Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng heard Hua Feng’s reasons for wanting him as her master and sent her away under their previous agreement. In the Demon Court, the Demon Emperor responded to pressure over the Human Race by doubling academy subsidies and extending them equally across the Demon Race.

• Chen Changsheng asked Qian Ya, Su Wan'er, and Hu Tudou what they thought of Hua Feng before asking why she wanted him as her master.
• Hua Feng said her brother’s path did not suit her and that she wanted to learn Chen Changsheng’s skills; he reminded her of their agreement, and she left, promising to return.
• The Demon Emperor learned that many Demon Race and New Demon Race clansmen wanted the Human Race’s territory compressed and the Human Race made a subordinate race.
• The Demon Emperor ordered this year’s Mountain and River Academy subsidies doubled and declared that all members of the Demon Race, including formerly allied races, would receive equal subsidies.
• The Demon Emperor heard that Azure Domain remained close to the Human Race and that Peaceful Inn had closed indefinitely while Chef Immortal entered seclusion.

Chen Changsheng criticized the Human Race for its declining talent and warned that it faced a great calamity, then prepared to take Mountain and River Academy’s final examination. He declared that he would become a Ten Crown King and use his achievement to warn the Human Race.

• A young man ordered the Demon Court to treat the Human Race as no enemy and warned Demon Race members against breaking the court’s rules.
• Chen Changsheng told Qian Ya that the Human Race’s small share of the remaining candidates reflected its decline, and blamed short-sighted factions for failing to nurture talent.
• Qian Ya, Hu Tudou, and Ye Yongxian reacted to Chen Changsheng’s criticism, while Chen Changsheng said Mountain and River Academy itself bore the greatest fault.
• Mountain and River Academy opened ten Light Gates for the final examination, and Chen Changsheng sent Qian Ya and his companions to choose their paths.
• Hua Feng said he aimed to become an Eight Crown King, and Chen Changsheng challenged him to reach nine crowns before promising to teach him something.
• Chen Changsheng announced that he would become a Ten Crown King to warn the Human Race before it was destroyed.

Chen Changsheng entered Mountain and River Academy’s pill assessment and attempted to refine the Heaven Mending Paste, leaving behind a formula the trial could not fully manifest. His achievement produced a crown, and Ye Yongxian entered the alchemy trial to inspect the formula as Chen Changsheng moved on to the next Light Gate.

• Hua Feng chose the Combat Skill trial, and Chen Changsheng entered the first Light Gate.
• Chen Changsheng examined the three difficult pill formulas left by Little Bright King, Dan Lao, and True Lord Haotian, then chose to refine the Heaven Mending Paste.
• Chen Changsheng’s Heaven Mending Paste vanished when the trial could not simulate its effects, but a formula and Golden Token appeared; he signed the formula as “Perfect Young Master.”
• A crown appeared above the Alchemy Light Gate, alarming Mountain and River Academy, and Chen Changsheng emerged before entering the second Light Gate.
• Ye Yongxian asked Chen Changsheng about the crown, then entered the alchemy trial to examine the pill formula.

Chen Changsheng completed the Ancient Texts trial and earned a phantom crown after the trial space blocked his attempt to reveal secrets and left him a message. As the other prodigies followed him into the alchemy trial, Ye Yongxian confronted Hu Tudou over his suggestion that Ye test himself against Chen Changsheng’s Combat Skills phantom.

• Chen Changsheng cursed the Sour Scholar for making the Ancient Texts trial a way to gather secrets, then tried to write hidden truths before the space erased them.
• The trial space showed Chen Changsheng a message promising a surprise, and he left the space to claim a phantom crown for Ancient Texts.
• Chen Changsheng emerged with Hua Feng, mocked the other Crown Masters, and walked toward another Light Gate; Hua Feng and the other prodigies entered the alchemy trial after him.
• Ye Yongxian dismissed the alchemy trial because its formulas were beyond his expertise, and Hu Tudou asked whether he would try the Combat Skills path.
• Ye Yongxian warned Hu Tudou not to scheme against him and explained that Chen Changsheng’s fist technique resembled—and surpassed—that of the Invincible Daoist, a legendary general of Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li.

