Recaps

Yang Ling competed with the other chief disciples for the chance to become the Headmaster of the Tun Tian Dao Palace’s personal disciple, with a Great Tun Tian Restoration Pill promised to the winner. While cultivating in seclusion, he raised his strength to 150 points and endured a painful bodily transformation that increased his qi and blood to 8,000.

• The Headmaster of the Tun Tian Dao Palace rejected Yang Ling’s request for a Great Tun Tian Restoration Pill, then promised one to whichever chief disciple won the upcoming contest for his personal disciple.
• Lin Zhen challenged the Headmaster’s plan to reward only Yang Ling, so the Headmaster extended the pill reward to all contestants; Yang Ling and the others accepted.
• Yang Ling left for a secluded cave on Qingyun Mountain and confirmed that becoming Zhao De’s disciple had unlocked Great Grade Azure Dragon Force’s cultivation requirements.
• Yang Ling advanced Great Grade Azure Dragon Force to First Glimpse of the Door and then Mastery Through Practice, gaining free attribute points.
• Yang Ling raised his base strength to 150 points, triggering intense pain and a bodily transformation that raised his qi and blood from 6,000 to 8,000.

Yang Ling recovered from a minor gene mutation, strengthened his attributes and Candle Dragon Seven-Star Sword Technique, then tried to cultivate two internal methods at once. As he continued practicing in seclusion, Zhang Hongyu came to his courtyard and found him missing.

• Yang Ling added his remaining attribute points to agility and realized his mutation had greatly increased his health and qi and blood.
• Yang Ling compared his attributes with Jiu Xingkong's and concluded that he needed to raise his qi and blood to close the gap.
• Yang Ling used seventy Spirit Nurturing Pills to advance the Candle Dragon Seven-Star Sword Technique to perfected skill.
• Yang Ling tried to circulate the Vajra Mingwang Technique and Great Grade Azure Dragon Force simultaneously, but each method stopped the other.
• Yang Ling continued experimenting with the two cultivation methods while Zhang Hongyu entered his courtyard and left after finding no sign of him.

Yang Ling combined two cultivation methods to raise his attributes and arrived at the Tun Tian Dao Palace training grounds confident he could win the headmaster’s personal disciple position. He defeated Lin Zhen in two kicks, leaving the other contestants stunned and Flying Dragon Mountain’s lord demanding an explanation.

• Yang Ling combined the Vajra Mingwang Technique and Great Grade Azure Dragon Force, boosting his attributes and resolving to gain six more points for another minor genetic mutation.
• On the final day of the mission, Yang Ling appeared at the training grounds and announced he intended to defeat the other chief disciples and become the headmaster’s personal disciple.
• Several chief disciples withdrew from the competition, leaving Lin Zhen, Huo Yunzhu, Chi Ling, and Yang Ling to contend for the position.
• Lin Zhen challenged Yang Ling to the first match, and Yang Ling used Lingxu Step and Wind God Vajra Leg to knock him out of the training grounds with two kicks.
• Flying Dragon Mountain’s lord questioned Qingyun Mountain’s lord about Yang Ling’s cultivation and the unfamiliar movement and leg techniques he had used.

Yang Ling won recognition as the Sect Leader’s Personal Disciple and learned that the death tribulation on the path to Fifth Rank could be fatal. The Headmaster warned him that it was ten times more painful than the life tribulation and that martial artists often died during it.

• Lin Zhen accepted Yang Ling’s victory, and Huo Yunzhu and Chi Ling withdrew from the competition for the personal-disciple position.
• The mountain masters approved Yang Ling, and the Headmaster of Tun Tian Dao Palace took him as her personal disciple and awarded him a Great Tun Tian Restoration Pill.
• The Headmaster said Yang Ling’s Heaven Swallowing Golden Sword would take about a year to forge, and Yang Ling concealed whether he had encountered King Subei.
• The Headmaster brought Yang Ling to her residence and explained that passing both tribulations was necessary to reach Fifth Rank and earn the title of Minor Grandmaster.
• The Headmaster warned Yang Ling that the death tribulation was ten times as painful as the life tribulation and often killed martial artists without outside intervention.

Yang Ling learned how the death tribulation and the path to Fourth Rank worked, and decided to wait for Snow Spirit Marrow rather than rush his breakthrough. As his Tun Tian Dao Palace instance mission ended with an S+ evaluation, he resolved to raise his qi and blood before advancing.

