Chapter Summaries

The Core Students who had bet against Qiu Xue worried that Xia Ping might win the championship, so Huo Gang proposed forcing him to withdraw. Dao Bailan refused to participate, while Cao Zhengbin backed the plan and remained determined to win the Infinite Dragon Sun Pill.

• The Core Students discussed Xia Ping’s strength and feared losing their bet if he won the championship.
• Huo Gang proposed pressuring Xia Ping to withdraw, threatening to teach him a lesson if he refused.
• Dao Bailan rejected the plan, argued with the others, and agreed not to reveal it before leaving.
• Cao Zhengbin told the group to proceed and said they could not leave the bet to chance because he wanted the Infinite Dragon Sun Pill to help him break through to the King Realm.

Xia Ping ate in the Sun Moon City dining hall when a red-clad contestant tried to summon him to meet Huo Gang. After Xia Ping slapped the man and stopped his attack, Huo Gang intervened and apologized, leaving the red-clad man humiliated and furious.

• Xia Ping enjoyed the dining hall’s free, energy-rich food until a red-clad contestant ordered him to meet his big brother.
• Xia Ping refused, insulted the group, and slapped the red-clad man when he reached for Xia Ping’s collar.
• The red-clad man attacked Xia Ping, but Huo Gang appeared and restrained him with overwhelming pressure.
• Huo Gang apologized on his younger brother’s behalf, and Xia Ping told him to teach the man not to provoke others.

Huo Gang tried to bribe and threaten Xia Ping into withdrawing from the Genius Tournament, but Xia Ping demanded an impossible price and refused to back down. Huo Gang abandoned the negotiations and left, while Xia Ping remained in the dining hall.

• Huo Gang cleared the nearby students from the dining hall and sealed the area with a true essence barrier before asking Xia Ping to withdraw from the tournament.
• Huo Gang offered money, pills, and martial arts manuals, warning Xia Ping that continued success would offend many Core Students.
• Xia Ping demanded five trillion Federal Coins or several priceless treasures, top-grade King manuals, or ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs.
• Huo Gang raised his offer to one trillion Federal Coins, but Xia Ping rejected it and insisted on five trillion.
• Huo Gang ended the negotiations and left with his companions, and the dining hall returned to peace.

Su Mei and Qiu Xue discussed Xia Ping’s refusal to withdraw from the Genius Tournament and agreed to guard against Huo Gang’s group breaking the rules. Huo Gang then devised a bounty to encourage Xia Ping’s tournament opponents to injure him and prevent him from winning.

• Su Mei told Qiu Xue that Huo Gang’s attempt to persuade Xia Ping to withdraw had failed, and Qiu Xue said she had expected him to refuse.
• Qiu Xue warned that she would void their bet and seek compensation if Huo Gang’s group harmed Xia Ping.
• The Core Students angrily discussed Xia Ping’s refusal and considered secretly crippling him, but Cao Zhengbin warned that Qiu Xue had threatened them against breaking the rules.
• Huo Gang proposed a bounty for anyone who defeated or injured Xia Ping during the tournament, hoping repeated matches would leave him too wounded to win the championship.

Xia Ping faced Liu Mu, a top Liu Family fighter who used the Withered Wood Divine Art and had accepted a reward to trouble him. Xia Ping countered Liu Mu’s vine attack with the flames of his Pure Yang Indestructible Art, but Liu Mu claimed his technique resisted fire as well as water.

• Xia Ping met Liu Mu in the top-100 round and learned that the Liu Family descendant had a powerful Demon Tree Bloodline and had cultivated the Withered Wood Divine Art.
• Liu Mu revealed that Core Students had offered benefits to anyone who defeated or injured Xia Ping, then attacked him with waves of vines imbued with withering energy.
• Xia Ping used the Pure Yang Indestructible Art to transform into a fiery figure and strike Liu Mu’s vines with a powerful flame attack.
• Liu Mu dismissed Xia Ping’s claim that fire was his perfect counter and said his Withered Wood Divine Art was impervious to both water and fire.

Xia Ping burned through Liu Mu’s Withered Wood Divine Art and beat him down, but Liu Mu unleashed Withered Wood Rebirth to gain Grandmaster-level power for one instant. Xia Ping activated his Hell Golden Crow Eye and saw Liu Mu’s movements in detail as the decisive attack began.

