Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning, wearing a silver mask, stepped in to fight Fang Daoquan after the peak master overwhelmed Feng Zhen and another master with his Martial Dao will. Their battle escalated into a series of powerful clashes, and Fang Daoquan realized Jiang Ning was stronger than he had expected.

• Fang Daoquan suppressed Feng Zhen with his spiritual pressure and swiftly crippled the master who tried to intervene.
• Jiang Ning drew a golden sword and blocked Fang Daoquan's attack, giving Feng Zhen time to leave and support the other fighters.
• Fang Daoquan brought out his spear and challenged Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning resisted his Martial Dao will and repeatedly deflected his attacks.
• Jiang Ning and Fang Daoquan exchanged increasingly powerful blows, ending with Jiang Ning standing firm against Fang Daoquan's full-force spear strike.
• Fang Daoquan suspected Jiang Ning might be one of the invincible masters from the rumors after seeing his strength.

Jiang Ning killed Fang Daoquan with the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword, then joined Feng Zhen’s fight and cut down Profound Finger Mountain’s grandmasters. As the battle continued, the Violet-Clad Marquis and Yun Shanhe remained locked in a deadly confrontation above the mountain, preventing Yun Shanhe from aiding his sect.

• Jiang Ning used the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword to outmaneuver Fang Daoquan and sever his head, killing the top grandmaster.
• Jiang Ning left Fang Daoquan’s battlefield and killed a grandmaster beside Feng Zhen, then answered Feng Zhen’s questions without revealing his identity.
• Feng Zhen saw Fang Daoquan’s headless body and realized Jiang Ning had killed the peak master of Profound Finger Mountain.
• Jiang Ning fought toward the entrance to Middle Finger Peak, killing grandmasters as he sought to inflict greater losses on Profound Finger Mountain.
• Yun Shanhe shouted at the Violet-Clad Marquis from above, and the Violet-Clad Marquis said he would prevent Yun Shanhe from going down to save his people.

Jiang Ning helped Zhou Sheng’s forces attack Profound Finger Mountain, but the battle was interrupted when Xiang Yuan appeared and tried to breach the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land. After the grotto-heaven’s surviving ancestor repelled him and took Yun Shanhe away, Xiang Yuan destroyed Profound Finger Mountain’s main building and ordered Jiang Ning to follow him.

• Jiang Ning slaughtered the defenders at the mountain gate and left Feng Zhen to lead the assault up Middle Finger Mountain.
• Yun Shanhe arrived, questioned Jiang Ning’s identity, and fought Zhou Sheng before Zhou Sheng called on Jiang Ning to help hold him back.
• A woman emerged from the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land’s five-colored light pillar, but Xiang Yuan shot her with a bloodstained arrow, killed her, and tore open the passage.
• The grotto-heaven’s surviving ancestor struck Xiang Yuan back, seized Yun Shanhe, and closed the entrance, leaving Xiang Yuan unable to reach the cave-heaven’s heart.
• Xiang Yuan acknowledged Zhou Sheng’s role, destroyed Profound Finger Mountain’s grandest building with another arrow, and told Jiang Ning to come with him.

After the Martial King, Xiang Yuan, warned Jiang Ning to prepare carefully before attempting his ninth blood exchange, he urged him to visit Xiao Wuque in the Royal Capital. Jiang Ning trained his Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword as the assault on Profound Finger Mountain continued, then learned from Zhou Sheng that Xiao Wuque was the Martial Saint Manor’s most gifted disciple and likely successor.

• Xiang Yuan praised Jiang Ning’s eight blood exchanges, warned him against rushing the ninth or entering the realm of Martial Dao myth, and told him to visit Xiao Wuque in the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning returned to Profound Finger Mountain, saw the Inspection Office’s battle against the remaining defenders, and decided to focus on training rather than rejoin the fighting.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his Indestructible Vajra Body and practiced the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword, gaining experience as the battle continued across the five peaks.
• Zhou Sheng arrived and praised Jiang Ning’s sword technique, recognizing that it had made Fang Daoquan’s defeat inevitable.
• Jiang Ning told Zhou Sheng that Xiang Yuan had sent him to meet Xiao Wuque, and Zhou Sheng explained Xiao Wuque’s exceptional standing in the Martial Saint Manor.
• Zhou Sheng warned Jiang Ning that Yun Shanhe and Mysterious Origin Blessed Land remained threats, promised to report Jiang Ning’s contribution privately, and advised him to prioritize meeting Xiao Wuque.

