Chapter Summaries

After East Academy won the Elite Combat Competition, Xu Wuyi received 800 points and reviewed how to spend them on cultivation resources. Dean He Yifeng congratulated him, praised his independence from the Qin Family, and urged him to prepare for the Youth Martial Dao Tournament in May.

• Xu Wuyi received 800 points for his competition performance, bringing his balance to 1,140 points.
• Xu Wuyi reviewed his resource plan and decided to reserve most of his points after budgeting for Bone-Tempering Auxiliary Potion.
• Dean He Yifeng invited Xu Wuyi to his office and asked how he felt about being considered the top student of his cohort.
• Xu Wuyi said he had refused the Qin Family's sponsorship simply because he did not want it, and He Yifeng approved of his choice.
• He Yifeng advised Xu Wuyi to use the school's resources carefully and prepare for the Youth Martial Dao Tournament in May.

Xu Wuyi trained to improve Instant Shadow Steps, breaking through to Small Accomplishment as his Life Energy Level reached 22. As he prepared to continue training, he learned that Associate Professor Han Mo had returned to campus.

• Xu Wuyi reviewed his movement technique’s weaknesses and decided to train Instant Shadow Steps more intensely.
• Xu Wuyi practiced the movement technique in the Battle Net and Cultivation Room while Anna tracked his progress.
• By late January, Xu Wuyi advanced Instant Shadow Steps to Small Accomplishment and its Swift Speed trait to Intermediate.
• Xu Wuyi’s Life Energy Level rose to Level 22 as he continued cultivating.
• Anna told Xu Wuyi that Associate Professor Han Mo had returned to campus, and Xu Wuyi was eager to see him.

Xu Wuyi visited Han Mo for guidance and discovered that his teacher had lost an arm in an ambush on the Astral Battlefield. After Han Mo helped him with his Hundred Refinements Furnace training, Xu Wuyi left more determined to grow stronger.

• Xu Wuyi contacted Han Mo, who invited him to his residence because he could not log onto Battle Net.
• Xu Wuyi saw that Han Mo's right arm had been severed and learned a quasi-god of the Werewolf Race had ambushed him on the Astral Battlefield.
• Han Mo told Xu Wuyi not to worry about his injury and praised his progress to Martial Artist.
• Xu Wuyi promised to kill Werewolf Race fighters if he encountered them on the battlefield.
• Han Mo guided Xu Wuyi through his Hundred Refinements Furnace questions and told him to review his early training experience.
• Xu Wuyi left Han Mo's residence with a stronger desire to improve his strength.

Xu Wuyi received an invitation from the Dongjiang Qiao Family to tutor Qiao Zhiyao in the Hundred Refinements Furnace. Qiao Yongwen offered one million Federal Credits for a two-hour trial lesson, leaving Xu Wuyi to consider the request.

• Xu Wuyi advanced his Hundred Refinements Furnace cultivation and brought his Wind-Settling Spear to Major Achievement.
• Anna informed Xu Wuyi that Qiao Yongwen of the Dongjiang Qiao Family wanted to meet him, and Xu Wuyi accepted the request.
• Qiao Yongwen explained that the Qiao Family wanted Xu Wuyi to tutor Qiao Zhiyao, a Level 15 high school senior, in cultivating the Hundred Refinements Furnace.
• Qiao Yongwen offered a two-hour trial lesson with one million Federal Credits in compensation, regardless of the result.

Xu Wuyi accepted the Qiao Family’s offer to give Qiao Zhiyao a trial lesson on the Hundred Refinements Furnace. After finding her technique nearly flawless, he suspected her difficulty came from a shallow grasp of basic body tempering and decided to start with the Basic Body Tempering Method.

• Xu Wuyi accepted Qiao Yongwen’s offer of one million Federal Credits for a two-hour lesson, with no guarantee of results required.
• The next afternoon, Xu Wuyi met Qiao Zhiyao at a private Star Martial Battle Net training field and began the lesson.
• Qiao Zhiyao performed the ten beginner forms of the Hundred Refinements Furnace, and Xu Wuyi found her movements and circulation nearly perfect.
• Xu Wuyi told Qiao Zhiyao that her problem might be a lack of deep understanding of basic body tempering rather than a flaw in her Hundred Refinements Furnace practice.
• Xu Wuyi set aside the Hundred Refinements Furnace and told Qiao Zhiyao they would practice the Basic Body Tempering Method.

Xu Wuyi taught Qiao Zhiyao to practice the Basic Body Tempering Method by focusing on its inner meaning and control of qi and blood rather than merely performing the movements. After trying his guidance in reality, Qiao Zhiyao found little improvement and remained unsure whether his method worked.

