Chapter Summaries

Jiang Che tested the Star Chaser Bow, continued cultivating through a difficult Organ-Refining bottleneck, and learned that the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons had reappeared. He agreed to join Chen Jiayu and several other prodigies on an expedition there, departing in three days.

• Jiang Che and Xiao Qingge ended their fierce duel after he countered her Phoenix Cry of the Nine Heavens with his Fifteenfold Strike, and Chen Jiayu awarded them their prizes.
• Jiang Che tested the Star Chaser Bow and discovered that an arrow empowered by Fifteenfold Strike could devastate a distant target, though it nearly drained his Force Energy.
• Jiang Che spent six months cultivating and monitoring Xie Songnian, reached the peak of the Early Organ-Refining Realm, and upgraded [Pupil Seal] to control two crows.
• A servant from the Chen Estate summoned Jiang Che after Chen Jiayu found a lead on the Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchid and the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons.
• Chen Jiayu told Jiang Che, Xiao Qingge, Lin Qingyun, and Qing Ling that the Abyss had reappeared and proposed they travel there together to seek their respective treasures.
• Jiang Che agreed to join the expedition, and Chen Jiayu set their departure for dawn in three days from River-Gazing Pavilion.

Jiang Che prepared for the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons expedition and joined Chen Jiayu, Lin Qingyun, Xiao Qingge, and Qing Ling to hunt for rare ingredients. After the group split up, he reached the Heart of Ten Thousand Poisons and found the Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchids guarded by a terrifying True Person Realm Nine Nether Poison Flood Dragon.

• Jiang Che bought Divine Crane Pills and a Poison Dragon Bag to prepare for the expedition.
• Chen Jiayu secured the group's entry to the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons by presenting his family's token to General Long Xiang.
• The group fought mutated Exotic Beasts, killed a Shadow Iron Eagle, and Jiang Che claimed its egg.
• At a three-way fork, the group split up to gather their needed treasures, and Jiang Che headed alone toward the Heart of Ten Thousand Poisons.
• Jiang Che found the Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchids beside a sleeping Nine Nether Poison Flood Dragon and foresaw that the True Person Realm beast could kill him instantly.

Jiang Che obtained a Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchid from the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons, then helped his companions survive an ambush by Ghost Hand Rakshasa, a True Person Realm Demon Sect expert. Back in his sect, Jiang Che began using the orchid and Fluorescent Stones to rebuild his foundation with the Heaven-Mending Art, and a violent energy storm erupted inside him.

• Jiang Che secretly plucked a Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchid while the Nine Nether Poison Flood Dragon slept and escaped the valley.
• Ghost Hand Rakshasa and Demon Sect elites ambushed Jiang Che, Chen Jiayu, Xiao Qingge, Qing Ling, and Lin Qingyun, demanding their treasures.
• Chen Jiayu used a lightning talisman to kill two Demon Sect subordinates, and Jiang Che wounded Ghost Hand Rakshasa with a Fifteenfold Star Chaser Arrow while protecting Chen Jiayu.
• Long Xiang and the Qilin Army arrived, forcing Ghost Hand Rakshasa and his surviving followers to flee; the group later reported the ambush to their sects and Lineages.
• Jiang Che swallowed a petal of the Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchid and activated Black Armor Form to neutralize its poison, then consumed the remaining orchid and two Fluorescent Stones.
• A powerful energy storm erupted inside Jiang Che as he began rebuilding his foundation with the Heaven-Mending Art.

Jiang Che improved his root bones and broke through to the Mid Organ-Refining Realm, then learned of an ancient inheritance in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Poisons that could reshape talent. Despite his master's warning about the Demon Sect, he resolved to enter the cave estate and claim its True Intent Imprint.

