Chapter Summaries

Fang Han used Lan Yuexin’s Thunderbolt Pellet to cripple the enemy disciples, then fought Xue Yuanlang while Luo Yuntian and the others returned to take on Xue Wu, Lie Yunting, and the remaining attackers. The chapter ended with Fang Han and the gravely wounded Xue Yuanlang exchanging fierce attacks, neither yet defeated.

• Fang Han threw the Thunderbolt Pellet into the encircling Thunderlight Pavilion and Crimson Flame Sect disciples, killing three and severely injuring the others.
• Xue Yuanlang struck Fang Han repeatedly, while Xue Wu and Lie Yunting attacked from both sides; Fang Han’s soft armor and body-tempering art protected him from their blades.
• Fang Han’s Wind Sword Intent briefly stunned Xue Wu and Lie Yunting, allowing him to wound both of them with sword strikes.
• Xue Yuanlang attacked Fang Han from behind and blasted him into an ancient tree, but Luo Yuntian, Yun Muyao, Mad Butcher, Chen Wuhen, Su Yuwei, Mo Chen, Liu Ruyan, and Wang Miao returned to the battlefield.
• Luo Yuntian and the others engaged Xue Wu, Lie Yunting, and the remaining disciples as Fang Han faced Xue Yuanlang alone.
• Fang Han dodged and countered Xue Yuanlang’s barrage of palm strikes, while his Wind Sword Intent disrupted the injured first-rank martial artist’s attacks.

Fang Han killed Xue Yuanlang and Xue Wu, but Meng Zhao escaped with Lie Yunting after Xue Yuanlang’s death shifted the battle. Chen Wanjun warned that Thunderlight Pavilion would retaliate, so the group treated their wounds and left East Foothills Prefecture for Qingyang Prefecture.

• Fang Han and Xue Yuanlang fought until Fang Han pierced Xue Yuanlang’s chest and killed him.
• Meng Zhao saw Xue Yuanlang’s death, grabbed the wounded Lie Yunting, and fled while Chen Wanjun pursued them.
• Fang Han killed Xue Wu, then joined Chen Wanjun after Meng Zhao escaped.
• Chen Wanjun said Thunderlight Pavilion would retaliate and ordered the group to withdraw from East Foothills Prefecture.
• Fang Han and the others treated their wounds, gathered supplies from the battlefield, and set out for Qingyang Prefecture.

Meng Zhao and Lie Yunting escaped after their forces were defeated, and Meng Zhao planned to use Thunderlight Pavilion to retaliate against the Azure Profound Sect. As Chen Wanjun led his exhausted group toward Qingyang Prefecture, three Thunderlight Pavilion elders tracked them down.

• Meng Zhao escaped with Lie Yunting after Fang Han killed Xue Yuanlang and the allied prodigy disciples were lost.
• Meng Zhao told Lie Yunting to inform Thunderlight Pavilion so it would pursue the Azure Profound Sect group on their behalf.
• Chen Wanjun led Fang Han and the other survivors through a day and night of travel, telling them they were half a day from safety in Qingyang Prefecture.
• Fang Han reported that he had sensed no pursuers, and the group continued onward with renewed hope.
• Lei Zheng, Leng Ling, and Han Yue pursued the Azure Profound Sect group, and Leng Ling estimated they would catch up within half an hour.

Gu Changqing stopped Lei Zheng, Leng Ling, and Han Yue from entering the mountain road, demonstrating that he was a grandmaster and warning them they would die if they continued. The three fled and identified him as likely the Azure Profound Sect’s Supreme Elder before Gu Changqing resumed his journey to rescue Chen Wanjun.