• Xu Wuyi corrected Qiao Zhiyao's practice of the Basic Body Tempering Method and explained how to guide her intent and qi and blood through each form.
• Qiao Zhiyao followed Xu Wuyi's rhythm and practiced under his detailed guidance for nearly two hours, experiencing a new flow of qi and blood in Battle Net.
• Xu Wuyi told Qiao Zhiyao to practice the method for at least two hours daily in reality, and she called him Teacher Xu before leaving the training ground.
• Qiao Yongwen thanked Xu Wuyi and said the family would pay his compensation and decide whether to continue based on Qiao Zhiyao's feedback.
• Back in her family's cultivation room, Qiao Zhiyao practiced the method for two hours but noticed little vitality or strength improvement and doubted whether it worked.

After Qiao Zhiyao abandoned Xu Wuyi’s training method, he accepted the end of their tutoring arrangement and continued cultivating. By late March, he had reached Life Energy Level 25 and was preparing to train when Zhao Qingwei contacted him.

• Qiao Zhiyao decided Xu Wuyi’s method did not suit her and resumed her family’s C-rank body-tempering program.
• Qiao Yongwen told Xu Wuyi that Qiao Zhiyao would not continue the tutoring, and Xu Wuyi accepted while receiving the one million Federal Credits fee.
• Xu Wuyi continued cultivating for months and reached Life Energy Level 25, with Hundred Refinements Furnace nearing minor mastery after six Heart Fire revolutions.
• Xu Wuyi noted that Tana, Qin Rui, Zhao Qingwei, and Luo Liang had also reached level 25, while Qin Rui began learning more advanced martial arts.
• Xu Wuyi prepared to practice when Zhao Qingwei’s name appeared on his personal communicator.

Xu Wuyi accepted Zhao Qingwei’s invitation to join a squad for real-world Star Realm rift missions, then met the other members during a simulated combat exercise. The six-person team began its training scenario to practice working together against low-level Star Beasts.

• Zhao Qingwei invited Xu Wuyi to join her squad for Star Realm rift missions, explaining that missions earned points used to obtain expert guidance.
• Xu Wuyi agreed to join, and Zhao Qingwei told him the team would first train through high-fidelity simulated combat.
• Two days later, Xu Wuyi arrived at the battle net simulation hall and met Zhao Qingwei, Luo Liang, Li Hao, Tana, and archer Ding Haochuan.
• Zhao Qingwei explained that Qin Rui was not forming a team, while Tana welcomed any chance to fight and Li Hao tacitly agreed to join.
• Zhao Qingwei started the simulation, assigning the squad to clear low-level Star Beasts on the outskirts of a rift and coordinate as a team.

Xu Wuyi and his team entered a simulated Star Realm Rift to fight Star Beasts, but their unfamiliar fighting styles repeatedly disrupted their formation. After surviving several attacks, Zhao Qingwei called for a short rest and a review of their mistakes.

• Zhao Qingwei assigned the team positions and led them through the Gobi-like Star Realm Rift simulation.
• The team defeated several Scale-Armored Beasts, but a Shadow Wolf ambush exposed gaps in their coordination, and Xu Wuyi and Zhao Qingwei intervened to protect the group.
• Zhao Qingwei warned Tana to stay near Luo Liang, and the team continued more cautiously while struggling to coordinate their different combat styles.
• During a Stinger Scorpion attack, Xu Wuyi spotted two scorpions burrowing toward Ding Haochuan, hurled his spear to stop one, and struck the other back before Zhao Qingwei finished the remaining enemies.
• After the battle, Zhao Qingwei ordered the team to rest for five minutes and discuss what had gone wrong.

Xu Wuyi became the squad’s mobile support during simulated battles, earning his teammates’ trust and helping the team coordinate more effectively. Four days later, the team accepted a mission to clear a newly appeared Star Realm Rift in Lingqiu City and flew toward it.

• Xu Wuyi’s quick response during a simulated battle impressed Zhao Qingwei, who assigned him to support any part of the team that needed help.
• Xu Wuyi moved across the formation in later simulations, assisting Luo Liang, Tana, and Ding Haochuan as the team’s coordination improved.
• Zhao Qingwei ended the training and said the squad would prioritize missions in Central Province and remain ready to respond to Star Realm Rifts.
• Four days later, Zhao Qingwei told Xu Wuyi that the squad had accepted a mission to clear a Rift in Lingqiu City, where the Smart Brain estimated its upper energy level at around level 26.
• Xu Wuyi checked his equipment, joined the others at the Seventh Airport, and boarded the aircraft with the squad.
• The aircraft departed Star Martial University and headed toward Lingqiu City.

