Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun negotiated a Dragon Gate Ascension wager with the Lei Family, demanding stakes in exchange for the Bloodmang Fief. The Lei Family offered a True Dragon Edict, and Fang Yun accepted, leaving the parties to draw up a written agreement.

• Kong Yingnian and Ao Qingyue pressed the Lei Family to declare its stakes before Fang Yun wagered the Bloodmang Fief.
• Lei Zhongmo offered Desolate City, a mountain range, numerous divine treasures, Half-Sage Regalia, an Ancient Demon Half-Sage Burial Treasure, and a Flood Dragon Sage Edict, but Fang Yun called the stakes too small.
• Lei Zhongmo added a True Dragon Edict, and Fang Yun immediately accepted the wager.
• Yan Yukong explained that the edict could help mobilize the Water Race against the Demon Barbarians, while Ao Huang urged Fang Yun to make Lei Zhongmo give up his family-head position if he lost.
• Lei Zhongmo called for a written agreement, and Fang Yun said the wager was worthwhile for the Jing Kingdom despite the sacrifice of almost half the Bloodmang Realm.
• Gu Cang mocked Fang Yun and praised the Lei Family as a helper to the Demon Realm, drawing grim looks from the human Grand Academicians.

Fang Yun rested while waiting for the Dragon Gate, then discovered that the Valley of Adversity had awakened an incomplete power to sense others’ intentions. The Dragon Gate finally appeared, setting the wager’s contest in motion.

• Ao Huang warned Lei Zhongmo that the Dragon Palaces and Sacred Academy would enforce the wager, and Lei Zhongmo answered that he expected their help if Fang Yun reneged.
• Fang Yun ate divine treasures and slept in a bed from his Sea-Swallowing Shell while Ao Huang kept watch.
• After waking, Fang Yun found his body and mind strengthened and sensed the hidden emotions and intentions of those around him.
• Fang Yun recognized his new ability as an early, incomplete form of Rectified Mind that could help him anticipate others’ actions.
• The earth shook, and a great sun rose as the golden Dragon Gate emerged from the source of the Dragon Gate River.

The Dragon Gate seized the sun and formed its nine gates, stunning the gathered races with its power. Ao Yuwei began the ascension by leaping through the first gate, while Ao Huang loudly declared her the winner.

• The twin dragons shattered space, seized the sun, and dragged it to the Dragon Gate Continent, scorching the basin and injuring three members of the Lei Family.
• Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli rescued the three injured scholars, and Zong Chenli healed them with medicinal pills.
• The twin dragons became the Dragon Gate’s frame and sealed the sun into a Dragon Pearl, powering the gate.
• Eight luminous gates rose around the true Dragon Gate, completing the nine-gate course, while a Great Dragon King’s dragon might deterred an Ancient Demon King from entering the water.
• Ao Yuwei leaped through the first Dragon Gate, and Ao Huang proclaimed her invincible and certain to win.

The humans began the Dragon Gate Ascension after the dragons and demon barbarians surged ahead, while Fang Yun advised his companions to observe the weaker water creatures and avoid rushing. The chapter left the Lei Family agreeing to keep its distance from Fang Yun during the trial after Yan Yukong warned them against causing human infighting.

• Ao Yuwei and the other Great Dragon Kings crossed the first Dragon Gate, followed by Ao Huang and the other dragons.
• Fang Yun recalled how the Profound Dragon Great Sage had risen from a weak fish demon through perseverance and the Dragon Gate Ascension.
• Kong Yingnian urged the humans to wait for the demon barbarians to cross, and Fang Yun advised them to study the weaker water race contestants.
• Lei Yigu reminded Fang Yun of their wager, and Fang Yun answered by displaying a fan bearing the words “Paltry insect-carving tricks.”
• Yan Yukong warned the Lei Family that he would pursue them if they continued sowing disorder among humans during the Ascension.
• Lei Zhongmo said the Lei Family would keep its distance from Fang Yun during the Dragon Gate Ascension.

