Chapter Summaries

Tie Shaoxiong challenged He Jinnian, but Xue Ping appeared and Tie Shaoxiong deferred their fight. Then water demons attacked the gathering at Muddy Bay, turning it into a deadly demon tide.

• Tie Shaoxiong challenged He Jinnian to fight aboard the Tie Family's tower ship.
• He Jinnian brought forward Xue Ping, who challenged Tie Shaoxiong, and Tie Shaoxiong postponed the fight.
• A water demon struck Li Yunfeng's boat, and a monster devoured Li Yunfeng after he fell into the river.
• Water demons attacked the boats and tower ships, killing and injuring martial artists across Muddy Bay.
• A demon's armored scales repelled a martial artist's spear, and its tail sent him crashing through a cabin.
• More water demons, including Great Demons of the Bone-Forging Realm, emerged as Muddy Bay faced a demon tide.

Water demons attacked the martial artists gathered at Muddy Bay before the Dragon Palace opened, and the young fighters struggled against a Bone-Forging Realm Great Demon. Qin Yueshan slew the Red-Backed Dragon Catfish and announced that the Dragon-Tiger Vanguard Selection would begin early, with demon-slaying merit earning a place on the ranking and a chance to contend for the Divine General Legacy.

• Water demons swarmed the boats at Muddy Bay, and Xue Ping, Meng Tingxue, He Jinnian, Tie Shaoxiong, Song Renli, Li Tai, and Lu Chen fought to defend their ships.
• A giant whirlpool formed, and the Bone-Forging Realm Red-Backed Dragon Catfish emerged and attacked the boats.
• Xue Ping, Meng Tingxue, Tie Shaoxiong, and other young fighters struck the demon, but it repelled them with its iron-like whiskers.
• Qin Yueshan arrived, wounded the Red-Backed Dragon Catfish with three saber strikes, and killed it.
• Qin Yueshan ordered the Dragon-Tiger Guards to slaughter the invading demons and announced the early start of the Dragon-Tiger Vanguard Selection and the Demon-Slaying Ranking.

Qin Yueshan declared Muddy Bay the battlefield for the Dragon-Tiger Vanguard Selection, offering the Divine General Legacy to those who slew demons and climbed the rankings. Li Tai, Song Renli, and Lu Chen fought the water demons as other factions pursued demon spoils or withdrew to shore.

• Qin Yueshan announced that martial artists could compete for the Divine General Legacy by slaying demons during the demon tide.
• Li Tai celebrated his chance to enter the selection and killed a Green-Scaled Snake Demon, while Song Renli challenged him and went to rescue martial artists from Red-Armored Crab Demons.
• Lu Chen saved young martial artists from a Black-Scaled Fish Demon, then killed a Red-Armored Crab Demon with his saber and Demon-Subduing Force.
• Li Tai saw Lu Chen's strength and remarked that the young man was stronger than he had expected.
• The Pinewind Martial Hall and Southern Sky Saber Hall treated the battle as a trial and sought demon materials, while the He Family, Tie Family, and Tang Family withdrew toward shore.

Lu Chen killed seventeen Sinew-Piercing Realm water demons during the first day of the demon tide and earned seventeenth Tendon-Strengthening Pills, which he used to cultivate his Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art. The next day, an organized attack by four water demon races shattered the human defenses at Muddy Bay, leaving the battle in peril.

• Lu Chen fought through the first day of the demon tide and killed seventeen Sinew-Piercing Realm water demons, surpassing Li Tai and Song Renli.
• The Martial Temple placed Lu Chen seventy-third on the Demon-Slaying Ranking and awarded him seventeen Tendon-Strengthening Pills.
• Lu Chen swallowed a Tendon-Strengthening Pill and cultivated the Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art through the night.
• The four water demon races attacked Muddy Bay in coordinated formation, with Black-Armored Turtles leading, Swordfish striking ships, water snakes poisoning and dragging away martial artists, and Water Apes assaulting the decks.
• Fang Xingzhou ordered the Dragon-Tiger Guards to hold the line, but the demons tore gaps in the defenses and drove the battle toward disaster.

