Chapter Summaries

Zhou An and Black Jade reached the Black Palace, where they found Green Robe had become an aberration and was fighting Old Yang. After Zhou An helped seal Green Robe inside a relief, Old Yang offered a way for Black Jade to fuse with the Eight Unique Skills, though it would require Zhou An to enter the relief himself.

• Zhou An followed Black Jade to the ruins around the Black Palace and dismantled the damaged formations to enter it.
• Zhou An found Green Robe transformed into an aberration and locked in combat with Old Yang.
• At Old Yang's direction, Zhou An linked the formations to the reliefs, which pulled Green Robe inside and suppressed her.
• Bizarre arms reached for Zhou An, but Old Yang destroyed them and warned Zhou An not to enter the rift without certainty.
• Zhou An explained that Black Jade had comprehended all eight unique skills and asked Old Yang how she could fuse with them.
• Old Yang proposed sending Black Jade into the rift while Zhou An entered the aura-isolating relief, leaving Zhou An uneasy about the plan.

Zhou An entered the relief while Black Jade went into the aberrant rift to begin merging with the Eight Unique Skills. Inside, Zhou An fought endless Weirds resembling Qing Shuangzi, and Old Yang realized that Green Robe's longing for Qing Shuangzi had created them, leaving Zhou An in serious trouble.

• Old Yang assured Zhou An that the relief would protect him and that Black Jade would retain her immortal body while entering the rift.
• Old Yang sent Zhou An into the relief, then opened a rift for Black Jade to enter and plant a seed for comprehending the Eight Unique Skills.
• Zhou An found Green Robe chained inside the relief and noticed her briefly grow calm, but he could not communicate with her.
• A Weird resembling Qing Shuangzi appeared, shattered Zhou An's divination Bagua, and attacked him with pale talismans.
• Zhou An destroyed the Weird, but countless more Qing Shuangzi lookalikes emerged and continued to appear as he fought them.
• Old Yang realized that Green Robe's endless longing for Qing Shuangzi had produced the Weirds and that Zhou An was in serious trouble.

Zhou An used the Bizarre Assembly’s black sphere to disrupt the anomalies born from Green Robe’s longing, then refined them into pure soul power that restored her human consciousness. Green Robe emerged from the relief, removed the resentful energy planted in Zhou An, and began learning about the present while recognizing Black Jade’s potential as the next Master of the Miscellaneous Sect.

• Old Yang watched Zhou An fight the endless anomalies while maintaining the rift so Black Jade could return.
• Zhou An opened the Bizarre Assembly’s wooden box and sent its black sphere into Green Robe, destabilizing her and the anomalies.
• Zhou An used World in the Pot to refine the anomalies into pure soul power, and Old Yang advised him to use it to awaken Green Robe.
• Zhou An sent the soul power into Green Robe’s forehead, restoring her clarity and freeing her from the invisible chains.
• Green Robe left the relief, removed the resentful energy from Zhou An, and heard his account of the current world.
• Green Robe saw Black Jade through the crack and said she should become the new Master of the Miscellaneous Sect.

Zhou An watched Black Jade plant a seed of the Eight Unique Skills, and Green Robe gave her qi that ensured she could integrate the skills without failing. Green Robe also revealed a possible link between Zhou An’s Golden Finger and his previous life, and Zhou An left the Black Palace determined to strengthen his Body Forging before the coming campaign against the Barbarian Kingdom.

• Zhou An told Green Robe that he did not want Black Jade to become Master of the Miscellaneous Sect because he wanted her safe by his side, and he admitted that he liked her.
• Green Robe condemned Indulgence for violating the Miscellaneous Sect’s principles and said she wanted to kill its leader, though she could not leave the Black Palace without becoming a Weird.
• Green Robe described seeing a world like Zhou An’s previous life through a rift and said she had sensed a familiar quality in his unknown ability, prompting him to question the origin of his Golden Finger.
• Black Jade returned from the rift after planting the seed, and Green Robe added her qi to Black Jade’s, ensuring she could integrate the Eight Unique Skills without failing.
• Zhou An left the Black Palace with Black Jade, returned to his room, and took her to the rear courtyard to raise his Body Forging proficiency by telling her to hit him.

