Chapter Summaries

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.

Lu Li, disguised as Blood Ghost, accepted Zhao Jiahao’s offer to assassinate Lu Li, then pocketed the deposit while planning to kill Zhao Jiahao and take the Golden Box’s key. After Zhao Jiahao left, Lu Li returned to the counter, where Old Ma asked whether he knew Elder Qing.

• Old Ma complained that he had lost a finger while tampering with the Golden Box, and Lu Li suspected Zhao Jiahao knew how to open it.
• Zhao Jiahao offered Blood Ghost 150,000 taels to kill Lu Li and identified himself as a personal disciple of Elder Qiu of the Broken Mountain Sect.
• Lu Li agreed to the contract, collected Zhao Jiahao’s 100,000-tael deposit, and planned to kill him for the Golden Box key.
• Zhao Jiahao departed, and Lu Li resolved to grow strong enough to bring the Broken Mountain Sect to heel.
• Lu Li returned to Deacon Su and Old Ma, and Old Ma asked whether he knew Elder Qing.

Lu Li bought pills and a Golden Box at the Wind and Rain Pavilion while learning about the organization’s discounts and rumored extraordinary beings. Old Ma agreed to spend the rest of his life breaking mechanisms for Lu Li if Lu Li managed to open the box.

• Old Ma offered Lu Li a discount, and Lu Li bought ten Qi Gathering Pills and two Demon Essence Pills.
• Su Yun explained that Pre-Heaven experts received Black Gold tokens and that Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters enjoyed far greater benefits within the Wind and Rain Pavilion.
• Su Yun and Old Ma discussed rumors about extraordinary beings, including a Tomb-Guarding Eunuch of the Huang Family who supposedly had lived since Great Yan’s founding.
• Lu Li asked to buy the Golden Box, and Old Ma agreed to keep it for him while warning that it might be dangerous and difficult to open.
• Old Ma laughed at Lu Li’s claim that he might open the box and promised to spend the rest of his life breaking mechanisms for him if he succeeded.

Lu Li fed Demon Essence Pills to Hu Niu and the Cloud-Turning Wolf, then returned to Changfeng County and advanced his cultivation and Ice Fiend Blade Technique. After learning that Zhao Jiahao was stationed nearby, he noted that the newly accepted true disciple was isolated from the other sects.

• Lu Li gave Hu Niu and the Cloud-Turning Wolf Demon Essence Pills and secured the wolf’s pledge of loyalty.
• Lu Li entered Changfeng County, where Incense Fragrance Sect followers watched him with hostility before scattering when he noticed them.
• Lu Li used Qi Gathering Pills to cultivate, bringing his Endless Life Technique close to a breakthrough to the Houtian Realm’s fourth layer.
• Lu Li practiced the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and found that his blade had begun to gather frost.
• Lu Li sent people to find Zhao Jiahao and learned that the fifth-layer Houtian Realm disciple was stationed on Azure Dragon Street, apart from most Broken Mountain Sect disciples.

Lu Li broke through to the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm, then prepared his forces for a night operation against the Broken Mountain Sect. Meanwhile, Wen Ziliang’s master warned him to avoid Lu Li, though Wen still wanted to test himself against him.

• Lu Li used two Gathering Yuan Pills to break through to the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm, greatly increasing his Inner Qi and strength.
• Nie Kun arrived, felt Lu Li’s powerful aura, and heard him order the martial masters and several disciples to stand by that night.
• Lu Li continued practicing the Ice Fiend Blade Technique as he prepared to attack the Broken Mountain Sect and Zhao Jiahao.
• At the Vajra Gate, Wen Ziliang trained with a boulder and told his master that Lu Li seemed formidable.
• Wen Ziliang’s master warned him not to associate with Lu Li because the Broken Mountain Sect and Incense Fragrance Sect were likely to move against him, but Wen still wanted to challenge Lu Li.

Lu Li led Zuo Cangyun and his companions on a moonless-night raid against Zhao Jiahao’s territory after revealing that he had been hired to kill himself. They cleared the gate and moved deeper inside while Zhao Jiahao drank with four Broken Mountain Sect disciples, unaware that Lu Li had arrived.

• Lu Li broke through to the Proficient level in the Ice Fiend Blade Technique and told Zuo Cangyun and the others that he planned to raid the Broken Mountain Sect’s territory.
• Lu Li revealed that he was also the Wind and Rain Pavilion’s Blood Ghost and had been paid by Zhao Jiahao to kill Lu Li, prompting the group to laugh at the scheme.
• Lu Li and his companions waited until the hour of the Pig, then infiltrated Zhao Jiahao’s territory and killed the guards at the gate.
• Lu Li confirmed that the area was clear and led the others farther inside.
• Zhao Jiahao drank with four Broken Mountain Sect disciples and admitted he had invited them to protect him because he feared Lu Li might attack.