Lu Chen killed a Great Accomplishment Sinew-Piercing Green-Armed Water Ape and rescued Song Renli, but the Dragon-Tiger Guards were being overwhelmed by a coordinated demon assault. At Muddy Bay Wharf, the Tie and He families held back from helping while the He Family profited from the fighting.

• Lu Chen used his saber forces to kill a Green-Armed Water Ape and claimed it as his eighteenth kill.
• Song Renli was disarmed and cornered by two Green-Scaled Snake Demons and a Meridian-Opening Perfection Green-Armed Water Ape, but Lu Chen arrived and stopped the ape's attack.
• Lu Chen and Song Renli killed the two Snake Demons, while more Water Apes boarded the ships and the Dragon-Tiger Guards' battle line came under heavy pressure.
• Song Renli warned Lu Chen that the Dragon-Tiger Guards could not hold off the prepared demon forces alone as boats sank and guards were dragged into the river.
• At Muddy Bay Wharf, the Tie Family chose to let the Dragon-Tiger Guards weaken, the Tang Family hesitated, and the He Family made profits buying demon corpses and selling pills.

As the demon tide threatened Muddy Bay, Qin Yueshan offered the Martial Temple’s Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force as a reward for slaying demons. The proclamation drew the Tie and Tang families into battle, while He Jinnian learned of the offer at the He Family’s Pill Shed.

• Qin Yueshan learned the left flank had been breached again and warned that the Underwater Dragon Palace could yield a powerful demon inheritance.
• Qin Yueshan ordered demon-slaying merits to be exchanged for Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force, with higher levels awarded for greater feats.
• Martial artists across Bend River City reacted eagerly to the proclamation, and Tie Shaoxiong decided the art could help him challenge Xue Ping.
• Tie Shaoxiong led Tie Family martial artists into battle, and Tang Yuqi led Tang Family subordinates into the river to compete for the reward.
• He Jinnian heard about the Martial Temple’s offer at the He Family’s Pill Shed.

With the demon tide held back, Lu Chen earned the first level of the Martial Temple’s Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force and began cultivating it. As warriors across Muddy Bay struggled to understand the difficult art, rival factions argued over which young prodigy would master it first, and their dispute threatened to turn into a fight.

• The three great families and rogue cultivators joined the battle, easing the pressure on the Dragon-Tiger Guards, while Song Renli and Li Tai explained the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force to Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen killed twenty Meridian-Opening Realm water demons and exchanged his merits for twenty Tendon-Strengthening Pills and the first-level cultivation method.
• Lu Chen studied the Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force, swallowed a Tendon-Strengthening Pill, and began cultivating it, reaching progress 1/90.
• Meng Tingxue studied the first-level method at the Pinewind Martial Hall encampment but found its force-circulation principles difficult to grasp.
• At Muddy Bay, Pinewind Martial Hall and Southern Sky Saber Hall disciples argued over whether Meng Tingxue or He Jinnian was the greater prodigy, until a Tie Family disciple taunted the Southern Sky Saber Hall and provoked a confrontation.

Lu Chen advanced his understanding of the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force while fighting water demons and training at night. He finally initiated the art’s first level, the Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force, and discovered that the Dragon-Tiger Guard would reward its first practitioner.

• Li Tai and Song Renli discussed how the Dragon-Tiger Guard needed a young genius to compete with Meng Tingxue, Xue Ping, and He Jinnian, then urged Lu Chen to master the true art.
• Five days later, Lu Chen had reached thirteenth place on the Dragon-Tiger Guard's Demon-Slaying Ranking with 321 demon kills, despite his lesser accomplishment sinew-piercing cultivation.
• A merit officer told Lu Chen that the Martial Temple would reward the first Dragon-Tiger Guard to master the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force.
• Lu Chen returned to his tent with his progress at 88/90, took a Tendon-Strengthening Pill, and cultivated the true art after days of demon fighting.
• Lu Chen initiated the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force and formed the Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force in his palm.

