Chapter Summaries

Li Bufan defeated Zhang Yu and claimed the wager from Zhang Ze, who then tried to challenge him before Yang Kai intervened. Zhang Ze left after Yang Kai and Lin Gong backed Li Bufan, and the three friends parted after warning him about the Zhang Family and discussing the upcoming Prefectural Competition.

• Li Bufan defeated Zhang Yu decisively, and Zhang Yu acknowledged that Li Bufan had shown mercy before leaving the training grounds.
• Li Bufan demanded the wager, and Zhang Ze returned the Five-hundred-year Blood Ganoderma and the pill bottle.
• Zhang Ze challenged Li Bufan to spar, but Yang Kai arrived and offered to fight Zhang Ze instead.
• Lin Gong joined Yang Kai on the arena, and Li Bufan reassured them while keeping the details of his recent training trip private.
• Zhang Ze left after warning Li Bufan to prepare for the Prefectural Competition, and Yang Kai and Lin Gong cautioned Li Bufan about retaliation from the Zhang Family.
• Li Bufan thanked Yang Kai and Lin Gong, promised to surprise them at the Prefectural Competition, and parted ways with them.

Li Bufan trained with He Wanxing for several days, improving his martial techniques while cultivating with Great Qi and Blood Pills. With the Prefectural City tournament two days away, he went to thank Yun Niang and He Wanxing before returning to the martial hall.

• He Wanxing sparred with Li Bufan, pushing him to combine different martial techniques and deepen his understanding of the Stacking Waves Palm.
• Li Bufan refined a Great Qi and Blood Pill while cultivating with the Pine Crane Overflowing Qi Skill, then continued the same intense training routine for several days.
• After absorbing his third pill, Li Bufan saw that his Stacking Waves Palm had advanced to Minor Mastery and that he could reliably use three layers of Stacking Waves Force.
• Li Bufan realized the Prefectural City tournament was two days away, washed and changed, and went to Yun Niang's courtyard to pay his respects to her and He Wanxing.

Li Bufan thanked Yun Niang and He Wanxing before returning to Songhe Martial Arts School to prepare for the Prefectural Competition. After sparring with Yang Kai and learning the tournament arrangements, he reviewed his recent gains and began cultivating for the contest two days later.

• Li Bufan thanked Yun Niang and He Wanxing for their help, and Yun Niang urged him to repay them by performing well in the Prefectural Competition.
• Li Bufan returned to Songhe Martial Arts School and sparred with Yang Kai, demonstrating how he had combined techniques he learned and impressing the watching disciples.
• Li Bufan told Yang Kai and Lin Gong that he had trained at Tianxiang Tower under He Wanxing, then joined them for a meal and learned the competition schedule and rules.
• Li Bufan reviewed his improved martial skills, advancing qi and blood, and the Five Hundred Year Blood Ganoderma before cultivating through the night in preparation for the competition.

After recovering from intensive meditation, Li Bufan returned home to spend a peaceful evening with Li Ping'an and Doctor Liu before the Prefectural Competition. At dawn, he left for Songhe Martial Arts School, ready for the competition to begin.

• Li Bufan returned to the training grounds, practiced his techniques lightly to maintain his condition, and then went home.
• Li Ping'an demonstrated the Body Nourishment Fist he had learned at Lin Manor, and Li Bufan told him to focus on mastering it before attempting deeper cultivation methods.
• Doctor Liu came home, and the three went out to eat together and shared news about their lives.
• Li Bufan rested peacefully with his family and woke before dawn feeling refreshed.
• Li Bufan left for Songhe Martial Arts School as Yingtian Prefecture's annual Prefectural City competition was about to begin.

Lin Zhentian led the Songhe Martial Arts School’s disciples to the Prefectural Competition, where Lin Zhennan and Xiong Quan exchanged veiled barbs before the gathering entered the City Lord’s Mansion. The competitors arrived at the arena grounds, where a majestic voice welcomed the guests.

• Lin Zhentian rallied the Songhe Martial Arts School’s elite disciples and led them toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Lin Zhennan welcomed the Songhe disciples and pledged the Lin Family’s support, while Lin Gong reassured his father.
• Xiong Quan prodded Lin Zhennan about Lin Zhiyan’s injuries, and Lin Zhennan retaliated by mentioning Xiong Ba’s mishap.
• The City Lord’s Mansion Guard Commander announced the ceremony, and the guests entered the mansion and took in its five arenas.
• Lin Gong admired the competition grounds while Yang Kai responded calmly, then a majestic voice silenced the square and welcomed the guests.

City Lord Qin Pojun opened the 367th Yingtian Prefecture City Grand Competition, and the martial arts school masters competed to distribute the Admission Tickets. Li Bufan received ticket A-1 and headed toward the A arena for his first match.

