Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Luo Zeping ends the first round of the Dragon Ascent selection. Those who reached the dragon are effectively accepted into the Profound Sect, while the eliminated candidates may enter as servant disciples; some accept, while others leave rather than serve.
• The final contest for the title of Dragon Head is postponed for a year, giving the survivors time to recover and cultivate. The top candidates will enter the sect in three days, after their peak assignments are settled.
• As the dead are collected, Xu Yang sees the sect preserve the bodies and blood of slain Spirit Bone Prodigies. Jiang Yun, father of the slain Jiang Xun, glares at Xu Yang but restrains himself, knowing an attack on a future Profound Sect disciple could bring ruin to his clan.
• Yang Xiangao warns Xu Yang that he has made an enemy of Pei Qingyi and offers help on behalf of the Yang Clan, which is at odds with the Pei Clan. Xu Yang accepts the courtesy but remains wary of becoming a pawn in Kyoto’s factional rivalries.
• Xu Yang learns that the top sixty may request their preferred peak, but peak assignments are shaped by influence and regional loyalties. The Profound Capital Peak is considered the most powerful, and Azure Void Peak has the most resources, but both are heavily sought after.
• Yang Xiangao explains that people from the Heavenly Strategy Academy traditionally join Crouching Dragon Peak. Xu Yang chooses it, avoiding the risk of joining a peak aligned with a rival region.
• Leng Qiuyue returns Xu Yang’s Supreme-Grade Spirit Weapon. When he tells her she may keep it, she accepts. She also asks why Xu Qing had asked her to look after him; Xu Yang conceals his spirit-bone breakthrough, explaining that he had not wanted Xu Qing to discover it.
• In the Profound Sect’s council hall, the peak stewards assemble to review recruitment. The chapter ends as Luo Zeping reports that the selection brought in 360 disciples, including 167 with Spirit Bones.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yang emerges from the selection as a prominent but politically exposed figure. He recognizes that his talent and feud with Pei Qingyi may make factions reluctant to support him, and he deliberately avoids taking sides. He relies on Yang Xiangao’s advice to choose Crouching Dragon Peak.
• Yang Xiangao approaches Xu Yang with both a warning and an offer of aid, revealing the political importance of his clan’s rivalry with the Peis. He also becomes a guide to the Profound Sect’s customs and factional structure.
• Jiang Yun is furious over Jiang Xun’s death but suppresses his hostility rather than risk provoking the Profound Sect.
• Leng Qiuyue shows gratitude and trust by having fought to help Xu Yang during the selection. Their exchange over the sword confirms Xu Yang’s generosity and her practical acceptance of his gift.
• Sun Tao and the other candidates are surprised to learn that the supposedly exalted sect is shaped by connections, favors, and regional affiliations.

Significant themes

• Merit versus privilege: Candidates have some formal choice over their peak, but connections and prior arrangements limit their options.
• Factional politics and caution: Xu Yang understands that even friendship may be interpreted as taking sides, so he avoids committing himself prematurely.
• The cost of ambition: The selection leaves deaths, rivalries, and lasting grudges, while the final contest remains unresolved.
• Loyalty and generosity: Leng Qiuyue’s willingness to help Xu Yang and his decision to let her keep the sword contrast with the self-interest and political maneuvering around them.

