Chapter Summaries

Lin Yaotian sent Huang Kui, a hidden Inner Qi Realm assassin, to kill Fang Han during the New Year. After Fang Han's family celebrated New Year's Eve at the Fang Clan banquet, they visited his maternal grandfather, where Huang Kui ambushed Fang Han as he stepped from the carriage.

• Lin Yaotian ordered Huang Kui to assassinate Fang Han while he was out visiting relatives during the New Year festivities.
• At the Fang Clan's New Year's Eve banquet, Fang Han received a seat beside the main table, and the family honored his parents and relatives because of his talent.
• Fang Han reflected that the respect he had gained depended on maintaining his reputation as a genius, and he resolved not to slacken in cultivation.
• On the second morning of the New Year, Fang Han traveled with his family by carriage to visit his maternal grandfather and younger maternal uncle.
• As Fang Han stepped from the carriage, Huang Kui lunged from the shadows with a qi-coated blade aimed at his back.

Fang Han fought off an ambush by Huang Kui, a Lin Family assassin, and gained the upper hand despite his opponent's deeper Internal Qi. Huang Kui fled, and Fang Han chased him through Liangshui City to uncover who had ordered the attack.

• Huang Kui ambushed Fang Han, but Fang Han sensed the attack and blocked it with his Azure Edge Sword.
• Huang Kui recognized that Fang Han had reached the Ninth Grade Inner Qi Realm and launched a fierce assault.
• Fang Han used the Great Accomplishment Gentle Wind Sword Art and Perfection Gale Step to counter Huang Kui and wound him.
• Fang Han struck Huang Kui's sword hand and pressed his advantage, but Huang Kui threw Bone Piercing Nails to cover his escape.
• Fang Han told Fang Zheng and Lin Wan to take shelter, then pursued Huang Kui across Liangshui City's streets, alleys, and rooftops.

After Huang Kui failed to assassinate Fang Han, Fang Tu killed him before he could reveal who hired him. Fang Lingyuan suspected several rival families and ordered Fang Tu to secretly punish their promising young members, especially the Lin Family’s.

• Huang Kui escaped Fang Han after blocking the alley with a basket of goods, and Fang Han returned to Fang Mansion with his worried family.
• Fang Tu confronted Huang Kui in an alley and fatally wounded him, but Huang Kui swallowed poison before he could be captured or questioned.
• Fang Tu reported that the dead assassin was Huang Kui, leader of the Blood Wolf Bandits, and named the Lin Family as the most suspicious while warning that other families might be framing them.
• Fang Lingyuan ordered Fang Tu to conceal his identity and visit promising young members of the Yue, He, Sun, and Lin Families, especially targeting the Lin Family’s talent without killing him.

Lin Yaotian learned that Fang Han had reached the Ninth Grade Inner Qi Realm and reacted to Fang Lingyuan’s warning attacks against several clans. Meanwhile, Fang Han stayed in the Fang Mansion to cultivate and advanced the Startling Swan Step to minor mastery.

• Lin Yaotian ordered Lin Fu to erase every lead connecting Huang Kui to the Lin Family after learning Huang Kui had died and Fang Han had reached the Ninth Grade Inner Qi Realm.
• A servant reported that Lin Ao had been ambushed and badly injured, while Yue Lingtian, He Qingyan, and Sun Qing had also been attacked but escaped injury.
• Lin Yaotian recognized the attacks as Fang Lingyuan’s warning to Liangshui City’s clans and ordered the best physician to treat Lin Ao.
• Fang Han cultivated the Gentle Wind Sword Art and judged that reaching perfection would take months of effort.
• Fang Han practiced the Startling Swan Step and broke through to minor mastery, making it as swift and agile as the perfected Gale Step.

Fang Han left home to accompany the Fang Clan merchant convoy toward Azure Profound Mountain, where he would face the Azure Profound Sect assessment. As young geniuses from across Qingyang Prefecture set out for the same destination, the gathering began.

• Elder Fang Yuan told the Inner Hall disciples that Fang Han was unharmed by the assassination attempt and had taken leave to guard the clan’s merchant convoy.
• Fang Han’s parents urged him to stay cautious on the journey, and he promised Fang Ying he would bring her a sugar figurine.
• Fang Han reflected that passing the Azure Profound Sect assessment might keep him away from home until year’s end.
• Fang Han departed Liangshui City in a carriage with Clan Head Fang Lingyuan and Steward Fang Zhong.
• Carriages carrying young martial artists from across Qingyang Prefecture set out for Azure Profound Mountain.

