Chapter Summaries

Xiao Lin faced Kuang Feiyu’s Shadow Doppelganger and used his movement and Earth Attribute Dou Techniques to hold off the two attackers while seeking a way to beat them. After discovering the technique’s weakness during close combat, Xiao Lin prepared to end the battle.

• Kuang Feiyu used Shadow Doppelganger to create a second identical figure, leaving Xiao Lin to fight two opponents.
• Xiao Lin dodged their attacks with Seven-Star Void Step and refused to rely on his Heavenly Realm Soul Power unless necessary.
• The two Kuang Feiyus attacked from different angles, and Xiao Lin summoned an earth dragon to hold one off while he closed in on the other.
• Xiao Lin exchanged close-range blows with one Kuang Feiyu until the other defeated the earth dragon and joined the fight.
• Xiao Lin withdrew as the two Kuang Feiyus regrouped, then smiled after discovering Shadow Doppelganger’s weakness.

Xiao Lin discovered that Kuang Feiyu’s Shadow Doppelganger divided his strength and other attributes between two genuine bodies, then used his speed to overwhelm them and turn the battle around. The Black Hell Alliance’s five Dou Emperors remained close to defeat as Xiao Lin stood over the crater where Kuang Feiyu’s two selves had fallen.

• Kuang Feiyu grew anxious as his five Dou Emperor allies struggled against thirteen opponents and he failed to force Xiao Lin into a direct fight.
• Xiao Lin announced that Kuang Feiyu would soon be the one dodging, then vanished and attacked both of his selves at once.
• Kuang Feiyu’s two selves evaded Xiao Lin’s first strikes, but Xiao Lin appeared above them and kicked them into the ground.
• Xiao Lin used Stellar Hand Seal to flatten buildings in Black Hell City and leave a vast handprint in the ground.
• Xiao Lin’s discovery revealed that Shadow Doppelganger split Kuang Feiyu’s strength, speed, Dou Qi, and other attributes evenly between two genuine bodies.

Xiao Lin exploited Kuang Feiyu’s Shadow Doppelganger weakness and used his newly created Void Locking Spirit Formation to trap and kill both weakened duplicates. Kuang Feiyu, a Five-Star Dou Zong, died with neither his body nor soul escaping.

• Xiao Lin revealed that he had concealed his strength and used five steps of Seven-Star Void Step to injure both Kuang Feiyu duplicates.
• Kuang Feiyu attacked Xiao Lin with both duplicates, but Xiao Lin evaded them and secretly spread Spirit Seals through the void.
• Xiao Lin activated the Void Locking Spirit Formation, trapping both Kuang Feiyus in invisible spatial traps.
• Kuang Feiyu begged for mercy, but Xiao Lin killed both duplicates with God-Slaying Finger, preventing their souls from escaping.

Xiao Lin killed Kuang Feiyu with a Void Locking Spirit Formation, then took the Black Hell Alliance leader’s Storage Ring and resolved to develop more combat formations. Kuang Feiyu’s death broke the Black Hell Alliance’s resistance, and its remaining leaders were defeated, leaving the Alliance of Dou Emperor Factions to pacify Black Hell City.

• Xiao Lin examined Kuang Feiyu’s Storage Ring and found valuable pills, herbs, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques.
• Xiao Lin reflected that his Spirit Array Master abilities had let him kill the Five-Star Dou Zong Kuang Feiyu, and planned to deduce more formations after returning to Jia Nan Academy.
• The Alliance of Dou Emperor Factions cheered when Kuang Feiyu’s corpse fell, while Black Hell Alliance members fled, surrendered, or fought on in despair.
• The Black Hell Alliance’s five Dou Emperor powerhouses abandoned defense and launched a final counterattack, but the thirteen opposing faction leaders quickly killed them.
• With Kuang Feiyu and his five Dou Emperor subordinates dead, the Black Hell Alliance was wiped out, and the Alliance of Dou Emperor Factions prepared to pacify Black Hell City.

