Chapter Summaries

After improving his root to Sixth Grade, Li Chuan cultivated and trained faster, defeated Han Tuo’s lingering doubts by becoming a prefecture-wide sensation, and gained access to the Heavenly Blade Sect’s fourth-floor Scripture Pavilion. He chose the River-Burning Blade Technique, while news of his success reached Luo Zheng in Haixing Prefecture and stirred memories of their friendship.

• Li Chuan refined Cold Jade Soup more quickly with his Sixth Grade Root and tested how the improvement had strengthened his cultivation and combat training.
• Xiao Nishang helped Han Tuo regain his resolve by reminding him that his Eighth-Grade Root Bone could give him an advantage over Li Chuan in the future.
• Lei Shouren encouraged Han Yi to persevere with his spear training, and Han Yi renewed his determination.
• Song Yichen told Li Chuan that news of his victory over Han Tuo had spread across several prefectures, and Li Chuan accepted the Chen Clan’s apology gifts as payment for Song Yichen’s work.
• Guan Shan granted Li Chuan access to the Scripture Pavilion’s fourth floor and told him that his master wanted to see him the next day.
• Luo Zheng heard that Li Chuan had won the Heroes’ Gathering and hoped the celebrated fighter was his old friend from Anning County; Li Chuan later chose the River-Burning Blade Technique and achieved initiation in it.

Li Chuan learned the River-Burning Blade Technique, received the Great Sun Radiant Heaven Record from Zhao Ciyuan, and focused on improving his martial arts ahead of the coming chance to obtain Sun-Day Red Gold Sand. After Xiao Nianxue revealed her Ninth Grade Root, Li Chuan spent Lantern Festival training alone, and a late-night visitor knocked at his door.

• Li Chuan tested the River-Burning Blade Technique and cut through refined black iron and steel with a single move.
• Zhao Ciyuan told Li Chuan that Sun-Day Red Gold Sand would emerge in three months and gave him the Great Sun Radiant Heaven Record, which required the Earth Treasure to begin cultivation.
• Li Chuan trained with Cold Jade Soup and mastered Seven Edge-Concealing Charges, then discovered that Xiao Nianxue had a Ninth Grade Root and helped correct her Heavenly River Blade Technique.
• Li Chuan and Xiao Nianxue discussed the Lantern Festival, but Li Chuan declined to go with her to Listening Wind Tower and returned to practicing his fist technique alone.
• Late that night, Li Chuan heard a gentle knock at his door and wondered who had come.

Li Chuan shared Lantern Festival tangyuan with Xiao Nianxue, then continued training as the Vajra Sect’s Grand Elder Lu Qingyan visited the Heavenly Blade Sect. Lu Qingyan discovered Xiao Nianxue had a Ninth Grade Root and Clear Swordheart, offered to take her as a personal disciple, and Xiao Nianxue asked her to bring Li Chuan along too.

• Xiao Nianxue brought Li Chuan Jade-Skin Tangyuan, and the two ate together for Lantern Festival before Guan Shan arrived with another portion.
• Three days later, Song Yichen told Li Chuan that Lu Qingyan had come to investigate Jiang Zhaowu’s death and summon talented disciples.
• Lu Qingyan judged Li Chuan’s Sixth Grade Root unimpressive, then recognized Xiao Nianxue as an eighteen-year-old with a Ninth Grade Root and Clear Swordheart.
• Lu Qingyan offered to make Xiao Nianxue her personal disciple, and Guan Shan reluctantly agreed she should go to the Vajra Sect.
• When Lu Qingyan asked whether Xiao Nianxue had anyone she could not leave behind, Xiao Nianxue asked her to bring Senior Brother Li along too.

Li Chuan refused Lu Qingyan’s offer of direct admission to the Vajra Sect and stayed behind as Xiao Nianxue departed for her new life there. After Han Tuo failed to break through to Gang Force, Li Chuan entered seclusion and used the Primordial Jade Record to overcome the breakthrough with ease.

