Chapter Summaries

Li Bufan and the others received punishments after the arena incident, and Li Bufan was sent to Forbidden Peak at Punishment Peak. There, he discovered that his physical strength and divine sense remained usable despite the restrictions, and he began to wonder what cultivation opportunity Senior Tian Ying had anticipated.

• Elder Ling sentenced Zhou Huofeng and Li Bufan to one year at Punishment Peak, gave the incited Inner Disciples three months, and confined Zhou Huoyun for three months while docking his stipend for a year.
• Li Bufan thanked Azure Lotus Fairy for helping him, and she revealed that Senior Tian Ying had sent her and instructed him to cultivate properly at Punishment Peak.
• Azure Lotus Fairy told Wang Mingxuan and Zheng Haonan that Senior Tian Ying had ordered them to cultivate at Formation Peak.
• Elder Ling brought Li Bufan and the Inner Disciples to Forbidden Peak, explained its suppressive conditions and labor, and issued them gravity wristbands.
• Li Bufan found that Forbidden Peak suppressed his true qi but left much of his physical strength and divine sense intact, then wondered what Senior Tian Ying expected him to discover there.
• Two Punishment Peak disciples assigned the newcomers tasks, and Li Bufan was told to gather ore.

Li Bufan endured his first day of forced mining at Forbidden Peak, where he discovered how to mine Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stone efficiently despite his sealed cultivation. He reflected on the hardships as potential training, then watched a violent storm begin, suggesting harsher trials lay ahead.

• The mine overseer singled out Li Bufan, gave him a quota of five hundred jin, and ordered him to work despite the difficulty.
• Li Bufan learned how hard Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stone was to mine and saw the overseer order an unconscious worker thrown outside for the night.
• Li Bufan used his suppressed divine sense to find the ore veins and mined several times faster by striking along them.
• The overseer noticed Li Bufan's pile of ore, told him to stop for the day, and Li Bufan returned to the crowded stone cave.
• Li Bufan considered the mine's hardships a chance to improve his physical strength and divine sense before thunder, wind, and torrential rain struck Forbidden Peak.

Li Bufan defeated the prisoners who tried to bully him on Forbidden Peak and spent the night considering what he was meant to cultivate there. The next morning, the overseer revealed that Li Bufan had challenged a True Disciple and beaten an Enforcement Hall disciple, shocking the other prisoners.

• A group of prisoners tried to assault Li Bufan, but he used Five Animal Frolics to beat them and warned them to leave him alone.
• Li Bufan spent the night practicing the Hibernating Dragon Sleeping Pill Skill and wondering what Wen Shijie had meant by telling him to cultivate on Punishment Peak.
• The overseer ordered the prisoners to meet their work quota, and Li Bufan followed them toward the mine.
• The overseer told Li Bufan that he had heard about Li Bufan confronting a True Disciple and beating an Enforcement Hall disciple, drawing astonished looks from the prisoners.

Li Bufan mined seven hundred jin of Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stones, provoking the other miners, and Supervisor Huang imposed a harsher order on him after receiving a message from outside. Li Bufan was left to wait outside the cave for the night, while the reason everyone feared the darkness remained unclear.

• Li Bufan used his Spirit Sense to mine seven hundred jin of Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stones in three hours, badly blistering his hands.
• Supervisor Huang praised Li Bufan's output, ordered all the miners to remain outside, and then allowed them a short rest before returning to work.
• The miners blamed Li Bufan and attacked him, but he blocked their mining picks until Supervisor Huang returned and drove them away.
• Supervisor Huang told Li Bufan that someone from outside had ordered him to mine one thousand jin each day and stay outside after work.
• Li Bufan sat outside the caves and circulated the Constant Stillness One Scripture as night approached.

Li Bufan endured the violent wind, rain, thunder, and earthfire on Forbidden Peak while searching for the rhythm Senior Tian Ying wanted him to cultivate. He sensed a shared rhythm in the wind and rain but found no insight in the fire before the ordeal ended.

• Supervisor Huang summoned everyone from their caves into the clearing as night fell.
• Li Bufan endured the gale and steel-like rain, sensing that both held a faint, related rhythm.
• Thunder and lightning struck, igniting earthfire while the wind and rain continued to batter the crowd.
• Li Bufan ran into the flames and used the Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art to resist their heat as he tried to sense their rhythm.
• After the wind, rain, thunder, and fire ceased, Li Bufan found no insight in the flames and collapsed to the ground.

