Chapter Summaries

Ning Fa learned how the Ning Clan’s Heir Competition would work and then joined the thirty-two branch representatives at the ancestral grounds. As the draw began, he noticed several powerful opponents, including Ning Jikun, whom he judged might be the strongest contestant besides himself.

• Ning Fa met Ning Nanqing and Ning Wanyun, invited them to Cloud Fragrance Residence, and learned the rules of the Heir Competition.
• Ning Nanqing warned Ning Fa that he would not go easy on him, while Ning Wanyun asked about Ning Fa’s promotion and whether he still liked Liu Qinghui.
• Two days later, Ning Fa attended the competition at the Ning Clan’s ancestral grounds, where the clan’s First Elder, Ning Zhongyuan, appeared before the gathered cultivators.
• Ning Fa saw that most of the thirty-two contestants were at the Late Qi Condensation realm and identified Ning Jikun as a particularly dangerous opponent.
• Fourth Elder Ning Weize conjured thirty-two numbered spheres of light and told the contestants to choose one.

Ning Fa used his enhanced divine sense to choose a favorable draw and faced Ning Jiantao of the Yuan Chang Island branch in the first round. Their duel began with Ning Fa launching a sudden attack, leaving the match unresolved.

• Ning Fa saw through the numbers in the light balls and chose number sixteen to face Ning Jiantao, who drew number seventeen.
• The contestants' numbers were revealed, and the first-round matches proceeded across four arenas.
• Ning Fa entered the arena as Xiao Yu and his relatives cheered, while Ning Jiantao threatened to have him carried out.
• Ning Jiantao brought out the Ghostly Nether Claws and Crimson Crying Drum, and Ning Fa activated his Primordial Thunder Armor and seven Silver Magic Orbs.
• At the referee's command, Ning Fa fired more than ten thunderballs at Ning Jiantao and vanished from his starting position.

Ning Fa overwhelmed Ning Jiantao in the arena, defeating his artifacts and piercing his defenses with a Thunder Yuan Overlord Spear. With Ning Zhongyuan tacitly approving the revenge, Ning Fa left Ning Jiantao gravely injured, and the clan’s other contenders regarded him as a formidable threat.

• Ning Fa used his speed, Primordial Thunder Armor, and Black Obsidian Gauntlets to counter Ning Jiantao’s Ghostly Nether Claws and Crimson Crying Drum.
• Ning Fa broke through Ning Jiantao’s golden barrier and tortoise-shell artifact with a Thunder Yuan Overlord Spear, then formed an even stronger second spear after Ning Jiantao conceded.
• Ning Zhongyuan told Ning Zhongjiu not to interfere, saying Ning Fa was entitled to vent his resentment.
• Ning Fa’s spear struck Ning Jiantao, destroying his right arm and part of his shoulder and leaving him unconscious.
• Ning Weize treated Ning Jiantao and took him away, while Ning Yaozu declared Ning Fa the winner.
• Xiao Yu and Ning Fa’s branch celebrated, while Ning Nanqing, Ning Jikun, and the other contenders viewed Ning Fa as a formidable opponent.

Ning Fa defeated Ning Changyong and advanced through the Heir Competition, helping the Pingchang Island branch regain direct lineage status after two hundred years. The competition ended with Ning Fa among the top eight, while the Yuan Chang Island branch lost its status.

• Ning Fa defeated Ning Changyong with ease after evading his spells and close-range ambush, advancing to the top eight.
• Ning Zhongyuan and the other elders praised Ning Fa's strength, while Ning Jiannan grew furious over his branch's weakening prospects.
• Ning Nanqing admitted that he might not be able to defeat Ning Fa after winning his own match.
• Ning Leda replaced the Qiuchang Island branch's short, fat cultivator, and the final top eight emerged after the remaining competitors chose their opponents.
• Ning Fa's place among the top eight restored direct lineage status to the Pingchang Island branch, while the Yuan Chang Island branch was eliminated.
• The Pingchang Island branch and Ning Fa's maternal uncle's family celebrated as the branch received five hundred Contribution Points and the right to select a high-grade magic artifact.

