Chapter Summaries

Li Bufan practiced Xie Qisha’s five saber moves and used the saber intent in the ring trapping him to deepen his understanding of the Water and Wood True Meanings. After days of repeated practice, he struck the ring with two moves in succession and finally opened a tiny crack.

• Li Bufan studied the Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth qualities of Xie Qisha’s remaining saber moves, finding he could only truly use Chaos of Rivers and Mountains and Protect the King and Escort.
• Li Bufan entered the ring’s saber intent and improved Chaos of Rivers and Mountains by aligning it with the True Meaning of Water.
• Li Bufan practiced Protect the King and Escort, seeking to balance its speed and steadiness through the True Meaning of Wood.
• Li Bufan spent days alternating between the two moves as the saber-intent ring began to tremble more noticeably.
• Li Bufan struck the same point with Chaos of Rivers and Mountains and Protect the King and Escort, making the ring shake and form a tiny crack.

Li Bufan spent two months comprehending the five moves of the Greedy Wolf Saber Technique and the Five Elements True Meaning, finally breaking Xie Qisha’s ring and absorbing its saber intent. He reached the technique’s beginner stage and prepared to descend the mountain.

• Li Bufan studied the Fire, Metal, and Earth true meanings in the ring’s saber intents and incorporated them into the five saber moves.
• Li Bufan completed the Fire True Meaning and used Looking Northwest to widen the crack in the ring.
• Li Bufan completed the True Meaning of Metal and the True Meaning of Earth, striking the crack with Kill Break Wolf and Pacify the Nine Provinces until the ring shattered.
• Li Bufan absorbed the ring’s saber intent, comprehended all five elements, and saw the Greedy Wolf Saber Technique reach Beginner (4899/5000).
• Li Bufan demonstrated all five saber moves in a continuous cycle and decided it was time to descend the mountain.

After comprehending all five forms of the Greedy Wolf Saber Technique, Li Bufan began winning bouts at Hundred Battles Peak. Zhou Huoyun responded by rallying Songhe Gate disciples to challenge him, and Li Bufan returned to find the peak’s atmosphere changed.

• Xie Qisha watched Li Bufan break the ring after reaching the introductory level in all five forms of the Greedy Wolf Saber Technique.
• Li Bufan registered at Hundred Battles Peak and won ten bouts each day for three days using his hand as a saber.
• Zhou Huoyun learned that Li Bufan had been released from Forbidden Peak after earning a sentence reduction.
• Zhou Huoyun ordered inner disciples across Songhe Gate to challenge Li Bufan, promising to personally vouch for whoever defeated him.
• Li Bufan returned to Hundred Battles Peak on the fourth day and sensed that something was wrong.

Li Bufan faced a revolving series of challengers at Hundred Battles Peak and won thirteen consecutive matches despite his exhaustion, including nine against Qi Sea Realm opponents. After no one else dared challenge him, Zhou Huoyun heard the report and vowed to see how long Li Bufan could keep going.

• Li Bufan arrived at Hundred Battles Peak and noticed the unusually large crowd waiting to challenge him.
• Li Bufan defeated ten opponents in succession, including several Qi Sea Realm disciples, but each battle left him more exhausted.
• Li Bufan defeated an eleventh opponent after two hundred moves, then beat a sinister challenger with Kill Break Wolf to claim twelve straight victories.
• Li Bufan used Pacify the Nine Provinces to defeat a huge opponent and win his thirteenth consecutive match, after which no one else stepped forward.
• Zhou Huoyun learned of Li Bufan's thirteen victories and said he wanted to see how long Li Bufan could hold out.

After enduring thirteen consecutive battles, Li Bufan recognized that his limited true qi left him vulnerable to attrition and focused on breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm. By understanding how the five elements generated one another, he formed a Five-Colored Ring and achieved the breakthrough, then set his sights on becoming the inner sect’s number one disciple and confronting Zhou Huoyun.

• After returning to Blade Peak exhausted from thirteen battles, Li Bufan realized the Greedy Wolf Saber Technique consumed too much true qi and resolved to break through to the Qi Sea Realm.
• Li Bufan cultivated the Five Elements Heaven Skill until his Dantian Realm reached its nine-zhang limit, but he could not find the opportunity to advance.
• After his true qi went astray and he spat blood, Li Bufan understood that the five elements generated one another and fused their True Meanings into his cultivation.
• Li Bufan circulated the five elements in sequence, expanded his dantian to nine zhang nine, and formed a Five-Colored Ring at its center.
• Li Bufan reached the Qi Sea Realm, discovered his true qi had grown denser and more powerful, and demonstrated the strength of Chaos of Rivers and Mountains.
• Li Bufan resolved to pursue the position of number one inner sect disciple and warned Zhou Huoyun to wait.

