Chapter Summaries

After defeating the Silver Blade Sword Mantis, Jiang Hao overcame the Sword Bamboo Shoot’s Sword Qi Storm and claimed the treasure, gaining 50 points of Spear Domain proficiency. As he prepared to search the Sea of Sword Forest for more, he sensed a powerful stranger approaching.

• Jiang Hao collected the Silver Blade Sword Mantis’s undamaged bone sword forelimbs and checked the area for other Exotic Beasts.
• Jiang Hao used his Spear Domain to withstand the Sword Bamboo Shoot’s Sword Qi Storm and temper his Spear Intent.
• Jiang Hao suppressed the storm, gaining 50 points of Spear Domain proficiency in total.
• Jiang Hao removed the Sword Bamboo Shoot with spiritual power, stored it in a Jade Box, and decided to search the forest for more.
• Jiang Hao sensed a powerful, unfamiliar presence approaching from the woods on his left.

Jiang Hao tried to avoid Ye Qingxuan after she found the Silver Blade Sword Mantis he had killed with his Spear Domain. Ye Qingxuan pursued him but lost him when he used his exceptional movement technique, leaving her determined to discover his identity.

• Ye Qingxuan found the Silver Blade Sword Mantis corpse and recognized the traces of Jiang Hao's powerful Spear Intent in the damaged forest.
• Ye Qingxuan realized Jiang Hao seemed to be her age and suspected he had unleashed a Spear Domain, so she called for him to wait.
• Jiang Hao ignored Ye Qingxuan and sped away when she chased him with her Moon Shadow Ripple Step.
• Jiang Hao used Soaring Dragon Flash to widen the distance and disappear without leaving a trace.
• Ye Qingxuan memorized Jiang Hao's appearance and spear, resolving to find out who he was when they met again.

Jiang Hao collected Sword Bamboo Shoots until his Spear Domain advanced to First Heaven, gaining a powerful thousand-meter territory. The breakthrough was interrupted when Ye Qingxuan crashed down nearby, gravely injured and clutching an extraordinary sword.

• Jiang Hao avoided Ye Qingxuan, then gathered two more Sword Bamboo Shoots while exploring the Sea of Sword Forest.
• Jiang Hao found a fourth Supreme Sword Bamboo Shoot and tempered his Spear Domain against its Sword Qi Storm.
• Jiang Hao’s Spear Domain advanced to First Heaven, expanding to a thousand meters and driving away the surrounding Sword Intent.
• Jiang Hao pocketed the Supreme Sword Bamboo Shoot, then witnessed a sword light streak across the sky and a figure crash into a crater.
• Jiang Hao recognized the unconscious, badly injured Ye Qingxuan and noticed the powerful sheathed sword in her hand.

Jiang Hao rescued the unconscious Ye Qingxuan from a pit in the Sea of Sword Forest and kept watch over her in a sheltered cave. When she woke and accidentally called him “Backshadow Hero,” he tried to leave, but she called after him to wait.

• Jiang Hao killed an Ironclad Sword Wolf that tried to attack Ye Qingxuan, then carried her to a sheltered cave.
• Jiang Hao tended the fire and kept watch while Ye Qingxuan lay unconscious through the dangerous night.
• Ye Qingxuan woke and blurted out the nickname “Backshadow Hero” when she recognized Jiang Hao’s back.
• Ye Qingxuan realized she had said her private nickname aloud, while Jiang Hao decided to leave now that she was awake.
• Ye Qingxuan called out to stop Jiang Hao as he reached the cave entrance.

Jiang Hao initially refused to protect the injured Ye Qingxuan until she revealed a mysterious Sword Tomb filled with Sword Bamboo Shoots. He agreed to stay and become her temporary teammate in exchange for the information, while insisting they would be strangers once they left the Sea of Sword Forest.

• Ye Qingxuan offered Jiang Hao money, Nutrient Solution, and a sword skill to protect her while she recovered, but he refused because he practiced the spear and did not need the rewards.
• Ye Qingxuan revealed that she had been injured after discovering a mysterious Sword Tomb containing a Divine Weapon Embryo and at least a hundred Supreme Sword Bamboo Shoots.
• Jiang Hao became interested in the Sword Tomb because the bamboo shoots could boost his Spear Domain proficiency, and he agreed to stay with Ye Qingxuan.
• Jiang Hao stipulated that they would be temporary teammates only inside the Sea of Sword Forest and would act like strangers afterward; Ye Qingxuan accepted and began healing.

Jiang Hao and Ye Qingxuan reached the Sword Grave, where more than a hundred Sword Bamboo Shoots surrounded a legendary Divine Weapon Embryo. Jiang Hao chose to collect the shoots first and used his mastered Spear Domain to suppress their Sword Qi, leaving Ye Qingxuan stunned by his speed and strength.