• Xia Ping’s flames incinerated Liu Mu’s vines, and his punch sent Liu Mu flying and broke several of his bones.
• Liu Mu used Withered Wood Rebirth, awakening his bloodline and raising his strength to the Grandmaster Realm at the cost of his health and potential.
• Liu Mu surged at Xia Ping with a Grandmaster-level strike, leaving a huge crater beneath his feet.
• Xia Ping activated his Hell Golden Crow Eye, which slowed his perception of the fight and revealed Liu Mu’s next move.

Xia Ping used the Hell Golden Crow Eye to refine his Northern Underworld Body Protection Art and survive Liu Mu’s powerful attack. Liu Mu conceded the match but believed Xia Ping’s injuries and lingering Withered Wood True Essence would make him lose his next match.

• Xia Ping activated the Hell Golden Crow Eye and saw how inefficiently he was using true essence in the Northern Underworld Body Protection Art.
• Xia Ping coordinated the energy particles in his barrier, greatly strengthening its defense and improving its efficiency.
• Liu Mu struck Xia Ping with a grandmaster-level attack, driving him back and causing him to spit blood, while Xia Ping’s Pure Yang Indestructible Art burned away the invading true essence and helped him recover.
• Liu Mu, exhausted after unleashing the Withered Wood Divine Art, admitted defeat when Xia Ping remained standing.
• Xia Ping pretended the blow had been harmless, while Liu Mu insisted Xia Ping’s injuries and lingering Withered Wood True Essence would cost him his next match.

After defeating Liu Mu, Xia Ping faced Ge Da in the next round while spectators assumed his injuries would force him to lose. Ge Da discovered Xia Ping’s punch was still powerful and resolved to prolong the fight, believing Xia Ping could not endure a drawn-out battle.

• The system declared Xia Ping the winner and eliminated Liu Mu, and Xia Ping spent an hour recovering before his next match.
• Ge Da appeared as Xia Ping’s opponent and threatened to end his run, citing his peak ninth-level Martial Master strength and Black Bat Bloodline.
• Xia Ping attacked first, but Ge Da countered with Bat Roar, creating a powerful supersonic sound barrier.
• Ge Da was surprised by the strength of Xia Ping’s punch, then noticed his pallor and bloodied mouth and concluded he was trying to end the fight quickly.
• Ge Da decided to drag out the battle and wear Xia Ping down.

Xia Ping fought Ge Da in the arena and grew stronger as Ge Da’s attacks helped him cultivate. He defeated Ge Da with a sudden burst of power, then pretended to be exhausted while the Core Students assumed he would lose his next match.

• Xia Ping and Ge Da traded blows as the Core Students cheered for Ge Da’s attrition strategy.
• Xia Ping absorbed energy from the impacts, opened another meridian, and grew stronger while Ge Da became increasingly injured.
• Ge Da mistook Xia Ping’s claim that he was nearly finished for a psychological trick and continued fighting at full strength.
• After more than ten minutes, Xia Ping gathered his true essence and struck Ge Da through his sound-wave barrier, knocking him unconscious and winning the match.
• Xia Ping dropped to one knee and feigned exhaustion, convincing the Core Students that he had spent all his strength and would lose the next match.

Xia Ping defeated Fu Yidao and Chen Kun despite appearing gravely injured, advancing to the top eight of the Genius Tournament. As Huo Gang and the other Core Students questioned his improbable victories, Xia Ping publicly accused them of plotting against him and demanded an investigation and compensation.

• Xia Ping used the Kunpeng Step to evade Fu Yidao's hidden weapons, then knocked him unconscious after three hundred exchanges and advanced to the top sixteen.
• Xia Ping endured Chen Kun's Heaven-Turning Hand until Chen's true essence ran out, then knocked him unconscious and advanced to the top eight.
• Huo Gang assured the Core Students that Xia Ping would lose to one of the top eight contestants, while the others complained about his repeated comebacks.
• A Core Student alerted Huo Gang and the others that Xia Ping had posted accusations against them on the Cloud Sky Realm forum.
• Huo Gang and the other Core Students read Xia Ping's viral post, which accused them of bribing competitors and demanded an official investigation and compensation.

