Recaps

Chen Cheng demonstrated his flawless grasp of Ten Directions Thunder Movement, prompting Yuan Feiche to offer to take him as a personal disciple, but Chen Cheng chose to consider it. After selecting a mission at the North Foothill Mine and learning about the Yunlei Chamber of Commerce, Chen Cheng was hurried into a duel against Huo Lijin before he could rest, with the match about to begin.

• Chen Cheng demonstrated Ten Directions Thunder Movement without a flaw, and Yuan Feiche offered to take him as a personal disciple; Chen Cheng said he would consider the offer and left.
• Chen Cheng accepted a mission to guard the North Foothill Mine after He Yunjin made an exception to reserve it for him.
• Chen Cheng learned from Xu Tianpeng about the Yunlei Chamber of Commerce's privileges and began considering whether to join it.
• Yan Yifeng brought distinguished guests to Tianxiang Restaurant early and pushed Chen Cheng into a duel against Huo Lijin before he could rest after eating.
• Xu Tianpeng identified Bai Xiyan, Wei Beilou, and Pei Jie among the guests, while Yan Yifeng told Huo Lijin about Chen Cheng's abilities and urged him not to underestimate his opponent.

Chen Cheng defeated Huo Lilun, survived an assassination attempt arranged by Yan Yifeng and Wei Beilou, and forced Wei Beilou into serving him with an Immortal Gu Pill. After using the Azure Profound Seven-Leaf Grass to break through Inner-Strengthening Taiji into Marrow-Washing Taiji, Chen Cheng prepared to deal with Yan Yifeng at Wei Beilou's residence.

• Chen Cheng used an afterimage to evade Huo Lilun's saber and killed him with a finger strike, securing Xu Tianpeng's victory and wager.
• Chen Cheng declined Pei Jie's offer of government service, accepted the Azure Profound Seven-Leaf Grass from Xu Tianpeng, and learned that Bai Xiyan and Yan Yifeng were close.
• Yan Yifeng asked Wei Beilou to secretly kill Chen Cheng, and two assassins attacked Chen Cheng and Xu Tianpeng on the road; Chen Cheng killed one and captured the other.
• Chen Cheng confronted Wei Beilou at a mountain pavilion, made him swallow an Immortal Gu Pill, and forced him to serve as his subordinate.
• Chen Cheng sacrificed the Azure Profound Seven-Leaf Grass and broke Inner-Strengthening Taiji into Marrow-Washing Taiji, beginning to temper his blood into golden blood.
• Wei Beilou told Yan Yifeng that Chen Cheng and Xu Tianpeng were dead, then led him toward the rear courtyard after Yan Yifeng asked to see the recovered wager.

Chen Cheng killed Yan Yifeng, survived an attempt by an assassin linked to the Immortal Bone Sect, and mastered the Heart-Chain Spirit-Control Art enough to share the Howling Sky Eagle’s senses. He traveled to a mine in the North Foothill Mountains, healed Li Li’s injury, and prepared to take up his month-long assignment as a carriage arrived at the camp.

• Chen Cheng had Wei Beilou kill Yan Yifeng, took the money and cultivation resources Wei Beilou provided, and left the Wei Residence.
• A masked Four-Qi Divine Treasury assassin ambushed Chen Cheng, who defeated and interrogated him before learning that the Immortal Bone Sect’s Ink Venerable had ordered an investigation; Chen Cheng killed him as approaching footsteps drew near.
• Xu Tianpeng visited Chen Cheng, who denied having evidence to identify the assassins, then Chen Cheng exchanged Wei Beilou’s banknotes for the Heart-Chain Spirit-Control Art.
• Chen Cheng learned to share the Howling Sky Eagle’s senses and issue it mental commands, then received Wei Beilou’s report about rising tensions, Black Wind Insect Valley, and the Yunlei Martial Tournament.
• Chen Cheng arrived at the mine, where Li Li told him about her yin-aspected injury; he used his Innate Essence to purge the qi from her lungs and registered for his assignment.
• Li Li warned Chen Cheng to avoid conflict with sect disciples backed by the merchant guild, and a carriage raced toward the camp gate.