After seven days in seclusion, Li Bufan broke through to the Qi Sea Realm and went to Hundred Battles Peak, where Zhou Huoyun’s rumors had turned the disciples against him. He faced Lin Yun in a duel, and their battle began with Lin Yun’s sword strike and Li Bufan’s Surging Waves Palm.

• Li Bufan spent seven days cultivating in his thatched cottage and broke through to the Qi Sea Realm.
• While Li Bufan remained in seclusion, Zhou Huoyun spread rumors that he was a coward and had won his earlier fights through luck.
• Zhou Huoyun learned that Lin Yun was ready to challenge Li Bufan as soon as he appeared.
• Li Bufan arrived at Hundred Battles Peak, where the crowd mocked him and Lin Yun stepped forward to fight.
• Lin Yun attacked with a swift sword thrust, and Li Bufan evaded it before striking back with Surging Waves Palm.

Li Bufan and Lin Yun fought a fierce duel after Lin Yun wounded Li Bufan with a swift sword strike. Their final clash ended with Li Bufan combining five True Meanings to shatter Lin Yun’s attack and claim victory.

• Lin Yun wounded Li Bufan with Startling Cloud Sword, White Steed Passing a Crevice, and Li Bufan revealed his Qi Sea Realm strength with Nine Yang Body Protection.
• Li Bufan and Lin Yun exchanged powerful saber and sword techniques, trading blows as wind, clouds, and drizzle gathered over the arena.
• The two agreed to decide the match with one final move, and Lin Yun unleashed Rising Sun while Li Bufan answered with Looking Northwest.
• Lin Yun fused the True Meanings of wind and fire to strengthen his attack, but Li Bufan countered with five saber moves embodying the Five Elements.
• Li Bufan’s five-colored saber light shattered Lin Yun’s blazing sun, heavily injured him, and secured Lin Yun’s concession.

After Li Bufan defeated Lin Yun, Gu Zhenyue challenged him but refused to exploit his weakened state and proposed an arm-wrestling contest instead. Gu demonstrated his immense strength by lifting a huge boulder and smoothing its surface, then clasped hands with Li to begin.

• Li Bufan ended his fight with Lin Yun and prepared to leave the arena, having silenced the rumors about him.
• Gu Zhenyue, Body Peak's number one inner disciple, stepped forward and asked to exchange moves with Li Bufan.
• Gu Zhenyue suggested arm wrestling because Li Bufan had already fought, and Li agreed.
• Gu Zhenyue lifted a massive boulder onto the arena and smoothed its surface with his bare palm.
• Gu Zhenyue and Li Bufan crouched at opposite sides of the boulder and clasped right hands.

Li Bufan and Gu Zhenyue battled in an arm-wrestling match that tested their cultivation arts, martial skills, and true meanings. Li Bufan broke through to the ninth level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art and defeated Gu Zhenyue with a sudden reversal, leaving the watching disciples stunned.

• Li Bufan and Gu Zhenyue locked hands and tested their strength while carefully containing their power.
• Gu Zhenyue activated his Earth Kun Sinking Mountain Body and True Meaning of Earth, pushing Li Bufan toward the stone surface.
• Under the pressure, Li Bufan comprehended the path to the ninth level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Wall Art and broke through.
• The two exchanged martial skills and true meanings, with Li Bufan countering Gu Zhenyue's attacks using Surging Waves Palm and his water and fire abilities.
• Gu Zhenyue used Dai Zong Ya Ding to gain the advantage, but Li Bufan withdrew his resistance and then unleashed his power, sending Gu Zhenyue spinning and shattering the arena.
• Gu Zhenyue conceded defeat, and the watching disciples were left astonished by Li Bufan.

Li Bufan’s victories over Lin Yun and Gu Zhenyue spread through Songhe Gate, forcing Zhou Huoyun to abandon his plans to challenge him. Back on Blade Peak, Li Bufan reflected on the battles and his Qi Sea Realm progress before considering which secondary profession to pursue for the Core Disciple assessment.

• News of Li Bufan’s victories over Lin Yun and Gu Zhenyue spread across Songhe Gate, and disciples at Hundred Battles Peak abandoned their plans to challenge him.
• Zhou Huoyun canceled his arrangements to send challengers after Li Bufan and decided to wait until he became a Core Disciple.
• Li Bufan returned to Blade Peak and reflected on what he had learned from Lin Yun’s swordsmanship and Gu Zhenyue’s strength.
• Li Bufan cultivated the Five Elements Heaven Skill, examined the growth of his true qi, and considered his path from the Qi Sea Realm to the Acupoint Realm.
• Li Bufan recognized that he needed a secondary profession for the Core Disciple assessment and took out his Blazing Sun Alchemy Furnace.