• Lei Zheng, Leng Ling, and Han Yue encountered an old man blocking the mountain path, who warned that they would die if they went farther.
• Leng Ling attacked the old man with her sword, but her sword qi disintegrated before reaching him.
• Lei Zheng, Leng Ling, and Han Yue recognized the old man’s power as that of a grandmaster and hurried away.
• Han Yue identified the old man as likely Gu Changqing of the Azure Profound Sect, and the three decided to report the encounter to their Pavilion Master.
• Gu Changqing revealed that he had come to rescue Chen Wanjun after receiving the sect’s cross-prefecture distress call.
• The scene shifted to the Qingyang Prefecture boundary stele.

Fang Han and his companions reached Qingyang Prefecture after escaping Thunderlight Pavilion’s pursuit, and Fang Han’s Thousand-Mile Soul Lock broke through to mastery. The Azure Profound Sect’s Supreme Elder, Gu Changqing, confirmed that the pursuers had withdrawn, and the group continued toward Plain Valley City.

• Fang Han and the others stopped in Qingyang Prefecture to rest after more than a day of travel.
• Fang Han’s Thousand-Mile Soul Lock reached mastery, expanding his perception to five li and allowing him to detect a hidden presence nearby.
• Gu Changqing emerged from the forest, and Chen Wanjun recognized him as the Azure Profound Sect’s Supreme Elder.
• Gu Changqing told them Thunderlight Pavilion’s people had withdrawn, then vanished after telling them to rest before returning to the sect.
• After resting for half an hour, the group set out for Plain Valley City and reached its gates.

After recovering from his escape, Fang Han suspected Thunderlight Pavilion and the Crimson Flame Sect had ambushed him for the treasure from the Ancient Ruins. He examined the black ring and discovered that it responded to his spiritual power, drawing his consciousness into a mysterious space.

• Fang Han used a Spirit Resonance Pill to restore his Internal Qi and concluded that Thunderlight Pavilion and the Crimson Flame Sect had targeted him for the Ancient Ruins treasure.
• Fang Han slept through the night, recovered from his exhaustion, and ate breakfast at the inn with Chen Wanjun, Luo Yuntian, Yun Muyao, Mad Butcher, Chen Wuhen, and the others.
• Fang Han inspected the pitch-black ring, but channeling Internal Qi into it and dropping his blood onto it produced no effect.
• Fang Han touched the ring with his spiritual power, heard a faint hum, and felt his consciousness enter a mysterious space.

Fang Han discovered that the Storage Ring contained a Middle-Grade Artistic Conception sword art, a powerful sword named Windshock, and a mysterious map. The map’s red-marked location remained unexplained as he examined the final treasure.

• Fang Han removed three objects from the Storage Ring and identified the beast-hide booklet as the Great Void Wind God Sword, a Middle-Grade Artistic Conception martial art.
• Fang Han compared the sword art with his Void-Sundering Sword Manual and concluded that his own technique was likely Low-Grade.
• Fang Han drew the pale-cyan sword, discovered it was named Windshock, and judged it to be at least a Superior Dharma Weapon and possibly a Spirit Weapon.
• Fang Han opened the jade box and unfolded a detailed beast-hide map bearing a vivid red mark north of its center.

Fang Han studied the Great Void Wind God Sword and learned that he needed to cultivate a Low-Grade Artistic Conception sword art before he could advance to it. After recovering and setting out with Chen Wanjun’s group, he reached Clear Creek Town, where they found villagers slaughtered by demon beasts and began clearing the attackers.

• Fang Han examined a Treasure Map, stored it with the Windshock Sword in his Storage Ring, and realized he could not yet cultivate the Middle-Grade Artistic Conception sword art without first building his foundation.
• Chen Wanjun delivered Fang Han his share of the spoils: ten Heaven Origin Pills, a Millennium Ginseng, and a Longevity Fruit, along with a sword taken from a dead Thunderlight Pavilion disciple.
• After two days of recovery, Fang Han and the others left Plain Valley City for Azure Profound Sect.
• Fang Han sensed blood and demonic auras in Clear Creek Town, where the group found numerous townspeople dead and their homes damaged.
• Fang Han killed a boar demon with one strike, and Luo Yuntian and Yun Muyao slew two more demon beasts as the group advanced into town.

