Chapter Summaries

Li Yao faced Wang Lei in the ranking tournament’s opening match and discovered the strength behind Wang Lei’s Stone ability. After Wang Lei shattered a stone pillar with his Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist, Li Yao stopped him and proposed a bet.

• Li Yao entered the packed Martial Arts Arena and received cheers from Liu Ming and other spectators.
• The teacher announced that competitors would face opponents from the opposite ends of the standings, matching Seventh Arena’s Li Yao against Fourth Arena’s Wang Lei.
• Li Yao and Wang Lei agreed to fight at full strength, then began exchanging blows in the arena.
• Li Yao dodged Wang Lei’s Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist as it smashed a stone pillar, and Wang Lei prepared to attack again.
• Li Yao raised a hand to stop Wang Lei and proposed a bet.

Li Yao and Wang Lei wagered on the result of their next attacks, then unleashed powerful fist techniques that shook the Martial Arts Arena. As the dust cleared, the crowd waited to see who had won.

• Li Yao bet that he could defeat Wang Lei with his next move, wagering ten thousand Spirit Stones against Wang Lei becoming his underling.
• Li Yao used the Nine-Turn Profound Art’s Heaven-Breaking Fist while Wang Lei unleashed his Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist and warned that his Stone Superpower could keep supplying him with Spiritual Power.
• Their attacks collided with enough force to shake the platform and send tremors through the Martial Arts Arena.
• Shi Jian recognized that Wang Lei could draw Spiritual Power from the platform and predicted that Li Yao would lose.
• Dust obscured the fighters, and the crowd waited to learn who had won as it cleared.

Li Yao recovered with the Nine-Turn Profound Art and defeated Wang Lei, despite Wang Lei’s claim that his Stone Superpower let him keep replenishing his Spiritual Power. Wang Lei honored their bet and agreed to follow Li Yao, who remained determined to take first place.

• Wang Lei said his Stone Superpower let him recover Spiritual Power from the ground and demanded that Li Yao surrender.
• Li Yao revealed that the Nine-Turn Profound Art could restore him, then struck Wang Lei with one punch and sent him flying.
• Li Yao received 2,000 Background Value for defeating Wang Lei, bringing his total to 11,000.
• Shi Jian praised Li Yao and suspected his cultivation technique was at least Earth-Rank, while Liu Zhengguo was left stunned.
• Wang Lei admitted defeat and agreed to follow Li Yao, who told the referee he had won and reaffirmed his intention to take first place.

The top five were chosen, and the draw paired Ye Xiao with Zhao Tiezhu and Yu Xuerou with Li Mengqi. Li Yao drew the bye and advanced directly to the top three, leaving Wang Lei resentful.

• Ye Xiao, Yu Xuerou, Zhao Tiezhu, Li Mengqi, and Li Yao were named the top five, with Wang Lei provisionally sixth.
• The referee announced that the five would draw lots, with one person receiving a bye into the top three.
• Ye Xiao drew Zhao Tiezhu, while Yu Xuerou drew Li Mengqi.
• Li Yao drew the bye and celebrated as the crowd reacted to his luck.
• Li Yao teased Wang Lei about getting the bye, and Wang Lei silently glared at him.

At the semifinals, Ye Xiao effortlessly stopped Zhao Tiezhu’s attacks while Yu Xuerou defeated the injured Li Mengqi with one move. Li Wenbin then told Li Yao that Yu Xuerou had ties to the Shangguan Family.

• Ye Xiao blocked Zhao Tiezhu’s repeated attacks without using a technique, leaving Zhao Tiezhu exhausted and helpless.
• Yu Xuerou caught Li Mengqi’s Sword Shadow Flowing Light between two fingers, and Li Mengqi conceded.
• Li Yao watched the semifinalists’ displays of strength and worried that neither Ye Xiao nor Yu Xuerou would be easy to face.
• Li Wenbin returned and told Li Yao that Yu Xuerou had ties to the Shangguan Family.

Li Yao learned about Yu Xuerou’s ties to the Shangguan Family and Ye Xiao’s mysterious strength, then used the system to acquire a Qi-Explosion Pill and break through to Ninth Rank Martial Master. After the semifinals, the three finalists drew lots, and Ye Xiao advanced by default.