Jiang Ning trained at Zhou Sheng’s residence before attending the Victory Banquet, where Zhou Sheng presented him as a prince to the assembled guests. The chapter ended with Jiang Ning discovering that he, Zhou Sheng, and Feng Zhen had been served especially valuable wine.

• Jiang Ning resumed training the Indestructible Vajra Body while waiting for Zhou Sheng to return, and worried that Yun Shanhe might come after him.
• Zhou Sheng reassured Jiang Ning that his Silver Star Sand mask concealed him from detection, then reminded him to attend the Victory Banquet.
• Zhong Yue asked Jiang Ning to keep looking after Zhong Ling, and Jiang Ning agreed.
• Jiang Ning chose to focus on cultivation and completing nine blood exchanges rather than further improving his Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword.
• After bathing and dressing for the banquet, Jiang Ning followed Zhou Sheng’s maids to the hall.
• Zhou Sheng addressed Jiang Ning as “Your Highness,” prompting the guests to rise, and Jiang Ning noticed that only the head table had been served the valuable wine.

At Zhou Sheng’s victory banquet, Jiang Ning drank energy-rich wine while the prefect of Five Peaks Prefecture questioned his royal identity, then spent the night and morning training before preparing to return to Dongling City. After Jiang Ning departed, Zhou Sheng sent two maids to follow him, hoping they might serve him.

• Zhong Yue and the prefect toasted Jiang Ning at Zhou Sheng’s victory banquet, and the prefect questioned whether Jiang Ning was truly a prince before offering an apologetic toast.
• Jiang Ning drank throughout the banquet, then returned to his courtyard and trained the Indestructible Vajra Body late into the night and again the next morning.
• Jiang Ning told Zhou Sheng he was leaving for Dongling City, and the two promised to share a drink when they met again.
• After Jiang Ning departed, Zhou Sheng asked the two maids whether he had touched them and offered to send them to serve him in Dongling City.
• Zhou Sheng explained to his steward that assigning the maids elsewhere after they had served Jiang Ning could insult him, and sent them after Jiang Ning with Green Fern.

After returning to Dongling City, Jiang Ning prepared for his journey to the Royal Capital while focusing on strengthening the Indestructible Vajra Body. The chapter ended with him rested and ready to finish its breakthrough that day.

• Jiang Ning returned home and told Lü Yi and Zhong Ling that Profound Finger Mountain had been destroyed, explaining that Martial King Xiang Yuan had appeared to pursue the Heart of the Grotto-Heaven.
• Jiang Ning decided not to spend Source Energy Points on Wind-Thunder Steps or grind the Summer Canon, and devoted his training time to the Indestructible Vajra Body before leaving for the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning fed Linglong his blood to strengthen her so she could protect his family while he was away.
• Jiang Ning trained nearly nonstop for several days, raising the Indestructible Vajra Body to 37866/40000, then fell asleep from exhaustion and was carried to bed by Linglong.
• Jiang Ning woke refreshed the next day and believed he could complete the Indestructible Vajra Body breakthrough that day.

Jiang Ning broke through the Indestructible Vajra Body, greatly increasing his strength before leaving for the Royal Capital. Before departing, he bid farewell to his family and Bai Luoyu, then learned from Zhao Yulong that the Yellow Heaven Cult was gathering around the Luo River.

• Jiang Ning spent one hundred thousand source energy to advance the Indestructible Vajra Body to Four Limit Breaks, nearly doubling his strength and upgrading Dragon-Elephant Strength.
• Jiang Ning said goodbye to Liu Wanwan, Jiang Li, Little Doubao, Jiang Yiming, Zhong Ling, and Lü Yi before setting out for the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning visited Bai Luoyu, asked him to assist Jiang Li if trouble arose, and left after Bai Luoyu arranged extra patrols near Commissioner Jiang's residence.
• Jiang Ning went to the Inspection Office and asked Zhao Yulong about the worry on his face.
• Zhao Yulong told Jiang Ning that confirmed reports placed members of the Yellow Heaven Cult gathering around the Luo River, though their purpose was unknown.