• Lu Qingyan offered Li Chuan direct admission to the Vajra Sect’s Inner Sect, but he declined so he could pursue selection after seeking the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand.
• Xiao Nianxue gave Li Chuan a wind chime made from a shard of the warming bowl and left for the Vajra Sect with Lu Qingyan.
• News spread that Han Tuo had failed to transform his True Qi into True Gang, and Guan Shan explained the dangers of breaking through to Gang Force.
• After two months of seclusion and training, Li Chuan opened his Heaven-Earth Bridge and began refining his True Qi.
• Li Chuan used the Primordial Jade Record to break through the bottleneck and reach Gang Force.

Li Chuan tested the power of his newly formed Xuanming True Gang and revealed to the Heavenly Blade Sect that he had broken through to Gang Force. He was assigned to travel with Zhu Zhongye to Emerald Mist Ridge in Haixing Prefecture, and news of his breakthrough soon reached the Cloud Wild Sword Sect.

• Li Chuan used his Xuanming True Gang to cleave a blade-testing stone and shatter it with his fists, then found that it greatly enhanced his other techniques.
• Han Yi told Lei Shouren that he was nearly ready to attempt a breakthrough to Gang Force, while Shen Yanran chose to spend another half-month preparing.
• Guan Shan announced that three Earth Treasures would soon manifest at Emerald Mist Ridge and agreed to send Zhu Zhongye to investigate.
• Li Chuan asked to accompany Zhu Zhongye, and Zhu tested him with a palm strike that Li Chuan met with his own True Gang.
• Li Chuan revealed that he had broken through to Gang Force, and Guan Shan approved his journey to Emerald Mist Ridge with Zhu Zhongye.
• News of Li Chuan's breakthrough spread to the Cloud Wild Sword Sect.

Li Chuan’s breakthrough to Gang Force shook his rivals and brought gifts from across Sanyuan Prefecture, including a Heavenly Blade City residence that would let him move his family closer. He and Zhu Zhongye set out for Emerald Mist Ridge to seek Earth Treasures, where Li Chuan learned Zhou Zelin would also be present and considered settling their old grudge.

• Xiao Nishang told Han Tuo that Li Chuan had reached Gang Force on his first attempt, cracking Han Tuo’s confidence, while Shen Yanran predicted Li Chuan would remain exceptional at the Vajra Sect.
• Lei Shouren tried to keep Li Chuan’s breakthrough from Han Yi, but a disciple relayed the news, unsettling Han Yi just before he entered seclusion.
• Song Yichen gave Li Chuan seventy thousand taels in gifts from local factions and a grand house from Bai Ming, and Li Chuan wrote thank-you letters to Bai Ming and Bai Zhao.
• At Xuanyuan Mine, Wraith revealed his disguise as Ding Chiyan to Fu Liu, who said they were preparing to seize an Earth Treasure at Emerald Mist Ridge for Lord North Wind.
• Li Chuan left the Heavenly Blade Sect with Zhu Zhongye to obtain a map from the Azure Sun Sect before heading to Emerald Mist Ridge.
• Zhu Zhongye told Li Chuan that Zhou Zelin would also be at the Azure Sun Sect, and Li Chuan resolved to kill him if the opportunity arose.

Li Chuan and Zhu Zhongye traveled to Azure Sun Sect, where they learned more about the deadly rivalry with Flowing Wind Sect and the dangers posed by stronger Gang Force cultivators. At the sect, Li Chuan asked Zhao Guangyao to find Luo Zheng and agreed to spar with Yan Zheng, just as Luo Zheng arrived.

• Zhu Zhongye warned Li Chuan that Flowing Wind Sect had seized Heavenly Blade Sect treasure lands and described the sect’s blood feud with them.
• Zhu Zhongye demonstrated the overwhelming might of External Gang, and Li Chuan assessed his chances against Zhou Zelin.
• Li Chuan and Zhu Zhongye encountered He Luosheng and the twins Wang Ling and Wang Xiao, who planned to compete for Earth Treasures at Emerald Mist Ridge.
• Zhao Guangyao welcomed Li Chuan and Zhu Zhongye to Azure Sun Sect, and Li Chuan asked him to find Luo Zheng.
• Zhao Guangyao sent Yan Zheng to investigate, and Li Chuan agreed to exchange moves with him.
• Luo Zheng arrived after Yan Zheng gathered with the others.

