Chapter Summaries

Qin Yao and the others reached the Imperial Capital and bypassed the long entry queue through General's Gate using Qi Huansu's official passage permit. As the group rode through, a guard called out to Qin Yao to stop the carriage.

• Qin Lan marveled at the Imperial Capital's enormous walls as Qin Yao urged the carriage onward to catch up with Qi Huansu and the others.
• The group saw the long queue at the main gate, and Qi Huansu led them toward the empty General's Gate instead.
• Onlookers expected the guards to punish the group for approaching General's Gate, which was reserved for officials and people with special authorization.
• Junior officer Yuan Zhu saluted Qi Huansu, checked her passage permit, and ordered the guards to open the gate for the Imperial Capital Academy's special patrol team.
• The group entered through General's Gate, but a voice called for Qin Yao to stop his carriage.

Qin Yao was stopped at General's Gate by a junior officer who mistook him for an unauthorized coachman, but Qi Huansu revealed his identity as the Foreign Repelling Spearhead. Qin Yao was allowed through the gate as the chastened officer and astonished townsfolk watched.

• A junior officer blocked Qin Yao's carriage and accused him of trespassing through General's Gate.
• Zhao Wuji watched the confrontation with amusement while Zhou Yuanqing and the others hesitated to intervene.
• Qi Huansu rode back and identified Qin Yao as the Foreign Repelling Spearhead and Imperial Capital Academy's top recruit from the Three Northern Prefectures.
• The junior officer apologized, ordered the guards to clear the way, and let Qin Yao pass.
• The townsfolk learned what Qin Yao's title meant, panicked over having mocked him, and some knelt to beg forgiveness.
• Qin Yao shook his head and guided the carriage steadily through the gate.

Qin Yao and the others entered Great Yan’s Imperial Capital and marveled at its bustling streets as residents recognized the Imperial Capital Academy banner. The onlookers explained that the newcomers had likely earned admission through the dangerous Foreign Repelling Camp, and wondered who among them would be this year’s Foreign Repelling Spearhead.

• Qin Yao explained to Qin Lan that the glowing markings in the city gate tunnel were runes used to reinforce the walls and repel enemies.
• The group emerged into the Imperial Capital’s crowded streets, where Qin Lan, Qin Yao, and the other newcomers admired the city’s size and bustle.
• Pedestrians recognized the Imperial Capital Academy banner and speculated that the young riders were newly admitted students.
• A young martial artist explained that recruits under twenty could qualify for the academy’s Direct Examination by earning one thousand battle merit points in the Foreign Repelling Camp, though most recruits faced death or crippling injuries.
• The young martial artist described the previous Foreign Repelling Spearhead, nicknamed the Snow Demon, and the wealthy merchant wondered who would take the title this year.

Qin Yao’s procession entered the Imperial Capital, and Qi Huansu publicly identified him as the “Foreign Repelling Spearhead,” forcing Zhao Wuji to give up the lead. After traveling through the city, the group reached the gates of Imperial Capital Academy.

• A merchant and a young martial artist mistook Zhao Wuji for the “Foreign Repelling Spearhead,” while Zhao Wuji privately resented Qin Yao for taking the distinction.
• Qi Huansu stopped the procession and invited Qin Yao to lead it as the true “Foreign Repelling Spearhead.”
• The onlookers praised Qin Yao’s humility, and Zhao Wuji yielded the front position, simmering with anger and vowing revenge at the academy examination.
• Qin Lan admired the city’s food as the procession traveled through the inner city with Qin Dashan and the others.
• Qin Yao’s group arrived at the towering entrance of Imperial Capital Academy.

Qin Yao brought his grandfather and sister to Imperial Capital Academy, where Qi Huansu arranged free lodging for them while he prepared for the direct examination. After settling them into a luxurious room at Welcome Guest Tower, Qin Yao left to rejoin the others at the academy.

• Qin Yao and his companions arrived at Imperial Capital Academy, and Qin Dashan asked Qi Huansu where he and Qin Lan could stay.
• Qi Huansu explained that qualified students’ immediate family could stay at a designated inn for free, and she wrote Qin Dashan a recommendation letter.
• Qi Huansu told the students they could board their horses at the academy’s stables for free, and they led their horses there.
• Qin Yao took Qin Dashan and Qin Lan to Welcome Guest Tower, where the proprietor gave them a free Heavenly Grade room and offered complimentary meals and services.
• Qin Dashan and Qin Lan urged Qin Yao to focus on the examination, and Qin Yao told them to stay at the inn before leaving to rejoin the others.

