Chapter Summaries

Chen Changqing visited Realization Peak with Chen Yuan and met his little martial uncle, Lu Tian, the young Peak Scion of Seven Stars Peak. Lu Tian immediately challenged him to a spar, but Chen Yuan stopped him so they could meet their master.

• Chen Yuan led Chen Changqing through Realization Peak to the Refined Cottage where their martial ancestor was waiting.
• Chen Changqing met Lu Tian, Chen Yuan’s junior brother, who was the Peak Scion of Seven Stars Peak and had reached the late Spirit Transformation stage.
• Lu Tian praised Chen Changqing’s performance in the Holy Son Grand Competition and asked him to spar using his two Immortal Artifacts.
• Chen Changqing politely tried to decline, while privately feeling confident he could defeat Lu Tian.
• Chen Yuan reminded Lu Tian that their master was waiting, and Lu Tian said he would seek Chen Changqing out for a fight another time.

Chen Changqing met his lineage’s patriarch, Heavenly Monarch Wu Zhen, who explained his youthful appearance and named him and Lu Tian as representatives in the upcoming core Peak Scion battle. After Chen Changqing left, Chen Yuan asked Wu Zhen to determine whether his disciple had been possessed or harbored an ancient remnant soul.

• Chen Yuan led Chen Changqing into the Refined Cottage, where Chen Changqing discovered that the youthful-looking Wu Zhen was his patriarch.
• Wu Zhen explained that Heavenly Monarchs could change their appearance and said he had summoned Chen Changqing to meet the newly promoted First Holy Son of his lineage.
• Wu Zhen praised Chen Changqing’s foundation, divine soul, and fortune, then appointed him and Lu Tian to represent their lineage in the core Peak Scion battle.
• Chen Changqing accepted the appointment and left the cottage when Wu Zhen dismissed him.
• Chen Yuan anxiously asked Wu Zhen whether Chen Changqing showed signs of possession or an ancient remnant soul.

Heavenly Monarch Wu Zhen examined Chen Changqing and judged his soul and body perfectly compatible, though he could not rule out a hidden possession by an immensely powerful being. Chen Changqing returned to Evergreen Peak, where Jian Zhenzi arrived with something important to tell him.

• Heavenly Monarch Wu Zhen told Chen Yuan that Chen Changqing showed no clear signs of possession and had peerless talent, so Chen Yuan could still entrust him with great responsibility.
• Chen Yuan told Chen Changqing that he and Lu Tian would represent the Seven Stars Peak lineage in the upcoming Seven Peaks Grand Competition.
• Lu Tian praised Chen Changqing's strength to Heavenly Monarch Wu Zhen, who said the Seven Stars Peak lineage would depend on Lu Tian and Chen Changqing in the competition.
• Chen Changqing returned to Evergreen Peak and found Jian Zhenzi waiting for him.
• Jian Zhenzi told Chen Changqing that he had come to discuss something important.

Jian Zhenzi asked to join Chen Changqing’s Evergreen Peak and challenged him to a sword spar before doing so. Chen Changqing agreed and suppressed his cultivation to the early Spirit Transformation stage, and their opening attacks collided above the peak.

• Jian Zhenzi told Chen Changqing that he wanted to join Evergreen Peak, and Chen welcomed him.
• Jian Zhenzi asked to spar with Chen Changqing, who agreed to cross swords with him.
• Chen Changqing and Jian Zhenzi flew above Evergreen Peak as Liu Mu, the disciples, Luo Futian, and Ji Changkong watched.
• Jian Zhenzi drew Ganjiang Moye, and Chen Changqing summoned the Heavenly Thunder Sword and suppressed his strength to the early Spirit Transformation stage.
• Jian Zhenzi struck first, and Chen Changqing answered with Rainbow Piercing Sun; their sword forces collided in a burst of light.

Chen Changqing sparred with Jian Zhenzi while deliberately holding back, giving his senior brother a chance to improve his swordsmanship. Jian Zhenzi unleashed his strongest attack, but Chen Changqing effortlessly broke it, leaving him stunned.

• Chen Changqing countered Jian Zhenzi’s sword strikes with the Rainbow Sword Technique, dissolving his Frozen Thousand Miles attack.
• Luo Futian, Ji Changkong, and Mo Yuan watched the spar and recognized that Chen Changqing was concealing his strength.
• Jian Zhenzi praised Chen Changqing’s strength, then used Ganjiang Moye to launch his strongest technique, Yin-Yang Reversal.
• Chen Changqing pierced the Sword Qi taiji diagram with a sword rainbow and made it dissipate before it reached him.
• Jian Zhenzi stared in disbelief after Chen Changqing easily broke his strongest attack.

