Recaps

Lu Li met Fifth Elder Luo Bingyun and revealed that he had mastered the Endless Life Technique in just six days. Luo Bingyun assigned him a highly profitable Inner City estate, though she knew it was surrounded by dangerous rivals.

• Lu Li met Ji Yun on the way to ask about their estate assignments, and told him he was cultivating the Endless Life Technique.
• Luo Bingyun examined Lu Li and discovered that he had mastered the technique in six days, astonishing both her and Ji Yun.
• Luo Bingyun gave Ji Yun a busy Inner City street and assigned Lu Li a larger territory with three auction houses and several other businesses.
• Luo Bingyun warned Lu Li and Ji Yun not to abuse the martial arts academy's disciples or run wicked businesses, and they agreed.
• After Lu Li and Ji Yun left, Luo Bingyun watched Lu Li depart and reflected that his estate was surrounded by Broken Mountain Sect disciples and Incense Fragrance Sect members.

Lu Li took up his post as Evergreen Sect’s steward on Chaoyang Street, where he learned the businesses brought in substantial profits and began inspecting them. He discovered rival sects operated nearby, and the chapter left Duan Kun and the shopkeepers silent over the troubling situation.

• Evergreen Sect’s leader secretly followed Lu Li to Chaoyang Street, hoping his new post would hone him while keeping him safe.
• Lu Li met Nie Kun, whom the chapter later called Duan Kun, and confirmed his appointment as steward.
• Duan Kun and the shopkeepers reported that the businesses earned about one hundred thousand taels monthly, with twenty thousand taels going to the sect.
• Lu Li decided the income would not fund his plans to develop martial arts, so he considered visiting Qingfeng Prefecture’s assassin organization.
• Duan Kun showed Lu Li the thriving businesses, where Lu Li spotted Incense Fragrance Sect and Broken Mountain Sect members and learned that the neighboring Vajra Sect also operated there.

Lu Li learned that the Incense Fragrance Sect had been extorting and abusing Evergreen Sect merchants, and resolved to confront its leaders to prove his worth. At the sect’s branch, Ji Bochang learned that the new Evergreen Sect managing disciple was Lu Li, this year’s champion, and welcomed the news with contempt.

• Lu Li heard from Nie Kun and the merchants that the Incense Fragrance Sect threatened, beat, and humiliated those who refused to pay offerings, while the Evergreen Sect had been unable to retaliate without evidence.
• Lu Li decided to challenge the Incense Fragrance Sect and the Broken Mountain Sect, whose strongest members were in the lower three layers of the Houtian Realm, to establish his authority and demonstrate his ability.
• Lu Li finished inspecting the business district, ate demon beast meat, bought a hundred pounds to take home, and began cultivating in his training room.
• At an Incense Fragrance Sect branch, Ji Bochang was interrupted while assaulting a woman and angrily berated Chen Jiang over failed assignments.
• Chen Jiang told Ji Bochang that Lu Li, this year’s champion, had arrived as the Evergreen Sect’s new managing disciple, and Ji Bochang laughed, saying he agreed that Lu Li had not won fairly.

Ji Bochang ordered Chang Wei to investigate Lu Li and planned to torment a young woman by forcing her to witness her little brother’s abuse. Meanwhile, Lu Li advanced his cultivation and intervened when Nie Kun’s dangerous breakthrough sent him berserk.

• Ji Bochang ordered Chang Wei to test Lu Li, promising him a reward and the young woman after he was done with her.
• Ji Bochang told Chang Wei to bring the woman’s mother and little brother so he could make her little brother her father.
• Lu Li completed ten cycles of the Endless Life Technique, noted his rapid progress and the lack of Life-Breath Pills, then bathed and prepared to rest.
• Lu Li noticed Nie Kun’s transition to the Houtian Realm had become chaotic and rushed into his room when Nie Kun went berserk.
• Lu Li held Nie Kun down and sent Inner Qi into him, calming the turbulent energy and improving his complexion.