Luo Zheng reunited with Li Chuan, who gave him a Realm-Breaking Pill and silver, while Li Chuan faced Lu Qingyan’s warning to abandon his feelings for Nianxue. The Earth Treasure at Emerald Mist Ridge emerged, and the group set out to claim it, with Li Chuan intent on obtaining Sun-Day Red Gold Sand.

• Luo Zheng and Luo Weiyuan watched Li Chuan defeat Yan Zheng in one move, and Luo Zheng recognized his old friend but tried to avoid being seen.
• Li Chuan approached Luo Zheng, and the two reunited warmly; before leaving for the council hall, Li Chuan arranged for Yan Zheng to give Luo Zheng a Realm-Breaking Pill and silver.
• Zhou Zelin and the Flowing Wind Sect members reported trouble at Emerald Mist Ridge, and Zhao Guangyao distributed maps marking routes and dangerous beasts.
• Lu Qingyan told Li Chuan to give up his feelings for Nianxue, insisting that their cultivation potential and status put them in different worlds.
• Li Chuan returned to the council hall as others mocked him, but Meng Zhi announced that the Earth Treasure had emerged, prompting four groups to head for Emerald Mist Ridge.

Li Chuan and Zhu Zhongye found the Virtue Jade Fruit in Emerald Mist Ridge, but He Luosheng and his allies tried to seize it. Li Chuan sensed North Wind’s arrival and fled with Zhu Zhongye before North Wind crushed He Luosheng; Zhu Zhongye then hinted that he knew North Wind.

• Meng Zhi, Zhao Guangyao, Zhu Zhongye, Li Chuan, and the others entered Emerald Mist Ridge separately to search for the Earth Treasure.
• Li Chuan killed a Red Nightmare Tiger with the River-Burning Blade Technique, and Zhu Zhongye gave him its essence blood; they later collected essence blood from a second tiger.
• Li Chuan used the Silent Ink Swallow to locate the Virtue Jade Fruit, but He Luosheng, Wang Ling, Wang Xiao, and Zhou Zelin appeared and tried to claim it.
• Fu Liu intervened on North Wind’s behalf, and Li Chuan recognized the danger when his Heart-Eating Insect reacted, so he fled with Zhu Zhongye.
• North Wind arrived and crushed He Luosheng, while Wang Ling, Wang Xiao, and Zhou Zelin fled; he ordered Fu Liu to guard the Virtue Jade Fruit for twelve hours before picking it.
• Zhu Zhongye told Li Chuan that North Wind had come in person, and Li Chuan asked how Zhu Zhongye knew him.

Li Chuan escaped the Heart-Eating Insects, found Sun-Day Red Gold Sand, and used his Ferocious Beast Art to turn a nearby Longhorn Beetle against Wang Ling. Wang Xiao rushed toward the treasure while Li Chuan waited in ambush behind him.

• Zhu Zhongye told Li Chuan that North Wind had once been his senior brother before betraying the Heavenly Blade Sect and becoming the Yaoguang Demon Sect’s altar master.
• Heart-Eating Insects separated Li Chuan from Zhu Zhongye, but Li Chuan escaped using his movement technique and High-grade Treasure Armor.
• Li Chuan avoided Meng Zhi as she and Zhao Guangyao headed toward Five-Colored Flowing Wind, then searched the final area and discovered Sun-Day Red Gold Sand near a Longhorn Beetle.
• Wang Ling and Wang Xiao found the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand, and Li Chuan decided to use his Ferocious Beast Art to direct the Longhorn Beetle toward them.
• The Longhorn Beetle chased Wang Ling while Wang Xiao ran for the treasure, unaware that Li Chuan was lying in ambush behind him.