Chen Changqing defeated Jian Zhenzi in a brief sword spar, and Jian Zhenzi joined Evergreen Peak. Several days later, Ran Hua reported that a woman bearing a Divine Dynasty Token had come to invite Chen Changqing to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty on a Third Princess's orders.

• Chen Changqing overwhelmed Jian Zhenzi with a sword attack and held the Heavenly Thunder Sword to his throat, forcing Jian Zhenzi to concede.
• Jian Zhenzi praised Chen Changqing's swordsmanship, and the two said they had both gained from their spar.
• Chen Changqing asked Liu Mu to find Jian Zhenzi a place on the mountainside and welcomed him to Evergreen Peak without restrictions.
• News of Jian Zhenzi joining Evergreen Peak spread through Mount Shu, and Chen Yuan told Mo Tianji that Chen Changqing's ambitions reached beyond Mount Shu.
• Several days later, Ran Hua told Chen Changqing that a woman at the mountain gate carried a Divine Dynasty Token and had come to invite him to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty for a Third Princess.

Chen Changqing learned that Xuanyuan Xiaoyu had urgently summoned him to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty and received Chen Yuan’s permission to leave Mount Shu temporarily. On the way there with Yueru, he diverted to the Maple Leaf Dynasty to visit Liu Ruyan.

• Ran Hua told Chen Changqing that Xuanyuan Xiaoyu had sent someone to summon him to the Divine Dynasty.
• Chen Changqing informed Chen Yuan of the summons and promised to return before the Seven Peaks Grand Competition; Chen Yuan gave him permission to go.
• Chen Changqing met Xuanyuan Xiaoyu’s maid Yueru at Evergreen Peak, arranged for Liu Mu to oversee the peak, and left with Yueru aboard a flying vessel.
• Yueru said she did not know why Xuanyuan Xiaoyu had summoned Chen Changqing, leaving him to wonder what had happened.
• After entering the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty’s territory, Chen Changqing asked Yueru to take him to the Maple Leaf Dynasty before continuing to the Divine Dynasty.

Chen Changqing visited the Maple Leaf Dynasty, which had risen to become the foremost of the Nine Great Dynasties, and learned that Liu Ruyan had become its Empress. When they reunited, Liu Ruyan rushed into his arms.

• Chen Changqing asked Yueru about the Maple Leaf Dynasty and learned that it had claimed first place in the Hundred Dynasties War and greatly expanded its territory.
• Chen Changqing and Yueru arrived at the Maple Leaf Dynasty’s Imperial City aboard a Divine Dynasty flying ship, startling the guards and Liu Ruyan.
• Liu Ruyan sent General Wang to receive the Divine Dynasty’s visitors, and Wang Junmo recognized Chen Changqing and escorted him into the imperial palace.
• Liu Ruyan was shocked to see Chen Changqing, and she rushed into his arms before he could say more.

Chen Changqing visited Liu Ruyan in the Maple Leaf Dynasty, where she openly embraced him despite his engagement to Xuanyuan Xiaoyu. After discovering his cultivation had reached the late stage of Spirit Transformation, Liu Ruyan and Liu Ye urged him to return and recognized his promising future.

• Wang Junmo and Yueru left Chen Changqing and Liu Ruyan alone after Liu Ruyan embraced him.
• Liu Ruyan asked why Chen Changqing had come, and he explained that he was traveling to the Divine Dynasty at the Third Princess's invitation and had stopped to visit her.
• Liu Ruyan said she did not mind his relationship with the Third Princess as long as she had a place in his heart.
• Liu Ruyan learned that Chen Changqing had reached the late stage of Spirit Transformation and was shocked by how quickly he had advanced.
• Liu Ruyan took Chen Changqing to meet Liu Ye, who explained that Ruyan now governed the Maple Leaf Dynasty and invited him to call her Aunt Liu.
• Chen Changqing returned to the Divine Dynasty Flying Ship, and Liu Ye urged Liu Ruyan to hold on to him for her own sake and the dynasty's.

Chen Changqing returned to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty and met with the Human King before visiting Xuanyuan Xiaoyu. He embraced his jealous fiancée, then asked why she had summoned him so urgently.

• Liu Ruyan reflected on her affection for Chen Changqing and wondered when they would meet again.
• Yueru piloted the Divine Dynasty Flying Ship, bringing Chen Changqing to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty.
• Chen Changqing paid his respects to the Human King, who noticed his late Spirit Transformation cultivation and sent him to see Xuanyuan Xiaoyu.
• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu teased Chen Changqing jealously for visiting the Maple Leaf Dynasty before her.
• Chen Changqing pulled Xuanyuan Xiaoyu into his arms, called the embrace rightful and proper, and asked why she had urgently summoned him.