• Ye Qingxuan led Jiang Hao through the fog formation into the Sword Grave and showed him the Sword Bamboo Shoot grove surrounding the Divine Weapon Embryo.
• Ye Qingxuan proposed that they take the Divine Weapon Embryo first and collect the Sword Bamboo Shoots afterward, but Jiang Hao insisted on collecting the shoots first.
• Jiang Hao unleashed his Spear Domain, suppressing the Sword Qi Storm around the first Sword Bamboo Shoot and gaining Spear Domain Proficiency as he endured it.
• Jiang Hao collected the first Sword Bamboo Shoot in two minutes and moved on, while Ye Qingxuan compared his speed to her own past struggle.

Jiang Hao cleared the Sword Grave’s Sword Bamboo Shoots and advanced his Spear Domain to Triple Heaven. He and Ye Qingxuan then discovered two Divine Weapon Embryos at an altar and agreed to split them.

• Jiang Hao uprooted all 265 Sword Bamboo Shoots while Ye Qingxuan failed to approach one herself.
• Jiang Hao’s Spear Domain transformed into Triple Heaven, and his Blood Qi Intensity rose to 275.5.
• Jiang Hao and Ye Qingxuan traveled deeper into the Sword Grave to find the Divine Weapon Embryo.
• They discovered an Ice Sword Embryo and a Heavy Sword Embryo hovering above an ancient Black Altar.
• Ye Qingxuan proposed that she take the Ice Attribute Divine Weapon Sword Embryo and Jiang Hao take the Heavy Sword Divine Weapon Embryo.

Jiang Hao bargained with Ye Qingxuan for helping her obtain the Divine Weapon Embryos, arguing that her earlier payments did not cover his new assistance. Ye Qingxuan revealed her powerful status and offered resources for his help, but Jiang Hao had not yet accepted her final terms.

• Jiang Hao rejected Ye Qingxuan’s offer of the Heavy Sword Embryo, insisting that claiming it would be his own spoils and that their previous deals were already settled.
• Ye Qingxuan agreed to negotiate and asked what Jiang Hao wanted in exchange for helping her suppress the Divine Weapon wills.
• Jiang Hao demanded Martial King Medicines or Earth Grade Spear Dao cultivation methods, shocking Ye Qingxuan.
• Ye Qingxuan revealed that she was the personal disciple of Gu Daoyi, a Martial Emperor and the president of Federal Star River University.
• Ye Qingxuan offered three High-grade Martial Medicines, thirty bottles of Federal Star River University Super-grade Nutrient Solution, and two high-tier Mysterious Grade Spear Dao cultivation methods for Jiang Hao’s help obtaining the Ice Sword Embryo.

Jiang Hao and Ye Qingxuan haggled over the price for suppressing the Divine Weapon Embryos until they reached a deal. Jiang Hao then attacked the Ice Sword Embryo, beginning the suppression.

• Jiang Hao demanded two stalks of Martial King Medicine, five hundred bottles of Super-grade Nutrient Solution, and three Earth Grade Spear Dao Cultivation Methods from Ye Qingxuan.
• Ye Qingxuan threatened to leave and fetch her master, Gu Daoyi, but Jiang Hao revised his offer and continued bargaining.
• Ye Qingxuan agreed to pay three stalks of High-grade Martial Medicine and 150 bottles of Super-grade Nutrient Solution, and offered Jiang Hao the Heavy Sword Embryo.
• Jiang Hao summoned the Star River Spear and approached the two dormant Divine Weapon Embryos, which unleashed icy and crushing waves of energy.
• Jiang Hao used Soaring Dragon Flash to close in on the Ice Sword Embryo, then met its Late Martial Master-level Sword Qi with his spear and erupted qi and blood to counter the cold.

Jiang Hao subdued both Divine Weapon Embryos, handing the Ice Sword Embryo to Ye Qingxuan and claiming the Heavy Sword Embryo for himself. After witnessing his overwhelming strength, Ye Qingxuan was left stunned as Jiang Hao reminded her to pay for their deal.

• Jiang Hao shattered the Ice Sword Embryo’s Sword Qi, subdued it, and tossed the sword to Ye Qingxuan.
• Ye Qingxuan realized Jiang Hao was far stronger than her and watched in shock as he turned to the Heavy Sword Embryo.
• Jiang Hao resisted the Heavy Sword Embryo’s gravity Sword Intent, seized it, and subdued its spirit.
• Jiang Hao put the Heavy Sword Embryo in his Storage Ring, then asked Ye Qingxuan to pay the promised Nutrient Solution and Martial Medicine.