Li Bufan improved his Great Qi and Blood Pill refining by combining his strengthened divine sense with Fire True Meaning, which let him control Crimson Fire Flowing Paste more naturally and complete each batch much faster. After refining twelve batches, he finally felt his divine sense grow exhausted.

• Li Bufan refined twelve portions of herbs into nine Great Qi and Blood Pills, raising his formation rate to over seventy percent and improving the pills’ quality.
• Li Bufan infused Fire True Meaning into Crimson Fire Flowing Paste, causing the flames to surge violently before he sensed their living nature and learned to guide them with his will.
• Li Bufan used Fire True Meaning to refine another batch of nine Great Qi and Blood Pills in half the time, as the flames rapidly melted herbs and removed their impurities.
• Li Bufan refined batches of Great Qi and Blood Pills from afternoon until late at night, stopping after twelve consecutive batches when his divine sense became exhausted.

Li Bufan reached Great Mastery in the Constant Stillness One Scripture, expanding his spiritual sense and greatly improving his pill-refining ability. After refining hundreds of Great Qi and Blood Pills, he headed to Cloud Stream Market to trade them for silver and more ingredients.

• Li Bufan cultivated between pill-refining sessions for five days, advancing the Constant Stillness One Scripture to Great Mastery and expanding his senses to one hundred and fifty zhang.
• Li Bufan discovered that his Spirit Stab could damage stone, his Spirit Control could lift a stone from a hundred zhang away, and his spiritual secret arts had become more powerful.
• Li Bufan refined up to twenty-four portions of ingredients in one batch, producing eighteen Great Qi and Blood Pills in half an incense stick's time.
• Li Bufan refined all his remaining ingredients in one continuous effort and added hundreds of Great Qi and Blood Pills to his Storage Bag.
• Li Bufan decided to trade his pills for silver and medicinal ingredients, changed into clean clothes, and set off for Cloud Stream Market.

Li Bufan sold his Great Qi and Blood Pills at Cloud Stream Market, then gathered medicinal herbs in the Cloud Stream Mountain Range. After noticing and losing a mysterious follower, he decided to visit Yang Kai and Lin Gong at Ice Peak before returning to cultivation.

• Li Bufan hurried from Blade Peak to Cloud Stream Market using the Dragon Roaming Steps.
• At Hundred Herbs Garden, Li Bufan sold 612 Great Qi and Blood Pills for 39,780 taels of silver.
• Li Bufan sensed someone stalking him after he left the market, but the follower eventually disappeared.
• Li Bufan gathered tens of thousands of portions of medicinal herbs needed to refine Great Qi and Blood Pills.
• Li Bufan remembered Yang Kai and Lin Gong and headed toward Ice Peak to visit them.

Li Bufan traveled to Ice Peak to visit his old friends Lin Gong and Yang Kai, then reunited with them on Shaoyang Peak. He learned that they had both chosen to stay there because they had found sweethearts.

• Li Bufan reached Ice Peak and learned from two female disciples that Lin Gong and Yang Kai lived on Shaoyang Peak.
• The disciples confirmed the visit and sent word to Lin Gong and Yang Kai, who soon came out to meet Li Bufan.
• Li Bufan reunited warmly with Lin Gong and Yang Kai, and the three headed to Shaoyang Peak together.
• As they walked, Li Bufan noticed Yang Kai had reached the first level of the Dantian Realm and Lin Gong was close to opening his dantian.
• Lin Gong told Li Bufan that he and Yang Kai were staying on Shaoyang Peak because they had both found sweethearts there.

Li Bufan reunited with Yang Kai and Lin Gong at Songhe Gate, where their old friendship remained as warm as ever. They met Luo Xuexi and learned that Lin Gong’s beloved, Xueyao, was still confined to her quarters, then set off together for a meal.

• Li Bufan teased Lin Gong about his romantic interest, and Lin Gong admitted he had not yet won over Xueyao, a disciple of an Ice Peak elder.
• Lin Gong showed Li Bufan his courtyard and joked that Yang Kai lived next door because he often hosted his sweetheart, making Yang Kai blush.
• Luo Xuexi arrived to see Yang Kai, and Yang Kai introduced her to Li Bufan as an old friend from Yingtian Prefecture.
• Luo Xuexi told Lin Gong that her master had confined Xueyao until she broke through to the Dantian Realm, disappointing him.
• Luo Xuexi led Li Bufan, Yang Kai, and Lin Gong toward a meal as they continued chatting together.

