Chapter Summaries

Lu Chen and the other disciples received ancient martial arts in the Martial Temple’s Legacy Hall and struggled to master them. After the demon tide withdrew, the Qu River factions agreed to explore the Underwater Dragon Palace together, with the Martial Temple coordinating the expedition.

• Qin Yueshan gave Lu Chen the Golden Crow Breathing Technique and Great Sun Golden Crow Fist, and warned the disciples not to take or reveal the manuals.
• Lu Chen, Du Mingquan, and Lü Zhenshi practiced for seven days, but none crossed the threshold of their inherited techniques.
• The demon hordes withdrew from Muddy Bay, and displaced residents began returning to their homes along the Qu River.
• The Qu River factions disputed who could enter the Underwater Dragon Palace, then agreed to a joint exploration coordinated by the Qu River Martial Temple.
• The factions planned to send Bone-Forging Realm experts and young talents, while the Martial Temple’s Dragon-Tiger Guards would also participate.

The factions entered the Underwater Dragon Palace expecting treasures, but found its halls empty. Lu Chen recognized the murals as a cultivation method, which his panel identified as the Profound Water Demon God Scripture, and left with the Dragon-Tiger Guards.

• Qin Yueshan led the factions into the river and opened the Underwater Dragon Palace.
• Lu Chen and the others entered the palace through its water-repelling restriction and searched its empty halls.
• Lu Chen studied the murals depicting aquatic creatures and ancient Water Tribe rituals.
• Lu Chen's panel identified the murals as the Profound Water Demon God Scripture, with progress at 0/90.
• After recording the scripture, Lu Chen left the Dragon Palace with the Dragon-Tiger Guards.

Lu Chen discovered that the Profound Water Demon God Scripture led to the Mystic Aperture Realm, but he could not cultivate it until he reached Dragon-Manifestation perfection. After attaining sinew-piercing perfection and the Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art, he returned to Scarlet Cloud County for the New Year and reunited with his family and Chen Chong.

• Lu Chen examined the Profound Water Demon God Scripture and learned it required Dragon-Manifestation perfection before he could cultivate it.
• Lu Chen initiated the Golden Crow Breathing Technique and used it to accelerate his Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art.
• After a month of training, Lu Chen perfected the Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art and reached sinew-piercing perfection.
• Lu Chen returned to Scarlet Cloud County and reunited with Zhou Yun and his father.
• Chen Chong met Lu Chen, learned that he had reached complete mastery of the Meridian-Opening Realm, and told him the Chen Family was prospering through its connection to the Wang Firm.

Lu Chen traveled to the prefectural capital of Cloud Prefecture with Qin Yueshan’s recommendation for Heavenly Strategy Academy, cultivating along the way until he mastered the second layer of Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force. At the city gate, he witnessed Su Mingrui enter with a tamed Red-Maned Tiger and several captured mutant beasts, giving him his first glimpse of the capital’s elite young martial artists.

• After Lu Chen reached perfection in the meridian-opening realm, Qin Yueshan gave him a recommendation letter for Heavenly Strategy Academy and urged him to seek superior bone-forging arts in the prefectural capital of Cloud Prefecture.
• During the journey, Lu Chen practiced the Golden Crow Breathing Technique and cultivated the second layer of Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force, White Tiger Evil-Breaking Force.
• On the tenth day, Lu Chen advanced Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force to minor mastery and tested the new layer’s sharp, armor-piercing force.
• As Lu Chen arrived at the prefectural capital, guards cleared the road for Su Mingrui, who rode a Red-Maned Tiger into the city with several living mutant beasts in iron cages.
• Lu Chen watched Su Mingrui pass through the gate and reflected on the strength and status of the capital’s family prodigies.

Lu Chen, Shen Siqi, and Yuan Jiyun discussed their hometowns and the Heavenly Strategy Academy’s upcoming entrance assessment. Lu Chen and Yuan Jiyun preferred facing strange beasts, while Shen Siqi warned that the beasts selected for the assessment would likely be formidable.

• Shen Siqi asked Lu Chen about Qu River’s Dragon Palace, and Lu Chen said it had been emptied of treasure before they found it.
• Yuan Jiyun described the black abyss near Great Abyss City and the strange beasts that emerged from it each autumn and winter.
• Shen Siqi told Lu Chen and Yuan Jiyun that the academy’s entrance assessment usually tested candidates through combat, either against an instructor or in the Beast Arena.
• Yuan Jiyun and Lu Chen said they preferred the Beast Arena because fighting beasts was straightforward, and Shen Siqi warned that the assessment’s beasts would not be weak.