Jiang Ning left Dongling Commandery for the Royal Capital, using the Great Five-Element Water Escape to shorten his journey and reaching Upper Capital Prefecture. In the capital, Ji Mingyue told Ji Minghao she was determined to marry Jiang Ning and worried that he might miss the martial examination.

• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan he was leaving for the Royal Capital, while Wang Qinghan urged her sister to worry about his rumored connection to a princess; Wang Qingtan said she would not try to hold him back.
• Li Sixiang learned Jiang Ning had left for the metropolitan martial examination and ordered his people to predict the route, but Jiang Ning crossed Guangning Prefecture by water and avoided the route Li Sixiang watched.
• Jiang Ning reached Upper Capital Prefecture after recovering from the strain of the Great Five-Element Water Escape and adjusting his course with the help of his remembered geography.
• Ji Mingyue told Ji Minghao she had confessed her feelings for Jiang Ning to the Emperor and accepted confinement so she could bear the pressure herself.
• Ji Mingyue worried Jiang Ning might miss the martial examination, while Ji Minghao reassured her that Jiang Ning was likely to rank among the top three.

Jiang Ning entered the Royal Capital for the martial examinations and encountered Lord Fuyuan, a clay-bodied god whose power and standing unsettled him. After comparing maps, Jiang Ning set off toward his first destination.

• Jiang Ning arrived at the Royal Capital, where a Heavenly Surveillance Bureau Daoist identified him as a powerful young Martial Dao grandmaster and martial examination candidate.
• Lord Fuyuan's imposing procession entered the city, and the clay-faced god addressed Jiang Ning as an admirable fellow Daoist before passing through the gate.
• Jiang Ning learned that Lord Fuyuan had once been a divine statue and judged him more powerful than the God of Flesh and the Black Lotus Matriarch.
• Jiang Ning entered the city and considered the gods' power and eventual return as he made his way through the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning bought a map from a local man, checked it against his own, and vanished toward his first destination.

Jiang Ning arrived in the Royal Capital, rested at the Nine Heavens Tower, and listened to news about Lord Fuyuan and the leading candidates for the metropolitan martial examination. After learning more about the city’s power struggles and realizing Lord Fuyuan had noticed him, Jiang Ning set out to visit Xiao Wuque.

• Jiang Ning heard diners describe Lord Fuyuan as a powerful Orthodox God of the Heavenly Court and learned that Wan Jianyi and Mingxin were favored to lead the metropolitan martial examination.
• Jiang Ning learned that the Bashu Sword Pavilion had sent Wan Jianyi to compete and wondered whether he might meet his senior sister Li Qing again.
• Jiang Ning heard that he ranked fourth on the Heaven Ranking and resolved to avoid getting close to Ji Minghao while the emperor’s succession remained unsettled.
• Jiang Ning rested at the Nine Heavens Tower, then listened to martial candidates discuss the examination and the rankings of Wan Jianyi, Mingxin, and He Shouchi.
• Jiang Ning learned that Lord Fuyuan had survived attacks from powerful opponents and had clashed with the Imperial Preceptor, while Lord Fuyuan’s earlier words left Jiang Ning wary.
• Jiang Ning finished his meal and left the Nine Heavens Tower to visit Xiao Wuque.

Jiang Ning met Xiao Wuque at Inspection Headquarters and discussed his cultivation, awakened past-life memories, and character. Xiao Wuque explained that life originated from indestructible true spirits and questioned whether revered Buddhist and Daoist figures were genuine reincarnations.

• Jiang Ning went to Martial Saint Manor seeking Xiao Wuque, but the gatekeepers said Xiao was absent and refused to reveal his whereabouts.
• Xiao Wuque summoned Jiang Ning to Inspection Headquarters, where Jiang Ning crossed the strange threshold of Hell-Prison Hall and met the chief.
• Xiao Wuque asked about Jiang Ning’s blood exchanges and past-life memories, and Jiang Ning said he had completed eight blood exchanges and awakened two lifetimes’ memories.
• Xiao Wuque identified the mysterious elder as the Blind Elder, head of the Astronomical Bureau, and said the Martial King had reported on Jiang Ning.
• Jiang Ning spoke of his gratitude to his elder brother and sister-in-law, and Xiao Wuque judged his character favorably.
• Xiao Wuque explained that all life came from an indestructible true spirit and said any real reincarnations of Buddhist or Daoist patriarchs would contain only fragments of true spirits.