After the Black Hell Alliance was destroyed, Xiao Lin claimed half its resources, secured goodwill toward Jia Nan Academy, and returned there with Zi Yan. The surviving factions suspected a third party had framed the Black Hell Alliance, but agreed to stay vigilant and turn their attention to competing for its former territory.

• Xiao Lin divided the Black Hell Alliance’s resources, keeping half and leaving the rest to the Black-Corner Region’s Dou Emperor-level factions to build goodwill for Jia Nan Academy.
• The faction leaders promised to protect Jia Nan Academy students who came to train in the region, and Xiao Lin accepted their offers of friendship before departing.
• After the leaders dispersed, Yin Gu Lao, Su Mei, and Tie Wu discussed whether the Black Hell Alliance had actually looted their medicinal herb vaults.
• Su Mei argued that someone had framed the Black Hell Alliance, and she and Yin Gu Lao identified the Black Emperor Sect, Demon Flame Valley, and Jia Nan Academy as possible culprits.
• The three decided to blame the destroyed Black Hell Alliance publicly, stay alert to the other factions, befriend Jia Nan Academy, and prepare to contest the region’s interests.
• Xiao Lin returned to Jia Nan Academy with Zi Yan.

Xiao Lin returned to Jia Nan Academy carrying an exhausted Zi Yan, who was nearing a breakthrough, and reported the Black-Corner Region affair to First Elder Su Qian. He then spent two years cultivating in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and emerged as a Seven-Star Dou Zong, second only to Headmaster Mang Tianchi in Jia Nan Academy.

• Zi Yan fell asleep on Xiao Lin's back while returning to Jia Nan Academy, and Xiao Lin realized she was close to breaking through to the Dou Ling realm.
• Xiao Lin concluded that the factions in the Black-Corner Region had no proof implicating Jia Nan Academy in the herb warehouse looting and would blame the destroyed Black Hell Alliance.
• Xiao Lin reported the affair to First Elder Su Qian, who checked Zi Yan and praised Xiao Lin for helping her grow.
• Xiao Lin told First Elder Su Qian that his time with Zi Yan had improved his spatial control and helped him devise a Void Locking Spirit Formation.
• Xiao Lin spent the next two years repeatedly cultivating in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and reached the Seven-Star Dou Zong realm.

Xiao Lin set aside Dou Qi cultivation to study spirit arrays while Zi Yan remained asleep, and gained First Elder Su Qian’s approval to build Trial Grounds at Jia Nan Academy. After a year of research, he arranged four formations around his pavilion, ready for students to challenge them and provide feedback.

• Xiao Lin decided to focus on studying spirit arrays because his spatial control had reached a limit and Zi Yan was still asleep.
• Xiao Lin proposed creating Trial Grounds to First Elder Su Qian, who approved the plan for the benefit of the academy and its students.
• Xiao Lin made his pavilion the center of the Trial Grounds and spent more than three months deriving the Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation.
• Over the next nine months, Xiao Lin derived the Maze Formation, Arrow Rain Formation, and Ironstone Formation.
• Xiao Lin arranged all four formations around his pavilion and declared the Trial Grounds ready to open.

Xiao Lin’s Trial Grounds gradually became a popular combat-training venue at Jia Nan Academy as students discovered them and earned rewards for their efforts. By the time nearly everyone knew of the grounds, even instructors had begun trying their formations.

• Jia Nan Academy welcomed new students as Outer Academy students advanced into the Inner Academy, where many struggled to afford cultivation in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
• Students began spreading rumors about the Trial Grounds, which Xiao Lin had built but deliberately kept quiet to test and improve them before promoting them.
• Xiao Lin used items from the Black Hell Alliance and his unused Fire Energy to reward students who performed well in the Trial Grounds.
• Students’ attempts helped Xiao Lin fix problems in the formations, and the Trial Grounds’ reputation spread throughout Jia Nan Academy over the following half year.
• Students and instructors began visiting the Trial Grounds to test their combat abilities against Xiao Lin’s formations.