As Great Yue prepared to attack the Barbarian Kingdom, the Man Kingdom Emperor planned to unite the Jianghu Deviants against Emperor Fengteng’s ambitions, while Great Chu sought a Hidden Master’s help to conceal its troops. The Xingwu Emperor and Eunuch Wei agreed to send Zhou An a secret letter asking for a solution as the campaign approached.

• Zhou An had Black Jade repeatedly strike his Body Forging under protective formations, raising its proficiency.
• The Man Kingdom Emperor agreed to join Emperor Fengteng’s attack on Great Yue, but planned to unite Indulgence, the Wild Taoist Sect, and the Wild Buddhist Sect into a country that could resist Great Qi.
• The Cloud Arising Emperor confirmed that Great Chu was preparing to move secretly alongside Great Yue against the Barbarian Kingdom.
• The Xingwu Emperor, Yuan Qingyi, and Eunuch Wei discussed using a Hidden Master to conceal Great Chu’s army, but the Hidden Master refused to cooperate.
• Yuan Qingyi suggested asking Zhou An for help, and the Xingwu Emperor ordered Eunuch Wei to send him a secret letter.

Zhou An advanced his skills while devising a way to draw Zheng Xi away from his loyalty to Great Feng, and the plan helped Zheng Xi accept Great Chu. As Great Yue deployed its army toward Great Qi, Zhou An decided to transform Flying Dragon Movement before responding to the turmoil.

• Zhou An upgraded Body Forging into Indestructible Golden Body, gaining twenty-four stacked layers of golden light, then grinded Flying Dragon Movement with Black Jade until it reached level eight.
• A eunuch delivered the Xingwu Emperor’s secret letter about Zheng Xi, and Zhou An sent back a plan to show the Hidden Master how prosperous Great Chu had become.
• Zhou An developed Breath Holding as a new skill with a Concealment attribute, then resumed grinding Flying Dragon Movement.
• Eunuch Wei took Zheng Xi through the capital, and Zheng Xi decided his loyalty belonged to Great Chu and its people rather than Great Feng.
• Great Yue sent King Yuanxi’s army toward Great Qi, and Zhou An prepared to transform Flying Dragon Movement.

Zhou An advanced Read a Thousand Scrolls while Great Chu and Great Yue prepared to invade the Barbarian Kingdom and confront Great Qi. Eunuch Wei asked Zhou An to join a plan to use half of Great Chu’s National Luck to kill three Jianghu Deviants, and Zhou An agreed to go to the capital.

• Zhou An chose Myriad Demonic Shadows, mastered its ability to create attacking shadows, and began raising Read a Thousand Scrolls by studying Hundred Techniques of the Miscellaneous Sect.
• King Yuanxi, Abbot Kongchen, and the Saber Venerable reached Great Qi’s border, where Yin Yue gave them permission to take the special road toward the Barbarian Kingdom.
• The Chief Commander, the National Teacher, and the Prime Minister advanced with a concealed Great Chu force and planned to coordinate their attack with Zhou An.
• Zhou An raised Read a Thousand Scrolls to level eight before Eunuch Wei arrived and told him that three Jianghu Deviants had allied with Emperor Fengteng.
• Eunuch Wei explained that the Xingwu Emperor would spend half of Great Chu’s National Luck to empower Zhou An and kill the three Jianghu Deviants, and Zhou An agreed to the plan.

Zhou An carried Great Chu and Great Yue's National Luck into Great Qi to help eliminate the three Jianghu Deviants, but the Indulgent Leader lured the Taoist Master and Buddha into ambushing him at Icebound County. As the battle began, Zhou An opened both boxes of National Luck, while the Indulgent Leader appeared to be pursuing a secret agenda of his own.

• Zhou An agreed to Eunuch Wei's plan, and the Xingwu Emperor entrusted him with half of Great Chu's National Luck in a carved wooden box.
• Zhou An and Eunuch Wei traveled to Great Yue, where the Cloud Arising Emperor gave Zhou An a second box containing National Luck.
• The Indulgent Leader convinced the Taoist Master and Buddha to kill Zhou An at Icebound County by claiming Zhou An could restore the Bizarre Assembly to consciousness.
• Zhou An and Eunuch Wei entered the deserted Icebound County, where the Indulgent Leader, Taoist Master, and Buddha confronted them.
• The Indulgent Leader revealed that Great Chu's forces were nearby but attacked alongside the Taoist Master and Buddha, while Eunuch Wei fought them.
• Zhou An opened both wooden boxes, releasing two terrifying streams of National Luck into the sky.