Fang Han and Chen Wanjun returned to the Azure Profound Sect after discovering that demonic creatures had attacked settlements across Qingyang Prefecture. Fang Han reported the journey to Chen Tianyuan and offered the sect the Great Void Wind God Sword, a mid-grade Intent Realm technique he had obtained in the ancient ruins.

• Fang Han and Chen Wanjun learned from Clear Creek Town survivors that demonic creatures had attacked nearby villages and towns, then agreed to return to the sect and report the upheaval.
• Fang Han, Mad Butcher, Luo Yuntian, and Yun Muyao killed demonic creatures rampaging through Willow Gully and Stone Gate Flats as they traveled.
• Fang Han and the group arrived at the Azure Profound Sect, and Fang Han accompanied Chen Wanjun to report to Chen Tianyuan.
• Chen Wanjun recounted the ancient ruins trials, Fang Han's record-setting progress, and the ambush by Thunderlight Pavilion and the Crimson Flame Sect; Chen Tianyuan vowed to hold the two sects accountable.
• Fang Han presented Chen Tianyuan with the Great Void Wind God Sword and offered to hand the mid-grade Intent Realm sword technique over to the sect.

Fang Han submitted the Middle-Grade Artistic Conception sword technique Great Void Wind God Sword to the Azure Profound Sect and received a generous reward. He then learned that widespread demon attacks might be connected to an escaped Grandmaster-level demon, while Chen Wanjun revealed that Fang Han had detected the Supreme Elder’s concealed aura.

• Fang Han gave Chen Tianyuan the Great Void Wind God Sword, a rare Middle-Grade Artistic Conception sword technique, as repayment for the sect’s support.
• Chen Tianyuan awarded Fang Han six Major Merits, granted the Fang Clan three top-tier techniques and ten High Grade techniques, and allowed Fang Han to study the sword technique in the Library Pavilion.
• Chen Wanjun reported demon attacks across Qingyang Prefecture, and Chen Tianyuan said they were likely connected to a Grandmaster-level demon that had escaped the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
• Chen Tianyuan explained that the demon had fled before the Seven Grandmasters arrived and later evaded the sects’ trackers for a month.
• Chen Wanjun told Chen Tianyuan that Fang Han had noticed the Supreme Elder’s concealed aura while they were returning from East Foothills Prefecture, and Fang Han attributed it to a breakthrough in his Tracking Secret Technique.

Fang Han revealed that he had reached Major Mastery in Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, and Chen Tianyuan urged him to advance it further so he could track the escaped Grandmaster-level demon beast. Fang Han later compared an ancient treasure map with a detailed map of the Great Chu Dynasty, identified a likely site in Westview Prefecture, and decided to wait until he was stronger before traveling there.

• Chen Wanjun told Chen Tianyuan that Fang Han might be able to track the escaped Grandmaster-level demon beast.
• Fang Han told Chen Tianyuan that he had cultivated Thousand-Mile Soul Lock to Major Mastery, and Chen Tianyuan urged him to reach Perfection.
• Fang Han returned to No. 35 Annex, rested, ate, and asked Qui Lan to fetch a detailed map of the Great Chu Dynasty.
• Fang Han compared the ancient treasure map with the dynasty map and identified a matching location in Westview Prefecture.
• Fang Han decided not to travel to the treasure site yet because the journey was long and he was not strong enough to face a first-rank martial artist.

Fang Han decided to spend his six major merits on natural treasures or rare pills to strengthen his cultivation, then went to the Azure Profound Sect's treasury to exchange for Earth Heart Stone Milk. The chapter ended with Elder Han preparing to handle his request.