Lu Chen, Shen Siqi, and Yuan Jiyun arrived at the Heavenly Strategy Academy entrance examination, where they encountered several exceptional candidates with powerful constitutions and techniques. As the examination had yet to begin, the four division heads began arguing over which division would recruit Pei Yue.

• Lu Chen, Shen Siqi, and Yuan Jiyun entered the Beast Arena and saw the mutant beasts waiting in iron cages.
• Pei Yue arrived, and Shen Siqi explained that his Heavenly Dipper Bone gave him unusually hard bones and powerful punches.
• Ning Xiao arrived, and Shen Siqi described how his Thunder-Baleful Body imbued his force with lightning that could numb opponents.
• Su Mingrui arrived with other young clan members, and Shen Siqi explained that he had mastered four coordinated layers of force.
• Nangong Wentian surveyed the candidates while Wei Changfeng and Han Wushu argued over recruiting Pei Yue, and Shen Xuanji urged them to wait for the selection process.

Pei Yue faced a Golden-Armored Berserk Bear in the entrance examination and killed it with a single punch, stunning the candidates and examiners. The chapter left the observers anticipating how much stronger he would become after forging his Heavenly Dipper Bones.

• Zhao Yuanjia killed an Iron-Horned Rhinoceros with precise strikes and passed the examination.
• The candidates took turns fighting mutant beasts, and some were frightened or badly injured.
• The examiners sent a Golden-Armored Berserk Bear against Pei Yue to test his limits.
• Pei Yue stood his ground and killed the charging bear with one punch that shattered its armor and bones.
• Nangong Wentian and Han Wushu praised Pei Yue's strength, while Wei Changfeng laughed with approval.

Ning Xiao defeated the Azure Shadow Wind-Rending Leopard with his thunder-baleful body, and Lu Chen began his assessment against a Red-Back Gray Wolf. The wolf broke through into the Bone-Forging Realm mid-test and lunged at Lu Chen, who knocked it flying with a single punch.

• Ning Xiao entered the Beast Arena and faced the Azure Shadow Wind-Rending Leopard, a top-tier Mutant Beast known for its speed.
• Ning Xiao struck the leopard with thunder baleful intent, disrupting its muscles, then killed it with a second punch to the skull.
• Nangong Wentian judged Ning Xiao to be on par with Pei Yue, and Lu Chen entered the arena for his assessment.
• The Red-Back Gray Wolf broke through into the Bone-Forging Realm and immediately lunged at Lu Chen, prompting instructors to rush in to save him.
• Lu Chen used his Heavenly Silkworm Tendons and punched the wolf's head, sending it tumbling across the arena.

Lu Chen defeated a Bone-Forging Realm Red-Back Gray Wolf with his newly mastered White Tiger Evil-Breaking Force, making him one of the entrance assessment’s standout candidates. After the assessment ended, the four academy heads began choosing disciples, and Ouyang Xuanfeng claimed Lu Chen with the first pick while Wei Changfeng concealed his disappointment.

• Lu Chen struck the Red-Back Gray Wolf and drove it back, drawing the academy heads’ attention.
• Lu Chen used White Tiger Evil-Breaking Force to wound the wolf, then tore it apart with his bare hands.
• The entrance assessment ended, and the spectators compared Lu Chen’s feat with Pei Yue’s and Ning Xiao’s victories.
• The four academy heads drew lots for disciple selection, with Ouyang Xuanfeng choosing first and Wei Changfeng second.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng revealed that he intended to choose Lu Chen, and Wei Changfeng hid his regret while pretending to be pleased.

Lu Chen joined the Divine Armament Academy as a legacy disciple and met its dean, Ouyang Xuanfeng, who recognized the strength built from his exceptional cultivation arts. Ouyang gave him the academy’s most difficult bone-forging art, and Lu Chen eagerly chose to practice it.

• Lu Chen parted from Shen Siqi and Yuan Jiyun as they joined the Demon-Suppressing Institute and Heavenly Martial Academy, agreeing to meet and spar again.
• Lu Chen arrived at the Divine Armament Academy, where the other new students treated him as their senior brother because Ouyang Xuanfeng had named him a legacy disciple.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng learned that Lu Chen had practiced the Gold-Thread Jade Vestment Technique and Heavenly Silkworm Tendon-Transmutation Art, and praised his aptitude and abundant blood and qi.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng made Lu Chen his fifth disciple and took him to the Scripture Repository.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng gave Lu Chen the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art, explaining that only two people had mastered it in the academy’s history.
• Lu Chen learned that the art reshaped bones through nine burials and declared that he would practice it.