Fang Yun studied the demon barbarians’ attempts to clear the first Dragon Gate and prepared his own leap. He rose fifteen zhang in a single jump, drawing astonished looks from the surrounding participants.

• Fang Yun and the scholars swam toward the Dragon Gate after an invisible force forced them off the water’s surface.
• Fang Yun observed the golden carp and other demon barbarians, recording their successes and failures to learn how to ascend the Dragon Gate.
• A cat Demon Marquis tried to grab the Dragon Gate’s frame for leverage, but an invisible force struck him into the water and wounded him.
• Fang Yun judged the other scholars’ leaps and assessed that his body was stronger than an ordinary Demon Marquis’s.
• Fang Yun infused his legs with literary qi and literary-gut power and leaped fifteen zhang into the air.

Fang Yun tested Dragon Gate Ascension with a powerful double jump but fell short, then repeatedly practiced and analyzed his attempts. Lei Zhongmo later cleared the gate with a double jump and challenged Fang Yun to catch up before the Ninth Dragon Gate.

• Fang Yun launched himself toward the Dragon Gate, used a second jump, and reached nineteen zhang and one cun before falling back into the water.
• The spectators marveled at Fang Yun's strength, while Lei Yigu urged Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli to demonstrate their abilities.
• Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli discussed conserving their strength for the later gates and judged Fang Yun's literary guts and prospects.
• Fang Yun continued practicing single jumps and reviewing each attempt as other competitors began clearing the Dragon Gate.
• Lei Zhongmo performed a double jump, cleared the Dragon Gate, and challenged Fang Yun to meet him before the Ninth Dragon Gate.

Fang Yun continued practicing Dragon Gate Ascension instead of crossing the first Dragon Gate, and the human scholars learned by observing his methods. The chapter ended with Fang Yun and several Grand Academicians still training while Demon Barbarians and Water Race members struggled onward.

• Fang Yun told Yan Yukong he wanted to keep practicing at the first Dragon Gate rather than cross it, and several Grand Academicians decided to do the same.
• Zong Chenli realized Fang Yun was learning from other jumpers and began studying Fang Yun, prompting the other Grand Academicians and Yan Yukong to follow suit.
• Fang Yun noticed the scholars and even Lei Family members learning from him, and he considered how to gather useful information from their efforts in turn.
• Fang Yun leaped more than two hundred feet but returned to the water without crossing the first Dragon Gate, continuing to practice while studying the Second Dragon Gate through the mist.
• Zong Chenli and several Grand Academicians also surpassed two hundred feet without crossing, while Demon Barbarians and Water Race members continued jumping and the golden carp made notable progress.

Fang Yun and the others witnessed the birth of a Dragon Emperor and believed Ao Yuwei was the likely candidate. Kong Yingnian then privately warned Fang Yun that the Demon Emperor and Western Sea Dragon Palace might plot to steal Ao Yuwei’s power, leaving Fang Yun concerned about her safety.

• Fang Yun’s practice was interrupted when a golden light and dragon cry announced the birth of a Dragon Emperor.
• Fang Yun reassured Kong Yingnian and the others that Ao Yuwei was almost certainly the new Dragon Emperor, partly because he had given her rare divine materials.
• Kong Yingnian hinted that Ao Yuwei might face trouble before reaching Half-Sage, so he and Fang Yun withdrew to speak privately.
• Kong Yingnian told Fang Yun that the Demon Emperor sought the power of the King of Stars and that the Western Sea Dragon Palace might help divide Ao Yuwei’s power.
• Fang Yun learned that a Western Sea leader wanted his own bloodline to produce the Dragon Race’s next Great Sage and might now move against Ao Yuwei.