Lu Li discovered that the flawed Heaven-Splitting Technique had caused Nie Kun’s qi deviation, then revised it and guided him through a breakthrough that saved his life. Nie Kun recovered and pledged his loyalty to Lu Li, who gave him annotated instructions and warned him against using the original technique.

• Lu Li examined the Heaven-Splitting Technique and realized its crude focus on the Ren and Du meridians had caused Nie Kun’s qi deviation.
• After Nie Kun regained consciousness, Lu Li revised the technique and told him to draw Inner Qi from his Ren and Du meridians.
• Nie Kun followed Lu Li’s guidance, easing his pain as Inner Qi spread through his body in an orderly flow.
• At sunrise, Nie Kun’s dantian broke open, and he reached the Houtian Realm while recovering from the qi deviation.
• Nie Kun thanked Lu Li and promised to serve him, then bathed and returned to study Lu Li’s annotations on the technique.

Lu Li confronted the Incense Fragrance Sect over its escalating demands for money and incense, refusing to pay even its original share. When Chang Wei threatened to report him to Hall Master Ji Bochang, Lu Li prepared to fight, but his newly promoted subordinate volunteered to handle Chang Wei.

• A messenger warned Lu Li that the Incense Fragrance Sect was approaching, and Nie Kun explained that it demanded a monthly cut of the Evergreen Sect’s profits.
• Lu Li led his people to meet Chang Wei, who occupied the seat of honor and demanded three-tenths of their profits, plus incense, in exchange for protection.
• Lu Li rejected Chang Wei’s offer and declared that he would stop paying the sect its original share as well.
• Chang Wei threatened to report Lu Li to Hall Master Ji Bochang and demanded an even larger cut, prompting Lu Li to prepare for a fight.
• A subordinate who had just broken through to the Houtian Realm asked Lu Li to let him fight Chang Wei instead.

Lu Li revealed his overwhelming strength after Nie Kun defeated and captured Chang Wei, then rallied the Evergreen Sect’s followers to attack the Incense Fragrance Sect’s branch. Luo Bingyun followed the group, worried that Ji Bochang’s greater Houtian Realm strength could put Lu Li in danger.

• Lu Li ordered Nie Kun to stop Chang Wei, and Nie Kun revealed his Houtian Realm breakthrough by beating him and preventing his followers from leaving.
• Nie Kun reassured the shopkeepers that Lu Li was powerful, but Chang Wei challenged his claim, so Lu Li demonstrated his strength with a single devastating punch that killed the Incense Fragrance Sect’s followers.
• Lu Li urged the Evergreen Sect’s followers to stop yielding and join him in attacking the Incense Fragrance Sect’s branch, and they armed themselves and set out with Chang Wei in his custody.
• Luo Bingyun watched Lu Li rally the group, considered presenting him with the sect’s greatest secret, and hurried after them because Ji Bochang was stronger than Lu Li.

Lu Li defeated Ji Bochang and discovered the Incense Fragrance Sect hall master had subjected Su Qingqing and her family to horrific abuse. After learning what Ji Bochang had done, Lu Li demanded an explanation, and Ji Bochang wondered how Lu Li knew about his private fetish.

• Lu Li defeated Ji Bochang, rejected his offer to make peace, and severed all four of his limbs.
• Lu Li advised Nie Kun to train trusted subordinates and focus more on martial arts as the group finished clearing the Incense Fragrance Sect branch.
• Lu Li entered the house and found Su Qingqing wounded and unclothed, while an elderly woman and a young boy were shackled nearby.
• A disciple identified Su Qingqing and described her family's hardships, prompting Lu Li and the others to demand justice.
• Lu Li questioned Ji Bochang about his actions, then revealed that he knew about Ji Bochang's fetish, leaving Ji Bochang asking who Lu Li really was.

Lu Li killed Ji Bochang, freed his captives, and destroyed the Incense Fragrance Sect branch. As he led his people back, Master Luo Bingyun followed him, determined to protect him from the sect’s retaliation.

