Chapter Summaries

Li Chuan attended the Four Peaks monthly assessment with Chen Dengke and surprised everyone by opening his First Main Meridian, earning four bowls of Golden Marrow Soup. Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran both demonstrated that they had opened four Main Meridians, while Yu Jing privately began to see Li Chuan as a weed struggling beneath a stone and in the shade.

• Chen Dengke worried that he would fail to earn Golden Marrow Soup, and Li Chuan gave him pastries before they went to the Examination Field.
• Zhou Yan claimed he had opened his Fourth Main Meridian, but Jiang Ran revealed that he had reached the same stage and challenged Zhou Yan's confidence.
• Yu Jing arrived at the Examination Field having reached Late Core Formation, then began the monthly assessment using a Jade Pillar to measure cultivation progress.
• Su Yang and Chen Dengke both regressed, while Li Chuan opened his First Main Meridian and earned four bowls of Golden Marrow Soup, surprising the disciples who had mocked him.
• Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran each tested at four Main Meridians, drawing the crowd's attention away from Li Chuan as Yu Jing compared him to a weed pinned beneath a stone and left in the shade.

Li Chuan sold valuable items and planned to become Mountain Search Squad deacon so he could afford daily Golden Marrow Soup and advance faster. When he faced Zhao Qinghan in their wagered duel, she conceded after sensing his strength, and Li Chuan set out with Ren Ping to pick the Purple Gold Heavenly Bamboo.

• Li Chuan sold the Red Phoenix Sand, Sea Heart Fruit, and Rainbow Jade for five thousand taels, keeping the Sarira for further study.
• Li Chuan decided to replace Ren Ping as deacon to secure a salary, better missions, and control over the Mountain Search Squad.
• Li Chuan cultivated for seven days while Su Yang resolved to follow him and investigate how he advanced so quickly.
• Li Chuan met Zhao Qinghan for their wagered duel, and she conceded after their auras clashed without either drawing a blade.
• Li Chuan asked Ren Ping when they would head up the mountain, and Ren Ping led him toward the Purple Gold Heavenly Bamboo.

Li Chuan and his companions harvested Purple Gold Heavenly Bamboo, then fled an attack by Shadow Flower Ants after Su Yang accidentally disturbed their nest. Li Chuan lured Su Yang into a fight with the wanted criminal Wei Xiao, then returned to ambush Wei Xiao after he killed Su Yang and went back for the Cangwan Grass.

• Ren Ping led Li Chuan and Zhao Qinghan to a stalk of Purple Gold Heavenly Bamboo, and the three harvested it near an underground river.
• Shadow Flower Ants attacked the group, and Li Chuan directed them to break through the ants’ encirclement before they split up to escape.
• Su Yang emerged nearby, and Ren Ping accused him of provoking the ants, though Su Yang claimed he had stumbled into their nest by accident.
• Su Yang pressed Li Chuan to reveal the opportunity behind his rapid cultivation, and Li Chuan led him along a narrow path to Wei Xiao, a wanted criminal holding Cangwan Grass.
• Li Chuan fled while Su Yang fought Wei Xiao; Wei Xiao killed Su Yang but suffered a chest wound, then returned to find the Cangwan Grass missing.
• Li Chuan sprang from the shadows and attacked Wei Xiao with his Xuanlan Long Blade, channeling both streams of Geng Metal True Qi into the strike.

Li Chuan killed Wei Xiao, claimed the spoils, and returned to the Heavenly Blade Sect with a fabricated account of Su Yang’s death. Elder Sun approved Li Chuan for a Mountain Search Squad steward position after noticing how much he resembled his dead son, Sun Liang.

• Li Chuan revealed his second stream of True Qi, overwhelmed Wei Xiao, and killed him with a blade strike.
• Li Chuan searched Su Yang and Wei Xiao, took their money and the Cangwan Grass, and left both bodies to support his cover story.
• Li Chuan told Ren Ping and Zhao Qinghan that Su Yang had died fighting Wei Xiao, then went with Ren Ping to meet Elder Sun.
• Ren Ping explained that Elder Sun regretted his poor relationship with Sun Liang, who had died during an expedition to the Xuanyuan Mine.
• Elder Sun approved Li Chuan as a Mountain Search Squad steward and privately remarked that Li Chuan looked like Sun Liang.

