Chapter Summaries

Ye Yun discovered that the masked attacker was Tang Shan, who had ambushed him after mistaking his late departure from the cave for signs of severe backlash. Ye Yun mortally wounded Tang Shan, then confronted Qing Shuang when she emerged from the darkness and proposed a deal.

• Ye Yun recognized Tang Shan by his familiar techniques, and Tang Shan revealed that he and his companions had attacked because they thought Ye Yun was weakened by a secret technique's backlash.
• Tang Shan pleaded to trade wealth for his life, but Ye Yun refused and moved in to kill him.
• Tang Shan launched a desperate attack, but Ye Yun struck him in the chest and sent him crashing through several trees, leaving him barely alive.
• Ye Yun heard a branch snap and challenged the hidden person, then saw Qing Shuang step out of the darkness.
• Qing Shuang said she bore Ye Yun no ill will, then dropped her pretense and asked whether he would make a deal with her.

Ye Yun rejected Qing Shuang’s offer of one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones to spare Tang Shan and killed Tang Shan despite her threats. Qing Shuang attacked him, and their fierce battle continued as they exchanged techniques of extreme cold.

• Qing Shuang offered Ye Yun one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones in exchange for Tang Shan’s life, but Ye Yun refused and threatened her.
• Qing Shuang warned Ye Yun to comply, but he charged at Tang Shan and killed him with a kick to the head.
• Furious, Qing Shuang attacked Ye Yun with her silk scarf, which transformed into a giant white python, but he dodged and seized it before she released it.
• Qing Shuang used Nine Heavens Frost Finger against Ye Yun, who evaded one strike and met another with a punch.
• Ye Yun advanced while Qing Shuang fired dark-blue finger forces, and their battle with extreme-cold martial arts continued.

Ye Yun drove Qing Shuang into retreat, but she escaped using Mind-Bewildering Smoke and vowed revenge for Tang Shan. After finding Tang Shan’s corpse missing, Ye Yun suspected Qing Shuang had taken it and realized their relationship could spark a feud between the Qing Family and the Zhang Lineage.

• Ye Yun attacked Qing Shuang with overwhelming force, and she narrowly dodged his punch before deciding to flee and seek revenge later.
• Qing Shuang hurled Mind-Bewildering Smoke at Ye Yun, escaped in the confusion, and threatened to kill him when they met again.
• Ye Yun let the smoke clear and returned to the battlefield, where he found Tang Shan’s corpse had disappeared.
• Ye Yun concluded that Qing Shuang had taken Tang Shan’s body and suspected they had secretly been lovers despite her marriage contract with the eldest young master of the Zhang Lineage.
• Ye Yun considered that the scandal might make the Zhang Lineage an ally against the Qing Family, then searched the other corpses and left to find a safe place for the night.

Ye Yun fought a Blazing Vajra Ape in the Blackwater Mountains to test his strength. In the heat of battle, his Fist Force broke through from Beginner to Minor Completion, and his new punch sent the demon beast crashing through the forest.

• Ye Yun chose to fight the Blazing Vajra Ape rather than avoid it as he prepared to leave the core region.
• Ye Yun clashed with the beast, whose iron-hard body and fiery attacks made it a dangerous opponent.
• Ye Yun poured his strength into the battle and became so absorbed that he did not notice his Fist Force steadily increasing.
• Ye Yun's Fist Force broke through to Minor Completion, expanding the gathered power of heaven and earth from fifty meters to five hundred meters.
• Ye Yun's punch overwhelmed the Blazing Vajra Ape and sent it crashing through more than ten trees before he realized what he had done.

Ye Yun left the Blackwater Mountains after his Fist Force advanced to Minor Achievement Realm and arrived in Clear River Commandery City. He planned to sell his unused materials and treasures for Spirit Stones before continuing toward Blackstone Pass and the Great Luo Dynasty.

• Ye Yun discovered that his Fist Force had broken through to Minor Achievement Realm after defeating the Blazing Vajra Ape.
• Ye Yun ended the dying Blazing Vajra Ape's suffering, buried its intact corpse, and left the core region of the Blackwater Mountains.
• Ye Yun traveled for three more days, left the Blackwater Mountains, and reached Clear River Commandery City.
• Ye Yun entered the city, found an inn, and rested in a hot bath after more than two months on the road.
• Ye Yun decided to visit the city's major merchant associations the next day to sell his demonic beast materials and unused cave-estate treasures for Spirit Stones.

Ye Yun visited Clear River Commandery City's merchant associations to find a buyer for his goods, since the next auction was too far off. At Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Manager Li recognized him by order of Ling Chen, then was stunned by the wealth of items in Ye Yun's Storage Bag.