After the Heir Competition, Ning Fa delegated the clan’s resource arrangements and met with First Elder Ning Zhongyuan, who recognized his cultivation and offered him the clan’s support. Ning Fa secured approval to settle his grievance with Ning Zhen'an, though Ning Zhongyuan urged him to keep the matter contained.

• Ning Fa assigned Ning Zhengqian and Ning Zifeng to manage the branch’s new resources, reserving some for his uncle’s family and withholding main-line treatment from his maternal aunt’s family for ten years.
• Ning Fa chose the Blue Spirit Flying Carriage from the clan treasure vault, then went to meet Ning Zhongyuan after the First Elder summoned him.
• Ning Zhongyuan discovered Ning Fa had cultivated a Thunder Source and eleven Lesser Thunder Sources, and Ning Fa explained his progress through a pill he had refined himself.
• Ning Zhongyuan offered to support Ning Fa’s future breakthrough and gave him a Thousand-Li Talisman, but Ning Fa declined to move to Changning Mountain.
• Ning Fa asked Ning Zhongyuan to let him deal with Ning Zhen'an, citing the attempt on his life and Uncle Xilin’s sacrifice; Ning Zhongyuan agreed while warning him not to cause too great a disturbance.

Ning Fa killed Ning Zhen'an and followed through on his revenge against Ning Guichuan’s branch, while Liu Zhili worried that the Liu Family would be targeted next. After making a brief appearance on Pingchang Island, Ning Fa left again, and congratulations shifted to his uncle Ning Zhengqian’s household.

• Ning Fa killed Ning Zhen'an and said he would soon send Ning Ruiming to join him.
• Ning Guichuan left a letter saying he was traveling and disappeared, while the matter was quietly suppressed.
• Liu Zhili asked Liu Qinghui how the Liu Family could reconcile with Ning Fa, but she advised him to repent at Ning Fa’s parents’ graves and offer compensation.
• Liu Zhili threatened to rely on the Third Elder, and Liu Qinghui warned him that the Third Elder favored Ning Fa and urged him not to delay.
• Ning Fa offered the heads of Ning Guichuan and his two sons at Ning Xilin’s grave, briefly visited Pingchang Island, and departed again.
• Visitors who had hoped to congratulate Ning Fa instead crowded into Ning Zhengqian’s household.

Ning Fa strengthened his cultivation through repeated dual cultivation with Liu Qinghui, while Wei Shiqin left the Ning Clan and warned him that Cloud Crystal Liquid had become scarce. After Ning Fa reached a bottleneck at the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation, he learned that Ning Huarong had failed in her Foundation Establishment.

• Ning Fa and Liu Qinghui began practicing the He Yuan Art together, while Ning Fa secretly cultivated its original source technique, the Su Yin He Xin Art, and absorbed more than half of their refined spiritual power.
• Over the next half year, Ning Fa neared the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation, strengthened his water-element symbolic object, cultivated eleven Lesser Thunder Sources, and advanced his body-tempering and Moon God Art cultivation.
• Wei Shiqin visited Ning Fa to say she was returning to Tianshui Market, confirmed that Tongbao Pavilion would continue leasing the waters, and told him that Cloud Crystal Liquid had become scarce.
• After another half year, Ning Fa reached a bottleneck at the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation and used Ning Zhongyuan's Thousand-Li Talisman to request breakthrough resources.
• Ning Fa received shocking news that Ning Huarong had failed in her Foundation Establishment.

After Ning Huarong failed Foundation Establishment, the Ning Clan backed Ning Fa as its next rising figure and supplied him with precious resources to advance. When Ning Fa visited the unconscious Xiao Yu, a mysterious spirit-beast phantom appeared, and a pattern on his scroll revealed a powerful rat-like beast whose aura was repelled by his Five Elements Thunder Rune Pattern.