Xuanyuan Xiaoyu asked Chen Changqing to represent her in the Xuanyuan Family's annual competition next month, and he agreed. When Chen asked whether her father would attend, Xiaoyu said he probably would not return to support any clan-head candidate, hinting at a rift between him and the Xuanyuan Family.

• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu explained that the annual competition tested the younger generation and influenced resource allocation and succession candidates.
• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu asked Chen Changqing to accompany her to the Xuanyuan Family and compete as her representative.
• Chen Changqing asked whether Xiaoyu had befriended him in the Blood Moon World with the competition in mind, and she said she had only wanted to form a good connection.
• Chen Changqing agreed to attend the competition, and he and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu shared an affectionate moment.
• Chen Changqing asked whether Xiaoyu's father would return for the competition, and she said he probably would not support a clan-head candidate.

Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu set out for the Xuanyuan Family’s Ancestral Land, where Xiaoyu expects trouble from the family’s factions. After three days of traveling at ease, they spotted a familiar young man meditating in a wilderness and went down to meet him.

• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu explained that her father’s complicated standing in the Xuanyuan Family could worsen conflicts and put her at greater risk if he returned with her.
• Chen Changqing bid farewell to the Human King, who warned him to protect Xiaoyu from the Xuanyuan Family’s provocations; Chen Changqing promised he would.
• Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu left the Divine Dynasty aboard her Cloud Boat and traveled toward the family’s hidden Ancestral Land.
• The pair spent three days admiring the scenery and sampling local spiritual delicacies as they traveled.
• Chen Changqing sensed a familiar figure meditating in a wilderness, and he and Xiaoyu descended toward the wary young man.

Chen Changqing reunited with Chen Ye and learned that a Heavenly Monarch Inheritance might soon emerge nearby. Interested, Chen Changqing agreed to go with Xuanyuan Xiaoyu and Chen Ye to see it.

• Chen Ye recognized Chen Changqing and greeted him warmly after they met again on the road.
• Chen Ye was astonished to learn that Chen Changqing had reached the late Spirit Transformation stage, while Chen Ye had only reached the early stage.
• Chen Changqing introduced Xuanyuan Xiaoyu as his fiancée, and Chen Ye greeted her.
• Chen Ye explained that he had come to the area to recover from an injury and pursue a rumored Heavenly Monarch Inheritance.
• Chen Ye told Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu that young talents from major righteous and Demon Sects were gathering nearby for the inheritance.
• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu suggested they go see the inheritance, and Chen Changqing agreed before asking Chen Ye to lead them there.

Chen Changqing, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu, and Chen Ye traveled to a crater said to be the site of a Heavenly Monarch Inheritance, where powerful sects began arriving. Chen Ye explained that most such inheritance rumors were false, leaving the supposed opportunity uncertain.

• Chen Ye led Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu to a ring-shaped depression where cultivators had gathered to seek the Heavenly Monarch Inheritance.
• A half-step Tribulation Transcendence expert from the Beast Taming Sect arrived, reminding Chen Changqing of his past conflict with the sect.
• An elder from the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect and a powerful monk from the Great Thunder Sound Temple arrived, and Chen Changqing regarded the latter with suspicion.
• A Dao Sect cultivator arrived, adding to the gathering of major forces at the depression.
• Chen Changqing asked Chen Ye why the True Martial Immortal Sect had sent no one important, and Chen Ye said most Heavenly Monarch Inheritance rumors were false or exaggerated.

After waiting five days for the rumored Heavenly Monarch Inheritance, Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu decided to leave, but a solar eclipse and ancient spatial vortex appeared just as they turned to go. The inheritance seemed to be opening as the black shadow completely devoured the sun, leaving the land in eerie darkness.

• Chen Changqing told Xuanyuan Xiaoyu they would wait a few more days before leaving if no sign of the inheritance appeared.
• After another three days without activity, Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu decided to leave while Chen Ye chose to wait one more day.
• As Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu turned to go, the sky shook and black clouds shrouded the area.
• A black shadow began devouring the sun, and cultivators debated whether the phenomenon heralded the Heavenly Monarch Inheritance or a calamity.
• Ancient spatial fluctuations opened a radiant vortex in the sky, and Chen Changqing told Xuanyuan Xiaoyu to watch before acting.
• After about a quarter of an hour, the shadow completely devoured the sun, plunging the land into darkness as the vortex’s light intensified.

