Master told Cloud Water Sect’s leaders that the Sky Peeking Mirror had shown a slight fluctuation, though Heavenly Secrets Hall estimated the true outbreak was at least a hundred years away.
• The Sect Master reminded the gathered leaders that Cloud Water Sect had replaced Huangtian Cult after the ancient Great Tribulation and might face a threat beyond the Grand Elder’s ability to suppress.
• The Sect Master proposed accelerating training for sect disciples, improving rewards for the Inner Sect Grand Competition, and holding a Yuzhou Cultivation Grand Competition or opening hidden Secret Realms.
• Zhang Qingyuan studied the Ancient Alchemy inheritance and concluded that it could reveal Alchemy’s essential truths and the Compatibility Principle of all things.
• Zhang Qingyuan recognized that Ancient Alchemy’s simpler methods exposed how medicinal properties supported and complemented one another, which he considered Alchemy’s fundamental essence.

Zhang Qingyuan used Ancient Alchemy knowledge to refine medicinal liquid and cultivate the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art, greatly improving his physique and cultivation. The Inner Sect Grand Competition began before he could complete the art’s introductory stage, and he left his cave dwelling to see how he would fare.

• Zhang Qingyuan used Ancient Alchemy knowledge to refine medicinal liquid over the course of a month.
• Zhang Qingyuan applied the medicinal liquid and endured painful cultivation of the Desolate Sky Body Refining Art, tempering his body and True Essence.
• Zhang Qingyuan’s cultivation rose to the peak of the fourth layer, and his skin and bones gained defensive power comparable to top-grade magic tools.
• The Cloud Water Sect’s spirit artifact rang three times, signaling that the Inner Sect Grand Competition was about to begin.
• Zhang Qingyuan left his cave dwelling, still short of completing the art’s introductory stage, and flew toward the competition.

Zhang Qingyuan attended the Cloud Water Sect’s Inner Sect Grand Competition, where he reunited with Zhao Yuanyang and Shen Hongzhou and faced the hostile gaze of Wind Daoist Liu Pengfei. He reached Mystic Water Peak’s formation and was recognized by Senior Brother Wang Yuènián.

• Zhang Qingyuan entered the crowded competition grounds and reflected on the scale of Yuzhou and the thousands of True Essence Realm disciples gathered there.
• Zhao Yuanyang and Shen Hongzhou met Zhang Qingyuan, remarked on his growing strength, and discussed the possibility of his facing Yuwen Shaohuan.
• Zhao Yuanyang wished Zhang Qingyuan success, and Zhang Qingyuan headed to Mystic Water Peak’s section of the plaza.
• Wind Daoist Liu Pengfei gave Zhang Qingyuan a cold look, but Zhang Qingyuan continued toward his assigned formation.
• Zhang Qingyuan joined the formation for his intake, where Senior Brother Wang Yuènián looked at him with surprise and uncertainty.

Zhang Qingyuan reunited with Wang Yuènián, who was shocked by his rapid rise to True Essence Fourth Layer Peak after years in the South Sea. As the Inner Sect disciples gathered and reflected on the gulf between them and Zhang Qingyuan, the Grand Competition was about to begin.

• Wang Yuènián recognized Zhang Qingyuan and recalled giving him a token to seek Daoist Ming Shui’s aid in the South Sea.
• Wang Yuènián sensed Zhang Qingyuan’s True Essence Fourth Layer Peak cultivation and expressed disbelief at his progress in just over eleven years.
• Zhang Qingyuan credited his cultivation to good fortune and thanked Wang Yuènián for his past help and Senior Ming Shui for his guidance.
• Wang Yuènián said Zhang Qingyuan could likely place in the top fifty of the Grand Competition, while Gao Wenhao and the other disciples reacted with envy, shame, and dismay at the gap between them.
• A resonant bell rang across the sky as the participating Inner Sect disciples gathered, signaling that the Grand Competition was about to begin.

The Cloud Water Sect began its Fifty-Year Inner Sect Grand Competition and announced lavish rewards, including the Town Origin Cauldron for first place. Zhang Qingyuan resolved to pursue the top spot despite his lower cultivation and the formidable rivals ahead.

• The Inner Sect Disciples formed solemn ranks as spectators gathered to watch the competition.
• The Yunshui Sect Master welcomed the guests and announced the rewards for the competition's top hundred contestants.
• A knowledgeable spectator explained that the Town Origin Cauldron was a powerful imitation artifact with cultivation-enhancing and defensive effects.
• Zhang Qingyuan considered the difficulty of winning at the peak of the True Essence Fourth Layer, then set his goal on claiming first place.
• The Yunshui Sect Master finished introducing the rules and declared the Inner Sect Grand Competition underway.

Zhang Qingyuan watched the Inner Sect Grand Competition’s battles and studied the techniques of other cultivators while trying to break through the bottleneck in his Desolate Sky Body Refining Art. On the second day, he was finally called to fight and recognized his opponent as Fu Hongtian.

