Chapter Summaries

Tian Guang explained the Bitter Sea System and Mountain and River Academy’s method of avoiding thunder tribulation by severing one’s cultivation foundation. Chen Changsheng discovered that nearly everyone around him had used the method and demanded to know how it had spread.

• Tian Guang described the Bitter Sea System and argued that other races could surpass humanity by setting aside their Innate Divine Abilities while building a stronger foundation.
• Chen Changsheng asked whether Mountain and River Academy had a technique for handling thunder tribulation, and Tian Guang explained that prodigies could avoid it by making a Self-severing Cut on their foundations.
• Chen Changsheng inspected Xu Hu and Qian Ya, found gaps in their cultivation foundations, and realized that Hua Feng and the others had also severed theirs.
• Chen Changsheng asked Tian Guang who devised the method and how widely it was used, and Tian Guang said the Supreme Sage’s Direct Disciple had developed it and that more than ninety-nine percent of cultivators had adopted it.

After learning that the Self-severing Cut barred cultivators from reaching the Immortal Venerable Realm, Chen Changsheng realized that the Nine Regions’ future path had been cut off. He punished Hu Yan and Xu Hu, warned Hu Tudou about the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s danger, and ordered Hu Yan to leave the academy.

• Tian Guang explained how talent in the Bitter Sea System was judged and that Life Lamp Realms were ranked by material, with special realms belonging to prodigies.
• Chen Changsheng postponed a spar with the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor for three days and gave Su Wan'er a technique for opening the Spring Eye Realm.
• When Hu Yan tried to leave, Chen Changsheng ordered Hu Tudou to stop her; Hu Tudou broke Hu Yan's and Xu Hu's legs and revealed strength beyond the Other Shore Realm.
• Ye Yongxian said the era was ruined, but agreed to stay after Chen Changsheng asked him for a favor.
• Chen Changsheng berated Hu Tudou for failing to protect the Qingqiu Fox Clan and explained that the Self-severing Cut prevented cultivators from reaching the Immortal Venerable Realm.
• Chen Changsheng ordered Hu Tudou to heal Hu Yan and Xu Hu, then told Hu Yan to withdraw from the academy and live quietly.

Chen Changsheng explained that Qian Ya, Hu Yan, and Xu Hu had damaged the foundations of their cultivation, and he could not yet find a way to repair them. He suspected the Little Bright King was behind the crisis and told the students he might send them to test the deadly lightning tribulation if he found a remedy.

• Hu Tudou told Hu Yan that her damaged foundation left her no choice but to leave the academy, but Chen Changsheng said she did not need to drop out.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Qian Ya's damaged Spring Eye Realm could not simply be destroyed and rebuilt, and told her she would not have reached the Immortal Venerable Realm either way.
• Chen Changsheng said the Little Bright King was likely behind the crisis, but Hua Feng insisted her brother would not harm her.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Hua Feng could follow the Phoenix Bloodline Dao instead, while Xu Hu's parents had made him sever his foundation to spare him the lightning tribulation.
• Chen Changsheng sent everyone back to class and said that if he found a remedy, they would be the first to face the lightning tribulation.

Chen Changsheng discussed how to save cultivators damaged by Self-severing Cuts and agreed to pursue a new cultivation method while seeking Zhang Bairen to resolve the lightning tribulations. Bai Ze and Wu Li were tasked with developing the method, while Chen Changsheng set out to find Zhang Bairen.

• Hu Tudou told Hu Yan that Chen Changsheng was one of the people who cared about her and left Xu Hu and the others behind.
• Chen Changsheng vented to Bai Ze about the sacrifices made to free the world and his anger that young cultivators had damaged their foundations.
• Chen Changsheng explained that cultivators could walk the Bitter Sea again by cultivating a new foundation within their existing one, though the method would be difficult to create and master.
• Chen Changsheng asked the true Bai Ze to find Wu Li and develop the new cultivation method while he worked to resolve the lightning tribulations.
• Chen Changsheng said he would find Zhang Bairen, who had created the lightning tribulations, and learn his purpose.
• Nalan Xingde emerged from Bai Ze to ask Chen Changsheng to save all living things, then vanished as Bai Ze returned to his usual manner.