Hu Tudou questioned Ye Yongxian about what separated them, and Ye Yongxian explained that his emotions had long since gone still while Chen Changsheng’s vitality gave others meaning. At the examination grounds, Qian Ya was stunned by Su Wan’er’s tokens as Chen Changsheng continued his trials and declared his ambition to make the title of Perfect Young Master famous across the Nine Regions.

• Hu Tudou asked Ye Yongxian why Chen Changsheng considered them different, and Ye Yongxian said the difference was a living heart that could still feel.
• Ye Yongxian told Hu Tudou that he and others like him lived without emotion, while Chen Changsheng’s vitality made the world meaningful to Hu Tudou.
• Hu Tudou agreed that the world would be dull without Chen Changsheng, and Ye Yongxian said Chen Changsheng’s current plan would not cause many deaths because the world was still laying its foundations.
• Qian Ya saw that Su Wan’er had earned two gold tokens and two Silver Tokens, then hurried into the examinations for zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
• Chen Changsheng emerged from the formation examination after studying its unique space, praised Su Wan’er’s results, and headed for another Light Gate.
• Chen Changsheng told the surrounding prodigies that the title of Perfect Young Master would resound throughout the Nine Regions.

Chen Changsheng entered the final examination and met an image of Nalan Xingde, who asked him to find a way through the lightning tribulation. After learning that the powerful beings were running out of lifespan and Wu Li had little time left, Chen Changsheng promised a path within three thousand years.

• Chen Changsheng emerged from the ninth Light Gate as the ninth crown appeared, then encouraged Hua Feng before entering the final gate.
• Chen Changsheng used his nine Golden Tokens to summon an image of Nalan Xingde in the empty examination space.
• Chen Changsheng exposed Nalan Xingde's illusion and learned that the image had been waiting for him and maintaining Mountain and River Academy since the Extinguish Heaven War.
• Nalan Xingde told Chen Changsheng that no one had passed the lightning tribulation, that Wu Li had little time left, and that the strongest beings had only a few thousand years of lifespan remaining.
• Chen Changsheng scolded the beings for acting recklessly and told Nalan Xingde to contact them and have them wait, promising that a path through the lightning tribulation would be found within three thousand years.

Chen Changsheng learned from Nalan Xingde that Meng Yu died in the Extinguish Heaven War to free Thirteen from his attachments and give him the strength to survive. Left facing the long wait needed to grow powerful enough to help his companions, Chen Changsheng asked whether he could avoid their troubles by staying hidden until he became the strongest.

• Nalan Xingde told Chen Changsheng that Thirteen had returned after the Extinguish Heaven War, but Meng Yu had died and Thirteen had slain eighteen powerful enemies in the Enemy Nest.
• Nalan Xingde explained that he had been rescued despite the original plan for him to perish, disrupting the battle and prompting Meng Yu to sacrifice herself.
• Chen Changsheng accused Nalan Xingde of being an unworthy teacher, and Nalan Xingde revealed that Little Immortal Elder had told Thirteen and Meng Yu of his plan.
• Nalan Xingde said Meng Yu died so Thirteen could sever his attachment and become strong enough to survive, while Thirteen watched her die.
• Chen Changsheng asked whether growing stronger could solve his companions' troubles, then wondered if he should stay hidden until he became the strongest person under heaven.

Chen Changsheng promised Nalan Xingde that he would take on the burdens of their old companions, then chose the Outer Courtyard despite earning ten Golden Tokens. Hua Feng insisted on joining him there, while Qian Ya lamented that she had earned only one Silver Token.

• Chen Changsheng told Nalan Xingde to live well and promised to handle the things their tired companions could no longer face.
• The final crown appeared over the Nine Regions, drawing the attention of a drunkard and a refined teacher at Mountain and River Academy.
• After the assessment, Chen Changsheng learned that his ten Golden Tokens qualified him for either courtyard and chose the Outer Courtyard to show that his future success had nothing to do with the academy.
• Hua Feng said she would also enter the Outer Courtyard so Chen Changsheng would keep his promise to teach her.
• Qian Ya complained about earning only one Silver Token, and Chen Changsheng explained why her achievement could not be compared with Hua Feng's.

