Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan fought Qin Yue, a level 28 Spirit Master, and won by using Shock Edge and Piercing Edge to force him out of bounds. The match left the watching young spirit masters with a new respect for Lu Yuan.

• Qin Yue challenged Lu Yuan to another match after Gu Yan's defeat, and they introduced their Martial Souls and Spirit Rings.
• Qin Yue used his superior strength to pressure Lu Yuan, who relied on spear reach and footwork to keep him at a distance.
• Lu Yuan used Shock Edge to numb Qin Yue's arm, but Qin Yue adapted by limiting how long he let their attacks make contact.
• Qin Yue closed to close range, but Lu Yuan dismissed and resummoned his Piercing Spear, then struck him with Shock Edge and drove him back with Piercing Edge.
• The Academy Teacher declared Lu Yuan the winner when Qin Yue stepped out of bounds, and Qin Yue asked whether all level 21 Spirit Masters in Spirit City were that strong.
• Lu Yuan said he represented only himself, while the watching young spirit masters viewed him differently.

After noticing that Qian Renxue’s fate node had shifted during the Royal Academy exchange, Lu Yuan suspected the gray-robed man who repeatedly watched Xue Qinghe and arranged a discreet meeting with Qian Renxue. The gray-robed man reported to an unnamed superior, who ordered him to keep watching the First Prince and everyone recently in contact with him.

• Lu Yuan saw Qian Renxue’s fate node change from its previous state while Xue Qinghe was leaving the Royal Academy exchange.
• Lu Yuan recalled that a gray-robed middle-aged man had repeatedly watched Xue Qinghe, but he avoided confronting or openly observing the man.
• Lu Yuan left a pebble signal for Qian Renxue’s people and later received a note arranging a meeting at South City’s Qingmufang Back Alley at the hour of the Pig.
• Lu Yuan burned the note, returned to the Spirit Sanctuary to cultivate, and prepared to tell Qian Renxue about the changed fate node and the gray-robed man.
• The gray-robed man reported that Xue Qinghe’s interactions with Spirit Hall had seemed ordinary, and his superior ordered him to keep watching Xue Qinghe and everyone recently in contact with him.

Lu Yuan told Qian Renxue that Cheng Lan, a long-serving man from Prince Xue Xing's residence, had watched Xue Qinghe at the Royal Academy, but she decided not to investigate him yet. They planned to observe whether Cheng Lan appeared at the Royal Hunting Grounds assessment, where Lu Yuan was registered to compete in a randomly assigned team.

• Lu Yuan met Qian Renxue in secret and described Cheng Lan repeatedly watching Xue Qinghe during the Royal Academy sparring.
• Qian Renxue identified Cheng Lan as a man from Prince Xue Xing's residence and cautioned Lu Yuan against investigating him, since that could draw attention to their connection.
• Qian Renxue explained the three-day Royal Hunting Grounds assessment, its bronze-token competition, and the random assignment of teams from Spirit Hall and the Royal Academy.
• Qian Renxue said they would watch whether Cheng Lan appeared at the assessment and kept his attention on Xue Qinghe.
• Qian Renxue asked about Lu Yuan's defeat of Qin Yue, and Lu Yuan explained how his Second Soul Skill, Shock Edge, worked.
• The next morning, Deacon Zhao told Lu Yuan that Spirit Hall had registered him for the assessment and warned him to conserve Soul Power; Lu Yuan asked whether Prince Xue Xing's residence would send people.

Lu Yuan teamed with Qin Yue and Lin Che for the Royal Hunting Grounds assessment, where they gathered bronze tokens through careful tracking and coordinated fights. After finding a freshly killed Azure-Horned Deer, they realized its powerful killer had left no obvious tracks nearby.

• Lu Yuan drew team seven with Qin Yue and Lin Che, and the three agreed on their roles before entering the hunting grounds.
• Lu Yuan spotted a bronze token knocked from its branch by a passing Spirit Beast, giving the team their first token without a fight.
• The team worked together to drive off a Thornback Boar, using Lu Yuan's strike on its injured leg to secure two more tokens.
• Lu Yuan, Qin Yue, and Lin Che followed trails and water sources, collecting seven tokens by afternoon and outpacing another team to claim one hidden behind rocks.
• The three found a freshly killed Azure-Horned Deer, and Lu Yuan searched the area after noticing its powerful killer had left no clear tracks.

