Chapter Summaries

Fang Han detected Jia Four, a Grandmaster assassin from Dark Abyss, infiltrating the Azure Profound Sect and launched a counterattack before fleeing toward the back mountain. Jia Four pursued him until Supreme Elder Gu Changqing intervened, forcing the assassin to meet his sword strike.

• Fang Han sensed a hidden Grandmaster near his courtyard and recognized the intruder as an immediate threat.
• Fang Han ambushed Jia Four with the Great Void Wind God Sword, but Jia Four casually shattered his Sword Qi with a palm strike.
• Fang Han escaped toward the back mountain using the Wind God Step while Jia Four chased him through the sect.
• The disturbance alerted Azure Profound Sect disciples and elders, and a night-duty deacon identified the pursuer as a Grandmaster.
• As Jia Four prepared to strike Fang Han, Supreme Elder Gu Changqing arrived and attacked him with his sword.
• Jia Four abandoned his attack on Fang Han and raised his palm to meet Gu Changqing's Sword Qi.

Fang Han survived an assassination attempt by Jia Four, a Grandmaster-level assassin from Dark Abyss, after Gu Changqing drove the attacker away. To protect Fang Han and the Azure Profound Sect from further danger, Gu Changqing prepared to escort him to the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures that night.

• Jia Four attacked Fang Han, but Gu Changqing intervened, forcing the assassin to flee beyond the mountain gate.
• Chen Tianyuan and the elders arrived, secured the sect, and took Fang Han to Sect Master's Hall to recount the attack.
• Gu Changqing returned after pursuing Jia Four a hundred li, explaining that he could not catch the assassin, who had focused on escaping.
• Fang Han proposed leaving Qingyang Prefecture for the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, and Chen Tianyuan and Gu Changqing agreed it would help keep him safe.
• Gu Changqing told Fang Han to gather clothes so they could leave that night, and Fang Han reassured Qui Lan that the enemy had been driven away.

Fang Han left the Azure Profound Sect with Gu Changqing and traveled to Cloud Province under a disguise to escape the threat of Dark Abyss. After settling in Misty City, he prepared to focus on gaining master-level combat strength.

• Fang Han packed clothes and pills, said farewell to Qui Lan, and left the Azure Profound Sect with Gu Changqing under cover of night.
• Chen Tianyuan vowed to trace the payment behind the attempt to hire a master-level assassin.
• Gu Changqing escorted Fang Han to Cloud Province, warned him to keep his identity hidden, and returned to the sect.
• Fang Han entered Misty City wearing a Human Skin Mask and rented a quiet three-courtyard residence with an Azure Gangstone practice ground.
• Fang Han removed his mask, unpacked his belongings, and considered how to gain master-level combat strength as quickly as possible.

Fang Han focused on cultivating the Black Tortoise True Art after realizing it was his fastest path to Grandmaster combat power, and White Cloud Prefecture’s abundant heaven and earth essence accelerated his progress. While dining at River-Gazing Tower, he heard that Tiger Roar Hall had been destroyed and learned that someone had found a Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure in the Misty Forest.

• Fang Han decided to prioritize the Black Tortoise True Art while continuing to practice his internal art and swordsmanship.
• Fang Han cultivated the Black Tortoise True Art for three shichen and found that his progress was at least twenty to thirty percent faster than before.
• Fang Han spent the following days cultivating the Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture at dawn, the Great Void Wind God Sword in the morning, and the Black Tortoise True Art in the afternoon.
• Fang Han went to River-Gazing Tower and overheard martial artists say that the Star-Pattern Sect had wiped out Tiger Roar Hall, including its Grandmaster Mid-Stage Supreme Elder.
• A lean martial artist told his companions that someone had discovered a Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure in the Misty Forest.

After more than a month of secluded cultivation, Fang Han broke through the Black Tortoise True Art to the Proficiency Realm and gained enough strength to rival an ordinary grandmaster. He tested his power in the forest and confirmed that ordinary grandmasters could no longer threaten him.

• Fang Han heard that a Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure had been discovered in Misty Forest, but decided not to pursue it until his strength improved.
• Fang Han cultivated the Black Tortoise True Art for more than a month and broke through to the Proficiency Realm after refining two Vajra Pills.
• Fang Han discovered that his physical strength had risen to one million jin and that his body could withstand attacks below grandmaster level with little or no injury.
• Fang Han traveled into the mountains and forests north of the city to test his combat strength.
• Fang Han unleashed a sword strike that cut through rows of ancient trees and confirmed that its destructive power rivaled or exceeded that of a grandmaster.
• Fang Han returned toward the city, confident that ordinary grandmasters could no longer threaten him.