• Ning Shaohong told Ning Fa that Ning Huarong had failed Foundation Establishment and suffered damage to her foundation.
• Ning Zhongjiu brought Ning Fa precious cultivation resources and a Quiet Clarity Pendant, prompting Ning Fa to realize the clan wanted him to replace Ning Huarong as its leading young figure.
• Three months later, Ning Fa traveled to Pingchang Island after hearing that Xiao Yu had repeatedly fallen unconscious.
• Physician Shao Weng found no major ailment in Xiao Yu and suspected that she had overexerted herself through cultivation.
• When Ning Fa examined Xiao Yu, yellow spiritual light blasted him away and formed the faint phantom of a spirit beast.
• Ning Fa activated the Guardian Spirit Array and scroll, which displayed the beast pattern and a clearer rat-like spirit beast; its oppressive aura was shattered by the Five-Colored Spiritual Light from his Five Elements Thunder Rune Pattern.

Ning Fa used the scroll to restore Xiao Yu’s Spiritual Beast Bloodline to completeness, awakening her power and helping her advance in cultivation. He took her on as his alchemy apprentice while leaving Ning Zifeng in charge of the branch family.

• Ning Fa traced Xiao Yu’s mouse-like Spiritual Beast Bloodline to its origin, exhausting the scroll’s remaining usable energy and causing her to endure a painful transformation.
• After three days, Xiao Yu woke feeling stronger, sensed an opportunity to break through, and advanced to the second level of Qi Refinement.
• Xiao Yu asked to learn alchemy, and Ning Fa agreed to teach her personally as his apprentice so he could also observe her bloodline.
• Ning Zifeng told Ning Fa that the branch family needed his advice, but Ning Fa reaffirmed that Ning Zifeng had full authority over its affairs and should report periodically.

Ning Fa advanced to the seventh level of Qi Condensation after a difficult breakthrough, while Xiao Yu settled into her own nearby courtyard. After informing the First Elder of his advancement, Ning Fa was summoned to Changning Mountain.

• Ning Fa sent Liu Qinghui away when she arrived to dual cultivate, then built Xiao Yu a separate bamboo courtyard and introduced her to pill refinement.
• A year later, Xiao Yu and Liu Qinghui rushed to Ning Fa's courtyard after a thunderous boom and saw its restrictions activated as he broke through.
• Ning Fa emerged from his cocoon-like barrier and discovered that his body, divine sense, and Mana had greatly strengthened with his advancement to Late Qi Condensation.
• Ning Fa judged that he could contend with Late Qi Condensation cultivators and escape even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, though he still lacked Ning Huarong's battle experience.
• Ning Fa informed the First Elder of his breakthrough, and the First Elder ordered him to come to Changning Mountain.

Ning Fa accepted the appointment as deputy hall master of the Blazing Wind Hall, where he would compete with Ji Kun to become hall master and a clan elder. Ning Zhongyuan assigned him a mission against small clans and gave him treasures to escape Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

• Ning Fa returned to Changning Mountain and met Ning Zhongyuan, who praised his strength and noted that Ning Huarong's injuries remained serious.
• Ning Zhongyuan appointed Ning Fa deputy hall master of the Blazing Wind Hall and said he and Ji Kun would compete to replace Ning Huarong and become a clan elder.
• Ning Fa accepted the appointment, pleased by the chance to gain combat experience and rise within the clan.
• Ning Zhongyuan ordered Ning Fa to remind the small clans not to take advantage of the Ning Clan's recent weakness.
• Ning Zhongyuan gave Ning Fa a White River Chariot talisman treasure and a yellow ring to help him escape Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Ning Fa received powerful defensive treasures from Ning Zhongyuan before setting out as Blazing Wind Hall’s deputy hall master. He persuaded Ning Yuwen to support him by promising to make Dao Patterned healing pills that could restore Ning Yuwen’s damaged foundation.

• Ning Zhongyuan gave Ning Fa a White River Chariot Talisman Treasure and a Profound Bright Ring, and warned him to flee if he encountered a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
• Ning Fa encountered Ning Jikun, who declared that he would become Blazing Wind Hall’s chief hall master, then decided to seek Ning Yuwen’s help.
• Ning Fa showed Ning Yuwen a Jade Dragon Pill with One Dao Mark and claimed he could also refine Dao Patterned healing pills.
• Ning Fa promised to do his utmost to heal Ning Yuwen’s damaged foundation if Ning Yuwen agreed to help him.
• Ning Yuwen accepted Ning Fa’s offer and agreed to support him.