• Qin Pojun declared the 367th Yingtian Prefecture City Grand Competition underway.
• Lin Zhentian, Xiong Ye, Zhao Kuo, and Wang Meng fought over the floating Admission Tickets, while smaller schools scrambled for the remaining slips.
• Lin Zhentian distributed tickets to the Songhe Martial Arts School disciples, giving Li Bufan A-1 and Yang Kai Yi-1.
• Yang Kai explained that the number-one tickets meant Li Bufan and he would fight first, and Lin Gong envied their draws.
• Qin Pojun ordered the ticket holders to take their assigned arenas, and Li Bufan walked toward the A arena to begin his first battle.

Li Bufan defeated Wang An in the A-Rank Arena with Tiger Crane Twin Forms, while Yang Kai also won his B-Rank match. After the first round eliminated nearly half the contestants, the victors rested at the City Lord's Mansion before the second round began that afternoon.

• Li Bufan overcame Wang An's Gale Fist Technique with agile Crane Form and defeated him with Tiger Crane United Heart, earning the A-Rank Arena victory.
• Yang Kai defeated a Jinmen Martial Arts School Core Disciple in three moves and exchanged relieved smiles with Li Bufan.
• Li Bufan and Yang Kai returned to the Songhe Martial Arts School's viewing stand, where Lin Gong praised their wins as the first round continued.
• City Lord Zhao Pojun announced that 256 contestants had advanced and scheduled the second round for three quarters past noon.
• Li Bufan, Yang Kai, and Lin Gong ate in a side hall, while Li Bufan studied potential opponents and prepared for the next round.

After the first round of the Prefectural Competition ended, Li Bufan and Yang Kai suspected that Thunderclap Martial Arts School’s Xiong Family disciples had used pills to inflate their strength. Li Bufan returned home, reflected on what he had learned, and went to sleep ready for the next day’s battles.

• Li Bufan watched the afternoon matches closely, studying the contestants’ techniques and use of force as the first round reduced 128 contestants to 64.
• City Lord Zhao Pojun ended the day’s competition, and Songhe Martial Arts School celebrated its strong results, with nearly all its Core Disciples advancing.
• Yang Kai and Lin Gong noticed that several Xiong Family disciples from Thunderclap Martial Arts School seemed powerful but fought awkwardly, and Li Bufan attributed this to their use of Blood Burning Barrier Breaking Pills.
• Li Bufan, Yang Kai, and Lin Gong discussed how the pills could boost strength while weakening the users’ foundations, then returned to Songhe Martial Arts School to rest.
• Li Bufan shared dinner with Doctor Liu and Li Ping'an, reviewed his insights from the day, and fell asleep while recovering his strength for tomorrow.

Yang Kai accepted the Fire Cloud Pendant after Zhang Ze and Zhang Yu apologized and asked for martial guidance, then trained with them and believed their reconciliation was sincere. As he began cultivating with the pendant that night, a sudden change erupted, leaving the trap’s effect unresolved.

• Zhang Ze and Zhang Yu visited Yang Kai late at night, apologized for their past conflicts, and asked him to guide their martial techniques.
• Zhang Ze offered Yang Kai a Fire Cloud Pendant, which Yang Kai accepted after sensing its useful fire-attributed energy.
• Yang Kai sparred with the brothers in turn and pointed out flaws in their Stone Splitting Palm and Stacking Waves Palm.
• Zhang Yu brought Yang Kai water, and Yang Kai drank it before the brothers left his courtyard.
• Yang Kai hung the pendant at his waist and began cultivating, but a sudden change occurred after his true qi completed a circuit.

Yang Kai survived a night of violent fire and cold energies by forcing them into a fragile balance, but the ordeal left him gravely injured. As the Prefectural Competition began, Yang Gang rushed him to Huichun Hall for treatment while Lin Zhentian ordered the others to keep the incident quiet.

• The Fire Cloud Pendant flooded Yang Kai with fire-aspected primal energy, and he chose to refine it with the Er Lang Carries Mountain Skill rather than try to stop it.
• The cold energy left behind by the Qi Condensation Realm Boa Constrictor awakened and collided with the fire energy, and Yang Kai guided both into a fragile balance that strengthened his Crimson Tiger Cultivation Body.
• Li Bufan and Lin Gong found Yang Kai barely conscious and scorched, and Li Bufan removed the Fire Cloud Pendant after Yang Kai whispered, "Jade... pendant..."
• Lin Zhentian recognized the pendant as Fire-aspected Spirit Gathering Jade, while Yang Gang denied giving it to Yang Kai.
• Lin Zhentian sent Yang Gang to take Yang Kai to Huichun Hall's main branch and ordered Yang Qi to attend the Prefectural Competition in Yang Gang's place.
• Lin Zhentian told Li Bufan and Lin Gong to keep Yang Kai's injury secret as they set off for the City Lord's Mansion.