Li Chuan became the Mountain Search Squad’s deacon, accepted gifts from its members, and faced an investigation into Su Yang’s death. After the investigation cleared him and rewarded him, the surviving Baleful Ones vowed revenge, while Zhou Yan tried and failed to persuade Elder Sun to remove Li Chuan.

• Ren Ping announced Li Chuan’s appointment as Mountain Search Squad deacon, and Li Chuan named Zhao Qinghan squad leader.
• Fu Yunhe and the other squad members gave Li Chuan gifts, while Li Chuan changed Wu Junze’s task after receiving a larger payment.
• Ren Ping warned Li Chuan to cover up any traces related to Su Yang’s death, and Li Chuan later told investigators that he and Su Yang had fought Wei Xiao together.
• After confirming Li Chuan’s account, the elder dropped the matter and rewarded him with ten bowls of Golden Marrow Soup.
• The surviving Baleful Ones decided to kill Li Chuan to avenge Fourth Brother, while Zhou Yan angrily confronted Li Chuan and then asked Elder Sun to remove him.
• Elder Sun ordered Zhou Yan to get out.

After Elder Sun refused Zhou Yan’s demand to strip Li Chuan of his steward position, Li Chuan focused on cultivation and prepared for the threat from the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild. He opened his Second Main Meridian and then decided it was time to settle some matters.

• Elder Sun dismissed Zhou Yan and refused to remove Li Chuan from his Mountain Search Squad steward position, while Zheng Shitou guessed that Li Chuan reminded the elder of his deceased son, Sun Liang.
• Li Chuan returned to Four Peaks, where Zhong Ziyin and others discussed Zhou Yan’s failed attempt to undermine him, and Qian Ying visited to assess him before deciding he was no threat to Jiang Ran.
• Li Chuan gathered enough silver to secure Golden Marrow Soup, chose to remain within the Heavenly Blade Sect until he grew stronger, and concentrated on cultivating the Geng Metal Art.
• Li Chuan learned that Qi Strengthening Pills could aid his Mysterious Origin Twin-Life Art, and Lu Qiuhan offered him a chance to escort a shipment of pills for a reward.
• After sustained training with Golden Marrow Soup, Li Chuan opened his Second Main Meridian and left his courtyard, resolved to settle some matters.

Li Chuan uncovered Xie Zheng as the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild’s informant, then tracked down and killed the four bandits himself. He arrived at the government office with their heads to claim the bounty, but the constables mistook him for a criminal.

• Li Chuan tricked Xie Zheng into revealing the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild’s hiding place, then killed him for betraying Li Chuan.
• Li Chuan confronted the bandits on the Forest Ancient Path and killed Feng Lie, Lei Meng, and Xue Tu in succession.
• Li Chuan defeated Wei Ting by breaking his spear and crushing his head, wiping out the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild.
• Li Chuan found only a small amount of money on the bandits, collected their heads, and went to the government office to claim their bounty.
• The clerk and constables saw the heads in Li Chuan’s sack and confronted him, and Li Chuan explained that he had come to claim a bounty.

Li Chuan collected the bounty for killing the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild and accepted a Pill Hall escort job that would pay him in Qi Strengthening Pills. News of his victory spread across the Four Peaks, where others dismissed it as a trick, and a month later Li Chuan traveled to Prefecture City to obtain pills and advance his cultivation.

• Li Chuan showed the constables the Five Baleful Ones' heads, received eight thousand taels, and agreed to escort a shipment of pills for Lu Yuan in exchange for Qi Strengthening Pills.
• Li Chuan counted his total savings at nineteen thousand taels, judged his Xuanlan Long Blade inadequate, and returned to practicing martial arts.
• Liu Peiran broke through to Core Formation, then learned Li Chuan had killed four of the Five Baleful Ones and gave up his plan to visit him.
• Zhou Yan and Yin Taohua speculated that Li Chuan had used special tools, while Jiang Ran recognized his rapid progress but convinced himself Li Chuan was no threat.
• Li Chuan kept his true strength concealed as rumors faded, then boarded a carriage to Prefecture City a month later to visit the Pill Hall and obtain Qi Strengthening Pills.

Li Chuan went to the Pill Hall to escort a shipment of Guiyuan Pills in hopes of obtaining Qi Strengthening Pills, but Lu Qiuhan’s escort choice sparked a rivalry with Lu Qiujing’s blunt hire, Yin Tingtao. After Zhou Zelin warned that Mo Yuan might target the shipment, Li Chuan suspected the delivery would be more dangerous than Lu Yuan claimed.