Lu Yuan, Qin Yue, and Lin Che found signs that a powerful Spirit Beast was driving animals south through the outer zone, then rescued students caught in the fleeing beasts’ path. After guards discovered deep claw marks and heard a nearby roar, the patrol officer ordered the northern teams to assemble, but the threat sounded closer.

• Lu Yuan examined the dead Azure-Horned Deer and found fresh claw marks, then led the group away from the northern area rather than pursue the unknown beast.
• Lin Che spotted Spirit Beasts fleeing south, and Lu Yuan redirected the group northwest to collect tokens while avoiding the danger.
• The group coaxed a restless Stone-Armored Rhino westward and collected three copper tokens without fighting it.
• Lu Yuan noticed signs that animals were avoiding a water pool, so the group camped on a rocky slope instead; after a distress signal appeared near the pool, they rescued a team trapped by fleeing Spirit Beasts.
• A patrol officer and guards found deep claw marks on a broken tree, ordered northern teams to assemble, and heard a beastly roar closer in the forest.

Lu Yuan, Qin Yue, and Lin Che fought off a wounded Rift-Toothed Tiger nearly nine hundred years old as it fled toward the outskirts of the Royal Hunting Grounds. After Lu Yuan killed it, the inspector ordered the assessment terminated and the grounds evacuated and resealed.

• The inspector ordered an evacuation after a roar sounded nearby, but a wounded Rift-Toothed Tiger burst from the woods and attacked three Royal Academy students.
• Qin Yue knocked the tiger off course and drew its attention, while Lin Che led retreating students to safety and Lu Yuan spotted the injury affecting its right forelimb.
• Lu Yuan struck the tiger's right forelimb twice with Shock Edge as Qin Yue and Lin Che helped keep it off balance.
• Lu Yuan stabbed the tiger's abdominal wound with Piercing Edge, then used Shock Edge to bring it down before delivering a fatal spear thrust through its mouth and into its skull.
• The inspector found an old wound on the tiger's abdomen and ordered the assessment terminated, all teams evacuated, and the outer perimeter resealed.

After the Royal Hunting Grounds evacuation, Lu Yuan was praised for killing a nearly nine-hundred-year-old Rift-Toothed Tiger and was promised a chance to choose a material from the Royal Treasury. An investigation then revealed that the tiger had entered through the Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate, which had been opened at midnight using an authorization with no recorded name.

• Lu Yuan, Qin Yue, and Lin Che returned from the hunting grounds, where the patrol officer reported that Lu Yuan had killed the Rift-Toothed Tiger and the others had helped rescue students.
• Xue Qinghe ordered the wounded treated and the entrances sealed, then awarded Qin Yue and Lin Che cultivation resources and Soul Coins for their actions.
• Xue Qinghe offered Lu Yuan a chance to select one material from the Royal Treasury, while Steward Zhao said Spirit Hall would also record his merit.
• Guards traced the Rift-Toothed Tiger's blood trail to the Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate and found no sign of forced entry.
• Xue Qinghe ordered an investigation into the gate and its recent records, and the hunting grounds official discovered that it had been opened at midnight without a name in the log.

Lu Yuan and Xue Qinghe discovered that a Spirit Beast transfer approval document from Prince Xue Xing's Residence had been altered, and the hunting grounds guards identified Han Song as the person who used it. Han Song fled when the guards found him, and Lu Yuan intercepted him on a narrow forest path.

• The hunting grounds manager found that the approval document from Prince Xue Xing's Residence reused a number from an old record and had been altered.
• A guard told Xue Qinghe that Han Song had used the document to bring a Spirit Beast transport cart into the hunting grounds at midnight.
• The hunting grounds manager discovered Han Song had disappeared, ordered the exits sealed, and sent teams to search for him.
• Lu Yuan spotted Han Song near the beast carts, and Han Song fled when a guard called out to him.
• Lu Yuan took a shortcut over an earthen slope and blocked Han Song's way on a narrow forest path with his Piercing Spear.