Chapter Summary: Heaven-Subduing

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Profound Sect reviews the results of the Dragon Ascent. Of the 167 Spirit Bone Prodigies, four died, and Xu Yang is revealed to have been a previously unrecognized Spirit Bone Prodigy after consuming hundred-year purple-pattern king ginseng.
• Xu Yang killed two Spirit Bone Prodigies and six competitors overall, including three students from Heavenly Strategy Academy. Despite this, Elder Gao Sheng recognizes his strength and remembers his name.
• Ten of the first sixty finishers have already broken through the combat power barrier, while eighteen others have reached it. Most of the successful disciples are at the Heavenly Origin ninth layer.
• The sect distributes the top sixty disciples among its nine peaks. Crouching Dragon Peak receives nine applications, largely because six Heavenly Strategy Academy students traditionally choose it.
• Due to Elder Jin’s hostility toward Xu Yang—likely connected to the Pei Clan—Crouching Dragon Peak decides to reject both Xu Yang and Leng Qiuyue. The peak’s stewards fear retaliation from the powerful Pei Clan and do not want to become involved in Xu Yang’s feud.
• No peak initially volunteers to accept Xu Yang. Embracing Moon Peak takes Leng Qiuyue after being pressured by Gao Sheng, while Mistshadow Peak’s steward, Wan Haiping, claims Xu Yang.
• Wan Haiping openly opposes the Pei Clan and is willing to shelter Xu Yang partly because of their shared conflict. Song Junchao attempts to undermine Xu Yang, but Gao Sheng silences him and orders the meeting to continue.
• Meanwhile, Xu Yang finishes mastering the Eight Fiends Four Symbols Heaven-Subduing Force after more than a year of study. He realizes the technique may be even stronger than the Azure Dragon Transformation and has further strengthened his body and combat power.
• Xu Yang estimates that his current strength places him among the top five Barrier-Breaking Prodigies. His status panel records his points from the Dragon Ascent and several kills, but he notices he has not yet received the reward for formally joining the Profound Sect, suggesting that complications remain.
• Two days later, Xu Yang and the other successful disciples arrive at the Profound Sect. They are awed by its nine towering peaks, abundant spiritual resources, floating Hanging Heaven Palace, and overwhelming martial presence.
• At the entrance, Peng Jun explains the sect’s strict rules, including the requirement to carry identification tokens and the prohibition against freely flying or cultivating outside designated areas.

Character Developments

• Xu Yang: Grows significantly stronger by mastering the Heaven-Subduing Force. His physical body is being continuously tempered, and he becomes increasingly confident in his ability to compete with the sect’s strongest prodigies. However, he also becomes aware that political obstacles may threaten his admission.
• Elder Gao Sheng: Shows practical judgment, valuing genuine strength over factional propaganda. He recognizes Xu Yang’s talent but also prioritizes maintaining balance among the sect’s peaks.
• Wang Gang and Liu Jiang: Reveal their willingness to sacrifice talent to avoid offending Elder Jin and the Pei Clan. Their decisions demonstrate caution and factional self-interest.
• Wan Haiping: Establishes himself as an opponent of the Pei Clan and offers Xu Yang protection, both because of their shared enemy and because he believes Xu Yang may eventually break through the combat power barrier.
• Song Junchao: Continues trying to damage Xu Yang’s reputation, exposing his connection to the Pei Clan. His hostility is checked by Gao Sheng.
• Leng Qiuyue: Remains closely associated with Xu Yang and is rejected by Crouching Dragon Peak largely because of that association. She is ultimately assigned to Embracing Moon Peak.

Significant Themes

• Factional politics versus merit: Xu Yang’s exceptional performance is overshadowed by political maneuvering and fear of the Pei Clan.
• The cost of independence: Xu Yang’s willingness to oppose powerful figures earns him both enemies and unexpected allies.
• Talent and potential: The chapter distinguishes between merely reaching the combat power barrier and actually breaking through it, emphasizing the difficulty of true advancement.
• Institutional corruption and cowardice: Sect officials claim to value balance and fairness, but many decisions are driven by personal safety, factional loyalty, and fear of retaliation.
• Transformation through cultivation: Xu Yang’s mastery of the Heaven-Subduing Force marks not only a rise in combat power but also a deeper physical and spiritual transformation.
• The grandeur of the martial world: The Profound Sect’s immense scale and supernatural architecture reinforce its status as Great Xia’s foremost martial holy land.