Chen Changsheng asked Bai Ze about Zhang Bairen and, finding that his scent had vanished completely, decided to investigate. Before leaving, he arranged to keep the three children responsible for the disaster in fearful suspense, then encouraged Xu Hu to stop despairing over his damaged foundations and keep striving.

• Chen Changsheng learned from Bai Ze that he had not sensed Zhang Bairen since Zhang Bairen ascended, and decided to leave for a few days to investigate.
• Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze not to expose himself to Bookworm's three children, choosing instead to let them remain afraid while he stayed at Mountain and River Academy.
• Feiyun arrived at the male dormitory and offered to serve Chen Changsheng, who told him to stand aside.
• Xu Hu asked whether he could still see the world's scenery despite his damaged foundations, and Chen Changsheng scolded him for giving up over the prospect of never reaching the Immortal Venerable Realm.
• Chen Changsheng told Xu Hu that Hua Feng was considering how someone below the Immortal Venerable Realm could defeat an expert at that level, prompting Xu Hu to regain his resolve.
• Chen Changsheng told Xu Hu he would be away for a few days and instructed him to prepare himself.

Chen Changsheng threatened Xu Hu and Feiyun with a beating, then left them to deal with the consequences. In the Inner Courtyard, Drunken Scholar explained the feared Imperial Tutor’s history and authority as he and his junior sister prepared to resolve the lightning tribulation, while he wondered who Chen Changsheng really was.

• Chen Changsheng told Xu Hu that he would rally the academy’s Demon Race against him for insulting Peacock Little Bright King and accusing him of conspiring against cultivators.
• Chen Changsheng said Feiyun would be beaten too, then ordered both him and Xu Hu out if they wanted to cultivate at night.
• Drunken Scholar’s junior sister asked about the mysterious ‘him,’ and Drunken Scholar described the Imperial Tutor’s titles, disappearance, and reputation for punishing those who made mistakes.
• Drunken Scholar explained that the Imperial Tutor had mentored Teacher, saved his life, and arranged his marriage, giving him the right to punish his disciples.
• Drunken Scholar sent his junior sister away and said they were ready to attempt resolving the lightning tribulation.
• Drunken Scholar studied a basic cultivation method that did not sever one’s foundation and wondered who Chen Changsheng was.

Chen Changsheng explained to Hua Feng why he continued to teach him despite his brother’s actions, describing the Demon Court’s rule and the Human Race’s failure to produce a capable leader. He argued that Hua Feng’s brother severed the world’s path to prevent recovering enemies from threatening the weakened races, leaving Hua Feng shocked by his brother’s wisdom and the Human Race’s shortcomings.

• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng he brought him along because he appreciated his pride and potential.
• Chen Changsheng explained how the Demon Court’s power and its close ties with several demon clans helped the Human Race remain independent.
• Chen Changsheng said Hua Feng’s brother severed the world’s path because the Human Race had failed to produce a leader capable of confronting recovering enemies.
• Chen Changsheng argued that Hua Feng’s brother showed great wisdom by implementing the Divine Source Subsidy and overcoming internal obstacles without bloodshed.
• Chen Changsheng criticized Mountain and River Academy for failing to address the Human Race’s problems and warned that another war could exterminate the weakened Human Race.

Chen Changsheng persuaded Hua Feng to become his pupil and make a deal to overthrow the existing order and end the Human Race’s special treatment. He then explained his plans to address lightning tribulations and find a way to improve Hua Feng’s strength, while Hua Feng stayed behind to reflect on his lessons.

• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng that the Human Race’s lack of a new leader showed that “that person” had been wrong, then offered to teach him in exchange for unifying the world and making the Human Race live more impoverished lives.
• Chen Changsheng explained why Hua Feng’s brother could not fulfill the deal, and Hua Feng accepted Chen Changsheng as his master after asking whether his brother would die and why the Human Race had to be targeted.
• Chen Changsheng taught Hua Feng that learning came from life as well as classrooms, and Hua Feng pondered his lesson before catching up with him.
• Chen Changsheng said he had gone out to find the cause of the lightning tribulations and seek something to increase Hua Feng’s strength.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Bitter Sea System made cultivators so durable that many offensive methods and weapons had fallen out of use, adding that Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li now fought with his fists.