Lu Yuan stopped Han Song from escaping the Royal Hunting Grounds long enough for Manager Zhao and the guards to capture him. Under questioning, Han Song revealed that the attack may have been intended to track whom Xue Qinghe met after the chaos, leaving the identity and purpose of the conspirator unclear.

• Han Song tried to flee, but Lu Yuan blocked the narrow path and used his spirit skills to slow him despite being injured by Han Song’s stronger attacks.
• Lu Yuan wounded Han Song and kept him from escaping until Manager Zhao arrived and subdued him with the hunting grounds guards.
• Xue Qinghe questioned Han Song about the old approval document, and Han Song said an unknown person had paid him to open the western transfer gate and release the caged Rift-Toothed Tiger.
• Han Song revealed that after the attack began, the unknown person told him to watch everyone who appeared beside the First Prince.
• Lu Yuan and Xue Qinghe realized the incident may have been arranged to observe whom Xue Qinghe contacted, rather than simply to attack the assessment students.

After the Royal Hunting Grounds incident, Lu Yuan recovered and received the reward Xue Qinghe had promised. In the Royal Treasury, his Piercing Spear reacted strongly to an unidentified piece of Gray Silver Ore, which he chose to take back.

• Han Song confessed that he had opened the western transfer gate for the Rift-Toothed Tiger and watched for anyone near Xue Qinghe, while the royal family continued investigating.
• Lu Yuan returned to Spirit Hall, where Deacon Zhao arranged further treatment for his injuries before he resumed recovering his Soul Power.
• The Eye of Destiny opened on its own and showed Qian Renxue's fate node as latent, followed by the message that fate had shifted and a small amount of Origin of Destiny entering Lu Yuan.
• Lu Yuan entered the Royal Treasury to claim one material and passed over several valuable items that did not stir his Piercing Spear.
• The Piercing Spear resonated with a piece of Gray Silver Ore, and Lu Yuan chose it despite the elderly guardian warning that other materials were worth more.

Lu Yuan fused Gray Silver Ore and the remaining Origin of Destiny into his Piercing Spear, evolving it into the Mountain-Shaking Spear. After testing its heavier, more forceful attacks, he faced Deacon Zhao, who challenged him to try shaking his grip off the spear.

• Lu Yuan brought the Gray Silver Ore close to the Piercing Spear, and the ore dissolved into it as the spear absorbed the Origin of Destiny.
• The Martial Soul evolved into the Mountain-Shaking Spear, with dark silver patterns and a heavier, steadier feel.
• Lu Yuan tested Shock Edge on a bluestone and shattered its interior with a concentrated tremor.
• Deacon Zhao returned, saw the transformed spear and shattered stone, and learned Lu Yuan had used only part of Shock Edge.
• Deacon Zhao gripped the Mountain-Shaking Spear and challenged Lu Yuan to shake his hand off without using a Soul Skill.

Lu Yuan tested the evolved Mountain-Shaking Spear and discovered that a second Shock Edge could build on lingering vibrations to free his weapon from a stronger opponent’s grip. Deacon Zhao told him Tiangou Spirit Hall would review his access to local resources the next day, leaving Lu Yuan to find out what privileges he would receive.

• Lu Yuan used Shock Edge twice in succession and numbed Deacon Zhao’s fingers enough to pull the Mountain-Shaking Spear from his grasp.
• Deacon Zhao learned that Lu Yuan could use lingering vibrations to follow up with a second strike, though the effect faded quickly and strained Lu Yuan’s arm.
• Deacon Zhao said the new technique gave Lu Yuan another way to reclaim his spear when an opponent pinned it down.
• Deacon Zhao stopped Lu Yuan’s testing to prevent further damage to the room and told him his Martial Soul evolution would be registered the next day.
• Deacon Zhao explained that Tiangou Spirit Hall planned to raise Lu Yuan’s access to training grounds, records, and cultivation resources in recognition of his recent merits.