Chen Cheng discovered that the Immortal Bone Sect and a huge Rebel Army were preparing to attack the mine, then secretly armed the Howling Sky Eagle with Divine Fire Thunder and rushed toward the enemy. The chapter ended as two fast-moving objects flew toward Mo Wuya’s gathered forces.

• Qu Lingsha arrived at the mine, and Li Li warned Chen Cheng to beware of her.
• Chen Cheng settled into his guard duties, trained, and learned from Wu Ping that the mine faced threats from rebels, demonic cultists, and exotic beasts.
• Qu Lingsha injured a young disciple at a gathering, so Chen Cheng left with Li Liang and Fei Gang rather than join her faction.
• Chen Cheng spotted Immortal Bone Sect leaders and a huge Rebel Army approaching the mine through the Howling Sky Eagle’s vision.
• Chen Cheng sent the Howling Sky Eagle into the sky carrying two Divine Fire Thunder and hurried toward the advancing army.
• Mo Wuya ordered the attack, but two fast-moving objects flew toward his densely assembled forces.

Chen Cheng’s attack on the North Foothill Mine triggered a devastating explosion, but the surviving attackers ambushed the pursuing sect disciples in the forest. After a mysterious Qingming Path fighter nearly killed the survivors, Chen Cheng revealed overwhelming swordsmanship and beheaded him, only to face strange flames erupting from the dead man’s head.

• Chen Cheng secretly detonated Divine Fire Thunder among the Immortal Bone Sect and Rebel Army forces, devastating the hillside and allowing the mine guards to pursue survivors.
• Chen Cheng tracked Qu Lingsha through the Howling Sky Eagle while Li Liang hesitated and Fei Gang continued into the forest with the pursuers.
• Qu Lingsha and the sect disciples were ambushed by the wounded enemy forces, and Mo Wuya fatally wounded Qu Lingsha before dying from her counterattack.
• A blue-black Qingming Path fighter rescued Qu Lingsha, killed most of the remaining fighters, and prepared to leave with her.
• Chen Cheng attacked the fighter and killed him with a single sword strike, shocking Qu Lingsha, Fei Gang, and the other survivors.
• Dark cyan flames burst from the dead fighter’s eyes and shot toward Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng survived Qu Lingsha’s Mysterious Yin Soul-Severing Arrow, killed the wounded survivors, and escaped the forest with his spoils before investigators arrived. Later, he learned of mounting conflict in the Northern Border and considered exploring Black Wind Insect Valley; the chapter ended when an authoritative voice called him outside his stone house.

• Qu Lingsha struck Chen Cheng with the Mysterious Yin Soul-Severing Arrow, but he neutralized its cold Qi and recovered.
• Howling Heaven killed Fei Gang and the other survivor, while Chen Cheng questioned the remaining enemies, took a fragment of martial-art text from Qu Lingsha, and killed her and the Immortal Bone Sect branch master.
• Chen Cheng escaped the forest with his loot, hid the evidence, and passed questioning at the mine without raising suspicion.
• Chen Cheng met Wei Beilou, who reported the Shanhai Sect battle, a possible demonic evil beneath the Sea Marsh Abyss, an ancient ruin in Black Wind Insect Valley, and Feng Xiaofeng’s crippling injury.
• Chen Cheng continued cultivating with Yunlei Qi-Gathering Pills and considered visiting Black Wind Insect Valley before an authoritative voice summoned him outside.

Chen Cheng refused Bai Qisheng and Feng Minglei’s demand for his Little Restoration Pill, then continued cultivating until a monster’s rampage in Mine No. 12 drew him underground. Following a strange pull into the Earth-Burrowing Giant Centipede’s nest, he discovered a sinister ritual array gathering Primordial Qi and began absorbing its power.