• Lu Li tortured Ji Bochang before killing him, while Nie Kun and the others freed the prisoners.
• The rescued girl attacked Ji Bochang’s corpse, and Nie Kun gave her money and offered help.
• Lu Li let his subordinates divide the branch’s valuables, then burned Ji Bochang’s corpse and the branch.
• Master Luo Bingyun watched Lu Li leave and decided to keep a closer eye on him in case the Incense Fragrance Sect retaliated.

Lu Li confronted three Broken Mountain Sect disciples who were harassing a young woman and led his people into a fight. He castrated and crippled one attacker, then his followers overwhelmed the other two.

• Lu Li and his companions saw three Broken Mountain Sect disciples harassing the young woman they had rescued.
• Lu Li persuaded Nie Kun to stop holding back and led the Evergreen Sect group to confront the disciples.
• When one disciple taunted them, Lu Li castrated him and crippled his cultivation by striking his dantian.
• The other two disciples threatened to report Lu Li and tried to flee, but Lu Li blocked them and his men surrounded them.
• After two minutes, Lu Li's people pinned down the two disciples and beat them into submission.

Lu Li killed two Broken Mountain Sect disciples after rescuing a girl, then sought to strengthen his position as word of his deeds spread. On Vajra Gate territory, Wen Ziliang learned that another Evergreen Sect disciple had come to Prosperity Street and predicted Lu Li would not survive.

• Lu Li sent the rescued girl home, while Nie Kun beat the castrated Broken Mountain Sect disciple and resolved to become stronger.
• Lu Li praised Nie Kun’s ruthlessness and warned him that the weak were at others’ mercy without strength.
• Lu Li celebrated with his men at a restaurant and resolved to grow stronger because the Incense Fragrance Sect and Broken Mountain Sect would retaliate.
• Stories of Lu Li’s killings and the destruction of the Incense Fragrance Sect branch spread through Longwind Prefecture, making him famous.
• Wen Ziliang broke through to the third layer of the Houtian Realm at Vajra Gate.
• A Vajra Gate disciple told Wen Ziliang about Lu Li’s arrival, and Wen Ziliang predicted that Lu Li would die on Prosperity Street.

Wen Ziliang learned that Lu Li had struck both the Incense Fragrance Sect and the Broken Mountain Sect, while the factions’ leaders began plotting revenge. Duan Jin and Shen Yun joined forces against Lu Li but agreed they could not openly attack without provoking the Evergreen Sect’s powerful elders.

• A junior disciple told Wen Ziliang that Lu Li had destroyed an Incense Fragrance Sect branch, killed its hall master, and killed a Broken Mountain Sect disciple, and Wen Ziliang wished he could meet him despite his sect’s orders.
• Duan Jin learned that Ji Bochang was dead and that Lu Li had destroyed the branch, so he prepared to lead his men against Lu Li.
• Duan Jin learned that Lu Li had also harmed a Broken Mountain Sect disciple and welcomed Broken Mountain Sect enforcer Shen Yun to discuss their common enemy.
• Shen Yun revealed his personal reason for seeking revenge: Lu Li had crippled and castrated Shen Yun’s younger brother, leaving their family without an heir.
• Duan Jin and Shen Yun agreed Lu Li deserved to die, but Shen Yun warned that an open attack could provoke the Evergreen Sect’s five elders, who had previously devastated the Incense Fragrance Sect’s headquarters.

Shen Yun and Duan Jin plotted to disguise themselves as Wind and Rain Pavilion assassins and kill Lu Li, while Luo Bingyun overheard them and chose to see how Lu Li would respond. Lu Li led a covert strike on an Incense Fragrance Sect branch, and Luo Bingyun sensed someone approaching the compound.