Ning Fa traveled to Yun Chang Island after reaching Late Qi Condensation, while considering his difficult first assignment as deputy hall master: making the Huang Family honor its Blood Fang Rice agreement with the Ning Clan. He arrived and reunited with Ning Shaohong, who gazed at him with unspoken feelings.

• Ning Fa reviewed the Huang Family’s refusal to honor its promise to sell at least thirty percent of its Blood Fang Rice to the Ning Clan, and the clan’s growing strength through its alliances.
• Ning Fa weighed how to pressure the Huang Family without provoking the Chang Kong Alliance or causing heavy casualties, and resolved to accept the challenge.
• Ning Fa arrived at Yun Chang Island and met Ning Shaohong after more than half a year apart.
• Ning Shaohong stared intently at Ning Fa, leaving him feeling awkward.

Ning Fa and Ning Shaohong admitted their feelings and became intimate, while Shaohong unexpectedly advanced in her cultivation. At Tongbao Pavilion, Wei Shiqin learned that the Soul Quenching Pills were far less effective than expected, forcing her branch to reconsider its costly plans.

• Ning Fa questioned whether Ning Shaohong truly loved him, and she insisted her feelings were for him rather than his father.
• Ning Fa and Ning Shaohong became lovers, and she advised him to seek Shi Qin for intelligence about the Huang Family.
• After Ning Fa left, Ning Shaohong manifested nine white lotuses and a lotus dais, realizing she had reached a new stage through her experience of love.
• Wei Shiqin's sister told her that Master Liu's Soul Quenching Pills increased the chance of Foundation Establishment by only a little over one percent despite appearing genuine.
• Wei Shiqin's sister urged her to stop investing in the pills and harvest the Silver Soul Grass in the Ning Clan's Red Coral Stone waters, but Wei Shiqin worried her branch would fall behind the Kong Family.

Wei Shiqin asked Ning Fa to attempt refining the Soul Quenching Pill and offered him a mysterious item to persuade him. The item burst from its jade box as a powerful blue thunder flood dragon, leaving Ning Fa facing its fearsome Spiritual Pressure.

• Wei Shiqin persuaded her sister to give her the remaining ingredients and three months to find someone to refine the Soul Quenching Pill, then borrowed an item intended for the Li worshipper.
• Ning Fa arrived at Tianshui Market in disguise and met Wei Shiqin at Tongbao Pavilion, where she learned he had advanced to Late Qi Condensation.
• Ning Fa asked Wei Shiqin to help him obtain Cloud Crystal Liquid and provide intelligence on the Huang Family; she explained that the Xue Family had stopped exporting the liquid.
• Wei Shiqin told Ning Fa about the Soul Quenching Pill and said his mana, soul strength, and alchemy talent might let him refine it.
• Wei Shiqin opened a sealed jade box, releasing a blue thunder flood dragon surrounded by terrifying Spiritual Pressure.

Ning Fa acquired the Cloud-Breaking Spear from Wei Shiqin in exchange for refining the Soul Quenching Pill, then visited Ning Xiuying before leaving Tianshui Market. He departed to meet his Blazing Wind Hall subordinates and prepare to deal with the Huang Family.

• Ning Fa caught the Cloud-Breaking Spear and learned from Wei Shiqin that it was a powerful Half-step Spirit Artifact suited to his Lightning Spiritual Root.
• Wei Shiqin offered Ning Fa the spear to refine an ancient pill formula, and Ning Fa agreed after clarifying the terms and swearing a Heart Demon Oath.
• Ning Fa learned that the formula was for the Soul Quenching Pill, which could raise a cultivator's chance of Foundation Establishment by ten percent, and accepted the spear as advance payment.
• Ning Fa bought supplies and received intelligence about the Huang Family from Wei Shiqin before visiting Ning Xiuying at Cloud Embroidery Pavilion.
• Ning Xiuying declined Ning Fa's offer to return to the family, and Ning Fa left her precious pills before departing Tianshui Market to meet his Blazing Wind Hall subordinates.