Xiao Lin advanced his four Trial Grounds and became a Fourth-Tier Spirit Array Master while continuing to cultivate at Jia Nan Academy. Two years later, he reached Eight-Star Dou Zong, remained dissatisfied with his pace, and was welcomed by Su Qian and Qian Bai Er Lao for his contributions to the academy.

• Xiao Lin refined the four Trial Grounds formations, which tested challengers' will, offense, defense, and observation, and added rewards and safety mechanisms.
• Students began using the Trial Grounds to test their strength, and the grounds developed according to Xiao Lin's plan.
• During his fourth year at Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Lin reached Eight-Star Dou Zong after advancing only one star in the previous two years.
• Xiao Lin complained to Su Qian and Qian Bai Er Lao about his cultivation speed, and the three nearly beat him for his lack of perspective.
• Su Qian and Qian Bai Er Lao warmly welcomed Xiao Lin's contributions to Jia Nan Academy and wished he could become a Supreme Elder.

Xiao Lin was summoned by First Elder Su Qian to handle a matter involving a mysterious visitor backed by several Dou Zong experts. The chapter ended with Su Qian revealing that the visitor was connected to the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family, not Heavenly Serpent Mansion.

• Four years after Xiao Lin joined Jia Nan Academy, the Trial Grounds had become an established cultivation site that attracted students alongside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
• First Elder Su Qian summoned Xiao Lin and asked him to make a trip, despite Xiao Lin's complaints that he was busy.
• Su Qian explained that a mysterious guest had visited Jia Nan Academy and that the matter involved a powerful faction and a Dou Zong expert.
• Xiao Lin guessed the guest was connected to Heavenly Serpent Mansion, but Su Qian corrected him and named the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family.

Xiao Lin learned from First Elder Su Qian that the Heavenly Serpent Empire's Imperial Family still had several Dou Zong powerhouses and had not become a puppet of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. He suspected the Imperial Family's visit to Jia Nan Academy might lead to its future downfall and became eager to hear what Su Qian wanted him to do.

• Xiao Lin was surprised when First Elder Su Qian revealed that a recent visitor to Jia Nan Academy belonged to the Heavenly Serpent Empire's Imperial Family and was a Dou Zong powerhouse.
• Xiao Lin asked how the Imperial Family could have several Dou Zong powerhouses yet become a puppet of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
• Su Qian denied that the Imperial Family was a puppet and explained that it had clashed with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, whose ancestor was believed to be a Peak Nine-Star Dou Zong.
• Xiao Lin realized the Imperial Family's downfall from the original story had not happened yet and wondered whether its visit to Jia Nan Academy could trigger it.
• Xiao Lin asked Su Qian to explain the task, while Su Qian grew wary of his sudden interest.

First Elder Su Qian told Xiao Lin that the Heavenly Serpent Empire had invited Jia Nan Academy to its eight-hundredth-anniversary Founding Ceremony and wanted the academy to publicly support its imperial family. Xiao Lin learned that the empire offered medicinal pills and the right to recruit students there, leaving the academy tempted by the deal.

• First Elder Su Qian explained that the Heavenly Serpent Empire had invited Jia Nan Academy to attend its Founding Ceremony.
• Xiao Lin questioned why the empire had sent a Dou Zong expert to deliver what seemed like a routine invitation.
• First Elder Su Qian revealed that the empire wanted Jia Nan Academy to voice support for the imperial family if trouble arose at the ceremony, without requiring the academy to fight.
• Xiao Lin asked what the academy would receive in return, and First Elder Su Qian named three Tier 7 Medicinal Pills, ten Tier 6 Medicinal Pills, and permission to recruit students within the empire.

Xiao Lin accepted Jia Nan Academy’s mission to attend the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s Founding Ceremony and investigate the Imperial Family’s offer of support. He arrived in the imperial capital before the ceremony, impressed by its scale and festive atmosphere.

