Chapter Summaries

Pei Zhiyan returned to the Iron Clothes Department and was revealed as both the Rong Tribe’s Heavenly Wolf Guard Wei Lord and the Strategy Division First Branch Master. At the treason trial, Huang Zhaolong was executed and Star Gazing Academy’s senior disciples were stripped of their cultivation; the chapter ended as Qi Tairan delivered Zhao Fu’s death sentence and asked if he pleaded guilty.

• Xie Jinjia left to return to the Ministry of War after Pei Zhiyan warned that the Rong Tribe was preparing for war.
• Yang Ling revealed that Pei Zhiyan was the Heavenly Wolf Guard Wei Lord and Strategy Division First Branch Master, startling the Iron Clothes Department branch masters.
• Pei Zhiyan explained that Huang Zhaolong had betrayed his identity, and Yang Ling led everyone back to the Iron Clothes Department.
• News of Pei Zhiyan’s return and his role as a spy spread through the Capital and toward the Seven Provincial Capitals.
• Qi Tairan sentenced Ning Xiu to a hundred years of confinement, and Huang Zhaolong pleaded guilty to treason before Qi Tairan executed him.
• Qi Tairan abolished Zhang Xuanshui and the other Star Gazing Academy disciples’ cultivation, then sentenced Zhao Fu to death and asked whether he pleaded guilty.

Yang Ling and Zhao Chongxu arranged Zhao Fu’s execution by identifying him as the Immortal God Cult Master, while the real Cult Master, Luo Kai, remained at large. Zhao Fu tried to expose Luo Kai and appeal to Yang Ling, but Qi Tairan killed him, and Yang Ling reduced his corpse to ash.

• Zhao Chongxu told Yang Ling that Zhao Fu would be executed for joining a sect, while Luo Kai would remain a wanted deputy cult master.
• At his public trial, Zhao Fu denied being the Immortal God Cult Master and accused Yang Ling of framing him.
• Zhao Fu offered evidence against Luo Kai and reminded Yang Ling about the Crimson Blood Vermilion Fruit he had given him, but Yang Ling refused to challenge the verdict.
• Zhao Fu cursed Yang Ling and revealed that the Second Prince had reached a powerful realm while cultivating at the Extreme Flame Sword Mansion.
• Qi Tairan killed Zhao Fu with a palm strike, and Yang Ling kicked the corpse until it disintegrated into ash.

Ku Jue Abbot led a surprise attack on the Yunwen Provincial Capital Iron Clothes Department, capturing its officers and demanding blood-written denunciations of Yang Ling. After Qin Mo sent Yang Ling a private message, Yang Ling used [God Descent] to appear in the front hall, where Ku Jue Abbot turned to confront him.

• Qin Mo and Chen Xu noticed the Iron Clothes Department had gone unusually quiet and learned that Ku Jue Temple had rebelled and injured Yang Bangyi.
• Ku Jue Abbot and more than a hundred monks subdued the Iron Clothes Department, including Wei Xing, Qin Mo, and Chen Xu.
• Wei Xing accused Ku Jue Abbot of exposing his allegiance to the Rong Tribe, while he denied her explanation and demanded letters denouncing Yang Ling.
• Qin Mo regained consciousness and sent Yang Ling a private message about the attack.
• Yang Ling activated [God Descent], selected Qin Mo, and appeared in the front hall behind Ku Jue Abbot.
• Ku Jue Abbot sensed Yang Ling and demanded to know who he was.

Yang Ling appeared through God Descent at Ku Jue Temple, where Abbot Ku Jue revealed the history of the stolen Vajra Mingwang Technique. Ku Jue explained that his search for the missing scripture had led him to the fire crystal rock ore mine and eventually to Yang Ling, but his reasons for not acting against him remained unanswered.

