Chapter Summaries

Deng Qing took command of the Martial Exam Students and negotiated an alliance with Huo Dongfeng’s Lingbiao Squad to kill Death Scythe, securing an oath and an equal share of its Fortune Meat. The alliance’s first attempt to sever Death Scythe’s tail failed, leaving Deng Qing’s group to send the next fighter.

• Lin Li agreed to lead the Martial Exam Students, then yielded command to Deng Qing when he could not find a way past the stalemate with Huo Dongfeng.
• Deng Qing kicked a rock near Death Scythe to force Huo Dongfeng to negotiate, then proposed that both sides take turns trying to sever its tail and split the remaining Fortune Meat equally.
• Huo Dongfeng accepted the plan and swore before heaven that the two sides would work together and not turn against one another.
• Deng Qing warned his group to stay ready for a fight, despite Huo Dongfeng’s oath.
• A bearded Lingbiao Squad member tried to reach Death Scythe but was struck by a scythe and returned with his Soft Armor ruined, telling Deng Qing’s group it was their turn.

Deng Qing traded an Azure Fish Pill for the chance to sever Death Scythe’s tail, then trained his Collapse Step until it reached minor mastery. He crossed the rotating blades with ease, leaving the others poised to attack while Huo Dongfeng prepared to strike.

• Chen Hong tried to pass Death Scythe’s scythes but was swept away, though his Golden Silkworm Garment protected him from serious injury.
• Lin Li advanced through the blades and escaped their counterattack, but failed to reach Death Scythe’s tail.
• Deng Qing negotiated with Huo Dongfeng for an Azure Fish Pill, claiming he needed it to break through and use a Secret Method.
• Deng Qing practiced Collapse Step for more than two hours, then took the pill and advanced to minor mastery.
• Deng Qing laid out a coordinated attack plan, with Lin Li and Huo Dongfeng’s groups assigned to distract the blades while Huo Dongfeng prepared the killing blow.
• Deng Qing crossed all three scythes with his improved footwork and reached Death Scythe’s tail, astonishing Chen Hong and Lin Li.

Deng Qing and the two camps killed Death Scythe and divided its Fortune Meat, but he suspected Huo Dongfeng planned to attack the Martial Exam Students once his squad recovered. Deng Qing prepared for a possible battle, replenished some of his Wasteland Blood from the buried offal, and ended the night with his abilities improved.

• Deng Qing severed Death Scythe's tail, and the two squads pinned its scythes down while he killed it with a spear through its Qi Petals.
• Deng Qing divided the remaining Fortune Meat between both camps, then buried Death Scythe's organs as the Lingbiao Squad and Martial Exam Students rested at separate fires.
• Huo Dongfeng told Yang Jie to wait until his injured squad recovered, while Deng Qing warned Lin Li and Long Xiu that Huo Dongfeng might be planning to kill them.
• Deng Qing explained that the Martial Exam Students lacked the unity to attack first, and Lin Li and Long Xiu agreed to hold Huo Dongfeng off while Deng Qing led the others in a fight.
• Deng Qing trained Collapse Step, arranged watches for the night, and secretly used the Devour Heaven Scripture to draw Wasteland Blood from Death Scythe's buried offal.

As the Wasteland Veins began circulating, Huo Dongfeng and the Lingbiao Squad attacked the Martial Exam Students to stop them from pinning the veins. Deng Qing revealed that his apparent fear had been a ruse, broke the enemy’s formation, and then faced Huo Dongfeng, whose strength still forced him back.

• Deng Qing studied the booklet through the night, and the Wasteland Qi surged as the Wasteland Veins began circulating.
• Huo Dongfeng led the Lingbiao Squad toward the Martial Exam Students, then mocked his oath by claiming his thin sword, named Ten Thousand Blades, had pierced his chest without harming him.
• Lin Li and Long Xiu charged Huo Dongfeng while Deng Qing appeared to cower, prompting Chen Hong and the others to prepare to defend themselves.
• Deng Qing suddenly attacked Yang Jie, killed him and two other fighters, and shattered the Lingbiao Squad’s sword formation.
• Deng Qing told Chen Hong to handle the scattered attackers and went to stop Huo Dongfeng after Lin Li and Long Xiu were knocked back.
• Deng Qing met Huo Dongfeng’s Returning Dragon Fist head-on, was driven back five steps, and learned that he still faced a substantial strength gap.

Deng Qing used his footwork and endurance to lure Huo Dongfeng into a stone grove, then seized his opening and killed him. He returned to the battle, saved the remaining Martial Exam Students, and helped the survivors tend their wounded and honor their dead.