• Fang Han set aside his plans to visit the Westview Prefecture treasure site because the sect needed his Tracking Secret Technique against the demon crisis in Qingyang Prefecture.
• Fang Han chose natural treasures as the best use of his six major merits and converted an unused Medium-grade Dharma Weapon into 150,000 gold through his System Panel.
• Fang Han went to the Sect Treasury the next morning, where Zhao Tieshan and Han Qing checked his Identity Token and saw his six major merits.
• Han Qing escorted Fang Han into the natural treasures chamber, and Fang Han requested Earth Heart Stone Milk.

Fang Han exchanged four Major Merits for three Sword-Shaped Grass and fifteen bottles of Vajra Pills, then consumed one Sword-Shaped Grass to improve his Sword Art Talent. Afterward, he went into the courtyard to test the effect.

• Han Qing told Fang Han that the treasury had no Earth Heart Stone Milk until after the November competition, then showed him three Sword-Shaped Grass that each cost one Major Merit.
• Fang Han bought all three Sword-Shaped Grass, and Han Qing deducted three Major Merits from his Identity Token.
• Han Qing led Fang Han to the Pill Chamber, where Fang Han exchanged three Minor Merits for fifteen bottles of Vajra Pills.
• Fang Han returned to the No. 35 Annex and consumed one Sword-Shaped Grass in the Quiet Room, enduring a surge of Sword Qi that washed over his sea of consciousness for more than two hours.
• Fang Han opened his eyes with a renewed clarity, stepped into the courtyard, and placed his hand on his sword hilt to test the change.

Fang Han consumed all three Sword-Shaped Grasses, raising his Sword Art Talent to eleven before its diminishing returns brought it near a limit. While recovering from his injury, he cultivated with a Heaven Origin Pill and advanced Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, drawing closer to perfection as he prepared to track the demon beast threatening Qingyang Prefecture.

• Fang Han tested his sword after taking the first Sword-Shaped Grass and estimated that his Sword Art Talent had risen from five to eight.
• Fang Han consumed the remaining two Sword-Shaped Grasses, raising his Sword Art Talent to ten and then eleven, and concluded that further gains required higher-grade treasures.
• Fang Han resisted practicing sword techniques because his shoulder wound still hurt and instead swallowed a Heaven Origin Pill while cultivating the Azure Profound Art.
• Fang Han ate a meal Qui Lan brought and then cultivated Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, motivated by Sect Master Chen Tianyuan's warning about the escaped Grandmaster-level demon beast.
• Fang Han's tracking perception extended toward six li over several days, and his progress brought him close to perfecting Thousand-Mile Soul Lock.

After ten days of recovery and cultivation, Fang Han perfected Thousand-Mile Soul Lock and regained his health. He began practicing the Void-Sundering Sword Manual with his enhanced Sword Art talent and made rapid progress.

• Fang Han perfected Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, extending his perception to ten li and sharpening his ability to detect concealed auras and track recent traces.
• Fang Han considered seeking higher-level tracking and breath-concealment secret techniques at the Library Pavilion.
• Fang Han confirmed that his injuries from the battle with Xue Yuanlang had fully healed and went to the rear yard to practice.
• Fang Han found that the three Sword-Shaped Grasses and his 256-fold Sword Art Talent Amplification had made the Void-Sundering Sword Manual far easier to understand.
• Fang Han practiced swordsmanship for two hours, deepened his understanding of the manual, and then began focusing on Wind God Step.

Fang Han trained his swordsmanship, body refinement, and Wind God Step while seeking top-tier tracking and breath-concealment secret techniques. After learning the sect had none, he resolved to investigate the treasure map’s location in Westview Prefecture when he was strong enough, and he finally broke through to minor mastery of the Wind God Step—only to crash into a courtyard wall.

• Fang Han practiced the Wind God Step and sensed that he was close to reaching minor mastery.
• He asked Elder Mo whether the Library Pavilion held top-tier tracking and breath-concealment secret techniques, and Elder Mo told him the sect had none.
• Fang Han considered seeking secret arts at the location marked on his treasure map in Westview Prefecture after the monster calamity was settled and he could protect himself.
• Fang Han practiced the Void-Sundering Sword Manual, then used a Vajra Pill to strengthen his body with the Black Tortoise True Art.
• Fang Han’s Wind God Step broke through to minor mastery, causing him to surge forward and slam into the courtyard wall.

