Recaps

After returning from a night of fighting, Lu Li received Extreme Ice Marrow and learned the sect would freely provide him with resources to speed his advancement. He searched the Scripture Pavilion for a Divine Intent Map but found none, and an old man appeared behind him.

• Lu Li returned to the courtyard exhausted, while Luo Bingxin told the elders about his growing network and the group arranged extra cultivation supplies for him.
• Lu Li collected his supplies at the cave dwelling, where Ji Yun worried about his rapid progress and the disciples discussed their improved position against the Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect.
• Lu Li received another piece of Extreme Ice Marrow, endured it more easily than before, and strengthened his Extreme Ice Inner Qi.
• Luo Bingxin told Lu Li she would continue giving him Extreme Ice Marrow and that the elders had authorized him to take any cultivation resources, techniques, and martial skills he needed.
• Lu Li went to the Scripture Pavilion’s highest floor looking for a Divine Intent Map, and the old man who had taught him the Ice Fiend Blade Technique suddenly appeared.

Lu Li collected lightness, body-tempering, and other martial arts techniques from the Scripture Pavilion after receiving advice from an enigmatic senior. He left to master his manuals as the leaders of Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect began a tense meeting.

• Lu Li met an old senior in the Scripture Pavilion, who warned him against aiming too high and recommended the difficult Void Crossing Technique.
• The senior gave Lu Li the Void Crossing Technique manual and revealed that Evergreen Sect held the second half of the Vajra Gate's Metal-Stone Body technique.
• Lu Li collected the second half of Metal-Stone Body, then gathered a stack of other manuals, including Orthodox Origin Technique, Lingyan Technique, and Withered Wood Blooming Technique.
• Lu Li left the pavilion and headed down the mountain to master his new techniques before returning for more.
• The leaders of Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect met amid a tense atmosphere.

After the failed attempt to kill Blood Ghost, Wei Zhantang and Elder Qi argued over responsibility before agreeing to investigate their enemies. Meanwhile, Lu Li strengthened his skills, and a man who learned of his return called him an unfilial son.

• Elder Qi accused Wei Zhantang of failing to prevent the operation against Blood Ghost from collapsing, and Wei Zhantang blamed the Incense Fragrance Sect for harboring a traitor.
• Elder Qiu calmed Wei Zhantang and Elder Qi, and they agreed to set aside their dispute and investigate Blood Ghost and Lu Li.
• Wei Zhantang worried that Lu Li might become a threat to the Broken Mountain Sect, while Elder Qi promised to search for clues about Blood Ghost.
• A man received a letter by Black Hawk, learned that someone had broken his formation, and killed the bird before calling Lu Li an unfilial son.
• Lu Li mastered the techniques and martial skills he had brought from the Evergreen Sect, advanced the Ice Fiend Blade Technique, and decided to study lightness skills and body-hardening martial arts.

Lu Li advanced his Metal-Stone Body and tested its toughness before meeting Wen Ziliang of the Vajra Gate. Their spar began with an even exchange, and both revealed powerful transformations as the fight continued.

• Lu Li entered the lower half of the Metal-Stone Body, transforming his skin into black gold and demonstrating that a broken saber could not scratch him.
• Wen Ziliang arrived to meet Lu Li despite his master's warning that the meeting broke the rules set by the Broken Mountain Sect.
• Wen Ziliang invited Lu Li to test their horizontal training techniques, and Lu Li accepted to measure his strength against a Vajra Gate expert.
• Lu Li and Wen Ziliang exchanged plain punches and staggered backward, matching each other's strength.
• Wen Ziliang revealed his third-level Diamond Body, and Lu Li responded by turning his skin black gold.

Lu Li fought Wen Ziliang to a draw and bonded with the Vajra Gate disciple over wine. Elder Qin then revealed that Evergreen Sect’s hidden secret was the All-Things Creation Technique, which worked alongside the Endless Life Technique.