• Yang Ling arrived at Ku Jue Temple through God Descent, startling Abbot Ku Jue and reassuring the Iron Clothes Department branch masters and Players.
• Yang Ling realized God Descent lasted five minutes and might be renewed by spending Qi and Blood, though his weak link to his physical body made Xuanhuang Cave Abode safer for prolonged use.
• Abbot Ku Jue said he had suspected Yang Ling since the fire crystal rock ore mine, and the Players realized Yang Ling had obtained Arhat Temple's Vajra Mingwang Technique.
• Ku Jue recounted finding the scripture in an ancient Arhat Temple monk's tomb, hiding it in his repository, and losing it when a thief stole it and fled to the mine.
• Ku Jue said he had questioned Supervisor Wu and later discovered Yang Ling; Yang Ling asked why Ku Jue had not attacked him.

Yang Ling exposed why Abbot Ku Jue had failed to cultivate the Vajra Mingwang Technique and crippled him and the monks of Ku Jue Temple for their role in smuggling ore to the Rong Tribe. He ordered Wei Xing to investigate the smuggling before his God Descent ended and he vanished.

• Abbot Ku Jue revealed that he had suspected Yang Ling and concealed his own smuggling scheme while waiting to see what would happen to the Third Prince.
• Yang Ling explained that Abbot Ku Jue’s Arhat Crossing Sutra prevented him from cultivating the Vajra Mingwang Technique, and that he had been too afraid to abandon his existing cultivation and test the claim.
• Yang Ling rejected Abbot Ku Jue’s accusation that he owed him for the technique and promised to make the case public.
• Yang Ling crippled Abbot Ku Jue and the Ku Jue Temple monks, then ordered Wei Xing to investigate the ore shipments and punish everyone involved.
• Yang Ling reminded Qin Mo and the others about the midnight Martial Way Tournament before his God Descent ended and he vanished.

Yang Ling entered Divine Domain’s first Martial Way Tournament, where players learned about its generous prizes and virtual health bars. He faced a Zhao State opponent who mistook him for an ordinary player, then panicked at Yang Ling’s enormous health bar.

• Players gathered for the tournament countdown, and Yang Ling lit incense before being transported to an arena.
• Yang Ling met a wary Ninth-rank Martial Artist from the Iron Clothes Department, who believed Yang Ling was bluffing about his identity.
• The tournament announced rankings, free attribute points, and winning-streak rewards, prompting players to celebrate their chances.
• Yang Ling realized the tournament would first select the hundred strongest players in each region and thought Lin Caiyi and the others could build long winning streaks.
• The system displayed virtual health bars, and Yang Ling’s opponent stared in alarm at the many segments above Yang Ling’s head.

Yang Ling entered the Martial Way Tournament with overwhelming Health Points and arranged to let matches run their full five minutes so Zhao State’s strongest Players could advance. He accidentally dealt Lin Jie heavy damage, then was matched against Zhang Wei, who revealed he had won 30 consecutive matches.

• Yang Ling explained the tournament’s cheating rules to Lin Jie and decided to let their match last five minutes to give Zhao State’s top contenders time to climb the rankings.
• Yang Ling meant to remove only a few of Lin Jie’s Health Points but accidentally left him with just 200; Lin Jie remained in the tournament after losing and was delighted when Yang Ling invited him to report to the Capital’s Iron Clothes Department.
• Yang Ling’s next opponent was Zhang Wei, who had secretly entered the tournament while traveling with Yang Ling’s master.
• Yang Ling asked Zhang Wei about his streak, and Zhang Wei proudly said he had won 30 consecutive matches.

Zhang Shendao’s run toward a hundred consecutive wins ended when Luo Kai defeated him and stole some of his attributes. Zhang Shendao found himself trapped in the tournament’s azure space, furious that Luo Kai had cut short his streak and taken his strength and agility.

• Yang Ling and Zhang Wei discussed the tournament’s rules, winning-streak rewards, and the possibility of reaching Zhao State’s top hundred.
• Lin Caiyi achieved a hundred consecutive wins, entered Zhao State’s top hundred, and was no longer matched.
• Zhang Shendao faced Luo Kai while one win short of a hundred, and Luo Kai tried to recruit him into a new organization.
• Zhang Shendao refused to join Luo Kai and warned him that the Immortal God Cult’s victims still deserved justice.
• Luo Kai defeated Zhang Shendao with Asura Hand, and Zhang Shendao appeared in the tournament’s azure space unable to queue again.
• Zhang Shendao discovered that Luo Kai had stolen five points each from his strength and agility, and angrily vowed to kill him.