Chen Changsheng brought his companions to Mountain and River Academy, directing Su Wan'er to the Inner Courtyard because a Teacher there suited her path better. After arriving, they encountered Tian Guang again and paid him to guide them around the academy, where Chen Changsheng learned about its courses, Points, and student tokens.

• Chen Changsheng told Su Wan'er to enter the Inner Courtyard and explained that a Teacher there could guide her along a path better suited to her.
• Chen Changsheng and his companions climbed the thirteen thousand steps and reached Mountain and River Academy.
• Tian Guang recognized Chen Changsheng and offered to guide the newcomers for 2,888 divine sources, which Chen Changsheng agreed to pay despite Qian Ya's protests.
• Tian Guang explained the academy's courses, treasure vault, Points system, and monthly Point allowances tied to student tokens.
• Chen Changsheng ordered Hua Feng to collect academy clothes and arrange better dormitories for the group, and Hua Feng agreed to handle it shortly.

Chen Changsheng visited the Outer Courtyard’s Pills Classroom, met Teacher Tu Yi, and listened to Tian Guang explain the legend behind a painting of Mountain and River Academy’s Supreme Sage. After questioning Tu Yi and Yong Xian about the tale, Chen Changsheng sent Ya Er to take Little Peacock outside, hinting that he wanted to discuss the story’s hidden truth.

• Chen Changsheng asked Tian Guang to find a place to rest, and Tian Guang brought the group to the Outer Courtyard’s Pills Classroom.
• Chen Changsheng met Teacher Tu Yi and praised his pill theories before asking Tian Guang about a landscape painting in the classroom.
• Tian Guang recounted how Mountain and River Academy’s Supreme Sage used a poem to make the Han River flow backward and persuade a Demon Cultivator to abandon his violence.
• Chen Changsheng asked Tu Yi and Yong Xian what they thought of the legend, then said he was interested in the story behind it.
• Chen Changsheng told Ya Er to take Little Peacock outside to see a doctor, and Qian Ya realized he was making an excuse to send them away.

Chen Changsheng confronted Wang Hao and Ye Yongxian after Qian Ya and Hua Feng left, then explained that he was trying to solve the threat of the thunder tribulations. Wang Hao offered to join their effort, and Chen Changsheng agreed they should work together properly.

• Qian Ya persuaded Hua Feng to leave the classroom, while Hua Feng resolved to one day stand as Chen Changsheng’s equal.
• Chen Changsheng identified Tu Yi as Wang Hao and let Wang Hao and Ye Yongxian confront each other as reunited grandfather and grandson.
• Wang Hao and Ye Yongxian traded taunts about their past conflict and the Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li, while Chen Changsheng stopped Wang Hao from provoking Ye Yongxian further.
• Chen Changsheng declared that he had come to find a way for the old and deathless to survive the thunder tribulations and warned them not to obstruct him.
• Wang Hao asked to join their effort, and Chen Changsheng accepted, telling him to work with them properly.

Chen Changsheng learned that Wang Hao had been waiting for him at Mountain and River Academy and that the academy had been infiltrated by the Demon Race's Peacock Little Bright King. At the Demon Court Branch, Chen Changsheng ordered Hua Feng to smash the head of a man promoting unity between the Human Race and Demon Race.

• Wang Hao explained that the Supreme Sage defeated him in three moves, then spared him on the condition that he teach at Mountain and River Academy and wait for Chen Changsheng.
• Wang Hao revealed that the academy's three surviving Direct Disciples were absent from its affairs and that Peacock Little Bright King had been infiltrating it.
• Chen Changsheng learned that Tian Guang was an unexplained Outer Courtyard student who had repeated grades, then asked Hu Tudou to bring in two girls.
• At the Demon Court Branch, Hua Feng explained that the academy gave subsidies to anyone who joined the Demon Race, while Hu Tudou described a claim that the Human Race and Demon Race were one family.
• Chen Changsheng handed Hua Feng a stone and told her to smash the head of the man promoting that claim, promising to teach her something for each blow.