• Wen Ziliang and Lu Li clashed with their hardened bodies, and neither could defeat the other.
• Wen Ziliang invited Lu Li to feast with him, and the two groups drank and talked together.
• Wen Ziliang explained that Vajra Gate possessed a secret technique suited to the Metal-Stone Body, while Elder Qin cautioned that it was restricted.
• Lu Li asked Elder Qin about Evergreen Sect’s secret and warned that his sect and Vajra Gate might eventually face Broken Mountain Sect.
• Elder Qin revealed that Evergreen Sect’s two core techniques were the Endless Life Technique and the All-Things Creation Technique, which worked together.

Lu Li learned that the All-Things Creation Technique was a secret connected to rumors about Xiao Jinglei, then returned to cultivating under threat from rival sects. At the Broken Mountain Sect, Zuo Qingtian emerged from seclusion stronger than Wen Ziliang, and Wei Zhantang prepared to send him to kill someone.

• Elder Qin told Lu Li that he did not know the specifics of the All-Things Creation Technique and repeated a rumor that Xiao Jinglei had cultivated it and suffered a cultivation deviation.
• Wen Ziliang invited Lu Li to bring him along if he planned to attack the Broken Mountain Sect or the Incense Fragrance Sect, and Lu Li agreed.
• Lu Li returned to the Deacon Mansion with Nie Kun and continued cultivating to strengthen himself against his enemies.
• Zuo Qingtian emerged from seclusion at the Broken Mountain Sect and demonstrated his strength by splitting a mountain peak with a punch.
• Zuo Qingtian blocked Wei Zhantang's sudden attack and proved he had surpassed his master at that level of strength.
• Wei Zhantang told Zuo Qingtian to gain experience beyond the mountain and said he was sending him to kill someone.

Wei Zhentang urged Zuo Qingtian to challenge Lu Li, but arranged a meeting between Zuo Qingtian and Huang Rongyue first. Zuo Qingtian became captivated by her, while Huang Rongyue privately remained loyal to Lu Li and considered taking something from Zuo Qingtian for him.

• Wei Zhentang told Zuo Qingtian that Lu Li had harmed the Broken Mountain Sect and estimated that Lu Li had reached the Post-Heaven Mid-Stage Realm.
• Zuo Qingtian dismissed Lu Li as weak and eagerly agreed to fight him, but Wei Zhentang said he first had another arrangement concerning his happiness.
• Elder Qiu brought Huang Rongyue to meet Zuo Qingtian, who instantly changed his tune after seeing her beauty.
• Zuo Qingtian and Huang Rongyue discussed cultivation, and he became impressed by her martial insights and hoped to win her over.
• Huang Rongyue realized the meeting was a setup and privately thought of Lu Li, resolving that she might take something from Zuo Qingtian to give Lu Li.

Zuo Qingtian befriended Huang Rongyue and gave her a Clear Spirit Jade Pendant, which she intended to pass to Lu Li. Meanwhile, Lu Li perfected two techniques and prepared for the stewards’ annual sparring session.

• After the elders and sect master left, Zuo Qingtian praised Huang Rongyue’s breakthrough and offered his friendship.
• Zuo Qingtian showed off his cultivation and gave Huang Rongyue his Clear Spirit Jade Pendant, which she accepted while thinking of Lu Li.
• Three days later, Lu Li advanced his Spirit Void Step and found it much faster than the Flying Swallow Step.
• Lu Li perfected the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and the Golden Muscle and Jade Vessel Method, gaining stronger Killing Intent and nearly eliminating the method’s side effects.
• Lu Li decided to perfect his remaining techniques and noted that the annual sparring session should be due.

Lu Li easily defeated Gao Yulou and Zuo Cangyun in sparring, then met Huang Rongyue in an alley. She warned him that Zuo Qingtian and Wei Zhantang planned to join forces with her to kill him in about three days.

