Chapter Summaries

Chen Fan learned that Star Hall held only Heaven-grade spirits, which he could not yet subdue, and agreed to exchange Heaven-grade healing pills for Qing Luo’s Earth-grade Profound Yang Fire Spirit. The chapter ended with Qing Luo handing him the crystal sealing the spirit after they made a Heavenly Dao oath.

• Chen Fan learned that mastering the third level of the Spirit Tempering Art could earn him the Heaven-grade Azure-Water Azure-Thunder Soul, but Qing Luo warned that he lacked the strength to subdue it.
• The golden-armored man confirmed that Star Hall had only three Heaven-grade spirits left and no spirits below that grade.
• Qing Luo offered to give Chen Fan her Earth-grade Profound Yang Fire Spirit in exchange for two Heaven-grade healing pills.
• Chen Fan agreed after Qing Luo offered to make a Heavenly Dao oath and give him the spirit in advance.
• Qing Luo and Chen Fan made the oath, and she handed him the crystal containing the Profound Yang Fire Spirit.

Chen Fan accepted Qing Luo’s Fire Spirit after learning it contained a Heavenly Demon’s remnant Killing Intent, then continued studying the stone wall and cultivating. He perfected the fourth level of the Stellar Body Tempering Art and the first level of the Spirit Tempering Art, unlocked its second level, and resumed training as he prepared to advance toward the Grandmaster realm.

• Qing Luo warned Chen Fan that the Fire Spirit she traded him contained a trace of a Heavenly Demon’s remnant Killing Intent, but Chen Fan kept it and planned to investigate before absorbing it.
• Chen Fan studied the stone wall for half a month and perfected the fourth level of the Stellar Body Tempering Art.
• Chen Fan auto-cultivated the Spirit Tempering Art and perfected its first level in less than a month, impressing Qing Luo and the golden-armored man.
• The golden-armored man told Chen Fan that the first level revealed the stone wall’s real secret, and Chen Fan saw its runes shift and unlocked the second level.
• Chen Fan saw that his sixth-level True Technique was closer to completion than the Spirit Tempering Art’s second level and sat down to keep cultivating toward the Grandmaster realm.

Mao Wangchen learned that Chen Fan had been named by the Crown Prince for an Embroidered Garment Tower assessment, raising hopes and concerns about the political dangers of his new status. At the Star Sect Ruins, Senior Brother Yu pursued a wounded Star Sect demoness instead of prioritizing the Seamless Gate, angering Wang Ye.

• A visitor told Mao Wangchen that the new emperor had ordered the Embroidered Garment Tower to expand and personally named Chen Fan for assessment.
• The visitor revealed that the Crown Prince had recommended Chen Fan as Great Qian's number one genius, and Mao Wangchen worried that the honor could expose him to imperial schemes.
• Security around every entrance to the Star Sect Underground Palace tightened, with new guards and sensing and communication formations installed.
• Wang Ye urged Senior Brother Yu to resume their mission against the Seamless Gate, but Senior Brother Yu said capturing the wounded Star Sect demoness mattered more to his advancement.
• After Senior Brother Yu dismissed him, Wang Ye left resentful of his priorities and skeptical of the Heavenly Secrets Tower's divinations.

Chen Fan completed the second level of the Spirit Tempering Art, exchanged for pills and treasures, and left Star Hall with Qing Luo. In the corridor, they found Wei Baichuan dead, while Qing Luo revealed that she planned to use his remains and the pills to restore her strength.

• Chen Fan reached the limit of his sixth-level cultivation but delayed taking the Heavenly Origin Pill because he did not trust Qing Luo.
• Chen Fan completed the second level of the Spirit Tempering Art, gained heightened senses, and unlocked the third level.
• Chen Fan exchanged two heaven-grade pills for Qing Luo and another for his master, then left Star Hall with Qing Luo.
• Chen Fan and Qing Luo found Wei Baichuan's remains in the corridor, and Chen Fan took his treasured blade and several Thunder Shakers.
• After Chen Fan departed, Qing Luo said she would use Wei Baichuan and the pills to recover her injuries and strength.