• Huo Dongfeng pursued Deng Qing with relentless attacks, then drew his sword and drove him into a grove of stone pillars.
• Huo Dongfeng battered Deng Qing with sword strikes, but Deng Qing’s Treasure Armor protected him as he waited for Huo Dongfeng to exhaust himself.
• Deng Qing caught Huo Dongfeng’s blade with his hand, used Phoenix Swaps the Nest to seize his arm, and killed him with the Ten Thousand Blades Sword before breaking his neck.
• Deng Qing looted Huo Dongfeng’s body and returned to the battle, where he killed the fallen Donghuang Cult members and helped the Martial Exam Students defeat the rest.
• Deng Qing carried Lin Li and Long Xiu back to the survivors, gathered supplies, distributed medicine, and prepared the two dead Martial Exam Students for burial.
• Deng Qing blamed himself for the deaths of Dong Jun and Xiao Jun, but Long Xiu, Lin Li, Hong Lin, and Chen Hong praised his actions, and Chen Hong accepted that Deng Qing deserved first place.

Deng Qing discovered that his Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood could draw underground vein qi and stayed behind to investigate, triggering a vast surge of wasteland qi. At the Frontline Command Center, Jian Ruyu and the others saw the surge converge in Donghuang Cult territory, and Feng Xiuquan urged Jian Ruyu to intervene.

• Deng Qing studied the moving vein qi, used his Wasteland Spike with the others, and noticed underground light gathering when his blood baleful intent entered the soil.
• Deng Qing stayed behind after the others left and let his blood baleful intent follow a force underground, drawing spots of light together and unleashing a powerful surge of wasteland qi.
• At the Frontline Command Center, Jian Ruyu questioned the apparent tie between the Liangshan Frontline and the Donghuang Cult as Feng Xiuquan issued orders and Huang Changhe reported killing Miao Like.
• The projected spots of light converged in the southeast, prompting Feng Xiuquan to send eastern forces to reinforce the area.
• Jian Ruyu, Old Han, and Feng Xiuquan reached a mountain summit, where Feng Xiuquan asked Jian Ruyu to intervene and she rebuked him for threatening her.

Deng Qing returned to camp after apparently pinning down the seventh Wasteland Vein, while the Command Center detained the returning students and inspectors for questioning. He told Jian Ruyu he might have secured the Vein, leaving her to hear of his potentially decisive achievement.

• Feng Xiuquan learned that the Donghuang Cult had pinned down the Vein Dragon’s head and the Command Center had pinned down its tail, then ordered staff to identify the team responsible.
• Deng Qing used his blood and Wasteland Spike to trigger a violent surge of Wasteland Qi, found the Spike glowing at the site, and suspected he had pinned down the seventh Wasteland Vein.
• Huang Changhe and Command Center guards surrounded the Deployment Office camp and took Long Xiu, Lin Li, and the other returning participants away for questioning.
• Deng Qing returned to Jian Ruyu’s tent with collected weapons and valuables, and Jian Ruyu praised his role in bringing the others back safely.
• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu that he might have pinned down the Wasteland Veins.

Deng Qing revealed that he had pinned down a wasteland vein, and Jian Ruyu negotiated rewards and protection for his achievement amid attempts by Huang Changhe to claim it. Deng Qing received cultivation resources, a reassignment for Zhang Yan, a cultivation room, and an honorary rank, then left to prepare for the registration examination.

• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu how he had driven the Wasteland Spike into the ground and learned that he had pinned down a wasteland vein.
• Jian Ruyu warned Deng Qing that others could steal his credit by obtaining his blood, and explained that Huang Changhe had taken Long Xiu and the others for questioning.
• Deng Qing asked Jian Ruyu to transfer Zhang Yan to the Deployment Office and let him avoid missions by tending the Strange Horses.
• Huang Bingyao ordered Deng Qing to attend Huang Changhe's address, but Jian Ruyu rejected the demand and struck Huang Bingyao out of her tent.
• Feng Xiuquan met with Jian Ruyu to negotiate over Deng Qing's achievement, and Jian Ruyu secured ten Great Fortune Pills, five Azure Fish Pills, a Cultivation Room, and a reassignment for Zhang Yan.
• Jian Ruyu told Deng Qing he had also received a commandant's Honorary Merit Rank at the Principal Eighth Rank and reminded him to prepare for the registration examination.