After hearing that Grandmasters and prominent prodigies had searched Misty Forest in vain for a Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure, Fang Han decided his new strength and good fortune made the risk worthwhile. On his way there, he was exposed while hiding from a clash between Star-Pattern Sect pursuers and two apparent Tiger Roar Hall survivors, and the woman called him her Senior Brother to turn the sect’s attention toward him.

• At River-Gazing Tower, Fang Han heard that the Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure remained undiscovered and that Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, and Zhen Feixuan had gone to Misty Forest.
• Fang Han judged that his combat power and fortune gave him a chance to find the treasure, packed supplies, and left Misty City at dawn.
• In a gorge, Fang Han sensed two fleeing Third Grade martial artists pursued by six others, hid in roadside shrubs, and recognized the pursuers as members of Star-Pattern Sect.
• The Star-Pattern Sect disciples attacked the young man and woman, whom Fang Han suspected were survivors of Tiger Roar Hall, while he watched without intervening.
• A stray force destroyed Fang Han’s cover, and the woman shouted that her Senior Brother should run, prompting two Star-Pattern Sect disciples to break away and encircle him.

Fang Han used a display of swordsmanship to stop the Star-Pattern Sect disciples from mistaking him for an ally of Tiger Roar Hall, then continued toward the Misty Forest. He entered the forest alone in search of a mid-grade heavenly treasure, leaving Wang Tie and his companions at the gathering ground.

• Fang Han carved a deep fissure into a cliff with one sword strike, frightening the Star-Pattern Sect disciples into backing down.
• Fang Han clarified that he had no connection to Tiger Roar Hall, then left the two survivors behind; Xu Zhao ordered his disciples to kill them.
• More than a day later, Fang Han reached the Misty Forest, where martial artists gathered before venturing inside.
• Wang Tie invited Fang Han to join his group and warned him about the dangers in the forest, but Fang Han declined and entered alone.

Fang Han searched the Misty Forest, gathered more than a hundred century-old herbs, and avoided Zhen Feixuan. When he found Wang Tie and his companion surrounded by robbers, he intervened and killed all eight attackers, leaving the two men alive.

• Fang Han used the Nether Guide to find and collect several century-old herbs in the Misty Forest.
• Fang Han sensed Zhen Feixuan nearby, concealed his presence with Shadowveil, and changed course to avoid her.
• Over several days, Fang Han gathered more than a hundred century-old herbs but found no heavenly treasures.
• Fang Han discovered Wang Tie and the short, fat man surrounded by eight robbers, with their tall, thin companion already dead.
• Fang Han struck from concealment, decapitated Scarface, and swiftly killed the other seven attackers.

Fang Han rescued Wang Tie and his companion, then continued searching Misty Forest for a Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure. He found a Healing Spirit Flower instead, killed a Break Three Passes old woman who tried to take it, and left as others arrived and wondered who had slain her.

• Fang Han killed the eight martial artists attacking Wang Tie and his companion, gave Wang Tie healing medicine, and left after collecting the attackers' belongings.
• Wang Tie and the short, fat man vowed to remember Fang Han's kindness and limped out of Misty Forest.
• After several days of searching, Fang Han detected a Heavenly Treasure's fragrance and hurried toward it, sensing another person approaching as well.
• Fang Han picked a Healing Spirit Flower, then killed a Break Three Passes old woman with one sword strike when she demanded it.
• Fang Han collected the old woman's belongings and vanished, while a middle-aged man and his young disciple found her body and concluded her killer was exceptionally powerful.

Fang Han followed the sounds of battle to a ruined valley, where he found a giant ape guarding a millstone-sized Starry Ink Jade that could greatly accelerate Internal Qi cultivation. Qin Yuan organized a group attack against the ape, while Fang Han held back, suspecting the attackers would not be the ones to profit.

• Fang Han heard a distant battle in Misty Forest and hurried toward it, sensing that it might involve the Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure.
• Fang Han reached a devastated valley and saw a black giant ape guarding a massive Starry Ink Jade, which an old man identified as a treasure that aided Internal Qi cultivation.
• Three martial artists tried to seize the Starry Ink Jade, but the ape killed all three with two swift attacks.
• Qin Yuan proposed that the martial artists join forces to kill the ape before competing for the treasure, and Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, Zhen Feixuan, and others agreed to attack.
• Fang Han stayed out of the siege because he suspected the attackers would not ultimately claim the treasure.
• Qin Yuan and the others struck the ape together, but it resisted their attacks and clashed with Qin Yuan, forcing him back and numbing his saber arm.

Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, Zhen Feixuan, and the other martial artists killed the black giant ape, but three concealed Grandmasters emerged to fight over the Starry Ink Jade. As Fang Han waited for an opening, a clash shattered the jade and sent its fragments flying.

• Qin Yuan and the other fighters wounded the black giant ape in a coordinated assault until it collapsed and died.
• Three Grandmasters—the gaunt old man, the gray-robed old man, and the short old man—revealed themselves and fought over the Starry Ink Jade.
• The Grandmasters' attacks injured nearby martial artists, and the gaunt old man nearly killed a burly man who tried to join the struggle.
• Fang Han sensed that no other Grandmasters were nearby and waited for a chance to seize the Starry Ink Jade.
• A clash between the three Grandmasters sent a shockwave through the jade, shattering it into dozens of flying pieces.

Fang Han seized a large fragment of Starry Ink Jade after it shattered, then fought off martial artists who tried to take it from him. As he left the battlefield, a grandmaster attacked and demanded the jade, and Fang Han refused to surrender it.

• The Starry Ink Jade shattered, and the martial artists rushed to claim its scattered fragments.
• Fang Han seized a head-sized fragment, then disarmed and injured an old man who attacked him over it.
• Fang Han killed seven or eight martial artists who joined together to steal the fragment, causing the others to leave him alone.
• Fang Han turned to leave the battlefield, but a gaunt grandmaster struck at him with a black claw radiance.
• The gaunt grandmaster demanded that Fang Han hand over the Starry Ink Jade, and Fang Han refused.

Fang Han confronted a gaunt Grandmaster over Starry Ink Jade and proved that his combat strength matched an ordinary Grandmaster despite not having reached that realm. He withdrew into the forest, leaving the other martial artists and Grandmasters astonished by his hidden strength.

• The gaunt old man attacked Fang Han, but Fang Han blocked his claw radiance with his sword and held his ground.
• The gaunt old man unleashed a series of full-strength attacks, and Fang Han met every clash without retreating.
• The gaunt old man recognized Fang Han's Grandmaster-level combat strength and stopped fighting him over the Starry Ink Jade.
• Fang Han withdrew into the forest while Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, and Zhen Feixuan reacted to his strength; the four seized Starry Ink Jade and broke out of the encirclement.
• The gray-robed old man and the short old man remarked on Fang Han's strength, while the gaunt old man noted how deeply he had concealed it.

After leaving the Misty Forest, Fang Han reached White Deer City and discovered that the Starry Ink Jade tripled his cultivation speed. At Cloud-Gazing Tower, he overheard people discussing the forest battle before Qin Yuan, Chu Jinghong, Lin Qingyin, and Zhen Feixuan arrived.

• Fang Han rented a quiet room at an inn and sorted the items he had collected in the Misty Forest.
• Fang Han recharged his ordinary pills, weapons, and medicinal herbs, raising his wealth to 9.18 million gold, while keeping the banknotes, Healing Spirit Flower, and Starry Ink Jade.
• Fang Han cultivated while holding the Starry Ink Jade and found that it increased his cultivation speed threefold.
• Fang Han went to Cloud-Gazing Tower and overheard diners recount the battle over the Starry Ink Jade, including how a gray-robed man escaped with a large piece.
• Qin Yuan, Chu Jinghong, Lin Qingyin, and Zhen Feixuan entered the restaurant, drawing the attention of the diners.

Fang Han learned that the White Deer Merchant Association would auction an incomplete Middle-Grade Artistic Conception Body Movement technique and stayed in White Deer City to bid on it. At the auction, he joined the bidding for the technique, raising the price to six Heavenly Treasures.

• Qin Yuan and the others recognized Fang Han from Misty Forest and respectfully greeted him, while Zhen Feixuan felt his appearance seemed familiar.
• Fang Han overheard that the White Deer Merchant Association would auction an incomplete Middle-Grade Artistic Conception Body Movement technique and decided to remain in the city.
• Three days later, the auction steward recognized Fang Han as the Misty Forest fighter and escorted him to a private room.
• Fang Han watched the auction without bidding on earlier lots because he wanted to save his funds for the movement technique.
• The auctioneer presented the incomplete Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps and opened bidding at one Low-Grade Heavenly Treasure.
• Fang Han entered the bidding and raised the price to six plants.