The Heavenly Monarch Inheritance appeared, drawing Chen Changqing, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu, Chen Ye, and countless cultivators into its realm. A Humanoid Puppet announced three trials and began the first, the Ten-Thousand-Weight Heart-Refining Array, which Chen Changqing and his companions entered.

• A colossal gate formed at the spatial disturbance, revealing that the Heavenly Monarch Inheritance had emerged.
• Countless cultivators rushed through the gate, and Chen Changqing, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu, and Chen Ye followed into the inheritance realm.
• A Humanoid Puppet announced that candidates had to pass three trials to obtain its master's inheritance.
• The Humanoid Puppet formed the Ten-Thousand-Weight Heart-Refining Array and explained that candidates had to endure it for an incense stick's burn.
• Chen Changqing entered the formation first, followed by Xuanyuan Xiaoyu and Chen Ye.

Chen Changqing and the others faced the first two trials of the Ten-Thousand-Weight Heart-Refining Array, testing their bodies and minds. Chen Changqing endured both with ease and helped Xuanyuan Xiaoyu through the first trial, while the second trial continued to eliminate cultivators.

• The Ten-Thousand-Weight Heart-Refining Array began crushing the cultivators with escalating physical pressure, teleporting out those who could not endure it.
• Chen Changqing remained calm as Xuanyuan Xiaoyu and Chen Ye struggled, then formed a spiritual energy barrier to protect Xuanyuan Xiaoyu despite the array increasing the pressure on him.
• The first trial ended, and Chen Changqing withdrew the barrier while reassuring Xuanyuan Xiaoyu that he had barely expended any energy.
• The Humanoid Puppet announced the second trial, Soul-Disrupting Demonic Sound, which filled the cultivators' minds with distressing memories and inner turmoil.
• More than half of the cultivators who had survived the first trial were eliminated, while Chen Changqing remained unaffected by the demonic sounds.

Chen Changqing, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu, Chen Ye, and a handful of other cultivators survived the Ten-Thousand-Weight Heart-Refining Array's trials of physical strength, demonic sound, and heart-demon illusions. After the Humanoid Puppet ended the first trial, it led the survivors onward to face the next test.

• Chen Changqing, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu, and Chen Ye endured the Soul-Disrupting Demonic Sound as other cultivators were eliminated.
• The Humanoid Puppet announced a third trial, the Heart Demon Illusion, and the cultivators faced visions that attacked their Dao hearts.
• Chen Changqing shattered his illusion with a strand of Sword Intent, while Xuanyuan Xiaoyu and Chen Ye struggled through their own illusions.
• The Humanoid Puppet ended the first trial, leaving only about a dozen cultivators, including Chen Changqing's group and several prominent sect members.
• The Humanoid Puppet instructed the survivors to follow it, and Chen Changqing and the others followed deeper into the space.

Chen Changqing and the others entered a vast world and learned that the second trial required them to forge a magical artifact within a year. After discovering that time flowed much faster inside than outside, Chen Changqing and Xuanyuan Xiaoyu agreed to continue.

• The Humanoid Puppet led Chen Changqing and the others through a curtain of light into a small world and guided them to a hall filled with artifact-refining furnaces and materials.
• The Humanoid Puppet announced that the second trial tested artifact refining, giving the participants one year to forge an artifact before ranking them by its grade.
• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu worried that spending a year in the trial would make them miss the Xuanyuan Family's Annual Competition and Mount Shu's Seven Peaks Grand Competition.
• Chen Changqing asked the Humanoid Puppet whether they could withdraw because of their urgent outside obligations.
• The Humanoid Puppet explained that one day outside equaled two months inside, so a year in the trial would take only six days outside.
• Chen Changqing asked Xuanyuan Xiaoyu if the time difference would cause a problem, and she agreed that they could continue.

The Humanoid Puppet gave the contestants an Artifact Refining Chapter and a year to refine artifacts, but Chen Changqing relied on his AFK Cultivation System instead of practicing. After activating the system, he spent many days basking in the sun while the others trained and judged him for giving up.

• The Humanoid Puppet distributed copies of the Artifact Refining Chapter, opened the materials and furnaces for use, and announced that the one-year trial had begun.
• A man from the Divine Fire Sect eagerly started refining artifacts, while the other contestants complained about his advantage and began studying.
• Xuanyuan Xiaoyu and Chen Ye asked Chen Changqing about his artifact-refining experience, and he admitted he had never refined an artifact before.
• Chen Changqing activated his AFK Cultivation System after reading the book, and a Little Golden Man began cultivating the Artifact Refining Chapter.
• After many days, Chen Changqing kept basking in the sun outside the hall while the other contestants practiced and mocked him for appearing to give up.