Chapter Summaries

Qin Yu confronted Zhao Yuan and his companions after they harassed Xiao Yu and other girls from his class, then accepted Zhao Yuan’s challenge. As the two reached the arena, Qin Yu finished studying a defensive combat skill, and the match began.

• Lu Renjia told Qin Yu that upperclassmen were cornering the girls from their class, so Qin Yu went to the eastern plaza.
• Qin Yu recognized Zhao Yuan, exposed what he knew about him, and accepted his challenge to fight in the arena.
• Qin Yu reassured Xiao Yu, then read the Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor scroll on the way to the arena while Zhao Yuan grew increasingly uneasy.
• Qin Yu and Zhao Yuan took their places before the gathered students, and the referee started the match.

Qin Yu defeated Zhao Yuan by testing his newly learned Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor, then combining his defensive, offensive, and movement techniques to knock Zhao Yuan out of the arena. After the match, Xiao Yu worried about Qin Yu’s risk-taking, and he patted her head, joking that it would cost three thousand.

• Zhao Yuan attacked Qin Yu repeatedly, while Qin Yu dodged and waited without striking back.
• Qin Yu thanked Zhao Yuan, then endured his Wind-Rending Claw with Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor and assessed how well the new defense held up.
• Qin Yu combined Qilin Fist, Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor, and Mountain Qilin Leap to pierce Zhao Yuan’s Battle Qi Gauze and knock him off the arena.
• The referee declared Qin Yu the winner, and Zhao Yuan left with his companions, unable to understand how he had lost.
• Xiao Yu warned Qin Yu not to risk getting hurt, and Qin Yu patted her head and joked that it would cost three thousand.

After Xue Ni shoved Xiao Yu into Qin Yu’s arms, Xiao Yu chased her down and beat her up before deciding to cultivate with her every night. Qin Yu received his freshman assessment points and continued cultivating, then headed to the academy’s medicine hall to look for supplies.

• Xue Ni pushed Xiao Yu into Qin Yu’s arms, and Qin Yu caught her around the waist as their classmates watched and gossiped.
• Instructor Ruo Lin gave Qin Yu his points booklet, showing that his victory over Zhao Yuan and first place in the freshman assessment had brought his total to six hundred.
• Xiao Yu chased Xue Ni to their dormitory and roughed her up, then admitted she wanted to become stronger and asked Xue Ni to cultivate with her nightly.
• The next morning, Qin Yu cultivated on the mountain, felt his battle qi grow more solid, and went to the academy’s medicine hall.

Qin Yu bought Xiao Yu a Qi-Gathering Powder and asked her to help him test whether cultivating with two types of Battle Qi could improve efficiency. He then went to the competition grounds, where Luo Zheng challenged him.

• Qin Yu exchanged three hundred points for a Qi-Gathering Powder at the Medicine Hall.
• Qin Yu gave the pill to Xiao Yu, who accepted it and promised to find him after she broke through to the Dou Practitioner realm and changed cultivation methods.
• Qin Yu headed to the competition grounds to gain combat experience after defeating Zhao Yuan.
• Luo Zheng met Qin Yu at the registration desk and challenged him, revealing that he was ranked nine hundred and ninety-one.
• Qin Yu questioned whether Luo Zheng was sure he wanted to challenge him.

Qin Yu defeated Luo Zheng again, then discovered that his growing connection to the mountain let him sense its terrain and a hidden waterfall pool. There he encountered Han Yue, who was puzzled that a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner had sensed the water from afar.

• Qin Yu defeated Luo Zheng with the three-stage force of the Qilin Fist, and Luo Zheng vowed to beat him next time.
• Qin Yu left the arena and sensed the mountain’s cliffs, forests, and streams through a newly clarified connection.
• Qin Yu discovered a secluded waterfall pool that he hoped to use for cultivating Earth and Water attributes after Xiao Yu’s breakthrough and change of cultivation method.
• Qin Yu reached the pool and found Han Yue cultivating there.
• Han Yue questioned how Qin Yu, a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner, had sensed the hidden water flow from a distance.

Qin Yu explained his insight into transforming Earth-Attribute Battle Qi into something resembling Metal-Attribute Battle Qi after Han Yue caught him staring at her. His attempt failed, but Han Yue accepted his explanation, and Qin Yu planned to return to the pool in a few days.