• The Headmaster of Tun Tian Dao Palace explained that Snow Spirit Marrow could help Yang Ling survive the death tribulation without dulling its pain, preserving the benefits of enduring it.
• Yang Ling agreed to wait for Snow Spirit Marrow and asked how Upper Fifth Rank martial artists reached Fourth Rank.
• The Headmaster explained that reaching Fourth Rank required a powerful physique and qi and blood to ignite a martial way furnace, and told Yang Ling to cultivate at Qingyun Mountain.
• That night, Yang Ling reconsidered his plan to advance immediately and concluded he needed to raise his qi and blood beyond the Upper Sixth Rank standard.
• Yang Ling completed the second stage of the Tun Tian Dao Palace instance with an S+ evaluation.

After earning the first S+ rating in the Swallowing Heaven Instance, Yang Ling claimed the Qi and Blood Tai Sui and unlocked the instance as an exclusive monthly return. Back in the Iron Clothes Department, he raised his qi and blood and stacked his equipment and techniques to reach extraordinary attributes, startling Zhao Xun with the pressure he sensed.

• Yang Ling chose the Qi and Blood Tai Sui from his S+ rewards and learned he could claim the Swallowing Heaven Instance as an exclusive instance.
• Yang Ling accepted the exclusive instance, returned to the Iron Clothes Department, and found that his Demon-Subduing Pestle had been reclaimed while his reward items remained.
• Yang Ling swallowed the Qi and Blood Tai Sui and raised his qi and blood from 8,000 to 11,000 points.
• Yang Ling equipped his gear and activated his techniques, raising his strength to 530 and agility to 374 before accounting for martial skills.
• Zhao Xun sensed Yang Ling's formidable presence and wondered whether a Middle Fifth Rank or Upper Fifth Rank expert had entered Changhe Prefecture.

Yang Ling returned to the Blazing Gold Ore mine after Zhao Xun warned him that a powerful Fifth Rank expert might be targeting him and told him about the Zhao Family’s founding history. He resumed overseeing the mine, while Jue Wang remained bound to the Third Prince by past favors and called Yang Ling shameless.

• Zhao Xun sensed Yang Ling’s briefly leaked aura and warned him that the Heavenly Wolf Guard might send a Fifth Rank expert to kill him, then escorted him back to the Blazing Gold Ore mine.
• On the journey, Zhao Xun described how Zhao Chongxu avenged the Zhao Family’s Supreme Old Ancestor and founded the Zhao State, though he could offer Yang Ling little reliable information about Zhao De.
• Yang Ling arrived at the mine, where Players admired his level and ranking, and Jue Wang asked why he had been away.
• Yang Ling urged Jue Wang to return to Ku Jue Temple, but Jue Wang said he had accepted the Third Prince’s gifts and was following his instructions.
• Yang Ling scolded Players for mining near Earth Vein Fire and sent them to a safer area, prompting Jue Wang to call him shameless.

Yang Ling perfected Great Grade Azure Dragon Force, gained more qi and blood, and tested how his attributes affected his breakthrough requirements. He then asked Zhou Zheng to temper thousands of flying daggers, leaving Zhou Zheng convinced that Yang Ling was working with the Fourth Prince.

• Yang Ling used the Great Tun Tian Restoration Pill to cultivate Great Grade Azure Dragon Force until it reached perfected skill, increasing his qi and blood and unlocking Azure Dragon Force’s true-damage effect.
• Yang Ling tested his new skill and considered how his increased qi and blood strengthened his other abilities, while resolving to find an evenly matched opponent.
• Yang Ling tested whether he could add free attribute points to strength and concluded that reaching the lower fifth rank required both strength and agility to reach 150 points.
• Yang Ling raised his agility from 144 to 149 and kept 15 free attribute points for after his breakthrough.
• Yang Ling asked Zhou Zheng to temper nearly five thousand Hundred Refined Red Gold Flying Daggers using 250 jin of blazing gold.
• Zhou Zheng suspected the Fourth Prince had supplied the materials, steadied himself, and began carefully tempering the daggers.

