Chapter Summaries

Qiao Zhiyao dominated the first-year elite team competition, leading East Academy to first place with three decisive victories. Afterward, she met Xu Wuyi and encouraged him to compete in the upcoming second-year competition, confident that his strength would make the result predictable.

• Qiao Zhiyao defeated her first opponent with a finger strike and a palm, impressing the spectators with her control of vitality.
• Qiao Zhiyao beat North Academy’s ace in fifteen seconds and West Academy’s top representative in half a minute.
• East Academy won the first-year elite team competition as Qiao Zhiyao finished with three victories.
• Qiao Zhiyao found Xu Wuyi in the spectator section, where he congratulated her and asked about her progress with the Hundred Refinements Furnace.
• Qiao Zhiyao urged Xu Wuyi to do his best in next week’s second-year competition, though she believed his strength made the outcome nearly certain.

Xu Wuyi led East Academy against South Academy in the gauntlet match, defeating its first two fighters with spear thrusts that unleashed powerful spiritual attacks. The match continued with Li Hao preparing to face him.

• Xu Wuyi told Shen Wei and Zhou Mingxuan that he would go first and try to end the fight quickly.
• Qin Rui accepted that Xu Wuyi had surpassed him but resolved to fight with everything he had, while Tana and other students prepared for the competition.
• East Academy faced South Academy, and Xu Wuyi entered first against Sun Xiaoyu.
• Xu Wuyi disrupted Sun Xiaoyu with a spiritual attack and won with a single spear thrust.
• Xu Wuyi used another spiritual attack to break through Chen Fan's defensive technique and defeated him with a spear tap.
• Li Hao stood to face Xu Wuyi after recognizing how his spiritual attack created an opening for a finishing strike.

Xu Wuyi defeated Li Hao and Zhang Qi with mental-power-enhanced spear thrusts, leaving East Academy ahead of North Academy. Luo Liang and Zhao Qingwei prepared to face Xu Wuyi next, but his method seemed almost impossible to resist.

• Li Hao attacked Xu Wuyi with his Double Shadow Stacked Kill, but Xu Wuyi’s mental suppression slowed him and disrupted his consciousness before he won with a spear thrust.
• Xu Wuyi explained to Li Hao that refining the spirit and strengthening mental power were central to Martial Master combat.
• North Academy arranged for Zhang Qi to fight first, Luo Liang second, and Zhao Qingwei last so they could observe Xu Wuyi’s methods.
• Zhang Qi tried to defend with his staff, but Xu Wuyi’s mental intent disrupted his qi and blood and opened a flaw, allowing Xu Wuyi to defeat him with one thrust.

Xu Wuyi defeated Luo Liang and Zhao Qingwei with overwhelming mental attacks, securing East Academy’s second-round victory. As the third round against West Academy began, Qin Rui volunteered to face Xu Wuyi first despite knowing the gap between them.

• Luo Liang attacked Xu Wuyi, but Xu Wuyi’s fused Mountain and Burn intent shattered his mental defense and won with one spear thrust.
• Zhao Qingwei challenged Xu Wuyi with her sword intent, but his mental impact broke her attack and earned East Academy the second-round victory.
• West Academy discussed Xu Wuyi’s mental strength, and Ding Haochuan and Tana admitted they had little chance against him.
• Qin Rui volunteered to go first so he could test how far behind Xu Wuyi he was.

Xu Wuyi defeated Qin Rui, Tana, and Ding Haochuan to lead East Academy to first place in the team event, winning all nine of his battles. After the competition, he asked Anna to create a cultivation plan to raise his Life Energy Level to nearly 35 by early February.

• Xu Wuyi overwhelmed Qin Rui’s sharpness true intent with his fused Mountain and Burn intent, then defeated him with a spear thrust.
• Tana and Ding Haochuan challenged Xu Wuyi, but he beat them both with two spear thrusts and secured East Academy’s team victory.
• Xu Wuyi explained to Shen Wei and Zhou Mingxuan how he used mental power to strike opponents’ consciousness and reflected that Chu Shanhe might eventually catch up.
• The next day, Xu Wuyi received eight hundred points and asked Anna to devise a faster cultivation plan.
• Anna recommended Dragon Blood Body-Forging Mixture and Spirit-Concentrating Crystal Essence to help Xu Wuyi approach Life Energy Level 35.