Chen Changsheng explained to Hua Feng why cultivators needed a new way to develop without Natal Magical Artifacts, then set out to find someone he believed could devise one. Back at Mountain and River Academy, Xu Hu challenged Ye Yongxian to temper himself and was gravely injured with one strike.

• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng that nurturing a Natal Magical Artifact took too long and said he was seeking someone who could find another Way for all living things.
• Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng traveled across the world while Hu Tudou watched the sky at Mountain and River Academy.
• Xu Hu told Feiyun that Teacher’s words had convinced him to seek a life-and-death fight to improve his cultivation.
• Xu Hu charged Ye Yongxian with the Mad Demon Fist Technique, but Ye Yongxian struck him with Divine Sense and left him near death.
• Teacher Tu Yi appeared beside the fallen Xu Hu and remarked on his boldness.

Ye Yongxian threatened Tu Yi after nearly killing Xu Hu, while the Drunken Scholar decided to take Su Wan'er on a journey. In the Nine Regions, Chen Changsheng traced the hidden God and Demon Cemetery to the Human-Faced Bees’ Flower Region and began sampling its food with Hua Feng.

• Tu Yi sent Feiyun to take the gravely injured Xu Hu to his teacher, then taunted Ye Yongxian, who threatened him but ultimately closed his eyes and let him leave.
• The Drunken Scholar chose to take Su Wan'er out to see the world now that she had opened a spring eye, explaining that their path required its followers to produce a work before graduating.
• In the Scripture Pavilion, Old Pen sensed the disturbance and reflected that his Master would return, before hearing Feiyun call for help.
• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng he was searching for the God and Demon Cemetery, and Hua Feng identified the Human-Faced Bees’ ever-blooming sea of flowers as a possible match.
• Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng traveled to the Flower Region, where Chen Changsheng bought pastries and ordered Hua Feng to obtain larger Storage Magical Artifacts so they could taste everything.

Chen Changsheng continued searching the Flower Region for a hidden expert, explaining to Hua Feng why patient effort could persuade someone to help. After tasting a bizarre pastry disguised as a black stone, he suspected its maker was the person he sought.

• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng that finding a hidden expert through patience and effort would show sincerity and make the expert more likely to help.
• Chen Changsheng made Hua Feng eat the leftover pastries he bought, leaving her sick of sweets.
• At a honey stall, Chen Changsheng learned that the black stones weighing down the stall were pastries made by the vendor’s neighbor.
• Chen Changsheng tasted one pastry and decided its maker was an extraordinary person who might be the expert he sought.
• Chen Changsheng made Hua Feng eat another pastry and explained that unusual creations could reveal someone hiding among ordinary people.

Chen Changsheng brought Hua Feng to meet Zhang Bairen, the Jade Emperor and creator of the lightning tribulation. Zhang Bairen agreed to answer Chen Changsheng’s questions and help him, after Hua Feng asked to become his disciple, and ended the meeting by asking whether she could surpass Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li.

• Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng followed his mark to a flower-filled village and found Zhang Bairen, whom Chen Changsheng greeted by hurling a rock at him.
• Zhang Bairen welcomed Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng into his wooden house, and Hua Feng learned that he was the Jade Emperor and the culprit behind the lightning tribulation.
• Chen Changsheng asked Zhang Bairen whether the tribulation could be stopped and why he had created it, but Zhang Bairen demanded that Chen Changsheng beg before he would answer.
• Hua Feng asked Zhang Bairen to teach her so she could surpass him, but he stopped her from bowing and told her that the strong should not bend their knees.
• Zhang Bairen offered to explain the lightning tribulation and help Chen Changsheng, then asked whether Hua Feng could become more formidable than Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li.
• Chen Changsheng said Hua Feng and Wu Li could not be compared because they followed different paths, prompting Zhang Bairen to laugh and say he had finally released resentment he had held for tens of thousands of years.