After learning that Lu Chen had mastered the first level of the Four Harmonies Demon-Subduing True Art in half a month, Qin Yueshan tested him, praised his talent, and appointed him his personal attendant and deputy general. The next morning, the Great Zhou Martial Gazette announced Lu Chen’s achievement, shocking martial artists across Qu River.

• The merit officer told Qin Yueshan that Lu Chen had mastered the Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force, and brought him to the city lord’s tent.
• Qin Yueshan read Lu Chen’s dossier and learned of his martial examination success, major exploits, and high rank on the Demon-Slaying Ranking.
• Lu Chen demonstrated the Azure Dragon Demon-Subduing Seal, and Qin Yueshan confirmed that he had mastered the true art.
• Qin Yueshan gave Lu Chen a Black-Gold Token, appointed him personal attendant and deputy general, and authorized him to mobilize every Dragon-Tiger Guard in Qu River.
• The Great Zhou Martial Gazette reported Lu Chen’s achievement, leaving martial artists across Qu River astonished and questioning who he was.

Lu Chen became the talk of Muddy Bay after news spread that he had mastered Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force, and the Water Tribe marked him as a valuable target. He rescued Zhu He from the Jade-Eyed Snake Enchantress, severely wounded her, and forced her to flee into the river.

• News identified Lu Chen as the first to master Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force, surprising Tang Yuqi and delighting Li Tai while Song Renli worried about the attention.
• Xia Jiuming and Zhu He nearly killed an Azure-Scaled Water Snake, but the Jade-Eyed Snake Enchantress ambushed them and crushed Xia Jiuming to death.
• Lu Chen arrived in time to sever the Enchantress's tongue and told Zhu He to leave the demon to him.
• The Enchantress revealed that Lord Black Abyss had ordered the Water Tribe to hunt Lu Chen for a Bone-Forging Realm cultivation method, then attacked with poisonous mist and demonic shrieks.
• Lu Chen resisted her attacks, used his demon-subduing techniques to disrupt her power, and severed her serpent tail.
• The wounded Enchantress obscured Lu Chen's sight with poisonous blood mist and escaped into the river.

Lu Chen pursued the wounded Jade-Eyed Snake Enchantress underwater and killed her, then emerged with her head. The next morning, news of his feat spread through Muddy Bay, where Zhu He confirmed what had happened and Meng Tingxue took renewed interest in him.

• Lu Chen dove into the river after the fleeing Jade-Eyed Snake Enchantress and evaded her poisonous blood mist.
• Lu Chen caught up with the Enchantress, shattered her shoulder and internal defenses, and cut off her head.
• Lu Chen returned to the deck carrying the Enchantress's head, and Zhu He and the nearby martial artists realized she was dead.
• The Martial Gazette announced that Lu Chen had slain a Demon General, stunning martial artists throughout Muddy Bay.
• Zhu He recounted how Lu Chen had saved him and killed the Enchantress, while Meng Tingxue read the Gazette and resumed cultivating the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force.

Lu Chen cultivated White Tiger Evil-Breaking Force overnight while strengthening his sinews, and the Mountain-Moving Ape Chief attacked the Pinewind Martial Hall ship, demanding to know where Lu Chen was. Meng Tingxue fought the ape chief and killed him with a sword strike combining four forces.

• Lu Chen swallowed a Tendon-Strengthening Pill and spent the night cultivating White Tiger Evil-Breaking Force, bringing his Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art to 915/1000 progress.
• The Mountain-Moving Ape Chief boarded the Pinewind Martial Hall tower ship, killed a disciple, and demanded to know who Lu Chen was.
• Qi Luojun challenged the ape chief, but the demon caught and crushed his sword before Meng Tingxue intervened and ordered the disciples to retreat.
• Meng Tingxue wounded the ape chief with layered sword forces, then was driven to the ship's rail as he attacked relentlessly.
• Meng Tingxue combined Pinewind Force, Snow-Listening Force, Cold Plum Force, and Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force to suppress the ape chief and cut off his head.