After half a month of mining and enduring Forbidden Peak’s storms, Li Bufan comprehended the True Meaning of Wind and began using it to mine more efficiently. Supervisor Huang later confronted him over a secret report of slacking, but Li Bufan’s full basket disproved the accusation, and Huang called Wang Shan forward.

• Li Bufan spent half a month mining by day and enduring the storms at night, gradually sensing the rhythm of the wind.
• During a storm, Li Bufan reflected on wind and his past experiences until he comprehended the True Meaning of Wind.
• Li Bufan used a faint breeze to guide his pickaxe and mined his thousand catties of ore in three hours.
• Supervisor Huang questioned Li Bufan about reports that he was slacking, but Li Bufan offered his full basket as proof of his work.
• Supervisor Huang confirmed the basket was full, then called Wang Shan out from the crowd.

Li Bufan discovered that his True Meaning of Wind let him absorb Vital Energy from the gale at Forbidden Peak, restoring and strengthening his body as he trained through the storm. After making progress overnight, he considered how to comprehend the True Meaning of Water and settled on studying the Surging Waves Palm.

• Supervisor Huang punished the miners after Wang Shan tried to use him against Li Bufan, then ordered Li Bufan to mine fifteen hundred jin each day.
• Li Bufan went outside to face the gale and found that his True Meaning of Wind allowed him to absorb Vital Energy hidden within it.
• Li Bufan's Five Elements Heaven Skill and Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art circulated as the Vital Energy healed his wounds and replenished his strength.
• Li Bufan trained through the wind and rain overnight, improving his True Meaning of Wind and both cultivation arts.
• Li Bufan saw the water-and-fire patterns on his skin and decided to use the Surging Waves Palm to pursue the True Meaning of Water.

While mining in the storm, Li Bufan used the Surging Waves Palm and the True Meaning of Wind to work more efficiently, then comprehended water’s fierce nature and perfected the palm technique. He entered the gate of the True Meaning of Water and continued absorbing Vital Energy from the rain.

• Li Bufan combined five layers of stacking force with the True Meaning of Wind to mine large chunks of ore, then broke them up and mixed them with ordinary ore.
• For half a month, Li Bufan practiced the Surging Waves Palm in wind and rain while studying the nature of water.
• Li Bufan realized water could be fierce as well as soft and successfully unleashed all eighteen layers of stacking force.
• Li Bufan combined the eighteen layers into one palm strike, scattering the wind and rain around him and bringing the Surging Waves Palm to Perfection.
• Li Bufan entered the gate of the True Meaning of Water and spent the night absorbing Vital Energy from the rain alongside the True Meaning of Wind.

Li Bufan learned that the Sentence Reduction Competition would begin in a month and questioned Wang Shan about its rules. After hearing that participation required meeting the daily quota and a supervisor’s recommendation, Li Bufan asked what prisoners used to curry favor with supervisors.

• Li Bufan noticed that gaining the True Meaning of Water had changed how his Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art felt and made the water pattern on his chest glow faintly.
• Supervisor Huang announced that the annual Sentence Reduction Competition would begin in a month, prompting the prisoners to cheer.
• Li Bufan approached Wang Shan, who panicked and begged for mercy, and asked him to explain the competition.
• Wang Shan explained that prisoners needed to meet their daily work quotas for a month and receive a supervisor’s recommendation to qualify.
• Wang Shan said the competition’s work was so demanding that one prisoner had worked himself to death, but suggested Li Bufan might manage it.
• Li Bufan thanked Wang Shan and asked what prisoners usually offered supervisors to gain their favor.

Li Bufan learned from Wang Shan that Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stone's Stone Marrow could win favor with the overseer, then went to meet Ma Dali, one of the miners believed to possess it. After Li Bufan proved his strength and secured a private conversation, Ma Dali agreed to talk.

• Wang Shan told Li Bufan about the valuable Stone Marrow and identified miners who might have obtained it by following the overseer.
• Li Bufan mined enough ore for both of them in a short time, impressing Wang Shan, who led him through the tunnels.
• Wang Shan introduced Ma Dali as a miner serving three years at Punishment Peak for stealing a treasure from Flame Peak.
• Ma Dali initially ignored Li Bufan's request, but Li Bufan stopped his mining pick and showed that he could match Ma Dali's formidable strength.
• Ma Dali agreed to speak with Li Bufan privately, and Wang Shan withdrew.

Li Bufan sought Stone Marrow from Ma Dali and revealed that he had comprehended the True Meaning of Wind. After Ma Dali nearly killed him, Li Bufan offered to help him comprehend True Meaning and began investigating why Ma Dali had not succeeded.