Chen Fan used a Heavenly Origin Pill to break through to the seventh level, greatly increasing his strength and gaining another idle training slot. After spending half a year in the underground palace, he emerged into winter and found Great Qian constables arguing near the exit.

• Chen Fan swallowed a Heavenly Origin Pill on the underground palace’s third level and drew the power of heaven and earth into his body.
• Chen Fan reached the seventh level, learned he could control the surrounding primordial energy with unusual precision, and demonstrated his new strength by splitting a stone pillar with lightning.
• Chen Fan gained another idle training slot and assigned it to the Spirit Absorption Art so he could prepare to absorb the Profound Yang Fire Spirit.
• Chen Fan returned to the surface after half a year underground and realized that winter had arrived and he was already seventeen.
• Chen Fan found Great Qian constables arguing near the exit and recognized that they belonged to the Judicial Office.

Chen Fan confronted constables who were forcing martial artists to submit to an inspection and confiscating their Star Sect-related gains, then revealed his Grandmaster strength and was allowed to leave. Meanwhile, Qing Luo prepared to depart and planned to use Junior Brother Zhang's strength if needed as she waited to see who had fallen into her trap.

• Constables demanded that Chen Fan enter the inspection formation and surrender his Star Sect-related gains, despite his Martial Academy identity.
• When the chief constable threatened to kill Chen Fan for resisting, Chen Fan unleashed Grandmaster pressure and disarmed him.
• Lord Wang arrived, apologized for the constables, and let Chen Fan leave without inspection.
• After Chen Fan departed, Lord Wang told the chief constable that Grandmasters were not worth offending and that Chen Fan was not their target.
• Qing Luo woke, judged that Junior Brother Zhang might be a powerful ally, and prepared to leave after recovering most of her strength.
• Qing Luo wondered how many people had taken the bait in her trap and planned to kill an ordinary ninth-realm martial artist to restore her strength.

Qing Luo used herself as bait to draw out Yu Hengcheng and fought him at the Star Sect Ruins exit. After revealing her Dao Domain, she overwhelmed him and stopped his escape with an air-sealing formation.

• Qing Luo killed the martial artists guarding an exit and waited for her pursuer.
• Yu Hengcheng arrived on a roc and confronted Qing Luo, who recognized him and noted that Yuan Daokong had not come.
• Yu Hengcheng attacked with his golden halberd, but Qing Luo's bladed ring drove him back and revealed that she had recovered much of her strength.
• Yu Hengcheng unleashed Sun-Roaring Celestial Elephant, but Qing Luo expanded her Dao Domain and struck him into a crater.
• Yu Hengcheng tried to escape with a Vanishing Trail Talisman, but Qing Luo's air-sealing formation kept him trapped.

Qing Luo killed Pu Zhongfu but suffered grave injuries and fled with Yu Hengcheng in pursuit. She led the chase to Chen Fan, who was exposed when Yu Hengcheng’s great roc swept away his hiding place.

• Yu Hengcheng nearly fell to Qing Luo before Pu Zhongfu arrived and broke through her blood-colored Dao Domain.
• Pu Zhongfu attacked Qing Luo with his twelve blood swords, and Yu Hengcheng stayed back, hoping to reap the benefits.
• Chen Fan avoided the crimson radiance and traveled toward the edge of Yan Guo Commandery, but Qing Luo and Yu Hengcheng later pursued him.
• Qing Luo, injured and missing an arm, called out to her supposed Junior Brother Zhang as she flew toward Chen Fan’s hiding place.
• Yu Hengcheng’s great roc swept the forest with its wings, exposing Chen Fan, who showed his Martial Academy identity plaque and denied knowing Qing Luo.