Yang Ling mined blazing gold for over twenty days, expanding the mine and raising his level to 86 while the other players gained levels as well. After nearly restoring his gold reserves and receiving nearly five thousand Quenching Gold Armor Piercing Flying Daggers, he learned that Zhao Fu had arrived in Xiangfeng Prefecture and summoned him and Jue Wang for questioning.

• Yang Ling mined blazing gold, rapidly gaining experience and expanding the mine while avoiding eruptions of earth fire.
• Lin Caiyi reached level 47, and she explained that Qi-Recovery Pills let her mine longer than the others.
• Zhou Zheng visited the enlarged mine and saw Yang Ling mine at exceptional speed; Yang Ling kept most of the ore he extracted as pay.
• Zhou Zheng told Yang Ling that nearly five thousand Quenching Gold Armor Piercing Flying Daggers were ready, and Yang Ling returned to the surface to collect them.
• Zhang Wei warned Yang Ling that the Third Prince had arrived in Xiangfeng Prefecture and sent Zhao Qing to summon him and Jue Wang for questioning.
• Zhao Qing formally invited Yang Ling and Jue Wang to Xiangfeng Prefecture by order of the Third Prince.

Yang Ling met the Third Prince at the Xiangfeng Prefectural Office after helping bring the Blazing Gold Ore mine close to operation. He told the prince the mine was already producing over two jin a day, and the Third Prince realized the Fourth Prince and Eunuch Xu had gained the advantage.

• Yang Ling saw Cao Yunlong in the courtyard and assessed the white-haired eunuch as a powerful middle fifth rank expert.
• The Third Prince asked whether Yang Ling had consumed the 300 Year Crimson Blood Vermilion Fruit, and Yang Ling confirmed that he had enjoyed its taste.
• The Third Prince said he wanted to manage the Blazing Gold Ore mine himself if he could get it running.
• Yang Ling reported that the mine was producing over two jin of blazingly gold each day and was nearing the required monthly output.
• The Third Prince fell silent as Qian Dalong glared at Yang Ling, realizing that the mine had nearly succeeded without him.

Yang Ling navigated a tense meeting between Zhao Fu and Zhao Zheng over the profitable blazing gold mine, while Zhao Chonghong tested him about arrested officials. The princes decided to remain and oversee the mine, but an explosion and fire erupted in the southwest, which Yang Ling suspected was the work of the Immortal God Cult.

• Yang Ling said he served Zhao State and would follow the Third Prince’s instructions only if they obeyed the law, prompting Zhao Zheng to smooth over the exchange by calling it a joke.
• Zhao Chonghong questioned Yang Ling about Lan Wentao and Gu Weizhou, and Yang Ling noted that Kong Xinghu was Gu Weizhou’s junior fellow disciple before directing any appeal to Lu Yunchen.
• Zhao Chonghong urged the princes to ask their questions and let Yang Ling and Jue Wang return to mining under the Emperor’s six-month deadline.
• Zhao Fu asked about five thousand flying daggers, and Zhao Zheng claimed he had asked Yang Ling to help purchase them for fun.
• Zhao Fu announced that a thousand experienced miners would arrive the next day and said he would stay at the mine; Zhao Zheng also decided to remain and oversee it.
• A crash and a towering fire erupted in the southwest, and Yang Ling suspected the Immortal God Cult.

An explosion at a settlement for displaced people in Xiangfeng Prefecture killed players, and the Immortal God Cult publicly blamed Yang Ling for their deaths. The cult warned Yang Ling to stop targeting it, leaving players fearful of further attacks.

• Zhao Chonghong's soldiers and the Iron Clothes Constables arrived to control the fire at a settlement housing displaced people.
• Yang Ling learned from a surviving player that at least seventy or eighty players had been living inside, and he identified explosives and fire oil as the cause of the blast.
• Anonymous messages flooded the Divine Realm Chat Channel, claiming the Immortal God Cult had burned a hundred players alive because Yang Ling had purged the cult.
• At the Blazing Gold Ore mine, Lin Caiyi, Qin Mo, Zhang Shendao, and Li Shou reacted to the deaths and worried about how Yang Ling could respond.
• Luo Kai sent Yang Ling an anonymous message calling the attack a first warning and threatening further violence if he continued targeting the Immortal God Cult.

Yang Ling investigated the burning of nearly a hundred refugees and suspected the Immortal God Cult was responsible, while Zhao Chonghong tasked him with helping uncover the motive. After sending Shi Xin to arrest cult followers, Yang Ling brutally disabled Yu Jing and asked Zeng Mao where Zhuang Xu was.