Fang Han met Wang Miao and Wang Meng on the road to Azure Profound City, then traveled with them to Azure Profound Mountain. After the siblings entered the sect, Fang Han faced his upcoming assessment with anticipation and uncertainty.

• At Returning Cloud Inn, Fang Han heard that Wang Miao had risen to ninety-fifth on the Prodigy Ranking.
• Wang Miao and Wang Meng arrived, and Fang Lingyuan invited them to share a table with the Fang Clan.
• Fang Lingyuan learned that Wang Miao was returning to Azure Profound Sect with Wang Meng, whose disciple's spot he had secured, and invited them to travel together.
• Several days later, Fang Lingyuan and Fang Han parted from the Wang siblings at Azure Profound Mountain, where Wang Miao and Wang Meng entered the sect.
• Fang Han looked toward the sect gate and worried whether he could pass the fierce assessment.

Fang Han arrived in Azure Profound City and practiced his swordsmanship, where he encountered the formidable genius Yun Qianyue. Fang Lingyuan returned with grim news about the Azure Profound Sect assessment, saying the situation was worse than expected.

• The Fang Clan group settled into Guest Cloud Inn, and Fang Han cultivated through the night and into the next day.
• Fang Han heard diners discussing the Azure Profound Sect assessment and asked an attendant where he could practice martial skills.
• Fang Han found Yun Qianyue practicing swordsmanship in the inn’s training ground and recognized that her cultivation far surpassed his own.
• Fang Han practiced the Gentle Wind Sword Art and Startling Swan Step while Yun Qianyue observed his swordsmanship before leaving.
• Fang Lingyuan returned from gathering information and told Fang Han that the situation was even more severe than they had expected.

Fang Han learned that Azure Profound Sect's beginner-stage assessment would be fiercely competitive and spent the remaining days cultivating before arriving at Azure Profound Mountain. After registering and receiving token 421, he watched the assessment begin and saw several candidates whose cultivation and martial arts surpassed his own.

• Fang Lingyuan told Fang Han that thousands of talented youths would compete for only a hundred places, and Fang Han returned to his room to cultivate.
• Fang Han cultivated for several days, strengthening his Internal Qi without reaching middle Ninth Grade.
• Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan traveled to Azure Profound Mountain, where Fang Han registered as a Fang Clan descendant and received assessment token 421.
• The white-haired elder announced that the assessment would test bone age, cultivation, and martial arts, and the candidates began their tests.
• Li Feng, Huang Ling'er, and Yun Qianyue displayed formidable cultivation and martial arts, while Fang Han saw that many candidates were stronger than he was.

Fang Han completed the Azure Profound Sect’s entrance examination but remained uncertain whether his early ninth-rank cultivation and swordsmanship would earn him admission. After the sect announced that the results would be posted in three days, Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan returned to Azure Profound City to wait.

• Fang Han underwent the examination, and Deacon Liu recorded his early ninth-rank cultivation and major mastery of the Gentle Wind Sword Art.
• Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan worried about his chances as the white-haired elder announced that the admission list would be posted in three days.
• Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan left the Azure Profound Sect and returned to Azure Profound City, where Fang Han awaited the result.
• Fang Lingyuan stopped Fang Han from cultivating and took him to explore Azure Profound City, whose busy streets far surpassed Liangshui City.

Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan went to the Azure Profound Sect to learn the assessment results, and Fang Han found his name among the hundred successful candidates. As the Fang Clan celebrated his admission, Zhao Qianjun and Lin Yaotian watched them from a carriage.

• Fang Han bought rouge for his mother, brush and ink for his father, and sweets for Fang Ying while exploring Azure Profound City with Fang Lingyuan.
• Fang Lingyuan thought he spotted someone familiar in the crowd, became wary, and returned to the inn with Fang Han.
• Fang Han spent the following days cultivating as he waited for the Azure Profound Sect to announce the results.
• Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan joined the crowd at the Blue Stone Plaza, where the white-haired elder posted the list of the hundred successful candidates.
• Fang Han found his name near the end of the list, and Fang Lingyuan rejoiced that someone from the Fang Clan had joined the Azure Profound Sect.
• Zhao Qianjun and Lin Yaotian watched Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan from inside a carriage.

After passing the Azure Profound Sect’s assessment, Fang Han received the Fang Clan’s support and entered the sect as a new disciple. Meanwhile, Lin Yaotian paid Zhao Qianjun to arrange an accident for him.

