Chapter Summaries

Deng Qing killed Zhang Quan and the three remaining Seven Heroes of Shaoshang, then took the unconscious Li Cheng to a waterfall. After Deng Qing confronted Li Cheng about how he had treated him, he left Li Cheng behind, while Li Cheng wondered whether Deng Qing was a prince of a former dynasty.

• Masked attackers Lu Yan, Meng Kuo, and Du Wencheng surrounded Deng Qing, Zhang Quan, and Li Cheng, demanding Deng Qing's life while allowing the others to leave.
• Deng Qing broke Zhang Quan's arms and leg, then killed him after Zhang Quan tried to plead his innocence.
• Deng Qing killed Meng Kuo, Du Wencheng, and Lu Yan in rapid succession, then gathered useful supplies and carried Li Cheng away from the scene.
• Li Cheng awoke beside a waterfall and learned from Deng Qing that he had killed Zhang Quan and the three masked men.
• Deng Qing told Li Cheng that he had failed to understand the wrongs done to him, declared himself a scion of Huaxia and descendant of the Yan and Huang Emperors, and walked away.
• Li Cheng recalled Deng Qing's earlier lack of deference and wondered whether he was a prince of the former dynasty.

After uncovering Zhang Quan’s crimes, Li Cheng abandoned the retest and chose to return to the Clan Mausoleum. Deng Qing received a nomination for the Martial Dao Institute’s official roster, defeated Zhao Jia to prove his worth, and learned he would serve as a coordinator in the Desolate Soil retest.

• Li Cheng learned from Chen Shan that Zhang Quan had repeatedly harmed Deng Qing and abused the Li Family’s influence, then decided to return to the Clan Mausoleum rather than take the retest.
• Deng Qing learned that the White-Clad Woman had nominated him for the Martial Dao Institute roster, prompting Zhao Jia to challenge her choice.
• The White-Clad Woman arranged a fight between Deng Qing and Zhao Jia, and Deng Qing disarmed and hurled Zhao Jia across the river with an unarmed technique.
• Elder Wei accepted Deng Qing’s victory, while the White-Clad Woman explained that Deng Qing still had to pass an assessment to enter the roster.
• The White-Clad Woman told Deng Qing to join the retest candidates in the Desolate Soil as a coordinator and offered to train him beneath a waterfall the next day.

Deng Qing trained beneath a waterfall, advanced to bone-tempering two, and greatly improved his martial techniques. His breakthrough was interrupted when Zhao Feiyan arrived to challenge the White-Clad Woman Jian over the final recommendation slot for enrollment.

• The White-Clad Woman had Deng Qing demonstrate how to make Peach and Plum Spring Breeze, and he later spent his merit points on a Great Fortune Pill and bought Ginseng Pills with his remaining silver.
• Zhang Yan congratulated Deng Qing on his recommendation for the Martial Dao Lower Court’s register and advised him to keep the opportunity quiet.
• Deng Qing learned to borrow the waterfall’s force, practiced the Elephant-Throwing Method under its torrent, and reached bone-tempering two after taking the Great Fortune Pill.
• The White-Clad Woman noticed three visitors approaching, and Deng Qing learned that she was named Jian when Zhao Feiyan and Mr. Su greeted her.
• Zhao Feiyan said she would use her own recommendation right to compete with Jian for the last enrollment slot, and asked Jian to name the terms.

Deng Qing won Jian Ruyu’s enrollment recommendation by defeating Chen Xiaotian, then began working as an assistant administrator in the Desolate Soil. The chapter left him traveling across the region, where he calmly watched a wave of frost-like wild qi approach.

• Jian Ruyu and Zhao Feiyan disputed whose candidate would receive the last recommendation, and Deng Qing volunteered to fight Chen Xiaotian.
• Deng Qing disarmed Chen Xiaotian and slammed him into the ground, securing Jian Ruyu’s recommendation and driving Zhao Feiyan and Mr. Su away.
• Jian Ruyu explained Chen Xiaotian’s reputation, told Deng Qing to perform well as an assistant administrator, and said the work would support his enrollment assessment.
• Deng Qing entered the Desolate Soil with the Prefecture Examination Administration and began traveling through its landscape without needing a Blazing Sun Pill.
• Deng Qing filled his flask at a lake, killed a giant fish with the Desolate Iron Sword, and continued toward a distant forest as frost-like wild qi spread across the ground.