After Xia Ping exposed the Core Students’ plot, the Pingtian Sect spread rumors online that they were jealous of him and might include demon spies. Huo Gang and the other Core Students dismissed the accusations as a desperate attempt to delay the quarterfinals and give Xia Ping time to recover.

• With Xia Ping’s approval, Feng Hetang and the Pingtian Sect attacked the Core Students online and claimed they targeted Xia Ping out of jealousy.
• Feng Hetang argued that the Core Students resented the prospect of an ordinary person winning the Genius Tournament, and many spectators accepted his explanation.
• The Pingtian Sect escalated the smear campaign by suggesting some Core Students were demon spies or human traitors.
• The Core Students grew furious at Xia Ping for making the dispute public and feared the Federal Government might investigate them.
• Huo Gang persuaded the other Core Students that Xia Ping had exposed them to stall the tournament and recover from his injuries, and they vowed not to let his plan succeed.

Huo Gang and the Core Students denied Xia Ping’s accusations, but Xia released an edited recording of their conversation that appeared to prove they had threatened him. After the Core Students called the recording fake, Xia directed the Pingtian Sect to stir up an online argument, leaving ordinary people furious at the nobles’ contemptuous remarks.

• Cao Zhengbin warned Huo Gang that rumors could spread and cause serious trouble, so the Core Students posted denials and threatened legal action against Xia Ping and the website.
• Xia released an edited recording of his cafeteria conversation with Huo Gang, prompting people online to condemn the Core Students for threatening an Elite Student.
• The Core Students blamed Huo Gang for leaving evidence, then agreed to deny the recording was genuine and posted claims that Xia had fabricated it.
• Xia told the Pingtian Sect to spread conflicting posts defending and attacking the recording, including insults toward commoners and a call to keep the poor out of nobles’ districts.
• Ordinary people grew furious after seeing the Pingtian Sect’s posts disparaging commoners.

Xia Ping turned public anger at the Core Students’ contempt for ordinary people into a widespread demand for justice by posting a warning about what happens when bystanders stay silent. The backlash overwhelmed Huo Gang and the tournament organizers, who faced mounting public pressure and threats of demonstrations.

• Pingtian Sect supporters inflamed online outrage over the Core Students’ insults and their plan to create a district that excluded poor people.
• Xia Ping posted a message warning that people who stayed silent about injustice would have no one to defend them when it affected them.
• People across the Cloud Sky Realm embraced Xia Ping’s words, and Feng Hetang and the others felt encouraged to fight injustice.
• Spectators demanded punishment for Huo Gang and the Core Students, flooding the Genius Tournament organizers with calls and complaint emails.
• Huo Gang and the others faced public condemnation, leaked phone numbers, and harassment, while tournament officials scrambled to contain the crisis.
• Angry members of the public threatened to travel to Sun Moon City by spaceship and demonstrate if Xia Ping did not receive justice.

Sun Moon City’s leaders threatened to involve the Federation police if the Core Students’ conflict with Xia Ping disrupted the Genius Tournament. The Core Students split over whether to fight or make peace, and Cao Zhengbin arranged peace talks after most voted to negotiate.

• Hou Hanyang and Sun Moon City’s other leaders questioned Huo Gang and warned the Core Students that a police investigation could expose their past misconduct.
• The Core Students argued over whether to resist Xia Ping or negotiate, with those worried about their secrets favoring peace.
• Cao Zhengbin proposed a vote, and seventy percent of the Core Students chose peace talks.
• Cao Zhengbin ordered the group to contact Xia Ping, warning the hardliners not to obstruct the decision.

Xia Ping negotiated with Huo Gang and the Core Students over their attempt to settle their dispute privately, eventually demanding two hundred billion Federal Coins. Hou Hanyang ordered the Core Students to accept the demand to protect Sun Moon City's reputation.