• Ye Yun learned that Clear River Commandery City had four major merchant associations and that its next auction would be held in ten days, too late for his schedule.
• Ye Yun chose to sell his goods at Myriad Treasures Pavilion, where Manager Li recognized him from a portrait and explained Ling Chen's order to treat him with utmost care.
• Ye Yun asked Manager Li to convey his thanks to Ling Chen and handed over a Storage Bag of monster materials and unused treasures for appraisal.
• Manager Li found piles of Third-Tier Monster materials, pills, and weapons in the Storage Bag, then began counting the items after Ye Yun confirmed it was the right bag.

Ye Yun sold Manager Li a large collection of Third-Tier Monster materials, which Ye Yun said he had hunted himself. Manager Li offered to pay fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, leaving Ye Yun surprised and wondering whether the offer reflected his connection to Senior Brother Ling Chen.

• Manager Li finished appraising Ye Yun’s Storage Bag and asked whether Ye Yun had personally hunted all the Third-Tier Monsters.
• Ye Yun confirmed that he had hunted them himself, shocking Manager Li, who judged his strength to rival a Late True Essence Realm martial artist.
• Ye Yun asked Manager Li to convert the sale proceeds from gold into Spirit Stones.
• Manager Li calculated that the materials were worth fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Ye Yun questioned whether Manager Li had calculated correctly or raised the price because of his relationship with Senior Brother Ling Chen.

Ye Yun sold his monster-beast materials at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, bought medicinal pills, and sent Ling Chen a Storage Bag as repayment for his favor. After leaving Clear River Commandery City, he headed toward Blackstone Pass to continue searching for the remaining parts of the Ice Jade Divine Art.

• Manager Li valued Ye Yun's materials at fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and Ye Yun agreed to the transaction.
• Ye Yun asked Manager Li to buy high-grade pills to restore True Essence and heal injuries, paying for them from the sale proceeds.
• Ye Yun placed a sword and Monster Crystal Core in a locked Storage Bag for Ling Chen, intending to repay the favor he owed.
• Manager Li returned with five Azurewood Pills, five Essence Restoration Pills, and the remaining forty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Ye Yun gave Manager Li the Storage Bag for Ling Chen, then left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
• Ye Yun departed Clear River Commandery City and hurried toward Blackstone Pass in search of the Ice Jade Divine Art's subsequent parts.

Ye Yun reached Blackstone Pass and refused to surrender his place in line to a domineering servant, defeating him when he attacked. The servant’s master confronted Ye Yun and demanded that he break his own arm, but Ye Yun blocked the man’s oppressive aura with his own.

• Ye Yun arrived at Blackstone Pass after traveling through the night and joined the inspection line.
• A servant demanded that the people ahead of Ye Yun move aside, then killed a man who challenged him and frightened the others into retreating.
• Ye Yun refused to give up his place, seized the servant’s attacking hand, and kicked him to the ground.
• The servant’s black-clad master approached Ye Yun and ordered him to break his own arm or be spared no further.
• Ye Yun refused, and his aura met and blocked the black-clad man’s powerful aura.

At Blackstone Pass, Ye Yun confronted Zhang Ling before General Baili Shouyue intervened and forced Zhang Ling to leave. Baili recognized Ye Yun as the Purple Extreme Sect’s tournament champion, warned him to be cautious in the Great Luo Dynasty, and explained why he looked familiar before riding away.

• Ye Yun shattered Zhang Ling’s oppressive aura and refused to be intimidated, while Zhang Ling reacted with surprise and anger.
• Baili Shouyue arrived at Blackstone Pass, ordered Zhang Ling to leave behind the servant who had killed someone, and threatened him if he refused.
• Zhang Ling suppressed his anger, left the servant behind, and rode through the pass toward the Great Luo Dynasty.
• Ye Yun recognized Zhang Ling as Qing Shuang’s fiancé and the Zhang Lineage heir rumored to have the Heavenly Eunuch Constitution, and considered him a likely enemy rather than an ally.
• Baili praised Ye Yun for winning the Great Dynasty Tournament and warned him to be careful after offending Zhang Ling; Ye Yun accepted the warning.
• Ye Yun asked why Baili seemed familiar, and Baili explained that he was the older brother of Baili Xuance, the city-guarding general Ye Yun had seen before, then rode away.

After passing through Blackstone Pass into the Great Luo Dynasty, Ye Yun confronted Zhang Ling, who had been waiting to kill him. Ye Yun fought Zhang Ling to a standstill and then gained the advantage, while Baili Shouyue watched from the pass and ordered his troops to intervene only if someone interfered.