Li Bufan advanced through the Prefectural Competition and faced Xiong Chi, whose unstable true qi gave him a major advantage early in their match. Li Bufan wore him down, defeated him with a lethal series of attacks, and left the arena as the Songhe Martial Arts School celebrated and Xiong Ye watched furiously.

• Li Bufan defeated Xiong Lie of the Thunderclap Martial Arts School with a Tiger Crane United Heart strike in the round of sixty-four.
• Most of the Songhe Martial Arts School's Core Disciples advanced to the top thirty-two, and Lin Gong narrowly won his match.
• Li Bufan faced Xiong Chi, who accused him of killing a Xiong Family member and attacked with true qi-enhanced techniques.
• Li Bufan evaded Xiong Chi's attacks until his unstable true qi weakened, then countered with the Tiger Crane Twin Forms Fist and Po Jun Saber Technique.
• Li Bufan struck Xiong Chi with a series of kicks and finished him with a devastating punch, leaving him unconscious and unable to continue.
• The referee declared Li Bufan the winner, the Songhe Martial Arts School cheered, and Xiong Ye watched with murderous intent.

Li Bufan and Lin Gong visited the unconscious Yang Kai and learned that his damaged meridians had cut off his path to martial arts. After hearing that a rare Pulse Mending Pill might repair them, they set out to investigate who had harmed him and how he obtained the Fire Cloud Jade Pendant.

• Li Bufan and Lin Gong left the martial arts tournament and hurried to Huichun Hall to visit Yang Kai.
• Yang Gang told them that Alchemist Sun had stabilized Yang Kai and strengthened his body, but the rampaging Vital Energy had damaged his meridians so badly that he could no longer condense true qi.
• Yang Gang explained that a rare third-grade Pulse Mending Pill might repair Yang Kai's meridians, but its ingredients were difficult to find.
• Li Bufan identified the Fire Cloud Jade Pendant as a crucial clue and urged them to find out how Yang Kai had obtained it.
• Lin Gong returned to the martial arts school to investigate Yang Kai's contacts, while Li Bufan went to Tianxiang Tower to gather information.

Li Bufan went to Tianxiang Tower to seek Yun Niang, but a powerful woman in red abducted him and restrained him in a private room. She recognized his performance at the Prefectural Competition and demanded that he guess who she was, leaving him struggling against her tightening sleeve.

• Li Bufan arrived at Tianxiang Tower and asked Xiao Cui to announce him to Yun Niang.
• A mysterious woman in red intercepted Li Bufan, wrapped him in her sleeve, and carried him to a lavish private room.
• The woman teased Li Bufan about his performance at the Prefectural Competition and forced him into an intimate embrace under threat of killing intent.
• The woman tightened her sleeve around Li Bufan and recognized his Iron Wall Skill as he resisted her restraint.
• Li Bufan considered the woman's appearance, strength, and connection to Yun Niang, and a name flashed through his mind.

Lie Jiaoyang tried to force Li Bufan to join her and attacked him when he refused, but Yun Niang intervened and rescued him. After Yun Niang warned Lie Jiaoyang to leave Li Bufan alone, she took him away, while Lie Jiaoyang realized he was Yun Niang’s weakness.

• Lie Jiaoyang bound Li Bufan with her red sleeve, praised his abilities, and urged him to abandon Yun Niang and join her.
• Li Bufan pretended to agree to escape the crushing sleeve, then refused Lie Jiaoyang’s offer and asked to leave.
• Lie Jiaoyang sent her red sleeve toward Li Bufan’s heart, but Yun Niang blocked the attack with icy blue light and flung the sleeve into the wall.
• Yun Niang took Li Bufan away and threatened to fight Lie Jiaoyang to the death if she harmed him again.
• Lie Jiaoyang repaired her dress and concluded that Li Bufan was Yun Niang’s weakness.

Li Bufan and Yun Niang uncovered Lie Jiaoyang's connection to the plot that left Yang Kai with damaged meridians, and Yun Niang explained that a Pulse Mending Pill was most likely to be found in sect territory. Li Bufan resolved to enter Songhe Gate and find the pill, then returned to prepare for the next day's battle in the Prefectural Competition.

• Yun Niang rescued Li Bufan from Lie Jiaoyang and accompanied him to Huichun Hall to inspect the Fire Cloud Pendant.
• Yun Niang detected Lie Jiaoyang's aura on the pendant, and Li Bufan connected her to the Zhang Family and Xiong Family's attempt to eliminate Yang Kai.
• Lin Gong reported that Zhang Ze and Zhang Yu had been seen near Yang Kai's courtyard, while Yang Gang learned they were staying at the City Lord's Mansion.
• Yun Niang told Li Bufan that a Pulse Mending Pill was more likely to be found in sect territory, and Li Bufan vowed to obtain one for Yang Kai.
• Yun Niang warned Li Bufan to watch for the Zhang Family's and Xiong Family's schemes and urged him to prepare for the next day's battle.
• Li Bufan returned to his courtyard, swallowed a Great Qi and Blood Pill, and practiced the Pine Crane Overflowing Qi Skill to recover.

