Chapter Summaries

The Strong Ranking Tournament began as Liu Qing, Lin Xiuyai, and Xiao Yan arrived, and Great Elder Su Qian explained the rules and drew the first match. The contestants returned to their positions, leaving the two holders of the number eleven slips in the arena to face each other.

• Liu Qing landed in the arena and fixed his battle-ready gaze on Lin Xiuyai.
• Lin Xiuyai stepped through the air from the high platform, impressing the audience with his control of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan entered the arena using the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, which Elder Hao and Great Elder Su Qian recognized.
• Great Elder Su Qian welcomed the contestants, urged them to avoid killing their opponents, and explained that matching red and blue slips would determine the fights.
• The contestants drew their opponents, and Xiao Yan was paired with Bai Cheng for the first round.
• Great Elder Su Qian drew number eleven for the opening match, and the two contestants with matching slips remained in the arena.

The Strong Ranking Tournament began, with contestants fighting through the first round as Lin Ming watched. Xiao Yan defeated Bai Cheng, while Lin Xiuyai advanced after his opponent withdrew, and the first day ended with the remaining matches complete.

• The first match ended when one of two Dou Ling contestants exploited his opponent’s fatigue and defeated him.
• Liu Qing defeated the arrogant dark horse in the second match, sending him out of the tournament in the first round.
• Xiao Yan faced Bai Cheng and overwhelmed him with the Black Heavy Ruler and his Heavenly Fire techniques, leaving Bai Cheng unconscious.
• Lin Xiuyai’s opponent forfeited rather than face him, advancing Lin Xiuyai without a fight.
• The twenty-five matches scheduled for the first day concluded by evening, leaving the spectators eager for more.

The second day of the Strong Ranking Tournament began, with Lin Xiuyai receiving the unconditional advance and the remaining contestants fighting through the second round. Xiao Yan defeated Yao Sheng, Liu Qing won his match, and the tournament moved toward the next round.

• Great Elder Su Qian announced that Lin Xiuyai would receive the unconditional advance from the twenty-five remaining contestants.
• The contestants drew lots, and the first match ended with one fighter narrowly defeating his badly injured opponent.
• Xiao Yan defeated Yao Sheng by flying above the Black Water Realm and drying it with the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• Liu Qing overwhelmed his opponent, an Eight Star Dou Spirit ranked eleventh, and forced him to admit defeat.
• Two more matches concluded, bringing the second round of the Strong Ranking Tournament to a close.

The Strong Ranking Tournament began its final stage, with Great Elder Su Qian drawing the contestants who would fight for the top ten. The draw paired Liu Qing with Lin Xiuyai, while Yan Hao and Qian Mo began the first match.

• Great Elder Su Qian explained that six of the thirteen remaining contestants would fight for three top-ten positions.
• Great Elder Su Qian drew Yan Hao and Qian Mo as opponents, then drew Qin Zhen and Xiao Yan.
• Great Elder Su Qian drew Liu Qing and Lin Xiuyai, prompting an uproar as the tournament’s top two faced each other.
• Yan Hao entered the arena, and Qian Mo floated down to join him for the first match.

Jin Feng and Shao Qing finally arrived at Jia Nan Academy after a Spatial Storm delayed their journey, just as the Strong Ranking Tournament was underway. After Yan Hao defeated Qian Mo, Lin Ming noticed the newcomers arriving overhead.

• Jin Feng and Shao Qing recalled escaping a Spatial Storm in the spatial tunnel and explained that repairs had delayed their journey by several months.
• Jin Feng and Shao Qing flew down toward Jia Nan Academy, hoping to reach the Strong Ranking Tournament before it ended.
• Yan Hao used his Rock Dou Qi to withstand Qian Mo's Golden Ring Saw attacks during their tournament match.
• Qian Mo conceded after fighting Yan Hao for a little over an incense stick, and Great Elder Su Qian announced Yan Hao's victory.
• Lin Ming sensed Jin Feng and Shao Qing arriving and smiled as the elders recognized the former Strong Ranking Tournament fighters.