• Ye Yun passed through Blackstone Pass and found Zhang Ling waiting for him beyond the gate.
• Zhang Ling challenged Ye Yun after Baili Shouyue departed, and Ye Yun attacked him.
• Ye Yun discovered Zhang Ling had reached the Perfected True Essence Realm, but the two fought evenly through more than a hundred exchanges and both suffered injuries.
• Baili Shouyue watched from the battlements and told his general to keep the troops back unless someone interfered.
• Ye Yun countered Zhang Ling’s renewed attack with a series of punches, forcing Zhang Ling onto the defensive and gradually gaining the advantage.

Ye Yun fought Zhang Ling at Blackstone Pass, killing Zhang Ling’s coachman after he launched a surprise attack. Zhang Ling unleashed Fire Force, and the two continued battling as Ye Yun realized Zhang Ling was improving his control of True Essence; the fight remained unresolved.

• Zhang Ling’s coachman secretly attacked Ye Yun from behind, but Ye Yun’s Heavy Mountain Armor repelled the sword strike.
• Ye Yun killed the coachman and hurled his corpse toward Zhang Ling, enraging Zhang Ling.
• Zhang Ling unleashed Fire Force and attacked with the Great Sun Golden Flame Palm, while Ye Yun answered with his Fist Force and Ten-Thousand Waves Fist Art.
• Ye Yun and Zhang Ling fought at full power for over half an hour, sustaining injuries as neither could defeat the other.
• Baili Shouyue ordered the soldiers at Blackstone Pass to stand ready to intervene and rescue Ye Yun if necessary.
• Ye Yun assessed that Zhang Ling was a mid-tier Perfected True Essence Realm martial artist whose True Essence control was improving, and worried that his chances of winning were shrinking.

Ye Yun and Zhang Ling continued their battle until Ye Yun used Ice Force, prompting Zhang Ling to reveal his Blazing Sun Art and gain a powerful scorching force. Ye Yun discovered Zhang Ling was running low on True Essence, but a hidden protector’s killing intent forced him to abandon his attempt to finish the fight, and he paused as he prepared to retreat to Blackstone Pass.

• Ye Yun used Ice Force in a punch, and Zhang Ling dodged before unleashing his Blazing Sun Art.
• Zhang Ling’s transformation strengthened his attacks with Blazing Sun Force, which burned Ye Yun’s True Essence and let Zhang Ling send him flying with a palm strike.
• Ye Yun swallowed a True Essence-restoring pill while Zhang Ling realized his own True Essence was nearly depleted and tried to stall for time.
• Ye Yun deduced Zhang Ling was low on True Essence, but an unseen person’s killing intent stopped him from attacking.
• Ye Yun inferred that Zhang Ling had a hidden protector, decided he could not kill Zhang Ling that day, and paused while preparing to retreat to Blackstone Pass.

Ye Yun persuaded Zhang Ling to end their fight, then used Zhang Ling’s jealousy over Qing Shuang to provoke him. The chapter ended with Zhang Ling demanding to know which man Qing Shuang had fought Ye Yun over.

• Ye Yun recognized that Zhang Ling was weakened and decided to use Qing Shuang and Tang Shan to distract him.
• Ye Yun convinced Zhang Ling that neither of them could win under the circumstances, and Zhang Ling agreed to stop fighting for now.
• As Zhang Ling began retreating, Ye Yun brought up Zhang Ling’s marriage contract with Qing Shuang.
• Ye Yun claimed Qing Shuang had fought him over a man, and Zhang Ling flew into a rage and demanded an explanation.

Ye Yun bargained with Zhang Ling for the whereabouts of Qing Shuang, using the story of their encounter to provoke him and collect thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He revealed that Qing Shuang had taken Tang Shan’s corpse, leaving Zhang Ling furious and ready to confront her.

• Ye Yun refused to give Zhang Ling information about Qing Shuang without payment and demanded thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Zhang Ling agreed to pay half the Spirit Stones upfront and half after Ye Yun finished his account.
• Ye Yun described meeting Qing Shuang at a cave estate in the Blackwater Mountains and fighting her after killing Tang Shan’s group.
• Ye Yun collected the second half of the Spirit Stones, then said he had killed Tang Shan and Qing Shuang had secretly returned to take his corpse.
• Ye Yun named Tang Shan, and Zhang Ling angrily demanded to know more so he could settle accounts with Qing Shuang.

Ye Yun stopped fighting Zhang Ling after Zhang Ling ran out of True Essence, then learned that a hidden Dao Protector had prevented him from killing Zhang Ling. He stayed overnight at Blackstone Pass, recovered from his injuries, and reflected on how many True Essence Realm martial artists lived in the Land of Seven Kingdoms.