• Chen Cheng rejected Bai Qisheng and Feng Minglei’s increasingly forceful demands for the Little Restoration Pill, explaining that he intended to give it freely to an injured Pavilion Master.
• Chen Cheng advanced Ten Directions Thunder Movement to Minor Accomplishment and gained the Void-Reality characteristic, which let his mirror images deliver real attacks at great cost.
• An alarm sounded as an Earth-Burrowing Giant Centipede rampaged in Mine No. 12, and Chen Cheng joined Chief Steward Zhang and Li Liang in entering the mine.
• After Li Liang took the last Poison-Repelling Pill and went with Chief Steward Zhang’s group, Chen Cheng followed a mysterious mental pull into a separate tunnel.
• Chen Cheng found a cavern filled with arranged remains and a glowing ritual array that had compressed Primordial Qi into a dark cyan sphere, then began drawing its energy into himself.

Chen Cheng absorbed the Primordial Qi and learned the Qingming Qi-Seizing Array before escaping the returning Earth-Burrowing Giant Centipede. Chief Steward Zhang and his group killed the mutated centipede, but Tu Yuan arrived and overwhelmed them; as Tu Yuan moved to kill Chief Steward Zhang, a Black Sword shot toward his back.

• Chen Cheng absorbed the Primordial Qi, learned the Qingming Qi-Seizing Array, and fled when the Earth-Burrowing Giant Centipede returned to its nest.
• Chief Steward Zhang led Sun Ting, Li Liang, and two other Martial Artists into the nest, where they fought and killed the mutated Earth-Burrowing Giant Centipede.
• Chief Steward Zhang awarded part of the centipede's value to Chen Cheng, but Tu Yuan appeared and accused the group of destroying his formation.
• Tu Yuan defeated Sun Ting and Chief Steward Zhang with his Mysterious Yin Qi Force, leaving them unable to move.
• A Black Sword shot from a hole in the rock wall toward Tu Yuan as he prepared to kill Chief Steward Zhang.

Chen Cheng killed Tu Yuan and recovered at the mine, where he learned that Steward Wu's family had been slaughtered by Northern Yin's Poison Feather Guard. He left for Shanhai Sect instead of Black Wind Insect Valley because his injuries had not healed, then discovered an armed group lying in ambush for him.

• Chen Cheng endured Tu Yuan's attacks and killed him with sword strikes from his mirror-image afterimages and his true body.
• Chief Steward Zhang and the others thanked Chen Cheng, but he kept the items he found on Tu Yuan after they refused to share them.
• Three days later, Zhang Lu gave Chen Cheng his Martial Guard Official Document recording one thousand martial merits and five Yunlei Qi-Gathering Pills from the survivors.
• Zhang Lu told Chen Cheng that the Poison Feather Guard had slaughtered Steward Wu's village, killing his family, and Chen Cheng left the mine after registering his mission.
• Chen Cheng abandoned his plan to visit Black Wind Insect Valley and headed for Shanhai Sect while recovering from his injuries.
• The Howling Sky Eagle spotted more than a dozen armed Martial Artists waiting in ambush, and Chen Cheng read their leaders' lips as they discussed killing him on Young Master Feng's orders.

Chen Cheng escaped a bandit ambush by entering Black Wind Insect Valley, where he planned to recover from his injuries while the enemy tried to seal the exits. Seven days later, Jiang Yujiao learned he had vanished and confronted Bai Qisheng and Feng Xiaofeng, whose plan to obtain the Little Restoration Pill was exposed.

• Li Zhenshan, Qiu Mingpu, and Yan Xiao led bandits to stop Chen Cheng from returning to the Shanhai Sect and pursued him after a hunting falcon spotted him.
• Chen Cheng lured his pursuers to the poisonous miasma at Black Wind Insect Valley, entered the valley unharmed, and chose to recuperate there rather than risk its exits.
• Chen Cheng found a sheltered ledge, took wound medicine from Qu Lingsha's supplies, and began recovering while cultivating in the valley.
• Li Wenrou delivered a letter about Chen Cheng's disappearance to Feng Baishi, who summoned Jiang Yujiao; she left immediately to confront those responsible.
• Jiang Yujiao forced her way into Feng Xiaofeng's courtyard and subdued Bai Qisheng after spotting his guilt, prompting Yuan Feiche to demand an explanation.
• A thunderous crash struck Feng Xiaofeng as Yuan Feiche began questioning him and Bai Qisheng.