Xu Wuyi and the Star Martial University squad began clearing Star Beasts around a stabilized rift, advancing faster than the civilian auxiliary team could keep up. When Xu Wuyi and Li Hao rushed to aid that team, Xu Wuyi recognized Lin Yue among the surrounded fighters and charged into the battle.

• Captain briefed Zhao Qingwei that the rift was stable, listed the Star Beasts observed, and explained that a civilian squad had entered ahead to assist.
• Zhao Qingwei led the six-person squad into the rift zone, where they quickly cleared the weaker-than-expected Star Beasts.
• Xu Wuyi supported his teammates as the squad advanced rapidly toward the rift's core, leaving some scattered Star Beasts on the outskirts.
• Xu Wuyi sensed fighting on the rear flank, and Zhao Qingwei sent him and Li Hao to investigate while the others held formation.
• Xu Wuyi and Li Hao found five civilian Martial Artists surrounded by Star Beasts, with one down and another wounded.
• Xu Wuyi recognized Lin Yue among the three fighters still holding out and charged in to help.

Xu Wuyi and Li Hao rescued Lin Yue’s squad during a Star Beast attack, then helped complete the Lingqiu City rift cleanup. After the team earned points from several successful missions, Xu Wuyi realized their opportunity to profit from such work would narrow as more teams became active.

• Xu Wuyi and Li Hao turned the battle around and defeated the Star Beasts threatening Lin Yue’s squad, while Lin Yue and the other survivors helped counterattack.
• Xu Wuyi reported the situation to Zhao Qingwei, and his squad guarded the wounded until the military medical team arrived.
• Zhao Qingwei slowed the squad’s advance, and the team cleared the remaining Star Beasts while engineers stabilized the rift.
• The team returned with an Excellent mission rating and earned 60 points each.
• Xu Wuyi’s squad completed two more cleanup missions over the following half month, earning another 120 points each as their coordination improved.
• Xu Wuyi recognized that their profitable run would not last as other student teams began competing for missions.

Xu Wuyi and Tana sparred on Battle Net and discussed how their teammates had advanced through family sponsorship. Tana tried to recruit Xu Wuyi into the Western Desert Royal Family by proposing marriage to her sister, but he declined and challenged her to another match.

• Xu Wuyi and Tana fought an intense, evenly matched spar in a simulated Cultivation Room.
• Afterward, Tana told Xu Wuyi that Zhao Qingwei's family had sponsored Ding Haochuan, whose talent and archery made him a valuable recruit.
• Tana asked whether Xu Wuyi would accept sponsorship from another family, but he said the school's points system met his needs.
• Tana proposed that Xu Wuyi marry her younger sister and join the Western Desert Royal Family, promising him access to its resources.
• Xu Wuyi sidestepped the proposal and invited Tana to spar again, and she eagerly accepted.

Xu Wuyi visited Han Mo and received guidance on the later stages of the Nine Turns of Heart Fire. Han Mo gave him a wooden box from Grandmaster Yue Lianshan, which Xu Wuyi was told to open during his next cultivation session.

• Xu Wuyi chose to focus on his own cultivation rather than chase faster progress or marry into the royal family.
• Xu Wuyi visited Han Mo and was delighted to find that Han Mo's right arm had been restored by his teacher, Grandmaster Yue Lianshan.
• Xu Wuyi told Han Mo that his Heart Fire had reached the seventh turn but that he struggled to temper it further.
• Han Mo explained that the later turns required purifying and compressing qi and blood through mental control, rather than simply accumulating more of it.
• Han Mo gave Xu Wuyi a dark red wooden box from Grandmaster Yue Lianshan and told him to open it while cultivating the Hundred Refinements Furnace.

Qiao Zhiyao received Grandmaster Yue Lianshan’s advice to practice the Basic Body Tempering Method two hundred times daily and realized Xu Wuyi had given her the same guidance months earlier. Meanwhile, Xu Wuyi opened Han Mo’s gift and discovered it was a wood carving imbued with a grandmaster’s true intent.

• Qiao Zhiyao read Yue Lianshan’s letter advising her to practice the Basic Body Tempering Method two hundred times each day for one to two months.
• Qiao Zhiyao recognized that Xu Wuyi had given her the same advice earlier and decided to begin practicing it that afternoon.
• Xu Wuyi returned to Villa No. 7, entered the underground cultivation room, and prepared himself before opening Han Mo’s wooden box.
• Xu Wuyi touched the volcano-shaped carving and experienced a vivid vision of a vast, erupting volcano.
• Xu Wuyi realized the wood carving contained Grandmaster true intent.