Chen Fan tried to convince Yu Hengcheng that he had no ties to Qing Luo, but she exposed their past alliance and the earth-rank Profound Yang Fire Spirit he had obtained from her. Yu Hengcheng attacked, and Chen Fan revealed strength enough to resist him, but Yu Hengcheng’s next blow shattered Chen Fan’s defenses and left him badly wounded.

• Chen Fan offered Yu Hengcheng his Martial Academy token and denied having any connection to Qing Luo, but he hesitated when asked to swear a Heavenly Dao oath.
• Qing Luo revealed that she and Chen Fan had helped each other in the Star Sect Underground Palace and that she had given him an earth-rank Profound Yang Fire Spirit, prompting Yu Hengcheng to attack.
• Chen Fan used the Drawing Sword Technique and the third fold of the Thunder Blade to meet Yu Hengcheng’s probing strike, surprising both Yu Hengcheng and Qing Luo with his seventh-realm strength.
• Yu Hengcheng launched a full-power attack, and Chen Fan erupted with the third fold of his Origin Gallbladder to block it.
• Yu Hengcheng unleashed Sun-Roaring Celestial Elephant, shattering Chen Fan’s protective Origin Qi and spirit artifact robe as Chen Fan staggered back, bleeding.

Chen Fan fought Yu Hengcheng after Yu Hengcheng’s golden halberd attack wounded him and Qing Luo. Chen Fan’s Thunder-Slaying Sword crippled Yu Hengcheng’s roc, but Yu Hengcheng swallowed a pill and unleashed the Crimson Cloud Transformation as the battle continued.

• Yu Hengcheng overwhelmed Chen Fan with golden halberd strikes, wounding him and sending Qing Luo’s ring blade flying when she tried to help.
• Chen Fan chose to fight rather than use his Vanishing Trail Talisman and struck Yu Hengcheng with Sword Qi Erodes Heaven.
• Chen Fan’s sword qi shattered Yu Hengcheng’s attack and forced the roc to shield its master, severing half the beast’s body.
• Yu Hengcheng swallowed a golden pill, transformed his body with the Crimson Cloud Transformation, and pressed Chen Fan with blade-like vital energy.
• Chen Fan evaded the main force of Yu Hengcheng’s attack as lightning flickered around him.

Chen Fan fought Yu Hengcheng but was overwhelmed by his strengthened power and spirit-artifact defenses. Qing Luo used her Dao Domain to create an opening, but Yu Hengcheng escaped with a second Vanishing Trail Talisman, leaving Chen Fan to turn his anger on Qing Luo.

• Chen Fan attacked Yu Hengcheng with Thunder-Slaying Sword qi, but Yu Hengcheng blocked it with his halberd and pressed his advantage until Chen Fan's enchanted robe was damaged.
• Chen Fan called for Qing Luo's help, and she unleashed a Dao Domain that suppressed Yu Hengcheng and knocked his halberd away with her ring blade.
• Chen Fan struck at Yu Hengcheng's exposed neck with Thunder-Slaying Sword Qi Erodes Heaven, but Yu Hengcheng escaped using a second Vanishing Trail Talisman.
• Chen Fan confronted Qing Luo over her plan to use him against Yu Hengcheng, then attacked her with a Thunder-Slaying Sword strike.
• Qing Luo dodged Chen Fan's attack by transforming into a streak of blood light.

Chen Fan stopped attacking the wounded Qing Luo after she warned she could take him down with her, then accepted an ancient high-grade spirit weapon after she removed her Spirit Attachment Technique and swore an oath. He left through the snow, while Qing Luo wondered whether his identity and connection to the Star Sect were genuine.