Lu Chen began cultivating the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art and learned how quickly its medicinal costs could drain his savings. Senior Brother Qin Bailian offered to take him to a place where a powerful fighter of a low cultivation realm could earn money, leaving Lu Chen ready to see whether he could establish himself there.

• Lu Chen reviewed his cultivation progress, began practicing the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art, and advanced its progress to 3/90 overnight.
• Lu Chen met Qin Bailian, Ouyang Xuanfeng’s second disciple, who praised Lu Chen’s strength and discussed the challenge of cultivating the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art.
• Lu Chen told Qin Bailian that he had only a hundred taels in gold notes and needed money for costly medicines.
• Qin Bailian suggested a place that hired low-realm martial artists with exceptional fighting ability and offered to take Lu Chen there.

Qin Bailian brought Lu Chen to the Skyreach Sword Arena to earn money, where Lu Chen registered as the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon. He left his first match with an easy victory and ten taels of gold, while Qin Bailian warned that tougher Meridian-Opening Realm opponents awaited him.

• Qin Bailian explained how fighters at the Skyreach Sword Arena earned prize money and shares of betting pools.
• Ge Chunqiu registered Lu Chen under the name Jade-Faced Flying Dragon after Qin Bailian introduced him as a newcomer.
• Xie Zaiyuan opened their match with his Stele-Splitting Palm, but Lu Chen defeated him with one punch.
• The referee declared Lu Chen the winner, and Lu Chen collected a ten-tael gold prize.
• Qin Bailian warned Lu Chen that he would later face Yun Prefecture's top Meridian-Opening Realm experts.

Lu Chen continued his winning streak at the Skyreach Sword Arena, defeating Iron-Armed Luo Hong and Yan Huifeng with single punches before training with Heavenly Fragrance Jade-Bone Pills. His tenth match was announced against Xiao Changhe, Yun Prefecture’s strongest Meridian-Opening Realm martial artist, drawing huge crowds and leaving Qin Bailian worried about the attention Lu Chen had attracted.

• Lu Chen defeated Iron-Armed Luo Hong with Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist and won his second match of the day.
• Lu Chen stopped chasing Yan Huifeng, intercepted his saber, and knocked him off the platform with one punch.
• Lu Chen exchanged his fifty taels in gold notes for Heavenly Fragrance Jade-Bone Pills and cultivated the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Force, advancing its progress to 5/90.
• Lu Chen spent the following days winning fights at the Skyreach Sword Arena and cultivating at the Heavenly Strategy Academy, building his reputation as the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon.
• The Skyreach Sword Arena arranged Lu Chen’s tenth battle against Xiao Changhe, whose thirteen-match winning streak and reputation as Yun Prefecture’s strongest Meridian-Opening Realm martial artist drew a massive audience.
• Qin Bailian watched Lu Chen prepare to face Xiao Changhe and worried that his junior martial brother’s growing fame could invite danger.

Lu Chen fought Xiao Changhe at the Skyreach Sword Arena and defeated him by combining six forces into one punch. Xiao Changhe was left beaten on the platform as the spectators reacted in disbelief.

• Xiao Changhe introduced himself and tested Lu Chen with Triple-Stacking Force, then pressed him with Long River Force as Lu Chen countered with the Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist.
• Xiao Changhe unleashed fourfold force and drove Lu Chen back three steps, drawing cheers from his supporters.
• Lu Chen gathered six forces in harmony, while Xiao Changhe unleashed Long River Layered Waves Force—Five Waves Unite as One.
• Lu Chen's punch broke through Xiao Changhe's five-layered force and sent him flying more than a hundred feet across the platform.
• Qin Bailian was stunned by Lu Chen's victory and praised his master's judgment for finding such a talent.

Lu Chen used the proceeds from defeating Xiao Changhe to cultivate with the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art and reached the Bone-Forging Realm in a day. Ouyang Xuanfeng brought him to Nangong Wentian to apply for the Dragon Ascension Sequence, and Lu Chen learned its tiers, benefits, and requirements for advancement.

• Lu Chen swallowed Heavenly Fragrance Jade-Bone Pills, mastered the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art, and broke through to the Bone-Forging Realm.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng confirmed Lu Chen had cultivated the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art and told him that his breakthrough qualified him for the Dragon Ascension Sequence.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng took Lu Chen to see Nangong Wentian and applied for his admission to the sequence.
• Lu Chen demonstrated his complete bone patterns, and Nangong Wentian confirmed that he had mastered the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art.
• Nangong Wentian explained the Dragon Ascension Sequence's three tiers, their rewards, and the assessments and merits that determined advancement or expulsion.