Jiang Yujiao learned that the Feng Family had trapped Chen Cheng in Black Wind Insect Valley and rushed to save him, while Chen Cheng recovered and fought off the bandits sent to capture him. After escaping the valley with a strange blood cocoon and a fragment linked to an ancient ruin, Chen Cheng rode toward safety as Shanhai Sect’s leaders feared for him and Jiang Yujiao.

• Jiang Yujiao forced Bai Qisheng to reveal that Feng Family experts planned to capture Chen Cheng in Black Wind Insect Valley, then left to reach him.
• Chen Cheng spotted the bandits entering the valley, ambushed them, and killed Yan Xiao, Qiu Mingpu, and Li Zhenshan using his archery, spear, and Heart-Devouring Gu.
• Chen Cheng found a metal fragment bearing a cultivation mantra and watched the Heart-Devouring Gu form a blood cocoon after feeding on the valley’s threadworms.
• Chen Cheng escaped the valley, killed the remaining bandits and hunting hawks, and took Li Zhenshan’s steed.
• Li Li and Xu Tianpeng hurried toward Black Wind Insect Valley, while Yuan Feiche learned that Jiang Yujiao was burning her vital energy to reach Chen Cheng.
• Qing Chan asked whether she and her master should leave Shanhai Sect, but the woman emerging from the bamboo building told her to wait because Chen Cheng might still produce a miracle.

Chen Cheng reached Luoyun Post Station and rescued the gravely injured Jiang Yujiao from Feng Minglei, Bai Yumeng, and Fang Shou. After Jiang Yujiao used the Little Restoration Pill to kill her attackers, she left with Chen Cheng, but her condition suddenly worsened on the road.

• Qiao Qiao rushed from the Medicine Pavilion after learning Chen Cheng was in danger.
• Bai Yumeng received word that Jiang Yujiao had killed Feng Xiaofeng and the Feng Family’s core leaders, then revealed the plan to capture Chen Cheng when Jiang Yujiao confronted her at Luoyun Post Station.
• Chen Cheng appeared, rescued Jiang Yujiao from the attackers, and gave her the Little Restoration Pill he had preserved.
• Jiang Yujiao recovered enough to kill Feng Minglei, Fang Shou, and the Bai Family’s martial Attendants, then left with Chen Cheng after telling him she would explain her motives back at the Shanhai Sect.
• As they rode away together, Jiang Yujiao became feverish and demanded water, and Chen Cheng realized something was wrong with her.

After Jiang Yujiao’s hidden Primordial Qi erupted, Chen Cheng helped her survive and they reached safety, where powerful allies gathered around them. Meanwhile, Bai Xiyan plotted with Pei Jie against Jiang Yujiao, and news of Chen Cheng’s safe return prompted Yuan Feiche and the Shanhai Sect’s mysterious master to make plans to recruit and meet him.

• Chen Cheng absorbed the escaping Primordial Qi from Jiang Yujiao, who kissed him while unconscious, and she woke the next morning with her injuries stabilized but no memory of the night.
• During a rest stop, Jiang Yujiao reconsidered how to approach Chen Cheng, then White Dragon Imperial Guard troops and other powerful figures arrived and deferred to her; Li Jinge told Chen Cheng that his Lightning-Struck Heavenly Iron Cauldron had been repaired.
• Xu Tianpeng, Li Li, and Qiao Qiao reunited with Chen Cheng, while Jiang Yujiao sensed Ye Yang nearby and Chen Cheng silently acknowledged his former teacher.
• After the group departed, Bai Xiyan offered Pei Jie the Bai Family’s help in capturing Chen Cheng so the Marquis Mansion could use him against Jiang Yujiao, in exchange for control of the Weapon Forging Hall.
• Wu Zhuoyi achieved minor accomplishment in Ten Directions Thunder Movement, then learned that Chen Cheng was alive and returning; Yuan Feiche resolved to accept him as his personal disciple and devote the Sword Pavilion’s resources to him.
• Qing Chan informed the master at Cloud Sea Cliff that Chen Cheng had survived Black Wind Insect Valley, and the master ordered a generous gift prepared and requested a meeting with him.