Lu Yuan received updated Spirit Hall privileges after his hunting-grounds achievements were verified, then was summoned to the First Prince’s Residence. There, he met Ning Fengzhi, who had come to see him after hearing about his strength and actions.

• Lu Yuan confirmed his level and showed the middle-aged deacon his evolved Mountain-Shaking Spear, which was entered into the registry.
• The Deacon Hall gave Lu Yuan an updated identity badge with improved access to sparring arenas, Spirit Beast records, treasury materials, and cultivation resources.
• A messenger from the First Prince’s Residence summoned Lu Yuan, and Deacon Zhao offered to accompany him, but Lu Yuan declined.
• At the residence, Lu Yuan recognized the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect emblem on the guards and guessed that Ning Fengzhi was present.
• Ning Fengzhi praised Lu Yuan’s accomplishments at the hunting grounds and said he had wanted to meet him in person.

Ning Fengzhi questioned Lu Yuan about the hunting-grounds incident and his transformed Mountain-Shaking Spear, then turned his attention to Xue Qinghe’s conduct and cultivation. He ended by suggesting that Xue Qinghe’s lack of a fixed teacher was regrettable.

• Ning Fengzhi asked why Lu Yuan had stayed to confront the nearly nine-hundred-year-old Rift-Toothed Tiger, and Lu Yuan explained that waiting or fleeing would not have been safer.
• Lu Yuan displayed the Mountain-Shaking Spear and described its increased weight and concentrated shock force, while Ning Fengzhi chose not to probe how his Martial Soul had changed.
• Xue Qinghe confirmed that Lu Yuan had noticed the traces in the western Beast-Taming Passage and helped uncover Han Song’s matter.
• Ning Fengzhi questioned Xue Qinghe about the investigation, and Xue Qinghe said the imperial family would handle it and that curiosity did not require interference.
• Ning Fengzhi asked whether Lu Yuan had been sent to protect Xue Qinghe, and Xue Qinghe explained that Lu Yuan had come to Tiangou for training and that they looked after each other.
• Ning Fengzhi learned that Xue Qinghe had no fixed teacher for Spirit Master cultivation and remarked that this was regrettable.

Xue Qinghe accepted Ning Fengzhi as his teacher after he explained why he believed the prince was worth teaching. The new teacher-student bond deepened Lu Yuan’s Fate Deviation and activated the Mountain-Shaking Spear’s third evolution opportunity, pointing toward the Unknown Spear Core in Spirit City.

• Xue Qinghe told Ning Fengzhi he wanted to learn judgment and insight beyond what books and royal tutors could teach.
• Ning Fengzhi praised Xue Qinghe’s restraint after Han Song’s capture and offered to teach him, while warning that the formal arrangement still needed the Emperor’s approval.
• Xue Qinghe bowed to Ning Fengzhi and greeted him as Teacher.
• Lu Yuan saw Xue Qinghe’s Fate Deviation greatly deepen, and a dense Origin of Destiny entered his body.
• The Mountain-Shaking Spear absorbed the Origin of Destiny and activated a third evolution opportunity targeting the Unknown Spear Core.
• Lu Yuan connected the spear’s awakening to the sealed broken spear behind the Iron Door in the Worship Hall’s Outer Treasury.

After the Mountain-Shaking Spear reacted to the sealed broken spear in Spirit City, Lu Yuan learned that the spear there had changed in the same way. Qian Daoliu ordered him to return, saying the Black Gate would be opened when he arrived.

• Lu Yuan showed Qian Renxue a new dark pattern on the Mountain-Shaking Spear and confirmed it had reacted to the broken spear behind the Black Gate.
• Lu Yuan asked Deacon Zhao to send an urgent message to Spirit City, then tested the evolved spear and found its vibration force could briefly overlap between rapid attacks.
• Deacon Zhao delivered a letter from Spirit City dated the day Lu Yuan sensed the broken spear; it reported that the spear had struck the Black Gate and formed a matching dark pattern.
• Lu Yuan read Qian Daoliu's order to return immediately and learned that the Black Gate would be opened once he arrived.