Deng Qing collected his rewards, moved into a Cultivation Room, and learned from Zhang Yan that his master might soon break through. He began his new post at the Horse Farm and recognized Wasteland Beast offal among the feed being delivered to the Strange Horses.

• Deng Qing received pills, Merit Vouchers, and a Cultivation Room permit, while his comrades thanked him for saving them and Lin Li asked him to look after Lin Hui during the enrollment examination.
• Xia Daoyu asked Deng Qing to plead with Jian Ruyu on his behalf and arranged for Deng Qing’s spoils to be exchanged for 3,253 taels; Deng Qing also received his official dog-shaped jade pendant.
• Deng Qing moved into the Cultivation Room, then received Zhang Yan’s letter saying Zhang Yan would not transfer to the Deployment Office and that their master seemed close to a breakthrough.
• Deng Qing decided to save his Great Fortune Pills and Azure Fish Pills for a breakthrough, then reported to the Horse Farm and told Zhang Dahe he had transferred there to avoid dangerous battles.
• Deng Qing toured the north stable and waited for the horses’ feed; when laborers delivered carts, he recognized the contents of six sealed carts as Wasteland Beast offal.

Deng Qing secretly extracted Wasteland Blood from Wasteland Beast offal while feeding the Strange Horses, and Zhang Dahe mistook his methods for horse-training practice. After using the blood to train through the night, Deng Qing returned to the Horse Farm, where Zhang Dahe praised him.

• Deng Qing restrained the first Strange Horse and extracted Wasteland Blood from its trough of offal while Zhang Dahe watched.
• Zhang Dahe guessed Deng Qing was practicing to take the Horse Trainer examination, and Deng Qing denied it and continued feeding the horses.
• Deng Qing subdued a second Strange Horse, then extracted blood from the troughs of all eighteen horses before leaving the farm.
• Deng Qing refined the collected Wasteland Blood and practiced Collapse Step and the Elephant-Throwing Method through the night.
• Deng Qing returned to the Horse Farm before feeding time, and Zhang Dahe greeted him with praise.

Deng Qing trained the strange horses while replenishing his strength with wasteland beast offal, then learned that the Command Center needed his blood to help secure the missing body of a wasteland vein dragon. He agreed to join the mission after Jian Ruyu negotiated access to the Xiao Family’s baleful veins, and Xiao Jinglin arrived to meet him.

• Deng Qing persuaded Zhang Dahe to bring more strange horses for him to train, then practiced until his cultivation and strength improved.
• Centurion Duan Wei angrily confronted Deng Qing about his unruly mount, but Deng Qing demonstrated that he had trained the blue-gray horse to obey commands.
• Xia Daoyu summoned Deng Qing to Elder Jian, but Deng Qing delayed going so he could replenish his Dantian by feeding on offal at the horse grounds.
• Jian Ruyu told Deng Qing that the vein dragon’s body had vanished and explained that his blood was needed to pin it down; she offered him access to the Xiao Family’s baleful veins in exchange for helping.
• Deng Qing agreed to the mission, and Jian Ruyu introduced him to Xiao Jinglin as the two prepared to work together.

Deng Qing learned more about Xiao Jinglin’s respect for his achievements, reunited with Zhang Yan, and raised his suspicions about Li Dashan’s Pure Jade Method with Jian Ruyu. As the final operation against the Vein Dragon approached, Deng Qing gave blood for the mission and trained in his tent.

• Xiao Jinglin and Pei Zhao discussed Deng Qing’s role in killing Huo Dongfeng and agreed that he was talented and worth befriending.
• Zhang Yan visited Deng Qing, took back the Wasteland Bone for Master, and asked Deng Qing to deliver a letter to his sister-in-law.
• Deng Qing asked Jian Ruyu about Huang Changhe and the Pure Jade Method, and she warned that refining Wasteland Blood could cause humans to mutate.
• Jian Ruyu tested Deng Qing’s pulse, found no signs of Wasteland Blood contamination, and explained that Deng Qing would have to enter the Vein Dragon’s dangerous territory during the operation.
• Xia Daoyu brought someone to draw two tubes of Deng Qing’s blood, and Deng Qing trained in his tent until the wooden plaque sounded again.

Deng Qing declined to lead his former companions on the coming mission, then joined Xiao Jinglin’s contingent for the assault into Tiger Leaping Gorge. As the Beast Tide scattered the troops and Xiao’s guards kept taking the Qi Petals, Deng Qing broke away to fight on his own and pursue the spoils.