Fang Yun mastered Dragon Gate Ascension and invited the human scholars to exchange insights in a Dragon Gate Literary Gathering. Zong Chenli chose to join him, while the Lei Family members held back, and the gathering began behind barriers formed by the scholars’ Literary Guts.

• Fang Yun practiced Dragon Gate Ascension until he could leap fifty zhang, while Zong Chenli advanced to thirty-four zhang.
• Fang Yun observed the competitors and announced that he would hold a Dragon Gate Literary Gathering before clearing the first Dragon Gate.
• Yan Yukong and the human Grand Academicians followed Fang Yun away from the gate, while Zong Chenli watched before joining them.
• The four Lei Family members stopped when Fang Yun asked whether they were willing to receive his instruction, but Zong Chenli rose from the water and joined the gathering.
• Fang Yun asked the fourteen men to project their Literary Guts, and they formed fourteen layers of barriers.

Fang Yun led a gathering of thirteen Human Race scholars to study and discuss his work, An Analysis of Dragon Gate Ascension, sharing insights to help them face the competition. The assembly ended with Fang Yun agreeing to establish a Dragon Gate Discourse Platform after they passed the Dragon Gate.

• Fang Yun explained learning and thought as understanding the laws of all things and comprehending changes throughout the ten directions, prompting the scholars to reflect on his interpretation.
• Fang Yun shared An Analysis of Dragon Gate Ascension with the thirteen participants and asked them to annotate it with their insights and lessons from the ascension.
• The scholars compiled their annotations into a shared volume, then discussed and added further insights in successive rounds.
• The five golden carp drew attention by improving their leaps from five zhang to fifteen zhang while the other races attempted to ascend the Dragon Gate.
• After Fang Yun concluded the gathering, Zong Chenli proposed that he establish a Dragon Gate Discourse Platform, and Fang Yun agreed.

Fang Yun used the wisdom gained at the Dragon Gate Literary Gathering to surge through the first two Dragon Gates, strengthening his body and treasures along the way. He reached the Third Dragon Gate, where Lei Zhongmo was resting among the struggling contestants.

• Yan Yukong reflected that the Dragon Gate Literary Gathering had helped Fang Yun overcome his bottleneck and improve his Dragon Gate Ascension.
• Fang Yun thanked the gathered races, leaped over the first Dragon Gate, and absorbed its benefits to his body, Literary Palace Coiled Dragon, True Dragon Ancient Sword, and Dragon Sage Star Position.
• Fang Yun observed the contestants near the Second Dragon Gate as a Wolf Demon King and other onlookers mocked him and wagered on his failure.
• Fang Yun leaped over the Second Dragon Gate in a single bound, silencing the Demon Barbarians and members of the Water Race who had doubted him.
• Fang Yun reached the Third Dragon Gate and saw Lei Zhongmo resting three li away.

Fang Yun reached the Third Dragon Gate after observing the other climbers and speaking with Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli. He cleared it in one attempt, leaving Lei Zhongmo humiliated, and gained another dragon pattern on the True Dragon Ancient Sword.

• Fang Yun studied the Demon Barbarians and Water Race members attempting the Third Dragon Gate before moving forward, while Lei Zhongmo warned him about the difficulty of the climb.
• Zong Chenli told Lei Zhongmo that Fang Yun had taught them at the Dragon Gate Literary Gathering, then sought Fang Yun's guidance on questions from the Second Dragon Gate.
• Lei Zhongmo declined to hear Zong Chenli's insights because they came from Fang Yun, and Zong Chenli predicted that Fang Yun would clear the Third Dragon Gate in one attempt.
• Fang Yun ignored the Demon Barbarians' insults, leapt over the Third Dragon Gate, and looked back at them with contempt as he crossed.
• Fang Yun received the Dragon Gate's baptism, and the True Dragon Ancient Sword gained a fourth dragon pattern that increased its power by eighty percent.