News of Meng Tingxue killing the Mountain-Moving Ape Chief sparked debate over whether she or Lu Chen was Qu River’s greatest young genius. While others discussed their feats, Lu Chen cultivated in his tent and advanced to great accomplishment Sinew-Piercing.

• The Martial Gazette reported that Meng Tingxue had slain the Mountain-Moving Ape Chief with one stroke, prompting arguments in Muddy Bay over whether she or Lu Chen was Qu River’s greatest genius.
• He Jinnian lamented that Lu Chen and Meng Tingxue had overshadowed his reputation as Qu River’s greatest genius.
• Li Tai and Song Renli discussed Meng Tingxue’s victory and compared her strength with Lu Chen’s, then Song Renli went to cultivate.
• Lu Chen swallowed Tendon-Strengthening Pills and circulated the Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art to temper his sinews.
• Lu Chen reached great accomplishment in the Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art and discovered that his whole body’s power now moved as one.

As the human forces closed in on the last Water Tribe Demon General, the Red-Scaled Alligator General, He Jinnian, Tie Shaoxiong, and Xue Ping each failed to defeat him. Meng Tingxue launched her strongest sword strike, but the alligator revealed that he had reached the Bone-Forging Realm.

• Human warriors tracked the Red-Scaled Alligator General to a reed-covered shoal and surrounded him.
• He Jinnian struck the demon with the He Family's Red Sun Sword, but barely scratched his scales and was knocked back by a tail swipe.
• Tie Shaoxiong attacked with Black Iron Mountain-Splitting, cracked the demon's cheek scales, and was thrown into a reef rock.
• Xue Ping repeatedly struck the same spot until his eighth blow cut into the demon, but the alligator wounded him, healed the gash, and snapped his saber.
• Meng Tingxue confronted the Red-Scaled Alligator General and unleashed a sword strike empowered by four forces.
• The Red-Scaled Alligator General's body transformed as his aura surged beyond the perfected Meridian-Opening Realm, and the onlookers recognized the Bone-Forging Realm.

The Red-Scaled Alligator General revealed his Bone-Forging Realm power, defeated Meng Tingxue, and sprung a trap that surrounded the human fighters with Water Demons and Green-Armed Water Apes. The trapped geniuses faced the General as he taunted them, with no help able to arrive in time.

• The Red-Scaled Alligator General unleashed his suppressed Bone-Forging Realm power and shattered Meng Tingxue’s sword, leaving her gravely wounded.
• Qi Luojun and other Pinewind Martial Hall disciples rescued Meng Tingxue, who urged everyone to retreat.
• Water Demons burst from the river and Green-Armed Water Apes emerged from the reeds, surrounding the human fighters and sealing every escape route.
• The Red-Scaled Alligator General revealed that he had used the Turtle-Breathing Art to conceal his cultivation and lure the human geniuses into an ambush.
• He Jinnian tried to summon help, but a Swordfish demon killed the guard carrying the signal arrow, and the others said reinforcements could not arrive in time.
• Xue Ping urged the trapped fighters to draw their blades as the Red-Scaled Alligator General taunted them for losing their nerve.

Lu Chen challenged the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon and used several distinct forces and techniques to wound and briefly suppress the Bone-Forging Great Demon. The demon acknowledged Lu Chen’s strength and prepared to unleash a more dangerous attack.

• Lu Chen stepped forward from the tower ship and challenged the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon despite being in the Sinew-Piercing Realm.
• Lu Chen blocked the demon’s claw with Azure Dragon Force and forced its limbs into the muddy shallows.
• Lu Chen dodged the demon’s tail and used Thunderclap Force to crack its scales and draw blood.
• Lu Chen leapt onto the demon’s head and struck its neck with Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force, briefly pinning it down.
• The demon broke free and lunged at Lu Chen, who used the Ninefold Returning-Heaven Blade and Flying Dragon Art to evade its jaws and escape.
• The wounded demon praised Lu Chen’s strength, then lowered itself and gathered power to attack again.