Li Chuan killed Wang Xiao and took the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand, leaving Zhou Zelin to face Wang Ling’s suspicion and anger. In a concealed cave, Li Chuan refined the treasure and advanced the Great Sun Radiant Heaven Record to its second layer, forming Chiming True Gang.

• Zhou Zelin stopped Li Chuan from ambushing Wang Xiao, then agreed with Wang Xiao to collect the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand together.
• Heart-Eating Insects appeared, and Zhou Zelin fled; Li Chuan returned, killed Wang Xiao, took the treasure, and erased the traces of his attack.
• Zhou Zelin returned and found Wang Xiao’s remains, then told Wang Ling that Li Chuan had ambushed Wang Xiao before the insects arrived.
• Li Chuan resolved to kill Zhou Zelin after refining Chiming True Gang and opened the jade box containing the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand.
• Li Chuan swallowed the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand, cultivated the Great Sun Radiant Heaven Record, and formed Chiming True Gang.

Li Chuan used his newly acquired Chiming True Gang to kill Zhou Zelin, then planned to use information about the Zhou Family to have them arrested. As he left Emerald Mist Ridge, Fu Liu spotted him, but North Wind let him go because Li Chuan was his junior brother.

• Li Chuan tested Chiming True Gang with the River-Burning Blade Technique and collapsed a stone cavern.
• Zhou Zelin confronted Li Chuan, who cut him in half and admitted killing Zhou Yan before finishing him off.
• Li Chuan used Zhou Zelin’s essence blood to advance the Insect Control Art, then decided to expose the Zhou Family to the prefect.
• Li Chuan hunted two Red Nightmare Tigers and left Emerald Mist Ridge, but his Silent Ink Swallow spotted Fu Liu nearby.
• Fu Liu told North Wind that Li Chuan had passed and might possess the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand; North Wind refused to pursue him and revealed Li Chuan was his junior brother.

Li Chuan returned to Sanyuan Prefecture and secretly informed Prefect Fu Yun that Lin Yue, Zhou Zelin’s wife, was a Yaoguang Demon Sect protector with a Human Pill hidden in the Zhou Residence. Fu Yun led the Jingwei to surround the Zhou Family and began searching the Earth Altar with Lin Yue, whose calm behavior preceded a sudden change.

• Li Chuan escaped Emerald Mist Ridge, wondered why Fu Liu had not pursued him, and hurried back to Sanyuan Prefecture before news of Zhou Zelin’s disappearance could spread.
• Li Chuan covertly threw a True Gang-marked note at the prefectural office, warning Fu Yun that Lin Yue was a Yaoguang Demon Sect protector and that a Human Pill was hidden in her residence.
• Fu Yun ordered elite Jingwei to surround the Zhou Residence discreetly and arrest its occupants.
• Fu Yun confronted Lin Yue and announced the accusation as Pill Hall disciples and Zhou family members reacted with shock and protest.
• Lin Yue agreed to let Fu Yun inspect the Earth Altar alone, and a drastic change erupted as he approached.

Lin Yue’s attempt to destroy the Human Pills exposed her as a Yaoguang Demon Sect protector, and Fu Yun ordered the Zhou household executed. Back at the Heavenly Blade Sect, Li Chuan joined a meeting about Gang Force breakthroughs and Emerald Mist Ridge, where he claimed Wang Xiao and Zhou Zelin had taken the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand from him.

• Lin Yue tried to burn the Human Pills, but Fu Yun revealed his External Gang, broke all four of her limbs, and let the Jingwei guards recover the evidence.
• The Pill Hall master disavowed Zhou Zelin, and Fu Yun ordered the Zhou household taken into custody for execution in seven days.
• Li Chuan returned to the Heavenly Blade Sect, told Zhu Zhongye he had hunted more Scarlet Nightmare Tigers, and went to the chief disciples’ meeting.
• Li Jingci announced his successful Gang Force breakthrough, while Wan Ling said her attempt had failed and Cheng Xiuge tried to excuse his lack of progress.
• Guan Shan reported other sects’ breakthroughs, North Wind’s killing of He Luosheng, Meng Zhi’s acquisition of Five-Colored Flowing Wind, and the unknown whereabouts of Sun-Day Red Gold Sand.
• Li Chuan claimed Wang Xiao and Zhou Zelin had joined forces to take the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand from him.