• Han Yue explained that the freezing pool suited her Ice-Attribute Battle Qi, and Qin Yu noticed her bare feet.
• After Han Yue caught him looking at her, Qin Yu claimed her words had inspired an insight about Earth generating Metal.
• Qin Yu compressed his Earth-Attribute Battle Qi into a hard, grayish coating, but it dissipated before becoming Metal-Attribute Battle Qi.
• Han Yue believed Qin Yu's explanation and wondered at his talent, while Qin Yu puzzled over why his technique had failed.
• Qin Yu asked whether he could cultivate at the pool in a few days, and Han Yue agreed that the place was open to him.

Qin Yu figured out how to form Metal Attribute Dou Qi without overcompressing it and succeeded in transforming his Earth Attribute Dou Qi. After learning that Xiao Yu had broken through to Dou Zhe and gained a Water Attribute, he told her he would take her into the mountains the next day to help with his cultivation, leaving her flustered by what she imagined he meant.

• Qin Yu studied the Five-Element Battle Qi Theory and realized that excessive restraint made his Dou Qi lose Metal's sharpness and tend toward Water.
• Qin Yu balanced the degree of restraint and successfully formed stable Metal Attribute Dou Qi, though he found it took too much effort to maintain for prolonged combat.
• Qin Yu arrived late to class, but Instructor Ruo Lin welcomed him gently, and Xiao Yu noticed his lateness.
• Xiao Yu told Qin Yu she had broken through to Dou Zhe with a Water Attribute and planned to choose a Mystic Tier cultivation method from the Scripture Repository.
• Qin Yu told Xiao Yu he would take her into the mountains the next day to help with his cultivation, and she blushed as she imagined what he might ask of her.
• Xue Ni teased Xiao Yu about blushing over Qin Yu, and Xiao Yu denied it before hurrying away.

Qin Yu brought Xiao Yu to a secluded waterfall pool to test how their different Dou Qi attributes could aid each other’s cultivation. Their training improved both of their Battle Qi, but Han Yue arrived and found them sitting hand in hand with their auras intertwined.

• Qin Yu met Xiao Yu at her dormitory, and they walked together to a secluded waterfall pool in the mountains.
• Qin Yu held Xiao Yu’s hand and guided her Water-Attribute Battle Qi with his Earth-Attribute Battle Qi.
• Qin Yu’s Battle Qi grew stronger as Xiao Yu’s Dou Qi flowed more steadily and accumulated in her Battle Qi Vortex.
• Qin Yu and Xiao Yu became absorbed in their coordinated cultivation until Han Yue arrived and spotted them by the pool.

Qin Yu and Xiao Yu cultivated together, helping Xiao Yu advance to Two-Star Fighter before Qin Yu reached the Battle Master realm himself. After returning to his dormitory, Qin Yu suddenly remembered that he still had a system.

• Han Yue watched Qin Yu and Xiao Yu coordinate their Water- and Earth-Attribute Battle Qi, then wondered what attribute might pair with her Ice Attribute.
• Qin Yu and Xiao Yu continued cultivating together for more than half a month while Qin Yu remained undefeated in the arena and climbed the rankings.
• Xiao Yu broke through from One-Star Dou Practitioner to Two-Star Fighter during a joint cultivation session.
• Three days later, Qin Yu broke through to One-Star Battle Master and considered combining Metal-Attribute Battle Qi with Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor.
• Qin Yu returned to the dormitory after cultivating alone, sat up, and remembered that he still had a system.

Qin Yu drew the Gold trait Earth Sovereign, which let him draw on Earth Vein Force, and spent several days testing its power in the mountains. After strange shockwaves became a new Outer Academy rumor, he headed to the competition grounds for the annual Points Tournament reset, where someone came looking for him.

• Qin Yu drew Earth Sovereign and felt the earth’s meridians, then stomped hard enough to shake his reinforced dormitory building before collapsing from the effort.
• Qin Yu considered how Earth Sovereign could enhance his combat abilities and left for the mountains to experiment with it.
• Qin Yu’s experiments caused irregular shockwaves across the academy’s mountains, leading Outer Academy students to speculate about their source.
• Qin Yu went to the competition grounds on the day of the annual Points Tournament reset, intending to find an opponent, but someone approached him.

Qin Yu defeated Bai Cheng in an arena match by predicting his spear attacks and unleashing the Earth-Attribute Dou Technique Earth Dragon Overturning. The spectators were stunned by the destruction, while Zhao Yuan realized Qin Yu had spared him in their earlier fight.