• Yang Ling deduced that Luo Kai and Li Fengxian were the same person, then ignored Li Fengxian's private message and told Qin Mo to have Shi Xin return to the prefectural capital.
• Yang Ling examined the scene of the fire and used the Insight Technique to discover that Zhao Qing had illegally sold fire oil to Xu Ying.
• Yang Ling told Zhao Chonghong and the others that the Immortal God Cult likely caused the fire, and Zhao Chonghong assigned him to help investigate why the refugees were killed.
• Yang Ling agreed with Shi Xin to arrest the Immortal God Cult followers in the prefectural capital and sent Shi Xin out with the constables.
• Yang Ling took Yu Jing's silver, broke both his arms and kneecaps, and asked Zeng Mao where Zhuang Xu was.

Yang Ling interrogated Yu Jing and learned where Zeng Mao, Zhuang Xu, and their companions were hiding. He arrested them for helping the Immortal God Cult spread anonymous messages, then forced them to quit the game, killing Zeng Mao in the process.

• Yang Ling tortured Yu Jing until Yu Jing revealed that Zeng Mao and Zhuang Xu were staying in Xiangfeng Prefecture.
• Zeng Mao and Zhuang Xu dismissed concerns that Yu Jing might expose them and justified helping send anonymous messages for a chance at Class Transfer.
• Yang Ling captured Zeng Mao, Zhuang Xu, and the other players, confiscating their money so they could not send Private Chat messages.
• Yang Ling told the prisoners that Yu Jing had quit the game and explained how their messages had helped the Immortal God Cult.
• Yang Ling learned the prisoners knew nothing about the cult member who had contacted Yu Jing, then ordered them to quit the game.
• When Zeng Mao cursed at Yang Ling, Yang Ling killed him, leaving Zhuang Xu and the others terrified.

Yang Ling left the Iron Clothes Department’s case meeting without any leads, then used Insight Technique to uncover Ding Wei’s role in delivering fire oil to Bloodhand Scholar. Ding Wei revealed that the delivery had been seen at the Wangzhi Medicine Guild, leaving Yang Ling with a new lead while Zhao Qing hoped the guild’s powerful connections would shield him.

• Zhao Qing denied that the fire oil used in the arson came from his division, while Zhao Chonghong and Zhao Fu questioned whether the incident was tied to the Immortal God Cult.
• Yang Ling said he had no leads and left the meeting to return to the blazing gold mine, but went to the Public Security Division Second Branch instead.
• Yang Ling used Insight Technique on Ding Wei and learned that he had delivered fire oil to Bloodhand Scholar half a month earlier.
• Yang Ling threatened Ding Wei into revealing that the fire oil had been handed over at the Wangzhi Medicine Guild, then left without exposing Zhao Qing.
• Ding Wei told Zhao Qing about Yang Ling’s visit, and Zhao Qing decided not to worry because Yang Ling had no evidence and the Wangzhi Medicine Guild had powerful connections.

Yang Ling agreed to secretly investigate the Wangzhi Medicine Guild’s role in the refugees’ deaths after Zhao Zheng urged him to uncover the truth. He followed the Blood-Handed Scholar out of the city and crippled him at a mountain cabin, leaving the man shocked by Yang Ling’s strength.

• Yang Ling privately told Zhao Zheng about the fire oil leads, and Zhao Zheng explained the Wangzhi Medicine Guild’s powerful connections.
• Zhao Zheng ordered Yang Ling to investigate the deaths secretly, warning him not to expose their conversation; Yang Ling promised to handle the matter himself.
• At the Wangzhi Medicine Guild, the Purple-robed Elder gave the Blood-Handed Scholar a 300 Year Crimson Blood Vermilion Fruit and told him to leave for a while.
• Yang Ling followed the Blood-Handed Scholar from the city to a remote cabin, suspecting the man might lead him to Luo Kai.
• Yang Ling attacked and crippled the Blood-Handed Scholar, who recognized him and was stunned by his abilities.

Yang Ling killed the Blood-Handed Scholar after learning that the Wangzhi Medicine Guild and the Third Prince had arranged the refugee killings to target Zhao Chonghong. Kong Xinghu revealed his own involvement, and Yang Ling’s question about Luo Kai prompted him to launch an attack.