• Li Wenbin told Li Yao that Yu Xuerou was closely connected to the Shangguan Family and described Ye Xiao’s unknown origins and powerful cultivation technique.
• Li Yao used the system to exchange 1,000 Background Value for a Qi-Explosion Pill, then spent his remaining 10,000 Background Value to reach Ninth Rank Martial Master.
• Ye Xiao easily defeated Zhao Tiezhu, while Yu Xuerou also won and Li Yao advanced by default, leaving all three in the tournament’s top three.
• As the referee announced the Finals rules, Li Yao broke through during cultivation, drawing the crowd’s attention.
• Ye Xiao drew the lot that let him advance by default.

Li Yao defeated Yu Xuerou in the tournament semifinal and advanced to the finals. Yu Xuerou surrendered after her injuries left her unable to stand, and Li Yao received 5,000 Background Value.

• Li Yao confronted Yu Xuerou about her connection to Shangguan Yan before they began their match.
• Yu Xuerou attacked Li Yao with her Sky-Piercing Palm, but his Heaven-Breaking Fist met it head-on.
• Yu Xuerou launched her Wind-Thunder Palm, and Li Yao countered with a stronger Heaven-Breaking Fist that left her badly injured.
• Li Yao taunted Yu Xuerou, who tried and failed to stand before surrendering.
• The system announced that Li Yao had advanced to the finals and awarded him 5,000 Background Value.

After defeating Yu Xuerou, Li Yao challenged Imperial Capital University's top-ranked Ye Xiao and used the Qi-Explosion Pill to land a powerful blow. The chapter ended with Li Yao on one knee and Ye Xiao still standing, blood at the corner of his mouth.

• Yu Xuerou conceded, and Shi Jian provisionally ranked Ye Xiao first, Li Yao second, and Yu Xuerou third.
• Li Yao challenged Ye Xiao, and Ye Xiao agreed to fight him.
• Li Yao attacked Ye Xiao with the Heaven-Breaking Fist, but Ye Xiao easily deflected his first strike and drove him back.
• Ye Xiao unleashed his strength and knocked Li Yao down, but Li Yao rose and waited for another opening.
• Li Yao used the Qi-Explosion Pill and struck Ye Xiao with a powered-up Heaven-Breaking Fist, drawing blood from him.
• Li Yao knelt, gasping for breath, and asked Ye Xiao what he thought of the move.

Li Yao faced Ye Xiao in the arena, where both revealed the power of their Heaven-Rank Cultivation Techniques. After Ye Xiao overwhelmed him with Myriad Forms Return to Origin, Li Yao learned from the system that the technique had a weak point, leaving him ready to risk everything on one strike.

• Ye Xiao revealed that he cultivated a Heaven-Rank Cultivation Technique, drawing greedy attention from people on the raised platform.
• Ye Xiao absorbed Spiritual Power and unleashed an aura more than twice as strong as before, while Li Yao used the Nine-Turn Profound Art and fought back with Heaven-Breaking Fist.
• Ye Xiao revealed that he had been suppressing his cultivation, then used Myriad Forms Return to Origin to strike Li Yao down.
• Li Yao asked the system about his chances, and it identified the second joint of Ye Xiao's left index finger as the technique's weak point.
• Li Yao resolved to attack Ye Xiao's weak point and risk everything to win.

Li Yao defeated Ye Xiao by striking the weakness in Myriad Forms Return to Origin, then stabilized Ye Xiao’s Spiritual Power and offered to be his friend. Shi Jian declared Li Yao the Superpower Competition champion, and Li Yao celebrated his reward and the chance to leave behind part of his former reputation.

• Li Yao struck the weak point in Ye Xiao’s Myriad Forms Return to Origin, causing Ye Xiao’s Spiritual Power to leak away.
• Ye Xiao conceded, and Shi Jian realized Li Yao had understood the technique well enough to target its weakness.
• Li Yao offered to repair Ye Xiao’s technique and channeled Spiritual Power into him to stabilize it; Ye Xiao accepted his help.
• The system awarded Li Yao 10,000 Background Value and 50,000 for completing the championship quest.
• Shi Jian announced Li Yao as the Superpower Competition champion, and the crowd cheered.

After Li Yao won the tournament, Wang Lei challenged Yu Xuerou for her third-place ranking. Wang Lei turned the fight around with a concealed attack, and Yu Xuerou conceded after being badly injured.