• Jiang Che used the Bone-Eroding Ghost Orchid and Fluorescent Stone energy to reshape his bones, raising his root bones from mid-lower to mid-upper.
• Jiang Che consumed Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs and Snow Crystal Milk, broke through to the Mid Organ-Refining Realm, and returned to Cloud Sea Courtyard, where Xiao Mingqian briefed him on courtyard affairs.
• Jiang Che told Xu Qingshan about improving his root bones, and his master warned him to beware of the Demon Sect and Xie Songnian before sharing cultivation advice and Cold Spirit Tea.
• Xie Songnian misled the joint investigation group with false clues while the Demon Sect's true plans remained hidden.
• The Qilin Army uncovered Master of Hundred Arts' cave estate, whose inheritance could reshape root bones and was open only to Organ-Refining Realm martial artists under thirty who passed three trials.
• Jiang Che decided to enter the cave estate despite the danger, prepared his supplies, and waited for the assessment day.

Jiang Che entered Master of Hundred Arts' cave abode and instantly defeated his same-realm guard, shocking the other prodigies. He reached the mural-comprehension trial as Shi Poyue was teleported out, leaving the reason for his ejection unclear.

• Long Xiang announced the trial, and Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, and the other prodigies entered the cave abode's Martial Dao Corridor one by one and cleared its first test.
• Fang Muye cut ahead of Jiang Che to enter the corridor, then passed before Jiang Che took his turn.
• Jiang Che killed his same-realm energy guard with one punch and emerged from the corridor after only one breath, stunning Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, Fang Muye, and the others.
• Chen Jiayu explained that the second trial required contestants to comprehend and perform a martial art from the hall's murals within an hour.
• Qing Ling caught up with Jiang Che and the others, while Shi Poyue appeared outside the cave abode wrapped in restriction light, having been teleported out.

After Shi Poyue and many other prodigies failed the trials, Jiang Che comprehended a complete martial art from the murals and passed the second trial. He entered the Mist of Heart-Questioning, where an illusion showed him slaughtering his sect as the Black-Armored Giant while the Heart of the Black Abyss overwhelmed his will.

• Shi Poyue lost the first trial, and Wang Zhenhai, Qing Ling, Xiao Qingge, and other prodigies were teleported out after failing the second.
• Jiang Che used his [True Myriad Phenomena Eye] and accumulated martial knowledge to derive three martial arts from the murals.
• Jiang Che performed a complete fist technique on the platform, astonishing the other prodigies and earning the golden light that marked his passage.
• Jiang Che arrived in the Mist of Heart-Questioning, where the fog transformed his surroundings into a bloodied Cloud Sea Courtyard filled with his dead fellow disciples.
• Jiang Che saw that he had become a Black-Armored Giant and realized the massacre had been committed by him, but the Heart of the Black Abyss overwhelmed his resistance and began erasing his identity.

After Jiang Che cleared the mural trial, Qin Wuya copied every movement on the walls to pass it as well, but his obsession with surpassing Qin Xuange overwhelmed him in the Mind-Nature Trial. Qin Wuya was eliminated, leaving Gu Qingxuan, Jiang Che, Chen Jiayu, and Lin Qingyun as the final four inside the cave dwelling.

• Qin Wuya replicated the mural figures' movements one by one, lighting every figure and clearing the second trial.
• In the Mind-Nature Trial, Qin Wuya repeatedly lost to an illusion of Qin Xuange until his martial heart was consumed by his obsession.
• Qin Wuya was teleported out of the cave dwelling, while other eliminated prodigies gathered outside.
• Fang Muye was eliminated after failing to comprehend the murals and felt ashamed under the watching crowd's gaze.
• Qin Wuya admitted that he had lost the third trial, shocking the gathered spectators and elders.
• The crowd realized that Gu Qingxuan, Jiang Che, Chen Jiayu, and Lin Qingyun were the only candidates remaining.

Gu Qingxuan failed Master of Hundred Arts' trial after an illusion showed her a life without human connection, leaving her questioning what a sword and a person were. Chen Jiayu and Lin Qingyun passed the mural trial, but Chen Jiayu was then cast into an illusion of his family's destruction and emerged shaken, newly valuing his father and family above martial arts.

• Gu Qingxuan used her sword intent to trigger the murals and pass the second trial, then entered an illusion where she lived and died as an ordinary woman isolated from mortal life.
• Gu Qingxuan failed the heart trial and returned to the sinkhole, where she asked Yue Lingfeng what a sword was and whether a person could be separated from human warmth.
• Chen Jiayu organized the mural techniques and performed a flowing palm set that earned him passage through the second trial.
• Lin Qingyun struck once with his sword, resonated with the sword-technique murals, and passed the second trial.
• Chen Jiayu experienced an illusion in which the Chen Family was accused of rebellion, his father was imprisoned, and he was executed, before being transported back to the cave entrance.
• Chen Jiayu saw his father safe on the high platform and realized that his family mattered more to him than martial arts.