Character Interactions

• Gao Sheng questions the reports about the Spirit Bone Prodigies and reprimands the sect’s intelligence system, while Luo Zeping explains Xu Yang’s unexpected transformation.
• Song Junchao tries to portray Xu Yang negatively, but Gao Sheng instead recognizes Xu Yang’s strength, frustrating Song Junchao.
• Yuan Heng pressures Crouching Dragon Peak to surrender disciples, prompting a dispute over sect balance and the freedom of prodigies to choose their own affiliations.
• Liu Jiang privately informs Wang Gang of Elder Jin’s order to reject Xu Yang and Leng Qiuyue. Wang Gang initially objects but ultimately submits out of fear of Elder Jin.
• Wan Haiping confronts Song Junchao over his attacks on Xu Yang, openly insulting him as a Pei Clan lackey. Gao Sheng intervenes before the argument escalates.
• Peng Jun guides Xu Yang and the other newcomers into the Profound Sect, explaining its rules and responsibilities as they enter their new environment.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yang and the new recruits tour the Profound Sect, passing abundant spirit medicines. Peng Jun warns them not to touch anything: the sect’s resources are carefully managed, and violations can mean losing their stipend or expulsion.
• At a formal ceremony, Elder Gao Sheng welcomes the recruits as Profound Sect disciples and distributes identity tokens. Xu Yang discovers that his token assigns him to Mistshadow Peak, rather than the Crouching Dragon Peak he chose.
• The unexpected assignment prompts surprise and speculation. Yang Xiangao privately explains that Elder Jin Liangwen of Crouching Dragon Peak arranged the rejection, ostensibly because Xu Yang killed fellow academy students during Dragon Ascent, but likely to curry favor with the Pei Clan. Leng Qiuyue was also rejected and sent to the low-ranked Embracing Moon Peak.
• Xu Yang accepts the decision rather than arguing. Yang Xiangao points out that being kept away from Jin Liangwen may actually protect him from further obstruction within Crouching Dragon Peak.
• The recruits gather with their assigned peak stewards. Xu Yang notes how the top talents are distributed among the peaks: the strongest, Profound Capital Peak, receives two Barrier-Breaking Prodigies, while Mistshadow Peak’s is Hong Ze.
• Steward Wan Haiping explains the sect’s facilities, a three-year period of free resources and exemption from missions, and the monthly allowances available to new disciples. Bringing family members to the sect is easiest for true legacy disciples—a rare and fiercely contested rank.
• Xu Yang recognizes that becoming a true legacy disciple would give him access to the sect’s genuine inheritance and greater independence from peak politics.
• The group reaches Mistshadow Peak, where its powerful spirit vein produces a remarkable concentration of vital essence. Xu Yang is awed by the environment but becomes more cautious, aware that powerful elders might see through his concealed cultivation.
• At the peak’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Xu Yang encounters Li Yunfei, now a menial disciple sweeping leaves after failing Dragon Ascent. Li Yunfei silently confronts how far Xu Yang has risen while he has fallen.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yang remains cautious and politically wary. He accepts the unwanted assignment without provoking the sect’s officials, while privately recognizing that avoiding a hostile elder may be advantageous. His interest in the true legacy-disciple rank strengthens.
• Yang Xiangao privately warns Xu Yang about Jin Liangwen’s connection to the Pei Clan and frames the rejection as potentially protective. Xu Yang thanks him.
• Leng Qiuyue shares Xu Yang’s rejection from Crouching Dragon Peak, though she says she had little desire to join it after falling out with Qi Ning’s group. She is assigned to Embracing Moon Peak.
• Sun Tao wants to defend Xu Yang, but Xu Yang stops him, judging that an argument would only make matters worse.
• Pei Qingyi, Qi Ning, and Mu Zijing take satisfaction in Xu Yang’s setback, seeing it as a consequence of his actions or of Pei Qingyi’s influence. Other recruits, including Gu Qingfeng and Tu Gang, are surprised; Leng Qiuyue is visibly angry.
• Li Yunfei compares his present status with Xu Yang’s success. Once dismissive of Xu Yang, he now sees the widening gap between them.