Xu Wuyi decided to spend points on trial cultivation resources, while Zhai Zidu won Black Stone Academy’s campus tournament and received a recommendation to join Red Star. Zhai began Red Star’s entry test by challenging Hong Nianyi’s phantom, but was overwhelmed by her skill.

• Xu Wuyi calculated the cost of regular mixtures and crystal essence and ordered one trial portion of each.
• Zhai Zidu defeated his opponent in Black Stone Academy’s annual campus tournament and told Shi Yue he intended to keep cultivating.
• Shi Yue gave Zhai Zidu a Red Star badge and said someone would contact him in three days.
• Fu Yun explained Red Star’s entry test, and Zhai Zidu chose to face Hong Nianyi’s phantom.
• Hong Nianyi’s phantom outmatched Zhai Zidu with precise blade strikes, leaving him on one knee and badly wounded before the three-minute test ended.

Zhai Zidu failed to defeat two Nine Stars Monument phantoms, then learned Xu Wuyi had defeated Hong Nianyi’s phantom months earlier by fusing true meanings. Determined to measure the gap, Zhai Zidu challenged Xu Wuyi’s record, but the phantom’s first strike shattered his barrier of will.

• Zhai Zidu admitted defeat against Hong Nianyi’s phantom, then lasted one minute and forty seconds against Ye Chong’s hammer before losing again.
• Fu Yun told Zhai Zidu that Xu Wuyi had joined Red Star in September and defeated Hong Nianyi’s phantom, leaving a record at level 32.5.
• Zhai Zidu studied Xu Wuyi’s record and learned that Xu Wuyi had fused two true meanings during the challenge.
• Zhai Zidu challenged Xu Wuyi’s phantom, using the Ice Soul Art to guard his body and mind against its spear attack.
• The phantom’s spear overwhelmed Zhai Zidu’s defenses, and its mental impact shattered his barrier of will.

Zhai Zidu was decisively defeated by Xu Wuyi’s phantom and resolved to face the real Xu Wuyi someday. Meanwhile, Xu Wuyi continued cultivating at Star Martial University, deepening the fusion of his true intents before logging into Red Star Network.

• Zhai Zidu’s Frost Shatter failed against Xu Wuyi’s phantom, whose spear broke through his mental barrier and ended the challenge in fifty-nine seconds.
• Fu Yun explained that Xu Wuyi had recently dominated Star Martial’s Departmental Competition, and Zhai Zidu said he wanted to fight the real Xu Wuyi after passing Red Star’s entry test.
• Xu Wuyi assessed the consumption of his Spirit-Concentrating Crystal Essence and found that his Mountain and Burn true intents had formed a small whirlpool as they began to merge.
• Xu Wuyi reviewed his progress, with his Life Energy Level at 34.1 and Mental Strength at 35.6, then entered the Battle Net to browse Red Star’s cultivation discussion section.

Xu Wuyi read Red Star discussions about martial domains and the worsening Astral Battlefield situation, then continued cultivating until New Year’s Eve. After reaching level 34.8, he learned that his parents had called and chose to call them back.

• Xu Wuyi studied a post about transforming Ice Soul intent into a Frost Domain and read members’ discussion of his strength and Nine Stars Monument record.
• Xu Wuyi read a report describing increased Star Beast tides, unfamiliar Alien Race abilities, and rift infiltrations in the Seventh Defense Zone, prompting him to resolve to cultivate faster.
• On New Year’s Eve, Xu Wuyi reached level 34.8, stabilized the fused Mountain and Burn true-intent vortex, and saw that his account held 1172 points.
• Anna told Xu Wuyi that his parents had requested a communication, and he asked her to connect the call.

On New Year's Eve, Xu Wuyi called his parents and heard that his cousin Xu You was doing well at school. Afterward, he searched the mission system for a suitable assignment and focused on a high-reward mission to kill a Rotten Wood Demon.

• Xu Wuyi spoke with Father Xu and Mother Xu, reassured them about his cultivation, and heard that Xu You ranked in the top ten of her grade.
• Father Xu told Xu Wuyi to stay safe, and the family ended their New Year's Eve call.
• Xu Wuyi asked Anna to filter missions for Martial Masters below level 35, favoring high rewards and short durations near Yuntai City.
• Xu Wuyi reviewed extermination, escort, and reconnaissance missions, including assignments involving Iron-Corroding Rats and the Dark Abyss Rift.
• Xu Wuyi found a 1,500-point subjugation mission to kill a level 36–37 Rotten Wood Demon in Putrid Swamp Woodland and recalled that fire was its weakness.