Zhang Bairen explained that the lightning tribulation was meant to transform exceptional cultivators, not kill them, and revealed his plan for the Common People to borrow power from the dead. He brought Chen Changsheng to the God and Demon Cemetery, where the story left Chen questioning whether the buried heroes would welcome being disturbed.

• Zhang Bairen told Chen Changsheng how his former disciple joined the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground after they clashed over the future of the Common People.
• Zhang Bairen explained that cultivators had to endure the lightning tribulation with their bodies alone, and Chen Changsheng recognized it as the final step in completing the Bitter Sea System.
• Chen Changsheng deduced that Zhang Bairen had another plan, and Zhang Bairen confirmed that the path of luck let prodigies draw upon the power of the past.
• Zhang Bairen took Chen Changsheng to the God and Demon Cemetery, where he explained that his Heavenly Mandate had nourished the graves for nearly ten thousand years and allowed the living to borrow the dead heroes' power after passing the lightning tribulation.
• Chen Changsheng questioned whether the dead would want their peace disturbed, and Zhang Bairen replied that Chen could not know their wishes.

Chen Changsheng learned that Zhang Bairen intended to die and asked him to build his grave, then made Hua Feng acknowledge Zhang Bairen as her master. Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng left to prepare for the lightning tribulation, with Chen Changsheng planning to teach her her master's signature fist techniques.

• Zhang Bairen explained that those who passed the Heavenly Dao's trial could borrow heroic spirits' power and weapons, then asked Chen Changsheng to build his grave because he was going to die.
• Zhang Bairen told Chen Changsheng that his enemies were too numerous to reveal and that Chen Changsheng must remain a protected last patch of pure land; he also challenged Hua Feng to surpass him in the lightning tribulation.
• Chen Changsheng returned to the Wooden House and told Hua Feng to kneel and accept Zhang Bairen as her master.
• Chen Changsheng warned Hua Feng that she and those close to her, including her brother, would eventually die, and explained that she would never again taste the sweetness she had recently experienced.
• Chen Changsheng said they would prepare for the lightning tribulation and teach Hua Feng a signature fist art from Zhang Bairen's lineage, explaining that he was Zhang Bairen's junior brother.

Chen Changsheng explained to Hua Feng that overcoming the lightning tribulation required diligent cultivation, a strong body, and a solid foundation rather than shortcuts. At Mountain and River Academy, Xu Hu kept challenging Ye Yongxian and being badly beaten, until Chen Changsheng arrived and treated his injuries.

• Chen Changsheng told Hua Feng that the lightning tribulation tested both the body and the Inner World, and that cultivators had to seek life within its deadly trials.
• Chen Changsheng said the tribulation would widen the gap between cultivators and warned Hua Feng that true prodigies relied on steady effort rather than shortcuts.
• Hua Feng recalled his elder brother's advice that prodigies were people who endured loneliness and pushed themselves relentlessly.
• Xu Hu challenged Ye Yongxian again at Mountain and River Academy and was knocked down while the watching students looked on.
• Chen Changsheng and Hua Feng cleared the onlookers, and Chen Changsheng gave Xu Hu a medicinal pill before speaking with Ye Yongxian.

Chen Changsheng tested Xu Hu’s resolve, then negotiated new terms with Ye Yongxian over the lightning tribulation. He taught Hua Feng the Nameless Fist, leaving her wondering how to shape a fist technique of her own.

• Chen Changsheng praised Xu Hu’s progress, ended his training with Ye Yongxian, and gave him a note directing his next test.
• Chen Changsheng offered Ye Yongxian a choice about the lightning tribulation, and they agreed that Ye Yongxian would act on his behalf twice over three thousand years while neither became the other’s enemy during that time.
• At midnight, Chen Changsheng demonstrated the Nameless Fist to Hua Feng and explained its history and emphasis on intent over form.
• Hua Feng struggled to throw a punch after witnessing Chen Changsheng’s technique and wondered what kind of fist technique she could create.

Xu Hu provoked the Peacock Clan and defeated two students, while Kong Xuan arranged for others to challenge him and the academy’s allies. Chen Changsheng revealed that he was buying up Black Market Points to set his plans in motion, as battles erupted across Mountain and River Academy and someone confronted him.