• Lu Li stopped Gao Yulou's fan attack with two fingers and defeated him in one move.
• Lu Li defeated Zuo Cangyun, pointed out flaws in his swordplay, and gave advice to the gathered disciples.
• Lu Li reassured Zuo Cangyun, Gao Yulou, and Ji Yun before leaving the courtyard.
• Huang Rongyue told Lu Li that she had become Elder Qiu's true disciple and that the gatekeeper who had mistreated her had died by suicide in the Menial Hall.
• Huang Rongyue revealed that Zuo Qingtian had emerged from seclusion and was pursuing her.
• Huang Rongyue warned Lu Li that Wei Zhantang had ordered her and Zuo Qingtian to join forces to eliminate him, likely in about three days.

Lu Li learned that Zuo Qingtian planned to come after him, accepted Huang Rongyue’s Clear Spirit Jade Pendant, and prepared an ambush under the Blood Ghost identity. The chapter ended as Zuo Qingtian approached the dark alley where Lu Li and his companions waited.

• Huang Rongyue warned Lu Li that Zuo Qingtian, a Houtian Realm eighth-layer expert, would come for him in three days.
• Huang Rongyue gave Lu Li the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant, which sharpened his thoughts, and revealed she had obtained it from Zuo Qingtian.
• Lu Li reflected on Huang Rongyue’s ambitions, while she resolved to keep up with him and transcend the mundane.
• Three days later, Lu Li wore the Blood Ghost Mask and waited in a dark alley with Zuo Cangyun and Gao Yulou to ambush Zuo Qingtian.
• Lu Li reassured his companions that he could get them away safely, then sensed a powerful presence approaching.

Lu Li and his allies ambushed Zuo Qingtian’s group, but Lu Li’s duel with the powerful disciple quickly became a fierce test of strength. After their first clash ended evenly, Zuo Qingtian overpowered Lu Li and pursued him as he tried to retreat.

• Lu Li led Zuo Cangyun, Gao Yulou, and the others to ambush Zuo Qingtian, warning them not to fight Huang Rongyue if they were below the sixth layer of the Houtian Realm.
• Lu Li’s group struck down several Broken Mountain Sect disciples, and Zuo Qingtian mistook them for Blood Ghost before attacking Zuo Cangyun.
• Zuo Qingtian’s halberd overpowered Zuo Cangyun, leaving his hands bleeding, so Lu Li stepped forward to face him.
• Lu Li and Zuo Qingtian exchanged attacks, and their first clash ended in a dead heat.
• Zuo Qingtian unleashed his full strength and forced Lu Li backward; Lu Li deflected the halberd and retreated, but Zuo Qingtian charged after him without slowing.

Lu Li turned the tide against Zuo Qingtian and forced him to retreat, then pursued him through the streets. Zuo Qingtian escaped with Huang Rongyue after Lu Li wounded him, vowing to return for revenge.

• Lu Li deflected Zuo Qingtian’s halberd and counterattacked with the Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade.
• Zuo Qingtian unleashed Tiger Force Mountain-Splitting, but Lu Li’s Ice Fiend Blade Technique sent him flying and convinced him he was outmatched.
• Zuo Qingtian grabbed Huang Rongyue and fled, while Lu Li chased after them.
• Huang Rongyue stopped and pretended she would hold Lu Li off, prompting Zuo Qingtian to turn back for her.
• Lu Li slashed Zuo Qingtian across the back, but Zuo Qingtian used a secret art to escape with Huang Rongyue and promised revenge.

Lu Li defeated Zuo Qingtian and discovered that a powerful Xiantian expert had been watching him, while Luo Bingyun secretly celebrated her disciple’s victory. Zuo Qingtian escaped with Huang Rongyue, mistook her hesitation to kill him for proof of her loyalty, and continued trusting her.

• Lu Li wounded Zuo Qingtian, who used a secret technique to escape, then sensed and attacked Luo Bingyun when he spotted her watching from the alley entrance.
• Luo Bingyun fled from Lu Li and decided to press her senior brother to let Lu Li try the All-Things Creation Technique.
• Zuo Cangyun told Lu Li that their group had killed some of their enemies while the rest escaped, and Lu Li admitted that Zuo Qingtian had fled badly wounded.
• Gao Yulou and Ji Yun teased Lu Li about Huang Rongyue, but Lu Li said they were just good friends and led the group back.
• Huang Rongyue considered stabbing the exhausted Zuo Qingtian but put away her dagger, and Zuo Qingtian took her support as proof that she was not the traitor.