• Shen Yun proposed framing the Wind and Rain Pavilion for Lu Li's death, and Duan Jin agreed to have the Incense Fragrance Sect carry out the attack.
• Duan Jin dismissed Lu Li as inexperienced, while Luo Bingyun secretly watched the two men plot and decided to let Lu Li handle the danger himself.
• Lu Li and his elite fighters hid near an Incense Fragrance Sect branch, disguised themselves as assassins, and prepared to kill its hall master.
• Lu Li ordered his followers to claim they were from the Wind and Rain Pavilion as they entered the branch quietly.
• Duan Jin dressed as an assassin with Shen Yun and his companions, while Luo Bingyun sensed someone approaching the compound and hid to watch.

Lu Li and his men attacked the compound where Shen Yun and Duan Jin were staying, killing the guards and overwhelming the Broken Mountain Sect disciples and Incense Fragrance Sect gang members. The chapter ended with Shen Yun and Duan Jin badly wounded and biting and striking each other on the ground as Lu Li's forces finished off the survivors.

• Lu Li waited until his men had surrounded the compound, then killed the guards at the gate and led his group inside.
• Shen Yun recognized the attack as an assassin raid, but Lu Li's men killed several gang members before Duan Jin and Shen Yun could respond.
• Lu Li overpowered Duan Jin and Shen Yun, while Shen Yun abandoned Duan Jin and tried to flee.
• Lu Li cut Duan Jin in half, caught Shen Yun, and kicked him back beside the wounded Duan Jin.
• Duan Jin bit Shen Yun's neck as they fought on the ground, while Nie Kun and Lu Li's men killed the remaining Broken Mountain Sect disciples and gang members.

Lu Li led his subordinates in destroying a Broken Mountain Sect branch, then exposed Shen Yun’s feigned death and had his men kill him. After splitting the captured wealth with the group and burning the branch, Lu Li left, while Lu Bingyun realized he had beaten the sects at their own plan to disguise themselves as assassins.

• Lu Li killed Shen Yun and Duan Jin after they pleaded for their lives, then discovered Shen Yun was still alive and hiding his aura.
• Lu Li wounded Shen Yun and ordered his subordinates to finish him, and they killed him.
• Lu Li let his men search the branch, found fifty thousand taels of silver, and gave them most of the proceeds.
• Lu Li ordered the group to burn the branch and withdrew with them before the fire consumed it.
• Lu Bingyun watched from concealment and realized Lu Li had preempted the Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect’s planned assassin ambush.
• Lu Bingyun reflected that Lu Li had avenged Xiao Liang and said Xiao Liang could rest in peace.

Luo Bingyun told the Evergreen Sect elders how Lu Li killed Duan Jin and Shen Yun, then urged them to let him learn the Endless Life Technique’s companion method. Cang Baihe refused, and the next day Lu Li trained while rumors spread about the dead Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect disciples.

• Luo Bingyun returned to the Evergreen Sect and told the elders that Lu Li had reached the Houtian Realm and killed Ji Bochang.
• Luo Bingyun revealed that Lu Li had killed Duan Jin and Shen Yun after they joined forces, leaving the elders deeply shaken.
• Luo Bingyun asked the elders to let Lu Li cultivate the Endless Life Technique’s companion method, but Cang Baihe refused because it had ruined their Eldest Senior Brother.
• Cang Baihe warned Luo Bingyun not to raise the technique again, and she agreed to drop the matter.
• Lu Li trained the next morning and continued studying saber techniques and poison arts as rumors spread about the dead disciples; no one suspected him.

Lu Li collected his cultivation resources and refined the Extreme Ice Marrow Luo Bingyun had prepared, enduring its intense cold and gaining a major increase in strength and Endless Life Technique proficiency. His Inner Qi more than doubled, and he emerged able to channel the marrow’s chill.

• Lu Li met Ji Yun and the other disciples outside Luo Bingyun’s cave, where they complained that Incense Fragrance Sect and Broken Mountain Sect had bullied them.
• Luo Bingyun praised Lu Li, gave him five Qi Gathering Pills, and offered the disciples the month’s Extreme Ice Marrow.
• The other disciples agreed that Lu Li should receive the Extreme Ice Marrow in recognition of his deeds.
• Luo Bingyun placed the Extreme Ice Marrow against Lu Li’s forehead, and he endured its freezing force while she helped him refine it.
• Lu Li gained more than twice as much Inner Qi, and his Endless Life Technique proficiency rose to 1050.