Significant themes

• Factionalism and patronage: Talent alone does not guarantee opportunity; powerful families, alliances, and influential elders shape a disciple’s prospects.
• Caution and survival: Xu Yang prioritizes safety over resources or status, recognizing that his abilities remain modest beside the sect’s powerful experts.
• Hierarchy and ambition: Peak assignments, allowances, and legacy status reveal the steep structure of sect life—and the struggle for access to its greatest resources.
• Reversal of fortune: Li Yunfei’s lowly work contrasts with Xu Yang’s rise, underscoring how quickly status can change.
• The sect’s natural foundation: The nine spirit veins, rather than merely its martial techniques, are presented as the Profound Sect’s true source of power and prestige.

Key plot points and events

• The new disciples collect their handbooks, robes, a Dragon-Tiger Profound Pill, and contribution points. Hong Ze takes the first place in line, Li Jiang claims second, and Xu Yang accepts third, revealing the newcomers’ emerging hierarchy.
• Wan Haiping leads them to Mistshadow Peak. Disciples without Spirit Bones are assigned lower on the mountain, while the Spirit Bone Prodigies receive courtyards higher up, where vital energy is richer.
• Xu Yang inspects his new residence: it includes a cultivation chamber filled with dense vital energy, a pill room with a Mid-Grade Spirit Weapon furnace, and space for an exotic-beast mount. He decides to keep the Spirit Treasure Gourd—and its mysterious Golden Book—out of sight.
• Wan Haiping visits Xu Yang. Xu Yang openly acknowledges that Wan’s decision to accept him may have saved his life from the Pei Clan’s influence, and promises to repay the favor. Wan reassures him that new disciples receive three years of protection from interference.
• Wan suggests Xu Yang take the third elder as his master. The elder specializes in body tempering and teaches the Great Sun Golden Body, a complete technique ranked above the incomplete Azure Dragon Tyrant Body. Xu Yang is interested but must prove his potential: Wan offers to speak for him if Xu can break through the combat-power barrier.
• Xu Yang claims to be about eighty percent confident, hinting that his Eight Fiends Four Symbols Heaven-Subduing Force is nearly complete. Wan then leads the new disciples to the summit, where they see Mistshadow Peak’s powerful senior disciples and hear concerns about the peak’s lack of a True Disciple.

Character developments

• Xu Yang is careful, pragmatic, and politically perceptive. He understands the value of Wan’s protection and guidance, while weighing the benefits of mentorship against his preference for independence and the need to guard his secrets.
• Wan Haiping shifts from benefactor to potential patron. He tests Xu Yang’s judgment, offers protection, and begins arranging a path for him to gain a powerful master.
• Hong Ze and Li Jiang establish themselves as the leading newcomers, with their positions reflecting their status and confidence.
• Mistshadow Peak’s senior disciples appear anxious about their peak’s standing and future influence within the sect.

Significant themes

• Hierarchy and factional politics: Talent, lineage, and peak affiliation shape access to status, resources, and teachers.
• Protection and reciprocity: Xu Yang’s gratitude strengthens his bond with Wan, whose support may become valuable against the Pei Clan.
• Talent versus opportunity: Xu Yang’s abilities may be exceptional, but his outsider status and acquired Spirit Bone make others question his prospects.
• Inheritance and cultivation: Powerful techniques are restricted by peak and master, making mentorship essential for advancement.
• Ambition and institutional power: True Disciples matter not only for personal prestige but also for a peak’s influence and resources.

Character interactions

• The newcomers’ silent contest for rank is established through Hong Ze, Li Jiang, and Xu Yang’s positions in line.
• Xu Yang and Wan build mutual trust through an honest discussion of the danger posed by the Pei Clan and the favor Wan did him.
• Wan advises Xu Yang on choosing a master and offers to recommend him to the third elder, while Xu considers both the technique’s strength and the risks of joining a faction.
• At the summit, senior disciples discuss Hong Ze’s potential and Mistshadow Peak’s broader struggle to secure a True Disciple seat.