• Qing Luo appeared between Chen Fan and the wounded demoness’s pursuer, warning him that she could fight to the death despite her injuries.
• Chen Fan sheathed his sword, and Qing Luo explained how the spirit could control objects and revealed that she had placed a Spirit Attachment Technique on him.
• Qing Luo offered Chen Fan Yu Hengcheng’s high-grade spirit halberd, but Chen Fan refused because he feared the Jade Family’s retaliation.
• Qing Luo gave Chen Fan an ancient high-grade spirit sword, removed the technique, and swore a Heavenly Dao oath; Chen Fan accepted the sword for the Martial Academy’s head to inspect.
• Chen Fan left, and Qing Luo speculated about his Martial Academy identity and his connection to the Star Sect’s inheritance.

After returning to the Martial Academy, Chen Fan reunited with his worried fellow disciples and tested his new Grandmaster strength in Myriad Illusions Hall. The chapter ended with Headmaster Mao Wangchen learning of Chen Fan’s return and summoning him.

• Chen Fan disguised himself repeatedly on the journey back to Clear River Commandery, then dropped the disguise upon reaching the Martial Academy.
• Chen Fan found messages from worried fellow disciples and sent word that he had returned; Zhang Fan, Chi Liuguang, and others came to visit him.
• Chen Fan practiced in Myriad Illusions Hall, finding that his seventh-level strength let him withstand the fire formation while he trained with the Cloudsurge Sword.
• Chen Fan considered how to obtain Origin Crystals and better cultivation pills, since his current resources were no longer sufficient.
• Mao Wangchen learned that Chen Fan had returned and ordered someone to summon him immediately.

Chen Fan learned that the Crown Prince had recommended him for an assessment to join the Embroidered Garment Tower, one of Great Qian’s core organizations. After hearing about its benefits and authority, he agreed to try, and Mao Wangchen prepared to summon the assessor.

• Mao Wangchen and Ye Wuji explained Great Qian’s three core sequences and how Martial Academy disciples could join its organizations.
• Mao Wangchen said Le Shaoyuan had joined the Embroidered Garment Tower and Changsun Shichuan had joined the Aberrant Blood Society.
• Chen Fan questioned why the Crown Prince had recommended him despite his low realm, and Mao Wangchen said it was an exceptional opportunity driven by his talent.
• Mao Wangchen described the Embroidered Garment Tower’s powerful equipment, techniques, authority, and ability to remain a Martial Academy disciple while serving it.
• Chen Fan agreed to join the Embroidered Garment Tower, and Mao Wangchen warned him about its dangers and said an assessor would arrive soon.

Yu Hengcheng escaped to the Western Wasteland and blamed Chen Fan for his failure, while Pu Zhongyu left Yichan Palace after learning her brother Pu Zhongfu had died. Back at the Martial Academy, Chen Fan received an assassination list as his Embroidered Garment Tower admission test and frowned as he read it.

• Yu Hengcheng fled across the snowy Western Wasteland, resolved to find Chen Fan and take revenge.
• Pu Zhongyu learned from an elder that Pu Zhongfu was dead and descended the mountain despite warnings that it would disrupt her cultivation.
• A black-clad young man watched Pu Zhongyu leave and realized that her departure improved his chances of becoming Yichan Palace's next Palace Master.
• An envoy from the Embroidered Garment Tower told Chen Fan that he had to assassinate everyone on a list to qualify for entry.
• Chen Fan unfolded the parchment and furrowed his brows as he read the names.

Chen Fan learned that his Embroidered Garment Tower assessment required him to personally assassinate ten Seamless Gate traitors without exposing the mission or their treason. With Mao Wangchen’s support and access to the Green-Robed Alliance’s intelligence network, Chen Fan began his mission and confronted the official Wang Yijun outside a brothel.

• Chen Fan memorized the parchment’s list of ten targets, burned it, and considered the secrecy restrictions that complicated the assassinations.
• Chen Fan told Mao Wangchen about the mission, and the dean pledged the Martial Academy’s support while recommending the Green-Robed Alliance for intelligence and assistance.
• Several days later, Chen Fan confronted Wang Yijun outside Beautiful Cloud Ward and accused him of selling out the country and its intelligence.