• Lin Yaotian gave Zhao Qianjun fifty thousand taels in silver notes to make Fang Han suffer an accident.
• The white-haired elder ordered successful candidates to settle their mortal affairs and report to the Azure Profound Sect the next morning.
• Fang Han gave Fang Lingyuan gifts for his family, and Fang Lingyuan promised to deliver them and provide him ten thousand taels of silver each year for cultivation.
• Fang Lingyuan escorted Fang Han to the Azure Profound Sect, where a guard checked his assessment plaque and a guiding disciple led him inside.
• A steward registered Fang Han, issued him a jade token and two sets of sect clothing, and prompted him to reveal the character zero on the token.

Fang Han received his identity and contribution jade tokens, settled into Zi Courtyard, and met several fellow disciples as the new arrivals gathered. Elder Chen welcomed them and began explaining the benefits given to newly admitted disciples.

• A deacon gave Fang Han his identity and contribution jade tokens, and his guide explained how contribution points could be earned and transferred.
• Fang Han arrived at Zi Courtyard, received an independent residence, and changed into his Azure Profound Sect robes.
• At Zi Courtyard’s Martial Arts Arena, Fang Han saw Wang Meng and reunited with Xiao Chen, who acknowledged Fang Han’s breakthrough and praised him as a worthy opponent.
• The new disciples learned that ten people had entered through recommendations without taking the assessment, prompting complaints and discussion about preferential treatment.
• Elder Chen entered the arena, quieted the crowd, and began telling the new disciples about their three benefits.

Elder Chen explained the Azure Profound Sect’s benefits for new disciples and brought them to test their strength on the Zi Courtyard Martial Dao Stele. Fang Han ranked sixty-ninth, while Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, and Huang Ling’er took the top three spots; the disciples then lined up to collect their monthly contributions.

• Elder Chen announced that new disciples would receive a Medium Grade Internal Qi technique, thirty monthly contribution points, and access to public cultivation lectures.
• Elder Chen explained that disciples could earn more contributions through sect missions or by ranking in the courtyard’s Martial Dao Stele top ten.
• Elder Chen led the new disciples to the Martial Dao Stele, where each attacked it to record their strength.
• Fang Han ranked sixty-ninth among the 110 new disciples, while Wang Meng ranked one hundred and eighth.
• Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, and Huang Ling’er ranked first, second, and third, respectively, and the rest of the top ten rankings were established.
• Elder Chen called the disciples forward by ranking to collect their monthly contribution points.

After receiving his sect contribution points, Fang Han used his hidden gold to raise his Root Bone Talent Amplification to sixteenfold and went to the Library Pavilion to seek a Medium Grade Internal Qi technique. Meanwhile, Zhao Qianjun arranged for a servant to surveil Fang Han as he began searching through the sect’s extensive technique collection.

• Fang Han received thirty contribution points and learned he could use them to claim a Medium Grade technique.
• Fang Han converted ten gold ingots into wealth and activated the fourth-level Root Bone Talent Amplification, increasing it to sixteenfold.
• Zhao Qianjun paid Li Shan to report whenever Fang Han left Zi Courtyard and warned him to keep the arrangement secret.
• Fang Han went to the Library Pavilion and reached the third floor, where a deacon directed him to browse the Medium Grade technique summaries.
• Fang Han began studying the hundreds of Medium Grade Internal Qi techniques to choose one suited to him.

Fang Han chose the Wind-Following Art, switched to it, and discovered that his cultivation speed had increased fivefold. Back in Liangshui City, Fang Lingyuan delivered gifts Fang Han had sent to his family, who still did not know whether he had joined the Azure Profound Sect.

• Fang Han selected the Wind-Following Art and borrowed its manual from the Library Pavilion using his new disciple's free borrowing opportunity.
• Fang Han memorized the method, switched from the Pure Origin Technique, and changed his Internal Qi from pale white to pale cyan while remaining at the early ninth rank.
• Fang Han cultivated with the Wind-Following Art and found that his Internal Qi grew about five times faster, crediting the method and his increased Root Bone Talent Amplification.
• Fang Ying asked Lin Wan when Fang Han would return, and Lin Wan told her he was away on family business.
• Fang Lingyuan brought Fang Han's gifts to the family, and Fang Zheng asked whether Fang Han's journey had gone smoothly.

Fang Han celebrated his rapid cultivation at the Azure Profound Sect and advanced his Startling Swan Step to proficiency. The next morning, he headed to the Instruction Hall with Xiao Chen, hoping to learn from the sect’s instructors.