Wei Zhantang learned that Zuo Qingtian had been gravely injured and lost cultivation after fighting Blood Ghost, while the Broken Mountain Sect planned to investigate the attacker. At Evergreen Sect, Luo Bingyun revealed that Lu Li had defeated Zuo Qingtian and become Qingfeng Prefecture’s undisputed number-one genius.

• Wei Zhantang and Elder Qiu celebrated the expected progress between Zuo Qingtian and Huang Rongyue before a steward reported that Zuo Qingtian was gravely injured and unconscious.
• Wei Zhantang treated Zuo Qingtian, who said his cultivation had fallen but expected to recover within a month, while Huang Rongyue volunteered to care for him.
• Wei Zhantang ordered Elder Qiu to investigate Blood Ghost and possible traitors, and told her to take Huang Rongyue along.
• Cang Baihe and the Evergreen Sect elders worried that Zuo Qingtian might target Lu Li, and Luo Bingyun returned from secretly watching him.
• Luo Bingyun revealed that Lu Li had defeated Zuo Qingtian when he came to challenge him, leaving Zuo Qingtian gravely injured and unable to get out of bed for a month.

The Evergreen Sect elders debated whether Lu Li should risk learning the dangerous All-Things Creation Technique, while news spread that Lu Li had decisively defeated Zuo Qingtian. Wu Ziyuanxiu arranged for Lu Li to enter Tianlan Cave, and Lu Li returned to cultivation after Wen Ziliang revealed a secret Vajra Gate technique.

• Luo Bingyun urged Cang Baihe to let Lu Li consider learning the All-Things Creation Technique, and the elders voiced support for the idea.
• Cang Baihe agreed to consult their Master about the technique and asked Luo Bingyun to keep an eye on Lu Li.
• A constable told Wu Ziyuanxiu and Zhang Zhihuan that the Blood Ghost had decisively defeated Zuo Qingtian, stunning Zhang Zhihuan.
• Wu Ziyuanxiu decided to write Lu Li a letter and secure him a place in the upcoming Tianlan Cave opening.
• Wen Ziliang asked Lu Li about the Blood Ghost and shared details of the Vajra Gate's Origin Vajra Seal in exchange for future information.
• Lu Li said he would tell Wen Ziliang if he learned anything about the Blood Ghost, then went back to his room to cultivate.

Guan Xingtian persuaded rebel General Yang Kaishan to provoke Qingfeng Prefecture and target its sect disciples, especially Lu Li. After three days of training, Lu Li strengthened his cultivation, defense, and movement skills and learned to conceal poison in his inner qi, leaving him better prepared for the coming threat.

• Guan Xingtian told Yang Kaishan that the Incense Fragrance Sect's hidden agents in Qingfeng Prefecture were unusable and proposed disguising rebels as bandits to draw out defenders and sect disciples.
• Guan Xingtian gave Yang Kaishan a portrait of Lu Li and urged him to kill the disciple, and Yang Kaishan vowed to make Lu Li their target.
• Lu Li spent three days improving his cultivation and martial skills, raising his Metal-Stone Body to Crimson Gold Body and advancing his Spirit Void Step.
• Lu Li tested his stronger defense and agility, then used poison to taint his inner qi so he could release it against an opponent during a fight.

Lu Li tested the poison he had stored in his dantian by killing a tiger demon instantly, then learned that the prefect had summoned the three sects. At the prefect's manor, Wei Zhantang challenged Cang Baihe about Xiao Jinglei's long seclusion.

• Lu Li called Nie Kun to bring him a tiger demon so he could test his poison.
• Lu Li released the tiger demon and killed it with a touch, confirming that his poison worked instantly against an Inner-Qi Realm target.
• Lu Li explained to Nie Kun that his poison art also harmed him and that his hard-body technique let him withstand the poison.
• Nie Kun told Lu Li that the Prefect had summoned him because the five elders had arrived at the manor.
• At the manor, Wei Zhantang questioned Cang Baihe about Xiao Jinglei's absence and suggested that he might have died in seclusion.