Key plot points and events

• Hong Ze bristles at senior disciples who doubt his prospects, declaring that he will shoulder Mistshadow Peak’s future. His confidence quiets them, though he shows deference before the peak’s elders.
• The newcomers are presented to Mistshadow Peak’s six elders. With the peak master in seclusion, First Elder Yang Xiuyun agrees to guide Hong Ze and chooses Li Jiang as another disciple to nurture.
• When the remaining disciples are allowed to choose their own masters, Xu Yang requests to study under Third Elder Lei Heng. Second Elder Tong Xinhua warns that taking Xu Yang could provoke the Pei Clan; Lei Heng dismisses the threat.
• Lei Heng says Xu Yang must break through the combat-power barrier within three months to learn his signature Great Sun Golden Body. Tong Xinhua calls the deadline unrealistic, but Lei Heng extends it to three months from two. Xu Yang confidently accepts.
• After the audience, Wan Haiping points out where he lives, and Fang Xing—also chosen by Lei Heng—befriends Xu Yang. Fang Xing explains that disciples can redeem techniques from the Ten Thousand Arts Hall if their masters do not teach them.
• Xu Yang studies the disciple handbook and learns about the sect’s ranks, rules, techniques, resources, and contribution system. He resolves to reach Heavenly Origin ninth-layer perfection and advance to Divine Refinement, while carefully choosing when to reveal that he has already broken the combat-power barrier.

Character developments and interactions

• Hong Ze remains fiercely proud among ordinary disciples but becomes respectful around the elders, accepting Yang Xiuyun’s guidance.
• Xu Yang stays composed when Tong Xinhua belittles him, though his pride surfaces when challenged by Lei Heng. He is strategic: he conceals his true progress and weighs how best to establish his standing.
• Lei Heng appears formidable and blunt, but gives Xu Yang a genuine test and defends his right to choose a master.
• Tong Xinhua repeatedly undermines Xu Yang, while Fang Xing offers practical advice and treats Xu Yang as his senior because of his greater cultivation.
• Li Jiang is pleased to be selected by Yang Xiuyun, interpreting it as recognition that he ranks above Xu Yang among the new disciples.
• The chapter also establishes that sect resources and status are tied to achievement: disciples must earn access to higher techniques, rank, and influence.

Significant themes

• Merit, talent, and hierarchy: New disciples’ prospects are judged by their cultivation and potential, while formal status determines access to resources and advancement.
• Pride balanced by restraint: Hong Ze’s defiance contrasts with Xu Yang’s controlled patience; both must navigate a world where power and rank shape how others treat them.
• Strategic concealment: Xu Yang knows his actual ability exceeds what others believe and plans when to reveal it.
• Opportunity and barriers: The sect offers powerful techniques and rare materials, but high costs, cultivation requirements, and status restrictions keep them out of reach for most disciples.

1. Key plot points and events

• Xu Yang wakes after his first night cultivating on Mistshadow Peak’s spirit vein. He feels his vitality, spirituality, and martial foundation have strengthened, though his cultivation has not advanced dramatically.
• His three martial arts are close to ninth-level perfection, but he expects another three or four months of cultivation. He also receives points for joining the Profound Sect and becoming Lei Heng’s disciple, bringing his total close to 20,000.
• Xu Yang and the other new disciples attend their first lesson at the Martial Lecture Hall. Deacon Lü Bo explains breaking the combat-power barrier, advancing to Divine Refinement, and the value of mental cultivation. He also introduces the Mystic Dragon Tower, where new disciples may train three times a month.
• After the lesson, Xu Yang returns to cultivating. Meanwhile, Han Yu reaches Late Divine Refinement and plans to return home to stabilize the Han family’s position.
• Han Yu learns from Tu Gang that Lu Wei was killed by Xu Yang during the Final Dragon selection. He also discovers Xu Yang is now a Spirit Bone Prodigy and has joined Mistshadow Peak, beyond Han Yu’s immediate reach. Han Yu resolves to plot against him.
• Several days later, Xu Yang tends a medicinal plot he has filled with young spirit herbs. He considers planting a rare Bodhi Swordheart, but recognizes that revealing such a valuable resource would make him vulnerable while his status and strength remain limited.