Lu Li ambushed Zhao Jiahao and the Broken Mountain Sect disciples while disguised as Blood Ghost, killing the disciples and maiming Zhao Jiahao. He learned Zhao Jiahao had kept fifty thousand taels from their supposed deal and demanded the key to the box, but Zhao Jiahao claimed he did not know where it was.

• Lu Li executed two captives and scared a third to death after learning where the Broken Mountain Sect disciples were gathered.
• Lu Li killed the courtyard guard, then let Zhao Jiahao mistake him for Blood Ghost and accept a severed head as proof that Lu Li was dead.
• Lu Li severed Zhao Jiahao's limbs and, with Zuo Cangyun, Gao Yulou, Ji Yun, and the others, killed the Broken Mountain Sect disciples and their followers.
• Zhao Jiahao confessed that he had kept fifty thousand taels from the deal, and Lu Li struck him before demanding the key to the box.
• Zhao Jiahao claimed he did not know where the key was, and Lu Li raised his hand to threaten him.

Lu Li killed Zhao Jiahao, divided the stolen treasury among his companions, and returned to the Evergreen Sect. After cultivating and visiting the Black Market, he told Su Yun and Old Ma that he wanted to buy the Golden Box, leaving Old Ma suspicious that Lu Li knew how to open it.

• Lu Li found a jeweled golden key and fifty thousand taels in silver notes on Zhao Jiahao, then killed him after learning he did not know what was inside the box.
• Lu Li divided the treasury’s contents among his companions, and Elder Qiu praised him before disappearing.
• Lu Li returned to the Deacon Mansion, promised his companions he would eventually deal with their enemies, and rested until morning.
• Lu Li cultivated, left the city, and went to the cave, where he saw Hu Niu and the Cloud-Turning Wolf sparring after both had reached the Houtian Realm.
• Lu Li rode Hu Niu to the Black Market and told Su Yun he had come to buy the Golden Box.
• Su Yun took Lu Li upstairs to Old Ma, who questioned whether Lu Li had really found a way to open the box.

Lu Li opened the Golden Box and found a map to a treasure ground and a Mirror-Breaking Pill, which rapidly advanced his cultivation to the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm. As fifteen assassins closed in to seize the box, Lu Li drew his blade and killed the first attacker.

• Lu Li left with the Golden Box while Su Yun warned him that Black Tiger, a sixth-layer Houtian Realm assassin, was among those following him.
• Lu Li counted fifteen pursuers, opened the box, and found a map marked “Treasure Ground!” and a fragrant pill.
• Lu Li swallowed the pill, and its power raised his cultivation to the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm as Luo Bingyun watched in alarm.
• The parchment promised treasures worth hundreds or thousands of times more than the pill, stirring the assassins’ greed.
• An assassin demanded the box, and Lu Li drew the Five-Tiger Coiling Dragon Blade, appeared behind the attacker, and severed his head.

Lu Li defeated Black Tiger and the assassins who ambushed him, with help from Elder Qing and Black Hawk. After the three parted ways, Elder Qing and Black Hawk discussed Lu Li’s return to Longwind Prefecture and their plans for revenge.

• Lu Li killed the assassins who attacked him, then cut Black Tiger in half and hunted down the fleeing men.
• The Fifth Elder prepared to kill the escaping assassins with ice needles, but an unseen ally struck first, allowing Lu Li to finish them off.
• Elder Qing and Black Hawk emerged from the shadows, and Lu Li thanked them for their help before they parted ways.
• Elder Qing told Black Hawk that Lu Li had returned to Longwind Prefecture and could now make his father regret his actions.
• Black Hawk said he wanted his father dead for how he had treated his mother, while Elder Qing admitted that taking revenge on his own would be difficult.

Elder Qiu learned that Zhao Jiahao and three other Broken Mountain Sect core disciples had been killed, and Wei Zhantang blamed Evergreen Sect and vowed to retaliate. Evergreen Sect’s elders discovered that Lu Li had killed the disciples and learned he had already reached the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm.

• Elder Qiu learned that Zhao Jiahao, Senior Brother Niu, Senior Brother Lin, and another disciple had died, then accidentally knocked the messenger down with the force of her rage.
• Wei Zhantang ordered a thorough investigation and threatened to destroy Evergreen Sect, while Elder Qiu accused Evergreen Sect of colluding with Blood Ghost.
• Wen Ziliang questioned why his sect obeyed Broken Mountain Sect and went to practice his fists after his master defended the Sect Master’s decision.
• Fifth Elder Luo Bingxin told Evergreen Sect’s elders that Lu Li had organized the ambush on Zhao Jiahao and wiped out the assassins at the Black Market.
• Luo Bingxin revealed that Lu Li had reached the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm in just over half a month, then said she wanted to try again to secure a cultivation technique.