• Shi Jian announced the tournament rewards and led Li Yao, Ye Xiao, and Yu Xuerou away, but Li Yao began suffering from the Qi-Explosion Pill's backlash.
• Wang Lei invoked the challenge rule and challenged Yu Xuerou, who accepted.
• Li Yao began recovering and recognized Wang Lei's strength and advantages in defense and endurance.
• Yu Xuerou attacked Wang Lei with Frost Palm and Frost Storm, but Wang Lei secretly gathered power for Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist.
• Wang Lei struck Yu Xuerou with Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist and advanced to finish the fight, so Yu Xuerou conceded.

After winning the competition, Li Yao received an Earth-Rank technique and a Special Operations Bureau recommendation token, then gave the technique to Wang Lei. The system revealed it had copied techniques from Li Yao and awarded him Background Value, though Li Yao remained annoyed by its stinginess.

• Shi Jian awarded Li Yao, Ye Xiao, and Wang Lei prizes for placing first, second, and third, giving Li Yao Mountainous Body and a Special Operations Bureau recommendation token.
• Li Yao found Mountainous Body and Ye Xiao's Myriad Forms Return to Origin on his system panel and discovered the system had copied them without telling him.
• Li Yao gave Mountainous Body to Wang Lei, who accepted it and agreed to call Li Yao Boss.
• Ye Xiao declined Li Yao's invitation to eat, while Li Yao took Wang Lei out for a meal.
• Li Yao learned his current Background Value was 60,000, gained 12,000 points for the copied techniques, and heard that cumulative Background Value counted toward his goal.

After Li Yao’s tournament victory revealed strength comparable to a Martial Venerable, Lin Yun feared his original plan would fail and asked his father for another expert. He arranged to lure Li Yao to the Yang Family by falsely claiming it had gathered the Spirit Stones, intending to ambush and kill him.

• Lin Yun read a report about Li Yao’s victory and worried that one Martial Venerable would not be enough to defeat him, especially with Li Wenbin nearby.
• Yang Xiaoran urged Lin Yun to bring more people, and he decided to ask his father to send another expert.
• Lin Yun called his father, who agreed to send Lin Feng to join the first Martial Venerable.
• Lin Yun told Yang Xiaoran to spread word that the Yang Family had gathered enough Spirit Stones and invite Li Yao to collect his debt, planning to ambush him.

Yang Xiaoran and Lin Yun spent the night together, while Yang Mingyou realized his plan to offer her to Li Yao was ruined. After winning the Martial Arts Tournament, Li Yao prepared to attack the Yang Family the next day and reclaim what he believed they owed him.

• Yang Mingyou summoned Yang Xiaoran and, seeing she had been intimate with Lin Yun, abandoned his plan to have her submit to Li Yao if Li Yao lost.
• Yang Mingyou put his hopes in Lin Yun as Yang Xiaoran returned to bed, unaware of her father's concerns.
• Li Yao finished calls with his parents and Li Fuhai, then asked Li Wenbin whether preparations to confront the Yang Family were complete.
• Li Wenbin reported that one Martial King was at the Yang Family residence and two more were standing by to protect Li Yao.
• Li Yao decided to attack the Yang Family the next day, take back what Yang Xiaoran had received from him, and end the family's existence.

Yang Mingyou waited anxiously at the Yang Family residence as Lin Yun and Yang Xiaoran mocked Li Yao for supposedly coming alone. Li Yao headed there with Li Wenbin, confident that his three Martial Kings would overwhelm Lin Yun's two Martial Venerables.

• Yang Mingyou reflected on his late wife and worried about the consequences of his alliance with Lin Yun.
• Lin Yun and Yang Xiaoran dismissed Li Yao as a coward, while Yang Mingyou reconsidered his decision to trust Lin Yun.
• A bodyguard reported that Li Yao was approaching the Yang Family residence with only Li Wenbin, delighting Lin Yun and easing Yang Mingyou's fears.
• Li Yun told Li Wenbin that Lin Yun had summoned another Martial Venerable, then said his three Martial Kings would easily defeat Lin Yun's forces.
• Li Yao joked with Li Wenbin about Lin Yun's reaction when he revealed the three Martial Kings.