Fang Han bought the incomplete Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps and began studying it, intending to return to Qingyang Prefecture after reaching the Beginner stage. Ma Yuanzhou of the Skyfire Sect visited to buy Fang Han’s Starry Ink Jade, but Fang Han refused and told him to leave.

• Fang Han outbid the other guests for the incomplete movement technique with eight Low-Grade Heavenly Treasures and left the auction house.
• Two men considered following Fang Han, but abandoned the idea after learning he had fought a Grandmaster without falling behind.
• Fang Han examined Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps and discovered it contained only the Beginner stage, Minor Accomplishment, and Proficiency Realm.
• Fang Han decided to reach the Beginner stage before returning to Qingyang Prefecture, where he planned to deal with the Dark Abyss Grandmaster.
• Ma Yuanzhou offered Fang Han ten Low-Grade Heavenly Treasures and the Skyfire Sect’s friendship for his Starry Ink Jade, but Fang Han refused to sell it and asked Ma Yuanzhou to leave.

Fang Han rejected Ma Yuanzhou’s attempt to secure the Starry Ink Jade for the Skyfire Sect, abandoned his gray-robed disguise, and returned to his courtyard in Misty City. He learned the Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps and began cultivating with the jade, estimating that his next breakthrough was less than half a month away.

• Fang Han firmly told Ma Yuanzhou to leave, and Ma departed without securing the Starry Ink Jade.
• Fang Han packed his belongings, slipped out of the inn, and changed his mask and clothes in a forest, deciding to abandon his gray-robed identity.
• Fang Han returned to his rented courtyard in Misty City and studied the beast-hide booklet until he had memorized the Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps.
• Fang Han practiced the new Body Movement through the night and became proficient in its moves, though he estimated it would take at least two months to reach the Beginner stage.
• Fang Han used the Starry Ink Jade and two Earth Spirit Pills while cultivating the Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture, judging that he could break through within half a month.

Fang Han broke through to Mid First Grade and learned that top-tier factions were hunting those who had obtained Starry Ink Jade. After returning home, he resumed training to strengthen himself against the danger of being discovered.

• Fang Han broke through to Mid First Grade, opening the Yongquan Acupoint and gaining a second Divine Treasury that accelerated his body's healing.
• Fang Han practiced the Great Void Wind God Sword and then visited the River-Gazing Tower to hear news.
• Fang Han learned that the Zhen Family had destroyed the Iron Mountain Sect after it tried to rob Zhen Feixuan of her Starry Ink Jade.
• Fang Han heard that factions had attacked five Starry Ink Jade holders and were searching for a middle-aged man who had taken a piece as large as a human head.
• Fang Han returned to his courtyard and practiced the incomplete Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps, seeking to fuse the Wind Concept with his movement.

Fang Han mastered the Beginner stage of the Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps and left Misty City to return to the Azure Profound Sect. After he entered River City, a city guard recognized him and reported his location to a mysterious man.

• Fang Han merged the concept of wind with his Body Movement and reached the Beginner stage of the Wind-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Steps.
• Fang Han heard martial artists discussing the search for the disguised man who had taken a head-sized piece of Starry Ink Jade and realized they had noticed his disguise.
• Fang Han packed his belongings, left Misty City without his disguise mask, and sped toward Qingyang Prefecture.
• Several days later, Fang Han entered River City at dusk.
• A lean city guard matched Fang Han to a portrait and told a tall, thin man that Fang Han was in River City.

Dark Abyss located Fang Han on his way back to Qingyang Prefecture, and Jia Four ambushed him in the pine forest. Fang Han overwhelmed the Grandmaster assassin in their duel, and their final clash left the forest devastated.

• A general storekeeper sent Dark Abyss a message reporting Fang Han's trail, and Jia One summoned Jia Two, Jia Three, and Jia Four to discuss it.
• Jia Four rejected Jia One's warning about Fang Han's growing strength and left to hunt him down.
• Fang Han detected Jia Four's hidden presence in a forest in Songquan Prefecture, shortly before reaching Qingyang Prefecture.
• Jia Four attacked Fang Han with a black claw, but Fang Han's sword strike shattered it and wounded Jia Four's fingertips.
• Fang Han used his speed and swordsmanship to suppress Jia Four and cut his right arm, prompting Jia Four to unleash his full power.
• Fang Han and Jia Four met in a massive clash that leveled the surrounding pine forest and blasted a deep crater into the ground.