Xu Wuyi accepted a high-risk mission to subjugate the Rotten Wood Demon in Putrid Swamp Woodland and prepared equipment and a battle plan. Before leaving, he focused on channeling his fused mountain-and-burn true intent into his spear.

• Xu Wuyi reviewed the Rotten Wood Demon's abilities and weaknesses, including its fire-vulnerable core, and decided to take the mission.
• Xu Wuyi accepted mission FT-0093 alone despite the warning that it was high-risk and recommended for a team.
• Xu Wuyi exchanged 530 points for an antidote, an all-environment combat suit, and a micro recon bee swarm.
• Xu Wuyi planned to break through the demon's defenses, locate its core, and use Undying Flame to destroy it.
• Xu Wuyi sat with his Meteor Iron Long Spear and began guiding his fused mountain-and-burn intent into it.

Xu Wuyi traveled to Putrid Swamp Woodland to hunt the Rotten Wood Demon and met the stationed Martial Masters Li Feng and Han Qingqing at Warning Station No. 3. After learning about the demon’s mobility and past ambushes, he prepared to enter the woodland under Li Feng’s command.

• Xu Wuyi prepared his equipment, asked Anna to plan a route, and departed for Putrid Swamp Woodland in a military hover vehicle.
• Xu Wuyi arrived at Warning Station No. 3, where Li Feng and Han Qingqing greeted him and questioned whether he could face the Rotten Wood Demon alone.
• Xu Wuyi agreed to follow Li Feng’s command until they found the demon.
• Li Feng showed Xu Wuyi a blurry image of the Rotten Wood Demon and explained that its roots let it relocate within a two-kilometer area.
• Han Qingqing said the demon had evaded three searches and ambushed the last team, destroying a drone and two automated turrets.

Xu Wuyi rejected a slow search for the Rotten Wood Demon and led Li Feng and Han Qingqing into Putrid Swamp Woodland to burn away its offshoots. After finding a weak decoy tree, he used his Undying Flame to ignite it and send the fire racing through the underground root network toward the demon’s main body.

• Xu Wuyi proposed using fire to force the Rotten Wood Demon out, and Li Feng agreed to take him and Han Qingqing into the woodland.
• The three entered Putrid Swamp Woodland, where Li Feng tracked a strong life reaction with his energy detector.
• They found a huge strange tree, but Li Feng identified it as a weak offshoot rather than the demon’s main body.
• Xu Wuyi sensed that the tree connected to a vast underground root network and raised his hand to summon the Undying Flame.
• Xu Wuyi sent a small flame onto a vine, and it rapidly engulfed the tree and spread along the roots, stripping them of vitality.

Xu Wuyi and his companions confronted the level 37 Rotten Wood Demon in the Putrid Swamp Woodland after its main body emerged. Xu Wuyi killed it with his spear and Undying Flame, leaving Li Feng and Han Qingqing stunned.

• Xu Wuyi sensed the Rotten Wood Demon's main body fleeing, and the enraged woodland erupted with vines and twisting trees.
• The Rotten Wood Demon emerged, and Li Feng and Han Qingqing joined Xu Wuyi in attacking it.
• Xu Wuyi used his Undying Flame to burn the demon's vines while directing Li Feng and Han Qingqing to guard and distract it.
• The demon tried to retreat underground, but Xu Wuyi spread flames through the earth and stopped its escape.
• Xu Wuyi resisted the demon's mental interference and pierced its eye-like core with his spear, killing it as golden flames consumed its body.
• Li Feng and Han Qingqing stood dumbfounded at Xu Wuyi's swift victory.

Xu Wuyi completed the Rotten Wood Demon mission with Li Feng and Han Qingqing, earning 1,500 points and strengthening their desire to work with him again. After reviewing the battle and recovering, he searched for another high-reward mission near Yuntai City.

• Xu Wuyi recovered the Rotten Wood Demon's energy core after [Undying Flame] destroyed it, and Li Feng and Han Qingqing agreed the mission was complete.
• The three returned to the outpost, where Li Feng uploaded the mission proof and asked Xu Wuyi to contact them about similar missions in the future.
• Xu Wuyi returned to Star Martial University, received 1,500 points, and reviewed the battle, noting the limits of [Undying Flame] and the mental cost of the Great Sun Atop the Mountain intent.
• Xu Wuyi checked his updated stats and reflected that he had become the top student in his cohort within a year.
• After his mental strength recovered, Xu Wuyi asked Anna to filter the mission list for short, high-reward missions near Yuntai City.

