Chapter Summaries

Zhuang Hong unlocked Secret Awareness, greatly enhancing his senses and strengthening his Manipulation ability. He then unlocked Sky Bridge and marveled at the change it brought.

• Zhuang Hong asked Dancer for guidance on unlocking Secret Awareness and Sky Bridge, then went to meditate despite her warning about the risks.
• Zhuang Hong stimulated the twenty-eight Heaven Locks in his skull and successfully lit the Divine Lamp, unlocking Secret Awareness.
• Zhuang Hong found that his five senses and Manipulation had grown far stronger, and he used the ability to lift Xiao Bai and control stones.
• Zhuang Hong meditated on the thirty-six Heaven Locks along his spine and unlocked Sky Bridge about an hour later.

After opening Secret Awareness and Sky Bridge, Zhuang Hong learned from Dancer how to advance toward becoming an Earth Treasury Warrior. Gazing at the stars, he decided that gaining knowledge mattered more than simply growing stronger, and prepared to sleep while Xiao Bai kept watch.

• Zhuang Hong returned to Lake Heart Island and told Dancer that he had opened Secret Awareness and Sky Bridge in two or three days.
• Dancer explained that an Earth Treasury Warrior had to strengthen the body with qi and merge the Three Great Secret Treasures by guiding qi into the Divine Lamp to forge a spark of Divine Light.
• Zhuang Hong decided to delay his breakthrough, strengthen his body, and accumulate more qi before attempting to forge Divine Light.
• Zhuang Hong gazed at the stars and reflected that he needed to study and pursue knowledge rather than focus only on gaining power.
• Zhuang Hong woke Xiao Bai and told it to keep watch while he slept.

Zhuang Hong received the title of Number One Expert Under Heaven but gave the plaque to Dancer to safeguard in exchange for martial training and access to the Eternal Prosperity Gate’s Scripture Pavilion. He entered the pavilion and began studying a book about adapting troll talents to human martial arts.

• Dancer told Zhuang Hong that crowds had gathered at the Eternal Prosperity Gate to see the famous Hand of God and gave him the Second Prince’s gold plaque naming him Number One Expert Under Heaven.
• Zhuang Hong declined to keep the plaque and proposed entrusting it to the Eternal Prosperity Gate in exchange for lessons in sword, blade, and whip techniques and unrestricted access to the Scripture Pavilion.
• Dancer agreed to the conditions and said she would explain the arrangement to Senior Brother Zi Xiang.
• The next day, a disciple welcomed Zhuang Hong into the Scripture Pavilion and showed him its collections.
• Zhuang Hong chose a martial theory book called "From Troll Talent to Human Martial Arts" and began reading it.

After opening Secret Awareness, Zhuang Hong discovered his memory and comprehension had improved enough to accelerate his martial training and revive his interest in studying. Unable to find answers about qi and the Divine Lamp, he decided to leave the Scripture Pavilion and hunt Void Spirits to strengthen his source power.

• Zhuang Hong asked Dancer whether Secret Awareness enhanced memory, and Dancer confirmed that it did while explaining that greater gains required becoming an Earth Treasury Warrior.
• Zhuang Hong stayed at Eternal Prosperity Gate, studied in the Scripture Pavilion, trained with Dancer, and stopped receiving visitors to save time.
• Zhuang Hong asked Dancer about the true nature of qi and the Divine Lamp, but Dancer said martial artists had never discovered what either one was.
• Zhuang Hong searched the texts for answers, then considered studying science on Earth and pursuing further education on Ji Ling Star.
• Zhuang Hong decided he had learned what he could from the Scripture Pavilion and would leave to hunt Void Spirits and strengthen his source power.

Zhuang Hong said goodbye to Dancer after demonstrating his rapidly improved swordsmanship, but a Purple Rising Spirit Beast emerged from the lake and attacked them. When the Spider Monster pursued Dancer instead of Zhuang Hong, he tried to draw its attention and insulted it.

• Zhuang Hong defeated Dancer in a sparring match using the Vibration Sword Style, and Dancer praised how quickly he had learned.
• Zhuang Hong told Dancer he was leaving, then sensed danger at the lake as Xiao Bai barked at something beneath the water.
• A Spider Monster emerged and recognized Xiao Bai as a Sky Chasing Hound pup and Zhuang Hong as a Core Combination Insect.
• The Spider Monster fired steel spikes at Zhuang Hong and Dancer; Zhuang Hong blocked most of them, but two pierced Dancer.
• Zhuang Hong told Dancer to flee while he lured the monster away, but the Spider Monster chased Dancer and demanded an apology.
• Zhuang Hong insulted the Spider Monster, enraging her further.

Zhuang Hong fought the Spider Monster to protect Dancer, then activated his Agile Form when her webs and spikes trapped him. His transformed body let him wound the stronger Purple Rising Spirit Beast, and he prepared to target her human half.