Li Chuan learned that the Vajra Sect held the Great Abyss Meta-Magnetic Marrow but lacked the Internal Skill he needed, until Zhao Ciyuan gave him the Chaos Evolving Heaven Technique and revealed the story behind North Wind. The chapter ended with Li Chuan promising to leave Zhao Ciyuan a note if he ever left, making the old master laugh.

• Guan Shan announced that Zhu Zhongye would lead the sect's candidates to the Vajra Sect selection in two months, where over eight hundred prodigies would compete for fewer than eighty places.
• Li Chuan told Zhao Ciyuan he had obtained the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand and refined the Chiming True Gang, and learned that the Vajra Sect possessed Great Abyss Meta-Magnetic Marrow but not its required Internal Skill.
• Zhao Ciyuan gave Li Chuan the Chaos Evolving Heaven Technique's Two Modes Chapter and explained that the founder's path continued with a Four Symbols Chapter beyond the Five-Element True Gang.
• Li Chuan told Zhao Ciyuan that North Wind had killed He Luosheng but spared him, and asked about North Wind's ties to the Heavenly Blade Sect.
• Zhao Ciyuan explained that North Wind had been his gifted disciple, but joined the Yaoguang Demon Sect and refined Human Refining Pills after bandits killed his wife.
• Li Chuan promised Zhao Ciyuan that if he ever left, he would at least leave a note explaining why, and Zhao Ciyuan laughed.

Li Chuan obtained Gang-Tempering Pills from Zhao Ciyuan and used Scarlet Nightmare Tiger Blood Essence to advance the Golden Bell Shield to the Extreme Realm, gaining doubled physical strength and a protective Qi Shield. With one month left before the Vajra Sect selection and Wang Ling still threatening him, Li Chuan planned to improve his blade technique and traveled to Anning County to bring his family to safety.

• Li Chuan assessed the threat Wang Ling posed and decided to advance the Golden Bell Shield and River-Burning Blade Technique before the Vajra Sect selection.
• Li Chuan learned that Cold Jade Soup barely tempered True Gang, and Zhao Ciyuan gave him five Gang-Tempering Pills.
• Li Chuan practiced the River-Burning Blade Technique and refined Scarlet Nightmare Tiger Blood Essence until the Golden Bell Shield reached the Extreme Realm.
• Li Chuan tested his new Qi Shield and found that it could dissipate the force of the Azure Abyss Snake-Fang Shuttle, even when he infused it with True Gang.
• Li Chuan learned that several Sanyuan Prefecture disciples had advanced to Gang Force and resolved to improve his blade technique before facing Wang Ling.
• Li Chuan informed Guan Shan and Zhao Ciyuan that he was leaving, then traveled alone to Anning County to move his family to Heavenly Blade City.

Li Chuan returned to Anning County, reunited with his family, and told them that his father and eldest uncle had died after being forced to mine by the Rebirth Sect. He moved his family to Heavenly Blade City and returned to the Heavenly Blade Sect, where Song Yichen summoned him to see Peak Master Zhao about a Spirit Treasure.

• Li Chuan found his rebuilt family residence and reunited with Wang Xiumei, Li Qing, and the rest of his family at their breakfast shop.
• Li Chuan told his family that his father and eldest uncle had been taken by the Rebirth Sect to mine and had died when the mine collapsed.
• Li Chuan visited Pine Wind Martial Hall, reunited with Liang Hangzhou, Tang Xiang, and Jiang Ting, and revealed that he had reached Gang Force.
• Shen Shuhang asked Li Chuan to help his niece Shen Yue enter the Heavenly Blade Sect, and Li Chuan agreed to mention her to the Sect Master.
• Li Chuan moved his family from Anning County to Heavenly Blade City and rented a shop so Wang Xiumei could open another steamed bun business.
• Song Yichen summoned Li Chuan to Four Peaks Main Hall because Peak Master Zhao wanted to discuss a Spirit Treasure.