Ning Fa gathered his Blazing Wind Hall subordinates and faced their doubts about his appointment as Deputy Hall Master. When Ning Yunhui arrived late and openly defied him, Ning Fa attacked and overwhelmed him with a barrage of punches.

• Ning Fa assembled the Blazing Wind Hall members and noticed Ning Yuwen and Ning Daozhen among them.
• The subordinates questioned Ning Fa's authority because many of them had greater cultivation or seniority.
• Ning Yunhui arrived half an hour late, mocked Ning Fa, and refused to follow his disciplinary order without the Hall Master's token.
• Ning Fa ordered Ning Yunhui to receive three lashes, then attacked when Ning Yunhui challenged his authority.
• Ning Fa shattered Ning Yunhui's barrier and drove him back against his triangular shield with a relentless punch barrage.

Ning Fa defeated and intimidated Ning Yunhui, then led his subordinates on a special mission toward the Huang Family’s islands. Using Wei Shiqin’s intelligence, Ning Fa planned to exploit Fifth Elder Huang Cunshan’s hidden son as an opening against the family.

• Ning Fa overwhelmed Ning Yunhui with body-cultivation attacks, then stunned him with Thunder Sound Art and stopped two Thunder Yuan Overlord Spears just before they struck him.
• Ning Yunhui submitted to Ning Fa and accepted a whipping from Ning Liuan while the gathered cultivators showed Ning Fa their awe and obedience.
• Ning Fa warned his subordinates to follow orders on their special mission, then took them by flying boat toward the Huang Family’s sphere of influence.
• Ning Fa concealed his group on a deserted island and approached another island with Ning Yuwen and two others.
• Ning Fa planned to exploit Huang Cunshan’s secret illegitimate son, whose existence he had learned from Wei Shiqin’s intelligence.

Ning Fa coerced Huang Cunshan into helping the Ning Clan enter Bright Yellow Island, then secured his loyalty with a detailed spirit contract promising a better position and a home for his family. Huang Cunshan revealed that Chang Kong Alliance envoys, including the famed Shi Shaoyang and Meng Ruoqi, were also on the island, complicating Ning Fa’s plans.

• Ning Fa and his companions slipped into Huang Cunshan’s manor on Spring Pear Island using Formation-Breaking Talismans and seized the mother and child as leverage.
• Ning Fa forced Huang Cunshan to come to the manor, restrained him, and demanded that he help them pass through Bright Yellow Island’s protective formation.
• Huang Cunshan resisted until Ning Fa promised him a secure future with the Ning Clan and signed a spirit contract detailing his position and his family’s new home.
• Huang Cunshan signed the contract, then agreed to explain the Huang Family’s situation to Ning Fa.
• Huang Cunshan reported that Chang Kong Alliance representatives, including Cloud Lotus Sword Shi Shaoyang and Meng Ruoqi, were visiting the island.

Ning Fa led his group to Bright Yellow Island to resolve the Huang Family matter before Shi Shaoyang could claim the premium Blood Fang Rice. While Ning Fa and his companions waited in hiding, Shi Shaoyang and Meng Ruoqi attended a banquet with Huang Family leaders and began discussing the rice.

• Wei Shiqin prepared Ning Fa a detailed Jade Slip about Thousand Wave Lake's major forces, including Shi Shaoyang's reputation and recent victories.
• Ning Fa rejected Ning Yunhui's suggestion to wait until Shi Shaoyang left, insisting the Huang Family matter had to be settled quickly.
• Huang Cunshan led Ning Fa, Ning Yunhui, Ning Yuwen, and Ning Qingxiang to Bright Yellow Island, where concealed cultivation and Huang Cunshan's explanation let them pass the dock guards.
• Ning Fa used a jade disc and silver droplet to send out a ripple of fluctuation, then waited with the others in a secluded corner.
• At a banquet, Huang Shuheng and the Huang Family entertained Shi Shaoyang, other Chang Kong Alliance cultivators, and Meng Ruoqi's party.
• Meng Ruoqi asked Huang Shuheng how much premium Blood Fang Rice the Huang Family could provide and said the price was negotiable.