• Li Bufan asked Ma Dali for Stone Marrow and admitted he had comprehended the True Meaning of Wind after Ma Dali demanded to know how he had gained it.
• Ma Dali offered the Stone Marrow in exchange for an explanation, but Li Bufan could not explain how he had comprehended True Meaning.
• When Li Bufan tried to stop Ma Dali from leaving, he discovered Ma Dali had True Qi and a Storage Bag, and Ma Dali attacked him with a sword.
• Li Bufan stopped Ma Dali's next strike by claiming he knew how to help him comprehend the True Meaning of Wind.
• Li Bufan asked whether Ma Dali had come to Forbidden Peak to cultivate True Meaning and suggested his unsealed True Qi, divine sense, and body might be preventing him from sensing the rhythm of Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire.

Li Bufan traded the Stone Marrow from a Golden Vein Lock Pulse Stone to Ma Dali and secured Supervisor Huang’s promise to recommend him for the Sentence Reduction Competition if he mined one hundred thousand jin of stone. He began working toward the quota and had mined nearly ten thousand jin by evening when someone ordered him to come along.

• Li Bufan persuaded Ma Dali to hand over the Stone Marrow, promising to help him comprehend cultivation, and Ma Dali arranged to visit that night.
• Li Bufan returned from the mine and asked Wang Shan where Supervisor Huang was, then carried his ore and the Stone Marrow to the supervisor’s resting room.
• Li Bufan offered Supervisor Huang the Stone Marrow and asked for a chance to enter the Sentence Reduction Competition.
• Supervisor Huang agreed to recommend Li Bufan if he mined one hundred thousand jin of stone by three days before the competition, and Li Bufan accepted the condition.
• Li Bufan used the True Meaning of Wind and the True Meaning of Water to mine nearly ten thousand jin of stone before a voice behind him told him to come along.

Li Bufan demonstrated his wind and water techniques to Ma Dali, then completed his mining quota and continued cultivating at Forbidden Peak. He began pursuing the True Meaning of Thunder by rising into the storm, leaving himself hovering in the air beneath the thunderclouds.

• Li Bufan absorbed the gale’s Vital Energy and used the Dragon Roaming Steps before Ma Dali asked him to demonstrate his Surging Waves Palm.
• Li Bufan unleashed a palm strike that scattered the wind and rain, and Ma Dali said he would try the method Li Bufan had mentioned before disappearing into the storm.
• After seven days of mining and nightly cultivation, Li Bufan completed his one hundred thousand jin quota and continued improving his True Meanings of Wind and Water.
• Li Bufan decided to pursue the True Meaning of Thunder and practiced the Thunderclap Saber Technique with his mining pick.
• Li Bufan used the Dragon Roaming Steps and Vital Energy of heaven and earth to rise several dozen meters into the air toward the thunderclouds.

Li Bufan endured repeated lightning strikes on Forbidden Peak to comprehend lightning’s rhythm and master the True Meaning of Thunder, then focused on consolidating his wind, water, and lightning insights before the Sentence Reduction Competition. Three days before the competition, he delivered the required ore, and Supervisor Huang stopped him to explain the event’s details.

• Li Bufan drew heavenly lightning into his body and used his divine sense to study its rhythm while recovering with the Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art.
• After half a month of nightly lightning cultivation, Li Bufan’s Thunderclap Saber Technique reached Great Mastery and he initiated the True Meaning of Thunder.
• Li Bufan struck a boulder with a move he named Heavenly Thunder Break, shattering it with power resembling heavenly lightning.
• Li Bufan decided to deepen his wind, water, and lightning insights rather than pursue the Fire True Meaning, and spent the final days training and consolidating his abilities.
• Three days before the Sentence Reduction Competition, Li Bufan submitted one hundred thousand jin of ore, and Supervisor Huang stopped him to explain the competition.

Supervisor Huang secretly explained the three trials of the Sentence Reduction Competition to Li Bufan and warned him about their dangers. Li Bufan accepted the challenge, then returned to the mine pit with the information kept secret.

• Supervisor Huang told Li Bufan that the first trial would use the Heart-Questioning Formation to test whether he sincerely repented.
• Supervisor Huang explained that the second trial, the Karma Severing Platform, would test Li Bufan's endurance and will as he crossed a path of lightning and earthfire.
• Li Bufan said he would not retreat and asked about the third trial, so Supervisor Huang revealed that it would require mining unfamiliar ore under a time limit.
• Supervisor Huang explained that the trials tested awareness, endurance, and labor skills, and that Li Bufan's five-thousand-jin daily quota had prepared him for the competition.
• Supervisor Huang warned Li Bufan not to reveal their conversation, and Li Bufan agreed before returning to the mine pit.