2. Character developments

• Xu Yang grows more aware of the Profound Sect’s advantages and dangers. He is patient about improving his abilities and careful to conceal valuable assets until he is powerful enough to protect them.
• Fang Xing, Huang Hua, and Tian Rong benefit noticeably from their first night on the spirit vein, reinforcing how much the environment can strengthen newer or less-established foundations.
• Li Jiang and Hong Ze present themselves confidently among the new disciples. Li Jiang openly admires the Hanging Heaven Palace and eagerly praises Hong Ze’s lecture; both underestimate Xu Yang’s reasons for keeping a low profile.
• Han Yu is thrilled by his breakthrough but remains consumed by resentment toward Xu Yang. Learning of Lu Wei’s death intensifies his hostility and prompts him to seek revenge.
• Tu Gang delivers the news to Han Yu despite sensing his anger, showing both caution and a willingness to state what he knows plainly.

3. Significant themes

• The value of environment and cultivation: Spirit veins provide rare energies that strengthen vitality and foundations, while the Mystic Dragon Tower and combat offer ways to develop mental power.
• Patience and strategic restraint: Xu Yang delays breakthroughs and avoids public displays, choosing to build strength and protect his resources before drawing attention.
• Talent, status, and rivalry: The chapter contrasts Xu Yang’s growing reputation with the assumptions of rivals who judge him by his origins or apparent modesty.
• Power and vulnerability: Valuable opportunities—such as the Bodhi Swordheart—can bring immense rewards but also attract dangerous attention.
• Resentment and revenge: Han Yu’s fixation on past setbacks turns new information into another justification for pursuing Xu Yang.

4. Character interactions

• Xu Yang casually discusses the effects of the spirit vein with Fang Xing and the other new disciples as they travel to the summit.
• At the lecture, Li Jiang and Hong Ze privately interpret Xu Yang’s choice of seat as a sign of insecurity, while Fang Xing privately mocks Li Jiang’s eagerness to flatter Hong Ze.
• Xu Yang declines to reconcile with Li Yunfei, remembering that Li Yunfei looked down on him when he had less status.
• Xu Yang and Li Jiang both seek guidance on cultivation methods and mental-power training, though Li Jiang asks the question first.
• Han Yu confronts Tu Gang about Lu Wei’s whereabouts. Tu Gang explains that Xu Yang killed Lu Wei and other attackers, revealing the scale of Xu Yang’s strength and provoking Han Yu’s renewed hatred.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yang decides not to reveal or use his bodhi swordheart yet, since it would bring danger without immediate benefit. He plans to wait until his cultivation and position at Mistshadow Peak are more secure.
• Jiang Fan visits to apologize for the trouble Xu Yang has faced because of the Pei Clan. He admits he has been worried about his own low standing in the sect and angry at how the clan has treated them.
• Jiang Fan reveals that a family treasure can sense the cultivation of people nearby, which is how he learned Xu Yang had mastered the Blood Prison Heart Saber Scripture and broken through the combat-power barrier.
• Jiang Fan explains that the Blood Prison Heart Saber Scripture has no divine-refinement section. Instead, with his family’s permission, he lends Xu Yang the Annihilation Saber Scripture, a formidable art created by the same expert who devised the Blood Prison technique. Jiang Fan warns Xu Yang to memorize it only and not contemplate or practice it before reaching divine refinement, since its saber intent can damage the soul.
• Xu Yang reads the manual once, suffering severe mental and physical exhaustion from its overwhelming intent. The next morning, he finds his mental strength has recovered and may even have improved slightly. He continues cultivating, but delays a breakthrough because his body tempering and mental cultivation are not yet complete.
• Senior Sister Zhao Man introduces herself, gives Xu Yang three-colored lotus roots for his pond, and tells him about an internal trading gathering where disciples can obtain supplies unavailable through the sect’s exchange hall.
• At dinner, Xu Yang hears that Li Zongyuan has become the first member of their intake to reach divine refinement, only days after entering the Profound Sect.