Deng Qing killed a Unicorn Wolf, secured a place among the top coordinators, and continued training while Chen Tai warned him to stop outshining others. The next evening, Chen Tai confronted Deng Qing after he killed two more qi beasts, accusing him of making enemies.

• Deng Qing patrolled his assigned territory, followed a Flamebird, and killed a Unicorn Wolf by striking its qi petal.
• Deng Qing submitted the qi petal and his Image Recording Needle at the Merit Rewards Office, then learned from Chen Tai that his results ranked in the top three.
• Deng Qing assured Chen Tai he understood the warning not to steal others' limelight, then trained with a 250-kilogram stone and improved his Elephant-Throwing Method.
• Deng Qing helped Chef Fei with kitchen chores before returning to his room to sleep.
• The next evening, Chen Tai confronted Deng Qing over killing two more qi beasts and accused him of taking all the glory for himself.

Deng Qing placed near the bottom of the Intermediate Inspector rankings, then refused Chen Tai and Song Wuji’s offers to surrender his position. When Huang Yunfan tried to pressure him into yielding, Deng Qing invoked the True Yang Martial Sect’s honor to turn the crowd against the scheme, and Chen Tai accused him of stealing a Qi Petal.

• Deng Qing completed his duties, submitted his qi petals and recording, and went to see the rankings.
• Deng Qing found his name near the bottom of the Intermediate Inspector list and realized Chen Tai had lied about his results to make him slack off.
• Chen Tai and Song Wuji offered Deng Qing silver to resign, but he refused, and Song Wuji warned him about entering the Intermediate Testing Zone alone.
• Huang Yunfan claimed Deng Qing as a fellow sect member and tried to persuade him to surrender his position in exchange for silver and help securing a post.
• Deng Qing defended Huang Yunfan and the True Yang Martial Sect against Song Wuji’s insult, making Huang Yunfan unable to continue pressuring him.
• Chen Tai accused Deng Qing of stealing his Qi Petal and demanded to know how he would settle the debt.

After Deng Qing defeated Song Wuji, he trained and received advice from Chef Fei to save his Merit Vouchers for Fortune Meat. As the Fortune Meat sale began, Deng Qing joined the long queue for offal, and Chef Fei addressed the gathered crowd.

• Deng Qing evaded Song Wuji's attack and threw him to the ground, leaving Chen Tai and Huang Yunfan stunned.
• Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji resolved to discover Deng Qing's true strength and vowed not to let the matter rest.
• Deng Qing trained with a five-hundred-jin boulder, received twenty-three Merit Vouchers, and helped Chef Fei clear the dining hall.
• Chef Fei warned Deng Qing that Fortune Meat would soon be available and advised him to save his Merit Vouchers for it.
• Huang Yunfan visited Deng Qing, demanded that he follow his lead, and asked to borrow ten vouchers, but Deng Qing talked him out of it.
• During the rest days, Deng Qing searched unsuccessfully for Jian Ruyu, then joined the offal queue when the Fortune Meat sale began.

Deng Qing missed out on buying offal, then arranged through Chef Fei to buy it back cheaply from people who could not stomach it. As the Intermediate Desolate Soil Test was announced for the next day, Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji discovered that the offal they had bought was nearly worthless.

• Many buyers followed the so-called Offal Martial Saint’s example and bought up the offal, leaving Deng Qing with none.
• Deng Qing asked Chef Fei to post an offer to buy back offal, and Chef Fei agreed to handle it for him.
• Deng Qing trained by lifting and throwing heavy stones, but his progress slowed as he realized his qi-blood was insufficient.
• A notice announced that the Intermediate Desolate Soil Test would begin the next day, and Huang Yunfan warned Deng Qing not to stand out on duty.
• Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji admitted they could not eat the offal and had sold it back at a steep loss, while the kitchen lowered its buyback price to eight percent.