Chen Fan killed Wang Yijun, the seventh low-ranking intelligence trafficker he had been assigned to eliminate, and discussed how to secretly deal with the three remaining targets. He planned to kill the two Martial Academy disciples when they left its protected grounds, despite their powerful family connections.

• Chen Fan used his pressure to immobilize Wang Yijun and killed him with a sword, while Green-Robed Alliance members cleared away the evidence.
• Chen Fan reviewed the three remaining targets: Meng Qiuliang, Cha Wenxu, and a seventh-level martial artist.
• Chen Fan asked Mao Wangchen for help dealing with Meng Qiuliang and Cha Wenxu, since both were Martial Academy disciples.
• Mao Wangchen offered to notify Chen Fan when Meng Qiuliang left on a mission and said he could arrange for Chen Fan to enter the Blood Demon Secret Realm alongside Cha Wenxu.
• Chen Fan rejected waiting for the secret realm and said he would kill Cha Wenxu as soon as he left the Martial Academy.

Chen Fan considered the risks of killing Cha Wenxu and learned how Mao Wangchen could help track him inside the Blood Demon Secret Realm. Meanwhile, Yuan Daokong punished Yu Hengcheng for abandoning his duties and causing Pu Zhongfu’s death, leaving Yu Hengcheng to admit his mistake.

• Mao Wangchen warned Chen Fan that Cha Wenxu might have multiple Grandmaster guards and a Vanishing Trail Talisman, advising him not to attack unless he could ensure a quick kill.
• Mao Wangchen explained that Cha Wenxu could not escape the Blood Demon Secret Realm with a Vanishing Trail Talisman and offered to help Chen Fan locate him there.
• Chen Fan reviewed information about the Blood Demon Secret Realm and decided its dangers could provide useful training while he pursued Cha Wenxu.
• At an Embroidered Garment Tower branch, Yu Hengcheng returned to find Yuan Daokong waiting in the snow-covered courtyard.
• Yuan Daokong struck Yu Hengcheng twice and demanded that he acknowledge his error for abandoning his duties and causing Pu Zhongfu’s death.
• Yu Hengcheng lowered his head and admitted that he knew his error.

After Yu Hengcheng was punished for his role in Pu Zhongfu’s death, Pu Zhongyu arrived to investigate and pursue the killers. Meanwhile, Chen Fan received intelligence on Meng Qiuliang and traveled to a flower boat to assassinate him.

• Yuan Daokong demoted Yu Hengcheng from the Earth Tower and ordered him to cooperate with the Pu Clan’s pursuit of Pu Zhongfu’s killers.
• Pu Zhongyu questioned Yu Hengcheng, who described the Star Sect demoness and a disguised Martial Academy disciple as the culprits and said he was investigating the latter.
• Mao Wangchen registered Chen Fan for the Blood Demon Secret Realm and gave him a booklet detailing Meng Qiuliang’s movements.
• Chen Fan used the intelligence to locate Meng Qiuliang at a banquet on a flower boat hosted by the Lei family.
• Chen Fan landed on the flower boat’s mast, then entered its brightly lit cabin.

Chen Fan killed Meng Qiuliang at Lei Dongtian’s banquet and escaped after wounding Lei Dongtian. Back at the Martial Academy, he considered his remaining assassination target, Yi Weijin, and expected to wait three months for the Blood Demon Secret Realm to open.

• Chen Fan recognized Meng Qiuliang at Lei Dongtian’s flower-boat banquet and killed him with a single saber strike.
• Lei Dongtian attacked Chen Fan, but Chen Fan’s Thunder Blade shattered his punch and wounded him before Lei Dongtian fell into the river.
• Chen Fan fled the flower boat and returned to the Martial Academy.
• Chen Fan decided he would likely have to wait three months for the Blood Demon Secret Realm before killing his final target, Yi Weijin.
• Chen Fan reflected that Yi Weijin’s collusion with the Seamless Gate might explain why the Embroidered Garment Tower kept the assassination missions secret.