• Li Chuan arrived in the Prefecture City, displayed his Heavenly Blade Sect token to enter without paying, and met Lu Qiuhan at the Pill Hall.
• Li Chuan agreed to escort Lu Qiuhan’s Guiyuan Pills shipment to Qian'an City, which would also determine whether she or Lu Qiujing received good batches of pills for the next year.
• Lu Qiujing introduced Yin Tingtao, who challenged Li Chuan’s reputation and claimed that Li Chuan had relied on others and a Mountain-Shaking Thunder Pellet to defeat the Five Baleful Ones of the North Wild.
• Li Chuan calmly admitted he had used other methods, while privately deciding that Yin Tingtao’s bluntness made him easier to handle; Lu Qiujing kept him as her escort despite her doubts.
• Zhou Zelin mocked Lu Yuan’s escorts and warned that Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan could threaten the shipment, while Lu Yuan reassured Li Chuan and Yin Tingtao that Mo Yuan might not risk attacking.
• Li Chuan watched Zhou Zelin leave and suspected the pill delivery would not be simple.

Li Chuan and Yin Tingtao escorted a small shipment of Guiyuan Pills toward Qian'an City, where they encountered the notorious Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan. Yin Tingtao was quickly defeated, but Li Chuan calmly killed Mo Yuan with a single strike, leaving Yin Tingtao shocked.

• Lu Yuan sent Li Chuan and Yin Tingtao to escort a small shipment of Guiyuan Pills and warned them to prioritize their lives over the pills.
• Yin Tingtao boasted during the journey, then killed a Transforming Force bandit who tried to rob the carriage.
• Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan attacked the convoy and sent Yin Tingtao flying back into the carriage.
• Yin Tingtao urged Li Chuan to use a Mountain-Shaking Thunder Pellet, but Li Chuan stayed calm as Mo Yuan approached.
• Li Chuan drew and sheathed his saber, killing Mo Yuan with a single strike and stunning Yin Tingtao.

Li Chuan returned to the Pill Hall after killing Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan and received rewards and future work from Lu Qiuhan. Lu Yuan agreed to recommend him for the Four Peaks Grand Competition, while Li Chuan warned that Zhou Zelin may have alerted Mo Yuan to the medicine delivery.

• Li Chuan killed Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan, rescued the injured Yin Tingtao, and continued the journey to Qian'an City.
• At the Pill Hall, Lu Qiujing mistakenly thought Yin Tingtao had killed Mo Yuan until Yin Tingtao revealed that Li Chuan had done it.
• Lu Yuan praised Li Chuan, offered him a ten percent discount on pills, and sent him to collect his reward.
• Lu Qiuhan gave Li Chuan three bottles of Qi Strengthening Pills and invited him to escort valuable medicine deliveries for double the market rate.
• Lu Yuan agreed to recommend Li Chuan for the Four Peaks Grand Competition if Li Chuan would help Lu Qiuhan if she faced trouble.
• Li Chuan warned Lu Yuan that Zhou Zelin may have tipped Mo Yuan off, and Lu Yuan promised to investigate; Yin Tingtao waited for Li Chuan outside the Pill Hall.

After Li Chuan returned to the Heavenly Blade Sect, news spread that he had killed Clear Wind Sword Mo Yuan, unsettling Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran as they considered him a rival for the Marrow Cleansing Fruit. Li Chuan strengthened his cultivation, opened his Third Channel Main Meridian, and set his sights on reaching Middle Core Formation for the Four Peaks Grand Competition.

• Li Chuan and Yin Tingtao returned safely to the Heavenly Blade Sect, where Yin Tingtao told the Four Peaks disciples that Li Chuan had killed Mo Yuan in a blade fight.
• Zhou Yan learned of Li Chuan's feat and worried that he might contend for the Marrow Cleansing Fruit, but Gu Taohua reassured him that he could still defeat Li Chuan.
• Jiang Ran recognized Li Chuan as a serious rival, rejected Qian Ying's suggestion to harm him, and warned her not to discuss it again.
• Li Chuan used a Guiyuan Pill to strengthen his second stream of Geng Metal True Qi and practiced the Mysterious Origin Twin-Life Art until it reached Minor Mastery.
• Four months later, Li Chuan opened his Third Channel Main Meridian and resolved to focus on breaking through to Middle Core Formation.