Chen Changsheng had Hua Feng strike Xu Hu, then beat him and ordered the dormitory arrangements changed so he could room with him. Fighting broke out in both dormitories, leaving Xu Hu and Ye Yongxian battling in the boys’ quarters while Hua Feng and Hu Yan fought in the girls’ quarters.

• Hua Feng struck Xu Hu, and Chen Changsheng joined in, beating Xu Hu while Hu Tudou, Ye Yongxian, Hua Feng, and Qian Ya kept the others from intervening.
• Chen Changsheng warned Xu Hu that he would beat him whenever they met and dismissed Hu Yan’s criticism of his arrogance.
• Hu Tudou declared her loyalty to Chen Changsheng, and Kong Xuan arrived and greeted him.
• Chen Changsheng ignored Kong Xuan, ordered Hua Feng to put him in Xu Hu’s dormitory, and said Hu Yan should be made to live with the others.
• Xu Hu and the fair and plump man attacked Ye Yongxian in the boys’ dormitory, while Hua Feng and Hu Yan began fighting in the girls’ dormitory.

Chen Changsheng explained to Hu Tudou how the Demon Court’s subsidies and Number One Spring Under Heaven’s ties with the Demon Race were weakening human identity and threatening the Human Race’s future. He also concluded that Mountain and River Academy’s Points system could not be fixed easily, leaving both crises unresolved.

• Chen Changsheng sat down to watch the battle, and Hu Tudou brought him broad beans and warmed wine.
• Chen Changsheng told Hu Tudou that human students were being drawn into the Demon Race through subsidies and that even Xu Hu had collected them.
• Chen Changsheng explained that his old alliances had been intended to preserve the Human Race, but their closeness to Number One Spring Under Heaven had caused people to lower their guard.
• Chen Changsheng and Hu Tudou discussed how the Human Race had lost its backbone, contrasting it with Li Zhengyi and the Black Tortoise Alliance during the Extinguish Heaven War.
• Chen Changsheng said the Academy’s Points system was destabilized by the subsidies and that neither banning trades nor reforming the system could prevent students from selling resources.

Chen Changsheng chose Qian Ya to help break the academy’s deadlock over points and subsidies, while deciding the Old Demon Race and God Race would take the blame. After the battles ended, he pressured Xu Hu to build him a house by threatening Hu Yan, then explained that he was testing the younger generation through hardship.

• Chen Changsheng told Hu Tudou that Qian Ya’s thick skin, judgment, and money-making skills made her the right person to break the situation.
• Chen Changsheng said the Old Demon Race and God Race would take the blame, while the Qingqiu Fox Clan would remain uninvolved.
• Hu Tudou asked Chen Changsheng what a mother should do, and he admitted they would have to learn as first-time parents.
• Hua Feng barely defeated Hu Yan, while Ye Yongxian defeated Xu Hu and the fat man in white and brought them before Chen Changsheng.
• Chen Changsheng gave Xu Hu time to rest before building a house, threatening to strip and hang Hu Yan if Xu Hu refused.
• Chen Changsheng told Hu Tudou he was only frightening them and wanted the younger generation to face unpredictable hardship and grow.

Chen Changsheng agreed to teach Hua Feng after she declared her ambition to become the first female Heaven’s Mandate Bearer and ruler of the world. He warned her that the path would pit her against countless rivals and left her with a lesson about conserving her strength and learning the academy’s skills.

• Chen Changsheng ordered Xu Hu, Hu Yan, and another man to build a dormitory under Hu Tudou’s supervision, while Ye Yongxian left.
• Chen Changsheng asked Hua Feng what she wanted to learn, and she said she wanted to surpass her brother and become the first Empress under Heaven.
• Hua Feng insisted she understood that her ambition could make her brother her enemy, and Chen Changsheng agreed to teach her.
• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng that she was too weak to waste so much effort on Hu Yan, since contenders for Heaven’s Mandate included powerful rivals of every age and cultivation level.
• Chen Changsheng advised Hua Feng to learn the academy’s skills and said she would need to do more to earn further instruction, leaving her convinced she had found the right teacher.