Li Bufan fought Ma Dali, who revealed that he was Gu Moxie and sought to team up for the Sentence Reduction Competition. After agreeing to keep each other’s secrets, Li Bufan prepared to rely on his three True Meanings when the competition began in three days.

• Ma Dali challenged Li Bufan to test whether he had comprehended more than one True Meaning, and Li Bufan revealed his command of Wind and Water during their fight.
• Ma Dali said he wanted to join forces with Li Bufan for the Sentence Reduction Competition and revealed that even his cultivation would be sealed there.
• Ma Dali disclosed that he had proposed the competition’s prohibition rules and revealed his real name as Gu Moxie.
• Gu Moxie showed Li Bufan his true appearance, asked him to keep his identity secret, and agreed to keep Li Bufan’s True Meanings secret in return.
• After Gu Moxie left, Li Bufan considered the danger of their alliance and focused on cultivating his Wind, Water, and Lightning True Meanings before the competition in three days.

Supervisor Huang announced Li Bufan and Ma Dali as participants in the Sentence Reduction Competition after they each mined one hundred thousand jin of ore. He brought them with the other mining-area nominees to the Heart-Questioning Formation, where an old man appeared and ordered everyone to enter.

• Supervisor Huang introduced Li Bufan and Ma Dali as this year's competition participants and urged the other prisoners to work toward earning future recommendations.
• Supervisor Huang led Li Bufan and Ma Dali to meet the supervisors and nominees from the other mining areas.
• Nine supervisors and ten prisoners activated their command tokens and traveled to the Heart-Questioning Formation before Punishment Peak.
• Li Bufan recognized the formation and recalled how Zhou Huoyun's scheme had once led to his group being sent to Forbidden Peak.
• A voice from the Stone Hall ordered everyone to enter the formation, and a white-haired old man appeared at its entrance.

Li Bufan passed the Heart-Questioning Formation by feigning sincere repentance, while a prisoner who failed suffered a devastating backlash. After learning that the next trial would take place at the Karma Severing Platform, Li Bufan prepared to rely on his True Meanings of Wind and Water.

• The black-robed elder explained the Heart-Questioning Formation and sent the prisoners into the Stone Hall.
• Ma Dali advised Li Bufan to empty his mind, and Li Bufan passed the formation by answering its questions with convincing repentance.
• A burly prisoner failed the formation, emerged bleeding and delirious, then collapsed and stopped moving.
• The black-robed elder announced that forty-three prisoners had passed and scheduled the Karma Severing Platform trial for the next morning.
• Supervisor Huang praised Li Bufan for passing and warned that the next trial would be the real challenge.
• Li Bufan began cultivating in a secluded corner and considered how the platform's earthfire and heavenly lightning suited him.

Li Bufan and Ma Dali entered the Karma Severing Platform, a perilous stone path beset by earthfire and lightning, and combined their abilities to advance quickly. When heavenly lightning attacked them, Ma Dali deflected the bolt, but a phantom strike appeared inside Li Bufan's Spirit Sea.

• The black-robed elder opened the Karma Severing Platform, and Li Bufan and Ma Dali entered with the other prisoners.
• Li Bufan emerged on a stone path over fiery abysses, where earthfire and lightning injured prisoners who tried to cross.
• Li Bufan used the True Meaning of Water to shield himself from the path's heat, and he and Ma Dali began walking together.
• Li Bufan expanded his water barrier to protect Ma Dali, then used the True Meaning of Wind to propel them forward at high speed.
• Ma Dali used the True Meaning of Thunder to divert a lightning bolt, while a phantom bolt struck toward Li Bufan's soul inside his Spirit Sea.

Li Bufan and Ma Dali joined forces to break through the thunderfire curtain blocking the stone path. After recovering, they headed toward the radiant buildings ahead, each newly wary of the other's hidden abilities.

• Li Bufan used his True Meaning of Thunder to dispel a phantom bolt of heavenly lightning as he and Ma Dali advanced along the stone path.
• They reached a curtain of thunderfire, where Ma Dali's strength was nearly spent and Li Bufan noticed a weak point where the lightning and flames intertwined.
• Li Bufan lifted them with the True Meaning of Wind, and he and Ma Dali coordinated attacks with their True Meanings of Thunder and Fire to tear open the curtain.
• Li Bufan propelled them through the opening, and the two collapsed on the far side before recovering and acknowledging each other's abilities.
• Li Bufan and Ma Dali walked toward the light and buildings at the end of the path.