• Xu Hu taunted the Peacock Clan, knocked away two Life Lamp Realm Peak experts, and left behind a boastful couplet.
• Kong Xuan ordered someone to curb Xu Hu’s arrogance, warned the Fox Clan and Heavenly Silk Clan, and said he would deal with Hua Feng himself.
• Chen Changsheng told Qian Ya to keep buying up Black Market Points, using thirty-eight million Divine Sources from Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s reserves.
• Ma Guang challenged Xu Hu, the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor attacked Hu Yan, and Yang Jian faced Feiyun, igniting fights across the academy.
• Someone blocked Chen Changsheng and greeted him as a longtime acquaintance.

Chen Changsheng let Hua Feng confront Kong Xuan while Ye Yongxian and Hu Tudou faced three academy Direct Disciples, then watched from the Scripture Pavilion as Tu Yi explained the Imperial Weapon carried by Xu Hu’s opponent. The chapter ended with Chen Changsheng revealing that he could borrow powerful treasures from old allies if needed.

• Chen Changsheng declined Kong Xuan’s challenge, and Hua Feng took Kong Xuan away to fight elsewhere.
• Chen Changsheng shattered Kong Xuan’s array and left Ye Yongxian and Hu Tudou to fight three academy Direct Disciples, including Tu JiaoJiao and Jiang Ling.
• Chen Changsheng went to the Scripture Pavilion roof, where Tu Yi told him that Ma Guang, Xu Hu’s opponent, carried an Imperial Weapon from the Demon Emperor.
• Tu Yi explained that Imperial Weapons were powerful items imbued with Imperial Might, and Chen Changsheng showed him a bronze spear he had taken during the first Ascension Road War.
• Chen Changsheng said he could borrow the Jade Emperor’s Haotian Mirror, the Demon Emperor’s Ruyi Cudgel, the White-Haired Sword God’s sword, or the Supreme Sage’s ruler if he needed a stronger weapon.

Chen Changsheng warned "Tu Yi" not to threaten the era or contest Heaven's Mandate, then demonstrated that he could destroy him and explained the Rules that kept powerful figures in check. Meanwhile, Bai Ze, disguised as the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor, defeated Hu Yan and watched the other battles near their conclusion.

• Chen Changsheng told "Tu Yi" that Heaven's Mandate was growing stronger and ordered him not to endanger the era.
• "Tu Yi" challenged Chen Changsheng's authority, so Chen Changsheng threatened him and surrounded him with three puppets.
• Chen Changsheng explained that he spared "Tu Yi" because he was not yet strong enough to challenge the Rules, and "Tu Yi" said he would remember the warning until he could kill Chen Changsheng.
• Bai Ze, disguised as the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor, pinned Hu Yan down and mocked her defeat.
• Bai Ze judged that the fights were nearly over and praised the interesting spirit of Xu Mao's descendant.

Hu Tudou defeated Mountain and River Academy’s Direct Disciple, while Xu Hu gained an epiphany fighting Ma Guang and approached a breakthrough that his damaged foundation prevented. As the other battles ended or turned against Chen Changsheng’s side, the outcome rested on Xu Hu’s still-ongoing fight.

• Hu Tudou matched the Direct Disciple’s realm and defeated him on the twenty-first move.
• Ma Guang broke through Xu Hu’s protective starlight and battered him, but Xu Hu recognized Ma Guang’s limits and realized he had relied too narrowly on physical strength and divine sense.
• Xu Hu used Fox Clan techniques to create multiple illusions and attack Ma Guang, while his separate cultivation realms began moving toward Primordial Unity before his damaged foundation halted the breakthrough.
• Yang Jian defeated Feiyun and warned that the Heavenly Silk Nine Transformations could remain stuck at its first transformation without a breakthrough opportunity.
• Ye Yongxian cut locks of hair from Tu JiaoJiao and Jiang Ling, while Kong Xuan, the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor, and others left Hua Feng and Hu Yan badly beaten.
• The other battles concluded with Chen Changsheng’s side facing one victory, one draw, and four losses if Xu Hu lost, or two victories, one draw, and three losses if Xu Hu won.