Qin Yao entered Imperial Capital Academy with Qi Huansu and saw its vast grounds and training arenas. As other students discussed the coming direct-entry exam, a freshman recognized him and wondered in alarm why he was there.

• Qi Huansu led Qin Yao and the other Foreign Repelling Camp candidates through the academy gates.
• Older students discussed the candidates’ special admission and warned that many had failed the direct-entry exam the previous year.
• Qin Yao resolved to take first place in the exam, confident in his Grind Emperor System.
• Freshmen watched Qi Huansu’s group pass and discussed the Foreign Repelling Spearhead’s military merit.
• A girl recognized Qin Yao and exclaimed, “Why is he here?!”

Qin Yao and the other candidates toured the Imperial Capital Academy before learning that their direct examination would be a combat test the next morning. Qin Yuwei briefly mistook Qin Yao for the cousin she had ruined, while Zhao Wuji resolved to make Qin Yao pay during the examination.

• Qin Yuwei spotted Qin Yao from a distance but dismissed the possibility that he was the cousin she had framed and sent to the mines.
• Qi Huansu showed Qin Yao and the other candidates the academy's Library Tower, Alchemy Pavilion, Formation Hall, and Rune Hall.
• Zhao Wuji mocked Liu Qingqing's dream of becoming a pill alchemist, and Qi Huansu explained how rare and prestigious such alchemists were.
• Qi Huansu told the candidates that the direct examination would be one-on-one combat, with those who could hold out long enough advancing.
• Qi Huansu warned the candidates against private fights and ordered them to gather at the training grounds before a quarter to nine the next morning.
• Zhao Wuji watched Qin Yao leave and vowed to make him pay during the examination.

Students and instructors gathered at Martial Arts Arena No. 11 to watch seven military-qualified candidates take the academy’s direct examination. Zhou Yuanqing, Su Muzhi, and Lu Ciwu arrived to face the crowd’s scrutiny, and their awkward moments eased Zhou Yuanqing’s nerves as the examination was about to begin.

• Students and new arrivals gathered at the arena, where Instructor Han Tao told the new students to watch the candidates’ combat and warned that battlefield experience did not guarantee martial skill.
• Qin Yuwei and Zhang Xiaoqi discussed how many candidates might pass, while Qin learned that all seven came from the Three Northern Prefectures’ Foreign Repelling Camps.
• Zhou Yuanqing arrived on time but was mocked by spectators for his nervousness and ninth-level Body Tempering Realm cultivation.
• Su Muzhi and Lu Ciwu arrived together, and spectators’ comments embarrassed Su Muzhi over his winter fan and Lu Ciwu over his appearance.
• Zhou Yuanqing relaxed when he saw Su Muzhi and Lu Ciwu suffer their own awkward moments.

Liu Qingqing, Murong Qingquan, and Zhao Wuji arrived for the direct examination as spectators discussed the newcomers and their looks. Qin Yao then entered eating a roasted lamb leg, and Qin Yuwei recognized him with shock.

• Liu Qingqing and Murong Qingquan arrived, drawing attention from the students and prompting them to dub four girls the “Four Beauties of the Freshmen.”
• Murong Qingquan calmed the nervous Liu Qingqing by telling her to imagine the spectators as potatoes.
• Zhao Wuji arrived boasting of his Blood Aperture Realm, Fourth Layer cultivation, but overheard senior students criticizing his age and attitude.
• Qin Yao entered the arena while eating a roasted lamb leg, surprising the spectators with his relaxed manner.
• Qin Yuwei stared at Qin Yao in disbelief and realized that he really was the person she recognized.

Qin Yuwei was stunned to see Qin Yao alive and qualified for the Imperial Capital Academy Direct Examination, while Qin Yao openly rebuffed Zhao Wuji. Dean Han Yongshi announced the examination would pit the seven candidates against older students for admission or academic credits, leaving the seniors eager to fight.

• Qin Yuwei recognized Qin Yao at the martial arena and struggled to hide her shock from Zhang Xiaoqi.
• Qin Yao mocked Zhao Wuji after Zhao accused him of being afraid to fight.
• Han Yongshi arrived with Qi Huansu and other instructors, then introduced himself as the examination's chief examiner.
• Han Yongshi announced that the examination would be one-on-one combat, with the victor staying and the loser eliminated.
• Han Yongshi clarified that the seven candidates would fight older students, with candidate victories earning admission and senior victories earning academic credits.
• The older students grew excited over the credits and eagerly eyed Qin Yao and the other candidates as opponents.