• Yang Ling ate the Blood-Handed Scholar’s 300 Year Crimson Blood Vermilion Fruit, then questioned him about the refugees’ deaths.
• The Blood-Handed Scholar said the Wangzhi Medicine Guild’s Head Shopkeeper hired him and revealed that the Third Prince had met with him before the job.
• Yang Ling suspected a link between the Third Prince, the Wangzhi Medicine Guild, and Luo Kai, then killed the Blood-Handed Scholar despite his offer to cooperate.
• Kong Xinghu appeared and admitted that he and the Third Prince had approved the plan to drive Zhao Chonghong from Xiangfeng Prefecture.
• Yang Ling asked Kong Xinghu whether he knew Luo Kai, and Kong Xinghu attacked him with the Heartbreak Palm.

Yang Ling defeated Kong Xinghu, took the Mysterious Phoenix Sword, and forced him to reveal what he knew about Luo Kai. Kong Xinghu identified Luo Kai as a disciple of both the Immortal God Cult Master and the Star Gazing Academy, whom he had met in the Capital.

• Yang Ling used the Vajra Mingwang Technique, Great Grade Azure Dragon Force, and Lingxu Step to evade Kong Xinghu and launch a barrage of attacks.
• Kong Xinghu repeatedly recovered from Yang Ling's internal attacks through his Minor Grandmaster gene mutation, but eventually lost control of his qi and blood.
• Yang Ling disarmed Kong Xinghu, took the Mysterious Phoenix Sword, and demanded to know Luo Kai's whereabouts.
• Kong Xinghu questioned Yang Ling's background and threatened him, but Yang Ling suggested he could escape to the Rong Tribe and revealed that he had a connection there.
• Kong Xinghu guessed that Yang Ling was from the Heavenly Wolf Guard and revealed that Luo Kai was a disciple of the Immortal God Cult Master and the Star Gazing Academy.

Yang Ling learned that Luo Kai was with the Rong Tribe and killed Kong Xinghu after Kong offered to join the Heavenly Wolf Guard. He buried the bodies, then reported the Blood-Handed Scholar sighting to Zhao Zheng, who sent him back to the blazing gold mine.

• Kong Xinghu told Yang Ling that Luo Kai had become the Star Gazing Academy head's disciple and explained the plan to remove Zhao Chonghong from Xiangfeng Prefecture.
• Yang Ling learned that Luo Kai was with the Rong Tribe, then killed Kong Xinghu when he asked to be introduced to the Rong Tribe's Heavenly Wolf Guard.
• Yang Ling took Kong Xinghu's self-repairing Star Gazing Kirin Vest and buried his body alongside the Blood-Handed Scholar's corpse.
• Yang Ling told Zhao Zheng that a man resembling the Blood-Handed Scholar had left the prefectural city, and Zhao Zheng ordered him to return to the blazing gold mine.

Yang Ling considered how to deal with Luo Kai and explored the updated White Bone Cave instance options, discovering he could select both a difficulty and random matchmaking. After returning to the mine, he learned that Cao Yunlong, a powerful grand eunuch, would arrive with the Third Prince and received a warning to avoid provoking him.

• Yang Ling concluded that catching Luo Kai would require overwhelming strength because Luo Kai had backing and was skilled at hiding.
• The Divine Realm announced selectable difficulty and random matchmaking modes for the White Bone Cave instance, with random matchmaking granting a one-grade rating increase.
• Yang Ling confirmed he could select both modes at once and considered exploiting the combination for better rewards.
• Players across Zhao State discussed the update, forming parties and weighing the risks of random matchmaking.
• Yang Ling reported what happened in Xiangfeng Prefecture to Xu Wuji, who warned him that Cao Yunlong was a stronger grand eunuch and ranked among the Directorate of Ceremonial's top three Fifth Rank grand eunuchs.
• Yang Ling asked to return to the mine, and Xu Wuji urged him to go work there before the Fourth Prince arrived to oversee the site.

After the Immortal God Cult attack, Yang Ling urged the miners to resist the cult without breaking Zhao State’s laws and discussed using random matchmaking to enter a harder Beginner White Bone Cave Instance together. As the instance opened, he suddenly told his companions to switch to B- difficulty, and some panicked players canceled their entry.