After returning to the Shanhai Sect, Chen Cheng accepted Jiang Yujiao’s plan to seek a place in the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect and gained several offers of support and rare resources. While pursuing cultivation and searching Wangyou Valley for ancient techniques, he witnessed Hong Xuanji force Wei Beilou to take an Immortal Gu Pill, and the chapter ended as Chen Cheng emerged and the Howling Sky Eagle attacked Hong Xuanji’s men.

• Jiang Yujiao told Chen Cheng that she and her imprisoned sister were dying, explained the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect’s recruitment, and offered to train and protect him if he pursued a place there.
• Yuan Feiche tried to recruit Chen Cheng as his disciple, then accepted his choice to move to Jade Dragon Dock and promised him resources and a place to return to.
• Qing Chan delivered a fourth-order Qi-Derivation Pill from her mistress, warned Chen Cheng about the dangerous Sea Marsh and the coming Mid-Year Grand Tournament, and learned how to contact him through the Howling Sky Eagle.
• Chen Cheng inspected his strange fish, began carving the Qingming Qi-Seizing Array, and found a Gu Control text in Wangyou Valley that he could not afford to buy.
• At a ruined temple, Hong Xuanji and his men cornered Wei Beilou and forced an Immortal Gu Pill into him while Chen Cheng watched from hiding; Wei Beilou died, and several of the men then collapsed as their Heart-Devouring Gu attacked.
• Chen Cheng emerged from the darkness as the Howling Sky Eagle began killing Hong Xuanji’s men, leaving the survivors kneeling in fear.

Chen Cheng learned that the Immortal Bone Sect and Red Moon Cult were pursuing a sealed entity and gave Jiang Yujiao the intelligence she needed to capture Hong Zhong and earn military merit. After forty days of cultivation, Chen Cheng reached the Four-Qi Divine Treasury realm and arrived at the Seven Sects Grand Competition gathering, where Yan Benchu attacked him and Ji Jingyou knocked the blow aside.

• Chen Cheng interrogated Hong Xuanji about Ji Wu, the Red Moon Cult, and the Immortal Bone Sect before killing him and looting his corpse.
• Chen Cheng settled at Jade Dragon Dock, cultivated for forty days, and reached the Four-Qi Divine Treasury realm as the Seven Sects Grand Competition approached.
• Jiang Yujiao captured Hong Zhong using Chen Cheng's intelligence, cleared her punishment, and gave Chen Cheng two Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills.
• Li Li introduced Chen Cheng to delegates from the six other sects and warned him that Yan Benchu had threatened to kill him.
• Yan Benchu attacked Chen Cheng with a bronze hammer, and Ji Jingyou intervened to knock the blow aside.

Chen Cheng returned from two months of seclusion having reached the Four-Qi Divine Treasury realm and revealed that he had mastered the Six-Harmony Return to Simplicity Art, convincing Yuan Feiche to let him try to claim the Sword Pavilion’s founding patriarch’s broken sword. When Chen Cheng grasped it, he became entranced and an unseen force knocked Yuan Feiche’s hand away.

• Ji Jingyou stopped Yan Benchu from attacking Chen Cheng without evidence, then warned Chen Cheng to avoid wandering alone.
• Chen Cheng spoke with Lu Ye and Wen Xiaoyun, while Yuan Feiche resolved not to send him into the Seven Sects of Yunlei competition until Chen Cheng came to report his breakthrough.
• Chen Cheng told Yuan Feiche and Geng Yuliang that he had reached the Four-Qi Divine Treasury realm and demonstrated his Great Accomplishment in the Six-Harmony Return to Simplicity Art.
• Yuan Feiche ordered Geng Yuliang to keep Chen Cheng’s mastery secret and took him to the Sword Pavilion, barring Wu Zhuoyi from the summit.
• Yuan Feiche showed Chen Cheng the founding patriarch’s broken sword and invited him to break its seal, but Chen Cheng became vacant-eyed after gripping it, and a strange force repelled Yuan Feiche.