Zhao Ciyuan told Li Chuan that a Gang Force Tournament would decide the fate of Desolate Dust, a Mid-grade Spirit Treasure once wielded by the Heavenly Blade Sect's Patriarch, and offered it to Li Chuan if he could win it back. With three days remaining before the Vajra Sect selection, Li Chuan trained until the River-Burning Blade Technique reached Major Mastery, then learned that Bai Zhao and Bai Ming were waiting to see him.

• Zhao Ciyuan explained that the Cloud Wild Sword Sect had wagered Desolate Dust against the tax revenue of ten cities in a Gang Force Tournament scheduled for three years later, and said Li Chuan could keep the Spirit Treasure if he won it back.
• Zhao Ciyuan told Li Chuan that the Four Symbols Chapter was in Flat Sand Prefecture, and Li Chuan suspected his master had gone searching for cultivation manuals on his behalf.
• Li Chuan returned to his courtyard and trained the River-Burning Blade Technique on Earth Dragon Stones, determined to improve before the Vajra Sect selection.
• With three days left before the selection, Li Chuan merged his Xuanming and Chiming True Gang and reached Major Mastery in the River-Burning Blade Technique.
• Song Yichen told Li Chuan that Bai Zhao and Bai Ming were waiting to speak with him about the Vajra Sect.

Bai Ming arranged for Li Chuan to learn alchemy from Kong Lingsu at the Vajra Sect, while Bai Zhao left for Flat Sand Prefecture after asking Li Chuan whether he considered her frivolous. Three days later, Li Chuan departed with Zhu Zhongye and the others for the Vajra Sect, leaving his family and Heavenly Blade Sect behind.

• Bai Ming told Li Chuan that Kong Lingsu, his former flame, was a Pill Hall deacon at the Vajra Sect and offered to connect him with her so he could learn alchemy and earn Contribution Points.
• Bai Zhao told Li Chuan she was leaving for Flat Sand Prefecture to expand her father's business, then asked whether he thought she was frivolous; Li Chuan said he did not, and she left after thanking him.
• Wang Xiumei, Qin Sanfeng, Li Nian, Lin Shi, Li Qing, and Jiang Lin saw Li Chuan off, and Lin Shi gave him her silver bracelet as a keepsake.
• Guan Shan announced that Zhu Zhongye would lead Li Chuan, the other chief disciples, and Yu Jing to the Vajra Sect, where Yu Jing might enter as a menial disciple.
• Li Chuan said goodbye to Zhao Ciyuan and departed with the group; Song Yichen clenched his fist in farewell, while Xu Kezhou and Zhao Ciyuan watched them go.

Li Chuan and the Heavenly Blade Sect reached the Vajra Sect after a journey marked by a poisoned-needle attack from Wang Ling. At the selection, Li Chuan passed the temperament trial with an excellent assessment, though the other candidates remained trapped in their trials.

• Zhu Zhongye explained the Vajra Sect’s influence, its recruitment, and the factions competing within it as the group traveled toward Flat Sand Prefecture.
• Li Chuan met Zhao Guangyao and Cui Qiongyu, then faced taunts from Ge Tianwen and Wang Ling after the Flowing Wind Sect party arrived.
• A poisoned silver needle shot at Li Chuan, but his Extreme Realm Golden Bell Shield’s Qi Shield stopped it; he suspected Wang Ling had arranged the attack.
• The Heavenly Blade Sect and its companions reached Vajra Upper City, where Deacon Fang Linzhou outlined the selection’s character and combat trials and their rewards.
• During the temperament trial, Li Chuan resisted three imagined lives that tempted him away from martial arts and received an assessment of excellent temperament.