Deng Qing used the mystic wasteland baleful blood to extract Wasteland Blood from a large supply of offal, then spent the night refining it and practicing the Elephant-Throwing Method. After making rapid cultivation gains, he completed his first uneventful day patrolling the Intermediate Testing Zone, where Huang Yunfan approached him at dinner.

• Chef Fei gave Deng Qing more than six hundred and seventy jin of Wasteland Beast offal and accepted three Merit Vouchers for arranging the purchase.
• Deng Qing carried the offal to his training spot and used the mystic wasteland baleful blood to extract Wasteland Blood while expelling Wasteland Qi.
• Deng Qing spent the night alternating between refining Wasteland Blood and practicing the Elephant-Throwing Method, raising his cultivation realm to Bone-Tempering Two (16%).
• Deng Qing began patrolling the Intermediate Testing Zone and discreetly practiced the Elephant-Throwing Method as he walked, avoiding combat throughout the day.
• Huang Yunfan approached Deng Qing while he was eating dinner at camp.

Deng Qing secretly trained with Wasteland Blood and advanced his strength while keeping his patrol score at zero. After Jian Ruyu urged him to stop yielding to threats, he lured a Qi Beast with scraps of flesh and waited for a creature to emerge from the northern woods.

• Deng Qing trained with a thousand-jin boulder, refined Wasteland Blood from the Wooden Box, and raised his cultivation and technique progress.
• Two patrollers intercepted a one-petal wolf-shaped Qi Beast in Deng Qing's zone and chased it away before he could fight it.
• Deng Qing trained through the night, uprooted a tree, hurled a two-thousand-jin boulder, and advanced the Elephant-Throwing Method to grand mastery.
• Jian Ruyu confronted Deng Qing about his zero scores, heard his claim that Huang Yunfan had threatened him, and urged him to fight for his future with her backing.
• Deng Qing poured saved Wasteland Beast heart and lung fragments near the northern mountains, hid nearby, and watched a strange six-limbed creature emerge from the woods.

Deng Qing killed several Qi Beasts and learned that his score had risen to sixteenth, alarming Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji. After the Inspector assessment offered Feather Guard Merit to the top ten, Song Wuji abandoned his plan to make peace with Deng Qing and joined Huang Yunfan in plotting to eliminate him.

• Deng Qing used Wasteland Beast flesh to draw Qi Beasts and killed seven of them during the day's work.
• Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan learned that Deng Qing had reached sixteenth place, and Song Wuji urged Huang Yunfan to stop provoking him because Deng Qing might be a dangerous rising talent.
• Song Wuji persuaded Huang Yunfan that they should apologize to Deng Qing, and Huang Yunfan agreed to yield for the time being.
• Deng Qing learned that the top ten Inspectors would receive Feather Guard Merit and resolved to pursue the reward.
• Song Wuji reconsidered when he learned the reward's value, and he and Huang Yunfan agreed to kill Deng Qing so they could claim places in the top ten.

Deng Qing used bait and the Image Recording Needle to draw a horde of qi beasts into a stone forest, where he began fighting them with the terrain and his improved strength. Jian Ruyu rescued him, leaving Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan alarmed that he had survived and plotting to learn his condition and summon Huang Yunfan’s father.

• Deng Qing lured more than twenty qi beasts toward himself, recorded a statement, and led them into the woods.
• Deng Qing fought off the pursuing qi beasts and reached a stone forest, where he reactivated the Image Recording Needle and prepared to face them.
• Jian Ruyu learned that an Inspector had been caught in a beast tide and rushed out after hearing Zheng Bei explain that the Inspector had attracted the beasts with Wasteland Beast flesh and blood.
• Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan celebrated their apparent advantage, then Huang Yunfan publicly mourned Deng Qing’s supposed death at the dining hall.
• Jian Ruyu carried Deng Qing back to camp, and Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan recognized him as alive and worried he might seek revenge.
• Song Wuji urged Huang Yunfan to find out how badly Deng Qing was hurt and summon his father if Deng Qing had survived; Huang Yunfan agreed to send word the next day if Deng Qing was not dead.