Chen Cheng endured the Ancestral Sword Intent’s trial, gained the Founder’s inheritance, advanced his cultivation, and tamed the Heart-Devouring Gu before arriving at the grand competition. After Wu Zhuoyi’s first-round match against Yan Benchu, the Shanhai Sect faced an early defeat.

• Chen Cheng repeatedly faced the crimson sword dragon for six days until he overcame the trial, absorbed the Essence of Sword Qi, and advanced to late-stage Four Qi.
• Chen Cheng consumed an Immortal Gu Pill, broke through to the peak of Four-Qi, and used his tempered mind to tame the Heart-Devouring Gu.
• Chen Cheng transferred Innate Essence into the Blood Cocoon, prepared supplies, and left the Abyss Grotto-Heaven before the grand competition.
• Chen Cheng accepted Ji Jingyou’s invitation to a celebration banquet and joined Li Li and Xu Tianpeng at the competition, where he learned Song Linwei had arrived from the Imperial Capital.
• Yuan Feiche ordered Wu Zhuoyi to return the number seventeen slip after Huo Tailai accused the Shanhai Sect of rigging the draw; Chen Cheng drew number seven and was matched against Liu Qi'an.
• Yan Benchu struck Wu Zhuoyi unconscious with one punch in the opening match, prompting Huo Tailai to taunt Yuan Feiche.

Chen Cheng stunned the competition by defeating Liu Qi'an with one punch, restoring Shanhai Sect’s pride and drawing attention from powerful guests. After the first round, he was paired with Yan Benchu for the next match, and the chapter ended as the Northern Emperor Venerable and the Venerable Divine Physiognomist arrived.

• Ji Yong won against Wen Xiaoyun after his spirit bird turned on him, but his pursuit after she surrendered drew condemnation.
• Chen Cheng seized Liu Qi'an’s sword wrist and defeated him with one punch, prompting Shanhai Sect’s disciples to celebrate.
• Song Linwei, Baili Hong, and Shen Wanqing took renewed interest in Chen Cheng, while Ji Jingyou, Xia Ting, and Yan Benchu voiced threats against him.
• Wu Zhuoyi learned that Chen Cheng had defeated Liu Qi'an and fainted after the news enraged him.
• After the first round ended, Chen Cheng drew Yan Benchu as his next opponent, and both agreed not to surrender.
• Yuan Feiche arrived with the Northern Emperor Venerable and the Venerable Divine Physiognomist, whom the guests rose to welcome.

Chen Cheng defeated Yan Benchu with a single devastating strike after avoiding his killing blow with a mirror-image clone. His victory stunned the gathered sects and drew the attention of the venerables, leaving Jiang Yujiao watching Qiu Tongtian to see how he would respond.

• Qiu Tongtian and Ji Yujin arrived as the second round of martial matches began, and several contestants advanced through victories or forfeits.
• Yan Benchu’s supporters predicted that he would kill Chen Cheng, while Qiu Tongtian revealed that Ji Jingyou and Baili Hong had secured two of the selection spots.
• Yan Benchu launched an all-out hammer strike at Chen Cheng, but it hit a mirror-image clone, and Chen Cheng appeared beside him and crushed his head with one punch.
• The arena fell silent before the Shanhai Sect disciples erupted in celebration, and Huo Tailai and Luo Tianfeng were stunned by Yan Benchu’s death.
• Baili Hong and Shen Wanqing showed interest in recruiting Chen Cheng, while Jiang Yujiao focused on Qiu Tongtian’s reaction to his victory.

Chen Cheng defeated Liu Ruyuan with his poison resistance, then faced Ji Jingyou after Qiu Tongtian canceled the draw and offered him a candidate slot if he endured ten moves. Chen Cheng shattered Ji Jingyou’s Mysterious Heaven Wandering Dragon with a crimson-gold sword strike, spared him, and left Ji Jingyou admitting defeat.