At the Imperial Capital Academy examination, the challengers learned they would face senior students in practical combat, and Qin Yao asked whether he could earn credits by winning more than one match. His request stunned the venue, while Qin Yuwei feared he might expose her past crimes if he entered the academy.

• Zhou Yuanqing, Su Muzhi, Liu Qingqing, Lu Ciwu, and Zhao Wuji reacted nervously or angrily after learning their opponents would be senior students.
• Qin Yao noticed that the seniors' displayed cultivation was no higher than the ninth layer of the Blood Aperture Realm and pretended to be nervous to conceal his confidence.
• Qin Yuwei saw Qin Yao's cultivation plaque and feared he had hidden his strength and might gain admission before exposing her.
• Han Yongshi introduced the Cultivation-Testing Glazed Mirror and explained the rules for matching challengers with senior students, warning that seniors who lost disgracefully would forfeit their semester credits.
• Qin Yao asked Han Yongshi whether challengers who won multiple matches could earn credits, provoking outrage and disbelief among the senior students.

Qin Yao challenged the senior students to a wheel battle, drawing ridicule from the stands and skepticism from the other freshmen. When Han Yongshi offered fifty credit points for winning two matches in a row, Qin Yao learned how valuable credits were at Imperial Capital Academy and asked how longer winning streaks would be rewarded.

• Senior students mocked Qin Yao's claimed strength and called him a frog at the bottom of a well, while Qin Yuwei secretly celebrated his apparent arrogance.
• Zhao Wuji taunted Qin Yao, and the other freshmen wondered whether he was genuinely strong or bluffing.
• Han Yongshi agreed to Qin Yao's proposed wheel battle and promised fifty credit points to anyone among the seven who won two matches in a row.
• The senior students and freshmen reacted eagerly to the reward as they considered what the credits could buy.
• After hearing that a Lower Profound Rank technique cost ten credits to borrow, Qin Yao asked Han Yongshi how a streak of three or five victories would be counted.
• A senior student leaped up and cursed Qin Yao for suggesting he could win that many matches.

Qin Yao challenged the academy’s freshmen examination and secured a promise of escalating credit rewards for consecutive victories. When he tested his cultivation, the mirror revealed that he had reached the Ninth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm, leaving the venue stunned.

• Han Yongshi promised escalating credit rewards for each match won, then required Qin Yao to win two matches for admission while the other candidates needed only one.
• Han Yongshi offered senior students ten credits for each victory and urged them to take the sparring matches seriously.
• Qin Yao stepped forward to test his cultivation before the other candidates.
• The Cultivation-Testing Glazed Mirror glowed blue and revealed Qin Yao’s cultivation as the Ninth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm.
• The instructor and everyone in the venue fell silent in shock.

Qin Yao’s test revealed that he had reached the Ninth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm, shocking the students and teachers and overturning their assumptions about him. As Dean Han called for the next test, Zhao Wuji took the stage and registered at the fourth layer.

• The Mystic-Testing Glazed Mirror displayed Qin Yao’s Ninth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm, leaving the teachers, students, and freshmen stunned.
• Han Tao’s freshmen recognized the gap between Qin Yao and themselves, while Qin Yuwei secretly panicked about what he might reveal about his past.
• Zhao Wuji realized Qin Yao far surpassed him and regretted having mocked and provoked him.
• Zhou Yuanqing, Su Muzhi, Liu Qingqing, and Murong Qingquan reacted with astonishment, while Qi Huansu praised Qin Yao and Han Yongshi said his combat ability still needed testing.
• Dean Han ordered the remaining students to follow the testing order, and Zhao Wuji registered at the fourth layer of the Blood Aperture Realm.

The seven new students completed their cultivation tests, and the combat assessment began with Zhou Yuanqing facing Zhang Chong. Zhang Chong defeated Zhou Yuanqing in nine moves, leaving Liu Qingqing anxious as her match approached.

• The new students' cultivation levels were tested, and the old students focused on Qin Yao's Blood Aperture Realm Level Nine.
• Han Yongshi announced that the combat order would reverse the test order, making Qin Yao the last to fight.
• Qi Huansu called Zhou Yuanqing to the arena and had him choose an opponent from the old students at Body Tempering Realm Level Nine.
• Zhou Yuanqing chose Zhang Chong and attacked with his family's Sandfall Severing Current Blade, but Zhang Chong evaded the strike with a single step.
• Zhang Chong countered with swift, powerful sword thrusts, disarmed Zhou Yuanqing on the ninth move, and held his sword to Zhou Yuanqing's throat.
• Zhou Yuanqing admitted defeat, and Liu Qingqing grew nervous because she was next to fight.