• Qin Yu challenged Bai Cheng to settle their dispute, and Bai Cheng accepted before the watching students.
• Bai Cheng attacked with his spear, but Qin Yu deflected his strikes and evaded the Eight-Headed Snake Dance.
• Bai Cheng unleashed Earth-Splitting Eight-Headed Snake Slash, but Qin Yu used Earth Dragon Overturning to roll the arena ground and counterattack.
• Qin Yu won the match, leaving Bai Cheng injured beneath the ruined arena while the crowd erupted.
• Qin Yu named his Dou Technique, Earth Dragon Overturning, and Zhao Yuan realized Qin Yu had shown him mercy before.

After defeating Bai Cheng, Qin Yu advanced to Two-Star Battle Master and climbed to ninety-eighth place in the arena rankings. He joined Han Yue, newly at Nine-Star Battle Master, for a sparring match in the mountain forest.

• Qin Yu defeated Bai Cheng with Earth Dragon Overturning, leaving Bai Cheng convinced he had only served as a test for Qin Yu’s new move.
• Qin Yu spent the next month attending classes, fighting in the arena, and cultivating, reaching Two-Star Battle Master and ninety-eighth place in the rankings.
• While walking with Xiao Yu, Qin Yu found Han Yue cultivating by the pool and watched her break through to Nine-Star Battle Master.
• Han Yue asked Qin Yu to spar, and he agreed, seeing her strength and the mountain forest as a chance to test himself.
• Han Yue summoned a silver-white longsword, and she and Qin Yu prepared to fight while Xiao Yu watched from a nearby rock.

Qin Yu defeated Han Yue by drawing on the mountain’s Earth Vein Force, then discovered a way to use that power to accelerate his cultivation. He concluded that he would need to reach Da Dou Shi and condense a Battle Crystal before he could merge Earth Vein Force into his Dou Qi.

• Qin Yu used Qilin Fist and the mountain’s power to overpower Han Yue, who conceded defeat after he stopped his punch just short of her chest.
• Xiao Yu urged Qin Yu to cultivate with her, broke through after a day of focused training, and kissed his cheek before running off.
• Qin Yu went to the mountaintop and cautiously drew a tiny strand of Earth Vein Force into his meridians.
• Qin Yu found that Earth Vein Force could not yet merge with his Dou Qi, but he could use Metal-Attribute Battle Qi to scrape off small amounts for cultivation.
• Qin Yu determined that he would need to reach Da Dou Shi and condense a Battle Crystal to merge Earth Vein Force into his Dou Qi.

After steadily rising through the points rankings, Qin Yu fought Lin Xiuyan for a place in the top fifty and learned the principles of Lin Xiuyan's Coiling Serpent Hand during their match. Lin Xiuyan conceded and became Qin Yu's friend, while Qin Yu left the arena intent on meeting Vice Principal Hu Gan.

• Over two months, Qin Yu advanced to Four-Star Battle Master and won a string of matches against higher-ranked students, reaching his final battle before the top fifty.
• Lin Xiuyan challenged Qin Yu, and Qin Yu accepted and faced him in the arena without hesitation.
• Lin Xiuyan used Coiling Serpent Hand to redirect Qin Yu's attacks, but Qin Yu's rooted stance kept him from being thrown off balance.
• Qin Yu pressed Lin Xiuyan with Mountain Qilin Leap and gradually imitated Coiling Serpent Hand until he trapped Lin Xiuyan's wrist with the technique's principles.
• Lin Xiuyan broke free, conceded, and offered Qin Yu his friendship; Qin Yu accepted.
• Qin Yu left the arena reflecting on what he had learned and headed to see Vice Principal Hu Gan.

After reaching the top fifty in the points ranking, Qin Yu received permission to choose one treasure from the depths of Jia Nan Academy’s Scripture Repository. He found the Earth Tier Mid-Rank Eight Desolations Return-to-Origin Art and was teleported out with it as his choice.

• Qin Yu visited Hu Gan, who introduced his granddaughter Hu Jia and confirmed Qin Yu could enter the Scripture Repository’s depths to choose one item.
• Hu Gan asked whether Qin Yu wanted to return home, but Qin Yu postponed deciding.
• The next morning, Hu Gan led Qin Yu through a hidden door into the Scripture Repository’s treasure space.
• Earth Attribute treasures gravitated toward Qin Yu, but he continued searching for a cultivation art.
• Qin Yu found the Earth Tier Mid-Rank Eight Desolations Return-to-Origin Art, and the time limit teleported him out after he chose it.

Qin Yu cultivated the Eight Desolations Return-to-Origin Art, fusing it with his existing method to strengthen his Dou Qi and improve his ability to absorb Earth Vein Force. He then discovered he could draw on distant Earth Veins, but experimenting with fire- and wood-attribute powers caused his body to burn.