Zhou An, Eunuch Wei, and the Bizarre Assembly fought Indulgent Leader, who fused the Eight Unique Skills and captured Zhou An inside a barrier. Indulgent Leader began possessing Zhou An to steal his abilities, as Zhou An's consciousness blurred and a phantom appeared before him.

• Zhou An used the National Luck of Great Chu and Great Yue to attack Indulgent Leader while Eunuch Wei fought the Taoist Master and Buddha.
• Eunuch Wei unleashed a life-consuming yin-energy technique, and the Taoist Master and Buddha used their secret arts to resist it.
• Indulgent Leader began fusing all Eight Unique Skills, and the Bizarre Assembly arrived to help Eunuch Wei kill the Taoist Master and Buddha.
• After the Taoist Master and Buddha were destroyed, Indulgent Leader emerged as a shattered soul and overpowered Eunuch Wei and the Bizarre Assembly.
• Indulgent Leader trapped Zhou An inside a barrier and revealed that he planned to possess Zhou An and take his abilities.
• Indulgent Leader entered Zhou An's brow, and Zhou An's consciousness blurred as a phantom appeared before him.

Zhou An returned from the sea of white flowers after the pure white figure destroyed Indulgent Leader, then joined Eunuch Wei and the Bizarre Assembly in preparing to attack Great Qi. As their forces converged on the capital, Emperor Fengteng resolved to spend Great Qi’s National Luck to hold off the invasion and considered opening Indulgent Leader’s wooden box.

• Zhou An returned to the Bizarre Assembly, where Black Jade embraced him and begged him not to leave; he comforted her and gave the Bizarre Assembly an Inner Core.
• The Bizarre Assembly and Eunuch Wei questioned Zhou An about his survival, and Eunuch Wei explained that Yue Ming would not oppose their attack because she despised Emperor Fengteng for killing their father.
• Zhou An and Eunuch Wei left for Great Qi’s capital, while the National Teacher and Prime Minister mobilized their forces and King Yuanxi turned his army back toward Great Qi.
• Emperor Fengteng gathered Yin Yue, National Teacher Nan Yun, Prime Minister Liu Ping, and Marshal Po Jun, then ordered preparations to summon the Barbarian Kingdom and proposed using all of Great Qi’s National Luck to resist the attackers.
• After his ministers departed, Emperor Fengteng took out the wooden box Indulgent Leader had given him and considered opening it at this critical moment.

Emperor Fengteng used Great Qi’s National Luck to shield the capital as Great Chu and Great Yue arrived to destroy him. While Zhou An and Black Jade fought the army outside the barrier, Eunuch Wei’s forces battled within it, where Emperor Fengteng finally appeared with a fragment of Indulgent Leader’s soul.

• Emperor Fengteng kept a wooden box as a last resort while Great Chu and Great Yue hurried toward Great Qi’s capital.
• Yue Ming asked Eunuch Wei to honor their old oath after Great Qi fell, and he agreed if he survived.
• Emperor Fengteng raised a golden National Luck barrier around the capital, and Eunuch Wei led the other experts inside while Zhou An stayed outside.
• Zhou An and Black Jade fought Great Qi’s army as the surrounding forces clashed across the battlefield.
• Inside the barrier, Eunuch Wei and the others fought Great Qi’s empowered experts, while Yin Yue faced the Chief Commander.
• Emperor Fengteng appeared above the palace with the wooden box open, and Eunuch Wei recognized the Indulgent Leader’s soul fragment on his shoulder.

Emperor Fengteng joined with Xiao He Yun, the ancient founder of the Eight Unique Skills, who revealed his plan to destroy the Three Great Sects and seize control. Their fused power overwhelmed the defenders, and as Zhou An read a message sent from inside the barrier, the danger to Great Qi’s capital remained unresolved.

• Emperor Fengteng revealed Xiao He Yun, who explained that he had survived through the Eight Unique Skills and returned by fusing with the emperor through National Luck.
• Xiao He Yun killed Yin Yue and the other three Peak Sky Ascending Realm experts of Great Qi, then confronted Emperor Fengteng over who would control their fused body.
• Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun set aside their dispute and attacked the defenders, whose combined assault failed to break the sphere formed by the Eight Unique Skills.
• Eunuch Wei, King Yuanxi, the National Teacher, the Prime Minister, Abbot Kongchen, and the others were badly wounded as the sphere began descending over the imperial palace.
• Outside the barrier, Zhou An and the surviving fighters finished their battle, then watched people flee the barrier and read the message sent from within.