• Huo Gang called Xia Ping to propose a private settlement, and Xia Ping demanded compensation, a delayed competition, and a public apology.
• The Core Students rejected Xia Ping's three conditions, and he refused to negotiate unless they accepted his terms.
• After more than an hour of bargaining, Xia Ping dropped the delay and apology demands but raised the compensation to two hundred billion Federal Coins.
• Huo Gang and the Core Students refused to pay, so both sides took a half-hour break to discuss the demand.
• Hou Hanyang called Huo Gang and ordered the Core Students to pay Xia Ping two hundred billion Federal Coins to prevent further damage to Sun Moon City's reputation.

After securing two hundred billion Federal Coins from Huo Gang and the other Core Students, Xia Ping publicly settled their dispute and cultivated with Water Moon Grass. He entered the quarterfinals against Lian Zhengshun, while spectators expected him to lose.

• Xia Ping learned that Huo Gang and the other Core Students had agreed to pay him two hundred billion Federal Coins in compensation.
• Sun Moon City's representative, Huo Gang's group, and Xia Ping issued statements saying they had settled the dispute, and the quarterfinals would proceed as scheduled.
• Xia Ping cultivated with Water Moon Grass, opened another meridian, and prepared to improve his strength before the later rounds.
• Xia Ping appeared at the quarterfinals to face Lian Zhengshun, a powerful contestant with Mermaid Bloodline.
• Spectators speculated that Xia Ping had been suppressed and would lose to Lian Zhengshun.

Xia Ping faced Lian Zhengshun in the tournament despite his serious injuries, while the spectators expected him to lose. Lian Zhengshun’s exploding water attacks battered Xia Ping and drove him across the arena, leaving the match unresolved.

• Huo Gang and the other Core Students watched, hoping Xia Ping’s likely defeat would win them their bet with Qiu Xue.
• Qiu Xue told Su Mei that Xia Ping would definitely win, despite his injuries.
• Lian Zhengshun criticized Xia Ping before the match, and Xia Ping challenged him to prove his strength.
• Lian Zhengshun launched water bullets, but Xia Ping used Kunpeng Step to evade them, aggravating his injuries.
• Lian Zhengshun sent water dragons at Xia Ping, then detonated them into thousands of bullets that struck him and forced him back while he coughed up blood.

Xia Ping withstood Lian Zhengshun’s relentless water-based attacks, using them to heal and refine the Water Moon Grass’s power. Even after Lian Zhengshun unleashed his ultimate move, Xia Ping remained standing, leaving Lian Zhengshun stunned.

• Lian Zhengshun battered Xia Ping with Rainstorm Fist, but Xia Ping remained upright after the attack.
• Xia Ping said Lian Zhengshun’s blows felt like a massage and explained that his Northern Underworld Body Protection Art protected him while the impacts helped him recover.
• Urged on by the Core Students, Lian Zhengshun unleashed Ultimate Meteor Descent and sent thousands of enormous water balls crashing down on Xia Ping.
• After the arena was devastated, Lian Zhengshun saw that Xia Ping was still standing and demanded to know why he had not fallen.

Xia Ping defeated Lian Zhengshun by conserving his strength and baiting him into exhausting himself, advancing to the semifinals. The spectators and Core Students realized his victory had relied on a scheme, but Cao Zhengbin remained confident he would lose next time.

• Lian Zhengshun exhausted his strength attacking Xia Ping, who pretended to be near defeat and challenged him to try again.
• Xia Ping charged at Lian Zhengshun and knocked him unconscious with a powerful punch, sending him flying into the ring wall.
• The system declared Xia Ping the winner and advanced him to the semifinals.
• Huo Gang explained that Xia Ping had used his defensive technique to bait Lian Zhengshun into wasting his strength.
• Cao Zhengbin claimed that Xia Ping's scheme would fail in the semifinals now that everyone knew about it.

After Xia Ping saw Core Students mocking his chances in the semifinals, he devised a plan and had Feng Hetang provoke them into betting against him. The Core Students eagerly accepted Feng Hetang’s offer to match their stakes on Xia Ping winning the championship.

• Online commenters mocked Xia Ping’s chances, and some Core Students wished that demon assassins would kill him.
• Xia Ping read the posts and called Feng Hetang to tell him his plan.
• Feng Hetang challenged the Core Students online, pointing out that they had not reached the Genius Tournament’s top ten.
• Feng Hetang offered to match any bets that Xia Ping would win the championship.
• The Core Students accepted and began wagering hundreds of billions.