• Yang Ling reported that the Immortal God Cult’s attack had left 124 bodies, including an unknown number of players, and said he would not compromise with the cult.
• Yang Ling advised players to capture suspected cultists and hand them over to him, since killing them without evidence could bring trouble with Zhao State’s authorities.
• Yang Ling explained that the instance’s easier mode offered time to cultivate, while random matchmaking could improve ratings and rewards but carried risks.
• Yang Ling proposed that his companions select the same high difficulty as him so they might be matched together, and more than a dozen players agreed to join him.
• As the instance countdown reached thirty seconds, Yang Ling told the group to change their selected difficulty to B-, and some players canceled their entry in panic.

Yang Ling led a group of players through the Beginner White Bone Cave Instance at B- difficulty, assuring them he would handle the fighting. He instantly destroyed more than a hundred Skeleton Warriors with the Heaven Swallowing Golden Sword’s Blade Storm and leveled up to 87.

• A middle-aged player and his armed companions entered the Beginner White Bone Cave Instance and agreed to clear it before investigating their matchmaking.
• Lin Caiyi, Jiang Tian'ai, Zhang Shendao, Li Shou, Wu Xiaochen, Qin Mo, Chen Xu, Chen Guoqing, Li Tianye, Wang Xudong, Wei Ran, Zhang Wei, and Zhang Yan gathered with Yang Ling after trusting him to choose B- difficulty.
• Yang Ling confirmed that his equipment and bonuses worked in the instance, told the group to stay behind him, and reassured them he would fight alone.
• Over a hundred Skeleton Warriors assembled and charged the group, prompting Yang Ling to rush into their ranks with the Heaven Swallowing Golden Sword.
• Yang Ling activated Blade Storm and shattered all the Skeleton Warriors at once, reaching level 87 and concluding the skill could handle Upper Sixth Rank enemies, Lower Fifth Rank foes, and large groups.

Yang Ling led the Players through the White Bone Cave Instance and defeated the White Bone Daoist, completing its three-minor-stage mission with an S+ rating. The group received five White Bone Essence Pills as their reward.

• Yang Ling destroyed the Skeleton Warriors, inspiring the Players to pursue stronger Martial Way cultivation and clear the Instance.
• Yang Ling led the group to White Bone Cave, where he used two Quenching Gold Armor Piercing Flying Daggers to shatter the White Bone Daoist’s flying swords.
• Yang Ling walked through the White Bone Daoist’s Mental Power barrier and killed him with a palm strike.
• The game rated the completed mission S+ and awarded five White Bone Essence Pills.

Yang Ling led the group through the flooded passage to the final stage, where they faced the Bone Demon King. After everyone rejected the demon’s offer of mercy, it emerged in a much larger form than before.

• Yang Ling and the others received their trial rewards, and he promised Chen Guoqing and the other Iron Clothes Department members help obtaining stronger saber techniques.
• Yang Ling warned the group about the flooded passage and dangerous giant tilapia, and they agreed to enter the final stage together.
• The passage collapsed behind them as they swam through the rising water, and the group reached the pool and climbed ashore before the giant tilapia appeared.
• Yang Ling told everyone to reject the Bone Demon King’s offer to spare them if they knelt, and the group chose no.
• The Bone Demon King burst out of its coffin, appearing three and a half meters tall with 12,000 health points and the Bronze Wall Iron Barrier skill.

Yang Ling overwhelmed the Bone Demon King and destroyed all eighteen of his weak points, leaving the boss begging for mercy. After considering the chance of a hidden reward, Yang Ling and the others spared him, and the Bone Demon King led them toward the White Bone Dao Palace’s exclusive secret treasure.

• Yang Ling charged the Bone Demon King and dominated their fight, steadily reducing the boss’s health while the other players watched.
• When the Bone Demon King’s health fell below two thousand, Yang Ling told everyone to refuse the offer to end the instance early.
• Yang Ling destroyed all eighteen of the Bone Demon King’s weak points, after which the boss knelt and begged for mercy.
• Zhang Shendao suggested that sparing the Bone Demon King might unlock a hidden side quest or reward, and the group discussed the possibility.
• Yang Ling and the others chose to spare the Bone Demon King, who thanked them and offered the White Bone Dao Palace’s exclusive secret treasure.