Jiang Che broke free of the Heart-Questioning Mist by recognizing its horrors as an illusion and escaping through a flaw in its reality. He emerged in the core inheritance ground of Master of Hundred Arts' Cave-Dwelling and found a black stone stele.

• Lin Qingyun relived his childhood homecoming and watched Demon Sect bandits kill his family when his sword could not stop them, then emerged from the trial.
• The gathered cultivators realized Jiang Che was the only participant still inside, while his friends and allies anxiously awaited his return.
• Jiang Che endured an illusion in which the Black Abyss corrupted him and made him slaughter Ye Lianzhen, Tang Qiaoqiao, his friends, the Yin Family, and Jiang Ling.
• Jiang Che recognized the world as an illusion, reaffirmed that he sought power to protect others, and resisted the force trying to keep him trapped.
• Jiang Che used Shadow Evasion to tear himself out of the illusion and entered a boundless white space, where he found a black stone stele.

Jiang Che passed the Master of Hundred Arts' trials and received his inheritance, which gave him Supreme-Grade Bone Aptitude and helped seal the Heart of the Black Abyss. He emerged from the collapsing cave dwelling to widespread celebration and envy, leaving his rivals stunned by his success.

• Master of Hundred Arts praised Jiang Che's performance in the trials and explained that protection and a true heart could give power purpose.
• Master of Hundred Arts discovered the Outer Realm Evil God's will within Jiang Che and sealed part of its ferocity, warning Jiang Che not to trust its temptations.
• Master of Hundred Arts transferred his cultivation insights and True Intent Power to Jiang Che, transforming his body and raising his bone aptitude to Supreme-Grade.
• The cave dwelling began collapsing as Jiang Che emerged beneath a golden pillar of light, and he announced that he had received Master of Hundred Arts' inheritance.
• Xu Qingshan celebrated Jiang Che's success while Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, and the others reacted with shock, respect, or envy.
• Fang Muye brooded over Jiang Che's success, and the Taiyuan Sect elder and Feng Zhuyun left angrily.

Jiang Che tested Master of Hundred Arts' seal and confirmed that the Heart of the Black Abyss no longer made him lose control, even when exposed to blood. After months of intense cultivation, he broke through to the Late Organ-Refining Realm and strengthened his talents and combat ability.

• Jiang Che transformed into Black Armor Form and crushed a cage of Giant-Toothed Rats, finding that blood no longer triggered his madness.
• Jiang Che asked Wan'er to arrange for the bloodied quiet chamber to be cleaned, frightening her with the gruesome scene.
• Jiang Che resumed secluded cultivation, driven by threats from Xie Songnian and Demon Sect experts and by his goal of reaching the Perfect Truth Realm.
• Jiang Che used his resources, martial arts, and the Sun-Eroding Scripture to rapidly build his cultivation and feed his talents.
• Jiang Che broke through the barrier to the Late Organ-Refining Realm after months of cultivation.
• Jiang Che found that his talents had improved and True Infinite Battle Aura had evolved from Fifteenfold Strike to Eighteenfold Strike.

Jiang Che hatched a Shadow Iron Eagle, bonded with it through the Pupil Seal, and raised it into the formidable Little Black. As Cang Prefecture prepared a tournament to choose a Young Alliance Leader, Jiang Che rejected the idea of competing, but a notice from the Sect Master disrupted his plans.

• Jiang Che nourished the Shadow Iron Eagle egg with blood essence and force until Little Black hatched, then successfully formed a soul bond with it using the Pupil Seal.
• Jiang Che fed Little Black Exotic Beast Meat and tempered its body, and the young eagle rapidly grew powerful and developed its shadow-concealment talent.
• Xie Songnian and elders from the Taiyuan Sect and Mystic Sound Sect proposed forming the Cang Prefecture Demon-Extermination Alliance and announced a tournament to select its Young Alliance Leader.
• Azure Cloud Sect disciples debated whether Fang Muye or Jiang Che should take the sect's second tournament slot, while Gu Qingxuan was widely expected to take the first.
• Jiang Che dismissed the tournament and its True Essence Pill, suspecting Xie Songnian's motives and choosing to focus on cultivation instead.
• Several days later, a sect notice personally issued by the Sect Master disrupted Jiang Che's plans.