Prefect Wu Ziyuanxiu summoned the sects to seek help suppressing bandits after Wanning Prefecture fell and Qingfeng Prefecture faced danger. As the sects prepared to cooperate, Lu Li learned that Zuo Qingtian planned to kill him during the operation.

• Cang Baihe, Huo Wuyai, and Wei Zhantang traded insults before Wu Ziyuanxiu stopped them and explained that bandits had slaughtered villages outside the city.
• Wu Ziyuanxiu revealed that Wanning Prefecture had fallen, and the sect leaders agreed to help suppress the bandits while government troops remained ready to defend Qingfeng Prefecture.
• Zuo Qingtian recognized Lu Li and vowed to kill him, while Huang Rongyue encouraged him by claiming she wanted revenge for her father.
• Lu Li mocked Zuo Qingtian, and Huang Rongyue declared that Zuo Qingtian would avenge her; Lu Li inferred that Zuo planned to attack him during the bandit-suppression operation.
• Wu Ziyuanxiu dismissed the gathering, and a yamen runner discreetly slipped Lu Li a note as he left.

Lu Li learned the Prefect had arranged for him and Zuo Qingtian to patrol neighboring areas, giving him a chance to kill his enemy during the bandit suppression. After the groups spread across the mountain, Zuo Qingtian confronted Lu Li, and the two prepared to fight.

• Lu Li read the Prefect’s note, understood the plan to place him near Zuo Qingtian, and spent the following day cultivating.
• The sect disciples gathered under Luo Bingyun, Elder Qiu, and Elder Qin, then traveled up the mountain for the bandit-suppression mission.
• Wu Ziyuanxiu assigned patrol areas, placing Lu Li beside Zuo Qingtian and Huang Rongyue, while the elders and disciples reacted with concern or amusement.
• Lu Li reassured You Shizhan that he could handle Zuo Qingtian, then set out for his assigned area as the groups scattered.
• Zuo Qingtian appeared with Huang Rongyue and confronted Lu Li, who declared he would kill him; Zuo Qingtian drew his great halberd and challenged him.

Huang Rongyue betrayed Zuo Qingtian, and Lu Li killed him after revealing his strength as Blood Ghost. As Lu Li and Huang Rongyue discussed taking control of the Broken Mountain Sect, armed elites surrounded them.

• Huang Rongyue stabbed Zuo Qingtian and admitted she had used him to protect the Broken Mountain Sect for Lu Li.
• Lu Li showed Zuo Qingtian the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant, provoking him into a furious attack.
• Lu Li defeated Zuo Qingtian with Ice Refining Nine Extremes Kill, then killed him and burned his body and soul.
• Zuo Qingtian realized Lu Li was Blood Ghost and accused Huang Rongyue of being the spy inside the Broken Mountain Sect.
• Huang Rongyue offered Lu Li the Broken Mountain Sect, but he said he preferred to pursue his own path to power.
• Armed elites emerged from the shadows and surrounded Lu Li and Huang Rongyue.

Lu Li and Huang Rongyue were ambushed by rebel soldiers led by Ma San and fought to escape. They reached a cave after fleeing, while Ma San ordered a search and learned that the Incense Fragrance Sect had specifically marked Lu Li for death.

• Lu Li and Huang Rongyue realized the attackers were trained rebel soldiers and that Ma San was a mid-stage Xiantian expert.
• Lu Li broke through the soldiers’ formation, but Ma San’s saber forced him back and left him outmatched.
• Huang Rongyue unleashed a demonic technique, blasted Ma San away, and took a severe wound while protecting Lu Li.
• Lu Li used the Golden Muscle and Jade Vessel Method to defeat two Xiantian fighters, while his poison killed the weaker soldiers, then carried Huang Rongyue away.
• Ma San ordered his men to search for Lu Li and Huang Rongyue, warned them not to engage, and decided to report Lu Li’s identity to General Yang.
• Lu Li and Huang Rongyue fled on foot after descending from the air and eventually found a cave.