• Deng Qing told Long Xiu, Chen Hong, Lin Li, Hong Lin, and the others that secret orders kept him from joining their team, then shared a meal with them until dawn.
• Chen Hong gave Deng Qing a phoenix-emblem card that let him eat at Chen’s Restaurants, and the troops later assembled for Feng Xiuquan’s address.
• Deng Qing joined Xiao Jinglin’s contingent, learned that Furnace Realm experts could not enter the gorge, and heard that fighters could keep any Qi Petals they found.
• Strange Kites dropped Wasteland Beast offal into Tiger Leaping Gorge, drawing a Beast Tide toward the troops; the Donghuang Cult had apparently used the same tactic.
• The troops charged into the gorge, and Pei Zhao reunited Deng Qing with Xiao Jinglin after the fighting scattered them.
• As Xiao’s guards killed the Qi Beasts and collected their Qi Petals, Deng Qing grew frustrated, then charged into the forest alone and told Xiao Jinglin they would meet at the summit.

Deng Qing fought his way through the Canyon, using Qi Beasts to improve his Elephant-Throwing Method before reuniting with Song Que and Chen Kong. After Song Que discovered Deng Qing held an Eighth-Rank Commandant’s Jade Dog Pendant, the three went to help Dongting County Martial Artists confront Wei Tong’s group from Yanshan Prefecture’s city over stolen Qi Petals.

• Deng Qing killed several Qi Beasts, followed one to a Mountain Hollow, and defeated many more while raising his Elephant-Throwing Method to 78% Grand Mastery.
• Deng Qing encountered Song Que and Chen Kong, who were surprised by his strength and discussed their Honorary Merit Rank pendants.
• Song Que examined Deng Qing’s jade pendant, and Chen Kong recognized it as an Eighth-Rank Commandant’s Jade Dog Pendant.
• A messenger reported that Wei Tong’s group had taken Qi Petals from Dongting County fighters, so Deng Qing joined Song Que and Chen Kong to address the dispute.
• Wei Tong mocked Chen Kong and argued that the stronger hunters deserved the Qi Petals, while the two groups traded accusations in the clearing.

Deng Qing helped defuse a dispute between Dongting County and prefectural-capital Martial Artists, then learned from Song Wuliang about Li Dashan and Huang Changhe’s shared past. The chapter left Deng Qing investigating the Pure Jade Method and the old theft that had separated his master from Huang Changhe.

• Song Wuliang arrived to stop the argument over Qi Petals, but Wei Tong turned his words into a public grievance and drew a crowd behind him.
• Chen Hong appeared to mediate, then slapped Wei Tong for sowing discord and ordered everyone to disperse.
• Song Que told Song Wuliang that Chen Hong had been speaking with Deng Qing and seemed eager to please him, prompting Song Wuliang to urge Chen Kong and Song Que to build a friendship with Deng Qing.
• Deng Qing returned and explained that Chen Hong had changed his attitude after recognizing him, then asked Song Wuliang to speak privately about Huang Changhe’s relationship with Li Dashan.
• Song Wuliang said Li Dashan and Huang Changhe had been close Named Disciples until a theft came to light, after which Li Dashan left the True Yang Martial Sect while Huang Changhe advanced to become an elder.
• Song Wuliang explained that Huang Changhe had contributed the Pure Jade Method, a cultivation method later abandoned because it caused severe backlash and made Qi deviation likely.

Deng Qing learned more about the old theft and his master’s ties to Elder Huang before Huang Bingyao tried to force him to join the True Yang Martial Sect’s group. Xiao Jinglin intervened and took Deng Qing along as the expedition advanced into Tiger Leaping Gorge, where their party defeated two Two-Petal Qi Beasts.

• Song Wuliang told Deng Qing that Li Dashan had once loved a senior sister in the True Yang Martial Sect, though he knew little for certain about the old theft or Elder Huang’s role.
• Flamebirds relayed Feng Xiuquan’s order for everyone to assemble at the Red Banner, where an officer warned that the dangers ahead were greater and offered a safe route back.
• Huang Bingyao demanded that Deng Qing go with him, but Xiao Jinglin rebuked Huang and drove him away by invoking his family’s influence.
• Deng Qing accepted Xiao Jinglin’s invitation to travel with his party as most of the gathered martial artists withdrew from the expedition.
• Xiao Jinglin’s guards defeated two Two-Petal Qi Beasts, suffering several injuries, and Xiao Jinglin gave Deng Qing one of the captured Qi Petals.