Liu Qingqing lost to Liu Youcong but learned she could still seek admission through alchemy or talisman-crafting aptitude tests if she met the martial-cultivation minimum. Su Muzhi then defeated Zhu Wuhao in a grueling spear-and-saber match, giving the challengers their first win.

• Liu Qingqing chose Liu Youcong and was knocked from the arena after losing their fast-paced weapon fight.
• Qi Huansu told Liu Qingqing about the alchemy and talisman-crafting aptitude tests, while clarifying that applicants still needed Blood Aperture Realm cultivation; Zhou Yuanqing realized he could not qualify.
• Su Muzhi chose Zhu Wuhao and studied him before opening the match with a rapid spear thrust.
• Su Muzhi and Zhu Wuhao fought for more than a hundred exchanges, both sustaining injuries.
• Su Muzhi used his spear's longer reach to strike Zhu Wuhao off the arena and claimed victory.

Su Muzhi won his admission match but conceded the chance for a second fight, while Lu Ciwu fought Wang Luohua to a draw and was admitted by Han Yongshi. After watching Lu Ciwu succeed, Zhao Wuji resolved to surpass Qin Yao after enrollment as the next match began.

• Su Muzhi accepted his victory over Zhu Wuhao and declined to continue fighting for the fifty-credit reward.
• Qi Huansu called Lu Ciwu to challenge a senior student, and Lu Ciwu chose Wang Luohua as his opponent.
• Lu Ciwu and Wang Luohua fought through more than a hundred exchanges, both suffering wounds until Qi Huansu stopped them.
• Han Yongshi declared the match a draw, admitted Lu Ciwu with half-rate first-month credits, and reduced Wang Luohua's reward to five credits.
• Zhou Yuanqing helped the injured Lu Ciwu, while Su Muzhi praised his determination and Zhao Wuji vowed to surpass Qin Yao.
• Qi Huansu announced Murong Qingquan as the fifth match.

Murong Qingquan won two consecutive admission matches despite suffering injuries, earning fifty academic credits and drawing admiration as Qin Yuwei grew jealous. Zhao Wuji then began his challenge, selecting a Fourth Layer student as his opponent.

• Murong Qingquan defeated Zhong Yutian with a rapid sword combination, earning admission despite sustaining a minor internal injury.
• Murong Qingquan chose to continue and beat Zhu Kaihu after a prolonged fight, earning fifty academic credits.
• Qin Yuwei watched Murong Qingquan’s victories with growing jealousy while Zhang Xiaoqi celebrated her success.
• Zhao Wuji stepped forward for the sixth match and, after seeing Murong Qingquan’s performance, chose a male Fourth Layer student to face.

Wang Xieyuan defeated Zhao Wuji in three crushing axe strikes, and Zhao Wuji decided to pursue alchemy or talismans instead of the martial path. Qin Yao’s match was called, and he faced five Ninth Layer seniors while dismissing them as too few opponents to earn many credits.

• Wang Xieyuan overpowered Zhao Wuji with three axe strikes, knocked him out of the arena, and won ten academic credits.
• Qi Huansu revoked Zhao Wuji’s admission qualification, and Zhao Wuji decided to take the alchemy or talisman talent test for special admission.
• Qi Huansu called Qin Yao for the seventh match and summoned the five older students at the Ninth Layer of the Blood Aperture Realm.
• The senior and new students speculated about Qin Yao’s chances as he surveyed his five possible opponents.
• Qin Yao complained that five opponents were too few to farm many credits, stunning the gathered senior students.

Qin Yao chose Wang Xieyi as his first opponent, provoking the veteran students before Wang Xieyi displayed his enormous hammer. As the duel prepared to begin, Qin Yao gathered an assortment of weapons, leaving everyone baffled.

• Qin Yao ignored the crowd's outrage and selected Wang Xieyi to fight.
• The veteran students revealed that Wang Xieyi was stronger than his cousin Wang Xieyuan and had mastered a more powerful Three Axe Strikes.
• Wang Xieyi entered the arena, threatened Qin Yao, and chose a massive sledgehammer weighing nearly two thousand eight hundred jin.
• Wang Xieyi smashed the stone floor with his hammer and warned Qin Yao to surrender.
• Qin Yao donned knuckle guards and collected a longsword, a saber, throwing knives, and a spear, stunning the onlookers.