Zhou An entered the National Luck barrier to save Eunuch Wei and the others, then fled into the Spirit Connection Space when Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun overwhelmed them. With help from Green Robe and Old Yang, he returned with Black Jade, who struck down the two enemies and left them cracking apart.

• Zhou An sent the gathered forces away, hid Black Jade in his shadow, and entered the National Luck barrier, where he found Eunuch Wei and the others badly injured amid the ruins.
• Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun ordered Zhou An captured for the secret of restoring Bizarre creatures to sanity, but Zhou An escaped into the Spirit Connection Space as they attacked.
• Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun tore open a passage into the Spirit Connection Space, where Green Robe and Old Yang destroyed their giant hands and confronted them.
• Zhou An returned with Black Jade, who carried attacks from Green Robe and Old Yang and shattered the enemies' combined Eight Unique Skills sword.
• Black Jade's droplet-shaped attack struck Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun between the brows, and cracks spread across their bodies as they cried out in disbelief.

Zhou An and his allies defeated Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun, who escaped into a rift to face their deaths among the strange entities. As Great Chu and Great Yue divided Great Qi, the Man Kingdom Emperor prepared a mysterious metal box for one last gamble against their looming defeat.

• Xiao He Yun blamed the Three Great Sects and Green Robe for thwarting his plan to unite the world under the Miscellaneous Sect, while Emperor Fengteng recognized Old Yang and rejected defeat.
• Emperor Fengteng and Xiao He Yun opened a rift to the strange entities and leaped inside, and Old Yang and Green Robe said their wounds had doomed them.
• Eunuch Wei and King Yuanxi began negotiating how Great Chu and Great Yue would divide Great Qi and restore its National Luck, while Zhou An rested and agreed to remain behind.
• The Man Kingdom Emperor and Grass Cultivation Master learned that Great Qi had fallen, and the Emperor brought out a sealed metal box as he proposed a final gamble.

The Man Kingdom Emperor revealed to the Grass Cultivation Master that a key could free powerful survivors of the Hundred Kingdoms War, and planned to use them if the Barbarian Kingdom faced destruction. Meanwhile, Zhou An ground Read a Thousand Scrolls to the brink of level nine, with its transformation about to begin.

• The Man Kingdom Emperor told the Grass Cultivation Master that he had found a key to a hidden space containing survivors of the Hundred Kingdoms War, including several Peak Sky Ascending Realm experts.
• The Man Kingdom Emperor proposed releasing the survivors as a last resort, arguing that their unfamiliarity with the present world could give the Barbarian Kingdom time to find a way to survive.
• The Grass Cultivation Master agreed to follow the Man Kingdom Emperor's plan, while the two decided to wait a month and consider other options first.
• Zhou An spent his days grinding Read a Thousand Scrolls by reading and writing insights on the Hundred Techniques of the Miscellaneous Sect, while helping Great Qi and Great Yue deal with lingering remnants.
• Black Jade fused another of the Eight Unique Skills as her strength grew, and Zhou An finished writing the final character needed to bring Read a Thousand Scrolls to level nine.

Zhou An chose Read Ten Thousand Books, gaining the powerful Literary Curse attribute, and began grinding Stirring Wind and Waves. A group of Great Qi remnants led by Liu Dezong brought Coinage Gentleman to attack him, but Zhou An discovered their approach and battled the ancient survivor of the Hundred Kingdoms War, leaving the fight at a decisive moment.

• Zhou An chose Read Ten Thousand Books and tested how its Literary Curse greatly enhanced all his skills.
• Zhou An began training Stirring Wind and Waves in a water pit with Black Jade.
• Liu Dezong led Great Qi remnants toward Zhou An, but Coinage Gentleman killed them and revealed that he wanted Zhou An to join his faction or die.
• Zhou An identified Coinage Gentleman as a survivor of the Hundred Kingdoms War and rejected his offer to join.
• Zhou An's enhanced saber strike shattered Coinage Gentleman's threads and coins, and Coinage Gentleman raised a copper coin to block the attack.
• Zhou An pushed his saber against the copper coin, which began to crack.