Chen Changsheng attended the Apprentice Ceremony and provoked the teachers while steering Xu Hu toward a more suitable mentor. The ceremony continued after Mo Wen warned Chen Changsheng not to interfere, but Chen Changsheng immediately disrupted Hu Yan's attempt to choose a teacher.

• Chen Changsheng brought Hu Tudou, Ye Yongxian, Hua Feng, and Qian Ya to watch Su Wan'er take a teacher at the Apprentice Ceremony.
• Chen Changsheng mocked Xu Hu's choice of teacher, prompting the elderly teacher to reject Xu Hu and tell him to seek someone else.
• Chen Changsheng suggested Xu Hu look beyond the teachers present, and Xu Hu chose Old Pen of the Scripture Pavilion as his teacher.
• Mo Wen warned Chen Changsheng not to interfere with students' choices, and Chen Changsheng agreed to keep quiet.
• When Hu Yan began to approach her chosen teacher, Chen Changsheng coughed loudly, and the teacher asked whether she considered him unqualified.

Hu Yan took the Ice Emperor as her teacher after Hu Tudou urged her to set aside old prejudices, while Feiyun became Jiang Ruyan's disciple. After thirteen teachers turned Su Wan'er away, the Drunken Scholar chose her as his disciple.

• Hu Tudou persuaded Hu Yan that the Tushan Fox Clan suited her better than Jiang Ruyan, and Hu Yan asked the Ice Emperor to accept her.
• The Ice Emperor accepted Hu Yan on the condition that she knock out Chen Changsheng's front teeth after completing her studies, and Chen Changsheng stepped in to block the Ice Emperor's icy gaze before teasing her.
• Mo Wen moved beside Chen Changsheng to keep him from interfering further, while Jiang Ruyan accepted Feiyun as her disciple.
• Su Wan'er asked thirteen teachers to teach her, but each refused.
• The Drunken Scholar interrupted Su Wan'er, criticized her method as underhanded, and declared that he would teach her.

Chen Changsheng explained how he had maneuvered Drunken Scholar into accepting Su Wan'er as a disciple because her self-taught talent in Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting needed a teacher who could guide her. He led the group to class at the Outer Courtyard, where they discovered Tian Guang was teaching.

• Su Wan'er accepted Drunken Scholar as her master after Chen Changsheng had already left the Apprentice Ceremony.
• Chen Changsheng explained to Qian Ya that Wan Er's unusual talent made Drunken Scholar the only suitable teacher and that accepting her preserved the academy's dignity.
• Chen Changsheng told the group that Wan Er had developed her skills in the four arts through solitary practice with few resources, astonishing Ye Yongxian and the others.
• Chen Changsheng led the group to the Outer Courtyard to attend class.
• Qian Ya recognized Tian Guang as the teacher, and Tian Guang explained that the academy taught students who had gained admission through other channels, including newcomers with little cultivation experience.

Chen Changsheng and the others gathered for Tian Guang’s beginner cultivation class, while Xu Hu tried to understand why Chen Changsheng kept having him beaten. As more students arrived, including two Silver Moon Wolves, Tian Guang finally began the lesson.

• Tian Guang explained that he had come to teach basic cultivation and that the academy paid him in Points, prompting Qian Ya to insist on attending rather than let him earn rewards without teaching.
• Xu Hu asked Chen Changsheng why he was being targeted, and Chen Changsheng told him to either defeat everyone or figure out the reason for the beatings.
• Qian Ya offered Xu Hu scarce Reincarnation Wine, and Ye Yongxian confirmed that Chen Changsheng had made the pill.
• Su Wan'er arrived to learn cultivation basics, followed by Feiyun and Hu Yan, who explained why their masters had sent them to join the gathering.
• Two Silver Moon Wolves arrived, and Tian Guang, pleased by the growing class, began teaching.