• After hearing Tang Shan's name, Zhang Ling recognized him, retrieved something from his carriage, and rushed toward the Great Luo Dynasty.
• Ye Yun asked to stay at Blackstone Pass, and Baili Shouyue questioned him about why Zhang Ling had ended the fight and left in anger.
• Ye Yun explained that Zhang Ling had exhausted his True Essence and that a hidden killer's intent had stopped him from attacking; Baili Shouyue identified the unseen figure as a likely Dao Protector.
• Ye Yun refused to reveal what he had told Zhang Ling, and Baili Shouyue ordered a soldier to arrange him a room for the night.
• Ye Yun spent the night cultivating with the Ice Jade Divine Art, healing most of his injuries and restoring his True Essence and strength.

Ye Yun revised his travel plans after making enemies of the Zhang Lineage and the Qing Family, then hired Uncle Wang to take him toward Sea-Calming City in search of the Ice Jade Divine Art’s remaining cultivation method. After crossing Redridge Commandery and entering Dragoncoil Commandery, Ye Yun chose to stay overnight in Dragoncoil Commandery City so he could investigate whether Zhang Ling had caused Qing Shuang trouble.

• Ye Yun decided to travel cautiously to Sea-Calming City, where Elder Li had found the Ice Jade Divine Art in a secret realm.
• Ye Yun arranged to travel by carriage with Uncle Wang, keeping a low profile on the journey.
• Ye Yun cultivated and comprehended his martial arts during the journey, which passed smoothly through Redridge Commandery and into Dragoncoil Commandery.
• Uncle Wang asked whether they should stop in Dragoncoil Commandery City to rest the horses and stay overnight.
• Ye Yun agreed to enter the Qing Family’s territory so he could investigate what had happened between Zhang Ling and Qing Shuang.

Ye Yun learned that Zhang Ling and Qing Shuang would marry in half a month, after the Qing Family offered Jade Marrow Fluid as Qing Shuang’s dowry. The arrangement kept them occupied, and Ye Yun returned to cultivation as he prepared to seek the rest of the Ice Jade Divine Art in Sea-Calming City.

• Ye Yun listened for news at an inn in Dragoncoil Commandery City and overheard that Zhang Ling and Qing Shuang would marry in half a month.
• Zhang Ling protested to Zhang Wentian that he would not marry Qing Shuang, but his father said the Lineage had decided he must.
• Zhang Wentian revealed that the Qing Family had offered Jade Marrow Fluid as Qing Shuang’s dowry, and Zhang Ling hesitated because it could help him change his Heavenly Eunuch Constitution.
• Ye Yun returned to his room, concluded that the marriage would keep Zhang Ling and Qing Shuang from troubling him, and began cultivating while planning to reach Sea-Calming City.

Ye Yun and Uncle Wang traveled from Dragoncoil Commandery City toward Sea-Calming City while Ye Yun cultivated during the journey. Beside a lakeside campsite, Ye Yun raised the Ice Swallow Sky-Stepping Art to Major Accomplishment and tested its increased speed, as Sea-Calming City and the next cultivation method for the Ice Jade Divine Art drew near.

• Ye Yun left Dragoncoil Commandery City with Uncle Wang and practiced martial arts in the carriage using the Tranquil Spirit Grass Mat.
• During ten days of travel, Ye Yun focused on advancing the Ice Swallow Sky-Stepping Art while they crossed into Skysea Commandery.
• At a lakeside camp, Ye Yun reached the Major Accomplishment Realm of the Ice Swallow Sky-Stepping Art after comprehending its essence.
• Ye Yun tested the art by leaping across the lake repeatedly and found that he moved more than three times faster and could briefly glide through the air.
• Ye Yun returned to the carriage, eager to reach Sea-Calming City and find the next cultivation method for the Ice Jade Divine Art.

Ye Yun arrived at Sea-Calming City after finding that his cultivation had reached a temporary bottleneck. He planned to travel to Giant Whale Island to locate a secret realm, and the chapter ended as he asked a ship operator about the fare.

• Ye Yun noticed that his recent rapid breakthroughs had left his cultivation progress stalled, and decided to focus on strengthening his foundation.
• Ye Yun gave Uncle Wang fifty taels of gold for his journey home and continued to Sea-Calming City alone.
• Ye Yun explored the seaside city, then recalled Elder Li's directions to a secret realm hidden in a tree hollow deep within Giant Whale Island.
• Ye Yun decided to find a ship to Giant Whale Island and went to the docks the next morning.
• Ye Yun found a ship bound for Giant Whale Island and asked its operator how much the passage would cost.