Yang Ling reached a 100-win streak in the Martial Way Tournament while Zhang Shendao remained missing, leading Yang Ling and the other top players to suspect that Zhang had been eliminated. When the tournament filled its 100 qualifying places, Yang Ling questioned the last player to enter about Zhang’s disappearance.

• Several Zhao State players, including Li Shou, Jiang Tian'ai, and Lin Caiyi, announced 100-win streaks and qualified for the top 100.
• Yang Ling noticed Zhang Shendao had not qualified and concluded that someone may have emptied Zhang’s virtual health bar.
• Yang Ling’s streak reached 96, and he reflected on the internal skill rewards players could earn through the tournament.
• Yang Ling won his 100th consecutive match and entered the Azure Space, where the qualified players confirmed none of them had eliminated Zhang Shendao.
• After the 100th qualifier entered, Yang Ling singled out the last player and asked whether he had eliminated Zhang Shendao.

Yang Ling identified Luo Kai as the Immortal God Cult Master, and Luo Kai admitted who he was while insisting Yang Ling had not seen his Attribute Panel. After Zhao State's top hundred were selected, nearly two million Zhao State players were brought to a stadium for a match against the Shura Path District.

• Yang Ling accused the masked player of being Luo Kai, and the Zhao State top hundred reacted with anger and suspicion.
• Luo Kai denied the accusation, then admitted he was Luo Kai while continuing to claim Yang Ling could not see his Attribute Panel.
• Yang Ling said he would eliminate Luo Kai if the tournament gave him a chance to act later.
• The tournament announced that Zhao State would face the Shura Path District and transported nearly two million Zhao State players to the stadium stands.
• Zhang Shendao wondered why players who had not entered the tournament had been brought there too.

Yang Ling and the others discovered that the Martial Way Tournament was a Regional Conquest Battle whose outcome would affect every player in Zhao State. After the Shura Path District eliminated the Great Dream Dynasty Region, Zhao State faced the victorious district, and a hundred battle-hardened opponents appeared before them.

• Yang Ling, Lin Caiyi, and the others spotted Zhang Shendao among the spectators and realized the stands contained real players who had not qualified to compete.
• Luo Kai suggested that the tournament was a Regional Conquest Battle, and Yang Ling agreed that Divine Domain's event might be more than ordinary sparring.
• A system announcement declared that the Shura Path District had eliminated the Great Dream Dynasty Region and that every player there would lose five Strength and five Agility points.
• Zhang Shendao realized the tournament's penalties applied to all players in a region and worried that Zhao State had been matched against a district that had defeated the stronger Great Dream Dynasty.
• A phantom arena merged with the existing platform, expanding the stands, and a hundred hostile-looking figures appeared before Yang Ling and the others.

Zhao State’s top hundred faced Shura Path’s far stronger lineup in a winner-takes-all tournament, where defeats could mean real death and district-wide attribute penalties. As the battle was about to begin, Shura Path gained the right to choose between a lethal free-for-all and virtual-health 1V1 matches.

• Zhang Shendao saw that Shura Path had more players in the merged arena and rejected their claim that Zhao State was doomed to lose.
• Yang Ling examined Shura Path’s fighters and found a lineup of Fifth and Sixth Ranks far stronger than most of Zhao State’s top hundred.
• Luo Kai warned Zhao State’s players that the contest was winner-takes-all and that inter-district battles had no virtual health bars.
• Luo Kai explained that he had returned to Zhao State because he believed it was the strongest remaining district and wanted to control his own fate.
• A Shura Path fighter argued that its deeper lineup could overwhelm Zhao State, while Luo Kai concluded that the Divine Domain’s rules favored the strong.
• The Divine Domain announced that Shura Path could choose between a real-health free-for-all with a district-wide penalty or virtual-health 1V1 matches, since it had already won one inter-district battle.