• First Elder Su Qian told Xiao Lin that the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family had offered medicinal pills and permission for Jia Nan Academy to recruit students in exchange for its support.
• Xiao Lin questioned whether the offer concealed a trap, and First Elder Su Qian assigned him to attend the ceremony and assess the Imperial Family’s intentions.
• First Elder Su Qian authorized Xiao Lin to accept the offer if it posed no harm to Jia Nan Academy, or respond as he saw fit if the Imperial Family plotted against it.
• After handling matters concerning the Trial Grounds, Xiao Lin set off with a Tier 7 Medicinal Pill Recipe as Jia Nan Academy’s congratulatory gift.
• Xiao Lin arrived in the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s imperial capital days before the Founding Ceremony and admired its grandeur and festive bustle.

Xiao Lin arrived at the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s imperial capital to represent Jia Nan Academy at its eight-hundredth Founding Ceremony. In the imperial palace, he met the Five-Star Dou Zong Earth Serpent, who recognized him as Elder Lin Xiao and personally escorted him inside.

• Xiao Lin observed that the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s spiritual energy, prosperity, and average strength far surpassed those of the Jia Ma Empire.
• Xiao Lin presented Jia Nan Academy’s invitation at the imperial palace and was admitted by the guards.
• A Five-Star Dou Zong from the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family welcomed Xiao Lin and dismissed the Dou Ling palace guard so he could escort the guest himself.
• The Five-Star Dou Zong identified Xiao Lin as Elder Lin Xiao, and Xiao Lin asked which of the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow experts he was.
• The expert introduced himself as Earth Serpent, the second-ranked Dou Zong serving the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family.

Xiao Lin entered the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s palace and met its emperor, the Heavenly Serpent Ancestor. He discovered that the emperor’s true cultivation was at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong, though he concealed it as Eight-Star Dou Zong, and suspected a plan was tied to the Founding Ceremony.

• Xiao Lin observed how snakes served as the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s pervasive cultural symbol as Earth Serpent escorted him through the palace.
• Earth Serpent introduced Xiao Lin to the Heavenly Serpent Emperor, and both exchanged formal greetings and congratulations ahead of the Founding Ceremony.
• The Heavenly Serpent Emperor addressed Earth Serpent as his second brother, revealing that the imperial family’s four strongest members held the titles Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow.
• Xiao Lin used his Heavenly Soul Realm soul to discern that the Heavenly Serpent Ancestor had concealed his Nine-Star Dou Zong cultivation as Eight-Star Dou Zong.
• Xiao Lin suspected the Heavenly Serpent Ancestor was planning something that would unfold during the Founding Ceremony.

After the Heavenly Serpent Emperor arranged for Xiao Lin to stay near the palace without discussing Jia Nan Academy’s business, Xiao Lin explored the Imperial Capital and discovered a Spatial Wormhole. Its existence convinced him that the Heavenly Serpent Empire had once possessed Dou Venerables, while its guards grew alarmed when they could not see through his cultivation.

• The Heavenly Serpent Emperor sent Xiao Lin to luxurious accommodations near the palace without raising the matter First Elder Su Qian had mentioned.
• Xiao Lin decided not to worry about the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family’s intentions and explored the Imperial Capital as visitors gathered for the Founding Ceremony.
• Xiao Lin estimated that more than twenty Dou Zong experts might gather for the ceremony and considered the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s hidden strength.
• Xiao Lin found a Spatial Wormhole at Blackstone Square and recognized it as proof that the empire had once possessed Dou Venerable experts.
• The two Dou Zong guards noticed Xiao Lin staring at the wormhole and became terrified when they could not see through his cultivation.

Xiao Lin apologized to the Dou Zong experts guarding the Spatial Wormhole in the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s capital and introduced himself as Jia Nan Academy’s representative. He learned that the guards were Water Snake and Fire Snake of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, whose strength and former lord’s uncertain fate made the faction a formidable power.