• Chen Cheng endured Liu Ruyuan’s lethal poison and won when Su Jinyi pulled her from the arena after she surrendered.
• Qiu Tongtian canceled the draw and ordered Chen Cheng to face Ji Jingyou, promising him the last candidate slot if he endured ten moves.
• Jiang Shuqin defeated Shi Kaishan with her Spirit Sound techniques, leaving both competitors badly depleted.
• Ji Jingyou launched the Mysterious Heaven Wandering Dragon at Chen Cheng while the crowd watched in alarm.
• Chen Cheng unleashed a crimson-gold sword strike that shattered Ji Jingyou’s attack and sent Jingchao flying.
• Chen Cheng held his sword fingers at Ji Jingyou’s throat, and Ji Jingyou admitted defeat.

Chen Cheng defeated Ji Jingyou in their renewed duel, earned the final selection spot, and became the champion of the youth division after Jiang Shuqin conceded. As Chen Cheng was congratulated and recruited by powerful figures, Li Li warned him that Shen Wanqing might be a threat, and a disciple summoned him to Zhenwu Hall.

• After Qiu Tongtian questioned whether Chen Cheng had relied on the Sword Pavilion formation, Chen Cheng explained that he had borrowed momentum from the swords and agreed to face Ji Jingyou again.
• Ji Jingyou unleashed the Mysterious Heaven Nine Swords, but Chen Cheng endured the attacks and wounded him with his chain blade; Qiu Tongtian then awarded Chen Cheng the final Di Luo Plain selection spot before Ji Jingyou could use his strongest sword.
• Chen Cheng refused Ji Jingyou's pleas and offers to take the final strike, and Ji Jingyou fainted from exhaustion before Luo Tianfeng carried him away.
• Jiang Shuqin conceded the final battle, making Chen Cheng the youth division champion of the Yunlei Prefecture Seven Sects Grand Competition.
• Song Linwei and Baili Hong congratulated Chen Cheng and offered him Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills; Chen Cheng accepted their gifts but declined Baili Hong's recruitment offer.
• After Shen Wanqing quietly departed, Li Li warned Chen Cheng to be wary of him, and a disciple invited Chen Cheng into Zhenwu Hall.

After earning a place in the Northern Emperor Sect selection, Chen Cheng received a second selection opportunity and discovered that a Gu Insect was stealing Jiang Yujiao’s Primordial Qi. He left to seek resources and train, then ambushed an Immortal Bone Sect ship in Sea Marsh, testing his new water-controlling technique as the survivors tried to flee.

• Yuan Feiche rewarded Chen Cheng with seven Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills and confirmed his place in the Northern Emperor Sect selection, while the pavilion masters promised him resources and inheritances.
• Yuan Feiche gave Chen Cheng a Divine Physiognomy Sect selection token, which would remain valid only if Chen Cheng reached the Seven-Qi Divine Treasury realm before early next spring.
• Jiang Yujiao gave Chen Cheng the Eight Extremes Dragon Transformation Sutra and a Dragon Marrow Pill; he found a dormant Gu Insect egg inside the pill and concluded that a Gu Insect was stealing her Primordial Qi.
• Chen Cheng told Jiang Yujiao what he had discovered, and they confirmed that his Qi-Devouring Art could draw Primordial Qi from the Gu Insect, easing her symptoms and improving her cultivation.
• Chen Cheng mastered the Water Control Chapter, received the Sea-Suppressing Black Dragon Armor from Xu Hanhai, and spotted an Immortal Bone Sect elder aboard a Giant Whale Water Stronghold ship.
• Chen Cheng used the Heart-Devouring Gu to throw the ship into chaos, then smashed it apart with a condensed water sphere and attacked the fleeing water bandits and sect disciples with Water Swords.

Chen Cheng killed a Red Moon Cult Corpse-Puppet Giant Shark, gained new cultivation resources, and advanced to the middle stage of Five-Qi after receiving the Medicine Pavilion’s Essence of Pill Qi. Meanwhile, Zhuang Xiaozhong and Wu Zhuoyi led Red Moon Cult members to rob the graves of Shanhai Sect’s founding patriarchs.