Zhou An defeated Coinage Gentleman, a long-lived survivor of the Hundred Kingdoms War, and learned that he had been fished out of a hidden space by Zhou An’s Ghost Fishing. The revelation left Zhou An considering how to use his skill to uncover the other survivors, while Eunuch Wei and Chief Commander went to warn their superiors.

• Coinage Gentleman unleashed his Money Net, but Zhou An destroyed it with Myriad Demonic Shadows and Sacred Spirit Demonic Bodies, then poisoned and subdued him.
• Zhou An gave Coinage Gentleman a choice between dying and confessing; Eunuch Wei and Chief Commander arrived and took him to the Demon Suppression Division for questioning.
• Coinage Gentleman confessed that survivors of the Hundred Kingdoms War had hidden in a separate space and that a fishing rod had hooked him out.
• Zhou An realized that he had accidentally fished Coinage Gentleman up with Ghost Fishing, while Eunuch Wei and Chief Commander discussed warning the rulers about the survivors.
• After the others left with Coinage Gentleman, Zhou An returned home with Black Jade and planned to use stored proficiency on Ghost Fishing while grinding Stirring Wind and Waves.

Ancient figures trapped in the mist learned that Coinage Gentleman had died and agreed to wait for a way out through the stone gate. Meanwhile, Zhou An continued cultivating and went to welcome Yu Hang and Ye Shuang, ending with Black Jade greeting Ye Shuang as “Second.”

• Figures in the mist discussed Coinage Gentleman’s death, the outside world, and ways to escape, then agreed to wait for the stone gate to open or for another person to be taken out.
• Zhou An reviewed his progress in Stirring Wind and Waves and Mysterious and Strange Fishing, then continued cultivating his water-soul affinity while Black Jade accompanied him.
• Zhou An and Black Jade rode to the city gate, where Zhou An spoke with the First Prince about the Third Prince’s burdens as Crown Prince.
• Zhou An waited at the gate until Yu Hang and Ye Shuang arrived, welcomed Yu Hang warmly, and greeted Ye Shuang.
• Black Jade took Ye Shuang’s hand and addressed her as “Second.”

Zhou An reunited with Yu Hang and Ye Shuang, then learned about a mysterious survivor from another world who could only be awakened by a shaman. While Zhou An continued cultivating, Old Yang and Green Robe entered a corrupted rift to search for a Guild Master who might help Old Yang obtain the power he needed.

• Zhou An welcomed Yu Hang and Ye Shuang, silenced gossip about Ye Shuang, and hosted his friends for a meal at his residence.
• Yu Hang told Zhou An that a survivor from another world had fallen into a deep spiritual shock, and that finding a shaman in Great Qi might be the only way to save him.
• Zhou An tried using Celestial Craft Divine Calculation to locate clues about shamans but found nothing, while Yu Hang said the search would proceed under his teacher's arrangements.
• After Yu Hang left, Ye Shuang shed her disguise and agreed with Zhou An to discuss their feelings later; Zhou An returned to grinding proficiency in his courtyard.
• Old Yang and Green Robe entered a corrupted world within a rift and began a broad search for the Guild Master, hoping to persuade him to grant Old Yang the power he sought.

Old Yang and Green Robe found the Guild Master in a contaminated world and asked him to help unite survivors across worlds under Old Yang’s renewed imperial campaign against the strangeness. Back in Great Qi, Zhou An’s skills reached level nine and he broke through into the All-Sage Realm.

• Old Yang and Green Robe searched the ruined world, rescued a group of humans from bizarre creatures, and learned that they knew Zhou An and could lead them to the Guild Master.
• The Guild Master recognized Old Yang and Green Robe, and Old Yang asked him to help gather survivors from other worlds for his plan to become emperor across them and overturn the strangeness.
• The Guild Master asked for time to consider and consult the other worlds, while Old Yang and Green Robe returned to the Black Palace to deal with their worsening strange aura.
• Great Chu and Great Qi issued a heavily rewarded mission to find the Shaman, drawing martial world wanderers into the search across the shattered lands of Great Qi.
• Zhou An used his stored proficiency to raise Shadow Kill to level five, while Natural Water Body and Heaven and Earth Fishing reached level nine.
• Zhou An’s soul became perfectly unified, his strength surged, and he broke through the bottleneck into the All-Sage Realm.