Character developments

• Xu Yang remains cautious about exposing valuable abilities, but accepts Jiang Fan’s offer once he confirms it has the Jiang family’s approval. His curiosity and confidence grow after sensing the Annihilation Saber Scripture’s power, though he takes its dangers seriously.
• Jiang Fan shows unusual anxiety and anger over the Pei Clan’s treatment of Xu Yang and his own inability to protect him. His willingness to lend a family treasure demonstrates the depth of their friendship and his desire to help.
• Zhao Man appears warm and generous, offering practical help to a new neighbor.
• Li Zongyuan establishes himself as an exceptionally fast cultivator, raising the benchmark for the other prodigies.

Significant themes

• Friendship and responsibility: Jiang Fan feels personally responsible for Xu Yang’s predicament, while Xu Yang refuses to blame him.
• Power and danger: Rare techniques can offer great potential but also attract enemies or harm their users; restraint and preparation matter.
• Talent and limits: Even gifted cultivators must respect the requirements of powerful arts and avoid forcing breakthroughs.
• Practical resourcefulness: Xu Yang builds his strength through cultivation, medicinal plants, and new information about trading opportunities.

Character interactions

• Xu Yang reassures Jiang Fan that the Pei Clan cannot easily defeat him, while Jiang Fan shares the secrets behind his knowledge and offers the Annihilation Saber Scripture as support.
• Xu Yang responds to Jiang Fan’s trust with gratitude, but carefully checks that lending the manual is authorized rather than an impulsive act of guilt.
• Zhao Man welcomes Xu Yang as a neighbor, gives him medicinal lotus roots, and directs him toward the sect’s trading gathering.
• Xu Yang’s peers discuss Li Zongyuan’s breakthrough, emphasizing the sharp differences in progress among the new prodigies.

Xu Yang attended the Profound Sect’s trading fair, sold his goods, bought Golden-Eyed Spirit Loaches, and continued cultivating toward Divine Refinement. After months of watching other prodigies break through the combat power barrier, he prepared to reveal his own strength, but Li Jiang announced that he had broken through first.

• Xu Yang learned that Chen Guanchao and Lin Zhiyuan had broken through the combat power barrier, while Li Jiang showed hostility because they were rivals for a Personal Disciple position.
• Xu Yang went to the trading fair, sold pills and Spirit Weapons, and bought five Golden-Eyed Spirit Loaches for his courtyard pond.
• Niu Gang and Yue Yunchuan tried to trick Xu Yang into bidding against Niu Gang for dark nether iron, but Xu Yang saw through their scheme and left without buying it.
• Xu Yang spent the following months cultivating as other prodigies broke through the barrier, and he brought his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body to perfection at the ninth level.
• After seven days of seclusion, Xu Yang headed for the summit, where Li Jiang arrived and revealed that he had broken through the combat power barrier.

Xu Yang broke through the combat power barrier within three months, earning recognition and increased benefits at Mistshadow Peak, including access to Lei Heng’s Great Sun Golden Body. News of his achievement reached Crouching Dragon Peak, where the deacons who had rejected him were summoned by the peak lord.

• Li Jiang broke through the combat power barrier, but Xu Yang arrived moments later and revealed that he had broken through as well, drawing Mistshadow Peak’s disciples’ congratulations.
• Xu Yang reported his breakthrough to Lei Heng, who praised his achievement, recognized his exceptional comprehension, and allowed him to study the Great Sun Golden Body.
• Tang Yun gave Xu Yang the Great Sun Golden Body manual and explained his new contribution-point reward and increased monthly benefits.
• Wan Haiping congratulated Xu Yang, and Xu Yang celebrated with Fang Xing and the others before returning to study the manual.
• News of Xu Yang’s breakthrough spread through the Profound Sect, and Crouching Dragon Peak’s deacons Wang Gang and Liu Jiang learned that the peak lord had summoned them over their rejection of him.