Jin Feng and Shao Qing arrived to watch the Inner Academy’s Top Ten Selection Match as Xiao Yan faced Strong Ranking fifth-place Qin Zhen. The chapter ended as the two contestants prepared to fight after Xiao Yan boosted his strength with the Heavenly Fire Three Xuan Transformations and formed Green Flame Armor.

• Jin Feng and Shao Qing joined the referee seat and learned that the second match of the Top Ten Selection Match was about to begin.
• Great Elder Su Qian called Qin Zhen and Xiao Yan into the arena, where the audience watched to see whether Xiao Yan could continue his dark horse run.
• Xun Er cheered Xiao Yan as he entered the arena, and Jin Feng noted that Xiao Yan’s speed could offset some of his cultivation disadvantage.
• Qin Zhen released his powerful aura and summoned his Ancient Jian Whip, while Xiao Yan used the Green Lotus Transformation to raise his cultivation.
• Xiao Yan formed Green Flame Armor and readied his heavy ruler as he and Qin Zhen faced each other with their fighting intent surging.

Xiao Yan defeated Qin Zhen with the Earth Tier Dou Technique Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, proving he remained a powerful contender in the tournament. After Great Elder Su Qian announced Xiao Yan’s victory, the contest for the last place in the top ten began.

• Xiao Yan and Qin Zhen exchanged attacks, and Jin Feng and Shao Qing noted Xiao Yan’s secret technique would not last indefinitely.
• Xiao Yan struck Qin Zhen with Eight Extremes Collapse, but Qin Zhen’s golden bell defense absorbed much of its power.
• Jin Feng sensed an Earth Tier Dou Technique gathering around Xiao Yan’s ruler and predicted the match would end there.
• Xiao Yan’s Flame Splitting Wave Ruler defeated Qin Zhen and sent him off the platform, while Xiao Yan remained conscious after exhausting his Dou Qi.
• Great Elder Su Qian declared Xiao Yan the winner and then opened the contest for the last place in the top ten.

Liu Qing and Lin Xiuyai faced off in the Strong Ranking Tournament, revealing the techniques and rivalry they had built over years. Their powerful final attacks collided in a devastating explosion, leaving the match's outcome uncertain.

• Liu Qing and Lin Xiuyai descended into the arena and prepared to settle their long-standing rivalry.
• The two exchanged rapid attacks as Jin Feng and Shao Qing observed their skills and Lin Ming recalled their academy techniques.
• Liu Qing challenged Lin Xiuyai to decide the match with one move, and both gathered their power for a final attack.
• Liu Qing unleashed Great Mountain Split while Lin Xiuyai countered with Green Peak Sword Qi.
• Their attacks collided in an earth-shaking explosion that knocked down nearby spectators, and the crowd waited to learn who had won.

Su Qian ruled that Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing would share a top-ten spot after their match destroyed the arena, and the Strong Ranking Tournament concluded with Xiao Yan in first place. Lin Ming then faced Jin Feng and Shao Qing in a sparring match, shocking them by revealing that he had reached Dou Wang Peak.

• Su Qian declared Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing joint top-ten contestants and granted the tournament eleven Heart Flame Body Tempering slots.
• The remaining contestants finished the Strong Ranking Tournament, with Xiao Yan taking first place.
• Jin Feng and Shao Qing challenged Lin Ming to a Dou Wang sparring match after the tournament.
• Su Qian used Space Lock to shield the arena, and Jin Feng and Shao Qing flew up to fight Lin Ming.
• Shao Qing and Jin Feng were stunned when they sensed that Lin Ming had reached Dou Wang Peak.

Lin Ming fought Jin Feng and Shao Qing, easily stopping their attacks before confronting their strongest techniques with an Exotic Flame Manifestation. The clash unleashed devastating waves of fire, and the chapter ended with the outcome still unclear.

• Jin Feng and Shao Qing attacked Lin Ming together, but he halted them with a single strike of the Star Dragon Saber.
• Lin Ming calmly neutralized their repeated attacks, while the elders and spectators remarked on the gulf between the fighters.
• Jin Feng and Shao Qing withdrew to prepare their trump-card Dou Techniques, and Lin Ming manifested a two-headed flame serpent from the Mysterious Yellow Flame.
• Jin Feng unleashed Meteorite Slash and Shao Qing used Heavy Wave: Moon Cover as Lin Ming sent the flame serpent to meet their attacks.
• The three techniques collided in a tremendous explosion, scattering clouds and sending waves of fire across the arena.