Li Bufan defeated two opponents and then brutally beat Zhang Yu in their semifinal match, stopping only when the referee intervened. Lin Zhentian confronted Zhang Zhen and Zhang Yue over the Zhang Family’s betrayal and demanded that they leave the Songhe Martial Arts School, while Li Bufan vowed to continue taking revenge for Yang Kai.

• Li Bufan defeated Wang Yuan with a swift strike and then beat a Jinmen Martial Arts School disciple using steady Tiger Roar Fist techniques.
• Li Bufan drew Zhang Yu as his semifinal opponent and launched a ruthless attack, preventing Zhang Yu from surrendering and leaving him unconscious and badly injured.
• The referee stopped Li Bufan before he could deliver a potentially fatal blow and declared Zhang Yu defeated.
• Zhang Yue and Zhang Zhen accused Li Bufan of viciously attacking a fellow disciple, but Lin Zhentian defended him and ordered the Zhang Family to surrender its shares and withdraw from the school.
• Li Bufan sat apart from the others and told Lin Gong that Zhang Yu deserved his punishment, while privately vowing to pursue everyone who had harmed Yang Kai.

Li Bufan defeated Wang Hao in the A-Rank Arena finals, first outmatching him in a fistfight and then disarming him during their saber duel. Li Bufan won first place and advanced to the semifinals, which he regarded as the real challenge ahead.

• Li Bufan and Wang Hao agreed to compare their fists and kicks without using weapons.
• Wang Hao’s rapid gale fist technique pressured Li Bufan, but Li Bufan’s Tiger Crane Twin Forms Fist improved during the fight and let him seize the advantage.
• Li Bufan struck Wang Hao’s arms with a combined attack, forcing him to concede that his fists were inferior and draw his saber.
• Wang Hao unleashed his Wind Breaking Saber Technique, and Li Bufan caught a descending strike before counterattacking and knocking the saber from his hand.
• Li Bufan caught Wang Hao’s falling saber and held it to his shoulder, prompting Wang Hao to admit defeat and praise him.
• The referee declared Li Bufan the A-Rank Arena winner, and Li Bufan left the arena thinking ahead to the semifinals.

After winning the A-Rank Arena, Li Bufan stayed at the City Lord’s Mansion to prepare for his semifinal against Xiong Ju. Wang Hao arrived at night, and the two saber wielders began a quiet exchange of techniques in the courtyard.

• Lin Zhentian praised Li Bufan’s victory, urged him to focus on the semifinal, and arranged guards for Yang Kai at Huichun Hall.
• Lin Zhentian warned Li Bufan that the Zhang and Xiong Families might retaliate and sent him to stay at the City Lord’s Mansion overnight.
• Li Bufan considered the threat posed by Xiong Ju, then circulated the Pine Crane Overflowing Qi Skill to prepare for their battle.
• Wang Hao visited Li Bufan and asked to spar using only saber techniques and physical strength.
• Li Bufan accepted Wang Hao’s challenge, and the two drew their sabers in the moonlit courtyard.

Li Bufan and Wang Hao sparred with their saber techniques, and the clash greatly advanced Li Bufan’s Po Jun Saber Technique. After Wang Hao praised his progress and urged him to fight seriously the next day, Li Bufan prepared to face Xiong Ju.

• Wang Hao and Li Bufan began with the Basic Saber Technique and fought to an even match.
• Wang Hao demonstrated the Wind Breaking Saber Technique while Li Bufan answered with the five forms of the Po Jun Saber Technique.
• Li Bufan entered a focused state during their extended spar, raising his Po Jun Saber Technique proficiency to 5210.
• Wang Hao praised Li Bufan’s comprehension and urged him to give everything in the battle the next day.
• After Wang Hao left, Li Bufan reflected on his gains, resolved to face Xiong Ju, and began regulating his breathing.

Li Bufan faced Xiong Ju in the first semifinal of the Prefectural Competition, and their feud escalated into a fight to the death. The match began with both men moving to attack.

• Li Bufan took the cold-iron saber Wang Hao had given him and arrived at the competition arena.
• The steward announced Li Bufan, Zhao Zhiqing, Zhao Zhichen, and Xiong Ju as the four semifinalists.
• Li Bufan and Xiong Ju were paired for the first semifinal, where Xiong Ju demanded that Li Bufan submit to the Xiong Family.
• Li Bufan refused, and both contestants agreed to sign a life-and-death waiver.
• The referee declared the match a fight to the death, and Li Bufan and Xiong Ju moved as the bout began.