After refining the Extreme Ice Marrow, Lu Li broke through to the second layer of the Houtian Realm. At the Gathering Spring Pavilion, he reunited with his fellow new disciples, who learned that he had defeated enemies from the Incense Fragrance Sect and the Broken Mountain Sect without being injured.

• Lu Li refined the Extreme Ice Marrow and advanced to the second layer of the Houtian Realm, astonishing Luo Bingyun and the other disciples.
• Luo Bingyun worried that Lu Li might suffer the same fate as the eldest senior brother, then dismissed the disciples.
• Lu Li spoke with Ji Yun, who told him that Gao Yulou and Zuo Cangyun had invited him to meet at the Gathering Spring Pavilion after they collected their supplies.
• At the Gathering Spring Pavilion, Gao Yulou and the other new disciples complained about being injured in confrontations with the Broken Mountain Sect and the Incense Fragrance Sect.
• A female disciple revealed that Lu Li had slain Ji Bochang, taken an Incense Fragrance Sect branch, and killed Broken Mountain Sect disciples.
• Lu Li arrived unharmed, and Ji Yun explained that Lu Li had reached the second layer of the Houtian Realm, leaving the other disciples astonished.

Lu Li agreed to help his fellow disciples fight back against the Incense Fragrance Sect and Broken Mountain Sect, then went to the Scripture Pavilion to find a blade technique. He discovered the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and learned its legendary history from an elderly man, before asking how it affected its practitioner.

• Lu Li agreed to help Gao Yulou and the others against the Incense Fragrance Sect and Broken Mountain Sect.
• Lu Li went to the Scripture Pavilion to exchange silver for a Houtian Realm blade technique.
• Lu Li found a neglected copy of the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and read about its requirement for cold energy and Inner Qi.
• An elderly man recognized Lu Li, his Endless Life Technique, and Luo Bingyun's aura, then identified him as the recent champion.
• The elderly man recounted how the Ice Fiend Swordsman reached the Transcendent Realm and supposedly destroyed a million troops with one slash.
• Lu Li asked the elderly man what it meant that the Ice Fiend Blade Technique affected its practitioner.

Lu Li accepted the dangerous Ice Fiend Blade Technique for free after convincing Ice Fiend of his determination, then gave Fourth Elder Bai Ding'an the Black Gold Sinking Iron to fuse into his Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade. After a night of cultivation, Lu Li improved his Endless Life Technique and heard Bai Ding'an announce that his blade was ready.

• Lu Li chose the Ice Fiend Blade Technique despite Ice Fiend's warning that its killing intent could drive practitioners mad or kill them, and Ice Fiend gave him the manual without charge.
• Ice Fiend recalled that Jinglei had once practiced the forbidden technique and hoped Lu Li would surpass him without repeating his mistakes.
• Lu Li handed Fourth Elder Bai Ding'an the Black Gold Sinking Iron, and Bai Ding'an promised to finish tempering the Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade by the next morning.
• Lu Li cultivated through the night and used two Qi Gathering Pills, raising his Endless Life Technique proficiency to 1650/1800 in the Houtian Realm Second Layer.
• Fourth Elder Bai Ding'an called out that Lu Li's blade was ready.

Bai Ding'an refined Lu Li’s Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade with Black Gold, greatly increasing its power, and Lu Li returned to the Deacon Mansion to practice the Ice Fiend Blade Technique. The chapter left him exhausted after making progress in the technique.