Shura Path chose free-for-all mode for the match against Zhao State, believing it would secure their region’s advantage. When health bars appeared, Yang Ling’s unusually dense bar stunned both sides, and the chapter ended with him confronting Luo Kai.

• Zhang Shendao heard Shura Path players argue that regional competition justified choosing free-for-all mode, while he worried about the consequences for Zhao State.
• Shura Path’s Top 100 discussed Yang Ling’s reputation, and their peak Lower Fifth Rank expert said they had spared the Great Dream Dynasty’s players while eliminating them from the tournament.
• The Shura Path expert chose free-for-all mode, prompting relief among Lin Caiyi and Zhao State’s other Top 100 players.
• The confirmed mode revealed health bars above both teams, and Yang Ling and Luo Kai compared theirs.
• Shura Path players mistook Yang Ling’s densely packed health bar for a cosmetic skin, while their leader began to regret his choice.
• Yang Ling walked up to Luo Kai and asked whether attacking him was allowed in free-for-all mode.

Yang Ling and the Zhao State players confronted Luo Kai, who claimed that attacking him could eliminate them from the tournament. After their failed attacks triggered a lightning strike against Yang Ling, he revealed an enormous health pool, and Luo Kai urgently tried to calm him down.

• Luo Kai warned Yang Ling and the others that attacking him might eliminate them and weaken Zhao State's players.
• Chen Xu and Lin Caiyi led several players in attacks, but Luo Kai dodged every strike.
• Bi Xuan told Shura Path's Fifth Rank players to avoid provoking Yang Ling, suspecting he could defeat them all.
• Qi Kai suggested testing the teammate-attack rule on someone else, and Chen Xu stabbed Qin Mo.
• Yang Ling shielded Chen Xu from the tournament's lightning strike, taking 100,000 damage while losing less than a tenth of his health bar.
• Yang Ling realized Luo Kai had been watching his health bar and questioned him, and Luo Kai pleaded for him to calm down and hear a secret.

Yang Ling exposed Luo Kai’s resurrection ability and several secrets, prompting Luo Kai to kill himself and disappear. Bi Fang then led the Shura Path’s top 100 to surrender, and Zhao State advanced to the final match as defending champion.

• Yang Ling questioned Luo Kai and used his mental power to uncover that Luo Kai could revive, that revival carried a heavy cost, and that Luo Kai sought the mysterious first-place reward.
• Luo Kai struck his own forehead, killing himself and vanishing; Yang Ling said he would return badly weakened.
• Yang Ling told Bi Fang to concede, and Bi Fang discussed the choice with the Shura Path’s top 100 before leading them to surrender.
• The Shura Path District was eliminated and its players lost five strength and five agility points; Bi Fang admitted he had only guessed that surrender would avoid penalties.
• The Zhao State District became the defending champion and awaited the second-place district’s challenge to determine the final winner.

After the Shura Path District was eliminated, Zhao State’s players celebrated the tournament’s winner-takes-all rewards while Zhang Shendao explained the challenges of advancing through the martial ranks. Yang Ling described his immense health and how Fifth Rank cultivation changed a person, before the finals began against the Abyssal Beast Cavern District.

• Zhao State’s players celebrated the prospect of winning rewards for their district, and Zhang Shendao discussed how the bonuses could strengthen its players.
• Zhang Shendao explained that reaching Fifth Rank and breaking through to Fourth Rank required surviving deadly trials and overcoming difficult obstacles.
• Yang Ling told the players that he had over fifteen thousand health-bar segments and explained that advanced players were no longer entirely ordinary humans.
• Zhang Wei considered his chances of reaching the tournament’s top ten and earning a large attribute reward.
• The tournament announced the final match: Zhao State District versus Abyssal Beast Cavern District.