Lu Yuan returned to Spirit City and opened the Black Gate with Qian Daoliu, revealing a broken spear compatible with the Mountain-Shaking Spear. Gray Text showed that the spear's dormant core could be awakened with Origin of Destiny, leaving Lu Yuan poised to revive it.

• Lu Yuan left Tiangou with the Worship Hall's envoy and sensed the Mountain-Shaking Spear pulling him toward the Black Gate as they neared Spirit City.
• Qian Daoliu examined the Mountain-Shaking Spear and confirmed its dark pattern matched one on the object behind the Black Gate.
• Lu Yuan sensed a resonance between the spear and the object, and Qian Daoliu opened the Golden Lock Seal.
• Lu Yuan and Qian Daoliu found a broken spear on a stone platform, and Gray Text identified it as a compatible Unknown Spear Core while reporting that fusion conditions were insufficient.
• The broken spear tugged at Lu Yuan's remaining Origin of Destiny, and Gray Text revealed that the dormant core could be awakened with it.

Lu Yuan used the Origin of Destiny to awaken the broken spear in the Worship Hall, and it fused with his Mountain-Shaking Spear to complete its third evolution into the Abyss-Sinking Spear. Qian Daoliu tested the new weapon and found that it could drive force into targets and shed part of the impact pressing down on Lu Yuan.

• Lu Yuan channeled the remaining Origin of Destiny into the broken spear, awakening its silver-gray body and causing it to float toward his Mountain-Shaking Spear.
• The broken spear dissolved into silver light and fused with Lu Yuan's weapon, exhausting his Origin of Destiny as his Martial Soul evolved into the Abyss-Sinking Spear.
• Lu Yuan tapped the Abyss-Sinking Spear against a stone platform, and its force spread through the stone until the platform collapsed.
• Lu Yuan asked Qian Daoliu to press down on the spear, and its dark patterns dispersed part of the force before it reached Lu Yuan.
• Qian Daoliu concluded that the Abyss-Sinking Spear itself had begun to shed force for Lu Yuan without using a Soul Skill.

Lu Yuan tested the Abyss-Sinking Spear’s third evolution against Du Heng and confirmed that it dispersed incoming force and drove its own impact inward. Qian Daoliu sent Lu Yuan back to Tiangou after two more days of training and told him that Xue Ye had agreed to Ning Fengzhi’s request to take a disciple, with the formal apprenticeship date set.

• Qian Daoliu took Lu Yuan to the training grounds and arranged a fight against Du Heng, forbidding him from using his Third Soul Skill.
• Lu Yuan used the Abyss-Sinking Spear to absorb part of Du Heng’s attacks and reconnect his spear momentum more quickly, then drove a thrust toward Du Heng’s chest.
• Du Heng used his Third Soul Skill to knock the spear aside, and Qian Daoliu confirmed that Lu Yuan would have won if the thrust had landed.
• Qian Daoliu told Lu Yuan to spend two more days familiarizing himself with the Abyss-Sinking Spear before returning to Tiangou.
• Qian Daoliu told Lu Yuan that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had entered the palace, Xue Ye had agreed to Ning Fengzhi taking a disciple, and the formal apprenticeship date had been set.

Lu Yuan attended Xue Qinghe’s formal apprenticeship ceremony with Ning Fengzhi and met Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi’s daughter. When Lu Yuan revealed his evolved Abyss-Sinking Spear, the Eye of Destiny showed Ning Rongrong’s destiny node: “Beyond the Sect.”

• Lu Yuan accepted an invitation to Xue Qinghe’s apprenticeship ceremony and entered the imperial palace the next morning.
• Xue Qinghe completed the apprenticeship rites with Ning Fengzhi, who accepted him as his student and began calling him by name.
• Ning Rongrong arrived to meet Ning Fengzhi and was introduced to Xue Qinghe and Lu Yuan.
• Ning Rongrong asked about Lu Yuan’s Martial Soul, and Lu Yuan summoned the Abyss-Sinking Spear and displayed his two Spirit Rings.
• Lu Yuan saw the Eye of Destiny mark Ning Rongrong with the destiny node “Beyond the Sect.”