• Bai Ding'an showed Lu Li the upgraded Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade, and Lu Li suppressed the killing intent inside it with his Inner Qi.
• Bai Ding'an urged Lu Li to study unorthodox arts under him, but Lu Li said he would focus on martial arts first.
• Gao Yulou explained that Bai Ding'an was nearly a top craftsman and had once forged a half-spirit weapon, prompting Lu Li to bow toward Bai Ding'an’s cave in gratitude.
• Lu Li returned to the Deacon Mansion, memorized the Ice Fiend Blade Technique, and practiced until he was tired and short of breath.
• Lu Li’s progress in the Ice Fiend Blade Technique reached 150/450.

Lu Li broke through to the third layer of the Houtian Realm, mastered the beginner stage of the Ice Fiend Blade Technique, and decided to seek resources at the Wind and Rain Pavilion. Meanwhile, the Broken Mountain Sect's elders demanded the name of the Evergreen Sect disciple who had humiliated them.

• Lu Li broke through to the third layer of the Houtian Realm and assessed his strength against higher-level opponents.
• Lu Li reached the beginner stage of the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and suppressed the strengthened Killing Intent in the Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade.
• Lu Li decided to visit the Wind and Rain Pavilion for martial resources and planned to check on Hu Niu.
• The Broken Mountain Sect's elders condemned the Evergreen Sect after one of their disciples was castrated, and Wei Zhantang asked for the man's name.

Broken Mountain Sect’s Wei Zhentang decided to hire Blood Ghost to assassinate Lu Li, while Elder Qiu sent Zhao Jiahao to deliver the bounty. Lu Li visited Hu Niu and discovered that she had reached the Inner-Qi Realm.

• Wei Zhentang and the elders discussed Lu Li and Blood Ghost, and Elder Qiu recalled Lu Li’s strength and the deaths of her disciples.
• Wei Zhentang resolved not to confront Evergreen Sect directly and ordered a bounty on Lu Li through Wind and Rain Pavilion’s Blood Ghost.
• Elder Qiu gave Zhao Jiahao two hundred thousand taels and ordered him to hire a Blood Mask assassin to kill Lu Li.
• Lu Li visited Hu Niu, who had grown much larger, and praised her for breaking through to the Inner-Qi Realm.

Lu Li visited the Wind and Rain Pavilion in Qingfeng Prefecture to seek a mission that would advance his rank, after reflecting on Hu Niu and the Cloud-Turning Wolf’s determination to grow stronger. Deacon Su offered him a bounty mission, but the Pavilion Master intervened and refused to bend the rules for him.

• The Cloud-Turning Wolf revealed that Hu Niu trained hard because she wanted to protect Lu Li, and Lu Li decided to seek medicines to help them both advance.
• Lu Li rode Hu Niu to the Wind and Rain Pavilion, left her and the Cloud-Turning Wolf to wait nearby, and entered the hidden pavilion inside a great pit.
• Deacon Su recognized Lu Li as Blood Ghost and praised his record in Changfeng County and his recent kills in Qingfeng Prefecture.
• Deacon Su offered to change Lu Li’s token and showed him a bounty for Ji Bochang, a third-layer Houtian Realm cultivator worth five thousand taels of silver.
• The Pavilion Master took the token from Su Yun and declared that Lu Li could not receive credit for a kill unless he had accepted the mission first.

Lu Li learned about an unopened Golden Box in the Wind and Rain Pavilion and hoped it might contain a treasure to help him grow stronger. As he began discussing a deal with a black-robed man, Old Ma arrived injured from trying to open the box, and the stranger's greedy reaction drew Lu Li's attention.

• The Pavilion Master threatened Su Yun over his failure to follow the Wind and Rain Pavilion's rules, and Su Yun told Lu Li he would have to earn his token himself.
• Su Yun told Lu Li about a valuable-looking secret treasure locked inside an unopened Golden Box in the Pavilion's second-floor vault.
• Lu Li considered pursuing the box because he needed greater strength, but he doubted he could open it after hearing the Pavilion had failed.
• A black-robed man approached Lu Li and offered to make a deal, but Old Ma stumbled downstairs carrying the Golden Box with one finger missing.
• Old Ma explained that he had injured himself trying to open the box, while the black-robed man stared at it with greedy eyes.