Xiao Wuque explained that Jiang Ning’s two remembered lifetimes meant his True Spirit was newly born and exceptionally gifted, then rewarded him for his recent merits with immortal phoenix blood to aid his ninth blood exchange. He gave Jiang Ning a token for the Dao Palace library, and Jiang Ning arrived at the palace to begin studying.

• Xiao Wuque told Jiang Ning that his True Spirit had been reincarnated only once and that his limited memories explained his extraordinary talent.
• Xiao Wuque explained the dangers of the Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis Blood Exchange Method and described how his master had created it to cleanse a True Spirit of accumulated dust.
• Jiang Ning checked the dossier of his recent merits and confirmed that it contained no discrepancies.
• Xiao Wuque rewarded Jiang Ning with sealed immortal phoenix blood, which could strengthen his physique and potentially save him if his ninth blood exchange failed.
• Jiang Ning accepted Xiao Wuque’s token granting him access to the Dao Palace library and left the Hell-Prison Hall.
• Jiang Ning arrived at the Dao Palace, where a lame old man dozed beside the gate.

Jiang Ning explored the Dao Palace Library Pavilion and used his divided mind to read ten books at once, rapidly raising his Literacy experience. After recovering from the mental strain in the Dao Palace lake, he discovered its nourishing energy and drew some of its mist-filled water into his wine jug.

• Jiang Ning entered the Dao Palace and found that its Library Pavilion contained a vast, spatially expanded collection of books.
• Jiang Ning used his spiritual perception to read and absorb information from as many as ten books simultaneously, startling nearby Dao Palace students.
• Jiang Ning read for hours, increasing his Literacy experience before stopping when mental fatigue set in.
• Jiang Ning entered the lake and used Fire Eye to see the active energy within its unusually nourishing water.
• Jiang Ning drank wine containing Emperor's Flowing Essence to recover, then used his control of the lake water to draw its energy-filled mist into his empty jug.

Jiang Ning resumed reading in the Library Pavilion, then went to the Dao Palace dining hall for breakfast and met Li Mujin. He learned that Ji Mingyue had publicly declared she would marry no one else and had been confined to Luan Palace, leaving him worried about the trouble ahead.

• Jiang Ning returned to the Library Pavilion and used his spiritual sense to read thousands of books until morning, greatly increasing his Literacy experience.
• Jiang Ning followed Dao Palace students to the dining hall and ate spirit rice porridge and steamed fish.
• Li Mujin sat with Jiang Ning, introduced herself, and recognized him as the inspector of Dongling Commandery and Ji Mingyue’s sweetheart.
• The diners told Jiang Ning that Ji Mingyue had declared herself pledged to him, refused to marry anyone else, and been confined to Luan Palace.
• Jiang Ning worried that Ji Mingyue’s public declaration had damaged her prospects and left the dining hall, while Li Mujin watched him go.

Jiang Ning learned of Ji Mingyue’s determined wish to marry him while continuing to study at the Library Pavilion and recover in the spirit-energy-rich lake. Ji Minghao brought Ji Mingyue to meet him, and the chapter ended as Jiang Ning recognized them.

• Jiang Ning reflected on Ji Mingyue’s sacrifice for their marriage promise, then returned to the Library Pavilion to read.
• Li Mujin watched Jiang Ning use his mental power to read ten books at once before heading upstairs.
• Ji Minghao asked Ji Mingyue whether she truly wanted to marry Jiang Ning, and she affirmed that he was the only one she had chosen.
• Ji Minghao promised to help Ji Mingyue meet Jiang Ning in a few days, when the palace watch would be lighter.
• Jiang Ning discovered that the lake’s spiritual energy helped restore him, but decided not to tamper with the Dao Palace’s spirit crystal vein.
• Ji Minghao and Ji Mingyue approached Jiang Ning in the morning, and he stopped to face them.