Deng Qing used the torrential rain to kill Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan, then revealed enough qi petals to put himself in contention for first place. The Deployment Office investigated the murders and ruled out Deng Qing because he was believed to be gravely injured, while Huang Changhe and Li Dashan each reacted to events elsewhere in the Desolate Soil.

• Jian Ruyu confronted Deng Qing about the beast tide, and Deng Qing decided to act against Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji after she signaled she would not stop him.
• A storm gave Deng Qing cover to kill Song Wuji and then Huang Yunfan, using their bodies to approach each man’s door.
• Deng Qing returned to his secluded house, dried his clothes, and showed Jian Ruyu thirty-five qi petals and an Image Recording Needle, claiming he had earned them in the Stone Forest.
• Huang Changhe learned that his son Huang Yunfan’s Life Tablet had shattered, while Li Dashan woke in agony as something seemed to change in his back.
• Xia Daoyu reported that Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji had been murdered and identified Inspectors ranked sixteenth through eleventh as suspects, but said Deng Qing was ruled out because of his injuries.
• Zheng Bei asked Jian Ruyu how soon Deng Qing might recover.

Deng Qing’s verified score placed him second among the Inspectors, but failed candidates accused him of cheating and demanded an explanation. Old Han showed footage from Deng Qing’s Image Recording Needle, which revealed him preparing to lure a beast tide away from the Martial Exam Students and recording what he believed would be his last testament.

• Jian Ruyu told the Deployment Office that Deng Qing had collected thirty-five qi petals, and Xia Daoyu and Zheng Bei agreed that this cleared him of suspicion in the earlier killings.
• Deng Qing left the healing house, visited the mess hall, and learned that he had ranked second among the Inspectors.
• After the results were posted, Zheng Shan and other unsuccessful candidates surrounded Deng Qing and demanded that he explain his score or fight Zheng Shan.
• Old Han arrived and used a Divine Shadow Stone to show the footage from Deng Qing’s Image Recording Needle.
• The footage showed Deng Qing smearing beast viscera on himself to draw the beast tide away from the examination zone and leaving instructions for his belongings and a final message.

After Deng Qing’s recordings confirmed his second-place result and revealed how he survived the beast tide, Jian Ruyu arranged for him to learn a powerful movement technique. The chapter ended with Deng Qing learning that the entrance to the Desolate Soil at Liangshan had been temporarily sealed.

• The crowd watched Deng Qing’s recordings, and Lin Li and Chen Hong debated whether his apparent sacrifice and survival had been calculated.
• Old Han confirmed Deng Qing’s second-place result, defended his actions, and warned that the Deployment Office would investigate the disturbance.
• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu that he had used his last words to gain goodwill and asked her for a difficult movement technique.
• Jian Ruyu accepted a hundred of Deng Qing’s Merit Vouchers and arranged for an expert to teach him for four hours.
• Deng Qing asked why those eliminated in the Intermediate Test remained in the Desolate Soil, and Jian Ruyu said the Liangshan entrance had been temporarily sealed.

Deng Qing learned Old Han’s Collapse Step by translating his mathematical explanation into familiar notation, while Old Han became absorbed in the notation Deng Qing taught him. Meanwhile, Zheng Shan told Zheng Bei that Deng Qing had killed Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji and claimed they had engineered the Beast Tide, leaving Zheng Bei to weigh the accusation.

• Jian Ruyu warned Deng Qing that he might be sent to the Front Line, where the highest-level retest would take place.
• Old Han tested Deng Qing with a mathematical problem, and Deng Qing solved it after rewriting the explanation in familiar notation.
• Deng Qing taught Old Han Arabic numerals and mathematical symbols, then learned the Collapse Step and began practicing it.
• Zheng Shan secretly visited Zheng Bei and claimed that Deng Qing had killed Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji.
• Zheng Shan told Zheng Bei that Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji had engineered the Beast Tide after failing to suppress Deng Qing.