Jiang Hao left the Sword Grave after trading with Ye Qingxuan, then returned to Federal Star River University with a fortune in supplies and a stronger Spear Domain. When he showed Tie Shan his harvest of Sword Bamboo Shoots, the stunned mentor wondered if he had plundered the entire Sea of Sword Forest.

• Jiang Hao accepted 150 bottles of Super-grade Nutrient Solution and three High-grade Martial Medicines from Ye Qingxuan, then hurriedly left the Sword Grave.
• Ye Qingxuan angrily vowed to beat Jiang Hao if she ever encountered him again.
• On the train, Jiang Hao counted his supplies, 265 Sword Bamboo Shoots, a Heavy Sword Divine Weapon Embryo, and his Spear Domain's Triple Heaven achievement.
• Jiang Hao returned to the Artifact Refining Society, where Tie Shan assumed he had brought back only a few Sword Bamboo Shoots.
• Jiang Hao dumped a mountain of Supreme Sword Bamboo Shoots in front of Tie Shan, leaving the mentor stunned.

After Jiang Hao sold Tie Shan 265 Sword Bamboo Shoots for 2.7 million Star River Points, he decided to learn artificing so he could forge the Heavy Sword Divine Weapon Embryo himself without exposing it. Tie Shan questioned whether Jiang Hao could afford to divide his effort between artificing and martial cultivation.

• Jiang Hao told Tie Shan he had found a mist-hidden gorge filled with Sword Bamboo Shoots and collected 265 of them.
• Tie Shan recognized Jiang Hao's luck, strength, endurance, and potential, then paid him 2.7 million Star River Points for the shoots.
• Jiang Hao considered asking Tie Shan to fuse the Heavy Sword Divine Weapon Embryo into his spear, but decided to keep the discovery secret from Ye Qingxuan and her powerful connections.
• Jiang Hao decided to learn artificing himself so he could improve his Star River Spear and control the forging process.
• Jiang Hao asked Tie Shan to teach him artificing, and Tie Shan warned him that the demanding profession could distract from martial cultivation.

Jiang Hao convinced Tie Shan to let him study artifact refining without becoming his personal disciple, and received a precious high-grade forging inheritance. He left the Artifact Refining Society with the inheritance and asked Tie Shan to keep the source of his many Sword Bamboo Shoots concealed.

• Tie Shan urged Jiang Hao to focus on martial cultivation, but Jiang Hao explained that artifact refining could deepen his understanding of the Spear Dao without distracting him.
• Tie Shan offered Jiang Hao either the King Weapon inheritance if he became his personal disciple or a free high-grade martial weapon inheritance.
• Jiang Hao declined the personal disciple arrangement because he wanted to keep his secrets private and chose the high-grade inheritance instead.
• Tie Shan gave Jiang Hao the Memory Crystal containing the Three Thousand Quenching method and a Mental Fire Control Secret Technique.
• Jiang Hao thanked Tie Shan, asked him to conceal how he obtained so many Sword Bamboo Shoots, and left the Artifact Refining Society.

Back at Villa No. 1, Jiang Hao discovered that focused study of Tie Shan’s forging inheritance increased his forging proficiency and could turn theory into practical experience. He set aside forging to prepare for the National Collegiate Joint Examination, beginning forty days of intensive cultivation to improve his strength and martial skills.

• Jiang Hao reviewed his rewards from the Sea of Sword Forest and studied the Three Thousand Quenching inheritance Tie Shan had given him.
• Jiang Hao gained one point of forging proficiency after studying the first chapter with complete focus and experienced a new familiarity with fire control.
• Jiang Hao tried to rush through the inheritance again but gained no proficiency, realizing that progress required wholehearted comprehension and mental effort.
• Jiang Hao decided to prioritize his martial strength and planned to improve Moon Tide, Falling Star Spear Technique, and Pierce Cloud before the National Collegiate Joint Examination.
• Jiang Hao drank Super-grade Nutrient Solution and began training with his spear in the cultivation room.

During a month of seclusion, Jiang Hao increased his Blood Qi and advanced his Root Bone to Sun-level. With the National Collegiate Joint Examination ten days away, he entered a virtual combat pod to sharpen his martial skills.

• Jiang Hao completed a perfect session of the Nine Revolutions Barbaric Dragon Stance, triggering a Blood-colored Dragon phenomenon and raising his Blood Qi and Root Bone proficiency.
• Jiang Hao reviewed his progress: his Blood Qi reached 536, and his Root Bone had advanced to Sun-level ten days earlier.
• Jiang Hao noted that his Falling Star Spear Technique and Pierce Cloud were close to Major Accomplishment, while Moon Tide was nearing its second layer.
• Jiang Hao entered his new full-holographic virtual combat pod to train his martial skills during the final ten days before the examination.