After Lin Ming defeated Jin Feng and Shao Qing in their exhibition match, he explained that a Heavenly Flame had helped him reach Dou Wang Peak. The Strong Ranking’s top finishers entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower for body tempering, and Lin Ming realized the Fallen Heart Flame had finally erupted.

• Jin Feng and Shao Qing conceded after Lin Ming overpowered them, ending their exhibition match.
• Xiao Yan’s first-place finish boosted Pan Gate’s standing throughout the Inner Academy.
• Lin Ming told Jin Feng and Shao Qing that refining a Heavenly Flame had greatly increased his cultivation and helped him condense Dou Qi faster.
• Great Elder Su Qian led the eleven members of the Strong Ranking’s top ten into the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower for Heart Flame Body Tempering.
• Lin Ming watched them enter and said that the Fallen Heart Flame had finally erupted.

Lin Ming and the others witnessed a violent eruption from beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, where a colossal invisible fire python emerged from the magma. The tower’s defenses held against its first attack, but the creature confronted everyone with murderous intent.

• A strange heartbeat pulse synchronized with the hearts of people near the tower, and a piercing screech followed a powerful rumble from within it.
• Great Elder Su Qian ordered the elders to go to the tower and students to evacuate, while an energy barrier sealed the tower’s upper section.
• Lin Ming flew to the tower, followed by Jin Feng and Shao Qing, and they saw a blood-red magma pillar shatter the barrier and strike the tower’s tip.
• A thin dark shield at the tower’s tip stopped the magma, and scattered rocks were crushed against the surrounding energy wall.
• An enormous invisible fire python emerged from the magma, fixed the assembled people with bloodthirsty intent, and horrified Shao Qing and Jin Feng.

The Formless Fire Python weakened the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower’s seal with its invisible flames, forcing Lin Ming and the others to retreat. Great Elder Su Qian assembled the elders and Lin Ming’s group to reinforce the barrier, but the python struck the tower as the seal began to recover.

• The Formless Fire Python unleashed a shrill Sound Wave and waves of invisible flames against the tower’s dark energy membrane.
• Lin Ming recognized the danger and retreated with Jin Feng and Shao Qing as the membrane neared collapse.
• Xiao Yan, Lin Xiuyai, Great Elder Su Qian, and the other elders emerged from the tower, and Su Qian ordered them to use the Headmaster’s sealing formation.
• Lin Ming, Jin Feng, and Shao Qing joined the formation and poured their Dou Qi into the seal, which began to repair the membrane.
• The Formless Fire Python launched a pillar of magma and crashed its enormous body against the tower top.

The Fallen Heart Flame Python broke free from the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, forcing Great Elder Su Qian and the elders to form a barrier to contain it. The beast’s attacks battered the formation, and the two sides remained locked in a stalemate.

• The Fallen Heart Flame Python burst through the tower’s seal, scattering magma and setting the surrounding area ablaze.
• Great Elder Su Qian ordered more than twenty elders to help him create the Thousand Layer Sealing Formation around the escaped flame.
• The Fallen Heart Flame Python coiled up and charged the energy net, but Su Qian repelled it with the formation’s rebounding force.
• The Python attacked again with invisible flames, and its attack and the elders’ energy net settled into a stalemate.

Great Elder Su Qian and the Inner Academy elders kept the Formless Fire Python trapped, but its attack sent a powerful flame-energy surge across the region. The Outer Academy hurried to respond as a man in Feng City recognized the Heavenly Flame and resolved to claim it, while the exhausted defenders remained locked in a stalemate.

• Great Elder Su Qian blocked the Formless Fire Python repeatedly with the energy net until the creature’s explosive Flame Snake briefly opened a gap and released a vast surge of energy.
• A man in Feng City sensed the surge, recognized it as a Heavenly Flame, and sent an associate away with orders before vowing to devour it.
• Outer Academy Vice Dean Hu Gan ordered all Dou Wangs and stronger experts to fly to the Inner Academy at full speed, fearing that the Black Corner Region would target the school.
• After hours of fighting, the Formless Fire Python’s flames had dimmed, but only a little more than ten elders remained to maintain the net, and Lin Ming had spent over half his Dou Qi.