Xu Wuyi used the Volcano Wood Carving gifted by Grandmaster Yue Lianshan to learn how to refine his qi and blood with his mind. After steady progress in the seventh and eighth turns, he completed the ninth turn of Heart Fire and reached minor achievement in the Hundred Refinements Furnace.

• Xu Wuyi placed the Volcano Wood Carving before him and used its image to guide his cultivation of the Hundred Refinements Furnace.
• Xu Wuyi repeatedly practiced compressing and purifying small streams of qi and blood until he achieved his first successful microscopic tempering.
• Xu Wuyi continued cultivating with the carving’s guidance, gradually advancing his stalled seventh turn of Heart Fire.
• In mid-April, Xu Wuyi drove his Heart Fire through the eighth turn and into the final ninth rotation.
• Xu Wuyi completed the nine rotations, and the Martial Dao Diligence Record confirmed that the Hundred Refinements Furnace had reached minor achievement.

Xu Wuyi completed the Nine Turns of Heart Fire, reached minor mastery in the Hundred Refinements Furnace, and comprehended his second Martial Dao True Intent, “Burn.” He tested his transformed strength against Tana on Battle Net and began to overwhelm her.

• Xu Wuyi sensed that his body could refine external things more efficiently after reaching minor mastery in the Hundred Refinements Furnace.
• Xu Wuyi comprehended the True Intent of “Burn,” which complemented his existing “Mountain” True Intent.
• Xu Wuyi decided to ask Teacher Han Mo about the origin of his new True Intent and called Tana for a Battle Net spar.
• Tana attacked Xu Wuyi with her Black Heavy Hammer, but he met the blow with his fist and stood firm while she staggered back.
• Xu Wuyi charged Tana with Instant Shadow Steps, and their ensuing clashes left her increasingly alarmed by his speed, strength, and burning attacks.

Xu Wuyi tested how the minor mastery of the Hundred Refinements Furnace improved his ability to absorb resources, then told Han Mo that he had comprehended the True Intent of “Burn.” Han Mo began probing Xu Wuyi’s assumptions about what a person could recognize within himself.

• Xu Wuyi sparred with Tana, who was startled by his strength and said she would count on him to take the lead on their next mission.
• Xu Wuyi drank a C-rank Life Potion and discovered that the Body Furnace increased his absorption efficiency by at least fifty percent while reducing the strain on his body.
• Xu Wuyi spent several days consolidating his new realm and studying how to use the furnace trait to refine external energy and resources.
• Xu Wuyi visited Han Mo, who recognized that Xu Wuyi had completed the Nine Turns of Heart Fire and reached minor mastery in the Hundred Refinements Furnace.
• Xu Wuyi told Han Mo he had comprehended the True Intent of “Burn,” and Han Mo asked whether people could fully recognize what they held in their hearts.

Han Mo brought Xu Wuyi to meet Lin Jianyi so the Grandmaster could help him understand the source of his true intent, “Burn.” Under Lin Jianyi’s sword intent, Xu Wuyi confronted memories of hardship and injustice, and saw a blazing sun rise behind his mountain-like martial foundation.

• Han Mo explained that Xu Wuyi needed to discover why “Burn” had formed within him and invited him to meet Lin Jianyi.
• Han Mo and Xu Wuyi traveled to Lin Jianyi’s secluded courtyard at Star Martial University.
• Lin Jianyi used his sword intent of “Questioning Heart with Sword” to draw Xu Wuyi into an illusion of his memories.
• Xu Wuyi relived poverty, unequal access to martial resources, and the injustice surrounding his recruitment examination and sponsorship.
• As Xu Wuyi’s anger and helplessness surged, a blazing sun of “Burn” rose behind the mountain of his true intent and dispelled the illusion’s darkness.

Xu Wuyi discovered that his “Burn” True Intent represented a desire to burn away injustice and oppression, complementing his “Mountain” True Intent. Back at his training room, he began using the Hundred Refinements Furnace’s Heart Fire Refining Spirit method to temper his spiritual power.

• Xu Wuyi understood that his “Burn” True Intent was a righteous will to remove injustice, and Lin Jianyi urged him not to forget the heart he had shown.
• Xu Wuyi thanked Lin Jianyi and returned with Han Mo, feeling that his Mountain and Burn True Intents now guided his martial path.
• Xu Wuyi studied the minor accomplishment stage of the Hundred Refinements Furnace and began visualizing his heart fire as a furnace for refining his spirit.
• Xu Wuyi endured intense soul-burning pain as he tempered a wisp of spiritual power, finding that it became more condensed and pure.
• Xu Wuyi added Heart Fire Refining Spirit to his daily training, gradually sharpening his perception and improving his control over his strength.