Li Yao arrived at the Yang Family estate to collect the debt, demanding the family surrender its assets if it could not pay in Spirit Stones. Lin Yun challenged him and summoned powerful allies, leaving two terrifying auras filling the main hall.

• Yang Mingyou waited anxiously outside the estate while armed bodyguards guarded the gate against Li Yao.
• Li Yao arrived with Li Wenbin, and Yang Mingyou ordered the bodyguards to holster their guns before welcoming him inside.
• Li Yao found Lin Yun and Yang Xiaoran together in the main hall and demanded the ledger of the Yang Family’s debt.
• Yang Mingyou admitted the family could not pay, so Li Yao demanded its assets and threatened to erase the Yang Family from the Imperial Capital.
• Lin Yun mocked Li Yao, claimed he would not leave the estate, and clapped his hands to summon help.
• Two terrifying auras engulfed the main hall.

Lin Yun’s ambush against Li Yao failed when Li Yao’s Martial King protectors arrived and subdued the room. Li Yao confronted Lin Yun and Yang Mingyou, then asked whether he should kill Yang Mingyou.

• Lin Yun slapped Li Yao and threatened to kill Li Wenbin while the two Martial Venerables held them down.
• Li Yao called in Uncle Fu and Uncle Ming, whose Martial King pressure freed him and Li Wenbin and forced everyone else to their knees.
• Li Yao revealed that his family had known about Lin Yun’s plot and explained that he had called the protectors back from the border.
• Li Yao taunted Lin Yun for his failed ambush, then confronted Yang Mingyou about betraying him.
• Yang Mingyou admitted he was wrong, and Li Yao asked whether he should kill him.

Li Yao rejected Yang Mingyou’s request for another day to repay the debt and ordered Lin Yun and the Lin Family elders crippled. Yang Mingyou took his own life after asking Li Yao to spare his daughter and instructing Yang Xiaoran to repay what the Yang Family owed.

• Lin Yun begged Li Yao for mercy, blamed Yang Xiaoran, and struck her before dragging her to apologize.
• Yang Mingyou offered ten thousand Spirit Stones in interest and asked Li Yao for another day, but Li Yao refused.
• Uncle Ming broke the Lin Family elders’ limbs and sealed their Dantians, while Li Wenbin crippled Lin Yun and sealed his Dantian.
• Yang Mingyou asked Li Yao to spare Yang Xiaoran and told her to repay the debt after his death.
• Yang Mingyou forced energy backward through his meridians and died as a framed photograph fell and shattered beside him.

After Yang Mingyou severed his meridians and died, Li Yao broke down with guilt but chose not to kill Yang Xiaoran. He then headed for the Lin Family with Lin Yun and two others in custody, while Li Shan stayed behind to watch the Yang Family.

• Yang Mingyou died after severing his meridians, and Yang Xiaoran cried over his body and swore revenge on Li Yao.
• Li Yao vomited and wept, blaming himself for Yang Mingyou's death until Li Wenbin helped him regain his composure.
• Li Yao ordered Uncle Fu to release Yang Xiaoran and decided to visit the Lin Family with Lin Yun and two others in custody.
• Uncle Fu warned Li Yao that Yang Xiaoran might seek revenge, but Li Yao refused to kill her unless she came after him.
• Li Shan met the group, heard what had happened, and agreed to watch the Yang Family while Li Yao continued toward the Lin Family.

Li Yao brought Lin Yun back to the Lin Family estate to confront Lin Yuntian over Lin Yun’s attempt to kill him. Lin Yuntian agreed to pay One Hundred Thousand Spirit Stones for his son, but Li Yao revealed two more captives and prepared to demand payment for them as well.

• Li Yao insisted that his group go straight to the Lin Family estate despite his distress over Yang Mingyou’s death.
• At the Lin Family gates, Lin Yun woke and threatened Li Yao, who ignored him and demanded to see the family head.
• Lin Yuntian greeted Li Yao and learned that Lin Yun had joined forces with the Yang Family to try to kill him.
• Li Yao demanded One Hundred Thousand Spirit Stones to release Lin Yun, and Lin Yuntian ordered a guard to fetch the First Elder and the payment.
• Li Yao stopped the guard and revealed two more captives, saying he had additional gifts to discuss with Lin Yuntian.