Yang Ling and the Zhao State players learned that the Abyssal Beast Cavern was likely a hidden starting district as arenas for the eliminated districts appeared to watch the final. The Northern Yuan Demon Cavern’s few, frightened survivors asked the other players for help, but no one knew where their district was.

• Yang Ling suggested that the Abyssal Beast Cavern was a hidden starting location with very few players.
• The Rong Tribe and Great Dream Dynasty arenas descended, and Yang Ling spotted Zhang Shuzhou, Ji Nian, and a powerful group of possible mercenaries among the Rong Tribe players.
• Arenas for the eliminated districts appeared one after another, bringing the total number of districts to twenty-seven.
• The Zhao State players noticed that the Northern Yuan Demon Cavern had only a few hundred spectators and that its strongest player was just level 38.
• A Star Sea Fishing Alliance player explained that Demon Sects preyed on the Northern Yuan Demon Cavern’s people, and its Rank One pleaded for powerful players to save them.

Yang Ling learned that Pan Yuan and the players of the Northern Yuan Demon Cavern were trapped in a brutal district where demonic sects captured and refined players into pills. Wu Duo of the well-equipped Abyssal Beast Cavern then demanded control of Yang Ling’s Grandmaster Project, insisting he deserved to lead it.

• Players from the various districts admitted they had never heard of the Northern Yuan Demon Cavern, and Pan Yuan accepted Yang Ling’s friend request so he could explain its situation.
• Pan Yuan told Yang Ling that the Mystic Extreme Demon Sect had captured him and that nearly a thousand players had been taken away for pill refining; he begged the others to rescue the Northern Yuan Demon Cavern’s players.
• A platform carrying the Abyssal Beast Cavern’s players arrived, and Bi Xuan noticed that many of their top fighters were fifth-rank martial artists while even their spectators were strong.
• Wu Duo introduced himself as the Abyssal Beast Cavern’s Rank One, acknowledged Yang Ling’s reputation, and proposed that Yang Ling hand him control of the Grandmaster Project.
• Wu Duo declared that he deserved to lead the Grandmaster Project because he was half a step from the fourth rank, while Bi Xuan wondered how he would react after seeing Yang Ling’s health bar.

Wu Duo tried to take over the Grandmaster Project and persuaded Yang Ling to choose the Rank One showdown for Zhao State. The match began with both players’ health bars revealing a startling discrepancy, and Yang Ling accused Wu Duo of cheating.

• Wu Duo explained the Grandmaster Project and promised to share information from the Grandmaster Network with players who joined him.
• Rank one players from several districts challenged Wu Duo to explain the project, and he described his plan to unite players and coordinate their future advancement.
• Yang Ling sent Wu Duo a friend request as the district championship offered Zhao State the choice of a Rank One showdown with rewards for every player in the district.
• Yang Ling selected the Rank One showdown, leaving only himself and Wu Duo in the arena.
• Wu Duo’s displayed health bar suggested he had at least 100,000 health points despite his attribute panel showing just over 6,000, and Yang Ling asked whether he was cheating.

Wu Duo accused Yang Ling of cheating because of his enormous health bar, but Yang Ling quickly reduced Wu Duo to one health point twice and revealed himself to be a fourth-rank grandmaster. Wu Duo then explained that an Exclusive Instance had given him access to rare spiritual materials, shocking players across the districts.

• Wu Duo accused Yang Ling of cheating, and players from the other districts scrutinized Yang Ling’s health bar.
• A door-slab man from the Rong Tribe District concluded that Yang Ling and Wu Duo were exploiting loopholes and planned to ask Yang Ling about Luo Yu after the match.
• Wu Duo admitted that a skill let him conceal his health points and tried to bargain with Yang Ling for information.
• Yang Ling tapped Wu Duo twice, reducing his health to one point each time, and Wu Duo realized he was outmatched.
• Wu Duo asked if Yang Ling was fourth rank, and Yang Ling confirmed he was; Wu Duo then revealed that a Golden Treasure Chest had granted him an Exclusive Instance full of rare spiritual materials.