• Chen Cheng killed the Corpse-Puppet Giant Shark, looted several enemy leaders, and escaped before three more ships arrived in the Sea Marsh.
• Chen Cheng swallowed an Immortal Gu Pill, gained another Heart-Devouring Gu, and strengthened his Innate Divine Spirit Qi.
• Chang Songbai gave Chen Cheng the Dragon-Elephant Tyrant Body Art and permission to use the Fist Pavilion’s Geothermal Valley; Chen Cheng collected medicine packets from Li Wenrou.
• At the Medicine Pavilion, Gu Qianqian attacked Chen Cheng and he killed her with the Ancestral Dragon Sacred Elephant Fist; Tang Xian'en then gave him the Essence of Pill Qi, which helped him reach the middle stage of Five-Qi.
• Chen Cheng warned Yuan Feiche about the Corpse-Puppet Giant Shark and asked him to keep Chen Cheng’s involvement quiet.
• Zhuang Xiaozhong and Wu Zhuoyi arrived at the Sage Tomb after Wu Zhuoyi helped kill its guards, and Zhuang Xiaozhong ordered Red Moon Cult members to rob the patriarchs’ graves without damaging the corpses.

Chen Cheng strengthened his physique, received a new body-tempering art, and overwhelmed Jiang Shuqin in a rematch, winning rare fourth-tier jerky and Song Linwei’s favor. As Song Linwei prepared to leave for Emperorfall City, Chen Cheng declined to go immediately, and a mysterious white cat approached him with something in its mouth.

• Chen Cheng used a concentrated medicinal bath to temper his body while nourishing the Blood Cocoon, then practiced Marrow-Washing Taiji to refine his Jade Marrow.
• Pavilion Master Cheng Yuan sent Chen Cheng the Ten Thousand Beasts Mortal-Shedding Scripture and a fifth-order Azure Horn Dragon Rhinoceros horn, which Chen Cheng sacrificed to unlock the Azure Horn Golden Body Art.
• Song Linwei invited the gathered young geniuses to travel with her to Emperorfall City in seven days, but Chen Cheng said he would not leave immediately.
• After Liu Ruyuan mocked Chen Cheng for refusing to fight Jiang Shuqin, Song Linwei offered fourth-tier Strange Tiger Jerky as a prize, and Chen Cheng accepted the rematch.
• Chen Cheng endured Jiang Shuqin’s Spirit Sound attacks without injury and resisted her Soul-Bewitching Spirit Sound, convincing her of his strength and winning sixty pieces of jerky from Song Linwei.
• A white cat with mismatched eyes approached Chen Cheng, who noticed its cheeks were bulging and reached toward its mouth.

After breaking through to the Six-Qi Divine Treasury Realm during two months of secluded cultivation, Chen Cheng learned that the Shanhai Sect had suffered devastating losses and decided to seek resources in Emperorfall City. Before leaving, he visited Yuan Feiche and Jiang Yujiao, healed her injuries, and parted from her after helping suppress her Gu Insect again.

• Night-Illuminator gave Chen Cheng a warm amber-gold crystal, and Jiang Yujiao told him that Sea Academy would retreat to Mountain Academy while he went into seclusion.
• Chen Cheng mastered the Ten Thousand Beasts Mortal-Shedding Scripture and spent more than sixty days cultivating, breaking through to the Six-Qi Divine Treasury Realm and unlocking the Jade Marrow trait.
• Chen Cheng read Li Wenrou's letter about the Shanhai Sect's devastating battle, its retreat to Mountain Academy, and the losses of Chang Songbai, Cheng Yuan, Yuan Feiche, and Geng Yuliang; he decided to obtain Immortal Gu Pills and travel to Emperorfall City.
• Chen Cheng visited Yuan Feiche, told him he would soon leave for Emperorfall City, and received his support and farewell.
• Chen Cheng visited the injured Jiang Yujiao, used his Innate Essence to remove the yin-attributed Killing Intent around her heart and lungs, and helped suppress her Gu Insect before they parted.