• Hu Gan saw Qin Yu's Earth Tier Mid-Rank cultivation method and told him to decide soon whether to return with the recruitment team.
• Qin Yu studied the Eight Desolations Return-to-Origin Art and realized its ability to let different powers coexist could support his Attribute Conversion.
• Qin Yu fused the art with the Mysterious Earth Qilin Formula and Mountain Qilin Suppresses the Mountains, forming a new cultivation method that strengthened his Dou Qi and doubled his Earth Vein Force absorption efficiency.
• Qin Yu extended his perception along the mountain's Earth Vein network and sensed Earth Vein Forces with different properties across dozens of li around Canaan Academy.
• Qin Yu drew in fire- and wood-attribute Earth Vein Forces to strengthen his earth-attribute Battle Qi, but the combination made his body burn until he used the wood power to weaken the fire.

Qin Yu used the Earth Veins’ residual energy to advance to Five-Star Battle Master and then arranged a year of leave to travel across the Jia Ma Empire. He departed with the recruitment team and Xiao Yu, setting out to explore different lands.

• Qin Yu absorbed the energy produced by the Earth Veins and broke through to Five-Star Battle Master, with lingering energy continuing to nourish his cultivation.
• Qin Yu cultivated with Xiao Yu and found that her Water-Attribute Dou Qi helped him absorb the remaining energy faster.
• Qin Yu asked Hu Gan for a year of leave, and Hu Gan agreed on the conditions that Qin Yu return safely and reach Four-Star Great Dou Master before the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Qin Yu reflected that he wanted to explore the different lands and Earth Vein powers of the Jia Ma Empire rather than simply return home.
• Qin Yu met Xiao Yu at the departure point, boarded the Griffin with her, and flew away from Canaan City with the recruitment team.

Qin Yu returned to Wutan City after nearly two months of travel, visited his long-empty childhood home, and headed for the Xiao Household. On the market street, he witnessed Jia Lie Ao confronting Xiao Yan and Xun'er, and Jia Lie Ao spotted him before the standoff was resolved.

• Qin Yu continued cultivating during the journey and arrived at Wutan City with Xiao Yu and the academy students.
• Qin Yu declined Xiao Yu's invitation to visit her grandfather and went alone to his old home.
• Qin Yu gathered his remaining belongings, left the quiet cottage, and walked toward the Xiao Household.
• Qin Yu came upon Jia Lie Ao confronting Xiao Yan and Xun'er at the Xiao Household Market.
• Xiao Yan challenged Jia Lie Ao and summoned the market guards, who surrounded Jia Lie Ao's group.
• Jia Lie Ao noticed Qin Yu watching the confrontation.

Qin Yu visited the Xiao Household, where the First Elder and Xiao Ning were stunned to learn he had reached Seven-Star Battle Master in a year. Xiao Ning told Xiao Yan about Qin Yu’s growth, but Xiao Yan dismissed it as a joke.

• Jia Lie Ao spotted Qin Yu in the crowd and withdrew with his guards rather than risk another humiliation.
• Xun'er noticed Qin Yu among the crowd and recognized that he was a Seven-Star Battle Master.
• Qin Yu arrived at the Xiao Household, where Xiao Ning told him Xiao Yu had reached Four-Star Dou Practitioner.
• The First Elder saw Qin Yu reveal his Battle Qi Gauze and realized he had advanced from One-Star Dou Practitioner to Seven-Star Battle Master in a year.
• Xiao Ning told Xiao Yan about Qin Yu’s advancement, but Xiao Yan called the claim unbelievable and dismissed it as a prank.

Xun'er learned that Qin Yu had risen from a One-Star Dou Practitioner to a Seven-Star Battle Master in a year and went to watch Xiao Yan confront him. Xiao Yu seized the chance to beat Xiao Yan while Qin Yu and the First Elder stood aside.

• Xun'er learned from Ling Ying that Qin Yu was a Wutan City native who had reached Seven-Star Battle Master in a year and was close to Xiao Yu.
• Xun'er decided to watch Xiao Yan's visit and told Ling Ying to intervene only if things got out of control.
• Xiao Yan arrived at the First Elder's courtyard to investigate Qin Yu, but Xiao Yu grabbed him and dragged him inside.
• Qin Yu pinned Xiao Yan down, and Xiao Yu told her cousin that Qin Yu was a Seven-Star Battle Master before asking Qin Yu to leave Xiao Yan to her.
• Xiao Yu beat Xiao Yan for a quarter of an hour, leaving him bruised and sprawled on the ground.