Lu Li treated Huang Rongyue’s grave wounds with a hastily devised herbal prescription, saving her from death. After she recovered consciousness, they left the cave and found soldiers and Xiantian Realm experts searching the surrounding area, leaving them trapped in a blockade.

• Lu Li knocked Huang Rongyue unconscious and used his knowledge of poisonous herbs to create medicine for her wounds.
• Lu Li treated Huang Rongyue and bandaged her, while she woke and watched him work.
• Huang Rongyue dressed in Lu Li’s black clothes, and Lu Li heard soldiers searching nearby.
• Lu Li supported Huang Rongyue as they left the cave and spotted a large patrol force led by three Xiantian Realm experts.
• Huang Rongyue warned Lu Li that the area was sealed off and she could not use her secret technique again so soon.

Lu Li and Huang Rongyue escaped the Eight Directions Dragon-Trapping Array by disguising themselves as bandits, but an Incense Fragrance Sect man exposed Lu Li’s disguise and attacked them. Lu Li fled with the injured Huang Rongyue as their stronger pursuer gave chase.

• Lu Li realized they were trapped in an array and killed three men, then used their clothes and his Disguise Technique to conceal himself and Huang Rongyue.
• Lu Li guided Huang Rongyue through the array’s fixed routes, learned that the Incense Fragrance Sect had allied with the bandits, and resolved to report its rebellion to the Prefect.
• Lu Li and Huang Rongyue escaped the array and rested before setting out toward the Prefect’s forces.
• A suspicious man recognized Lu Li as Li Er Gou and exposed his disguise after noticing he lacked the Incense Fragrance Sect’s scent.
• The man attacked Lu Li with a whip; Huang Rongyue helped him break free, and Lu Li carried her away as the third-level Xiantian Realm pursuer chased them.

Lu Li and Huang Rongyue turned to fight Zhang Meng after his lightning whip drove them to the brink. As Lu Li charged with a secret technique and Huang Rongyue unleashed Other Shore No Peace, both attacked Zhang Meng together.

• Zhang Meng pursued Lu Li and Huang Rongyue with lightning lashes, steadily closing the distance as Lu Li tried to evade him.
• Lu Li refused to abandon Huang Rongyue, and she refused to leave him, so they prepared to face Zhang Meng together.
• Lu Li turned back and struck Zhang Meng’s whip with the Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade, briefly knocking the Pre-Heaven Realm fighter backward.
• Zhang Meng overwhelmed Lu Li with his lightning whip, and Lu Li activated a secret technique to strengthen himself.
• Huang Rongyue activated Other Shore No Peace, losing her consciousness and transforming into a blood-eyed, yin-charged figure as Zhang Meng mocked the technique’s dangers.
• Lu Li, glowing with golden light, and Huang Rongyue, transformed into a streak of red light, charged Zhang Meng together.

Lu Li and Huang Rongyue fought Zhang Meng, a Xiantian expert, and gradually weakened him with their attacks and Lu Li’s poison. Zhang Meng tried to bargain for his life by revealing that his group had been sent to ambush Lu Li, but Lu Li guessed the Incense Fragrance Sect had provided the information and killed him.

• Huang Rongyue’s Killing Intent and Lu Li’s blade broke through Zhang Meng’s lightning defense, forcing him to take the fight seriously.
• Lu Li and Huang Rongyue attacked Zhang Meng together as Lu Li’s poison spread through Zhang Meng’s body, though both fighters suffered severe injuries.
• Zhang Meng realized Lu Li had poisoned him and tried to persuade Lu Li to stop fighting, but Lu Li refused and blocked his attempt to escape.
• Zhang Meng revealed that his group had come to ambush Lu Li, and Lu Li guessed the Incense Fragrance Sect had supplied the information.
• Lu Li cut off Zhang Meng’s head.