Xu Wuyi searched for a high-reward mission and chose a dangerous cleanup operation at Rift 7-C in the Ashen Wasteland. He accepted the mission for 2,000 points and additional credit for any Star Beasts he killed, and needed to reach the assembly point within 12 hours.

• Xu Wuyi filtered the mission list by duration and minimum reward, but rejected the remaining local missions as unsuitable.
• Xu Wuyi expanded the search to the entire Federation and found mission LK-4472 to restore communications, check for surviving Star Beasts, and collect samples near Rift 7-C.
• Xu Wuyi reviewed the battle reports and learned that a saturation strike had scorched the area and temporarily closed the rift, though dangerous survivors and a secondary collapse remained possible.
• Xu Wuyi accepted LK-4472 and received the assembly-point coordinates, with a 12-hour deadline to report in.

Xu Wuyi prepared to investigate Rift 7-C alone and arrived at the military staging area in the Ashen Wasteland. At the briefing, Zhao Zhen explained the mission objectives and named Lei Lie as the vanguard.

• Xu Wuyi reviewed the radiation, energy turbulence, terrain hazards, and surviving star beasts reported around Rift 7-C.
• Xu Wuyi chose to operate alone and exchanged points for radiation neutralizers, filter modules, grenades, and a geological scan map.
• Xu Wuyi boarded a transport aircraft with nine other martial masters and traveled to the military staging area at the edge of the wasteland.
• Zhao Zhen briefed the martial masters on deploying twenty-four signal base stations, eliminating surviving star beasts, and collecting three energy samples.
• Zhao Zhen designated level 36.8 martial master Lei Lie to enter through Entrance Three, draw out major threats, and clear a route toward the core.

Xu Wuyi entered the scorched western sector alone, deployed Base Station A7, and discovered that its activation had awakened ash worms underground. He watched as eight worms surfaced and converged on the station.

• Zhao Zhen assigned the martial masters their routes, and Xu Wuyi chose Entrance Six to explore its dangerous terrain alone.
• Xu Wuyi checked his equipment and entered the scorched zone after Lei Lie and the other teams set out.
• Xu Wuyi sensed five dormant ash worms underground but marked their location and continued to the first deployment point.
• Xu Wuyi activated Base Station A7 and headed toward the next coordinate.
• Xu Wuyi sensed more worms stirring underground and saw eight ash worms surface and wriggle toward Base Station A7.

Xu Wuyi fought his way through waves of Star Beasts in the increasingly hazardous terrain as he advanced toward the second base-station deployment point. After defeating fourteen Ash Worms and six Lava Lizards, he continued deeper, where stronger mutated creatures—including a level 33 Lava Lizard Leader—appeared.

• Xu Wuyi used two stun grenades to disrupt eight surface Ash Worms, then killed them with his spear and [Undying Flame].
• Six underground Ash Worms burst from the ground and attacked Xu Wuyi, but he evaded their acid, stopped four from escaping with Great Sun Atop the Mountain, and killed all six.
• Xu Wuyi confirmed no more Ash Worms were nearby, checked his rising kill records, and continued toward the second base-station deployment point.
• Six Lava Lizards ambushed Xu Wuyi near a lava tunnel, but he scattered their acid projectiles and killed them with his spear and [Undying Flame].
• Xu Wuyi continued through further attacks from mixed Star Beasts, including Radiation Beetles and Shadowclaw Weasels, and encountered a mutated level 33 Lava Lizard Leader.

Xu Wuyi kept advancing through the rift, killing Star Beasts and deploying base stations so efficiently that he overtook the planned vanguard. Zhao Zhen changed his orders, sending him onward from rendezvous point K7 to explore and clear the dangerous route toward the rift’s core.

• Xu Wuyi found a weakness in the level-33 Mutant Lava Lizard’s defenses and killed it with a spear strike infused with Undying Flame.
• Zhao Zhen’s command team reviewed the squads’ progress and learned that Xu Wuyi was advancing faster than the others, with a mental strength of 36.9.
• Xu Wuyi deployed base station A13 and silently killed four lurking Shadowclaw Weasels.
• Zhao Zhen contacted Xu Wuyi and ordered him to continue past K7 toward the rift’s core without waiting for the other squads.