Jiang Che accepted the Azure Cloud Sect’s decision to have him represent the sect at the Young Alliance Leader selection after Xu Qingshan urged him to embrace the responsibility. Enraged at being passed over, Fang Muye challenged him to a duel for the competition slot, and Jiang Che accepted, leaving three days to prepare.

• Jiang Che received the official notice naming him and Gu Qingxuan as the sect’s representatives at the Cang Prefecture Demon-Extermination Alliance selection assembly.
• Jiang Che told Xu Qingshan he did not want to participate, but Xu Qingshan urged him to trust the sect’s decision and fight for honor.
• Fang Muye smashed a table in anger over being excluded and stormed to Jiang Che’s courtyard to demand an explanation.
• Jiang Che accepted Fang Muye’s challenge to fight for the Chief position and competition slot at the Central Martial Arts Arena in three days.
• As the sect’s disciples debated who would win, Jiang Che shut himself in the Grade A Cultivation Room to prepare.

Jiang Che faced Fang Muye in a crowded duel between the chief disciples of Cloud Sea Courtyard and Flowing Wind Courtyard. After Fang Muye used a Dragon Blood Boiling Pill to boost his strength, Jiang Che endured his attacks, reversed the fight, and defeated him with a single devastating punch.

• Tens of thousands gathered at Azure Cloud Sect to watch Jiang Che and Fang Muye fight, while the sect's elders and disciples debated Jiang Che's chances.
• Fang Muye revealed a dramatically strengthened aura after taking a Dragon Blood Boiling Pill, then attacked Jiang Che with his swift movement technique.
• Jiang Che calmly deflected Fang Muye's opening strike and defended against his rapid barrage, but Fang Muye's attacks from unpredictable angles forced him to move and dodge.
• Jiang Che took a kick to the shin to close the distance and land a powerful punch on Fang Muye, then drove him backward with a counterattack.
• Fang Muye unleashed his Wind God Palm, but Jiang Che shattered its force with an eighteenfold strike and sent Fang Muye flying off the arena, breaking his protective armor.

Jiang Che crushed Fang Muye in the arena, then entered seclusion to prepare for the Young Alliance Leader selection assembly. As the tournament began, he suspected Xie Songnian was using it to conceal a larger scheme and resolved to grow strong enough to protect what mattered to him.

• Jiang Che defeated Fang Muye with one punch, shocking the Azure Cloud Sect and ending doubts about his combat strength.
• Xie Songnian learned of Fang Muye's defeat and dismissed the tournament as a distraction while hinting at a greater undertaking.
• As the selection tournament neared, people across Cang Prefecture Capital debated whether Jiang Che could challenge favorites Qin Wuya and Gu Qingxuan.
• Jiang Che returned to the Grade A Cultivation Room and strengthened his power and [True Infinite Battle Aura] before the tournament.
• On the final night of seclusion, Jiang Che decided that preparing for Xie Songnian's suspected scheme mattered more than winning the tournament.
• The Young Alliance Leader selection assembly officially began.

Jiang Che prepared for the Demon-Slaying Alliance tournament while keeping watch over the sect and his sister, then joined the other prodigies at the Central Plaza. The tournament began with thirty-two contestants drawing lots, and Jiang Che learned he would face a dagger-wielding young man.

• Jiang Che used an ordinary crow to spy on Xie Songnian and stationed Little Black above the chief disciples’ residences to guard his courtyard and Jiang Ling.
• Jiang Che armed himself with the Star Chaser Bow and Divine Crane Pills, reassured Jiang Ling, and left for the tournament.
• The sect leaders and Cang Prefecture’s prominent figures gathered at the Central Plaza as prodigies including Qin Wuya, Lin Qingyun, Xiao Qingge, and Gu Qingxuan entered.
• Jiang Che searched the crowd with his [True Myriad Phenomena Eye] but found no sign of the Demon Sect.
• Xie Songnian announced the elimination tournament and its prizes, and Jiang Che drew lot number sixteen against a lean young man wielding Water-Parting Daggers.