• Fang Lingyuan told Fang Zheng and Lin Wan that Fang Han had passed the assessment and joined the Azure Profound Sect, prompting celebration throughout the Fang Mansion.
• Yue Xiong, He Wen, and Sun Mang reacted to Fang Han’s admission with envy or concern, while Lin Yaotian anticipated Zhao Qianjun’s move against the Fang Clan.
• Fang Han used a Foundation Cultivation Pill and the Wind-Following Art to more than double his internal qi over ten days.
• Fang Han practiced the Gentle Wind Sword Art and Startling Swan Step in a quiet corner of the Zi Courtyard, reaching proficiency in the footwork.
• Fang Han met Xiao Chen the next morning, and they walked together toward the Instruction Hall.

Fang Han attended the Azure Profound Sect’s lessons, learning about cultivation and swordsmanship from Elder Chen, the stewards, and True Disciple Wang Miao. As he left, Wang Miao recognized him and offered help, leaving Xiao Chen curious about Fang Han’s connection to Wang Meng.

• Fang Han and Xiao Chen arrived at the Instruction Hall and noticed Wang Meng among the disciples gathered there.
• Elder Chen introduced Wang Miao, ranked ninety-fifth on the Prodigy Ranking, who shared his cultivation insights with the new disciples.
• Elder Chen explained the seven great sects and the nine grades of the Inner Qi Realm, then the stewards taught their specialties.
• Fang Han listened closely to Steward Liu Chong’s swordsmanship lesson and gained clarity about cultivating the Gentle Wind Sword Art.
• Wang Miao spoke with Wang Meng, then approached Fang Han, praised his attentiveness, and offered help because their families had been friends for generations.
• Xiao Chen questioned Fang Han about knowing Wang Miao and Wang Meng, but Fang Han said they were not close as they left the hall.

Fang Han took a low-risk sect mission to earn contribution points and escorted medicinal herbs back to the sect with four disciples. He completed the mission safely, but on returning to the Zi Courtyard, he recognized a servant who had been watching him and began to suspect something was amiss.

• Fang Han decided to earn contribution points through sect missions rather than ask Wang Miao for help, then registered for an herb-escort mission.
• Zhao Qianjun learned Fang Han was at the Mission Hall and considered attacking him, but abandoned the opportunity when he saw Fang Han had joined a five-person team.
• Fang Han introduced himself to Shi Dali, Li Yuan, Liu Xiaoying, and Chen Yun, and the five set out for the Medicine Garden.
• Fang Han sensed watchers along the road, but the group returned safely under the Azure Profound Sect banner and each received ten contribution points.
• Fang Han returned to the Zi Courtyard, noticed a servant watching him, and recalled seeing the same servant observe him earlier.

Fang Han discovered that Zhao Qianjun was secretly watching him and focused on cultivation rather than risking more sect missions. After a month, he broke through to the mid ninth grade and gained Rooted Landing, but still believed he needed greater strength to face Zhao Qianjun.

• Fang Han followed the menial servant to Yin Courtyard and saw him report to the sinister-looking Zhao Qianjun.
• Fang Han secretly learned that Zhao Qianjun was a late ninth-grade disciple with a bad reputation, then decided not to report him or leave the sect for missions.
• Fang Han devoted himself to cultivating the Wind-Following Art, Gentle Wind Sword Art, and Startling Swan Step for a month.
• Fang Han broke through the bottleneck into the mid ninth grade and opened the Guanyuan Aperture.
• Fang Han gained the Divine Treasury ability Rooted Landing and resolved to become strong enough to defeat Zhao Qianjun.

Fang Han took a Beast Garden guard mission to earn contribution points while staying safely inside the sect, frustrating Zhao Qianjun’s attempt to target him. During his patrol assignment, an Azure Wood Demon Ox escaped in a storm, and Fang Han set out to capture it alive.

• Fang Han decided he needed more contribution points and chose a month-long Beast Garden mission because it kept him inside the sect.
• Li Shan reported Fang Han’s departure to Zhao Qianjun, who hurried to the Mission Hall hoping to catch him alone.
• Zhao Qianjun discovered that Fang Han had taken an in-sect mission and left in disappointment and anger.
• Fang Han reported to Deacon Zhang Qian, began patrolling District Nine, and spent his free time cultivating.
• A servant woke Fang Han to report that lightning had frightened a demon ox into breaking through an Iron Wood fence.
• Fang Han found the escaped Azure Wood Demon Ox and prepared to capture it alive because it belonged to the sect.