With the Four Peaks Grand Competition approaching, Li Chuan concealed his progress while training and learned about his likely rivals. He opened his Fourth Main Meridian and reached Middle Core Formation, leaving him greatly strengthened with two months until the competition.

• Chen Dengke told Li Chuan about the competition’s likely opponents, including Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran, and described Zhou Yan’s blade skills.
• Qian Ying secretly questioned Li Chuan, believed his false claim that he had not opened his Third Main Meridian, and passed the news through Yin Taohua to Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran.
• Jiang Ran directed Qian Ying to spread Li Chuan’s supposed lack of progress to Zhou Yan, who relaxed after hearing it, while Yin Taohua noticed his relief.
• Li Chuan practiced the Heavenly River Blade Technique, then Yu Jing questioned whether Zhao Ciyuan had intended the Marrow Cleansing Fruit for him; Zhao said he did not care who won it.
• Li Chuan used Golden Marrow Soup and the Geng Metal Art to break through his Fourth Main Meridian, reach Middle Core Formation, and test his improved strength and techniques.

Li Chuan acquired the fourth level of the Geng Metal Art and the Phantom Shadow Step, discovering that the new movement technique shared its origin with the Shadow Sha Step and inherited its proficiency. After observing Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran spar, he focused on training his blade and reached Perfection in the Heavenly River Blade Technique five days before the Four Peaks Grand Competition.

• Li Chuan visited the Scripture Pavilion, where he spoke with Yin Taohua and Zhou Yan, then obtained the fourth level of the Geng Metal Art and the Phantom Shadow Step.
• Li Chuan learned that the Phantom Shadow Step shared the Shadow Sha Step's origin, allowing his proficiency to transfer and giving him a movement technique he could use openly.
• Li Chuan went to the Martial Arts Arena with Chen Dengke, declined Lin Jian's invitation to spar, and watched Jiang Ran defeat Lu Xi before Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran exchanged moves.
• Li Chuan concluded that Zhou Yan and Jiang Ran's Heavenly River Blade Technique remained short of Perfection and devoted most of his training to the technique over the next two months.
• Five days before the Four Peaks Grand Competition, Li Chuan broke through to Perfection in the Heavenly River Blade Technique and demonstrated its greater blade intent.

As the Four Peaks Grand Competition began, Li Chuan helped Chen Dengke overcome a flaw in his blade technique, and Chen Dengke won two matches. Li Chuan revealed that he had opened his Fourth Main Meridian, defeated Lu Xi in seven strikes, and advanced toward a possible match with Zhou Yan.

• Chen Dengke visited Li Chuan for blade pointers, and Li Chuan taught him to treat his blade as an extension of his arm.
• At the competition, Chen Dengke defeated Yin Taohua in eight strikes and won another match, earning Earth Surge Qi Water.
• When the three-Main-Meridian group was called, Li Chuan revealed his Red-Gold True Qi and announced that he had opened his Fourth Main Meridian.
• Zhou Yan drew Jiang Ran, while Li Chuan drew Lu Xi, and Zhou Yan taunted Li Chuan about avoiding their match.
• Li Chuan held back his perfected blade technique but defeated Lu Xi in seven strikes.

Li Chuan defeated Zhou Yan in one stroke after revealing his Perfection Heavenly River Blade Technique, winning the Fourth Main Meridian bracket and the Marrow Cleansing Fruit. The competition left Zhou Zelin humiliated, while Chen Dengke overcame some of his own inferiority through witnessing Li Chuan’s victory.

• Li Chuan defeated Lu Xi in seven saber strikes, shocking the Four Peaks disciples and making Lin Jian reconsider his confidence.
• Zhou Yan concealed his true strength and defeated Jiang Ran, breaking two of Jiang Ran’s ribs and securing his place in the final match against Li Chuan.
• Lu Qiuhan wagered ten thousand taels with Zhou Zelin that Li Chuan would win, while Chen Dengke worried that Li Chuan could not overcome Zhou Yan.
• Zhou Yan attacked Li Chuan with his Major Mastery Heavenly River Blade Technique, but Li Chuan countered with its Perfection-level Raging Waves Return to Sea, disarmed Zhou Yan, and forced him to his knees twice.
• Zhao Ciyuan stopped Zhou Zelin from interfering, and Yu Jing announced Li Chuan as the winner and awarded him the Marrow Cleansing Fruit.