Fang Yun cleared the Fourth Dragon Gate with a single leap after studying the dragons and Flood Dragons, then discovered four Dragon Kings waiting to block him at the fifth gate. He confronted them and suspected the Lei Family had arranged a Western Sea Dragon Palace blockade.

• Fang Yun studied the strongest competitors near the Fourth Dragon Gate and learned techniques from the dragons and Flood Dragons.
• Fang Yun leaped over the Fourth Dragon Gate in one attempt, shocking the Demon Barbarians and Water Race members watching.
• The Fourth Dragon Gate strengthened Fang Yun and added four years to his lifespan.
• Fang Yun saw four Dragon Kings waiting near the fifth Dragon Gate, and they warned him not to approach.
• Fang Yun asked whether the Lei Family had arranged the Western Sea Dragon Palace blockade, and the Dragon Kings vowed he would not clear the fifth gate or those beyond it.

Fang Yun tried to pass the fifth Dragon Gate but the Western Sea Dragon Kings blocked him and badly injured him. He healed with the Medical Book and warned Ao Kang about the consequences of stopping him.

• Eastern Sea Water Race members argued with the four Western Sea Dragon Kings over their blockade of Fang Yun.
• After studying the other competitors, Fang Yun swam toward the fifth Dragon Gate, but the four Dragon Kings repeatedly blocked his way.
• Ao Kang collided with Fang Yun in midair, leaving Fang Yun's left shoulder and arm grievously injured.
• Fang Yun tried to pass again, but Ao Kang struck him with his tail and sent him beyond the Dragon Gate's three-li boundary.
• Fang Yun used Walking the Blue Clouds and the Medical Book to heal, then asked Ao Kang if he understood the consequences of stopping him.

Fang Yun confronted four Dragon Kings who were blocking his Dragon Gate Ascension, using his Literary Star Dragon Noble authority to brand them as traitors. He then offered Dragonbone Coral Gold and future rewards to the Water Race members who helped stop them, leaving the standoff poised to turn against the Dragon Kings.

• Fang Yun challenged the four Dragon Kings to face him in a duel under Dragon Race law, but they refused to move aside.
• Fang Yun issued a Literary Star Dragon Noble edict declaring anyone obstructing his ascension a traitor, causing Dragon Race treasures throughout the Myriad Worlds to recognize the four Dragon Kings as traitors.
• Fang Yun revealed a grain of Dragonbone Coral Gold and promised a grain and a chance to join his command to anyone who helped block the Dragon Kings.
• The Water Race and other onlookers considered Fang Yun's offer as the four Dragon Kings faced the threat of exile from the Dragon Palaces and pursuit by the Eastern Sea Dragon Race.

Fang Yun’s offer to help Water Race beings reach the Bloodmang Realm turns them against the four Dragon Kings, who abandon their attack after he reveals the power of the Sin Turtle Prison Chariot. As Fang Yun approaches the Dragon Gate unopposed, Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli arrive and find their planned interception has become an honor guard.

• Turtle Rock and King Ao Hong pledge to help Fang Yun, while Water Race beings and Ancient Demons gather against the four Dragon Kings in hopes of earning dragonbone coral gold and access to the Bloodmang Realm.
• Ao Kang urges the four Dragon Kings to attack Fang Yun, but the Demon Barbarians refuse to intervene, and the Dragon Kings charge beyond the Dragon Gate’s range.
• Fang Yun manifests Drawing Borders to Imprison, revealing the Sin Turtle Prison Chariot and the legendary Crime Hall, which frightens the four Dragon Kings into retreating.
• Fang Yun displays a fan bearing the words “A true hero knows which way the wind blows” and walks toward the Dragon Gate as the four Dragon Kings and gathered beings clear his path.
• Lei Zhongmo and Zong Chenli descend from beyond the Fourth Dragon Gate and see the Dragon Kings parting for Fang Yun; Zong Chenli mistakes the scene for a welcoming ceremony, while Lei Zhongmo realizes his interception plan has failed.