The Outer Academy arrived and relieved Lin Ming while Su Qian prepared to seal the Formless Fire Python. After Su Qian forced the beast into the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, the crowd celebrated, but Lin Ming knew the Black Corner Region experts were coming.

• Hu Gan and the Outer Academy experts arrived and took over maintaining the energy net, allowing Lin Ming to recover his Dou Qi.
• Su Qian began preparing a sealing array while the Formless Fire Python remained coiled inside the energy net.
• The Formless Fire Python charged the net as Su Qian gathered the elders' and instructors' Dou Qi into a spatial boundary.
• Su Qian struck the Formless Fire Python with the boundary and forced it into the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower.
• Su Qian sealed the beast into the tower, and the crowd cheered as Lin Ming thought that the Black Corner Region experts had already arrived.

Han Feng led forces from the Black Corner Region into Jia Nan Academy to seize the Fallen Heart Flame, triggering a battle with the academy’s elders. As the fighting spread, Elder Ban singled out Lin Ming and two others, intending to kill them before they grew stronger.

• Han Feng appeared above the Inner Academy with his allies and demanded that Su Qian release the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Lin Ming recovered while Zi Yan woke in a secret room, discovered she had eaten all the medicinal pills, and set out to find him.
• Su Qian fought the Golden Silver Elders as Han Feng ordered his allies to hold off the academy’s forces and headed for the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower.
• Hu Gan sent nearly thirty academy experts to block Han Feng, but more than ten Black Corner Region fighters intercepted them.
• Elder Ban left the main battle to confront Lin Ming and two others, saying he would eliminate the young academy Dou Wangs.

Zi Yan and Lin Ming teamed up to fight Elder Ban, whose higher cultivation was offset by Zi Yan’s overwhelming strength and their coordination. After their attacks broke his defenses, Zi Yan’s kick continued toward him.

• Zi Yan struck Elder Ban with a punch that sent him flying and made him cough blood.
• Lin Ming told Jin Feng and Shao Qing to join the battle against the other elders, then teamed up with Zi Yan against Elder Ban.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan shattered Elder Ban’s two energy hands with a saber slash and Zi Yan’s attack.
• Zi Yan closed in and kicked Elder Ban, while Lin Ming used Roaring Lion's Chant to weaken his Wood Release defense.
• Zi Yan’s kick broke through the weakened defense and continued toward Elder Ban.

Zi Yan battered Elder Ban but could not finish him, and Elder Ban feigned an attack on her before targeting Lin Ming. Lin Ming anticipated the ambush and met Elder Ban’s Death Spirit Palm with his Mountain Rushing Flood Fist, leaving the fighters stunned by their apparent parity.

• Zi Yan slammed Elder Ban into a crater, badly injuring his arms, but he climbed out and charged at her again.
• Elder Ban pretended to attack Zi Yan, then veered toward Lin Ming, prompting Zi Yan to warn him.
• Lin Ming recognized Elder Ban’s true target and threw the Star Dragon Saber, which Elder Ban dodged before striking with his Death Spirit Palm.
• Lin Ming countered with Mountain Rushing Flood Fist, and their clash appeared evenly matched to the watching fighters.

Zi Yan and Lin Ming fought Elder Ban in the sky, with Zi Yan keeping him occupied while Lin Ming prepared a powerful Dou Technique. Lin Ming unleashed the attack with the Star Dragon Saber, leaving Elder Ban facing a blazing, dark-crimson fireball.

• Zi Yan rushed Elder Ban and battered his dark energy armor until it shattered, but Elder Ban’s Great Demonic Palm forced her back.
• Lin Ming intercepted the Great Demonic Palm with a Mysterious Yellow Flame Giant Snake and told Zi Yan to keep Elder Ban busy while he prepared a major attack.
• Zi Yan attacked Elder Ban again, preventing him from interrupting Lin Ming and forcing him to withstand her powerful strike.
• Lin Ming raised the Star Dragon Saber and slashed down with a dark-crimson fireball whose terrifying power alarmed the watching Black Corner Region experts.