Li Chuan received the Marrow Cleansing Fruit after the Four Peaks Grand Competition concluded, while Bai Zhao and Xu Kezhou won their respective divisions. Afterward, Zhou Zelin paid Lu Qiuhan ten thousand taels, and Lu Qiuhan stayed behind for an unclear reason.

• Yu Jing presided over the remaining matches, where Bai Zhao won among the disciples with five Main Meridians open and Xu Kezhou defeated Zhong Ziyin among those with six open.
• Yu Jing awarded Li Chuan the Marrow Cleansing Fruit, and he realized how nervous he was to hold the valuable treasure.
• Zhou Zelin paid Lu Qiuhan ten thousand taels after she reminded him of his debt.
• Zhou Zelin spoke with Xu Kezhou about his father's recovery and emphasized that he had obtained the Root Strengthening Pill from the Hall Master.
• Lu Qiujing asked Lu Qiuhan why they were not leaving, but Lu Qiuhan told her and Lu Yuan to wait.

After accepting ten thousand taels from Lu Qiuhan, Li Chuan used the Marrow Cleansing Fruit to improve his innate bones. He endured its violent medicinal force with the Golden Bell Shield and broke through to fourth-grade innate bones, then discovered Zhao Ciyuan watching him.

• Lu Qiuhan gave Li Chuan ten thousand taels from her bet on his victory over Zhou Yan, and he accepted the money.
• Li Chuan thanked Zhao Ciyuan for the Marrow Cleansing Fruit, but Zhao dismissed him and secretly decided to watch over him as he used it.
• Li Chuan looked up how to use the fruit, then swallowed it whole after preparing himself in meditation.
• Zhao Ciyuan arrived unseen and realized Li Chuan had swallowed the unusually potent fruit in one dose, so he prepared to help him endure it.
• Li Chuan used the Golden Bell Shield to withstand the medicinal force and break the shackle on his innate bones, improving them to fourth grade.
• Li Chuan opened his eyes and asked Zhao Ciyuan why he was there.

Li Chuan refined the Marrow Cleansing Fruit with Zhao Ciyuan’s help, improving his root and speeding up his cultivation of internal arts and martial techniques. He went to the Scripture Pavilion to find a fist technique and discovered a newly added manual called Seven Edge-Concealing Charges.

• Zhao Ciyuan gave Li Chuan Four Spirits Grass and used his Gang Force to help him refine the Marrow Cleansing Fruit’s remaining medicinal power.
• Li Chuan realized Zhao Ciyuan had not coveted his Golden Bell Shield technique, and Zhao Ciyuan left after cursing the courtyard.
• Li Chuan found that his True Qi circulated more smoothly and that his Fourth Grade Root let him improve his Geng Metal Art and martial techniques much faster.
• Li Chuan decided to learn a fist technique to improve his close-combat ability and went to the Scripture Pavilion.
• The deacon told Li Chuan that new manuals had been added after Elder Sun’s team raided a Yaoguang Demon Sect stronghold, and Li Chuan found Seven Edge-Concealing Charges.

Li Chuan bought and rapidly trained the Seven Edge-Concealing Charges, then cultivated with Golden Marrow Soup until its limits became clear and he realized he needed a better way to earn money. After reaching Major Mastery in the Mountain Search Secret Record, he completed a dangerous gathering mission in North Wild Mountain in an hour and returned with the reward.

• Li Chuan paid three thousand taels for the Seven Edge-Concealing Charges and reached Initiation by practicing straight punches between narrow rows of boards.
• Li Chuan used Golden Marrow Soup to cultivate the Geng Metal Art, but stopped when its medicinal power ran out and learned that Lead-Cleansing Pills cost three hundred taels each.
• Li Chuan studied the Mountain Search Secret Record until it broke through to Major Mastery, then accepted a mission to gather White Jade Liquid Sand.
• Li Chuan used his improved knowledge to locate the sand and avoid two Core Formation demonic beasts before a Bone-Eroding Jade-Scaled Python ambushed him.
• Li Chuan killed the python with the Seven Edge-Concealing Charges, collected the White Jade Liquid Sand, and completed the mission in one hour.
• Li Chuan handed the mission to Zhao Qinghan and demanded the one-thousand-tael reward, surprising her with how quickly he had earned it.