Qi Ning learned that Xu Yang had broken the combat power barrier before him, while the young ladies of Azure Void Peak were shocked to hear the same news and reconsidered Xu Yang’s talent. Xu Yang studied the Great Sun Golden Body, then spent ten thousand martial dao longevity points raising his bone root to two thousand, enduring a painful transformation as his spirit bone and body restructured.

• Qi Ning announced that he expected to break the combat power barrier within five days, but Duan Ming and Zhang Bo reported that Xu Yang had already broken it and received the Great Sun Golden Body.
• Qi Ning abandoned the alliance gathering after learning that Xu Yang and Li Jiang had broken the barrier, leaving the others to disperse.
• Liu Yi, Mu Zijing, Zhao Xiaoqin, and the other young ladies learned that Xu Yang had broken the barrier and admitted they had underestimated him.
• Xu Yang found that the Great Sun Golden Body was incomplete and could complement his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body, but he prioritized improving his cultivation speed.
• Xu Yang spent ten thousand martial dao longevity points to raise his bone root from one thousand to two thousand, triggering a painful bodily and spirit-bone transformation.

Xu Yang completed a transformation that strengthened his body, spirit bone, energy reserves, and cultivation speed. After leaving the Quiet Chamber, he considered how to use the spiritually potent waste his body had shed and checked on Zhao Man’s three-colored lotus and his five spirit loaches.

• Xu Yang’s spirit bone transformed, nearly doubling his qi-blood dragon, energy reserves, and energy-refining efficiency.
• Xu Yang shed a crust of old blood and skin, whose spirituality he recognized as valuable, and saw that his bone root had reached two thousand.
• Xu Yang cultivated the Blood Prison Heart Saber Scripture and found that he could perfect its ninth level in about half a month.
• Xu Yang received rewards for obtaining the Great Sun Golden Body and improving his bone root, then planned to study the technique and refine his foundations.
• Xu Yang left the Quiet Chamber, brought his shed blood crust and skin to the pond, and saw that Zhao Man’s three-colored lotus had sprouted again while his five Golden-Eyed Spirit Loaches had grown.

Xu Yang broke through the realm barrier and began opening his Sea of Consciousness to enter Divine Refinement. After using spiritual medicines to stabilize and replenish himself, he found his Sea of Consciousness had grown vast, but his breakthrough was far from complete.

• Xu Yang repeatedly attacked the Divine Refinement realm barrier with his consciousness until it loosened, then shattered it with a final assault.
• Xu Yang used the Dragon Elephant Heart Scripture to strike open the illusory world within his mind and expose the chaotic light beyond it.
• Xu Yang’s consciousness endured the assimilating force as he carved through the chaos and expanded his Sea of Consciousness.
• Xu Yang swallowed the tricolor lotus pod and century spirit ginseng to steady his mind and restore the strength needed for the breakthrough.
• Xu Yang saw his newly opened Sea of Consciousness stabilize, though his mental power occupied only a tiny portion of it and the breakthrough remained unfinished.

After breaking through to Divine Refinement, Xu Yang received Lei Heng’s recommendation to learn the Great Sun Golden Crow Fist and borrowed sect contribution from Tang Yun to redeem it. He entered the Mystic Dragon Tower to test his strength, defeated the first-floor guardian, and began battling the stronger guardian on the second floor.

• Xu Yang visited Lei Heng, who praised his breakthrough and recommended the Great Sun Golden Crow Fist before sending him to Tang Yun for arrangements.
• Tang Yun offered Xu Yang a loan of sect contribution; Xu Yang borrowed fifteen hundred points, which Tang Yun delivered the next day.
• Xu Yang set out to redeem the Great Sun Golden Crow Fist but joined Li Jiang, Hong Ze, and other disciples heading to the Mystic Dragon Tower.
• Xu Yang entered the tower, overwhelmed the first-floor guardian with his Astral Essence, and advanced to the second floor.
• Xu Yang used the Vajra Great Hand Seal against the second-floor guardian, found the technique too weak to fully channel his Divine Refinement power, and faced the guardian’s renewed blade attack.