• Zhuang Hong used Fine Silk to trap the Spider Monster, but she dissolved it and covered him in webs and steel spikes.
• Zhuang Hong burned away the webs, removed the embedded spikes, and activated his First Liberation Form: Agile Form.
• The gathered Eternal Prosperity Gate disciples and Dancer watched in shock as Zhuang Hong transformed into a towering, shell-armored giant.
• The Spider Monster attacked Zhuang Hong, but he dodged behind her and severed one of her legs, cutting into her body.
• Zhuang Hong endured the Spider Monster's spike barrage and decided to target the human half embedded in her spider body.

Zhuang Hong defeated the Spider Monster by using Dancer’s Vibration Sword Style before crushing her in Tank Form. Afterward, he took her corpse away to consume it and left Dancer waiting, while the onlookers wondered who he was.

• The Spider Monster transformed into a slender woman and attacked Zhuang Hong with her jointed blades, but he blocked her strikes and repeatedly sent her flying.
• Zhuang Hong used the Vibration Sword Style to disrupt the Spider Monster’s blades, then stabbed her repeatedly with spikes from his palm.
• As the Spider Monster swelled back into her giant form, Zhuang Hong transformed into Tank Form and smashed her to death with his fist.
• Zhuang Hong returned to Normal Form, dressed himself with Manipulation, and kicked Xiao Bai away from the corpse before warning him to eat only when permitted.
• Zhuang Hong wrapped the Spider Monster’s remains in Fine Silk and disappeared with them, telling Dancer to wait; Xiao Bai followed him, leaving the onlookers bewildered.

Zhuang Hong devoured a Spider Monster after forcing her to reveal information about the Dragon Court Mixed Domain, a treasure, and Void Spirit cultivation. He took her blades as treasure artifacts and headed back toward the Golden Cloud World.

• Zhuang Hong stopped feeding when the Spider Monster’s corpse twitched, and the wounded Spider Monster crawled out and begged him to spare her.
• Zhuang Hong pinned the Spider Monster down and questioned her; she revealed that she came from the Dragon Court Mixed Domain and had followed a Treasure Pointer toward a treasure that might help her become a True Spirit.
• The Spider Monster gave Zhuang Hong her Treasure Pointer and explained Void Spirit ranks and the Thousand Spider Spirit Cultivation Method, while Zhuang Hong noticed her pointer matched the direction of his own.
• Zhuang Hong killed the Spider Monster after learning what he wanted, then crushed the little spiders she had sent to summon help and let Xiao Bai eat them.
• Zhuang Hong devoured the Spider Monster, found sixteen Spider Sword Blades inside her, tested their power, and set off for the Golden Cloud World to have Dancer arrange a Sword Case.

After returning to Eternal Prosperity Gate, Zhuang Hong told Dancer that the Spider Monster was a rare creature from another world and his mortal enemy, then explained that the monster posed no threat to the sect. He examined the power gained by devouring it and resolved to hunt more Void Spirits as his strength grew.

• Dancer asked whether Zhuang Hong was human and where his tail was, then decided she was better suited to an ordinary partner.
• Dancer questioned Zhuang Hong about the Spider Monster, and he said they were the same kind, mortal enemies, and rare creatures with no interest in ordinary people.
• Dancer told Zhuang Hong that rumors calling him a demon had spread, and he said he did not care what people called him as long as he considered himself human.
• Zhuang Hong gave Dancer sixteen Hiltless Sword Blades and asked her to find a craftsman to make a light, convenient Sword Case.
• Zhuang Hong sensed that digesting the Spider Monster was rapidly strengthening his body and enlarging his Source Power Orb.
• Zhuang Hong concluded that he could hunt Void Spirits more confidently and planned to seek them out once the Spider Monster was fully digested.

After digesting the Spider Monster, Zhuang Hong grew stronger, tested a new use for Fine Silk, and received a Sword Case from Dancer before leaving the Golden Cloud World. He followed two Treasure Pointers toward a suspected Void Spirit lure, hoping to prey on the Void Spirits drawn there and advance his cultivation.

• Zhuang Hong's strength and source power increased after he finished digesting the Spider Monster, and he discovered he could eject Fine Silk as a web.
• Dancer gave Zhuang Hong a customized Sword Case, and he demonstrated how its sixteen White Blades could fly under his control.
• Zhuang Hong left the Golden Cloud World with Xiao Bai and resolved to seek useful knowledge, grow stronger, and find an ability that would let him sleep safely.
• Zhuang Hong reflected on Xiao Bai's origins as a Sky Chasing Hound and learned that Void Spirits needed to eat meat to grow.
• Zhuang Hong used two Treasure Pointers to identify a direction where an angler appeared to be luring Void Spirits, then set out with Xiao Bai to hunt them.