Fang Han broke through to minor accomplishment in Wind God Step and used a Heaven Origin Pill to advance his Internal Qi before securing a spacious underground Cultivation Ground. There, he began rapidly improving his understanding of the Void-Sundering Sword Manual.

• Fang Han accidentally smashed through a courtyard wall after Wind God Step reached minor accomplishment, then realized his speed now rivaled that of an ordinary first-rank martial artist.
• Fang Han refined a Heaven Origin Pill and raised the Internal Qi in his Shenmai Acupoint to over seventy percent capacity.
• Fang Han asked Deacon Zhou Heng for a larger place to train, and Zhou Heng showed him an underground Cultivation Ground and arranged to expand his courtyard.
• Fang Han practiced the Void-Sundering Sword Manual in the new Cultivation Ground, using his greatly enhanced Sword Art talent to deepen his understanding and refine his sword thrusts.

Fang Han broke through to the Third Grade Late Stage with the help of a Heaven Origin Pill and awakened a Divine Treasury that gave him exceptional eyesight. After testing his increased strength, he considered his plans to pursue a treasure in Westview Prefecture but remained committed to tracking the Grandmaster-level demonic creature in Qingyang Prefecture; the Sect Master summoned him urgently.

• Fang Han used a Heaven Origin Pill to fill the Shenmai Acupoint and break through the barrier to the Jingming Acupoint, reaching the Third Grade Late Stage.
• Fang Han awakened a Divine Treasury that greatly enhanced his eyesight and let him discern minute details useful for tracking.
• Fang Han tested his stronger Internal Qi with the Cloudsplitter Sword and judged that he could now trade blows with a First Grade martial artist, though defeating one remained unlikely.
• Fang Han decided to postpone searching for the treasure in Westview Prefecture because the sect still needed his Tracking Secret Technique to find the Grandmaster-level demonic creature.
• Qui Lan told Fang Han that a disciple from the Sect Master's Hall had come to summon him immediately.

Su Henian discovered the Black-Scaled Demon Tiger in Green Cliff Mountain, but the demon killed him and sent animals carrying its scales in different directions before fleeing. Fang Han accepted a mission to search for the demon and arrived at Green Cliff Mountain, where he met a group of trackers and drew the hostile attention of Luo Qi.

• Su Henian found the Black-Scaled Demon Tiger in a hidden valley, but it detected him and killed him with a single claw strike.
• The Black-Scaled Demon Tiger summoned birds and beasts, sent them away carrying its scales, and left the valley.
• Chen Tianyuan told Fang Han that a Rain Listening Tower elder had died in Green Cliff Mountain and invited him to join the search for the Grandmaster-level demon.
• Fang Han accepted the mission, prepared supplies, and traveled to Green Cliff Mountain using the Wind God Step.
• Fang Han reached the gathering of trackers at the mountain's foot and encountered Luo Qi, who stared at him with hostility.

Fang Han joined the sects’ search for a Grandmaster-level demon beast and watched the trackers display their methods. At the valley where Rain Listening Tower elder Su Henian had been killed, Fang Han sensed dozens of equally powerful demon beast auras spreading in every direction.

• Luo Qi mocked Fang Han’s age, and Fang Han retaliated by reminding her that she had failed to catch the bandit who looted Nether Pavilion.
• Su Wanbai intervened to prevent a fight, distributed messenger birds, and led the trackers into Green Cliff Mountain.
• Su Wanbai explained that Su Henian had been killed in one blow at the valley, likely by the Grandmaster-level demon beast.
• The trackers used their individual methods to search, and Luo Qi followed an aura she detected with her upgraded tracking art.
• Fang Han used Thousand-Mile Soul Lock and sensed dozens of Grandmaster-level demon beast auras radiating from the valley in every direction.