Fang Yun cleared the fifth Dragon Gate while the Water Race and Ancient Demons helped keep the Western Sea Dragon Kings from obstructing him. He headed for the sixth gate, where a female dragon asked where Lei Zhongmo was.

• Fang Yun cleared the fifth Dragon Gate, and the Water Race discussed the power of the dragonbone coral gold he had distributed.
• Lei Zhongmo confronted the four Western Sea Dragon Kings, who explained that Fang Yun had won over the Water Race and wielded the Dragon Peerage Edict and the Sin Turtle Prison Chariot.
• The four Dragon Kings tried to clear the fifth gate, but Ao Yan led Water Race creatures and Ancient Demons in blocking them for six hours.
• Fang Yun felt his strength increase after clearing the fifth gate and continued toward the sixth, noting that the greatest geniuses had already advanced farther.
• A female dragon asked Fang Yun how he had cleared the fifth gate and which gate Lei Zhongmo had reached.

Fang Yun faced Ao Xuan’s hostility, cleared the Sixth Dragon Gate, and discovered that the Seventh Gate’s changing currents could be manipulated against him. The chapter left him confronting Ao Hai, a Great Dragon King positioned near the Seventh Gate.

• Fang Yun met Ao Xuan, who refused to apologize for insulting him and warned him that the currents changed beyond the Sixth Dragon Gate.
• Fang Yun suspected the Western Sea Dragon Palace and the Lei Family had prepared a scheme at the Seventh Gate, then studied the competitors gathered before the Sixth Gate.
• Fang Yun repeatedly leaped at the seventy-zhang Sixth Dragon Gate, improving each time until he cleared it and gained six years of lifespan.
• Fang Yun noticed that the True Dragon Ancient Sword was nearing the awakening of its true name power.
• Fang Yun reached the Seventh Dragon Gate and saw Ao Hai, a Great Dragon King, beside surging undercurrents that could be turned from helpful pushes into obstructive pulls.

Fang Yun studied the ascenders at the Seventh Dragon Gate while trying to find a way past it, but Great Dragon King Ao Hai cut off the rising undercurrents and blocked everyone’s ascent. The confrontation remained unresolved when a fish demon’s transformation into a flood dragon was spotted near the lower gates.

• Fang Yun greeted King Ao Hai and spoke with Ao Qingyue, who warned him to be careful at the Seventh Dragon Gate.
• Fang Yun watched the gathered races practice ascending the gate and learned from their different techniques.
• The Fire Qilin noticed that the rising undercurrents had stopped, and Ao Qingyue accused Ao Hai of preventing the gathered races from ascending.
• Fang Yun and Ao Qingyue challenged Ao Hai for obstructing their Sacred Way and endangering the Human and Dragon Races, while Ao Hai remained silent.
• Fang Yun spotted a streak of golden light below the Seventh Dragon Gate, and Ao Qingyue identified it as a fish demon transforming into a flood dragon.

Fang Yun tried to find a way past Ao Hai’s manipulation of the Seventh Dragon Gate’s undercurrents, but could not overcome the gap in their abilities. As fish demons began transforming into flood dragons, Ao Xuan and Lei Zhongmo arrived from the Sixth Dragon Gate.

• Ao Hai claimed he disrupted the undercurrents to prevent the Demon Barbarians from stealing the Dragon Gate’s power, and Ao Qingyue accused him of acting at a suspicious moment.
• Fang Yun tried to comprehend the Power of Observing Subtleties, injured himself, and then reconsidered his approach while reading The Lüshi Chunqiu.
• Ao Hai continued disrupting the undercurrents, and the various races concluded that passing the Seventh Dragon Gate without their aid was nearly as difficult as passing the Ninth.
• Five fish demons transformed into flood dragons, prompting excitement among the Water Race.
• Ao Xuan and her husband, Lei Zhongmo, descended from the direction of the Sixth Dragon Gate.