• The disciples drew lots and began one-on-one matches across ten arenas.
• Zhang Qingyuan watched the battles, studying the cultivators’ hidden techniques and refining his own True Essence.
• The competition continued through a day and night, while Zhang Qingyuan pondered how to advance his Desolate Sky Body Refining Art beyond Not Initiated.
• On the second day, the Deacon announced Zhang Qingyuan’s match against Fu Hongtian.
• Zhang Qingyuan stepped onto the ninth arena and recognized Fu Hongtian as an old acquaintance.

Zhang Qingyuan faced Fu Hongtian, the opponent who had defeated him twice more than ten years earlier, in the Inner Sect Grand Competition. After they exchanged confident words and the match began, Fu Hongtian unleashed his strongest thunder attack at once.

• Zhang Qingyuan recognized Fu Hongtian as the rival who had beaten him twice in the Outer Sect competitions.
• Fu Hongtian recalled Zhang Qingyuan but believed his past victories and preparations would let him win again.
• Zhang Qingyuan resolved to end their old rivalry and waited with Fu Hongtian for the match to begin.
• The Deacon referee started the battle, and Fu Hongtian attacked immediately with his destructive Heavenly Thunder Palm.

Zhang Qingyuan defeated Fu Hongtian with a single finger, decisively winning their third encounter and overcoming the opponent who had once humbled him. As he left the arena, a shackle in his heart broke, and he resolved to keep striving toward the highest peak.

• Fu Hongtian unleashed a powerful lightning attack, but Zhang Qingyuan countered with a single finger and a devastating Sword Light.
• Zhang Qingyuan’s Sword Light shattered Fu Hongtian’s attack, pierced his shoulder, and knocked him unconscious outside the arena.
• The referee declared Zhang Qingyuan the winner, while Fu Hongtian’s family and friends carried him away.
• Zhang Qingyuan reflected on his past defeats by Fu Hongtian and recognized how far he had surpassed his former limits.
• A shackle in Zhang Qingyuan’s heart broke, and he left the arena determined to reach the world’s highest peak.

After Zhang Qingyuan defeated Fu Hongtian, his victory resolved an old obstacle in his mind and shook the bottleneck of his True Essence Fifth Layer. He returned to his Cave Dwelling and began a brief retreat to attempt a breakthrough before the preliminary rounds continued.

• Yuwen Shaohuan dismissed Zhang Qingyuan’s strength and waited for the Finals, where he hoped to use Zhang Qingyuan as a whetstone for the White Dragon Sword.
• The Sect Master and other higher-ups praised Zhang Qingyuan’s talent, while Heaven Sword Peak’s Peak Master recalled having once passed him over in favor of Mingshui.
• Zhang Qingyuan reflected that defeating Fu Hongtian, once an opponent he could not overcome, had mended the flaws in his state of mind.
• Zhang Qingyuan took his prepared auxiliary pills and began closed-door cultivation in his Cave Dwelling to break through the True Essence Fifth Layer.

Zhang Qingyuan overcame his lingering fear of Fu Hongtian, strengthening his state of mind and breaking through to the True Essence Fifth Layer. After stabilizing his cultivation, he returned to the ongoing Inner Sect Grand Competition and watched his friends compete.

• Zhang Qingyuan's changed outlook on past defeat by Fu Hongtian strengthened his state of mind and formed the beginnings of a Dao Heart.
• Zhang Qingyuan secluded himself for a day and broke through to the True Essence Fifth Layer, gaining greater power and confidence.
• Zhang Qingyuan spent another day stabilizing his cultivation before returning to the plaza while the preliminary rounds continued.
• Shen Hongzhou lost his first-round match to a late True Essence Second Layer opponent and accepted the result without discouragement.
• Zhao Yuanyang defeated an opponent at the True Essence Second Layer and advanced to the second round of the preliminary rounds.
• Lin Yan took the stage for an unexpected but fitting arena battle.

Lin Yan defeated a renowned Inner Ranking disciple and advanced, while Zhang Qingyuan watched the competition and tempered his new cultivation. In the second preliminary round, Zhang Qingyuan faced a weaker opponent whose perfected palm technique unleashed a powerful tide infused with Water Intent.

• Lin Yan fought a True Essence Fifth Layer Inner Ranking disciple for a day and night before defeating him and drawing widespread attention.
• Zhang Qingyuan congratulated Lin Yan, then spent the following days cultivating and watching the competition battles.
• The first preliminary round ended with more than seventeen hundred victors advancing, and the second round began after two days of rest.
• Zhang Qingyuan's next opponent, a green-robed cultivator at the True Essence Third Layer, chose to fight despite knowing the gap between them.
• The green-robed cultivator unleashed a perfected palm technique that summoned surging waves, and Zhang Qingyuan recognized the force of his opponent's Water Intent.