Deng Qing and Xiao Jinglin were ambushed by an organized group of cloaked fighters targeting Deng Qing, and they repeatedly used fog-producing Spheres to escape. After learning the pursuers may have tracked Deng Qing through his blood, Pei Zhao advised Xiao Jinglin and Deng Qing to split up.

• Deng Qing refused the two-petal Qi Petal Xiao Jinglin offered, and the group continued through the forest until cloaked figures surrounded them and demanded Deng Qing.
• Xiao Jinglin released a fog-producing Sphere and told Deng Qing to flee south, but Deng Qing avoided the obvious route and followed silver coins that Xiao Jinglin used to guide him out.
• Xiao Jinglin and Deng Qing escaped their first pursuers with more Spheres, met Pei Zhao, and reasoned that the attackers were a disciplined unit rather than Huang Changhe's men.
• Five cloaked figures caught up again, forcing Xiao Jinglin and Deng Qing to flee through more fog while Pei Zhao fought the pursuers.
• Pei Zhao suspected the attackers had tracked Deng Qing using his blood, and Xiao Jinglin explained that the blood's tracking power would fade after two or three days.
• Pei Zhao advised Xiao Jinglin and Deng Qing to split up rather than continue fleeing together.

Deng Qing fled his pursuers, used Dust-Evolving Pearls and a Misleading Doll to gain time, then lured the cloak-wearers into a herd of Qi Beasts while taking pills to force a breakthrough. After fighting off their attacks and surprising them with his strength, he swallowed more pills as Old Jiang charged him.

• Xiao Jinglin and Pei Zhao gave Deng Qing Dust-Evolving Pearls, a Dust Mirror, and Misleading Dolls before he left to face his pursuers alone.
• Deng Qing used the Devour Heaven Scripture and Great Fortune Pills to replenish his strength as he ran, then used fog and distractions to temporarily evade the cloak-wearers.
• Deng Qing found a stream surrounded by Qi Beasts and stirred the herd into chaos, using Collapse Step to evade the beasts while he waited for his pursuers.
• Seven cloak-wearers surrounded the rocky shoal, and the Red Taro Cloak-Wearer attacked Deng Qing while he maneuvered through the Qi Beasts.
• Deng Qing countered the White Lotus Cloak-Wearer's ambush with Phoenix Swaps the Nest, shocking the cloak-wearers with his strength and prompting them to suspect he was breaking through.
• Deng Qing swallowed two Great Fortune Pills and two Azure Fish Pills as Old Jiang knocked down a Qi Beast and charged toward him.

Deng Qing broke through to Bone Tempering Third Layer while fighting the cloak-wearers, then fled into a cave and turned to face his pursuers. He killed Old Jiang and several others, and the chapter ended as he snapped Red Taro Cloak-Wearer's neck.

• Deng Qing used the perfected Elephant-Throwing Method to hurl Old Jiang into a Qi Beast, killing them both, then escaped into the forest.
• Mountain Moon Cloak-Wearer tracked Deng Qing with a jade disc, and the six surviving cloak-wearers found him meditating in a cave.
• Deng Qing broke through to Bone Tempering Third Layer as the cloak-wearers approached, then fled deeper into the cave and was cornered.
• Deng Qing killed White Lotus Cloak-Wearer by smashing his skull against the wall, then threw River Cloak-Wearer into White Cloud Cloak-Wearer and killed them both.
• Deng Qing used Red Taro Cloak-Wearer's strike to flip him over his shoulder and snapped his neck against the ground.

Deng Qing killed the seven cloaked pursuers, then returned to the gathering and discovered that Huang Bingyao and Huang Changhe were likely connected to the attack. He told Jian Ruyu what had happened and asked whether they should report Huang Changhe to the Command Center.

• Deng Qing killed the Mountain Moon Cloak-Wearer after avoiding his poison, gathered the pursuers’ weapons and belongings, and headed southeast toward the troops.
• Deng Qing hid the weapons, wore a cloak marked with a white lotus, and drew Huang Bingyao into the forest by letting him spot him.
• Deng Qing struck Huang Bingyao in the chest, but Huang Bingyao survived the seemingly devastating injury and fled; he later appeared at the gathering with Huang Changhe.
• Deng Qing concluded that the seven cloaked figures were likely members of the Donghuang Cult and sought Jian Ruyu’s help as Huang Changhe’s hostility toward him became clear.
• Deng Qing recounted the attack and his suspicions to Jian Ruyu, who acknowledged that spies could be present in their camp and questioned Huang Changhe’s involvement; Deng Qing asked whether they should report it to the Command Center.