Jiang Ning reunited with Ji Minghao and Ji Mingyue at the Dao Palace, where Ji Mingyue confessed her feelings and learned that Jiang Ning had promised to marry Wang Qingtan. After Ji Mingyue left in tears, Ji Minghao approached Jiang Ning again and questioned why he was reading ordinary books in the Library Pavilion.

• Ji Minghao greeted Jiang Ning warmly and gave him space to walk with Ji Mingyue by the lake.
• Ji Mingyue told Jiang Ning she was happy he had come to the Royal Capital and reaffirmed her feelings for him.
• Jiang Ning showed Ji Mingyue the jade pendant she had given him, then revealed that he had promised to marry Wang Qingtan.
• Ji Mingyue asked about Jiang Ning's relationship with Wang Qingtan, said she needed a few days to accept it, and left with Ji Minghao in tears.
• Jiang Ning heard people discussing the unsettled imperial succession, ate, and returned to reading in the Library Pavilion.
• Ji Minghao waited over an hour for Jiang Ning, then asked why he was reading ordinary works on the Library Pavilion's first floor.

Ji Minghao supported Jiang Ning and Ji Mingyue’s relationship, gave Jiang Ning a second-rank cultivation method and spirit herbs, and explained how grandmasters advanced to the Divine Intent Realm. Jiang Ning learned that the Spiritual Altar Illumination of the True Self Method suited his unusual cultivation path as he prepared to enter the next realm.

• Ji Minghao told Jiang Ning that he supported Ji Mingyue’s choice and insisted she be treated as a wife, not a concubine; Jiang Ning promised.
• Ji Minghao gave Jiang Ning a second-rank grandmaster cultivation method, an account of the realm, and two Dragon Whisker Grass herbs, then reminded him that the martial examination began in three days.
• Jiang Ning read the account and learned that reaching the Divine Intent Realm required perfecting the mind and nurturing the spirit with intent after achieving Heaven-Human Communion.
• Jiang Ning burned the account and opened the animal-hide scroll, which contained the Spiritual Altar Illumination of the True Self Method.
• Jiang Ning realized the method could nurture his spirit in a way suited to his Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis and his inability to grasp ordinary heavenly intent.

Jiang Ning refined Ji Minghao’s Dragonblood Grass, gained more than 30,000 source energy points, and continued preparing for the martial examination. Li Mujin warned him to avoid the princes’ succession struggle, while rumors about Lord Fuyuan and the Martial Saint circulated in the dining hall.

• Jiang Ning put away the Spiritual Altar Illumination of the True Self Method and refined the Dragonblood Grass, sealing his pores to retain its essence.
• Jiang Ning returned to the Library Pavilion and read through the night, then discovered his source energy had risen to 138,118.
• Li Mujin warned Jiang Ning that associating with the eighth prince and the seventeenth princess could draw him into the struggle for the throne, and said she spoke on behalf of an important person.
• Jiang Ning dismissed the succession struggle as unimportant compared with achieving greater martial strength and finished his breakfast.
• Jiang Ning overheard diners discussing Lord Fuyuan’s clash with the Imperial Preceptor, his recognition by the imperial family, and the Martial Saint’s uncertain whereabouts.

Jiang Ning used his Heavenly Eye to watch Lord Fuyuan unleash divine puppets across the royal capital and battle the Imperial Preceptor. As Lord Fuyuan grew to a towering size and struck at the city, the Imperial Preceptor activated the royal capital's grand array and ordered everyone to flee.

• Jiang Ning heard Lord Fuyuan and the Imperial Preceptor clash, then used his Heavenly Eye to observe the battle above Vermilion Bird Avenue and Azure Dragon Avenue.
• Jiang Ning saw Lord Fuyuan control tens of thousands of citizens with scarlet threads and transfer the Imperial Preceptor's attacks onto the puppets, killing over a thousand people.
• Lord Fuyuan spotted Jiang Ning and asked him for help if the Martial Saint intervened, then sent the divine puppets rampaging through the districts.
• The Imperial Preceptor severed more than a thousand karmic threads with her azure sword, but Lord Fuyuan restored control of the puppets and repelled a red-dressed woman's attack.
• The Imperial Preceptor summoned the royal capital's grand array as Lord Fuyuan grew to over a thousand zhang tall and attacked; she released a vast sword shadow and told the city's citizens to leave.