Jiang Che overwhelmed his first two opponents with single punches before facing Su Linfeng, the eighth-ranked prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Su Linfeng unleashed the Mystic Sound Sect’s forbidden technique, Ambush from Ten Sides, leaving the crowd convinced Jiang Che faced a grave threat.

• Jiang Che defeated Meng Jin with one punch, revealing his greatly increased strength to the tournament crowd.
• Jiang Che accidentally knocked out his next opponent before their match began, then learned that Su Linfeng would be his next challenger.
• Liu Ruyan warned Su Linfeng not to clash with Jiang Che directly and urged him to use his sound arts to attack Jiang Che’s mind.
• Su Linfeng’s Demonic Sound Melody failed to keep Jiang Che at bay, and Jiang Che pressed him with a fierce barrage of punches.
• Su Linfeng unleashed Ambush from Ten Sides, a forbidden technique that created the illusion of a vast battlefield and threatened Jiang Che’s soul.

Jiang Che defeated Su Linfeng, while Gu Qingxuan and Qin Wuya won their matches against Lin Qingyun and Chen Jiayu. The final four in the Young Alliance Leader selection assembly were set: Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, Xiao Qingge, and Jiang Che.

• Jiang Che overwhelmed Su Linfeng with his Eighteenfold Strike, breaking his flute and knocking him unconscious.
• Gu Qingxuan defeated Lin Qingyun after parrying his swift sword attacks and countering his Absolute Shadow technique.
• Qin Wuya shattered Chen Jiayu’s illusions and Golden Scale Treasure Armor, forcing Chen Jiayu to concede.
• Xu Zhouzi identified Qin Wuya as a Half-Step True Person who had opened eleven of his twelve great acupoints.
• Xiao Qingge also defeated her opponent, completing the final four with Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, and Jiang Che.

Jiang Che watched Qin Wuya defeat Gu Qingxuan, then faced Xiao Qingge in the other semifinal and withstood her strongest soundwave attack. After countering her Phoenix Cry of the Nine Heavens and forcing her back, he launched another Eighteenfold Strike, leaving the match unresolved.

• Qin Wuya defeated Gu Qingxuan in a fierce semifinal, though Gu Qingxuan injured him before conceding.
• Jiang Che and Xiao Qingge began their semifinal as the crowd expected Xiao Qingge’s soul-attacking music to counter his fighting style.
• Jiang Che blocked Xiao Qingge’s Guangling Melody with his fists and broke through her Ambush from Ten Sides illusions using the True Myriad Phenomena Eye.
• Jiang Che’s Eighteenfold Strike collided with Xiao Qingge’s Phoenix Cry of the Nine Heavens, and Xiao Qingge staggered back while Jiang Che held his ground.
• Jiang Che announced his turn and unleashed another Eighteenfold Strike, shocking Xiao Qingge.

Jiang Che defeated Xiao Qingge and faced Qin Wuya in the Young Alliance Leader tournament final, surprising the crowd by resisting Qin Wuya’s Divine Sense and matching his attacks. After Jiang Che blocked four successive powerful strikes, Qin Wuya prepared his strongest technique, Heavenly Stellar Destruction: Peerless.

• Jiang Che overwhelmed Xiao Qingge with a second Eighteenfold Strike, and she conceded before warning him that Qin Wuya was far stronger than he imagined.
• Jiang Che and Qin Wuya began the final, where their opposing presences clashed and Jiang Che resisted Qin Wuya’s Divine Sense assault.
• Jiang Che dodged Qin Wuya’s opening spear thrust and counterattacked, then met his following spear techniques with Eighteenfold Strike.
• Jiang Che used Eighteenfold Strike four times to withstand Qin Wuya’s escalating attacks, stunning the spectators and contestants.
• Qin Wuya acknowledged Jiang Che and announced Heavenly Stellar Destruction: Peerless as his strongest strike.