After ten days of extreme virtual combat training, Jiang Hao broke through with several Martial Skills and raised Moon Tide to its second level. He reviewed the gains from his forty days of seclusion and felt more than ready for the National Collegiate Joint Examination.

• Jiang Hao defeated a simulated Blazing Demon Lion and advanced Pierce Cloud to Greater Mastery.
• On the fifth day, Jiang Hao defeated five Ironclad Rhinoceroses and advanced Falling Star Spear Technique to Greater Mastery.
• On the ninth day, Jiang Hao used Moon Tide’s stacked force to defeat a Peak Martial Master and advanced Moon Tide to its second level.
• After ten days in the virtual pod, Jiang Hao emerged exhausted but confident and reviewed his status panel, including blood qi of 546 and a Sun-level constitution.
• Jiang Hao looked ahead to the National Collegiate Joint Examination and decided he was more than ready.

Jiang Hao and the freshmen of Federal Star River University arrived at the Starry Sky Battlefield for the National Collegiate Freshman Joint Examination, where Dragon Star’s elite universities gathered. As powerful rivals sized him up, Jiang Hao calmly judged them no threat and kept his strength hidden.

• Federal Star River University’s fleet departed with Jiang Hao, Yan Ge, Feng Ling, Chen Feng, and Zhao Kuo aboard for the examination.
• The chapter described the Starry Sky Battlefield, a massive arena forged from asteroids by a Martial God and surrounded by powerful factions.
• The fleets of Emperor Star Academy, Divine Continent Military Academy, and other universities assembled around the battlefield.
• Federal Star River University’s freshmen arrived, and Ye Wudao and a hostile Divine Continent student singled out Jiang Hao as a rival.
• Jiang Hao surveyed the assembled geniuses and privately compared their blood energy with his own 546 points and formidable Spear Intent.

Three Martial Emperor principals arrived at the joint examination, and Gu Daoyi introduced Ye Qingxuan as his gifted disciple. Ye Qingxuan searched the gathered students for the mysterious spear wielder she admired, while Jiang Hao tried to stay out of her sight.

• Gu Daoyi, Qin Wuji, and Jian Jingtian crossed the starry sky and arrived before the martial universities.
• Jiang Hao spotted Ye Qingxuan beside Gu Daoyi and hid behind Yan Ge to avoid being recognized.
• Qin Wuji and Jian Jingtian praised Ye Qingxuan’s talent and predicted she could win first place in the examination.
• Qin Wuji asked Gu Daoyi about Jiang Hao, and Gu Daoyi modestly praised the student as another promising talent.
• Ye Qingxuan recalled the spear wielder’s strength and searched the students for him while Jiang Hao tried to avoid her gaze.

Gu Daoyi introduced Ye Qingxuan as his personal disciple and revealed that she had fully awakened Radiant Moon-level talent, prompting Ye Wudao to challenge her at the joint examination. Ye Qingxuan suggested that neither of them might claim first place, leaving Ye Wudao incredulous as he demanded to know who else could surpass them.

• Gu Daoyi introduced Ye Qingxuan as his disciple and announced her fully awakened Radiant Moon-level talent.
• Ye Qingxuan joined the Federal Star River University formation, where Jiang Hao kept himself out of sight.
• Ye Wudao approached Ye Qingxuan and declared that he would win first place and end their rivalry at the joint examination.
• Ye Qingxuan calmly told Ye Wudao that first place might go to neither of them.
• Ye Wudao scoffed at the idea and asked who among the freshmen could possibly be stronger than him or Ye Qingxuan.

The Federation’s Heaven’s Prides began the National Collegiate Joint Examination in the Star Meteorite Belt, where Jiang Hao entered while concealing his strength. As the examinees were teleported in, Tie Shan predicted that Jiang Hao could challenge Ye Qingxuan and Ye Wudao for first place.

• Ye Wudao declared that no one among the new students could be stronger than him and Ye Qingxuan, while Ye Qingxuan searched the crowd for the Backshadow Hero.
• Jiang Hao hid behind Federal Star River University’s group and privately dismissed Ye Wudao’s boast, while Yan Ge wondered whether Jiang Hao had been intimidated.
• Gu Daoyi announced the seven-day examination rules: examinees earned points by killing Exotic Beasts, could steal points by crushing other examinees’ Life Tokens, and faced real danger in the Starry Sky Battlefield.
• The Martial Emperors teleported the examinees into the Star Meteorite Belt, and Yan Ge challenged Jiang Hao to meet him there; Jiang Hao said he would wait and hoped Yan Ge brought plenty of points.
• Jiang Hao checked the Life Token’s points table and rankings after arriving in the battlefield, while Tie Shan told Wang He that Jiang Hao could surprise everyone and contend for first place.