Li Bufan, Yang Kai, Lin Gong, and Luo Xuexi shared dinner and wine at Yuansheng Residence on Shaoyang Peak, teasing Yang Kai and Luo Xuexi about marriage and discussing their lives. They left late at night and made their way back along the mountain road.

• Luo Xuexi led Li Bufan, Yang Kai, and Lin Gong to Yuansheng Residence and ordered food and wine in a private room.
• Li Bufan and Lin Gong asked Yang Kai when he and Luo Xuexi would marry, embarrassing Luo Xuexi and prompting Yang Kai to tell them to stop teasing.
• The group ate, drank Quanyang Brew, and talked about their past, Shaoyang Peak, cultivation, and the people they cared about.
• Yang Kai praised Li Bufan for surviving Forbidden Peak and defeating top inner disciples, while Li Bufan praised Yang Kai's devotion to Luo Xuexi.
• Luo Xuexi called an end to the gathering, and the four left Yuansheng Residence and staggered back along the mountain road.

After a night of drinking, Luo Xuexi stayed with the drunk Yang Kai, who confessed his love to her, and the two fell asleep embracing. The next day, Li Bufan and Lin Gong left them undisturbed and went to eat on Shaoyang Peak, where Lin Gong grew melancholy.

• Li Bufan helped the drunken Lin Gong to bed while Luo Xuexi took Yang Kai to the neighboring courtyard.
• Yang Kai told Luo Xuexi he loved her, and she admitted she loved him too before he pulled her into his arms.
• Luo Xuexi stayed beside Yang Kai through the night, and they woke together after dawn.
• Lin Gong realized Yang Kai had spent the night with Luo Xuexi, and Li Bufan urged him not to disturb them.
• Li Bufan and Lin Gong quietly left the courtyard and went to a restaurant on Shaoyang Peak, where Lin Gong's smile faded as he ate and drank.

Li Bufan discovered that Lin Gong’s reckless use of cold spirit medicines had undermined his cultivation and would prevent him from opening his dantian. He used his needles and Crimson Fire Flowing Paste to refine most of the cold energy, but woke Lin Gong before dealing with a stubborn mass near his dantian.

• Lin Gong lamented that his cultivation lagged behind and that he could not visit Xueyao until he advanced.
• Li Bufan examined Lin Gong and found that unrefined cold forces were blocking his breakthrough to the Dantian Realm.
• Li Bufan got Lin Gong drunk, carried him back to the courtyard, and used golden needles to stir the cold forces in his body.
• Li Bufan used Crimson Fire Flowing Paste and Fire True Meaning to refine most of the cold forces into Vital Energy and strengthen Lin Gong’s true qi.
• Li Bufan found a stubborn mass of high-grade cold qi near Lin Gong’s dantian and woke him by using three needles to force out the alcohol.

Li Bufan used the Crimson Fire Flowing Paste and his cultivation to help Lin Gong dissolve the cold qi blocking his dantian, allowing Lin Gong to break through. After leaving Shaoyang Peak, Li Bufan recovered overnight and resolved not to risk such a dangerous intervention again.

• Li Bufan woke Lin Gong and guided him to circulate the Pure Yang Cultivation Method while he refined the cold qi with the Crimson Fire Flowing Paste.
• After a day and a night, Lin Gong formed his dantian and entered the Dantian Realm.
• Lin Gong thanked Li Bufan, who urged him to consolidate his cultivation and encouraged him to pursue Xueyao.
• Li Bufan returned to Blade Peak and spent the night restoring his exhausted mental strength with the Constant Stillness One Scripture.
• At dawn, Li Bufan reflected on how dangerous Lin Gong's breakthrough had been and decided not to attempt such a risky intervention again.

Li Bufan experimented with combining Fire and Wood True Meanings in pill refinement, then spent seven days contemplating how the Five Elements fused. He finally learned to combine wood- and fire-attributed true qi without relying on the Five Elements Heaven Skill.

• Li Bufan tried adding Fire and Wood True Meanings while refining a pill, but their unstable collision vaporized the medicinal liquid.
• He realized True Meaning fusion could improve both pill refinement and his Greedy Wolf Saber Technique, and recalled Xie Qisha’s teachings about the Five Elements.
• Li Bufan began studying the fusion of wood- and fire-attributed true qi, first combining them through the Five Elements Heaven Skill.
• He spent seven days in his cottage repeatedly condensing and contemplating the transformations among the Five Elements.
• Li Bufan fused wood and fire true qi by thought alone and realized that the Five Elements’ mutual generation and fusion were present throughout the world.