• Xiao Lin apologized to the two Dou Zong guards for staring at the Spatial Wormhole, and they accepted his explanation.
• Xiao Lin identified himself as Lin Xiao of Jia Nan Academy, impressing the guards with the academy’s reputation.
• Water Snake and Fire Snake introduced themselves as members of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
• Xiao Lin deduced that Water Snake and Fire Snake were not members of the imperial family and recognized that the Heavenly Serpent Mansion had five Dou Zong experts.
• Xiao Lin recalled that the Heavenly Serpent Mansion’s former lord had been a peak Nine-Star Dou Zong but that no one knew whether he was still alive.

Xiao Lin spoke with Water Snake and Fire Snake at Blackstone Square and learned how the Heavenly Serpent Mansion controlled the Spatial Wormhole to the Central Plains. After Xiao Lin left, Water Snake and Fire Snake decided to avoid provoking Jia Nan Academy and to report his visit to their Eldest Brother.

• Xiao Lin chatted with Water Snake and Fire Snake and learned about the Spatial Wormhole, its dangers, and the costs of using it to reach the Central Plains.
• Xiao Lin concluded that the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was not plotting against Jia Nan Academy and left Blackstone Square after accepting their polite invitation to visit.
• Water Snake and Fire Snake dropped their warm expressions and discussed how the imperial family had involved Jia Nan Academy in its scheme.
• Water Snake warned Fire Snake not to offend Xiao Lin or Jia Nan Academy, since doing so could aid the imperial family's plans.
• Fire Snake agreed to report Xiao Lin's visit to their Eldest Brother while Water Snake stayed to guard the Spatial Wormhole.

Xiao Lin attended the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s Founding Ceremony as Jia Nan Academy’s envoy and watched the empire host a gathering of powerful factions from across the Northwest Continent. He remained wary of the Imperial Family’s unexplained silence and left the ceremony without learning its secret reason for excluding the Misty Cloud Sect.

• After several days in the Imperial Capital, Xiao Lin attended the Founding Ceremony, still suspicious that the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family had not followed up on its earlier discussion with Su Qian.
• At the banquet, Xiao Lin sat near the front alongside the Imperial Family’s four Dou Zong experts, opposite three experts from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
• Xiao Lin counted more than thirty Dou Zong experts and saw representatives from numerous first-rate empires and sects, but none from the Jia Ma Empire or Misty Cloud Sect.
• The first-rate factions’ Dou Zong experts learned Xiao Lin represented Jia Nan Academy and treated him warmly, while some who had resented his seat changed their attitudes.
• Xiao Lin overheard the guests speculate about the rivalry between Jia Nan Academy and the Heavenly Serpent Empire, and he quietly observed that none dared challenge him.

At the Heavenly Serpent Empire’s Founding Ceremony, Xiao Lin exchanged polite greetings with Golden Snake, the master of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, while considering the Mansion’s history and its growing conflict with the Imperial Family. The confrontation was nearing a breaking point, and Xiao Lin believed the ceremony would provide the chance for it to erupt, with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion ultimately prevailing.

• Xiao Lin found that no Dou Zong experts challenged him after they learned he represented Jia Nan Academy.
• Golden Snake greeted Xiao Lin, and the two exchanged polite compliments while Xiao Lin assessed Golden Snake as an Eight-Star Dou Zong.
• Xiao Lin recalled that the Heavenly Serpent Mansion and the Heavenly Serpent Imperial Family descended from two founding brothers who had once conquered the empire together.
• The Heavenly Serpent Mansion grew stronger than the Imperial Family, and their conflict deepened as the Imperial Family sought to bring the Mansion under its control.
• Xiao Lin anticipated that the Founding Ceremony would trigger the conflict and believed the Heavenly Serpent Mansion would eventually make the Imperial Family its puppet.