Zheng Bei killed Hu Li and forced Zheng Shan to dispose of the body after warning him that accusing Deng Qing would endanger the Zheng family. Meanwhile, Deng Qing broke through to the initiation stage of Collapse Step, and Old Han demonstrated how the technique advanced at higher levels.

• Zheng Shan brought Hu Li to Zheng Bei, and Hu Li described Huang Yunfan’s plot to attract Qi Beasts toward Deng Qing with a blood-attracting Yin Pet.
• Zheng Bei killed Hu Li, then warned Zheng Shan that Deng Qing was the Martial Dao Lower Court’s chosen model and that accusing him could implicate Elder Jian and ruin the Zheng family.
• Zheng Bei ordered Zheng Shan to carry Hu Li’s body away and scouted ahead as they left under cover of darkness.
• Deng Qing studied the footprints left by his practice and realized he could use the circle’s fixed center to overcome the pauses in his steps.
• Deng Qing traced two seamless circles and gained Collapse Step at 1% initiation.
• Old Han explained that advanced Collapse Step collapsed many steps into one within a controlled circle, then demonstrated crossing the room in a single step.

Deng Qing trained Collapse Step and replenished his Wasteland Blood with offal obtained through Chef Fei, while his cultivation and mystic wasteland baleful blood improved. An urgent Front Line order changed the final examination into a wartime assignment, and Zheng Bei revealed that the Command Center and Donghuang Cult were fighting over control of the Wasteland Veins.

• Jian Ruyu questioned Old Han about Deng Qing, and Old Han admitted he had misjudged Deng Qing's talent.
• Deng Qing asked Chef Fei to obtain more Wasteland Beast offal, then trained for two days and a night before refining a new supply and testing his strengthened baleful blood and Collapse Step.
• Chef Fei gave Deng Qing a letter from Jian Ruyu warning that Zhao Feiyan had spread rumors about his Qi Petals and instructing him to win the final round.
• An urgent order summoned the camp to the Front Line and converted the final examination into a wartime assignment.
• Zheng Bei explained that the Command Center and Donghuang Cult were fighting to control the Wasteland Veins and restrain Wasteland Qi.

Deng Qing and twelve others were sent to pin down a newly appeared Wasteland Vein, with their assessment rankings to be determined by anonymous peer scores. After a Beast Tide swept through their route, Deng Qing helped the group escape by riding the fleeing beasts, while Chen Hong later returned with the three students who had gone missing.

• Zheng Bei assigned the Inspectors and Martial Exam Students to carry Wasteland Spikes to a designated area and explained that they would score one another after the mission.
• The group disputed who should lead, then chose six students at the third level of Bone Tempering to coordinate their route and duties.
• When three Qi Beasts appeared, several students charged out to hunt them, but Deng Qing warned the rest that a much larger herd was fleeing toward them.
• Deng Qing urged everyone to run alongside the Beast Tide and leap onto the beasts, and the group escaped the stampede by riding their backs.
• Chen Hong proposed that Deng Qing act as their Scout, but Deng Qing turned back to look for the three missing students.
• Chen Hong returned with the three students, including Su Yun, whose lower leg had been broken in the stampede.

Deng Qing’s team reached the canyon and found an injured Death Scythe healing over a Wasteland Vein, then debated whether to attack it. Deng Qing exposed an ambush by the Donghuang Cult, and the chapter ended as Huo Dongfeng and his Lingbiao Squad emerged from the woods.

• Lin Li ordered the group to carry the injured Su Yun on a stretcher and continue toward the canyon.
• Su Yun identified the Death Scythe and explained that the group would need to sever its tail to stop it from drawing Wasteland Qi and healing.
• Long Xiu proposed attacking the Death Scythe, and twelve people voted in favor while Deng Qing stayed silent.
• Deng Qing suspected an ambush in the woods and hurled rocks into them, prompting hidden fighters to reveal themselves.
• Deng Qing and Lin Li helped Su Yun as the group regrouped, and Huo Dongfeng appeared with twelve members of his Lingbiao Squad.