Zhuang Hong traveled through Life Worlds while hunting Void Spirits and using a Treasure Pointer to locate its destination. After reaching the area around the treasure, he encountered a Red Robe Man whose pointer led to the same place and killed him in a single attack.

• Zhuang Hong devoured a giant lizard Void Spirit, but his source power remained at Core Combination Level Four despite his growing physical strength.
• Zhuang Hong used repeated Treasure Pointer readings to estimate the treasure’s location and, after more than a month of travel, stopped about five days away to circle the area.
• Zhuang Hong encountered a Red Robe Man, a Blue Core Combination-level Void Spirit, and showed him a Treasure Pointer.
• The Red Robe Man recognized the pointer and revealed that he had an identical one pointing to the same treasure.
• Zhuang Hong transformed and killed the Red Robe Man with a single attack, while Xiao Bai rushed over to eat.

Zhuang Hong hunted Void Spirits around the treasure site, growing stronger as his body absorbed their nutrients. He defeated a Green Armor Beast at Spirit Ascension Level Five and began devouring her, eager to see how much strength she would provide.

• Zhuang Hong devoured a Red Robe Man, increased his source power, and found a Treasure Pointer that confirmed someone was fishing at the treasure site.
• Over the next two months, Zhuang Hong devoured nearly thirty Void Spirits, strengthening his body after opening the Hidden Treasury, but he still felt hungry for more nutrients.
• Xiao Bai alerted Zhuang Hong to the arrival of a Green Armor Beast, a Purple Rising Spirit Beast at Spirit Ascension Level Five.
• Zhuang Hong fought the Green Armor Beast, knocked away her Flying Sickles, severed her tail, and used fine threads to restrain her before delivering a fatal slash.
• Zhuang Hong kicked away Xiao Bai and began devouring the Green Armor Beast to absorb her nutrients.

After growing stronger by devouring Void Spirits, Zhuang Hong entered a lush new Life World and sensed that his Other Self was there. He found a remote village occupied only by a determined youth named Yin Zizhong, who revealed that the villagers had fled and mistook Zhuang Hong for a Beast Tamer.

• Zhuang Hong's Source Power reached Core Combination Level Eight after he spent weeks devouring Blue Core Combination Beasts.
• Zhuang Hong entered a rainforest world, named it Oasis World, and sensed an Other Self nearby.
• Zhuang Hong crossed the wilderness and discovered a human village at the foot of a mountain.
• Zhuang Hong met Yin Zizhong, who said the villagers had fled Forget Wind Village and directed him toward Three Fort Town.
• Yin Zizhong saw Xiao Bai and asked whether Zhuang Hong was a Beast Tamer.

Zhuang Hong learned about Oasis World’s Beast Tamers and the deadly Ash Disease from Yin Zizhong, then discovered infected wolves near Forget Wind Village. After Zhuang Hong killed five giant wolves with his flying swords, Yin Zizhong begged him to become his disciple.

• Zhuang Hong entered Forget Wind Village with Yin Zizhong, rested at his home, and asked him about Beast Tamers.
• Yin Zizhong explained that Beast Tamers protected people from ferocious beasts and described how Ash Disease had driven the villagers away after infecting their livestock.
• Yin Zizhong showed Zhuang Hong a patch of Ash Disease-infected weeds on the mountain, where Zhuang Hong sensed a strange spatial aura.
• Five High Mountain Giant Wolves approached, including two infected wolves, and Yin Zizhong urged Zhuang Hong to flee.
• Zhuang Hong used his flying swords to kill all five wolves, and Yin Zizhong dropped to his knees and begged to become his disciple.

Zhuang Hong investigated the Ash Disease affecting giant wolves while Yin Zizhong insisted he was destined to become a world-saving protagonist. After burying the infected wolves, Zhuang Hong learned Yin planned to kill the Blue Claw Giant Eagle and leave Forget Wind Village with him.

• Yin Zizhong assumed Zhuang Hong had agreed to teach him, but Zhuang Hong denied it and examined the infected wolves for clues about Ash Disease.
• Zhuang Hong noticed the disease carried a repulsive spatial aura and wondered where it had originated.
• Zhuang Hong used Fine Silk and his spatial ability to bury the five giant wolves and the infected weeds.
• Yin Zizhong explained that he believed himself destined to save the world and wanted to become a Beast Taming Master who eradicated Ash Disease.
• Yin Zizhong revealed that he planned to kill the Blue Claw Giant Eagle the next day and leave Forget Wind Village with Zhuang Hong.

Yin Zizhong captured a Blue Claw Giant Eagle with his traps, but Zhuang Hong rescued him when it broke free and attacked. Yin Zizhong left Forget Wind Village with Zhuang Hong to learn magic and pursue his ambitions, then explained the basics of Beast Taming and offered to share his Mental Strength training method, Forget Wind Song.