Lu Chen fought the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon and discovered how to blend his martial forces to overcome its Bone-Forging Realm strength. He killed the demon with a final strike that split its skull, leaving its massive body fallen on the shoal.

• Lu Chen exchanged blows with the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon, whose shifting bone-powered attacks sent him flying and injured his hand.
• The Red-Scaled Alligator Demon unleashed Alligator Dragon Turns the River and Alligator Dragon Crashes the Mountain, while Lu Chen struggled to counter its Bone-Forging Realm power.
• Lu Chen blended Azure Dragon Force and Coldwater Force, disrupting the demon's attacks and wounding its chest with Azure Dragon Thunderclap.
• Lu Chen combined further forces into Thunderclap Suppresses Demons, carving a deep wound into the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon and forcing it backward.
• Lu Chen unleashed One-Breath Soul-Splitting Slash with six fused forces, splitting the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon's skull and bringing it crashing to its knees.

Lu Chen slew the Red-Scaled Alligator General with a single slash, turning the battle on the Qu River and driving the Water Demons to flee. After the human forces celebrated their victory, Lu Chen rose to the top of the Martial Temple's Demon-Slaying Ranking.

• Lu Chen killed the Red-Scaled Alligator General, and the humans rallied to slaughter or chase off the Water Demons.
• Xu Qingyang arrived and learned from Xue Ping that Dragon-Tiger Guard Lu Chen had slain the Bone-Forging Realm Great Demon.
• Qin Yueshan arrived, heard how Lu Chen had killed the alligator, and ordered its corpse displayed before the fleet.
• The Dragon-Tiger Guards hauled the Red-Scaled Alligator General's corpse onto a warship and hung its split head beneath the foremost mast.
• Lu Chen rose to the top of the Martial Temple's Demon-Slaying Ranking.

After the demon tide retreated, Lu Chen, Du Mingquan, and Lü Zhenshi were named Divine General Seeds and entered the Martial Temple to receive their legacy. Lu Chen learned that their qualification granted access only to an introductory legacy, with more complete teachings reserved for those who rose in rank and earned merit.

• Lu Chen reflected on his improved ability to blend his martial forces after defeating the Red-Scaled Alligator Demon.
• The Water Ape Tribe withdrew from Muddy Bay, prompting the other water demon tribes to retreat and ending the battle.
• Qin Yueshan announced that Lu Chen, Du Mingquan, and Lü Zhenshi had earned the three Divine General Seed places.
• Lu Chen walked with Du Mingquan and Lü Zhenshi into the Martial Temple and asked what the Divine General Legacy entailed.
• Du Mingquan explained that their qualification granted access to an introductory legacy, while higher-grade legacies required greater rank, strength, and merit.
• Lü Zhenshi told Lu Chen that even the introductory legacy was extraordinarily valuable and could only be found in the Martial Temple.

Lu Chen and the veteran guards Du Mingquan and Lü Zhenshi visited the Martial Temple’s legacy hall, where Qin Yueshan introduced the four ancient martial legacies left by Great Zhou’s founding Heavenly Generals. After weighing how each path could strengthen him, Lu Chen chose the Golden Crow General’s legacy to accelerate his cultivation and enhance his fist techniques.

• Qin Yueshan led Lu Chen, Du Mingquan, and Lü Zhenshi into the legacy hall and described the four Heavenly Generals and their ancient martial legacies.
• Qin Yueshan explained that each man could choose only one legacy, and Du Mingquan and Lü Zhenshi both selected the Black Flood Dragon Divine General’s path.
• Lu Chen read about the Golden Crow, Mountain-Moving, Sky Roc, and Black Flood Dragon legacies and considered how each could complement his martial skills.
• Lu Chen judged that the Golden Crow Breathing Technique could speed his cultivation and refine his pills, while the Great Sun Golden Crow Fist suited his existing focus on fist techniques.
• Lu Chen told Qin Yueshan that he had chosen the Golden Crow General’s legacy.