Lu Chen chose to challenge Su Changmei for the final place in Heavenly Strategy Academy’s Third Sequence, despite admitting he lacked confidence against a more experienced Bone-Forging Realm genius. Three days later, the challenge began before a crowd at the Martial Combat Platform.

• Nangong Wentian explained that Lu Chen had to defeat a Third Sequence seed to claim a place and gave him one challenge within three months.
• Lu Chen reviewed the seed register and chose Su Changmei, the thirtieth-ranked seed from the Mystic Strategy Academy.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng encouraged Lu Chen to do his best and reminded him that the Dragon Ascension Sequence was only one way to obtain resources.
• Three days later, Lu Chen and Su Changmei faced each other at the Martial Combat Platform as academy disciples gathered to watch their challenge.

Lu Chen defeated Su Changmei in the fighting platform match by breaking through his Cold Plum Force with Azure Dragon Force. Su Changmei conceded, and Lu Chen advanced into the dragon ascension sequence.

• Su Changmei used Cold Plum Force and Branch-Breaking Hand to redirect Lu Chen's attacks and stiffen his limbs.
• Lu Chen countered Su Changmei's technique by mixing Coldwater Force with Azure Dragon Force.
• Su Changmei unleashed Branch-Breaking Hand-Nine-Fold Cold Plum, surrounding Lu Chen with palm shadows and freezing mist.
• Lu Chen combined the forces throughout his body and used Azure Dragon Sweeps Its Tail to shatter Su Changmei's attacks and drive him off the platform.
• The presiding elder declared Lu Chen the winner, and Su Changmei conceded with admiration.

After becoming the youngest third Sequence Seed, Lu Chen entered the Bone-Forging Pool to refine his bones with the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art. He emerged after a full day and night having reached Jade Bone Minor Completion, astonishing Ouyang Xuanfeng.

• Lu Chen received the third Sequence Seed’s resources, including three entries to the Bone-Forging Pool, one of which Ouyang Xuanfeng had secured for him.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng brought Lu Chen to the Bone-Forging Pool and warned him not to descend too deeply or exceed his limits.
• Lu Chen moved from the first tier to the third, then continued to the fourth as he endured intense pain and absorbed the pool’s medicinal power.
• Lu Chen cultivated in the Bone-Forging Pool for a full day and night before emerging.
• Ouyang Xuanfeng examined Lu Chen’s bones and discovered that he had reached Jade Bone Minor Completion.

Lu Chen underwent repeated Bone-Forging Pool cleansings and practiced the Golden Crow Breathing Technique until he reached major mastery in the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art and perfected the breathing technique. His Golden Crow Meridian Patrol began transforming his vital blood, but Lu Chen sensed that the change was still incomplete.

• After Ouyang Xuanfeng told Lu Chen to wait ten days between cleansings, Lu Chen practiced the Golden Crow Breathing Technique each morning and used its yang energy to cultivate the Vermilion Bird Baleful-Burning Force.
• Ten days later, Lu Chen entered the fifth-tier waters for his second cleansing, strengthening his jade bones and advancing his Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist.
• By his third cleansing, Lu Chen could withstand the sixth-tier waters, and two months later he entered the seventh tier for his fifth cleansing.
• Lu Chen absorbed the seventh tier's medicinal power and reached major mastery in the Nine-Burial Jade Bone Art.
• Lu Chen perfected the Golden Crow Breathing Technique, gained the Golden Crow Meridian Patrol trait, and reached major mastery in the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force after mastering its Vermilion Bird level.
• As the Golden Crow patrolled his body, Lu Chen's vital blood grew more concentrated and began taking on a pale golden luster, though he sensed its transformation was not complete.

After receiving Qin Yueshan’s urgent summons, Lu Chen returned to Qu River to help defend against the approaching crimson tide and its Demon Wraiths. He reached Bend River City and learned that the eruption could begin within three days and might be the largest in decades.

• Lu Chen received Qin Yueshan’s letter warning that the crimson tide would soon erupt and asking him to help guard Scarlet Cloud Mountain.
• Lu Chen decided to leave for Qu River that day, informed Ouyang Xuanfeng, and rode toward Bend River City.
• Lu Chen arrived in Bend River City after three days and went straight to the Qu River Martial Temple.
• Qin Yueshan was astonished to learn that Lu Chen had reached major attainment in the Bone-Forging Realm in only two or three months.
• Qin Yueshan told Lu Chen that Scarlet Cloud Mountain had shaken again and the crimson tide might erupt within three days.