• Yin Zizhong used a deer and his traps to ensnare the Blue Claw Giant Eagle, then fired bolts at it with several ballistas.
• The wounded eagle broke free and charged Yin Zizhong, but Zhuang Hong saved him with fine threads and killed the eagle.
• Yin Zizhong packed his belongings and convinced Zhuang Hong to let him travel along, promising to learn magic and cure Ash Disease.
• Zhuang Hong and Yin Zizhong left Forget Wind Village together and camped for the night.
• Yin Zizhong told Zhuang Hong that Beast Tamers trained their Mental Strength and learned Beast Taming Steel Seals to form contracts with beasts.
• Yin Zizhong said his Mental Strength training method was called Forget Wind Song and offered to explain it.

Zhuang Hong learned Yin Zizhong’s rhythm-based method for condensing Mental Strength and began teaching him a warrior cultivation method. They reached Three Fort Town, where guards killed an elderly man suspected of having Ash Disease, leaving Zhuang Hong unsure how to remove the space-tainted ash.

• Zhuang Hong meditated to the rhythm of "Forget Wind Song" and found that his Mental Strength had become more condensed as the Divine Lamp moved with the melody.
• Yin Zizhong tried to learn Zhuang Hong’s flying sword technique through practice, but gained no new insights overnight.
• Zhuang Hong offered to teach Yin Zizhong warrior cultivation, warned him to follow instructions and keep the methods secret, and began explaining Body Secrets as they traveled.
• Two days later, Zhuang Hong and Yin Zizhong arrived at Three Fort Town and saw guards inspect people for Ash Disease.
• When guards found Ash Disease on an elderly man, they shot him dead and dragged his body away, while Zhuang Hong remained unsure how to eradicate the space-tainted ash.

Zhuang Hong and Yin Zizhong saw the devastation caused by Ash Disease and later intervened when a tamed leopard was badly injured in battle. Zhuang Hong offered to treat the Green Skirt Girl’s beast, while Yin Zizhong’s admiration for her earned him another smack from his master.

• Zhuang Hong and Yin Zizhong found that Ash Disease had emptied Three Fort Town of most people, and the Beast Tamer had fled.
• Zhuang Hong chose to travel northeast to find his Other Self and learn Beast Taming Steel Seals, while Yin Zizhong continued cultivating his Mental Strength.
• They saw a forest across a river reduced to a silent ash-covered deadland and realized how devastating Ash Disease could become.
• In a valley, they watched a Blue Fur Black Spotted Leopard fight two Ash-infected one-horned rhinoceroses as a Green Skirt Girl watched from a tree.
• Zhuang Hong used two white blades to kill the charging rhinos after one injured the leopard, then offered to treat the beast.
• Yin Zizhong praised Zhuang Hong’s healing ability and admitted that the Green Skirt Girl’s beauty had distracted him, prompting another smack from Zhuang Hong.

Zhuang Hong treated Qiao Hongxin’s injured Black Spotted Leopard and learned about the Beast Taming Assembly and pet-beast control. When Qiao Hongxin refused to teach Yin Zizhong a Beast Taming Steel Seal, Zhuang Hong used gold to obtain all three seals, then asked Yin what he had realized.

• Zhuang Hong stitched the Black Spotted Leopard’s wounds and treated it with Red Medicine, impressing Qiao Hongxin.
• Qiao Hongxin explained that she was traveling to Lingjiang City for the Beast Taming Assembly and described three methods for controlling pet beasts.
• Yin Zizhong asked Qiao Hongxin to teach him a Beast Taming Steel Seal, but she refused because her father forbade her from sharing them.
• Zhuang Hong gave Qiao Hongxin a gold bar, and she agreed to teach him one of her three Steel Seals: Leopard Type, Tiger-Shaped, or Ox Type.
• Zhuang Hong handed Qiao Hongxin two more pieces of gold to learn the other Steel Seals, then asked Yin Zizhong what he had realized.

Zhuang Hong discovered that his Sea of Consciousness was a world he could shape with his thoughts, and he explored its uses before exhausting his brain. He concluded that strengthening his brain through Void Spirits or cultivation was necessary to expand this power, then asked Xiao Bai to guard him while he rested.

• Zhuang Hong studied the three Beast Taming Steel Seals and realized they were Mental Strength commands tailored to different beasts.
• Zhuang Hong condensed all three seals in his Sea of Consciousness with help from the Divine Lamp and realized he could control the world within it.
• Zhuang Hong created images of familiar people, animals, and landscapes, then confirmed that his creations remained after he woke and returned to meditation.
• Zhuang Hong concluded that his powerful brain let him shape his Sea of Consciousness more freely than Golden Cloud World warriors could.
• Zhuang Hong felt pain and exhaustion from overusing his brain, decided he needed rest and greater strength, and asked Xiao Bai to watch over him.